Around the Harbor Sports Blog

Falco, Expatriate Joining Baltimore Sports Report

2010-01-21T15:10:00.003-05:00

Falco and I are officially starting at Baltimore Sports Report, an amalgamation of a host of other Baltimore sports blogs (Right Off Russell and Baltimore Sports Report being two of the main ones) that have joined together to create a central source for sports blogging for the area.

We decided to take the opportunity there because it allowed us to continue to blog without sacrificing the quality of our content in the long term. Being able to work with Jeff Pilson, Matt Sadler, Zach Wilt, Jeff Wolfson, Mark Brennan, Mindpinball, and Clark (sorry if I missed anyone) will give us the time we need and allow our readers to get the best Ravens/Orioles/Terps coverage they can find.

So please check us out at the Baltimore Sports Report!

From the Writers of ATH, Saying Goodbye and Thank You

2009-11-16T09:21:00.003-05:00

As you may have noticed, Windsor hasn’t posted much in the last couple months, and Falco and I have been having a tougher and tougher time getting regular, meaningful posts up there every day. The fact of the matter is that since I moved to Michigan and Windsor and Falco left College Park, we don’t have the time or the access to the team that we did when we lived in the area. Falco may be moving out of Maryland altogether in the near future, and the three of us met together this weekend to discuss the future of the blog.

After much consternation, we have decided to close Around the Harbor, at least for the foreseeable future. The fact of the matter is that we can no longer provide our readers with the standard of content that we hold ourselves to. We may post now and then, but it will be a while until we are able to restart this blog in a meaningful way.

It has been a great run (497 posts to date), and it has been wonderful writing for all of you who have chosen to spend a couple minutes reading our random disparate thoughts on national, Baltimore, and University of Maryland sports. We’ll miss this blog, but we’ll be in the stands as always showing Baltimore pride wherever we go. Thanks for reading, it has made this endeavor worth it.

Go Ravens, Go O’s, and Go Terps!

-Expatriate, on behalf of Windsor and Falco

Ravens' Midseason Forecast

2009-11-12T09:48:00.002-05:00

Last year we watched the Ravens play with the thought in our minds that this was a very good team that was just a hair below the elite teams in the AFC. I entered this season wondering whether they could make the leap to the elite level. Unfortunately, they have taken a step back- not just below the Colts/Patriots/Steelers level, but below playoff level in the conference. Don’t get me wrong, this team is still good, but only that. It is easy to look at the 4-4 record and say that of course this team is average as they stand now, but one must look at who their losses have come to. Cincinnati, for all its reputation, is still a division leader, as are Minnesota and New England. By no means are these losses embarrassing, but the idea that this team couldn’t pull out a win in any of these cases in disturbing. I am going to try to take a look at the biggest weaknesses on this team and what will be the difference whether they reach the playoffs or not.

The Secondary: Ed Reed is doing too much and getting hurt in the process, and the troubles of the cornerbacks is well-documented on this blog. While the Ravens have great depth at safety, neither Haruki Nakamura nor Tom Zbikowski are Ed Reed-level safeties. If Reed can’t go, that will be another huge blow to this group. To be honest, the Ravens are not starting cornerbacks who have any history to suggest that they will play better as the season goes on. Unfortunately this Achilles heel should stick around for a while.

The Kicker: One has to wonder whether the Ravens final drive could have been more successful last week against the Bengals if they didn’t have to try to get two scores rather than just one. We will never know, as Steve Hauschka missed yet another key field goal late in the game- and it wasn’t a 48 yarder as it was against Minnesota. He has never been a particularly accurate kicker, and while I didn’t think Stover should have been kept around I didn’t think that Hauschka was necessarily the answer. If a change is made or Hauschka gets his leg or mind straightened out, this could improve as the season goes on.

The Run Defense: I don’t get it. Baltimore used to shut down every running back who attempted to run right at them- now they are being gashed up the middle. This can’t be the result of losing Bart Scott, though revisionist historians would love to say they thought the Ravens should throw the checkbook at him to keep him in town. I worry that Kelly Gregg isn’t playing at his traditional high level, but he has been part of great Baltimore defenses in the past. The only great changes in this defense have been Greg Mattison and a suddenly awful secondary. The logical excuse would be to say that a terrible secondary has led to more players being sent into coverage, but that hasn’t been the case as far as I can see. I can’t explain this, so I have to assume it will get better over the year; but it will have to turn around by Week 12 or Baltimore may want to shop for a new defensive coordinator.

The Offensive Inconsistency: This isn’t going anywhere. So far this season either the defense holds the opponent under 20 points or the offense goes off- but it has only happened at the same time once this season; against the Broncos. I am not sure if this is a problem with execution or with Cam Cameron failing to adjust to certain teams, but the team can change from week to week from humming along to ground to a halt. However, two of this team’s three games where they scored less than 30 points came against the Bengals, who have two shut-down cornerbacks. This goes back to the weakness of the Ravens receivers, who are unable to matchup with elite corners (with the exception of Derrick Mason) and leave Joe Flacco with very few options. With the right matchups at wide receiver, this offense can be successful. When the corners are above average, this team will struggle offensively. Looking at the schedule, this could mean 3 or 4 more substandard offensive days.

The Browns game should go better on both counts, but with the Colts, the Steelers (twice), the Bears, and the Packers left on the schedule, this team will have a lot of work to do to reach the near-clinching 10-6 record needed to have hope of making the playoffs.

Can Jamarr Robinson take the helm and win?

2009-11-10T12:18:00.004-05:00

Maryland does not have much to play for right now. The ACC is out of reach and with a 2-7 record, a bowl is not attainable. Worse, Chris Turner was gone down and has a probable MCL injury, so Jamarr Robinson will take the quarterback position most likely against Virginia Tech. As Scott McBrien said on the Terrapin postgame show, five wins sounds a lot better than two, but the road to try to get there is perilous.

Against N.C. State, Robinson took over for Turner who went down, and he seemed to grow as the game went on. He got more comfortable as the game progressed, going from a player who fumbled the snap and constantly ran the ball to a decent scrambling quarterback that made decent short passes. The sophomore had a lot of work to do, but at the very least he shows some promise in the future for Maryland. With the Terps current WR core, Robinson, Torrey Smith and the rest can get a system together, as most of them will return next season. Robinson was listed as the quarterback of the future, and with James Franklin's system, this is our chance to see him at least for one game.

But the first game for Robinson starting (likely) will be against Virginia Tech, one of the few ranked teams in the conference. The crowd likely will not be happy with the team because of recent losses, but Robinson will need to play well, or at least good enough. The Terps do not want to burn Danny O'Brien's redshirt it at all possible.

Robinson will need to use this time wisely. If Turner can return before the season is over he will, especially in the easiest game left, Senior Day against Boston College. The fact is right now Turner is the better quarterback despite criticisms against him, and he gives Maryland the best chance to win. So Robinson needs to use what time he will get on the field to his advantage, because he will be starting next season no question.

As McBrien said, five wins sounds a lot better than two. But with Virginia Tech, at Florida State and Boston College left, the Terps may be lucky to get one more win before the season ends.

(Photo credit: Maryland athletics)

College Football Blogpoll Week 10

2009-11-09T16:52:00.001-05:00

Big rush right now, so here is the poll for this week. If you didn’t read last week’s poll, ATH won the award for the poll that most closely resembled the blogpoll at large- which I am not sure is a great award, but I will take the recognition. In case you haven’t noticed, it is just Falco and I filling out the polls from here on out. Send us your thoughts, any big changes needed?

1) Florida- Took care of Vandy as expected, and without any more serious tests on the schedule, they should get ready for Alabama in the SEC title game.
2) Alabama- Barring a very unlikely slip-up to arch-rival Auburn, the Crimson Tide will steel themselves for a matchup with Florida. The SEC West is all but won.
3) Texas- This sure as hell is a second-half team if I ever saw one. They will need to play 4 quarters if they want to win a National Championship.
4) Cincinnati- Now it starts to get exciting. If Cincy can run the table against their slate of West Virginia, Illinois, and Pittsburgh, that resume will look pretty good. Will Tony Pike be rusty when he comes back?
5) Boise State- That was much closer than it had to be against Louisiana Tech, and they need to end the season with a series of blowouts to persuade voters to give them a shot at the big game.
6) TCU- With their fourth straight whooping behind them, a convincing win over Utah could vault them into legitimate 2008 Utah-esque national title talk. That is, they are deserving but won’t be seriously considered.
7) Georgia Tech- Paul Johnson’s team is entering the stratosphere for this program, but if they can finish the ACC slate and title game with just one loss they could jump the mid-major undefeateds.
8) Iowa- Playing it close week after week finally caught up with the Hawkeyes. This is a team that probably should be lower- it is really disappointing that they couldn’t run the table.
9) Pittsburgh- Tough finishing slate, but that Notre Dame game doesn’t seem quite so threatening anymore. I have liked Dave Wannstedt since his days at Miami, and he should get a lot of credit for turning around the Panthers, though it has taken a few years.
10) Oregon- Wow, way to come down to Earth. I guess this will end speculation of them jumping Boise State in the rankings. Still disappointing, PAC 10 teams have been dropping the easy ones all season.
11) USC- This is way too high for this team… or is it just right? I have no idea, but I do know that there is no way they should be ahead of the Ducks like they are in the AP poll. Reputation goes a long way, and it is too far.
12) LSU- The offense fails them yet again. The defense is solid, and with a bit of maturity at the quarterback spot they could be back on top of the SEC.
13) Houston- That UTEP loss is so ugly, and they only barely beat Tulsa and Southern Miss. Any other year, this is your classic 8-4, 9-3 Houston team. I am just not convinced.
14) Ohio State- With that win over Penn State, the Buckeyes can win the Big Ten if they take out Iowa at home. I guess they could be the best team in the Big Ten, but what does that say about the Big Ten? The Big East might be a better conference.
15) Oklahoma State- They still can’t beat the great teams, but they can beat a few more good teams before the season is out to legitimize their placement here. It’s disappointing that the Cowboys still can’t break through to the upper echelon of the Big 12.
16) Miami (FL)- They are a very good team but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them lose any one game from here on out. However, this team has already come a long way since last season and it looks like Randy Shannon has this team on the rebound.
17) Penn State- Overmatched at home and thoroughly outplayed; what quality win does this team have at this point? I thought it might be Michigan, but… not so much.
18) Utah- The six straight losses are great, but TCU looms large this coming week. They could ruin the Horned Frogs’ hopes at breaking the BCS wide open.
19) Virginia Tech- Very manageable end of the schedule (though I said the same thing before they lost to UNC), but they will kick themselves for this season if they don’t somehow win the ACC.
20) Arizona- Mike Stoops is outcoaching his brother this year, but the last four weeks will be a tremendous test for this team as they wrap up the season. Cal, Oregon, Arizona State, and USC. Enjoy.
21) Wisconsin- This is turning into a vintage Wisconsin team- a punishing running game, a serviceable quarterback, and a powerful defensive front. They aren’t exactly modern-era, btu they’re exciting.
22) BYU- Is BYU here on reputation at this point? They are always a good team and just seem to belong here. That win over Oklahoma is looking mediocre, and their two losses were absolute blowouts, one coming to a terrible Florida State squad.
23) Navy- Who called it? That would be yours truly, and while my analysis was off I will take the correct prediction. Navy is rarely a bad team, and this could be a good year for the Mids.
24) South Florida- They just keep creeping in and out of the top 25, and while I am not sure if they belong here, I will give them the benefit of the doubt. The Big East isn’t looking so bad anymore, huh?
25) Temple- Okay, so why are they here over West Virginia (Falco also threw them a vote)? Because I think it is pretty awesome to have Temple in the top 25. So sue me, it’s the 25th spot. Besides, that Navy win is looking even better.

Others receiving votes: West Virginia

Free Kicks

2009-11-06T12:12:00.000-05:00

Once again the Ravens preview has taken a backseat to a mountain of work-related activities, but I promise to get back on the horse next week. In the meantime, enjoy some Free Kicks to get you through the weekend. Unfortunately I have to start with the Yankees, so get ready for some extra obnoxious New York fans next season while we line up for the kick…

Yankees Win 27th World Series Title
I won’t go into the popular refrain that they bought this World Series title, though I will say that they are perennial contenders because of that payroll- there is no way that much money doesn’t at least put you in the playoffs. This year they were the best team in baseball, though hardly a great story. Most years there is something to rally behind, and last year was the king of that- you had the Tampa Bay Rays with the first winning season in team history and the Phillies who were carrying a 25 year city-wide title drought. This year you had the Phillies as defending champs and the big, bad Yankees. Sure I was disappointed when the Phillies lost, but it wasn’t exactly a heartbreaker either. I just can’t stand the Yankees. My biggest worry is that the Yankees fans will become even more obnoxious, puffing out their chests even more while the nation-wide band-wagoners trade their Red Sox caps for Yankees caps. Either way it’ll be more misery for us O’s fans.

No Ravens Preview, But Here’s a Prediction
The Ravens will not shut down the Bengals the way they shut down the Broncos last week, but I will bet they do a better job on Cedric Benson, holding him to under 100 yards. As for Carson Palmer, he will get his share of big plays down the field, but I think that the Broncos game was a change in attitude for this defense. It gave them the confidence they need and inspired Greg Mattison to send blitzers more often and make use of the Ravens linebackers. I will take Baltimore’s defense to make a stop when it needs to. The offense has adjusted since its last game against the Bengals, and will be able to score on this defense. Joe Flacco has been incredible in pressure situations, and I will take Ray Rice to have a big game this weekend. The nod goes to the Ravens, 27-21.

Hill, Fiorentino, Rodriguez Declare for Free Agency
Rich Hill will look around, but I doubt that he gets a major league contract. Whether it was his health or his throwing motion (or both) we don’t know, but his 2007 performance is looking like a long time ago. This makes two straight seasons that he has struggled mightily and then, late in the season, said he was pitching hurt all year. I still think he can be a great starting pitcher in theory, but he might just be too far gone at this point. He was hanging every pitch over the plate this past season, and there will be a limited number of teams willing to commit a lot of money on a reclamation project. The best place for Hill is a year at Norfolk, and I hope he realizes it.

As for Jeff Fiorentino, he has been good to the Orioles after they mishandled his development three years ago. He deserves a shot at another team and perhaps become an everyday outfielder on another squad- there is no room in the outfield for Baltimore and he has been a class act since he arrived in the organization. Best wishes to him as he goes to yet another club. The Orioles will find a catcher, Guillermo Rodriguez won’t be missed all that much. Matt Wieters has the position pretty safely locked up.

Prediction for the Weekend:
Well, last weekend I recovered with the Oregon win over USC, bringing me to 2-4 in my dicey predictions. So this week, how about I go back to college football. Navy takes on Notre Dame, and excuse me if I want to go for the Midshipmen. The Irish defense has been suspect to say the least this season, and a well-executed triple option can tear that apart. The risk here is that Navy’s defenders won’t be able to keep up with ND’s explosive skill position players and that their undersized defensive line won’t stand up to the Irish offensive line. I agree that this will be a high scoring affair, but Notre Dame makes every game a close call. The nod goes to Navy, 45-42.

Maryland's Coaching Conundrum

2009-11-05T12:18:00.004-05:00

It must be accepted at this point that Ralph Friedgen doesn’t have any magic left in that old silk hat. His team can’t protect the passer, they can’t run the ball, and the defense is slow and out of position. Friedgen is saying all the right things of course, that the goal of reaching a bowl game is still in sight, and that the ACC itself is still up for grabs. I don’t hope to imagine how he plans to reel off four straight, but I understand that he has to keep his players motivated. As far as winning the ACC, even I as a Maryland fan shudder at the idea. If a 6-6 team actually won a major conference, commissioner John Swofford should just airmail that automatic bid to the Mountain West Conference. Needless to say, Swofford won’t have to worry about that. Maryland’s schedule will take care of that, and they can thank the ACC for not having Georgia Tech on their slate. Can you imagine this front 7 trying to read and react to the triple option? I shudder to think about it.

But that isn’t the point, and Friedgen is saying what he should. What I take issue with is the future of the program. Ralph has made it known that he isn’t afraid to burn redshirts late in the season or throw whatever players out there it will take to win this season. Why would you mortgage your future to protect a team that is tanking? Two reasons: pride and fear. Pride because regardless of the consequences later, a head coach wants to win and win now, if for no other reason than your own competitive flare. Fear because he is worried about his job and wants to end the season on a high note to convince his bosses to keep him around.

I have seen a lot of coaches do the latter. Heck, on the other side of the Potomac Al Groh makes a yearly exercise of it and has gotten pretty darn good at it. A whole host of other marginal coaches have tried it late in their careers, but I would question whether this particular marginal coach should be worried about it. The athletic department is only barely in the black, an issue we have raised on ATH before and probably will again in the near future. The fact of the matter is that with Friedgen’s contract it just doesn’t make financial sense to keep him around, though it may be easier to sell Maryland’s many unoccupied luxury boxes if they had a “new regime” to rally behind.

Therein lies the bigger problem. Even if Friedgen goes, is James Franklin really the guy to take over? I wasn’t a fan of him being named the Coach-in-waiting at the time, and I would be loathe to find a Maryland fan who is terribly excited to have him as the head coach. Granted, I could be devastatingly wrong, and he could turn out to be a much better head coach than he is a coordinator. Nevertheless, if Franklin wasn’t the head coach, he would be owed $1 million for his troubles. The Athletic Department doesn’t have that kind of money.

But again, this is one season and Ralph Friedgen has taken this program places where it hadn’t been in decades, so it stands to reason that the future might be even brighter down the road. But it doesn’t look like it right now. Penn State has always robbed Maryland of its in-state recruits, and that is understandable. But more and more teams are reaching into MD’s backyard and drawing recruits who one would think at least have thought of Maryland. It worries me that Friedgen’s squad is only one of many teams making a play for MD high school football players, and not the established presence that other teams need to come in and unseat. It isn’t as though Maryland has another in-state school to compete with like Virginia Tech-Virginia, Georgia Tech-Georgia, or even North Carolina-Duke-NC State. With James Franklin also in charge of recruiting in the state, this makes this only a great worry.

In the end it all comes down to money. I would never toss out Ralph Friedgen based on one season or even the slow decline his program has undergone since his first years on the job. It is clear however that the long term health of this program is in jeopardy, with the team thin on both sides of the line despite recruiting classes that have been in the 26th-38th range among recent years according to Rivals. Could some of the energy put into creating those solid classes gone to the non-skill positions? Regardless, the University can’t afford to fire Friedgen or not give Franklin the job before 2012. Terps fans are left to cross their fingers and hope that either the team reverses the trend of the last 5 years or the athletic department suddenly gets into the black.

What Is Going On With Dino Gregory?

2009-11-04T16:14:00.004-05:00

Dino Gregory, Maryland's junior forward expected to at least be in the starting lineup to begin the season, did not play in the exhibition, and reports are that he violated team rules. However, Maryland is not revealing what happened, and it looks as if this may be a big problem for Gregory.

The Washington Post and Baltimore Sun alike have been trying to figure out what happened, but no one at Maryland, coach Gary Williams included, seems to wish to elaborate. On Jeff Barker's Tracking the Terps blog on the Baltimore Sun, he quotes the Washington Post as saying in the summer that Gregory's eligibility might have been in question due to academic issues. But right now it is not certain what is happening or how long Gregory will be out. He is still on the Maryland roster, so he has not left the team, but the situation is a strange one.

Right now, Maryland needs Dino Gregory to be an available player. During the exhibition against Indiana (PA), freshmen big men James Padgett and Jordan Williams both looked strong. Padgett, who started the game, scored eight with four rebounds and two blocks, while Williams off the bench scored seven points (five from free throws) and grabbed six rebounds. Both looked good to start the season. But Maryland does not want to lose its veteran presence, especially on the boards.

The only starter the Terps need to replace from last year is Dave Neal, who became the important forward Maryland needed. Gregory is the only returning big man that can be effective down low. Landon Milbourne is also back, but he is a small forward thet focuses on shooting, not playing below the rim, and the same goes for Jin Soo Choi and Cliff Tucker, who are more shooting forwards that players who can grab rebounds. It is real exciting to see what Padgett and Williams can do, but they will need help before they jump into the fire of the ACC. For Maryland, lets hope that Gregory can return, and soon, or else a lot of pressure will be placed on two rookies.

(Photo credit: Washington Post)

Maryland Basketball Begins Tonight

2009-11-03T11:58:00.002-05:00

The Maryland men's basketball team begins its season tonight with an exhibition against Indiana (PA) at the Comcast Center. This is the only exhibition the Terps will have as they will start the regular season on November 13th against Charleston Southern.

Maryland has been voted as having one of the best backcourts in the country and is the best in the conference no doubt. Greivis Vasquez returned after deciding to not head to the NBA and is the leader of the team. But three other guards are important to the backcourt as well. Eric Hayes showed great stuff in the NCAA Tournament, Sean Mosley might be developing a shot to go along with his defense, and Adrian Bowie may be the point guard when Vasquez is off the court. Cliff Tucker can also be mentioned, but he is more of a swing player.

The big question coming into the season will be the Maryland frontcourt. Landon Milbourne will be a starter, but the Terps need to find who will be their big man. Braxton Dupree transferred out to Towson, so he is no longer an option. Dino Gregory is said to be the likely starter, but Maryland's top two recruits, Jordan Williams and James Padgett, will likely be competing for time as well. Williams, the center like player, and Padgett, the athletic forward being compared to James Gist. Also possibly in the mix is Steve Goins, who people believed was going to transfer, but he is still in uniform, and the Chicago center may have more to show. Right now Maryland will need the play in this exhibition to see who their big man will be.

And of course, Gary Williams returns for his 21st season. The greatest basketball coach in Maryland history will be wearing a neck brace due to recent surgery, but he could have a special team with him this year.

For me, I'll be listening to the game on radio, but ESPN Films has a one hour special in their 30 for 30 series on Len Bias tonight. But, Maryland's season begins tonight.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

College Football Blogpoll Week 9

2009-11-02T13:58:00.002-05:00

Once again, Falco and I complete this poll, with very interesting results. We actually mostly agree until #14 USC, with a few exceptions with how we sorted the Iowa-Cincinnati-Boise State crew and our positioning of Pittsburgh as right behind or right in front of Houston. In that way it seems that we are starting to come to a bit of a consensus on the top 25. We can only hope the rest of the country does too.

1) Florida (2)- A beatdown of a bad Georgia team won’t make them the unquestioned best team, but it is good enough to take the #1 spot for now. Nice to see the offense get going, even against a bad defense like Georgia.
2) Alabama- Only coaching lapses allow two blocks to the same player, no matter how good he is. This team should have lost, but they can redeem themselves with a win over LSU.
3) Texas- Alabama should have lost last weekend, and Texas thumped a very talented Oklahoma State team in Stillwater… but Alabama still has a better resume to this point. I badly want to have Texas jump them, and next week will determine that.
4) Cincinnati- Tony who? Cincy is doing just fine with backup QB Zach Collaros so far. They may want their veteran back against UConn and Pitt, talented squads that make up the Bearcats next two contests.
5) Iowa- They have escaped from so many games and had so many last-minute comebacks that if you showed me snapshots from their various games without the final score I would probably put them at the bottom part of the top 25. But a win is a win. And 8 wins count for a lot.
6) Boise State- I am just waiting for the major conference bias to hit and for Oregon to jump Boise State. Without another competitive game on the schedule (Idaho is the only one with a decent record… maybe Nevada too?), the voters will drop them eventually.
7) TCU- Another big win to an overmatched team, but they are still undefeated and on their way to making the BCS’ life very difficult. They better hope Utah keeps winning, as that is the last resume piece left on the slate.
8) Oregon- So much for the Pete Carroll mystique. This team looks great right now, and any other year they are in the top 5. An astounding 7 undefeateds keeps them out.
9) LSU- Quietly, very quietly, sneaking up the polls with just one loss this season. Should they beat Alabama, they could make an Oregon-esque argument as the best one-loss team. Both just have one loss to an undefeated team.
10) Georgia Tech- Forgotten earlier in the season after a loss to Miami, Tech has slowly moved back up the rankings. As I have said in the past, this is the most fun team to watch offensively, though the defense is a concern.
11) Penn State- They started off with a weak schedule, but the Nittany Lions are proving themselves as a very talented team. How good would they be with half decent opponents no one can say, but they can make a huge statement against Ohio State this weekend.
12) Pittsburgh- Has the much maligned Wannstedt finally started to turn around Pitt? They could be the best team in Pennsylvania. I hope they spent some of their bye week getting ready for Notre Dame in a couple weeks.
13) Houston- They can’t stop any decent offense, but they sure can score. Tulsa next week may be their last major test- too bad they already lost to UTEP or they could be right up with TCU and Boise State, though a with a few more flaws.
14) USC- Why is everyone so bullish on this team? I don’t even know that they should even be this high, but this is where they wound up. If you put them in another team’s uniforms, they would be bringing up the rear of the top 25.
15) Miami (FL)- A come-from-behind win against Wake Forest tells me that this team may be shakier than we thought even after the Clemson game. They should be great next season though.
16) Ohio State- Shredding New Mexico State is one thing; we’ll see if Pryor can get going against Penn State’s defense this weekend.
17) Utah- *Yawn* another win over an overmatched team. Then again, Wyoming did win the first half against Texas earlier in the season. I have no idea how good this team is- good enough to only lose by 7 to Oregon or the one that can barely put away cupcakes?
18) Oklahoma State- Way to come back down to Earth. Until the Cowboys can beat a highly ranked team, they will always be looking up at the Texas & Oklahoma programs in the Big 12.
19) Arizona- The loss at Iowa isn’t looking so bad anymore, and Mike Stoops might finally have a season where he outperforms his brother. However, his Wildcats still have Cal, Oregon, and USC to go.
20) California- This is starting to feel about right for them. It’s upsetting that they could only score 6 points in two games against Oregon and USC, or they might be a team on the rise.
21) Virginia Tech- The toast of the ACC has become toast in the ACC. Can it all rest on Tyrod Taylor? I’ll give some of the credit at least to UNC, but this team has suddenly become a real disappointment.
22) Wisconsin- Sneaking into the top 25 is a Big Ten team whose losses to Ohio State and Iowa are nothing to be embarrassed about, and look on their way to 9 or even 10 wins. If they can reach that level, Bret Bielema might not have to hear the omnipresent Barry Alvarez comparisons.
23) Notre Dame- “What the hell is Notre Dame doing here?” “For lack of better options. Nothing more.” If Navy had won this weekend, they would probably be here.
24) BYU- Same as California, though without the major conference schedule but with a marquee win. Take the balance and Oklahoma’s subsequent two losses and you wind u p slightly behind them.
25) Auburn- I went out on a limb and went for Auburn despite them having lost their previous 3 games before beating Ole Miss. However, does this mean we can finally stop seeing Mississippi slide its way into the poll later this year?

Others receiving votes: South Florida

Free Kicks: Baseball & Unscrupulous Sports Leagues Edition

2009-10-30T16:33:00.003-04:00

Work has forced me to delay this until late in the day, but hopefully I can get the most out of another opportunity to look silly this weekend- and no, I am not talking about my Halloween costume. Though maybe that too, we’ll see. Lots to get to, so let’s line up for the kick…

Yanks Even the Series at 1-1
This was still a great start for the Phillies, who have wrested homefield advantage from the Yankees and had a chance to win last night. That was an exemplary performance from Pedro Martinez where I expected him to implode last night, but the Phillies were unable to get runners across when they needed to and that right field wall was again kind to the New York hitters. Of course, it was that same jet stream that helped Utley homer twice in the opener. Now we travel to Philadelphia where the park will again be friendly to power hitters of both teams, and Cole Hamels will look to rediscover his magic from last year’s postseason.

I still don’t trust the back end of the Phil’s rotation, and if they have to go into that bullpen with a tied game in the 8th, I have to think that the Yankees will score first. Not that the Yankees bullpen has been lights out either… Still, the pressure is on Philadelphia to make the most out of their 3 games at home. It won’t be easy to take one (much less two) games in New York in Games 6 or 7.

Brett Favre Returns to Green Bay
Just kidding, I will let every single other sports outlet cover this story. They can have it, I am burned out on Favre.

Jeff Datz Hired as O’s Bench Coach
I am no expert on MLB coaching staffs (though I wouldn’t be surprised if Falco knew all about them), but this seems like a solid hire to me. He has 29 years of major league experience, he has been a player (something Trembley was not and at times could have taken away from his legitimacy in the clubhouse), and most importantly, he played as a catcher. He will be able to serve as a mentor to Matt Wieters but is not a “hot” manager-in-waiting who will threaten Dave Trembley’s authority. Yes, he was with the Indians when they went into free fall over the last couple seasons, but I won’t fault the bench coach for the team’s failure. Datz is a good pickup, and seems to know the game. He isn’t a flashy name, but who were you expecting, Davey Johnson?

Sports Leagues Silencing Critics Instead of Changing for the Better
Okay, so the SEC is now fining coaches who criticize the refs following a set of massive gaffes that helped Alabama and Florida stay undefeated in recent games. The Redskins have banned signs in the stadium after fans started criticizing the ownership. Bud Selig has shut the door on expanded replay right as his umpires commit horrible mistakes in the postseason. Earlier this season, the Coaches Poll mulled making their ballots secret to avoid criticizing coaches for their individual ballots that were self-serving or uninformed. It seems like every league is electing to punish their critics or hide their acknowledged failings rather than confront them and make change for the better. They would rather sit back and hope that nothing goes wrong for the rest of the season, and we over time forget until the next controversial move.

Believe it or not, the SEC, Redskins, MLB, and the Coaches Poll officials could learn something from an unlikely league- the NHL. Hockey has not been afraid of changing rules- even in the middle of the postseason- in order to make the game better. When did these leagues forget that there was a game involved, a sport that needed to be nurtured and maintained even as players, coaches, and schemes changed? The integrity of sports has been violated by their only arbiters, the leagues and conferences that support them. We the fans are left with this intentionally imperfect product, with the commissioners’ pride taking precedence over what made the games great to begin with.

And the lack of signs in the stadium? Come on Dan Snyder, a big boy like you should be able to handle a little bit of criticism. If you can handle watching the team you put together, you should have a pretty thick skin by now.

Weekend Prediction:
Should I even do this anymore? Okay, I will take another shot at this after getting burned since my first attempt. Looking at the sports landscape, I try to take picks that I still think will happen but are a little bit of a stretch. I am not going to sit here and predict Arizona over Carolina or Jacksonville over Tennessee, but how about taking another stab at college football? I am drinking the Oregon Kool-Aid, as they have thumped every team since Boise State, and regardless of the Pete Carroll love-fest USC has not looked consistently great for any stretch this season. The nod goes to the Ducks, 38-35.

Ravens-Broncos Preview: Taking Down an Upstart Undefeated

2009-10-29T13:37:00.003-04:00

I am going to take a different approach to the preview this week- I am going to talk about one major point for each part of the offense and defense (rushing and passing games) and what the Ravens will have to do in order to win. Because after all, isn’t that what we really care about? This team is good enough that if it plays up to its talent in every phase of the game, every game is more than winnable.

My Mildly Informed Analysis:

Broncos Pass Offense vs. Ravens Pass Defense
Kyle Orton is an effective but not terrifying quarterback. Compared to the other QB’s the Ravens have had to face this year- Favre, Palmer, Brady, and Rivers come to mind- Orton just doesn’t compare. However, he has tall, strong receivers to throw to who can make any quarterback look good. The key in the passing game is not only going to be the ability of the cornerbacks to contain Denver’s threats in Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall, because they won’t, but it will be Dawan Landry and Ed Reed’s commitment to their assignment. I have seen way too much freelancing in the secondary with Reed trying to make plays outside his assignment and Landry biting up on play action. A desperate playmaker will often try to compensate for a weak overall unit by taking more risks- but that often works against the team and allows long touchdowns. The Ravens cornerbacks are not good enough to handle being all alone, the safeties need to be disciplined.

Broncos Rush Offense vs. Ravens Rush Defense
Some have voiced a concern over Tavaris Gooden’s size and whether he is too slight to be an inside linebacker, but I think this is too much worry over making another Bart Scott and not enough looking at what Gooden does well. Smaller, quicker linebackers can be great at stopping the run provided they have the lanes to penetrate to the ball carrier. I have seen Ray Lewis hit too often and taken out of the play, and I put this on the defensive line. Ngata is playing fine, but Kelly Gregg is not the dominating tackle he was two years ago. In the Ravens’ defense, unlike other systems, the DT’s job is not to rush the passer, but it is to occupy the interior offensive lineman and allow athletic linebackers (like Gooden) to penetrate to the running back. That has not been happening, and I see it as the reason that the Ravens have allowed two consecutive 100 yard rushers. It doesn’t matter who carries the ball for Denver- if Baltimore does not control the line of scrimmage, especially inside, they won’t be able to stop the Broncos on the ground.

Ravens Rush Offense vs. Broncos Rush Defense
Ten rushes for Ray Rice? Even against a rush defense like Minnesota’s you need to keep pounding the football just to keep the defense honest. McClain? McGahee? The Ravens made a great comeback at the end of the game, but Joe was being pounded back there when Jared Allen & Co. didn’t have to watch for the run. Flacco was cool under pressure in standing in the pocket despite getting hit, but he won’t be able to keep that up forever. It is okay to run the football once every few plays, Baltimore needs to do what made them great. Despite this, Rice is quickly becoming the next Brian Westbrook with his ability to do so many things on the field, from pass blocking to making linebackers miss in the open field. However, this side of the ball comes down to the offensive line returning to form with (hopefully) Jared Gaither moving back into the left tackle spot and Michael Oher taking his superb play of late to right tackle. That will not only protect the quarterback (as we will discuss later), but it will open up opportunities for Willis McGahee off-tackle rushes or the occasional stretch play to Rice where he could threaten to break a big play. With McGahee and McClain in the fold, Rice has the complementary backs to help him become even more effective than Westbrook, who has suffered being the undivided attention of whatever defense he’s lined up against.

Ravens Pass Offense vs. Broncos Pass Defense
Champ Bailey has rediscovered his old form and Brian Dawkins is showing that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. If the Ravens try to throw at the Broncos secondary all afternoon, they will turn the ball over. No 43 pass attempts this week, and no dropping back 43 times against Elvis Dumervil at linebacker, who has a whopping 10 sacks so far this season. The Ravens offensive line will have to come together quickly to regain their rhythm and work as a unit to keep the Denver pass rush at bay. Utilizing Todd Heap over the middle could keep the linebackers in a short zone and draw attention away from Derrick Mason. I worry about the passing game if Flacco can’t sling the ball to Derrick Mason on a regular basis. If Champ Bailey can shut him down and keep him to 4 or fewer catches, I don’t see how Joe Flacco will get going. If need be he will find other targets, like Rice out of the backfield (or how about swing Rice into the slot receiver spot after the team lines up and get him matched up on a linebacker?) or Mark Clayton. The key here will be Flacco using all of his weapons and getting the ball out of his hands quickly. Of course, in order to do that his receivers need to get in position and catch the ball. I am still not sold that they can do that.

Special Teams
Okay, so I have never considered this before in the preview (because they were too long already), but I found an interesting statistic that I wanted to pass along. Despite being roughly tied with the Ravens in punting distance, Denver ranks second to last in the league in punt coverage, allowing 14.6 yards per return. Baltimore comes in at 7.7 yards per return. That could wind up being a difference of 7 yards of field position each time the teams trade possessions. This is why Lardarius Webb is so important. Not only will he be called upon to take a greater role in the secondary, he will have the opportunity to put the Ravens in great field position if he can break one. With the way the offense has been performing at times, this could be critically important.

The Rundown

Baltimore can score, but how consistently? The offense went into hibernation two weeks ago for 2 ½ quarters after falling asleep at the wheel for a whole game against the Bengals. Was that an aberration? The defense has shown that its flaws are not cosmetic, but are fundamental shortfalls that will haunt this team throughout the season. Will it hold together long enough to contain Marshall, Royal, and running back Knowshon Moreno? I just don’t think so. People keep saying the Bronco’s aren’t that good, yet they keep winning. The offense will once again have to put up big numbers for this team to win. This game was a really tough one to call, and against my better judgment, here's the pick:

The nod goes to the Ravens, 31-28.

Maryland Football In Deep Trouble, Including the Future

2009-10-28T09:59:00.003-04:00

It is obvious that there are problems with the Terps football squad right now. At 2-6, the team is one loss away from being non-bowl-eligible, which look likely with their remaining schedule including ranked Virginia Tech plus a road game against Florida State. A loss to Duke last Saturday was the ultimate lowpoint, but the whole season has been a nightmare for Maryland.

The backups don't even look good. A number of young players have had to start. At the skill positions, like running back and wide receiver, the Terps look fine for the future, but at others, like the linemen, the team looks very poor. It is not helped that the backups lost a game against Fork Union this past week.

It is hard to see what can be done in the long term, but some things can be done in the short term to try to help. Part of the problem is that it is hard to see where you should try new things; the Terps have two road games but one of the home games is against Virginia Tech, the toughest game left on the schedule. The coaching staff is in place; nothing anyone can do about that. The school would need to spend around six to seven million plus to fire the whole staff; money which the athletic department does not have.

Sometime in the rest of the schedule Jamarr Robinson should play at quarterback. He is almost guaranteed to be the front runner next year, so he should be the one playing some time, plus you don't want to burn Danny O'Brien's redshirt right now. At running back, play Caleb Porzel. He looks better than Davin Meggett and Gary Douglas, but allow Da'Rel Scott some time if he is healthy. But Porzel is the best healthy back right now with his good speed.

For other positions, play some people that do not have redshirts to burn. Let's see some new linemen play, or some new linebackers, just to see what they can do. Nothing to lose in some cases. But it is important to save some of the freshmen. One of the reasons some teams have been so good is that they can save their freshmen until later.

Enjoy the bye week, NC State is in two weeks.

(Photo credit: McClatchy-Tribune)

College Football Blogpoll Week 8

2009-10-27T11:59:00.006-04:00

No Windsor this week- where has he gone? Falco and I made the poll for this week. Major areas of disagreement? Houston, Mississippi, Central Michigan, and Oregon had some decent margins, but we mostly agree at the top. Your thoughts? Remember, you can see all of the results of each week's compiled College Football Blogpoll at the CBS Sports blogpoll.

1) Florida (2)- They may have gotten a couple more “controversial” (that is, wrong) calls go their way, but they win and they looked a lot better than Alabama. At this point, it’s just week-to-week to determine who is #1.
2) Alabama- Tennessee should have won that game. Twice. I know that blocking those kicks shows that Alabama is the better team- and they are, but there is no reason they should have even been in that position. LSU could give them fits.
3) Texas- Thought about moving them to #2, but they haven’t looked great just yet. If they can thump Oklahoma State, then we can talk about perhaps them jumping one of the SEC competitors.
4) Boise State- Tied with Cincinnati, and for no good reason I kept Boise State on top. I can’t determine which one of these teams are better. If Oregon beats USC, Boise State stays here.
5) Cincinnati- They will have enough good-but-not-great opponents in the Big East to validate why they belong in the national championship discussion. This team sure doesn’t seem to miss Tony Pike all that much.
6) Iowa- They keep winning, though they only barely escaped East Lansing with a victory. Beat the Buckeyes later in the season and there won’t be many reasons to keep this team out of the National Title picture.
7) TCU- They got their first big win, and they did it in style. Thumping BYU in Provo was a huge statement, and one that the voters should remember if the Horned Frogs beat Utah the same way.
8) LSU- Tied with USC, but I gave LSU the nod. Why? Their lone loss is to the #1 team in the country, and they beat Washington. USC didn’t. How are the other polls not seeing this?
9) USC- The defense didn’t look great, and for the second straight week they escape with a win. How are they #4 in the AP poll and coaches polls? I don’t get it.
10) Oregon- The Ducks rank here because of what I see as underrating by Falco. This weekend should solve the question of whether USC should be ahead of Oregon, but Oregon’s only loss came on the road to an undefeated Boise State team. No reason that as of today, Oregon should be behind SC.
11) Georgia Tech- Tied with Penn State, but I will give it to the Yellow Jackets based on their strength of schedule. Even in a down ACC, they have played and beaten most of the solid teams in the conference.
12) Penn State- Absolutely throttled a Michigan team that is looking more and more like last year’s squad. Still, it was a huge win in a tough environment.
13) Oklahoma State- Tied with Va. Tech, and this was a tough one. One squad has a bad defense, one has a bad offense, one has a great defense, one has a great offense. Fair or not, Tech has 2 losses so State gets the nod.
14) Virginia Tech- They will have a very manageable schedule going forward, but that offense is still shaky. With the Big 12 schedule hitting its toughest point for Oklahoma State, Tech will have plenty of opportunities to jump them.
15) Miami (FL)- Clemson can, at times, be the best team in the ACC. They can also be the worst. This was one of the latter kind of games. This is a young team with a great future in front of them, especially next year.
16) Pittsburgh- Does Wannstadt have this team back in contention? They have a brutal last three games of the season with West Virginia, Cincy, and Notre Dame. An early seven point loss to NC State keeps this team from being undefeated- they are very quietly creeping up the rankings.
17) West Virginia- Tied with Ohio State, but I think this team is more balanced than Ohio State. They took control of UConn late and have a good shot in the Big East. Late season show1downs with Cincy and Pittsburgh will tell us how good this team is.
8) Ohio State- I still don’t trust this team. Pryor could throw a pick any time he drops back, though the coaching staff is slowly adapting the offense to him (that is, adding the spread-&-shred). The defense is fantastic.
19) Houston- I guess the win over Oklahoma State needs to count for something, but Falco and I had a major disagreement on this one. I put them down at the tail end of the top 25, but they are hardly among the more impressive mid-majors.
20) South Carolina- Tied with Utah, but Utah just hasn’t been that impressive even in their wins this season. South Carolina may have two losses, but they are doing it in the SEC. This one was real close.
21) Utah- They aren’t the worldbeaters of last year so far, but they do only have one loss so far. Their seven point loss to Oregon is looking pretty good right now.
22) Central Michigan- Another one-loss mid-major, but I like them a lot. Falco and I had a bit of a disagreement, which led to Central dropping this week. Maybe it’s the Midwest bias of mine, but they lost in Week 1 and are the best team in Michigan, for whatever that counts.
23) BYU- Tied with Mississippi, but despite their blowout losses at home, the Cougars have at least beaten someone of note (Oklahoma). As for Ole Miss, they have beaten no one of any consequence. Falco ranks them, but I left them off.
24) Mississippi- Why are they here? I guess it would have something to do with winning all of 2 games against major conference opponents and losing to Alabama and South Carolina, two respectable teams. Not a fan of this pick so much…
25) California- They beat up on the little guys, but get blown out by the big players. If I didn’t look at margin of victory, I might have put these guys in my poll as well. Their only losses are to Oregon and USC, and there is no shame in that… but they were absolutely crushed in both games…

Others receiving votes: Navy, Arizona

Update: Spiffy presentation I realized that I should probably be using!

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Florida	1
2	Alabama	1
3	Texas
4	Boise State
5	Cincinnati
6	Iowa
7	TCU	4
8	LSU
9	Southern Cal	1
10	Oregon	1
11	Georgia Tech	1
12	Penn State	2
13	Oklahoma State	3
14	Virginia Tech	1
15	Miami (Florida)	8
16	Pittsburgh	2
17	West Virginia	3
18	Ohio State	3
19	Houston	3
20	South Carolina	3
21	Utah
22	Central Michigan	3
23	Brigham Young	6
24	Mississippi
25	California
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Texas Tech (#24), South Florida (#25).

Free Kicks: Abbreviated Kinda Late in the Day Edition

2009-10-23T14:53:00.002-04:00

Okay, today might be a once in a lifetime moment for Free Kicks- I am going to be defending the Yankees and the defending a Buckeye (kind of). Windsor is coming up to see the Penn State-Michigan game, and so you may have to put up with a Michigan mention next week if the Wolverines take down the Nittany Lions. Probably won’t happen, but I can dream. Let’s line up for the kick…

Unlikely Yankee Apologist
I won’t be the guy to pile on Girardi for keeping A.J. Burnett in the game after the Yankees took the lead in the top of the seventh. Through six innings, Burnett had only thrown 80 pitches, and hadn’t allowed a run since the first inning. I prefer a manager let his starter keep pitching until he shows that he is slowing down or struggling. Burnett had been solid since his disastrous first, and deserved the chance to go out there. Granted, he then put the first two runners on board, but New York still held a 2 run lead at that point. That vaunted Yankees bullpen allowed not just those baserunners to score, but then tacked on one of their own.

And what would have happened if he had brought in a reliever at that point and they had given up the lead on their own? We would be toasting Girardi for not letting Burnett stay on a roll. Baltimore fans have watched Dave Trembley give his starters a quick hook and lose the game as a result. He made a judgment call, and it went the wrong way- it has gotten to the point that we inherently question every pitching call Girardi made last night because of the Yanks revolving bullpen door a couple games ago. He hasn’t been particularly solid in his decision making in the playoffs, but he stuck with his starter, and I won’t fault him for that.

An Overrated/Underutilized Buckeye
Terrelle Pryor has been under fire (and rightly so) for his deplorable performance with Ohio State this year, his poor play dragging down a team that could easily be undefeated with their staunch defense and overall talent. If you recall, Pryor was adamant that he wanted to play in a pro-style offense to increase his draft stock. However, he did this assuming that he could play in a pro-style offense. He assumed that he had the accuracy, poise, and arm to stand back in the pocket, read defenses, and deliver the ball to his receivers in tight windows. One problem: he wasn’t ready for it, still isn’t ready for it, and is asking to be put into a role he isn’t comfortable with. No matter how hard he wants to be Peyton Manning, he isn’t. He’s a better version of Pat White- and that isn’t anything to shy away from.

It seems that the Buckeye coaching staff is relenting to what was obvious two years ago about Pryor’s talents, and have begun incorporating the zone read into their offense- incidentally the foundation of the Rich Rodriguez offense that has made mobile quarterbacks so successful. And if Pryor was worried about lacking the opportunity to throw in Rich Rod’s offense, he could look no further than Tate Forcier’s success this season. But Pryor is getting what he wanted, with teammates telling reporters “He couldn’t do any worse.” This #1 recruit, the “LeBron in Cleats” may be wasting his talent the same way a great writer tries to be a math major and fails miserably despite their best efforts. OSU will turn it around, but only after they start calling the right plays, and forcing Pryor to start playing to his strengths.

Prediction for the Weekend:
Why do I keep doing this? I keep going out on a limb and getting crushed out here, but I will keep throwing them out there and see what happens. I am 1-3 now, in stark contrast to the 5-1 Ravens predictions. Well, I will return to college football to feature the matchup of mid-major ranked teams- how often does this happen in mid-season? TCU will travel to BYU, and while I would love to say that the Horned Frogs will show that they belong in the top 10 with a convincing win on the road, I can’t go there. I am going to give this one to BYU at home, where, Florida State game not withstanding, it is a very difficult place to play. TCU gets winded in Utah, and BYU takes it 34-21.

Arizona Fall League Gives O's Fans Glimpse at the Future

2009-10-22T14:29:00.001-04:00

This morning, in reading the box scores for the Arizona Fall League (a bye week for the Ravens will do that to you) a thought popped in my head. By mid-season next year, the Orioles could have the following position players: Matt Wieters (C), Brandon Snyder (1B), Josh Bell (3B), Nolan Reimold (LF), Adam Jones (CF), Nick Markakis (RF), and veterans Brian Roberts and Cesar Izturis in the middle infield. Add in Chris Tillman, Brad Bergesen, and Brian Matusz into the starting rotation and this is a team well deserving of the oft-used “Baby Birds” moniker. I know that management has stated that both Snyder and Bell could use another year in the minors, given what transpired over the past season I would not be surprised at all to see either or both of them in the starting lineup in June. This of course will pose its challenges for manager Dave Trembley, but what else is new? Whatever you give the man, he will have to produce wins. After all, he is the one controlling the hitters and pitchers… or something like that.

Given the free agent pool out there, the kind that makes Russell Branyan seem like a decent investment, it is more than likely that whoever the Orioles put on the corners will struggle, be he Ty Wiggington or some other low cost veteran. This will push the battle at the corners into the season, and if the O’s stand mired 10 games below .500 in June, count on the Orioles to call up a couple young bats.

However, Bell and Snyder are giving management some reasons for optimism. Josh Bell has been on a tear from both sides of the plate (historically the switch hitter has struggled against lefties), going 12-20 in 5 games with the Phoenix Desert Dogs. He is hitting for power, as expected, but has put up good results against both righties and lefties. Of course, the sample size is small, but he will need to learn to hit better against southpaws if he is going to avoid matchup problems in the majors. This deficiency has been in his scouting report since he was a 2005 high school pick, and will always be there- but it would be good if the O’s can help him narrow this somewhat.

Brandon Snyder got hot late in Norfolk, but it couldn’t keep his average above .248 at the O’s Triple-A affiliate. He is finding his power in a smaller ballpark in Arizona, but he is going to need time to adjust to AAA pitching. Snyder has taken a long road through the minors, and apparently has improved his defense at both 1st and 3rd to make him more versatile for the Orioles- he began his minor league career as a catcher before a host of surgeries forced a move. Looking back, I am certain he’s glad not to be stuck behind Matt Wieters at this point in his career.

The foundation of this team will still be pinned on the development of Tillman, Matusz, Bergesen, Hernandez (wherever he ends up) and the not-yet-arrived Brandon Erbe’s and Jake Arrieta’s of the farm system. Pitching is how you win in the AL East or any other division. But if Snyder or Bell can become protection in the lineup for Nick Markakis, this team could solve one of their biggest problems from within, even if it might take a little longer than plucking a free agent bat out of the bargain bin.

What We Learned: Vikings 33, Ravens 31

2009-10-21T09:01:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the delay, but this loss took longer than others for me to digest. Here are my processed and hopefully detached comments on the Ravens-Vikings game. By the way, I did call a 2 point Vikings win, but I didn’t think it’d quite go down like that. I think I would have rather taken the 17 point beat down than a heartbreaker like that, at least when it comes to maintaining sanity.

The Ravens defense isn’t getting any better.
Brett Favre or no Brett Favre, this secondary is awful, which is one preseason prediction that I deeply wanted to be wrong on. It doesn’t matter how fast your cornerbacks are if they can’t cover, just like it doesn’t matter how fast your wideouts are if they can’t catch. Right now, Dominique Foxworth, Fabian Washington, Frank Walker, Chris Carr, and even safety Dawan Landry are just getting front row seats to some blistering passing attacks. How did it occur to Ozzie Newsome & Co. that this was a good group to go into the season with? Landry has been a huge disappointment this year, and Ed Reed has been a nonfactor so far this season. Reed is talented, but I think he is trying to cover the entire field rather than sticking to his side, and it is getting him burned. Stay disciplined, Ed, and they will go to you eventually.

However, the front seven deserves some of the blame as well. They haven’t been as good rushing the passer as their reputation would say over the past few years, and it is showing this season. They were able to harass Favre, but too often their blitzes just didn’t hit home at all. This unit needs to be at 100% in order to compensate for the lapses in the secondary.

Joe Flacco has arrived.
I can’t deny it anymore, I can’t rip him for sailing passes, and I can’t talk about baby steps towards him becoming a top tier QB. He will have bad days, but his poise, accuracy, and decision-making were beyond anything I have ever seen out of a Ravens quarterback. Yes he started slow, but so did the entire offense. The way he hung in the pocket until the very last second in delivering that late-game dump-off pass to Ray Rice was executed to perfection. I cannot recall such a tremendous jump from Year One to Year Two for a QB’s progression, and based on his performance in putting the Ravens in a position to win the game was incredible. His supporting cast consisting of an aging Derrick Mason, a slowing Todd Heap, and a host of skill position players who would be on most teams practice squads hasn’t helped him out much- imagine what he could do with a great set of receivers? Sadly that may have to take second chair to the needs in the secondary this offseason.

This team is the best of the average.
What I mean by that, is the Ravens still can’t deliver a complete game against the top tier of AFC teams, which is disappointing considering that if the defense hadn’t experienced such a massive drop-off this year this team would probably be 6-0. However, this team finds themselves in familiar territory from the last few years- good enough to contend, but not an elite team just yet. Looking at the schedule, I see them playing 5 more times against teams that I would call “very good” or better. Indianapolis, Denver (6-0 will do that for you), Pittsburgh (twice) and Green Bay/Chicago (one of these teams is going to take a leap, I don’t know which one) all will be major tests for the Ravens. You could throw Cincy in that list, but I won’t. Not yet. That said, I still think this team is more talented than, say, the Jaguars, Texans, or Jets, all of which are also 3-3 right now. A lot of things will change in the next few weeks- if Baltimore can reach even mediocrity out of their cornerbacks, this team will go to the playoffs. Perhaps they can watch some extra film over the bye week.

Yes, we should be concerned about Steve Hauschka.

I won’t spend too much time on this, but Hauschka was brought in originally to handle kickoffs and to work on his accuracy. He is still just 1-3 from beyond 40 yards this season, and only won the starting job in preseason because of the spectacular failure of Graham Gano. Distance doesn’t mean a whole lot if you miss the goalposts. It was only one kick, but his track record indicates that there could be a whole lot of “only one kicks” in his future

College Football Blogpoll Week 8

2009-10-19T11:30:00.002-04:00

No polls from Falco and Windsor this week, so prepare to see the magnitude of my poll when left on its own. Early in the season this had some odd and often contentious results between the three of us, but lately it is fallen closer to the norm as the resumes of these teams have gotten a bit broader. The biggest change? I had to put Alabama ahead of Florida after Florida turned in another lackluster win while Alabama thumped a superior team. Teams 20-25 are, as always, tough to rank, so please let me know if I omitted anyone. There’s plenty of time for edits before the final ballots are submitted to the blogpoll on Wednesday morning

1) Alabama- They were dominating yet again, and I couldn’t hold back anymore, letting the Tide jump to #1 on my ballot.
2) Florida- Still undefeated, still defending champs, but looked sloppy against Arkansas. They should put teams like that away easy.
3) Texas- The defenses came to play this weekend, and I will attribute the close score to the strength of the rivalry… but Colt McCoy wasn’t playing anything like a Heisman QB. They will have to be more impressive to stay at #3.
4) Boise State- As long as they keep winning I will try to avoid dropping them just because of their conference. It looked dicey against Tulsa, but that was a long trip for Boise in a hostile crowd, and Tulsa is no pushover at home.
5) Cincinnati- Took out South Florida with their backup quarterback. Even if Tony Pike can’t go for a couple weeks, they shouldn’t have any problems against Louisville and Syracuse.
6) Iowa- The Hawkeyes are the best in the Big Ten, but I worry that this team could just as easily give one (or two) away before the season is out.
7) Miami (FL)- Miami is back on track, and their win over Georgia Tech gives them the edge in the Coastal Division. There aren’t many more challenges left on the schedule, but they had their fair share of competition in the first 4 weeks.
8) LSU- No shame in losing to Florida, but they need to get this offense on track to have a chance of winning the SEC.
9) Oregon- They would be smart not to overlook Washington this week as they prepare for USC.
10) USC- This Trojans team is not as good as in years past, but they were better against Notre Dame than the score indicated. If they overcome Oregon State and Oregon in the next two weeks, their National Title hopes could be reignited.
11) TCU- The Horned Frogs haven’t played any talented teams yet this season, and even struggled against Clemson. If they beat BYU this weekend, it could put them in the top 10 for me.
12) Georgia Tech- This team can score a lot of points, and I thought the disciplined Hokies defense would stifle them. I was proved wrong,
13) Virginia Tech- Tyrod Taylor just fell back to Earth, and it wasn’t just because of the Yellow Jackets defense. If the Hokies don’t win the ACC, they can look at their quarterback; it’s the only glaring weakness on this team.
14) Penn State- Does Minnesota count as a good opponent? They get some respect back if they can beat Michigan this weekend in Ann Arbor.
15) Ohio State- If Tyrod Taylor fell back to Earth, Terrelle Pryor fell down a well. So how’s that pro-style offense working out for you, Terrelle?
16) Oklahoma State- Creeping back up the rankings, but they have the meat of the Big 12 schedule still left in front of them. If Dez Bryant isn’t reinstated, the Cowboys can forget their already slim chances of winning the South.
17) BYU- TCU awaits, where BYU could burst the BCS bubble that was popped for them by Florida State earlier this season.
18) Pittsburgh- Quietly working their way through the Big East, but the schedule gets a lot tougher after this.
19) Central Michigan- Putting together great performances in an admittedly weak conference, and Dan LeFevour is playing like a top tier quarterback.
20) West Virginia- Suddenly showing up at #20 is West Virginia, a team that I wanted to leave for dead a long time ago. But with a lone loss at Auburn, the Mountaineers could make noise in the Big East.
21) Utah- The 7 point loss to Oregon looks pretty good now; and they are 5-1. They could give BYU and TCU fits later on this season.
22) Houston- I want this mid-major to drop out, and I kept them off my ballot last week. This feels high for them, and it probably is, but they have resumed their winning ways.
23) South Carolina- Yea, they got snuffed out by Alabama, but no one expected anything else. I won’t hold it against them
24) Texas Tech- They have a few blemishes on the record, but overall this is a classic Mike Leach Texas Tech squad, which belongs in the 20-25 range.
25) South Florida- I guess? Kansas, Notre Dame, Oregon State, Cal, and any number of other teams could have gone here.

No others receiving votes, as it’s just my poll this time around.

Pregame: Maryland vs. Virginia

2009-10-17T13:12:00.002-04:00

As Expatriate said, we all are busy this week, so this preview will be shorter than normal.

After last week's loss to Wake Forest, Maryland returns to College Park for homecoming as they take on the Virginia Cavaliers. Both Maryland (2-4) and Virginia (2-3) have had rough starts plus both coaching staffs are on the hot seat, but UVA has won its last two against UNC and Indiana and will be favored to win the game.

In scouting Virginia, they are led by Jameel Sewell, a senior quarterback from Richmond, a player who runs as much as he passes. Their main rusher, Mikell Simpson, is likely out with a neck injury, which will will hurt as he is a solid rusher and good pass catcher. The Cavs have not been able to develop a second tailback, so it may be a running back by committee to see who gets the ball on the ground. With the field very wet and more rain on the way, someone will need to be able to run the ball.

On defense they are led by redshirt freshman linebacker Steve Greer, who has 37 tackles and five for loss. Senior nose tackle Nate Collins could give the Terps trouble, with two sacks on the year.

Key to the game:
It has been raining heavily in the past three days in the state. The field will be soaked and the conditions will be favorable to running the ball constantly. Both sides have issues with running as the starting tailback for each side is out with injury. For Virginia, they will need Sewell to lead the charge from the QB decision, and Maryland will need to figure out their tailback position and get control on the ground.

Prediction:
If Maryland can get a steady gameplan that does not involve constantly throwing the ball in the rain, then I believe their strength at tailback should give them the slight edge. But this game could easily go either way.

Maryland 13, Virginia 10

Free Kicks: Making up for Light Blogging Edition

2009-10-16T09:08:00.002-04:00

Alright, so this week has been a bit light on the blogging angle, but hopefully we will be able to rebound next week. Work called for Windsor, Falco and I, so this Free Kicks will try to make up for it. Let’s line up for the kick…

No Preview this Week…
But I will at least take a stab at predicting the game this weekend. Believe it or not, I think that the prime weakness for this team is the defense, just when the offense has come around. This offense has the ability to score, and will tweak things here and there to get the production that the squad did over the first 3 games. The defense has not looked great in any of the 5 games so far this season, and after a certain point one has to look at production of the unit so far. I am terrified of what Brett Favre could do against this secondary, but one also has to wait for Brett to “Favre” a game away at some point this season. With Adrian Peterson running the ball, Favre’s best efforts to lose the game might be a moot point. Offensively, the Ravens could struggle against the Minnesota front 4, especially if Gaither isn’t at full strength. Anytime you have to shuffle the line around to replace a single player there is a big change in chemistry and it is not preferable against a talented group like the Vikings. This may go to Joe Flacco’s arm to win it… and if Aaron Rodgers can’t win it with his arm, I don’t think Joe can. If this was at home for the Ravens, I might look at it differently, but I think the Ravens will find ways to score, but not quite enough. Favre will either make this close or blow this one out; I go for the former.

The nod goes to the Vikings, 23-21.

The Phillies take Game 1 from the Dodgers
Boy, did I ever miss that Dodgers-Cardinals series! Either way, the defending champions are quietly showing the rest of major league baseball that they shouldn’t be overlooked- I have never seen a defending champ so undercovered when they have performed so well this season. While I still worry about the back end of the Phillies bullpen, Brad Lidge is 3 for 3 in save opportunities in the postseason. I still think the Dodgers will come back and make this series interesting (6 games), but I feel like the Phillies are the better team. They have been more consistent throughout the season, they have a deeper pitching staff (which doesn’t count for as much as it should with all these off-days), and have a lineup that one has to respect 1-8. Today’s game will be worth watching if you can get it at its 3:30 start time (Who does that for an MLB playoff game?) when Pedro Martinez takes the mound. Who would have thought at the beginning of the year that Pedro would get the ball for Game 2 of the NLCS. He wanted to play for a contender, and he has helped keep them one. We will see if the veteran has enough in the tank for a strong postseason performance. My bet is he does.

Cincinnati Takes Down South Florida, Boise State Escapes Against Tulsa
The unusual suspects keep marching toward the BCS headquarters, though Boise State has a significantly easier path there. Cincy defeated a very talented South Florida team, though one has to wonder whether Matt Grothe would have been able to put up a better fight against the Bearcats. Having seen both these games, I think Boise State was a bit off their game against the Golden Hurricane, and I think that a malaise could start to form for a team that is expected to win out. For Cincinnati, the Big East is not what it used to be (or ever was), but there are some very good teams in the conference. Pollsters are already criticizing Cincy for their schedule, citing the lack of many ranked teams. However, Pitt and West Virginia could easily be ranked by the time the play Cincinnati. Regardless, neither team has “Oklahoma” or “Ohio State” or “Notre Dame” on their jerseys, so let’s not get too excited. That Rutgers evisceration in Week 1 is looking better and better as the Scarlet Knights have been undefeated since. I don’t like Brian Kelly in the slightest, but I dislike the BCS even more.

Midweek Ravens News and Notes

2009-10-15T12:04:00.002-04:00

Coming off of another heartbreaking loss, the Ravens feel a long way off from that "Number One" team everyone was talking about a few weeks ago. With the loss to Cincinnati, the Ravens lost their post as the leader in the AFC North, and Joe Flacco finally looked average. So now standing at 3-2, the Ravens are in a precarious position-- do they win and regain positive momentum? Or do they move to 3-3, and start to look like an average team that just got off to a hot start? Here are some thoughts on some things that might have an impact on just which direction the team takes.

The Tyree signing was fantastic, and not because he's famous. David Tyree was made famous by his legendary catch in the Giants' Super Bowl win, but he's made his living on ace special teams play. Signing Tyree gives the Ravens an immediate upgrade at gunner for special teams coverage, neatly taking the place of Brendon Ayanbandejo who was lost for the season. And certainly this week, against the electric Percy Harvin, the Ravens need that kind of performer.

Derrick Mason takes responsibility for his catchless Sunday. It might've been Joe Flacco, it might've been the play calling, but Derrick Mason finally did the right thing in taking responsibility for his catchless game on Sunday. While the Ravens can't afford for Mason to not show up in the passing game, they even more cannot afford for him to start grumbling as he has in past seasons. Mason is the leader for this receiving corps on and off the field, and this unit needs his fighting attitude to be effective. He rallied the receivers around the negativity coming from the national media early in the season, and he needs to rally again.

Ladarius Webb needs more playing time. I know that he's very unpolished, but the Ravens' soft cornerbacks are getting beaten up consistently and other offenses are taking advantage. Don't put him into complex zone coverage, but every now and again, he could be used very effectively in tight man coverage and jam receivers at the line. Maybe it's change for the sake of change, but this secondary needs it.

College Football Blogpoll Week 7

2009-10-13T12:34:00.003-04:00

No poll from Windsor this week, so Falco and I just tallied our totals, and oddly enough we had the same top 5. We had some disagreement towards the bottom, but honestly it could have been anyone from 20-25. There seem to be about 6 or 7 teams that I think could go undefeated, and probably 3 or 4 will. How great would that be in throwing a wrench in the BCS? Just keep peppering it and eventually it will have to give in. Right? We can dream. Anyways, here is the poll for this week.

1) Florida (2)- They are undefeated, have finally beaten a marquee opponent, and have the best player in college football. Alabama fans will have to hold on a minute before they take the top spot.
2) Alabama- Also undefeated, but Ole Miss was not a good team to begin with. Jevan Snead has about as much poise and confidence as a 14 year old kid asking out the homecoming queen. They beat themselves as much as Alabama beat them.
3) Texas- Fell behind early but wound up crushing Colorado. They are now stuck behind Alabama and Florida, but could jump them with a convincing win over Oklahoma.
4) Boise State- They keep winning, but are Tulsa and Idaho really the toughest games left on the schedule? That, if nothing else, will keep them out of the title game.
5) Virginia Tech- The Alabama loss looks like ages ago for this team. If Tyrod Taylor learns how to run this offense smoothly they could be back at the National Championship doorstep.
6) USC- Even with Barkley back and healthy under center, the Trojans will still have their share of challenges in a suddenly strong PAC 10.
7) Cincinnati- They could prove that they are a contender with a win at South Florida. The Big East isn’t great, but the Bearcats will get their opportunities to prove themselves.
8) Iowa- Tied with LSU for points, but gave it to Iowa by virtue of being undefeated. This team doesn’t win pretty, but they keep winning.
9) LSU- Still a great team, and can win the SEC if they get their offense back on track.
10) TCU- This feels high for an untested mid-major, but they will get to battle Utah and BYU before the season is out.
11) Ohio State- Winning on offense, winning on defense, winning on special teams. Since losing to USC the Buckeyes have been scary. Terrelle Pryor still looks like he just doesn’t belong in that offense.
12) Miami (FL)- They’ve rebounded nicely from their whooping at the hands of the Hokies, and I don’t see another loss on the schedule if they keep playing like they have.
13) Penn State- 5 wins, but against Akron, Temple, Eastern Illinois, Syracuse, and Illinois. That is pathetic for a major program like the Nittany Lions. There are a lot of teams in Div 1-A that could be 5-1 with that slate of opponents.
14) Oregon- And we all left them for dead after Boise State. That loss isn’t looking so bad anymore, and this team could keep USC’s hands full on Halloween night.
15) Kansas- Tied with Oklahoma State, but gave it to Kansas due to the tie and because the Cowboys didn’t look that impressive in their win over A&M.
16) Oklahoma State- But then again, neither did Kansas over Iowa State.
17) BYU- I am skeptical of this team, but they do just have one loss. Still, if Florida State was a fluky loss then it was one gigantic fluke.
18) Nebraska- Is Nebraska back? Not yet, not until they beat a great team. But they are starting by beating the okay teams, which is all you can do.
19) South Florida- Tied with South Carolina, blah blah undefeated. I want to see how this team handles Cincinnati on Thursday night.
20) South Carolina- The loss to Georgia isn’t quite as excusable anymore, but they are still 2-1 in the SEC and have won 4 straight. Sadly, that will almost certainly end this weekend against Alabama.
21) Oklahoma- Does their resume say they belong here? No. But this is unfortunately where pedigree comes in. Look on the field with Sam Bradford, and you know this team is better than its record. They have a good shot against Texas.
22) Georgia Tech- This team could easily be out of the rankings altogether. But if they beat Va. Tech this weekend, they could be back in the teens.
23) Utah- How did they wind up back here? It’s #23, and that is down at one-loss mid-major territory. This may also be a memory of last year that won’t quite go away.
24) Central Michigan- Tied with Houston, but Central’s loss came against a major conference team 2 time zones away in the first week of the season...
25) Houston- ...and Houston’s came to 2-4 UTEP a couple weeks ago. Y’all come to your own conclusions.

Others receiving votes: West Virginia, Auburn

What We Learned: Bengals 17, Ravens 14

2009-10-12T12:59:00.006-04:00

It was not a goo day for the state of Maryland. No matter where you went, the pain of football was evident, the Ravens lost, the Redskins lost, the Terps lost. In Baltimore this loss was very painful and now many people are in panic-mode. Obviously we are only five weeks in, but with the strength and depth of the AFC, things could be problematic for the Ravens soon, especially with Minnesota coming up.

Things We Learned:
The Reason the Ravens Lost: The Bengals Played Better
It was not the referees or anything like that; the referees were fine. Give all the credit in the world to the Cincinnati Bengals. Their defense stuffed the Ravens offense and allowed next to nothing except one somewhat-fluke Ray Rice touchdown pass. Joe Flacco was constantly being pressured and the running game was not enough to win. Then on the flip side, the Bengals offense was constantly on the attack and led an 80-yard drive to win it all. Had the defense been off the field a little more, then everything for the Ravens might have been fine, but Carson Palmer is too good to be kept down. The Bengals played a great game and legitimately beat the Ravens, no two ways about it.

Conservative Offense? With no McGahee?
Cam Cameron chose a strange time and way to put a conservative offense on the field. Ray Rice did fine, but Willis McGahee saw almost no time on the field, and the Ravens kept running at strange times. Before this, Joe Flacco kept airing the ball, and although the complaint was that he was throwing too much, at least that offense was effective. The offense was terrible, and the reason why the Ravens were in bad shape all game. We hope that Cameron didn't lost confidence in Flacco for the game.

Next Draft: Ravens Need a Cornerback
There is no two ways about it. The current cornerbacks cannot handle the air attacks on the top teams. So far Philip Rivers, Tom Brady, and Carson Palmer all ripped apart Dominique Foxworth and Co., and next Brett Favre may have the chance. Although the unit is not bad, it is clear the Ravens need a top-tier, tall cornerback to cover the most dangerous receiver.

Ravens Need to be Ready for Minnesota
The Ravens have a problem, they are 3-2 and a number of AFC teams look solid, including two others from the AFC North. 11-5 might not be enough to secure a wild card berth. Minnesota is a perfect 5-0 with a solid passing attack led by you know who. Plus, Adrian Peterson is one of the best backs in the game. The defense will need to be ready plus Joe Flacco will need to get out of the funk; the Vikings will not be generous.

Harbaugh's Ravens are Disciplined
Obviously we are disappointed with the field play plus some of the hits. But after the game, the Ravens were not complaining about the refs or anything like that. They focused on what they did wrong. They know they have to improve, which is a good quality for this team to have.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

Postgame Report Card: Wake Forest 42, Maryland 32

2009-10-11T00:11:00.003-04:00

Maryland's short reign atop the Atlantic Division is over with the loss to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. The Deacs had the type of team that could beat Maryland, a strong passing team against a weakened secondary, and they exploited this advantage over and over again.

It is hard to place blame in correct places. Wake Forest is just a better team, could the secondary have really stopped Riley Skinner? Could the Terps running game be effective with the "running back by committee?" But some things clearly went wrong, and Maryland's season could be finished soon. In this report card, the fourth quarter will not be discussed much, because the game was out of hand by then, and Wake clearly let up some. The first half was a complete disaster, being down 35-10, and the Terps had pretty much no hope of coming back after that.

This report card will be mainly based on the first half and right to the point, as the result of the first half tells the whole story.

Offense - Total Grade: C-
Quarterbacks: C-
Chris Turner did well in the second half, when the game was over. During the first half he could not keep drives going and was only marginally decent on throws.
Running Backs: D
Davin Meggett had two decent runs, including one for a touchdown. As a unit, 13 runs for 27 yards.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: C-
Just like Turner, effective when it no longer mattered. They could not get open enough in the first half.
Offensive Line: C-
Without Bruce Campbell, the line could not get much penetration against the experienced Wake defensive front.

Defense - Overall Grade: D
Defensive Line: D
Was constantly blitzing for Riley Skinner, and almost never succeeded.
Linebackers: C
Alex Wujciak seemed to be the only player on defense that got big plays. The rest of the unit was not effective.
Secondary: F-
Torched all day by Riley Skinner and his receivers.

Special Teams - Overall Grade: A-
Kicker/Punter: A
Every time he plays, Nick Ferrera continues to impress. Converted a 50-yard field goal, punted for average of 40 yards and converted all three extra points.
Coverage and Returners: B+
Torrey Smith had a huge return to set up Maryland's first drive which ended in a touchdown, and the coverage on all other players was fine.

Coaching - Overall Grade: D+
Offensive: D
James Franklin did not have a good gameplan and clearly does not trust the running game at all. Worse, he burned Caleb Porzel's redshirt with two rushes, and he clearly does not look ready. Obviously with the injuries to Campbell and Scott things are bad, but Franklin's gameplan continues to trouble Maryland.
Defensive: C
It is hard to blame the coaching, because what was Don Brown to do? Maryland can't risk dropping seven each time because of Skinner's skill plus Maryland's weak secondary, so Brown tried to blitz the heck out of Wake which is the better idea than dropping everyone back. The problem was the blitzes were never much different than the others, and they were all picked up.

MVP: Alex Wujciak
The only defensive player that was a legitimate threat to the Wake Forest offense.
LVP: Cameron Chism
I have to choose one; Chism was constantly getting beat on coverage, but many players on the secondary could be put here.

Maryland returns next week for their homecoming game against Virginia.

(Photo credit: AP)

Pregame: Maryland at Wake Forest

2009-10-10T10:00:00.008-04:00

Maryland got a nice win last week, upsetting Clemson 24-21 and (somehow) sitting atop the Atlantic Division with a 1-0 conference record, but still has a long way to go for bowl contention at a 2-3 overall record. But, as Chris Turner said, win through the ACC and they can go to the Orange Bowl; at least they took the first step. But Maryland hits the road for the first time in a month as they head down to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest.

The Maryland Terrapins (2-3, 1-0 ACC) take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-2, 1-1 ACC) in a divisional matchup. This contest is also Wake Forest's homecoming game. In their two ACC contests, Wake fell to Boston College but defeated NC State. The highlight of their season came when defeating Stanford. Maryland leads the series 41-15-1, but even though the Terps won last year, the Deacs won the previous two meetings.

Scouting the Competition: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Any talk about Wake Forest begins with their senior quarterback Riley Skinner (pictured), who is one of the most efficient in the conference. He has completed over 68% of his passes, but does have seven interceptions with his 11 touchdowns. This is a very pass-heavy offense, giving Skinner a number of targets. In just five games, four receivers have over 20 catches, lead by redshirt-junior Marshall Williams with over 400 yards and four scores. The Deacs have a very reliable offensive line; all five starters are redshirt-junior status or higher.

On the ground Wake has a pro-style; playing a few tailbacks and relying on a fullback in goal situations. Josh Adams, Brandon Pendergrass, and Kevin Harris all split carries, averaging less than 35 yards per carry. Redshirt-senior fullback Mike Rinfrette has three scores despite just 35 yards rushing.

The defense though average will probably start 11 players that have used a redshirt year. They can contain, but they likely will not win by forcing turnovers. Some of the key players of the 4-3 defense include redshirt sophomore end Tristan Dorty with four tackles for loss, and redshirt junior linebacker Hunter Haynes with 23 tackles. One problem for Wake is the secondary, as two members of the unit are one and two in tackles.

Things to look out for:
1. Will the Maryland rushing attack work?
Normally Maryland relies on the rushing attack, but two things will hinder its progress. First is Wake's decent rushing defense. But the more important reason is Da'Rel Scott's broken wrist. Maryland will employ a running back by committee with at least three players: Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun says Davin Meggett, Gary Douglas, freshmen D.J. Adams and Caleb Porzel could all see time on the ground. Morgan Green is not included, as the coaching staff has said he has not progressed well. I find it doubtful that the Terps would risk Porzel considering his injuries, but even with Scott out, none of the running backs have been good, so Maryland will need someone to step up and get some production. Maryland will have an added problem: Bruce Campbell is out of today's game.

2. Can Chris Turner lead Maryland to another win?
Wake's defensive weakness is in the secondary, and with a problematic running game, Turner will need to have a good day in the air for the Terps to win. He had a great game against Clemson and seemed to be leading the charge into conference play, and Maryland could get a huge morale boost with a win against Wake Forest. The air attack is key, and Chris Turner can make it happen.

3. Can the Maryland secondary handle Riley Skinner and the Wake passing game?
Last year Maryland shut down Skinner and Co., giving up no points all game. The secondary has changed much since then and has been hurt by injuries. Jamari McCollough returning has been helpful and Kenny Tate continues to improve, but the key may be on cornerback Cameron Chism, going into his third start, and Anthony Wiseman. They will deal with two of the key threats the Deacs have, and their success is key to stopping the Wake Forest offense.

Prediction-
Maryland certainly has the capability to win, but I feel they have too many problems that Wake can exploit. The secondary is hurt and is going against Riley Skinner, plus the running game is in dire straits. The Terps will keep it close, but will fall in Winston-Salem.

Wake Forest 24, Maryland 16

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun (Maryland), Collegefootballnews.com (Skinner)

Ravens-Bengals Preview: Cincy Threatens to Turn Division on its Head

2009-10-09T16:12:00.010-04:00

Okay, so I am a little nervous in writing this preview. So far I have been ridiculously off in many of my predictions on this blog, but as far as the previews go I have been pretty solid. I am 4-0 this season up front, and my margins of victory were conservative, even in predicting that the Pats would win by 4. However, the team the Ravens are going up against this weekend is a wildcard. The 3-1 Bengals lost an embarrassing game against the Broncos but aside from that are undefeated, including a last minute drive to upend the defending champions. Baltimore will be charged with cutting down this early-season surprise and realign the top of the AFC North. After losing a game they could have won after last week’s errors, they won’t have room for many more in this division.

What I’m Wondering:

Will these cornerbacks improve?
Man do I ever hope so. They are looking pretty terrible right now, and won’t get much of a respite against a Bengals team that boasts Laveranues Coles and Chad Ochocinco with Chris Henry waiting to take on Frank Walker. If Joe Flacco had that group of receivers, the Ravens could start printing home playoff tickets right now. Instead, Baltimore’s quick but undersized cornerbacks will have their hands full. Ed Reed is so occupied by cleaning up for blown coverages that he can’t make the plays he is accustomed to. Forcing the quarterback to throw is great… If you can stop the pass. The Ravens can’t do that right now.

Will the Ravens return to the run?
They would be very wise to. I believe that Cam Cameron needs to readjust his look back to what the Ravens are more built for- pounding the football. When you average 7.1 yards on the ground, that should be an indication of what the defense is giving you. I understand that the offense has grown to include more things, but it should not exclude what got them here. I have already talked about this before, but for this game, against this team, I will be pulling my hair out if Joe Flacco is dropping back anywhere near 40 times.

Are the Bengals a contender?
To make life difficult on the Ravens and Steelers? Yes. To win the division? No. This team is good, but the defense is too young and lacks true playmakers for Flacco to be afraid of. Yes, they boast the NFL’s sacks leader in Antwan Odom, but we have seen one-season wonders before, and Odom lacks the history to make me think that he will keep up his torrid pace. If Ray Rice is scuttling by him, it won’t make a difference what jump Odom has on the quarterback. Carson Palmer has been solid, but he isn’t yet back to Pro Bowl form. Even if he does return to form this weekend, he doesn’t have the supporting cast to beat the elite teams in the AFC week after week.

My Mildly Informed Analysis:

Ravens Defense vs. Bengals Offense

Cedric Benson has revived his career in Cincinnati after flaming out in Chicago, but he is not playing like the #4 overall pick by any stretch. He has been a serviceable back, but I would put him in the Chester Taylor category of running back- capable of starting, but in a perfect world I don’t have him start. The Ravens defensive line will swallow up Benson at the line of scrimmage, and while his tough running style will keep him from getting knocked backwards, he won’t pick up his 4.4 yards per carry. I will put him down for 50 or 60 yards at most on Sunday.

The Ravens defense will have to rely on its secondary to win this one on that side of the ball. Chad Ochocinco is out to prove that he is still an elite wide receiver and can back up his comedic behavior with solid play on the field. He leads the team with 17 receptions and 238 yards. He will beat whichever Ravens corner is assigned to him, as noted above. He’ll get his catches and probably a touchdown, which he has promised to follow up with a Ricky Bobby celebration. Baltimore will not be able to double Ochocinco or risk being burned by speedster Laveranues Coles. However, Coles isn’t known for being a very tough receiver, and if you can keep up with him down the field (which either Foxworth or Washington can do), you can cover him. I am more concerned with Chris Henry at the slot position against Frank Walker. If Carson Palmer can get into a rhythm and avoid Baltimore’s pressure, this could be a shootout.

Ravens Offense vs. Bengals Defense

Speaking of which, this is not a good defense the Ravens will have to face this weekend, regardless of the sacks that Antwan Odom has managed to rack up. The only major challenge I foresee comes from cornerback Leon Hall against Derrick Mason. Not because I necessarily think that Hall will shut him down, but only that he will cover him well enough to limit his production and force Joe Flacco to look at his other receivers. Johnathan Joseph is a solid corner as well and could give Mark Clayton some problems on the other side. The matchup I am looking at is Morgan Trent against Kelley Washington. I watched Trent victimized countless times on the sidelines of Michigan games, and Washington could have the size and speed to take on Trent’s only marginal quickness. Todd Heap should have opportunities as well, but keep an eye on the Bengals top two cornerbacks- they are the real deal.

Cam, run the football. Please. The Bengals are about average in the league, allowing 103 yards per game, but the Ravens should be able to pound the ball against a front 4 that features pass-rushing Antwan Odom and Tank Johnson, who hasn’t done much of anything in several years, having been cut by the Cowboys after last season. The Bengals have two athletic but inexperienced linebackers in Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga, but this part of the game can’t be broken down just by personnel. The Ravens identity as a team is to pound the opponent into the ground by running the football and breaking them down by the second half. The Bengals are off to a hot start and if they feel like they are in an air battle with the Ravens they will stay confident, knowing they have Carson Palmer on their side. Teams like this need their bubble burst early, and a heavy dose of the ground game goes a long way towards asserting one’s will over an opponent.

The Rundown

This game will depend on how crisp Carson Palmer is. If he plays like he did several years ago and Chad Ochocinco follows through on his promise to victimize the Ravens cornerbacks, the Bengals have a good shot to win this game. However, given the performances of the Ravens and Bengals against their common opponent, the Browns, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Baltimore has done a great job this season of converting long drives into points in ways that fans haven’t seen before. They keep it up this weekend and turn possessions into touchdowns.

The nod goes to the Ravens, 31-17.

Free Kicks: No Particular Edition (Edition)

2009-10-09T11:15:00.002-04:00

Ravens preview to come later today, but I wanted to get back to Free Kicks this week as well. With a new football league kicking off, basketball and hockey getting warmed up, and the MLB playoffs going, it actually looks like the NFL might get unseated from its perch atop the sports consciousness for at least a couple days. Come Sunday I make no guarantees. Did y’all see Graham Gano in the UFL last night? Good for him. Let’s line up for the kick…

United Football League Great for Fans and the NFL
Call me an idiot (go ahead, you know you want to), but I will go ahead and buy into the UFL. Not, as some have suggested, because it will necessarily compete with the NFL, but because it can complement the NFL. Arena League Football was rather successful for most of its decade of existence, and came relatively close to breaking through as a long-term sustainable sport. The AFL competed with and was absorbed into the NFL to create the modern era of professional football. The USFL tried the same tactic and failed because they pushed too hard, too fast to put teams together and expand the league that their fan base couldn’t support it. And the XFL was WWE with pads. The UFL is following closer to the tactic of the USFL in drawing in marginal NFL talents and trying for real football, not gimmicky sub-sports or raw entertainment.

Unlike the USFL, the UFL isn’t moving too fast, either. With four teams spread across the country, low salaries, and with the clear goal to move players from their league to the NFL, the UFL is following the path of least resistance. They have designed the league to work with the NFL in allocating players’ rights to the AFC and NFC North, South, East, and West, depending on what team they play for. And don’t worry about the quality of play. These players have at least been in training camp before, and many were stars in college (Las Vegas quarterback J.P. Losman is better than at least half of the backup QBs in the NFL), so the product on the field should be solid. The UFL is being cautious and trying not to anger the beast that is the NFL, and it should pay dividends for the league and for fans. If this league can develop into a minor league or a feeder system for players to go to the NFL, it will be worth embracing.

MLS Would be a Boon for Baltimore
Our fair city is one of the few in the country to embrace lacrosse and soccer so completely- not of course to a level on par with football or baseball, but they are not so far down as they are in other parts of the country. People here get excited for how their soccer and lacrosse teams are doing in high school and in college. My friends at Maryland always brag about their soccer team, and I can’t usually remember how Michigan’s team is doing (apparently the men’s & women’s teams are ranked #6 and #8 in the country right now). The point is, if DC United fails to find a stadium agreement with a location close to Washington, Baltimore would be a prime location. I am not saying that the team would draw 30,000 fans a night to the stadium, but it would beat the 15K average for MLS teams (which is also about what DC United is getting right now). If this city has been able to support the Blast for 17 years, they should be able to accommodate an outdoor team.

Could Matt Holliday Be the Next Playoff Scapegoat?
The Dodgers, to my surprise, have outplayed the Cardinals in the first two games of this series, games that I thought the Cardinals would take. However, with Matt Holliday losing the ball in the lights as the Dodgers began a furious comeback, this could be another classic moment for St. Louis fans, frozen in time should they lose this series. It was one of those moments where you pause and wonder whether you have witnessed something that that fan base will be talking about for decades. ESPN would run it alongside Jeffrey Maier and Bartman, with Buckner and Don Denkinger, and profile it every time the Cards went to the playoffs. But it wouldn’t be fair and it wouldn’t be right. After Holliday’s miscue, St. Louis still had just one more out to get with a one run lead. James Loney could have just as easily gotten a double on his own; it was only chance that sent that ball straight at Matt Holliday.

Moreover, without Matt Holliday one can wonder whether this team would even be in the playoffs. He hit .353 in protection of Albert Puhols and provided the Cards with a bar when they needed it the most- and most nights he is far from a defensive liability. St. Louis was in a fight for the division when they got Matt Holliday. Since then, they buried the NL Central. Don’t blame Holliday if St. Louis is watching the playoffs from home on Sunday without giving him credit for the team being able to play yesterday.

Weekend Prediction: I have been going out on a limb week after week, and it hasn’t treated me well. I am 1-2 so far with my lone correct prediction being about baseball. So let me try that one again. Give me St. Louis on Saturday; they will turn things around and keep this series alive.

MLB Division Series Playoff Preview

2009-10-07T12:00:00.003-04:00

Not everything in the baseball world is dark and miserable, hoping against hope that there is light at the end of this 12 year losing tunnel. However, if you ask most of my friends and neighbors in Michigan, they would probably disagree with that sentiment. The Tigers fell in 12 innings to the surging Twins, who will truck their physically and emotionally exhausted team to New York to take on the best team in baseball. Not to ignore the climax of the baseball season for the sake of the first half of football season, I thought it might be nice to give some thoughts on the four opening round playoff matchups, and give myself another opportunity to make some bad predictions (however, I have predicted the winner of all the Ravens games so far, with pretty close margins of victory/loss compared to the final result).

Yankees – Twins
The Yankees have it all- solid starting pitchers (though they complain that they want to add more starting pitching, every team says that and the Yankees are in better position than most), a lock-down closer in Mariano Rivera, and a team of position player All-Stars. The Twins come in with almost no advantage save for Joe Mauer and the guts they used to catch up with the Tigers down the stretch. The Rangers, Marlins, and Giants all had records good enough to win the AL Central. That tells me that the Twins will need a little bit more of that 17-4 finish to the season in order to ride this series to a win. Their run will bring back recollections of the 2007 Rockies who rode a 21-1 end of September, including a playoff game against the Padres to take the Wild Card. However, this is not the 2007 Rockies. The Twins were not unbeatable in September and the 2009 AL is a heck of a lot tougher than the 2007 NL. Minnesota will take a game at home, but nothing more.

Yankees advance to ALCS, 3-1.

Dodgers – Cardinals
Does Los Angeles really have a better record than St. Louis? It certainly hasn’t looked like a better team over the second half of the season. There are plenty of teams that missed out on the playoffs entirely that are looking better than the Dodgers have. They did well to put away the Rockies and keep them from the division lead, but this team had the division wrapped up in May, they should not have had to hold anyone off to win this one. Meanwhile, the Cardinals emerged from a crowded NL Central and thumped any other contenders to the curb as they took over mid-season. They have the best pitching duo left in the playoffs in Carpenter and Wainwright, and they are going up against one of the better hitting lineups in the majors. However, so are the Dodgers, but Randy Wolf and Chad Billingsley aren’t exactly earth-shattering pitchers. L.A. flamed out last year, and they give a repeat performance. A few homers from Manny might give L.A. a game, but I am betting that the bats of Matt Holiday and Albert Puhols will keep the Cards on top.

Cardinals advance to the NLCS, 3-0.

Phillies – Rockies
“In the playoffs it is all about pitching.” “In the playoffs you have to be able to win in the clutch.” Take these two (cliché) sayings together and you have why people are worried about the Phillies. In a word, it’s the closer. Brad Lidge is a shell of last season’s perfect self, but everything else about the Phils is either static or slightly improved from last year from a personnel standpoint. Then again, if you are leading by 4 runs in the 9th, who closes it out isn’t all that important. What does worry me is that Philadelphia hasn’t played a meaningful game in a while; this team had the NL East all but wrapped up by August, some ephemeral Marlins and Braves runs notwithstanding. The Rockies haven’t exactly been gangbusters lately, but they were forced to take control of the Wild Card chase and hold off the loaded Giants head to head. This team knows how to win in the playoffs, but the rested and talented Phils have too much starting pitching. J.A. Happ, Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez, and Cole Hamels make this team too deep for the Rockies to beat… but they will make it tough on the defending champs.

Phillies advance to the NLCS, 3-2.

Angels – Red Sox
The Angels in the playoffs are like the Texans in the regular season. Every year you look at their roster and want to predict success, and every year those hopes are dashed by the perennial powerhouse teams. However, the Angels don’t usually play against a team that has had as many questions as the Red Sox have this last month. Josh Beckett hasn’t been his old self, and Jon Lester is the only Sox starter who I trust to pitch a lights-out game. Tonight he goes up against John Lackey, with Jered Weaver waiting in the wings. If Lester goes down, Boston will have to hope that their postseason pitching finds its familiar magic. The Red Sox will make this one difficult due to their success against the Angels in the past, but the Angels have plenty of bulletin board ammunition after they were robbed by the umpires at Fenway Park earlier in the season. Scott Kazmir is a wild card here. If he gets the ball against his former division foe, it could be feast or famine. If he plays like he has in 6 starts with the L.A./Anaheim/California/Golden State/Greater Western U.S. Angels, the Red Sox could let this one slip. This could be determined on the basepaths, where the Angels steal crazy while the Red Sox catchers couldn’t throw out Magglio Ordonez. This one is by far the toughest one to pick.

Angels advance to ALCS, 3-2.

What Can We Learn from the Ravens Loss to the Patriots?

2009-10-06T11:11:00.002-04:00

After Michigan lost to Michigan State and the Ravens lost to the Pats, I wanted to keep as far away from sports news as possible. Today, as I am laid up sick and feeling oddly guilty for not being at work, I find myself capitulating to the boredom and reading the reaction to Baltimore’s loss. I expected to write here about how the Ravens are still a step below the big players in the conference- Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and New England, but this might be the most hopeful 27-21 loss I have seen in recent Ravens memory. Why?

The Ravens are capable of throwing the ball against a solid defense.
I won’t back up Coach Harbaugh and Cam Cameron on this one- 47 times is about 15 times too many for Joe Flacco to be throwing the football. When your running game is working (and breaking long runs) against a defense, you keep pounding the football until they force you to pass it. There is no reason, with Tom Brady on the sideline, to do anything to let him get back on the field again. However, the Ravens were sharp and efficient despite the balance of run-pass and nearly won it were it not for Mark Clayton’s drop (more on that later). I think Cam Cameron is getting a bit too infatuated with Joe Flacco’s arm and has been chucking the ball much more than he has to in every game so far this season. This team is not good enough to do this on a regular basis, but this game proves that if the running game stalls there is another option. However…

The Ravens still need another great receiver.
Baltimore has done a great job with Derrick Mason and a slew of substandard receivers, but Mark Clayton’s drop reminded this team that aside from Mason there is no wideout who can be trusted when the game is on the line. They can all make great plays when they have to (and when Flacco is on target), but without a strong secondary option to Mason this team will struggle to keep passing drives alive. Without Mason, this team would be like the Eagles of the past few years- a great quarterback with poor receivers. The Ravens are unlikely to take this team to the next level without another receiver stepping up, and they may have to just find the money somewhere to pay at least one receiver big money in the offseason.

The defense is still there, even if the refs don’t like it.
Ever since last season’s loss to the Titans following the ticky-tack roughing the passer call against Terrell Suggs, I have been on the lookout for refs who assume that the Ravens will make dirty hits. Well, the flags were out in full force on Sunday and it could become an issue when this team plays more premier quarterbacks. As Terrell Suggs said after the game, the NFL likes to protect some “quarterbacks more than others” and I believe that’s the case with Brady after his season-ending injury last season. I am holding my breath for when Ray Lewis is called for a roughing penalty on Ben Roethlisberger that leads to the Steelers winning the AFC North. Perhaps I am too much of a homer, but the NFL too often interprets an aggressive defense as a dirty one. The league needs to realign things or teams will be hesitant to rush the passer in key situations.

Some random NFL thoughts:

-So… when is that great Chargers team we’ve been hearing about for the last 4 years going to show up?
-There might be a reason for Cincinnati’s confidence this offseason. They may not be great, but they will be an obstacle in the AFC North.
-Brett Favre still has it, and that should scare the hell out of the NFC.
-Is it possible that after 4 games, the Broncos still haven’t played any really good teams?
-Don’t let the score fool you, this Lions team doesn’t give up. They may not win many games this season but there is a change in attitude in Detroit.
-I have no idea what’s wrong with Tennessee, but it won’t cost Jeff Fisher his job. He is still one of the best coaches in the league.

College Football Blogpoll Week 6

2009-10-05T15:44:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I saw no college football this weekend, so I am in no position to post about the week's action. If only the coaches felt this way and we might have gotten rid of the Coaches poll by now! Anyway, here is Falco and Windsor's take on this weekend's action:

1) Florida (1)
2) Alabama (1)
3) Texas
4) Boise State
5) LSU
6) USC
7) Cincinnati
8) Ohio State
9) Virginia Tech
10) TCU
11) Miami
12) Iowa
13) Penn State
14) Oklahoma
15) Oklahoma State
16) BYU
17) Mississippi
18) Kansas
19) Oregon
20) South Carolina
21) Georgia
22) Auburn
23) Georgia Tech
24) Nebraska
25) South Florida

Others receiving votes: Cal, Missouri, Houston, Stanford

Postgame Report Card: Maryland 24, Clemson 21

2009-10-03T17:22:00.008-04:00

The word of the game is…..redemption. Maryland was in major trouble after very bad non-conference play. But the Terps showed they are not out yet. Thanks to some tremendous defensive and special teams play, Maryland pulled out a huge victory and started their ACC schedule off right. There were obvious problems during the game, and Clemson had opportunities. But Maryland was causing the Tigers trouble everywhere they went.

With the victory, Maryland improves to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in the ACC. They will hit the road next week to take on Wake Forest. The win did have a price: Da’Rel Scott broke his wrist and is likely done for the season.

Offense – Overall Grade: C+

Quarterbacks: A-

Chris Turner did everything you could ask of him today, throwing very solid passes and not making a major mistake. 19/26 with 211 yards including two scores and no picks. He also had a few decent runs. Only thing I question is his run to the left on 4th and inches in the fourth quarter, but otherwise he got the job done when Maryland needed it most.

Running Backs: D-

The name on the jersey was irrelevant. Da’Rel Scott, Davin Meggett, and Gary Douglas all were ineffective against the Clemson defense. Meggett took the bulk of the carries and nearly cost Maryland the game with his fumble in the 4th quarter. Those three combined: 21 rushes for 44 yards. Meggett did get a one-yard touchdown at least.

Wide Receivers: B

The depth of wide receiver is finally starting to show, as Maryland had three effective targets today. Torrey Smith continued to be the real threat but Adrian Cannon and Ronnie Tyler got into it as well. Tyler had some issues though holding onto the ball, including dropping a catch that would have been a first down easily, but the unit did well against a solid Clemson secondary.

Tight Ends: B-

Tommy Galt had a couple of nice catches and was a helpful short passing target for Turner. However, a holding penalty on Lansford Watson was very costly on a run.

Offensive Line: D-

There was nearly no containment on the harsh blitz attack by the Clemson defense, and subsequently no running game could be established. Worse, Bruce Campbell might be hurt again, which would be a serious problem for Maryland.

Defense – Overall Grade: A-

Defensive Line: B+

The fact is it is difficult to contain C.J. Spiller, and the line did enough to do just that. Plus when the heat was on for the defense to hold the lead, the line got good penetration to pressure Kyle Parker and cuase him problems. Not a perfect day, but a solid one.

Linebackers: A-

A couple of forced fumbles and effective running on the blitz was a sight for sore eyes for Don Brown. Clemson was trying to throw tricks at Maryland and mostly they did not work. The unit had to deal with Spiller and Jacoby Ford, and although both had their opportunities, neither got a lot done against the unit.

Secondary: A-

Jamari McCollough’s return to the Maryland secondary is huge, as he was making sure Clemson had no deep threats at all. The Tigers had to adjust to put Jacoby Ford in the short field to give him the ball. They had an interception late in the second quarter, but the great play came from coverage all day. Kenny Tate was all around the field today, sacking the quarterback and having good coverage.

Special Teams – Overall Grade: B-

Kicker/Punter: A

Nick Ferrera must have injected some of Travis Baltz’s DNA. He converted his only field goal attempt, a 43-yarder, all three extra points, and had four punts downed inside the 20. He even had a punt where he faked to throw off a would-be tackler and got the punt off a second later. This kid is just a freshman and it is already looking like he could have NFL Draft potential.

Returners: B

A mixed grade, especially on the punt returns. Anthony Wiseman’s lost fumble in the first quarter completely reversed the momentum of the game to Clemson, and he will likely not get his job back. Tony Logan took over and had an excellent punt return to near the goal line in the fourth quarter. Torrey Smith was fine on kickoff returns.

Coverage: D

Most of the time the unit was helped by either Ferrera’s excellent punting skills or the fact that kickoffs were mostly away from Spiller. But after Maryland went up by 11 and kicked the ball to Spiller, he broke a couple of tackles when the Terps clearly should have had him and let him break loose for a score. Spiller is great, but when you have him wrapped up, you need to make the tackle.

Coaching – Overall Grade: B

Offensive: C-

The playcalling looked better this week and drives were sometimes finished off, but the fact is once again the offense did not look great and nearly cost Maryland the game at times. Playcalling is often not judged by the good but often by the bad. When Maryland had chances to finish the Tigers in the second half, strange plays were called. Having a possible pass by LaQuan Williams, a 4th and inches run to the left that failed, etc. Turner’s good day spared James Franklin today some problems, but Franklin nearly cost Maryland the game at certain times doe to bad playcalling.

Defensive: A

The players look like they were finally catching on to the Don’s defense. The defense did not allow any touchdowns in the second half and showed some great blitzes, especially when Maryland needed big plays. The team kept Spiller and Ford in check during the game, and despite some very tough situations in the fourth quarter, the defense delivered by holding their ground. For the first time this year, Don Brown had a great day all game.

MVP: Nick Ferrera

This game was about special teams and defense, and Ferrera’s play was invaluable, especially downing the Tigers inside the 20 four times plus converting his extra points and his only field goal. Pretty good for a freshman.

LVP: Anthony Wiseman

His fumble on the punt in the first quarter completely changed the momentum from Maryland to Clemson. All he had to do was catch the ball and Maryland would have been inside Clemson territory on offense, instead the Tigers got the ball back and got a field goal.

(Photo credit: AP)

Pregame: Maryland vs. Clemson

2009-10-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

ACC play begins today for Maryland after a very rough out-of-conference time. The Terps came up just 1-3, with no wins against the three FBS teams they played, capped by a 34-13 embarrassment from Rutgers at home. Chris Turner may be overly-optimistic, but he is right on something, if they do well enough in the ACC, they could go to the Orange Bowl. The "first game to the Orange Bowl" will have to start against the orange team, the Clemson Tigers.

The Maryland Terrains (1-3) host the Clemson Tigers (2-2) in their fourth home game in a row. Maryland begins conference play while Clemson will play their third game against the ACC, going 1-1 with a win over Boston College and a loss to Georgia Tech. The last four times these two have played, the road team was the victor. Clemson leads the overall series 30-25-2. So far this season the two have only had one common opponent: Clemson defeated Middle Tennessee 37-14 while the Terps lost to them 32-31.

In Maryland's current state at 1-3, they will need to go at least 5-3 in conference play to have any chance at a bowl game.

Scouting the Competition: Clemson Tigers

Clemson has changed a lot since Maryland last saw them. Dabo Swinney took over as head coach and got the job after leading the Tigers to a win over South Carolina plus a bowl game. He has had a slow start with his squad thus far, but both losses were to ranked teams and only by a score.

The Tigers are led on offense by senior C.J. Spiller (pictured), an explosive running back that also runs track for the Tigers. He is the primary running back and primary returner, averaging 214.3 all-purpose yards a game, though so far just 4.3 yards per rush. Passing the ball is redshirt freshman Kyle Parker, who has only a 47% completion rate. He does have a prime receiving threat, senior wideout Jacoby Ford, who has 20 catches on the season.

Clemson has a solid defense, but not an invulnerable one. The line is led by senior defensive end Ricky Sapp, who has two sacks and six tackles for loss. The linebacker core is led by redshirt senior Kavell Connor with 26 tackles and a player who has been important for years at Clemson. In the secondary, the Tigers are tied for #4 in the country in interceptions with eight, led by junior safety DeAndre McDaniel's four. McDaniel is also the leader in tackles with 34, which means he is all around the field.

Things to Look For:
1. Can Maryland rely on Da'Rel Scott?
The way to beat Clemson is hitting them hard and often with the rush. Maryland has only one running back, Scott, that can effectively run the ball, as any other backups, including Davin Meggett and others, apparently have not shown enough to James Franklin. Scott has had success when he's held onto the ball, but Maryland has suffered problems due to his fumbling the last two games. With the strong play from the Clemson secondary, the Terps need their best runner to play well. This may depend on how much patience Friedgen and Franklin have with Scott, as they have taken him out on occasions due to the fumbling.

2. Will Maryland show some defense?
The Terps have allowed 38.3 points per game, which is the sixth-worst among FBS teams. Three of the games were against teams without BCS rankings. Injuries to the secondary have been very problematic for Maryland. The fact is the defense needs to show their strength soon. Against Rutgers for three quarters the defense looked solid, but the fourth was a mess due to two long rushing touchdowns. Don Brown's defense cannot allow the same to happen with Clemson, as C.J. Spiller has the potential to be a dangerous weapon if not kept in check.

3. Can Maryland bounce back?
It has been a terrible start for Maryland. Everyone, including Friedgen, Franklin, Chris Turner and the rest of the squad are all coming under fire. In recent history the Terps have been able to bounce back in troublesome situations, but this team may not have what it takes to do that. The fact is Maryland needs a comeback, and it may be too late if they don't win today. With the season possibly on the line and everyone criticizing Maryland's players and personnel, can Maryland get on track?

4. Will the loss of Travis Baltz hurt Maryland?
Baltz, Maryland's reliable punter, is out for the game, and Nick Ferrera will kick and punt for the Terps. Baltz has been amazing for Maryland and has been very helpful in pinning down opponents, and with him out, the Terps need a freshman to be effective. Without Baltz, a key part of Maryland's special teams is gone, and it may hurt Maryland's chances.

Prediction:
This game can be won by Maryland, and if they play everything right they have a chance. But Clemson is physically a stronger team and has done better against better competition. When it comes down to it, I don't believe Maryland has enough to stop Clemson. C.J. Spiller might be the difference-maker with a problematic Maryland defensive line.

Clemson 24, Maryland 13

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun (Terps), SI (Spiller))

Breaking News: Dave Trembley Will Return as Orioles Manager

2009-10-02T17:48:00.002-04:00

Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun is reporting that Dave Trembley's 2010 option will be picked up, so Trembley will be returning as Orioles manager next year.

This had been a big topic of debate, especially with the Orioles September collapse. Andy MacPhail had said he was going to determine Trembley's job status soon, and his decision appears to be keeping him on-board.

I do not believe that Trembley should be the manager of the future for the O's, but for now I am fine with this call. The fact is the Orioles are not a competitive team, and it seemed like Trembley did the most with what he had as well as protecting the young players. The team likely could not have found anyone better than Trembley, so for now it is better to hold him here than get rid of him.

If nothing else, it is one less thing the Orioles have to worry about going into the offseason.

(Photo credit: AP)

Baltimore Sun Poll: What is the Worst Black Mark in Orioles History?

2009-10-02T16:41:00.000-04:00

The Orioles finally snapped their losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay last night, ending the streak at 13 losses in a row. It is clearly one of the worst times in Orioles history. So the Baltimore Sun has an interesting poll up today, what is the worst black mark in Orioles history? The choices are in order in the poll:
--0-21 to start the 1988 season
--4-32 finish in 2002
--12 consecutive losing seasons
--13-game losing streak in 2009
--30-3 loss to the Rangers in 2007
--107 losses in 1988

So we have our options. Let's take a look at some of these, and I'll give my thoughts as to what I believe.

First, I am taking off two of them. First is the 30-3 loss to the Rangers in 2007. As bad as that was, that was one game. One bad game can never be as bad as losing multiple games. Also, that game was the first part of a doubleheader. It is certainly possible that if the Orioles did not need to conserve people in their bullpen the damage would have been a lot less, but the decision was made to wait. But regardless, it is one game. The second is this past losing streak. As bad as it was, keep a few things in mind. The Orioles were running with a depleted roster and were either on the road or against a playoff-contending team. So even though the losing streak was bad, the Orioles at best might have been 3-10 during that run.

That leads to a second point which amasses everything else. Nothing in one season can be worse than a number of seasons. As bad as 1988 was, as well as the terrible 2002 collapse, one season of bad play sometimes happens. Most franchises in history have something like that.

The answer is 12 losing seasons in a row. Keep in mind this is not just a playoff drought, these are losing seasons. Even when the Orioles were not making the playoffs in the mid-late 1980s and early 1990s, the team was at least putting together some winning seasons. Now the team has become completely irrelevant in the playoff race. Granted some franchises have been worse, but when a team that used to be a contending one for years now is the constant joke of the American League, that is by far the worst black mark in Orioles history. At the worst part about it is that it could get worse.

Bottom line, whatever happens in a game or one season is nothing compared to what happens in numerous seasons. The answer is clearly 12 losing seasons in a row.

(Photo credit: AP)

Ravens-Patriots Preview: Taking Their Place Among the Elite

2009-10-01T19:10:00.005-04:00

This is a huge game for both teams. The Patriots must avoid falling another game behind the New York Jets for the division lead, and the Ravens are looking to get a bit of a cushion in the division with Cincinnati coming up on the schedule. The Ravens have not fared well against the Patriots in recent years, though they came closer than any other team to breaking New England’s run towards their undefeated regular season in 2007. Baltimore has always been a step behind the AFC’s elite teams in Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and New England, and while prognosticators are saying all the right things, the team has yet to prove that they belong there. The Patriots were hearing doubts all week about whether they are slipping from their perch atop the conference, and went a long way towards answering those critics with a convincing win over Atlanta. This preview is more detailed than most due to the magnitude of this game, so soak it in.

What I’m Wondering:

Are the Ravens really the best team in the NFL?
No. I know Power Rankings and their blowout wins against two inferior opponents indicate that this team has leapfrogged the Steelers, Chargers, and Patriots (at least, not to mention Colts), I think it is fair to say that this team hasn’t done anything all that unexpected in terms of wins and losses. If you said before the season that the Ravens would beat the Browns and Chiefs I would have no problem with that; and if you said they would barely beat the Chargers I would be able to see that too (I thought it was a toss-up game before the season). Yes, their offense has gone wild, but I think it is too soon to call it a juggernaut. Win this game and you can start drinking the Kool Aid, but not yet.

Are the Patriots on their way down?
No, and don’t buy into any of the hype that followed the Jets game where New England was beaten by a worked up New York team playing at home. It happens- Tom Brady is still getting back into a groove, and he seems to be advancing more and more towards playing at a high level for a whole game every week. He is getting back in sync with his receivers, and the defense is taking time to gel while it works in so many new pieces. This team may take until midseason to fully get back to at or near the top of the AFC, but they will be there.

Is Joe Flacco really becoming a top tier quarterback?
Not yet. I keep seeing Joe Flacco’s name floating about on a number of MVP watch lists, and there is no denying that he is performing light-years beyond where he was last season. However, until I see him do it against top tier defenses with a bit of regularity, I can’t say that he belongs on those lists (also that he keep sailing his intermediate throws, but I harp on that every week). A strong performance this weekend could help change my mind, though.

My Mildly Informed Analysis:

Ravens Defense vs. New England Offense

Don’t confuse this team with the spread out, 4 wide passing attack that we have seen out of New England in the past few years. While it seemed like a minor move in the offseason, the Patriots’ acquisition of Fred Taylor has helped this team turn to a smashmouth running attack that we haven’t seen in quite some time. Over the last 3 or 4 years I have seen an effective, if finesse running attack from the Patriots in the form of draws, or misdirections, with the running backs being larger threats as pass catchers out of the backfield than up the middle. Not since Corey Dillon has New England had a running back capable of striking fear in the defense. But Fred Taylor may be changing all that. His 105 yards last week against a stout Falcons front 7 surprised me, even though I knew Taylor still had some years left in him after his long career in Jacksonville. Mind you, the team is only averaging 108 yards on the ground per game this season compared to 142 last season, but they may be just getting started. I don’t expect Taylor or any of the Patriot’s backs to truly establish themselves against the Ravens defensive line, but if they can get a few yards here and there up the middle it will open things up for Tom Brady.

Of course what we all worry about is New England’s passing attack. If Vincent Jackson was a challenge for the Ravens cornerbacks, Randy Moss will be a menace. There is no question that either Foxworth or Washington are more than capable of keeping up with the big-play receiver, but when he goes up for the ball I have visions of the undersized corners futilely swatting at the ball as Moss comes down with it. Not to mention the lack of a true nickelback to respond to Wes Welker if he lines up in the slot- is Frank Walker going to slow him down? I doubt it. I am not yet convinced that Fabian Washington is a sure enough tackler to take down the slippery Welker if he gets the ball with any space in front of him. Benjamin Watson is a sure-handed tight end capable of making plays in the passing game, and if Tom Brady is on target this team will be able to pile on at least 24 points. I just don’t see how our secondary can stop these receivers if Brady has time to throw.

And that is where the defensive line comes in. In order for Baltimore to win this game, the Ravens must get pressure on Tom Brady- it has been said many times before to little success, but I point it out here because this may be the best time in the season to do it. The Patriots offensive line has not been as solid as in seasons past, and Brady is still looking a little gun-shy in protecting that reconstructed knee of his. He hasn’t been sacked since Week 1, but he has been hurried, harried, and forced into bad throws, resulting in a dismal 23-47 for 216 yards and an interception against the Jets in Week 2. Brady will drop back to pass at least 45 times on Sunday. If the Ravens knock him down enough and make him feel the pressure, he should have a similar line as he did against New York.

Ravens Offense vs. Patriots Defense

As far as the Pats defense is concerned, it is an odd mix of solid veteran players- cornerbacks Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden included- and a collection of undrafted young players with no track record of success. With the departures of Junior Seau, Teddy Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel, Bill Belichick has incorporated a brand new crop of linebackers. Aside from dominant outside linebacker Adalius Thomas (who Ravens fans are all too familiar with), the starting linebackers are all undrafted players in Pierre Woods, Eric Alexander, and Gary Guyton. They come from solid defensive schools (Michigan, LSU, and Georgia Tech, respectively), but apart from that very little is known about these former special teamers. Now I won’t criticize Belichick’s history of developing players, but I will bet not all of these guys are ready for prime time. Add in the possibility of Vince Wilfork playing on a gimpy left ankle and you have the right environment for Ravens offensive success.

Run away from Adalius Thomas and let Ray Rice and Willis McGahee twist their way through the inexperienced Patriots linebackers. The Patriots are the 10th ranked team against the run in terms of yards per game, but are in the middle of the pack when yards per rush is taken into account. If New England gives up 4 yards per carry against the Ravens like they have this season, Baltimore will have their entire arsenal ready to use. The Ravens are averaging 4.7 yards per carry- I am betting the Pats interior line gives in before the Ravens’ does. If Wilfork can’t play, send McClain up the middle and force the Pats to bring up help to stop the run. If they do, Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden won’t be able to stop the deep ball on their own. But this is a smart defense and they are coached well. Running the ball will be a matter of out-executing the Patriots and beating them at the point of attack. Throw schemes out the window, this is Bo Schembechler football.

As far as the passing game is concerned, a healthy Todd Heap will give Baltimore a dimension they haven’t very often in recent years. Provided Joe Flacco doesn’t overthrow his 6’5” receiver (which he has been prone to do), Heap will be available over the middle and even deep. When I saw Dallas Clark get behind his defender for that 80 yard touchdown against the Dolphins a couple weeks ago, I couldn’t help but see Todd Heap making that same move. Given the environment in Foxboro and the experience of the New England cornerbacks, I don’t think we can expect another 300 yard day out of Joe. However, I do think that he will complete at least one bomb and avoid the interceptions that have hurt him in big games so far this year. The Ravens have opened up the playbook this year, and Cam Cameron would be smart to throw out all the stops for this one.

The Rundown

This one is tough to pick. One must remember that the Ravens barely won at San Diego, and New England is a better team and is at home in a very tough place to play. However, the Patriots haven’t looked like the Patriots yet this season and aren’t winning like we expect them to. But each week this team seems to look closer and closer to that 2007 team that terrified opponents so much. But in the 4th quarter of a close game, who do you trust to make a play?

The nod goes to the Patriots, 28-24.

Boy do I ever want to be wrong on this one...

So, 13-Game Losing Streak......

2009-10-01T12:20:00.003-04:00

It is never a good thing when the hometown football team has more wins in two weeks than the baseball team does. In fact the Ravens have two more: in the last 14 days before today, the Ravens are 2-0, the Orioles are 0-13. After it looked like the Orioles would be heading towards a 65+ win season, the team is now in dangerous position to lose 100 games. To avoid that perilous number, the Orioles would have to go 3-1 in their final four games, even though the roster is being held together with bubble gum and tape. They complete their series against Tampa Bay tonight then return home for the final series against Toronto.

The missing players on the roster: Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold, Felix Pie, possibly Luke Scott, Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, Kam Mickolio, Brad Bergeson, Bob McCrory, among others. George Sherrill, Aubrey Huff, Gregg Zaun, and Oscar Salazar had already been traded.

Personally the Orioles should be happy Dave Trembley is keeping his cool and trying to focus on his job despite constant pressure from fans and the 13-game losing streak. Andy MacPhail has said he will evaluate Trembley's job status at the end of the season, but it is hard to see if anyone could win with this team right now. Obviously losing 13 games straight, the longest since 2004, is a disaster, but no manager in the league could do much better right now.

It would be in the Orioles' best interests to play their best the rest of the way. The fan base was lost nearly all interest due to the losing and the Ravens huge start. And really, the only thing the O's have to play for is to avoid 100 losses. It is hard watching the team go out this way, but 12 years of losing seasons in a row, most of us are not surprised.

(Photo credit: AP)

ATH Debate: Falco & Windsor on Terrapin Football

2009-09-30T09:21:00.003-04:00

So we tried something new this week, as I remember how great it was to listen to Falco and Windsor go off on Maryland sports during their run on the Around The Harbor Radio Show on WMUC. I decided to pose my two compatriots a series of questions on Maryland football, to try to get to the root of what’s wrong with Friedgen’s squad as they limp to a 1-3 record going into conference play.

1) How do you explain Chris Turner's performance so far this season?

Falco: "Chris Turner is playing like as expected. He has an ability to play great games and terrible games, and often there is very little inbetween. This is his third year starting most of the games for Maryland (3rd string in 2007, earned the position with Steffy hurt, Portis suspended), and he has not progressed really at all in that time despite no competition this season. In Maryland's four games, he has played two good ones and two bad ones. Not counting Cal (they are ranked), they only game I really criticize him for not stepping up is Rutgers, as JMU and MTSU he played fine."

Windsor: "Chris Turner's struggles boil down to two things: 1) his offensive line is atrocious, and 2) he wasn't all that good to begin with. Chris Turner is not an elite quarterback, he's a decent college starter. But behind this line, the faults he has are magnified ten-fold. Tim Tebow couldn't win with this offensive line."

2) As for the defense, is it the scheme or the players?

Falco: "It some ways it is both. The defense is young all-around now with Nolan Carroll being out with injury for the year (he was a captain). The only guys with real experience are Alex Wujciak, Adrian Moten, and Jamari McCullough. Obviously changing to a new scheme is tough, and really, Brown's new scheme is hard to figure out. Brown is supposedly an attacking d-coordinator, but the blitzes and run defense don't look effective yet. All you need to know: all four teams that have faced us have scored at least 32 points against us."

Windsor: "It's too early in Don Brown's tenure to say it's him based on the MASSIVE loss of defensive talent. For now, I'm saying it's the players."

3) You both thought this team would do better than most people predicted- what has surprised you the most about the Terps so far?

Falco: "Two things surprise me the most. One is the playing of Chris Turner. He has not played badly, but for a senior quarterback with two years experience at the helm, he has not progressed at all. He has good weapons, with Torrey Smith, Adrian Cannon, and Da'Rel Scott, but with bad passing and bad playcalling from the coordinator, he has looked the exact same. Second, I never expected teams like JMU, MTSU, and Rutgers to be able to take primarily one-dimensional offenses and kill us. JMU is a passing team, MTSU relied on its scrambling quarterback, and Rutgers is a running team. In one form of another, a team we knew how they would try and beat us did it."

Windsor: "Just how bad they are on all sides of the ball; really the offensive line is the biggest surprise. I knew that this unit wasn't great, but Friedgen has always maintained a solid offensive front. The skill position talent is there, and that's what drove up expectations. But without a defense and without an offensive line, I'll be interested to see if they'll win more than one or two more games this season (tops)."

4) Is this team's performance indicative of Ralph Friegen's coaching?

Falco: "I don't claim to know how Fridge coaches exactly. This is by far his worst year at Maryland. Normally Maryland is a competitive squad in-conference, going at least 3-1 non-conference then going around .500 in-conference. I believe he does great with the fans and he clearly cares about the fundraising and local area, though this year his team's performance is not good, at all."

Windsor: "Not indicative of his coaching, it's indicative of recruiting. Where's the talent on the front lines? Nowhere. This is what you get for focusing too much on offensive skill players."

5) How many ACC wins do you think the Terrapins can muster this season? Do you see the potential for much improvement as the season goes on?

Falco: "Looking at the schedule, the Terps should be thanking the stars they don't play in the Coastal Division. They don't play Miami, UNC, or Georgia Tech. But they still have Virginia Tech, NC State, and Florida State to deal with. Knowing Maryland they can pull wins out of the fire, but I would be surprised if they do better than 3-5 in-conference. The fact is the ACC is stronger this year, and I don't believe Maryland can contend with enough teams. Possibly wins against Virginia, Duke, Wake, BC, and Clemson. Possibly."

Windsor: "One, and no."

Why Ralph Friedgen Should Remain Head Coach Through 2009

2009-09-28T15:50:00.006-04:00

Maryland is coming off a terrible loss to Rutgers last Saturday, and things look very down for the Terps. They are 1-3 heading into conference play, and with the way the ACC is looking, getting a .500 overall record in going to be very difficult. Many Maryland fans are calling for Ralph Friedgen's firing immediately due to the terrible start.

Before I make my argument, there is no doubt that this Ralph Friedgen's worst start as head coach at Maryland. 1-3 in non-conference is terrible, and certainly it should be suggested that his tenure end after this year. But through all of the problems, Ralph Friedgen should remain the head coach, at least through the end of the 2009 season.

Reason #1: Nobody behind him is better.
Because of Maryland's coach-in-waiting scenario, it would need to be James Franklin. Based on his play-calling, he is not ready for the job. He is set to takeover in 2012 once Fridge's contract runs out, and he'll need that time to get ready for the job. Franklin has never been a head coach, so you need to go with Friedgen for now.

Reason #2: The money cost is too much.
The solution of firing everyone and starting over would be a perilous one, and not a smart one in this economy. To buyout Friedgen's contract you would need a spend a few million. If the athletic department wanted to go further, firing Franklin would eventually cost another million dollars due to the coach-in-waiting contract. Plus another million of so would be needed to hire a new head coach after the season. That is at least five million dollars gone, which is money Maryland athletics can't afford to spend during this economy.

Reason #3: Hasn't he earned a chance to repair the season?
No one believes Ralph Friedgen is the best coach in the conference, but it can be said that he has done well with Maryland. This university is not one that can compete for a national championship in football, and some fans need to realize that. The last three years have seen three bowl appearances for Maryland, including two bowl wins and a combined 23-16 record before this season. Before that he won an ACC Championship, granted not with his recruits, but he still did. Most teams in the conference cannot say they have three bowl appearances in a row. Even though some of the seasons have seen terrible losses, Maryland has found a way to bounce back. I'm not saying Friedgen is a great coach, or even a good one, but Maryland has seen some decent success under his tenure, and he deserves at least a chance to repair the season.

Reason #4: The team is young.
A lot of us had high expectations for the season, and quickly they have come crashing down to earth. But take a close look at the team. Yes they have a senior quarterback and an All-ACC running back. But a number of new starters, especially on defense, are on the team. And they teams they have played with the exception of Rutgers were well-established with a number of veterans returning. Obvious Maryland needed to play better, but with new players they need to gel together to be effective.

Reason #5: Maryland is not playing the brunt of the conference.
If there is any chance for Maryland to comeback this season, they have a great conference schedule to play. The three teams they will not play in the ACC are very strong; Miami, UNC, and Georgia Tech. They will still need to play Virginia Tech, Florida State and the rest of the conference, but if Maryland has a chance to get a bowl appearance, this is the schedule to do it against. If Maryland fails, then that can be used against Friedgen. Maryland last year despite losing to MTSU shutout Wake, so you never know what can happen against the ACC.

It may be time after the season to get rid of Ralph Friedgen as Maryland head coach. But it is in Maryland's best interests to keep him in command for the rest of the year. He clearly is not happy with what has been happening and nor is his team. Let's see how Maryland bounces back before we start firing coaches.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

College Football Blogpoll Week 5

2009-09-28T12:29:00.003-04:00

This is week 5 of our participation in the CBS Sports blogpoll, and this was by far the hardest for us to rank. Feel free to go ahead and critique these selections so we can make any edits before Wednesday’s final submission. It was one hell of a week for college football, and the rankings were all tossed up in the air. Quick question though: Why can’t Penn State beat Iowa?

1) Florida (2)- Even with the flu, the Gators demolished Kentucky and answered any questions about whether this team has any chinks in the armor. If Tebow’s concussion keeps him out of next week’s game against LSU, Florida could be in real trouble.
2) Alabama (1)- I want this team to be bad, but they keep winning. Trial by fire coming up in the SEC schedule.
3) Texas- The Longhorns get bumped down to #3 after Alabama looked great against Arkansas while Texas buried an outmatched UTEP squad. They will have plenty of chances to take that spot back.
4) Boise State- The lone top 10 mid major team just keeps marching on. That win over Oregon is looking pretty good right now, but the lack of competition on the rest of their schedule is going to come back to haunt the Broncos.
5) Cincinnati- How is a Big East team creeping up this high in the rankings? Because there’s no real reason to keep them out so far. But their games are getting closer, and this ranking just feels too high for them to keep up.
6) USC- Tied with Ohio State in votes but I gave it to USC by virtue of head-to-head win. With Matt Barkley back, the Trojans seem refocused on winning the PAC 10. It will face a big test this week at Cal.
7) Ohio State- Since their loss to USC, this team has thumped their last two opponents by a score of 68-0. I would say they are ready for Big Ten play, and their defense could be one of the best in the country.
8) LSU- Yea it was close against Mississippi State, but an SEC win is an SEC win. Next two games? Georgia and Florida. Call me in two weeks.
9) Virginia Tech- I am still concerned about the offense, but you can’t argue with results. They have taken down two quality teams in as many weeks.
10) Oklahoma- Sam who? The Sooners are coming on strong, and the Big 12 should take notice.
11) Houston- They are starting to validate that high ranking with their win over a quality Texas Tech team. Unfortunately, they don’t play any more contenders to prove they belong in the top 10. Their ranking will depend on how Oklahoma State does the rest of the season.
12) TCU- Still waiting for the Hornfrogs to play someone with a resume; they could prep for a fall when they hit BYU on October 24th.
13) Miami (FL)- This team hit the ground hard, but they are still a quality team. They may not rebound immediately against Oklahoma, but they are still at or near the top of the ACC.
14) Penn State- Another Big Ten offense struggles against a solid defense. The Nittany Lions might have just had their National Championship hopes submarined once again by Iowa.
15) California- Who the hell is Cal? Could they have been looking ahead to USC? We will find out who they really are this weekend against the Trojans.
16) Iowa- They haven’t looked great in their wins, but they are 4-0 and just upset #5 Penn State at their place in front of 105,000 fans.
17) Oklahoma State- This team won’t get tested again until October 17th against Missouri. Maybe they can find a defense before then.
18) BYU- Tied with Mississippi in votes but I gave it to BYU as Ole Miss lost last week.
19) Mississippi- Jevan Snead looked no part of a Heisman candidate against South Carolina. He will have to start looking like it for this team to rebound in the SEC West.
20) Georgia- Tied with Kansas but I gave it to Georgia as they have played a much tougher schedule. That defense is still giving up a lot of yardage.
21) Kansas- Still haven’t played anyone, but they just keep winning. They could be in for a big fall once the Big 12 season starts.
22) South Carolina- This team won’t score many points, but their defense will win them some games in the SEC.
23) Michigan- This team looked ugly in their late-game win over Indiana, showing that this team has a long way to go to return to greatness.
24) Missouri- I am the only one putting the Tigers in my poll, but they get enough votes to make it in.
25) Nebraska- Tied with Oregon but all three of us included the Cornhuskers and only Windsor included Oregon, so I gave the edge to Nebraska.

Others receiving votes: Oregon, Georgia Tech, North Carolina

This week the poll was so tough to put together for all three of our ATH voters, so I had to make some poll observations this week:

Likewise we weren’t sure where to put Iowa, ranging from 13th (Falco) to 22nd (Windsor) which is odd, since Windsor has held Iowa in his rankings even as they were playing poorly, I figured he would jump them up with this win over Penn State. On California we varied as well, from 11th (myself) to 20th (Falco); and on LSU, which was a shocker as Falco put them as high as 4th (and I at 6th) and Windsor kept them low at 14th.

Big differences in ranking Michigan this time around, ranging from 19th (Falco) to 25th (myself) after their less-than-impressive win over Indiana at home.

While Windsor puts South Carolina on his poll at 17th (and I at 22nd), Falco leaves the Gamecocks off entirely. Windsor, for his part, isn’t sold on Kansas (19th in my poll and 18th in Falco’s) and leaves them off his poll.

Georgia Tech might have made the poll if I had put them in, but I am not convinced that they are a top 25 team yet- there were some tough calls this week, and I wish it was a top 27 or 28 to make the list.

After all those differences, we all still ranked Georgia 21st, our only universal agreement in the rankings. Odd, huh?

Postgame Report Card: Rutgers 34, Maryland 13

2009-09-26T21:08:00.007-04:00

No one word of the game can describe what happened in this contest. Maryland went up against a team that is about there equal, perhaps a bit better or worse, in a rainstorm in College Park. Instead of having a competitive game, Maryland turned the ball over constantly, could not move the ball, and looked like they completely gave up during the middle of the fourth quarter. Say what you want about Maryland, normally they do not give up in games, most will fight until it is done. But not today. An entire program, from coaches to players to the student section, waved the white flag very early and surrendered to Rutgers, possibly giving up their whole season for it. After all their mistakes, they had a lead at halftime and just a four-point deficit into the fourth quarter, but apparently it didn't matter. By far the 4th quarter was the worst 15 minutes this season. The rain is not an excuse; Rutgers had that problem too, with a backup quarterback.

Now at 1-3, the Terps will have to get a winning record in-conference just to get a bowl appearance. By the look of this team, it is highly unlikely. The ACC is a better conference this season than last year, and although the Terps will not have to go through Miami, Georgia Tech, or UNC, but the rest of the conference it still deadly. But if they don't make a bowl, then all they will have to do is look at their non-conference performances to know why.

Offense - Overall Grade: D-
Quarterbacks: F
Chris Turner had two turnovers that turned into defensive touchdowns, plus two other interceptions, which could have been much more had the ball not been wet and slipped out of cornerbacks' hands. The first defensive touchdown was on the first defensive play. Did all right getting the long pass and had some good throws, but that is all the good Chris Turner did, and the bad far outweighed the good. For someone that claimed this was "his team" coming into this year, he looks the exact same way when he started two years ago, inconsistent and unable to play well when Maryland needs it most.
Running Backs: D
Da'Rel Scott could do nothing today, averaging 2.7 yards a carry, even losing a fumble on one of his better runs. Maryland had all of 29 yards on the ground today. Only reason this is not a worse grade is because the unit only had 14 runs compared to 38 passing plays.
Wide Receivers: B+
Torrey Smith looks like a future star, making great catches during the day even though Rutgers often double teamed him. Adrian Cannon and Ronnie Tyler also played well in the unit. LaQuan Williams made a TD catch, and if he can return to his 2007 form, he could be deadly. A lot of people questioned what Turner could do without Heyward-Bey. The fact is Maryland has a plethora of solid WR targets, and they are a great asset.
Tight Ends: B-
Lansford Watson had three catches, Tommy Galt had two, and the unit helped Turner throw to the middle. Overall not that influential however. Offensive Line: F-
The Rutgers blitz attack completely dominated today. No running game and Turner was hurried all day. Considering Bruce Campbell was back, this unit should have done better. The numbers: Turner sacked three times, 1.2 yards per rush.

Defense - Overall Grade: C+
Note: Before the fourth quarter, the defense had done an excellent job, giving up only three points as unit. But games are 60 minutes long, not 45.
Defensive Line: C
Dominic Natale was not an effective quarterback, getting sacked three times by Maryland, one of them by Travis Ivey, considering the few number of passing plays called. For a good while, the line had the running game contained, but two huge runs in the fourth quarter by Joe Martinek sealed it, both coming on plays where everyone knew a running play was coming.
Linebackers: B
Alex Wujciak had 17 tackles, and was huge tonight. The unit had a lot of tackles, and until the fourth quarter was stellar.
Secondary: C+
The unit often didn't have a chance to have problems, as Rutgers didn't pass often. But a couple of very bad penalties, especially an inexcusable unnecessary roughness on Antwine Perez, kept allowing Rutgers to advance on a drive.

Special Teams - Overall Grade: B
Kicker: A
Nick Ferrera converted two field goals and an extra point. Did his job.
Punter: B
For Maryland's sake, I hope Travis Baltz is all right. He limped off the field after a punt from the goal line. Baltz got a punt off after the ball slipped from his hands despite four people coming after him. But, he did shank a punt for minimal yardage.
Coverage: B-
One good kickoff return for Rutgers, but the other two were not. Overall, Rutgers could not gain anything on special teams, except when a player ran into a returner before catching the ball.
Returners: C+
Torrey Smith was average on kickoff returns, getting about 20 yards per return. Anthony Wiseman got hammered on a punt return, but he held onto the football.

Coaching - Overall Grade: D-
Offensive: F-
James Franklin's gameplan led Maryland to a disaster. In a rainstorm, he is forcing Maryland to pass all day. No running game was established and plays were predictable. On the first offensive play, he comes out five-wide with no backfield. IN A RAINSTORM! No wonder Turner threw a pick six! Plus after the second quarter, the offense had no points. Why he refused to establish a running game in bad weather is inexcusable no matter how much the unit is struggling. Plus, whenever your offensive players give up on a drive, coaching is to blame for part of it.
Defensive: C-
I want to believe Don Brown can be a good defensive coordinator here, but it is not clear yet. His unit had a great first 45 minutes, stopping the Rutgers offense at every turn despite no help from the lackluster offense. Then in the fourth quarter no one can stop the run, even when everyone knows it is coming. The Rutgers offense was one-dimensional, and the defense could not stop them in the fourth quarter. The unit gave up on the final touchdown by Joe Martinek, ending what could have been a great day.
Head Coach: F
I'm not sure to what degree Ralph Friedgen has in blame for the problems with Maryland football, but whenever your team just quits during a game, it shows a lack of discipline and heart.

MVP/LVP:
MVP: Alex Wujciak
The leader of the defense had 17 tackles.
LVP: Chris Turner
Three interceptions, a lost fumble, accounting for two defensive touchdowns, and failed to lead like a captain. I only wish I could pick a coach. Or three.

Today's game is clearly a black mark on the Maryland football program, and I would argue this loss was worse than the Middle Tennessee loss. A team, its coaches, and its fans giving up during the game. Maryland has a very big uphill climb to try to make it to a bowl game, and frankly, the road gets harder from here on in.

(Photo credit: AP, Baltimore Sun)

Pregame: Maryland vs. Rutgers

2009-09-26T09:00:00.005-04:00

Maryland had one of their worst losses in history last week, falling to Middle Tennessee State last week 32-31 at home. The Terps season has been incredibly rough to start, losing to MTSU, getting destroyed by Cal, and barely getting past JMU. Now with one final non-conference game left, the Terps look to salvage a win in hopes of a .500 record in conference play for a bowl game.

The Maryland Terrapins (1-2) host another team just off I-95, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-1) in a rematch from 2007. That game was memorable to many Maryland fans, as Rutgers was ranked in the top-10, but fell to Maryland 34-24 in Chris Turner's first game as a Terp in New Jersey. Rutgers has played about how everyone expected, losing to Cincinnati but taking care of business against Howard and FIU. Maryland is 6-3 all-time against Rutgers.

If for no other reason, the Terps need a win to give them a good chance for a bowl game. With the ACC looking stronger than last season, the Terps can't afford to be 1-3 going into conference play.

Scouting the Competition: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers may have problems even before the game starts. Last week against FIU, freshman starting quarterback Tom Savage suffered a head injury, and it is not known if he will start. If he does not play or can't play every down, then redshirt senior Michigan State transfer Domenic Natale will play. Savage has been effective, and will be a big loss for Rutgers if he can't play.

The Scarlet Knight offense is a primarily running attack. Leading the rushing is junior Joe Martinek, who averages about four-and-a-half yards a carry, and backing him up is junior Jourdan Brooks, who grew up in Germantown, Maryland, averaging about 5.7 yards on 25 rushes. Their attack is bolstered by a strong offensive line, led by future NFLer junior Anthony Davis (pictured) at left tackle. The two receiving threats, and so far the only two threats, are senior Tim Brown and freshman Mohamed Sanu, who combined have 29 catches; the team has just 43 in three games.

Defensively Rutgers is efficient, but not a lockdown squad. The team plays a 4-3 squad. Junior Jonathan Freeny has already amassed four sacks from defensive end, and senior linebacker Ryan D'Imperio has 20 tackles. Their weakness is in the air, allowing 32 first downs in passing plays.

One of the intangibles will be head coach Greg Schiano. He had been offered the Michigan job in the past, and just because he has lost talent like Ray Rice and Kenny Britt does not mean he can't replace it. He is a solid coach and certainly remembers what happened two years ago.

Some things to look for in tonight's game:

1. What will Da'Rel Scott's production be?

After Scott lost two fumbles against MTSU, Friedgen pulled Scott despite that he was averaging nearly nine yards a carry. He is Maryland's most reliable runner by far, and the Terps need him to be successful. Friedgen has said that Scott will not be shut down, but if he fumbles again then he could get pulled again for Meggett. One thing that will help is that Bruce Campbell will finally return to the line, giving Maryland more experience at tackle. But Scott's play is key to the Terps winning, and they need him to play well to give Maryland a chance.

2. Will Chris Turner step up as captain?

The last time Turner saw Rutgers he replaced Jordan Steffy and led the Terps to victory. Right now Maryland is in dire straits, possibly looking at 1-3 and a tough conference road ahead. Turner has played fine in his last two games, but Maryland needs a leader to inspire them, and who better than the quarterback. If Maryland offense can set the tone, then the defense can follow.

3. When will we see some defense?

It has been hard watching Don Brown's defense the first three games. At least 32 points were allowed in all three contests plus Nolan Carroll is out for the season. Rutgers is not a predictable offense but the gameplan should be clear; they wil run the football very often, especially if their starting quarterback does not play. Hopefully the gameplan will include a number of run-stopping play and blitzes to pressure the new quarterback. Let's hope the Don can take care of business against the New Jersey foe.

Prediction:

This is tough, because Rutgers has taken care of business and Maryland is struggling mightily. But if Savage is not starting plus the home-field advantage, I will slightly favor the Terps. But this will need to be a well-coached game by Maryland, as they will need to trust Da'Rel Scott to be effective.

Maryland 31, Rutgers 27

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun (Scott), collegefootballnews.com (Davis))

Free Kicks: Maryland Students Throw Sharp Objects at Me (Edition)

2009-09-25T11:54:00.012-04:00

I need to brace myself for the backlash that will come from the first item on Free Kicks this week, so go ahead and line up for the kick...

Free Student Tickets Exacerbating UMD Athletic Budget Shortfall

So the University of Maryland is struggling to fill the coffers of the athletic department, and I can see why. Historically the Terps have emphasized the non-revenue generating sports (lacrosse, field hockey, and soccer to name a few) in addition to the revenue generating sports that generally support the remainder of the department. This commitment is built on the principle that all Maryland sports should be great, regardless of TV deals or other income, and I admire that commitment (I wish more universities felt that way). However, with basketball and football underachieving as of late, the athletic department has been forced to cut costs in any way possible, most recently raising the spectre of cutting certain sports altogether. At the risk of being torn apart by my Maryland grad compatriots, I have a simple solution that is either too blasphemous to mention or just hasn’t been thought of.

When I visited Maryland, I was always astonished at how Windsor and Falco would get their student tickets- loyalty points, applying online, and getting their passes. That is, for free. So many sports are free at Maryland to students, and I always thought that was odd. Would MD-Duke not get enough fans if they had to shell out $10 for the ticket? At my alma mater, the University of Michigan (as most of you readers either know or have guessed by now), where football is king and basketball takes a backseat, basketball season ticket packages cost $115 for students. For football you are talking $250 or more, depending on the season. In Maryland’s case you might have to flip which one costs more, as basketball runs the show in College Park. Additionally, in order to keep the stands full these prices might have to be lowered significantly (or even cut in half), but something is better than nothing. Getting even 10,000 students to buy any of these packages would solve many of the department’s budget problems, and might even eliminate the current shortfall.

The fact of the matter is that the free ticket policy has been a privilege Maryland students enjoy that most other major universities do not provide. Additionally, with the paltry funding from the state, the ceiling on tuition increases and catastrophic losses in the endowment, this is not a time for such luxuries. Tough times call for tough decisions. It is time to give this student comfort up before the University gives up any of the sports it has worked so hard to build up.

Wieters Going Wild
As the Orioles slink towards another sorry finish, throwing out bodies to rack up innings and sending their walking wounded to the showers early for the season, there is a very bright spot heating up at the end of this all-too-long ’09 campaign. After a sluggish start to the season, matt Wieters has raised his average from .265 to .290 over his last 10 games, and on Wednesday launched his 8th home run of the season (the third in his last 10 games). Having played just a little more than half a season, Wieters is coming on strong and turning into the player everyone in Baltimore has been waiting for him to be. Expectations were far too high on this kid, and perhaps as the Orioles have tanked and the Ravens have taken over the media spotlight, it got to the point where he could just be himself and relax at the plate. Orioles fans were awful impatient with Wieters at first, unfairly so, but we can be sure that the hype machine will be back in full swing when the O's catcher reports to training camp in 2010.

So is South Carolina good or Ole Miss bad?

I am not sure that’s a fair question to either team. South Carolina is far too dysfunctional on the offensive side of the ball for me to consider them a truly good team, and Ole Miss had done nothing this season or last season to merit being ranked in the top 5. That said, even I had started to come around on the Rebels, putting as they were averaged out to #5 on this blog and I had seen their beating up on inferior opponents as signs of major improvement. They may yet be a challenger in the SEC West, but I think they are all out of Kool Aid at this point. As for the Gamecocks, they are a talented team defensively, their 41 points given up to Georgia not withstanding- even great defenses get gashed occasionally. I still don’t think Spurrier has a quarterback in Garcia who is capable of carrying this team, and it will hurt him a lot this season- if South Carolina can’t score points, they will be losing a lot of games 13-7 or 14-10. These are probably both back-end top 25 teams or are just outside of the poll when all is said and done.

Prediction for the Weekend:
Okay, so perhaps I whiffed on the prediction last weekend (I am oh so devastated that the Steelers lost and gave the AFC North lead to Baltimore, it really is killing me inside), but I am 1-1 on this segment so far, with this weekend being a toughie. I can’t call a blowout like LSU- Mississippi State looks like, it has to be something that has a good chance of being wrong to really fit the criteria here. How about this: the Arizona Cardinals are going to find their rhythm at home and score with the Indianapolis Colts- they are one of the few teams that can also score in 34 seconds with no time outs. I say the Cards win this one, 35-31.

Ravens-Browns Preview: Everything Coming Together for Baltimore

2009-09-24T09:41:00.006-04:00

The Ravens escaped with a win over the Chargers, there is no other way to slice it. Yes they stood firm in the Red Zone, but the bolts had the Ravens secondary from the first snap and it was only the incredible play of Joe Flacco & the gang that kept Baltimore ahead. Many pieces have been written on Ray Lewis’ big tackle to seal the game (that will go on his highlight video in Canton), but San Diego carved up the defense for much of the afternoon despite missing their center and future Hall of Fame running back. For the second week in a row, I am wondering about the Ravens defense. If they are exploited on Sunday, it is time to get concerned.

The Browns are returning comfortably to the Browns of old after starting the season 0-2 and mustering a whole of 1 offensive touchdown. Against what was one of the worst defenses in the league last year in Denver, this team garnered only 6 points, 54 yards rushing, 161 yards passing, and had to throw the ball 31 times. What might be even more alarming is the defense, which sacrificed 27 points to a Bronco squad that only barely beat Cincinnati’s defense and was sending out a quarterback who admits that he is having trouble throwing anything beyond a short pass.

What I’m Wondering:

Will the Ravens cornerbacks recover this weekend?
If not, it won’t be because of an explosive quarterback or multiple receiving threats. If the secondary struggles this week then it will be time for Ravens fans to start to panic. I have never been sold on these cornerbacks (an Oakland flameout and a 3rd round pick who was traded for a 6th round pick and then cut), and this will be the week they have to prove themselves. Braylon Edwards, with his size and speed will pose a significant challenge for whichever corner is matched up against him, but after Edwards the talent pool gets much shallower- more on that later. Brady Quinn is only the starter right now because he is the fan favorite, and has done little to prove himself so far. This is the time for the secondary to shine.

Which offense will the Ravens show this weekend?
Both. Against Kansas City this team elected to air it out and make big plays down the field. Against San Diego they took a more deliberate, smashmouth approach. So far neither team has been able to stop either strategy, and with New England coming up in a week, I see no reason to show anything new on Sunday. Then again, that’s what I said against Kansas City and look what happened. Shaun Rogers is a force up the middle… and yea. There we go. Cam will have something up his sleeve as always, but I hope he doesn’t show too many of his cards.

Are the Browns this bad?
It is hard to say actually. They played well in the first half against Minnesota in Week 1, but since then they have been about as awful as everyone expected them to be. I am loathe to question a team too much after just two games, but I haven’t see anything to indicate that there is a hidden wealth of talent on the roster waiting to break out. I mean, when Hank Poteat is on your 2-deep at corner you have problems. However, it think their defense has the potential to be good this season- but the offense seems hopeless with the skill position players they have.

My Mildly Informed Analysis:

However you scheme it, the Browns lack talent on the offensive side of the ball. Apart from Braylon Edwards (who Cleveland hopes has stopped dropping catchable balls), their receiving corps consists of a poor man’s Devin Hester (Joshua Cribbs) being converted to receiver and a serviceable 3rd down possession receiver in Mike Furrey. I like Furrey a lot, but he is not an elite level receiver (there is a reason the Lions let him walk). Their tight end, following the trade of Kellen Winslow to the Buccaneers, is Robert Royal, who isn’t much of a receiving threat but has great blocking ability to lead the way for Jamal Lewis.

And that, my friends, is where we find the heart of the Browns offense. Jamal Lewis makes or breaks this attack, and for Cleveland he has performed admirably over the last few seasons. Behind a Pro Bowl left tackle in Joe Thomas, Lewis has rushed for at least 1000 yards in each of the last two seasons since coming to the Browns. He is as Ravens fans will remember him- runs right into defenders, over them and through them, a throwback running back from the 1970’s and 80’s. He is one of the few backs in this league who welcomes 30 carries a game- no, he expects it, and performs better the more carries you give him. But without a passing game, Lewis has struggled this season, mustering a paltry 95 yards through the first two games of the season. Tossing out the incredibly tough run defense of the Vikings, Lewis had only 14 carries for 38 yards against the Broncos, who had one of the league’s worst run defenses in the league last year.

With an erratic Brady Quinn under center, look for the Browns to give it to Jamal at first and when he is stuffed by Kelly Gregg and Haloti Ngata (and he will be eventually), they will be forced to put it in the air. This is where the game will be determined. If Edwards manages to out-leap and out-play Washington or Foxworth on a consistent basis, this game will be close. Quinn has an arm and if Braylon can catch a few long passes to keep drives alive, the defense will be gashed eventually up the middle by Jamal. I expect the Ravens to bracket Edwards with Ed Reed if Edwards is foolish enough to line up on his side of the field, and with Landry even closer if he is on the other side. Greg Mattison can’t let the Browns lone big play receiver be free one-on-one unless he is confident that Foxworth or Washington can handle him. As for Cribbs, this is where Washington’s and Foxworth’s speed is so important- Joshua Cribbs is a wonderful return man, but he is an unpolished receiver. As long as the cornerback can keep up with him, Cribbs does not have the technique to make a great play on the ball yet. Stay on his hip pocket and run with him, and he will not burn you.

As for the Ravens, I have no idea what to expect. With the way this team has attacked the defenses they have faced in weeks 1 and 2, there is nothing this team could try on Sunday that would surprise me. However, I will attempt a few guesses at what will be more effective against this Cleveland defense. Aside from Rogers at the nose tackle spot, the Browns boast two talented linebackers in former Terrapin D’Qwell Jackson and Kamerion Wimbley. Both have the ability to rush the passer and will likely be in full attack mode to try to slow down the Ravens passing game. One of the major reasons Joe Flacco has been so successful is the performance of his offensive line, without which he lacks the time to pick apart the defense. The Browns haven’t been known as much of a pass rushing team in the past, but they won’t have a choice but to send the house on the second-year signal caller. Look for Baltimore to isolate Shaun Rogers with multiple blockers and run draw plays with Rice and McGahee- that will keep the pass rush at bay or open up wide lanes for the quick-footed Ravens running backs.

Alternatively, I have no doubt that this team can still pound the ball with the best of them, and can probably simply run over the Browns if they need to. However, I think that with the lack of talent in the Cleveland secondary (Eric Wright is their only threatening corner, and even that is debatable) I think that Flacco will be able to hit receivers wherever he wants them. In sum, while Cleveland will throw everything into alternately stopping one or another part of the offense, they do not have the talent or personnel to shut it all down for the entire game. With the impotence of the Browns offense, the Ravens will have plenty of opportunities.

The Rundown

Why so much attention on Cleveland’s bad offense? That is the only way the Browns win this game- they will have to score more than the one offensive touchdown they have been able to muster so far this season. Brady Quinn will need to channel his Notre Dame days (and the Ravens would have to pretend they are a service academy) for this team to be successful. I don’t see the Ravens scoring as many points as they did in the first two weeks simply because I have trouble believing that this team just flipped a switch and now has an explosive offense- there have to be chinks in the armor somewhere.

The nod goes to the Ravens, 27 – 13.

UPDATE ON GAMEDAY (From Falco): Jamal Lewis has been ruled out for this game. Backup James Davis will be seeing many carries. Kicker Phil Dawson is also out; he will be replaced by Billy Cundiff.

Ravens #1 in ESPN, SI Power Rankings

2009-09-23T14:07:00.003-04:00

The Baltimore Ravens have been named the #1 team in ESPN's and SI's power rankings after the first two weeks of the season. The Ravens are one of nine teams that are currently 2-0 on the season, and thanks to their surprising offense and dependable defense, they land as the #1 team on the list.

The win over the Chargers in San Diego gave the Ravens a huge lift in respect despite that it was close. The fact is whenever you win on the road on the opposite side of the country against a potential playoff team, it is a huge win. Obviously both of the Ravens wins were closer then they would have liked, but the fact is they are 2-0.

Normally, the Ravens would not do well with expectations, but under John Harbaugh, the team always seems ready for games, no matter what. The Ravens host the Browns at home this weekend, and if the Ravens play their game, then they should be 3-0.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

Should Jim Johnson be the Orioles Future Closer?

2009-09-22T22:39:00.003-04:00

It certainly has not been easy for the Orioles in September. Although they defeated the Yankees two games out of three in New York, the team has been forced to deplete some of the roster so they don't risk their future. Such players include Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold, Brian Matusz, and eventually Chris Tillman.

But for the O's, there is still work to be done. One decision that will need to be made is the future of Jim Johnson as Orioles closer.

Tuesday night, the Orioles had an all too familiar fall, leading Toronto 5-2 going into the 8th, allowing two in the 8th, one in the 9th, and one in the 11th to fall 6-5. For Jim Johnson, who blew the one-run lead in the 9th, his status as eventual closer may have to be evaluated. To his credit, in this outing he had the bases loaded and one out, getting out of it with two strikeouts, but he allowed four bases runners in a row, capped off by a hit-by-pitch to bring in the tying run.

Since taking over the closer's role in August after the George Sherrill trade, he has had nine save opportunities, converting only six. His ERA has gone up nearly a full point since taking over the closer role, and his stuff does not look the same since being the setup man, especially his fastball. Johnson had started out well, but recently has struggled at the position.

To his credit, Johnson is still the choice for closer for the remainder of the season. No one else in the bullpen is worth putting there, including Danys Baez and Cla Meredith, both of whom possibly might not be on the team next year. The Orioles will hope Chris Ray can have a good season year from Tommy John surgery, which is the normal recovery period needed for such a surgery, but as of right now he is not effective.

But Kam Mickolio could be another option. Currently he is on the DL and probably is shut down for the rest of the year due to shoulder inflammation, but before his injury he showed some promise. He has shown some closer-like stuff, including a powerful 98 MPH fastball. His walks are a little too high and he struggled in his last few outings, but the Orioles might want to try him out at closer during spring training.

The Orioles will likely not spend millions of dollars trying to buy a closer on the free agent market, so they will need to decide between Johnson, Ray, and Mickolio who will close next year in spring training. Johnson is a great setup man, but the O's have to be careful in using him as the closer.

(Photo credit: AP)

Gary Williams Gets Contract Extension, Coach Through 2013

2009-09-21T16:36:00.003-04:00

Maryland announced today that Gary Williams has been extended one season through the 2012-2013 season, which could increase if academic and athletic standards are met.

Last season Gary had coached one of his best years, taking a team that was supposed to finish near last in the conference with no frontcourt to an NCAA Tournament berth plus a win over California in the first round. In his 20 years at Maryland he has led the Terps to 13 NCAA Tournaments in the 16 years after the infraction period.

But also, his players recently have been graduating. Last year Dave Neal, the lone senior on the squad got his degree. The previous year saw all three seniors, James Gist, Bambale Osby and Jason McAlpin graduate. Four of the six leaving seniors on the 06-07 squad graduated as well. So with the recent success, Gary receives this extension.

The upcoming year will be an interesting one for Gary Williams. He returns his entire backcourt with Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, Sean Mosley, Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker, and will need to rely on his two freshman big men, James Padgett and Jordan Williams, to be solid down low. The Terps have a lot of expectations this season, especially with Vasquez returning, and this has the potential to be a big year for Maryland. Obviously basketball season is still a good month away, but Terp fans are already thinking about it.

There have been obvious problems between Deborah Yow and Gary Williams, but I'm happy that both realize each other's worth. The fact is without Gary Williams, it is hard to know where this team or this program will or would have been.

(Photo credit: AP)

College Football Blogpoll Week 4

2009-09-21T09:57:00.004-04:00

As you know, I am a big proponent of opening up the BCS to Mid-majors in a meaningful way (that is, actually giving a team outside of the big 6 conferences a chance to win the national title), and the only way that is going to happen is if a mid-major makes an argument that cannot be ignored. With BYU and Utah going down this weekend, those dreams took a big hit for this season. Utah hadn't looked all that impressive so far this season, so their loss was much less shocking than BYU being shellacked in Provo by Florida State. Well, we will always have Boise.

Speaking of which, when was the last time Boise State had more than one regular season loss? It has happened once since 2000, in 2004 when they went 9-4. Unfortunately they don't play anyone this season, so odds are the voters will have no problem coming up with another excuse to exclude them. At this point it is more acceptable to keep Boise State out, since they have been shut out enough times in the past that their arguments are stale, though still valid.

Some interesting developments in the poll; I think Windsor was the outlier this time, knocking Va Tech and leaving Houston and Georgia Tech off his poll and giving a lot of credit to Florida State. He could be right on all counts, the ACC schedule will answer a lot of those questions.

1) Florida (2)- Disappointed in not trouncing Tennessee, but no reason not to keep the champs at #1.
2) Alabama (1)- Tied in points with Texas, but took 2nd by virtue of Windsor’s 1st place vote.
3) Texas- Didn’t look overly impressive, but took out a quality Texas Tech team.
4) Penn State- Not sure how they got this high, but they keep winning by large margins, if against terrible competition.
5) Mississippi- Ditto for this team that just keeps winning, though they definitely are looking better each week.
6) California- Struggled against Minnesota on the road, but Jahvid Best makes this team go.
7) Boise State- With the other Mid-Majors going down, I have to tie my cart to the Broncos.
8) Miami (FL)- Their resume so far speaks for itself. This could be a top-5 team when all is said and done.
9) LSU- Washington’s win over USC makes LSU’s win over the Huskies look that much better.
10) USC- Tied with LSU in points, but I gave the Tigers the edge by virtue of them having beaten Washington. I might be concerned about that Trojans offense.
11) Ohio State- Trounced Toledo. Congratulations.
12) Oklahoma- Sam who? Landry Jones is growing up before our eyes.
13) TCU- Believe it or not I ranked them lower than Falco or Windsor; they need to beat someone before I am sold- they don’t have the recent history Boise does.
14) Virginia Tech- That last minute win over the Cornhuskers was nice, but getting consistency out of the offense will haunt this team all season.
15) Cincinnati- Hard to say they aren’t legit, as much as I want to knock the Big East.
16) Oklahoma State- Still trying to figure out who they are, and where they put their defense.
17) BYU- They could have made waves this season; instead they just made Miami’s win over Florida State look a lot better.
18) Georgia- I am not sold; I have to wait to see how South Carolina, Oklahoma State, and Arkansas finish out the season. They are all enigmas to me at this point.
19) Florida State- Tied with North Carolina, but North Carolina has looked lackluster in its wins this season.
20) North Carolina- Florida State is clearly the better team right now; I need to see this team beat someone (and Connecticut doesn’t count).
21) Kansas- They keep downing the cupcakes, and climbing up the rankings. We will see if they will take a tumble like 2 years ago once they face decent competition.
22) Houston- Would have been much higher if Windsor hadn’t left them off his poll. Maybe hosting Texas Tech next weekend will show us where this team belongs.
23) Michigan- Racking up 380 yards on the ground brought back memories of Rich Rod at West Virginia. The defense will have to play better for this to stay a top 25 team.
24) Georgia Tech- Again left off of Windsor’s poll, maybe the whooping they were handed by Miami showed some major flaws. Has the triple option been exposed? Will it be?
25) Nebraska- This team hasn’t beaten a Top 20 opponent since 2001. I can’t put them on my poll until they win a big game.

Others receiving votes (in order of total # of votes): South Carolina, Oregon State, Missouri

Postgame Report Card: Ravens 31, Chargers 26

2009-09-20T22:09:00.004-04:00

The word of the game is... sweltering. The players on the field in Qualcomm were dealing with 100+ degree temperatures, and the game matched that in its intensity. The Ravens and Chargers played to a thrilling shootout; certainly all of Baltimore was sweating as the Chargers continued to slice the Ravens’ secondary through the second half. The Chargers had the Ravens on the ropes defensively; however the Ravens offense took the game over for the second week in a row. Joe Flacco threw for two more touchdowns and Willis McGahee added two more to match San Diego’s scoring.

But for as unorthodox as this game was for the Ravens, it did find a way to end in a classic fashion. With the Chargers going for it on fourth and two Ray Lewis shot through the line and crushed Darren Sproles along with the hearts of all Chargers fans in attendance. The secondary might’ve stunk up the joint this afternoon, but the Ravens’ linebackers are still alive and well.

Offense - Overall Grade: A
Quarterbacks: A-
Without Joe Flacco the Ravens would be winless at this point in the season. He has been able to not only manage the offense but bring it to an all new level for this franchise. No, he wasn’t perfect, but he did everything he needed to for the team to win. Flacco couldn’t find the deep ball today, but executed well on short ot intermediate throws. The one interception was more a result of a freakish jump off the line by Shawne Merriman than anything else.
Running Backs: A
Willis McGahee was absolutely brilliant, and was the stabilizing force for the Ravens in this game. Ray Rice continues to show vastly improved patience from last year which is allowing him to finally find some open running lanes. All three backs are starting material.
Wide Receivers: B-
This unit was unable to get any deep separation, which in turn took a key part of Joe Flacco’s game away. Still, Derrick Mason was his usual reliable self and Kelly Washington stepped up big-time for the Ravens and looks to be a huge contributor throughout the season. Clayton’s drop late in the fourth quarter was inexcusable and nearly cost the Ravens the game.
Tight Ends: A
Todd Heap continues his comeback tour, hauling in another touchdown and showing some of that athletic ability which made him a top-tier tight end before he encountered his rash of injuries. His leaping ability led to a huge pass interference call which set the Ravens up for a big score with what would otherwise be an incompletion (or worse). Still, the Ravens are looking for LJ Smith to come back from injury soon to free up Heap to get still more involved in the open field.
Offensive Line: B+
For a stretch, this group was absolutely dominant, taking advantage of a battered San Diego defensive line. Still, late in the game they weren’t able to assert their will when they needed it; if this group could just make that one more step up, this team can be something special. Oher already looks like an NFL veteran – and a good one at that.

Defense - Overall Grade: C+
Defensive Line: B+
This group was excellent against the run and got some good penetration, however they need to start finishing on some of those quarterback pressures. If Rivers was able to sidestep as many of the tackles as he did today, this unit will have its head spinning against Roethlisberger. The biggest key is for Suggs to show up, because he was nearly absent today when he should have thrived against the depleted offensive line of the Chargers.
Linebackers: A
From Ray Lewis to Tavares Gooden to Jarrett Johnson to Antwan Barnes (et al), the Ravens franchise just continues to find and develop the finest linebackers in the league. The entire linebacking corps had an excellent game, although it would have been good to see more pressure on Rivers (though the secondary made that more difficult). And speaking of which…
Defensive Backs: F
An abysmal performance. This unit was humiliated by a veteran quarterback and a corps of physically dominant receivers. Surely it was not for lack of effort; this group was just overmatched and embarrassed. The Chargers were able to throw away from Ed Reed all game, rendering him ineffective.

Special Teams - Overall Grade: A
Kicker: A
Steve Hauschka only had one field goal to make, but without that score the Ravens are most likely on the losing end of this game. His kickoffs were great, with the exception of the fluky out-of-bounds kick due to the returner catching it with a foot out of bounds.
Punter: A+
Sam Koch is an artist. Three of his punts were within the 10 yard line, and two were within the 5. Very very impressive.
Returners: B+
Chris Carr rebounded with a much better week on punt and kickoff returns. Still looking for him to break one, but this was a good start.
Coverage: B+
For the most part, Darren Sproles was contained on kickoffs. Prescott Burgess was a monster on special teams, and Lardarius Webb made a great save on a Koch punt to plant it at the one.

Coaching - Overall Grade: A-
Offensive: A
Cam Cameron had an excellent feel for the game this week. He had the run and pass balanced very well throughout the afternoon, and finally seemed to get a good rhythm going with how and when to use his three backs. It’ll be exciting to see this offense develop as the season progresses, because it’s clear that they’ve only touched the surface of their potential.
Defensive: B
The jury is still out on how this defense will fare down the line wit Greg Mattison at the helm rather than Rex Ryan. For this game it’s awful hard to blame the coaching staff for the horrendous secondary play; most of the time the players were in position to make plays, however they were just flat-out beaten. Still, they were gashed for the second week in a row…

And for my MVP/LVP...
MVP (Most Valuable Player) –Willis McGahee– Like Todd Heap, he seems to be enjoying a bit of a comeback tour this year. He, more than any other player, seemed to recenter the Ravens’ offense when they needed it the most. He’s showing the vision, power, and speed which made him such a sought-after commodity by the front office when he was acquired. Two touchdowns to back him up don’t hurt either.
LVP (Least Valuable Player) –Fabian Washington– Quite frankly, he was the worst player on the worst unit in this game, so that’s why he has this dubious honor. He certainly was not alone in his struggles, but Foxworth had at least a few impressive pass defenses.

(Photo Credit: NFL.com)

Postgame Report Card: MTSU 32, Maryland 31

2009-09-19T20:17:00.010-04:00

Another loss to the Blue Raiders and the second time Ralph Friedgen says this is the worst loss of his career. Maryland once again proved that they underachieve and do not take some opponents seriously, and paid the price.

Costly turnovers and a solid MTSU quarterback gave the Blue Raiders the win. Three times a Maryland turnover put MTSU inside the Maryland 40, which resulted in 17 points, then Maryland played poor defense to allow the Blue Raiders to drive down the field and get two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. Even with all the turnover issues in the game, the Terps had a chance to stop the Blue Raiders from driving down the field on the MTSU 25 with 1:30 left, and they could not do it.

Chances are Maryland will never play Middle Tennessee State again, so the series will sit at 2-2 forever. The Terps fall to 1-2 with zero wins against FBS opponents.

Offense - Overall Grade: B-
Quarterbacks: B
This game was not Chris Turner's fault; he played very well today. He had two great passes that resulted in long touchdowns for Torrey Smith and had 288 yards in the air today. His lone interception was not his fault, a ball kicked off Davin Meggett's legs. Jamarr Robinson was in for all of one play and fumbled the ball to MTSU, lowering the overall grade of the QBs.
Running Backs: D+
On the one hand, Da'Rel Scott was money when holding onto the ball, getting through small holes and bursting for big yardage. He ended with 141 yards and a score. The problem was his two very costly fumbles that put MTSU in Maryland territory twice. Plus, Davin Meggett was all right catching the ball, but his lack of production running the ball forced the Terps offense to be one-dimensional.
Wide Receivers: B-
Torrey Smith was excellent yet again, catching five passes for 165 yards and two scores, with both touchdowns being over 35 yards and beating one-on-one coverage. Other than him, the corps did not get open enough against the secondary.
Tight Ends: B-
Tommy Galt had two catches, nothing special from the unit.
Offensive Line: B-
Even though the unit is inexperienced, a lot of pressure was placed on them, and they did not hold up too badly. Enough holes were given to allow Scott to run well plus Turner had ample time in the pocket. Not a great day, but probably the best game from them thus far this season. Most of what happened was more to blame on coaching than the players.

Defense - Overall Grade: C-
Defensive Line: C
Some of the play was not bad, including getting solid pressure on Dwight Dasher and causing him problems, sacking him four times. But when it mattered the unit folded, including an offsides call on a 4th and inches on D.J. Francis and in the fourth quarter the unit was easily beaten. Dasher had their number when it counted. Travis Ivey did have a fumble recovery.
Linebackers: C+
It is hard to put a grade on this unit. The rushers of MTSU did not do much at all, and often Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten were making big tackles, including playing well on the blitz. But they could not catch up to Dasher when he ran plus the final fourth quarter drive was not played well. Then again, it is hard to defend when turnovers force them to play from Maryland territory immediately.
Secondary: D
I understand Carroll and McCollough are out, but Maryland's secondary looked non-existent for most of the game. Cameron Chism, the replacement at corner, seemed like the only solid player of the unit, intercepting two passes, but his missed coverage in the fourth caused MTSU is get in field goal range. But the middle of the field looked open most of the time and Dasher could easily find targets. Kenny Tate falling down near the end zone also allowed a pass close to the goal line.

Special Teams - Overall Grade: B

Kicker: C

Not a good day for Nick Ferrera, missing two of three field goals; one by block, one by missing. Even though the snaps were bad, Baltz got them down correctly so Ferrera should have had them. He did convert all four extra point attempts.

Punter: A

Very solid punting by Travis Baltz, averaging over 40 yards per attempt. He also did a good job at setting the ball on kicking attempt despite some high snaps.

Returners: B-

Average day, Torrey Smith averaged about 18 yards a return on kickoffs, Kenny Tate had a few yards. Nothing special, nothing tragic. Tate needs to be careful, he caught a ball with three around him and did not call fair catch, but it did not result in anything terrible.

Coverage: B+

Again, nothing special, nothing tragic. Desmond Gee, known as a skillful returner, was just average today. Blocked an extra point at least.

Coaching - Overall Grade: D-

Note: This is where I put most of the blame for today's loss. The players messed up some, but the coaches once again did poorly on their gameplan.

Offensive: D-

I do not blame James Franklin for the turnovers, but I do blame him for being obvious and not smart on playcalling, again. He must have believed Scott lost his confidence, because using Meggett as your every down back in the fourth quarter was a terrible decision. Scott may have had two turnovers, but after that happened, you think he'll do it again? If anything he'll hold on tighter! He was ripping up the defense, put in your best back of the game in the 4th quarter. The old routine continues, constantly putting in Jamarr Robinson to run, calling a play action on first down on the final drive in MTSU territory, and running the same routine plays. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I hope he gets a lot better before he is the head coach.

Defensive: D-

Before the fourth quarter, it is hard to put a lot of blame on Don Brown, because MTSU's scoring drives often came off of turnovers that put them in Maryland territory. But in the fourth quarter Maryland stopped blitzing, especially on the final drive, and got away from what was working. Blitzing was clearly throwing Dasher off, or at least forcing him to make a decision. But giving him time with a banged up secondary caused him to have easy access to his receivers. And on the final drive, playing everyone but the D-Line back was a terrible call, and Maryland paid the price for it.

The MVP/LVP:

MVP: Torrey Smith

Tough call between him and Turner, but I go with Smith. He was by far the biggest playmaker with five catches for 165 yards and two scores. He was the only threatening wide receiver Maryland had all game.

LVP: A.J. Francis

I can't choose a coach, so I go with Francis. He was not effective on the line plus committed a false start penalty that gave MTSU a first down on a 4th and inches. Scott is close, but he had a lot of rushing yards despite his two fumbles.

If Maryland wants to be a great program, then they need to take care of business in games like these. Middle Tennessee State is a good team, but Maryland should have had the win today. The Terps will have their final non-conference game against Rutgers next week.

(Photo credit: AP)

Pregame: Maryland vs. Middle Tennessee State

2009-09-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

Although it took a fourth quarter comeback plus an overtime period to do it, Maryland defeated James Madison last week 38-35 (OT) to get their first win of the season. The Terps now will have their third non-conference game against an opponent that they will remember all too well.

With Ralph Friedgen saying that Middle Tennessee State's match against Maryland was "their Rose Bowl" last year, he gave the Blue Raiders great bulletin board material. MTSU pulled off a big upset over Maryland in Murfreesboro 24-14, one of the worst losses in Friedgen's career. Now, the Blue Raiders return to College Park for the next game in the series.

The Maryland Terrapins (1-1) take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (1-1) in their third of four non-conference games. MTSU fell to ACC-opponent Clemson in their first game, but the team is considered a solid one in the Sun Belt. Their win came last week against Memphis. This is the fourth meeting of the team, and third in College Park: Maryland is 2-1 in the series, with the home team taking every contest.

Scouting the Competition: Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders

Middle Tennessee's offense is centered around junior quarterback Dwight Dasher (pictured). He lives up to his name, a solid scrambler who can pass and run well. Of the 151 offensive plays MTSU has run this season, he has thrown or run in 104 of them, combining for over 285 yards a game. He was the only starter on offense not to return from last year. The team likes to run a lot of no-huddle plays with many receivers.

Dasher's compatriots include the senior tailback Philip Tanner, who gets the ball near 10 times a contest. His WR corps include redshirt senior Patrick Honeycutt and redshirt sophomore Shane Blissard. But look for Dasher to be the playmaker all game.

On defense, the Blue Raiders have had to rely on some new players, but overall have proven effective thus far to their competition. Senior linebacker Cam Robinson has proven to be a strong player, getting four tackles for loss plus a sack. On the line, redshirt senior Chris McCoy had a big highlight against Clemson, returning a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown, also having a sack and three tackles for loss.

The possible X-factor could be kick returner, senior Desmond Gee, who is known as being dangerous.

Things to Look For:
1. How will the secondary do with their injuries?
The start of the season has not been good for the secondary which has seen its two most senior players go down with injury. Nolan Carroll is out for the season and Jamari McCollough is at least out one more game. The secondary was supposed to be the strength of the defense, however with both them out, this will cause major problems for the Terps today, especially with a quarterback that likes to run. This will put a lot of pressure on Kenny Tate and Cameron Crism, the two non-seniors in the unit, to perform well.

2. How will Chris Turner perform?
This sounds like a question we could ask every week, but the fact is it matters. Last time Turner faced the Blue Raiders he had a terrible night. Turner had a good rebound game against the Dukes last week, and the fact is his success determines the success of the offense.

3. Will the Terps remember last year? Last week?
Maryland has a problem of playing to their competition's level. This is fine against great teams, but when they face team they should defeat, often the game is much closer than it should be. MTSU is a solid squad, but Maryland is favored to win at home. Can Maryland remember what happens if they underestimate opponents? It happened last year, it nearly happened last week.

Prediction-
MTSU will be able to run the ball with Dasher, and they are a very capable team. I believe Maryland will at least do enough to win and take advantage of the inexperienced Blue Raider defense. It will be close, but I give the edge to the Terps due to home field and a reliable kicker.

Maryland 23, MTSU 21

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun (Moten), scout.com (Dasher))

Free Kicks: Return to Glory, to Complaining, and to the Orioles Edition

2009-09-18T08:59:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Falco for covering last week. No intro to think of, so let’s line up for the kick…

Miami is Back
I am going to go out and say it and take whatever flack comes my way if they drop their next two games (both against ranked opponents). Last season they allowed over 400 yards rushing to Georgia Tech, and yesterday they held them to under 100. Without the running game, Tech simply doesn’t have an offense. Randy Shannon had his team prepared, and put up 33 points on a stout Yellow Jackets defense. Granted, they had an extra week to prepare for this game, but this team just took down two ranked teams to start the season- no warm-ups against the College of Charleston or Towson U (sorry, I had to), they dove right into this year with something to prove and the toughest schedule in the nation. This is the first team I have watched in some time in the ACC that played like a great team. I have seen a lot of good and very good teams in this league, but what has held this conference down in the eyes of many is the lack of a marquee upper-echelon team. Well, years after being added to the ACC to bring that cache to the conference, Miami may finally be turning into just that. Forget the hot seat; if Shannon keeps this up he is looking at Coach of the Year.

…and so is the Grumbling in Columbus
Yes, Ohio State lost to USC on a last-second drive. And it may be true that Jim Tressel’s offense hasn’t perfectly suited his mobile quarterback. However, I have been amazed at the amount of criticism being heaped on the coaching staff from Buckeye fans who expect to beat Top 5 teams all the time. Ohio State may be 0-6 in their last 6 games against Top 5 ranked opponents, but that is why they are ranked in the Top 5- they are hard to beat! Please show me the team that has a winning record against top 5 ranked opponents (that has played more than a couple games against them). Look, Terrelle Pryor went to OSU because he wanted to be a pocket passer. Only he isn’t a pocket passer. Tressel is just trying to fulfill his end of the bargain he made to this kid, who for whatever reason isn’t realizing that he is part of the problem here. The coaching staff will have to go back to the drawing board and find better ways to utilize Pryor’s athleticism, but let’s not kid ourselves- USC was higher ranked and a better team, and they won by a small margin. Isn’t that the way it was supposed to go? Going after Tressel for being conservative is a bit premature, especially given the incredible success he has had at that institution.

Jim Johnson Needs to Prove He Can Close
I looked at the recent blog posts, and it has been weeks since we talked about the state of the Orioles, the team that dominates coverage from April-August before the football season sets in. Remember them? As management starts to shut down their young players as they count down the days to the end of the season (Matusz being shut down, Reimold resting for increasing stretches, etc.) and piecing together starts from their various long relievers, there are still interesting things to watch- most notably Jim Johnson’s performance as a closer. He has struggled, needing Matt Wieters to rescue him the other day from being the goat after giving up the game-tying home run in the top of the ninth. The team is insisting that it is mechanical issues that are keeping Johnson from remaining as dominant a closer as he was as a set-up man, but we have heard this tune too many times before this season. Rich Hill, Chris Ray, Matt Albers all just needed to “tweak” something here or there, and then continued to watch their ERA launch into orbit. Johnson, if you recall, struggled in his few appearances last season in closer situations as well. Every player will tell the press that it is just like any other inning and that they can handle the pressure- who wouldn’t say that? But it seems to me that Johnson is just hanging on, not taking over when he gets the ball in the ninth. He has the rest of the season to prove me wrong.

Prediction for the weekend:

A lot of people have called the reverse lock on the Bears-Steelers game, thinking that the Bears will suddenly come alive and shock the defending champs. Look, even without last week’s performance I would have picked the Steelers. Pittsburgh doesn’t win flashy, so analysts are perpetually picking against them- and paying for it. Pittsburgh takes this one easy, 24-10.

Ravens-Chargers Preview: Time to Make a Statement

2009-09-17T09:05:00.003-04:00

The Ravens offense looked incredible in putting away the Chiefs on Sunday, racking up a franchise record 501 yards of offense en route to a 38-24 win that was in question up until the final minutes of the game. It was disappointing to me to see a backup quarterback (and the third-best quarterback in Kansas City in my opinion) on a bad team put up those kinds of numbers against a Baltimore defense. I realize that much of this was turnover induced, and… exactly. Turnovers will kill an offense, but I will try not to take away from what was all-in-all a stellar performance from this team. They did what they were supposed to do- win, and do it impressively. The Chargers had a similar task in front of them- beat the hapless Oakland Raiders, who will either finish 3rd or 4th in the division depending only on the hope of supreme ineptitude on the part of the Broncos and Chiefs. Instead the Bolts struggled, relying on a late touchdown to seal a less-than-convincing 4 point victory. This is still a great San Diego team and a very trendy Super Bowl pick to finally live up to the talent of their roster.

What I’m Wondering:

Was that the Ravens offense?

It certainly seems like it. Joe Flacco racked up yardage but continued to overthrow his receivers on intermediate and short routes; and I will harp on it for as long as it continues- you can’t afford to lose the easy completions. However, if this is Cam Cameron’s vision, I like it. As long as this team continues to feature the run as their primary attack (which Harbaugh seems to favor), this team could be dangerous. It isn’t that Baltimore will become a passing team, but when this team is behind or against a stellar defensive front, they will need to be able to have more than one passing option. I still need to see whether Derrick Mason is still the only receiver Joe Flacco is looking for/getting open, and that is a major concern of mine.

Was that the Ravens defense?

No- well, not exactly. The 24 points put up by the Chiefs was a mirage caused by blocked punts and interceptions- not things the Ravens should be doing anyway, but nothing to be overly concerned about. It looks to me like Greg Mattison isn’t changing all that much from last season, and while I’d like to see more pressure on the quarterback, Baltimore hasn’t ranked in the top echelon of the league in sacks in several years for whatever reason. I am still worried about the cornerback situation, more on that later.

Was that the Chargers?

No. Not by a long shot. Even if LaDainian Tomlinson is unable to go this weekend, this team has plenty of options on the ground in speedy Darren Sproles and Michael Bennett, who are consistent home run threats on any play. Moreover, Philip Rivers was worth every penny of his $40.5 million contract and has large targets to go to in Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson. They won’t look offensively befuddled on Sunday, at least not by their own doing. Oakland was giving them vanilla looks on defense and San Diego shot themselves in the foot over and over. It won’t happen two weeks in a row.

My Mildly Informed Analysis:

San Diego had the 31st ranked pass defense in the league last year, despite not having a single major injury in the secondary. Antonio Cromartie took a step backwards last season, making way more tackles and forcing way fewer interceptions than a season ago. With Quentin Jammer only an adequate #2 corner in the league, this could be another ripe opportunity for Baltimore to attack the corners in single coverage with comebacks and out patterns that are tougher for the safeties to get over and help. Eric Weddle is a very Jim Leonhard type of player, and won’t back down from the big hit- he came into his own last season with 103 solo tackles; Joe Flacco would be wise not to test him too much. Keep attacking the corners and there will be first-downs to be had. The front seven of the Chargers kept them in games last year, and they should be even better with the return of Shawne Merriman (especially with Merriman in a contract year). Baltimore will need to run the ball, but this game might very well be won in the air.

Baltimore’s defense will have its hands full with Philip Rivers, without whom this would not have been a playoff team last year. His 241 passing yards per game was good enough for 7th in the NFL last season, helping the Chargers become the second highest scoring team in the league last year at 27.4 points per game. Chris Chambers is an extremely physical receiver and should give problems to whichever corner is assigned to him. Vincent Jackson came into his own last season with 1,098 yards receiving and with his 6’ 5” height he will have a 6 inch advantage over either of the Ravens cornerbacks. The Baltimore front 7 will have to penetrate the Chargers veteran line, largely unchanged over the last several seasons and who gave up just 25 sacks last season. The Ravens will be able to stop the run, regardless of how fast the running back is. Sproles may be able to break one here or there, but I have to believe that this team will be ready for it. Baltimore can force Rivers to be the one to make plays, and Norv Turner will be more than willing to oblige by having his quarterback air it out.

The Rundown

For the Ravens, the disadvantage caused by traveling cross-country will probably be cancelled out by the extra day of rest the Chargers missed out on by playing on Monday Night. The Baltimore secondary will be tested by a quarterback and receivers who are much more talented than the ones they struggled against last weekend. However, the Chargers have consistently underperformed to their talent level and looked dazed and confused against one of the worst teams in the NFL. The pundits are all over the place on the Ravens, some ranking them as high as 4th in the NFL and others as low as 12th. This game should go a long way in showing where they belong.

The nod goes to the Ravens, 31-27.

UPDATE (9/19/09, from Falco): The Associated Press is reporting LaDainian Tomlinson is out against the Ravens due to his sprained ankle.

College Football Blogpoll: Week 3

2009-09-15T08:12:00.001-04:00

Okay, so this week we have a bit of an anomaly. Windsor, Falco and I all ranked Michigan following their (incredible) win over Notre Dame. However, we had them ranked 25th, 25th, and 24th. As a result, when all the points were added up, Windsor’s #20 ranking of Iowa pushed them into the top 25 and bumped the Wolverines. Kansas was in all of our ballots as well, though ranked slightly higher. All in all it was a less wild and varied poll this weekend, though I am eating some crow after proclaiming the glory of Oklahoma State and ranking them 3rd in my poll last week. Yea, I know.

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. USC
5. Penn State
6. California
7. Mississippi
8. LSU
9. Boise State
10. Ohio State
11. BYU
12. Georgia Tech
13. Oklahoma
14. TCU
15. Virginia Tech
16. Utah
17. Oklahoma State
18. Nebraska
19. Georgia
20. North Carolina
21. Miami (FL)
22. Cincinnati
23. Oregon State
24. Iowa
25. Kansas

Others receiving votes: Michigan, South Carolina

Some Week 2 Observations:

Michigan may not win the Big Ten this year or play on New Year’s Day, but this team is on its way back to glory. The defense may need more time to catch up, however.

Maryland is that bad, apparently. Win or not, that question was answered.

Ohio State is still a great team (especially on defense), but Terrelle Pryor may not fit into that Tressel offense just yet. Matt Barkley was incredibly cool under pressure on that last drive to beat TOSU, but I’m not putting him in the “next great USC quarterback” conversation just yet.

So much for Stanford’s big run this year- Wake Forest could be a very sneaky team in a down ACC this year.

Was Clemson’s D able to respond to Tech’s offense and force the close game? This year may determine whether the triple option is viable on the big stage after the conference has had a year to adjust to it.

Al Groh has never been able to capitalize on the resources and potential at Virginia. After starting the season 0-2, he has no excuses left. The only question now is whether he will be allowed to play out the rest of the season.

Not ready to drink the Kool-Aid on Nebraska, but one more big win will have me believing. Nice test next week against Virginia Tech.

Postgame Report Card: Ravens 38, Chiefs 24

2009-09-13T23:00:00.006-04:00

The word of the game is... uncharacteristic. The Ravens’ traditional formula of coupling a suffocating defense with a conservative run offense was thrown out the window today. Instead, Harbaugh and company opted for a wide-open game plan against a weak Kansas City secondary. The results were mixed, in that while the Ravens prevailed, the outcome was far more in doubt than it should have been based on the state of the Chiefs’ franchise. Regardless, Joe Flacco was able to execute the aerial attack and showed a new side of the Ravens offense.

The defense began the game in its typical dominant fashion, but after a couple of bounces put Kansas City back into the game, the defense began to falter and allow Croyle to gain a rhythm in the second half. In the end it was the Ravens returning to the running game late while mixing in a few clutch passes which put them over the top. Clearly the issue of run/pass balance will be one that the coaches will have to be more judicious with, but unlike season’s past, that decision isn’t being made for them.

Offense - Overall Grade: A
Quarterbacks: A-
Joe Flacco was asked to carry this team and he proved more than able. He passed for a career high 303 yards, with three touchdown passes and one interception. While Flacco did make some poor throws, his decision making and pocket presence was outstanding throughout the game. His preseason exploits are not looking like a fluke.
Running Backs: A-
This unit stabilized the game for the Ravens in the second half. When Kansas City gained momentum, it was the three headed monster of Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le’Ron McClain which took control. While Ray Rice took the headlines with his 100+ yard performance, attention should be given to Willis McGahee. McGahee looked the best he has in years, and was able to notch on a touchdown for good measure to finish the game. When Cam learns how and when to use these running backs, watch out.
Wide Receivers: A
This unit made all of the plays they were asked to make. No, they still did not display much deep play ability (although that was a pretty reception by Mark Clayton on the 31-yd touchdown pass), but they were consistent throughout the game. Ravens fans have to be pleased with the performance of Kelly Washington, who reeled in three catches for 43 yards and appears to be headed for a solid season from the third wide position. The one negative is that I would’ve liked to see Demetrius Williams get involved at some point.
Tight Ends: A+
Welcome back, Todd Heap. The ‘stormin mormon’ appeared to be back to his old form, as he hauled in five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. It’s true, he did drop a pass, but the sheer joy of having a guy like Todd return to form is enough for me to warrant giving this grade.
Offensive Line: B+
All in all a very good performance, as Flacco had a good deal of time to throw and the running backs did have space to run. Their excellent pass protection is what allowed Cameron to finally utilize Heap as a receiving threat, and first rounder Michael Oher looked excellent in his first start. At the same time, I don’t feel like this unit was as dominant as it could have been, particularly early in the running game. It wasn’t until late that Rice and McGahee had the holes they needed to break off some runs.

Defense - Overall Grade: B+
Defensive Line: A-
This unit put consistent pressure on Brodie Croyle, particularly at the start of the game. Ngata, Pryce, and Gregg all were able to get into the backfield early on several running plays, and they made Larry Johnson make moves behind the line of scrimmage all afternoon.
Linebackers: A-
There is no corps of linebackers in the NFL as deep and talented as this one, and they continue to show that to the world. The least heralded of the bunch, Jarrett Johnson, probably had the best game, but it’s good to see Suggs back and healthy. The Ravens gave Suggs plenty of money this offseason, it’s good to see that he’s playing just as hard as he was beforehand.
Defensive Backs: B+
Dominique Foxworth impressed in his regular season debut, as he was able to shut down the Chiefs’ most prolific receiver in Dwayne Bowe. Bowe’s only reception came on a mismatch against Dawan Landry, who played well despite that misstep. This unit showed some chinks in the armor in the second half, but still played a solid game.

Special Teams - Overall Grade: C+
Kicker: B-
Despite missing a 41-yard field goal, Hauschka still converted a 44-yard field goal and was excellent on all of his kickoffs. Don’t panic, Ravens fans, he’ll be just fine. No need to call Mr. Stover.
Punter: C+
Not sure if Sam Koch is really the one to blame on the blocked punt (I'm sorry, I'm no Ron Jaworski), but he's the one taking the hit in the grade. Aside from that he had his usual excellent performance, but that block allowed KC back into this game.
Returners: C+
Chris Carr had some room to work with, but failed to take advantage in any of his punt or kick returns. The Ravens picked him up for his return abilities, but there’s plenty of depth behind him so he can’t have many more days like this one. Not that he was terrible, but the Ravens would want more from their returner than what they got today.
Coverage: B+
Kansas City got little if anything going on in the return game despite using a few different return men. The Ravens were disciplined in their coverage and sound in tackling, and Chris Carr was given solid blocking on returns. A good, not great day for the coverage and return units.

Coaching - Overall Grade: B
Offensive: A-
I know that there are a lot of Baltimore fans who don’t like how heavily the Ravens relied on the pass for much of the game. Still, I for one am behind Cameron’s game plan; it made sound football sense in that the Chiefs were without their two best cornerbacks and the Ravens had good matchups to exploit. And what’s more is that Cameron actually has an offense which can execute that plan. At the same time, he did move to the running game when the situation called for it. A little more balance overall would have been the best way to go, but still a very good game for Cam Cameron and his staff.
Defensive: A-
After a hot start, the Ravens defense was put into tough spots and began to show some cracks. Greg Mattison seemed to keep things much the same as they have been in past years, which is a good sign. However, he should have dialed up the blitz more when Brodie Croyle began to establish a rhythm in the second half. The defense started to get a little bit relaxed and vanilla, and I think that helped encourage Kansas City’s rally.

And for my MVP/LVP...
MVP (Most Valuable Player) –Joe Flacco– A career day for the franchise quarterback. It wasn’t perfect, but the Ravens are starting to resemble a real NFL offense.
LVP (Least Valuable Player) –Sam Koch– Again, I'm not certain how much blame for the block goes on Sam Koch versus the members of his protection team, but regardless he can't let that happen. Without that play, I doubt Kansas City is ever in this football game.

(Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun)

Postgame Report Card: Maryland 38, James Madison 35 (OT)

2009-09-12T22:03:00.010-04:00

The word of the game is......whew. Maryland fans are used to excitement at every turn, and today's game sure brought that. JMU had many opportunities to win the game, but numerous penalties spared Maryland from getting upset. Maryland improves to 1-1 and will prepare for Middle Tennessee State next week.

This is one of those games where some fans ask whether Maryland won it or JMU lost it, and really it is close. Maryland had some great moments, especially on offense, but had JMU not committed so many penalties, the Terps might have easily lost this contest. At least they found a way to win, coming back in the fourth quarter and sealing it in overtime. It is one thing to look bad and still win, it is another to actually lose it.

Offense - Overall Grade: B-

Quarterbacks: B-

Chris Turner was a tale of two quarterbacks tonight. At times he looked pretty bad, constantly throwing passes too high and having a very costly pick six, which nearly gave JMU the game in the end. But in the first half he was solid, getting off the quick passes accurately to the flat and leading the Terps to three touchdowns, plus getting the all important touchdown on a 78-yard drive in the 4th quarter to eventually force overtime. Turner needs to be more consistent, but at least he showed great passing in most of the game.

Running Backs: C+

Da'Rel Scott was never a major factor, but he at least kept the ball moving, averaging around four yards a carry. Scott did have a touchdown on a goal line rush, though the Terps need more production from him in the future.

Wide Receivers: B-

Just like Turner, sometimes the receivers were great, sometimes they were terrible. For much of the first half, the corps had to work with WR screens to make their production, as James Franklin was trying to adjust to the problems at the line. Torrey Smith had a tremendous day, catching eight balls for 80 yards plus scoring a rushing touchdown. Adrian Cannon had a good day as well, catching the game-tying touchdown in the end zone, but he and Ronnie Tyler missed some catches they should have had.

Tight Ends: D

No catches as a unit, and average blocking at best. Tommy Galt had a very bad late hit penalty that cost Maryland 15 yards in the fourth quarter.

Offensive Line: B-

Considering that there are four newcomers going against a strong defensive line, the line did all right. Turner was only sacked once and the defensive line did not hinder the passing game too often. But the running game could have been better, as Scott could not get through holes in the line.

Defense - Overall Grade: C-

Defensive Line: C-

Not nearly enough pressure was put on JMU quarterback Drew Dudzik, who never got sacked. JMU could run at will and often the quarterback was the playmaker. Size-wise the Terps needed to play better, especially on some of the runs. But in the final parts of the game, the line performed the way they needed to, stopping JMU to give the Terps a chance in the 4th plus standing pat in overtime.

Linebackers: D+

For the second game in a row, the unit could not tackle properly. They could not cover up tiny holes in the line and Jamal Sullivan often could push for a couple extra yards after getting hit. With Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten, the unit should be doing better.

Secondary: C

Even though Jamari McCollough is out, JMU receivers were getting open pretty easily at times. Again, like a couple of the units, at times they seemed to lock everything down.

Special Teams - Overall Grade: A-

Kicker: A+

Nick Ferrera kicked the game-winning field goal plus converted all five extra points. Looks like Maryland has their kicker for the next four years.

Punter: A-

Travis Baltz was worked tonight, kicking seven punts for an average of over 42 yards each. He downed two inside the 20.

Returners: B-

This grade is mixed between two events. Torrey Smith got a huge 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter. On the other hand, Kenny Tate had a costly fumble after the ball was stripped from his hands on a punt return, which would lead to a JMU touchdown drive.

Coverage: B+

Had good blocking on kickoffs for Torrey Smith, average on punt returns.

Coaching - Overall Grade: C

Offensive: B

James Franklin employed a good gameplan for the contest. Knowing he would have offensive line issues, he had Turner constantly throwing to his receivers in the flat to directly attack the inexperienced JMU secondary and not risking too much until the Terps had to. His gameplan was good even if the players had problems executing it. Only issue I have is the lack of adapting to the defensive tendencies during the game, as it led to problems in the second half, but piecing the eight-play, 78-yard drive in the 4th quarter to tie the game was great.

Defensive: D

Don Brown needs to teach his players how to tackle and blitz better. JMU is a good team, but Maryland should have been beating them based on matchups; instead the Dukes established a strong, moving offense. The announcers said Brown likes an aggressive defense; if so, they did not get the job done, as Dudzik was not sacked and constantly found problems in the defense, like on his 70-yard run.

The MVP/LVP:

MVP: Torrey Smith

Great day for the sophomore wideout, getting eight catches for 80 yards plus scoring two touchdowns, one rushing and one off a kickoff.

LVP: Tommy Galt

A couple of players could have been named, but Tommy Galt did not get a catch and had a terrible 15-yard penalty on a late hit that cost Maryland a chance on a late 4th quarter drive.

(Photo credit: AP)

Pregame: James Madison vs. Maryland

2009-09-12T09:00:00.006-04:00

Last week Maryland had a game they want to quickly forget, getting destroyed 52-13 against California after getting run over by Heisman-candidate Javhid Best. The Terps now return to College Park for their home opener against James Madison.

The Maryland Terrapins (0-1) host the James Madison Dukes (0-0) in what will be JMU's first game this season Last year they were a powerful 12-2 team, losing only to BCS-team Duke and FCS runner-up Montana. They come into the game ranked #6 in the FCS. So far JMU's conference, the CAA, has done some early damage to the ACC, with last weekend seeing them go 2-1 against the ACC: Richmond defeated Duke, William & Mary won over Virginia, and Northeastern fell to Boston College.

Only one have these two teams met, back in 1998. Maryland won 23-15, holding on after leading 23-0 in the third quarter.

This is the first game since the finishing of construction at Byrd Stadium. The name has been changed to Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium and will have the newly renovated Tyser Tower, luxury suites and all.

Scouting the Competition: James Madison Dukes

The Dukes come into their opener with big questions on offense. Their starting quarterback and top running back are gone from last season, so they will be testing out new people on offense. The quarterback duties will be split between returning junior Drew Dudzik and freshman Justin Thorpe as the Dukes employ the spread offense. Junior Jamal Sullivan will be the primary rusher.

The defense is where JMU is strongest. Their line has two very solid players. Senior defensive end Arthur Moats (pictured) tied the lead in the CAA with 11.5 sacks last season, and senior defensive tackle Sam Daniels had six last year. Behind the line will be a number of young players with nearly all expected starters being underclassmen. Sophomore linebacker Pat Williams is the returning leading tackler from last year with 65. One interesting story will lie with junior Griff Yancey, who will start as a free safety after being a running back the last two years.

One X-Factor could be the Dukes special teams returner, redshirt senior Scotty McGee, who had four returns for touchdowns last season, three of them being on punts.

Things to Look Out for the Game:
1. Will Chris Turner bounce back?
Turner had a terrible time against California, many times trying to get away from the constant-blitzes. JMU has a solid line and with Bruce Campbell out on Maryland's offensive line, even more inexperience will be defending the quarterback. Turner will be facing a young JMU secondary and will need to be good in the air attack. He has a history of bouncing back after a bad game; let's see if he does that today.

2. Will the offense adjust its play?
James Franklin playcalled terribly against California, leaving Chris Turner in terrible spots all game. The JMU defense will need to be beaten in the air, but the running game will still need to be established. With a problematic offensive line and a young secondary to face, he should have a number of shotgun passes and draws during the game.

3. Will the Terps underestimate JMU?
Normally when Maryland faces FCS opponents, they do not kill them, but they do not win handily either. This JMU team is preseason ranked #6 in FCS play and brings a lot of talent to the table. The Terps better be motivated to bounce back from that Cal loss, or else the Dukes could swipe one from Maryland.

Prediction-
These games against FCS opponents are always strange for the Terps, and with JMU's talent, this could be another one. In the end I will favor the Terps for the experience on the offensive end, though it will not be a blowout.

Maryland 20, James Madison 10

(Photo credit: Maryland athletics (Turner), JMU athletics (Moats))

Ravens-Chiefs Preview: No Reason Not to Win This One

2009-09-11T13:30:00.007-04:00

The Ravens ended the preseason 4-0, riding a wave of enthusiasm and energy that comes with showing the depth of your team and the precision of your starters in winning the first half or quarter, whatever it may be. Then again, so did last year’s Lions. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw of Baltimore this preseason, much more so than I was of the Lions when I watched them last year before the season started. Joe Flacco seems poised to take his game to a more aggressive and more accurate level, dispelling my fear that he would settle into a role as a deep thrower who couldn’t be relied on to carry a team. I still don’t think he is there yet, but I don’t think he has a sophomore slump in him either. The defense is as sound as ever, with the return of Dawan Landry almost making up for Jim Leonhard’s departure, a stable of great linebackers replacing Bart Scott, and Kelly Gregg making life that much better for star-in-the-making Haloti Ngata.

This week the Ravens will take on their first opponent of the 2009 campaign, and one coming off a very different offseason. At the beginning of 2008, this team was planning to go young, take its lumps, and develop its talent to contend after a few seasons, like many rebuilding clubs. They had patience in Herm Edwards’ plan and were willing to take their time with him and his project. However, as we have seen with the Orioles, fans know the losses are coming but become indignant when they do. The result? A seeming reversal of plans that have left this team without much direction. They dropped many of their young project players, picked up the likes of aging Mike Vrabel, and fired their coach, replacing him with Todd Haley, the Cardinals Offensive Coordinator who only garnered interest from teams as a head coach after his team went to the Super Bowl. The front office traded a second-round pick for the franchised Matt Cassel, and I am not exactly sure what this team is trying to do from a long-term perspective. They went 0-4 in the preseason, as did the Patriots last season. But this team is not the Patriots.

What I'm Wondering:

It's Week 1. The world is hope and optimism. Nothing to question until we get to see this team on the field for real.

My Mildly Informed Analysis:

Chiefs Offense vs. Ravens Defense
When Todd Haley was hired as Chiefs’ head coach, I scratched my head and wondered what the front office was thinking. Not that Haley wasn’t a solid head coaching candidate- I have no idea, but I do know that his offense was lost in its use of the running back. The Cardinals ranked near or at the bottom of the league in each of Haley’s two seasons as coordinator, and that can’t all be blamed on a porous offensive line. That offensive line was still good enough to pass protect Kurt Warner all the way for 4,583 yards last season. He runs a high-flying passing attack, I get that. But the Chiefs are unsettled at quarterback even IF Matt Cassel is healthy (one season does not a quarterback make) and have no real threats at wide receiver outside of Dwayne Bowe, who has shown promise but not #1 wideout material. Without Tony Gonzalez at tight end as a safety blanket, this team will struggle in the passing game.

How Haley adjusts his offensive philosophy to suit the overworked but still dynamic Larry Johnson has yet to be seen, but so far the results are unimpressive- no more than 13 points in any preseason game this season. Johnson needs to be healthy for an entire season for the Chiefs to be competitive, but with an amateur passing game this could be a struggle. The Ravens won’t have to do anything fancy to stop the Chiefs attack. They will need to dominate the line of scrimmage, which shouldn’t be difficult even with a veteran-but-thin offensive line (a player just picked up off of waivers is on their 2-deep at tackle). Landry and Reed might be attacked by play action, but if the front seven is doing their job then they won’t have to bite up and take the chance, hanging back on every play.

If Tyler Thigpen plays, I would be more concerned- he plays like it is his last game every time he is out there, throwing his body around and playing the game as it should be played. His escapability and inventiveness when rolling out of the pocket could allow Kansas City to keep drives alive after Johnson is snuffed out. However, it is important to remember that for all of his guts, Thigpen was 1-13 last season when he saw significant action. Additionally, Brodie Croyle is listed as the #2 quarterback behind Cassel at the moment. That would be entertaining.

Unless the not-as-good-as-advertised starting cornerbacks of the Ravens (sorry, but Foxworth was traded for a 6th round pick and then cut, and Washington is still a Oakland cast-off who didn’t impress much last season) completely blow a few coverages, this side of the ball shouldn’t be a contest.

Ravens Offense vs. Chiefs Defense
When the defense is dominant, the Ravens offense doesn’t need to do much. That should be exactly the gameplan on Sunday for Baltimore. With a trip to San Diego coming up in Week 2, there should be no reason to pull out any of the Cam Cameron’s new material for the playbook. One of my pet peeves of Cameron last season was his tendency to pull out the trick plays or new wrinkles in the offense against vastly inferior teams in games that were already out of hand. Often they were the type of play you could only use once a season anyway. This game should follow last year’s base set, while allowing Flacco to have more reads in the passing game. I have not been sure that Flacco could adjust his throwing motion so that he isn’t constantly throwing short and intermediate passes over the heads of his receivers, and he still struggles with it. However, it is clear that he has a better grasp of the playbook and the position than he did last season.

Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson, Kansas City’s first round picks of the last two years, could be a lot to handle for Jared Gaither and rookie Michael Oher. The LSU teammates may help improve the Chiefs pass rush from a season ago and take a bit of pressure off of a substandard secondary that ranked 28th in pass defense. The leadership and knowledge of Mike Vrabel should help a linebacking corp that had a habit of running into blockers last season, but the group as a whole doesn’t have the talent to gel this early in the season. While this squad only allowed a high of 17 points in any game this preseason, given the players on this team I wonder how well that will hold up once the regular season starts.

For the Ravens, pound the ball with McGahee and Rice and force Mike Vrabel to run side-to-side with some flares by Rice out of the backfield and (hopefully) get Todd Heap out on linebackers over the middle. This will make sure that Dorsey and Jackson are rushing without linebacker support, which should even the playing field for the Ravens offensive line. The passing game doesn’t have to be fancy, but merely efficient enough to keep the defense honest, with at least one obligatory Flacco bomb down the field. I don’t normally advocate a conservative approach, but with the Ravens defense against a dysfunctional Chiefs offense, Baltimore just needs to be sure not to spoil the show by turning the ball over. There will be plenty of opportunities for the offense to make plays, but with a young offense that is still growing in their grasp of Cameron’s offense, there are no reasons to take a chance today.

The Rundown
Regardless of the offensive approach, this will be a great opportunity to see how far Joe Flacco has come as he makes this offense his own. Despite the recent dominance by the Chiefs over the Ravens, that should come to an end on Sunday. Try as I might, unless Matt Cassel comes out completely healthy and the Kansas City wide receivers morph into legitimate deep threats, I don’t see how the Chiefs can win it.

The nod goes to the Ravens, 27-9

Free Kicks

2009-09-11T12:37:00.005-04:00

I, Falco am taking over the Free Kicks edition this week, as Expatriate wanted to do the Ravens preview, so I'm filling in today. So, *cue tape player*, let's line up for the kick:

Nolan Reimold Should Be Rookie of the Year

Of course we in Baltimore want one of our own for rookie of the year, but frankly, looking at the opposition, I feel Reimold is the best choice. The competition falls to four people, Reimold, shortstop Elvis Andrus of the Rangers (arguably top-choice by many analysts), third baseman Gordon Beckham of the White Sox, and closer Andrew Bailey of the Athletics. To compare with the other two batters: Andrus is clearly the faster player and has more runs and stolen bases, but Reimold is a better power hitter, and has more than double his home runs. Beckham is very similar to Reimold, with a few more RBI, but only one home run. Reimold should not be penalized because the White Sox have more talent around him. For Bailey, he has been a solid closer, converting 23 of 27 chances with a 2.06 ERA and a 79-22 K-BB ratio. Those are good, but that is not a lot of saves for a closer in a year for a team, so I would edge Reimold again. If Reimold could push his average to around .280, he could led all rookies in average and home runs, and should be the rookie of the year this season.

Seymour! Report Already Seymour!

Nobody as talented as Richard Seymour wants to play for the Raiders. As historic as the franchise is, the last few years have been pathetic for the organization, and no one wants to willing play for them. As you all know, Richard Seymour is an all-Pro defensive end that got traded from the Patriots to the Raiders for a future #1 pick. Talk about a downgrade of teams, but nonetheless, Seymour needs to report. It is just one season, don't worry about it. Don't lower your stock for free agency so much by sitting out a whole season. Besides, maybe you can be a leader on the team as they get ready for their season. But don't do this now Seymour. You are too talented to act this way.

Roger Federer is the Greatest Men's Tennis Player Ever

The facts tell the story. He has won 15 Grand Slams, including at least one in all four major tournaments, reached 22 straight semifinals and 16 of the last 17 finals. And he is still in position to win a few more, even though Rafael Nadal currently is the better player. Understanding the arguments for Rod Laver and Pete Sampras, Federer is the best player to ever play. His backhand is one of the deadliest ever and he shows great cool on the court no matter his situation. He has had some great players go against him in his day, including Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt, Sampras and Agassi in their later years, and Andy Roddick, and through it all, Federer won 15 Slams, possibly more. He is the greatest tennis player to ever play.

College Football This Weekend:

It is not the most exciting of weekends for college football, but nonetheless we are in weekend two. Probably we here at ATH will watch the Weis-Rod matchup between #23 Notre Dame and Michigan at 3:30, then the Maryland-JMU game at 6:00, then ending with the rest of #4 USC vs. #6 Ohio State. USC-OSU is the only matchup of ranked teams this weekend, but college football is still on. My early predictions are for these three games: Michigan by 3 due to being at home, Maryland by 10, and USC by 17.

What Now for the Orioles?

2009-09-10T12:14:00.002-04:00

This has not been a good start to the month for the Orioles to say the least. Not much seems to be going right. Other than the series win over the Rangers over the weekend, numerous events have left the Orioles in trouble:
--A series sweep to the Yankees at home, or at least in Baltimore.
--A two-game series sweep to Boston on the road, with the second game ending in yet another bullpen collapse.
--Adam Jones shut down for the year due to a severely sprained left ankle, the second straight year where an injury kept him out nearly a month.
--Kam Mickolio had to see a specialized doctor about a sore arm (reported by Peter Schmuck, Baltimore Sun)
--Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz will be shut down soon due to the front office deciding to limit their innings in their rookie year.

This month just got underway, and the Orioles still have a number of games left. It is perfectly reasonable to be careful with young players, but that will not comfort fans. Plus, the Orioles are now selling one-dollar tickets to get fans in the stands.

So what now? With many young players ending their seasons early, what will happen for the rest of the year? Really, there is not much left to do. We have seen from yesterday that Trembley will use numerous pitchers for short periods of time to take advantage of matchups, so he is trying to win games, as he should. Sure Wieters and the rest of the young birds can benefit from the time, but the vets who are playing already know what to do when the season gets down to the final days.

But these last few weeks will be about Dave Trembley. With all the talk about him at the end of the year, each game Andy MacPhail will analyze and determine if Trembley should return next season. Given the expanded roster he has, can he work his hardest to win games while still protecting his young players, all while keeping your cool if the Yankees, Red Sox and the rest beat you down? We have already seen Trembley and Juan Samuel call out their players on things a few weeks ago. With a number of games left against strong teams and a problematic roster, this could get ugly. But in this month, Trembley can be a manager of a team. He can call changes on the mound at will and do everything he can to win games as opposed to constantly having to look out for the young players.

I'm not sure if Dave Trembley is the manager of the future for the Orioles. I'm not sure who can be better at this point in time, but these last few weeks will determine if he has the skills needed to be a big league manager.

Maryland Football: Is it Too Soon to Panic?

2009-09-09T11:47:00.004-04:00

My first instinct is to say no. However, I think that there might be legitimate reason for Terps fans to be worried that this year will be one of the worst in recent Maryland history. I say this not because they gave up 540+ yards to the Cal offense-- California looks like it might just be a top-tier team this year, so there's no shame in that (well maybe a little). Nor do I say this because I have so little faith in Chris Turner.

Rather, the reason to worry is the offensive line. Friedgen's squad entered the Cal game with two walk-ons manning the entire right side of the line, and it showed. Whenever the Terps had rhythm, the Cal defensive front was able to easily overwhelm the Terps line and waltz right into the sack. To make matters worse, arguably the best lineman the Terps have in left tackle Bruce Campbell suffered turf toe during the game. Now he will be replaced by redshirt freshman Paul Pinegar. The Terps' offensive tackles now have a combined playing time experience of one game. With this offensive line, how can Maryland expect to compete down the stretch? They should take care of their next two games, that's true. And Virginia and Duke should be wins (though nothing is certain, particularly against the University of Virginia). But aside from those four games, which others can Maryland legitimately be favored in? I'd be hard pressed to think of any.

So what does this come back to? Recruiting. For the past couple years, Ralph Friedgen and his staff have pursued running backs and wide receivers with immense vigor, and seem to have neglected the offensive line in the process. When Friedgen first arrived he commented on the dearth of talent on the offensive line (or at least lack of depth), and began rebuilding it to the point that Maryland had a consistently deep and talented line. Not elite, but Maryland was more than respectable up front. Despite this, he has let that problem come back. Maybe the staff have simply been unable to seal the deal on some top linemen, but I doubt that Maryland would have that much difficulty convincing a lineman to join the school considering the amount of skill position talent around. Misappropriation of recruiting time and resources is a severe problem, and now Maryland fans are going to see the results.

As always, I hope that I'm wrong. But based on how this offensive line is shaking out, I don't think I am.

College Football Blogpoll: Week 2

2009-09-08T08:28:00.001-04:00

Welcome to our second week of the blogpoll, operated through CBS Sports. As you know, this blog helps represent Maryland fans, but in the wake of this weekend’s loss we had to take a wider view of the football landscape. The high ranking of teams like BYU, Boise State, and Oklahoma State was mostly the result of my ballot which judges teams only on what they have done so far. The conventional wisdom of Falco and Windsor helped buoy teams like Mississippi and Penn State who I had dropped down the line in favor of more impressive Week 1 teams. Overall I think we balance each other out. All totaled, this is where we stand:

1(3) Florida
2) Texas
3) USC
4) Alabama
5) Oklahoma State
6) California
7) Ohio State
8) Mississippi
9) Penn State
10) Boise State
11) LSU
12) BYU
13) Georgia Tech
14) Utah
15) Oklahoma
16) TCU
17) Virginia Tech
18) Georgia
19) North Carolina
20) Miami (FL)
21) Oregon State
22) Nebraska
23) Notre Dame
24) Michigan State
25) Kansas

Others receiving votes (in order of number of votes): Oregon, Iowa, Michigan

Some Week 1 Observations:

No one deserved to lose that Florida State/Miami game, but with Miami’s schedule I think it is safe to say they needed it more.

Did the triple option really just push OSU to the brink? I think the presumed Big Ten champion may have underestimated the Middies… either that or this team has some serious weaknesses

Mississippi didn’t deserve to be ranked in the top 10 to start the season, and for most of the Memphis game looked like a midlevel team, unable to put away their competition. First game jitters? It could be that they just aren’t top 10 material just yet.

I sure hope that down the road pollsters don’t downgrade BYU’s win over Oklahoma as the year goes on. When Utah failed to make it to the title game, critics lambasted them for having played an easy schedule. BYU goes and schedules Oklahoma (and Florida State), and then Sam Bradford goes down. How can they see that coming?

Is Cal that good or is Maryland that bad?

Notre Dame vs. Michigan will decide which team deserves to be ranked. Michigan looked mighty impressive on Saturday, but Tenuta’s defense won’t be as forgiving to scrambling quarterbacks Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson.

Postgame Report Card: California 52, Maryland 13

2009-09-06T01:53:00.006-04:00

The word of the game is.....embarrassing. I understand that California is ranked #12 and was looking for "redemption" from what happened last year. But Maryland looked like a high school team and followed suit with the rest of the conference during the weekend, looking absolutely awful. The team did not look prepared and was torn apart by a more experienced squad. After a national television embarrassment like that, the Terps will have a lot of questions to answer as they get ready for James Madison next week.

When writing this, I understand that Cal was a 21-point favorite and that the Terps had to travel on the other side of the country to play. But you can't make excuses for everything, even for student athletes. Maryland had to be ready for this, and they looked completely lost during the whole game, from the coaches to the players. Maryland is too talented to get destroyed by 39 points.

Offense - Overall Grade: D
Quarterbacks: D
Chris Turner had one of his famous dreadful nights. He was not throwing the ball well and could not maintain his pocket presence at all. He went 17/30 for 168 yards with no scores or interceptions, but a fumble in the second quarter gave Cal great field position for their third touchdown. His line did not help him, but he was sacked seven times and did not show good awareness in the pocket. If this is how Chris Turner is going to run "his team," Maryland fans ought to be worried. The very brief appearance of backup Jamarr Robinson is an incomplete, as he did not throw the ball.
Running Backs: B-
Da'Rel Scott was the only player on offense that looked sharp tonight. He ran for 90 yards on 13 rushes and got the only Terps touchdown on a big 39-yard run in the 3rd quarter, even if the Terps were down 45-6 when he scored it. Davin Meggett was not bad, getting 36 yards on nine rushes.
Wide Receivers: C-
The corps was not terrible, but not helpful to the cause either. Adrian Cannon led the way with five catches while Ronnie Tyler had two. Torrey Smith only had one catch. Plus, the lack of receivers getting open caused Turner problems all night.
Tight Ends: C
A couple catches by Tommy Galt and Lansford Watson in the game, but blocking was poor by the unit.
Offensive Line: F
If this is how Maryland's offensive line will perform, get ready for a long season. Cal's defensive line, though returning a lot of starters, were destroying the Terps line all night, constantly blitzing and sacking Turner seven times. The only experienced senior starting on the line, center Phil Costa, committed an illegal snap. The line may be young, but this was a terrible performance tonight.

Defense - Overall Grade: D-
Defensive Line: D-
This unit could not slow down anyone. Kevin Riley had all day to throw and the two runners Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen had no difficulty. When the unit tried to pressure Riley they could not tackle him and Best had huge holes to run through. Only Riley's two sacks prevent this grade from being lower.
Linebackers: F+
They must have known about how dangerous Jahvid Best was, and yet they let him run all over them. A 73-yard run to begin for him as he and Vereen combined for 185 yards on the ground. Plus, the middle of the field was an easy target for Kevin Riley's passing. The unit was having difficulty just tackling.
Secondary: D-
I understand Jamari McCollough got hurt, but this is supposed to be the experienced part of the defense. There were blown coverages all over the place and the Golden Bears receivers were almost unchallenged at every turn.

Special Teams - Overall Grade: B+
Kicker: A
The only good thing to come out of this game was that the Terps may have found their kicker. Nick Ferrara, who seemingly was chosen just before the game, converted his two field goals and extra point, including a 42-yarder in the 2nd quarter.
Punter: B
Travis Baltz had an average day, punting the ball six times for an average of 35.5 yards.
Returners: C+
Torrey Smith was fine for the most part, but a fumble lost on the kickoff gave Cal the ball in great field position. Kenny Tate had an average day returning punts, getting about nine yards per return.
Coverage: B+
Vereen had one good return, but otherwise everything was solid on the special teams end.

Coaching - Overall Grade: F
Offensive: F
James Franklin's playcalling was just terrible tonight. Cal could blitz at will and the Terps did nothing to adjust to it. He also had Chris Turner running draws, even though this is the only experienced quarterback Maryland has. And everything was predictable. Then, when the game was truly out of reach, this is a time you can test some things out. But instead, constant runs to the right and again risking your quarterback on runs. You have an inexperienced line against a dominant defensive line, put Turner in a few more shotgun plays to give him some time, or allow him to throw downfield. Just terrible offensive coaching tonight.
Defensive: F
Don Brown's gameplan was no better. You can't tell me that you did not know about Jahvid Best and his abilities. Nothing on defense was going right, the line and linbackers could do nothing against Best and Vereen while the secondary kept blowing coverages on Cal's receivers. The blitzes almost never worked and Riley was free to pass where he liked. Obviously an offense as experienced as California's is hard to play against, but the defense looked almost nonexistant tonight. I sure hope your first year gets better here.

The MVP/LVP:
MVP: Nick Ferrera
Yes, the kicker is the MVP. He did his job perfectly tonight plus his two made field goals kept Maryland in contention until the middle of the second quarter.
LVP: Phil Costa
The leader of the offensive line earns this award. The center got an illegal snap and did not do anything to protect the quarterback tonight.

(Photo credit: AP (Turner, Best tackled), Getty (Best running)

Pregame: Maryland at #12 California

2009-09-05T11:36:00.004-04:00

A new season of college football has begun, and the Terps take the field for their first game tonight. They head to Berkeley to take on #12 California in a matchup of last year's contest, where the Terps won 35-27.

A new year for the Terps brings new storylines. Chris Turner heads back to his home state as the Maryland starting quarterback for most of the last three years, this time with very little competition getting the role. Also, with the departure of Darrius Heyward-Bey, Turner will have to get used to his young WR corps.

The Terps normally do well in their season openers, but the last three years they were at home against non-BCS opponents, William & Mary in 2006, Villanova in 2007, and Delaware in 2008. This time Maryland is going against a Pac-10 opponent on the road.

Scouting the Competition: #12 California Golden Bears

It is safe to say that California is tired of the University of Maryland. In the 2008-09 school year, the Golden Bears suffered big defeats at the hands of the Terps, including in football, in the men's basketball NCAA Tournament, and in the men's soccer NCAA Tournament. But none of those matches were in Berkeley, so the Golden Bears are looking to exact revenge tonight.

They are led by one of the best running backs in the country, Javhid Best (pictured). Many remember last year the ESPN cameras catching him throwing up after a vicious hit from Maryland, but make no mistake about his talent. Last year he had over 1500 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Many believe he has a shot to be a Heisman candidate by the season's end.

Cal's offense is not without questions however. A quarterback controversy was going on during the spring through the summer, and last year's primary starter Kevin Riley was given the starting nod against Maryland. Riley has had good days and bad days, but is considered to throw a decent ball. Cal will look to establish a passing threat so that Best will have plenty of room to run.

On defense, the Bears are considered to be strong with eight starters returning. The two starting cornerbacks, Syd'Quan Thompson and Darian Hagan, are considered the best in the Pac-10.

Some things to look for in tonight's game:

1. Can Maryland's passing game handle Cal's secondary?

Needless to say, Turner's young WR corps will have their hands full with a dominant Cal secondary. The Terps will need their young veterans Torrey Smith, Adrian Cannon, and Ronnie Tyler to be effective. The team does not need to dominate in the air, but they do need to be effective enough to allow Maryland to run the ball effectively. The Terps strength is in their running with Da'Rel Scott and Company, but if there is no threat from the passing game, the running game will follow suit. Chris Turner is coming to his home state with no competition to the quarterback job, let's see if his "coolness" shows tonight.

2. Can Javhid Best be stopped?

This is a daunting task for the Terps defense, especially for the new defensive line. Best is a very big threat, and the Terps cannot let him run all day. The linebacker corps returns Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten, so they will need to be dealing with Best.

3. How effective will the Terps running game be?

Da'Rel Scott and Davin Meggett will handle the bulk of the carries today, and normally the rushing makes the Terps offense effective. With a Cal team that returns eight starters, no doubt they will be ready for these two. Cory Jackson, the Terps blocking fullback, also will be a big help.

4. What will we see from the Don?

Maryland has a new defensive coordinator this season, Don Brown, who replaced Chris Cosh. He was a great coach of UMass, and we will see what he can bring to the Terps defense. Cosh's defenses were often decent but not aggressive enough; will Brown be the same or different?

Prediction:

I like to think that the Terps have a chance, and I do believe a line of 21 is too high. The Terps do well against ranked opponents, and this game will be close, but right now, I do not believe Maryland has enough to handle Javhid Best or the strong Cal defense.

California 27, Maryland 17

(Photo credit: AP (Turner), US Presswire (Best))

Free Kicks: First-of-the-season College Football Edition

2009-09-04T09:10:00.003-04:00

Wow, Falco has been on one hell of a tear lately, posting Monday-Thursday and giving Windsor and I some huge relief. After all, this weekend is huge for Terps fans as the Maryland football team travels to #12 California in a game in which Cal will be far more focused than they were last season- not to mention a much improved team in general. Cal tends to be over-ranked at the beginning of the season over the past few years, but this team certainly has it in them to be a power in the PAC 10. In honor of the Terps’ uncertain kicking situation, let’s line up for the kick…

Is Boise State for real?
Their defense is, and that might be the most important thing. Oregon has one hell of an offensive scheme, and it didn’t look to miss a beat when Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly was promoted to Head Coach in the offseason. But last night Boise State held the vaunted Ducks attack without a single first down in the first half. Boise State is not normally known for its defense; with the entire WAC and Mountain West getting a reputation for AFL-style shootouts, but if the Broncos can maintain a defensive presence it will not only win games- their offense will do that- but it will gain the attention of voters who tend to respect a hard-nosed defense more than a high-flying spread offense. As for Oregon, their sluggish performance may be indicative of the inexperience and possible lack of direction from Chip Kelly (thought it is too early to say for sure), or maybe just first-game jitters and the distraction of the blue turf. Regardless, they will have to massively improve if they are going to be competitive in a very talented PAC 10.

Is South Carolina-NC State representative of the SEC-ACC?
It just might be. Remember, NC State and South Carolina, much to Steve Spurrier’s chagrin, are comparable programs right now in their respective conferences, and while NC State lost by a very narrow 7-3 margin, Falco may have seen something more. He wrote to me, saying:

“During the (horrible) South Carolina vs. NC State game, the announcers said the SC players, notably representing the SEC, looked a lot more like football players. But even with that, it was not the reason NC State lost, it was because the Wolfpack had very little focus and could not complete basic plays, highlighted by the missed catch by Jay Smith in the end zone. If the ACC ever wants to compete with the SEC in football, they can, but it is their focus that is lacking.”

This is also an NC State team that was expected to make a leap with their talented young quarterback Russell Wilson, who looked every bit young but lacked the other quality last night. However, I am not sure I subscribe to Falco’s argument. South Carolina has come out of the gate extremely hot the last 2 or 3 seasons only to take a nosedive at the end of the season. NC State is still one of the worst teams in the ACC, and one good or bad offensive showing isn’t going to change that much. The SEC is leaps ahead of the ACC in football, as only the Big East (in my opinion) has a less imposing lineup. I will give the ACC a tie with the Big Ten as while the ACC is better top to bottom, the Big Ten has two major contenders in Ohio State and Penn State whereas the ACC has at best a large collection of 8-4 squads.

Best game this weekend?
Oklahoma State vs. Georgia will be a great game, but with Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford gone you won’t really know how good Georgia is until the second half of the season. Nevada-Notre Dame will also be really interesting with the pistol offense going up against Tenuta’s revamped defense (though mostly because of the sick pleasure I would get seeing Nevada pull the upset). The same can be said of Navy taking on Ohio State in Columbus; I love seeing the triple option no matter who is running it. However, give me BYU-Oklahoma this weekend. If only because BYU could be the best non-BCS team in the country, and both of these teams will be gunning for a BCS berth regardless of the outcome of this game (though it gets much harder for BYU if they lose than it would for Oklahoma). With the Sooners down their best pass-catcher in tight end Jermaine Gresham due to injury, this game just got a lot more competitive. Who wins? Oklahoma, but my heart will be pulling for the mid-major as always.

Ravens Last Preseason Game Tonight

2009-09-03T13:51:00.006-04:00

The final Ravens preseason game is tonight as Baltimore heads down to Atlanta to take on the Falcons.

For the average fan, there will not be much excitement. It is reported that many of the hands down starters, including Joe Flacco, will not play much in this game. This preseason game will be the final opportunity for players to show themselves for the final cut.

A couple of positions still need some deciding, notably the kicking game. Steven Hauschka has looked like the better kicker than Graham Gano, but he is not blowing away anyone on the coaching staff, missing a chip shot inside 30 yards in the Ravens last preseason game against the Panthers. It is pretty clear that Gano will not win the job, but the question is will the Ravens be happy with Hauschka as the full time kicker? Some fans have been calling for Matt Stover, who lives in Baltimore with his family, to return. According to the Scott and Anita Show on 105.7 The Fan, Stover has been keeping in good shape, but is not actively trying to return to the Ravens, but that he is keeping good shape to be ready to go to a team sometime this season. This last game may determine whether the Ravens feel the need to seek this option.

Obviously another area of concern is the receiver position. Mark Clayton already said he will not play in this game, and Derrick Mason will likely do the same. Demetrius Williams and Kelley Washington appear to be all right for the final cut, but they should play anyway. But other players, like Justin Harper and Jayson Foster, still have something to show before the final cut of the roster. The main player who needs to step up is Yamon Figurs. The Ravens drafted this player high in the third round due to his speed, but so far due to injuries and problems catching may turn out to be a bust. It is possible that this is the last chance for him to be a Raven in this preseason game.

Other positions that still have some questions include cornerback and some of the offensive linemen; possibly the third string tight end as well. But the starters for the Ravens are mainly set in stone, so for the average fan, this preseason game won't bring a lot of interest. But for the hardcore, it is the final chance for some of the players to make the cut.

Game tonight is at 7:30 PM.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

Terps Hoping Chris Turner is "California Dreamin"

2009-09-02T07:30:00.002-04:00

The start of the Maryland football season is just four days away, as the Terps head to the Golden State for a battle with the Cal Bears in a rematch from last year where the Terps defeated them 35-27 in College Park. Cal comes into the season ranked #12 in both major preseason polls, and as Ralph Friedgen has said about this game, "I'm sure they'll be waiting for us after last year." (credit to Tracking the Terps blog on the Baltimore Sun)

Cal coach Jeff Tedford said of the game "Revenge is a pretty strong word, but I think redemption may be a little bit better, just because we didn't play very well last year. It's the revenge from what they did to us, it's the redemption of what we did to ourselves." No matter what, it is clear that last year's contest will be in the mind of many players on both sides.

One interesting aspect into this game is Chris Turner, Maryland's quarterback. He is from Simi Valley, California. Granted, Simi Valley is about a six-hour drive from Berkeley, but Turner will be playing in his home state for the first time in two years, when the Terps lost to Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl in 2007.

For the first time in a few years, Maryland has no quarterback controversy. 2005 had Sam Hollenbach vs. Joel Statham, 2006 had Hollenbach vs. Jordan Steffy, then 2007 and 2008 had Steffy, Turner, and Josh Portis competing for the position. Turner won out the job, and with Steffy and Portis moving on, he has no competition and will not be under pressure in practice to win the job, as his backup is Jamarr Robinson. No one else other than Turner or Robinson practiced in the QB position in the fall. This could affect Turner in one of two ways: either he is better without the competition, or he struggles without anyone behind him.

Turner tends to be a fan favorite, but the reality is he has been an extremely inconsistent player. He has games where he is a tremendous quarterback, leading the Terps to many victories over ranked teams in the past two years, notably top-10 Boston College in 2007 and a shutout of #21 Wake Forest in 2008. But others he is just terrible, notably bring shutout by Virginia and upset by Middle Tennessee State in 2008. It is very rare he has an average day, almost always it is great or terrible. But for Maryland, Turner will be the guy; no one can replace him from the sidelines.

The bad news for Turner is that Darrius Heyward-Bey is no longer with the team after getting drafted #7 overall by the Oakland Raiders. He was the best threat Maryland had, but Turner had times where Heyward-Bey was not a factor, and found ways to adapt. Among his wide receivers, sophomore Torrey Smith and junior Adrian Cannon have stood out as the primary threats, and sophomore Ronnie Tyler will also see a lot of playing time. With a lot of young receivers plus a number of potentially strong rushers, Turner could have all the weapons he needs to make a solid offense.

California is a huge test for the new Maryland team. But this is Chris Turner's team now, and let's hope he is ready for the challenge.

(Photo credit: Maryland athletics)

Jeff Fiorentino is Back, a Reminder of the Past

2009-09-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

Remember Jeff Fiorentino? The guy the Orioles brought up directly from single-A Frederick in 2005, played sparingly for two years, and symbolized the problems with the front office bringing up people too quickly? Well after getting rid of him via waivers, bringing him back, and a full season this year in Norfolk, he is back on the Orioles via the expanded roster, according to the Baltimore Sun. Also joining the expanded roster will be relievers Matt Albers, Dennis Sarfate, and Alberto Castillo.

The Orioles will likely use all three of those relievers in September. The team has made it clear that they are going to be careful with the development of the young pitchers, especially Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz, so the O's will have a lot of innings to have pitched. This is especially important to Sarfate, who has not been active due to injury most of the year, and also Albers, who could still be a useful pitcher in the bullpen someday due to the fact he is only 26 and has at times been solid.

But Fiorentino's return is most interesting. It isn't even about Fiorentino. He has certainly done well this year with the Tides, hitting .312 with 12 home runs. At just 26 he could someday become a useful outfielder on the bench for the Orioles or someone else. But him returning reminds Oriole fans of the past. In the middle of the decade, the Orioles were constantly having problems in the farm system and rushing up too many people, causing problems in their development and ruining their chances. Fiorentino was having a great start in single-A Frederick, and the Orioles brought him up in May 2005 to the major league level. What happened is what many would expect, he did very little despite a .250 average, and was sent right back down. The most memorable moment was colliding with Sammy Sosa on a routine fly ball that Sosa was calling for, costing the Orioles a run instead of ending the inning. He only played 13 games that year, but it is not the way to develop prospects. The Orioles had rushed up players like Fiorentino and Daniel Cabrera in years past, and subsequently the farm system suffered. The Orioles were squandering their young talent.

Hopefully, the Orioles have moved on from that time. It looks like for now they have under Andy MacPhail. The return of Fiorentino is a reminder of the problematic past of the Orioles, and let's hope that it is a symbol that things are changing. Welcome back Jeff, and let's hope this trip to Charm City is better than the last time.

(Photo credit: Norfolk Tides)

Get Ready for a Long Month O's Fans

2009-08-31T07:30:00.000-04:00

We have to hand it to the Orioles. Even though the rotation is starting four rookies and the team is trading away many a number of its veterans, the team at least appears as though they will avoid the dreaded 100+ loss season.

But this could be a terrible September for the team, and everything that has happened supports this theory.

A lot of veterans have been traded away. Aubrey Huff, George Sherrill, Gregg Zaun and Joey Gathright have been sent to other teams for minor leaguers. The rotation has now gone to four rookies, with the best rookie pitcher, Brad Bergeson, likely out for the rest of the year, which leaves the Orioles relying on kids that will not pitch more than six innings a game most likely. To give an idea on how important Bergeson was, he has seven wins, second on the team; no bad considering he has not been playing for one-third of the season. The current lineup doesn't have a bad average, but nearly no power. Sure Felix Pie and a few others are coming on, but problems with Adam Jones have lowered his production as of late. History has shown that the Orioles often have a late collapse in the final month of the season. And to boot, the Orioles upcoming schedule is full of playoff-contending teams, including two series against the Yankees, two versus the Red Sox, one faceoff against the Rangers, and two against the Rays.

So with all of that, the Orioles will need to hold on and bear through September. Obviously they will want to fight for fourth place and avoid being last place behind the Blue Jays a second straight year, and they will need to make up four games in the standings to have a chance at them. If nothing else, try to finish above the Washington Nationals. That would require a collapse of large magnitude, but the Orioles still don't want that to happen. Also, with football season coming up, the fan support for the O's will look grim. The Ravens are easily king in Baltimore, and with them trying to build on an AFC Championship appearance last season, the Orioles will lose a lot of support.

A couple of questions are still in need of answering. Dave Trembley will be the manager through the end of the season, but he is no doubt on the hot seat. He has taken the approach that the front office expects him. The Orioles primary concern for the rest of the season is not winning games; not that they will broadcast that, but it is the case. They need to work with developing the young rotation and the young hitters. The rotation, especially Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz due to their potential, need to keep developing, as they will be on the starting rotation on Opening Day next year. Matt Wieters, Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold all have shown good stuff in certain parts of the year, and will need to continue learning for the season. With very few veterans of the future on the squad, this gives the young team a great chance to learn from each other.

But make no mistake. This month is going to be very rough. A number of powerful teams are getting ready to take the Baby Birds on, and this could be a long September for Dave Trembley and the O's.

(Photo credit: AP)

Free Kicks: The Return (Edition)

2009-08-28T14:07:00.003-04:00

Okay, so this ends the 3 week hiatus of free kicks, when I have been unable to post on Fridays due to work, vacation, etc. Today in fact I am off work as Windsor has come up to visit me in Michigan. Last weekend I was actually out in Las Vegas, losing my money and making me look forward to making it again at work. However, it was tons of fun.

Quick question: is the fact that the Orioles keep losing by such small margins a good sign or a bad sign? Is it a sign of progress or of an inability to close out games? Ask Jim Johnson, who may not be closer material but he will get his chances to prove himself before next season. Remember when he was going to be a starter? I still think he could/should be one, but if he is needed as a solid reliever, the Orioles should keep him there. Either way, with football season nearly upon us, let’s line up for the kick…

Brandon Marshall Suspended by Broncos
Can we stop talking about bringing him in now? I know Anita Marks is having chills over the idea of trading for the disgruntled wide receiver, but let’s reassess- so he has legal problems, anger problems, problems with his management, problems with his coaching staff, only 2 great seasons to judge him on (with a great quarterback throwing him the ball), and he is going to want a fat new contract. There aren’t many receivers in the league I would want on my team less. This guy is currently acting like a Terrell Owens without the reputation for production- and T.O. never in my memory flipped out over contract issues like Marshall has- though he hasn’t been anywhere long enough for that to happen.

Vick and Favre Make their Debuts
With a second NFL story in this week’s kicks, it is clear that football is starting to take over. Michael Vick did what he was supposed to, get comfortable under center and get in a few odd formations. I am almost glad he is suspended for the first six weeks, he is a long way from being in football shape and he will need his dynamic speed in order to become an impact player for the Eagles. He has shown a new work ethic and seems determined to make the most of his opportunity to remake his life. He grew up not even knowing that people actually cared about their dogs, and now he has the right support system to make a difference in the world. I cannot fathom what he did, but I don’t believe in destroying someone for life who seems poised to transform himself.

As for Favre, he made a fool out of himself and destroyed his reputation by coming back- who exactly is going to like him when he is finally done his career? He is joining the rival of his old team, so scratch any Packers fans who still liked him. He failed to get the Jets to the playoffs after a thrilling start, so arm injury or not New York fans will not be forgiving. Vikings fans will love him now but he still played them too many times for them to like him once he is gone- unless he brings them a ring. He won’t though, he is good but not that good anymore to get this team over the hump. The Vikings organization has destroyed their former 2nd round pick, Tavaris Jackson, by constantly pulling him in and out of the starting job from the very start of his career. They have shown no patience in handling him and may be devastating his psyche in the process. Good job trying to salvage him when Favre leaves- and trying to salvage the locker room.

Added bonus: From now on, every Free Kicks will include a prediction for the weekend, it can be about anything really, though preferably sports related. Here goes!

Prediction for the Weekend: The Orioles will take 2 out of the 3 remaining games with the Cleveland Indians, earning the split.