Any football geek will tell you that the best part of the NFL season is the time between week 1 and the Super Bowl (Pro Bowl excluded...don't ask). However, if you ask said football geek what the second best part of the NFL is he/she would most certainly always answer "The Draft". Guys like Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, and Mike Mayock have turned mock drafts and predictions into a craze. I'm not going to lie, if I could get paid to scout college talent that was entering the NFL draft and then talk about it on TV I would die a happy man.

Heading into this off-season a few needs are certain and within that certainty lies a sense of ambiguity by all fans of the Ravens.

Where to start?

Baltimore is aggressively trying to lure the World Cup to Ravens Stadium. Help their efforts by signing this online petition. There is a meeting planned for this weekend to trim the list to 18 cities, so act fast.

Sign here
http://www.gousabid.com/city/local/baltimore-md/

Info on the Committee
http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/12/14/daily27.ht...

Celebrity Karaoke brings the kid out in everyone
By Keith Henry

Last Tuesday, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason along with tackle Joe Reitz brought their Celebrity Karaoke Tour to the Springhouse Assisted Residents Facility. This was an opportunity for the Ravens to serve the residents at Springhouse, bring them some joy and a lot of fun as well.

The NFL is great, and probably the best run organization in sports, but there is one thing it is truly missing... Big Rivalries, especially regional ones. The NFL doesn't have the Iron Bowl, the Civil War, Ohio State Michigan, Yankees Red Sox, Duke Unc. Instead of playing two random games in your conference, they should allow you to play a rivalry game every year. Or if they want to add a 17th game, this would be the perfect team to do. These should be the proposed matchups.

Ny Jets/NY Giants- The Battle for New York, I mean New Jersey
Miami/Tampa Bay- The Sunshine Bowl

The Ravens will travel to Dallas on Saturday Night to face the Dallas Cowboys in the last game ever at Texas Stadium. After an emotional loss to the Steelers, the Ravens face another must win game this week against the Cowboys.Dallas is coming off a dismantling of the New York Giants, a game where the yielded only 8 points. This is a must win game for both teams,with each team currently holding the final playoff spot in each of their conferences.

The Pittsburgh Steelers come to M&T Bank Stadium Sunday at 4:15 to take on the Baltimore Ravens. The hatred runs deep between these teams and given whats at stake, this might just be the most important regular season game in Ravens history. The Steelers come into the game with a 1 game division lead over the Ravens and can clinch a first round playoff bye with a win. The Ravens can tie the Steelers with a win and can clinch a playoff berth with a win and some help from the Jets, Dolphins and Pats. This game will have a playoff like atmosphere and the stadium will be rocking.

The Baltimore Ravens return home on Sunday at 1pm to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams are coming into the game after lack luster performances from the week before. The Ravens were embarrassed by the Giants while the Eagles tied the lifeless Bengals, the first tie in the NFL since 2002. The Ravens are still a major factor in the playoff picture in the AFC and can not afford a loss this week. This game is a homecoming for Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who was the Eagles secondary coach last season. This is a great match up, here is my take on the game:

The Baltimore Ravens travel to the Meadowlands to battle the New York Giants on Sunday at 1pm. The Ravens come into the game on a 4 game win streak, but many people believe that their success is thanks to a soft schedule, this will be the Ravens toughest test to date. Many NFL experts regard the NFC East to be the best division. in football and the Giants are the best team in the division. The Giants come into the game as 6.5 point favorites and many people expect them to win easily. The Ravens can make great strides if they can go in and beat the Giants or keep the game close.

The Baltimore Ravens travel to Houston to take on the Texans at Reliant Stadium Sunday at 1pm. This game was pushed back from week two thanks to Hurricane Ike and was supposed to be the Ravens bye week. The Ravens come into the game with a 3 game win streak and they are playing their best offensive football of the season, probably the best in franchise history. The Texans (3-5) come into the game as surprising 1.5 point favorites, but that is just fine with the Ravens. Will the Ravens avoid the trap and improve to 6-3? or will Houston level their record at 4-4 and send the Ravens packing?