Mystigo_Dragon

I'll admit to being one that was still touting Elam - but my thoughts were that Elam understandably struggled trying to play over the top at safety and I wanted to see him play his SS position. I was also of the mind that Hill was going to turn out to be a steal, but I was expecting he was going to replace Stewart (who I wasn't terribly impressed with) in that position when he arrived. 

 

With Lewis in town and Hill looking like the real deal, I feel like we're looking pretty good. It could really be that Elam won't even get much of a chance to prove himself at this point. 

Interestingly, Balfan, you've spun a great story with a happy ending,... perhaps not for Elam, but definitely for the Ravens! 

Still, maybe Elam just needs to figure out that it's just football! Needs that "light bulb" to come on! 

Tali's rap came from not having "swivel hips"! He has the power and he can make a cut. but he has yet to demonstrate that agility that makes guys like A.P. and Beast-mode such stars!

Once he begins doing that,... and becoming a target in the passing game -- hey, sky's the limit! 

I only read a couple of paragraphs of this before I just began grinning widely! I said, last year, that this guy was a "steal" when many here were still touting Elam, et.al.

Here he comes,... and, I hope he's here to stay!

Joe Flacco can work with any new OC but I don't know if any new OC can work with Joe Flacco. Respect for each other is priority number 1 and the rest will follow

I am happy to say; now some of you may need to sit down,... Ready(?)...... happy to say that I am very pleased with Joe's maturity and how he handles a game nowadays!

Shocked & stunned ??? Yeah, I said it!

Now, going forward, Joe has shown that he will still take the deep shot and like last year's Divisional Playoff, he has shown he's got more room to grow and needs more maturity and patience rather than betting the whole season on one throw!

All that said, I'm eagerly anticipating how he will handle the weapons and, especially, how Marlon Brown will grow with Joe!

I don't disagree. In fact, I think he is a great player for us which doesn't seem to be the consensus among fans. I'm simply trying to state two things; one is that the numbers might not be there but the production is, and two is if the numbers do come this year I don't see us having too much of a problem replacing him if he wants a max contract simply because we seem to do it every year at that position

True,... but one of these times, we're going to let a perennial Pro-bowler and Defensive Player of the Year walk away for playing cheap!

DON'T tinker with the run blocking scheme!

I've seen Forte run for years //yawn// and I saw what, arguably, an average RB like Forsett was able to do behind our "Kubiak S-T-R-E-T-C-H",...

Don't mess with success!  

I agree with Jet4life,... as soon as Timmy Jernigan in played his first pre-season game, I said, "Uh-oh,... they are going to have to find creative ways to get him on the field!"

That dilemma seems to have taken care of itself and Timmy needs to stay healthy and perform!

well he said that last year too. Talk is cheap (even though I do hope he produces) And think about it...as long as we keep producing guys that can put up numbers why fish out a lot of money? Since I could remember we've had pretty much no name OLBs come in and become studs only to leave and be replaced by more studs. I'd say since the Adalius Thomas days. probably even before him. Granted the luck has to run out at some point, but it really hasn't fizzled out for at least a decade.

He wasn't put in a position last year as they ceded more favorable positions and downs to Purnell McPhee, but Courtney held his own as an "edge-setter" and did get some appreciable pressure on QBs too!

There aren't any pressing questions to be answered in the near future so give us a break!

Would like, however, to see what WRs pick up the playbook the quickest! That's where the "Pro-style" schools' kids have an advantage, but not much!

I'm fairly certain that unless he explodes this year he won't command as much money as the others. Most teams don't use the same situational DEs as we do. No one is going to want to pay a ton of money for a guy that doesn't produce sacks. Most people just use stats to place the value of a defensive player. Sacks equal money. I think he tests the waters and comes back.

That's true, but the article highlights Courtney's declaration that he wants to increase his sack numbers,... in much the same way that Purnell did prior to his last, breakout year!

Then the point is if he does, when will we KEEP one of these guys rather than pass them off to other teams?

We are as brilliant at drafting and developing Linebackers as we are horrible at drafting and developing Wide Receivers!

my only worries is that the ravens may have problems stopping the run, if that happens we're on a fast track to the bottom of the division.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it!

I think what we lost in girth and agility with Haloti will be made up with speed and power with Jernigan & Williams leading the pack of "young big-uns" on the defensive line!

"Zrebiec dubbed pass rusher as the second thinnest position group, citing unproven depth behind Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil."

Okay, if this is true,... I get the money woes last January and February when the word came out that Purnell McPhee was, as usual here, "too expensive" according to the FO; soon to be "overpaid if he leaves" according to some,....

What will we do when Courtney Upshaw blossoms into a beast similar to McPhee, JJohnson, Kruger,... ya know, guys we thrain up and then discard?

For once, we need to keep one of these guys! 

If the team gets a penalty on the extra point, can a team then change its mind and go for 2, and have the ball placed at the 2?

Great point! We'll be watching "Outdoor Arena Football" in 20 years because that 9 Point play orchestrated by the Irsays hasn't been squashed as a bad idea!

You may as well, Courtney!

Alas,... that will guarantee that this is your last year,...

That the FO will say we can't afford to keep you and the apologists will take up the "He's not worth the money you'll command!" chant!

It's been fun watching you grow,... Have a great year and good luck with your next team in 2016!

Football is not a complicated game! Hey, even a kid could play it! lol

The NFL will always come up with new gimmicks to thwart the tried-and-true! So, there are three things that have withstood time:

1. If you can run the ball, you can have success as an offense!

2. If you can stop the run, you can have success as a defense!

3. If you can have success on Offense and Defense, you can be a successful team!

With the youth we have on our defensive line, 2015 will be no different - 20 years in a row!!!

And,... that QB list above is why I continue to say any "expert" making most, better, best rankings without empirical data to back them is worthless,...  amounts to "Bark Shavings",... ya know what I mean?

Ozzie's losing patience?  

Uhhh, Mr. Hemsley, stay with ESPN and their contract situations; in the Raven Nation contracts are in Pat Moriarity's "wheel-house"! Ozzie's a spectator to the process like we are!

His comment is likely alluding that we'll move on with the season and not dwell on this all year!

I'll need another 1,000-plus yard year out of Justin Forsett to believe that he's the real deal! I like him but I saw some late season drag in his legs.

Here's hoping he has done his conditioning and endurance work over the off-season! 

Yea we did. We hoisted the Halas twice. 2000 and 2012

Probably should have hoisted the Halas a couple more times too, but fate intervened.

 

No worries, I believe we will hoist the Halas in 2015 if our secondary isn't awful.

 

My definition of dynasty is 3 Halas Hoists in 5 years. Let me illustrate that

 

Halas - Halas - Halas

Halas- x - Halas - Halas

Halas -x-Halas-x-Halas

Halas - x - x - Halas-Halas

x - Halas-x-Halas-Halas

 

I think that covers the combos, like I said math isn't my strong suit, but I know who should be honored and where

Sir, The trophy given to the winner of the NFC Championship Game in the National Football League. 

You do,.... uhhh... realize that, uhhh.... we're in the AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE, don't ya? 

Does the "Smash mouth" AFC-NORTH ring a bell to ya?  

Yea we did. We hoisted the Halas twice. 2000 and 2012

Probably should have hoisted the Halas a couple more times too, but fate intervened.

 

No worries, I believe we will hoist the Halas in 2015 if our secondary isn't awful.

 

My definition of dynasty is 3 Halas Hoists in 5 years. Let me illustrate that

 

Halas - Halas - Halas

Halas- x - Halas - Halas

Halas -x-Halas-x-Halas

Halas - x - x - Halas-Halas

x - Halas-x-Halas-Halas

 

I think that covers the combos, like I said math isn't my strong suit, but I know who should be honored and where

Sir, The trophy given to the winner of the NFC Championship Game in the National Football League. 

You do,.... uhhh... realize that, uhhh.... we're in the AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE, don't ya? 

Does the "Smash mouth" AFC-NORTH ring a bell to ya? 

The forced fumble against the patriots was a pretty intricate cog

One play, in the middle of a game does not a decision turn, sir!

Would be nice but the secondary keeps dropping like flies during the season. 

That was last year, bud,... "snake bitten" rarely happens two years in a row now that Kyle Boller's gone!

IMHO,... Bad sign!

Last year Ravens started with a healthy secondary and they got hurt. Now this year their starting a bunch of serious injured recovering players. How is that going to work out? Ben, Payton, Rivers, Dalton, and Tannehill (4,045 yards last year) will chew this secondary up..

I can't speculate on how our Secondary will perform as of May 14th,... it's not even June yet!

Oh, I know, but you're right, I will never understand it.

 

We're juiced for the coming year, but if we go down before we hoist the George Halas Championship Trophy, I'm banking it will be the secondary and predominately the Safety Play.  Clearly, Ed and Bernard would not be slated for this year, but the "planning" we did for that position, still has us in a deep hole.

I'm a bit slow because don't think we've ever hoisted the George Halas Trophy and I can't even speculate on why we lost the Lamarr Hunt trophy on May 14th, 2015!

Cool. It's May for me. I'm, at a minimum, 4-5 months away from even having an opinion about whether we are a SB contender or a mediocre team.

 

Potential is a great thing, especially when its realized. But the main concept of potential is that its generally long-term, which is how I think Ravens fans should be looking at this team.

Plus,... EVERYBODY is a "Super Bowl Contender" and has "potential" every year,... on May 14th!