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*****Official Baltimore Ravens Thread***** (3 Viewers)

Uruk-Hai said:
The more I think about this, the less I want RGIII playing much today. It's gonna be rainy, Yanda's already not playing, Stillers playing for their lives..... I know you can't bench everyone, but someone like Stanley or Little Zeus or Judon or Chuck Clark getting hurt would be painful.
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I hear you, but you have to field a team. Look at the offense, we already know these guys are out:

Lamar
Ingram
Andrews
Hollywood Brown
Yanda

Hurst is the only swing Tackle they have. I think the young interior OL Bozeman and Mekari play all game, with Ehringer and Powers swapping in at RG, and Hurst alternately spelling Zeus Jr and Stanley at Tackle. I agree they want to get Stanley out of there as much as possible. Could be a very long day for the offense with this patchwork O Line up against Pittsburgh's outstanding front 7.

On defense, I'm not so worried about the DBs. Pittsburgh can't throw, and the Ravens are so deep there, they can get all the young guys in there - Trawick at Safety, Averett and Imran Marshall at CB. At D Line, street free agent Ellis has usually been inactive, so I look for him to get a lot of time along with beefy guys like Peko and Jihad Ward. I think Judon doesn't see much playing time - maybe bring him in as a situational pass rusher.

I was thinking Ravens were going to win this game, something like 17-13. But now that I look at the offense, I think they will he hard pressed to score that much. I guess I'll go Pittsburgh, 16-10 - maybe Ravens win if they pull out a defensive score. It's going to be played in a downpour. My son is going - he might find himself relatively alone in the stadium midway through the third quarter.

Also, I love the Ravens signing Peters to a 3-year deal. They really have a window for the next few years - until guys like Humphrey, Stanley and Lamar most of all blow up the salary cap again, so I love them making a statement that they're going to go for it all during this stretch. If they could somehow sign a guy like AJ Green and snare a strong edge rusher, they will be a real handful. I've recently read that they'll franchise Judon next year (at around $17M) if they can't reach a long-term deal. Makes a lot of sense - they'll have the cap room next year, and then can let him go for zero cap hit after that when they have to resign Stanley and Humphrey. 

 
The_Man said:
I hear you, but you have to field a team. Look at the offense, we already know these guys are out:

Lamar
Ingram
Andrews
Hollywood Brown
Yanda

Hurst is the only swing Tackle they have. I think the young interior OL Bozeman and Mekari play all game, with Ehringer and Powers swapping in at RG, and Hurst alternately spelling Zeus Jr and Stanley at Tackle. I agree they want to get Stanley out of there as much as possible. Could be a very long day for the offense with this patchwork O Line up against Pittsburgh's outstanding front 7.

On defense, I'm not so worried about the DBs. Pittsburgh can't throw, and the Ravens are so deep there, they can get all the young guys in there - Trawick at Safety, Averett and Imran Marshall at CB. At D Line, street free agent Ellis has usually been inactive, so I look for him to get a lot of time along with beefy guys like Peko and Jihad Ward. I think Judon doesn't see much playing time - maybe bring him in as a situational pass rusher.

I was thinking Ravens were going to win this game, something like 17-13. But now that I look at the offense, I think they will he hard pressed to score that much. I guess I'll go Pittsburgh, 16-10 - maybe Ravens win if they pull out a defensive score. It's going to be played in a downpour. My son is going - he might find himself relatively alone in the stadium midway through the third quarter.

Also, I love the Ravens signing Peters to a 3-year deal. They really have a window for the next few years - until guys like Humphrey, Stanley and Lamar most of all blow up the salary cap again, so I love them making a statement that they're going to go for it all during this stretch. If they could somehow sign a guy like AJ Green and snare a strong edge rusher, they will be a real handful. I've recently read that they'll franchise Judon next year (at around $17M) if they can't reach a long-term deal. Makes a lot of sense - they'll have the cap room next year, and then can let him go for zero cap hit after that when they have to resign Stanley and Humphrey. 
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As is usual, you're more informed and level-headed than I.

It's funny you mention signing AJ Green, as I was just discussing this as a perfect fit with a friend yesterday.

My pick is Steelers 15, Ravens 11

 
Over the last 8 games (following Lamar's awakening moment in Seattle), Ravens have outscored opponents 289-116. Over a full season, that's 578-232 - a 346-point differential that would smash the 07 Patriots' 315-point record. That would be the #3 point total in NFL history after the 13 Broncos and the 07 Patriots. 

Here's some other info I posted in the Lamar thread. His season has been even better than a lot of people comprehend - the last 8 games have been historic. His passer rating during that stretch is 130.9. I've found only 3 other QBs who ever put up a QB rating of more than 130 during any 8-game stretch.

Brady, 2007 - in Games 1-8 and 3-10
Manning, 2004 - Games 6-13
Montana, 1989 - Games 3-10, 5-12, and 6-13

Those are all regarded among the greatest QB seasons of all time. If you expand the QB rating to 125 over an 8-game stretch, you get a lot more:

Rodgers in 2011, Games 1-8
Brees last year from Games 3-10 and also Wilson last year, Games 5-12
Steve Young in 94 and Brady in 2010
and then two big surprises to me: Kirk Cousins the last 8 games of 2015 and Nick Foles the last 8 games of 2013

Finally, remember the big storyline that defenses have a big advantage the second time they face Lamar?

This year's first games vs Cincy and Cleveland combined: 90.6 passer rating, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, 5 sacks
This year's second games vs Cincy and Cleveland combined: 142.4 passer rating, 6 TDs, 0 INTs, 0 sacks

Just keep this in mind if/when the Ravens play Buffalo or Houston in the divisional round and people start talking about the Chargers last year.

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
Just want to say, as a fairly recent Ravens fan (I followed LJ from Louisville), you peeps are a great fan base to join. 

Thanks for the warm welcome, the info and the camaraderie. 

Go Balt! 
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LOL - we have a lot to be humble about. 

Great to have you here. A couple of my best friends are from Louisville and they keep telling me how the Ravens (well, let's be honest, Lamar) have taken over the town. 

 
The_Man said:
LOL - we have a lot to be humble about. 

Great to have you here. A couple of my best friends are from Louisville and they keep telling me how the Ravens (well, let's be honest, Lamar) have taken over the town. 
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👍

Now, I have a question. 

Do you consider the Cleveland time part of the team history? 

Also, Jonny Unitas (another Louisville QB) and the Colts - how are they viewed in relation to the Ravens? An entirely different team, or some kind of connection? 

In order to advance beyond a newbie, I gotta make sure I have things in order. 

 
Man In The Box said:
OK Ravens fans. Who is the dart throw WR who has a decent game today? Boykin? 
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I’ll go Seth Roberts. Then Snead and then Boykin. Boykin is a mainstay in the run game but almost an afterthought in the passing game. Whereas Roberts lately and Snead (at various points all season) sometimes have plays actually called for them. Roberts just seems like more of a target lately 

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
👍

Now, I have a question. 

Do you consider the Cleveland time part of the team history? 

Also, Jonny Unitas (another Louisville QB) and the Colts - how are they viewed in relation to the Ravens? An entirely different team, or some kind of connection? 

In order to advance beyond a newbie, I gotta make sure I have things in order. 
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Not me. I hated the way Baltimore got football back, considering a decade before the same thing happened with the Colts.

I think, in general, folks from Baltimore have kinda morphed the old Colts and the Ravens into each other. 

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
Just want to say, as a fairly recent Ravens fan (I followed LJ from Louisville), you peeps are a great fan base to join. 

Thanks for the warm welcome, the info and the camaraderie. 

Go Balt! 
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Welcome aboard, MoCS. Always enjoy your posts in the music threads.

As you've probably noticed, @The_Man does most of the heavy lifting here. There's one or two others that post semi-regularly, but I think we get more posts from general FFers asking if Andrews is healthy enough to play.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
Welcome aboard, MoCS. Always enjoy your posts in the music threads.

As you've probably noticed, @The_Man does most of the heavy lifting here. There's one or two others that post semi-regularly, but I think we get more posts from general FFers asking if Andrews is healthy enough to play.
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Thanks much Uruk. 

But, I recommend that you skip my Game of Thrones thread work, as I am unhinged there. 

If we need more Ravens fans, I could try to recruit @wikkidpissah - as he has the right look, but I don't know his football preferences.

God, I hope he is not a Pat's fan. 🙁

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
👍

Now, I have a question. 

Do you consider the Cleveland time part of the team history? 

Also, Jonny Unitas (another Louisville QB) and the Colts - how are they viewed in relation to the Ravens? An entirely different team, or some kind of connection? 

In order to advance beyond a newbie, I gotta make sure I have things in order. 
Click to expand...
Now that Cleveland has their team back (and I agree it was a crappy way to get a team, though it was also the general M.O. and in the end both cities now have football. And one of those teams is even NFL caliber. 😉), the NFL in Baltimore is a true mesh between the old Colts and new Ravens. 
 

For example, The Baltimore Colts band never left the city. They remained together, played at big High School games and larger events, all the years Baltimore wandered without an NFL team.  When the Ravens come to be, that tradition was transferred.

There is tremendous reference for those old Colts from the championship years. 

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
Thanks much Uruk. 

But, I recommend that you skip my Game of Thrones thread work, as I am unhinged there. 

If we need more Ravens fans, I could try to recruit @wikkidpissah - as he has the right look, but I don't know his football preferences.

God, I hope he is not a Pat's fan. 🙁
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I am a huuuge Bill Belichick fan. My Pats support has always been tepid because i lived away from Boston for 40 yrs and my town supported them so poorly when i left that they would have let Connecticut have them if the NYGiants had agreed. Mostly, though, i am a fan of great football - a Vikings fan for Frannie & Purple People Eaters; a Steel Curtain fan; an Orange Crush fan; Bill Walsh was a holy visitation upon the sport; BB has that mantle now, but i'm tired of watching ol' TB12 look like Bernie Kosar with diaper rash, so on to the Next Big Thing. And one need look no further than my icon for what that is for the new decade. Go, crows!!

 
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wikkidpissah said:
I am a huuuge Bill Belichick fan. My Pats support has always been tepid because i lived away from Boston for 40 yrs and my town supported them so poorly when i left that they would have let Connecticut have them if the NYGiants had agreed. Mostly, though, i am a fan of great football - a Vikings fan for Frannie & Purple People Eaters; a Steel Curtain fan; an Orange Crush fan; Bill Walsh was a holy visitation upon the sport; BB has that mantle now, but i'm tired of watching TB12 look like Bernie Kosar with diaper rash, so on to the Next Big Thing. And one need look no further than my icon for what that is for the new decade. Go, crows!!
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Woot! 

We shall build the FBG Blackbird Brigade into a monster. 

We just snagged a big one! 

😎👍

 
Utterly stealing Pittsburgh’s will to live with a bunch of backups was a fun way to end this dream season

RG3 is not an NFL QB. He ran well today though. And he found Hurst more than Lamar does (Andrews being out might have helped). Hurst is ready to break out and I hope Lamar looks for him more. I’ve wondered all season what the impact would be of a team keying on hitting the QB every play, even after handoffs. Today it looked like zero impact on the offense’s effectiveness but with a lot of cheap shots. Have to believe Lamar would have drawn at least 2 more flags. 

Gus is legit. And Justice Hill might have had his breakout. I think he could be lethal receiving out of the backfield. Unbelievable rushing effort today to cap an alltime team record that might never be broken 

Despite today’s dominance it’s more clear than ever the pass rush  can’t get home without blitzing: Didn’t love seeing Judon in there for all 4 quarters.

Which leads me to today’s biggest story. I hated seeing NE choke at home. We all know KC is our biggest threat now and I wish they wouldn’t have gotten the bye. I think Tennessee wins next week and we get the Titans in 2 weeks. 

 
It was great seeing the Ravens going at it with energy the entire game.  Just crushing the Steelers will and spirit.  

I actually like NE not getting the bye.  We were always going to play KC but not having to worry about NE is nice.

Our D is going to give up high 20’s to a good O, LJ and crew need to score in the 30’s.  The Niners are the team I worry about. 

 
Obviously teams, history, and legends, are made in the post season. 
 

For know though, let’s enjoy probably one of the top 10 or so most fun seasons by a pro team, and individual, ever.

Maybe being a Jordan/Bulls fan, greatest show on Turf, a world where the Lions didn’t suck and Barry won. 
 

I went back and watched the season via condensed games... man, once it all came together in Seattle, and then the explosion against the Pats, the team just rolled. Could watch this season on a loop. Just so many redonk plays by Lamar, and his teammates seem to be just the perfect fit, it’s as if they are each other’s spirit animals out there. 
 

 
Koya said:
Obviously teams, history, and legends, are made in the post season. 
 

For know though, let’s enjoy probably one of the top 10 or so most fun seasons by a pro team, and individual, ever.

Maybe being a Jordan/Bulls fan, greatest show on Turf, a world where the Lions didn’t suck and Barry won. 
 

I went back and watched the season via condensed games... man, once it all came together in Seattle, and then the explosion against the Pats, the team just rolled. Could watch this season on a loop. Just so many redonk plays by Lamar, and his teammates seem to be just the perfect fit, it’s as if they are each other’s spirit animals out there. 
 
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Yep.  Just the joy the take in playing and how the celebrate each other really tells me that this team has something special.  Harbs deserves a ton of credit for building the family atmosphere and taking the risk with Lamar.  And Lamar just seems to be about the perfect guy to lead these teams via his play, his unabashed enthusiasm, and his seemingly complete lack of personal agenda other than winning the Supe.

Fantastic season. 

 
I was born in 1962. For just about my entire adolescence, every team I rooted for (Os, Colts, Bullets, MD hoops) were good-to-great damned near every season. The Orioles held on until the mid-80s, the Colts fell off a cliff in '78, Bullets split the difference, and MD basketball has stayed fairly prominent to this day. My brother & I often talk about how spoiled we were growing up as sports fans.

There are 3 (actually 4, but I'm cheating on one because it's my post) team seasons that were the most fun I've ever had being a fan.

The '00-'02 Maryland basketball team. They went to back-to-back Final Fours and won a championship with basically the same team (Terrence Morris on only the first, Chris Wilcox/Byron Mouton only on the second).  During the '00/'01 season, somewhere deep in February, the Terps were slumping and losing a game against a lesser team. During a timeout, Gary was his usual spastic self screaming stuff no one could understand and Juan Dixon said "Coach, shut the f*** up". MD won the game and went on a roll, only to lost to Duke in the FF. The next season, they won the trophy. Juan Dixon is my favorite local athlete ever.

The '82 Orioles. I must have gone to 40 games that year - it's when they had $2 Night in the upper deck and you could bring your own coolers in as long as you told the ushers they had milkshakes in them. The Os started out slow, as they usually did, and chased the Brewers all season. Baltimore got hot in the last month, going something like 27-5 and had a four game showdown with Milwaukee at the end of the season, down 3 games at the start. I went to all four. The Orioles won the first three. Oh, Earl Weaver had announced he was retiring after that season too. The Brewers won that last game but no one left the stadium - we cheered and cheered until the team - ans Earl! - came back onto the field. It was the most amazing sporting event I've ever been to. Thomas Boswell wrote a great account of that season. 

This season's Ravens has been my favorite football season as a fan ever. Anything can happen in a single-elimination tournament, but the Ravens losing in the playoffs doesn't negate how much of a blast it's been to watch them this year.

 
The_Man said:
I hear you, but you have to field a team. Look at the offense, we already know these guys are out:

Lamar
Ingram
Andrews
Hollywood Brown
Yanda

Hurst is the only swing Tackle they have. I think the young interior OL Bozeman and Mekari play all game, with Ehringer and Powers swapping in at RG, and Hurst alternately spelling Zeus Jr and Stanley at Tackle. I agree they want to get Stanley out of there as much as possible. Could be a very long day for the offense with this patchwork O Line up against Pittsburgh's outstanding front 7.

On defense, I'm not so worried about the DBs. Pittsburgh can't throw, and the Ravens are so deep there, they can get all the young guys in there - Trawick at Safety, Averett and Imran Marshall at CB. At D Line, street free agent Ellis has usually been inactive, so I look for him to get a lot of time along with beefy guys like Peko and Jihad Ward. I think Judon doesn't see much playing time - maybe bring him in as a situational pass rusher.

I was thinking Ravens were going to win this game, something like 17-13. But now that I look at the offense, I think they will he hard pressed to score that much. I guess I'll go Pittsburgh, 16-10 - maybe Ravens win if they pull out a defensive score. It's going to be played in a downpour. My son is going - he might find himself relatively alone in the stadium midway through the third quarter.

Also, I love the Ravens signing Peters to a 3-year deal. They really have a window for the next few years - until guys like Humphrey, Stanley and Lamar most of all blow up the salary cap again, so I love them making a statement that they're going to go for it all during this stretch. If they could somehow sign a guy like AJ Green and snare a strong edge rusher, they will be a real handful. I've recently read that they'll franchise Judon next year (at around $17M) if they can't reach a long-term deal. Makes a lot of sense - they'll have the cap room next year, and then can let him go for zero cap hit after that when they have to resign Stanley and Humphrey. 
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Love the signing of Peters.  As the Man said, they lock him up by basically paying him Jimmy Smith's money next year.  Tavon Young will come back and if they can add Smith back at a reasonable price their backend is even better.  And they still have tons of short term cap room for some safety depth, edge rushers, and a receiver.

If the team plays their cards right, which they seem to be doing these days, they should have a good 3 year window after this year before the cap becomes an issue.

Loving DeCosta. 

 
If Roman has the desire to be a hc then now is the time for him to go as his iron will never be hotter. As a Ravens fan I'm really hoping he doesn't but certainly he's earned the chance of the opportunity.

As for wink, not sure he is the HC type.  He lives local to my area and I've run into him a few times and in our brief exchanges dude seems like coordinator is his level.  

 
Also, replacing kubiak was not easy so don't want to have to go through that again as a fan.  Here's to hoping Roman stays.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
So, does Baltimore lose Roman and/or Martindale (or both)?
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Boy, I really hope they both stay. Of the 2, my guess is they'd be more likely to lose Roman. Martindale doesn't fit the mold of the polished, media-savvy corporate head coach. He seems like a former truck driver, which he literally is. Whereas Roman has been around the NFL and can point to one of the truly great offensive seasons in football history this year on his resume. But I still think (and hope) that other teams might hesitate to hire a guy who seems connected to running QBs: Lamar, Kapernick, Tyrod Taylor. It's still a passing league and maybe teams will pass on him. There's also the chance that Bisciotti opens up the wallet and pays him like a quasi-head coach to be a coordinator. They did it with DeCosta and it's paid off big time. Bisciotti made his millions in staffing and he's good at keeping the people he wants to keep.

One thing I realized today is that Lamar is 22, and the MVP in his second NFL season. Just like Cal Ripken was 22 and the MVP in his second MLB season. The Orioles won the World Series that year, and we thought their string of dominance would continue for years to come. Instead, Cal didn't reach the playoffs again for 13 years and never went to another World Series. I'm not saying the Ravens are going to win the Super Bowl this year. But I am saying it's important to enjoy these magical seasons when they come around. Because, like with Cal, you never know if you'll ever get another one.

 
Gotta say, this Bye business is pretty nice. Sounds like the Ravens have had an excellent week of practice, and stayed true to their season-long goal of trying to get 1% better every single day. I love their focus on process and continuous improvement, rather than results - especially in a season like this where it would have been easy to get self-satisfied at some point.

The best part is that they're going to have a nice weekend off now, and come into practice next week healthy and ready to tear into action. Harbaugh said that Ingram will be at 100% for practice next week and is on track to play in the Divisional game. He's been known to be a little less than truthful about injuries, but that's still a good sign. Otherwise, they are going to be fully healthy, which is an amazing place to be at this point in the season. I'm hopeful that the rest has helped Hollywood continue his season-long recovery from the foot surgery, as I would love to see a full game of the blazing speed we've only seen in flashes this year. If he's taking a Safety 30 yards down the field, it opens up the middle of the field for the TEs so nicely. 

I also liked Preston's column today that this team couldn't have competed with the 2000 Ravens. You don't think Harbaugh is going to get some mileage out of that? Nice for the hometown columnist to provide bulletin board material.

I'm not a big believer in long range weather forecasts, but the overall pattern seems pretty clear it's going to be unseasonably mild next Saturday night - like low 50s at kickoff. Right now they're saying 45% chance of showers which at this range is just a guess, but is in keeping with the weather pattern that looks to be in effect for the coming week. Wind doesn't seem like a factor which I think is in the Ravens' favor - Lamar is still a southerner at heart and doesn't thrive on nasty conditions the way that Flacco and his huge arm did. 

Finally, not sure what to root for this weekend. The one team that scares me a bit in the Divisional round would be the Titans. Ravens have been a little weak vs the run all year and Henry is a beast. I could see Tennessee giving him the ball 35 times, try to shorten the game, and squeak out a 17-14 win. Though I think it would be asking a lot for them to win at New England and at Baltimore in back to back weeks.

Regardless of how this weekend's games go, it feels to me like the AFC is destined to come down to KC at Baltimore. Lamar and the Ravens trying to beat Mahomes (who they're 0-2 against under Lamar vs. 19-1 against everyone else), maybe giving us our first look at what will become the Brady-Manning playoff rivalry of the next decade. Not to mention Suggs coming back to Bmore for one final showdown. And Harbaugh vs his mentor, Andy Reid. Plus Reid and the Chiefs trying to get the Championship monkey off their back. The whole thing gives me butterflies in my stomach thinking about it already. 

 
The_Man said:
Gotta say, this Bye business is pretty nice. Sounds like the Ravens have had an excellent week of practice, and stayed true to their season-long goal of trying to get 1% better every single day. I love their focus on process and continuous improvement, rather than results - especially in a season like this where it would have been easy to get self-satisfied at some point.

The best part is that they're going to have a nice weekend off now, and come into practice next week healthy and ready to tear into action. Harbaugh said that Ingram will be at 100% for practice next week and is on track to play in the Divisional game. He's been known to be a little less than truthful about injuries, but that's still a good sign. Otherwise, they are going to be fully healthy, which is an amazing place to be at this point in the season. I'm hopeful that the rest has helped Hollywood continue his season-long recovery from the foot surgery, as I would love to see a full game of the blazing speed we've only seen in flashes this year. If he's taking a Safety 30 yards down the field, it opens up the middle of the field for the TEs so nicely. 

I also liked Preston's column today that this team couldn't have competed with the 2000 Ravens. You don't think Harbaugh is going to get some mileage out of that? Nice for the hometown columnist to provide bulletin board material.

I'm not a big believer in long range weather forecasts, but the overall pattern seems pretty clear it's going to be unseasonably mild next Saturday night - like low 50s at kickoff. Right now they're saying 45% chance of showers which at this range is just a guess, but is in keeping with the weather pattern that looks to be in effect for the coming week. Wind doesn't seem like a factor which I think is in the Ravens' favor - Lamar is still a southerner at heart and doesn't thrive on nasty conditions the way that Flacco and his huge arm did. 

Finally, not sure what to root for this weekend. The one team that scares me a bit in the Divisional round would be the Titans. Ravens have been a little weak vs the run all year and Henry is a beast. I could see Tennessee giving him the ball 35 times, try to shorten the game, and squeak out a 17-14 win. Though I think it would be asking a lot for them to win at New England and at Baltimore in back to back weeks.

Regardless of how this weekend's games go, it feels to me like the AFC is destined to come down to KC at Baltimore. Lamar and the Ravens trying to beat Mahomes (who they're 0-2 against under Lamar vs. 19-1 against everyone else), maybe giving us our first look at what will become the Brady-Manning playoff rivalry of the next decade. Not to mention Suggs coming back to Bmore for one final showdown. And Harbaugh vs his mentor, Andy Reid. Plus Reid and the Chiefs trying to get the Championship monkey off their back. The whole thing gives me butterflies in my stomach thinking about it already. 
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Nice summary overall. Bolded is what NFL fans deserve, hope to see it happen.

 
The_Man said:
Finally, not sure what to root for this weekend. The one team that scares me a bit in the Divisional round would be the Titans. Ravens have been a little weak vs the run all year and Henry is a beast. I could see Tennessee giving him the ball 35 times, try to shorten the game, and squeak out a 17-14 win. Though I think it would be asking a lot for them to win at New England and at Baltimore in back to back weeks.
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While I also believe the Titans look like a worse match-up problem for Baltimore, there's no way in hell I will root for NE to win - no way. I don't care if they're playing a team of Osama Bin Laden clones, I just can't do it. Well, maybe if they were playing the Steelers......

 
The_Man said:
Gotta say, this Bye business is pretty nice. Sounds like the Ravens have had an excellent week of practice, and stayed true to their season-long goal of trying to get 1% better every single day. I love their focus on process and continuous improvement, rather than results - especially in a season like this where it would have been easy to get self-satisfied at some point.

The best part is that they're going to have a nice weekend off now, and come into practice next week healthy and ready to tear into action. Harbaugh said that Ingram will be at 100% for practice next week and is on track to play in the Divisional game. He's been known to be a little less than truthful about injuries, but that's still a good sign. Otherwise, they are going to be fully healthy, which is an amazing place to be at this point in the season. I'm hopeful that the rest has helped Hollywood continue his season-long recovery from the foot surgery, as I would love to see a full game of the blazing speed we've only seen in flashes this year. If he's taking a Safety 30 yards down the field, it opens up the middle of the field for the TEs so nicely. 

I also liked Preston's column today that this team couldn't have competed with the 2000 Ravens. You don't think Harbaugh is going to get some mileage out of that? Nice for the hometown columnist to provide bulletin board material.

I'm not a big believer in long range weather forecasts, but the overall pattern seems pretty clear it's going to be unseasonably mild next Saturday night - like low 50s at kickoff. Right now they're saying 45% chance of showers which at this range is just a guess, but is in keeping with the weather pattern that looks to be in effect for the coming week. Wind doesn't seem like a factor which I think is in the Ravens' favor - Lamar is still a southerner at heart and doesn't thrive on nasty conditions the way that Flacco and his huge arm did. 

Finally, not sure what to root for this weekend. The one team that scares me a bit in the Divisional round would be the Titans. Ravens have been a little weak vs the run all year and Henry is a beast. I could see Tennessee giving him the ball 35 times, try to shorten the game, and squeak out a 17-14 win. Though I think it would be asking a lot for them to win at New England and at Baltimore in back to back weeks.

Regardless of how this weekend's games go, it feels to me like the AFC is destined to come down to KC at Baltimore. Lamar and the Ravens trying to beat Mahomes (who they're 0-2 against under Lamar vs. 19-1 against everyone else), maybe giving us our first look at what will become the Brady-Manning playoff rivalry of the next decade. Not to mention Suggs coming back to Bmore for one final showdown. And Harbaugh vs his mentor, Andy Reid. Plus Reid and the Chiefs trying to get the Championship monkey off their back. The whole thing gives me butterflies in my stomach thinking about it already. 
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The Titans don't worry me.  The Ravens have been somewhat susceptible to the run, but that's mainly been on outside runs.  Henry is more of a North South runner and Brandon Williams,  Michael Pierce, and crew usually bottle that up nicely. 

An accurate QB with a top TE and multiple other weapons with a good screen game worry me the most.  And KC checks all those boxes.

Looking forward to the first stress free bye week in a long time. 

 
I've been a season ticket holder since season 1, have two tickets in the lower bowl goal line.  As I've gotten older I've become much less tolerant of sitting out in the cold, particularly if it's raining so I picked up two additional club level seats 2 months ago.  The playoffs are my first chance to use the seats and I'll be taking my dad, who's also had tix from the beginning.  We gave him a club seat for christmas and he was so excited he jumped up and hugged me and the wife.  And he is most definitely not a hugger.

Can't wait. 

 
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James Daulton said:
I've been a season ticket holder since season 1, have two tickets in the lower bowl goal line.  As I've gotten older I've become much less tolerant of sitting out in the cold, particularly if it's raining so I picked up two additional club level seats 2 months ago.  The playoffs are my first chance to use the seats and I'll be taking my dad, who's also had tix from the beginning.  We gave him a club seat for christmas and he was so excited he jumped up and hugged me and the wife.  And he is most definitely not a hugger.

Can't wait. 
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That sounds awesome, JD. Enjoy, man!

 
Uruk-Hai said:
That sounds awesome, JD. Enjoy, man!
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My dad's pushing 80 and he loves nothing more than the Ravens, but the weather was taking more of a toll on him than me.  He also has 4 grandsons who love to go to the games so our 4 combined tix were always fought over.  Now he'll have one club seat to every game he wants one and I'll rotate with my son and nephews for use of the other club seat.  I purposely bought the new seats in the section just over our current section so we could switch seats easily. 

 
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Uruk-Hai said:
Did I see Ravens -9.5? That's an awful lot of points.
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I think KC opened at about the same.  If you think about it, 3 for being home and the Ravens should at least be a TD favorite.

Didn't know Tenn's D was quite so good.  Looks like they're top 3 in the league?

 
James Daulton said:
I think KC opened at about the same.  If you think about it, 3 for being home and the Ravens should at least be a TD favorite.

Didn't know Tenn's D was quite so good.  Looks like they're top 3 in the league?
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The Titans are formidable and I can see them winning this game if they can get Henry loose.

That said, the Ravens should be as healthy as is possible for this time of year and that stadium is going to be nuclear. Wear your earplugs, my friend.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
The Titans are formidable and I can see them winning this game if they can get Henry loose.

That said, the Ravens should be as healthy as is possible for this time of year and that stadium is going to be nuclear. Wear your earplugs, my friend.
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Henry being an interior runner plays into the Ravens D strength.  As long as the Ravens O scores 24+ I feel good about the game.

But yea, the stadium will be insane. 

 
msommer said:
He really isn't that one dimensional. He is a terrific inside runner, sure, but when he bounces outside he can get looong gains.
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Plus, I saw at least one nice screen pass to the outside. Baltimore's CBs are gonna have to tackle.

 
msommer said:
He really isn't that one dimensional. He is a terrific inside runner, sure, but when he bounces outside he can get looong gains.
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No, I wasn't trying to imply he couldn't run outside, just that he's very much a north/south runner vs some outside running dude.  The later is the kind of runner that's given the Ravens trouble this year.  But I fully expect Henry to get 100 yards next week, the key will be to make sure it takes 30 carries.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
Plus, I saw at least one nice screen pass to the outside. Baltimore's CBs are gonna have to tackle.
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Humphrey and Smith are solid. If I’m Tenn I’m running at Peters’ side all night. Ferguson is a weak edge setter so he can take the night off - give me Ward and Fort all game. 

 I was a little nervous last night but the more I think about it, the more comfortable I feel. Ravens are going to be so fresh, Titans just the opposite. 

 
The_Man said:
Humphrey and Smith are solid. If I’m Tenn I’m running at Peters’ side all night. Ferguson is a weak edge setter so he can take the night off - give me Ward and Fort all game. 

 I was a little nervous last night but the more I think about it, the more comfortable I feel. Ravens are going to be so fresh, Titans just the opposite. 
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Plus I don't have faith in Tannehill.  He came into this season completely free of pressure.  That's all changed. 

I would bet that the Ravens get off to a slow start and Tenn rides their emotions to an early lead, maybe even at halftime.  But LJ and Wink's D will adjust and shut out the Titans in the second half while the Ravens O gets on track.

30 - 20 Ravens. 

 
James Daulton said:
Plus I don't have faith in Tannehill.  He came into this season completely free of pressure.  That's all changed. 

I would bet that the Ravens get off to a slow start and Tenn rides their emotions to an early lead, maybe even at halftime.  But LJ and Wink's D will adjust and shut out the Titans in the second half while the Ravens O gets on track.

30 - 20 Ravens. 
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I know much has changed but the Ravens shut out the Titans and sacked Mariota 11 times last year - I think that was Flacco's last win.

Ravens are going to be so fresh coming into this game - I especially love what that means for Brandon Williams and Earl Thomas, who frankly has not always been the greatest tackler this year but will need to be ready to hammer Henry on Saturday. Ravens did a great job vs Chubb in Week 16, hoping they can do similar to Henry. 

I'm also pretty skeptical of Pees vs Lamar. Could see a lot of muddle rushes, lining up LBs as pass rushers and then just standing around the line of scrimmage trying to keep Lamar contained. That hasn't worked because the huge majority of Lamar's rushing yards have not been on scrambles but on designed runs. When the play call is pass, Lamar stays in the pocket and throws - to the tune of a 130 passer rating since Seattle. 

So much of Tennessee's game seems to be based on being the physical team that wears opponents down. Regardless of what happens next week, they're not going to out-physical the Ravens.

 
BTW, game forecast is now looking like kickoff temp in the low 60s with showers

Again, long-range forecasts are far from exact but it seems clear there will be very unseasonably warm temps, whether it be in the low 50s or all the way up to low 60s

Too early to have a fix on if it's going to be dry, steady rain, or off and on showers. But the warm weather pattern will be bringing moisture with it

 
The_Man said:
I know much has changed but the Ravens shut out the Titans and sacked Mariota 11 times last year - I think that was Flacco's last win.

Ravens are going to be so fresh coming into this game - I especially love what that means for Brandon Williams and Earl Thomas, who frankly has not always been the greatest tackler this year but will need to be ready to hammer Henry on Saturday. Ravens did a great job vs Chubb in Week 16, hoping they can do similar to Henry. 

I'm also pretty skeptical of Pees vs Lamar. Could see a lot of muddle rushes, lining up LBs as pass rushers and then just standing around the line of scrimmage trying to keep Lamar contained. That hasn't worked because the huge majority of Lamar's rushing yards have not been on scrambles but on designed runs. When the play call is pass, Lamar stays in the pocket and throws - to the tune of a 130 passer rating since Seattle. 

So much of Tennessee's game seems to be based on being the physical team that wears opponents down. Regardless of what happens next week, they're not going to out-physical the Ravens.
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It's like strength on strength.  Using Henry as a hammer should not work the entire game.

Regardless, the should be a fun game and the Ravens look to be set for at least a few years of prosperity assuming Lamar stays healthy. 

 
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