12-31-2019, 12:41 AM
After their 30-17 Wild Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Saturday, Baltimore Ravens head coach perfectly articulated every football fans’ feelings of his team when he proclaimed “we’re a very resilient team. Kaleigh Riehl Jersey .” It’s the best way, and maybe the only way to explain a team that always seems to find an answer to become a factor in the AFC postseason. Without nearly the fanfare of the Patriots or Broncos, the Ravens are just as much a constant in the playoffs. The resiliency is a good angle, but just for kicks let’s look a little deeper into how Baltimore is once again in the Divisional Round, a feat they’ve accomplished five of the past six years. The season started on a sour note with the Ravens losing their leading rusher Ray Rice to off-field trouble. While Rice became the poster boy for football player transgressions too long ignored, the team took its lumps as well in how they handled the whole situation. But once the scorn died down (for the Ravens, not for Rice) the team was left with a surprisingly solid running game situation. While some figured Baltimore could cope with Bernard Pierce moving up in the pecking order, few figured Justin Forsett would in fact be the lead horse, and put up a career year in the process. After showing promise in previous stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and Seattle Seahawks, Forsett put it together for a full season and finished with 1,266 rushing yards (fifth in the league) and a 5.4 yards per rush average (tops amongst qualifying running backs). Next up, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who fits the resiliency theme as good as anyone. Despite only being somewhere between pretty good and only okay, Flacco led the Ravens to their second Super Bowl in 12 years in 2012. The then-27-year-old used that big postseason to cash in on a giant contract extension and then heard about it all last year when his numbers were, again, only okay. A little quieter season from the critics’ standpoint for Flacco led to some pretty decent production. He set career highs in yards (3,986) and touchdowns (27), while seeing his interception total dip to his career normal 10-12 one year after throwing 22. Flacco had the eighth-highest Total QBR, the moderately new stat generally regarded to be a much better measuring stick than normal Quarterback Rating, and was 13th among starting quarterbacks in Pro Football Focus ratings. It should be mentioned that this was all done by Flacco despite an only mediocre receiving corps. After his explosive start to the season, Steve Smith Sr. settled into his place as a solid but no longer spectacular receiver and finished the year with just a shade more than 1,000 receiving yards. And Torrey Smith continued to not quite be the receiver everyone hoped and thought he could be, although the 11 touchdowns were a career high. All told, the offence finished 12th in the league at 364.9 yards per game and eighth in scoring at 27.3 points per game. While the offence deserves a bigger slice of the credit for the team’s success these days, the team’s defence still holds the reputation, and deservedly so, as driver of the bus in Baltimore. Ray Lewis is gone but the team’s linebacking corps is still one of the best in the league. Led by Terrell Suggs, who managed 12 sacks in his twelfth year in the league (the second highest total of his career), the group also features Pro Bowler Elvis Dumervil, who led the team with 17 sacks, impressive rookie CJ Mosley, and solid veteran Daryl Smith. The secondary is an impressive unit as well led by corner Ladarius Webb and safety Matt Elam. The Ravens defence was Top 10 in both yards against and points against, finishing eighth giving up 336.9 yards per game and sixth giving up 18.9 points per game. Saturday’s battle will be between two of the most consistent and well-coached teams in the league. The only team more reliable than the Ravens the past 15 or so years has been the New England Patriots. If someone is to knock off the Patriots this year, an argument can be made only a team as battle-tested and grizzled as they are can pull off the job. Denise Bender Jersey .com) - The Denver Nuggets snapped a losing streak last time out and will try to carry that momentum Saturday night when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Pepsi Center. Morgan Brian Jersey . "First, I would like to offer my deepest and sincerest apologies for any harm I have inflicted on University of Missouri defensive lineman, Michael Sam," the statement read. https://www.cheapuswnt.com/932w-jordan-d...y-usa.html . The club says Fridays surgery was successful. Holiday, a former Eastern Conference All-Star acquired from Philadelphia last summer, has not played because of the shin injury since Jan. LOS ANGELES -- Despite having the NBAs best record, the Indiana Pacers realize theres always room for improvement. David West scored 14 of his 24 points in the third quarter and grabbed 12 rebounds, Paul George had 27 points, and the Pacers improved their best start in franchise history to 16-1 on Sunday with a 105-100 victory that snapped the Los Angeles Clippers four-game winning streak. "We can become a lot better. Were still nowhere close to where we want to be offensively, and thats the next step for us," George said. "The defence is clicking well, the transition defence is clicking well, and were playing like a team. This was a great win for us. We knew coming in that it was going to be a hard-fought game." Jamal Crawford led the Clippers with 20 points -- the 10th time this season that a Pacers opponent didnt have anyone with more than 20. Chris Paul had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Blake Griffin scored 16 and pulled down 12 rebounds, equaling teammate DeAndre Jordans total. "Were always up for a challenge, and we had a good one today," said centre Roy Hibbert, who helped fuel the Pacers seventh straight win with 19 points. "The Clippers are going to be a contender for the Western Conference finals, so we just had to get in there and grind it out today and finish it off. But we have a lot more work to do. We dont worry about swagger. Were just five individuals out there on the court playing together." The defending Pacific Division champion Clippers played their first game since finding out that J.J. Redick will be sidelined six to eight weeks because of a broken bone in his shooting hand and a ligament tear in his right elbow. Redick will be re-evaluated on Monday by hand specialist Dr. Steve Shin to determine what further course of treatment will be necessary. His injuries, which occurred in Friday nights 104-98 overtime win at Sacramento, complicated things even more for the Clippers with reserve forward Matt Barnes missing his sixth straight game due to an eye injury. "The ligament looks intact, so they shouldnt have to operate on that," Redick said. "Its just the fragments of the bone. Its still swollen and theres some pain there. Its frustrating, because I have enjoyed those 17 games immensely.. Sydney Leroux Jersey. ." Los Angeles used the same starting lineup in each of its first 16 games before Paul sat out Fridays game with a right hamstring strain. Rivers opted to continue using Jamal Crawford off the bench despite his 31-point outing at Sacramento, so Willie Green started in Redicks place and scored only two points in 15 minutes. West capped a 13-3 run with an 18-footer and two free throws to give the Pacers their biggest lead, 74-60, with 4:48 left in the third. Los Angeles closed to 93-89 on Jordans dunk off an alley-oop lob from backup point guard Darren Collison with 7:12 to play. Paul set up another one by Jordan with 1:05 to go, pulling the Clippers within 102-100. "Its going to happen. I mean, the way CP can move the ball and throw the ball up, were not going to take that lob away," George said. "But were not going to give up 3s and were not going to let their shooters get hot." The Clippers had a chance to tie it again after a missed 3-point shot by Lance Stephenson at the other end. But Paul missed a 15-footer that rattled around the rim, and the Pacers made three of four free throws in the final 6.9 seconds to put it away. "I had two great looks at the end," Paul said. "If I make one of those shots it ties the game up and puts pressure on them, so I was mad and disgusted in myself because I got the shot that I wanted." George powered the Pacers to a 53-47 halftime lead with 18 points. The Clippers trailed by 11 late in the first quarter before taking their only lead, 41-40, on a dunk by Griffin with 3:05 left in the half. NOTES: The Pacers began a five-game road trip that includes matchups with the top-four teams in the Western Conference -- including Portland, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. ... The Clippers start a seven-game trip on Wednesday night, all against teams that dont have a winning record. ... The Pacers blocked four shots, increasing their NBA-best total to 125. Hibbert leads the league with 61. ... The Pacers, who came in averaging 19.4 points off turnovers, converted 12 Clippers turnovers into 17 points. ... The Clippers shot 43.9 per cent against the Pacers, who came in with the NBAs best defensive field goal percentage (38.7) and the fewest points allowed per game (85.6). ' ' '[url=https://www.forum.7feetshipping.com/newthread.php?fid=2][/url]