Week 17 @ Bengals - Rest or play starters?

[Tank 92]

[quote name='CosmicRedPanda' timestamp='1356309801' post='1276616']


[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][i]And both teams could share in a pre-game ceremony... The Burning Of The Terrible Towel.[/i][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][i]~ Cosmic[/i][/font]
[/quote]


Whoa back there Panda! You'll have bus loads of Iron City imbibed stiller fans attacking Fort McHenry!

[The Raven]

Rest the guys that need it. Ngata, Suggs, Boldin, maybe Yanda, etc...

Some guys desperately need a day off.

[Tank 92]

I think the worst wounded are rested.

I don't know enough about the seeding to comment further. A guess is that if we win we get the bengals and if we lose we get Indy?

[Guest Mr. Nobody]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1356314457' post='1276952']
Surely of cinci best us and Indy won, we would then be the 5th seed and have to travel to Indy? We want a home playoff game, so win
[/quote]

we won division arnie... can't go lower then 4th seed

[Malkavian Raven]

[quote name='awholelottahaloti' timestamp='1356315035' post='1276983']
Whoa back there Panda! You'll have bus loads of Iron City imbibed stiller fans attacking Fort McHenry!
[/quote]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][i]Sorry... I like fire...[/i][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][i]Maybe a funeral procession? Or towel stomping frenzy?[/i][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][i]Anything that Bengals fans and Ravens fans can hold hands and sing hymns together. ANYTHING!![/i][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][i]~ Cosmic[/i][/font]

[gotekiraven]

Congrats to the 2012 AFC North Champs Baltimore Ravens back to back champs. As for whether they should start their starters next wekk, no!! Why risk furhter injuries for a worthless game with the puddy cats? The defense needs to rest. They need to treat the game next Sunday as their bye to plan and rest for the week after first playoff game.

[Finally]

For those of you who do not remember... Falcons fan here.

I'd like to congratulate you for winning the AFC North and making a true statement game. I am pleased I got to see the game and it was all Ravens.

[Tank 92]

[quote name='CosmicRedPanda' timestamp='1356315420' post='1277002']


[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][i]Sorry... I like fire...[/i][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][i]Maybe a funeral procession? Or towel stomping frenzy?[/i][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][i]Anything that Bengals fans and Ravens fans can hold hands and sing hymns together. ANYTHING!![/i][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][i]~ Cosmic[/i][/font]
[/quote]


I'm with ya'! My sons and I had a mini party at the final whistle of the bungals victory.

[edreedfromtheu]

Well, I don't think one good game gets the offense off the hook.

I think they should play, trying to build some momentum. But people will say there's no need to risk injury. And that we'd be "showing our hand" when we could simply just run a very vanilla generic offensive game and get it over with no matter the outcome.

But, you can't rest everyone. Some starters will have to play. That's what happens with a limited roster size.

The other bad thing about resting starters is, what if a back-up plays really well? People were up-in-arms that some thought back-up players should get more chances on this team. If those back-ups get to play next week, and are allowed to do anything besides waste time... then that only opens the door further.

Play the starters. Try to get the highest seed possible(which is only a difference of 1 spot, and doesn't get a BYE at all. You can try avoiding the 1 or 2 seed for another week, but you're still going to have to beat whatever teams have won their playoff games.

[Crabcakes&Football]

Definitely rest the entire defense. Maybe play the offense for a few series in the 1st quarter to keep the rust at bay. But in my opinion we're playing for nothing. The 3rd and 4th seeds will be just as difficult, and I think the 3rd seed might even have a harder road. A lot of guys are still banged up, even guys that played tonight are nursing injuries. We need everyone to be as close to 100% as possible heading into the playoffs.

[baltravens]

I think we ought to rest nearly all our starters since it appears that we have nothing to gain. Let's just play the Colts and be happy (and healthy) about it!

[Ragin'Raven]

The other Manning is not as scary as the first one we played.

[Moderator 3]

The offense needs to continue working on what they were doing today. There were still some broken plays that need fine tuning.

[Guest Mr. Nobody]

[quote name='Moderator 3' timestamp='1356316617' post='1277070']
The offense needs to continue working on what they were doing today. There were still some broken plays that need fine tuning.
[/quote]

getting ed dickson in more as well, worked today if not for penalties

[Guest Im An Ozzie Newsome Guy]

[quote name='Ragin'Raven' timestamp='1356316209' post='1277051']
The other Manning is not as scary as the first one we played.
[/quote]

No, but are we really going to start "down-playing" this win, already? The New York Giants, the defending Super Bowl champions, couldn't even move the ball on offense and the defense couldn't stop the Ravens from moving the chains with ease. Case-in-point, it was a statement game and this was type of game Baltimore needed heading into the playoffs. Joe Flacco and the offense need to light-up the scoreboard against the Bengals, once again, to continue this momentum.

[Ravenseconbeast]

[quote name='gotekiraven' timestamp='1356315471' post='1277005']
Congrats to the 2012 AFC North Champs Baltimore Ravens back to back champs. As for whether they should start their starters next wekk, no!! Why risk furhter injuries for a worthless game with the puddy cats? The defense needs to rest. They need to treat the game next Sunday as their bye to plan and rest for the week after first playoff game.
[/quote]

We can get humiliated, injure our depths, lose #3 seed, and get hounded by media all week.

So theres that... :-D

[HaX]

I would love them to carry the momentum and get even more a grasp of the new OC

[hawkprey]

Guys like Suggs and Ray Lewis shouldn't be forced to play, but we shouldn't be pulling starters early. The best team in the postseason is the one that comes in hot. Not the one that plays safe. If we risk injury, that's part of the game.

[redlobster]

Indy is locked in as 5th seed , cincy is locked in as 6th seed . I say play some starters for first half , anybody desperately needing a break let them be inactive , ie: pollard , reed , suggs,maybe ellerbe , boldin . That way some players like laquan Williams , doss, Thompson, gradkowski, can get offensive snaps . Get Hamilton some more time and Omar brown. Honestly I'd prefer the ravens lose , colts IMO will be an easier victory than cincy two weeks in a row

[cursona pirate]

[quote name='hawkprey' timestamp='1356319060' post='1277188']
Guys like Suggs and Ray Lewis shouldn't be forced to play, but we shouldn't be pulling starters early. The best team in the postseason is the one that comes in hot. Not the one that plays safe. If we risk injury, that's part of the game.
[/quote]
There could be injury any down it's football. Our whole team could get injured. Play the starters. The giants played threw last year and they did pretty fine.

[Corvus]

How crazy would it be if the Ravens beat the Bengals, the Patriots lose to the Dolphins and we move up to the 3 seed, just to play the Bengals again 6 or 7 days later? I don't forsee the Pats losing so its probably a moot point, but an intriguing possibility.

[flaccopoe]

[quote name='redlobster' timestamp='1356319447' post='1277204']
Indy is locked in as 5th seed , cincy is locked in as 6th seed . I say play some starters for first half , anybody desperately needing a break let them be inactive , ie: pollard , reed , suggs,maybe ellerbe , boldin . That way some players like laquan Williams , doss, Thompson, gradkowski, can get offensive snaps . Get Hamilton some more time and Omar brown. Honestly I'd prefer the ravens lose , colts IMO will be an easier victory than cincy two weeks in a row
[/quote]

Agree with you wholeheartedly!

[Ravensfan23]

The Bengals have nothing to play for and the Ravens have nothing to play for. Go out play your starters for the first half and then let the backups ball. I think certain guys just won't play. Rice, Boldin, and probably Pitta won't play. You might give Gino a chance to start, just to give a old guy like Birk rest. Flacco, Smith and Jones probably get a quarter of action, maybe a half depending on how things go. I would love to see Reed, LQW and DT get plenty of action, even with Joe still playing, however Tyrod will likely be throwing to those guys.

On defense, if we held Ngata out of the Raiders game, can't see why they'd let him play this game. Pollard sits, while Suggs and Reed maybe gets a series or 2, those guys hate not playing. Probably won't see much of Cary or Ellerbe after 1st half. Probably won't see much of Kurger, so Hamilton should get plenty looks.

For the people that say the Ravens should clean house, well this game is for you. Plenty of young guys will play in this game

[Sizzlebshu]

[quote name='cursona pirate' timestamp='1356319915' post='1277223']
There could be injury any down it's football. Our whole team could get injured. Play the starters. The giants played threw last year and they did pretty fine.
[/quote]
They had to to make the playoffs...

[Ravenseconbeast]

[quote name='Corvus' timestamp='1356320155' post='1277232']
How crazy would it be if the Ravens beat the Bengals, the Patriots lose to the Dolphins and we move up to the 3 seed, just to play the Bengals again 6 or 7 days later? I don't forsee the Pats losing so its probably a moot point, but an intriguing possibility.
[/quote]

How about AFC championship @ our turf? When patriots comes to our place and we knocked them out?

[flaccopoe]

I've been told that IND is locked into the 5 seed, holding the tiebreaker over the 6-seed Bengals. Thus, BAL can clinch an AFCWCG matchup with a loss to CIN next week.

[flaccopoe]

Fun fact: BAL has set a new franchise record for most points scored at home in a season (254) in spite of the Steelers and Broncos debacles!

[Purple Nurple]

[quote name='flaccopoe' timestamp='1356330032' post='1277520']
Fun fact: BAL has set a new franchise record for most points scored at home in a season (254) in spite of the Steelers and Broncos debacles!
[/quote]

That is fun!

[Gordo52]

[quote name='Finally' timestamp='1356315512' post='1277008']
For those of you who do not remember... Falcons fan here.

I'd like to congratulate you for winning the AFC North and making a true statement game. I am pleased I got to see the game and it was all Ravens.
[/quote]
Can't wait to beat yall in the superbowl.

[Gordo52]

Just realized that we beat the defending AFC (grrrrr) & NFC Champions this year. I know alot of things are different right now going back to last year, but I just thought it was cool. We can beat anybody if we play like we know we can!