5 Things That Might Go Wrong This Season

[Ravensfan23]

Ok let me start by saying that, obviously i have just as much confidence that the Ravens will win the Superbowl as any other fan this time of year. I think my recent posts show that. I absloutely love the moves we have made this offseason, be it Trade, Draft or Free Agency. The level of excitement and expectation is as high as i can remember, probably even more so then the 2001 post SuperBowl season.

However with all that said, at some point we all have to put the kool-aid down(only for a while) and have atleast a small amount of realism right?......Or maybe not.

Ok so here it goes. The top 5 things that could prevent the Ravens from winning it all. imo

5. The PassRush fails the Ravens again this season. Last season the Ravens just couldn't get consistent pressure on QBs from week to week. That will have to improve this season for the Ravens to go far. Will the real please Suggs stand up? If the Pass rush is there then the secondary will play well imo.

4. Flacco isn't able to take the next step despite the added weapons. As good as Joe Cool has been the last 2 regular seasons, he's struggled towards the end or in the playoffs. Flacco has to improve on his late season performances in order to really take that next step. With the added weapons, as well as his maturity level, i fully expect Joe to be the man this year.

3. The Ravens have a slow start in the first 7 games of the season all against AFC opponents. The Ravens play 3 division opponents, and 2 other playoff teams in the first 7 games of the season. We start off with 2 road games @NYJ and then six days later @ Cincy. We follow that up with road games in Pit and NE, that's 4 out of our first 7 games on the road. It will be very important for the Ravens to start out fast, with games against teams like Pit, No, Hou, and Cincy in the last 5 weeks of the season, we might not be able to overcome a slow start this year.

2. This team doesn't click chemistry wise as well as everyone hopes. This really relates to #3, with the Tackle switch, the addition of Boldin, Stallworth, Pitta, and Dickson, the offense will have to gel quickly during camp. Then on the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens will have to identify which young guys can stand out and help improve this 3rd ranked defense. Also we'll have to find a group of DBs that play well together. All in all i don't see this as a problem, but if it does become a problem early it could lead to a slow start.

1. The top thing i see holding the Ravens back from winning the Superbowl this season is the injury bug. The Ravens have been fortunate enough to overcome the injury bug over the last 2 seasons. Names like Suggs, Washington, Reed, Webb, Heap, Mason, Flacco, Gregg, Yanda, Gaither and even JJ have had to battle injuries the past 2 seasons. Some worse then others but all impacting the team in someway. Either it was being forced to play the AFC Championship with backup DBs, Suggs playing in that game with one arm, Mason being forced to play with one arm for half the season, Gaither being forced to play with one shoulder, Flacco's hip this season, Heap's back etc, not to mention both Boldin and Stallworth have been injury prone during their career. Reed is the biggest concern imo, mainly because we haven't heard from him yet, but i'm confident he'll return ready to go and continue to be the "Pick-a-Man" as my 6 year old son calls him.

My intention of this thread isn't to bring the mood or excitment down about the Ravens. However these are 5 realistic things that could prevent the seemingly well balance and Super Bowl ready Ravens from winning it all.

The only one i see as being a major concern is #1, only because no-one can either control or predict when the injury bug will hit or if at all. But for what it's worth i fully expect the Ravens to be a #1 or #2 seed and bless us with 2 home playoff games this year.

Let me know what you think of the list, or even create your own. Just trying to past the time over this last month before camp starts.

[Ed_Reed20]

Good post.

I'm very excited for the season but as you articulated, there are a number of legitimate reasons this may not be the Super Bowl year we expect.

Injuries are what scare me the most. The team is obviously taking steps to ensure they have quality depth behind the starters but there are still some players none of us want to see go down for any amount of time.

I know this thread is about the other side of the argument but [i]hunger[/i] is a big reason I see this being a successful season. There are so many players who are looking to prove themselves for so many reasons. Talent is good but motivated talent is deadly.

[BuckWilds]

Yeah, really good post.

I absolutely agree that some of the 'yet to be realized' issues, like chemistry, the pass rush(I think we were 19th last year, or somewhere thereabouts) and Joe's development are going to be critical. And your other point, about the fact that there's not a lot of time for all of this development to occur, since the front of the schedule is brutal, makes me a little nervous.

The real drama will play out as we try to sift through the camp performances and figure out what is gelling and what is not. It will be like guessing someone's weight while they're wearing a parka. We really won't know the real skinny until they get on the scale vs. the Jets.

[Ravensfan23]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' date='24 June 2010 - 08:10 PM' timestamp='1277424655' post='426077']
Good post.

I'm very excited for the season but as you articulated, there are a number of legitimate reasons this may not be the Super Bowl year we expect.

Injuries are what scare me the most. The team is obviously taking steps to ensure they have quality depth behind the starters but there are still some players none of us want to see go down for any amount of time.

[b]I know this thread is about the other side of the argument but [i]hunger[/i] is a big reason I see this being a successful season. There are so many players who are looking to prove themselves for so many reasons. Talent is good but motivated talent is deadly[/b].
[/quote]

I agree 100%. There are some many players with something to prove, but it's not only just guys at the end of their careers with something to prove. I mean yes, guys like Mason, Reed, Gregg, Heap, Birk, would all love to be able to go out on top winning a SuperBowl.

However you also have a guy like Boldin who wants to prove he is a #1 WR in this league. You have a guy like Stallworth who wants to prove he can still play at a high level in this league. A guy like Redding who wants to prove that he's fully healthy and can get back to playing at a high level, guys like Hamlin, Harris, Fisher, who want to prove they can still help a team.

Then you have the younger group of guys that have something to prove. Flacco and Rice want to prove they can be stars in the NFL. Foxworth wants to prove he's worth the money he got last season, Suggs wants to proves he can still be dominate. Ellerbe wants to be a pro bowl player and possiblity the next Ray Lewis of this team.

I just love the way things are shaping up. Hell even Bulger will be looking to prove he's still a reliable NFL QB, no matter if he sees the field or not, his hard work and determination will rub off on Joe.

[RavensAllTheWay]

Lack of discipline/penalties as well as resiliency are two other issues. Resiliency kind of goes along with #3.

But one thing that would help the secondary more than anything would be to cut down the penalties. We saw last year that a number of scoring drives from opposing offenses came after the defense committed a bondheaded mistake on third down. I understand that the rules have become ridulously in favor of offense, but other teams were able to handle it while we weren't. We must learn to play within them as well. And this goes along with resiliency again because if we do get caught in a situation where we commit a demoralizing penalty on third down or fourth down, we have to bail ourselves out and still refuse to give up points. This didn't happen last year. We paid a price for just about EVERY dumb mistake we made. And it wasn't just the secondary. The entire team I think has to show more maturity out there, and we can't be our own worst enemy.

Very strange to me how ever since we brought Harbs in as our HC, he has stressed the importance of discilpine (or so we think). Yet we saw that the type of team that he evnisions didn't always or even most of the time show up on the field. Also, let's not forget some of the heartbreaking penalties we committed on both sides of the ball in the playoff game against Indy.

[RavensAllTheWay]

[quote name='Ravensfan23' date='24 June 2010 - 08:26 PM' timestamp='1277425590' post='426080']
I agree 100%. There are some many players with something to prove, but it's not only just guys at the end of their careers with something to prove. I mean yes, guys like Mason, Reed, Gregg, Heap, Birk, would all love to be able to go out on top winning a SuperBowl.

However you also have a guy like Boldin who wants to prove he is a #1 WR in this league. You have a guy like Stallworth who wants to prove he can still play at a high level in this league. A guy like Redding who wants to prove that he's fully healthy and can get back to playing at a high level, guys like Hamlin, Harris, Fisher, who want to prove they can still help a team.

Then you have the younger group of guys that have something to prove. Flacco and Rice want to prove they can be stars in the NFL. Foxworth wants to prove he's worth the money he got last season, Suggs wants to proves he can still be dominate. Ellerbe wants to be a pro bowl player and possiblity the next Ray Lewis of this team.

I just love the way things are shaping up. Hell even Bulger will be looking to prove he's still a reliable NFL QB, no matter if he sees the field or not, his hard work and determination will rub off on Joe.
[/quote]
Hopefully, this doesn't detract from our TEAM. Hopefully, the desire of each individual to be under the spotlight doesn't end up creating ego and separation. That's what happened with the Cowboys in 08. Motivated talent will do a lot, but motivated talent mixed with motivated chemistry is EXTREMELY deadly.

[baltravens]

1. Flacco has a misstep, or trips and falls down the season's stairs.

2. WR's don't produce.

3. Some of our stars get hurt: Flacco, Rice, Oher, mutiple CB's, or E. Reed.

4. Defense falters and is inconsistent.

5. We do not play well as a team (offensively and defensively together).

BOY ALL THIS STUFF MAKES ME FEEL BAD!

[Ravensfan23]

[quote name='RavensAllTheWay' date='24 June 2010 - 08:34 PM' timestamp='1277426069' post='426082']
Hopefully, this doesn't detract from our TEAM. Hopefully, the desire of each individual to be under the spotlight doesn't end up creating ego and separation. That's what happened with the Cowboys in 08. Motivated talent will do a lot, but motivated talent mixed with motivated chemistry is EXTREMELY deadly.
[/quote]

The thing is, with all the guys i named, none of the situations really stand out on an individual level. At the end of the day, each player i named would need to focus on working harder within the structure of the team more then anything else.

I think this team has just the right amount of Veteran and youth mixture that ego's won't be a problem. When it's all said and done, this is still Ray's team.

Defensively you will still have Ray and Reed kind of keeping everyone focused.
Offensively you have Mase. As much as Flacco has improved with his leadership, and even though Q is considered the #1WR, Mason will still be that claiming veteran presence on the offensive side of the ball.

So i don't really see ego's becoming a problem with this team, but you are 100% right, if they allow it to become a problem then it'll be a huge problem.

[RavensAllTheWay]

[quote name='Ravensfan23' date='24 June 2010 - 09:01 PM' timestamp='1277427719' post='426097']
The thing is, with all the guys i named, none of the situations really stand out on an individual level. At the end of the day, each player i named would need to focus on working harder within the structure of the team more then anything else.

I think this team has just the right amount of Veteran and youth mixture that ego's won't be a problem. [b]When it's all said and done, this is still Ray's team. [/b]

[b]Defensively you will still have Ray and Reed kind of keeping everyone focused. [/b]
Offensively you have Mase. As much as Flacco has improved with his leadership, and even though Q is considered the #1WR, Mason will still be that claiming veteran presence on the offensive side of the ball.

So i don't really see ego's becoming a problem with this team, but you are 100% right, if they allow it to become a problem then it'll be a huge problem.
[/quote]
Yep, and that's exactly why the Cowboys went after him at the beginning of the 09 offseason.

[PuRock]

You hit it right on the head. I understand that people want to be overly optimistic, but its a long road to a Superbowl. Especially considering that the prior three years have been riddled by injuries. I understand that all teams have injuries, but our's have always been depth crippling. I think we led the NFL with guys on IR the prior year.

But 1st if the O-line can stay healthy, Joe should have a better year. We need Gaither to be out there for a full year. If our cornerbacks can get healthy, our defense will be top notch. So I really hinge the season on the health of our key guys.

I still worry about our pass rush. Hopefully Kindle and Cody help in this area. I was hoping after last season that Suggs would have a fire under his but to show up to all the OTA's and be in shape.

[SupaBwandin]

Our team is so deep right now, injuries to main starters wont kill us. Dont get me wrong, we will be hurt, but not by much.

If Flacco goes down, we have Bulger now.

Ray Rice, McGahee

Deep WR core

Defense has good depth

[PuRock]

[quote name='SupaBwandin' date='24 June 2010 - 10:12 PM' timestamp='1277431967' post='426123']
Our team is so deep right now, injuries to main starters wont kill us. Dont get me wrong, we will be hurt, but not by much.
[/quote]

Here are the key guys we need to stay healthy. Ray Lewis, Gaither/Oher, Cornerbacks. If we can have this group stay healthy the whole season, we will be in great shape.

[RavensAllTheWay]

[quote name='PuRock' date='24 June 2010 - 10:14 PM' timestamp='1277432075' post='426125']
Here are the key guys we need to stay healthy. Ray Lewis, Gaither/Oher, Cornerbacks. If we can have this group stay healthy the whole season, we will be in great shape.
[/quote]
Boldin as well. He will open up this entire offense.

[Milton145]

These are all concerns that every team faces every year...Idk about you guys but I'm not that worried about what things MIGHT go wrong. I'll just sit back and see if we can produce.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='PuRock' date='24 June 2010 - 10:12 PM' timestamp='1277431921' post='426122']
You hit it right on the head. I understand that people want to be overly optimistic, but its a long road to a Superbowl. Especially considering that the prior three years have been riddled by injuries. I understand that all teams have injuries, but our's have always been depth crippling. I think we led the NFL with guys on IR the prior year.

But 1st if the O-line can stay healthy, Joe should have a better year. We need Gaither to be out there for a full year. If our cornerbacks can get healthy, our defense will be top notch. So I really hinge the season on the health of our key guys.

I still worry about our pass rush. Hopefully Kindle and Cody help in this area. [b]I was hoping after last season that Suggs would have a fire under his but to show up to all the OTA's and be in shape.[/b]
[/quote]

I was hoping he'd be at the OTAs too but after seeing all the players that were absent, it doesn't bother me. How he shows up come training camp is what matters most.

[flynismo]

[quote name='baltravens' date='24 June 2010 - 08:36 PM' timestamp='1277426208' post='426084']
1. Flacco has a misstep, or trips and falls down the season's stairs.

2. WR's don't produce.

3. Some of our stars get hurt: Flacco, Rice, Oher, mutiple CB's, or E. Reed.

4. Defense falters and is inconsistent.

5. We do not play well as a team (offensively and defensively together).

BOY ALL THIS STUFF MAKES ME FEEL BAD!
[/quote]

Anything's possible....but history says that the likelihood of Boldin, Mace or the defense not producing is extremely remote.

I think that injuries are the only thing that could concievably stand in our way.

[ed.s52]

Good post.

The only two real problems I dont think you mentioned are penalties and Rice's consistency (as in whether or not he is a one year wonder).


The great part about this though is that I can name just as many, ussually more problems on pretty much every NFL team that can hinder them from a title.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='ed.s52' date='24 June 2010 - 10:39 PM' timestamp='1277433572' post='426141']
Good post.

[b]The only two real problems I dont think you mentioned are penalties and Rice's consistency (as in whether or not he is a one year wonder).
[/b]

The great part about this though is that I can name just as many, ussually more problems on pretty much every NFL team that can hinder them from a title.
[/quote]

Do you really view Rice as a "real problem"? He's a special talent and appears to want to become great.

[ed.s52]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' date='24 June 2010 - 06:43 PM' timestamp='1277433831' post='426145']
Do you really view Rice as a "real problem"? He's a special talent and appears to want to become great.
[/quote]

No,

I simply meant that if he just had one good year and he doesnt do as good as we all expect him to, that really hurts our offense.

[K-Dog]

[quote name='SupaBwandin' date='24 June 2010 - 10:12 PM' timestamp='1277431967' post='426123']
Our team is so deep right now, injuries to main starters wont kill us. Dont get me wrong, we will be hurt, but not by much.

If Flacco goes down, we have Bulger now.

[b]Ray Rice, McGahee[/b]


[/quote]


Apples and oranges.
I am super scared about Ray Rice. If ( God forbid) he get hurt (God forbid) MeGahee is not the calibur of player to compensate.

He is by far #1 on my list of most siginficant impact if injured.
(God forbid)

[RavensAllTheWay]

[quote name='K-Dog' date='24 June 2010 - 10:47 PM' timestamp='1277434022' post='426147']
Apples and oranges.
I am super scared about Ray Rice. If ( God forbid) he get hurt (God forbid) MeGahee is not the calibur of player to compensate.

He is by far #1 on my list of most siginficant impact if injured.
(God forbid)
[/quote]
I'd still put Boldin and Flacco ahead.

[K-Dog]

[quote name='RavensAllTheWay' date='24 June 2010 - 10:48 PM' timestamp='1277434134' post='426149']
I'd still put Boldin and Flacco ahead.
[/quote]
I think Mase and Stalworth are closer to Bolden than McGahee is to Rice.

I dont know much about our new back up QB but I have read many positive things.

[ed.s52]

[quote name='K-Dog' date='24 June 2010 - 06:47 PM' timestamp='1277434022' post='426147']
Apples and oranges.
I am super scared about Ray Rice. If ( God forbid) he get hurt (God forbid) MeGahee is not the calibur of player to compensate.

He is by far #1 on my list of most siginficant impact if injured.
(God forbid)
[/quote]

I dont know,

I would put him up there, but McGahee could be a consistent #1 and I consider the drop from Ray Lewis to Tavares Gooden(or whoever replaces him) and possibly the drop from Flacco to Bulger.

Maybe, I'm not ruling it out, but I'm not sure losing Rice is as bad as losing Flacco or Lewis, especially because RB has stronger depth than those positions.

[Ravensfan23]

[quote name='ed.s52' date='24 June 2010 - 10:39 PM' timestamp='1277433572' post='426141']
Good post.

The only two real problems I dont think you mentioned are penalties and Rice's consistency (as in whether or not he is a one year wonder).


The great part about this though is that I can name just as many, ussually more problems on pretty much every NFL team that can hinder them from a title.
[/quote]

I don't think Ray Rice will be as valuable to the offense this yeas as he was last year, but i think he'll have a better season. Or maybe i shouldn't say he won't be as "valuable" but i should say that the offense won't rely on his production as much this season.

Means teams won't be able to shut the Ravens offense down just by containing Ray Rice. This year having guys like Boldin Mason, Stallworth, Heap, Pitta and Dickson will open things up a lot for Rice.

If teams are forced to focus on Boldin(probably doubled) Mason and Heap(still a mismatch for LB and S) plus the speed of Stallworth, that will not only match Rice up with a LB but it would give him plenty space to make one man miss and gain yac.

Then if they focus on stoping the dump offs to Rice then Flacco will have options down field.

[MagicianCamille]

The injury bug is #1 on every team's "Things that could derail our season" list.

Overall I agree though, this team definitely has some question marks despite all the positive additions.

[Romo Ravens]

Ray Rice has been through so much adversity in his life, he would never let his mind slow him down. He will not be a one year wonder, and I say that with brutal confidence.

The only thing you have to worry about him is his fumbling late in the year last season. I know that's all fundementals, but we can't have a Steve Slaton on our roster. I don't see Rice being injured either, the man stays in incredible shape.

As for our WR core, yes, there is a huge dropoff from Boldin to Mason to whoever our third WR will be. Boldin is elite, we all know that. Mason is supposed to be a number two this year, and that's how he will start the season. The man is 36 years old, how much longer can he play with his shoulder banged up if Q were to get hurt? I know I don't want Clayton as our number one.

If we want to make it far in the postseason, penalties need to be cut down like nobodies business. I think that was taken care of though with the release of Walker. At least Harris is a disciplined veteran.

We have way to much depth on the defensive line to let that kill our season as well. If Reed does go down, you all saw what Zibby did for us last season.

Either way, great post. As fans, we need to learn to slow down and take a step back. The NFL is year to year, Sunday to Sunday, Monday to Monday. Anything can happen in the blink of an eye.

[Q-Bold81]

i agree with everything you just said. that was a great post

but one of the things i am worried about is the chemistry between flacco and boldin. im just eager to find out how well these guys can work together. Im wondering if its going to be good or bad but im definately expecting good.

also boldin is probably one of the most physical wideouts in the league thats why hes been hurt alot the past couple years. But hopefully the guy will stay healthy

[Twoo]

The only thing I see derailing our season is...

1) We lose DB's to injury (Foxworth, Harris, Reed)

2) Boldin is injured, Stallworth doesn't pan out and we're stuck with Mason/Clayton again

3) Our pass rush is non existent for a second year in a row

4) We face the Colts in the playoffs

[Rav'n Maniac]

I think the biggest question we have is Joe stepping up to the challenge this season. I'm not one of those homers out there that thinks Joe hovers about 6 inches off the turf. But, the boy does have abilities along with huge potential. I feel this year, baring serious injury, he will take the next step and separate himself from the pack a little more. Zorn's teachings plus the veteran leadership he now has backing him up can only help him to become a dangerous QB and assist him to reach the next level.

[RayZ27]

Too many penalties can also make us lose. For example, the Week 16 game us at Pittsburgh taking on our rivals. I was shocked everytime they called one.