WHAT THE HELL, DID WE LOSE TO THE BROWNS AT HOME?

We sure did. Seventy one thousand Raven fans did the walk of shame out of M&T last Sunday and I was one of them. I finally got to go to a game after being on the injury report since July. I was feeling good last Sunday morning, we had a great time tailgating with Bmore Around Town in Lot O— the beer was cold and the grill was hot. The topic of conversation was how the Ravens would crush the Browns and would Johnny Football get a chance to play. I really thought we would win the game but it didn’t happen. The reality is we lost in overtime so let’s move on, shall we.

We are 1-4 with two losses in the division and four games behind the division leading Bengals. Not a pretty picture. Where do we go from here? We go right back to work and that starts with Ozzie and the front office with personnel changes. Last week I made a joke about the new guy but it’s not funny anymore. The Ravens made a lot of changes this week; some because we needed to and some because we had no choice. Defensive players CB Rashaan Melvin and OLB Jason Babin were cut for lousy play. Babin was in for only five plays last week and was called for off side on two of them. The medical staff was busy Sunday dealing with injured Ravens. Players who were hurt during last week’s game include Will Davis (out for the season) Lorenzo Taliaferro (out for the season (side note: at least I don’t have to keep looking up the spelling of his last name)) Justin Forsett, Lardarius Webb got hurt and did not return to the game. Late in the game I looked at the secondary and there were special team guys playing corner and that’s never a good thing. Say hi to the new guys Asa Jackson, Charles James II, and Shareece Wright (can’t they find somebody I don’t need to keep looking up the spelling of their name). Welcome to the team.

We got them, now John needs to coach them up. We have a short practice week since we travel to San Francisco to face the also 1-4 49ers. Who will have two wins by Sunday evening? Let’s hope it’s us.

Both the Ravens and the 49ers were in the Super Bowl just three seasons ago and now we are both 1 and 4, last in our divisions. But there is a huge difference between the teams.The 49ers have been getting blown out while the Ravens have lost by only a combined 17 points and have led in the 4th quarter in each of our losses. The 49ers are ranked almost dead last on both offense and defense. The only thing they do well is run the ball and that plays right into our defensive strength. San Francisco averages only 15 points a game so maybe our defense and whoever is in the secondary can go on the road and hold a lead to win the game. Who will play this week? I haven’t a clue but whoever plays needs to step it up and get a win.

WEEK SIX RUNDOWN: Remember- this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens not necessarily what we think will happen. So don’t bet the farm on my picks.

Thursday night
8:25 p.m.

Saints over Falcons
Our first chance to see undefeated Matt Ryan and the Falcons on national TV. Rooting for the home team Saints

Sunday
1:00 p.m.

Redskins over Jets
NFC vs AFC The Redskins lost at home in overtime last week and will need to play one of their best games to beat the Jets in New Jersey.

Cardinals over Steelers

This will be a good game to watch the Steelers get annihilated. If you are not raking leaves, this is the 1:00 game to watch. Let’s scout the Cardinals, who we play next week. Remember your priorities- the leaves will be there next Saturday.

Vikings over Chiefs
NFC vs AFC The Vikings at 2-2 have the second best run offense while the overall offense is ranked second to last in the league. So what do you think the Chiefs are practicing this week? How to tackle RB Adrian Peterson– stop him and you stop the Vikings. But we are rooting for the NFC team.

Bills over Bengals

This is not a easy pick just because the Bengals lead our division, we don’t necessarily want them to lose. Since the Chiefs are in the AFC and have a better record than the Ravens we could be fighting them for a wildcard spot at the end of the season. But it’s not quite time to start looking at the wildcard race, let’s see what happens his week.

Lions over Bears
Just think Raven fans, we could be 0-5 like the Lions who we are rooting for at home.

Broncos over Browns
I still can’t believe we lost to the Browns. Looking for the Broncos who are the ugliest looking 5-0 team, to beat the Browns.

Jaguars over Texans
Rooting for the home team.

Titans over Dolphins
Rooting for the Titans to beat the Dolphins who fired their head coach last week.

4:05 p.m.

Seahawks over Panthers
The Panthers are undefeated but have not faced a defense like Seattle. Rooting for the home team Seahawks and our special intention in Seattle

4:25
RAVENS over 49ers
We need to win!!! We can win this game but we just don’t know how the secondary will hold Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers passing game. The 49ers passing game stinks so we should have no problem holding on to the lead that the offense give us. Look for former Ravens Tory Smith and Anquan Boldin to get shut-down this week. We really do need to win, did I say that before? GO RAVENS!!!!

Packers over Chargers
NFC vs AFC Rooting for the home team Packers. DVR this one to watch the Chargers who we play in week 8

Sunday night
8:30

Colts over Patriots
I hate Tom Brady, enough said.
Monday night
8:30

Eagles over Giants
This could be a good game rooting for the home team and our Eagle fan friends.

Bye week for Cowboys, Raiders, Rams, and Buccaneers

I will be looking for our secondary, who ever that may be, to step and hold a lead. Can they do it? We will see together.

And that’s just the view from151

GO RAVENS!!!!

Flacco spiking the ball. Photo credit: Shawn Hubbard Photography

WE WON!!!! THE RAVENS BEAT THE STEELERS IN PITTSBURGH!

The Ravens finally put one in the win column. As far as the game goes it was ugly, but I will take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day. It was your typical Ravens vs. Steelers game- hard hitting and a close final score. We lost a couple of players: Steve Smith was speared in the back (it should have been a penalty) and now has broken bones in his back and will be week to week for an undetermined amount of time. Campanaro is out for the season with a bulging disk. So we limp out of Pittsburgh with a win. Look on the bright side, we could be like the Steelers with no quarterback and no kicker. We still have a healthy Flacco and Tucker who was the special teams player of the week. Way to go,Tuck!

One win down twelve more to go, starting with this week at home against the Browns. Good news- left tackle Eugene Monroe should start this week for the first time since week one. But that’s all the good news. Gillmore and Canty are not practicing and will probably be out this week. We have a new guy which seems like a weekly event. We traded with the Rams for WR Chris Givens. So who will Joe throw to? I have no clue. What I do know is that the Browns have the worst run defense in the league so look for a lot of Justin Forsett this week. The Browns will start quarterback Josh McCown who has yet to win a game this season. Johnny Football has the Browns only win this year. So my hope is the Ravens defense crushes McCown and the Browns bring in Johnny so we can crush him too.

Joe and the offense will have a good day by running the ball and passing to the tight ends. Our defense will control the game stopping the run and harassing McCown all day. Look for the Browns to turn the ball over and our defense to score some points.

We only get three home games out of the first eight so enjoy the game and GET LOUD BALTIMORE!!!
WEEK FIVE RUNDOWN: Remember- this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens not necessarily what we think will happen. So don’t bet the farm on my picks.

Thursday night
8:25

Texans over Colts
This will be the battle of the backup QBs Andrew Luck will miss his second game and the Texans are switching quarterbacks so Ryan Mallett will start. Rooting for the Home team and against the Colts who have a better AFC record.

Editors note: Remember–we wanted the Texans to win but, Friday morning quarterback, we know that the Colts won. Good job, Texans, you were in it until the end.
Sunday
1:00

RAVENS over Browns
Our Ravens are battered and bruised but that won’t stop them from beating the Browns at M&T this week. The young tight ends Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle will have a big day blocking for Joe and the running game while catching a couple of first down passes.
I can’t wait to see what Harbaugh has planned for the wide receivers, maybe something, maybe not. We will all find out together on Sunday. GO RAVENS!!!!

Bears over Chiefs
NFC vs AFC The Bears helped us last week by beating the Raiders and hoping they can do the same by beating the Chiefs.

Seahawks over Bengals
The Seahawks go to Cincy on a short week after winning on Monday night under a cloud of controversy. The Bengals are undefeated so the Seahawks need to bring their “A” game and a couple of the blind Refs from the Monday night to win this one.

Redskins over Falcons
Redskins won last week and averted a Government shutdown. The country thanks you. The Skins will need the Army this week in Atlanta to beat the undefeated Falcons. Matt Ryan is really making Joe look bad so we need the Redskins to win.

Buccaneers over Jaguars
Both NFC teams who are not very good, rooting for the home team. Maybe Jameis Winston can earn his #1 draft pick status.

Eagles over Saints
The Eagles / Chip Kelly experiment is about to go up in smoke if they can’t win at home this week. The Eagles are literally the worst overall team in the NFL. There will be no love for Chip Kelly in the City of Brotherly Love if they lose on Sunday in Philly.

Packers over Rams
The Packers may not put up big numbers and pretty stats but what they do is win. The Rams don’t have a chance against the undefeated Packers in Green Bay.

Titans over Bills
Rex Ryan and the Bills committed 17 penalties last week at home in a loss against the Giants. Rex is hoping to get the blind referee crew from last Monday night. Rooting for the Titans at home.
4:05

Lions over Cardinals
The Lions were on the wrong end of that bad call on Monday night and the worst thing is they didn’t even know it until someone told them. The obscure batting the ball rule a rule no one even knew about until an old retired referee brought it up after the game. It won’t be easy for the Lions to win but perhaps karma will even out with a few calls going the their way this week. Rooting for Haloti Ngata and the home team Lions to get their first win.

4:25

Cowboys over Patriots
NFC vs AFC, We thought the Ravens were banged up but  the Cowboys are ten time worse.They have no quarterback, no running backs, no wide receivers, and no secondary. The worst part of this is Tom Brady and the Patriots bring their #1 ranked passing game to Dallas this week. I heard one line this week that their curtain defensive unit was as porous as the Texan border. Well, if the shoe fits…. In Dallas they came up with a new wrist band that says “BACKUP STRONG” in support of the Cowboys since they only have backups playing. Go Cowboys, beat the Patriots!!!

Raiders over Broncos
How can the Broncos team be undefeated when they have one of the worst offenses in the league? It’s easy- they have the best defense in the league. We should know how far a team can go with a mediocre offense and a great defense. That being said we still want the Raiders to win at home.

Sunday Night
8:30

49ers over Giants
We would usually root for the home team Giants but the 49ers are about implode and need a pick me up win on the road. Things are looking bad for Kaepernick, Torrey Smith and Anquon Boldin. They have the worst passing offense in the NFL. Good luck, Guys!

Monday Night
8:30
Chargers over Steelers
I don’t need to say any more but, we want to kick the Steelers while they are down and without Roethlisberger. Go Chargers! Please beat the Steelers.

The Ravens need some good karma to chase the injury bug away. I think our defense is getting better but what kind of an offense will we have? Can we stretch the field with the new WR Chris Givens? Will Eugene Monroe protect Joe’s blind side? Tune in Sunday and we will find out together. GET LOUD BALTIMORE!!!

And that’s just the view from 151.

GO RAVENS!!!!

Justin Tucker after the game winning field goal in OT! Don’t look so surprised, Tucker. Joe, Harbs and the rest of the team/fans knew you could do it! That kick tied a record for longest FG in Heinz Field Stadium and won JTuck the Special Teams Player of the Week award from the NFL.

PHOTO CREDITS: Baltimore Ravens.com

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Our Ravens beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh last night for the first win of the season.  It wasn’t pretty but a win is a win.  Another typical Ravens Steelers game where guys were limping off the field all night and the game was won by only three points.

Correction to week 4 post besides spelling edition incorrectly in the first posting, I listed the Jets Dolphins game at 1:00. Great news! The game is being played at 9:30 AM Sunday morning in London.  So we have football starting at 9:30 AM to almost midnight this Sunday.  Great, just what I need more chore deferring football watching.  Enjoy the games.

GREAT WIN LAST NIGHT!

Go Ravens!

The View from 151-THURSDAY NIGHT EDITION

THE RAVENS ARE 0 AND 3 WE HAVE NEVER SAID THAT BEFORE

For the first time in Ravens history we start the season 0-3. The Ravens defensive secondary just could not fight off the Bengals Andy Dalton and AJ Green last week. Joe and Steve Smith gave us two fourth quarter leads but the defense let the leads slip away allowing the Bengals to also score twice in the fourth quarter to win the game 28-24. The Ravens are not a bad 0-3 team, we are a team that has a defensive weakness in the secondary and have injuries to key players. We are just three plays away from 3-0, losing all our games by a combined total of 14 points. We have had late fourth quarter leads in each of the three games but we just couldn’t hold on to the win.

Can we fix the problems?

As Buck Showalter would say “I like our guys”, we have to like our guys since they are team we have. We have a good team but we just need a break or two to go our way. We need injured players to come back without some else getting hurt to replace them on the injury list. We need to hold on to fourth quarter leads. We need a little time to get the secondary right. Maybe we got that break this week. How can I say that, IT’S STEELER WEEK and on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. It’s a short week of preparation, we go on the road, we have no time!!!! Yes we do, we get a break we have been looking for, Ben Roethlisberger is out, so an old Michael Vick will be starting for the Steelers this week.

The Steelers worst nightmare happened last week when Roethlisberger sprained his knee and will be out four to six weeks. Vick will start this week against the Ravens. With Vick at quarterback, the Steeler’s deep threat with Antonio Brown is gone. Vick can’t throw the ball deep any more, giving our secondary a chance to organize and figure out their assignments. Assignment one, cover Antonio Brown, assignment two, cover Antonio Brown, assignment three, COVER Antonio Brown, well you get what I am saying COVER ANTONIO BROWN!!!. Vick’s long passes will be short giving us a chance to intercept. Can you say “pick six”? Back in his day, Vick was a running threat. Not this week! We can contain him to stay in the pocket where our pass rush can get to him. The Steelers can run the ball and are good on the goal line with Bell and Williams but without a passing game they won’t get close to the goal line. It’s going to be a long night for Vick. Joe and the offense can put up enough points to cover our defense. The Steelers defense has only been tested once this season in a loss to the Patriots. Pittsburgh gives up a lot of yards but not a lot of points. Crockett Gillmore has not practiced and may not play so look for rookie tight ends Max Williams (or can I say Todd Heap) and Nick Boyle to have a good night. Steve Smith has carried the offense on his back all season and will do the same Thursday night. We, can control this game on the ground and win it on the foot of Justin Tucker.
WEEK FOUR RUNDOWN: Remember- this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens not necessarily what we think will happen. So don’t bet the farm on my picks.

Thursday night
8:25

RAVENS over Steelers
Get your popcorn ready early this week because it’s Thursday night and you know what that means–work production goes down in Baltimore on Friday. A division game on the road in Pittsburgh that may go down to the final seconds. So stay up late to watch the Ravens win on a last minute field goal. GO RAVENS!!!!

Sunday
1:00

Dolphins over Jets
Jets have a better AFC record. Rooting for the home team.

Jaguars over Colts
Both teams have 1-2 AFC records so we are just rooting against the Colts. Finally we get to root against the Colts.

Giants over Bills
NFC vs AFC The Bills are playing pretty good this season so we want the Giants to knock them back to reality.

Panthers over Buccaneers
It’s only week four and it gets complicated already. So stay with me when I say we want the Panthers to win. Both are NFC teams so it really doesn’t matter against the Ravens. We would usually root for the home team Bucs but the Panthers are tied with the Falcons for first place in their division so we are rooting against Matt Ryan in this game. We just don’t like Matt Ryan and the way everyone says he’s better than Joe Flacco.

Eagles vs Redskins you pick ’em
Both have 1-2 NFC records. Congress will be working overtime to keep the Federal government from shutting down over the budget. But if the Redskins lose, you might as well shut the government down on Monday since none of the DC workers will want to work.

Bears over Raiders
The 0-3 NFC Bears playing at home. Are the Bears throwing in the towel for this season by trading away two good defensive players with others maybe on the trading block? I hope not. We need them to beat the Raiders who have a better AFC record than the Ravens.

Falcons over Texans
Another complicated game where we need to keep emotion out of our picks and root for the NFC team over the AFC team even though the NFC team is the Falcons with Matt Ryan. The Falcons have the #3 offense in the league and making Joe look bad but it’s way too early in the season to talk about rankings.

Chiefs over Bengals
The Bengals pass attack made our secondary look bad last week and probably will do the same this week against the Chiefs. But we need the 1-2 Chiefs to beat the 3-0 Bengals.

4:05

Chargers over Browns
Rooting against the division rival Browns who (and I can’t believe I am saying this, but) have a better record than the Ravens. Has the world gone mad? We play the Browns in Baltimore next week so watch what they do at quarterback. Who will they play– Josh McCown or Johnny Football? Johnny sat on the bench last week to watch the Browns loss to the Raiders, while two weeks ago Johnny started and got their only win.

4:25

Packers over 49ers
Both NFC teams but rooting against the home team and for our Packer fan friends. Dan- we didn’t see you on TV last week you must have been wearing hometown Packer green just like everyone else.

Cardinals over Rams
Rooting for the home team 3-0 Cardinals against the 1-2 Rams, this could be a blowout. Scout this game since we play both of these NFC teams later this season.

Viking over Broncos
Again we put our emotions in our pocket and root for the NFC 1-2 Vikings (even though we don’t like them) over the AFC 3-0 Broncos. The Broncos are 3-0 with the 30th ranked offense. How can that be?  Because they have the best ranked defense. The Vikings Adrian Peterson against the #1 defense. This could be the game to watch at 4:25 when you should be doing other things.

Sunday Night
8:30

Cowboys over Saints
The Pope is back in Rome, so the 0-3 Saints will need Drew Brees to come back from a shoulder injury to have any chance of beating the Cowboys who will not have Tony Romo. The Cowboys Defense should be able to control this game. This could be a game to stay up and watch if Drew Brees plays. If not, the Cowboys should have this game wrapped up by halftime.

Monday Night
8:30

Seahawks over Lions
Haloti Ngata and the 0-3 Lions don’t have a chance against the Seahawks with their defense and RB Marshawn Lynch. Rooting for the home team and our special intention in Seattle, praying for some good news.

Going to Pittsburgh on a short week, forecasting rain all weekend, and a hurricane coming up the east coast– could it be any worse? All I know is the sun will be shining in Baltimore Friday morning after the Ravens beat the Steelers. Enjoy the games.

And that’s just the view from 151

GO RAVENS!!!!!

0 AND 2 IS NOT “THE END OF THE WORLD”

The team stayed in San Jose last week to give us a better chance of winning at least the second game of the West Coast road trip, but that didn’t happen so we are 0-2. Being 0-2 to start the season may not be the end of the world but the next two games are against the Bengals at home this week and the Steelers in Pittsburgh on the following Thursday night. We could be 0-4 and that would be the end of the world.

We need to fix the defense!!!

I watched last week’s Raiders game twice just to try and figure out what went wrong. We scored 33 points and put up almost 500 years on offense and we still lost the game. How did that happen? Well, as good as we looked on offense, we looked that bad on defense. We could not pressure the quarterback, gave up to many running yards on critical third downs, and the secondary missed way too many assignments. The Raiders had not only one receiver with over 100 yards but two, both Crabtree and the rookie Cooper had over 100 yards receiving. Without Suggs in the lineup we could not pressure the quarterback giving him too much time to throw the ball. As a result, our secondary could not cover the Raiders receivers, they had 10 different players catch a pass. We need to fix this FAST!!!

Harbaugh has some options. After Suggs went down we signed OLB Jason Babin to help the pass rush and traded next year’s 7th round draft pick to Miami for cornerback Will Davis to help the secondary. Will they help? Watch and see, look for a shake up on defense.

The Ravens finally play a home game but it’s against the Division leading Bengals and Marvin Lewis who always give us a tough game. The Bengals are 2-0 and we are 0-2 this is a MUST WIN GAME.We can’t go three games down. It all starts with the offensive and defensive lines for both teams. Joe and the offense will face a Bengals Dline that has played very well in their first two games. We may not get a lot of yards but we can run against this team and look for our tightends to have another good day. The Ravens offense will score enough points to win the game but will the defense give up more points? The Bengals have a great Oline allowing RB Bernard to run for 123 yards last week, but we have not given up a 100 yard rusher in 28 straight games. This week will make it 29 straight games we will stop the run. But can we stop Andy Dalton’s passing game with, WR AJ Green deep and TE Tyler Eifert across the middle?  We need to pressure Dalton to give the secondary some help. It didn’t happen last week but it will happen this week with the help of our 12th man. Baltimore GET LOUD!!!!
WEEK THREE RUNDOWN: Remember- this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens not necessarily what we think will happen. So don’t bet the farm on my picks.

Thursday night
8:25

Redskins over Giants
The Redskins had a secret meeting with the Pope while he visited Washington this week to thank God for last week’s win and to pray for their starting quarterback.

Sunday

1:00

RAVENS over Bengals
The Ravens need some home town love and the crowd at M&T will give it to them by getting loud on defense and lift the secondary to a victory. Did I see Todd Heap on the field last week? No, that was Crocket Gillmore. Man, he looked good and we will need another big game from him this week. GET LOUD BALTIMORE!!!!

Raiders over Browns
Our enemy last week, our friend this week. We are rooting for the Raiders to beat the Browns. Johnny Football is baaaaack on the bench, so no excitement in Cleveland on Sunday.

Rams over Steelers
The Steelers are putting up big numbers on offense but they are on the road this week in St Louis. The Rams defense will control this game.

Panthers over Saints
Both NFC teams so we are rooting for the home team. Drew Brees is hurt and Cam Newton is due for a big game at home.

Cowboys over Falcons
Tony Romo broke his collar bone last week and will be out six to eight weeks. Jerry Jones played the Pope this week and anointed their backup quarterback Brandon Weeden, the best QB in football. The Cowboys defense at home will take care of Matt Ryan and the Falcons.

Texans over Buccaneers
The Texans are at home with a 0-2 record while the Bucs have a 1-1 record.

Colts over Titans
Yes, a second week in a row we are rooting for the 0-2 Colts on the road to beat the 1-1 Titans. Andrew Luck has been a turnover machine so far this season with five interceptions and one fumble already this year.

Jaguars over Patriots
The Patriots are 2-0 with fully inflated balls. Man, I hate the Patriots. All they do is win.

Vikings over Chargers
NFC vs AFC. Rooting for the Vikings only because they are a NFC team playing an AFC team.

Eagles over Jets
NFC vs AFC The 0-2 Eagles and the Chip Kelly experiment will need a little divine intervention to beat the 2-0 Jets in New Jersey. The Pope will be in Philadelphia on Sunday (and so will my Daughter Molly). We know what the Eagle fans will be praying for.

4:05
Cardinals over 49ers
Both NFC so teams we are rooting for the home team. The 49ers don’t have Jim Harbaugh for us to root for any more. This should be a good divisional game.  Perhaps you could watch this one after the Ravens Beat the Bengals.

4:25
Dolphins over Bills
Both teams are 1-1 so we are rooting for the home team.

Seahawks over Bears.
Both NFC teams are 0-2 someone will get their first win. Rooting for the Seahawks at home and our special intention in Seattle.

Sunday Night
8:30

Lions over Broncos
NFC vs AFC, we are rooting for the home team Lions. We get to see Haloti Ngata squish Peyton Manning on Prime Time. We sure could use Haloti right now.

Monday Night
8:30

Packers over Chiefs
NFC vs AFC Looking for the Packers to go 3-0 and for Dan and MT who will be at the game. Don’t forget to wave, Dan!

And that’s just the view from 151

GO RAVENS!!!!!

Photo credit: Baltimore Ravens

THERE GOES OUR PERFECT SEASON

Week One did not go as planned. Not only did the Ravens lose to the Broncos, they lost a leader on and off the field. Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles and will miss the rest of the season. Get well soon, Terrell. I hope to see you on the sideline as the young players will need your support. Last week the Ravens defense made Peyton Manning look like what he truly is, OLD. Our defense came to play and did so, holding the Broncos offense to only four field goals. Jimmy Smith had a pick six in the 3rd quarter to give the Ravens our first lead of the game. But our offense could only score six points all day and gave up a pick six also in the 3rd quarter. Another woulda-coulda-shoulda game when, with less than a minute to go, the Broncos intercepted a Joe Flacco pass in the end zone that would have won the game. Crockett Gillmore could have caught that pass and that should have been a face guard penalty on the Broncos. But if you score enough points you take the game out of the refs hands. This would have been a great win. Think about it: did we really have this as a win when we first looked at the schedule? No, so, let’s move on to Week Two.

The Ravens stayed on the west coast in San Jose this week to get ready for the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders had a ugly loss to the Bengals in week one losing 33-13 and it truly was not even that close the Raiders scored 13 point during 4th quarter prevent defense time. The Ravens still need to play much better on offense to beat the Raiders. Oakland is having trouble in their secondary and giving up a lot of yards on the ground which should take pressure off our passing and running games. With Eugene Monroe possibly out with a concussion. That leaves James Hurst at left tackle to protect Joe’s blind side against a good pass rush of Justin Tuck, Aldon Smith and Khalil Mack. Oakland has trouble covering tight ends so Joe will look for our tight ends on quick slant patterns to beat the pass rush. Crockett Gillmore should have a good day. We will miss Terrell who will be replaced by Courtney Upshaw backed up by newly signed Jason Babin. Timmy Jernigan should play this week adding to our running defense that held the Broncos to only 69 yards. The Secondary looked good last week and should have no problem with Oakland’s pass offense. Last week we could have won, this week we should win.

WEEK TWO RUNDOWN: Remember- this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens not necessarily what we think will happen. So don’t bet the farm on my picks.

Thursday
8:25

Broncos vs. Chiefs: You pick’em
We are rooting for both teams to lose. Did Peyton Manning look old or was it our tough defense, tune in and see.

Sunday

1:00

Panthers over Texans
NFC vs. AFC. The Texans don’t have a QB and their defense did not look good last week. Cam Newton and the Panthers should win at home.

49ers over Steelers
Could the Steelers defense really be that bad?

Saints over Buccaneers
Jameis Winston the #1 draft pick and the Bucs got crushed last week. Both NFC teams, rooting for the home team Saints.

Lions (not the Tigers as I had in last week’s blog) over Vikings
Look for Haloti Ngata to squish Adrian Peterson and beat the Vikings at home.

Bears over Cardinals
Both NFC teams, rooting for the home team.

Bills over Patriots
We thank Tom Brady for beating the Steelers. That’s enough praise, this week we go back to normal rooting against the Patriots and for our old friend Rex Ryan and the Bills at home.

Chargers over Bengals
The Bengals were the only AFC North team to look good last week and that puts them in first place in our division. Not this week. The Chargers will make the Bengals look bad at home and wish they were back in Oakland. Don’t forget to scout the Bengals. We play them at home next week. Finally, our home opener after two weeks on the west coast.

Titans over Browns
HE’S BAAAACK! Johnny Football will start in the Browns home opener. Browns fans will get to see what a real QB looks like; Marcus Mariota will spoil their day.

Giants over Falcons
I almost threw up watching Monday night’s pregame show when all they talked about was how great Matt Ryan is. My Grandmother would look good at QB with the receiving core Atlanta has. Go Giants.

Redskins over Rams
Washington gets a Mulligan to start the season over at home with a second try for a home win. It won’t be easy against the Rams who beat Seattle last week.

4:05

RAVENS OVER RAIDERS!!!!!
It’s time for the Ravens offense to shine against a Raiders defense that got man handled by the Bengals last week. Joe, Steve Sr. and our young receivers will have a great day against the Raiders Secondary. Oakland can’t cover our young tight ends so they should have a big day also. Timmy Jernigan will stop the Raiders running game with Dumervil leading the pass rush.

Jaguars over Dolphins
NFC vs. AFC. Rooting against the Dolphins who won last week.

4:25

Cowboys vs Eagles: You pick’em

Both NFC teams, DVR this one. It should be worth watching after the Ravens beat the Raiders. Can Tony Romo and the Cowboys win without Dez Bryant? They did last week. How will the Eagles DeMarco Murray run against his old team with Sean Lee back on the field. So much drama! Tune in to see what happens.

Sunday Night

8:30
Seahawks vs. Packers. You pick’em
Both NFC teams. We can root for either team and a good game in Green Bay.

Monday Night

8:30

Colts over Jets
We can thank the Jets for beating the Browns last week. This week we are rooting for the Colts. I know, I know, I told you root against the Colts, but the Jets have a better record than the Ravens so we need them to lose. Remember—root for teams that give the Ravens a better league record.

And that’s just the view from 151

GO RAVENS!!!!!!

IT’S HERE. IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!

Week one of the regular NFL season is here and is starts out with a bang for the Ravens. The schedule from hell starts this week with the Ravens traveling to Denver to take on Peyton Manning and the Broncos. In the past I would rather take a sharp stick in the eye than play Peyton Manning week one, somehow, some way he pulls a rabbit out of his hat and beats us during the regular season, but not this year. Peyton is not what he use to be and don’t forget the Mile High Miracle.

A lot has happened in the last week since we played preseason week 4 in Atlanta. Well, I won’t say any more than that. The roster was cut to the final 53 with questions of who’s playing and who’s not. Moving in to the regular season it appears we are getting healthy and the team really doesn’t look much different than last year.

The only offensive changes are, remove Torrey Smith and Owen Daniels and insert Kamar Aiken and Crockett Gillmore, who both had quality playing time last year. The Oline is exactly the same line that protected Joe last year and that’s a good thing. With Kyle Juszczyk ( I think I have enough Zs in there) and Justin Forsett in the back field. Joe’s back up will be Matt Schaub, who is not too bad but hopefully won’t be needed.

The defense had a couple more changes than the offense but mainly still the same core as last year. Brandon Williams will be a good replacement for Pernell McPhee and Timmy Jernigan will try to replace Haloti Ngata. The big question on defense is did the secondary get better? I say yes, just by getting healthy. Jimmy Smith and Lardarious Webb will be back on the field at the same time. Safety Kendrick Lewis will replace the revolving door of safeties we had last year and will be the only new player this year.

Special teams have not changed. Sam Koch and Justin Tucker will punt and kick with Michael Campanaro returning kicks and punts. Campanaro is the only wildcard in this group, can he stay healthy? I have started a Go Fund Me Page to buy truck loads of bubble wrap to keep him from getting hurt.

All in all, I like our guys. Let’s cross our fingers that everyone stays healthy.

WEEK ONE RUNDOWN: Remember- this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens not necessarily what we think will happen. So don’t go out and bet the farm on my picks.
Thursday Night

Patriots over Steelers
I can’t believe I am rooting for the Patriots week one but we never want the Steelers to win. Tom Brady will be completely inflated this week and go after the rebuilding Steelers defense.

SUNDAY
1:00 games

Packers over Bears
This will be a good Black and Blue division game testing the Packers offense that lost two starting WRs to season ending injuries during preseason.

Texans over Chiefs
I want the Texans to win only because the Chiefs will probably be in the playoff hunt at the end of the year.

Jets over Browns
This could be the ugliest game of the week, but we root against the Browns who are in our division.

Bills over Colts
Yes, it’s true I am not over the Colts leaving Baltimore so whenever I can, we root against the Colts. The Bills won’t be a threat come playoff time.

Washington over Dolphins
NFC over AFC. I feel sorry for the Washington fans. This is their home opener. During the season we root for our Washington fan friends. Good luck this year. You are going to need it.

Panthers over Jaguars
NFC over AFC. We always root for the NFC team if they are playing an AFC team since the Ravens are in the AFC. Even from week one, we are thinking about the playoffs.
Seahawks over Rams
Both NFC teams and the Rams at home but we are rooting for the Seahawks and a special intention out in the Seattle area.

4:05 games

Cardinals over Saints
Both NFC teams: rooting for the home team. We like to root for the home team if we can since I know what it’s like to be at M&T and have the Ravens lose.

Tigers over Chargers
NFC over AFC. We root against the AFC team. Shedding a little tear for Haloti Ngata. Go get ‘em, big guy!

4:25 games

RAVENS OVER BRONCOS!!!!!
Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense will control the game by running the ball, keeping Peyton off the field. This will be a true week one test for our defense especially the secondary. We cannot let the Broncos score late in the game. Our pass rush will rattle Peyton and knock him off his game.

Buccaneers over Titans
NFC over AFC. DVR this game to see the #1 pick Jameis Winston against the #2 pick Marcus Mariota. Two rookie QBs, we are rooting for Winston and the NFC team.

Raiders over Bengals
We are rooting against the Bengals since they are in our division. The Raiders got better and the Bengals not so much. After leaving Denver, the Ravens will stay on the west coast to practice for next week since we play in Oakland week 2. I plan to DVR this game so I can scout the Raiders for week 2.

Sunday Night
8:30

Cowboys over Giants
Cowboys in their home opener at Jerry World will have no problem beating a much weaker Giants team. Tony Romo may have the best team he has ever had with a great O-line to protect him and help the running game. Cowboy fan should be excited!

Monday Night (Double Header)

6:55 game

Eagles over Falcons
Why is Matt Ryan rated higher than Joe Flacco? I just don’t understand how Ryan, with only one playoff win is rated higher than Joe who has more Playoff wins than any other QB in the last 7 seasons. So, we love to root against Matt Ryan. We also root for our Eagle fan friends. The Eagles have a new QB Sam Bradford who was handpicked by coach Chip Kelly. This game will be a good test for the Eagles on the road. With a 6:55 start time I may be able to stay awake to see the game end.

10:15 game

49ERs over Vikings
Both NFC teams but we always root against the Vikings because I just don’t like them. The 49ERs are at home should have no problem beating the Vikings. This game may end just about the time I wake up Tuesday morning.

And that’s just the view from 151

GO RAVENS!!!!!!

9/3/15

Last week against Washington you really had to look hard with one eye closed and your head tilted to the side to see a Ravens team that may take the field in Denver week one of the regular season.

The starting offense scored 13 points and could have had more if not but for a goal line fumble and a rare missed Justin Tucker field goal. The offense still has questions and injuries but they should be ready for week one. The defense is another story. The starters looked sloppy and had a secondary that just has not come together. Webb was the only potential starter who did not play. Are we looking at the starting defensive squad who will line up against Paton Manning week one? If so, it will be a long day for the secondary, AGAIN. We came into training camp feeling pretty good about the offense and a little worried about the defense. Nothing has changed. Lets hope the secondary can get healthy and come together as a squad because week one. They need to be ready.

The roster was cut down from 90 to 75 this week with no real surprises. Pitta went on the PUP with Elam going on injured reserve. The real work starts after tonight’s game. The coaches need to cut the roster down to the opening game 53 man roster by Saturday afternoon. What will the receiver core look like? With Perriman still not practicing no one stands out for a lock on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th spots. Watch tonight for that player who will have his dream of playing for the Ravens come true.

Ravens vs. Falcons

Tonight it’s all about the backups as only 43 players and not the whole coaching staff will travel to Atlanta. The preparation for Denver has started, 90% of the team is in place, with only a few spots left. John Harbaugh will be on the sideline in Atlanta but his head will be in Denver. The real work is done by the coordinators and the assistant coaches to pick the final players. We may see a couple of starters like Webb and Campanaro who need to knock off the rust. Who’s on the bubble? On offense watch for tight end Nick Boyle along with wide receivers Kamar Aiken, Daniel Brown, Marlon Brown, Jeremy Butler, Tom Nelson, and Darren Waller who was a long shot coming into camp but most likely to make the team. On defense we need a lineman and a linebacker to step up. Look for Brennen Beyer, Arthur Brown, Zack Orr, Nick Perry, Za’Darius Smith, Zach Thompson, and Carl Davis who has been the surprise of training camp. Lots of names and just a few spots, we find out on Saturday who we can call a 2015 Raven.

As always we hope for no injuries.

And that’s just the view from 151

GO RAVENS!!!!

8/27/15

We survived our trip to Eagles territory but I’m not so sure the Ravens did. There was no Philadelphia brotherly love for the Ravens last week. What could go wrong, did go wrong. Week one, we scored on the first two possessions. Week two, we turned the ball over on the first two possessions and we lost Taliaferro to a knee injury when he made the tackle to stop the interception run back. The offensive line was hit hard with injuries. So let’s just move on and say it’s just preseason and it didn’t count.

The third preseason game is the most meaningful game of all. The starters will have the most playing time and will probably play into the third quarter. This week the coaches start to game plan for the other team and will start what they think could be the opening day lineup. But with the offensive line banged up we have no idea who is going to be able to play. I say rest the injured players and just get them ready for Denver.

Ravens vs. Washington

We play Washington at home this week. This won’t be much of a test. Washington is a mess, they don’t have a quarterback, the head coach could be the worst in the league, the offensive line can’t pass protect, and the defense lost their best free agent this week in practice. RGIII got beat up last week so I don’t know who will start at quarterback.

What to look for on the Ravens.

The Wide Receiver position is still wide open, Breshad Perriman,our #1 draft pick, has not practiced and we have no clue how long he will be out. The only receiver who stands out is the rookie Darren Waller. He may not have the speed of Perriman but Waller is 6’ 6” tall and can go up and get the ball. Look for him to start and line up opposite Steve Smith Sr.

Defensive Secondary is another major concern. We still don’t have a starting lineup for this squad. Webb and Jimmy Smith are limited in practice, if they practice at all. Take note of the starting lineup; look for Will Hill and Anthony Levine at safety, Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb at corner.

Offensive Line Wagner and Osemele did not start last week with a revolving door of other players getting hurt during the game. Joe will need to get rid of the ball quickly since his time in the pocket may be limited. So this week we may not have a good look of who will line up against Denver.

Running back was not suppose to be a question until Taliaferro hurt his knee and will be out for several weeks. Unfortunately with a make shift O line the young running backs may not have a good chance to show how good they are. Look for Justin Forsett and Jarvis Allen to tag team with the first unit.

Kick returner, Asa Jackson may not play so who will fill in? Nobody looked comfortable waiting on the kicks last week with muffed catches and running out of the end zone from 9½ yards deep. Someone needs to step up. I can’t wait to see who does.

Washington may not be the test we need to get ready but they are one of the teams we sometimes root for since we have so many Washington fan friends. This could be another really bad season for Washington. So far nothing has come together for them. The offensive line has a mix of veterans and rookies that just can’t protect the quarterback. Last week I felt sorry for Robert Griffin III who was sacked, hit and smashed by his own lineman while they were pushed back by the Lions D line. The Defense was going to be better this year but they have lost a couple of key players to injury and the secondary may be no better than last year. I was looking forward to a Washington team with an exciting RGIII offense and a more dominant defense but that doesn’t look like the case. Well, there’s always next year.

As always hope for an injury free game

And that’s just the view from 151

GO RAVENS!!!

8/20/15

Now that’s the way to start the preseason, with a last minute touchdown against the Saints, winning 27 to 30. The starting offense and defense both looked great. The offense scored points on the first four drives with a great balance of running and passing the ball. Joe looked well… like Joe, comfortable and in control. The O line looked healthy and strong. The running backs ran well and were a big part of the passing game. Our starting defense started the game with (2) three and outs but remember Drew Brees did not play. Still, it was a great start. While this is just one game in the preseason, it’s hard not to get excited.

We got answers to some of the questions we had posted last week. Crockett Gillmore looked very comfortable on the field. Rookies Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle were strong against the Saints defense. I think we can cross Tight End off the list of big questions. But remember, it’s only preseason and it was against the Saints defense which wasn’t very good last year.

Steve Smith and a bunch of wide receivers played well with no real big mistakes. No one stood out so the battles for the second and third spots are still up for grabs.

Neither Lardarius Webb nor Jimmy Smith played at corner, which still leaves the secondary as a big question. Drew Brees did not play for the Saints, so there was not much of a test for our secondary but that will change this week against the Eagles. We still have questions about the secondary. Tune in next week to see who plays.

Another big question is who will return kicks and punts. Asa Jackson injured his leg but did not play well before the injury. Pay attention, this week, to who is given this assignment.

Ravens vs. Eagles

Keep Brandon Williams away from the cheese steaks!!! We are practicing Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in Philly with a joint practice for the Ravens and Eagles. The second preseason game will be played in Philadelphia on Saturday at 7:00 PM.

The Ravens will be part of Chip Kelly’s continuing experiment called the Eagles game plan. Chip Kelly makes news just about every day with who he cuts from the team and who he adds to the team like signing DeMarco Murray away from the Cowboys and bringing in Sam Bradford in as QB after sitting out last year with a knee injury. This week the Eagles will be a better test for both our offense and defense. They have a fast pace offense that will test our stamina and a very good run-stopping defense that will tell us how good our offensive line is. The Eagles could be good this year or they could be a total flop. What will Chip Kelly do next? Stay tuned and enjoy the ride

The Ravens starters will get a little more playing time this week but preseason week 2 is still more about the bubble guys. So take note who starts, there may be a surprise or two.

Remember we are rooting for no injuries and enjoy the game.

We are venturing into Eagles Country and will be watching the game at Yesterday’s in Marmora, NJ. Yes, we’ll have our Purple on!

That’s just the view from 151

GO RAVENS!!!