Next Up: @ St. Louis Rams

[Blex64]

[quote name='ratedr' timestamp='1316571466' post='800015']
We are a completely different team at home. And the Jets are a familiar opponent.
[/quote]

No, were a completely different team in week 2. Of both this season and last.

Were one of the best teams in the league on the road.

[gabefergy]

[quote name='Blex64' timestamp='1316572400' post='800021']

No, were a completely different team in week 2. Of both this season and last.

Were one of the best teams in the league on the road.
[/quote]
We are one of the best teams in the league. Period. We should have beaten the Titans and we should beat the Rams. Unfortunately, we found out last week the hard way that what should happen and what actually happens are not always the same. I am still fully confident that our team is going to bounce back with a big win next week. We were embarrassed last week. Not going to happen again.

What really makes me chuckle is the notion that "we cant beat the cover 2". What a joke. Most teams in the NFL run some version of the cover 2. Some teams stay in it more often or run more complicated underneath zones, but it is a very common defensive strategy. Its ludicrous to suggest that Cam Cameron or Joe Flacco are incapable of defeating it.

[darklight1216]

[quote name='Blex64' timestamp='1316570916' post='800006']

I like how you think we'll beat the Jets but lose to the Rams.
[/quote]
I think the Ravens can beat the Steelers, but lose to the Titans.

[JohnJohnson]

If your game plan has you playing right into the other team's hands, you need to have an alternative, at least on offense. The Titans game reminded me of the Colts playoff game in 2009 (it wasn't quite as bad). We just played like crap the whole game, Flacco included. Makes you wonder if it's the game plan or coaching, and lack of faith of the players.

[Blex64]

[quote name='darklight1216' timestamp='1316574824' post='800059']
I think the Ravens can beat the Steelers, but lose to the Titans. [img]http://content.boards.baltimoreravens.com//public/style_emoticons/default/wink.png[/img]
[/quote]

I think our loss to the Titans was a fluke, just like the huge magin of victory over Pittsburgh was a bit of a fluke (although I think were the better team). Regardless, we've lost to teams with a losing record a grand total of twice since Harbaugh/Flacco came to town, both times were in week 2.

Picking us to lose this weekend is ludicrous.

[wizard1]

[quote name='Blex64' timestamp='1316577260' post='800075']

I think our loss to the Titans was a fluke, just like the huge magin of victory over Pittsburgh was a bit of a fluke (although I think were the better team). Regardless, we've lost to teams with a losing record a grand total of twice since Harbaugh/Flacco came to town, both times were in week 2.

Picking us to lose this weekend is ludicrous.
[/quote]
Ludicrous?? Flacco has 1 300 yard passing game in the last 20 games Bradford has 6- if Jackson is back next week it will be hard for us to win in St. Louis. Did we really keep Sergio Kindle and cut josh Wilson? Can anyone tell me why in a way that makes any sense?

[Blex64]

[quote name='wizard1' timestamp='1316579032' post='800088']
Ludicrous?? Flacco has 1 300 yard passing game in the last 20 games Bradford has 6- if Jackson is back next week it will be hard for us to win in St. Louis. Did we really keep Sergio Kindle and cut josh Wilson? Can anyone tell me why in a way that makes any sense?
[/quote]

Sure, but I'm not going to bother because you like to ignore logic.

[Kwothdaraven]

[quote name='wizard1' timestamp='1316579032' post='800088']

Ludicrous?? Flacco has 1 300 yard passing game in the last 20 games Bradford has 6- if Jackson is back next week it will be hard for us to win in St. Louis. Did we really keep Sergio Kindle and cut josh Wilson? Can anyone tell me why in a way that makes any sense?
[/quote]

Sam bradford also throws it 45 times a game and has no defense. I believe flaccos ypa are a lot higher than bradfords...and his wins

[1/28/01]

[quote name='wizard1' timestamp='1316579032' post='800088']

Ludicrous?? Flacco has 1 300 yard passing game in the last 20 games Bradford has 6- if Jackson is back next week it will be hard for us to win in St. Louis. Did we really keep Sergio Kindle and cut josh Wilson? Can anyone tell me why in a way that makes any sense?
[/quote]
and Cam Newton has 2 400 yard games with 4 picks and 0 wins! Your point above is....?

[berad]

[quote name='wizard1' timestamp='1316579032' post='800088']
Ludicrous?? Flacco has 1 300 yard passing game in the last 20 games Bradford has 6- if Jackson is back next week it will be hard for us to win in St. Louis. Did we really keep Sergio Kindle and cut josh Wilson? Can anyone tell me why in a way that makes any sense?
[/quote]

Sam Bradford does [b]not[/b] have six 300 yard passing games. He only has two, one of which he collected Monday while being blown out. If you're going to be negative, at least do it correctly.

[1/28/01]

[quote name='berad' timestamp='1316608776' post='800166']


Sam Bradford does [b]not[/b] have six 300 yard passing games. He only has two, one of which he collected Monday while being blown out. If you're going to be negative, at least do it correctly.
[/quote]
Hahahahahahaha!!! So now the guy is making stuff up? Awesome....Im becoming more a fan of his each and every day!

[Tank 92]

It seems the discussion is somehow mixed between fantasy league scoring and the actual game.

What we need to see is the balanced, aggressive attack that was evident in the steelers game. I thought we had turned the corner and were cutting the O loose. We did have some injuries last week that limited the options, but didn't need to regress into last year's "play not to lose" mentality. The plodding, vanilla approach no longer works for us, or anyone else for that matter. Gone are the days of any D consistently shutting down teams.

We need someone to step up and be a deep threat to open up the middle. Who is it? Obviously Evans needs some down time. It's time to give Doss and/or Williams some looks. What have we lost if they fail? It would seem that just the attempt would help.

On the other side of the ball, it's simple; We need to pressure the QB and tackle. I don't really care if Bradford gets 300 yards, as long as none of the passes result in TDs. Bend, but don't break!

[Dfence4champs2052]

I'm apprehensive....like I said last week about Hasselbeck and Britt, Bradford is a young, up and coming stalwart. If they sleep on him, he'll torch them. I'm an OU fan and followed him since college. That said I feel we'll get back on track against the Rams. They have no Britt-type player and Jackson and Amendola will probably be out again (hopefully).

[The Black Bird]

I'm more concern with the Rams defense then there offense. First they run the same 43 defense that the Titans run that seem to always give us problems and second there pass defense is ranked 5th in the league so far. I'm pretty sure they will run some cover 2 on us to because Joe seems to struggles against the cover 2. I'm more comfortable in our defense against the rams offense then our offense against the rams defense especially with Lee Evans not being 100%. I hope it is but I don't think this will be as easy as some people think it will be. The rams will be hungry to get there first win at home while we will be hungry to continue our journey to the superbowl like Ray Lewis say. It should be a interesting game.

[Runnin Raven]

I'm tired of having to defend Flacco all the time. This is the kind of game where an "elite" QB finds a way to win. He needs to step up. No excuses about receivers or protection. Make in-game adjustments, make plays. We can't be going 1-2 to start the year. He needs to will us a win.

[Twistidfunk]

I tried reading very few articles this week in an attempt to avoid thinking about the beatdown by the Titans but it is inevitable with football season here. I succumbed and read all I could.

At any rate, it was a disgusting game and all the players are looking to move on. I don't know about you but the Rams do not appear to be very good so the Ravens SHOULD dominate them...

BUT, with the injuries piling up for us (Grubbs, Redding, Cody, Evans, Carr, Foxworth) and the book out on how to beat us courtesy of the Titans I am a bit hesitant about this one.

The Ravens need to win this one and win it big to get back on track. I don't know if that will be possible though. I know the Rams have some guys out like Stephens and Bradford's go to receiver but Bradford is a good QB. He routinely throws over 40 times per game. THAT IS NOT GOOD FOR THE RAVENS.

I look at our db's and I like Webb but Williams is a liability IMO. I was very shocked to see him become the starter, even with his size. So much that did against Britt....oh well, chalk it up as a learning experience for the guy. Game is over. Time to move on....

But, I think we see another pass happy game by the Rams and if we can't get our running game going combined with Cam's inability or intent to make in game adjustments, we are toast.

I am hoping Grubbs can play and if not, Gurode in his absence.

If that is the case!

Ravens - 33
Rams - 24

[RivenHale]

You don't think it's "possible" for a Super Bowl-caliber Ravens team to beat an 0-2 Rams team with a second-year guy under center?

Bradford's good, but the Ravens have a history of rattling younger QBs. I'm not gonna say I'm not worried because, after the Titans, I'm always worried. I will say, though, that we SHOULD win.

[Sunday QB]

Gurode for grubbs. McPhee in for Redding. Jones for Cody. Kindle, Pollard and Web blitzing alot. Activate Doss and use him with Williams and Smith. Rotate Pitta and Dickens alot. Let Vonta Leach smash the linebackers and run the hell out of Rice, Williams and Allen. Get Physical, Play Focused and Play like a Raven!

[Twistidfunk]

well, I don't exactly think we are superbowl caliber right now. If the titans can beat us with Matt Hasselbeck then I am sure a young gunslinger like bradford paid attention last week.

The problem is teams know how to beat the Ravens D now. We don't have our starters in and with Cam's inability to make adjustments, I wouldn't rule this an easy win.

[neoi78]

Its not like every NFL team didnt know how to beat our D before the Titans game.. They aren't watching game film going, "OH! Thats how you do it!". Its about execution.

[Alexir]

Matt Hasselbeck is a good QB especially behind an offensive line giving him that much time. He has some big fast receivers too in Kenny Britt, Nate Washington and Jared Cook.

[Sunday QB]

who knows maybe Brown and Gorrer come in and out play the injured starters. Pollard may step up in coverage. The offense needs to find the tempo and rhythm from week one. The Rams DB's are in bad shape as well and I hope we see Joe make plays down the field to the WR's for big gains. Let's hope the Oline clicks again. Everyone needs to reach deep inside and find that same person who played week one. Focus and execute.

[Suggs Package]

First of all, I'm glad this posting is pinned because so many of us are still stuck in the Tennessee game.

In terms of the Rams defense line, they have some smaller, quicker guys playing rush end in James Hall, and now Robert Quinn. At this point in their careers, they are more pass rush specialists than full rounded DEs. They may beat McKinnie to the outside, but as long as we force them upfield and not let them get inside with the pass rush, we should be ok on passing downs. Hall, in particular, isn't very strong at the point of attack, so I think we'll have great success running on the left side. He can also be pretty aggressive at times too, leaving him susceptible to misdirection plays. On the other side however, Chris Long is as smart and disciplined as they come but lacks some athleticism. Oher however, is known more for his athletic ability, but isn't a technician at this point. This should be a good matchup to watch. In terns of their DTs, they haven't been had much impact and just are there to take up space more than anything. Robbins is too worn out to have any real impact anymore and they don't have a DT that warrants a double team.

Their linebackers have been playing pretty well this year. Poppinga was a great pickup for them and Laurinaitis is becoming an elite MLB. They are all decent in run and pass defense, but if I were to point out the one who's struggling this year, I would say its Ben Leber, who has a groin injury I believe. So I think if we can contain, or even double team Chris Long, we can have a lot of success running in the second level of their defense.
In their secondary, we have to watch out for Mikell. I personally think he's the 3rd best safety in the league after Troy Reed. He can play the run and pass at All Pro levels. The rest of their secondary is suspect at best. It especially hurt losing Ron Bartell. His replacement Jeff King is actually playing better than Fletcher this year. They both seem like fast straight line speed guys who are stiff in the hips, so I see Boldin having a field day if he can get matched up in one-on-one situations.

I don't think the Rams will blitz us a lot, but rather depend on their front four for pressure because of the depth issues at CB. I think the LBs will play a lot of zone and because of that, I don't think a lot of our screens to Rice will be as effective this week. I think they also play a lot of Cover-3 because of their weakness at CB, it allows them to defend the run and the deep pass, and we don't have many quick passes in our offense.

I think our offensive strategy should be to attack their CBs on the outside and if their safeties start to cheat to the outsides, it will leave the middle of the field open for Dickson and Pitta. Think our playoff game against Kansas City. If we can get our running game going concurrently, its going to be easy to get big plays because we will be forcing their safeties to cover a lot of ground.

[RivenHale]

By no means did I think this will be an "easy" win. I don't think there are any in the NFL - check out Cam Newton if you don't believe me. Dude's been losing, but holy CRAP.

I'm just saying this is a "should" win, because we are a better team than the Rams.

[FerrariFan87]

Anyone else concerned about Harbs saying that we couldn't "replicate" the no-huddle in practice?

[PurpleReign92]

It doesn't matter who is competing with us and when they come and compete we need to bring them down... Every game we need to step on the field and focus on "playing like raven," and we will bring get that extra Win and take full control of the North the AFC North...

[Suggs Package]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' timestamp='1316711311' post='801057']
Anyone else concerned about Harbs saying that we couldn't "replicate" the no-huddle in practice?
[/quote]

Haha that is a bit scary. That says a lot about our practice squad.

[CorvusCorax]

[quote name='Suggs Package' timestamp='1316712308' post='801073'] Haha that is a bit scary. That says a lot about our practice squad.[/quote]

It says a lot about our offense!!!

[Jabara]

There are a few things that I'm worried about in this game.
First, they are playing in a dome, which we seem not to do very well in, and we're playing a team at home that is looking hard for it's first win.
The fact that Evans might not play, and if he does he won't be near 100%, otherwise we'd be starting a number of rookies at WR, plus Boldin.
The Rams defense is a 4-3 and they seem to be quite quick, especially in a dome, I think they are better than most think.
The Rams also have a beast at RB.
I guess I just can't overlook any team because of last week's game.

[Whitty Hutton]

I remember Bradford lighting up the Ravens in the preseason as a rookie. I am confidently starting Danario Alexander on my fantasy squad this week