Bye Week, Then Houston @ Ravens

[Npane171]

With the bye week coming up, what are you guys looking most forward to? The return of Lee Evans to the offense? Some rest all round for the entire team? Maybe some rectifications to our offensive performance?

After tonight's performance, how do you think we will stand up against and pretty decent Houston Texans team? It should be interesting.

Just some of my thoughts:

I don't think Joe did great tonight. Tonight is a night the Flacco naysayers win. However, hopefully Joe will correct his mistakes. I like Joe but it sure can be exhausting to defend him sometimes. I think we should have run the ball more in the 1st half. Putting the ball on Joe' shoulder that much against great CB's was dangerous. I thought play-action looked great against St. Louis...too bad we didn't utilize it as much tonight.

I wasn't very impressed with our offensive line. I hope the addition of Ben Grubbs will help out.

Our defense looks stellar. Great job. If we can remain this way, with some offensive correction, I think we will beat Houston.

[Kwothdaraven]

The exciting part is that this defense will only get better when jimmy smith gets back.

Joe didn't look great but his recievers weren't helping him either, and they were covered by revis and cromartie.

[ratedr]

The bye came at the best possible time. We'll be ready for Houston on offense and defense.

[Alexir]

Flacco got to take his shots down field! that matters the most!

[The Black Bird]

I'm looking forward to Jimmy coming back.. we have a lot of big physical WR coming up starting with Johnson..so Jimmy will help out a lot in our secondary. I'm also looking forward to see Evans back at the #2 spot with Smith.. our speed on offense with those two should cause problems for a lot of teams.Yes the offense wasn't that great tonite, but we had 3 rookie receivers in there tonite.. we do have to remember that... Evans will help out a lot.

[Adam Jones]

[quote name='The Black Bird' timestamp='1317619776' post='813865']
I'm looking forward to Jimmy coming back.. we have a lot of big physical WR coming up [b]starting with Johnson[/b]..
[/quote]

He's probably out, he went down rough in that game.

[colljb9]

Just a few things i got from this game that should translate to the Texans game:

1. No matter who we play on the defense, guys are stepping up...i mean even ayanbadejo played well at linebacker tonight and it was great to see arthur jones get some playing time. Look for this depth to really hurt houston because they have a very good offensive line, but you cant ware down 15 players constantly rotating.

2. The emergence of danny gorrer. Now I'm not pulling a one game wonder but this kid had a very good preseason which is why we put him on the practice squad. Three cornerbacks go down and this kid is forced into the game, and not only does he play well but he was pretty much step for step with santonio holmes (the guy whose scored a touchdown in the last 7 games against the ravens bar tonight). I'm not saying this will continue but the fact he was forced into action and played well against an outstanding wide receiver gives me great hope.

3. We can still run the ball. Yes Houston has williams and watt but we have Mckinnie and vonta leach along with the rest of our line. I liked how we finally got back to the run game later in the game and was pretty effective at doing it. We rattled off 10 straight runs only to be stopped by a fumble by williams, who, as a veteran will get that figured out. Im excited to see us get back to the run game and not making flacco throw 35+ times a game.

4. I know ill probably draw some flack for this but i want lee evans in the slot as well as on the outside. Obviously i want to see evans and smith streaking down the sideline just to see how the defense reacts to the overwhelming speed BUT evans is a veteran and he is fast. Put him on a crossing route and its very hard for a corner to keep up, if flacco leads him correctly evans can turn upfield and have lots of room to run. With the blocking i have seen from our tight ends and receivers so far, an underneath catch to a speedster like evans could have 6 written all over it.

5. I really cant remember a year where our top 4 defensive players of lewis, suggs, ngata, and reed are all putting it together. If one wasnt hurt, then another had an inconsistent game while another performed at the elite level they all play at. This year, through all 4 games (yes in tennessee they played well its just the titans gameplanned to get the ball out as quickly as possible against our improving banged up secondary) all of them have played at the highest level together. Football is a team sport, and when 4 of the 11 starters are playing at all pro levels (as in top 5 in the nfl at their respective positions) its fun to see what they can do. That being said, most impressive is the supporting cast. It might just be me but this ravens defense looks to have really gained back its swagger with Pagano at the helm, and every seems dedicated. Tonight we played a practice squad first year starter, a guy from nicholls state (NOT bashing the school just showing a guy who went to a less well known school) a rookie in brown, and practice squader in gorrer. Our top 4 corners in the game have a combined NFL experience level of 8 years. I just absolutely cannot wait to get smith and carr back and watch our defensive leaders will this team.

6. Flacco is still inconsistent. Granted the passing game was not ideal against a team like the Jets, but i dont want to keep watching him torch bad secondaries. I dont think manning or rodgers or brees or brady walk into a game and go, shoot, revis and cromartie, hey coach i think ill shut myself down and lets just run the ball. Now our receivers did not do a great job of getting open today but you need to pick your spots. There were some drops but also some flacco wants back.The fumble is ABSOLUTELY inexcusable...you see someone running after you, you cover up, drop down, or throw it away. That being said flacco showed some great throws like the one to rice for that big gain and one of the ones to dickson fitting it into tight spaces. I just hope flacco can respond and play to the level he has shown

[Ravens Beast]

Time to get HEALTHY!!!

Jimmy Smith, Carr, Grubbs, Evans, Nakamura, and whoever else is feeling aches and pains will be 100%. We will need that. We will be playing a very good team. They are a little battered and bruised themselves, but their bye week isn't until after we play them. Should be a good game.

[RavensAllTheWay]

I'm most looking forward to Grubbs' return. Far and away the biggest injury on this team if you ask me. It's funny though how the entire left side of the O line these last two weeks was made up of cast off vets. And we saw the damage. I'm not sold on Gurode or the O line as a whole, though McKinney has done well for the most part.

[Kwothdaraven]

I REALLY like l webbin the nickel. He has played pretty damn well at lcb but that's jimmys spot. Webbs game fits great in the nickel spot. He's great at blitzing and tackling, while jimmy is great at man coverage. I can't wait to see what this d can do with jimmy back there locking guys down

[big hits and ball hawks]

I'm looking forward to the return of the injured players. Ravens Beast pretty much said it all. I'm also looking forward to a bounce back game from the offense as a whole, I'd like to see them dominate and Houston's D will be a decent match up. I'm thinking the Ravens' D will only be stronger with the rest and return of key players, so I'd like to see them continue to dominate against a pretty good Houston offense.

However, I will not be looking forward to the waiting around for the game.

[reediddy]

[quote name='Alexir' timestamp='1317618975' post='813834']
Flacco got to take his shots down field! that matters the most!
[/quote]

I loved that, kept the defense honest. I REALLY wanted Flacco to throw the long ball to Torrey a lil more on point, when he was covered by Revis. That'd be a story hahaa

[reediddy]

[quote name='big hits and ball hawks' timestamp='1317631224' post='813986']
I'm looking forward to the return of the injured players. Ravens Beast pretty much said it all. I'm also looking forward to a bounce back game from the offense as a whole, I'd like to see them dominate and Houston's D will be a decent match up. I'm thinking the Ravens' D will only be stronger with the rest and return of key players, so I'd like to see them continue to dominate against a pretty good Houston offense.

However, I will not be looking forward to the waiting around for the game.
[/quote]

That next week will be brutal haha. But the Houston game will be tough too, good thing we host them. Their defense attacks and they have players. I think we can take care of their offense though

[BmoreRavens732]

Ben grubbs is a beast n even tho gurode played pretty good he is still no Ben...lee Evans brings more speed n veteran experience to the outside n having him back is a HUGE plus n advantage n the 2games Torrey started def boosted his confidence especially after the rams game n btw did any1 see Torrey beat revis deep I think he knows exactly how to use his speed to kill defenses after beatin revis so can u imagine him in the slot vs a average nickel or safety now....with Jimmy comin back with carr n Cary n webby playin lights out...sh#*s bouta get serious...n haruki is a solid nickel n safety n can blitz pretty well also....if we can stay healthy after the bye the sky is literally the limit. GO RAVENS!!!!

[big hits and ball hawks]

[quote name='reediddy' timestamp='1317631342' post='813989']

That next week will be brutal haha. But the Houston game will be tough too, good thing we host them. Their defense attacks and they have players. I think we can take care of their offense though
[/quote]

It's going to get real tough once they move onto week 5 match ups, even though I think I could watch that Webb pick 6 over and over again. I'm not taking Houston lightly, I'm just going to wait until I have a better idea on how the teams look before I give a more "in-depth" view of the game. Although, I do feel good about it.

[Pääjärvi]

I predicted before the season started that Houston will be our toughest opponent at home out of the big 3 (Steelers,Jets,Texans). That team is rolling,they have a new defensive scheme which works great for them and the unfinished business attitude after we beat them in OT last season. We also tend to struggle against big,skilled wr (who doesn't?)and Andre Johnson is simply the best in the show....don't know about you but I hope he makes a quick recover and gets to play.

[Ravenslifer]

I just hope this team uses the time off to rest up, get healthy, and for the offense especially, work on getting more in synch. If we can get the offensive unit gelling as much as the defensive unit has so far, we are going to be very, very hard to beat.

[mgridda]

I'm most excited for when Joe Flacco and Torrey Smith look at the film today and see that if they had just practiced and worked on their timing together a little more, put in extra hours more to be on the same page and got to know each other so they function like Swiss clockwork out there that they could have had 3 touchdowns and 4 big plays there (I figure if Joe didn't over throw Torrey on Revis, then Revis was right at his heels and would have tackled him).

So, I'm excited for the next two weeks of Flacco and Torrey working together. Because even with Lee Evans back when we go 3 wide, Torrey and Lee are on the outside and Q is in the slot. I'm also excited for all the work we can get done over the bye. I'm excited because Wade Phillip's defense is blitz heavy 3-4, and Joe Flacco excels against that type of defense. They ate Roethlisberger alive, but Joe does well when he's blitzed, it helps him see whose open. Rex knows that so he rarely sent more than 4 rushers at Joe. Joe torched the Wade Phillip's Dallas defense a few years ago. I'm excited at the prospect of the offensive line going into the film room and getting a feel for what the Texans pass rush tries to do. The fact of the matter is, McKinnie has expressed "getting on the same page" as the guy to his left many times, but unfortunately that guy has changed. Grubbs one game, Levoir the next, two with Gurode and now back to Grubbs (hopefully). Grubbs return should help this offense more than anything, including Lee Evans' return.

I'm not excited to see our blitzing run defense playing the zone blocking scheme of the Houston Texans. I have Arian Foster on my fantasy team, and I don't know if the Texans are going to break out an embarassing rushing attack like the Giants did a few years ago on what was then the #1 rushing defense in the NFL. I'm sitting Foster though and probably starting McGahee. I can only hope our run defense shuts them out. I am excited about all the work we can get in over the bye. All the mental reps against Houston and their rushing attack, because Andre Johnson might be out for the season.

[jdynamite]

i'm looking forward to injuries healing up for players... Hopefully after the bye week Lee Evans can return, as well as Jimmy Smith, maybe Carr could get closer to 100%, Ben Grubbs should heal up as well, Not sure about Nakamura status though....

Hopefully during this bye week we iron out a few things and comeback and play more consistently, finish offensive drives with TDs, continue to get pressure on opposing QBs but finish the play off with sacks... I would like to see our QB pressures force more erratic throws leading to INTs because Cary Williams is due a int he has played very well....

[jdynamite]

I believe we have the type of team that we should be able to run for 125-150 total rushing yards in any game if we have combined carries near 25+.... If ray rice or Ricky gets going early on in 1st qtr that will only open up the screens to them even more... I want to see WRs step up and get more catches also... Texans defense had major problems covering Jimmy Graham against the Saints so hopefully Dickson and Pitta can make huge contributions....

[Runnin Raven]

Pretty exciting to think about the possibilities when we get some of these guys healed up (Grubbs, Evans, J. Smith, Carr, Ruki). Even Zibi gets a week off at the right time (concussion).

[Ed_Reed20]

Prior to the season, I didn't like the thought of an early bye. With all the key player battling injuries, it's looking like a godsend. Hopefully, guys like Evans and Jimmy will be able to get healthy and stay on the field when they return.

[FerrariFan87]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1317653514' post='814224']
Prior to the season, I didn't like the thought of an early bye. With all the key player battling injuries, it's looking like a good thing. Hopefully, guys like Evans and Jimmy will be able to get healthy and stay on the field when they return.
[/quote]

It's amazing what this team's been able to do given the amount of injuries to key starters/players... getting Evans, The Jimmy, and Grubbs back after the Bye (hopefully) will only make us that much better.