Architect Of Ravens Defense

john1981cr · Joined: 16 Aug 2006 Posts: 111

By Tim Sullivan
Inspin.com/WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

He is quickly becoming the next "hot" name when it comes to future head-coaching opportunities. Part of it is because the system he's in. Part of it is because of his family name. Part of it is, quite simply, that he coordinates a terrific defense.
Choose your reason, but Rex Ryan -- the son of former famed Eagles coach Buddy -- may soon be getting a call from other teams. For now, though, he's concerned about his rock-steady Ravens defense and its first playoff test, the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday in the AFC divisional round. The Ravens are -4 on WagerWeb.com.
"Peyton Manning, obviously, he's the man back there. There's no question about it," Ryan said. "He's smart. When he knows what coverage you're in and all that stuff, he can beat you to sleep. Hopefully, we don't give him that opportunity as easily."
It's truly a strength-on-strength matchup. But Manning did throw three interceptions last week. And that was against the Chiefs at home. He won't be able to get away with that in Baltimore.
But don't expect anything risky or out of the ordinary from the Ravens defense. The Ravens know what Manning can do. They know what he can't do. And they'll gameplan accordingly.
"What on a football field has Peyton Manning not seen," Ravens coach Brian Billick asked. "Our hope is that we can get him to pause momentarily, question just a little bit what he is seeing and what he's seen."
That strategy will be orchestrated, of course, by Ryan, who has maintained the reputation of a dominant defense in Baltimore -- a tradition that began with current Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.
"We're a football team, and we play as a team on defense," Ryan said. "We don't care who gets the accolades and the players don't care. Obviously, everybody would like to go to the Pro Bowl, but we're out there playing as one."
It shows. Baltimore, with little fanfare, has put itself in a prime position to win its second Super Bowl championship. The Ravens were the third team down the line in the AFC North, it seemed, when the season began. The mouthy Bengals were the defending division champions and talked like they planned on staying that way. The steady Steelers were the defending Super Bowl champions, and everything seemed like they'd have a chance to repeat.
But neither even made the postseason tournament. And as a result, January is now reserved exclusively for the Ravens.
"There's some freshness about this team right now," Billick said. "Hopefully, we've not lost too much rhythm. Given one week, I am confident that we'll be OK that way."
Billick was speaking about whether or not the bye that came with being the No. 2 seed was a good thing for his club. Surely, it can't hurt, but the NFL is a funny league sometimes. The Steelers won the Super Bowl after playing in the wild-card round last season. And the Ravens themselves pulled the same trick in 2000.
So the Colts have some trends in their corner as well. But they don't quite have the defense that the home team has. Not even close.
"We know our fans are going to be jacked-up, and that's going to be our 12th man out there and it ought to be a heck of a game," Ryan said. "You've got probably the best offense in the league against the best defense. They know they're the best offense, we know we're the best defense. We're going to be prepared, and they're going to get our best shot, and we expect to get their best shot. So, we'll see what happens."

BOB AND WEAVE: New Falcons coach Bobby Petrino is saying the right things about his quarterback, Michael Vick. Petrino has heard all the stories about Vick possibly being a "coach killer." He knows Vick clearly underachieved this season. But he also knows the talent that's tucked inside that uniform. And he's going to do everything in his power to maximize it.
"I'm certainly looking forward to working with Michael. I know a lot of him from watching him on TV and watching him grow and mature in college. I know he is a tremendous competitor. He can play the position great," Petrino said. He's the first quarterback to ever run the ball over 1,000 yards. That is very exciting. I would like to stand up here and say this is what we are going to do with Michael and this is how we are going to utilize him, but the truth of the matter is that you don't know that until you get out there and work with him. I know he is a great competitor. I can't wait to get started."
Meanwhile, back in college, things aren't so optimistic at Louisville, the school Petrino left this week. Yes, the Cardinals got their man by hiring Tulsa's Steve Kragthorpe. But running back Michael Bush has decided to leave early for the NFL. And quarterback Brian Brohm may do the same by Monday. To compound matters, ballyhooed high school quarterback Matt Simms, the son of former New York Giant great, Phil, and the brother of Tampa Bay starter, Chris, has backed out of his commitment to Louisville and has reopened his recruiting process.
Clearly, things are up in Atlanta, down in Louisville.

EXTRA POINTS: Saints wide receiver Joe Horn (groin) has been practicing on a limited basis and is questionable for Saturday's divisional round game against the Eagles in the Superdome. The Saints are -5 on WagerWeb.com. ... Colts safety Bob Sanders (knee) is questionable for Saturday's divisional game against the Ravens, but he is practicing this week and should play.

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