Iggy's Raven's Report - 1 May 2008

Last Game & Commentary | Schedule | National Spotlight | Predictions | Other Football News

Last Game & Commentary

Personal Thoughts:

Ravens news: Draft day analysis, by Iggy:

Round 1, Pick 18: Joe Flacco (QB), Delaware: This is a very controversial pick, but to make a long story short, the message is being sent that the Raven's are OK with their QB situation (Smith, Boller), but need a third stringer to groom. They went with Flacco because he could be the diamond in the rough. Given Newsome's track record, I would have to say that the homework was done, and this will more likely than not pay off in the future.

Round 2, Pick 55: Ray Rice (RB), Rutgers: A good solid pick, who should contribute early.

Round 3, Pick 71: Tavares Gooden (LB), Miami, Florida: This, in my opinion is the highest risky pick we made.
Gooden could be injury prone, and time will only tell as he should look to make an immediate impact with special teams. If he can't stay healthy on special team, his professional career shall be quite short lived.

Round 3, Pick 86: Tom Zbikowski (S), Notre Dame: With a name like that, he has to be good, right!?! Zbikowski likes going for the big play, and should fit right in with our defense. The only question is whether or not he can adjust to being a playmaker in the NFL, where failure is not an option. Too many bad gambles could limit his playing time.

Round 3, Pick 99: Oniel Cousins (OT), Texas-El Paso: This big boy (6'4" & 308 lbs) will vie to replace the likely retiring JO.

Round 4, Pick 106: Marcus Smith (WR), New Mexico: Solid pick in my opinion. Good hands, Good size, Good speed. Formerly a RB, he has the potential to becoming a premier receiver in this league.

Round 4, Pick 133: David Hale (OT), Weber State: This is were we draw the line between contributors and practice squad players. Hale is another big boy (6'6" & 308 lbs), but will not make the team. Hale is slow, and will not be able to adjust to the speed of the NFL.

Round 6, Pick 206: Haruki Nakamura (S), Cincinnati: He did well at the college level, but his size (5'10" & 190 lbs) may limit is effectiveness in the NFL.

Round 7, Pick 215: Justin Harper (WR), Virgina Tech: Big question mark here. This guy is highly unproven, only posting one good Hokie season, being nearly invisible for his first three years. Was it a fluke, a peak, or just finally get the opportunity to show what he can do?

Round 7, Pick 240: Allen Patrick (RB), Oklahoma: Patrick appears to be a very determined runner, and could be a real grinder. He could be a steal, but in the seventh round, is anyone paying attention anymore?

All in all, the Ravens did well this weekend, and I look forward to watching these young guys show what they can do.

Orioles news: The Orioles ran off 3 in a row, and then collapse in the 2nd game of the double header against the White Sox, to start a mini-losing streak. The bullpen appears to be all or nothing. Currently we are tied with Tampa Bay (?) for first place, with the Red Sox percentage points behind us, as of Monday AM.

Mariners news: Mariners (1-6) lost for the second time in two weeks to division rival Erie Riverrats (5-2) by a score of 49-17. Next up is another Home and Home series, this time against the Carolina Speed, currently sitting at (3-4) in the Eastern Conference, East Division. The first leg of the series will be here, in Baltimore, on Saturday, May 10 at 7 PM.

Blast news: The Baltimore Blast captured their 4th title in 6 years, by defeating the expansion Monterrey La Razza by a score of 14-11 in the title game, played in Milwaukee on Saturday night. The Blast fought back from an early deficit, to take a second half lead, and never look back. The Blast now claim 5 championship titles (1984, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008), most titles by any Baltimore professional sports franchise.

Crystal Palace Baltimore F.C. news: Crystal Palace Baltimore opened their season with a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Crystal Palace is in their second year of operation and was created as a feeder organization to the world-renowned Crystal Palace Football Club in the UK. Crystal Palace USA is the first professional soccer team in the USA with a direct link to a professional English football (soccer) team. Crystal Palace Football Club (UK) is a $100,000,000 company founded in 1905 in south London. Crystal Palace Baltimore is a member of the United Soccer Leagues second division (USL2).

What do you want to see in the Ravens report? What should be scrapped? Actually, nevermind. No one is reading this anyway, so I will just butcher things up however I please, and you won't know the difference. Send an email to iggy at tealdragon.net. Thanks!

Schedule

2008 Preseason
Date	Opponent		Time	Result
Thursday, August 7	@New England Patriots		7:30 PM
Saturday, August 16	Minnesota Vikings		7:30 PM
Saturday, August 23	@Saint Louis Rams		8:00 PM
Thursday, August 28	Atlanta Falcons		7:30 PM
2008 Regular Season
Date	Opponent	Record	Time	Result
Sunday, September 7	Cincinnati Bengals	13-11 Overall 8-4 Home	1:00 PM
Sunday, September 14	@Houston Texans	2-0 Overall 1-0 Away	4:15 PM
Sunday, September 21	Cleveland Browns	11-7 Overall 6-3 Home	4:15 PM
Monday, September 29	@Pittsburgh Steelers	10-15 Overall 4-8 Away	8:30 PM
Sunday, October 5	Tennessee Titans	9-8 Overall 5-5 Home	1:00 PM
Sunday, October 12	@Indianapolis Colts	2-6 Overall 0-3 Away	1:00 PM
Sunday, October 19	@Miami Dolphins	2-5 Overall 0-4 Away	1:00 PM
Sunday, October 26	Oakland Raiders	4-1 Overall 3-0 Home	1:00 PM
Sunday, November 2	@Cleveland Browns	11-7 Overall 5-4 Away	1:00 PM
Sunday, November 16	@New York Giants	3-0 Overall 1-0 Away	1:00 PM*
Sunday, November 23	Philadelphia Eagles	0-1-1 Overall 0-0-1 Home	1:00 PM*
Sunday, November 30	@Cincinnati Bengals	13-11 Overall 5-7 Away	1:00 PM*
Sunday, December 7	Washington Redskins	2-1 Overall 0-0 Home	1:00 PM*
Sunday, December 14	Pittsburgh Steelers	10-15 Overall 6-7 Home	1:00 PM*
Saturday, December 20	@Dallas Cowboys	2-0 Overall 0-0 Away	8:15 PM
Sunday, December 28	Jacksonville Jaguars	6-9 Overall 4-4 Home	1:00 PM*

National Spotlight

Sun: What they're saying about the Ravens (23 April)

Iggy's Predictions

NHL
- Montreal should clobber Philly, like they have all season. 5 games (even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then). Current Status: Split 1-1
- Ranger will upset the Penguins. Not because I hate everything that has to do with Pittsburgh, but because they have a slight series edge this season in head to head combat. 6 games. Current status: Penguins 2-0
- Detroit over Colorado. I hate the Red Wings, but they are good. 5 games. Current Status: Detroit up 2-0.
- San Jose over Dallas. The sharks stumbled against Calgary, but they didn't fall, as I expected. They will rebound aginst Dallas. 6 Games. Current Status: Dallas up 2-0.
NBA
- Bullets flop in the first round to Cleveland. We always have problems with Cleveland. 6 games. Current Status: Cavs up 3-1.
- Boston over Atlanta in 5 games. Celtics are hot this season. Current status: Celtics up 2-1.
- Detroit over Philly in 6 games. Eastern Conference is week this season, Philly doesn't even deserve to be here. Current Status: series tied 2-2.
- Orlando over Toronto in 6 games. Toronto has a team? And we don't? eh? Current status: Orlando up 3-1.
- Lakers over Denver. 5 games, only because I never call for a 4 game series win. Current Status: Lakers up 3-0.
- New Orleans over Dallas in 6 games. Two good teams, but give the end to the higher seed. Current status: Hornets up 3-1.
- Phoenix over the Spurs in 6 games. Suns have better head to head numbers. Current Status: Spurs up 3-1.
- Utah over Houston in 6 games. So the New Orleans Jazz now play in Utah, but the Charlotte Hornets are in New Orleans, which makes way for the Bobcats in Carolina. Stop! I'm confusing myself. Current status: Jazz up 3-1.

Other Football News

NFL: Tie Breaking Procedures

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