Personal Thoughts:
Ravens: Flacco did what he needed
to: Not lose the game. The game plan was rather conservative, but that is okay,
because the defense stepped up. One thing I have noticed about Flacco is that he
doesn't force the ball. So far, I have been very impressed with the Freshman,
er... Rookie.
The Running Back by committee was quite effective, but we shall see if the pitch back stays in the play book. The offense line held up nicely. Our players did their jobs. Will we get the same results when McGahee is the goto guy. The committee approach may have thrown off the Bengals defense, not knowing who was getting the ball. When McGahee is in the lineup, they will know.
Receivers didn't get much of chance to act. Mason was found. Clayton had more of an impact on the reverse for a TD. Heap was an embarrassment. He is not ready to be on that field.
The penalty on the return for Touchdown was a touch foul that usually gets ignored. The general rule, as a player, is if you can see the numbers on the front of a guys jersey, you can hit the guy, and I think Walker could see the numbers, but I guess the ref had a different perspective... not necessarily better, just different. I expect the special teams to play a bigger part in the game, but you can't have everything.
On the other side of the ball, we got to Palmer early, with two sacks on their opening possession. Palmer never saw clearly the rest of the day, as our defense was in his face the rest of the day.
We had several stupid penalties, but that can be expected for the first game of the season. By looking at the stats, one would think we blew them out. Alas, we only won by seven... over a team that is predicted to fight us for last place this year.
Next up is Houston, who had their jock strap handed to them by Pittsburgh. Should be an interesting game. Be on the lookout for possible game date and/or time changes. Hurricane Ike is baring down on that region and is expected to hit land late Friday.
Orioles: They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over, while expecting different results. I was at the game again on Friday, and witnessed a very bizarre game. I witnessed the act of walking in 5 runs in the game, 4 of them in the 8th inning when we allowed 8 runs on 1 hit (a grand slam). 10 walks in the game. I keep going, expecting different results. Although, my history this season is on my side. The Orioles are 12-4-1 in games I have attended.
Crystal Palace Baltimore F.C.: No News.
Alouettes: The Als (7-3) crushed the Argos (4-6), 45-19 to extend their division lead to 3 games. Calvillo threw for 369 yards and 3 TDs to lead the Als. Next up is Friday night in Calgary (6-4, tied for 2nd in the West).Blast: The new MISL will be called the National Indoor Soccer league (NISL). 3 teams carried over from the old MISL with the Blast: La Raza de Monterrey, Orlando Sharks, and Philadelphia Kixx. The Rockford (IL) Rampage, last seasons AISL champion, will also join the league. Former league members, Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago and New Jersey already joined the Extreme Soccer League and interplay between the two league is being considered. The NISL is also eyeing potential new teams in Guadalajara and/or Mexico City, as well as locations in the midwest.
The new league will reduce the previous MISL schedule of 30 games to only 18 while they shake out the bugs, including starting without a commissioner. The new league is aligned with the United Soccer League (USL) and will join the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) soon. The old rule book from the MISL has been carried forward.
First order of business for the Blasts is to sign their players. When the MISL folded after last season, all team members became nominal free agents.
Mariners: Open Tryouts on October 12.
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!
| 2008 Preseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | Time | Result | |
| Thursday, August 7 | @New England Patriots | 7:30 PM | W 16-15 | |
| Saturday, August 16 | Minnesota Vikings | 7:30 PM | L 23-15 | |
| Saturday, August 23 | @Saint Louis Rams | 8:00 PM | L 24-10 | |
| Thursday, August 28 | Atlanta Falcons | 7:30 PM | L 10-9 | |
| 2008 Regular Season | ||||
| Date | Opponent | Record | Time | Result |
| Sunday, September 7 | Cincinnati Bengals | 1-0 | 1:00 PM | W 17-10 |
| 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 | 14-11 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* | |