NFL News: Baltimore Ravens fear Broncos' Peyton Manning; Asa Jackson in, Daniel Brown Out

By Mitch de Leon
Joe Flacco
The Baltimore Ravens are playing the Denver Broncos on Week 1 of the 2015 NFL regular season. Wikimedia Commons/Saquan Stimpson

The Baltimore Ravens are entering the NFL regular season in the most challenging manner this year: by facing the Denver Broncos at the peak of Peyton Manning's health and energy levels. This NFL match, which is scheduled on Sunday (September 13), appears to present a potential repeat of the 2013 game that saw the Denver Broncos quarterback break records at the expense of the Baltimore Ravens. However, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith remains optimistic on the chances of his NFL team to overcome the odds and beat the Denver Broncos - with or without the threat of a healthy Peyton Manning.

The Baltimore Ravens, according to Smith, may be worried about the NFL match against the Denver Broncos but that is all there is to it: anxiety. However, the Baltimore Ravens still aim to enter the NFL match with the confidence that they will outperform the Denver Broncos and win their first game this season - a feat that Smith believes he and his teammates are highly capable of accomplishing.

"All of the hoopla about him (Peyton Manning) in December compared to September, obviously it's real," noted Smith, referring to the change in the Denver Broncos quarterback throughout the season, according to ESPN. The Baltimore Ravens cornerback added, "But that's none of my concern. I know we have him Week 1, and he's going to be ready Week 1. That's all of our concern." However, Smith was quick to point out that he is not minimizing the abilities of Peyton Manning. If anything, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback actually acknowledges the threat the Denver Broncos quarterback poses for his NFL team. He said, "I'm not really worried if it's first game, last game. He's going to be dangerous. He's still Peyton Manning, no matter what."

While the Denver Broncos pride themselves of an NFL MVP quarterback, the Baltimore Ravens are known for a quality rare in the league: consistency. Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated described the Joe Flacco team as "the division's bastions of consistency." According to the sports analyst, the Baltimore Ravens is a group prepared for anything - a quality that makes the NFL team a formidable contender season after season. Farrar further noted, "Overall, the Ravens remain the North's most consistent team. And sometimes, consistency is enough."

Another notable strategy of the Baltimore Ravens is the NFL team's decision to not pursue veterans. Instead, the team opted to sign younger stars in what could only be presumed as a vital part of a long-term plan. Recently, the Baltimore Ravens saw the return of Asa Jackson following the cornerback's stint with the New York Giants. Although Jackson was chosen as a starting cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens in four games during the 2014 NFL season, the athlete was notably not included in the final 53-man roster announced by the team.

According to The Baltimore Sun, the decision of the Baltimore Ravens to place Jackson in the NFL team's practice squad may have something to do with his multiple injuries and two-time suspension in the league in relation to substance abuse. However, the return of Jackson created the necessity to release a player. With this in mind, the Baltimore Ravens opted to let go of undrafted rookie Daniel Brown. The released player exhibited a good game against the Atlanta Falcons during the 2015 NFL Preseason, but his performance appeared to have not impressed the Baltimore Ravens enough to keep him in the roster.

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