Joe Flacco is excited about these IHOP pancakes!

Note: This article was written in an obvious tone

The Super Bowl is today! Yes today! The Ravens are the team representing the American Football Conference (that’s AFC to you humanoids).

They’ll be playing a team called the San Francisco 49ers, who are apparently named after some miners or something. This will be a big game for many reasons.

Of course, it will be the last game for linebacker Ray Lewis. Lewis will be retiring after 17 seasons in the league, all with Baltimore. The 37-year-old (who should start saying he’s really 39 so he can be like Jack Benny) will be a likely motivator for the team.

The Ravens will likely do anything they can to beat the 49ers. They might try to let Joe Flacco pass the ball. I hear that forward pass attack is still a thing.

Baltimore might also contemplate handing the ball off to Ray Rice. I say contemplate, because we all know the ghost of Cam Cameron still lingers in the Ravens playbook.

Defensively, the Ravens will likely try to keep 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick from running the offense. It might be tough, but if anyone can do it, the Ravens probably could. But the Ravens should be careful. San Francisco might try to dupe Baltimore into thinking Alex Smith is in at quarterback

The other story will be the sibling coaches on different sidelines. John Harbaugh, the protagonist if you’re a Baltimore fan, will coach the Ravens, while Jim Harbaugh (antagonistic) will coach for the 49ers.

Now Jim might try to get vengeance for all those years of wedgies, noogies and swirlies. But John probably wants to get some vengeance as well for all those times Jim kicked over his Lincoln Log houses (he made one that was really tall once, ya know).

Unfortunately, this is the first time sibling head coaches have faced each other in the Super Bowl. The American public was sadly denied having a Shula Bowl between Mike and Dave.

The closest thing we’ve had to a Sibling Bowl with important implications took place nearly 20 years ago between Kevin and Danny O’Shea. The plot doesn’t work exactly the same because I don’t think Junior Floyd can run the read option. Also, Icebox would likely be a concern in the league office for some of her hits.

Errmmm…but in order for the Ravens to win, they’ll need to make sure they’re ready for the big day (now for the fun part and part two.)

Noted author Joseph Conrad once said breakfast is the most important meal of the day and therefore should be eaten everyday.*

The Ravens will need to make sure they eat their breakfast today if they want to go out there and beat the 49ers later on. You can’t win football games on an empty stomach (well you probably could, but Joseph Conrad wouldn’t likely condone this.)

Thankfully for Baltimore, they are in New Orleans, which is a great place for food. Now if you’re still hungry after digesting Spilly’s Super Bowl pie, the team has options available to eat some good food.

The Ravens are staying at the Hilton Riverside, which seems like a nice place. Granted, it isn’t a Holiday Inn, but not every hotel can be one. The team can always eat at the Le Croissant Express, one of the restaurants in the Hilton. I hear they have a great breakfast buffet. I unfortunately can’t find a reliable menu for the place, but they likely have things like eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and probably some other tasty things. The breakfast menu is available from 6-11 a.m.

There are of course other options for the team, like restaurants outside the hotel and near the Superdome. However, given that the entire team is likely to be eating together, it might be difficult for seating arrangements.

Plus, they might just go with the Sunday Brunch option. If it were me, I would eat plenty of eggs and hashbrowns. Of course, I’m not playing in the Super Bowl, nor am I coaching, nor am I associated with any team in the Super Bowl.

*Note: Joseph Conrad probably didn’t say this, but I’m sure he probably still ate his breakfast

Houston Texans thumping of the Baltimore Ravens was such a laugher that even first-round draft pick Whitney Mercilus made a play.

Johnanthan Joseph celebrates after his interception and 52-yard return for a touchdown gave the Houston Texans a 16-3 lead over the Baltimore Ravens. (yahoo.sports.com)

The 43-13 wrecking ball to the already crumbling Ravens was the perfect response for a Texans team coming off two consecutive subpar showings in prime time and returned them to the deep and dominant group they had displayed through the season’s first five games.

Depth and dominance was definitely on display throughout this one as the Texans improved to an AFC-best 6-1.

• Matt Schaub passed for 256 yards and two touchdowns leading an offense that compiled 420 yards, 27 first downs and had more than 38 minutes of possession time.
• Arian Foster rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns and led a ground game that gained 181 yards and averaged 4.9 yards over 37 carries.
• Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter combined for 20 catches, 219 yards and two touchdowns for an offense that averaged 5.5 yards per play.
• Johnathan Joseph returned an interception for a first quarter touchdown, one of two Houston picks of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.
• Connor Barwin sacked Flacco for a safety in the first quarter, one of four Texans sacks.
• The Houston defense smothered the Baltimore offense, holding the Ravens to a season-low 176 yards, 3.0 yards per play, 12 first downs and 21.:44 of possession time.
• Versatile and dangerous Ray Rice was held to an impact-less 42 yards on nine carries and 12 yards on five receptions.
• Antonio Smith had two sacks and Mercilus, the project pass rusher from Illinois, recorded just his third tackle and first sack despite being active in all seven games.

This one got out of hand early.

Justin Tucker kicked a 51-yard field goal to give the Ra » Continue reading “Texans Take Wrecking Ball to Crumbling Ravens”

So far this season, he has 46 carries for 268 yards and three touchdowns for the Baltimore Ravens.

Yup! I’m talking Ray Rice!

He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. For his career with the  Baltimore Ravens, Rice is the second all-time rusher in yards (4645), and attempts (1,005). He is ranked third all-time for touchdowns (27).

Enough talk! Here’s some more pictures!  » Continue reading “Tight End Tuesday: Ray Rice”

So round three of Madden ’13 Cover vote is on.

We’re basically down to the final eight candidates to be jinxed named the cover boy for the Madden game.

Cam or Larry Fitzgerald? Aaron Rodgers or Ray Rice? Patrick Willis or Victor Cruz? And, Calvin Johnson or Rob Gronkowski?

So who do you want to see on the cover? Is it because of the jinx? Or … you don’t believe in no stinking jinxes (You don’t? Peyton Hillis had a great season after being on the ’12 cover, huh?) and want your guy on the cover?

Let me know! Comment below! Oh and you can vote here if you’d like!

Ravens RB Ray Rice

The Baltimore Ravens franchised star RB Ray Rice earlier this year, but he is still waiting to sign a new contract. Rice is hoping for a long-term deal with money similar to what other elite RBs like Houston’s Arian Foster and Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch received this off season.

While Rice waits to sign a new deal with the Ravens, he is not sure whether or not he will continue with the team’s off season workouts scheduled to begin later this month. Even if he does not work out with the team, he will continue to workout on his own and promises to stay in shape during the rest of the off season.

ESPN’s Andrew Brandt wrote about the trickiness of contract negotiations for RBs and senses that the Ravens are likely to commit to the level of contract desired by Rice, but the tag may persist if Rice stays intent on reaching the level that Titan’s RB Chris Johnson received last August when he earned more than the established market with guarantees exceeding $30 million.

The negotiation will be a fine balance of what Rice can do for the Ravens and the fair market value of his position. Rice is starting his 5th season in the NFL and is still in his prime. RBs typically have short shelf lives due to the high demands of their position, but Rice is still young and has a lot of gas left in his tank.

The Ravens are known for being fair and taking care of their guys in contract renewals and I have complete faith in their ability to do the same for Rice. He has definitely earned his keep and since the Ravens franchise tagged him, it is obvious that they do too, they just need to name the right price to make Rice happy. » Continue reading “Will Ray Rice be a Team Player This Off Season?”

 Today’s match up between the Texans & Ravens will be unfamiliar territory for both AFC teams. With a win last week versus the Bengals, the Texans earned their first home playoff win & a chance to play for their first road playoff win.

The Ravens may have seen the post season just a few more times but they have not won a home playoff game since 2000 versus the Denver Broncos.

After the Ravens beat the Texans during the regular season schedule, Baltimore clinched their lead in the series versus Houston with an 0-5 record.

While some may look at this as an advantage for Baltimore, I see it as more of a disadvantage for them. Last week the Texans proved they simply wanted the win more than the Bengals. I’d bet this week will be no different.

Sure the Ravens had a nice, relaxing week off – but does that mean they will be more ready for Sunday’s game?

As a Jaguars fan, it’s hard for me to admit this. I foresee Houston taking home the win in Sunday’s match up and this is why.

I believe both of these teams are evenly matched. Houston finished the regular season with the #2 rushing offense, Baltimore finished #10. Houston finished as #18 in passing with Baltimore closing in with a ranking of #19.

Houston has had a rough season due to injuries but they avoided their usual mid-season meltdown & clinched the AFC south division title. Even with their 3^rd string, rookie QB!

TJ Yates may have not been looked at much before he received his debut start in Houston. After being drafted in the 5^th round he is proving to all NFL teams that he should have been a top pick.

Yates is the underdog that you can’t help but route for. He has come such a long way since the days he was boo-ed by his fellow UNC acquaintances at a basketball game, and wants to continue to prove he deserves a starting QB role.

Pro Bowl RB Ray Rice & QB Joe Flacco surely won’t go down without a fight. Especially since the Ravens have managed to go undefeated at home during the regular season.

Plus if Ray Lewis has anything to do with the way this game plays out it’ll be a close match up for sure. He stated at the beginning of the season

“If we can win it this year, I’m gone to then spend as much time as I can with [my son].”

Sounds like Lewis has just a little extra motivation to pull out a win on Sunday & throughout the rest of the playoff run.

Regardless of the victor in today’s match up it is shaping up to be an exciting playoff game. Two teams who have limited playoff exposure will be duking it out to play in next week’s AFC Championship game.

Tune into CBS at 1:00pm to watch the Ravens host the Texans. 

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Corinna Evans is the lead Jacksonville Jaguars writer for Aerys Sports. She is also a regular contributor on Aerys Offsides. You can follow her on Twitter @RoarBlackNTeal.

Joe Flacco = The Disrespected One

Lots of interesting things going on in the NFL today. Here’s a few highlights.

Joe Flacco is feeling disrespected by media types it seems.

According to NFL.com:

“I’m sure if we win, I’ll have nothing to do with why we won, according to you guys,” a smirking Flacco said Wednesday, according to The Baltimore Sun. “It is what it is. We’re going to do our best to try to win it, and it doesn’t really matter what the reason is.”

This isn’t the first time Flacco has been outspoken this season about perceived disrespect. Back in November, he said he was “baffled” by the media fawning over Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, citing the relatively muted coverage — in Flacco’s opinion — that accompanied the Ravens’ huge AFC North win over the Steelers in Week 9.

Flacco led the Ravens on a 92-yard touchdown drive to steal that Nov. 6 game from their division rivals, the type of clutch performance that turns doubters into believers. But some still perceive the QB as a supporting character a notch or two below the elite at his position.

Flacco said the makeup of his team — namely the presence of All-Pro running back Ray Rice – dictates he could never be in the same discussion as the NFL’s top passers.

Poor Joe! He will forever be known now as The Disrespected One.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said the only the only “lights out” will be for the Saints when the 49ers win Saturday. Sure the quote is regarding the lights at Candlestick Park going out during the ESPN Monday Night Football game with the 49ers and Steelers playing. It would be a little more funny if the game were not taking place at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time! But nice try mayor! Here’s more!

Raheem Morris didn’t have to wait long to find another job! Morris has taken on the job of defensive backs coach for the Washington Redskins. Morris said the organization approached him first and gave him the opportunity to wait before giving an answer whether he would take the job. Morris seems to have high hopes about this job leading to other opportunities. Here’s more on Morris going to the Redskins.

And, Robert Griffin III, RG3, is leaving Baylor and entering the NFL Draft. I hope you aren’t too surprised! Here’s more on RG3!

Several NFL games were filled with excitement Sunday and sure to either help or worsen that hangover you have from New Year’s Eve celebrations! If things were just too bad for you to watch, sit back and I’ll try to get you informed as best I can! Remember, if you are looking for a specific team not covered here check the team sites!

Cardinals 23, Seahawks 20
It came down to overtime for the Cardinals. Again!

Larry Fitzgerald had an awesome catch during overtime to set up Jay Feely for a 28-yard field goal to seal the victory for the Cards. The win moves them to 8-8. This was the fourth overtime victory of of the season for the team.

This is the second consecutive 7-9 finish for Seattle. The team seems to make strides of improvement and then … flounders as the season winds down. For Seahawks fans sake, I hope Pete Carroll and the gang make some improvements.

Here’s a little more on the game between the ‘Hawks and Cards!

Giants 31, Cowboys 14
Victor Cruz and Eli Manning led the Giants to a playoff spot and the 8-8 Cowboys didn’t make it for a second season.

Manning was 24 of 33 for 346 yards and 3 TDs. Cruz had six catches for 178 yards and he did his ever popular touchdown salsa after the first score … which just so happened to be a 74-yard play. » Continue reading “What Happened Sunday!”

There was lots of great football to enjoy this weekend if you decided to take a break from your family festivities! Lots of surprises! Let’s take a look at some of these games and remember if there is a specific team you are looking for, take a look at their team site above!

Vikings 33, Redskins 20
Christian Ponder and Adrian Peterson go down with injuries on back to back plays. But this doesn’t seem to bother the Vikings. Joe Webb came in during the fourth quarter and passed 4 of 5 for 84 yards and two … that’s right 2 touchdowns!

Peterson’s left knee was hurt on the first offensive play of the second half. Ponder suffered a concussion.
It was believed Peterson could be done for sometime thanks to the ACL injury but, team officials are now saying he should be ready to go Week 1 next season. We shall see!

Bengals 23, Cardinals 16
Only one thing needs to be said about this game! Check out Jerome Simpson, y’all! » Continue reading “Peterson, Newton and Simpson: Oh my!”

Carson Palmer had a bad game.

There was lots of exciting NFL action to be watched Sunday! I’m going to break down the good, bad and ugly of it all. Remember if you are looking for a specific game not listed below, check the team sites!

Packers 46, Raiders 16

Good: The Packers cruised to victory and are now 13-0. Aaron Rodgers was 17 of 30 passing for  281 yards and 2 TDs. He surprisingly threw an interception too. Jordy Nelson and Ryan Taylor caught touchdown passes. Mason Crosby was four for four on field goals including a 49-yard bomb in the third quarter.

Bad: Packer receiver Greg Jennings injured his left knee in the third quarter.

Ugly: Carson Palmer. He’s so ugly he has no alibi! Palmer was 24 of 42 passing for 245 yards,  a touchdown pass and a whopping four interceptions.

Ravens 24, Colts 10

Good: Ravens QB Joe Flacco was 23 of 31 passing for 227 yards and two TDs – one to Torrey Smith and the other to Dennis Pitta. Ray Rice ran for 103 yards and a TD. » Continue reading “Good, Bad and Ugly Sunday Roundup”