Baltimore D for real? (1 Viewer)

[yohan77]

After watching Baltimore completely manhandle Tampa, I gotta admit, they looked pretty damn good. I actually drafted Indy to be my starting D and picked up Baltimore in the last round because I liked their Week 1 matchup better.

I need to drop someone and was planning to drop Baltimore D after week 1 (looking to pick up Mike Turner just for some much needed RB depth). Now I'm thinking of dropping the Indy D and sticking with Baltimore the rest of the way. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[gman8343]

I like Baltimore. With a decent offense, their D should get plenty of rest enabling them to stay fresh during the game.

 

[Steelnation]

After watching Baltimore completely manhandle Tampa, I gotta admit, they looked pretty damn good. I actually drafted Indy to be my starting D and picked up Baltimore in the last round because I liked their Week 1 matchup better. I need to drop someone and was planning to drop Baltimore D after week 1 (looking to pick up Mike Turner just for some much needed RB depth). Now I'm thinking of dropping the Indy D and sticking with Baltimore the rest of the way. Any thoughts or advice?

I would drop Indy before Bmore.Raiders next week, two games against the Brownies and oh, they look STRONG!

 

[yohan77]

Ended up dropping Mike Clayton and decided to keep both Balt and Indy D on the team. They both have very favorable matchups next week (HOU and OAK respectively) and didn't want any other teams to pick them up. Besides, I have Troy Williamson on the bench who I think will have a breakout year and is a definite good fill-in for my typical WR starters. That Tampa O-line, cadillac's perceived fragility, Simms passes being deflected and a guy named Joey Galloway...

I just hope I made the right decision and don't live to regret it...

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

After watching Baltimore completely manhandle Tampa, I gotta admit, they looked pretty damn good. I actually drafted Indy to be my starting D and picked up Baltimore in the last round because I liked their Week 1 matchup better. I need to drop someone and was planning to drop Baltimore D after week 1 (looking to pick up Mike Turner just for some much needed RB depth). Now I'm thinking of dropping the Indy D and sticking with Baltimore the rest of the way. Any thoughts or advice?

Holy Bizarro world batman.

 

[Godsbrother]

I think it is still too early to say whether they're for real or not but anytime you shutout an opponent on the the road it is darn impressive.

 

[jurb26]

I think it is still too early to say whether they're for real or not but anytime you shutout an opponent on the the road it is darn impressive.

No, they are for real. They were just injured last year. The are both healthy and upgraded this year. Balt D is very scary this year.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I think it is still too early to say whether they're for real or not but anytime you shutout an opponent on the the road it is darn impressive.

No, they are for real. They were just injured last year. The are both healthy and upgraded this year. Balt D is very scary this year.

Homer AlertAgreed. They were Top 10 last year (NFL-wise) with all of the injuries & apathy. I wouldn't expect 3 TOs per week, but they'll get their share. If your league rewards well for "yards-against", all the better, because I think there's a chance you'll see several sub-200 yard games from Ravens opponents this season.

Two keys (besides continued health):

1. McAlister. If he's active & wants to play, the field shrinks for opposing passers. They won't throw his way, and with a healthy Reed roaming centerfield the field gets even smaller.

2. The D-Line: I get a little tired of the "they're there to keep Ray clean so he can make plays" talk. I couldn't care less how many tackles Lewis gets if those big guys are taking them away. If they're continually getting a push on both running & passing downs, this D has a very good chance to be #1 in both the NFL & FF.

I've been pimping LB Bart Scott all summer. I think he's an All-Pro in the not-too-distant future (probably as soon as Ray's gone). He's as fast as most RBs & he hits like a freight train (ask Caddy). He filled in for Ray last year & had 94 T+A & 4.5 sacks. Looks like Ryan has turned him loose a little more judging by the TB game.

 

[roadkill1292]

Homer Alert

I've been pimping LB Bart Scott all summer. I think he's an All-Pro in the not-too-distant future (probably as soon as Ray's gone). He's as fast as most RBs & he hits like a freight train (ask Caddy). He filled in for Ray last year & had 94 T+A & 4.5 sacks. Looks like Ryan has turned him loose a little more judging by the TB game.

Another Homer AlertEven after watching him all last year, I completely overlooked how good Bart Scott can be. He could be a giant factor in any success a pretty good defense has this season. Add Adalius Thomas to the mix and it gives the Ravens one of the top LB corps in the league.

 

[cws3030]

Homer Alert

I've been pimping LB Bart Scott all summer. I think he's an All-Pro in the not-too-distant future (probably as soon as Ray's gone). He's as fast as most RBs & he hits like a freight train (ask Caddy). He filled in for Ray last year & had 94 T+A & 4.5 sacks. Looks like Ryan has turned him loose a little more judging by the TB game.

Another Homer AlertEven after watching him all last year, I completely overlooked how good Bart Scott can be. He could be a giant factor in any success a pretty good defense has this season. Add Adalius Thomas to the mix and it gives the Ravens one of the top LB corps in the league.

Another Homer Alertthey are now back to the 3-4 which is the scheme they had all their success with and the running game is back

 

[broncofan13000]

I think it is still too early to say whether they're for real or not but anytime you shutout an opponent on the the road it is darn impressive.

No, they are for real. They were just injured last year. The are both healthy and upgraded this year. Balt D is very scary this year.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Homer Alert

I've been pimping LB Bart Scott all summer. I think he's an All-Pro in the not-too-distant future (probably as soon as Ray's gone). He's as fast as most RBs & he hits like a freight train (ask Caddy). He filled in for Ray last year & had 94 T+A & 4.5 sacks. Looks like Ryan has turned him loose a little more judging by the TB game.

Another Homer AlertEven after watching him all last year, I completely overlooked how good Bart Scott can be. He could be a giant factor in any success a pretty good defense has this season. Add Adalius Thomas to the mix and it gives the Ravens one of the top LB corps in the league.

Another Homer Alertthey are now back to the 3-4 which is the scheme they had all their success with and the running game is back

Probably a typo, but they're back to playing a 4-3.

 

[The Jacket]

I like the Colts defense this week (sacks, potential interceptions, low total points allowed), but I'm not even sure that I like it more than the Raven's defense against Oakland.

For the long haul, it's not even close: you go with the better unit, Baltimore. Indianapolis might match the Ravens in sacks, but they won't cause the same amount of turnovers or score as many touchdowns, and they're going to allow a lot of points in a number of games.

If your league barely rewards shutouts/low point total allowed, and doesn't really penalize a high point total allowed, then I'd consider Indy some more. But my main league gives 7 points for a shutout and negates 5 points for 27+ points allowed -- something I don't see Baltimore doing all season but could quite easily see the Colts doing three or four times, if not more.

 

[jpeace121]

After watching Baltimore completely manhandle Tampa, I gotta admit, they looked pretty damn good. I actually drafted Indy to be my starting D and picked up Baltimore in the last round because I liked their Week 1 matchup better. I need to drop someone and was planning to drop Baltimore D after week 1 (looking to pick up Mike Turner just for some much needed RB depth). Now I'm thinking of dropping the Indy D and sticking with Baltimore the rest of the way. Any thoughts or advice?

I did the exact same thing, drafted the Colts D around round 10 and snagged the Ravens in the last round. I dropped the Colts D on Monday for Pennington, and didn't think twice about it. They are the real deal.

 

[roadkill1292]

After watching the Colts Sunday night, it's hard for me to imagine anyone running through the Ravens' defense like the Giants did.

 

[Mungo Burrows]

Additional homer alert

In addition to the health situation, I still think the improvement on the offensive side with McNair will help the defense considerably. Not only will extended drives keep them better rested, and I believe they are now less likely to commit stupid turnovers putting the defense in bad situations, but also if the offense can pose a legitimate threat to score at least a few points, opposing teams will be put in a mode where they have to force things to happen on offense more than in the past and this defense will be aggressive enough to take advantage of that.

 

[SSOG]

Additional Homer Alert

Actually, I'm not a homer, I just felt like fitting in. Anyway, Baltimore's defense was a LAST ROUND PICKUP?! WHAT TEH HECK! They're your BACKUP D? You picked them up planning on dropping them? SAY WHAT?!

And here I thought Baltimore was the defense with the second biggest and most consistant history of success over the past 6 years, behind only Tampa, and should as a result be considered a top 5 unit (much like Jason Elam should be considered one of the top 3 kickers just because he's got the history of success behind him). Was this just me? Was everyone else really looking at Baltimore as just a spot starter and bye-week fill-in? They still have Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed, right?

 

[kevinray]

Additional Homer Alert

Actually, I'm not a homer, I just felt like fitting in. Anyway, Baltimore's defense was a LAST ROUND PICKUP?! WHAT TEH HECK! They're your BACKUP D? You picked them up planning on dropping them? SAY WHAT?!

And here I thought Baltimore was the defense with the second biggest and most consistant history of success over the past 6 years, behind only Tampa, and should as a result be considered a top 5 unit (much like Jason Elam should be considered one of the top 3 kickers just because he's got the history of success behind him). Was this just me? Was everyone else really looking at Baltimore as just a spot starter and bye-week fill-in? They still have Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed, right?

I got them in the 24th round of a dynasty league as the 9th or 10th defense picked and was thrilled. I don't expect last week to be the norm, and I still think they're corners will hurt them in the passing game if they try to much one on one but how everyone was sleeping on them this year is beyond me, especially in dynasty format.

 

[tommyGunZ]

The Baltimore D was the first defense choosen in my league (by me - 11th round).

Like SSOG, I can't imagine a league where their D was so undervalued.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Additional Homer Alert

Actually, I'm not a homer, I just felt like fitting in. Anyway, Baltimore's defense was a LAST ROUND PICKUP?! WHAT TEH HECK! They're your BACKUP D? You picked them up planning on dropping them? SAY WHAT?!

And here I thought Baltimore was the defense with the second biggest and most consistant history of success over the past 6 years, behind only Tampa, and should as a result be considered a top 5 unit (much like Jason Elam should be considered one of the top 3 kickers just because he's got the history of success behind him). Was this just me? Was everyone else really looking at Baltimore as just a spot starter and bye-week fill-in? They still have Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed, right?

I got them in the 24th round of a dynasty league as the 9th or 10th defense picked and was thrilled. I don't expect last week to be the norm, and I still think they're corners will hurt them in the passing game if they try to much one on one but how everyone was sleeping on them this year is beyond me, especially in dynasty format.

One thing I noticed several times was that when the Ravens blitzed on passing plays, they'd play zone behind the blitz. I couldn't tell if they did it every time, but maybe they feel the same way you do. I don't particularly like McAlister & think he's been overrated most of his career, but he was very active on Sunday. If he stays motivated, it helps the D immensely.

 

[wraith5]

Additional Homer Alert

Actually, I'm not a homer, I just felt like fitting in. Anyway, Baltimore's defense was a LAST ROUND PICKUP?! WHAT TEH HECK! They're your BACKUP D? You picked them up planning on dropping them? SAY WHAT?!

And here I thought Baltimore was the defense with the second biggest and most consistant history of success over the past 6 years, behind only Tampa, and should as a result be considered a top 5 unit (much like Jason Elam should be considered one of the top 3 kickers just because he's got the history of success behind him). Was this just me? Was everyone else really looking at Baltimore as just a spot starter and bye-week fill-in? They still have Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed, right?

I took BAL as the 12th DEF picked in a 10 team league (Round 14 of 16). I couldn't believe they were still there - I'd been planning on going DBC until that point.

 

[SSOG]

Additional Homer Alert

Actually, I'm not a homer, I just felt like fitting in. Anyway, Baltimore's defense was a LAST ROUND PICKUP?! WHAT TEH HECK! They're your BACKUP D? You picked them up planning on dropping them? SAY WHAT?!

And here I thought Baltimore was the defense with the second biggest and most consistant history of success over the past 6 years, behind only Tampa, and should as a result be considered a top 5 unit (much like Jason Elam should be considered one of the top 3 kickers just because he's got the history of success behind him). Was this just me? Was everyone else really looking at Baltimore as just a spot starter and bye-week fill-in? They still have Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed, right?

I took BAL as the 12th DEF picked in a 10 team league (Round 14 of 16). I couldn't believe they were still there - I'd been planning on going DBC until that point.

This absolutely BAFFLES me. Even if I had Chicago, Pittsburgh, or Carolina already (the 3 teams I have rated ahead of Baltimore), if Baltimore was still there after 8 or so defenses had gone off the board, I'd almost HAVE TO grab them.Congrats on the lucky find!