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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Ravens vs. Patriots: Joe Flacco keeps winning, despite skeptics of his game

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Ravens vs. Patriots: Joe Flacco keeps winning, despite skeptics of his game

View Photo Gallery — ?The Texans and the Ravens face each other on during an NFL playoff game in Baltimore.

Text SizePrintE-mailReprints By Mark Maske,

In OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The debate about Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco’s merits is all too familiar to practically everyone in the organization, and to Flacco in particular.

They’ve all heard the arguments more times than they probably care to remember: how Flacco stacks up victories despite posting underwhelming statistics.

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The Post Sports Live crew debates which NFL championship game underdog is more likely to win on the road this weekend and offer up their desired Super Bowl matchups.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Ravens vs. Patriots: Tom Brady, Joe Flacco each have something to prove in AFC Championship game

The AFC Championship game matches a team with an offense that’s clicking against a vaunted, veteran smash-mouth defense that intimidated that offense in a wild-card game only two years ago.

That’s awfully recent history, particularly for a guy like Tom Brady, who never, ever forgets. (Just mention the word “Jets” to him.) He used the New England Patriots’ two-tight end system and a lightning-fast no-huddle to carve up the Denver Broncos last week.

Steven Tyler will sing the national anthem, although it’s fair to hope for “Dude Looks like a Brady.” (Winslow Townson / AP) But can he do the same against the Baltimore Ravens, with a defense that frustrated him in 2010? Can the hurry-up offense keep the Ravens off-balance? The Patriots, despite the presence of Chad Ochocinco on the roster, have used him little this season. Because of the death of his father this week, he rejoined the team only this morning and is inactive for today’s game.

Brady and Coach Bill Belichick spoke often and effusively all week of their regard Ravens safety Ed Reed, but Reed hurt his ankle last week. While there’s no question he’ll play, will he be effective?

And then there’s Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who was dissed this week inside his own locker room. Will the Ravens rely on Ray Rice to pile up the yardage over the middle and take pressure off the embattled QB?

And, last question: which Super Bowl opponents do you want to see?

MORE

Ravens looking for more big plays from rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith

Patriots say defense is peaking at the right time

Early Lead: Joe Flacco says Ed Reed’s comments are ‘not that big of a deal’

John Feinstein: Lewis, Reed, defy their ages

Ravens show respect for Brady, but they’ll be coming after him

Ravens looking for more big plays from rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith

Patriots say defense is peaking at the right time

Early Lead: Joe Flacco says Ed Reed’s comments are ‘not that big of a deal’

John Feinstein: Lewis, Reed, defy their ages

Ravens show respect for Brady, but they’ll be coming after him

Ravens looking for more big plays from rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith

Patriots say defense is peaking at the right time

Early Lead: Joe Flacco says Ed Reed’s comments are ‘not that big of a deal’

John Feinstein: Lewis, Reed, defy their ages

Ravens show respect for Brady, but they’ll be coming after him

View the original article here

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

On Tea Party Patriots call, three GOP candidates make their pitch

Whither the Florida tea party vote?

That is the question. And we may not know the answer until Tuesday’s Sunshine State primary.

Former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.), former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.). (David Goldman/Associated Press)Three of the top GOP presidential contenders — former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) and former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) — made their pitches Sunday night in a conference call with nearly 6,000 Florida tea party activists.

During the call, organized by the national Tea Party Patriots group, each of the three White House hopefuls had about 10 minutes to field pre-screened questions from tea party activists and then make a brief closing statement. (A fourth candidate, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, was unable to participate because of a previous engagement, Tea Party Patriots Co-Founder Jenny Beth Martin said.)

The three contenders made their cases for lower spending, arguing that the $1.047 trillion limit set by the August debt deal for fiscal 2013 is unacceptable. (That might come as news to the congressional GOP leaders who negotiated the deal.)

“I would go in and start by looking through how much could we save, how much could we cut immediately,” Gingrich, who was the first candidate to speak on the call, told the activists.

He argued that he would reduce spending on a number of federal agencies. And he used a fair share of his allotted time to take aim at Romney, who will be his main rival in Florida’s primary on Tuesday, calling the former governor “a Massachusetts liberal who was for abortion, for tax increases, for gun control.”

It would be “truly sad” if Florida sent Romney to the Republican National Convention with its delegates, Gingrich added.

Up next was Romney, who told callers that the federal spending level “has to be lowered by the end of my first fiscal year.”

He said he would limit non-security discretionary spending to 2008 levels and would cut funding to the National Endowment for the Arts, PBS and Amtrak, as well as achieve a balanced federal budget by his second term in office.

Romney mentioned his personal life — noting that he has “been married to Ann for 42 years” — and said he has been “true to the things I believe in.”

By contrast, he argued, under Gingrich’s speakership, “government grew faster than inflation all four years he was in office.”

“I’ve got a record of cutting government I don’t think anyone else can match in this race,” he said.

The final speaker was Santorum, who told callers that he was dialing in from the hospital room of his daughter Bella.

“I would begin cutting immediately,” he said when asked about the federal budget. He pledged to trim $5 trillion over five years — a sizable amount, given that Congress was able to agree this summer on cutting only about $2 trillion in federal spending over the next 10 years.

Santorum said the federal government would “spend less money every year over four years” until he was able to limit federal spending to 18 percent of gross domestic product, down from the current 25 percent.

So whom will Florida’s tea party backers vote for, and what role will they play in Tuesday’s primary?

A look at recent shows indicates that they could play a significant role — although perhaps they will not be as great a factor as they were in Iowa and South Carolina.

An NBC News/Marist poll conducted on Wednesday and Thursday found that 48 percent of potential Florida GOP primary voters said they support or strongly support the tea party, while 43 percent do not support it and 9 percent are unsure.

That’s fewer than the 64 percent of South Carolina and Iowa Republican primary voters who backed the tea party, according to exit polls earlier this month.

But it’s nearly even with the 51 percent of New Hampshire voters who supported the tea party in the Granite State’s Jan. 10 GOP primary.

Notably, tea party supporters in each of the three states chose that state’s eventual winner: Santorum won tea party supporters on Jan. 3 in Iowa, with 29 percent; Romney won them in New Hampshire, with 41 percent; and Gingrich won them in South Carolina, with 45 percent.

Looking at recent Florida polls, it appears to be a tight race between Gingrich and Romney among tea party backers heading into Tuesday’s primary.

The NBC News/Marist poll showed Gingrich taking 36 percent among tea party supporters to Romney’s 34 percent. Santorum takes 22 percent while Paul takes 6 percent.

If Romney wins on Tuesday — as it looks as though he’s poised to do — and does not pick up the support of a plurality of tea party supporters, that would mean Florida would be the first primary state thus far in which the eventual winner has not won the greatest share among tea party supporters.

What would that mean for the greater GOP race — as well as for the tea party’s future? We’d like to know your thoughts; the comments section is open for business.

View the original article here

Sunday, January 22, 2012

St. Louis Rams will make London second home, face Patriots in 2012

Steven Jackson, running back for the London Rams. (Whitney Curtis - Getty Images) The NFL’s attempt to turn the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into London’s favorite professional football franchise flopped just like the Bucs did in the second half of 2011.

Tampa’s 24-18 loss to the Chicago Bears at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 23 marked the first of 10 consecutive losses to end the season, so perhaps the Bucs are just as happy to part ways with the British Isles as their hosts are to be rid of them.

On Friday the NFL announced the St. Louis Rams will become the next team to call London their second home. The Rams will play one regular-season game across the pond in each of the next three seasons, starting with an Oct. 28, 2012 matchup against the New England Patriots.

“We’ve seen first-hand the increased popularity of the NFL not only in London but throughout Europe,” Rams owner Stan Kroenke said in a statement. “To play a role in that growth over the next three years will be incredible and is a testament to the many good things happening not only in the NFL but also in the St. Louis Rams organization.”

Last year the league agreed to play regular-season games in Britain for the next five seasons, but plans to play two games in the U.K. for the 2012 season were halted. The October Bears-Bucs matchup was the first contest not to sell out.

You might not need the shades in London, Jeff. (Harry How - Getty Images) “This year is a very competitive year for sport in the UK, especially with the Olympics in London,” NFLUK managing director Alistair Kirkwood said. “Also, with the Rams having made an unprecedented commitment to playing in the UK for the next three years, we wanted to focus on them as our ‘home’ team without another game taking place.”

Patriots owner Robert Kraft is eager for his team’s return to London for the first time since they crushed the Bucs 35-7 in 2009.

“The United Kingdom is home to some of our most passionate Patriots fans, including the UKPatriots, who are among our most active fan clubs overall, not just overseas,” Kraft said.

And British NFL fans are likely equally excited to have them back, since, unlike the Rams, New England has won more than 15 games over the last five seasons and is one win away from returning to the Super Bowl for the fifth time in 11 years.

But the NFL tapped the Rams to be its ambassador abroad. So what do you say Londoners, are you ready to adopt Sam Bradford (assuming he’s still the starting QB), Steven Jackson (assuming he can stay healthy), new head coach Jeff Fisher and the 2-14 Rams as your new favorite NFL side?

More from Washington Post Sports:

Rams to play NFL games in London for next 3 years

Early Lead: Jeff Fisher accepts Rams coaching job

The League: Is Sam Bradford beginning to look like a bust?

View the original article here