Dan Kolko Archive
After having four starters miss practice yesterday, three returned and practiced in a limited fashion today. Wide receiver Derrick Mason (shoulder), safety Ed Reed (neck) and cornerback Samari Rolle (shoulder) all were back on the field today, while offensive tackle Jared Gaither (shoulder) had to sit out for the second ...
It feels like months since the Ravens have stepped foot on the field at M&T Bank Stadium, and if it seems like that long to you and me, imagine how long this string of road games has seemed to the players. In reality, it's been nearly a month since John ...
The Eagles are struggling a bit right now, as evidenced by last week's tie with the lowly Bengals. Brian Westbrook hasn't been Brian Westbrook lately, battling knee and ankle injuries that have limited him to an average of 75 total yards the last three games. In that time, he hasn't ...
Lots of injuries to big-name players to report today, so away we go: As I mentioned in an earlier blog, offensive tackle Jared Gaither (shoulder) did not practice today. He had his arm in a sling and isn't looking good for this Sunday's game against the Eagles. Wide receiver Derrick ...
We've all seen the strides that Joe Flacco has made on the field. Week 1 he was a rookie QB simply managing the offense and trying not to lose games. Now, he's only a rookie by title. He's proved his ability to make big plays happen, and he's doing it ...
There was an old but familiar face back with the Ravens today. Chad Slaughter, an offensive lineman who was signed and then released by the Ravens during the preseason, was in the locker room and apparently has been re-signed to provide depth at tackle. ...
I decided to go watch the Wizards-Heat game in D.C. last night, and even when I'm spending time away from the Ravens, I can't ever really seem to get away. Early in the third quarter, the ever-popular "Kiss Cam" came on the JumboTron, and after a few shots of random ...
A lot of people have been asking about the Suggs Package the last couple of days -- it had been so successful in previous weeks, why was it not used against the Giants? If you look at the times when the Suggs Package (or Wildcat or Wildbird or whatever you ...
Two weekends ago, the Ravens committed seven first half penalties but then weren't flagged once in the second half. When asked what he said or did at halftime to spark the turnaround, head coach John Harbaugh kept the mood light. ...
There are times when John Harbaugh talks with the media that he really opens up and discusses strategy. I like these moments, because Harbaugh will take you inside his mind. He'll break down the thought process behind certain play calls and discuss the strategy that you can't see from the ...
Head coach John Harbaugh didn't have specific medical details on the status of Jared Gaither, but seemed to indicate that the Ravens' starting left tackle could miss Sunday's game against the Eagles. The second-year tackle played the first three quarters of yesterday's game but left in the fourth with an ...
Well, the Ravens' 30-10 loss to the Giants doesn't look any better today than it did yesterday, but there's still a lot to discuss. Baltimore now sits at 6-4, and after playing five of their last six on the road, they return home for four of the final six games. ...
Pretty thorough beatdown today, as the Giants jumped out in front 20-0 and never looked back. The Ravens drop to 6-4 after the 30-10 loss, while the G-Men sit at 9-1 at the top of the NFC. Here are some stats that show how the Giants were able to so ...
When you have 10 penalties, turn the ball over twice and have a field goal blocked, you're probably not going to win many games. When you're playing the defending champs and you make those mistakes, you pretty much have no shot. ...
The Ravens were allowing just 65 rushing yards a game coming into today, tops in the NFL. The Giants more than tripled that number. New York put up 207 yards on the ground, jumped out to a 20-0 lead, and Aaron Ross' pick-6 sealed a 30-10 win for the now ...
The missed tackles are back, and so is the Giants' 20 point lead. Ahmad Bradshaw, New York's third-string running back, broke off a 77-yard run to get down to the Baltimore two-yard line, and after a nice defensive stand, Lawrence Tynes' 19-yard field goal has made it a 30-10 game. ...
It will say in the boxscore that Joe Flacco has thrown two interceptions to this point, but you can't blame this one on the rookie. ...
Joe Flacco just engineered one of the biggest drives of his young career, taking the Ravens 79 yards in over seven minutes and getting them to within 20-10 on a 10-yard TD pass to Le'Ron McClain. ...
Baltimore got dominated in all aspects of the game in the first half, and they trail the Giants 20-3 because of it. Here are a few quick-hit thoughts on the first 30 minutes of play: ...
The Ravens are facing a Manning. Their defense is getting dominated. ...
We're not used to seeing this. The Ravens' defense is getting thoroughly outplayed, and they've yet to keep the Giants out of the end zone today. Eli Manning led another long, time-consuming drive, taking his offense 90 yards down the field and putting another seven points on the board with ...
Brandon Jacobs is having himself a ballgame, and the Ravens' streak of 28 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher is in serious jeopardy. Jacobs now has 70 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and we're not even through the first quarter. ...
Joe Flacco led a nice drive into the red zone, Matt Stover came on, and the Ravens were about to tack three points on the board. The only problem was, Stover barely got the ball in the air. ...
Brandon Jacobs handled the heavy lifting on the Giants' opening drive of the game, taking a carry 36 yards to get New York into Ravens territory and then punching it into the end zone from a yard out. The Ravens have given up only their second rushing touchdown of the ...
We've heard all the talk about how the Ravens haven't beaten anyone yet. All the critics say this team isn't worthy of their 6-3 record because they only have one win over a winning team. Well here we go. This one is the game where Ray-Ray and the boys can ...
We're about half an hour from kickoff, and as if dealing with powerhouse defensive ends Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka isn't enough, Joe Flacco will have to contend with the wind today. The gusts are going to by flying at around 30 miles per hour at the Meadowlands, which will ...
Fabian Washington was acquired from the Raiders for a fourth-round draft pick this April, and he's played a huge role in the Ravens' secondary this season. ...
In a game that has been hyped up all week, the Ravens will make their way into the Meadowlands for a battle with the defending Super Bowl champions. In addition to sporting some serious bling on their ring fingers, the Giants have an 8-1 record this season, and despite the ...
The final injury report for the week is out, and both the Ravens and Giants have a few key players listed as questionable. For the Ravens, wideout Derrick Mason (dislocated shoulder) and offensive tackle Willie Anderson (sprained ankle) returned to practice for the first time this week, but in a ...
Quiet day in the Ravens locker room today, as players were getting all their equipment packed up and ready for their trip up to New York. (The team will take a train up instead of flying, in case anyone is interested.) There was one funny moment -- Joe Flacco popped ...
You could tell it was a Friday here at Ravens' headquarters as soon as the team opened the doors to come inside from practice. The noise and excitement coming from the players made it clear that they're ready for Sunday's big game against the 8-1 Giants...and that they're ready for ...
Haloti Ngata is having a Pro-Bowl caliber season, and his teammates aren't shy about telling people about it. ...
Today's Ravens-Giants injury report looks very similar to yesterday's, with the only real change being Ed Reed's return to practice. Reed missed practice yesterday with a thigh injury, but he came back and participated today, though in a limited fashion. ...
Steve Hauschka has had quite the ride over the last two years. He started his journey as a three-sport varsity athlete at Division-III Middlebury College in Vermont, and he now stands in an NFL locker room, preparing for whatever job might be tossed his way. At Middlebury, Hauschka played football, ...
Bart Scott was on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption yesterday for the show's "Five Good Minutes" segment. The Ravens' linebacker talked with Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon about a variety of topics, ranging from Joe Flacco's success to Terrell Suggs' comments about a "bounty" on Hines Ward and on the quarterback ...
The first injury report of the week is out, and both the Ravens and G-Men have a few key pieces nursing injuries. For the Ravens, wideout Derrick Mason won't practice all week because of a dislocated shoulder, but he still expects to play on Sunday. Safety Ed Reed (thigh), offfensive ...
Despite dealing with pain stemming from a dislocated shoulder, Derrick Mason said that he plans on taking the field on Sunday when the Ravens face the Giants in the Meadowlands. Mason dislocated his left shoulder in the first half of Baltimore's win over the Texans, but had it popped back ...
I guess the Ravens' 6-3 record is finally starting to draw a little interest around the country. Today marked the largest media turnout of the year at team headquarters in Owings Mills, with reporters from three national outlets coming to get a look at the Purple and Black in person. ...
The Ravens have had some pretty physical games so far this season. Browns? They always play Baltimore tough. Titans? The only undefeated team left in the NFL plays smash-mouth ball on offense and defense. Steelers? I don't even need to touch that one. ...
Another one bites the dust. Safety Dawan Landry, who has been out since Week 3 with a spinal concussion, was placed on Injured Reserve today, ending his season. Cornerback Chris McAlister was also officially put on IR today. The moves mean that half of Baltimore's starting secondary is out for ...
In Sunday's win over the Texans, the Ravens committed seven first half penalties. In the last 30 minutes, John Harbaugh's crew wasn't flagged once. ...
Derrick Mason is a tough dude. This much we know. What we don't know is if the veteran wide receiver will be healthy enough to step foot on the field this Sunday when the Ravens take on the 8-1 Giants in the Meadowlands. ...
Ok, so they're tied for first place. But saying "first place Baltimore Ravens" is just fun, isn't it? Yup, believe it or not, nine weeks into the season, the Baltimore Ravens are tied with the Steelers at the top of the AFC North. The Ravens have now won more games ...
After yesterday's 41-13 demolition of the Texans and a Steelers' loss, the Ravens find themselves at 6-3 and in a first-place tie at the top of the AFC North. Baltimore has now won four in a row, with three of those victories coming on the road, and travel to New ...
The Ravens led by just six points through three quarters against the Texans today, but they piled on 22 fourth quarter points to come away with a 41-13 blowout win. Baltimore now sits at 6-3 going into their battle with the Giants next week. ...
78 points scored in the last two games. 39 points scored in the fourth quarter in the last two games. That's an explosive offense. That explosive offense resides in Baltimore. Can you remember a Baltimore Ravens' offense ever being this powerful? Ever being able to come back from 14 points ...
Terrell Suggs told me earlier in the season that if the Ravens' offense could put up 15 points every game, the defense would make sure they got the win nine out of 10 times. Well, Sizzle, how's 41 points for ya? ...
This one has turned into a laugher. Literally. For the second straight game, the Ravens have exploded in the second half, putting up 29 points in 25 minutes here against the Texans, and they have themselves a 41-13 lead. ...
Sage Rosenfels just sealed the Texans' fate by tossing his third interception of the game, and Ray Lewis was the recipient of two of them. Trailing by 14 with eight minutes left, Rosenfels was looking for Andre Johnson, but missed him horribly, and for the second time in the half, ...
Finally! Todd Heap had caught only 13 passes coming into today and hadn't reached the end zone this season, but he's got four catches already against the Texans, and just reached paydirt, giving the Ravens a 27-13 lead. ...
Just one play after a Ravens punt, the Texans got right back in this ballgame. Sage Rosenfels connected with Kevin Walter on a 60-yard touchdown, cutting the Baltimore lead to 19-13 with time winding down in the third quarter. ...
Ray Lewis just picked off Sage Rosenfels, took off down the left sideline for a 29-yard return, and layed a huge stiff-arm on Vonta Leach in the process. Haloti Ngata, who seems to have a hand in every single big play made by the Baltimore defense, got great pressure on ...
An 11-play, 75-yard drive ended in a one-yard touchdown run by Willis McGahee, and the Ravens have a 19-6 lead. The Baltimore scoring drive milked nearly six minutes off the clock and has them set up with a big lead mid-way through the third quarter. The Ravens got even more ...
Strange score in Houston, as the Ravens have a 12-6 lead on the Texans at the break. Here are a few quick-hit thoughts on the first 30 minutes of play: ...
Terrell Suggs, or "Sizzle" around the Ravens' locker room, has put points on the board for the third time in four games. Suggs, who has two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the last month, was going after Houston quarterback Sage Rosenfels but was brought down in the end zone for ...
Andre Johnson is so talented, he makes plays happen even when he doesn't touch the ball. As I discussed in the first quarter, the Texans' wideout is drawing tons of attention from the Baltimore defense, but that attention is allowing other Houston weapons space to make plays of their own. ...
Haloti Ngata is having himself a Pro Bowl-caliber season, and he just added another line to his resume. With the Texans having a 1st and Goal at the Baltimore one yard line, Ngata made a fantastic individual effort to keep Houston off the board. He dropped into coverage, tipped ...
Anyone else have a sense of deja vu? For the second straight week, Flacco unleashed a 40+ yard TD bomb, this one landing in the arms of Yamon Figurs, giving the Ravens an early 7-0 lead. ...
As expected, defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is keeping a very close eye on Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson, who currently leads the NFL in receiving yards. Something to watch throughout the game today is how many bodies Ryan puts around Johnson. He'll likely bring a linebacker outside some of the ...
We're underway in Houston, and Steve Hauschka, not Matt Stover, booted it away for the Ravens. This is Hauschka's first game action since Week 1. Stover will still handle the field goal duties, but Hauschka's stronger leg will take the kickoffs. Backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels and the Texans' offense will ...
Nearly two months after they were originally scheduled to face off, the Ravens and Texans meet in Houston today with Baltimore looking to improve to 6-3. The Ravens are in their purple jerseys and white pants while the Texans are wearing their home white jerseys. We're about 15 minutes from ...
Mark Clayton exploded last week, picking up 87 receiving yards and his first touchdown catch in almost two seasons in the Ravens' 37-27 win over the Browns. ...
The 5-3 Ravens head into Houston to face the 3-5 Texans tomorrow afternoon, and John Harbaugh's defense will have a tough test on their hands. The Texans stumbled out of the blocks and got off to an 0-4 start, but they've won three of their last four and are 3-1 ...
The final injury report for this Sunday's Ravens-Texans game is out, and Baltimore's defense might be missing a couple key pieces. Neither Chris McAlister nor Dawan Landry will play Sunday (and probably for the rest of the season, for that matter), and after being limited in practice all week, linebacker ...
A couple hours after John Harbaugh said that the Ravens were interested in signing DeAngelo Hall, the free agent cornerback decided to go another direction. And by another direction, I mean 40 miles down the road. ...
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh announced today that Chris McAlister will have surgery to repair the PCL and cartilage in his right knee, and will miss the rest of the season. McAlister has had the knee issues since training camp, but he battled through them and started the Ravens' first ...
DeAngelo Hall made it just eight games into his 7-year, $70 million deal with the Raiders before owner Al Davis cut the cord. The two-time Pro Bowl corner had already "earned" $8 million before being released on Wednesday, and Davis decided to make the move before he had to take ...
Thursday's Ravens-Texans injury report is out, and mid-way through the season, the bumps and brusies are starting to pile up for both teams. For the Ravens, all three guys who make up the "three-headed monster" at running back were limited in practice today. Willis McGahee (ankle), Ray Rice (chest) and ...
Terrell Suggs is playing at the top of his game and is drawing some attention as one of the top defensive players in the league. Suggs, or "Sizzle" to those around the Ravens, has two interceptions that he's returned for touchdowns in the last three weeks, marking the only two ...
The old adage in football is if you win your home games and can take half of your games on the road, you should be in good shape. So far, the Ravens have held pretty close to accomplishing that feat. Baltimore in the midst of a stretch where they play ...
Apparently they have some good knee doctors north of the border. After seeing the Ravens' team doctors and then a specialist in Florida, Chris McAlister is now in Canada seeking a third opinion on a knee injury that has been bothering him for months. ...
Samari Rolle was limited in practice this week as he's still working back from neck surgery, but the 11th-year cornerback said that he'll be good to go for the Ravens matchup against the Texans this Sunday. Rolle said that he still feels like he has to get out on the ...
Today is obviously a big day for all Americans with Barack Obama being voted in as our President-elect last night. Some Ravens players and coaches reflected on the momentous occasion today after practice. Here are a few of their comments: ...
Seems like just days ago that people were questioning whether Joe Flacco should be starting under center. Remember after the Colts game on Oct. 12? Through that blowout loss, (five games into the season), Flacco had thrown just one touchdown, rushed for another, and tossed seven interceptions. Quite a few ...
When Hurricane Ike swept through the Houston area in mid-September, it brought turmoil to families, businesses, and on a much less important scale, the NFL schedule. The Ravens and Texans had been scheduled for a Sept. 14 battle in Houston, but Ike's high winds and heavy rain forced the postponement ...
It's finally your time to decide. You've been waiting for this day for a long time, and now it's here. You've got your choice of two guys. One has been around for a while, is battle-tested, but might not have many good years left. The other is a newcomer, has ...
I cannot remember a year when we've seen so many starting quarterbacks go down injured. In no particular order, here are the starting signal-callers who I could think of who have (or will have this upcoming week) missed at least one game this year to injury. If I missed any, ...
Can you remember the last time that Ravens fans actually rooted for the Redskins? The Burgundy & Gold and Purple & Black don't exactly have to most volatile relationship, but there still isn't any love lost between the supporters of these two local rivals. Tonight, however, all of Baltimore will ...
5-3 mid-way through the season? Yeah, I'll take that, and although he wouldn't say so, I bet Ravens head coach John Harbaugh would too. For a team with a rookie coach, a rookie QB, and only 1/4 of its secondary healthy, I'd say the Ravens are in pretty good shape. ...
The Ravens staged a huge second-half comeback on the road, and picked up a big 37-27 win over the Cleveland Browns in the process. Baltimore now sits just half a game out of first place in the AFC North, and can hold a share of first place if the Steelers ...
Ravens' GM Ozzie Newsome must've had a big smile on his face as today's game came to a close. Not just because Baltimore moved to 5-3 with their 37-27 win, or because it came against the team he used to play for and then subsequently worked for. More so because ...
Ravens fans have come to expect big plays out of their defense. Game after game, year after year, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and the defensive unit have come up big when it counted most, and have single-handedly led this team to dozens of wins. What Ravens fans aren't used to ...
I guess this is a new version of the "Suggs Package". Terrell Suggs, or "T.Sizzle" to those around the Ravens, likely just sealed this ballgame by intercepting Derek Anderson and taking it 42 yards to the house. It's Sizzle's second Pick-6 in the last three games. ...
Ray Rice ripped off a 60-yard run that brought that Ravens down to the Cleveland 3-yard line, but Baltimore could not reach paydirt, and they had to settle for a Matt Stover 22-yard field goal. The Ravens now have a 30-27 lead. Power-back Le'Ron McClain picked up a yard on ...
Braylon Edwards has had his share of troubles this year hanging onto the football, and his 11th drop of the season might end up playing a major role in this game. Edwards just dropped a sure touchdown pass from Derek Anderson on a third down, and now the Browns have ...
All it took was three plays, and the Ravens have tied this game. Joe Flacco found Derrick Mason on a little curl route, Mason took off past Eric Wright and there was no one home for the Browns. The veteran wideout casually jogged into the end zone, and the 28-yard ...
Joe Flacco just led the type of drive that the Ravens have been needing for years, and the Ravens now trail only 27-20. With all the momentum on Cleveland's side, and with a long field ahead of him, Flacco engineered a fantastic drive which was capped by a 1-yard touchdown ...
Derek Anderson is picking apart the Baltimore secondary, and his seven-yard touchdown pass to Jason Wright has given the Browns a 27-13 lead mid-way through the third quarter. Anderson was perfect on the drive, passing for 45 yards, and it sure looks like the Ravens are in trouble down by ...
The Ravens have to learn how to stop Josh Cribbs. The guy is just killing Baltimore with his plays on special teams. Cribbs ripped off his second big kick return of the day just minutes into the second half, this time on a punt from Sam Koch. Koch, statistically one ...
A booming 54-yard Phil Dawson field goal right before the half has tied this ballgame 13-13 as both teams head into the locker rooms. Here are a few quick-hit thoughts on the first 30 minutes of play: ...
A week after having only one catch between them, Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton are really coming to play today. As we sit now at the two-minute warning, the two wideouts have combined for seven receptions, with many of them coming on big third downs. ...
Willis McGahee was limited in practice all week with an ankle injury, and although he's in uniform today, it doesn't look like he's going to see much on-field time. Ray Rice got the start in the backfield, and McGahee has not stepped off the Baltimore sideline through the first 15 ...
Josh Cribbs just did what Josh Cribbs does best, taking a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, and after dominating the first 10 minutes of play, the Ravens now only have a 10-7 lead. Ravens' special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg spent six seasons with the Browns from 2001-2006, and was ...
Two plays after a Cleveland fumble gave the Ravens the ball in Browns territory for the second-straight possession, Baltimore has themselves a 10-0 lead. Joe Flacco threw a beautiful deep ball off a great play-action fake, and Mark Clayton was wide open on a deep post route. Clayton went into ...
Thank you, Dave Zastudil. Zastudil (the Browns' punter and former Raven) shanked his first punt of the game, giving Baltimore fantastic field position, and Matt Stover's 41-yard field goal has the Ravens up 3-0. ...
The Browns won the toss and elected to receive, so Matt Stover booted it away and the Ravens' defense will take the field. A big hit by Tom Zbikowski on the opening kickoff has these two teams already doing some pushing and shoving. ...
The inactive list has just been released, and the only real note here (other than Willis McGahee suiting up and Donte' Stallworth sitting out) is that WRs Terrance Copper and Marcus Smith will both be on the sidelines today. This means that Ernie Wheelwright will be the third Baltimore receiver ...
We're about an hour away from today's battle of AFC North rivals, and this game is looking huge for both teams. The Ravens sit at 4-3 and have a chance to establish themselves as a legitimate playoff contender with a win. Plus, with the Steelers playing a tough Redskins team ...
Offensive tackle Adam Terry has missed the last three games with a meniscus tear in his left knee, but might be back on the field against the Browns. He had arthroscopic surgery to fix the problem, and head coach John Harbaugh said that there's a "good chance" that Terry will ...
The Ravens waived Todd Bouman, who for the majority of the first half of the season was their backup quarterback, and signed cornerback Anwar Phillips from their practice squad. The move comes due to Baltimore's big-time injury concerns at cornerback, as Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle, and Aaron Walker are all ...
Interested in finding out what your favorite Ravens were for Halloween when they were kids? So was I. I talked to a few of the Ravens today about how big on Halloween they were when they were younger, and asked them if they had a costume that's stuck in their ...
After last season's injury debacle at cornerback, the Ravens knew they needed to improve their depth at the position this offseason. Instead of attacking that need through the Draft, as many thought they would, GM Ozzie Newsome and the Baltimore brass traded a fourth-round pick to the Raiders for fourth-year ...
Both starting corners will be on the sidelines again on Sunday, as Chris McAlister's knee injury is still an issue, and Samari Rolle has not fully recovered from neck surgery. There's no new word on McAlister's status for the remainder of the season, but because of his lack of practice ...
To the untrained eye, kickoff returns might seem pretty easy. Catch the ball, run really fast, don't get tackled. Obviously, it ain't that simple. Teams spend hours upon hours working on their kick returns in practice leading up to a game, hoping to squeeze an extra couple of yards out ...
The Ravens announced today that cornerback Derrick Martin will be placed on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury. Martin is now the second Raven to go in IR in the last three days, joining wide receiver Demetrius Williams. ...
Ray Lewis is one of the most physical players in the NFL. This we already knew. But if you needed more proof, go talk to Rashard Mendenhall or Justin Griffith. Both of those guys are now sitting and watching for the rest of the season thanks to Ray-Ray. ...