Ravens WRs Videobomb Harbaugh
Ravens players love a good videobomb – especially when they get to mess with their head coach.
Receivers Steve Smith Sr., Torrey Smith, Marlon Brown and Jacoby Jones looked like The Three Stooges (with an extra member) acting like goofballs behind John Harbaugh during an interview on CSN with Brent Harris.
It took a moment for Harbaugh to realize what was going on, until Smith Sr. popped right up in front of his face.
(Mobile users tap "View in browser" at the top of the page to watch.)
"Whoop!" Harbaugh said when Smith Sr. got a little too close for comfort. "Alright, what do we got going here?"
Harbs played it cool, and seemed as if he was ready for it.
"Well, Steve Smith, you feel his presence. That's kind of how that works," Harbaugh said. "Didn't this happen in the preseason?"
Yup! Right here.
Love the relationship between Harbs and his players.
After 5 INTS, Flacco Preparing To Face Pettine Again
Moving onto football …
Quarterback Joe Flacco has a little redemption on his mind as he prepares for the Cleveland Browns.
That's because the last time he faced a Mike Pettine-led defense, Flacco had perhaps the “worst game of his career," says The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec and Jon Meoli. The last time the two faced off (Week 4 last year vs. the Bills), Flacco threw a whopping five interceptions.
In three career games against Pettine (two with the Jets and one with the Bills), Flacco completed 46.2 percent of his throws for two touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 47.8 passer rating.
The seven-year veteran admitted he watched tape of his five-pick game to try to pinpoint more of Pettine's tendencies.
"You definitely look at where he's been, just to see," Flacco said. "Only having a handful of games to go from — a couple of preseasons and two regular-season games with the Browns — so you have to look at some Bills [tape] to find out what he likes to do in certain cases down in the red zone and on third downs, things like that. It definitely helps to look at that stuff a little bit."
Ravens' Super Bowl Odds Improve
Las Vegas certainly took note of the Ravens' convincing win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night.
Oddsmaker Bovada improved Baltimore's Super Bowl odds from 66-to-1 to 40-to-1 in just one week.
"That's not exactly a strong vote of confidence – not when you see that the Bengals are 16-to-1 – but it's more favorable than many would expect for a team that cut its longtime starting running back last week," wrote ESPN's Jamison Hensley.
Fourteen teams have better Super Bowl odds heading into Week 3. The Ravens moved ahead of Pittsburgh in the odds to win the AFC North.
Here's a breakdown of the odds to win the division:
Cincinnati Bengals: 5-to-8
Baltimore Ravens: 4-to-1
Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-to-2
Cleveland Browns: 9-to-1
Suggs Not Worried About Sacks, Torrey Not Worried About Catches
Even in a dominant win over an archrival, there's always a way for naysayers to sound an alarm.
Such is the case with Terrell Suggs and Torrey Smith.
In the 26-6 win over the Steelers, Suggs didn't have a sack and Smith only had one catch. Through two games, Suggs and Smith have zero sacks and four catches, respectively.
Are the two Ravens worried about the lack of stats?
Not really.
They just want to win, and know that if they keep playing the right way, the stats will eventually follow.
"It can be (frustrating) if you get selfish," Suggs said of his sack numbers, per CSNBaltimore.com. "You want to get (to the quarterback), but like I said, at the end of the day, if you still win and you're still affecting the game somehow, then you have to take that, too. You have to find ways to get there sooner. But it's only Week 2. Come Week 7 and Week 8, we can bring that back up and we'll talk about it."
"I'm playing my part, and I know the ball is going to come more than it has been," added Smith. "So, I'm not frustrated at all."
Ravens Among Least Penalized Teams
The Ravens are playing disciplined football.
They are tied for the fewest penalties in the NFL, only drawing seven yellow flags in two games.
That's a change from previous years when "there were times over the years when the Baltimore Ravens felt they were battling the referees in addition to the team on the other sidelines," wrote Hensley.
In the previous six years under Harbaugh, the team committed the seventh most penalties (633).
What's the difference so far this season? Harbaugh credits his players and their mental discipline.
"We know that other teams are going to get away with stuff that we're not going to understand," Harbaugh said. "There's going to be holding and illegal contact and offensive pass interference that we're not going to understand why it didn't get called, maybe, in terms of who we're playing against. But we can't concern ourselves with that. We need to concern ourselves with what we're doing. If we play within the rules, if we play good, clean football, then we're not going to get called, and we want to be that kind of a team."
Week 3: Ravens vs. Browns Picks
Most analysts believe the Ravens will beat the Browns Sunday, but there are a few who think Baltimore will be 1-2 by the end of the weekend.
Baltimore Sun: 5 of 7 pick Ravens
Jeff Zrebiec (Ravens 20, Browns 19): "If the Ravens are serious about making it back to the playoffs, they are going to have to start winning on the road. They'll do that this week, thanks to a late field goal from Justin Tucker."
Jon Meoli (Browns 17, Ravens 13): "Cleveland's rushing attack will challenge the Ravens' thin defensive line, and Browns coach Mike Pettine, who gave Joe Flacco fits last year with Buffalo, could do the same with better talent this year. This is always an ugly game, and the Ravens are no longer invincible in Cleveland."
ESPN.com: 9 of 13 pick the Ravens
Yahoo! Sports: 1 of 2 pick Ravens
NFL.com (Elliot Harrison): Ravens 17, Browns 13
"Yeah, I get it; Flacco and Hoyer don't actually play directly against one another ... although I would take Flacco in a game of "Clue". You wouldn't know if he'd already figured out it was Col. Mustard in the ballroom with the candlestick or if he had no idea which cards anyone had -- at least not by looking at his face. The Ravens' signal-caller shows nothing; he keeps his cool and makes his throws. Right now, he has better options than Hoyer does, and a defense that is at least as good as the Browns' unit. That said, Flacco is still trying to figure out his weapons in Steve Smith Sr., Owen Daniels and Justin Forsett, and Hoyer still seems to be playing for his job. If special teams don't decide this one, turnovers likely will -- whoever makes the fewest mistakes in Cleveland will probably win. The Browns will have a harder time running the ball against the Ravens than they did against the Steelers or Saints."
CBSSports.com: 6 of 8 pick Ravens
Pete Prisco: Ravens 21, Browns 20
"This is a key division game. Yes, I said it. The Browns did some good things against the Saints last week in pulling off the upset. Baltimore is rested after playing last Thursday. They righted the ship against the Steelers in that one. I think they continue that and take it in a tight one."
ProFootballTalk.com: 1 of 2 pick Ravens
Mike Florio: Ravens 17, Browns 13
"Yes, the Browns pulled off a thrilling win over the Saints. But the New Orleans defense currently is flawed, deeply. The Baltimore defense isn't."
Michael David Smith: Ravens 16, Browns 13
"I went back and forth on this one. I like the direction the Browns are heading in, but I also think the Ravens, who looked so good last Thursday and have a long work week with extra time to prepare, are a better team from top to bottom. Go with the Ravens in a close, low-scoring game."
SportingNews.com (Vinnie Iyer): Ravens 20, Browns 17
"Brian Hoyer appeared to have quieted the quarterback storm with six quarters of brilliant football — so as long as he doesn't revert to the first two quarters of the season against Pittsburgh, the Browns have a chance to get some momentum against a division opponent that needs to build momentum of its own."
FoxSports.com (Peter Schrager): Browns 23, Ravens 20
"Everything is clicking for Hoyer, and it helps to have rookie runners Isiah Crowell and Terrence West gashing opposing defenses. The real wild card Sunday could be tight end Jordan Cameron. If he plays through a shoulder injury, I like Cleveland. If he doesn't, I'm going with the Ravens. Let's say he plays. Give me Mr. Cleveland, aka Brian Football, in another impressive home victory."
Quick Hits
- Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer is making noise in Cleveland. [CSNBaltimore.com]
- Browns hope to take away Ravens run game. [ESPN]
- Steelers Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley missed the team flight to Baltimore last week. [ProFootballTalk.com]
- @torreysmithwr: #tbt Last TD at Byrd...First and last dunk in the league (no time or money for fines) haha [Instagram]
- @kosevendeuce: So much of this game is mental. I spend more time in my own mind than anything else. If you can dream it you can achieve it. Pray, Work, Believe. Then all that's left is to create. #DreamTeamEmpire #DTE #RavensNation #NFL #Repost #KnowYourWhy [Instagram]
- @eugenemonroe60: Raven fans are some of the best fans in the world! #nfl #baltimore #ravens #ravensnation #winning #work #werk #60ontheleft [Instagram]
- Can the Ravens stop the Browns running attack? [NFL.com]
