The Maryland Sports Blog

After a few days to reflect (so I do not seem biased) I am giving my Ravens report card. Here is the report card for the Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Jets game.

1. Joe Flacco: B I give Flacco a solid B for his performance Monday night. His quarterback rating may not have been spectacular but he was a quarterback in a hostile enviroment playing against one of the best defenses in the league. When the running game was shut down, Flacco was able to throw effectively against the self-proclaimed best secondary in the league.

2. Running backs: C- The running backs were a major disappointment. Ray Rice looked like he was about to break a long run several times but was never able to break free. Willis McGahee fumbled but redeemed himself by scoring a touchdown.

3. Wide Receivers: A+ Remember when the wide receiver core was one of the weaknesses of the team? That’s not the case anymore, as Anquan Boldin shined in his Ravens debut.

3. Tight ends: A Todd Heap was dominant. Ed Dickson played well and Dennis Pitta also got some solid playing time when Heap went out hurt.

4. Offensive line: C+ They blocked the pass well but they were outmatched when it came to run blocking.

5. Defense: A++++ Okay usually I break down the defense by group but when they are that dominant it’s hard to say anything besides awesome all around. Every group was awesome, completely shutting down the Jets. Ray Lewis was at his best.

6. Special teams: D The return game was disappointing and the punt coverage was not that hot. I do think the refs missed a block in the back on David Reed on Jim Leonhard’s big punt return.

The Baltimore Ravens have been receiving some national attention this summer for being possible Super Bowl contenders.  Only about five teams are considered elite every year and the Baltimore Ravens are one of those teams labeled.  In reviewing the Ravens position-by-position, it is hard to argue that they are not elite.

Quarterbacks - Joe Flacco was a rookie phenom a couple of years ago.  He was quiet and kept to himself.  Now Flacco has grown up on and off the field and walks around as if he owns the Ravens.  On the field, he gets smarter on every play.   Backup Marc Bulger could be starting for a lot of teams and can step in when needed.

Grade: B+

Running backs - Ray Rice is a top five running back in the NFL; he is dangerous catching the ball and running with the ball.  Fullback Le’Ron McClain is a great blocker and can run with the ball.  Willis McGahee is a solid backup and Jalen Parmele is the starting kick returner.

Grade: A

Wide receivers – With the addition of Anquan Boldin, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Donte’ Stallworth, the Ravens have one of the better wide receiver groups in the NFL, as well as one of the most improved.

Grade: B

Tight ends – Todd Heap is finally healthy and he finally has legit backups in Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.  Dickson needs to work on blocking but he is a match-up nightmare for defenses.

Grade: B+

Offensive line – Some question marks have popped up about the offensive line due to injuries.  When the season gets underway, I think the Ravens will be healthy and they will be one of the top 5 lines in the NFL.

Grade: B+

Linebackers – The Ravens pick up great undrafted free agent linebackers every year and mold them into great players.  This group is no exception because Jameel McClain and Dannell Ellerbe have become solid players.  The guy in the middle goes by the name Ray Lewis –  some might have heard of him.  Terrell Suggs is back in shape ready to get some sacks.

Grade: A+

Secondary – The Ravens might be missing Ed Reed but Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura are underrated solid players.  Dawan Landry is back to his old self as a hard hitting free safety.  The pickup of cornerback Josh Wilson was much-needed.

Grade: C+

Defensive line – Haloti Ngata is widely considered one of the best nosetackles in the NFL. Terrence Cody is a mammoth in the middle. Teams will not be running very far on this line.

Grade: A

Special Teams – The Ravens hold special teams in high regard.  They have players make the roster just because they are good at special teams, like Edgar Jones.  They have multiple people that can return kicks and one of the best punters in the NFL in Sam Koch.  The only question mark for this group is the kicker Billy Cundiff.

Grade: B+

Today was the third day of Baltimore Ravens training camp and it came with big news. It came out that corner back Dominique Foxworth tore his ACL yesterday during non contact drills. I talked to him in the hall today he is really down, nice guy.

This is a big blow to the Ravens already weak secondary. They did get Fabian Washington back today, he is off the PUP and wearing a red non-contact jersey.

Tight end Dennis Pitta had a tough day catching passes, I am not worried about him though he will be fine. Quarter back Troy Smith also struggled.

I got to see running back Willis McGahee get a tooth knocked out by strong safety Dawan Landry.

The big thing to happen to me today was meeting and talking to ESPN’s John Clayton, we talked on the sidelines for about 30 minutes.

On lighter news Jen Royle did a great job ripping Nestor Aparicio face-to-face, I got a kick out of it listening to that.

I also had a nice conversation with Wally Williams and other media guys.