October 16, 2016

This truly is the view from 151!

Week 6

RAVENS vs Giants

Welcome to the late edition of The View from 151. It’s bad when life gets in the way of spreading the good word about the Ravens.  It is Sunday by the way.

The picture above was the highlight of last week’s game and it was taken 15 minutes before the game started.  I may have purchased the first Eric Weddle Ravens jersey. Because of our similar sounding names, I followed him when he was with San Diego so when he signed with the Ravens it was not long after that I had his jersey.  But I showed great restraint but not buying 5 more for the rest of the family.   To explain the picture, I like to watch team warm up and look over who is playing and who’s not.  While the teams were heading to the locker room Eric Weddle ran over and threw me the ball.  I was just glad I caught the ball since I just looked over and a ball was coming at me.  I caught the ball and saw Eric waving at me.  That would have been embarrassing if the ball bounced off my chest and back on the field.  (Did you notice we are on a first name basis now?!).  So, that was the best part of our loss to the Redskins last week.  The worst part is, as of Friday, the Redskin fans I work with are still gloating.  As my Mom would say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.”  So that’s all I going to say about last week’s game.

We have a new offensive coordinator and he is going to play offensive line this week since even on Sunday morning we have no clue who is starting on the O line.  Joe found it hard to sleep last night thinking about who is going to protect him today.  The running game with our younger running backs was the strongest it has been all season.  So why did we not run the ball once in the fourth quarter?  Sorry, I will move on from last week.

This week the Ravens go to New York to play Eli Manning and the 2-3 Giants who are desperate for a win at home.  The Giants are just as beatable as the Redskins were suppose to be.  Our 3rd ranked defense should be able to control all aspects of the Giants 20th ranked offense.  The Giants defense only has 4 sacks all seasons so let’s hope that this is not their breakout game and sack Joe 10 times.  I wish I could look at this game as a sure win but we can’t.  In my head, we just don’t know how our Ravens are going to play.   But in my heart I know they will win.

GO RAVENS!!!!

Thursday
Chargers 21, Broncos 13 This is a good start we wanted the Chargers to win.

Sunday
1pm

Ravens over Giants
Marty Mornhinweg was promoted from QB coach to Offensive Coordinator, making him Joe’s sixth Coordinator in 9 years.  Look for the running game to carry the load this week.  Joe needs to be confident in the O line. Last week, late in the game he seemed to take the snap and automatically start scrambling out of the pocket.  So the O line, who ever that may be, needs to step up and protect Joe.  WE NEED TO STOP THE PENALTIES!!!!  We keep shooting ourselves in the foot with these dumb penalties.  It won’t be pretty but it will be a win.

49ers over Bills
NFC over AFC
The Bills have the same record as the Ravens. Kaepernick will start today for the first time this season.

Eagles over Redskins
Usually we would root for the home team Redskins but I just can’t take any more of their trash talk so hopefully a lose to the Eagles will shut them up.

Titans over Browns
How can the Browns be so terrible year after year?  But I’m not complaining.

Saints over Panthers
Jimmy Buffett is supposed to be at the game rooting for the Saints.  Cam Newton should play today so it could be a long day for Jimmy.

Bears over Jaguars
Both NFC team rooting for the home team.

Lions over Rams
Both NFC teams rooting for the home team and Haloti Ngata.

Dolphins over Steelers
This will never happen but we and hope can’t we?  The Steelers are a game ahead of us.

Patriots over Bengals
Have I ever told you that Tom Brady is one of my best friends?

Sunday
4:05pm

Chiefs over Raiders
The Raiders are ahead of us in the AFC standings.

Sunday
4:25pm

Seahawks over Falcons
I am looking for the Seahawks defense to pound Matt Ryan.

Cowboys at Packers: you pick ’em
This could be the game of the week.  So settle in a watch this game after the Ravens beat the Giants.

Sunday
8:30pm  

Colts over Texans
Rooting for the Colts based on records.  This could be a snooze fest so go to bed early and get a fresh start on the week.

Monday
8:30pm

Cardinals over Jets
Normally we would not want the Jets to lose this week since we play them next week.  But the Jets are just that bad so it won’t matter.

BYE:Vikings, Buccaneers

Enjoy the Games with your best friend!

Go Ravens!
This is View from 151

Side Note: The Ravens reposted our Instagram picture of Guinness with my Weddle Jersey and THE ball from last week. 16,898 likes so far. Guinness is a Insta-hit!

 

October 8, 2016

Well, there goes our undefeated season. We were beaten by one point. I could blame it on too many penalties, our defense giving up a late game touchdown, an offensive line with two backups or a fumble that turned into us losing by one point. Enough of last week, let’s move on to week 5.

The Redskins come to Baltimore for the Battle of the Beltway. This will be the D-Line’s toughest test so far. Washington can run the ball and Kirk Cousins can stretch the field. Our defense needs to put pressure on Cousins. Kenneth Dixon RB will play in his first game of the season while Ronnie Stanley will probably miss this game so that means our young running backs will need to carry the load and control the ball. Joe was scrambling a lot last week so look for him to dump the ball off to Smith and Pitta. Our defense will dominate. Look for our power running game to break out an control the game.

Disclaimer: The following comments are not predictions but how we want the games to go. No money should change hands on these picks.

Thursday
8:30pm
Cardinals 33, 49ers 21

Sunday
1:00pm

Ravens over Redskins
This one is  for bragging right. We live in the shadow of Washington, DC but not this week. The Ravens will win with the help of Justin Tucker and Special Teams.

Browns over Patriots.
It is quite obvious that Bill Belichick reads the View and realized we were on to his cheating. The Patriots were shut out last week but Tom Brady comes back this week and the real cheating begins.

Eagles over Lions
The Philadelphia Eagles will remain undefeated.

Bears over Colts
NFC over AFC. The Colts are 1-3. It looks like their luck has run out.

Titans over Dolphins
Both AFC teams are 1-3 but we play the Dolphins in week 13 so we can cover the tie breaker then.

Vikings over Texans
NFC over AFC. The Texans are 3-1 and need another loss to stay behind the Ravens. Vikings go 5-0

Jets over Steelers
Wishful thinking but miracles do happen.

Sunday
4:05pm

Falcons over Broncos
NFC over AFC. We find ourselves rooting for Matt Ryan again. The Broncos are 4-0 and need to lose a game.

Sunday
4:25pm

Cowboys over Bengals
NFC over AFC. The Cowboys young team is proving to be the best team that they have had in a long time. A Bengals loss keeps them behind the Ravens

Rams over Bills
The Rams have some of the worst stats in the NFL but yet they are 3-1. I guess the California Sun has been good for them.

Chargers over Raiders
Both AFC Teams. The Chargers are 1-3. The Raiders are 3-1 after beating us last week. We need them to be a game behind us.

Sunday
8:30pm

Packers over Giants
Both NFC teams. The Packers needed the rest from last week’s bye. They are 2-1 but have not put up good numbers.

Monday
8:30pm

Buccaneers over Panthers
Both NFC teams. Rooting for the home team. Cam Newton may not play but the Panthers defense should make the difference for a win.

BYE: Jaguars, Chiefs, Saint, Seahawks

 

 

 

9/29/16

Wow! Last week turned out great for the Ravens, starting with our second road win of the season in Jacksonville. The Steelers, Bengals, and Browns all lost putting the Ravens in sole possession of first place in the AFC North with a 3-0 record. 10 of the 16 games last week went in the Ravens favor.

The defense and special teams have carried the team so far this season. Justin Tucker kicked the game winning 54 yard field goal. We blocked another field goal attempt. The defense held Jacksonville to only 48 yards rushing, had four sacks, three interceptions, and I could go on. The offense did what they needed to do to win the game including Joe running for a touchdown on his repaired knee. Last week was not pretty and what do we say?  I will take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day. so, we are an ugly undefeated team, which still means we are in first place.

The winning formula can stay the same this week. The Raiders strength is their rushing game which play right into our strength. Oakland likes to run up the middle but we’ll see what Brandon Williams, Michael Pierce, and Timmy Jernigan have to say about that. We get Dumervil back this week, which should help our pass rush. It will be good to see Dumervil and Suggs back on the field at the same time. The Raiders have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, so look for Joe and the receivers to have a good day as long as our O-line holds up. Our rushing game has been held back by the inability of the O-line to push off the ball and create holes for the running backs. Again, this should change this week against a Raider defense that gives up a lot of yards.

So, as long as we control the ball and we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot with dumb penalties, this should be another WIN!

Congrats to Joe Flacco and his family on the birth of his fourth child but first daughter. I feel for her already, having to grow up with three brothers. I hope Joe is getting his sleep. GO RAVENS!!

Disclaimer: Remember, don’t bet the farm on these picks–this is just how we want the games to go, not how they will actually be won or lost.

Thursday
8:25pm

Dolphins over Bengals
The Bengals are 1-2 putting them in third place in our division, two games behind the Ravens, just where we want them to be. This could be a high scoring game as the Dolphins defense is rated as one of the worst in the NFL. We are hoping that Andy Dalton has a bad night.

Sunday
9:30am

Jaguars over Colts
Set your alarm clocks and get up early-this is another gift from the football gods, we have football from 9am until midnight. Although these two teams are a combined 1-5, this could be a good evenly matched game. Both teams need a win. It could be the Jags defense that scores the winning points.

Sunday
1pm

RAVENS over Raiders
Interesting match up this week-the Ravens #2 defense playing against the Raiders #2 offense.  For the second week in a row the Raiders make the cross country trip to the East Coast. They won last week (like we predicted) but they will not hold up against defense. Look for Joe and the offense to have a breakout game at home with the Flock cheering them on. The Ravens go to 4-0 maintaining our first place spot in the AFC North.
GO RAVENS!!

Titans over Texans
The Texans got spanked by the Patriots last week with JJ Watt playing, now Watt is on injured reserve and, out for the season. Marcus Mariota and the Titans will take advantage of a team that is reeling from last week’s loss to the Patriots and won’t know what to do without JJ.

Redskins over Browns
The Redskins are coming off the high of last week’s divisional win on the road against the Giants. This week, Washington will ride the momentum at home in front of the Redskins faithful and beat the Browns for us. Kirk Cousins could have a career day against the 0-3 Browns.

Seahawks over Jets
NFC over AFC, even though the Jets are at home and the Seahawks are making the cross country trip. The Jets have no chance against the Seahawks #1 defense.

Bills over Patriots
How in the hell did the Patriots shut out the Texans with a third string quarterback? What is going through Tom Brady’s head? The Pats are 3-0 without Tom. Do they need him to come back? Has Bill Belichick made a pact with the Devil? No, No, No-I know what it is–the Patriots are CHEATING! I’m not sure how but there is no other way to explain it.

Panthers over Falcons
The Panthers are a much more balanced team than the Falcons who have the 1st ranked offense and the 30th ranked defense.

Bears over Lions
Rooting for the home team and I feel sorry for the 0-3 Bears

Sunday
4:05pm

Buccaneers over Broncos
NFC over AFC. We thank the Broncos for beating the Bengals last week, but it’s all about the Ravens so we are rooting against the 3-0 Broncos this week.

Cardinals over Rams
Both NFC Teams, rooting for the home team.

Saints over Chargers
NFC over AFC, Drew Brees will put up big numbers against the Chargers weak defense.

Cowboys over 49ers
This could be the Cowboys year even without Tony Romo. What do you think is going through Tony Romo’s head right now? Have we see the last of Tony Romo?

Sunday
8:30pm

Chiefs over Steelers
I just couldn’t stop smiling after seeing the Steelers get held to 3 points against the Eagles last week. Thank you, Eagles!

Monday
8:30pm

Giants over Vikings
Both NFC Teams and we just don’t like the Vikings.

Bye week: Packers, Eagles

Enjoy the games with an ice cold beer.

GO RAVENS!!

Just the View from Section 151

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9/22/16

I called John Harbaugh on Monday and told him the next time he tells the team to spot the Browns 20 points in the first quarter just to make the game interesting to please give us advanced notice.  My blood pressure went up 20 points and I grow 100 new grey hairs watching last week’s game.   All it took was a blocked extra point run back for a safety to completely turn the game around in the Ravens favor.   Thank goodness for special teams!

We gave up too many big plays, we let them convert way too many third downs, we were down 20 points in the first quarter, we could not run the ball, Joe was harassed the whole game, and to everyone’s surprise we won the game.  The team did not quit!  Our defense shut out the Browns for three quarters and the offense scored 25 unanswered point to win 25-20.  So what did the national media have to say about the game? “The Browns always find a way to lose the game”.  To that I say the Browns did not lose this game the Ravens played hard, didn’t give up and took the win away from the Browns like they were a bunch of little school girls.  I will take another ugly win over a pretty loss any day.

What’s going to be ugly this Sunday is the weather in Jacksonville.  The game time forecast is 90 degrees with 75 percent humidity and the possibility of rain.  The Jaguars are 0-2 and desperate for a win at home.  This week will be our toughest test so far. The Jaguars may be 0-2 but almost beat the Packers with a good defensive line that will test our offensive line.  Joe will need his running shoes on Sunday.  We need our offensive line to step up their game by protecting Joe and creating holes for the running game. The O line has not been bad but this week they need to be good.  The Jaguars like to throw interceptions, and our defense had two last week, so look for more this week.  Oh, by the way did you see Eric Weddle’s interception last week?  The Ravens will start strong this week and control the game.

Go RAVENS!!!

Disclaimer: Remember, don’t bet the farm on these picks—this is just how we want the games to go, not how they will actually be won or lost.

Thursday

8:25pm

Texans over Patriots

Bill Belichick thinks he is a football god now that he has the Patriots 2-0 using the second and third string quarterbacks; he is starting to think he doesn’t need Tom Brady.   That god complex will come tumbling down when the Texans defense knocks out the third string quarterback who is starting the game.  The Patriots backup quarterback is a wide receiver.  This could be fun to watch.

Sunday

1:00pm

RAVENS over Jaguars

The offensive line is practicing overtime this week on their run blocking and pass protection since the Jaguars defensive line has been very good and they like to blitz a lot.  Joe will look for this favorite target Dennis Pitta to dump the ball off to and frustrate the Jaguar pass rush.  Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles has thrown three interceptions this year. Look for him to throw three more this week.  The secondary has played well and will be a big part of the win on Sunday.  GO RAVENS!!!

Cardinals over Bills

NFC over AFC the Bills will go to 0-3

Raiders over Titans

Both AFC teams at 1-1 but we play the Raiders next week in Baltimore so we don’t want them coming off a loss.  Plus, the Raiders will be traveling to the east coast two weeks in a row, sounds like they have the schedule we had last year.  

Redskins over Giants

Please let the Redskins win!  I am so tired of listening to the Washington radio stations whine and complain about the Redskins.

Dolphins over Browns

Both teams are 0-2 so let’s kick the Browns while they’re down.

Packers over Lions

Both NFC team so we are rooting for the home team and for our Packer fan friends.

Broncos over Bengals

So we are rooting for the 2-0 Broncos while the Bengals are 1-1 a game behind us in the division.  Not a normal choice for me but we want separation between the Bengals and the Ravens.

Panthers over Vikings

I admire Cam Newton for speaking out to help settle down the unrest in Charlotte.  Rooting for Cam and the home team.

Sunday

4:05pm

Buccaneers over Rams

Both NFC teams at 1-1, rooting for the home team.

Seahawks over 49ers

Ditto from above, both AFC teams at 1-1, rooting for the home team.

Jets over Chiefs

Both AFC teams at 1-1 but we play the Jets so when we beat them we will have the tie breaker.

Colts over Chargers

We want the 2-0 AFC teams to lose, the Colts are 1-1

Eagles over Steelers

We are going to be rooting for the Eagles a lot this year since they play our division.  Go Eagles beat the Steelers!

Sunday

8:30pm

Cowboys over Bears

The Cowboys had a tough time beating the Redskins last week but will not have trouble with the Bears this week.

Monday

8:30pm

Saints over Falcons

We get to root against Matt Ryan again, Go Saints!

The Ravens need to win this week to remain undefeated and we will.  Also did I say Eric Weddle had an interception last week?

Enjoy the games with friends.

GO RAVENS!!!!

 

 

9/15/16

We are off to a great start by beating the Bills 13-7 last week.  The defense looked like they were in mid-season form.  Containing what was touted as a high power Bills offense to only 7 points and a measly 160 total yards.  The best thing about the game was in the 4^th quarter the defense was able to stop the Bills on 3^rd down and our offense was able to stay on the field and run the clock down.  A great sign since the Ravens have not been able to control the ball late in games for years.  But- and unfortunately there is a but- the offense only scored 13 points.  Our offense looked rusty, like our quarterback is coming off reconstructive knee surgery, the tight end had not played in two years, our best wide receiver tore his Achilles last year, and we started two rookies on the left side of the offensive line.  If you heard that before the game you would say we had no chance of winning.  I do remember Ray Lewis saying for the offense to “just score 13 points and we will take care of the rest” on the way to winning the Super Bowl in 2000.  So we win last week and go 1-0. It’s a good way to start our undefeated season.

This week we go to Cleveland to play RGIII and the Browns.  No, wait…what? That’s right RGIII is already on injured reserve and will not play for at least 8 weeks.  You’ve got to love the Browns. They go out and spend big bucks on RGIII, he gets hurt in week 1 and could be out the rest of the season.  Way to go Browns!  Last week I was in Philly and was able to watch the Eagles just kill the Browns.  It really was ugly.  So instead of the Ravens preparing for RGIII, we are going to face Josh McCown who beat us last year here in Baltimore.  The Browns offensive line got RGIII sacked 3 times and had him running for his life most of the game.  Josh McCown is not as mobile as RGIII and likes to stay in the pocket.  Look for Brandon Williams and the D line to play the same as last week by pushing up the middle and our ends containing McCown.   Maybe we will get to see Brandon squish the QB a couple more times this week.  That just looks like lots of fun to me. The Ravens will hold the Browns to 7 points and our offense will cut loose on the Browns defense.

Did you notice I did not mention anything about Breshad Perriman not practicing because of a calf injury?  So ignore the last sentence. He did practice today but who knows what will happen on Sunday.

Another 1:00pm game- just the way us old guys like it, Enjoy the game.

GO RAVENS!!!!

Disclaimer: Reminder-Don’t bet the farm on my picks. They are based on who we want to win to benefit the Ravens league standing not who should win.

Thursday
8:30pm
Bills over Jets
Both teams are AFC, looked bad last week and are 0-1. We beat the Bills and play the Jets Week 7.

Sunday
1:00pm

RAVENS over Browns
Joe and the offense shook off the rust last week and will be ready to turn up the power against a Browns team that could be already playing for the #1 Draft pick next year. Watch the receivers go deep and the defense dominate the Browns.

Panthers over 49ers
The 49ers shutout the Rams Monday in the the late game that no one was watching. That won’t happen against Cam Newton and the Panthers. Rooting for the Home team.

Cowboys vs. Redskins-You Pick’em
Thanks a lot, Redskins, for not beating the Steelers last week. For that reason, I am rooting for the Cowboys. Redskins could go 0-2 at home. That would not be a good start.

Bengals over Steelers
So, we will be in a first place tie with the Bengals after two weeks. Rooting against the Steelers at home. I can still remember how badly we were treated in Pittsburgh when we went to see a Playoff game there.

Saints over Giants
We play the Giants Week 6 and I want them beat up by then.

Dolphins over Patriots
I just can’t root for the Patriots at home.

Chiefs over Texans–You Pick’em
Both AFC teams at 1-0. Default goes to the Home team.

Lions over Titans
NFC over AFC. The Titans are 0-1 and we hope Haloti has a good game.

Sunday
4:00pm

Rams over Seahawks-You Pick’em
I would usually root for the Home team here but we have lots of friends in Washington State.

Cardinals over Buccaneers
Rooting for the Home team.

Jaguars over Chargers
We play the Jaguars in Jacksonville next week. We don’t want them 0-2 and desperate for a win.

Falcons over Raiders
The NFC over AFC rule trumps the dislike I have for Matt Ryan. Let’s go, Matt!!! Can you hear the sincerity in my voice?

Colts over Broncos
Both AFC teams with the Colts at 0-1, we throw the “We don’t root for the Colts” rule out the window since that is what is best for the Ravens

Monday
8:30pm

Eagles over da Bears
Looks like the Eagles could go 2-0. Rooting for our Philly fan friends on Monday Night.

The Ravens go on the road this week and go 2-0. The stat of the day is that most teams that start the season with a 2-0 record make it to the playoffs. Just saying maybe…..

Enjoy the games with someone you love.

GO RAVENS!

That’s the View from Section 151.

All pictures courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens. I wouldn’t argue with Suggs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

9/8/16

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR IS HERE, IT’S REALLY HERE!!! The regular football season is finally here!!!  No more wandering the backyard aimlessly with nothing more to do than cut the grass.  No more talking heads speculating who will win the Super Bowl without even knowing the final rosters.  We don’t need anyone telling us who’s going to win the Super Bowl -we already know the Ravens are going to win, of course.  Training camp is behind us and we look forward to 17 glorious weeks of football games that count week after week after week.  I love the sound of that!

Now the games mean something more than just practice starting with week 1 against the Bills.  The Ravens will show us that all the hard work in training camp and the late nights in the training rooms were all worth it by winning on Sunday.

The 2016 Ravens are a great mix of young and old or should I say veterans instead of old.  Just look at the possible starting offensive line, Stanley and Lewis are both rookies on the left side, 3^rd year players Urschel at center, Hurst at right tackle and the only real veteran Yanda is at right guard starting his 10th season.  The O line will be solid and keep Joe out of trouble.  The list of players coming back from injury is long: Dumervil, Flacco, Forsett, Gillmore, Perriman, Pitta, Smith Sr. and Suggs. Eight out of twenty two of the starting lineup are coming off of injuries. That’s a little scary. Only Flacco and Perriman had any playing time in the preseason.  But I think they will knock off the rust quickly and have a great game on Sunday.

Disclaimer: This is where I tell you “Don’t bet the farm on my picks” because the list below is how I want the games to go, not a prediction of what the actual outcome will be. I always choose the teams that I want to win because it will help the Ravens in the standings. If there is no direct impact then I choose whichever team I want. I usually pick NFC over AFC. I also will choose certain teams because our friends root for them. The Packers for the Hewins, the Seahawks for Bonnie, and, here’s the kicker—I might root for both the Redskins (Family and customers) and the Eagles (Fran and other Philly friends) Yes, I know they are rivals but that’s how I roll. Most importantly, I will ALWAYS root against the Steelers. This disclaimer will be shorter next week.

Thursday night

8:30pm

Panthers over Broncos

NFC over AFC

The last time we saw Cam Newton he was pouting after losing the Super Bowl.  But we are rooting for the NFC Panthers to beat the AFC Broncos.

Sunday

1:00pm

RAVENS over Bills

Buckle up people this game could be a wild ride.  The combination of Joe Flacco to Mike Wallace looked good in preseason and the Bills secondary is already banged up. Add Smith Sr., Perriman and a couple of tight ends it could be a long day for the Bills. On the other side of the ball is our defense against Tyrod Taylor’s scrambling ability.  We will see very early if Suggs can contain Taylor.  So the keys to a Ravens win are Joe to throw deep and contain Tyrod in the pocket and make them run up the middle into our strength.  We could see the beginning of a high scoring season for the Ravens.  GO Ravens!!!!

It’s great to have them back!!

Buccaneers over Falcons

We just want to see Matt Ryan lose.

Vikings over Titans

We don’t normally root for the Vikings but we always root for the NFC team over the AFC team.

Eagles over Browns

This is an easy one to pick.  I am rooting for our Eagle fan friends and against the Browns who according to Vegas have a 0% chance of winning the Super Bowl.  RG III will start for the Browns. Keep an eye on this game but only during the Ravens game commercials.

Jets over Bengals

The Bengals are a heavy pick to be in the Super Bowl but yet again so were the Ravens last year and we saw how that turned out.  Can you say 5-11 for the Bengals?

Saints over Raiders

Drew Breeze just signed a new contract that pays him 40 million for the next two years.  So, Drew please start earning that 40 mill by beating the Raiders for us.

Chargers at Chiefs

Both teams are in the AFC west so you pick’em- this could be the game of the week, besides the Ravens game of course.

Bears over Texans

NFC over AFC- this could be the dog game of the week.

Packers over Jaguars

NFC over AFC- Rooting for our Packer fan friends.

4:00pm

Seahawks over Dolphins

Rooting for a Dolphin loss and congratulations on the good news to our special intention in Seattle.

Cowboys over Giants

What? Not again! Tony Romo is hurt and out for 10 weeks.  This is the 4:00 game to watch. We could be witnessing the Bray replacing Bledsoe scenario with Prescott replacing Romo.  Is Romo done?  Prescott looked pretty good in preseason but it was preseason. Let’s see how he does went the game counts. The Cowboys are starting a rookie quarterback / running back combination. Does that sound familiar? How about Flacco / Rice and we saw what they ended up winning.

Lions over Colts

NFC over AFC and I just can’t root for the Colts yet.  Go Haloti!

8:30pm

Cardinals over Patriots

I can’t say I’m rooting against Tom Brady because he’s not playing.  HAHAHA.  Public Enemy Number 1 is doing his time, (4 week suspension) for his crimes against humanity or at least the football world.  So, what do you think Tom will be doing on Sunday?  Walking the dog and picking up poop? No, he has people for that. Cutting the grass? No, he has people for that, too. I got it, watching the games on the NFL Ticket! No he’s too cheap to pay for that.  Well, whatever he is doing, he’s not helping the Patriots win any football games and that’s a good thing.

Monday Night

7:00pm

Redskins over Steelers

Monday night- if you feel something bad is in the air that’s because the Steelers are only 30 miles away in Lanham, MD playing the Redskins.  Have I told you I hate the Steelers?  So, for me, to root against the Steelers is no surprise. Sing it with me’”Hail to the Redskins”.  Go Redskins, beat those damn Steelers.

10:20pm

49ers over LA Rams

That’s right the LA Rams they moved but we are rooting for the home team.

Enjoy this great game of football.

Way to go, Mary Ellen, I knew you would beat it. Congratulations!

And that’s just the View from Section 151.

GO RAVENS!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The View from 151

8/31/16

The big question from last week’s game is, are the Lions just that bad or are the Ravens coming together as a team? Getting some of our starters back gives us a glimpse of what the team will look like at Game One of the regular season against the Bills.  Joe looked like Joe always does- calm, cool and collected in the pocket.  Joe passed well to open receivers.  That’s right I said open receivers, something we have not seen in the past few years.  Joe’s timing with the receivers looked good.  The offensive line for the most part protected Joe except for the one play where Haloti Ngata sacked Joe.  You could see it coming- Haloti pressuring up the middle. I closed my eyes and held my breath to see if Joe would get up and as I peeked at the TV what did I see but Haloti helping Joe up and give him a little welcome back pat on the butt.  It brought a tear to my eye to see our gentle giant still has a soft spot for the Ravens.  Have a good season Haloti.  OK enough of that, bottom line is I think the Ravens played well last week and as we get more of the starters playing our team will only get better.

RAVENS vs SAINTS

The preseason Game Four is usually just for the bubble players and the coaches but not this year WR Breshad Perriman is scheduled to play in his first professional football game.  Breshad has not played since his last college game in December of 2014. He has not even played in a preseason game due to his knee problems going back to training camp 2015.  We finally get to see our first round draft pick from last year.  It will be a good test for Breshad since the Saints are planning to play their starters three quarters of the game.  So keep an eye on number 18.  The starting offensive line will play at least one quarter to test the left side where we are starting two rookies. This year’s number one draft pick 79 LT Ronnie Stanley who has played well so far and our fourth round pick 72 LG Alex Lewis.  These two rookies will be protecting Joe’s blindside when the season starts. That’s a scary thought.   Joe won’t be playing Thursday so don’t start worrying yet.

Bubble guys like Keenan Reynolds (the player from Navy) will be playing just to show the coaches he deserves to be a Raven.  Keenan is a long shot to make the team as he just has not played well enough.  Good luck Keenan.   Other bubble players like RB Terrance West (Towson University) WR Chris Moore, TE Daniel Brown and DE Brent Urban have better chances of making the team.  They have played well enough or due to another player’s injury.  Watch to see who stands out and makes the plays.

The coaches are really the ones in spotlight this week they need to reduce the roster to 53 by 4:00 PM Saturday.   They will make decisions that chance players lives and build a team to get us to the Super Bowl.   Just a little pressure no big deal.

I can’t wait to see the final roster.

Enjoy the game. Just the View from 151

GO RAVENS!

 

 

 

 

Welcome back to the new and improved “View From 151” a weekly blog of observations and thoughts through the eyes of a die-hard Ravens Fan who sits in Section 151. My Baltimore football roots go way back to when my father worked for the Baltimore Colts when the team colors were green and grey.

This blog started when my youngest daughter went off to college. She would call on Sunday morning and we would discuss team updates and which team to root for that week. When she went on a study abroad to Ireland, we couldn’t call each other so I started this blog. Molly started forwarding this to siblings and friends and, eventually, she became known as the girl whose father writes the Ravens Blog.

We also like to look at the teams of our friends and root for them if we can–as long as the outcome of the game helps or doesn’t hurt the Ravens standings. There will never be an occasion where we will root for the Steelers. Never.

Here we are in our third season of our blog. I hope this helps you become an informed Raven Maniac and enjoy the games a little more. GO RAVENS!

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THE VIEW FROM 151 TRAINING CAMP

(photo credit: BaltimoreRavens.com)

Hello everyone, I’m putting last season’s 5-11 record well behind me in the rear view mirror and that’s all I’m gonna say about the season. We can now wonder what this new season will bring. So far, we know that training camp will bring some answers to most of the off season questions. The past off season, (isn’t it great saying past off season since the new season is here?!) brought more questions than answers with all of the players who were injured last year and this year’s free agent signings. Who will recover and what free agents will fit in and make a difference? The most glaring question-how is Joe Flacco’s knee? My inside sources tell me that Joe was spotted on the dance floor at Jeremy Zuttah’s wedding two weeks ago. Also at the wedding was Steve Smith, Sr. It was told to me that both Joe and Steve were dancing fools and looking good. But—how does looking good on the dance floor translate to the football field?

Rookies and injured players (half the team) reported to training camp last week with the rest of the players reporting this week. The first practice is Thursday. Can you believe that football is back?!

Let’s start out the same way we ended last season, with the bad news. The Ravens released the PUP list (Physically Unable to Perform list) with a bunch of starters on it including Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, Steve Smith, Perriman (last year’s first round pick who didn’t play one down last season). Sorry, I said that I wasn’t going to mention last year. Trent Richardson RB, a free agent signing, has a bad hamstring. Jumal Rolle CB, also a free agent signing, will be out for the season. Please, can that be the last time I say “out for the season”. To look on the bright side, Joe Flacco, Dennis Pitta, Jimmy Smith and Will Davis are not on the PUP so that means they will be participating in training camp. Other players that we can look for in camp are Justin Forsett RB, Mike Campanaro WR and Crockett Gillmore TE, all who ended last season on the injury list. So, cross your fingers that none of these guys slips and falls in the shower at home and breaks a leg or something.

Since I can’t mention last year, I won’t tell you that the 5-11 record is the reason you can look for plenty of changes this year. We picked a couple of guys from the draft who could start this season including offensive left tackle Ronnie Stanley replacing Eugene Monroe, outside line backer Kamalei Correa if Suggs can’t go or to replace Courtney Upshaw, and defensive end Bronson Kaufusi  to replace Chris Canty. I love this guy’s name. It just sounds like he could rip your head off at anytime.

• Did we end up with a net positive in free agency?
• Did we get better players than the ones who left us?
• Did we fill last year’s holes with good free agents?

Safety Eric Weddle is ready to help our secondary. Ben Watson will add experience (in other words, he’s older) to our young tight end corps. Wide receiver Mike Wallace (formerly with Pittsburgh–so I will hold my true judgements until later) should be able to stretch the field.

We are going to take this season one step at a time. The first step is to see who steps on the practice field on Thursday, healthy and ready to play. Here is to nobody spraining an ankle getting out of their car in the parking lot of the Under Armor Performance Center going in to the first meeting of training camp.

We will follow training camp in the next few weeks to get you ready for the preseason games.

GO RAVENS!!! (It’s great to say that again!!!)

(Photo credit: BaltimoreRavens.com)

 

 

 

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HAPPY NEW!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! THE RAVENS BEAT THE STEELERS! I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE POST OFFICE DELIVERY PERSON WHO HAS THE NORTH POLE ROUTE WHO GOT MY LETTER TO THE BIG MAN HIMSELF, SANTA AND MAYBE EVEN THE EASTER BUNNY WHO MAY HAVE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE WIN OVER THE STEELERS LAST WEEK. THANKS TO ALL THE RAVEN FANS WHO HAD THEIR FINGERS CROSSED AND WORE THEIR DIRTY UNDERWEAR THEY CAN’T WASH UNTIL THE SEASON IS OVER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Can I say it again? The Ravens beat the Steelers last week. It was the best Christmas present ever. As far as I am concerned the Ravens won the Super Bowl last week. Our defense held Roethlisberger to only 17 points, had two interceptions and a fumble recovery. The defense set the tone of the game and told the Steelers we weren’t playing for a draft pick when we stopped them on fourth down to end their first possession of the game.

If I told you that,  in week sixteen of the season against the Steelers, we would start a Quarterback who had only been with the Ravens twelve days you would say we had no chance to win. Well, a guy named Ryan Mallet did just that, he beat the Steelers after only being with us 12 days. Mallet came out and not only managed the game but controlled the game with the help of an offense we have not seen all season. We controlled the time of possession, with a balanced attack of running and passing the ball scoring only 20 points but more than Roethlisberger. Special teams set us up with great field position and Justin Tucker hit a 50 yard field goal. It was just an all around great game to watch from home while my friend Zach used our seats. Merry Christmas, Zach. Did I tell you the Ravens beat the Steelers last week spoiling their chance to clinch a wildcard spot?

Good news no one got hurt last week so we may have the same players starting this week against the Bengals who have won our division but are looking for a first round bye. We will play the spoiler again this week. Andy Dalton still has a cast on his throwing hand and will not play so the Bengals will start back up QB A.J. McCarron. The last time I saw McCarron play was when I was in Miami on my birthday to see Notre Dame get beat up by Alabama in the 2013 BCS National Championship game. Of course, Alabama has always had the highest paid players in college football. Can you tell I’m still a little bitter about him ruining my birthday? I would love to see the Ravens spoil the Bengals chance for a first round bye. I think the Bengals are looking past the Ravens into next week’s the playoffs. I looked at the Bengals web site and saw all but one article talking about how the Bengals will do in the playoffs. Only one story about this week’s game against the Ravens. I don’t think they watched the tape of last week’s game against the Steelers. Did I tell you we beat the Steelers last week? They don’t know that Baltimore plays the spoiler very well from years of watching the Orioles knock the Red Sox and Yankees out of the playoffs. So let’s get behind the young guys who we may be cheering for next year. Oh yeah, the Coaches did a great job. They must have worked overtime getting the team ready to beat the Steelers last week. Sorry if I am repeating myself but I just love saying the Ravens beat the Steelers. There I go again.
Hey Happy New Year everybody!
GO RAVENS!!!!
WEEK SEVENTEEN RUNDOWN: Remember this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens, not necessarily what we think will happen. Don’t bet the farm on my picks

 Thursday Night

The College Championship playoffs took the stage Thursday night and no surprise Alabama won with the highest payroll in college football. Go Clemson, beat Alabama!

Sunday
1:00
RAVENS over Bengals
I am getting chills just thinking about how good the young Ravens play last week and how this could be our future. But we need to show the same attitude this week against a stronger Bengals defense than the Steelers defense we beat last week. Sorry I just can’t help myself. Our defense should have good game against McCarron who likes to throw interceptions. Look for another successful ball control game.

Jets over Bills
We are strongly rooting for the Jets to win and completely knocking the Steelers out of the playoffs. I just can’t think of a world with the Steelers in the playoff and the Ravens sitting at home watching.

Dolphins over Patriots
As the draft ranking stands today the AFC will hold 6 of the first 8 draft picks. That’s not good for the Ravens. At this time, a Dolphins win would still have them picking ahead of us but would keep the Patriots from getting home field advantage and that would be a good thing.

Saints over Falcons
Rooting for the Saints on the road, still keeping them behind us in the draft order. Joe Flacco with a bum knee is still better than Matt Ryan.

Lions vs Bears
Rooting for a tie to keep both teams picking after us in the draft.

Eagles vs Giants
Rooting for another tie to keep both teams picking after us. The Chip Kelly experiment is over in Philly. He got fired this week. They could not even wait for black Monday.

Cowboys over Redskins
Rooting for the home team so we have a chance of getting a better draft pick. This game means nothing to the Redskins who will sit the entire team and bring out the practice squad to keep the starters healthy for the playoffs. Oh, by the way, the Redskins are in the playoffs. Can you believe it?

Colts over Titans
The outcome of this game cannot change the Ravens draft position so we are rooting for Chuck Pagano. This may be his last game as the Colts head coach. Chuck has always been a great guy. Good luck, Chuck!

Browns over Steelers
The Browns could have the first pick in next year’s draft but they will screw it up by beating the Steelers. No matter what happens in this game the Browns will pick before us but I’m not worried as they have no clue how to pick a good player. Can you say Johnny Football?

Jaguars over Texans
Rooting for the road team so we get a better draft pick.

4:25
Saints over Jaguars
Both teams at 5-9 and would pick behind us in the draft so rooting for the home team Saints.

Raiders vs Chiefs You Pick’em
A meaningless game, Chiefs are in the playoffs and the Raiders are out of the playoffs, no matter the outcome of this game.

Broncos over Chargers
Rooting for the Broncos, to get home field advantage over the Patriots.

Panthers over Buccaneers
Cam Newton and the Panthers blow their undefeated season last week by looking past the Falcons. Cam, how could you lose to Matt Ryan? The loss was a wake up call and won’t happen again. See you in the Super Bowl, Cam.

Seahawks vs Cardinals You Pick’em
A meaningless game for both teams, who are both in the playoffs no matter the outcome of the game.
Still thinking of our special intention in Seattle, enjoy the playoffs.

Rams vs 49ers You Pick’em
Another meaningless game

Sunday Night
8:30

Packers over Vikings
Stay up for this one, it will be the biggest game of the week. The winner of this game will take first place of the NFC North and a home playoff game. The loser will be a wildcard team. GO PACK GO!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!

GO RAVENS!!!

And that’s just the view from 151

 

I HOPE MY LETTER TO SANTA REQUESTING THE RAVENS BEAT THE STEELERS DIDN’T GET LOST IN THE MAIL!
No shocker last week a good Chiefs team beat a depleted Ravens team with a third string quarterback. The only bright spot last week was Kamar Aiken with 128 receiving yards and that was about it for high lights of the game. And don’t get me started on last week’s pants.
I don’t want to dwell on last week, we need to focus all of our energy on beating the Steelers this week. Way back in week one of the preseason we looked at the teams in our division and I commented on the Steelers offense had gotten better with a new wide receiver and an intact Oline to help the running game. The hope was the Steelers defense would give up more points than their offense could score. The Steelers offense is currently ranked #2 in the NFL and their defense is ranked 24th. Week Four, we beat a Roethlisberger less Steelers in Pittsburgh. Now the table is turned-they come to Baltimore and we don’t have Joe Flacco, Steve Smith Terrell Suggs and the list goes on. So the Purple Kool-Aid has run out and I can’t realistically expect a Ravens win Sunday but I can hope that Ravens Nation shows up and gets loud for our last home game of 2015.
I hope everyone has a great holiday with a safe and happy New Year.
GO RAVENS NATION!!!!!

WEEK SIXTEEN RUNDOWN: Remember this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens, not necessarily what we think will happen. Don’t bet the farm on my picks.

Thursday Night
8:30
Raiders beat the Chargers 20-23 in what could have been the last time the Raiders play in Oakland.

Saturday Night
8:25
Redskins over Eagles
The Redskins have taken total control of the NFC East. If you can say 7-7 is in total control. The Eagles would be eliminated from the playoffs if they lose. So enjoy some leftovers and football on Saturday night.

Sunday
1:00
RAVENS over Steelers
All I want for Christmas is a Ravens win over the Steelers.

49ers over Lions
Both NFC teams
Looking at next year’s draft positioning and the 49ers would pick ahead of us.

Cowboys over Bills
NFC vs AFC
Tony Romo was put on IR this week. Rooting for the Cowboys who have the same 4-10 record as we do.

Buccaneers over Bears
Both NFC teams
Rooting for the home team Bucs.

Panthers over Falcons
The story of the season has to be how Cam Newton has this Panthers undefeated at 14-0 can up say MVP.

Dolphins over Colts
Rooting for the home team.

Jets over Patriots
The Jets need to win to keep the Steelers out of the payoffs.

Titans over Texans
Rooting for the home team Titans who are tied with the Browns for the worst record in the NFL.

Chiefs over Browns
A Browns loss would guarantee them last place in the AFC North. And a Chiefs win keeps the Steelers out of the playoffs.

4:05
Saints over Jaguars
Both teams at 5-9 and would pick behind us in the draft so rooting for the home team Saints.

4:25
Packers over Cardinals
Both NFC teams
The Packers are playing to keep first place in their division and the Cardinals are playing for homefield advantage in the NFC. This could be a good game, so watch this game after the Ravens beat the Steelers.

Seahawks over Rams
Both NFC teams
The Seahawks have clinched a playoff stop but are playing for a higher seed. Happy New Year to our special intention in Seattle.

Sunday Night
8:30

Giants over Vikings
A Vikings loss would knock them out of the playoffs

Monday Night
8:30

Bengals over Broncos
A Bengals win would keep the Steelers from winning our division (do you notice a theme).

Happy New Year!!!!

GO RAVENS!!!

And that’s just the view from 151