My Joe Flacco Blog

Joe Flacco and the 2008 Baltimore Ravens came out of nowhere finishing 11-5 and winning 2 playoff games before finally succumbing 23-14 to the Pittsburg Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. Nobody and I mean nobody could have predicted Flacco's success as he clearly demonstrated that he has the mo-jo and leadership qualities necessary to be a success in the NFL. However, historically the Ravens have not been known to produce many fantasy studs and that was no different last year as with the exception of WR Derek Mason and RB LeRon McClain no Raven invoked fears amongst fantasy owners.

Flacco was a nice surprise in 2008 but that doesn't make him any more attractive in 2009 as a fantasy starter. It is not so much Flacco but the system that he plays in and the receivers that he has at his disposal that makes him fall well short of a number one fantasy option at QB. Furthermore, teams will not be surprised by Flacco much in the same way that they will not be surprised with Atlanta QB Matt Ryan. Both had exceptional rookie campaigns but this is the NFL and teams always make adjustments and this will no doubt be the case regarding both Flacco and Ryan. Pure and simple Flacco just doesn't have many weapons to work with and that hurts his fantasy stock dramatically. Until the Ravens get Flacco some legitimate targets to replace the rag tag guys currently on the roster at the WR position don't look for him to produce quality stats and certainly don't look at him as a starting fantasy QB.

McClain was a nice surprise last year and he no doubt helped some owners to titles with his play down the stretch run. The problem is that all reports coming out of Baltimore indicate that McClain is going to be relegated to FB behind Willis McGahee and Ray Rice. McGahee, while only 27 has had numerous major injuries and is extremely weathered. Furthermore, he seems to think that he is better than he actually is with his attitude. Heads up Willis, you are an average NFL RB at best. McGahee rushed for 671 yards and 7 TD's in 2009 falling well short of what owners who drafted him expected. Don't look for much more out of McGahee this year as McClain in my estimation will still see the majority of goal line reps and Rice will cut into his attempts between the 20's. McGahee will go higher in drafts but I believe that Rice will be the more productive fantasy back this year for Baltimore. Treat McGahee as a number 4 rusher similarly to Cleveland's Jamal Lewis only to be used in desperate situations. Keep on eye on both McClain and Rice in drafts and if you can secure the services of either with a pick around the 9th-10th round snag either of them.

Every year people treat Mason as a fantasy piece of trash yet year in and year out proves without a shadow of a doubt that he is the number one receiving option for Baltimore. 2008 saw Mason catch 80 passes for 1037 yards and 5 TD's and he was CLEARLY Flacco's security blanket all year long. Don't look for anything to change in '09 as the Ravens have virtually the same receiving corps in tact despite flirting with the Cardinals Anquan Boldin during the off season. That being said Mason still represents at very best a number 4 option for fantasy owners this year. Mark Clayton has been a major disappointment pretty much since day one and is worth nothing more than a late round flier in most formats. TE Todd Heap is injury prone and may be surpassed on the depth chart by Quinn Sypniewski who has shown a lot of promise in his 4 years in the league. Treat Sypniewski as a nice sleeper possibility and avoid Heap based on his past injury problems.

Although ageing the Ravens DST still remains one of the NFL's best and a worthy number one fantasy unit. However, the team lost a lot of its luster this off season as Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan left to take the Head Coaching position with the NY Jets and took defensive stalwarts Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard with him. The loss of Ryan will surely have an impact on the Ravens and it will be seen whether the team can continue on without him. LB Ray Lewis still anchors this fine unit but if you draft them don't expect the same kind of dominance you saw from them unit during the early to mid 2000's. The Ravens are in transition at kicker with veteran Matt Stover no longer with the organization. Rookie Graham Gotto and and Steve Hauschka will battle for the starting position come training camp in July. Whoever wins that battle you are far better off looking at other options at kicker for 2009.

On paper no player on the Ravens roster is starting fantasy material heading into '09 with the exception of the DST and even then keep your expectations to a minimum as the unit is aging and also minus its leader Ryan. Well, that concludes my examination of the AFC North in terms of fantasy potential for 2009. Next, I will focus on the AFC West and I will start with none other than my Oakland Raiders.

Chris Limburg is the fantatical purveyor of OaklandRaidersCentral.com: A Oakland Raiders/Fantasy Football blog that provides commentary on everything that is the NFL. Sign up for my free newsletter at [http://www.oaklandraiderscentral.com] and receive my fantasy football e-course that will prepare you for your draft and enable you to dominate your league in 2009.

The Baltimore Ravens are getting very excited for the 2010 NFL season and how it may play out. They have a core group of young, talented offensive players, finally picking up the lagging spot of the club that has existed for years. Meanwhile, defensively the team expects to be as stout as ever, making them a formidable unit that can challenge anyone.

The team is of course headed up by future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis. Prior to last season there had been rumors that Lewis was nearing the end of his career. However, last year he was rejuvenated on the field, and had one of his best seasons in recent memory. With the rest of the talent on defense, this makes the Ravens the same old, in your face, smash mouth, tough and rugged defensive unit that everyone always expects.

The offense though may be better than it has ever been. Quarterback Joe Flacco has continued to improve, and is ready to become one of the premier players at his position in the league. The same can be said for running back Ray Rice, who seems ready to take the league by storm and showcase his great combination of talents.

Plus, they finally have a star wide receiver, with the acquisition of Anquan Boldin from the Cardinals. A late offseason pickup also added former Bengals and Seahawks receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the team too.

With the Ravens, the story used to be that you could win by just scoring a few points against that rigid defense, because the offense was second tier. But now the offense is first rate, which makes the team a very scary proposition for other opponents around the league to have to square off against.

Come visit Erick's latest website: Car Amplifiers Shop which helps people find the best deals on car amplifiers. See our newest page on Soundstream Car Amlifiers.

The Baltimore Ravens have a lot to be excited about in 2009. If you have been browsing around the internet at NFL betting picks, you will see the Ravens are found among the contenders in the league. Most people believe that they are a playoff team and some consider them Super Bowl contenders. Is there anything to all of the hype? Let's look at what the off-season brought the Baltimore Ravens.

The Good News: The good news is that they were a good team last year with a rookie quarterback. They didn't lose too much in the off-season and the rookie quarterback isn't a rookie quarterback anymore. Joe Flacco has a season of starts under his belt including a couple of playoff games. Last year he went through training camp not knowing whether he would be the starter. He was in a battle with Troy Smith and Kyle Boller. Now he knows he's the man and everyone believes in him. Last year, he was more of a caretaker on a good team. He had the great defense to bail him out if he needed help. This year, they will open up the playbook a little more and let him show off his gun. They also added a Pro Bowl caliber center in Matt Birk to upgrade their protection for him. It's all about the "Joe Flacco Show" in Baltimore.

The Bad News: The bad news is the loss of a few key ingredients to last years team. One of the leaders on the defense, Bart Scott, bolted to the Jets in the opening minutes of free agency. While the Ravens still have plenty of playmakers on defense, Scott was an important piece of the machine. In addition to Scott, the defense lost its coordinator in Rex Ryan. Ryan was the brains behind the defensive juggernaut in Baltimore and he will be sorely missed. Another question mark hangs over the situation with Derrick Mason. The leading receiver for the Ravens the last few years has said he is retiring. Many believe it's simply a power play in his negotiation for a new contract. However, the possibility remains that he will not be a Raven this year. Another concern for many is that Joe Flacco was a little underwhelming at times last season. He managed to win most of his games, but most teams didn't really fear the aerial game as much with him behind the wheel. They tended to grind it out on the ground most of the time with a few passes here and there. This isn't what a lot of people expect out of a first round pick at quarterback.

Outlook: The Ravens have a lot of great players and a good young coach to keep the ship heading in the right direction again this season. They have question marks on both sides of the ball, but then again, who doesn't? They could use an upgrade on the offensive side of the ball, but overall, they're solid. If you're looking for free NFL picks, I would put my money on the Ravens to make the playoffs again. They probably won't win the Super Bowl, but they'll be in the hunt.

Vernon Croy is the Owner/CEO of VernonCroy.com and he is one of the most reputable and respected professional sports handicappers in the world. Vernon Croy has won numerous handicapping awards and he is ranked as one of the top 10 handicappers in the world 100% documented by the Professional Handicappers League.