This game looks to be all Baltimore and these 2 articles provide alot of support.
I will be on Baltimore -5.5.
KMAN
Ravens back to practice with optimistic outlook
Coming off bye week, Oct. schedule favorable
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By Jamison Hensley
Sun Staff
Originally published October 6, 2003
Coming off yesterday's bye, the Ravens' voice of experience rang with optimism.
Minutes after their first practice in a week, ninth-year cornerback Corey Fuller predicted a strong run for the Ravens over the final three months of the regular season and a berth in the playoffs.
"Honestly, I'm going on the record and say I see this team being 11-5 - at worst," said Fuller, who has reached the playoffs in four of his previous eight seasons. "I'm going to take a leap of faith. I believe we're good enough to pull it off."
The Ravens (2-2) are now alone in first place in the AFC North after Pittsburgh's loss to Cleveland last night. The Ravens face teams with losing records in eight of the remaining 12 games, beginning with Sunday's trip to the Arizona Cardinals. But Fuller's confidence isn't based on looking ahead; it's in evaluating the Ravens' recent past.
"I'm a proponent that last week they didn't beat us, we beat ourselves," said Fuller alluding to the 17-10 loss to the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs. "If we can eliminate our mistakes and play like we're capable of playing, it's going to be hard to beat us. It's not like I'm cocky or arrogant. I just believe in what we're doing as a team and what we're striving for."
That conviction comes in a month that will likely either make or break the Ravens' season.
Three opponents in October - Arizona, Cincinnati and Jacksonville - are a combined 3-12. The Denver Broncos (4-1) are the only team in the Ravens' four-game stretch with a winning record, but they have lost to the Ravens in each of the past three seasons.
"The next quarter of the season is going to be very important," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "It's one that we're going to know a lot about ourselves. We have an opportunity - and only an opportunity - to establish ourselves in a way that we're familiar with."
Familiarity means reaching the halfway point with a 5-3 record. In both of the Ravens' playoff seasons - 2000 and 2001 - the Ravens won five of their first eight games.
The key to those years was the Ravens' performance in November and December. In the previous four seasons under Billick, the Ravens own a combined 22-10 record in those months, which is the third-best mark in the league.
"It's going to be an interesting month," Billick said. "Certainly a 6-2 or a 5-3 start given our history in November and December would be very, very encouraging."
The business at hand is consecutive road trips at one-win teams, playing at Arizona and Cincinnati.
The Cardinals, in particular, have self-destructed this season. Jeff Blake, the Ravens' starting quarterback last season, threw two interceptions and was sacked twice for safeties in yesterday's 24-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
"You see the opportunity to be either in a nice position when we meet Denver or be fighting for our life," Fuller said.
The Ravens' meeting with Blake on Sunday begins a month full of reunions.
Against Cincinnati, they face former defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis. Against Denver, they see former tight end and locker room leader Shannon Sharpe. Against Jacksonville, they play former linebackers coach Jack Del Rio.
"We're connected all over the place," Billick said. "There's going to be a lot of subplots for the next month that are going to be fun. All those people we have a great affection for."
Before heading on that run of old teammates, the Ravens believe this bye helped refresh their most prominent newcomer, Kyle Boller.
The only rookie quarterback in NFL to start every game in the first month took a breather from the sport this week. He watched only a couple hours of film and threw just a little to a high school friend.
The rest will be the last for Boller, who has never played in more than 11 games in a season nor suited up past the last week of November.
"[The bye] gives you that time to sit back and absorb everything," Boller said. "It gives you time to marinate. The best part is my arm feels great. Now, I'm fired up to get back out there."
==========================================================================
2 wide receivers out for Sunday
Tim Tyers
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 7, 2003 12:00 AM
In addition to losing running back Emmitt Smith because of a hairline fracture of his left scapula, the Cardinals will be without wide receivers Bryant Johnson and Jason McAddley on Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens visit.
Johnson suffered an injury to his left shoulder in Sunday's 24-7 loss at Dallas, and McAddley has been sidelined because of a torn hamstring muscle since a victory over Green Bay.
"Bryant is out for this week and possibly more," coach Dave McGinnis said. "McAddley won't be back this week, either, because he still has bleeding in that hamstring.
"(Receiver) Kevin Kasper will be able to go, so we'll just have to make a few adjustments with our receivers in our two- and three-receiver sets, like we have been doing."
Line whipped
If there was an aspect of Sunday's loss that really stung McGinnis, it was that the Big Red Line - some say it's a Big Red Lie - allowed Dallas to set the tempo and intensity level of the game.
"We were never able to establish anything offensively," McGinnis said. "We had the ball first but couldn't establish the run. We had a mind-set that we were going to run the football, but we're not getting it done in the run game.
"It comes down to execution. I don't know how much more, how much longer or how much more physical we can practice, because we're doing that. We knew the tempo this game would be played at and practiced all week in pads."
Tackle L.J. Shelton said he noticed a technique problem and that a couple of linemen were rusty and need playing time.
That doesn't explain how Dallas' 281-pound La'Roi Glover sent 365-pound guard Leonard Davis backward, as if he were on roller skates, on the first of two Dallas safeties.
Potpourri
The Cardinals defense utilized a number of blitz packages against the Cowboys, but still came away with only one sack by Levar Fisher. The Cardinals have three sacks in five games, but none by the defensive line.
• McGinnis excused receiver Anquan Boldin for catching a punt on the Cardinals 5 that led to a safety because two Dallas players were behind him waiting to down the ball.
• Linebacker Ron McKinnon, who had nine tackles and two assists, broke the jaw of Dallas tight end Jason Witten on a hit in the fourth quarter Sunday.
I will be on Baltimore -5.5.
KMAN
Ravens back to practice with optimistic outlook
Coming off bye week, Oct. schedule favorable
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jamison Hensley
Sun Staff
Originally published October 6, 2003
Coming off yesterday's bye, the Ravens' voice of experience rang with optimism.
Minutes after their first practice in a week, ninth-year cornerback Corey Fuller predicted a strong run for the Ravens over the final three months of the regular season and a berth in the playoffs.
"Honestly, I'm going on the record and say I see this team being 11-5 - at worst," said Fuller, who has reached the playoffs in four of his previous eight seasons. "I'm going to take a leap of faith. I believe we're good enough to pull it off."
The Ravens (2-2) are now alone in first place in the AFC North after Pittsburgh's loss to Cleveland last night. The Ravens face teams with losing records in eight of the remaining 12 games, beginning with Sunday's trip to the Arizona Cardinals. But Fuller's confidence isn't based on looking ahead; it's in evaluating the Ravens' recent past.
"I'm a proponent that last week they didn't beat us, we beat ourselves," said Fuller alluding to the 17-10 loss to the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs. "If we can eliminate our mistakes and play like we're capable of playing, it's going to be hard to beat us. It's not like I'm cocky or arrogant. I just believe in what we're doing as a team and what we're striving for."
That conviction comes in a month that will likely either make or break the Ravens' season.
Three opponents in October - Arizona, Cincinnati and Jacksonville - are a combined 3-12. The Denver Broncos (4-1) are the only team in the Ravens' four-game stretch with a winning record, but they have lost to the Ravens in each of the past three seasons.
"The next quarter of the season is going to be very important," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "It's one that we're going to know a lot about ourselves. We have an opportunity - and only an opportunity - to establish ourselves in a way that we're familiar with."
Familiarity means reaching the halfway point with a 5-3 record. In both of the Ravens' playoff seasons - 2000 and 2001 - the Ravens won five of their first eight games.
The key to those years was the Ravens' performance in November and December. In the previous four seasons under Billick, the Ravens own a combined 22-10 record in those months, which is the third-best mark in the league.
"It's going to be an interesting month," Billick said. "Certainly a 6-2 or a 5-3 start given our history in November and December would be very, very encouraging."
The business at hand is consecutive road trips at one-win teams, playing at Arizona and Cincinnati.
The Cardinals, in particular, have self-destructed this season. Jeff Blake, the Ravens' starting quarterback last season, threw two interceptions and was sacked twice for safeties in yesterday's 24-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
"You see the opportunity to be either in a nice position when we meet Denver or be fighting for our life," Fuller said.
The Ravens' meeting with Blake on Sunday begins a month full of reunions.
Against Cincinnati, they face former defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis. Against Denver, they see former tight end and locker room leader Shannon Sharpe. Against Jacksonville, they play former linebackers coach Jack Del Rio.
"We're connected all over the place," Billick said. "There's going to be a lot of subplots for the next month that are going to be fun. All those people we have a great affection for."
Before heading on that run of old teammates, the Ravens believe this bye helped refresh their most prominent newcomer, Kyle Boller.
The only rookie quarterback in NFL to start every game in the first month took a breather from the sport this week. He watched only a couple hours of film and threw just a little to a high school friend.
The rest will be the last for Boller, who has never played in more than 11 games in a season nor suited up past the last week of November.
"[The bye] gives you that time to sit back and absorb everything," Boller said. "It gives you time to marinate. The best part is my arm feels great. Now, I'm fired up to get back out there."
==========================================================================
2 wide receivers out for Sunday
Tim Tyers
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 7, 2003 12:00 AM
In addition to losing running back Emmitt Smith because of a hairline fracture of his left scapula, the Cardinals will be without wide receivers Bryant Johnson and Jason McAddley on Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens visit.
Johnson suffered an injury to his left shoulder in Sunday's 24-7 loss at Dallas, and McAddley has been sidelined because of a torn hamstring muscle since a victory over Green Bay.
"Bryant is out for this week and possibly more," coach Dave McGinnis said. "McAddley won't be back this week, either, because he still has bleeding in that hamstring.
"(Receiver) Kevin Kasper will be able to go, so we'll just have to make a few adjustments with our receivers in our two- and three-receiver sets, like we have been doing."
Line whipped
If there was an aspect of Sunday's loss that really stung McGinnis, it was that the Big Red Line - some say it's a Big Red Lie - allowed Dallas to set the tempo and intensity level of the game.
"We were never able to establish anything offensively," McGinnis said. "We had the ball first but couldn't establish the run. We had a mind-set that we were going to run the football, but we're not getting it done in the run game.
"It comes down to execution. I don't know how much more, how much longer or how much more physical we can practice, because we're doing that. We knew the tempo this game would be played at and practiced all week in pads."
Tackle L.J. Shelton said he noticed a technique problem and that a couple of linemen were rusty and need playing time.
That doesn't explain how Dallas' 281-pound La'Roi Glover sent 365-pound guard Leonard Davis backward, as if he were on roller skates, on the first of two Dallas safeties.
Potpourri
The Cardinals defense utilized a number of blitz packages against the Cowboys, but still came away with only one sack by Levar Fisher. The Cardinals have three sacks in five games, but none by the defensive line.
• McGinnis excused receiver Anquan Boldin for catching a punt on the Cardinals 5 that led to a safety because two Dallas players were behind him waiting to down the ball.
• Linebacker Ron McKinnon, who had nine tackles and two assists, broke the jaw of Dallas tight end Jason Witten on a hit in the fourth quarter Sunday.
