Tag: Ronnie Stanley

Ronnie Stanley is getting back to his dominant self

One of the key Ravens storylines entering this season was Ronnie Stanley, and whether or not he could get his career back on track

One of the key Baltimore Ravens storylines entering this season was left tackle Ronnie Stanley and whether or not he could get his career back on track.

After suffering a few injury-plagued years and seeing his form take a significant downturn when he was fit enough to play, questions about his future with the club swirled about him in the offseason.

But Stanley made it clear in the preseason that he is majorly motivated to get back to the first-team All-Pro level that he was in 2019. So far, he has answered the bell and then some.

Stanley seems to be getting better every week, and he’s led the way for an offensive line that’s starting to gel. They are much more disciplined now than they were in the season opener.

Replacing three of five starters this campaign, Stanley (as well as center Tyler Linderbaum) needed to lead the way as a returning starter.

We’ve seen that in spades, and Stanley is now once again playing like the franchise left tackle, who was rewarded with a five-year contract extension (potentially worth up to $112.8 million) in 2020.

The Ravens are now once again getting their ROI on that megadeal.

Ravens vs. Bengals: Top photos from Baltimore’s 41-38 win in overtime at Paycor Stadium

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 41-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime at Paycor Stadium in Week 5

Lamar Jackson and company rallied from a late fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime with a 56-yard field goal from Justin Tucker. In overtime, the Bengals recovered a Jackson fumble but could not win it after Evan McPherson missed a 56-yard field goal of his win.

At one point in the fourth quarter, Joe Burrow was 27-for-34 for 353 yards and five touchdown passes, while former college teammate Ja’Marr Chase had nine catches for 174 yards and two scores.

Burrow finished 30-39 passing for 392 yards, five touchdowns, and one costly interception. His MVP counterpart, Lamar Jackson, was 26-42 passing for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson also had 12 carries for 56 yards on the day.

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Joe Burrow dominates early, but Ravens rally for a 41-38 win over Bengals in overtime

Joe Burrow dominates early, but Ravens rally for a 41-38 win over Bengals in overtime

After a week of pundits and experts questioning Joe Burrow’s demise, the former LSU star put the NFL back on notice with a dominant, five-touchdown performance against the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium.

Still, it wasn’t enough, as Lamar Jackson and company rallied from a late fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime with a 56-yard field goal from Justin Tucker. In overtime, the Bengals recovered a Lamar Jackosn fumble but were unable to win it after Evan McPherson missed a 56-yard field goal of his win.

Baltimore used a big Derrick Henry run to get into field goal position, and Justin Tucker’s 24 field goals gave the Ravens their third straight win.

At one point in the fourth quarter, Burrow was 27-for-34 for 353 yards and five touchdown passes, while former college teammate Ja’Marr Chase had nine catches for 174 yards and two scores against a Ravens secondary full of first-round picks and high-paid defenders.

Burrow finished 30-39 passing for 392 yards, five touchdowns, and one costly interception. His MVP counterpart, Lamar Jackson, was 26-42 passing for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson also had 12 carries for 56 yards on the day.

After a slow start, Derrick Henry finished things with a bang, rushing for 91 yards on 15 carries, with one rushing touchdown.

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Bills at Ravens: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 4

Bills at Ravens: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 4

The Buffalo Bills will visit the Baltimore Ravens for an AFC clash on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 4.

The Bills (3-0) and Ravens (1-2) have had different starts to the season, and a desperate Ravens team hoping to avoid a 1-3 start could make this a back-and-forth affair. The games within the game will make the difference on Sunday.

Here are three key matchups to watch during the Bills-Ravens contest:

DE Greg Rousseau vs. LT Ronnie Stanley

(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Ravens’ Ronnie Stanley is a former All-Pro left tackle, but he will have his hands full on Sunday night. With most of the Ravens’ offensive line being banged up going into Week 4, the healthy Stanley will be leaned upon even more so by the Ravens. The bad news for Stanley is he is going to be tasked with stopping the penetration of Greg Rousseau.

Rousseau moves to both sides of the defensive line, but when he is matched up with Stanley, it will be power vs. power. The winner of this matchup could prove vital.

QB Lamar Jackson vs. Bills secondary

 (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

If Bills head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich have one thing on their mind going into the game, it’s stopping the Ravens’ rushing attack.

Last week against the Dallas Cowboys, the Ravens led for much of the game and only threw 15 total passes. This week should be different. Lamar Jackson will be forced to pass more often, and when he does, the Bills secondary will most likely be lurking in zone coverage. The Bills are eighth in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, and corners Christian Benford and Rasual Douglas are performing like one of the league’s best outside duos.

RB James Cook vs. LB Roquan Smith

 (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

The Ravens are the best in the league at stuffing the run, allowing just 50 yards per game. Their defensive line, ranked third in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, has a few high-level players in Michael Pierce, Travis Jones, and Nnamdi Madubuike. These three, in the Ravens’ 3-4 base defense, should eat up blocks at times and allow their linebackers to come downhill.

This will set up Cook against a linebacker in the hole. Roquan Smith is struggling in run defense. He’s ranked 42nd in run defense grade for linebackers by PFF. On the contrary, James Cook is averaging 4.6 yards per carry. If running with Cook gets bottled up but the Ravens’ front, the Bills should be able to find success in targeting their backs and slot receivers in the passing game. Ravens’ linebackers Trenton Simpson and Smith rank 35th and 50th in PFF coverage grade for linebackers, respectively.

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Nate Wiggins, Ronnie Stanley among 5 key Ravens to return to practice ahead of Week 3

Nate Wiggins, Ronnie Stanley among 5 key Ravens to return to practice ahead of Week 3

The Ravens need a win badly on Sunday against the Cowboys and received some good news on the injury front.

Baltimore had five players not practice on Wednesday, which was reversed on Thursday, as all five took the practice field in some capacity.

Wiggins missed the Week 2 loss to the Raiders with a neck injury and was wearing a non-contact red jersey at the onset of practice. Ronnie Stanley suffered an ankle injury last Sunday but only missed one day before returning.

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Ravens vs. Raiders: Top photos from Week 2 matchup at M&T Bank Stadium

The Ravens have gone from a Super Bowl hopeful, to a team searching for answers after a shocking 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The loss dropped Baltimore to 0-2 on the season, while creating more discourse centered on the offensive line, secondary, run-pass ratios, and Lamar Jackson. The disappointing loss also creates something of a hotseat for head coach John Harbaugh with a difficult matchup against the Cowboys looming.

Here are the top photos from Week 2.

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Ravens HC John Harbaugh addresses concerns over the offensive line

John Harbaugh attempted to alleviate concerns over the OL when he spoke to the media after practice on Monday.

It was only the season’s first game, and it came against the most formidable opponent of all, the reigning world champion Kansas City Chiefs, but there was plenty of cause for concern for Baltimore Ravens fans. 

A lot, if not most, of the criticism has focused on the offensive line. They were a huge question mark heading into the season, and they didn’t really provide many answers Thursday night.

Head Coach John Harbaugh attempted to alleviate concerns over the OL when he spoke to the media after practice on Monday.

“I’m not too worried about the offensive line … I watch all the other offensive lines in the National Football League, and I think if you applied the same standard to the other offensive lines out there, you’d be like, ‘Oh boy, that’s a tough position to play against these guys,” Harbaugh said.

“Our offensive line is going to be really good this year. I believe that. And we’re working really hard towards that. … I think by the end of the season, you’re going to feel real good about our offensive line.”

While it’s great to be so optimistic and the right approach, Harbaugh’s comments are a little strange. He’s not going to win over many fans when he says, “by the end of the season…” as all 17 games count, and we’re already on to the second one.

Also, his remark about “the other offensive lines out there” shouldn’t reassure anybody. When he says that most of the NFL’s OL units don’t perform well, it doesn’t make his guys better.

It just lowers the bar for them. The good news is that despite suffering the loss, Baltimore won the total yardage battle by 98 on Thursday night. Typically, this stat indicates who was winning at the line of scrimmage. 

The battle for the line of scrimmage occurs on both sides of the ball, but it does show that the Ravens o-line was doing some things right. Plus, you have the controversy of all the illegal formation calls. This opening weekend saw the number of illegal formation calls in the league reach more than double the amount in week one last season.

Once they figure this out, the group could improve rapidly. It will be very interesting to see Mark Andrews’s role this week and as the season rolls on. 

He had a very quiet night as the Ravens just didn’t target him enough. Meanwhile, Isaiah Likely was dominant, so that’s where many of his pass-catching opportunities went.

However, playing tight end is just as much about blocking as it is about pass-catching, so Andrew can make a significant impact in ways that don’t show up in the stat sheet on Sunday.

 

 

Ronnie Stanley feels the officials unfairly made an example of him vs. Chiefs

Ronnie Stanley was pretty blunt, in his putting the referees on notice. He didn’t think they were calling it both ways.

The offensive line, the most scrutinized position group on the Baltimore Ravens this preseason, did little to ease fan concerns in the season opener.

Ronnie Stanley says the offensive line’s lackluster performance at Arrowhead Stadium, in a 27-20 loss to the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, was partially due to the officiating.

The starting left tackle and veteran anchor of the unit believes that the officials made an example of him this season as they strove to be more diligent in calling illegal formation penalties. 

While Stanley was flagged 11 times last season, not one of those 11 penalties was due to illegal formation in 2023. Stanley racked up three of those infractions last night. 

“I thought it was a little different,” Stanley said.

“And then the way it was going through the game, I really feel like they were just trying to make an example and they chose me to be the one to do that. As far as I saw, they weren’t doing it on both sides of the ball, and I know that I was lined up in good position the majority of those calls they made.

“But we’ll go back and watch the film and we’ll make sure of it and we’ll send it in [to the league office].”

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said both teams were informed that illegal formation would be a sticking point with the refs this season.

However, he had no problem pointing out that Kansas City was not penalized once for illegal formation.

Meanwhile, the Ravens were hit with that infraction on five different occasions last night.

Stanley was pretty blunt in his putting the refs on notice. He didn’t think they were calling it both ways.

“I’m looking at their tackles, especially the right side, and I know I’m lining up in front of that guy,” Stanley said.

“And they didn’t call him one time. It’s a little bit of making me feel like I’m crazy, [that] I don’t know where I’m lining up. I feel like we’ll watch the film.

“They just need to be held accountable if that’s what it is.

“If it’s that egregious that they are making those calls — and they shouldn’t be — they should be held accountable.”

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said it himself last week: There are going to be some growing pains with this offensive line this season.

The last thing they need to contend with is “home cooking” from the officials (if that’s happening here), which also goes against them.

Harbaugh added that he won’t take issue with how illegal formation is called this season, provided its called both ways and called consistently.

“It’ll be interesting to see if they call it the same way the whole season,” Harbaugh said. “I’ll challenge them to call it the same way they called it tonight the whole season, so hopefully they’ll be consistent about that.”

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta is prepared for growing pains with young, retooled offensive line

Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta is prepared for growing pains with young, retooled offensive line

The Ravens saw the decline last summer, decided to let two looming free-agent offensive linemen walk, and traded Morgan Moses to the New York Jets.

During his Thursday press conference, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta acknowledged that an offensive line imploding could take place, and it would ultimately set the franchise back.

Baltimore wanted a younger offensive line, and DeCosta acknowledged that there could be growing pains.

Starting left guard John Simpson exited, and the Ravens replaced him with Andrew Vorhees, a seventh-round pick out of USC who missed his entire rookie season while rehabbing a knee injury.

Talented right guard Kevin Zeitler (34) departed, and the younger and bigger Daniel Faalele was inserted.

After Morgan Moses was traded, former Washington Huskies stud Roger Rosengarten was drafted in the second round in April, and he looks like a future All-Pro.   Next Thursday night will see the offensive line feature three first-year starters, with Vorhees, Rosengarten, and Daniel Faalele inserted in critical positions and likely to see a lot of All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones.

Baltimore is also adjusting to a new offensive line coach. George Warhop is joining John Harbaugh’s staff, replacing longtime offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, who passed away from an “acute illness.”

Head coach John Harbaugh says he knows who the starters will be but has declined to announce them for strategic purposes.

Ravens OT Ronnie Stanley feeling motivated ahead of 2024 season

Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley is feeling motivated ahead of the 2024 NFL season

The Baltimore Ravens have seen the career of offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley take an unfortunate turn due to injuries and complications coming back from them. When healthy, the former Notre Dame star is one of the best at his position, but he’s dealt with many ailments over the past few years.

Stanley is back to feeling good ahead of the 2024 season and looks to be extra motivated from both a personal and team perspective. He mentioned how he hasn’t been happy about how the last few years have played out for him, and he’s fortunate to have another opportunity to show him what he can do.

“Yes, I would say that’s pretty fair. I mean, I think the last couple years have not been my best, and I haven’t really been happy about it since a long time – since I can remember as a football player – so, I feel like I have a lot to prove to myself [to] just be the player I know I can be. And they say there’s no testimony without a test, so I’m very fortunate to just have the opportunity to prove myself and to prove what I know I can do.”

Stanley will be a crucial cog in Baltimore’s offensive line unit this season, especially after they lost 60% of their starters from the 2023 season. He must get back to form, as there is a lot of uncertainty with young players and depth pieces on that part of the team.