Disclaimer: “Remember the Ravens on Any Gridiron Sunday” is rated ‘R’ for ridiculousness. It’s based on absolutely nothing.

The opening scene starts at the Ravens’ practice facility in Owings Mills when Pro Bowl quarterback Steve McNair (Alfonso Ribeiro) and left tackle Jonathan Ogden (Shaquille O’Neal) unexpectedly announce that they’re retiring from the National Football League to open a roller disco in York, Pa. Their departure leaves new coach John Harbaugh (Mark Wahlberg), a fiery straight-talker hired after the team axed Brian Billick (Gary Busey), and his ragtag team shorthanded.

A few days later, the Ravens draft Joe Flacco (Zachary Quinto), a cool, quiet and confident quarterback. Flacco instantly declares that “It’s time to get wacko for Flacco, Baltimore.”

Skip ahead to the rough, rigorous days of training camp in the midsummer heat. Ray Lewis (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), the team’s superstar and emotional leader, makes it a point to make Flacco’s first camp absolutely miserable. Two linemen get into a locker room brawl because, you know, that always happens in football movies.

But thanks to the leadership of Harbaugh, the team slowly starts to bond, culminating with a feel-good scene when the players, led by Ed Reed (Andre 3000), all sing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” in the showers. Somehow, it’s still reasonably macho. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to Baltimore Mr. McNabb. I understand you’ve had a rough week. It could worse on Sunday, with Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce chasing you around all afternoon.

For the record, Donovan, I just want to say that all the negative attention you’ve received for not knowing National Football League games can end in a tie is unfair and unwarranted. I mean seriously, how were you supposed to know there’s just one overtime period in pro football? It’s not like it’s your job to be on top of these sorts of things. You’re just supposed to go out there and throw the ball around.

Besides, in your 10 seasons in the league, the Eagles only played in 11 overtime games (including one in the playoffs) before tying the lowly Bengals, 13-13, last weekend. Chances are a tie never came up in conversation.

OK, it probably did, but whatever. Who needs to be aware of such useless rules anyway? It’s not like the situation will ever come up again. Right? Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Cool and Matty Ice, the two quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2008 National Football League draft, will forever be linked to each other, especially around these parts. Both Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan could have been anointed the Ravens’ quarterback of the future on that sunny Saturday in late April.

One was clearly the franchise’s preferred quarterback; the Ravens made no secret about whom they coveted in the early stages of the first round. One was the fans’ near-unanimous potential savior of choice; they clamored for the strong-armed passer to lead their team out of the Kyle Boller era and into the future.

The other guy was Joe Flacco. We all know who the Ravens wound up with.

More than six months (and 11 NFL weeks) later, both rookie quarterbacks have started every game for their respective teams, coolly leading them to 6-4 records. The Ravens and Falcons are both surprisingly battling for playoff spots after abysmal 2007 seasons, and they’ve got strong QB play to thank for it. Read the rest of this entry »

The New York Giants needed only two plays to show they could run the ball against Ray Lewis and the NFL’s stingiest rushing defense.

Big Brandon Jacobs set up the first of his two short touchdown runs by bouncing to the outside for a tone-setting 36-yard ramble and the Giants (9-1) amassed more than 200 yards rushing for the third straight game in a 30-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »

As the 6-3 Ravens and 8-1 Giants battle it out in Giants Stadium today, I’ll be blogging live from my sofa in Cockeysville, providing you with updates and commentary. Log on to bthesite.com throughout the game for my two cents and rants and raves from fellow b readers. Feel free to let your voice be heard, too.

——4th Quarter:
3:58: CBS just gave us an interesting stat: Before today, the Ravens hadn’t allowed over 200 yards on the ground since 1997. I think that pretty much sums up why the Giants were able to come up on top today.

3:53: I like the Giants are still continuing to throw the ball and trying to move the chains. That’s how you should run out the clock in a game like this.

3:49: Game over, folks. More or less.

3:46: Great play by Joe Flacco and Todd Heap to get the fourth-down conversion and keep the Ravens’ hopes alive for a little bit longer.

3:40: Not only have the Ravens had a rough go of it on the scoreboard, they’re also getting banged up. McGahee is gone, Mason looked like he reinjured his shoulder and Terry is limping around out there. Let’s just hope they can get out of this game without more injuries.

3:37: “I’m looking good and I know it.” If you’re watching the game on TV, you know what I’m talking about.

3:30: Wow, Ahmad Bradshaw is one fast dude. And he made Ray Lewis look silly when he cut back from left to right and rushed 77 yards downfield. The Ravens are getting gouged on the ground right now. Now Bradshaw is closing in on 100 yards with Jacobs on the sideline. The Ravens hold. Giants 30, Ravens 10. Read the rest of this entry »

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send us your photos and/or videos from Purple Friday, tailgating, or gametime and you could win a Ravens prize pack with all kinds of fun Ravens gear…

winner(s) will be chosen on Monday.  Go Ravens!

From Friday’s b the paper…

In 2000, the Ravens were still relatively new to Baltimore. They had a growing fan base, a nondescript quarterback and a defense that would eventually be recognized as one of the most dominant in National Football League history.

Expectations weren’t very high that fall, especially after Baltimore dropped three straight games — scoring six points or less in each — to fall to 5-4. The Ravens? Super Bowl contenders? Keep dreaming. At least the city had an NFL team again.

But then the wins started to come.

Mike Dieter, a fan since the team’s 1996 inaugural season, knew the Ravens were on the rise and decided to purchase season tickets late in the season (you could do that back then). “I knew they were going to be a hot commodity with the team starting to do well,” said Dieter, 36, of Rodgers Forge.

The Ravens then won seven straight games, rolled through the playoffs and dismantled the New York Giants, 34-7, in Super Bowl XXXV. Ravens fever overtook the city. Read the rest of this entry »

OK, Ravens fans: Where were you and what were you doing when the Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV?

It’s easy to get carried away right now if you’re a Ravens fan. And judging by some of the e-mails popping up in the junk folder of my inbox (that was my e-mail provider’s classification, not mine) many of this city’s most passionate football fans are doing just that.

Baltimore’s dominant 41-13 win over Houston on Sunday and its current four-game winning streak has the city buzzing over the Ravens’ championship chances, especially with the New York Giants — the team the Ravens throttled for their only Super Bowl title — up next on the team’s schedule.

Since their loss to the Colts in Week 6, the Ravens have looked like a playoff team. They’ve been especially impressive on offense. Baltimore produced at least 27 points in those four straight wins, the first time that’s happened in team history. It must be nice for the defense to know they finally have a little bit of help. Read the rest of this entry »

The Baltimore Ravens have won four straight, rookie Joe Flacco is showing the poise of a veteran and Ray Lewis looks as good as ever.

Scary thing is, the Ravens think they can get much better.

Flacco threw two touchdowns and Lewis had a pair of interceptions to lead the Ravens to a 41-13 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »