The Maryland Sports Blog

The Baltimore Ravens may be on a bye week but most of the NFL is still active.  Last week I predicted 12 games correctly and only got 4 games wrong.  Here are the picks

Tennessee at Pittsburgh- Tennessee
Seattle at NY Giants- NY Giants
Cincinnati at Jacksonville- Cincinnati
New Orleans at Carolina- New Orleans
Oakland at Houston- Houston
Philadelphia at Buffalo- Buffalo
Kansas City at Indianapolis- Indianapolis
Arizona at Minnesota- Arizona
Tampa Bay at San Fransisco- San Fransisco
NY Jets at New England- New England
San Diego at Denver- San Diego
Green Bay at Atlanta- Green Bay

New Orleans at Green Bay- Victory Green Bay

Atlanta At Chicago- Victory Atlanta

Cincinnati at Cleveland- Victory Cleveland

Philadelphia at St. Louis- Victory Philadelphia

Detroit at Tampa Bay- Victory Detroit

Tennessee at Jacksonville- Victory Tennessee

Pittsburgh at Baltimore- Victory Baltimore

Indianapolis at Houston- Victory Houston

NY Giants at Washington- Victory Washington

Seattle at San Fransisco- Victory San Fransisco

Minnesota at San Diego- Victory San Diego

Carolina at Arizona- Victory Arizona

Dallas at New York Jets- Victory Jets

New England at Miami- Victory New England

Oakland at Denver- Victory Denver

Welcome back football. Oh how we have missed you.

The Baltimore Ravens travel the Philadelphia to play the Eagles today for the first preseason game.

Ok fans, hold in your excitement, remember this is the first preseason game. That being said I am not posting a prediction. Only because starters will only play about a quarter, some less than that.

Players like Ray Lewis will play a few series and then be done the game.

The players to watch are the backups. See how, backup quarterback, Tyrod Tyler plays in game action. It’s also a good chance to determine what players are on the bubble and what players are not.

I am excited to see how all the rookie draft picks play at the NFL level.

Rookie offensive lineman, Jah Reid is another player I will be watching closely. I have heard many good things about the Ravens 3rd-round pick.

Sorry if this post is shorter than the average game day post. The first preseason game is more of a welcome back party for football than real action. That being said it’s also one of my favorite games to really study.

I will be watching the game and cheering on the Ravens just like I would do for any other game.

This is also a game in which players might be more prone to injuries. The players only had two weeks to get ready for this game.

I will predict the Eagles to win this one. I hope I am wrong, the Eagles backup quarterback, Vince Young, is probably going to get a lot of snaps against our backups. Young has played in two Pro Bowls and is very good for a backup quarterback.

Fantasy Football leagues continue to rapidly grow each year.  It is flat out addicting.  Each year we try different strategies to picking the best team possible.  Some years are luck, and some years it does take some knowledge about players, teams and statistics.  From Monday to Sunday it is important to listen to key match-ups, injuries and up-to-date news on not just your managed players, but others as well.  Each week I will give you a few tips for each position in who may be a good start, those who need to ride the bench and those players to watch out for as the season progresses.

In Week 1 we saw a lot of injury activity, offensive shootouts and defensive stand-stills.  For Week 2, these are some players I would look for to have a solid week.

QB

Michael Vick- Philadelphia Eagles:  Vick probably was not taken in anyone’s draft, and he might have already been picked up in most leagues, but according to Yahoo!, Vick is only owned by 58% of the leagues.  Pick him up!  This will only be temporary depending on how quickly Kevin Kolb will return from a concussion.  Let’s just put into perspective exactly how well Vick did last week against a tough Green Bay defense.  Vick led the Eagles to 17 second half points.  He completed 16 of 24 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, as well as 103 yards on 11 carries.  The Eagles take on the Detroit Lions this weekend.  Enough said.

Matt Schaub- Houston Texans:  Matt Schaub gets no respect.  He doesn’t get much media attention because he has never reached the playoffs, but no one knows exactly how good this guy is.  He had a disappointing Week 1.  Only 107 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception and a QB rating of 67.5; however, the Texans gameplan against the Colts relied on running.  Look for him to bounce back this week despite going into D.C. and facing a rough Redskins D.  Schaub’s numbers on the road are definitely something to look at: “In his last 13 road games dating back to 2008, Schaub has thrown for 3,778 yards, completed 67.3 percent and has 19 touchdowns. He’s averaged a league-best 290.6 yards per game on the road during that span. (Yahoo Sports)”

RB

Beanie Wells-Arizona Cardinals:  Wells is the original starting RB for Arizona this season.  He sat out Week 1 after injuring his knee in the final pre-season game, but will be back in full-action Week 2 against Atlanta.  Tim Hightower, the Cards’ back-up runningback, filled in last week.  He is a hard runner and a great player, but fumbled the ball twice last week against the Rams.  He had 54 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, along with 40 receiving yards, but Wells will get the bulk of the carries this Sunday against the Falcons as Hightower will practice holding onto the ball.  I would pick up Wells and start him because with the departures of Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin; their offense might look to change the way they do things on offense.

*UPDATE* Beanie Wells will be inactive today. Bench him while you can.

LaDanian Tomlinson-New York Jets:  After a miserable offensive performance for the Jets’ Week 1 against the Ravens, the Jets can take away one positive thing from Monday night’s game: LT.  Tomlinson, who is supposed to be the back-up to Shonn Greene ran for 62 yards on 11 carries.  That may not be terrific, but look for LT to be this week’s starter against the Patriots after Greene had a disappointing game against the Ravens with two fumbles on only five carries.  This may be bold, but after only 74 yards passing from Sanchez in Week 1, I think the Jets have to stick to the running game.

WR

Mark Clayton-St. Louis Rams:  After being traded to the Rams from the Ravens, Clayton finally has a home where he can shine.  Clayton has so much potential, but with the explosive All-Star lineup in Baltimore, it was hard for Clayton to show his true colors.  Clayton was thrown into an unfamiliar offense in St. Louis and still managed to rack up 119 yards on 10 catches.  He is a veteran surrounded by young players, and it is a great place for Clayton to prove himself.  10 catches in one game shows Clayton will be a popular target for QB Sam Bradford.  Keep an eye on Clayton this week.

Legedu Naanee-San Diego Chargers: With the absence of star receiver Vincent Jackson, look for the Chargers’ other threats to step up in Jackson’s spot.  Naanee looks to be Phillip Rivers’ new deep threat as Naanee went for 110 yards on five touches.  The Chargers are a pass-happy team, and Rivers, who threw nearly 300 yards last week, is going to face Jacksonville who also gave up nearly 300 yards in passing.  Look for Rivers and Naanee to hook up deep a few times this Sunday.

TE

Jermaine Gresham-Cincinnati Bengals: It’s always good to have a back-up tight end, and since tight ends are hard to come by, it doesn’t hurt to pick up one that might surprise you.  This is my surprise pick.  He’s only owned by 37% of the leagues on Yahoo, but this week the Benagls are facing the Ravens at home.  The Bengals are 8-6 against the Ravens at home, and Carson Palmer has thrown close to 3,000 yards against the Ravens in 11 career games.  Gresham had six catches for 25 yards and a touchdown Week 1.  Look for Gresham to get the goaline TD’s from Palmer this season, and maybe one against the Ravens this Sunday.

Players to Watch

RB Michael Bush-Oakland Raiders

RB Brandon Jackson-Green Bay Packers

The Baltimore Ravens play the Carolina Panthers Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium. Since this is the first preseason game the starters are only excepted to play one quarter and some will not play at all. Here are some things to watch for during the game.

Offense

Wide receiver battle- With the addition of Anquan Boldin and Donte’ Stallworth there is major competition for the 4th and 5th wide receiver spot. A position of weakness last year has now become a position of strength. Demetrius Williams, David Reed, Marcus Smith, Justin Harper, Rodelin Anthony, and Eron Riley are all on the bubble.

Right Tackle- Offensive tackle Jared Gaither has been toying with the Ravens all year, and/or injured. Oniel Cousins will most likely get the start at right tackle, it will be interesting to see how he does. Ramon Harewood has been a surprise at camp, he is a rookie that was drafted in the 6th round out of Morehouse, he saw some action with the first team.

Tight end position battle- Another weak position last year that is very much improved. Todd Heap is the starting tight end but Ed Dickson, rookie 3rd round pick out of Oregon, has opened up a lot of eyes with his pass catching ability. Dennis Pitta has also been impressive in camp and Davon Drew has been solid as well.

Defense

Corner backs – Fabian Washington and Chris Carr may not play in Thursday’s game. It will be up to a bunch of lesser known players to fill in. It is a good thing that preseason does not count towards anything because it could get ugly. Prince Miller is excepted to get a lot of playing time, lets see what he can do with it.

Linebacker position battle- Jameel McClain is expected to get the start next to Ray Lewis and he is emphatic to play. Tavares Gooden, Prescott Burgess, Antwan Barnes, Edgar Jones, Albert McClellan, Paul Kruger and Jason Phillips are playing for a play on the depth chart.

These are all guys that could be starting for some other teams in the league but might have trouble making the Ravens tough group. Jimmy Clausen might have trouble staying on his feet against these guys because these will be the guys he sees when he is out with the second or third team.

Free Safety- Who knows if/when Ed Reed will play this year. Tom Zbikowski and Ken Hamlin are battling for the top spot. So far they have both had their moments in camp.

Special Teams- Most of the bubble players will boost their status with good-to-great special teams play. Guys like David Reed, Marcus Smith, Edgar Jones, and Prescott Burgess will give themselves an opportunity to make the team just for special teams play.

Kicker battle- Billy Cundiff and Shayne Graham will continue their battle into the preseason. Head Coach John Harbaugh said that the kickers will take turns on kicks.