http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/3166 Recent articles about Trevor Pryce en-us A Things don't get any easier for our purple and black this week, as the Tennessee Titans, one of just 3 remaining undefeated teams in the NFL, make the trip up to B'More.A These two teams, former fierce AFC Central rivals, last met in 2006 in Nashville, when Trevor Pryce blocked a last second field goal [...] Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:28:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344442 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344442 Not 10 minutes after finishing the last post on Mike Preston and his Raven's writing, he gives me fodder for yet another. This blog will not be an anti-Preston ranting ground, but today he just seems to be asking for it. In his just-posted Q&A column (hmmma?? another 'bullet point' piece?), Preston has a lot of [...] Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:48:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342464 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342464 Well, I'm spent and I didn't play a down or make a tackle. I expected the Baltimore Ravens to play their AFC North rival tough but ultimately I thought that in the end the Steelers at home would be too much to overcome. Sometimes I hate being right. The Raven defense was spectacular for three quarters of the game, stifling the Pittsburgh offense at every turn and sending offensive players to the sidelines. Rookie Joe Flacco outplayed Ben Roethlisberger most of the game with two plays standing out. A fake that set up a beautiful fade touchdown strike to Daniel Wilcox and an almost Farvesque reversal of field to hit Derrick Mason for a big gain. The Ravens appeared in control 13-3 heading into the half and every Raven fan had to be feeling that the Monday night streak would be broken. The strange thing about football is that you have to play to the end and you never know what can happen next. The Steelers needed only fifteen seconds to retake the lead. First a poor punt by the usually reliable Sam Koch set up decent field position. But, the turning point was Jarret Johnson's stupid unsportsmanlike penalty that gave Pittsburgh its best field position of the night. Roethlisberger took advantage and after a missed hold on Trevor Pryce his TD flip to Santonio Holmes had his team back in business. After the kickoff Flacco made one of his few mistakes and couldn't sense the rush or protect the ball that led to a strip that LaMarr Woodley and another Steeler touchdown to make it too make it 20-13 Steelers. But, Joe Cool answered the call with a nice drive of his own going 6 for 6 capped off by Le'Ron McClain rumbling over defenders for a 2 yard touchdown. The Baltimore defense held fast and we go to overtime. I am still not sure if I agreed with the Ravens decision to sit on the ball on their own 15 with a little over a minute left. To me it's playing not to lose and when you do that you often do so. Flacco had made nice decisions all game long even though he only had one live body (Derrick Mason a?"8 catches-137 yards) to throw to all night. Todd Heap was a non-factor. Mark Clayton it seems can only run a reverse. Demetrius Williams should retire that Mohawk back to the 80's and catch a ball or two. But, even with that they get the favorable coin toss and then just implode. Penalties sabotage the drive and they have to punt it away deep in from their own backyard. In the end when it's time to make a play Bart Scott whiffs on the sack and Mewelde Moore scoots to daylight to set up the winner. Overall even though the Ravens dropped to 2-1, I think it's clear they can contend in the division and in my eyes passed the test against a better opponent. I think they have a tough task coming back home to face a team that is almost a mirror image of themselves in Tennessee. Points to Ponder I love Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski in the broadcast booth but hate that balding white guy next to them. I started counting how many stupid things Kornhieser said on both hands and then had to remove my shoes. He almost makes me pine for the days of Dennis Miller. It's very clear that the Ravens MUST get a top-flight receiver. Something they haven't had since Michael Jackson in 1996. All night they could get little separation and don't have any speed burners to make defenses pay long. Ray Lewis played an inspirational game, batting down passes and leading the team with 9 tackles and making clutch plays. Please, can anyone name a better MLB? Yamon Figurs hurt Special teams today. He looked tentative and muffed a few returns. I was surprised not to see Jim Leohnard inserted into a punt return or two. Composure hurt the Ravens tonight. Johnson's penalty was costly but the team had 8 for the game. They need focus and accountability. It was refreshing to see Harbaugh chew out Johnson on the sidelines for his boneheaded gaffe. Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:45:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/341713 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/341713 First thoughts on the Ravens 17-10 win over the Bengals today, marking a fine start for rookie coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Joe Flacco. The defense has returned to form. Credit the return of Trevor Pryce, addition of Marques Douglas, or growth of whichever players… but the D did its job. I also like how Ryan [...] Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:51:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/329409 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/329409 It was, oh, 8 months ago that we made a post here called "Fill in the Blank." The task: who are the team's missing links? So let's see what we've got here now… Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:57:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/317091 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/317091 From: BaltimoreRavens.com Former second-round draft pick Dwan Edwards, an integral part of the Ravens' rotation on the defensive line, was one of three players placed on Injured Reserve Tuesday, as the team trimmed its roster down to 75 players.  Edwards was joined on IR by linebacker Terrence Melton and nose tackle Kelly Talavou, while the Ravens waived wideout Darnerian McCants and tight end Aaron Walker. Edwards, who is coming off the most productive campaign of his four-year career, made 13 starts and posted a career-high 58 tackles filling in for Trevor Pryce, who missed games with a broken wrist and a torn pectoral muscle. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:08:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313206 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313206 The Baltimore Ravens made their first round of cuts today, dismissing local product and R&B star Darnerien McCants and tight end Aaron Walker. McCants, who had been out of the league for two seasons prior to camp, caught one pass for 30 yards in the first game of the preseason. Both McCants and Walker Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:26:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313082 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313082 An update on the Baltimore Ravens. Joe Flacco, Troy Smith and that other guy are all competing for the starting job. Let's not kid ourselves. That other guy has no shot. Here's what Flacco had to say regarding the competition: "We don't really have anything against each other. All we're trying to do is win a spot and do the best we can do. It's just the nature of the position. I don't really have any hard feelings." I bet you Troy Smith has a few hard feelings, especially if he doesn't win the job. Smith had a horrible showing in practice this week (1-5 with 3 INTs); however, I still think Smith is the lead horse to start week one at home against the Bengals. The Ravens haven't even hit full-squad practices, so I'm not going to freak out about such terrible numbers. Smith has dropped a dozen pounds since last year, so he should be even more elusive than Happy Feet Boller and certainly more so than Mr. Big Flacco. I'm not sure why I'm such a supporter of Smith. I'm definitely an OSU hater, so I suppose it's because I think he has a chance to be a solid NFL QB. Don't make me look foolish, Heisman. Suggs to skip training camp. Is anyone surprised? Does anyone care? Does it really matter? Sometimes I forget he's on the team. After Pryce went down with an injury, Suggs played as though he were sitting out. Disappeared. Poof. Ghost. Last year was a great year to QB against Baltimore. No other team in the league gave up more deep-ball plays than your "#1" Ravens D. The secondary shares the blame, but the secondary can't guard guys forever. You've got to pressure the QB. Few other things: Second-round draft pick Ray Rice has signed a four-year deal. Third-round safety Tom Zbikowski has also signed with the team. Samari Rolle is excused from the team to deal with his father's untimely death (heart attack) last week. Then again, death is never timely. Sort of like Kyle Boller in the pocket. My bad. That was mean. All the best to the Rolle family, and, Kyle, get that clipboard ready. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:12:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294483 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294483 Trevor Pryce, one of the stars of the Ravens' defensive line before injuries slowed him down in 2007, is in camp and looking better than ever. The defensive end looked trim and didn't seem to be carrying extra weight on his 6-foot-5, 286-pound frame. After practicing with mostly rookies in the morning at McDaniel College in Westminster, Pryce ran sprints on an empty football field, finishing the last one by backpedaling the entire way. The Ravens gotta have this guy this season. Not only is he among the team's veteran leadership, but any subdued performance on the part of Terrell Suggs missing camp is going to fall squarely on his shoulders. He recorded 13 sacks two years ago, but missed 11 games in 2007 with a fractured wrist and torn pectoral muscle. This might be one of a remaining few years of productivity for Pryce, and from the looks of things, he's going to maximize it. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:43:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294452 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294452 Trevor Pryce, one of the stars of the Ravens' defensive line before injuries slowed him down in 2007, is in camp and looking better than ever. The defensive end looked trim and didn't seem to be carrying extra weight on his 6-foot-5, 286-pound frame. After practicing with mostly rookies in the morning at McDaniel College in Westminster, Pryce ran sprints on an empty football field, finishing the last one by backpedaling the entire way. The Ravens gotta have this guy this season. Not only is he among the team's veteran leadership, but any subdued performance on the part of Terrell Suggs missing camp is going to fall squarely on his shoulders. He recorded 13 sacks two years ago, but missed 11 games in 2007 with a fractured wrist and torn pectoral muscle. This might be one of a remaining few years of productivity for Pryce, and from the looks of things, he's going to maximize it. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:43:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294452 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294452 Today Baltimore franchised T-Sizzle to the tune of about $8M. His role with the team remains unclear. His role used to be to play defense and sack quarterbacks, but last year he gave up on that about five seconds after Trevor Pryce was lost due to injury. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:14:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/151256 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/151256 This definitely hurts the Ravens, because Pryce was already going below full speed while recovering from a broken wrist he sustained in September. The Ravens are ranked 15th in the league in sacks, so losing any pressure from the defensive front will create big shifts in responsibility for outside linebackers Terrell Suggs and Jarret Johnson, and back up lineman Dwan Edwards. Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:22:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/37751 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/37751 With San Francisco's starting left tackle Jonas Jennings out for Sunday's game against the Ravens, Baltimore should be able to put more pressure on Trent Dilfer. Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:52:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/29876 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/29876 An update on Trevor Pryce's broken wrist, and thoughts on Baltimore's anemic pass rush: only six sacks on the season, through four games, as opposed to 60 last year. Thu, 04 Oct 2007 19:20:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/29720 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/29720 Today Jets QB Kellen Clemens makes his first-ever NFL start, and unfortunately for him it's against the league's best defense. CLEMENS: There's not a lot of weak points in that chain. They're very talented. They'll be a challenge for us." Baltimore's take: TREVOR PRYCE: "If you let one of those random, unknown guys to build some confidence, they can hurt you badly. Some young guys don't really have enough sense to be afraid. They don't think about the consequences, so they just wing it. Sometimes you'll see a young cocky kid out there, and he'll say to himself, 'This is like high school. I'm the man!' That's when you know you're in big trouble. Trust me, you want to crush their confidence right away." JARRET JOHNSON: "We definitely try to rattle young guys. With an older guy you know that getting hit probably doesn't bother him. That's not always true with a new quarterback, so you hit him to find out if he can take it or not. You want to be aggressive and try to intimidate him." ED REED: "We're not a typical defense that you can pick up. It's something that takes time for a quarterback that's coming in for the first time. I'm sure he's excited, but at the same time somewhere in the back of his mind he's a little shaken up." RAY LEWIS: "I don't know one person in this organization, as well as our city, that's thought about 0-2. The bottom line is the Jets pulled a bad draw. It's just the way it comes down." Sun, 16 Sep 2007 06:23:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/27337 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/27337