Reminiscent of the infamous ‘Wide Right’ miss by Scott Norwood in Super Bowl XXV, Billy Cundiff’s failed 32-yard field goal attempt against the New England Patriots broke the hearts of Ravens’ fans worldwide. In addition to being a missed opportunity for Baltimore, it raises widespread concerns over whether or not the current side can mount another genuine shot at Super Bowl glory.

With defensive talismans Ray Lewis and Ed Reed both winding down their illustrious careers, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to maintain their high level performances for another season. Although Lewis has already moved to reassure fans he will be back next season, and remains confident of being able to challenge for the Super Bowl once more, he is not the only issue Baltimore will have to contend with as they move into the offseason.

Primary amongst Baltimore’s concerns will be resolving questionmarks over both defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Pagano has orchestrated another great season for the Ravens, helping them maintain their position as one of the best defenses in the league, ending the regular season ranked 3^rd in Total Defense, 3^rd in Sacks and 1^st in Forced Fumbles.

These kind of statistics are hard to ignore and Pagano has been linked with several of the vacant Head Coach positions around the league, and as such, ensuring his continued position at the Ravens must be a priority for Baltimore.

Questions of a different kind abound over the future of Cameron however, with the OC coming in for widespread criticism from both fans and pundits alike. Most prominent of these criticisms have been Cameron’s inability to get Ray Rice the touches he needs to be a dominant force in games, and his persistence to try and shoehorn Joe Flacco into a system which the quarterback is clearly not comfortable in.

Highlighting this problem has been the fact that some of Flacco’s best plays this season have come either in the no huddle offense or when he is escaping the pocket and giving his receivers more time to find space. Whether they stick with Cameron or decide to pursue an alternative, Baltimore need to make a decision quickly in order to ensure the least possible disruption come the preseason.

In terms of personnel on the playing field, the Ravens have key opportunities in the upcoming draft to address positions which are in need of an injection in both quality and depth. The first of these positions is the inside linebacker. Although Lewis has performed exceptionally given his age this season, he no longer has the pace to make himself a force in coverage, which means both he and Jameel McClain are focused on stopping the run, and leave the vaunted Ravens defense susceptible to the pass and feeling unbalanced.

Another receiver would also be top of the Ravens wish list, whether he is a tight end or a wide receiver. Rookie Torrey Smith has done well in his first sseason, but has yet to develop the ability to catch the ball consistently, whilst Ed Dickson showed signs of his potential early in the season, but like Smith, has a penchant for dropping passes which are relatively pressure free.

Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta have both acquitted themselves well this season, but the lack of reliable targets in his receiving core has led to Flacco recording his lowest completion rate since he entered the NFL, as well as his quarterback rating dropping to a similar level that he recorded in his rookie year.

Come the Ravens’ pick in the first round, inside linebacker Vontaze Burfict of Arizona State could be available, but would represent a high-risk reward scenario for Baltimore. None can doubt his talent, and he possess the speed that would make him an excellent tandem with both Lewis and McClain, but his form has been highly inconsistent this season and he has been known to give away unnecessary penalties when he lets his anger get the better of him.

These are flaws which can be corrected however, and there is arguably no better guy for him to learn from and have as a positive role model than Lewis. In terms of taking a receiver with their first round pick, the Ravens could do far worse than Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers who, whilst not quite possessing the top end speed of Smith, is a good route runner and has reliable hands.

An alternative to both of these could be Nick Perry of USC who is an outside linebacker with a great ability to rush the passer, making him the perfect option to line up opposite of Terrell Suggs and really torment opposition quarterbacks.

Whichever way Baltimore decides to go this offseason, fans can be left fairly assured that GM Ozzie Newsome has rarely led the Ravens astray in recent seasons and that between himself and Head Coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens will be in a good place come preseason and ready to give both Lewis and Reed probably their last shot at Super Bowl glory.

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/baltimoreravens

The article Playoff Exit Raises Questions for Ravens appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The story catching everyone’s attention from Sunday’s Patriots Redskins showdown wasn’t tight end Rob Gronkowski breaking the NFL record for most touchdown receptions by a tight end. It wasn’t how the Patriots barely escaped Washington with a victory, or how the defense managed to do just enough to win the game despite surrendering 463 yards.

It was how Tom Brady and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien had a screaming match on the side line after Brady threw an interception. The Patriots were up by 7, and Brady tried to sneak one into Tiguan Underwood, but was picked off with just over 6 minutes to go in the game.

The Redskins got the ball and started marching down the field trying to send things to overtime as Brady and O’Brien were engaged in a screaming match. ”I threw a pretty bad interception, so he wasn’t happy about it,” said Brady, ”And there was probably a long line of coaches and players that were pretty (upset) at me after that, but Billy got to me first. He let me have it; I deserved it.”

Brady finished 22 of 37 for 357 yards three touchdowns and his first interception in over a month. He also passed Warren Moon for sixth on the all time touchdown list and crossed the 4000 yard mark for the fourth time in his illustrious career. Gronkowski had quite the day catching six passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns propelling him past Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis for most touchdowns by a tight end ever.

The Patriots hardly won an easy one, needing a penalty and a tipped pass to save the day. Santana Moss made a catch for the score, but it was negated by a pass interference call on Moss. On another play, Moss tipped a pass right into the hands of Jerod Mayo to seal the deal for the Patriots who have the worst defense in football.

Rex Grossman finished 19 of 32 for 252 yards with two touchdowns and the one interception. Roy Helu had another big day rushing for 126 yards on 27 carries. ”You kind of don’t want to give up those yards in the first place,” Patriots safety James Ihedigbo said. “But at the same time, we’re going to bow our necks once we get down there, and say, ‘Hey, they’re not getting in the end zone.’”

The Redskins had a great day despite missing both left and right tackles and tight end Fred Davis. The loss was bad, but the officiating really had the Redskins upset after the game. There was the flag on Moss late in the game, but another call where linebacker London Fletcher was flagged for hitting a sliding Brady with a forearm to the head. Replay showed that he clearly hit him in the chest. Coach Mike Shanahan said the call was “horrible.”

“We don’t get no calls around here, man,” Moss said. “You guys have been covering us for a long time. Y’all see what goes on out there. We blow our breath on one of the doggone guys over there and it’s a penalty. Our quarterback gets killed — and you just almost hit somebody that’s a quarterback and we get flagged. So a lot of stuff goes on. But I guess we’ve got to play against a team and the ref.”

New England continues their quest for the best seed in the AFC with a trip to Denver to face Tebow-mania and then back home to finish against the Dolphins and Bills. Washington, looking to finish the season strong heads to New York to try to play spoilers against the Giants, then home to play Minnesota and finish up their season at Philadelphia.

Image Courtesy of    https://www.facebook.com/newenglandpatriots

The article Patriots Win a Close One Over the Redskins 34-27 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

When the 6-1 Patriots take on the 5-2 Steelers this Sunday we all will get a little preview of what may come later in the playoffs as both teams look to make runs at the Super Bowl. Both teams have been playing well as of late and this should be another classic showdown between one of the leagues’ best offenses and one of the best defenses.

New England is the No. 1-ranked offense and Pittsburgh is the third-ranked defense. On paper this would seem like an even matchup and for years the Steelers have been known for their staunch defense, but there is one thing that those stats don’t reflect: Tom Brady is the QB for the Patriots and if history shows anything it’s that Brady plays really well against the Steelers.

Brady is 6-1 all-time against Pittsburgh with a 104.8 career passer rating and a 67.8 completion percentage. You don’t have to be a sports analyst to know that those are astonishingly good stats against a team whose defense is usually its strong point. In the most recent matchup between the two from last year, Brady was 30 of 43 for 350 yards and three touchdowns.

Mike Tomlin, whose now in his fifth season coaching the Steelers, has yet to beat the Patriots. “He is just very good physically and mentally,” Tomlin said this week. “He is very talented in both areas. He is tough to trick, he makes quick decisions, he has pinpoint accuracy and he has the arm to do the things he desires to do.”

The Steelers run a base 3-4 defense with a lot of zone-blitzes that are designed to trick and disguise quarterbacks, but Brady always seems to be a step ahead of them. Brady’s ability, plus the personel for both teams favors the Patriots. The Steelers strength is not their secondary it’s their front seven.

With the way the Patriots utilize spread formations along with the emergence of tight ends, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, the Steelers are forced to sub out linebackers for more corners, or live with James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley, and Larry Foote matched up against the more athletic tight ends.

With the way the Patriots have been able to run the ball this year–they are 10^th in the league–it’s a double edge sword for the Steelers. Not having James Harrison, who will miss his 4^th game due to an eye injury, hurts as well because it takes away from the Steelers pass rush, which as we have seen over the years is the only way to get to Brady.

On the flip side is the atrocious Patriot defense, especially the secondary, against Big Ben and the Steeler offense. The Steelers have the 9^th ranked pass offense and the Patriots have the 32^nd ranked pass defense.

This matchup should favor the Steelers  as Rashard Mendenhall has been running the ball effectively and with a WR core consisting of Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, and TE Heath Miller, the Steelers should have no problem exploiting the secondary.

This game has the looks of a shootout the question boils down to whether the Steelers can manage to stop Brady and if Big Ben, who isn’t known for putting up monster numbers in a game, can keep up with the high scoring Patriots. This is not to say that history won’t repeat itself again and that means that Tom Brady and the Patriots have the Steelers number.

Add to that giving Belichick an extra week to prepare and it is probable that the Patriots will win a high scoring. Final Prediction: Patriots 31 Steelers 21.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.facebook.com/newenglandpatriots

The article Game Preview: Patriots at Steelers in a Potential Playoff Preview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Dolphins looked good early on as they took the opening drive 12 plays 84 yards and scored on a Chad Henne draw eight yards out. Reggie Bush looked good early and often between the tackles and in open space. The Patriots answered quickly with their own 78 yard drive and tied the score with a four yard run by RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

All game long there was virtually no pressure on Tom Brady. He was able to sit back in the pocket and pick apart the Dolphins defense all night. Brady’s second drive was capped with a 10 yard touchdown pass to TE Rob Gronkowski. Pro Bowl C Dan Koppen got his legs pinned late in the first half and was carted off the field. He would not return. New England led at halftime 14-7.

Patriots started the second half with the ball. Tom Brady did something he has never done in 358 regular season attempts — throw a pick. Dolphins Benny Sapp broke up a pass from Brady. The ball was tipped and picked by DE Odrick and he took it down to the 10 yard line. Henne threw a 9 yard TD pass to Hartline to tie the score at 14. The Pats would enter again a 73 yard drive and 2 yard TD pass to Wes Welker to take a 21-14 lead.

The Dolphins could not stop the no huddle offense and after another Brady touchdown pass, this time to TE Anthony Hernandez, it was settled to 28-17 at the end of the 3^rd quarter. After a New England field goal, Miami had the chance to cut the lead in half but could not convert on 4^th and goal with less than a yard to go. With 5:57 left, out of their own end zone, Tom Brady threw a record tying 99 yd touchdown to WR Wes Welker to seal the dolphins fate, making the score 38-17. They would go on to win 38-24.

Image Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgaproductions/5382995837/

The article Dolphins Can’t Keep Up With Patriots appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.