letitgosometimes

Injuries will happen and are indeed part of this intense game. Best wishes for full recoveries to all of those players unable to continue on the Ravens' SB mission.

The Ravens are the hardest hitting team in the NFL, hands down. It is for good reason that teams do not want to face them on the gridiron. The key to avoiding injury is conditioning for which the Ravens are top-notch. The Ravens must play four quarters to win their games, especially given the West Coast scheduling. Conditioning will be the telling story. Get the football, Keep the football.

Ravens are big and getting bigger. The "D" will set the pace, the "O" will finish. This will be the year of playing big more than "just when we need it". Ravens' defensive play makers will be hunting the football down, and the Ravens' offensive play makers will be moving the football forward. Get the football, Keep the football!

Interesting - may the best players prevail on the Raging Ravens!

JSmith: As leader of the Ravens' Dbs, focus on count-to-contact with the ball or receiver. The average receiver has about 3-5 seconds to cut and catch, this is where counting tells you when to contact the ball or receiver depending on the opponent's formation and distance to first-down. The Ravens defense will increase their number of interceptions from last year with timing the receiver by count-to-contact and pounding the receivers after catch. When the football is in the air all the Ravens should be yelling "Balls-Up". Expect the Ravens' Dbs to be tested often by NFL passers, but once the Dbs earn their bravado, the Ravens will dominate. A hungry defense is feared. Get the football, Keep the football!

May the best players prevail on the Raging Ravens!

Steve Smith is a rookie......... at heart!

Expect to see a faster rush into the opponent's backfield this year enabling Raven Dbs to come up with some momentum changing interceptions. Use the Ravens-Steelers' playoff game film as a prime example of total-game excellence by the Ravens on offense and defense and special teams. Punting out of bounds at key points was superb last season along with outstanding field goal kicking. Kick and punt returns will no doubt improve for the Ravens significantly. Lastly, let's have some fun - Ravens are on prime-time frequently for a reason and will fill expectations by staying loose and playing their best on every down. Super Bowl Championships start in preseason and remain the pulse of highly competitive teams. The Ravens and their fans share this beat.

Joe is Ravens' signature.

Unfortunately some injuries take longer to recover than originally anticipated. Tight-ends are a strong point for the Ravens; DBs are not the same story. Ravens must continue to assess their ability to stop the pass. Best wishes to Pitta and Brooks for full recovery.

Let the Superbowl drumbeat begin!

Size IS the issue make no mistake about it. If the Ravens' DBs run around chasing receivers like they did for most of last season, they don't have a chance in the playoffs. The New England game exposed major DB weaknesses yet to be addressed fully by the Ravens' defensive coordinator. If he is happy with the DBs he has now, then the Ravens will need a Dan Fouts effort from the offense to outscore their opponents. Size of DBs means delivering big-hits on the receivers and running backs and then jumping off the ground and asking for more! If you were at any of the Ravens' games last year you would have consistently witnessed DB arm tackling (or missed-tacking) and hand-checking. When you have the size to hit with your shoulders and wrap-up and pound the opponents cleanly to the ground, then you are a Ravens' worthy DB. Only a few of the current Ravens' DBs possess this capability, the rest are "push and hand-tag" because they lack the size to make an NFL defensive statement. The Ravens can and will find additional DBs with size for going deep into the playoffs. Repeating the same DB mistakes from last season is not acceptable. Comb options not only for DB free agents, but look hard at trades and non-drafted DBs with size and speed. The NFL is pass-happy. The teams with the best DBs will be snatching the ball out of the air and delivering big hits and winning games. The teams that can not stop the pass will be watching the playoffs in the comforts of their living rooms. I am telling you this now before the preseason, before the season, and before the playoffs: the Ravens' DBs write the storyline this year.

Ravens need hard-nosed thick necked safeties and DBs on the field that want the football more than the opponents' receivers want the football. Get the football, keep the football!