huntrgathrr

This off season is not where Elam has to improve. He just doesn't seem to be "football smart" and continually ends up in the wrong spot. I'm not sure he has what it takes to make it in the NFL. It's not physical, it's mental. But at the end of last year he was playing poorly from am physical standpoint as well. He would need a miraculous transformation IMO to get playing time over Hill or Lewis. It would be nice but I hardly expect it. I'd rather see them cut Elam and keep an extra cornerback once Brooks is healthy. I like Brooks as a safety of the future. He did very well for a rookie until he got hurt last year.

Smith is a pro bowl caliber corner if he stays healthy. Arrington is a proven slot corner. Webb is the "x factor". If he returns to form the Ravens will have a very good secondary. But last year he never showed his prior ability. Both he and Jackson are good returners so I think they will both make the 53 man roster. Jackson has a ton of talent but really can only play slot corner well. I think Melvin and Walker round out the group because of their size and because the staff appreciate their potential the most. If Webb falls short again this year either one of these two may end up starting. That's not a great situation but if Smith is healthy they wouldn't be as likely to be exposed as a weakness. Smith makes everybody in that secondary better as he can shut down opposing #1 receivers. Having Hill and Lewis at safety will be a big plus for the secondary this season. I don't trust Elam one bit. Staying healthy is the main factor for a decent secondary, particularly Jimmy Smith. If he goes down we are in trouble again.

With the quality of our offensive line all 3 will be effective and play a lot. Having fresh running backs will pay off big in the 4th quarter and later in the year. Everything appears to be lining up in the Raven's favor this year. The game in Denver will give us a good barometer for the strength of this team. A win in Denver would indicate that this team is as good as it looks on paper, and IMO that's the best in the AFC.

Statistics are really for sportswriters and players on losing teams to justify their worth. There is only one statistic that matters and that is wins and losses, particularly in important games. Using this criteria, Joe Flacco is the best QB in the NFL since he came into the league. His 10-4 playoff record is light years ahead of any other QB. Not to mention his historic passing performance in the 2012 playoffs that resulted in a well deserved MVP award. He also has the most (or second most) overall wins in the NFL since he entered the league. He sacrifices personal glory (stats) for the overall team good. That is a well balanced offense that is less predictable and results in better overall team results. Of course that is largely determined by Harbaugh but I've never read of Joe complaining. Another important fact that elevates him above other QBs is his durability. He has started every game since 2008 when he first entered the league. He earns his paycheck. There is no other QB in the NFL that I would trade for Flacco.....none. He gets the most out of his team.

The way these guys move around I look at it as a defensive front seven as opposed to DL and LB. That being said, this is one of the most talented and deepest front sevens in the NFL. If Urban and KLM pan out it will be the best (and one of the youngest). The way they shut down NE's and Pitt's running games in the playoffs last year was truly impressive. With a stronger secondary this could be a very good defense. Come on September.

Webb played poorly for the majority of the season. He never returned to form. I'm not sure that he hasn't lost his ability to play NFL receivers one on one as he was once able. If he "recovers" and plays his way into the #2 corner spot then it would be crazy to let him return punts. If Jackson, Walker or Vaughn earns the #2 spot then Webb could be a good choice for returner along with Campanaro and Carter. Butler is in competition for Playing Time as he will make the team barring injury. Keeping 6 receivers means Smith, Perriman, Brown, Aiken, Butler and IMO Waller. All are capable of good things in the NFL. It's just that 3 are proven and 3 are unproven. It will be interesting to see who gets on the field. IMO we will be rotating all 6 at some point or another during the season.

I have to laugh when the Steelers spout off about being a great defense. They have a legitimate shot at being the worst defense in the NFL this year. Here's why: 1.They lost their HOF DC in Dick LeBeau. 2.They lost 90% of their NFL proven, experienced, players...Worilds, Polamalu, Keisel, and Taylor. That would be like the Ravens losing Reed, Lewis, Suggs and Ngata all in one year. 3. They have one proven NFL player on defense...Lawrence Timmons. They don't have a single player on defense that would start for the Ravens. This lack of talent is due to poor drafting. 4.They did absolutely nothing to upgrade this defense in the offseason. There is no reason to expect this defense will be any better than last year's poor unit that Flacco and Forsett shredded in last years playoff game. To say that this is a rebuilding year for the Steeler defense is putting it mildly. They will most definitely be starting at the bottom. That is the best reason they might improve.

We have all the receivers Joe could ask for. They are all very talented (Smith, Perriman, Brown, Waller, Aiken and Butler). It won't matter much who is catching the ball, someone will be. This will be a high octane offense under Trestman and IMO all these guys will get on the field. Gonna be hard for Campanaro to make this team with his injury problems. Probably just stash him on IR.

Winning the battle in the trenches is the way to have a winning team. This year the Ravens should be dominant on both sides of the ball. It's going to take an extraordinary effort to beat this team.

We have 4 receivers that are proven to be NFL ready; Smith, Brown and Aiken and Campanaro. We have 3 more that look to have great potential: Perriman, Waller and Butler. This looks like the most talented group Joe has had since he's been here. He's going to make a few of these guys famous. Joe has a way of getting the most out of his receivers. Having Gilmore and Williams as well as Forsett and the best offensive line in football....well Trestman has a top 5 offense pretty much gift wrapped. I will be very interested to see how this offense gets stopped. With a great defense they will get good field position and more opportunities than most. On paper this looks like the Raven's year. Now let's just do it.

If Perriman wants to play he'll start catching everything. We've got 5 other great receivers who will step up in a minute if he starts to slip. Once he sits on the bench for a minute his confidence will improve!!!

Injuries are the only thing that can slow this team down. And it will take a lot of them (like last year) to have a big effect because of the quality depth on this year's team. I really hope Harbaugh some how figures out a way to take it easy and avoid preseason injuries. We were clearly doing something wrong last year, as 18 on IR is more than just bad luck. If this happens again this year Harbaugh better figure out what he is doing wrong.

We are in great shape up front if a couple of things are true that appear to be true. We have Williams and Jernigan who could both end up as pro bowl players this year. The 2 "ifs" about which we are hopeful are: 1) Both KLM and Urban stay healthy and play up to expectations. 2) Davis plays as well as expected. Given these 2 scenarios the Ravens will have the one of the most talented and youngest defensive fronts in the NFL. Canty, Guy, Tyson and Means may see very little PT except in injury situations or as part of an expanded rotation. Two or three of them might not make the team. The Ravens are loaded up front and bringing in more DL seems pretty far fetched.

Last year's draft class propelled the Ravens to the playoffs. It was a pure home run with at least 5-6 guys making real contributions and poised to improve. Flacco is going to make Gilmore a star. Likewise for Williams, Perriman and Waller. This year's draft class looks just as good. Perriman, Waller, Davis and Williams are going to make impacts this year. We'll see with Z. Smith and Walker. They may need a year or two of seasoning. We'll be glad we have Allen at some point but Forsett and Taliaferro look in prime shape. Boyle will help for depth if one of the TEs gets injured. The OT Williams will probably replace Reid on the roster but will have 2-3 years before he needs to suit up. Ozzie's drafts the last 3-4 years have been the overall best in the NFL. That is why we can let excellent players for us leave and get overpaid somewhere else. We have great talent and great quality depth everywhere you look. Even Teddy Bruschi rated us the best overall talent in the AFC. Now there is something you don't hear every day.!! The Ravens are set for another deep playoff run. This year we are the class of the AFC.

I agree, this team is pretty much set. The one "extra guy to put where want" will be a 6th corner back (Smith, Webb, Vaughn, Arrington, Melvin, Jackson and Walker). I think they keep 9 OL and 4 TEs however. We would lose Boyle if we put him on the PS and we need him in case Pitta goes down. The issues will arise at kick returner. If the Returner is a receiver, then we will keep 7 receivers and only 5 cornerbacks. If the returner is a cornerbacks then we keep 6 corners and 6 receivers (Smith, Perriman, Brown, Waller, Aiken and Butler). That means Campanaro or Carter make it as a returner or they get cut. The 6 DL look like Davis, Jernigan, Williams, Urban, Canty, and KLM. That means we cut Guy and Tyson? That would be tough to do as both played well last year when we needed them. Maybe keep Tyson or Guy and let Canty go? Barring injury, this team is ready to roll.

Hill and Lewis will be starting safeties for the Ravens this year. We are lucky to have them as Brooks is coming off injury and Elam has been ineffective. Smith is a pro bowl level outside corner and Arrington is a proven slot corner. That leaves Melvin, Webb, Vaughn, Jackson and Walker to compete for the other corner. If Hill and Smith stay healthy the rest good enough to make a very good secondary. If Smith and/or Hill goes out the secondary will be a weakness again this year. But probably not as weak since we got Arrington, Lewis and Vaughn.

We don't need Means as a pass rusher as much as we need him to play opposite Upshaw and set the edge against the run. Dumervil and Suggs are basically pass rushing specialists but not terribly effective against the run.

Hurst played well last year and is going to be a great lineman in this league. We are blessed to have 7 starting-quality offensive lineman as there will be minor injuries throughout the year. Having Hurst and Urschel last year was huge.

Arrington will be at slot corner, that's a given. Melvin will compete with Jackson, Webb, Vaughn and Walker for the other outside corner. This is a really deep secondary with some great talent in Smith and Hill. The extensive competition at corner should produce a high quality level of play come game time regardless who is in there. I think it will be Webb or Jackson.

With all this talent at WR, we can expect the top 4 to be playing at a very high level. That's good news for Joe and the offense. It also gives us a little comfort zone in case of an injury or two. Can't wait to see Perriman in action.

One thing about Flacco, he makes all his receivers better. Torrey will find that out soon in SF. Boldin found out and has blended into the background quietly. Flacco made him a force in the NFL, basically unstoppable. Without Joe's strong arm Torrey would also have toiled in relative obscurity as he will in SF. Flacco will make stars out of Perriman, Waller and Williams. He's already resurrected Aiken's career. He gave Brown the chance to show he belongs in the NFL 2 years ago and that is why he is still on the roster. This year it seems there won't be enough passes to go around to satisfy all the talent we have accumulated in the WR and TE positions. Heaven help the defenses we play if Joe has time to throw (which he probably will based on last year's O line performance). This could easily one of the top (if not the top) offenses in the NFL. The defense looks very good as well which will translate to better field position and more opportunities for the offense. Did I mention we have the best punter/kicker combo in the NFL? Oh yea, we have pretty good coaches too. In the last 3 years the Ravens have had 10,8 and 9 regular season victories. Therefore Vegas has the over/under for the Raven's win total at 9. If this team doesn't go 12-4 (at least) I'll eat my hat. Run, don't walk, to the window for this bet...it's the lock of the century.

I hope his obvious talent transfers well to the NFL. Having Flacco and Trestman gives him the best chance for that to happen. Even if he's as good as we expect he still may have a tough time outshining Gilmore. At 6'6" and 275 he's got Gronk size and IMO he is a very good receiver as well as blocker. Pitta may actually be our 3rd best TE even if he's completely healthy! What a possibility! They have to keep Boyle on the 53 man roster just in case Pitta goes down. Looking at our WR group, IMO we have 6 guys that can start in the NFL. This gives Flacco and Trestman a wealth of talent which should translate to a big year for our offense. It's critical that the O line stays healthy. It's good to know Hurst and Urschel are solid starter-quality backups. I'm sure we will need them at some point. If this team stays healthy they will be tough to beat. I can't imagine putting a much better team on the field. The front office has done an incredible job getting this much talent under one roof.

Joe Flacco will make Waller and Perriman stars in the NFL. We can rotate 6 WRs and keep them all fresh. This is the best and deepest group of WRs we have ever had. I feel great when any of them are on the field. Putting Waller (6'6"), Gilmore (6'6"), and Brown (6'5") on the field with Perriman will create so many mismatches that Flacco will have his pick of open receiver. Replacing Perriman with Williams (6'4) in the red zone will create nightmares for the defense. This offense should be the best in Raven history.

Sea, KC and Az will be our toughest games. These teams are built like the Ravens and play tough, hard hitting football like the Ravens. But we have a better QB than all 3 and in a tight game that will give us an edge. The rest of the teams on our schedule should fear us. We have more talent and better coaching. For example, there is not a single defensive player on the Steelers that would start for the Ravens. This Ravens team has every reason to go 12-4 or 13-3. I was in shock when Vegas put the over/under for Raven wins at 9. LOL. That is free money. Probably the lock of the century.

Hill and Lewis will be our safeties. Elam and Brooks will back them up. Smith at one outside corner, Arrington at slot corner while Webb, Melvin, Jackson, Vaughn and Walker will compete for the other outside corner. That is good from a talent and a depth standpoint. Barring injuries this should be a first class secondary with Smith and Hill potential probowlers. Given the strength and depth of the front seven, Pees might have himself a top 3 defensive unit. We need either Means, Z.Smith or McClellan to step and set the edge opposite Upshaw. We also need Urban and/or KLM to be healthy and play up to expectations. It will be helpful to the defense to have an offense that will sustain drives and put up points as the Ravens should do this year. When an offense is down 14 points they become predictable, which should make the defense that much more effective. This is a team game and the Ravens have as much overall team talent and depth as I can ever remember. They really have no glaring weakness. High hopes for 2015.