2012 » the Tigers on a two-year deal in 2

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Quarterback Joe Flacco accepted blame for a struggling offense that has held back the Baltimore Ravens for the first half of the season.Im obviously not playing good enough, Flacco said Wednesday after the teams final practice of the bye week. Were not a good offense, and it starts with the quarterback. I got to be better.The Ravens (3-4) rank 25th in the NFL in scoring with 19 points per game, and Flacco is the 29th-rated passer in the NFL (75.4). In Baltimores current four-game losing streak, Flacco has had the ball in his hands in the final two minutes and has failed to deliver the winning drive each time.Coach John Harbaugh vehemently defended Flaccos play.Joe Flacco is the key to our success. So, we need to all do everything in our power that all the things are falling in place for him, Harbaugh said. He can play. He can throw it. He can make decisions. He can score touchdowns for us. He can do all the things we need to do. We need to make sure that we give him a chance to do that.The Ravens have scored 10 offensive touchdowns this season. Only the Houston Texans have fewer.Part of the inconsistencies on offense is due to injuries. Flacco and the Ravens have been without their top receiver in Steve Smith Sr. (ankle) and their best two linemen in guard Marshal Yanda (shoulder) and tackle Ronnie Stanley (foot) for a chunk of the season. The Ravens expect all of them to be ready to play after the bye.As a result, the Ravens have struggled with poor blocking, penalties, dropped passes and interceptions.When youre an offense in this league and things arent going great, a lot of times you can be so close, and I think we are on that verge of being really close, Flacco said. But its a bunch of little things, and its not just one thing. Its things that add up. Thats why this game is an awesome thing: 11 guys have to be fully locked in for 60 minutes in order for it to work. Nobody notices that. We dont even notice it when were out there playing, but it is the reality of it.Harbaugh reasserted that hes a Joe Flacco fan and believes in him.Joe will take care of what he needs to do, Harbaugh said. Im not worried about Joe taking care of what he needs to do. Joe works on it harder than anybody. He cares about it more than anybody. We need to protect him. We need to run routes. We need to create confidence in our passing game. We need to run the ball well. We need to do the things we need to do to make the offense work. And Joe will make the offense work.Wholesale Custom Heat Shirts . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Custom Heat Jerseys . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. http://www.customheatjersey.com/ . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Custom Chris Bosh Jersey . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Custom Heat T-shirts . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday.Wests Tigers veteran Dene Halatau will hang up his boots at the end of the 2016 NRL season.The 33-year-old utility, who has played 241 games for the Wests Tigers and Canterbury, confirmed his retirement on Monday.I felt as though the time is right and its something that Ive been thinking about for a long time now, Halatau said.Halatau won a premiership with the Wests Tigers in 2005, before shifting to Canterbury in 2010 for a four-year stint.He then return to the Tigers on a two-year deal in 2014, and his contract was eventually renewed for another season heading into this year.I was grateful to the club, JT (Jason Taylor) and the coaching staff for giving me this year; I still feel as though Im playing good enough football to contributte well for the team, he said.ddddddddddddIve had a few little injuries over the past season that have just been quite frustrating more than anything.While Im still feeling okay I think its the right time to hang the boots up.Previously a back-rower, Halatau has become Taylors answer to the No.9 conundrum this season with hooker Matt Ballin injured and his preference to play Robbie Farah from the bench.He has great advice and sets a great example for every player at Wests Tigers, not just the young ones but the older guys also look to him for leadership and he will be sorely missed at the club, Taylor said. ' ' '