Paul Kruger, drafted in the 2nd round in the 2009 draft, gave me the great opportunity to interview him. With the departure of Jarret Johnson, I believe Kruger will be a crucial part to the team with his outstanding athletic abilities, and his intelligence on and off the field. Joe Wedra: Who/what Inspired you to play football and how? Paul Kruger: I would say my father, just because he played when he was younger and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps.  He is a great example to me. JW: In high School you played QB; how does that knowledge help you on Defense? PK: It just allows me to get a feel for the offense.  Like in basketball when you're playing one on one with someone you can just see and read what the other player is gonna do and stuff like that.  So it is easier to read and understand the plays that the offense is going to run.  JW: What was your favorite part about playing at Utah? PK: Being around the people I grew up with, my family, and al...

It is no secret that the Ravens have been abnormally quiet during the beginning of the 2012 Free Agency period. Many people have been criticizing the team for not going out and getting top players like DE Mark Anderson or former Chargers WR Vincent Jackson. I know that missing out on these guys appears to be awful, but no need to fret Ravens fans. I think Ozzie Newsome has a plan. Of course picking up players like Jackson and Anderson would be huge acquisitions for the team, but I think that we have players of the same skill-sets right here on the team! Here are some of the players that I am VERY excited to see develop with our team! LaQuan Williams- Williams is a player that I am THRILLED about. He is a Marylander through and through. He was born in Baltimore and he played his college ball at Maryland! His playing abilities are ones that any team would love to have! He is a very athletic kid who also played basketball in high-school and averaged 20.0 points a game for Poly. H...

This week, I had the great privilege to ask Baltimore’s own CB Lardarius Webb a few questions! Now, all Ravens fans know that Webb is one of the most highly coveted free agents this offseason. (If you don’t, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?) Webb leaving Charm City would be one of the worst outcomes of the Free Agency period for Baltimore. Multiple sources have speculated that the Patriots are very interested in Webb. It makes sense considering that the Patriots defense is PITIFUL. But let’s be honest here, reading this article you are still having flashbacks of what those dreaded Pats did to us last year. We can only pray that a team like New England doesn’t jump in and grab Lardarius. Assuming Webb listens to us and stays, we are looking at another exciting season. I asked Lardarius about the difference between covering as a nickel and covering as a corner.  “Corner is man to man, one on one! The best man wins. Nickel back is more like the outside back...

Earlier this week, I had the great privilege to interview former Ravens great WR Qadry Ismail. Thanks to Qadry for taking the time! I hope you enjoy this interview: Joe Wedra: Who was your inspiration as a young player? Qadry Ismail: I really looked up to a few guys in my youth... Here's two that stood out... I loved the play of Earl Campbell from the Houston Oilers. I thought I was going to be like him when I grew up; also, Michael Jordan and his competitive will really inspired me to work hard and believe in myself.  JW: What was your biggest challenge getting to the NFL? Q: Biggest challenge... How to practice like I play in a game- Full speed and intense focus. JW: How do you balance being friends with a team-mate, and also competing against him for a spot on the team? Q: I felt like if I focused in and did my job and took care of what I needed to do- then let the chips fall where they fall... Control what I could control... and be a teammate that builds up a fellow ...

While the image of Billy Cundiff’s kick going wide left is still in my head every time I close my eyes, the pain has worn off a bit. Will it ever completely leave my mind? Probably not, but as a true fan I must move on. So many changes have to happen that will be crucial to the structure of the team in 2012. There was one non-move that left me speechless. A coordinator is gone and it is NOT Cam Cameron? I’ve had some time to think about keeping Cameron around. Nothing has changed… ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? What are we thinking? Cam Cameron might just be the worst Coordinator in the NFL and we are keeping him AGAIN?!?!  How many years is it going to take for the organization to realize that simply making the playoffs isn’t good enough? The ultimate goal in the NFL is to win Championships. I firmly believe that this one coach is keeping us from Super Bowl titles. Now people may say, “Cam didn’t do anything to prevent us from a Super Bowl....

So as I get home from an average day, I do what the average teenager does: go on Facebook.  The first image I see is this… Too soon?  HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It’s not funny how much disrespect the Ravens, their fans, and their players get for no apparent reason.  Earlier today, an Eagle fan was anxious to show me his computer background: LaQuan Williams in shock after the miss.  I guess we know what obnoxious fans do when their team sucks… they rub it in the faces of the other 30 teams’ fans when they lose.  It goes on and on.  It gets worse, I have a friend who is a Pats fan and he calls me “wide left” now.  Here are some of the comments I have seen/ heard; ·         Go back to Cleveland ·         So long Gayvens ·         Bye Rats ·    &nbs...

It seems like yesterday we opened up the season by beating the CRAP out of Pittsburgh.  Let’s relive that one more time! But now, it’s time to get serious.  We’ve got the AFC Championship game coming up Sunday at 3 pm eastern.  This game will match up the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Pansies/ Patriots.  We get to see two completely different styles of play: offensive and defensive.  Whichever team gets the other to play their style gets the advantage.  KEYS TO THE GAME ·         Eliminate Wes Welker- Wes Welker had a career year in 2011, with over 120 receptions, over 1500 yards, and 9 TDs.  When he goes up against a physical cornerback, his numbers go down drastically.  He only had 2 caches against Brandon Flowers, 4 catches for 40 yards against Champ Bailey, and had less than 40 yards against Ike Taylor (COME ON MAN!!!!!!  It’s Ike Taylor!!!!!!).  Fortuna...

Ok… lets be real here. Not only am I writing this blog to give my analysis on Baltimore football, but really I just needed a break from hearing about the Denver Tebows and the miracle maker himself. And just in case you haven’t heard, Tim Tebow led his team to a win against the Pittsburgh Squealers. What an amazing sight, seeing Roethlisberger hobble around on his “injured” ankle and making mistake after mistake. Even better than that sight, seeing Steeler fans everywhere crying into their little yellow towels realizing that their teams season is OVER! Pittsburgh, you just got TEBOWED! Now, let’s get back to the 2011 AFC North Champions! After a relaxing Bye-Week, we look on to the Houston Texans. The Texans stomped all over the Bengals 31-10. Arian Foster ran 24 times for 153 yards and two TD’s against a pretty good Bengals defense. Their defense picked off “Big Red” 3 times and played almost a perfect game. I strongly believe ...

From the unbeatable Green Bay Packer to the almost winless Colts and all the way through “Tebow Time,” the 2011-2012 NFL regular season will go down as one for the ages.  Each team went through their ups and their downs, whether it was the slow starting Denver Broncos to suddenly heat up and sneak into the playoffs, or the Buffalo Bills starting out as the cream of the crop then just crashing down the stretch.  Each team has their story, now it’s time to grade their performance on the field. Bills – F After an extremely fast start, the Bills have fallen flat on their faces.  Buffalo’s hopes were high after a 5-2 start, but the Bills proceeded to finish 1-8.  The only win they had was against Tebow.  Putting the Tebow game aside, it was Murphy’s Law being proved in Buffalo.  In fairness to the Bills, after the quick start half of their team went on injured reserve.  Dolphins – C- We need to acknowledge th...

The time has come. The entire NFL breaks down every possible scenario that would place their team in the Playoffs. Few teams know for sure that their team is just plain awful and have no possible playoff hope this year, or many years to come. (i.e. the Browns). The fact is that 21 of the 32 teams still have a shot at the playoffs and as the weeks go on, this number continues to slim. This year the Ravens will make the playoffs for the 4th straight year under Coach John Harbaugh. #1 seed and Home-field advantage is what every team going to the playoffs want. For the Ravens this “want” is pretty simple. Win out. That’s all there is to it. The combined records of the upcoming teams being 17-22, it doesn’t seem like there is much to it. We will see Sunday Night against the Chargers which Ravens team shows up to play on the big stage, Sunday Night Football. Once we get to the playoffs, the Ravens can truly beat any team as long as we are at home. Our Ravens play...