Tag: Baltimore Ravens

Harbaugh Bowl, or “Harbowl” should be a major battle of wits

Every football game is a fierce battle of wits, but it takes on added and deeper level when it’s brother versus brother.

The second-ever Harbaugh Bowl, which we can call the “Harbowl” (as portmanteaus are all the rage these days), will soon be upon us.

Monday night, John Harbaugh and his Baltimore Ravens will be on the opposite side of the country, in Los Angeles, where they’ll take on his brother Jim’s Chargers. 

Harbowl I occurred in Super Bowl XLVII, in 2013 when John’s Ravens beat Jim’s San Francisco 49ers 34-31. Meetings between the Harbaugh siblings are rare, and that’s what makes them all the more special. 

Every football game is a fierce battle of wits, but it takes on an added and deeper level when it’s brother versus brother. Each man probably thinks that he knows all that there is to know about his opponent.

I also realize that the man on the opposite sideline almost certainly feels the same way about him.  It’s somewhat reminiscent of a famous Sir Winston Churchill quote about warfare:

“Always remember, however sure you are that you could easily win, that there would not be a war if the other man did not think he also had a chance.”

And the Harbaugh brothers are two intellectuals who have, in the past, provided articulate public commentary on social matters transcending football.

At 2017 Big Ten Media Day, Jim discussed his plans to take his Michigan Wolverines squad on an upcoming trip to Paris and Normandy. He did so by referencing the Rome trip he took his team on the previous year.

“I think it was A+ on all levels,” Jim Harbaugh told The Sports Bank, regarding his voyage to the eternal city. He added that the trip was also a chance to “make the world your classroom.”

I can’t think of a better endorsement for the concept of travel than that.

As for John, back in September 2020, when NFL players were protesting police brutality and racial injustice in the legal system during the playing of the national anthem, he gave a very passionate take.

“I don’t know how you can criticize someone for being passionate and for believing in something important to them,” Harbaugh said in an interview with NBC Sports.

“They want America to be great, and to realize the ideals we were founded on.”

John Harbaugh seemed to understand the Black Lives Matter movement better than most other NFL head coaches.

These are two thoughtful guys, so we should expect a very heady game.

 

Have the Ravens solved their defensive struggles with a reshuffled secondary?

Have the Ravens solved their defensive struggles with a reshuffled secondary?

By far, the Baltimore Ravens‘ biggest weakness and biggest surprise through 11 weeks of the 2024 season has been the secondary’s play. The Ravens entered the season with what looked like one of the league’s top coverage units on paper, but reality disagreed once the pads came on.

All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and rookie first-round cornerback Nate Wiggins have all had good seasons. Still, the drastic falloff from veteran free safety Marcus Williams and cornerback Brandon Stephens to go with poor play from newly acquired safety Eddie Jackson has tanked Baltimore’s pass defense. Through 11 weeks, the Ravens have allowed the most passing yards in the league.

After allowing quarterback Joe Burrow to throw for 428 yards and four touchdowns, with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase going for 264 yards and three touchdowns through the air against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, Baltimore decided to make changes on the backend of the defense. Williams was benched for the second time this season, while Hamilton and Ar’Darious Washington formed the starting safety duo against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. This was a change for Hamilton, as the do-it-all star is best known for his game-wrecking ability closer to the line of scrimmage, but after the results against the Steelers, he may have found a new home on the defense to finish this year.

The Ravens’ secondary stifled quarterback Russell Wilson, holding him to 205 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and -7.41 expected points through the air. Wide receiver George Pickens was held under 100 yards and out of the endzone, with cornerback Tre’Davious White having a pair of impressive pass deflections against him to prevent touchdowns. White played 24 snaps against Pittsburgh, eating into Stephens’ role on the boundary.

While the Steelers offense has not been one of the league’s best this season, Wilson’s ability to connect with Pickens down the field was something to fear coming into the game, and Baltimore kept a lid on the duo for the most part. The Ravens will face more formidable challenges to see if reshuffling the secondary has fixed the issues plaguing the defense, starting with a Monday Night Football showdown against star quarterback Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Ravens sign former All-Pro cornerback to the practice squad

Baltimore Ravens sign former All-Pro cornerback Desmond King to the practice squad

The Ravens are 7-4 and preparing for a huge Week 12 matchup against John Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers.

With Baltimore dealing with injuries and uncertainty in the secondary, Aaron Wilson reports that the team signed free-agent defensive back Desmond King to the practice squad.

King was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft and earned All-Pro honors in 2018 as both a defensive back and a punt returner.

King signed to the Texans practice squad this summer after being released during the 53-man roster cuts to end training camp.

Last season, King spent time with the Texans after getting cut by Pittsburgh and contributed 47 tackles, one sack, and two passes defended in seven games for the AFC South champion.

During his career, King has played for the Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Texans, and Steelers, recording 473 career tackles, nine interceptions, seven fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, 35 passes defended, and 9 1/2 sacks with 2,413 return yards and five total touchdowns.

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WATCH: First look at HBO’s Hard Knocks In-Season with the AFC North

HBO released the initial trailer for Hard Knocks In-Season with the AFC North featuring the Ravens, Bengals, Browns and Steelers

The AFC North is the most challenging division in the NFL. The season started with four potential 2024 playoff teams and tons of storylines. As HBO’s Hard Knocks takes an inside, in-season look at this historical division, fans will now have an up-close look.

For the first time since its debut, the award-winning docuseries goes behind the scenes of an entire NFL division for the first time. Warner Brothers Discovery made the announcement back in June.

HARD KNOCKS: IN SEASON WITH THE AFC NORTH will document the battle for the AFC North crown during the final six weeks of the NFL season, as well as a playoff run for the division-winner and any AFC North Wild Card teams. The 18-time Emmy®-winning series will deliver its signature all-access coverage as it follows the Mike Tomlin-coached Pittsburgh Steelers, who have never been featured on “Hard Knocks” in the history of the series, as well as coach John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, coach Zac Taylor’s Cincinnati Bengals, and coach Kevin Stefanski’s Cleveland Browns. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields will share the “Hard Knocks” spotlight with Derrick Henry, Ja’Marr Chase, Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, and an array of other AFC North star players.

It will debut Tuesday, December 3, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and stream on Max. Subsequent Tuesdays will air through the end of the NFL regular season and continue into the NFL playoffs in January 2025. HBO released the first trailer on Tuesday, and it looks as intense as the action presents.

Baltimore was the first team featured on the original “Hard Knocks” training camp series 2001. Since then, the Bengals have appeared twice, in 2009 and 2013, and the Browns in 2018, while the Pittsburgh Steelers will be making their debut appearance. Storylines to watch will include Patrick Queen’s arrival in Pittsburgh and the renewed Steelers-Ravens rivalry.

Contract disputes in Cleveland, Deshaun Watson’s return and subsequent injury, Russell Wilson’s debut, Justin Field’s arrival, and Joe Burrow’s return are just the tip of the iceberg of storylines and interesting subplots.

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Should the Ravens have an interest in adding Joe Douglas to the front office?

Baltimore should have an interest in bringing Joe Douglas back to the Ravens front office after he was fired by the New York Jets

The Ravens are always diligent about having a solid front office and player personnel group, and a former architect could be available. Joe Douglas was fired by the New York Jets on Tuesday after amassing a 30-64 record as the team’s general manager.

The move comes several weeks after the team fired head coach Robert Saleh following a 2–3 start. Saleh finished his tenure in New York with a 20–36 (.357) regular season record overall.

The Jets requested permission to interview Douglas and hired him over then-Chicago Bears Assistant Director of Player Personnel Champ Kelly, New Orleans Saints Director of Pro Scouting Terry Fontenot, Minnesota Vikings Assistant General Manager George Paton, and Seattle Seahawks Director of Player Personnel Scott Fitterer.

Before joining the Jets in 2019, Douglas was a longtime scout with the Baltimore Ravens before becoming an executive with the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles. Douglas began his NFL career in the Ravens personnel department in 2000 and worked there until 2015.

Douglas joined the Eagles franchise in 2016 and was responsible for running the Eagles draft board and scouting department, turning the latter into the best in the NFL.

Douglas quickly developed a reputation around the league as a critical cog in Howie Roseman’s front office while playing a role in constructing the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII-winning team and the deep roster for the 2019 season.

Douglas drafted Derek Barnett and Andre Dillard for the Philadelphia Eagles while he was the team’s general manager from 2017–2019.  Rasul Douglas, Dallas Goedert, Josh Sweat, and Jordan Mailata are just a few of the players that Douglas played a part in the Eagles’ drafting.

Douglas amassed a dismal 30-64 record since taking over as Jets GM and could return to Philadelphia or Baltimore in the offseason.

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Ravens HC John Harbaugh weighs in on Justin Tucker’s struggles in 2024

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh weighed in on kicker Justin Tucker

The Baltimore Ravens lost a heartbreaker to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11 by the final score of 18-16. Baltimore couldn’t convert on a two-point conversion to tie the contest, resulting in defeat.

One of the many reasons Baltimore wasn’t about to come out on top was kicker Justin Tucker’s two massive misses on field goals. The legendary kicker has struggled all season, and head coach John Harbaugh said that Tucker needs to make his kicks and kick straight.

“‘Tuck’ [Justin Tucker] needs to make kicks. He knows that; that’s important. He makes them in practice, and he made the long one later, which was good to see – which means he’s still very capable. Kick them straight, [and] we’ll be good.”

Tucker’s struggles have been uncharacteristic, with all his kicks missing wide left. Baltimore needs Tucker to be the best version of himself, as missed kicks mean even more in postseason action.

Lamar Jackson is sick of the Ravens beating themselves

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is sick of the team beating themselves

The Baltimore Ravens suffered some ugly losses during the 2024 NFL season, resulting in many questions about the team’s actual contender status. That didn’t change in Week 11, as the team embarrassingly lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Baltimore couldn’t get out of its own way once again, gifting Pittsburgh a win in multiple different areas. After the contest, quarterback Lamar Jackson expressed his frustration with the outcome and the way it happened, talking about how the team can’t keep beating themselves up.

“Absolutely. It’s been that way ever since last year, I believe, going back to the AFC Championship game, we killed ourselves. The Chiefs game [in] the [season] opener, we killed ourselves. [The] Raiders [game], we killed ourselves, and today, it’s the same thing. We can’t be beating ourselves in these types of games. We have to find a way to fix that – it’s annoying.”

In their losses and even in some of their wins, the Ravens give the game away and become their own worst enemy. This worrying trend needs fixing, especially for a team that has such high hopes and is striving to win a Super Bowl for the third time in franchise history.

John Harbaugh on Ravens lack of discipline: ‘We have to cut down on the penalties’

John Harbaugh discussed the fact that the Baltimore Ravens need to cut down on penalties

The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers by the final score of 18-16 in Week 11. It was a tough road divisional game for Baltimore, but despite the loss, it felt like a game that the Ravens could have easily won had they been more on top of things and executed at a higher level.

In the contest, Baltimore racked up 80 total penalties through 10 weeks, the most in the NFL. They added 12 more to their total on Sunday, and after the game, head coach John Harbaugh made it clear that the number of penalties the team is committing is unacceptable.

“It’s definitely something we have to do. We have to cut down on the penalties – that is very important. We’ve done it before on offense. We haven’t had some of those in some of our big offensive games. Today that was a big problem.”

If the Ravens genuinely want to win a Super Bowl, they must be a more disciplined football team moving forward. That responsibility is on both the players and the coaches, as both have not been up to par regarding being ready for game day mostly all season long.

The Ravens are in a difficult spot with Justin Tucker

The Ravens are in a difficult spot with Justin Tucker

For potentially the first time, with arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history on their side, the Baltimore Ravens were at a massive disadvantage in a low-scoring affair decided by field goals against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tucker missed two field goals, one from 47 yards and another from 50, in the Ravens’ 18-16 loss to the Steelers in Week 11, bringing his number of missed kicks this season to six with one missed extra point. On the other hand, Chris Boswell accounted for 18 of Pittsburgh’s points with six field goals. Tucker did make a 54-yard field goal in the game, but his two misses loomed large in a two-point loss that handed the Steelers sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

In a season with Super Bowl aspirations, led by the league’s best offense and a quarterback gunning for a third MVP trophy, it would be a shame for everything to come crumbling down at the foot of the previously always-reliable Tucker in January.

It is tough to say where Baltimore should go from here. On one hand, Tucker has missed crucial field goals in all four of the Ravens’ close losses this season. On the other hand, Tucker is the most excellent kicker of all time, with as much credit in the bank as one player could have. Cutting Tucker and bringing in another kicker from the street would be the worst way to end his legendary career in Baltimore, but not doing so runs the risk of potentially more costly misses leading to close losses.

The Ravens’ offense has been good enough to mask Tucker’s struggles, for the most part, this season, but as shown on Sunday when the unit could not get going, Tucker could not be counted on to bail them out as he has done countless times throughout his career.

Former Ravens center Matt Skura announces retirement from NFL

Former Ravens center Matt Skura announces retirement from NFL

Former Baltimore Ravens undrafted center Matt Skura officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday.

“Thank you to the City of Baltimore and the entire Ravens organization,” Skura wrote on Instagram. “Baltimore became home, where Emma and I raised our family, formed lifelong relationships and became a part of the community. I’m extremely fortunate to have started my career in place that values hard work, leadership, accountability, and integrity.”

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Skura was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Duke in 2016. After spending his first season on Baltimore’s practice squad, Skura became a starter at right guard in 2017 following a season-ending ankle injury to Marshal Yanda. The following season in 2018, Skura replaced the departed Ryan Jensen as the starting center, holding the position until a knee injury ended his season in 2019 against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.

After leaving the Ravens in 2021, Skura signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins but was released on August 30 before the start of the season. Skura went on to have short stints with the New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, and Dolphins a second time.

Skura is just one in a long list of examples of Baltimore identifying and developing offensive linemen, particularly under late offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris.

Following the passing of D’Alessandris in August, Skura was one of many former players to write about his impact.

“There are a few special people that go beyond the call of ‘coach’ and impact your life the way Joe D did for me.” Skura wrote on Instagram.

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