playlikeawhat

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Posts posted by playlikeawhat

  8. Posted · Report post

    1 hour ago, Ravensfan23 said:

    At this point that's all we have. Style points are out of the window for this team. Just win and get into the dance anyway you can. There isn't a team I don't think the Ravens couldn't beat, but I don't think there is a team I'd feel 100% certain they'd win. 

    I've come to just accept this team and season for what it is. 

    Noooo.  Wins must be pretty.  Joe needs to be able to predict when a lineman will make a good play then telepathically phase the ball through his hand if he swats it.  Joe must also become an omega-level mutant and slow down his environment each time the o-line fails to do its job.  He must achieve a 0% errant pass rate like the one that doesn't exist with my favorite overrated QB.  He's gotta be magic.  It helps me cope.  /sarcasm

    All seriousness.  I think we have a chance if the o-line can get back to what it was against the Browns/Cowboys and even today on the first drive.  Style points are nice but I'm mostly ok with an offense that does as good as its line.  All these insane magical QB expectations are bound to decrease at some point.

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  16. Posted · Edited by playlikeawhat · Report post

    What do you think is the most idealistic way the Ravens can address its WR situation for 2017 and what do you think is the most likely way they'll do it?  As much as I'd like to see SSS return in 2017, I'd also like to see him go to further magnify the problem we have with the current group presuming most of them stay.  I don't think we can produce a strong receiving group if we continue to mask an inconsistent or incapable majority with one strong vet.  It's not unreasonable to want 2-3 pass-catchers (who aren't RBs or TEs) that can frequently make plays. 

    Last time we had more than one receiver who could frequently beat their opponent or win contested catches on short to intermediate routes we went 12-4.  Yes, I know we had the magic hands of Todd Heap and Ray Rice as well as a top-5 defense but c'mon.  You have to admit the 1-2 punch of Mason/Boldin and occasional clutch grabs by TJ boosted the offense in ways we haven't seen since during the Harbaugh era.  And this was with a much younger and less Savvy Flacco behind those passes.

    Does it seem possible to get back to that within one offseason?

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  17. Posted · Report post

    1 hour ago, rmcjacket23 said:

    Well, the obvious way would be to hit them in their wallets, which many teams do. Many teams have internal fine programs in place for various penalties.

    In theory, if its a younger player, you could bench them, which Harbaugh allegedly is notorious for doing. But again hypocritically, fans complain about unfair discipline towards younger players vs veterans, yet fans don't have the balls to bench key veterans when the game is on the line.

    In reality, its mostly just personal pride and a sense of personal accomplishment. There's a very limited number of things that coaches can do in terms of discipline for athletes who make significantly more than they do. Benching works sometimes, but you're hurting the whole team, not just the individual player. You start benching veterans and losing games because of it, everybody gets fired.

    If you get a reputation as a player of being undisciplined, it will hurt your overall worth over time. You won't make as much on the open market, and teams won't want you.

    Beat me to that final point lol.  I was gonna say contract year is usually the only thing that consistently inspires an improvement in performance or if you're in "last stop" territory with a poor reputation.  My question is, is there a way to reasonably incentivize better performance out of players the way contract year pressure tends to do?  Do rookie contracts HAVE to be 4 years?  I know the idea of them being shorter sounds absurd on the surface but hear me out.  Make rookie contracts 2 years.  The psychology of that would be reinforcing the idea of 'no guarantees' in the league especially for players who consistently hurt the team with poor play and discipline.  I'm sure the league and players association would have to sit down and negotiate but I'm just trying to get a picture of how something like that could at least be reasonably explored.

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  21. Posted · Report post

    Let me preface this by saying I've always been a huge Flacco defender and dont want to trade/cut him by any streatch. That being said, I'm seeing more and more evidence that Ray has a point, and an important one. Joe clearly loves football, you don't achieve the kind of success in the NFL without loving the game. Tony Lombardi from RSR explains the reality of the situation in his "word on the street" podcast. Flacco realizes this is his job, he wants to win, and puts in some extra time to be better and to make sure his job is safe. He doesn't however, have the necessary passion/fire/ambition whatever you want to call it, required to be the best. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, and Phillip Rivers have that and that is why he will never be as good as them. You could argue he is more talented than all of them, but that is only half the battle. Love Flacco, he is a very good quarterback, but that doesn't mean he is above criticism.

    Mostly agree. I feel the same way about everybody on your list except MAYBE Tom Brady. Peyton is easily the most overrated winning QB of the last 20 years. If Joe had Peyton's caliber of pass-catchers throughout his career in a weak division we'd be singing Joe's praises like fangirls too. Philip Rivers has to be the mouthiest loser QB I've seen in recent memory. Passion gets him nothing more than L's most of the time. I will at least credit him for not being as smug as Jay Cutler though lol.

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  22. Posted · Report post

    21 hours ago, ibleedpurpleandblack said:

    People keep saying we'll win if Joe does this or Joe does that...how about this - what if the O-line actually provides our QB with some pass protection; how about they provide some run blocking; how about the OL not have so many stupid penalties!!!

    This game will be won in the trenches - be it the OL or the DL - those two groups need to have a damn near flawless game. IF they can it will allow everything else to fall in to place, if not we'll see what we saw in those 4 game losing streak!

    Now now, no use in asking stat groupies to hold more than one player accountable for wins and losses.  That's too much like sanity.  Easier to blame the QB and contract numbers for game results.  The nerve of this request for rational thought.  Sheesh.

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