The Baltimore Ravens have always been known as a defensive power.
Tonight, when they host the high-octane offense of the Patriots this evening at M&T Bank Stadium, they'll try to use their strenght to stop New England, particularly QB Tom Brady.
"Yeah, we like sacks, we like that stat," LB Jarret Johnson told the Washington Post. "That's more our goal when we're attacking quarterbacks ... but the main thing is to disrupt timing and get into the quarterback's head. Sacks are the benefit of it. The main thing is getting in his head."
On the other side of the ball, when Brian Billick, the Ravens head coach, was with the Minnesota Vikings in 1998, his offense set the NFL record for points scored in a season.
"I look at a Patriots offense that's about to just zoom past that 1998 offense that I had," Billick said in today's Baltimore Sun. "This team is running at a high level of efficiency."
The author went on to write that New England is too efficient for the Ravens. This would have been a great matchup last season, he noted, but the 2007 Ravens aren't as strong defensively.
"We've had difficulties and injuries and a number of things we had to overcome, but what's the value in playing someone that's struggling? Let's play the best," Billick countered in today's Hartford Courant. "Let's have at it and do it at home and do it on Monday night and let's have the whole world watching. What a great motivator."
QUICK HITS
There's been talk in the media all week about the Philadelphia Eagles providing a "blueprint" on how to be competitive against the Pats, but the Boston Herald says it won't be any good to the Ravens tonight.
Is there a downside to winning all the games the Patriots have this season? That's the angle a columnist takes on MSNBC.com today.
The Providence Journal has an interesting feature on LB Adalius Thomas, who survived a horrific car accident as a youth to become the force he is today.
