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*****Official Baltimore Ravens Thread***** (2 Viewers)

Posted this in the wrong thread:
Macdonald leaving feels an awful lot like Kubiak leaving after his one year as o-coordinator. Finally had the Flacco offense running like a well oiled machine then...poof. Never did recover from that until LJ showed up. Have to see who the Ravens bring in but Macdonald is a big loss.
 
2nd year Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald leaving Baltimore in 2024 as John Harbaugh remains as Head Coach = 2nd year Offensive Coordinator Joe Gibbs leaving San Diego in 1981 as Don Coryell remains as Head Coach

That's how it feels to me and I'm not even kidding. In neither case could you realistically edge out the legendary head coach in favor of a brilliant young kid, and yet you sure might regret not doing it anyway

Because that's actually how Macdonald feels to me. A brilliant guy with a limitless future, not only in the Xs and Os but also in the team building and culture. Seattle's process in landing him was actually a bit like the Ravens in the draft - just sit there and wait, let other people rush into reaching, and let something great fall into your lap
Agreed. Harbaugh has to be on probation going into next year and if he walks or is let go it's gonna sting even more after Macdonald leaving.
 
But man, Flowers fumbling the ball near the goalline was a backbreaker.
The fumble hurt, no doubt, but I can't fault a player trying to make a play. Sneed just one upped Flowers so kudos to him. Harbaugh was asked about this play and specifically what the team coaches players when diving for the goal line and Harbaugh said the staff coach the players to have two hands on the ball when diving and indeed Flowers did as he was coached. Unfortunate fumble but spit happens sometimes.
Oh I don't fault Flowers for trying to stretch the ball near the goalline. Great play by KC, agree.
I do. He caught that on 2nd and 8 from the 9 and if he gets tackled at the 1, it is 1st and goal at the 1. He made the selfish play and extended the ball and put it at risk. Had he tucked it in and braced for the tackle, the worst thing that happens is he goes down and it's 1st and goal at the 1. Not to turn this into a Belichick convo, but many close to him have said that players on his teams are coached to not do that. Protect the ball and we'll score on the next play. Flowers made the selfish play and it cost his team.
 
Good article outlining the Ravens' UFAs and their chances of re-signing

I thought for most of the season that Madubuike would be gone because he's gonna command a huge contract, but both the author of this article & our very own @The_Man have convinced me they'll at least franchise him.

Queen's gone. No way Baltimore can afford what he's gonna be asking. I was talking to the Dolphins fans in their thread, and Miami sounds like a perfect fit. The kid the Ravens drafted out of Clemson last year would seem a good replacement if he can get on the field.

If he still wants to play, I'd try to find a way to bring Zeitler back.

Clowney's probably gone. It's a shame, because he had a fantastic year. But he's gonna be out of their price range. Same with Geno Stone.

The off-the-street crew of Darby, Maulet, and Van Noy all were rock solid bargains. I'd like to see all three back, but it's gonna have to be cheap.

Beckham's most likely gone unless he's willing to play for less than 1/3 of what he made last year. I think Agholor is back. He made some big plays for the team this year and will come cheap. Duvernay is likely gone.

The UFA RBs - Dobbins & Edwards - are a mystery to me. I can't imagine either getting much of an offer on the open market. I love both, but Dobbins has played 9 games in the last 3 years & Gus looks a little washed to me. Who is gonna sign either for even $4m/year? I think the Ravens will let Edwards ride off into the sunset and try to work out something cap-friendly with Dobbins. Or maybe it's the other way around.

I could see Tyler Huntley going somewhere like Philly or Indy.

Other unrestricted free agents: Dalvin Cook, RB; Melvin Gordon, RB; Malik Harrison, LB; Josh Johnson, QB; Trayvon Mullen, CB; Sam Mustipher, C; Tyler Ott, LS; Del’Shawn Phillips, LB; Kevon Seymour, CB; Laquon Treadwell, WR; Brent Urban, DL; Daryl Worley, S; Rock Ya-Sin, CB.

Out of that last group, only Harrison, Mustipher, and Urban interest me. Harrison didn't turn into the every-down ILB I'd hoped he be, but he's a core STer and actually played pretty well as a rush LB. I like Mustipher and hope they can keep him. With Urban, I think he's a Raven or hangs it up. Worley was ok, too, and I wouldn't mind keeping him because Stone is gonna get paid by some other team.

As usual, the coaching staff got raided. I was thinking Weaver would get the DC job, but I'm fine with Zack Orr. I think Tennessee hit the jackpot with Wilson as their DC. Same with Miami/Weaver. I don't have a feel yet on Macdonald as a HC, but he will certainly be missed in Baltimore.

Disappointing end to the year, but it still was a good season. It was set up perfectly for Baltimore to get to Vegas, but the picked an awful time to turtle up.

On to FA and the draft.
 
Madubuike new deal, Agholor back. Urban, Maulet and Harrison resigned.
King Henry and T Josh Jones added.
Queen, Clowney and Stone gone, Zeitler left (one year deal?), Mustipher out, Moses traded, Edwards and Dobbins bringing their RBBC to Chargers. Huntley off to Cleveland to be the QB4? Van Noy to LV, Darby to Jacksonville.
OBJ still unsigned and with bumper WR crop may see his market shrink even more.

For your calls, that's pretty much 100% Uruk-Hai.

For the draft, o-line (especially interior) looking sketchy with losing 3 starters and CB is (always) somewhere to target.
 
Madubuike new deal, Agholor back. Urban, Maulet and Harrison resigned.
King Henry and T Josh Jones added.
Queen, Clowney and Stone gone, Zeitler left (one year deal?), Mustipher out, Moses traded, Edwards and Dobbins bringing their RBBC to Chargers. Huntley off to Cleveland to be the QB4? Van Noy to LV, Darby to Jacksonville.
OBJ still unsigned and with bumper WR crop may see his market shrink even more.

For your calls, that's pretty much 100% Uruk-Hai.

For the draft, o-line (especially interior) looking sketchy with losing 3 starters and CB is (always) somewhere to target.
Blind squirrel and all that...... :lol:

If they had 5 prime-era HOFers on the OL, I'd still be paranoid that they don't have enough of 'em. Same with DBs. They really need depth everywhere, but that's the price teams pay when they make young men rich going somewhere else through free agency.

Unless someone really drops or they trade (I could see them trading #30 and moving back into early/mid-2nd), I'd expect OL/CB/Edge in some order for their first 3 picks.

It might sound weird, but I'm almost as concerned about the coaching talent they lost........though the Ravens do a really good job of developing assistants.
 
Listening to DeCosta & Harbaugh's press conference after Round One, I found it interesting that Baltimore had 8 trade offers for their 1.30. DeCosta said one offer was for the Ravens to trade up, which he nixed right away. The other seven were to trade back (I'm guessing one was Carolina). I thought trading back was a real possibility as the round was playing out but, as their pick got closer, I knew they were going CB - just didn't know which one.

Wiggins is a skinny dude, but he's tall and has blazing speed. We'll see if they can get some weight on him; I'd imagine so as he's only 20 years old.

Tonight, we could see picks for any position other than QB or TE. I'm guessing at least one will be O-Line.

I've also been seeing links to Blake Corum lately. Some of that is probably media placing puzzle pieces that may or may not fit - he's from Maryland and he went to Michigan. But I fully expect them to select a RB at some point.
 
With a CB, an OL, & an Edge guy in the bank, Baltimore has 6 picks today (barring trades).

I'd expect at least one more DB & another OL. Also a WR, RB, DL, and maybe a LB? Or, they could double up today at DB, OL, and/or WR.

I'm no draftnik and I know next to nothing about the players the Ravens have selected so far. For whatever it's worth, they got good grades on the picks from the national media. To me, they attacked their 3 biggest weak spots and have more work to do. They tend to do well with UDFAs and signing street FAs post-draft.
 
The draft picks:

Round 1, Pick 30: CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson
Round 2, Pick 62: OT Roger Rosengarten, Washington

Round 3, Pick 93: OLB Adisa Isaac, Penn State
Round 4, Pick 113: WR Devontez Walker, North Carolina
Round 4, Pick 130: CB T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
Round 5, Pick 165: RB Rasheen Ali, Marshall
Round 6, Pick 218 (compensatory, from Jets): QB Devin Leary, Kentucky

Round 7, Pick 228 (from Jets): C Nick Samac, Michigan State
Round 7, Pick 250: S Sanoussi Kane, Purdue

UDFAs:

S Beau Brade MD
LB Yvandy Rigby, Temple
RB Chris Collier, Loch Haven
DL Ja'Mion Franklin, Duke
G Corey Bullock, MD
WR Isaiah Washington, Rutgers
WR Dayton Wade, Ole Miss
WR DeAngelo Hardy, NCCU
WR Tayvion Robinson, Kentucky
G Darrian Dalcourt, Bama
ILB Deion Jennings, Rutgers
OLB John McCartan, Oregon State
DL Tramel Walthour, Georgia
DE Joe Evans, Iowa

I think, since Harbaugh got there in 2008, Baltimore has had at least one UDFA make the team each year except one. Keaton Mitchell was one such last year. And they tend to choose several that either played college locally or grew up in the area. Hell, they recruit the region better than University of Maryland does.

As for the draft, I like the positions they took though I know nothing about most of the specific players chosen.

I knew they'd bring in a young QB, but thought it may be as an UDFA. Right now, they have 900 year old Josh Johnson and PS guy Mailk Cunningham (who they may try out at WR) as backups.

I dunno :shrug: They rarely have many busts, so I'm going to assume this is a solid draft. I haven't read any of the national media team grades yet, but I'm guessing the Ravens will average out somewhere around their usual "B".

 
How do Ravens fans see the target distribution in 2924? Flowers to bloom? Any hope for Bateman?
Assuming full health, here's my guess:

1. Andrews
2. Flowers
3. Bateman
4. Likely
5. Agholor

Bateman's been snakebit with injuries but, even when he's played, there seems to be something missing between he & Jackson. He never really got immersed in Monken's offense last year. We'll see if he can this year. He looks, to me, like he can be a good player.
 
TJ Tampa seems like the typical Ravens value pick we’re used to seeing every year
I was gonna choose him in the 3rd for Baltimore in RC's mock draft, but thought he had already been taken. So I guess the Ravens got good value in the 4th :lol:

Tampa apparently needs some technical work, but the athletics and smarts seem to be there.
 
Here are Baltimore's first 5 games:

@ KC
LV
@ Dallas
Buffalo
@ Cincy

That's got 3-2 or 2-3 written all over it. Or 1-4, when Artie from Arbutus melts all the way down.

The OL is a mystery and so is the pass rush. They lost, in one way or another, most of their prominent assistant coaches.

That said, Baltimore still has a lot of good players and they develop coaches as well as anyone. Barring unusual injury luck, they should be in the running for a SB berth.

I think they lose in KC tomorrow night, though.
 
Well, they ran that 5-game gauntlet and got to 3-2, though they arrived there a little differently than I envisioned.

The OL has played a little better than I thought they would, but the pass rush has been a mystery so far. Not sure what's going on with Mark Andrews.

Derrick Henry has been worth every penny so far. It was driving me crazy yesterday that they weren't running him enough. I don't care how many guys are in the box, slam that dude into them a few times.

Joe Burrow was magnificent yesterday. Baltimore's defense could do nothing with him.

Now, it's on to face red-hot Washington.
 
It seems when they do a pitch sweep with him and he gets a head of steam he’s unstoppable. Huge plays. He’ll get stuffed a good deal of the time the middle but will get through if there’s a hole. But when he goes wide. Man
 
I forgot to mention Baltimore's QB in yesterday's game. The Ravens went down 10 three times in the 2nd half, and three times he led TD drives to get them within a FG. The 2nd TD play to Likely was just silly. Jackson fumbles the snap, picks it up, the Cincy rusher has him pegged, Jackson stiff arms a dude who has 50 lbs on him down to the ground, almost runs out of bounds, and throws a TD pass.

Then, in his post-game press conference, all he can talk about is how it was unacceptable that he lost a fumble.
 
Here are the QBs Baltimore has faced so far:

Mahomes. HOFer
Minshew ( :bag: )
Prescott. Perennial Pro Bowler
Josh Allen. See: Dak above
Burrow. See Dak above

Now they get Daniels, who's the most exciting rookie QB in the NFL. That's a hell of a gauntlet.

I think Baltimore's defense is better than it's shown so far. Those guys didn't all forget how to play football all at the same time. Some of it is having a new DC, I'm sure. I'm also sure that the quality of the teams they've faced has played into the relatively poor performance.

New DC Zach Orr has brought in former Ravens DC Dean Pees as a consultant. Orr played under Pees and had been hounding him since the summer to be a Yoda to him. I love that Orr did this. Takes a lot of self-awareness in an ego-fueled field of work to realize you know what you don't know.

The DMV is buzzing for this game.
 
I didn't watch the game last night, but have seen a few highlights this morning.

The play design on the Justice Hill screen pass for a TD was gorgeous. The entire OL released and set up a wall in front of Hill. I think I could have scored on that play.

Good to see Bateman coming to life. Such a strange career for him so far.

Hopefully Humphrey's injury isn't too bad, though they should have Maulet back this week to help mitigate any lost time.

Overall, 5-2 is a good start. The offense is rolling - best of luck to opposing DCs. The defense still feels a little wonky and there are still too many penalties.

#8 is playing better than he ever has. Leaving aside his running, his passing is so much better than it used to be. He's in complete command of the offense - all credit to he, Monken, and the rest.

Up next, Cleveland
 
That was a debacle. Every single player and coach for Baltimore should be ashamed of themselves.

I'm not saying this to take away from Cleveland; they played well and deserved the win.

Let us count the ways the Ravens shot themselves in the feet yesterday:

1. 7 penalties. Down from 9 last week, so there's that.

2. I counted 4 dropped INTs. These weren't hard plays - Winston threw the ball right to those defensive players. Hamilton - who was the best player they had yesterday (which isn't saying much) - had the worst. He catches that, Baltimore wins (even though they didn't deserve it).

3. Drops by receivers. Agholor had a crucial drop on the huge 3rd down. Bateman dropped at least two. There may have been more, but I was too busy vomiting in my mouth to count.

4. STs were bad. Besides the Tucker miss, the KO returner brought TWO kicks out of the end zone and cost the Ravens probably 30 yards of field position. Harbaugh was chiding the guy after the game for doing that. Um, Coach, how about telling him after the first one "never do that again"?

5. Atrocious tackling and coverage. I know Humphrey & Wiggins were out, but come on.

6. I don't know what the hell Monken was thinking near the goal line. First drive, the Ravens down close. He calls a freaking wildcat play that the Browns blew up. Then they run Henry up the middle on 4th down - well, Henry TRIES to run up the middle, but the Browns blow that up too. Later in the game, they put a TE at QB and that brilliant call goes about as well as expected.

7. The defense looks kind of lost out there. They look out of position, or like they don't know where they are supposed to line up. Unless they are all freelancing, that's on the coaches. When's the last time Roquan Smith made a big play? I'm not blaming him - he's been brilliant until recently - but something's off with this whole unit.

8. 3rd down conversion % was putrid. There's too many good players to be that bad.
 
Agree with everything Uruk! What and awful game all the way around, similar to the Raiders fiasco, imo. And it starts with the coaching from Harbaugh to Monken and especially with Orr. Harbaugh needs to put his foot in their asses and not be so apparently deferential with scheming and in game play calling. That wildcat was one of the stoopidest calls made by Monken (and he is known to get cute) and should be tossed in the trash asap! And the Kolar aborted tush-push play he basically hung Kolar out to dry by putting him in an unfamiliar role. You cant do that and expect success on the regular. As for the dee...peeyew! The whole back seven is completely lost as to position and assignment allowing wr's to run free behind them at all points of the game. And this horrible season long trend of not accepting gifts offered by opposing qb's has to stop...Catch the damn ball!!!!!

Not that I'm salty or anything...
 
Oh yeah, and what to make of the Williams benching? He may not be at the level he should be but was still better than Eddie Freaking Jackson.
 
@Uruk-Hai here's a good breakdown of the Ravens breakdowns on pass defense. It starts and ends with coaching, imo.
Agree, but I'm not sure it's all on Orr. Harbaugh & Pees are smart guys (as is Orr). If the HC just turned Orr loose with no support/suggestions, then at least some of it is on Harbaugh.

STs are concerning me almost as much as the way the defense is playing.

Reading an article on about Williams on the Athletic makes me wonder just what's going on with him.

I like the Johnson trade. They basically dropped from a late 5th to an early 6th (& Carolina ate most of the salary). If he's a PITA, then cut him. But they need a better kick returner and he kind of slides into a missing area for Ravens' WRs on offense.
 
So I looked at current Super Bowl futures recently. There is zero value in the favorites, of course. KC, Detroit, Philly, Buffalo. Unplayable and sorry Minnie, but I'm not a believer. I think all are beatable and there is decent parity here for a current outsider to crash the party. And while I'm far from a Baltimore fan, I like this team, and they can be had from 10 to even 12-1 (Draftkings) right now, which is juicy. More than double the odds of the top teams. The Ravens beating any of them wouldn't be a big surprise. You guys have the horses and will be heading in at a very opportune time, imo. That bye was ideal, especially after the loss to Philly (who you still out-gained by like 120 yards).

They've had some bad luck and have slipped off the radar a bit. Between the bye at a perfect time and a sweet upcoming schedule, I could see them peaking at just the right time. They could literally win 3 games in 11 days, then get a mini-bye to finish out the season. And any weather is their friend, as you well know, built for a playoff run.

12/15 @ NYG
12/21 PITT at (favors Balt with the shorter week and Pitt having to travel again, along with Pitt's tough schedule -- @ Philly this week, then KC after Baltimore -- ouch!)
12/25 @ HOU (I actually think this could be the biggest threat)
CLE at home off a mini-bye

Could easily see the Ravens winning the division but regardless, they are a team that won't be shell-shocked by any road game, imo. Not like some anyway.

I think they go undefeated and those odds drop precipitously 3 weeks from now.


I'm here for you homers to tell me I'm wrong, for real, and maybe I'll downsize the futures play (doubtful). I need something besides Lamar never winning the big ones (I'm aware of that stuff, as well as that pass D...and please don't point to Tucker, that's a risk I'm more than willing to take).
 
So I looked at current Super Bowl futures recently. There is zero value in the favorites, of course. KC, Detroit, Philly, Buffalo. Unplayable and sorry Minnie, but I'm not a believer. I think all are beatable and there is decent parity here for a current outsider to crash the party. And while I'm far from a Baltimore fan, I like this team, and they can be had from 10 to even 12-1 (Draftkings) right now, which is juicy. More than double the odds of the top teams. The Ravens beating any of them wouldn't be a big surprise. You guys have the horses and will be heading in at a very opportune time, imo. That bye was ideal, especially after the loss to Philly (who you still out-gained by like 120 yards).

They've had some bad luck and have slipped off the radar a bit. Between the bye at a perfect time and a sweet upcoming schedule, I could see them peaking at just the right time. They could literally win 3 games in 11 days, then get a mini-bye to finish out the season. And any weather is their friend, as you well know, built for a playoff run.

12/15 @ NYG
12/21 PITT at (favors Balt with the shorter week and Pitt having to travel again, along with Pitt's tough schedule -- @ Philly this week, then KC after Baltimore -- ouch!)
12/25 @ HOU (I actually think this could be the biggest threat)
CLE at home off a mini-bye

Could easily see the Ravens winning the division but regardless, they are a team that won't be shell-shocked by any road game, imo. Not like some anyway.

I think they go undefeated and those odds drop precipitously 3 weeks from now.


I'm here for you homers to tell me I'm wrong, for real, and maybe I'll downsize the futures play (doubtful). I need something besides Lamar never winning the big ones (I'm aware of that stuff, as well as that pass D...and please don't point to Tucker, that's a risk I'm more than willing to take).

Defense isn't good enough to win the SB. I would take GB or PIT as a flyer before BAL.
 
So I looked at current Super Bowl futures recently. There is zero value in the favorites, of course. KC, Detroit, Philly, Buffalo. Unplayable and sorry Minnie, but I'm not a believer. I think all are beatable and there is decent parity here for a current outsider to crash the party. And while I'm far from a Baltimore fan, I like this team, and they can be had from 10 to even 12-1 (Draftkings) right now, which is juicy. More than double the odds of the top teams. The Ravens beating any of them wouldn't be a big surprise. You guys have the horses and will be heading in at a very opportune time, imo. That bye was ideal, especially after the loss to Philly (who you still out-gained by like 120 yards).

They've had some bad luck and have slipped off the radar a bit. Between the bye at a perfect time and a sweet upcoming schedule, I could see them peaking at just the right time. They could literally win 3 games in 11 days, then get a mini-bye to finish out the season. And any weather is their friend, as you well know, built for a playoff run.

12/15 @ NYG
12/21 PITT at (favors Balt with the shorter week and Pitt having to travel again, along with Pitt's tough schedule -- @ Philly this week, then KC after Baltimore -- ouch!)
12/25 @ HOU (I actually think this could be the biggest threat)
CLE at home off a mini-bye

Could easily see the Ravens winning the division but regardless, they are a team that won't be shell-shocked by any road game, imo. Not like some anyway.

I think they go undefeated and those odds drop precipitously 3 weeks from now.


I'm here for you homers to tell me I'm wrong, for real, and maybe I'll downsize the futures play (doubtful). I need something besides Lamar never winning the big ones (I'm aware of that stuff, as well as that pass D...and please don't point to Tucker, that's a risk I'm more than willing to take).

Smart thinking. Need to beat Pittsburgh obviously.
 
So I looked at current Super Bowl futures recently. There is zero value in the favorites, of course. KC, Detroit, Philly, Buffalo. Unplayable and sorry Minnie, but I'm not a believer. I think all are beatable and there is decent parity here for a current outsider to crash the party. And while I'm far from a Baltimore fan, I like this team, and they can be had from 10 to even 12-1 (Draftkings) right now, which is juicy. More than double the odds of the top teams. The Ravens beating any of them wouldn't be a big surprise. You guys have the horses and will be heading in at a very opportune time, imo. That bye was ideal, especially after the loss to Philly (who you still out-gained by like 120 yards).

They've had some bad luck and have slipped off the radar a bit. Between the bye at a perfect time and a sweet upcoming schedule, I could see them peaking at just the right time. They could literally win 3 games in 11 days, then get a mini-bye to finish out the season. And any weather is their friend, as you well know, built for a playoff run.

12/15 @ NYG
12/21 PITT at (favors Balt with the shorter week and Pitt having to travel again, along with Pitt's tough schedule -- @ Philly this week, then KC after Baltimore -- ouch!)
12/25 @ HOU (I actually think this could be the biggest threat)
CLE at home off a mini-bye

Could easily see the Ravens winning the division but regardless, they are a team that won't be shell-shocked by any road game, imo. Not like some anyway.

I think they go undefeated and those odds drop precipitously 3 weeks from now.


I'm here for you homers to tell me I'm wrong, for real, and maybe I'll downsize the futures play (doubtful). I need something besides Lamar never winning the big ones (I'm aware of that stuff, as well as that pass D...and please don't point to Tucker, that's a risk I'm more than willing to take).

Defense isn't good enough to win the SB. I would take GB or PIT as a flyer before BAL.
Love and Russell aren't good enough to win the SB. I would take Lamar in his prime before them.
 
So I looked at current Super Bowl futures recently. There is zero value in the favorites, of course. KC, Detroit, Philly, Buffalo. Unplayable and sorry Minnie, but I'm not a believer. I think all are beatable and there is decent parity here for a current outsider to crash the party. And while I'm far from a Baltimore fan, I like this team, and they can be had from 10 to even 12-1 (Draftkings) right now, which is juicy. More than double the odds of the top teams. The Ravens beating any of them wouldn't be a big surprise. You guys have the horses and will be heading in at a very opportune time, imo. That bye was ideal, especially after the loss to Philly (who you still out-gained by like 120 yards).

They've had some bad luck and have slipped off the radar a bit. Between the bye at a perfect time and a sweet upcoming schedule, I could see them peaking at just the right time. They could literally win 3 games in 11 days, then get a mini-bye to finish out the season. And any weather is their friend, as you well know, built for a playoff run.

12/15 @ NYG
12/21 PITT at (favors Balt with the shorter week and Pitt having to travel again, along with Pitt's tough schedule -- @ Philly this week, then KC after Baltimore -- ouch!)
12/25 @ HOU (I actually think this could be the biggest threat)
CLE at home off a mini-bye

Could easily see the Ravens winning the division but regardless, they are a team that won't be shell-shocked by any road game, imo. Not like some anyway.

I think they go undefeated and those odds drop precipitously 3 weeks from now.


I'm here for you homers to tell me I'm wrong, for real, and maybe I'll downsize the futures play (doubtful). I need something besides Lamar never winning the big ones (I'm aware of that stuff, as well as that pass D...and please don't point to Tucker, that's a risk I'm more than willing to take).

Defense isn't good enough to win the SB. I would take GB or PIT as a flyer before BAL.
Love and Russell aren't good enough to win the SB. I would take Lamar in his prime before them.
Love is not playing great this year but he’s shown potential and is still young. Russ keeps getting criticism because of how things shook out in Denver but he’s playing well. He’s a game manager and doing a good job of it. Lamar is the most talented but we have seen him fall short time and time again. This year he has the worst defense that he’s probably ever had. Also football is a team sport. None of these guys are winning a Super Bowl by themselves.
 
So I looked at current Super Bowl futures recently. There is zero value in the favorites, of course. KC, Detroit, Philly, Buffalo. Unplayable and sorry Minnie, but I'm not a believer. I think all are beatable and there is decent parity here for a current outsider to crash the party. And while I'm far from a Baltimore fan, I like this team, and they can be had from 10 to even 12-1 (Draftkings) right now, which is juicy. More than double the odds of the top teams. The Ravens beating any of them wouldn't be a big surprise. You guys have the horses and will be heading in at a very opportune time, imo. That bye was ideal, especially after the loss to Philly (who you still out-gained by like 120 yards).

They've had some bad luck and have slipped off the radar a bit. Between the bye at a perfect time and a sweet upcoming schedule, I could see them peaking at just the right time. They could literally win 3 games in 11 days, then get a mini-bye to finish out the season. And any weather is their friend, as you well know, built for a playoff run.

12/15 @ NYG
12/21 PITT at (favors Balt with the shorter week and Pitt having to travel again, along with Pitt's tough schedule -- @ Philly this week, then KC after Baltimore -- ouch!)
12/25 @ HOU (I actually think this could be the biggest threat)
CLE at home off a mini-bye

Could easily see the Ravens winning the division but regardless, they are a team that won't be shell-shocked by any road game, imo. Not like some anyway.

I think they go undefeated and those odds drop precipitously 3 weeks from now.


I'm here for you homers to tell me I'm wrong, for real, and maybe I'll downsize the futures play (doubtful). I need something besides Lamar never winning the big ones (I'm aware of that stuff, as well as that pass D...and please don't point to Tucker, that's a risk I'm more than willing to take).

Defense isn't good enough to win the SB. I would take GB or PIT as a flyer before BAL.
Love and Russell aren't good enough to win the SB. I would take Lamar in his prime before them.
Love is not playing great this year but he’s shown potential and is still young. Russ keeps getting criticism because of how things shook out in Denver but he’s playing well. He’s a game manager and doing a good job of it. Lamar is the most talented but we have seen him fall short time and time again. This year he has the worst defense that he’s probably ever had. Also football is a team sport. None of these guys are winning a Super Bowl by themselves.
I already stated what you've said concerning Baltimore and Lamar in my first post.

As for Love and Russ, my comments stand. I'm not buying Love and Lamar is so much more dangerous (the point of my recent reply). And with Russell, I actually was a hanger-on in Denver and still am for the most part. Never thought he was done and said as much. Yet Russ V3.0 is not winning a SB. Lamar is head and shoulders above these guys and one of the few that can do it with a weak D (pass D, specifically).

Look, all of these ships have leaks, even the ones out in front. I think there's some parity at hand. Which is why I brought it all up. In looking for an outsider, I fall squarely on Baltimore.

So how 'bout you, give us something more than a "No on Baltimore", and please, save the football's a team sport stuff.

Who's your dark horse? Minimum 10-1 odds.
 
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If picking long(er) shots, I think Baltimore is a good play. I also like the Rams in the NFC to spoil some favorite's party.

The Ravens are their own worst enemy. I think they lead the NFL in penalties. There are times when the entire organization goes into a brain fog at the same time - players, coaches, waterboys, cheerleaders - and they implode in games they should win. Losing to Cleveland and LV (at home, no less) is inexcusable. No shame in losing to Philly & KC, though they shot themselves in the foot (feet?) multiple times in winnable games. The Steelers are Baltimore's kryptonite - it wouldn't matter if my broken-down *** played QB for Pittsburgh, I'd still beat them - so losing to them is expected. The STs have been a disaster, and I'm not just talking about Tucker.

That said, when it clicks, they can go on a heater. The defense has played much better recently. Lamar Jackson is the best he's ever been. There are good players (several All Pros) all across the roster.
 
So I looked at current Super Bowl futures recently. There is zero value in the favorites, of course. KC, Detroit, Philly, Buffalo. Unplayable and sorry Minnie, but I'm not a believer. I think all are beatable and there is decent parity here for a current outsider to crash the party. And while I'm far from a Baltimore fan, I like this team, and they can be had from 10 to even 12-1 (Draftkings) right now, which is juicy. More than double the odds of the top teams. The Ravens beating any of them wouldn't be a big surprise. You guys have the horses and will be heading in at a very opportune time, imo. That bye was ideal, especially after the loss to Philly (who you still out-gained by like 120 yards).

They've had some bad luck and have slipped off the radar a bit. Between the bye at a perfect time and a sweet upcoming schedule, I could see them peaking at just the right time. They could literally win 3 games in 11 days, then get a mini-bye to finish out the season. And any weather is their friend, as you well know, built for a playoff run.

12/15 @ NYG
12/21 PITT at (favors Balt with the shorter week and Pitt having to travel again, along with Pitt's tough schedule -- @ Philly this week, then KC after Baltimore -- ouch!)
12/25 @ HOU (I actually think this could be the biggest threat)
CLE at home off a mini-bye

Could easily see the Ravens winning the division but regardless, they are a team that won't be shell-shocked by any road game, imo. Not like some anyway.

I think they go undefeated and those odds drop precipitously 3 weeks from now.


I'm here for you homers to tell me I'm wrong, for real, and maybe I'll downsize the futures play (doubtful). I need something besides Lamar never winning the big ones (I'm aware of that stuff, as well as that pass D...and please don't point to Tucker, that's a risk I'm more than willing to take).

Defense isn't good enough to win the SB. I would take GB or PIT as a flyer before BAL.
Love and Russell aren't good enough to win the SB. I would take Lamar in his prime before them.
Love is not playing great this year but he’s shown potential and is still young. Russ keeps getting criticism because of how things shook out in Denver but he’s playing well. He’s a game manager and doing a good job of it. Lamar is the most talented but we have seen him fall short time and time again. This year he has the worst defense that he’s probably ever had. Also football is a team sport. None of these guys are winning a Super Bowl by themselves.
I already stated what you've said concerning Baltimore and Lamar in my first post.

As for Love and Russ, my comments stand. I'm not buying Love and Lamar is so much more dangerous (the point of my recent reply). And with Russell, I actually was a hanger-on in Denver and still am for the most part. Never thought he was done and said as much. Yet Russ V3.0 is not winning a SB. Lamar is head and shoulders above these guys and one of the few that can do it with a weak D (pass D, specifically).

Look, all of these ships have leaks, even the ones out in front. I think there's some parity at hand. Which is why I brought it all up. In looking for an outsider, I fall squarely on Baltimore.

So how 'bout you, give us something more than a "No on Baltimore", and please, save the football's a team sport stuff.

Who's your dark horse? Minimum 10-1 odds.

I already told why I was a no on BAL, it's their defense. Love and Russ can have a bad game and their teams can win a 17-14 type game because of their defense. Lamar has a bad game and his team can't win that type of game. The Ravens haven't won a game all year where they've scored less than 28 points. While it's possible that Lamar can go on a heater and his team can just outscore everybody, I find it extremely unlikely, especially considering Lamar's historical playoff performances. There is going to be a game somewhere along the lines in the playoffs where the Ravens will have to win a game where their offense doesn't score a lot of points, I don't see them doing it. They haven't done it all season, and to expect that to change in the playoffs (and probably on the road multiple weeks in the row) seems like a bad bet.

I think the Steelers and Packers are better plays if we're talking about value plays on longshots because of their teams ability to play defense.
 
So I looked at current Super Bowl futures recently. There is zero value in the favorites, of course. KC, Detroit, Philly, Buffalo. Unplayable and sorry Minnie, but I'm not a believer. I think all are beatable and there is decent parity here for a current outsider to crash the party. And while I'm far from a Baltimore fan, I like this team, and they can be had from 10 to even 12-1 (Draftkings) right now, which is juicy. More than double the odds of the top teams. The Ravens beating any of them wouldn't be a big surprise. You guys have the horses and will be heading in at a very opportune time, imo. That bye was ideal, especially after the loss to Philly (who you still out-gained by like 120 yards).

They've had some bad luck and have slipped off the radar a bit. Between the bye at a perfect time and a sweet upcoming schedule, I could see them peaking at just the right time. They could literally win 3 games in 11 days, then get a mini-bye to finish out the season. And any weather is their friend, as you well know, built for a playoff run.

12/15 @ NYG
12/21 PITT at (favors Balt with the shorter week and Pitt having to travel again, along with Pitt's tough schedule -- @ Philly this week, then KC after Baltimore -- ouch!)
12/25 @ HOU (I actually think this could be the biggest threat)
CLE at home off a mini-bye

Could easily see the Ravens winning the division but regardless, they are a team that won't be shell-shocked by any road game, imo. Not like some anyway.

I think they go undefeated and those odds drop precipitously 3 weeks from now.


I'm here for you homers to tell me I'm wrong, for real, and maybe I'll downsize the futures play (doubtful). I need something besides Lamar never winning the big ones (I'm aware of that stuff, as well as that pass D...and please don't point to Tucker, that's a risk I'm more than willing to take).

Defense isn't good enough to win the SB. I would take GB or PIT as a flyer before BAL.
Love and Russell aren't good enough to win the SB. I would take Lamar in his prime before them.
Love is not playing great this year but he’s shown potential and is still young. Russ keeps getting criticism because of how things shook out in Denver but he’s playing well. He’s a game manager and doing a good job of it. Lamar is the most talented but we have seen him fall short time and time again. This year he has the worst defense that he’s probably ever had. Also football is a team sport. None of these guys are winning a Super Bowl by themselves.
I already stated what you've said concerning Baltimore and Lamar in my first post.

As for Love and Russ, my comments stand. I'm not buying Love and Lamar is so much more dangerous (the point of my recent reply). And with Russell, I actually was a hanger-on in Denver and still am for the most part. Never thought he was done and said as much. Yet Russ V3.0 is not winning a SB. Lamar is head and shoulders above these guys and one of the few that can do it with a weak D (pass D, specifically).

Look, all of these ships have leaks, even the ones out in front. I think there's some parity at hand. Which is why I brought it all up. In looking for an outsider, I fall squarely on Baltimore.

So how 'bout you, give us something more than a "No on Baltimore", and please, save the football's a team sport stuff.

Who's your dark horse? Minimum 10-1 odds.
Among teams that have worse super bowl odds than Baltimore, I would actually pick the 2 teams that you dismissed because of their QBs (i.e. GB and Pittsburgh). Both of those teams have better defenses and special teams. Green Bay still has an above average offense and Pittsburgh is in the middle of the pack. Both of these teams have a significant positive turnover differential compared to Baltimore.

Also, what do you mean by "save the football's a team sport stuff"? Are you insinuating the QB is the only position that matters when it comes to winning a super bowl. I know it sounds cliche but it really isn't. Football is a team sport. I acknowledged that Lamar was the best QB of the 3 but that doesn't matter if you have a defense that can't hold a lead and a kicker who is completely lost. Pittsburgh actually beat Baltimore a couple weeks ago because of that kicker. Finally, why is it that Russ and Love have no shot at winning a Super Bowl given the teams surrounding them?
 
Apparently, Baltimore decided having only single-digit penalties called against them in any given game wasn't good enough. They had 12 (TWELVE!) yesterday. They've fixed a lot of their problems from earlier in the season, but the penalties will continue to be an issue and will cost them in tight games.

Justin Tucker made all 5 of his extra point attempts yesterday!

Speaking of ST, the Ravens actually had a couple of nice kick returns against the Giants.

Jackson was throwing darts out there yesterday. He had more TD passes than incompletions. It's down to Allen, Barkley, and Jackson for MVP - right?

Henry couldn't get off yesterday. The Giants sold out to stop him and they did. They just couldn't stop any other Raven.

I saw a stat about rookie CB Nate Wiggins a week or two ago about how he was among the league leaders in % of passes-against vs passes-completed. I didn't think he was awesome yesterday, but he's been worth the 1st Rounder Baltimore spent on him so far.

Steelers' Week in Charm City. I'm setting the O/U of arrested fans for fighting in the stands at 85.
 
Hey folks!

I'm way in on this team - been saying since last year's AFCC loss that the only games that really matter for Lamar's Ravens any more are the playoffs. 14-3 and #1 seed, 11-6 and #5 seed, whatever - all that matters is getting to the Super Bowl. And I like where this team is now, that late Bye hit at a great time and the Ravens now seem as healthy and ready as anyone else in the NFL.

Crazy to say, this will be Lamar's first-ever home game vs Pittsburgh with fans in the stands (he played them in 2020 during Covid). I hate to say it, but the Lamar=choker narrative is real until he wins some big games. And I see it in his game - he's usually so loose and laid-back, and that's what serves him best. When he gets too hyped up and tries too hard, he plays far worse than usual. And a player who doesn't play his best because he gets tight in the biggest moments is pretty much the dictionary definition of a choker. I would love to see him come out Saturday and play like he usually does in the meaningless Prime Time spotlight games. We'll see

One fun fact I uncovered today:
Mark Andrews has caught a pass on 84.9% of his targets this season, the 3rd highest catch % in NFL history for a WR or TE with 50+ targets in a season

Since Week 6 he's been even better, with a 88.6 catch % and 8 TD catches, 3rd in the NFL behind only Chase (10) & McLaurin (9).

Another fun fact:
Since Week 3, Lamar has a 128.5 passer rating. The only QB in NFL history ever to have a higher passer rating over a 12-game span in any single season is Peyton Manning’s 128.7 in 2004

During that span, his weekly passer ratings are:
150+ (3)
135+ (3)
115+ (3)
101+ (2)
66
You will not be surprised to learn the 66 was vs Pittsburgh

Glad this game is on Saturday, I wouldn't be able to wait until Sunday
 
So I looked at current Super Bowl futures recently. There is zero value in the favorites, of course. KC, Detroit, Philly, Buffalo. Unplayable and sorry Minnie, but I'm not a believer. I think all are beatable and there is decent parity here for a current outsider to crash the party. And while I'm far from a Baltimore fan, I like this team, and they can be had from 10 to even 12-1 (Draftkings) right now, which is juicy. More than double the odds of the top teams. The Ravens beating any of them wouldn't be a big surprise. You guys have the horses and will be heading in at a very opportune time, imo. That bye was ideal, especially after the loss to Philly (who you still out-gained by like 120 yards).

They've had some bad luck and have slipped off the radar a bit. Between the bye at a perfect time and a sweet upcoming schedule, I could see them peaking at just the right time. They could literally win 3 games in 11 days, then get a mini-bye to finish out the season. And any weather is their friend, as you well know, built for a playoff run.

12/15 @ NYG
12/21 PITT at (favors Balt with the shorter week and Pitt having to travel again, along with Pitt's tough schedule -- @ Philly this week, then KC after Baltimore -- ouch!)
12/25 @ HOU (I actually think this could be the biggest threat)
CLE at home off a mini-bye

Could easily see the Ravens winning the division but regardless, they are a team that won't be shell-shocked by any road game, imo. Not like some anyway.

I think they go undefeated and those odds drop precipitously 3 weeks from now.


I'm here for you homers to tell me I'm wrong, for real, and maybe I'll downsize the futures play (doubtful). I need something besides Lamar never winning the big ones (I'm aware of that stuff, as well as that pass D...and please don't point to Tucker, that's a risk I'm more than willing to take).

Defense isn't good enough to win the SB. I would take GB or PIT as a flyer before BAL.
Love and Russell aren't good enough to win the SB. I would take Lamar in his prime before them.
Love is not playing great this year but he’s shown potential and is still young. Russ keeps getting criticism because of how things shook out in Denver but he’s playing well. He’s a game manager and doing a good job of it. Lamar is the most talented but we have seen him fall short time and time again. This year he has the worst defense that he’s probably ever had. Also football is a team sport. None of these guys are winning a Super Bowl by themselves.
I already stated what you've said concerning Baltimore and Lamar in my first post.

As for Love and Russ, my comments stand. I'm not buying Love and Lamar is so much more dangerous (the point of my recent reply). And with Russell, I actually was a hanger-on in Denver and still am for the most part. Never thought he was done and said as much. Yet Russ V3.0 is not winning a SB. Lamar is head and shoulders above these guys and one of the few that can do it with a weak D (pass D, specifically).

Look, all of these ships have leaks, even the ones out in front. I think there's some parity at hand. Which is why I brought it all up. In looking for an outsider, I fall squarely on Baltimore.

So how 'bout you, give us something more than a "No on Baltimore", and please, save the football's a team sport stuff.

Who's your dark horse? Minimum 10-1 odds.
Among teams that have worse super bowl odds than Baltimore, I would actually pick the 2 teams that you dismissed because of their QBs (i.e. GB and Pittsburgh). Both of those teams have better defenses and special teams. Green Bay still has an above average offense and Pittsburgh is in the middle of the pack. Both of these teams have a significant positive turnover differential compared to Baltimore.

Also, what do you mean by "save the football's a team sport stuff"? Are you insinuating the QB is the only position that matters when it comes to winning a super bowl. I know it sounds cliche but it really isn't. Football is a team sport. I acknowledged that Lamar was the best QB of the 3 but that doesn't matter if you have a defense that can't hold a lead and a kicker who is completely lost. Pittsburgh actually beat Baltimore a couple weeks ago because of that kicker. Finally, why is it that Russ and Love have no shot at winning a Super Bowl given the teams surrounding them?

:coffee:
 
Hey folks!

I'm way in on this team - been saying since last year's AFCC loss that the only games that really matter for Lamar's Ravens any more are the playoffs. 14-3 and #1 seed, 11-6 and #5 seed, whatever - all that matters is getting to the Super Bowl. And I like where this team is now, that late Bye hit at a great time and the Ravens now seem as healthy and ready as anyone else in the NFL.

Crazy to say, this will be Lamar's first-ever home game vs Pittsburgh with fans in the stands (he played them in 2020 during Covid). I hate to say it, but the Lamar=choker narrative is real until he wins some big games. And I see it in his game - he's usually so loose and laid-back, and that's what serves him best. When he gets too hyped up and tries too hard, he plays far worse than usual. And a player who doesn't play his best because he gets tight in the biggest moments is pretty much the dictionary definition of a choker. I would love to see him come out Saturday and play like he usually does in the meaningless Prime Time spotlight games. We'll see

One fun fact I uncovered today:
Mark Andrews has caught a pass on 84.9% of his targets this season, the 3rd highest catch % in NFL history for a WR or TE with 50+ targets in a season

Since Week 6 he's been even better, with a 88.6 catch % and 8 TD catches, 3rd in the NFL behind only Chase (10) & McLaurin (9).

Another fun fact:
Since Week 3, Lamar has a 128.5 passer rating. The only QB in NFL history ever to have a higher passer rating over a 12-game span in any single season is Peyton Manning’s 128.7 in 2004

During that span, his weekly passer ratings are:
150+ (3)
135+ (3)
115+ (3)
101+ (2)
66
You will not be surprised to learn the 66 was vs Pittsburgh

Glad this game is on Saturday, I wouldn't be able to wait until Sunday
I mean, this is HOF stuff - right? Not bad for a running back.

Good win yesterday in Houston. I was really impressed with the defense. I think Orr has gotten too much flak from Ravens fans. He got dealt a lesser hand than what was there last year. Also, it almost never gets mentioned, but Oweh is having a hell of a year.

I know a QB will win the MVP, but I'm not so sure it's not Kyle Hamilton.
 
Wow! I thought there were a lot of Ravens fans here in the SP. Kind of shocked/surprised that this thread is only on page 25 in the 11th year of existence.

I really like the Ravens. Big fan of Harbaugh. I would not be surprised at all if the Ravens get to the Super Bowl this year.
 
Hey folks!

I'm way in on this team - been saying since last year's AFCC loss that the only games that really matter for Lamar's Ravens any more are the playoffs. 14-3 and #1 seed, 11-6 and #5 seed, whatever - all that matters is getting to the Super Bowl. And I like where this team is now, that late Bye hit at a great time and the Ravens now seem as healthy and ready as anyone else in the NFL.

Crazy to say, this will be Lamar's first-ever home game vs Pittsburgh with fans in the stands (he played them in 2020 during Covid). I hate to say it, but the Lamar=choker narrative is real until he wins some big games. And I see it in his game - he's usually so loose and laid-back, and that's what serves him best. When he gets too hyped up and tries too hard, he plays far worse than usual. And a player who doesn't play his best because he gets tight in the biggest moments is pretty much the dictionary definition of a choker. I would love to see him come out Saturday and play like he usually does in the meaningless Prime Time spotlight games. We'll see

One fun fact I uncovered today:
Mark Andrews has caught a pass on 84.9% of his targets this season, the 3rd highest catch % in NFL history for a WR or TE with 50+ targets in a season

Since Week 6 he's been even better, with a 88.6 catch % and 8 TD catches, 3rd in the NFL behind only Chase (10) & McLaurin (9).

Another fun fact:
Since Week 3, Lamar has a 128.5 passer rating. The only QB in NFL history ever to have a higher passer rating over a 12-game span in any single season is Peyton Manning’s 128.7 in 2004

During that span, his weekly passer ratings are:
150+ (3)
135+ (3)
115+ (3)
101+ (2)
66
You will not be surprised to learn the 66 was vs Pittsburgh

Glad this game is on Saturday, I wouldn't be able to wait until Sunday
I mean, this is HOF stuff - right? Not bad for a running back.

Good win yesterday in Houston. I was really impressed with the defense. I think Orr has gotten too much flak from Ravens fans. He got dealt a lesser hand than what was there last year. Also, it almost never gets mentioned, but Oweh is having a hell of a year.

I know a QB will win the MVP, but I'm not so sure it's not Kyle Hamilton.
Incredible turnaround for this defense, agree on the Hamilton front. He most certainly will not contend for MVP, but by some definition of the term he more than deserves consideration.
 
Wow! I thought there were a lot of Ravens fans here in the SP. Kind of shocked/surprised that this thread is only on page 25 in the 11th year of existence.

I really like the Ravens. Big fan of Harbaugh. I would not be surprised at all if the Ravens get to the Super Bowl this year.
There's never been a big Baltimore fanbase here - maybe 8 or 10 of us at its height of activity and many of them are no longer regular posters. I've tried to keep things active, but I'm older than dirt and the ability to do so escapes me for long periods of time.
 
Stealing these stats from Jeff Z's article on The Athletic this morning

Since week 11, the Ravens defense is:

Giving up 16.3 ppg
Allowing the fewest net yards per game (267.0)
Allowing the 2nd fewest net passing yards per game (171.2)
Allowing a league low 29% 3rd down conversions
Giving up 4.4 yds per play
Allowed only 8 plays of 20+ yards in the last 6 games
1st in the NFL in EPA per drop back and success rate (
Uruk: I don't know what either of these numbers mean but they look good)
 
Stealing these stats from Jeff Z's article on The Athletic this morning

Since week 11, the Ravens defense is:

Giving up 16.3 ppg
Allowing the fewest net yards per game (267.0)
Allowing the 2nd fewest net passing yards per game (171.2)
Allowing a league low 29% 3rd down conversions
Giving up 4.4 yds per play
Allowed only 8 plays of 20+ yards in the last 6 games
1st in the NFL in EPA per drop back and success rate (
Uruk: I don't know what either of these numbers mean but they look good)
I hate to say it but Dean Pees deserves a ton of credit. Or maybe it’s a coincidence that the decision to bench Marcus Williams and put Hamilton coincided with his arrival. Also the disappearance of Trenton Simpson

I always thought they had far too much talent on D to play so badly. I think they must have stepped back, analyzed who was responsible for the ridiculous number of huge plays they gave up and made the brilliant decision to bench those guys

Nice to see Ojabo finally becoming a factor too, he single-handedly made the play that turned into Marlo’s pick-6 vs Pittsburgh by pressuring Wilson
 
Stealing these stats from Jeff Z's article on The Athletic this morning

Since week 11, the Ravens defense is:

Giving up 16.3 ppg
Allowing the fewest net yards per game (267.0)
Allowing the 2nd fewest net passing yards per game (171.2)
Allowing a league low 29% 3rd down conversions
Giving up 4.4 yds per play
Allowed only 8 plays of 20+ yards in the last 6 games
1st in the NFL in EPA per drop back and success rate (
Uruk: I don't know what either of these numbers mean but they look good)
I hate to say it but Dean Pees deserves a ton of credit. Or maybe it’s a coincidence that the decision to bench Marcus Williams and put Hamilton coincided with his arrival. Also the disappearance of Trenton Simpson

I always thought they had far too much talent on D to play so badly. I think they must have stepped back, analyzed who was responsible for the ridiculous number of huge plays they gave up and made the brilliant decision to bench those guys

Nice to see Ojabo finally becoming a factor too, he single-handedly made the play that turned into Marlo’s pick-6 vs Pittsburgh by pressuring Wilson
I think bringing Pees in was critical (Mike Tomlin, of all people, agrees). Zach Orr had been pestering him since summer asking Pees to help out. Credit to Orr for recognizing that he could use some guidance.

Agree on the benching of Williams & Simpson. Williams either couldn't or wouldn't play anymore, and Ardarius Washington has been balling in his place. Simpson flashed a few times, but was way too often out of position.
 
The feeling has just about returned to my feet from Saturday night. It was cold cold, Lamar was a little off as a result which I understand but hated to see the sloppy penalties return again

Strange to say, but I prefer drawing the Steelers than the Chargers. LA is a tough team when Dobbins is healthy. They ran all over the Ravens in their earlier matchup until he went out with his latest injury, and Hebert would absolutely carve up this team's only two defensive vulnerabilities - midrange passes across the middle of the field and whoever Brandon Stephens is covering. They really need to think about giving Tre'Davious White more of Stephens' coverage snaps. He has a giant target painted on his back on every passing down now, he's that bad

The other big concern is Zay. His speed makes their offense so much more lethal. I like Tylan Wallace but he was lost out there when Zay went down, even cost them by lining up wrong / not getting set a couple of times. Maybe Agholor will finally make it back from his concussion, because they need someone other than Wallace to fill in for Zay (who I hear has a chance to be back next week, if the Ravens advance)

I think the home game vs Pittsburgh was a turning point for Lamar. He was finally himself in a big pressure spot, laid-back and chill rather than the overly frenetic guy he has played like in some similar past moments. If he carries that forward into the playoffs, I think the Ravens reach the Super Bowl.

Hearing weather could be brutal again for Saturday night. After the way the Ravens ran the ball down Pittsburgh's throat in the last game, I expect them to do everything to stop the run - maybe even like Cleveland did Saturday, putting 9 and 10 men in the box and challenging Lamar to beat them throwing in bad conditions. If the Ravens just stay patient, keep mixing the run and pass, I think they wear Pittsburgh down and begin to open a decent lead by late in the third quarter. Steelers run game is a mess, and as long as the Ravens don't let Pittsburgh beat them on long throws vs Stephens, they won't be able to match Baltimore's scoring

My other thought is that Buffalo has been feasting on weak Defenses all year, and their D doesn't match up well vs running QBs. I give Denver a very real shot at pulling the upset - which would bring the Chargers to Baltimore for a home Divisional game and force KC to face a divisional rival (Denver) that almost beat them the last time.
 
Strange to say, but I prefer drawing the Steelers than the Chargers
Not me. I'd rather the Ravens play the '85 Bears or the '99 Rams. I've watched this movie too many damned times.

Agree on Flowers coming back. He makes the defense wiggle just enough for everything else to work. What's up with Justice Hill? They'll need him Saturday.
 
Strange to say, but I prefer drawing the Steelers than the Chargers
Not me. I'd rather the Ravens play the '85 Bears or the '99 Rams. I've watched this movie too many damned times.

Agree on Flowers coming back. He makes the defense wiggle just enough for everything else to work. What's up with Justice Hill? They'll need him Saturday.
I thought there was some buzz that he was mostly through the concussion but was sick middle of last week so wasn’t able to go through the final steps of the protocol. And there was no reason to push it for Cleveland. Would expect he’s back. And I agree yes Pittsburgh has looked real bad the last few weeks but I’d expect them to stack the box force deep throws in bad conditions to our less than stellar wrs or to play a bigger lineup and grind it out. We should still be able to win a drag it out physical affair but the margins are thinner and that worries me.
 
Strange to say, but I prefer drawing the Steelers than the Chargers
Not me. I'd rather the Ravens play the '85 Bears or the '99 Rams. I've watched this movie too many damned times.

Agree on Flowers coming back. He makes the defense wiggle just enough for everything else to work. What's up with Justice Hill? They'll need him Saturday.
Hill seems like he's back from his concussion, but was sick last week (as was Mekari). Harbaugh just said they're both looking healthy. Also said Zay's injury is not season-ending, is week to week. Vibe seems to be he's definitely out this week and then chances of coming back get much better with each successive week they stay alive
 

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