huntrgathrr

Elam wasn't going to start any way. Lewis and Hill are our starting safeties. This just means that Levine makes the team. There was no garauntee that Elam would even have made the team. If Melvin or Walker miss a lot of time that brings in Trawick or Vaughn to make the team. The corner back competition is so tight that getting hurt could mean getting cut. Right now we'll keep 4 or 5 corners: Smith,Webb,Walker,Jackson and Melvin probably. Not counting Arrington in the slot. I actually have no idea about Cassius Vaughn so he is a wild card. Our luck with Raider rejects has not been good however (see Michael Huff).

We will have a very good secondary. Only the starting CB spot is up for grabs and Melvin, Jackson and Webb are the best candidates. Hill, Lewis, Smith and Arrington (slot) are inked in as starters. If they stay healthy we will have a top 5 defense.

IMO you got the offense about right except they keep Waller and release Campanaro (he only stays if he stays healthy AND if he wins the returner job). On defense however it will look more like this: 8 DL........Williams,Jernigan, KLM, Urban, Canty, Tyson, Guy and Davis. 8 LBs.......Upshaw, Suggs, Means, Dumervil, Mosely, D.Smith, Z.Smith and Brown. 6 Corners...Smith, Webb, Arrington, Vaughn, Walker, and Jackson. I think they released Melvin. 4 safeties..Hill, Lewis, Brooks and Elam. Of course injuries can change this but guys like Reid, McClelland Levine and Trawick will be casualties to the increase in talent we acquired this off season. I'm assuming Levine won't beat out Elam but I guess that could happen. Melvin will get a spot if one of the DL or corners goes down with an injury which seems to happen every year. There are very few spots up for grabs on this years team. They are deep and talented all across the board. Should be a very good year if everybody stays healthy.

This is a very easy topic that can be summed up very quickly: Browns.....Quarterback, don't have one. Steelers...Defense, don't have one. Bengals...Quarterback, chokes under pressure, he and his coach can't win in the postseason. Fortunately, this year, the Ravens don't really have a weakness. They are strong across the board and have quality depth. It will be a very special year if a few rookies step and play the way they are expected (Williams, Davis, Urban, KLM, Perriman, Waller). Even if they take time to develop we have a seasoned crew that can bring them along. The Ravens are the class of the AFC North and IMO the AFC. This might be the best overall team we have EVER had.

Brooks will be on the 53 man roster and Pitta won't. Ravens are being classy by not cutting Pitta. Let him get paid before he retires. He was a great Raven but no one wants to see him go down again and there isn't a doctor on earth that will ok that possibility.

Can you spell " B-A-C-K-B-O-N-E " ??

With big fast receivers on the outside like Waller, Brown and Perriman we can put Smith in the slot along with Butler. Aiken will even to be lucky to get on the field. If Campanaro gets hurt again he goes directly to IR or the practice squad. If he stays healthy he will have to win the returner job to make the team.

I have a hard time seeing how this off season could have been much better. We have more talent and more quality depth than we've ever had before. There are a lot of guys that are expected to step up and prove themselves...KLM, Urban, Davis, Butler, Perriman, Waller and Williams. I fully expect all of these players to perform well this year. If at least half of them excel we will have one of the best teams in the NFL. There is a solid group of veterans, many pro bowlers, that will help to bring them up to speed. Both the offense and defense will be strong in the trenches and that wins a lot of games.

Brown is a proven #2 receiver. He did it his first year and he did it last year. He is a major reason we let Torey walk. This guy is so under the radar most Raven fans don't even appreciate his appreciable talent. He's huge and has shown he can do it in the red zone. he had 7 TDs his rookie year. His game winning catch against the Vikings in the snow at the back of the end zone was highlight reel stuff. He also doesn't drop the ball. Last year i think he had 5-6 games in a row where he caught every target. Putting Perriman, Smith and Brown on the field along with Gilmore and Williams/Pitta on the field gives Joe mismatches all over the field. Like a buffet. Having Waller, Aikens and Butler behind these 3 gives us a phenomenal receiver group. The best in Raven history by far from mtop to bottom. Really, there are 6 starters. Flacco is the guy that makes it go and this year he will have mismatches all over the field. I look for a top 5 offense to go with the top 5 defense.

Are you guys even serious? Will Hill is a potential pro bowl safety. Elam is a back up now if he even makes the team. Brooks, Hill and Lewis are locks for the 53 man roster, the rest is up in the air.

The great things about our offense is the offensive line and the experience of Joe Flacco. We have all the skill people we need but the quality of our line is what will allow us to be a tough offense to stop. The defense, top to bottom, is very talented and deep. There is a great mix of younger players and experienced veterans. Williams and Jernigan both have pro bowl expectations and I can easily see Urban, Davis and KLM playing up to a similar level. Having Canty, Guy and Tyson ready to go in case they don't is a luxury few teams have. Our LBs may be the best in the league. The secondary is greatly improved with the return of a healthy Jimmy Smith. Adding Arrington as a slot corner is huge. Hill and Lewis should be really good safeties. Brooks and Elam are decent backups. We have 5 guys competing for the starting corner opposite Smith: Webb, Melvin, Walker, Jackson and Vaughn. Hopefully the one who wins this competition will be playing at a high level. There really aren't any weak spots on this team. Barring significant injury problems, the rest of the AFC is going to find this out.

Including the tight ends and backs, Joe has everything he needs in this receiving corp.

The DL is the deepest and strongest I've seen it for a while. Of course I'm assumining Urban, KLM and Davis play up to their potential this year. If they do, either Canty, Guy or Tyson might become casualties. I'm not sure they will keep 8 DL so one of these last 3 might get cut. I think Bikuldi is already gone. This can be a real strength of the team despite losing Ngata. I think that is why Ozzie let him walk. Ngata didn't see that coming but he should have. Based on his comments last week he seems a little bitter about it. He should have come of the 8 million and retired a Raven. Even Suh wasn't that effective in Detroit so he probably won't be either. He'll hate playing on a less than great defense.

Z Smith looks like he will eventually fill McPhee's role but while he develops they will try Upshaw and Means. All 3 should get considerable playing time.

Perriman could easily surpass Smith's accomplishments. But it might not be what is best for the team. Trestman and Flacco will be spreading the ball around since we have 4-5 very good receivers. No sense being predictable when you don't have to. After last years playoff humiliation, Ben, Bell and Brown know all the hype doesn't wash in Baltimore. The Ravens are 6-3 against the Steelers in the last 4 years so it's the Steelers that need to do the praying. Flacco is sporting a 10-4 playoff record since 2008 while Ben is 0-2 in the last 4 years. You would think the Steeler front office would have figured out by now that it takes a defense to win in December and January. Let the sportswriters drool all they want over Big Ben et. al. My money says the Steelers will be home on the couch watching the Ravens play in January.

It seems likely that the next 4 years will very similar to the last 4 years. The Ravens are 6-3 against the Steelers in that time and have a 10-4 playoff record. The Steelers have an 0-2 playoff record. Given the tremendous talent and depth currently on the Ravens it's safe to say they are a threat to make another deep playoff run. Given the complete rebuilding process just beginning for the Steeler defense it is likely they are not. Which situation seems best???? It really isn't even a question.

There are 5 things for which Joe is under estimated: 1. He has a very strong arm, letting him mtake advantage of smaller degrees of separation by his receivers. 2.His intelligence...he is a very bright guy that quickly picks up the nuances of many different offensive schemes. 3.His emotional stability..he performs at a high level on the biggest stages because he does not get rattled. He is a rock. 4.His durability...starting every game in his 7 year career (137 starts) is remarkable. But the way he gets up after a big hit is inspiring to his teammates. He is a very tough guy. 5.He completely suppresses his ego and focuses on the success of the team. He does not care about any thing except winning the game. That is why he has won more games than any other QB in the NFL since he came into the league. He is the main reason we are one of the best teams in the NFL every year.

When it comes to winning football games, he is the man. Plus he is a very down to earth and intelligent guy. He's also tough as nails. I wouldn't trade him for any QB in the league, especially in December and January.

This year there are unusually few questions that need answered. The ones that can be asked have pretty easy answers. We are good at TE with Gilmore locking down the starting spot even if Pitta is healthy. He should be a great blocker and one of Flacco's favorite targets. At 6'5 and 275 he reported for OTAs looking leaner, faster and catching everything. He proved he is NFL caliber last year with 400 rec yards and 4 TDs. If Pitta is healthy he will split snaps with Williams in 2 TE sets. If Pitta isn't, Williams will have to step up and that appears to be very likely. Boyle can be kept as a third blocking TE if Pitta retires or goes IR. This looks like a strength of the team IMO. The secondary will be very good if they stay healthy and average if Jimmy Smith gets hurt again. His injury last year probably cost us a trip to the Super bowl. Bringing in Arrington to play the slot and Lewis at safety gives the Ravens upgrades to start with and better quality depth in case of injuries. So it will be improved. Jackson, Webb, Melvin, Walker and Vaughn are all fighting for the starting corner spot opposite Jimmy Smith. That's pretty good competition and depth.Elam and Brooks give us good depth at safety as well. Playing behind on e of the best front sevens in the NFL will make the secondary even better and probably result in one of the top 3 defenses in the league. Wagner, Mosely and Zuttah all look to be returning to top form. I guess the only real questions are the extensions on next year's contracts. But that's next year. Let's play 2015 first.

Only Williams is set in stone in the middle. All the rest of the defensive lineman can play DT or DE. These include Jernigan, Canty, Urban, KLM, Davis, Guy, Tyson, Bikuldi and I guess Casey Walker. That's 10 defensive lineman, 5 of which are legitimate NFL starters. Urban, KLM, Davis and Walker are basically rookies having never taken a snap in the NFL. I expect at least 3 of them to play well at the NFL level and be in a 6 man rotation this year. I don't know if Means is considered a LB or DL. It looks like they will keep 8 or 9 of these guys. Bikuldi and Walker could be in trouble with a roster this deep but i guess even Canty could be outplayed with the depth and talent the ravens have here. Regardless, this is clearly a strength of the team. With Suggs, Dumervil, Upshaw, Smith and Mosely behind them this is a very deep and strong front seven. My guess is that teams will again have trouble running on the ravens. Suggs and Dumervil should again be at the top of the league in sacks. If the secondary stays healthy this defense could easily help the ravens make another Deep playoff run.

Since 2008.....when Joe came into the league: Flacco 10-5 Ben 5-3 Brees 5-3 Rogers 4-3 Eli 4-1 Wilson 4-1 Sanchez 4-1 Brady 4-5 Kap 4-2 Peyton 4-5 Now where is the debate???????????????????

There are a few plain facts that are not being stated clearly or being overlooked: 1.Brandon Williams is replacing Haloti Ngata. Williams is the same block-eating run stuffer that Ngata was. The Ravens saw that when Ngata was out which is why they could afford to let him go. 2.Pittsburgh is in decline. The playoff loss was an important indicator of their problems. Losing LeBeau, Polamalu, Worilds, Keisel and Taylor overnight may give them the worst defense in the NFL. They mistakenly believe they have an adequate or good offensive line. This should have been obvious in the playoff loss but they failed to address the problem. They haven't won a playoff game in 4 years and are 3-6 vs. the Ravens in that time. 3.Joe Flacco may be the best QB in the game. He's never missed a start. He won more playoff games than any QB in the league (double that of Ben who has won 5) since 2008. He has the most overall wins of any QB in the league since he came into the league in 2008. Winning is the ONLY stat that matters. The other stats are for sportswriters and the fans of losing teams. 4.Baltimore has the most talented and deepest defensive front seven in the NFL. Coupled with a top 3 offensive line they will win the battles in the trenches on both sides of the ball against almost every team they play. It is no surprise that people are finally starting to acknowledge Baltimore's football prowess. Ozzie has and continues to be a better judge of talent than every other GM in the business. Despite drafting late every year we get more "bang for the buck" than any one. How 16 other teams passed on C.J. Moseley is a perfect example. Brandon Williams is another. And Jernigan, and Tucker....the list goes on and on. This year a lot is expected from the Ravens. Only one team finishes the season with a win. Hopefully that will be us but at least we know one thing.....we certainly have a good chance.

If Webb and Smith return to prior form this could be a great secondary on a great defense. Adding Arrington and Lewis was an excellent move by the front office. These 2 guys (Webb and Smith) can make or break the chances for the Ravens to return to the super bowl.

I think Brown, Aiken, Perriman Butler and Waller will all see considerable playing time. If someone fails to perform then he will get fewer reps. All of these guys are capable of excelling in this offense with a QB like Flacco. We are lucky to have this kind of depth. IMO it's the best group of WRs from top to bottom we have ever had.

I disagree completely with this assessment of the off season moves by Ozzie. They did more to address their few weaknesses than any team in the NFl. Signing Arrington and Lewis was exactly what they needed in the secondary. They are set at LB but Z.Smith is a nice effort at replacing McPhee . Having KLM and Urban return from IR and drafting Davis gives them a deep, young and talented DL. This should be a great defense. Offensively our problems were at WR and TE. Drafting Williams and Boyle to complement Gilmore (and maybe Pitta) was perfect. Perriman and Waller are also excellent additions to a pretty decent WR group. This looks like a very potent offense. All in all,Ozzie added 6-7 players that will either start or see considerable time in rotations. He also greatly improved our depth and the quality of it. I bet Harbaugh, Ozzie and Biscotti all feel that they hit a home run this off season. IMO this was an A .