Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

[Decoym]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

Damn, a tough loss to Indy. They are hard to beat so it's nice you even stayed with them.

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

Damn, a tough loss to Indy. They are hard to beat so it's nice you even stayed with them.

Thanks for commenting. What's frustrating is that we were so close. The defense is dominant. The offense just can't hold up its end of the deal. With a better quarterback, we would have knocked off the Colts and Chargers.

Andre Woodson nearly brought us back. His interception came in the red zone on our final drive. So close...

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

Woodson Leads Ravens to MNF Win Over the Raiders

Oakland Raiders at Baltimore Ravens
Dec 7, 2009	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Oakland Raiders (4-9)	0	14	0	0	14
Baltimore Ravens (8-5)	7	0	0	23	30

Team Stats Comparison
	OAK	BAL
Total Offense	121	366
Rushing Yards	6	63
Passing Yards	115	303
First Downs	7	16
Punt Return Yards	5	13
Kick Return Yards	156	0
Total Yards	282	379
Turnovers	4	1
3rd Down Conversion	0/9	8/19
4th Down Conversion	1/2	2/3
2-Point Conversion	0/0	0/0
Red Zone Touchdown Conversion	1/1	2/4
Penalties	2-8	6-55
Time of Possession	18:15	41:41

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		OAK	BAL
	(BAL) TD: M. Clayton, 4 Yd pass from A. Woodson (Kasey kick)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		OAK	BAL
	(OAK) TD: D. Combs, 11 Yd pass from A. Walter (Janikowski kick)	7	7
	(OAK) TD: K. Morrison, 97 Yd interception return (Janikowski kick)	14	7
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		OAK	BAL
	(BAL) TD: W. McGahee, 15 Yd run (Kasey kick)	14	14
	(BAL) FG: J. Kasey, 36 Yd FG	14	17
	(BAL) TD: J. Johnson, 26 Yd interception return (Kasey kick)	14	24
	(BAL) FG: J. Kasey, 39 Yd FG	14	27
	(BAL) FG: J. Kasey, 46 Yd FG	14	30

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Andrew Walter 13/34 139 1 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Justin Fargas 2 17 8.5 0 Andrew Walter 1 -9 -9.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Landon Patchan 3 37 12.3 0 DeFazio Combs 3 34 11.3 1 Zach Miller 2 18 9.0 0 Wendell Fisher 2 9 4.5 0 Ronald Curry 2 41 20.5 0 Brian McCullum 1 0 0.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Mark Wilson 0 1 Chris Morris 0 1 Robert Gallery 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Nick Doleman 11 0 0 0 Michael Huff 9 0 0 0 Derrick Burgess 7 3 0 0 Nnamdi Asomugha 7 0 0 0 DeAngelo Hall 6 0 0 0 Jordan Dizon 6 0 0 0 Kirk Morrison 6 0 1 1 Fabian Washington 5 0 0 0 Letroy Guion 5 1 0 0 Thomas Howard 4 0 0 0 Erik Andrews 3 0 0 0 Chris Long 3 1 0 0 Omar Gaither 1 0 0 0 Marquis Cooper 1 0 0 0 Stanford Routt 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 0/0 2/2 2 n/a PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Dino Cleveland 4 140 35.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD DeAngelo Hall 5 90 18.0 0 DeFazio Combs 2 66 33.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD DeAngelo Hall 4 5 2.5 0

Baltimore Ravens PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Andre Woodson 33/43 328 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Ray Rice 20 49 2.4 0 Willis McGahee 5 21 4.2 1 Andre Woodson 3 -7 -2.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Mark Clayton 10 97 9.7 1 Willis McGahee 5 47 9.4 0 Demetrius Williams 5 91 18.2 0 Cooper Hooper 4 19 4.7 0 Mario Manningham 4 32 8.0 0 Mike Durfee 3 39 13.0 0 Roydell Williams 1 5 5.0 0 Ray Rice 1 -2 -2.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Willis McGahee 0 1 Ben Grubbs 0 1 Marshal Yanda 0 1 Jared Gaither 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Devin Cox 6 1 0 0 Terrell Suggs 4 0 0 0 Baron Hardaway 4 2 0 0 Jarret Johnson 4 2 1 1 Ed Reed 3 0 0 0 Casper Morton 3 0 0 0 Chris McAlister 3 0 0 0 Clifford Avril 1 0 0 0 Dawan Landry 1 0 1 0 Rashaud Johnson 1 0 0 0 Elvis Ferguson 1 1 0 0 Derrick Martin 1 0 0 0 Ray Lewis 1 0 0 0 Leodis McKelvin 1 0 1 0 Geno Hayes 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG John Casey 3/3 3/3 12 47 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Sam Koch 4 160 40.0 1 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Chris Johnson 3 13 4.3 0

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

Whew. I'm finally caught up!
We're 8-5 and leading the AFC North. Troy Smith has been benched in favor of Andre Woodson. Keep following to see how this season ends.

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

AFC North Roundup: Week 14

AFC North Scoreboard
Sunday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Detroit Lions 14 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 21	J. Kitna (DET): 171 Yds, TD, INT	W. Parker (PIT): 94 Yds, TD	R. Williams (DET): 74 Yds
Cleveland Browns 17 @ Houston Texans 24	M. Schaub (HOU): 243 Yds, TD, INT	J. Lewis (CLE): 76 Yds	A. Johnson (HOU): 95 Yds
Chicago Bears 17 @ Cincinnati Bengals 26	B. Johnson (CHI): 165 Yds, TD	R. Johnson CIN): 98 Yds	T. Houshmandzadeh (CIN): 85 Yds
Monday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Oakland Raiders 14 @ Baltimore Ravens 30	A. Woodson (BAL): 328 Yds, TD, INT	R. Rice (BAL): 49 Yds	M. Clayton (BAL): 97 Yds, TD

AFC North Standings
	W	L	T	DIV	STRK
Baltimore Ravens	8	5	0	5-0	W1
Pittsburgh Steelers	7	6	0	2-2	W1
Cincinnati Bengals	6	7	0	2-3	W3
Cleveland Browns	5	8	0	0-4	L4

AFC North Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
DT	Glenn Dorsey (CIN)	Broken Jaw (1 Day)
RT	Willie Anderson (CIN	Sprained Shoulder (2-3 days)
DT	Corey Williams (CLE)	High Ankle Sprain (1-2 weeks)
OLB	Anthony Spencer (CLE)	Torn Triceps (IR)
RG	Stocker McDougle (CLE)	Triceps Strain (4-6 weeks)
WR	Braylon Edwards (CLE)	Torn Triceps (IR)
MLB	Andra Davis (CLE)	High Ankle Sprain (1-2 weeks)
DE	Trevor Pryce (BAL)	Torn ACL, MCL, & PCL (IR)
CB	Ike Taylor (PIT)	Torn Triceps (IR)
RT	L.J. Shelton (PIT)	Torn ACL & PCL (IR)
CB	Ike Taylor (PIT)	Torn Triceps (IR)
RT	James Harrison (PIT)	Strained Hamstring (1-3 days)

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

NFL Power Rankings, Week 15
RK (LW)	Team	Record	Next Game
1 (W @ Chargers)	Indianapolis Colts	12-1	vs Bills (12/13)
2 (L vs Colts)	San Diego Chargers	11-2	vs Raiders (12/12, SNF)
3 (W vs Bills)	New England Patriots	11-2	vs Dolphins (12/14, MNF)
4 (W @ Seahawks)	Tennessee Titans	11-2	vs Texans (12/12)
5 (L vs Rams)	Dallas Cowboys	9-4	@ Vikings (12/13)
6 (W @ Broncos)	New York Giants	9-4	vs Redskins (12/13)
7 (W vs Redskins)	Philadelphia Eagles	8-5	vs Seahawks (12/12)
8 (W vs Raiders)	Baltimore Ravens	8-5	@ Chiefs (12/13)
9 (L @ Patriots)	Buffalo Bills	8-5	@ Colts (12/13)
10 (W @ Packers)	Minnesota Vikings	7-6	vs Cowboys (12/13)
11 (L vs Giants)	Denver Broncos	7-6	@ Steelers (12/13)
12 (W vs Jaguars)	Kansas City Chiefs	7-6	vs Ravens (12/13)
13 (W @ Panthers)	New Orleans Saints	7-6	vs Packers (12/13)
14 (L vs Titans)	Seattle Seahawks	7-6	@ Eagles (12/12)
15 (W @ Cowboys)	St. Louis Rams	7-6	vs 49ers (12/13)
16 (W vs Lions)	Pittsburgh Steelers	7-6	vs Broncos (12/13)
17 (W vs Browns)	Houston Texans	6-7	@ Titans (12/12)
18 (L @ Eagles)	Washington Redskins	6-7	@ Giants (12/13)
19 (L @ Cardinals)	San Francisco 49ers	6-7	@ Rams (12/13)
20 (L vs Vikings)	Green Bay Packers	6-7	@ Saints (12/13)
21 (W vs Bears)	Cincinnati Bengals	6-7	@ Browns (12/13)
22 (L @ Chiefs)	Jacksonville Jaguars	5-8	vs Cardinals (12/13)
23 (L @ Jets)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5-8	@ Falcons (12/13)
24 (L @ Texans)	Cleveland Browns	5-8	vs Bengals (12/13)
25 (L @ Steelers)	Detroit Lions	5-8	vs Bears (12/13)
26 (W vs 49ers)	Arizona Cardinals	4-9	@ Jaguars (12/13)
27 (L @ Ravens)	Oakland Raiders	4-9	@ Chargers (12/13, SNF)
28 (W @ Falcons)	Miami Dolphins	4-9	@ Patriots (12/14, MNF)
29 (L vs Dolphins)	Atlanta Falcons	4-9	vs Buccaneers (12/13)
30 (L @ Bengals)	Chicago Bears	3-10	@ Lions (12/13)
31 (W vs Buccaneers)	New York Jets	2-11	@ Panthers (12/12, 8:30 PM)
32 (L vs Saints)	Carolina Panthers	1-12	vs Jets (12/12, 8:30 PM)

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

LB Johnson Earns Player of the Week Honors

Week 14 AFC Defensive Player of the Week
OLB Jarret Johnson, Baltimore Ravens
4 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

Ravens Visit Chiefs in Matchup with Playoff Implications

Matchup Preview | December 8, 2009
	@
Baltimore Ravens (8-5, 3-3 Away)		Kansas City Chiefs (7-6, 3-3 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 331 Total Offensive Yards Per Game 298 225 Passing Yards Per Game 203 106 Rushing Yards Per Game 95 25.4 Points Per Game 33.9 31 Sacks Allowed 17 31 Giveaways 12 Defensive Stats Comparison 259 Total Yards Allowed Per Game 332 192 Passing Yards Allowed Per Game 234 67 Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game 98 18.3 Points Per Game 25.6 32 Sacks 24 29 Takeaways 17 Injury Report DE Trevor Pryce Torn ACL, MCL, & PCL (4-5 months) C Rob Smith Torn PCL (3 Months) DT Marcus Bell High Ankle Sprain (2-3 weeks)

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

Analyzing the Enemy: Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are in the hunt for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC along with the Bills, Broncos, Steelers, Texans, and Bengals. Last week, Herm Edwards and his team all but eliminated the playoff hopes of the Jaguars. If the Chiefs are able to secure a spot in the playoffs, it will be their first appearance since the 2006 season. Last season, the Chiefs finished 6-10. This year's turnaround can greatly be attributed to the addition of veteran QB Kurt Warner.

Warner came to Kansas City after a stint in Arizona. Many thought that he would retire after the season but he decided to enter the free agent market. The Chiefs signed Warner and immediately installed him as their starting QB. He is a dramatic upgrade over last year's starter, Damon Huard. Warner leads an offense that centered around weapons HB Larry Johnson, TE Tony Gonzalez and WR Dwayne Bowe. Johnson is the league's 8th leading rusher and 3rd in rushing touchdowns. Gonzalez is 5th in receptions and is tied with Dwayne Bowe for 7th in receiving touchdowns. He's protected by a line that includes standouts Jake Long and Alan Faneca on the left side and Rob Smith in the middle. The right side of the line is helmed by two rookies, one of whom went undrafted. The offensive line has allowed 9th fewest sacks in the NFL (17).

The offense carries a defense that is devoid of talent. The Chiefs allow the 5th most points and 6th most yards in the league. Tamba Hali is their only pass rusher of note. He has 9 sacks, tied for 8th most in the NFL, and is tied for 10th in hurries with 64. The linebacker corps includes talented linebackers Derrick Johnson and Karlos Dansby. In the secondary, the Chiefs have a mix of long-in-the tooth veterans and young developing players that have recorded the second fewest interceptions in the NFL (11). The veterans include Patrick Surtain and free agent addition Lawyer Milloy. Surtain leads the team with four interceptions. They are joined by FS Jarrad Page and 1st-round pick SS Mario Markland.

[jshrolltide]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

I love the detail you put into your career. I wish I had the patience to make mine look this good! I'm excited to see what happens next!

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

Smith Back at Helm; Late Rally Lifts Ravens Over Chiefs

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
Dec 13, 2009	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Baltimore Ravens (9-5)	3	0	0	16	19
Kansas City Chiefs (7-7)	0	14	0	0	14

Team Stats Comparison
	BAL	KAN
Total Offense	406	171
Rushing Yards	73	58
Passing Yards	333	113
First Downs	16	9
Punt Return Yards	32	23
Kick Return Yards	23	126
Total Yards	461	320
Turnovers	3	3
3rd Down Conversion	5/13	1/8
4th Down Conversion	0/0	0/0
2-Point Conversion	0/1	0/0
Red Zone Touchdown Conversion	1/4	0/0
Penalties	5-51	4-40
Time of Possession	39:14	20:40

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		BAL	KAN
3:45	(BAL) FG: J. Kasey, 37 Yd FG	3	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		BAL	KAN
14:38	(KAN) TD: P. Surtain, 86 Yd interception return (Hall kick)	3	7
12:37	(KAN) TD: P. Surtain, 27 Yd interception return (Hall kick)	3	14
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		BAL	KAN
14:58	(BAL) TD: C. Johnson, 2 Yd run (2-pt failed)	9	14
6:12	(BAL) FG: J. Kasey, 44 Yd FG	12	14
1:18	(BAL) TD: M. Friday, 33 Yd pass from T. Smith (Kasey kick)	19	14

Baltimore Ravens PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Troy Smith 20/36 340 1 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Ray Rice 21 48 2.2 0 Willis McGahee 2 17 8.5 0 Chris Johnson 5 9 1.8 1 Mike Durfee 1 1 1.0 0 Troy Smith 1 -2 -2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Cooper Hooper 4 67 16.7 0 Roydell Williams 4 81 20.2 0 Demetrius Williams 3 29 9.6 0 Markus Friday 3 86 28.6 1 Mark Clayton 2 17 8.5 0 Mario Manningham 2 40 20.0 0 Ray Rice 2 20 10.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Marshal Yanda 2 0 Ben Grubbs 2 0 Jonathan Ogden 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Terrell Suggs 6 0 0 0 Ed Reed 5 0 1 0 Clifford Avril 4 0 0 0 Ray Lewis 4 0 0 0 Leodis McKelvin 3 0 1 0 Jarret Johnson 3 0 0 0 Haloti Ngata 2 0 0 0 Yeremiah Bell 2 0 0 0 Casper Morton 2 0 0 0 Ahtyba Rubin 2 0 0 0 Prescott Burgess 2 0 0 0 Derrick Martin 2 0 0 0 Geno Hayes 1 0 0 0 Dawan Landry 1 0 1 0 Devin Cox 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG John Kasey 2/2 1/1 7 44 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Sam Koch 4 146 36.5 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Chris Johnson 1 23 23.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Leodis McKelvin 3 32 10.6 0

Kansas City Chiefs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kurt Warner 10/22 113 0 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Larry Johnson 16 62 3.8 0 Kurt Warner 1 4 -4.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Tony Gonzalez 3 41 13.6 0 Dwayne Bowe 3 13 4.3 0 Warrick Dunn 2 24 12.0 0 David Tyree 1 11 11.0 0 Allen Taylor 1 24 24.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Dwayne Bowe 1 0 Alan Faneca 1 0 Marty Foley 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Karlos Dansby 13 1 1 0 Napoleon Harris 8 0 0 0 Andre Overton 7 0 0 0 Tamba Hali 5 0 0 0 Lawyer Milloy 4 0 0 0 Mario Markland 4 0 0 0 Derrick Johnson 4 0 0 0 Hank Smithers 4 0 0 0 Jarrad Page 4 0 0 0 Patrick Surtain 3 0 2 2 Tank Tyler 2 0 0 0 Darren Howard 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG John Hall 0/0 2/2 2 n/a PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Dustin Colquitt 7 295 42.1 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Derek Hagans 4 101 25.2 0 Trae Williams 1 25 25.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Derek Hagans 3 23 7.6 0

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

AFC North Roundup: Week 15

AFC North Scoreboard
Sunday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Cincinnati Bengals 23 @ Cleveland Browns 26 (OT)	C. Palmer (CIN): 292 Yds, TD	J. Lewis (CLE): 91 Yds, TD	T. Houshmandzadeh (CIN): 137 Yds
Baltimore Ravens 19 @ Kansas City Chiefs 14	T. Smith (BAL): 340 Yds, TD, 3 INT	L. Johnson (KC): 62 Yds	M. Friday (BAL): 86 Yds, TD
Denver Broncos 35 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 28	J. Cutler (DEN): 285 Yds, 4 TD, INT	W. Parker (PIT): 82 Yds	B. Marshall (DEN): 196 yds, 3 TD

AFC North Standings - Updated: Dec 15, 2009
	W	L	T	STRK	DIV
Baltimore Ravens	9	5	0	W2	5-0
Pittsburgh Steelers	7	7	0	L1	2-2
Cincinnati Bengals	6	8	0	L1	2-4
Cleveland Browns	6	8	0	W1	1-4

AFC North Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
DT	Glenn Dorsey (CIN)	High Ankle Sprain (1 week)
OLB	Kamerion Wimbley (CLE)	Dislocated Toe (1-2 weeks)
DT	Corey Williams (CLE)	High Ankle Sprain (1-2 days)
RG	Stocker McDougle (CLE)	Triceps Strain (3-5 weeks)
WR	Joe Jurevicius (CLE)	Hernia (1-3 weeks)
MLB	Andra Davis (CLE)	High Ankle Sprain (5-8 days)
WR	Demetrius Williams (BAL)	Broken Wrist (2-3 weeks)
HB	Willis McGahee (BAL)	Sprained Knee (1 week)

[Aurabolt127]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

Wait, I thought Troy was benched? Did Woodson get hurt? I just sold my Troy Smith jersey!!! Don't play with my emotions! LOL!!!

[Mike3207]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

Thoro, how do you include multiple charts in one post? I can only do one.

[thoro_headz]

Re: Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty (HC09)

Ravens Postgame Live: Week 15

On the QB change:

I'm not going to sit here and act like I don't know that Troy Smith hasn't performed up to our expectations this year. He's struggled. We sat him toward the end of the Colts game because his confidence was clearly shaken. Andre performed well in relief and almost led the team to a win. Based on Andre's performance, we decided to let him start the next week against Oakland. Our staff thought that it would be best to spend the week working with Troy by breaking down game film and building him back up. We got a good look at Andre in the win versus Oakland and are pleased with his progress. We were also pleased with the maturity that Troy showed as the backup. He worked really hard last week and earned the right to re-assume his position as the team's starting QB. We have a veteran-laden roster that has gone to battle with Troy and has confidence in him. All players go through rough patches. That's just part of the game but Troy is the same QB that led us to the AFC Championship last season. We believe we're capable of topping that, this season, with him at the helm.

On Troy Smith's performance:

Troy struggled early on. Coach Cameron and I share the blame with Troy. Early on, we failed to make adjustments in our play-calling. We know how to attack a Tampa 2 defense yet played right into their strengths. Cam likes calling plays that send our backs into the flats. Those plays don't work against a Tampa 2 look. Throw passes into the flats and the CB is sitting on the shallow zone waiting to pick it off and take it to the house. That happened to us twice. We know that Troy tends to check down to the back on certain plays yet called them anyway. He could have made different reads but we know his tendencies and set him up for failure. We made adjustments at the half and Troy was able to lead us to a win. Troy has a knack for winning and coming up big in the clutch. Overall, we were pleased with his performance after we made appropriate adjustments to our Play-calling. A greater focus on play-calling should see Troy and our offense flourish down the stretch.

On the Demetrius Williams and Willis McGahee injuries:

Injuries are part of the game. Both players have missed time this season and we've had guys step up in their absence. McGahee is expected to miss a week and Chris Johnson is the next man up. Chris hasn't seen many offensive snaps but he's picking up the offense and scored a touchdown for us last week. We like his speed and quickness and will use him to spell Ray Rice. He may also see snaps as our 3rd down back. With Demetrius set to miss a few weeks with his wrist injury, we will shuffle our receiving corps. Manningham will continue to start at the Z. Markus Friday will move into the starting X position. Roydell Williams will remain at the Y position. In our 12 and 21 packages, we may sub Mark Clayton at the Z and move Manningham to the X. We want to get back to moving Manningham around to exploit match-ups.

On the defense:

Spectacular! What are you guys calling them? Riptide Rush? Purple Pain? Whatever it is, they are living up to their billing. Coach Ryan is doing a great job with his unit. They don't just shut down offenses. They come up with huge, timely plays that put us in the position to win games. Ed Reed and Leodis McKelvin both had interceptions in the fourth quarter. McKelvin's came with 1:09 left and sealed the game. The Chiefs have a veteran QB and some of the league's best players at the skill positions and it didn't matter. Our defense shut them down. Their offense came into the game averaging almost 34 points per game. We didn't allow their offense to score. They never even sniffed the red zone. They only converted one third-down. Our defense is championship caliber.

On the upcoming game against Pittsburgh:

It's Steelers' week. This is going to be an awesome game. It always is. They are a talented bunch as they are perennially. They are a very good football team. Every time that we step on the field against Pittsburgh, the feeling is electric. That electricity will be be even higher given the stakes this week. We both need this game to keep our playoff hopes alive. We're expecting a difficult battle, both emotionally and physically.