RavensBaltimore

So Flacco throws 24 tds and 4ints in the postseason since 2010, and you pick out one of those 4 picks and say he's undisciplined? Really? No football "purist" would do that. There isn't a single coach or film study analyst who thinks Flacco is "undisciplined." He has been historically great at NOT TURNING THE BALL OVER in the postseason and winning in the postseason, which would be impossible if he wasn't disciplined. Jay Cutler isn't disciplined. Look at all the turnovers he gives away. If that one play mean Flacco isn't a "perennial winner", then Brady and Manning aren't perennial winners either, because they have both thrown season ending picks, and neither of them have won as many games as Flacco since he's been in the league. Flacco has 4 consecutive postseasons with a TD/INT ratio of at least 3/1 which is more than the entire careers of Brady and Manning COMBINED. He recently snapped a record of consecutive postseason passes without an INT. But that one play, in a game where he was great overall, makes him undisciplined, and not a perennial winner? That's just laughable.

You can say that most of our IR players were backups, but when the starters get hurt, those backups become starters. The biggest problem, more than having 19 total players on IR, was having 5 players on IR at the same position. A lot of teams have solid depth if a starter goes down, but no one is deep enough to account for 5 players going down at one position. That's why we were much healthier in our SB year. Webb was the only key player to miss the playoffs, and we didn't have to go past 2nd string to replace him. Last year, after Jimmy went down, we had to go to the backup to the backup to the backup........ I'm not even sure how long to keep going with that. Bell's injury is an extremely lame excuse for why the Steelers lost. Besides the fact that we totally dominated them, Jimmy was at least as important to us as Bell was to them, plus we had several other key starters out, and as I mentioned, we couldn't just replace Jimmy with a 2nd string corner. We were down to about 6th string.

You can make an argument that Lebron is the best since Jordan, but Campanaro said "greatest to ever live". You can't make use the word "ever" without looking at the past.

???LeBron can play the 4 or even 5 position against very small lineups, but, like Jordan, he is primarily a wing player who likes to play with the ball in his hands. Lebron handles the ball and creates from the perimeter much more than he catches it in the post, he takes a lot of jumpers, and most of his points in the paint come from drives, not post ups. The same was true with Jordan. He is far more like Jordan than a center. Jordan actually developed a very good post up game in his 30's, and recently, LeBron has developed a post up game as well. Jordan was a 2 guard, and LeBron is more of a G/F, but they're not that much different where they can't be compared.

I realize it's June, but still, is it really a story when a guy drops a few passes in mini camp? If he had been struggling with his hands throughout OTAs, that would be different, but he has apparently showed great hands so far. Anyone could have one practice where they drop a few.

He didn't have much of a chance with the injuries this year, but he played with 2 other all stars in Miami, and went 2-2 in the finals, and one of those wins was pretty much gift wrapped by San Antonio. Jordan went 6-0 in the finals, and he won them all in 5 or 6 games. No one even pushed him to the brink of elimination, let alone beat him. Camp is obviously too young to have seen Jordan in his prime, so I guess he just doesn't know any better.

In 2011, Joe had a rookie starting WR and a rookie starting TE, and we were one dropped pass away from the SB. It was an experienced WR, not a rookie, who dropped that pass. Past performances are the only basis we have to predict future performances. I don't think many people literally thought we would "always make the playoffs" or we were "invincible at home", but people who predicted something in that ballpark have still been pretty close. Predictions aren't always going to be right on, but based on what we have done in the recent past, our chances of making the playoffs and winning any given home game are very good. Yes, we have made some significant changes, but those changes should make us better, not worse, and we've proven that we can handle significant coaching and roster turnover. Picking us as a "second tier" SB contender is predicting that we'll probably make the playoffs, and by then, I highly doubt that our receivers won't know what to do pre snap. We may see some growing pains early on, but if we get to the postseason, our rookies will have had 8 months to learn the offense. At that point, I think talent would trump experience, and we still do have a starting WR with plenty of big game experience.

Not true? So you're saying that our $37million LT didn't get benched for an undrafted rookie? It is true. Harbaugh also benched our highest paid CB when he was a rookie coach, so I have no doubt he would do it now if it was necessary. Webb himself was benched after playing like garbage in his first couple games last season, even though he was medically cleared to play. He played much better later in the year, and when he actually is healthy(which hasn't been often) he plays at a pro bowl level. Higher payed players usually get more playing time because they are better, which is why they got a big contract in the first place. However, there are still plenty of examples where a big money player got passed up by a player that doesn't make much, and Harbaugh's job is not in jeopardy.

Harbaugh will put the best players on the field, regardless of how much money they make. He showed that last year when Monroe, who just signed a $37,500,000 contract, was healthy and available for the postseason, but he stuck with Hurst, an undrafted rookie, who I'm assuming was making close to the league minimum.

No it doesn't. The Ravens sacrificed a position or two, not a reasonable shot at a SB. Based on your definition, we would never have a shot at a SB, because we sacrifice something every year. Then how do explain the fact that the 9-7 Giants won the SB in 2011, and the 9-7 Cardinals were a play away from winning the SB in 2008? They were one game better than the 2013 Ravens, so there must not be a GIGANTIC difference between a SB team and a team that misses the playoffs on the last weekend, unless you consider one game a gigantic difference. The fact that we were so close in almost every game shows that we had a realistic shot, whereas if we got blown out, we wouldn't have. There is no way Ozzie could have known we wouldn't be able to score on 1st and goal from the one against GB or Geno would screw up the snap in Chicago. Just because it doesn't work out doesn't mean you never had a chance in the first place. If you can be within one play from winning almost every game, it means you had a realistic chance. Those one play games are too unpredictable to say that Ozzie or Joe knew they wouldn't win them before the season started. It is realistic when you have a qb who can take over a postseason and a team that has continuously won in the postseason, on the road. The previous 2 SB winners were given the worst odds out of all the playoff teams, so, again, if you have the right qb, it has been proven that "anything can happen if you get in" is realistic. The Patriots had almost all of their key players healthy last year, so it is realistic for that to happen, and we could have competed for a SB if we were healthier. In 2013, we didn't have a single position group on offense that was healthy. Pitta got hurt, every receiver except Torrey got hurt, KO missed most of the year, Yanda was clearly limited by injury, and Rice was not moving like himself after week 2. Again, despite that, we were still in a playoff spot when Flacco hurt his knee, which ended our realistic chances. All 32 teams do not have injury issues that bad, and there isn't a team in the AFC that would have a realistic shot if they're qb was hobbled like Joe was, let alone with every other position group depleted somehow. Again, Ozzie had no way of knowing all that was going to happen. As far as he knew, we basically had the same offense, minus Boldin and Birk, and a better D. So, we lose a couple key contributors, upgrade a couple positions, and we go from SB champs to not even having a realistic shot?

Just because you make a sacrifice for the future doesn't mean you can't "win now". After coming off a SB win, our defense actually IMPROVED. The only major losses on offense were Boldin and Birk. We had no idea Pitta and most of our receivers would go down with injury, nor did we know that our O-line would be decimated, which caused our whole offense to collapse. Despite all that, we were still 8-6 and in a playoff spot until Flacco's knee injury, and even after all that, we missed it by ONE GAME. Remember, we lost about 4 or 5 games that year by less than a TD. There were several losses where if we just converted once in the red zone, we would've won. A healthy Pitta, KO, or Yanda could've been the difference. Had we literally just made one more play, we would have been in the postseason, and with an experienced, big game qb like Flacco, a battle tested team, and a decent defense, you never know. So, if you asked the FO what they thought before the 2013 season, before all the injuries, my guess is that they knew they had some pieces missing, and maybe they weren't as confident as in other seasons, but we had too many key pieces and proven winners back from the team that just won the SB for them to think we had absolutely no chance.

My guess is that the players really do vote for the top 100, and that they are just as influenced by stats and media hype as the fans are. Anyone who actually understands the Ravens D knows that Suggs is a better and more complete player than Dumerville, but sacks are what gets attention, so Doom gets the votes.

I'm combining last season to the previous year, which was obviously when his decline started, so that's the sample that best represents his current ability. What Shaub did 3 seasons ago is irrelevant, because he is clearly not the same player. You can look at his numbers or just watch him attempt a downfield pass and see that his arm has diminished. Even before his 10 attempts last year, there were preseason reports that his intermediate and deep passes fluttered and had nothing on them, causing them to be contested and picked. The last 2 seasons are an indication of who he is now, and yes, he has been a turnover machine. As far as Vick goes, I'm not the one who suggested that we bring him in. He hasn't been as TO prone as Shaub recently, but I don't think the Ravens should or will consider bringing him in.

Come on. Those are career numbers, which include Schaub's prime years, which are clearly irrelevant at this point, seeing as how he has obviously declined. In the past 2 seasons, Schaub has thrown one int per 23 attempts, which not only fits, but epitomizes the term "turnover machine".

It makes absolutely no sense to bring in Welker because Camp has problems staying healthy. You know who else has problems staying healthy? Wes Welker. The difference is, Camp is young, and if he actually can get over his injury issues, he is faster, quicker, and has better hands than Welker, and Camp would have a long term role. If we got Welker, we'd have to sacrifice one of our young WRs that has potential for a bright future, just for a one year rental that probably can't make it through a season and isn't that good anymore anyway. Plus, Steve Smith might play more in the slot this year, and we have 4 TEs that are probably going to catch a lot of passes over the middle. Some of these reporters are just embarrassing themselves.

I'm guessing Trestman will call more screen passes than Kubiak, and if our RBs can turn some checkdowns into big plays, it's going to help open things for the passes down the field.

Yeah, I don't know why people think Camp needs to win the returner job to make the team. He showed that he has every asset needed to excel in the slot last year. He can get separation and make tough catches in traffic. A quick slot receiver would complement our big, fast receivers on the outside perfectly. I think injuries are the only thing that can prevent him from making the team.

I was never concerned about that in the first place. He didn't drop anything in his last 4 games in college, he didn't drop anything at the combine, and he didn't drop anything at pro day. I think the only reason anyone made a big deal about his drops was because pundits needed something to talk about. I'm more interested to see if he can run a full route tree and get consistent separation against NFL DBs. According to reports, so far, so good.

Since the draft, I've only heard people talking about how we have more talented receivers than we have roster spots. I think all the weapons we got in the draft silenced the requests for another vet.

"Perriman consistently explodes off the line of scrimmage, even when pressed." I love the fact that I keep seeing stuff like this. From his college scouting report, to rookie camp, and now OTAs, I keep reading about how Perriman does not get slowed down by press coverage, which is something that our receivers have often struggled with.

Remember, 2010 is the year we got Boldin, so Mason went from being our top receiver by far to our WR2. Considering that, 12 catches and 300 yds isn't that big of a dropoff. There is a good chance that at least one or two of our rookies can become a significant factor this year, and we may see increased producton from either Aiken, Brown, or Campanaro. If any of that happens, I think the Ravens would be pretty happy with 800yds from Smith.

Not sure if those are career numbers, but they are definitely not last year's numbers. Luck had 16 ints, Manning had 15, and Roethlisberger had 9, and they all had a similar amount of attempts. Luck also had 4 more ints in 2 playoff games, and he fumbled 8 times in the regular season, so based on his most recent season, Luck is a turnover machine. He hasn't really played long enough to know if that was a fluke or not.

So a RB that's well into his 30's is going to single handedly save a horrible running game with a bad offensive line? Not buying it. Forsett was better than Gore last year, he's younger, and he has a much better O-line. Robert Mathis(another one well into his 30's) Trent Cole and a healthier Arthur Jones? Their front 7 is still inferior to ours, and we're getting Jimmy Smith, a healthier Lardarius Webb, and Kyle Arrington in our secondary. We came much closer to knocking off the SB champs than they did last year, and we improved more in the offseason, and our qb has proven that he can get it done in the biggest moments. Theirs has not. The only advantage the Colts have over us this year is an easier division. The Ravens are better in just about every aspect.

I don't think any of those teams are better than us, especially the Colts. They have a weak O-line, no run game, and their qb gives the ball away too much. Their defense is mediocre at best. After we outplayed the Patriots and barely lost, with 19 players on IR, the Colts got completely destroyed. Rankings at this point are obviously based on a lot of guessing, and you never know who is going to get injured and how the rookies will adjust to the NFL, but at this point, considering our roster and depth, as long as our early draft picks do what they are expected to do, we will have one of the best run games in the league, one of the most dangerous and explosive passing games in the league, and a great defense. Considering that we almost knocked off the SB champs last year with a mediocre receiving corps, a decimated secondary, and both our starting tackles out, I think there is a good case to be made for us to be ranked #1, not that it means anything.

Average qbs don't win in the playoffs on a yearly basis, nor do they come close, especially in today's NFL, which revolves around the qb more than ever. Average qb's don't have an NFL best(by far) 24 TDs and 4ints in the postseason since 2010. Average qbs don't run a successful passing game with a bunch of undrafted receivers and aging, past their prime, veterans to throw to. Average qb's don't set all kinds of NFL records for total wins, playoff wins, and playoff stats, especially without the weapons to throw to that all the other "elite" qbs have. Calling someone as talented and accomplished as Joe "average" is a joke. The only thing average about Joe are his fantasy stats, which is what most people go by these days. Most analysts that study film and understand the Ravens' offense think he is one of the best.