Ravens Stuff...

Smitty

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So they penalized the Bengals a ton and the Giants barely at all. They penalize us a ton.

No reason to be concerned about the appearance of impropriety there!
 

Jiggyfly

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Cowboysrock55

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Practice Update: Scandrick Participates; WR Called Up From Practice Squad
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 12:32 PM CST

By David Helman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
@HelmanDC



FRISCO, Texas – Given all the talk about Tony Romo’s status as the Cowboys’ backup, it’s at least safe to assume he’s in good health.
At this point, it no longer feels like news that Romo was on hand for the Cowboys’ first practice of Week 11 – which he was, taking part in individual drills and team warmups alongside Dak Prescott.

As was the case last week, it was an encouraging start to the week for the Cowboys, who saw the vast majority of their roster on hand for practice. Orlando Scandrick was suited up in participating in the 20 minutes that were open to local media. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said it appeared that Scandrick was OK after he left in the fourth quarter of last week’s win against Pittsburgh.

With Scandrick in the fold, the list of absences was a fairly manageable one. Tyron Smith was not present, which no longer feels like a surprise. The All-Pro left tackle has been coping with a back injury all season, and the Cowboys have made it a point to start him out slowly in practice, before gradually ramping him up.

Conversely, in place of Smith was Chaz Green, who was on hand and participating. Green is apparently on the opposite schedule from Smith. He practiced in the early going of last week, as well, before eventually being downgraded later in the week. Green did not travel to Pittsburgh with the team last weekend, as he is still recovering from the foot sprain that sidelined him in Week 4.

Both Smith and Green will bear further monitoring as the week goes on – as has been the case for a while now.

Elsewhere, the Cowboys’ secondary still looks rather sparse, as Morris Claiborne and Barry Church are still absent from the proceedings. It was encouraging to note, however, that Church came out to practice and did rehabilitation work apart from the rest of the team.

Church broke his arm in the win against Philadelphia, and the Cowboys are confident he’ll only be sidelined for a few more weeks.

Injuries on the offense also prompted a roster move ahead of Wednesday’s practice. Geoff Swaim has been moved to the injured reserve, as he’ll need to undergo surgery on the pectoral muscle he injured in Pittsburgh.

The Cowboys have called up second-year receiver Vince Mayle from the practice squad in Swaim’s place. Mayle was a fourth-round draft pick by the Browns in 2015 but was cut at the end of training camp. He signed on to the Cowboys' practice squad and appeared in one game last year, the Week 5 loss to New England. He once against signed on to the Cowboys' practice squad this year after the team's final cuts.

___________________________________

Mayle is sort of an interesting signing. I guess we are planning to use him in sort of an Hback type role.
 

Hawkeye19

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Mayle is a physical specimen. 6'2 nearly 230lbs of pure muscle. Biggest WR on the team and supposedly a stud on STs and as a blocking WR. Would love to see what we have with him.
 

Texas Ace

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:lol

That's great.

Hacksaw Smithers.....:lol:lol
 

jsmith6919

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Cowboysrock55

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Pretty much this. Rookie has this connotation about it but Dak really hasn't demonstrated any of the qualities of being a rookie. He looks more like a vet out there then a lot of veteran QBs.
 

boozeman

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Wow. This is a hell of a compliment.

There are times when I think, yeah, the rest of the NFL will catch up to Prescott...the other shoe will drop.

Then there is stuff like this that makes me go all...

 

1bigfan13

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Timmy Jernigen missed yesterday’s practice with a sore shoulder and Jimmy Smith has missed the last couple of days with a bad back.

I think Jernigen plays Sunday but Smith is the guy who I’d be surprised to see on the field.
 

Cotton

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Best against best: Can Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott crack Ravens' 679-pound wall?
9:38 AM CT
Jamison Hensley
ESPN Staff Writer

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Based on the Baltimore Ravens' weightlifting feats, no one is surprised their run defense is anxious to flex its muscles against NFL leading rusher Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

"They’re the best and we’re the best, and somebody is going to come out on top," Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams said. "Why wouldn’t you look forward to a game like this? We can’t wait."

The Cowboys top the NFL with 161 yards rushing per game, churning out big gains with Elliott and a relentless offensive line. The Ravens are the No. 1 run defense with 71.3 yards rushing allowed, and it all starts with their 679-pound wall.

Defensive tackles Brandon Williams (340 pounds) and Michael Pierce (339) are massive. They're prideful overachievers. And they're powerful.

Pierce has squatted 725 pounds. Williams has squatted a teammate during a game.

Last week, Williams was messing around in practice and lifted safety Eric Weddle for a set of five. Then, late in the Ravens' 28-7 win over Cleveland, Williams decided to celebrate when he saw he was standing next to the 195-pound Weddle.

"I asked him, 'Hey, mind if I get another set?,'" Williams said. "He’s like, 'Hell yeah!'"

Williams wins on creativity. Pierce wins on pure awe.

Thursday night's national broadcast showed footage of Pierce squatting the equivalent of almost four Eric Weddles last year at Samford.

"I think I could do a little more," Pierce said. "At Samford, honestly they cut me off for health reasons. I didn’t have a belt."

Their exploits in the weight room translate onto the field. To hold up against double-teams, Williams and Pierce sink their hips and rely on the powerful base they built up in the offseason. Their legs become anchors in the ground as they occupy blockers and free up linebackers C.J. Mosley and Zachary Orr.

The domination of Williams and Pierce shows up in the numbers (which come compliments of ESPN Stats & Information):

The Ravens have held teams to 2.5 yards per carry in the 77 running plays with both Williams and Pierce on the field.

Baltimore has given up 3.5 yards per carry on the 96 running plays when either Williams or Pierce are off the field.

The Ravens have allowed 5.8 yards per carry on the 20 plays with Williams and Pierce both on the sideline.

It would be an oversimplification to label the Ravens' dynamic run-stopping duo as space-eaters.

"They’re two big guys, but they’re two big guys that are really excellent athletes," coach John Harbaugh said. "They’re in great shape. They’re explosive. They play hard. They use their hands really well. They can get off blocks."

Williams and Pierce are the Ravens' first line of defense Sunday, when the Ravens face their biggest challenge of the season. Elliott is averaging 111.7 yards per game, which is 18.7 yards more than anyone else in the NFL.

Much of Elliott's success comes up the gut of the defense. He has gained 72.6 percent of his yards in between the tackles.

"He’s a really good back. He’s proven that he can do it," Williams said. "My biggest thing is his power comes from his offensive line. It’s kind of like, cut the head of the snake."

The Ravens have heard all week about how the Cowboys have the best offensive line in the NFL. Dallas' front certainly has a pedigree, with three first-round picks (left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick and right guard Zack Martin) who come from big-name schools like USC, Wisconsin and Notre Dame.

It's a stark contrast to the Ravens' defensive line. Williams is a third-round pick from Division II Missouri Southern State, and Pierce is an undrafted rookie out of Samford.

"It’s best on best. It doesn’t matter what school you came from," Pierce said. "For me and Brandon, we’re just trying to prove our worth. We want to show we’re one of the most dominant fronts in the league."

Stopping the run is not only a source of pride with the Ravens. It's become tradition.

Since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1996, the Ravens have never allowed an opponent to average more than four yards per carry in any of their 20 seasons, which is an NFL record.

The names up front have changed over the years, from Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams (2000-01) to Haloti Ngata and Kelly Gregg (2006-10) to Williams and Pierce. The staggering low rushing totals, however, have remained the same.

"That’s who we are," Williams said. "That’s our standard is stopping the run. You don’t become a Raven if you don’t know how to stop the run."
 

Simpleton

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Since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1996, the Ravens have never allowed an opponent to average more than four yards per carry in any of their 20 seasons, which is an NFL record.
There is a 0.0% chance that this is true, I'm guessing the writer of the article worded it wrong.

But yea, Williams is a beast and Pierce is developing into a very good player. The TE's will have to be able to hold the edge against their OLB's so that we can get their fat boys moving side to side.
 

Cotton

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History on the line for Cowboys against division-leading Ravens
9:19 AM CT
Todd ArcherJamison Hensley

Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley and Cowboys reporter Todd Archer take an in-depth look at Sunday's matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys, who meet for just the fifth time.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Record: 5-4

First place, AFC North

The Baltimore Ravens believe that beating the Dallas Cowboys would be a “statement win” for a team that isn’t getting much respect.

The Ravens (5-4) are on top of the worst division in the NFL. All of Baltimore’s victories this season have come against teams with losing records.

That perception can change if the Ravens upset the Cowboys (8-1), who own the best record in the league and the longest current win streak.

“It’s going to be a great environment down there [against] the top team in football at this point in time,” coach John Harbaugh said. “You can’t ask for anything more as a football team, to get a chance to go down there and play a team like that.”



RAVENS X FACTOR

QB Joe Flacco -- The Ravens aren’t going to be able to run against the Cowboys. It’s the 28th-ranked run offense against the No. 3 run defense. That means the game rests on the strong right arm of Flacco, who is on pace for his first 4,000-yard season but is one of four starting quarterbacks who doesn’t have more touchdown passes than interceptions. Flacco is the Ravens’ best barometer for success. In his career, Baltimore is 49-11 (.816) when Flacco has a passer rating over 90. The Ravens are 31-40 (.436) when Flacco’s rating is below 90.

WHY THE RAVENS WILL WIN


The Ravens' defense shows why it’s the top-ranked D in the NFL, making quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott look like rookies for one of the few times this season. This is the first top-five defense that Prescott will face. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees has a way of frustrating young passers by using different coverages and blitzes. Baltimore has won five straight over rookie quarterbacks, and this defense is tied for second in the league with 11 interceptions. The Ravens also represent a big challenge for Elliott. Baltimore leads the NFL in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (71.3) and per carry (3.3). The Cowboys’ offensive line, which is considered the best in the league, has to figure a way to move powerful defensive tackles Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce.

WHY THE RAVENS WILL LOSE

Baltimore’s offense won’t be able to keep up with Dallas. The Ravens have struggled to get the ball in the end zone all season, and it’s been magnified on the road. Baltimore has scored five touchdowns in four games away from home. Only the Houston Texans have produced fewer. The Cowboys are vulnerable against the pass because of injuries in the secondary and the lack of a pass rush. Quarterbacks have a 100.5 rating against Dallas this season. But relying heavily on Flacco hasn’t been a successful formula for Baltimore. Since the start of the 2013 season, Baltimore is 4-15 (.210) when Flacco throws more than 40 times.

RAVENS PREDICTION

The Ravens can make a statement by beating the team with the best record in the NFL, but they’ll need a big game by Flacco to do so. He’s been too inconsistent, especially on the road. Flacco hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his last 13 quarters away from home. That’s not going to cut it against a Cowboys team that is averaging 26.7 points per game at home. The Ravens’ defense is championship-caliber, but their offense is far from it. Cowboys 24, Ravens 17

DALLAS COWBOYS

Record: 8-1

First place, NFC East

In their illustrious history, the Dallas Cowboys have never ripped off nine straight wins in the same season.

A victory Sunday against the Ravens, who will be making their first trip to AT&T Stadium, would give the 2016 Cowboys a piece of history.

There is a lot of that going around the Cowboys these days. Elliott needs just 2 yards to break Tony Dorsett’s team rookie record for rushing yards in a season. Prescott already owns the team rookie records for wins, yards and touchdown passes and needs 24 completions to eclipse Troy Aikman’s record of 293.

But the Cowboys aren’t interested in history just yet.

“This is not a time to reflect back on anything,” coach Jason Garrett said.

They hope to do that sometime in February.



COWBOYS X FACTOR

DeMarcus Lawrence -- He led the Cowboys in sacks last year with eight, so he is not a traditional X factor. But he missed the first four games of the season because of a suspension and did not record a sack in his four games, though he finally got one Sunday. If the Cowboys' defense is going to continue to exceed expectations, Lawrence needs to return to the form he had in 2015, when he had seven of his eight sacks in a seven-week span. Affecting the quarterback is almost a euphemism for not being able to get any sacks. The Cowboys need Lawrence to go from affecting the quarterback to sacking the quarterback.

WHY THE COWBOYS WILL WIN

The Ravens have the best run defense in the NFL, giving up just 3.3 yards per carry. Of course, Cincinnati had a stout front and Elliott popped off a 60-yard touchdown run on his way to 134 yards. The Green Bay Packers were allowing 1.9 yards per carry before Elliott ripped them for 157 yards. The Cowboys eventually figure out the best way to attack a run defense. They will figure it out against the Ravens, and Elliott will close in on his sixth 100-yard game of the season.

WHY THE COWBOYS WILL LOSE


Ben Roethlisberger threw for 408 yards against the Cowboys last week. He was sacked just once. The Cowboys are having a difficult time generating a consistent pass rush. As much as Flacco has struggled this season, Steve Smith can move the chains and Mike Wallace can make big plays. Last year’s No. 1 pick, Breshad Perriman, recorded his first touchdown last week. Baltimore might not have Pittsburgh’s total package but can still make some plays against a Dallas secondary that will be without Morris Claiborne and Barry Church.

COWBOYS PREDICTION

All eyes will be on Prescott as he makes his first start with a now-healthy Tony Romo as his backup. Of course, all eyes have been on the rookie anyway, so to think his approach will be different now is kind of foolish. Prescott has had answers for every question. Dez Bryant has two 100-yard games in the last three weeks. Jason Witten is a big factor in the passing game again. Elliott can also make plays in the passing game. If the Ravens can slow down the Cowboys' run, the Cowboys have more ways to beat the Ravens. They will complete the AFC North sweep in 2016. Cowboys 31, Ravens 22
 

Cotton

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Meet the North Texas linebacker who could become Ezekiel Elliott's biggest hurdle Sunday

By Rick Gosselin , Staff Columnist

His resume screamed "NFL player."

But only the Baltimore Ravens were listening.

Now the Ravens are benefiting from their decision to sign DeSoto's Zach Orr as an undrafted college free agent off the North Texas campus in 2014. He starts at inside backer and has played a key role in the Ravens' defensive renaissance this season.

A perennial top-5 defense during the 2000 decade when Ray Lewis was stalking the middle, the Ravens softened a bit upon his retirement after the 2012 season. Baltimore slid to eighth in defense each of the last two years and tumbled to 12th in run defense in 2015.

Orr spent his first two seasons covering kicks for the Ravens on special teams before stepping into the starting lineup in 2016. He's now the leading tackler on a unit that ranks first against the run and first in total defense. Orr and that run defense will face their stiffest challenge Sunday when they visit AT&T Stadium to play NFL rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott and the NFC East-leading Cowboys.

But let's go back to the 2014 draft.

Orr was a three-year starter at North Texas and a first-team All-Conference USA performer as a senior. He left North Texas as the school's third all-time leading tackler with 365, including a career-best 123 as a senior to help the Mean Green finish 9-4 and earn its first bowl bid in nine seasons.
Productivity? Check.

North Texas has been building a bit of a reputation as a school that produces linebackers. Cody Spencer was drafted in 2004 and went on to become an NFL starter. Craig Robertson went undrafted in 2011 but signed with the Cleveland Browns, with whom he became a starter. He left Cleveland for New Orleans in free agency this season and now leads the Saints in tackles with 81, seventh-best in the NFL.

School history? Check.

Orr's father Terry played nine seasons in the NFL as a blocking tight end and won two Super Bowls with the Washington Redskins.

Genes? Check.

Orr measured only 6-0, 225 pounds, which doesn't fit the NFL prototype for the middle linebacker position. But Mike Singletary was shorter at 5-11 and Jack Lambert played lighter at 220. Both slid to the second round of drafts because of their alleged size deficiencies and both are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Lambert was named to the NFL's 75th anniversary team.

NFL talent evaluators weren't able to look past Orr's size or his caliber of competition. Conference USA isn't the SEC. There were 334 players invited to the NFL scouting combine in 2014. Orr wasn't one of them. There were 256 players, including 36 linebackers, selected in the NFL draft. Orr wasn't one of them.

But Baltimore had a draftable grade on Orr and pegged him as a priority free agent. So eager were the Ravens to secure his name to a contract that they called Orr in the seventh round before the draft was even finished. Three seasons later, the AFC North-leading Ravens are seeing on the field what they saw at North Texas on tape.

His 75 tackles rank 12th in the NFL. His first career interception in the final minute of a September game against Jacksonville preserved a 19-17 victory over the Jaguars. Orr both forced and recovered a fumble by Washington running back Matt Jones in a 16-10 loss to the Redskins. He also strung together three consecutive double-digit tackle games in the last month against the Giants (13), the Jets (11) and the Steelers (10).

"The mental part is one of his strongest assets," Ravens linebacker coach Don Martindale said. "The game is in slow motion to him. He is instinctive. He knows a lot of plays before the offense even knows that they are going to run it. You can see that reaction that he is playing faster than everybody else. It has been fun to watch."

The Baltimore defense is allowing an average of 281.6 yards per game. The Cowboys are averaging 412.7 yards on offense. The Ravens are allowing an average of only 71.3 yards per game on the ground. The Cowboys are averaging 161 yards rushing. The Ravens also rank 11th in sacks with 22 and fifth in takeaways with 17.

And Orr is smack dab in the middle of all that defensive success, proving that he shouldn't have been overlooked.

"It bothers me," Orr said. "It continues to bother me. It still bothers me to this day that people didn't think I could play. I'm just trying to show this league that I can. The Ravens had confidence in me and I want to show this league what the Ravens saw and believed in me."
 

Cotton

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Cotton

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A MEETING OF THE MOST ACCURATE KICKERS IN NFL HISTORY
Posted 1 hour ago
Ryan Mink
BaltimoreRavens.com Staff Writer

Justin Tucker’s first and foremost goal is to help the Baltimore Ravens win games. It’s something he accomplishes quite often.

But there’s a certain stat that Tucker occasionally sneaks a peek at too.

Tucker and Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey rank as the most accurate and second-most accurate kickers in NFL history. Bailey tops the list at 90.4 percent. Tucker is second at 89.4 percent.

The two have flip-flopped before.

Tucker became the all-time leader during the 2014 season and held it until he missed one kick in Week 3 last season. Bailey overtook him. That’s how narrow the margin is.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I haven’t paid it attention,” Tucker said, sitting in front of his locker this week.

“In the offseason, when that comes across my desk – which I don’t have because I’m not a sportswriter – it’s cool to know that I’m on that list.”

When the two kickers shake hands and exchange pleasantries before the start of Sunday’s game at AT&T Stadium, it will be a meeting of not only two of the best at their craft, but two of the leaders in a revolution of kicking success.

Over the past several years, kickers have become better than ever before.

This year, Tucker and Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri have yet to miss a kick, and we’re more than halfway through the season. Tucker is 22-for-22 and Vinatieri is 19-for-19.

Vinatieri has made 44 straight kicks, which has set the all-time NFL record. Tucker’s 29 straight splitting of the uprights is the second-longest active streak.

There are currently seven NFL kickers with success rates of 90 percent or above. In 2013, there was an NFL-record 11.

Compare that to a decade ago. In 2006, former Raven Matt Stover finished the year ranked atop the league with a 93.3 field-goal percentage. Only four kickers had a 90 percent success rate or better.


A decade before, in 1996, only one kicker, the Indianapolis Colts’ Cary Blanchard, was at 90 percent or above (he was directly at 90 percent). Stover was 19-of-25 (76 percent).

So why have NFL kickers become so good?

Tucker has his own theories. He says the rest of the operation around the kicker – the long snap and the hold – have improved. Tucker has two of the best teammates in the business with 2015 Pro Bowlers, long snapper Morgan Cox and punter/holder Sam Koch.

“Those 1.3 seconds are very slow for me because of those guys,” Tucker said. “I think, if you look across the entire league, snappers have become more specialized. There’s more attention to detail with any respective field-goal operation.”

There’s also the youth component. More kids are interested in kicking, leading to more early experience and more grooming.

“More kids playing football are taking up an interest in learning how to kick a football so they can get on the field,” Tucker said. “Young players are maybe starting to recognize more than ever that games are won by kickers quite frequently. A lot of kids want to be that guy, and I think that’s really cool.”

Bailey is in his sixth season while Tucker is in his fifth. Both were undrafted when they entered the league, and they’ve only met a couple times. Tucker went to the 2013 Pro Bowl. Bailey went last year.

They both have big legs and have proven their clutch factor time and time again. If Sunday’s game comes down to a kicking battle at the end, it’s anybody’s game.

“Everybody is a little different, but you see a lot of similarities in the two players,” said Ravens Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg.

“They are both very good athletes. They both have good heads on their shoulders. You can see that they handle situations in football very well. They are both very skilled fundamentally. There is a reason why their numbers are what they are.”
 

Cowboysrock55

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There is a 0.0% chance that this is true, I'm guessing the writer of the article worded it wrong.

But yea, Williams is a beast and Pierce is developing into a very good player. The TE's will have to be able to hold the edge against their OLB's so that we can get their fat boys moving side to side.
Yeah, the Ravens really pride themselves on stopping the run. I think what the writer meant to say is that the Ravens have never allowed 4.0 yard per carry in any given season. Which is super impressive but some of those season's they averaged like 3.99 yard per carry against. Which obviously means some opponents had 4 or more yards per carry.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I just looked at the stats, I was a bit surprised to see Dallas listed number 2 in run defense. Pretty crazy really, although I think a big part of that is that our opponents are playing from behind and can't really ever stick with the run.
 

Smitty

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Concerning that Tyron Smith can't seem to shake his injury bug.
 

Simpleton

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Looks like Jimmy Smith and Elvis Dumervil are doubtful for the game. Dumervil is no surprise as he's missed a few weeks but I had no clue Smith was injured.

Good for us.
 
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