law215

1. Ravens are making the plays at key points that they didn't make last year. A key interception, blocked extra-point, sacks, and most importantly avoiding the stupid penalty. 2. Slow start. Missed tackles, dropped balls, Pees leaving guys on an island too often. A slow start to a better team could be a disaster. 3. Trends. Pitta is making an impact. Where would Ravens be without him? Joe is spreading the ball around. The defense is getting to the QB. (ex McCown and Tyrod took a lot of hits). McCown was not the same after Pierce planted him. 4. At some point, the run game needs to be more consistent. Ravens need a power back to slam between the tackles. The run game seems too finest. Pitching outside on 3rd and 2 instead of trying to knock guys off the ball. 5. Mental toughness. Some teams would pack it in 20-0 in the first quarter and some fans blog that the defense sucks . The guys on the other team get paid too. to come back after spotting them 20 points is a sign of strong leadership and character on the team. It start with Joe. He screws up early then still is focused enough to rip them.

Be patient and get back on the wagon

1. I want to see improvement from the offensive line. A couple of false start threw the drive off last week so it will be more difficult on the road. 2. Can Ravens get a pass rush without blitzing. Browns have speed guys that can burn Ravens. They need to get pressure. 3. I want to watch the 3rd receiver of the Ravens. Haden will probably take Wallace . Who covers Aiken or Perriman. Smith Sr may abuse the guy that covers him. 4. Discipline. Ravens can't afford to beat themselves with Turnovers, penalties, stupid plays 5. Road game plan. When on the road you need to pack your defense and run game. Are the Ravens tough on the road? This is a must win game so they will bring it.

Condolences to the Brooks family- RIP. One of the reasons why so many undrafted and mid-round guys became starters and Ravens defensive front has been good for so many years. (Kelly Gregg,Douglass, Weaver, Guy, JJ, on and on.) Ring of Honor no doubt

Weird that they removed the "probable" status. Does that mean the whole patriots team will be listed as questionable now? Lol Good one. Especially the QB that doesn't know the size of his balls. Very questionable.

I am concerned that Z Smith may be out. That takes away another pass rusher. McCown > RGIII so I expect a better offensive effort from Browns. Their TE lit up the secondary last time so Ravens need to be prepared. On offense, I expect them to blitz a lot. Until the Ravens prove the offense can consistently beat the blitz, every team will blitz. The key for Ravens is balance offense and no turnovers. Ravens win. Just too many weapons for Cleveland.

1. A win is a win. Looking across the league there were a lot of close games. Proves you can't look at the schedule and predict wins. Every game is going to be tough 2. Good to see Wallace, Pitta and Perriman make plays. That's 3 guys that they did not have on the field last year. 3. Flacco was not stepping into throws, but his strong arm still gets the ball there (most of the time). some were low balls. I like that he is a little more cautious with running. joe was in the shotgun a lot. 4. Only 160 yards on the defense, no big plays, pressure on the QB, and no dumb penalties to extend drives. I think Bills were under 30% on 3rd down. It's a long season, but that's a good start. 5. Rookies played well. Stanley and Lewis were solid on the left side More work to be done, but it's a good start

This game showed both the good and bad of the Ravens . What I liked the most was seeing the return of the deep ball. 35 yard pick up for Perriman and 66 yard bomb to Wallace in stride. Also I liked that there were no stupid penalties by defense to extend the drives. What concerns me is that Joe and Suggs looked a little tentative. Joe was not stepping into throws and Suggs lack explosion. I think as the season goes on they will find there groove.

Lewis is simply better than Urschel and Stanley is better than Monroe. Yes they are rookies, but you play your best players.

What a lot of media and analyst will be watching for is Flacco vs Tyrod. If Joe plays poorly, the Flacco haters will pile it on. The Flacco fans will say it's Trestman, its cause he's coming back off ACL, rookies on the o-line etc. Despite all of the factor, Flacco has to out perform Tyrod. If there Ravens are going anywhere, Flacco must out play whatever QB he faces. Since Pees is not a great coordinator and the best players on defense are getting older, Flacco has to be the guy during the 2012 playoffs. The defense needs time to grow and a better coordinator.

I agree that one of the key to the game is the performance of our young o-line. We need to be balanced in the run and the pass. Also, the defensive front seven needs to stop the run and get to the QB. Other things I will watch for are how close are the CBs playing the WRs? Any impact plays from young players, does Pitta hit the field, big plays, is Pees more aggressive, and did the defense improve?

We are not going to lose...... So I am not worried about that stat. My thoughts exactly. I'm listening to radio hearing all the Steelers hype and how The Ryan brothers are going to bring it. Ravensnation have some faith. Let's look at the Bills 1. Statistically a worst pass defense than Ravens last year. No new additions this year. 2. Where are their pass rushers? 3. Blitizing will leave corners to cover Smith Sr, Wallace, Aiken, or Perriman one on one. 4. Consistently miss the playoffs even as a wild card in a weak division What Ravens lacked last year, they have improved this year. 1. No Deep threat. We now have Perriman, Wallace, and Moore. 2. Poor play at LT. We now have 6th overall draft pick and a better backup than Hurst. 3. Only two passers last year in Dummervil and Z. Smith. Smith has steadily improved. Add to that Suggs returning with a chip, Judon, and Correa. Another interior rusher with Henry. 4. Speed at ILB. See Levine on passing situation. 5. Poor safety play. Enter Weddle and Webb. Not world beaters, but better than what Ravens had last year. If Pitta, Smith Sr, or Aiken can come close to previous level of play, a lot of doubters will eat their words.

A lot of people seem to be concerned about the blitzing and stunts. I would start Lewis cause he seems stronger and may provide better push for the run game. If Bills blitz, then Smith Sr, Wallace, Perriman, Aiken , Pitta, or Moore is one on one with one of the worst pass defenses season.. I think Ravens was better versus the past and the Bills did not add anything in the secondary. Ravens must stop their runs game though.

Praying for no injuries. Best of luck this season.

I don't quite understand the Raiders or Cowboys hype. Even with Romo, Cowboys O-line is hyped which is why Romo keeps getting hurt. The cowboys defense is practically non existent. Raiders beat cause there was no pass rush what so ever. Things will be different this time. Everyone is under estimating the Ravens. Good

I think KC is fine. He did a lot of things that don't get recorded. He got pressure to force QB to step up, covered his guy, and set the edge well. He was never going to start ahead of vets so he'll have time to get stronger . Watch out for Moore and Perriman. When on the field, they will be on the opponent's 3rd CB or safety. What combination of your top 2 CBs cover? The shifty (Smith Sr, Aiken) or the speed of Wallace, Perriman, or Moore? Joe in the shotgun with 3 or 4 WRs will give defenses fits. Stanley will be tested right from the jump. The Ryan brothers will blitz on his side until Ravens prove they can make a play. There will be opportunities for big plays.

That's OZ version of made you look. Good to have Foresett back. Now it's time to think about the Bills.

Good News

With Foresett back, I wonder who gets IR'd. Good to have him back.

You won't get far in the NFL as a safety if your covering skills are poor. You also need safeties that can come down hill to support the run. Keep in mind Ravens won a Superbowl facing Luck, Brady, and Manning, with Pollard who was not a great cover safety. He intimidated guys coming across the middle. His hit on Ridley turned the tide, he put Gronk on the shelf on a couple of occassions. Safeties also MUST be physical. A young , physical safety like Brooks should have been retained over excessive depth at LB with Chris Carter or 7 CBs. Two ingredients that the Ravens had with each Superbowl team was a physical blocking FB and a knock out safety. Our pass defense was not very good the year we won the SB. Pollard did have some impact plays in the postseason, but as the league uses more and more spread, pass happy offenses, I don't think Ozzie wants safeties on the field that can't cover. On a side note, I would say Pollard's hit on Ridley pretty much finished the Pats off, but it didn't turn the tide. We were already dominating the second half of that game. Ravens were dominating the Patriots 2 years ago with 2 14-point leads and lost the game. Why? Patriots running free in the secondary and no one was making tackles. TJ Ward, Ryan Clark, Bernard Pollard, John Lynch all have rings and none were considered great cover safeties. They simply intimidated receivers coming across the middle and were sure tacklers. Brooks is not in the above mentioned players category, but he was the best tackler in the secondary. Weddle, Levine, and Webb will struggle to bring guys down in the open field. I think the Ravens have a strong roster now, but teams will test our small safeties ability to tackle.

I think Moore or Young could have done the job. Ravens are willing to spend up to $4M for a return specialist in a league that is trying to eliminate returns. Now they will probably try to low ball Brandon Williams's contract. This may explain why Foresett was cut to free up money for Hester and try to resign Foresett at a lower price. Hope he produces and stays healthy.

You won't get far in the NFL as a safety if your covering skills are poor. You also need safeties that can come down hill to support the run. Keep in mind Ravens won a Superbowl facing Luck, Brady, and Manning, with Pollard who was not a great cover safety. He intimidated guys coming across the middle. His hit on Ridley turned the tide, he put Gronk on the shelf on a couple of occassions. Safeties also MUST be physical. A young , physical safety like Brooks should have been retained over excessive depth at LB with Chris Carter or 7 CBs. Two ingredients that the Ravens had with each Superbowl team was a physical blocking FB and a knock out safety.

Last season when the Ravens were getting torch and some fans on this blog defended OZ, the front office and coaches stating its the players. The coaches and Front believe that the pass rush was the bigger issue and absence of Suggs proved devastating. Harbs also mentioned the desired to run the ball better. The first three picks were LT, ILB, and DE . Now that Ravens been through a draft with the 6th overall pick and made close to final cuts, how do you feel about the secondary, pass rush, and ability to run the ball? Keep in mind that the Chargers had a worst pass defense than Ravens so thinking Weddle alone will turn thing around may be foolish. I think the Front did what they always do. They kill it with mid round picks and adding key veterans, but are not able to add playmakers in the first few rounds. Only time will tell if empathizing the front seven and counting on older players, mid-late round picks and undrafted CBs to counter opponent's stud Wrs will be enough.

Fans should keep in mind the influence of other coaches on the staff when it comes to cutting players. Trestman is not a fan of the run so he probably looks at the position as if they are a dime a dozen. That made Foresett expendable. Rossburg is the assistant head coach and special teams coach. The yards given up during the preseason was not going to be tolerated. Butler can't return and there were comments by the media that Brooks not giving the effort on SP coverage. The comment about Brooks having hands of stone is exaggerated in my opinion. If DBs had were supposed to have good hands , they would have been Wrs. I can't see Webb or Weddle tackling a TE or RB in the open field. You need guys who can tackle. Brooks looked like he did that well. I think they will miss him or someone to take that role.

I hope all the moves are not done. I am really concerned about the safeties. The position seems thin. Webb will no doubt miss at least few games. Brooks clearly out performed Elam so my guess that's an OZ draft pick that will be saved. They need to add a RB and safety at some point.