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Not sure about game of the week but definitely a must see. The Jets are playing above their ability at this point. Is the game in NO or NY, being lazy...
Not so sure about easily but i appreciate the inflammatory response, that should spark some debate with the new england faithful
I think it's Vikings/Packers. Division game, 3-0 vs. 2-1, and Favre against the Pack. I heard it will be the highest rated Monday Night game ESPN has ever had.
for you, I fixed the post...it now reads sunday game of the week. But really, if Minn doesn't pound the Packer's make-shift Oline into the ground they should be dismissed as true contenders. The GB Oline is in shambles.
Just watch the Jets game for the blueprint to beat the Pats. Amazing the Falcons didn't hit Brady that much. If they had, they might have won today.Baltimore should win this game, but their D is suspect this year. This should be a good test for them.
If only the Ravens had someone to fill the roles that Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard played in that game, than they can follow that plan.
I am very curious to see how this game looks. On paper, one of the greatest passing offenses and one of the greatest passing defenses. But both have been underwhelming so far. Very intriguing game.I mentioned in another thread that the safety play for Bmore is a key. Landry is a better safety and football player than Leonhard. He finally played like it in week 3. Actually Reed and Landry showed up for the first time this season. If those two play well, and Bmore brings LB in the blitz rather than undersized DBs, they've got a really good chance to win this game. For the first time in 15 years, Bmore can hang offensively with the big boys. I'm looking forward to this game and hoping bmore plays the way it can on both sides of the ball.If only the Ravens had someone to fill the roles that Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard played in that game, than they can follow that plan.
You know, we may have underestimated their ability.
Some great matchups overall this week though, I wouldn't debate any one of em getting top billing.Looking forward to seeing Pats/Ravens GB/Minn
despite appearances, that wasn't meant to be a dig on ray ray. lewis, reed and mcgahee are still the heart and soul of that team, and I'm sure avenging the 2007 loss is still a priority. i'm just not sure they have the pass defense to back it up this year.
Barring injury (on either side of the ball) this Ravens team ain't going to get blowed out by ANYONE this year. They haven't played any defensive stalworts but they are averaging 400+ yds and 30+ pts a game.
This is how I see it, too. The Ravens DBs will get eaten up by Moss et al if the Golden Boy has all day to throw. Baltimore appeared to blitz more yesterday than they did the first two weeks, but it'll be interesting to see how they attack the Pats - if they blitz Brady & don't get to him, he'll have a field day.It's the other side of the ball that has me scratching my head. I don't think the Pats D is as good as it was earlier in the decade & the Ravens O certainly is improved, but Belechick vs Flacco scares the snot out of me. Cam's once again gonna have to earn his paycheck.
Both Leonhard & Scott are missed, though where I think not having Leonhard hurts the most is as a return man. Dawan Landry is as good, if not better, a SS as Leonhard. Scott's spot is being platooned somewhat by Gooden & Barnes, and some of his former responsibilites have passed over to Jarret Johnson.
On what planet is allowing Brodie Croyle to go on the road, average 7.4 yards per pass, throw 2 TDs and 0 INTs, a solid performance? I think the loss of Rex Ryan and Bart Scott raise some questions about the quality of the '09 Ravens pass D. The '08 Ravens had the 2nd best D in the NFL. It was terrific. But so far they let Brodie Croyle play about 10X better than anyone expected, and were shredded by Philip Rivers.
Which of these is more like NE for the Ravens?A) KC & Cleveland at home
I buy the Ravens O. I said last year that I thought Flacco was overrated in '08, but would be underrated in '09. I wasn't surprised at all to see him play poorly in the playoffs last year, but I expect him to be very good for years to come.
Now, on to you.......Losing Scott isn't as big as you seem to think. IMO, it's not zero-sum & the Jets get more out of him than the Ravens lose. Ryan's a different story, though, and it remains to be seen how much Baltimore slips - if at all - with Mattison.
Did you watch the game? The Baltimore defense was ridiculously good in the 1st half, but special teams turnovers and INTs kept KC in the game, and Croyle was able to move the ball finally in the 4th quarter. Otherwise, the Ravens would've won by a lot more than the 14 points they did. Here check outKansas City - 14:53
Rex Ryan is doing a great job in NY, but I think you're greatly overestimating the impact of his loss upon a veteran Baltimore D who have played together for quite a while. Bart Scott was at best the Ravens 3rd best defensive player. Theres no way that those two losses are big enough to cause the 2nd best pass defense in the league to all of a sudden be anything but above average or better imho.
Please go back and re-watch that Chiefs game because it seems to me like you're 100% going off of stats and not analyzing it for yourself at all(I do agree stats have their value though). Also why are you completely ignoring the Cleveland game? Especially since that is the most recent game, I don't see how you can consider your analysis complete if you ignore it.
So far this year(post injury) hes been a lot more like Derek Anderson:Brady in 2009: 6.1 ypa, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
But losing the 3rd or 4th best defender and your coordinator isn't nearly enough to cause all of our data from 2008 to be meaningless, so I don't see why you act as if it is. Moreover, so far the Pats passing offense has been very bad. So even if we do assume that the Ravens pass D is an unknown, then why would people single out this matchup as the one that is the most lopsided? What about NE's completely average run D(only 15 teams have given up more than the Pats 4.0 yards per rush allowed, which puts them right around average) against the top rushing attack from last year that looks even better(and more balanced with a complimentary passing attack) this year?
I guess we agree here, although I still think its silly to dismiss last year due to the loss of one non-star player and the DC.
Nice one game sample size there.
And you're basing this off of a one game sample size. Don't you think last year's 16 game(plus playoffs) sample size gives us a better idea even if we have to adjust for the loss of Scott/Ryan?
No, I'm basing in 10 years of watching this Ravens D & these CBs against big WRs when Baltimore doesn't get pressure. And I have no doubt that the Ravens will end up highly ranked as a pass D by the end of the season. But this is a different team thatn last year's ( I realize the contradiction) & I want to see them shut down an elite passing unit before I annoint them.
Over the past ten full seasons, in terms of yards allowed (the official NFL rank of pass defense), the Ravens are:(2008) 2, 20, 6, 8, 10, 4, 26, 8, 8, 6 (1999)So two seasons in the top five, six seasons from 6-10, but also a 20th and 26th place finish.
I wouldn't exactly say the Ravens are an unknown at this point as they've moved in at 6/1 odds, giving them current favoritism to win the Super Bowl... money is talking...
It's about route running.
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This is very misleading. The Pats had a no contact practice today in shorts and shells and a walkthrough. So sure, Welker "participated fully," but it's not like he had to do anything strenuous. I still do not have much confidence in Welker this week and he will again be a GTD.
Good to know, i realize this is a new station in the Boston area. They later reported that the Pats practice consisted of an offensive walkthrough in shells and special teams in shells (helmets), shoulder pads, and sweats. Welker they said practiced fully. Mayo was in on kick-offs only and jogged (consensus seamed to be that Mayo was still a few weeks away). Moss evidentally was extremely limited earlier in the week and at least showed up for the walkthroughs. Wilfork also participated fully today but, WTF is he on special teams LOL? Was just passing along what I heard, streaming from Bmore. Thanks for the further insight, you have the BEST insight on the Pats, period!David Yudkin said:This is very misleading. The Pats had a no contact practice today in shorts and shells and a walkthrough. So sure, Welker "participated fully," but it's not like he had to do anything strenuous. I still do not have much confidence in Welker this week and he will again be a GTD.[icon] said:
Good post, UG. I agree that the heat has to come from the LBs - Ayan or Johnson are the two most likely. I've never liked Landry blitzing; he doesn't take good angles & I want him helping out in the back anyway. I'm having one helluva time handicapping this sucker. I honestly wouldn't be surprised at who won.
