runcontrol

The competition at WR is going to be interesting but fun to watch. I just hope we get some guys to seperate themselves from the rest early. Not like a few years ago when Boldin left all the guys were talking big but NOT ONE of the guys seperated themselves from the others to take the starting spot next to T.Smith and we ended up with a bunch of average to below average guys at the position.

 

People seem to forget that receiver position struggled with injuries. It was over shadowed by the fact that the oline was injured  and the running game sucked.

 

Thompson went down in the preseason and never really became part of the offense.  Jones got injured against Denver and missed like 6 weeks.( This could have been a big year for him, if not for the injury) Stokely was brought in to help out and he only played 4 games.  Mallette got injured, went on IR,  and never recovered.  And even Brown would struggle with injuries from week to week.  Add in the fact that Pitta missed all the season and Rice was much of a receiving threat it could have been worse. Smith and Doss were the only ones that were able to remain healthy.

What are you talking about Popeye the Sailor Man? Cam Cameron bringing Joe along slowly? Joe started from day one due to injuries in the preseason. That was just a lot of Huey. In my opinion Cameron was holding him back, hence the Joe Montana run to the Super Bowl. Caldwell didn't do much that was a status quo. Kubiak changed the system entirely. Now we have Mr. Trestman the "quarterback whisperer". Joe has all the tools and is a smart guy. I think this is going to be one of his finest seasons yet. Hopefully we keep Trestman for awhile? I think this is a great fit of personalities and the best of Joe is yet to come.

 

Popeye actually has a point.  Cam slow brought Flacco up, relying a lot on the running game,  but I also agree with you.  By year three  Cam was holding him back and the Super Bowl run proved it.  I think 2013 could have been a big year for this offense but  the offensive line was one of the worst in the league, we didn't have a tight end, the running backs were terrible and the only healthy receivers we had were Smith, Brown, and Doss.

 

Things definitely got changed up when Kubiak took over but things could be interesting this season since the team seemed to draft players that will help this offense switch to Trestman's style of play calling.

Good point Crusader; Ngata was immovable but I worry as much about stopping the short passes in the middle of the field. Teams like the Patriots, Chiefs, Broncos and others use those short passes to slot receivers, Tight Ends and backs as an extension of their running game. Brandon Williams, who is probably expected to take Ngata's role is 3" shorter and about 10-15 lbs lighter. Ngata could get the push to limit the QB's ability to step up in the pocket and long enough arms to knock passes down or intercept them. Williams might have some problems doing either of those things.

 

Your concerns are valid but considering Williams' vertical jump was 36 in, and Ngata's was only 31.5, I think he has a good chance of knocking down some passes.  And I don't know if there was a change in scheme when Ngata was suspended, or if was just a change in the roster, but it seemed like the pass rush from the middle improved.  

 

There is always going to be a concern when I Pro Bowler is replaced by a young player like Williiams, but I think we need to worry about his run stopping skills before we worry about his ability to get after the qb.  

Joe Flacco is 20th best QB!?!?!?! WHO ARE THE OTHER 14 better QB's? Aaron Rodgers Tom Brady Peyton Manning Drew Brees Big Ben You can argue Flacco's position among them and Flacco has beaten them all except maybe Rodgers, but if they have Luck, Romo, Wilson, Tanehill, A. Smith, Rivers, Kap, Newton, DALTON or anyone else over Flacco, I'm going to scream man. None of them have a SB ring or SB MVP or MORE WINS IN THE POST SEASON THAN FLACCO. Stop HATING on our QB. It's RIDICULOUS!

That is his fantasy ranking so it doesn't really mean anything.  I wanted to find his ranking from last season because I am pretty sure he finished somewhere around 17th, but all I could find is other predictions for this year and predictions from last year.  I saw one site that listed a lot of other predictions and he was ranked as high as 13th and but as low as 27th, so 20th seems to be where most people have him.  Personally I see him finishing somewhere around 15th, but I could be wrong.

 

  Of course these guys are going to rank ahead of Flacco. Running qbs like Keap, Wilson and Newton will always get rated pretty high.    Luck, Dalton, Romo and Rivers all play in a pass heavy offense, so they will get a lot of TDs and yds that Flacco won't while playing on a balanced offense.  Fantasy wise Tannehill is basically on the same level as Flacco and Smith is 27th on the site that I was looking at.  

Do you really think Pitta can Block/Jump/Catch.......With his reconstructed hip?.....Get Real people!.....I love the guy personally but not wasting a roster spot.....smh

 

If he didn't have a 50/50 shot, or better, of coming back than he would have been cut by now.  There is no reason to keep a player around if you know he won't be able to play. 

He is more than likely basing this off of last years performances from QB's and with that in mind, Ben certainly was better than Manning and Bree's.

 

Brees and Ben tied for number one in yards. Brees beat Ben in TD's(by one) and a better completion percentage.  The only way Ben beat Brees is interceptions and Manning really isn't that far behind them.  He had more TDs than both of them and a comp% very close the Ben's.  

 

So the three are actually pretty close and I find it hard to believe that someone would side with Ben considering Brees and Manning have been playing at a high level for years and this is the first time Ben been has gone from being a really good qb, to a great qb.  And Ben only got there after he got hot in the middle of the season and you can't really bank on that happening every season.  

 

I can see Brees being a little bit lower because he lost his number one target to the Seahawks, but I would still take Manning over Ben for the first 13 weeks of the season.  

What is with the lack of respect of veteran Ravens players in various rankings? Is there jealousy or spiteful feelings among voters playing a role into voting instead of accomplishments? Alex Smith ahead of Flacco? Are you kidding me? "Harrison feels the help the Chiefs have given Smith this offseason via the draft and free agency propels Smith ahead of Flacco" Really? Has Harrison forgotten who we drafted on offense? Has Harrison forgotten we have one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL? Has Harrison forgotten we drafted a number one ranked TE in the draft as well as the fastest WR with huge upsides. Let's not forget we also got Javorius Allen as RB in the draft, dude is shifty and fast and ranked higher than Perriman on rookie rankings. The Ravens have 3 players among the top 54 and the Chiefs have only one rookie offensive player in the top 100, WR Chris Conley at 63, that is it and that was what put Smith over Flacco according to Harrison? That is not logical, that is plain biased and cooking the rankings using personal feelings instead of stats, what a joke that Harrison ranked Smith ahead of Flacco. 

 

 

Yeah I don't get it.  The Top 100 on NFL Network that has Flacco, Suggs, Mosley and Ngata on the bottom of the list is voted on by the players, so i don't why guys these veterans fell so far down the list after having a better season.  But this list of the top 10 qbs by Harrison is almost hilarious.  Ben in front of Manning and Brees. I have always put Ben as the fifth qb on these lists but there is no way he is number three.  And I don't understand why people keep putting Wilson so far up these lists.  That team is built around the defense and the run game.  Wilson just throws that ball up there and hopes a receiver comes down with it.  But the most ridiculous part is Smith being in front of Flacco.  I wouldn't  have liked it, but i would have understood if he had Eli or Kaep there.  Smith makes no sense.  The guy didn't throw a td to a wide receiver all season and suddenly with the addition of Maclin and Conley he is a top 10 qb?    Get real

There is one reason I like this move, the kid is a good pass catcher. To me that was a huge part missing from this offense. And considering Forte was a successful pass catcher in Chicago I think they will use Buck a lot in those kinds of situations. But he has to be a solid running back too so defenses aren't pass rushing every time he is on the field

I could honestly care less about the top 100. The only people that should care are the players themselves and even that is stretching it a little. It's based on fan voting, enough said. The only thing that I care about is how other teams feel when they have to play the Ravens. And that is FEAR! Especially in the playoffs. Go Ravens!

 

The Top 100 isn't voted on by fans, its voted on by players.  Its cool to know that we already have 20% of the current list(counting Ngata), but there are only a few players left that can make the list.  Steve Smith and Dumervil are the only ones that come to mind.  Jimmy Smith belongs on the list but with the injury I don't know if he makes it. 

If Harbaugh thinks Elam is remotely capable of filling the Ed Reed role he's hallucinating. We have had no one back there that can dissuade a passing game since Reed was not resigned. Still firmly believe the Ed Reed that just retired is better than anything we flashed back there last year.

 

From my understanding Harbaugh doesn't think Elam will fill Reed's role.  That's why  he signed Hill and drafted Brooks.  We will probably never see a safety play with instincts like Reed , but Hill and Brooks have the potential to follow in his footsteps.

That's great... now go look at the distributions of who he threw to... it was spread out to everybody. Heck, Kevin Walter was the #2 WR in that offense for years, and he never averaged more than 56 yards per game. And Jacoby, their #3 or #4 target (which is exactly would Brown would be), never eclipsed 40 yards per game in any of those 4,000 yard Schaub offenses.

 

A. Flacco should throw for more yds then Shuab

B. As much as I like Torrey I don't see him putting up 1,500 yds(like Andre Johnson does) this season because they will spread the ball out.

C.  Unless they sign James Jones, Edelman or draft a first day super star who is knocking Brown to number 3?

 

Those extra yds that I pointed out in A and B have to go somewhere and I don't think it would surprise anyone if a couple hundred went to Brown

Umm no, you are looking at it all wrong. Lets analyze a couple things...

1. In 2013, we couldn't run the ball, and we stopped trying to run the ball late in the season.

2. Marlon Brown faced very little-to-no competition for his spot on the roster, considering Pitta missed half the season and the people he was competing with were Jacoby Jones and a bunch of mostly talentless players.

3.. So, in an offense that threw the ball a ton and was unsuccessful running the ball, and in an offense where he faced essentially no competition for targets, Marlon Brown was a 3-4 catch, 38 yard per game guy, who's 7 TDs were reflective of a player who is a red zone target (as I've said 20 times already)

Yet, according to you, when we bring in a new OC who likes to run the ball and use TEs more, and we bring in competition for Marlon Brown's position, he's going to perform better? Ummmm... no. We will likely throw the ball far less than last season, and Brown will likely face stiff competition for snaps from the likes of a draft pick, FA signing, or even an Aaron Mellette (unlikely in my opinion)... all of that just to be the #3 option in an offense that will likely run the ball at least 50% of the time and doesn't utilize 3 WR packages that often.

Bottom line... I don't see it. If he produces at the exact same numbers he produced at in 2013, I'd consider that a pretty impressive feat.

 

Two things.

 

1. While Kubiak is known to run the ball his qbs always have good stats.  If Shaub can gave 4000 yrs Flacco should have 4,500 

2. Yes, Kubiak is also known to use tight ends a lot, but look at the Texans, what receivers did he have outside of Johnson?  

 

No, I don't expect his numbers to jump up that much, but 50 yrs a game will give him about 800yds this season.  I would like to see his TDs go up to about 10, but if Rice and Pitta look like they did in 2012 I don't know if he will have the opportunity.  

 

It all depends on what happens this offseason.  If they pick up Edelman or Tate then Brown will probably be the third guy in the depth chart.   A rookie might take that spot by the end of the season but unless he looks like a star week one that third spot will be Brown's to lose.

 

Before you go Neg crazy on me, this is just my opinion.

For all that are calling for a "Young, something new Offensive Coordinator just keep this in mind.Younger coaches are going to want to work with the run-option witch everyone knows we are not set up for. That would mean alot of Tyrod and that is not going to happe. Older coaches are more in tune with the drop-back Qb in which we are set with.

It really should be a coach that truly understands AFC North "Smash Mouth" football. If it was me , I would begin with what we have and that is a Pro-Bowl Fullback and Pro-Bowl running back. Run first. That sets up the pass.

Whatever we decide to do, it should be quick, not drawn out so that we can start now on what it is-"Harbs Vision" that we will be doing.

Yes, the run option is the craze right now but since most coaches in the NFL are in their 30s or older they weren't raised on the read option. They learned the craft of football before this gimmick tried to take over.

And yes the AFC north is the smash mouth division, But nowadays that has more to do with the defense than the offense. Look at the Pro Bowl receivers AJ Green, Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon. Of the 8 going 3 are from this division and not one running back. And it wasn't for Torrey Smith's decline late in the season he might have been on the list too.

Harbaugh can go 3-13 next season and won't lose his job. His previous success, including a SB title, guarantees him at least 3 straight mediocre or losing seasons before they even consider firing him.

I think there's a lot of people pretending that Bischotti has put Harbaugh "on alert", but the truth is, there is nothing to suggest that has happened. If we know anything about this franchises leadership, it's that they extremely rarely make a bold, rash decision, such as firing a coach.

Regardless of what the Ravens record is next season, I think 2016 is the earliest the Ravens fire Harbaugh, and that's assuming we are bad that long, which I don't think anybody realistically expects.

If you remember a few years ago Belick went 13-3, then had a bad season the following year and he was fired. Granted, he didn't just win the Super Bowl but he did have a ring and he had a season plagued with injuries, but he was fired anyway.

Will Harbaugh be fired next season because of a bad season? Probably not, but if they go 3-13, it wouldn't surprise me if he got the axe.