Is Rex Ryan the Lane Kiffin of the AFC?

Former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan has amassed quite a book of notable quotations since becoming head coach of the New York Jets.

He has called out Bill Belichick, gone to war with Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder, and for a preseason dust-up, he recently called out the Ravens for assigning former defensive end Michael McCrary’s No. 99 jersey to rookie Paul Kruger.

So if I didn’t admire Ryan and his defensive philosophy, I’d liken him to the most hated man in college football, Lane Kiffin.

It’s as if they read from the same book of antagonizing behavior, and compare notes on how to draw the most ire out of their counterparts.

• Piss off the best coach in the conference
• Get in trouble with players
• Starting something with a former team

Ryan’s only saving grace from being mocked and lampooned by the New York media and other NFL enthusiasts, is that he is a large, gruff, “son-of-a” defensive coordinator.

Where Kiffin is a baby-faced clown with something to prove beyond his success at USC, Ryan has paid his dues in the NFL, and looks like he could bring you some drama if you challenged him on his statements.

Plus, the Jets are a horribly mediocre team, and I’m sure they, along with fans, welcome the new “tough-guy” bravado being shipped in sound-bytes into the Meadowlands.

I’m just surprised the media hasn’t caught onto the similarities between Kiffin and Ryan, who both will have big expectations after a summer of checks written at Big Mouth Savings and Loan.

Could Troy Smith Create a Ravens Quarterback Controversy?

Throughout the night, I heard Ravens fans in the stands reacting to the Michael Vick-to-the-Eagles news. It trickled throughout the 140 section and around the stadium, prompting a mixed response when the big screen showed the AP lead on the story.

And I found it to be poetic in two ways. One, all of the talk that took place just a week prior about Vick possibly coming to the Ravens likely won’t create an outcry of dismay among Ravens fans.

And two, the man Vick was slated to replace was busy looking good against Washington.

Scratch that. Troy Smith looked great.

14-of-30, 200 yards, a touchdown pass, good movement out of the pocket, and only two bad throws by my count. Let us not forget that, but for a severe illness that caused Smith to miss most of the 2008 preseason, he would very well be the starter. Prior to 2008, Smith has a 1-1 record as a starter, and no interceptions.

Now, I’m not going to push buttons and say that Joe Flacco looked bad last night, because he didn’t. The offense moved the ball well, and while they came up short on two possessions, there were no turnovers, very few instances of indecision on Flacco’s part, and no indicators of glaring weakness on the offensive line.

But Smith made an interesting case to be more than a Wildcat quarterback. I always believed that his greatest hindrance from being a starter was being too short to see over the offensive line. But it didn’t appear to be an issue last night, as he moved out of the pocket only when plays broke down.

Granted, the Washington offense could not score, so the snaps were relatively stress-free for Smith, but for what he needed to do, he did it extremely well.

I was one of those guys who thought Vick-to-the-Ravens wouldn’t be such a bad idea, mostly in the recognition of Smith’s mastery of specialty packages on offense. But after seeing Smith in the first preseason game, I’m willing to admit that we have exactly what Michael Vick would’ve brought to the club already in house.

And Smith might just have enough to make Flacco lose a little of his cool in the weeks to come.

Technorati Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Joe Flacco, Michael Vick, Troy Smith

University of Maryland: Financial Support from Terrapin Nation Cooling Off?

The University of Maryland cut just over three percent of its athletic budget recently, which will result in a few more bus trips and a few less media guides for the athletic programs.

I can’t imagine that the football and men’s basketball staff will actually complain about taking buses to ACC games in Virginia and North Carolina, because that’s long been the life of the mid-major programs that bus in to take a beating courtesy of the Terps for a sizable paycheck.

On the other hand, the Terp boosters have to feel bad about this kind of adjustment over such small change; $300,000 for football and just over $147,000 for men’s basketball is about 25 phone calls to local dentists, lawyers, and business owners with Terrapin ties.

Schools everywhere are taking measures to save money, but I’ve yet to hear Duke, North Carolina, or any other institution in the Terps’ line of fire for conference relevance taking such cuts.

It’s not a bad thing to take buses and reduce costs, if for no other reason than to show your fanbase that you are aware of today’s financial culture. But even in tough times, well-off folk, who are the real fans that drive the business enterprise that is collegiate sports, are still investing in athletic success.

They live for bragging rights among their friends and family. They enjoy the status symbol of good seats at a high-energy home game. And they probably wouldn’t mind keeping the money train rolling if they knew it could enhance these symbols of affluence and stature in their inner-circles of sports rabid fans.

So let’s be honest; winning, or lack thereof, is the motivation behind this story. Terrapins Nation has cooled to a point where their dwindling hopes for national relevance have cooled off their check writing vigor. We’re talking less than half-a-million dollars to keep the program existing at its established comfort level.

And let’s not pretend that the Debbie Yow, who is a tremendous athletic director, hasn’t made the pitch to the big and little people. It’s just that the big people haven’t pulled out the big checkbooks. And when you look around at what football and men’s basketball have produced lately, in spite of great facilities and decent national coverage, who could blame them?

You mean to tell me Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, who supports Maryland basketball only out of respect and admiration for Gary Williams, would have trouble spotting UMD $200,000 so the team could fly to regional games? Please.

Maryland isn’t in trouble, but these are true and certain signs of decline in local Terp fever.

Technorati Tags: Debbie Yow, Gary Williams, Maryland Terrapins, Steve Bisciotti

Albert Haynesworth Is WWE Material…

…if you ask Jason Brown of the St. Louis Rams.

“I’m so glad we’re playing Washington early in the year because it’s going to be hot out there, we’re going to be running hurry-up offense and he’s going to get fatigued,” Brown said. “And I’m not sure if you have watched film before, but when he gets fatigued, he taps out. He just falls down to the ground, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, is he hurt? Is something wrong with him?’ No, he’s just giving the guy on the sidelines enough time to mosey on out there so he can get up, go to the sidelines, catch a breather, get something to drink and then he comes right back out.

“And then people are like, ‘I thought he was hurt.’ No, he got tired. But you know what, that’s exactly what we’re going to have to do when we play Washington. We’re going to have to play hurry-up offense and make them tired.”

So let’s see; a standout defensive lineman who just got a big payday gets called out for feigning injury when tired. Yep, that sounds just about right for a Washington free agent signing.

Technorati Tags: Albert Haynesworth

Santana Moss, Devin Thomas Hamstrung?

Maybe it’s the humidity of the mid-Atlantic, because it makes no sense for veterans of two area NFL teams to have this many issues with hamstrings. Particularly when the players are wide receivers, who are trained to stretch and practice to avoid this kind of injury.

We talked earlier about Mark Clayton of the Ravens, who messed his hamstring up badly enough that there was bleeding involved. He might miss all of the preseason as a result. We now turn our attention to Washington, where the first and third best receivers on the team—Santana Moss and Devin Thomas—both sat this afternoon with hamstring soreness.

Granted, all three receivers were practicing on wet fields, so it could be a matter of the surface and not the toughness of Moss, Thomas and Clayton. But Washington needs to be extra careful about their approach to Moss and Thomas. Moss is the team’s best receiver, and possibly will be their best option at punt return this year.

Thomas has yet to make an impact on offense going into his second season, and the squad is likely planning for three-receiver sets featuring he and Malcolm Kelly to make life easier on running back Clinton Portis, who may or may not need the help; depending on what you think of his paperwork.

Training camps are tailor made to create injuries. The hot weather, the drills that stress muscles and tendons in a way that training and exercise rarely do, and the excitement of preparing for a season do not make for a good mix. But Baltimore and Washington have very different sets of expectations for very different reasons, and it’s no good for fans of either club to have those expectations dashed so early into camp with problems that may linger throughout the season.

Technorati Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Clinton Portis, Devin Thomas, Mark Clayton, Santana Moss

Mark Clayton Out For Preseason?

Two words you do not want to see together in Ravens’ training camp are “hamstring” and “bleeding.”

But, that’s the case with receiver Mark Clayton, who injured the hamstring in Sunday’s practice and will miss “a couple of preseason games” according to head coach John Harbaugh.

Clayton, who was the team’s second-leading receiver last season, injured his left hamstring Sunday. The 2005 first-round pick will be sidelined for an extended period because he had “some significant bleeding” in the hamstring, Harbaugh said.

“We’re not going to be in any hurry to bring him back,” Harbaugh said after Thursday’s practice. “We’re going to be very safe with” the bleeding.

Great. The worries that you might have had about Derrick Mason’s retirement have now been replaced with Clayton’s clearly-serious hamstring injury. Throw that in with Demetrius Williams’ hamstring injury, and you’re looking at a receiving depth chart more shallow than the Baltimore Sun’s pool of advertisers.

Technorati Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Demetrius Williams, Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton

Derrick Mason Returns to Ravens

The most unexpected part of Derrick Mason’s retirement and recent un-retirement is that no one expected him to be the kind of guy that would use retirement as a way to get out of training camp. Not that anyone would fault him for it, considering he’s the steadiest part of the Ravens’ offense and one of the league’s classy guys, but he just doesn’t strike me as the Michael Strahan, Brett Favre “Should I or Shouldn’t I”, kind of guys.

Nevertheless, Mason is back. Joe Flacco can breathe easier. Ozzie Newsome can put the phone down on potential trades and free agent signings, and Cam Cameron can get back to working planning for Mason to be the go-to-guy for possession catches.

Technorati Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Derrick Mason

WJFK Set To Destroy Washington’s ESPN 980

The perfect storm is quickly approaching ESPN 980, and short of hiring me for their 6-10 a.m. slot, there’s little to nothing that Daniel Snyder and Red Zebra Broadcasting can do to stop the imminent destruction.

WJFK has lined up locally-bred talent, former Washington footballers, and a score of professional sports broadcasting rights to cut ESPN 980 off at its very knees, and I for one, am glad of it. ESPN 980 has sat atop the Washington sports heap for too long as the only show in town, and much like Snyder has done with his football team, regularly took advantage of the rabid loyalty of the fan base.

Let’s think about it: Between the hours of 6 a.m. and 12 p.m., listeners are in ESPN syndication land. Mike and Mike, who if there were no big time guests would be no fun to listen to, and Colin Cowherd, who regularly instigates Washington football faithful, are your lineup. After that, it’s the very good Kevin Sheehan in the “Locker Room,” followed by the media slickster himself, John Thompson. Going home, you have the douchebag/straightman combo of Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin.

If the 980 lineup was a hand in spades, they would be holding a queen of spades, an ace of hearts, and no other face cards.

WJFK, with the intolerable-yet-mysteriously-popular Sports Junkies already on board, in addition to Tony Kornheiser 2.0 A.K.A. Mike Wise and jaded former linebacker LaVar Arrington, is set to take this town over. The Junkies will command the immature jackass listenership, Wise will monopolize listeners who can read above a ninth grade level, and LaVar will capture the attention of the Dallas Cowboy fans and the Washington fans who love to hate them. Airwaves from Heaven, to say the very least.

980 has a way out, but it will be totally against everything they stand for. They first have to commit to lowering the volume on propaganda, which means no “Home of the Redskins” plugs in between commercial breaks, no pitches from Joe Theisman about taking the family to Johnny Rockets, and finally, introducing younger and newer life into the rotation.

That younger newer life ought to be someone who is tech savvy, knowledgeable about local sports with a capability to speak candidly on teams without blatantly drooling venom or honey all over the mic everyday, and a figure that can attract minority audiences with an appeal within the white, middle-aged, six-figure income demographic. And preferably, they should have good references from local sports icons. Like Doug Williams.

WJFK is going to eliminate ESPN 980 in several key aspects of listener construct; attractiveness to youth and sponsors, and intelligent discussion without ulterior motives. So basically, until they bring me in for the 6-10 a.m. slot, all hope is lost. After all, I can’t be any worse than Brian Mitchell. I actually know how not to trash teams I dislike.

Technorati Tags: Brian Mitchell, ESPN 980, WJFK

On Madden NFL 10’s Redskins and Ravens Ratings

Since all of you are excited about the pending release of Madden ’10, here are the following write-ups and ratings for our two local squads out of Baltimore and Washington.

The Redskins are one of the more balanced teams in Madden NFL 10. Clinton Portis (93 OVR/91 SPIN/92 JUKE) leads the rushing attack while Jason Campbell (77 OVR/88 THP) returns to lead the passing game. Campbell has some pretty nice weapons in his arsenal. Santana Moss (86 OVR/96 SPD) can score from anywhere on the field and TE Chris Cooley (91 OVR/93 ROUTES) – who set a career high in 2008 in receptions and yardage – is Mr. Dependable in this Redskins offense. The Hogs O-Line ranks as the 8th best unit in the NFL, led by veterans Chris Samuels (93 OVR) and Randy Thomas (89 OVR). On defense, the offseason focus was on the Defensive Line. The Redskins signed free agent Albert Haynesworth (99 OVR/99 STR/98 POW MOVE) who became the NFL’s first defensive $100 Million Dollar Man and spent a 1st round pick on DE/OLB hybrid Brian Orakpo (76 OVR/92 PURSUIT/88 POW MOVE) from Texas. The Redskins now have the 6th ranked D-Line unit in football after those moves. MLB London Fletcher (89 OVR/97 TAK) is back for another season to anchor the LB unit and Rocky McIntosh (77 OVR) is a guy to really watch in franchise mode at outside linebacker. Carlos Rogers (87 OVR/93 PRESS) and DeAngelo Hall (79 OVR/97 SPD/87 MAN COV) are the starters at corner for the 13th best CB unit in the NFL while LaRon Landry (86 OVR/94 HIT POW) is lethal with the hit stick at free safety. The biggest weakness on the Redskins entire team is the special teams. They have the 27th ranked unit with Kicker Shaun Suisham (52 OVR) and Hunter Smith (81 OVR).

The Ravens have traditionally been very tough on defense over the last decade and things will be no different in Madden NFL 10. Led by perennial Pro Bowlers Ed Reed (99 OVR/97 ZONE/84 CTH) and Ray Lewis (97 OVR/97 TAK), the Ravens are definitely one of the top defensive teams this year in Madden. OLB Terrell Suggs (90 OVR) wrecks havoc on the outside and DE Haloti Nagata (90 OVR/97 STR) is a force against the run. CB Fabian Washington (77 OVR/98 SPD) is back to build on a solid season and he is paired up with free agent pickup Dominique Foxworth (82 OVR/93 SPD), forming one of the faster starting duos in the league. On offense, QB Joe Flacco (81 OVR/97 THP) is back for his sophomore season and is ready to open the offense up a bit more this year. Many of the same faces return: WR Derrick Mason (88 OVR/94 CTH) leads the 20th ranked WR unit, the three-headed monster of Willis McGahee (83 OVR), Ray Rice (78 OVR), and Fullback Le’Ron McClain (92 OVR/89 TRK) will share the carries again this year, and Todd Heap (84 OVR) is back at TE. On the offensive line, the Ravens have some great building blocks in Guard Ben Grubbs (87 OVR) and Tackles Jared Gaither (81 OVR) and 1st Round Pick Michael Oher (77 OVR).

I have a few questions about these ratings.

One, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 10 points higher than the Ravens in this year’s edition. Super Bowl champions or not, the Ravens played the Steelers closer than any other team throughout the entire season. That has to account for a closer attribution of talent and team ability.

Secondly, what will the retirement of Derrick Mason mean to the offense when the game is released? Will the team drop down to an 80 or a 79? Yeah, Derrick Mason was that important to the offense.

As for Washington, is that the worst they could get? I mean, for half of the season, they couldn’t be touched. By the time it was over, injuries and infighting had done them all but in. I say a 75 is in order for a squad that was totally out of order.

Steve McNair: A Life Without Excuses

Here in Baltimore, the outpouring of mourning will hit full throttle today, nearly 24 hours after the discovery of Steve McNair’s lifeless body in a Nashville condominium.

His brief career as a Baltimore Raven was a microcosm for the tenure of his life as a football player; grit and determination willing the creation of high end results, often against the consent of his body and the disbelief of those who watched him.

Steve McNair was a man of few excuses, and his life will be celebrated for taking very little and making a whole lot for the world to enjoy. When power conference schools wanted to convert the high school quarterbacking phenom out of Mt. Olive, MS to a defensive back, he took his talent to Alcorn State, where he turned the SWAC into a personal symphony of domination from under center.

When the Houston Oilers drafted him in 1995, there were very few excuses made in his two-year wait to be named full time starter. Two years later, with a new city and new name, he led the team to one of the greatest games in Super Bowl history.

Three years after collecting a 2003 MVP award, the Tennessee Titans didn’t want McNair on the premises of their practice facility. He would sign with the Baltimore Ravens, giving the club its first legitimate claim to good quarterbacking in franchise history. He underperformed, but the team excelled. He would retire after that season, without excuses.

McNair was not a man without flaws. He had brushes with the law, and whispers about his fidelity, while never fodder for media attention, where widespread from Nashville to Baltimore. But they were always overshadowed by his definitive genuineness; his longing to help people, and his drive to be as nice of a person as he could be.

Steve McNair did not live a life of excuses, and the lack thereof for his death will continue to make the coming days and weeks even harder to live with.

Technorati Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Steve McNair

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