Archive for Todd Heap – Page 2

Nov
23

Ravens get edged by Colts

by Jeff Wolfson

The Baltimore Ravens played a huge game against Indianapolis and fell short. They’ve been falling short in all of their big games this season and with five losses, it could become problematic.

Indianapolis held the Ravens to just 15 points and no touchdowns on Sunday. The frustrating part of the 15 points is the Ravens defense only yielded 17 points. Holding the Colts to 17 points is a feat in its own right, but then to not win is terrible. Baltimore had three chances from the Colts’ 1-yard line and couldn’t punch the ball in to the end zone and that was the difference in the game.

The real key in my opinion, however, was Haloti Ngata’s late hit on Pierre Garcon. Garcon had just lost yardage on a failed reverse and Ngata felt the need to hit him late. That penalty gave the Colts an automatic first down and new life on the drive. Shortly after that penalty Matt Stover kicked the game-winning field goal for Indianapolis.

Joe Flacco’s interception was another costly play. Flacco threw it right to Gary Brackett while the Ravens seemed to be going down the field to win the game. Over the past few weeks it seems that Flacco has regressed a little bit and the Ravens should maybe run the ball a little more. Ray Rice is having a great season, but he wasn’t that good on Sunday.

Rice, Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain are formidible coming out of the backfield, but the Ravens didn’t run the ball enough Sunday to beat the Colts.

Baltimore’s wide receivers, aside from Derrick Mason, were almost non-existent. Todd Heap was open a few times and Flacco him across the middle, but not for big plays.

The aftermath of this game is uglier than usual. The Ravens have fallen to 5-5 and further behind in the playoff chase. Fabian Washington likely tore an ACL when he was trying to bring down Joseph Addai on the Colts’ last drive. Lardarius Webb will probably start in Washington’s place for the rest of this season.

These next six weeks will decide Baltimore’s fate. It starts with Sunday night’s game against the Steelers. The Ravens are talented enough to go 10-6, but it’s going to take a ton of effort.

0 Categories : NFL
Nov
19

Update on the Injured Ravens

by Jeff Wolfson

The most glaring name on this week’s injury is Terrell Suggs. Suggs has never missed a game in his career, but will be missing this week’s crucial game. He was injured on a cheap shot chop block by Brady Quinn on Chris Carr’s interception. It has been reported that he has a slight MCL tear.

Another name that was on the injury report is running back Matt Lawrence. Lawrence, to me, is an inconsequential part to the team. He’s a fourth running back, but he does play on special teams. We haven’t really heard much from him though, so this is minor.

Todd Heap didn’t practice Thursday. Normally I would worry about this, but the invisible L.J. Smith is on the roster and he has experience starting at the tight end position. Smith’s lone highlight is a catch in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns. I have confidence in Smith even though he hasn’t played much at all this season.

The other injuries this week are minor. Matt Birk has a sore neck. Joe Flacco’s knee is banged up. Haloti Ngata is planning on playing this week. Linebackers Jarret Johnson and Tavares Gooden were also listed on the injury report, but fully practiced Thursday.

0 Categories : NFL
Oct
16

Previewing Ravens-Vikings

by Jeff Wolfson

Coming off of a last minute loss to Cincinnati, Baltimore will be looking to bounce back this Sunday. The problem is the opponent.

Minnesota is one of five undefeated teams left in the NFL. Brett Favre has had a solid season so far and Adrian Peterson is doing what he’s done for the last three years. The Vikings defense is stout led by their defensive line. Jared Allen potentially could drive Michael Oher crazy. The Williams Wall (Pat and Kevin) are excellent run stoppers. Minnesota’s weakness is their pass defense.

Minnesota is 18th in the NFL in pass defense, yielding 224.6 yards per game. Their linebackers will struggle covering Todd Heap and their corners are good, but like the Ravens, small and fast. Darren Sharper, who was the glue at safety for Minnesota, has now moved on to New Orleans, was the Vikings best safety for a few years. If Joe Flacco and the offense get their early-season swagger back it could be a long day for Minnesota.

I expect Baltimore’s defense will be in a foul mood after allowing 100+ yards to Cedric Benson last Sunday. Benson broke the 100-yard mark for the first time in 40 games and it’s just not going to sit well. Peterson is an absolute beast for the Vikings and the Ravens can’t afford to load up eight in the box. However, Peterson fumbles the ball a lot. That could be a plus for Baltimore. The real X-factor is the Ravens running game, though.

The running game has been seemingly abandoned by offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. There’s no reason for that. Ray Rice averages 5.8 yards per carry and seems to make a play every time he touches the ball. Willis McGahee has a ton of touchdowns so he should get touches too. In short-yardage situations Le’Ron McClain hasn’t gotten the ball and that’s a problem. If Baltimore gets back to running the ball at least half the time, they will win Sunday.

Prediction: Baltimore 17, Minnesota 14

 

Note: There has been a rumor that the Ravens are trying to acquire Dwayne Bowe from the Kansas City Chiefs. If this happens then that’s a great move for the Ravens. Bowe is big, fast and physical. That’s the kind of receiver the Ravens could use going forward.

0 Categories : NFL
Oct
13

Tyree's a Raven

by Jeff Wolfson

In a move that I thought would happen for weeks, the Ravens finally signed David Tyree.

Tyree had worked out for Baltimore earlier this season, but nothing happened because the Ravens had a need at tight end. Suddenly, L.J. Smith is healthy and there is no need for Tony Curtis. Curtis was the fourth tight end and didn’t play in Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati.

Tyree bolsters a thin receiving corps that was using only three receivers in games with tight ends Todd Heap and Smith serving as another receiver.  Demetrius Williams could have been in danger of being released, but he will still serve as a back up in case an injury occurs.

Tyree is best known for his catch in Super Bowl XLII that helped the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots. He became a free agent because of the Giants young receiving corps this season.

I like this move. We’ll see how the Ravens use him.

0 Categories : NFL
Oct
12

Bengals Take a Bite Out of Ravens

by Jeff Wolfson

Wow was I wrong. The Bengals sure do know how to make things exciting though.

I figured the Ravens would blow away the Bengals, but they didn’t. Baltimore’s been struggling moving the ball on offense, and now having trouble staying away from penalties on defense. The Ravens squeezed just seven points out of their offense. It looked like the old days.

The referees are not to blame for this loss. The Ravens killed themselves in Cincinnati’s last drive. Ray Lewis’ penalty was stupid. Chad Ochocinco even said it was a legal hit had he not gone after his head. Those 15 yards sure aided the Bengals last drive. Frank Walker’s pass interference penalty was debatable, but he owned up to making a mistake at the end of the game. Also of note, Cedric Benson ran the ball very well against the Ravens, cracking the 100-yard mark for the first in 40 regular season games.

Ed Reed showed up to play some football. Reed broke beautifully on a Carson Palmer pass and ran it in for a touchdown. Baltimore’s defense  scored as many as the Baltimore offense. Ouch.

On to the offense. Joe Flacco misfired in the end zone early in the game giving away at least three points. Later in the game, he overthrew Mark Clayton. Can’t pin this one on Clayton’s case of the drops. Willis McGahee was M.I.A. as was Le’Ron McClain. Ray Rice was excellent in Sunday’s defeat and must get more carries. Todd Heap showed up and Clayton was fine. Derrick Mason couldn’t sniff a pass, but Leon Hall had him covered.

I guess it’s back to the drawing board for the Ravens. Preparation for Minnesota will be tough. Adrian Peterson is vicious running the ball and Brett Favre, surprisingly, is still Brett Favre. This, once again, will be a statement game.

0 Categories : NFL
Sep
14

Ravens-Chiefs: The Aftermath

by Jeff Wolfson

The Ravens had a successful season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, winning 38-24. The offense was balanced, the defense looked good, but the special teams leave a lot to be desired.

First I’ll discuss the offense. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron started to open up the playbook a bit. Joe Flacco passed a lot in the first half, but the Ravens also wore the Chiefs down. Flacco tossed the ball all over the field to multiple receivers throughout the game. It also seemed to be a coming out party for tight end Todd Heap. Heap had disappeared for the past few years, but had a solid game Sunday afternoon. The former Pro Bowl tight end also had five receptions including a touchdown. Ray Rice introduced himself to the league as a starter and powered his way to 108 yards on 19 carries.

As it turned out, the Ravens ran 84 offensive plays. That is an astouding number. For some reason, experts are saying this is an aerial attack. I disagree. Let’s take a quick look at why I disagree. Flacco threw the football 43 times for 307 yards. This averages 7.13 yards per attempt. That’s an improvement. The balance, though, is from the running game. Baltimore ran the ball 41 times. On those 41 carries the Ravens gained 198 yards for an average of 4.8 yards per rush. So, in 84 plays Cameron split pass and run almost evenly.

Now for the defense. A staple of Baltimore Ravens football has been a ferocious, suffocating defense. They partially showed up Sunday. The team only totaled three sacks and struggled at times to get pressure on the passer. Baltimore’s defensive backfield is one of the fastest in the league, but I think they struggled some with the physicality of the bigger Dwayne Bowe. It seemed like most of the game the defense was playing their base scheme and not showing too much. I’m looking for the Ravens to open up their defensive playbook against San Diego on Sunday.

The special teams, as I said, left a lot to be desired. New kicker Steve Hauschka missed a field goal, but had nice kickoffs. Hauschka still has a long way to go to replace longtime kicker Matt Stover, but could turn out to be very good. Sam Koch had a punt blocked for the first time in his career. Punt returns weren’t good either. The coverage teams did look good flying down the field which was saving grace.

Overall, the Ravens looked good, but there’s room for improvement. Look for the team to clean up their penalties and play more aggressive defense against a very good, talented San Diego Chargers team.

0 Categories : NFL
Aug
31

Looking Back At Carolina

by Jeff Wolfson

Coming off of the 17-13 win against Carolina there are good things and bad things to take from this win.

First, the good. Joe Flacco was pinpoint. His 247 yards on 23 completions was good to see. Baltimore’s quarterback spread the ball around to several different receivers. He was also throwing in to tight windows that we didn’t see last year. He’s also shown greater touch in the shorter passes so far this preseason.

Also good was the re-emergence of  Todd Heap. Heap had his worst year statistically last season and seemed like he disappeared from the offense. His touchdown in the red zone and his catches on intermediate routes should help open up the rest of the field for the Ravens offense. The Ravens could be a dangerous offense if Heap is in the mix.

Ray Rice and Willis McGahee proved they will be fun to watch as a one-two punch this season. Rice lead the team in receptions Saturday night and McGahee punched it in the end zone. Baltimore has its eyes on being the number one rushing team in the NFL. Throw in Le’Ron McClain and this running attack could be fun to watch again.

Now for the bad. The kicking game must improve. Steve Hauschka missed a chip shot and was short on kickoffs. Graham Gano was already on thin ice with the coaching staff and it appears as though the job is still Hauschka’s to lose. Matt Stover is just one phone call away and I still think he will be the kicker on Opening Day.

The penalties on Michael Oher were also bad. Oher has time to grow and will develop in to a monster at right tackle. The false start at the goal line cost the Ravens seven points. There is no need for concern over Oher, but the penalties must stop if the Ravens are going to be better in the red zone this season.

Overall, this was an impressive game even though it was an exhibition game. Flacco looked good, the receiving corps looks like it really doesn’t need much but good health and the defense acted like its old self. Atlanta should be fun to watch Thursday.

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