Category — Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens and Ray Lewis apart? Not if team owner Steve Bisciotti can help it. “If he becomes a free agent next year, I think the Ravens would probably outbid other teams,” Bisciotti said. “We know Ray’s value more than the other teams. We know the leadership he brings to the team. We know the commitment and the effort he gives to winning.” The Ravens and Lewis have had disputes about extensions in the past, but with the defense’s collapses growing more frequent during the season and the offense’s continued apathetic play, it makes sense to keep an icon and leader like Lewis around.

Jon Ogden isn’t reporting to minicamp, but there’s still no word as to whether or not he’ll retire. But at least he’s made a timeline: next month, before the draft. “If I can’t play football the way I’m used to playing, then I’m not going to return,” Ogden, 33, said yesterday. “If I think I can, I want to give it a shot.” The loss of the future hall of fame tackle will be detrimental to the Baltimore Ravens, who have already struggled to establish themselves on offense. And it’s definitely not going to be good for new head coach John Harbaugh, who enters a system where former head coach Brian Billick was fired this season after years of failed attempts to build an offense.

Kyle Boller will reportedly be starting at quarterback for the Ravens in this weekend’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. This despite rumors Troy Smith may have earned the start after his performance against the Miami Dolphins that nearly led to a victory.

The idea behind it is clear: start a veteran who has more experience in these kinds of games to put the Ravens in the best position to win. Will it work? Who knows. But after eight consecutive losses, it makes sense that Brian Billick would want to win this game more than most.

And Boller hasn’t been bad this season. He’s had some rough patches, but he’s also shown a lot of maturity from his earlier years in the league and, in my opinion, earned the right to keep his spot as the starter through the end of the season. It seems Billick has similar feelings.

As the Baltimore Ravens inch closer to a top five pick in the NFL Draft, questions concerning Brian Billick’s job security are raised. The Ravens coach has one of the longest tenures with one team in the current NFL — eight seasons (T-4th) — but after the Ravens endured perhaps the most painful loss this season, dropping a game to the previously winless Miami Dolphins, Billick has slid deeper onto the hotseat.

But are the team’s lack of successes as of late enough to can the coach who led the Ravens to a 13-3 record and a first round bye in the postseson?

No. At least not in my mind. And I’m sure the Ravens front office feels the same.

The third week of NFL action kicks off tomorrow, and now might be a good time to quickly preview some of the most intriguing games to watch Sunday and Monday night. And don’t forget that you can check how 5 football minds expect the games to play out at NFL Experts Pick ‘em.

Arizona @ Baltimore — Both teams enter tomorrow’s matchup with a 1-1 record and an eye on their respective division crowns. Neither is a sure-thing to win Sunday, though the Vegas spread (Baltimore by 8 ) might make you believe Baltimore will coast to a victory.

Several big-name running backs exchanged jerseys this offseason and all will be starters with their new squad. But which are poised to break out? And just as importantly, which should be avoided?

The longest first round in NFL history is finally over — incidentally, this is the site’s longest blog — after a little more than 6 hours of draft and analysis. And now it’s your time to read about who teams drafted, who was passed on. This is your quick guide with links to the original reported story (top 10 picks only).

Great news for any fan of the Baltimore Ravens, Pro Bowl tackle Jonathan Ogden is returning for his 12th season.

The Baltimore Sun reports that Baltimore team officials are “optimistic” that Pro Bowl tackle Jonathan Ogden will return for the 2007 season.

NFL defenses do not willfully give up yards. Ever. Fortunately, some defenses are worse than others, which is why teams can sometimes score at will.

As a fantasy owner, you should have a pretty good idea of which defenses are the weakest and which are the most overwhelming. The following is a list of all 32 defenses, in order of strength.