Mark Schlereth on ESPN's "In or Out"

[izvoodoo]

Yeah I actually generally like Schlereth as an analyst.

They're not going to know whats going on with every team, and how high to be on players until they see it.  Besides, making the playoffs is tough.  We have a difficult schedules, injuries happen.  Depth is challenged.  But I consider us division favorites.

[Medications]

it's so frustrating that so many of these talking heads know less about football than I do, and they get paid wayyyyy more than I do just to talk about it

[beanfigger]

So many people are picking the Dolphins to make the playoffs instead of us.  Maybe they will be good, but they have to show me first before I believe.  This bandwagon is full, and no one has even seen how this team plays together will all their new pieces.  There is reason for optimism, I guess, but this seemingly unanimous support is confusing.  Other teams' fans might feel the same way if there were unanimous support for the Ravens with their new pieces, but at least Baltimore has had a winning team for a while now.  This is like when all the experts were picking the Blue Jays to win the AL East.  I was skeptical then, too, and look how that's turned out.

[Alexir]

I used to watch ESPN every day. Now I don't watch it because they put up a bunch of talking heads who don't know squat. I do like Chris Berman and Stuart Scott but everyone else is pretty bad (except SVP as well).

 

[Alexir]

So many people are picking the Dolphins to make the playoffs instead of us.  Maybe they will be good, but they have to show me first before I believe.  This bandwagon is full, and no one has even seen how this team plays together will all their new pieces.  There is reason for optimism, I guess, but this seemingly unanimous support is confusing.  Other teams' fans might feel the same way if there were unanimous support for the Ravens with their new pieces, but at least Baltimore has had a winning team for a while now.  This is like when all the experts were picking the Blue Jays to win the AL East.  I was skeptical then, too, and look how that's turned out.

Not to go off topic but who the hell do the Dolphins have? Last time I checked their 2 biggest pick ups are Wallace and Ellerbe. Whoopity doo! And they have a no name RB, lost their LT and I just don't see  a lot of talent on either side of the ball.

[ratedr]

Not to go off topic but who the hell do the Dolphins have? Last time I checked their 2 biggest pick ups are Wallace and Ellerbe. Whoopity doo! And they have a no name RB, lost their LT and I just don't see  a lot of talent on either side of the ball.

I actually liked the Dolphins before they went on their FA spending spree. If anyone watched the Dolphins last year, they could've easily been a 10-6 team if not for Dan Carpenter shanking some easy field goals. In fact, I think they're a better team than the Colts. They have a decent enough defense, new help at receiver, and besides the Ravens/Giants, there's nothing that gives Tom Brady more trouble than playing @Miami.

 

Now that everyone is picking them, I feel like I need to back off a little. But damn, I was on their bandwagon first lol. Their OL is a concern though, I completely forgot about them losing Long. But Long has always been injury-prone, so I figure they'll be able to adjust.

[The Oakland Cathedral]

I used to watch ESPN every day. Now I don't watch it because they put up a bunch of talking heads who don't know squat. I do like Chris Berman and Stuart Scott but everyone else is pretty bad (except SVP as well).

I love SVP and Russillo. Two of the few redeemable characters for espn.

[beanfigger]

I actually liked the Dolphins before they went on their FA spending spree. If anyone watched the Dolphins last year, they could've easily been a 10-6 team if not for Dan Carpenter shanking some easy field goals. In fact, I think they're a better team than the Colts. They have a decent enough defense, new help at receiver, and besides the Ravens/Giants, there's nothing that gives Tom Brady more trouble than playing @Miami.

 

Now that everyone is picking them, I feel like I need to back off a little. But damn, I was on their bandwagon first lol. Their OL is a concern though, I completely forgot about them losing Long. But Long has always been injury-prone, so I figure they'll be able to adjust.

 

Funny thing is, I'm with you.  I liked the Dolphins last year, and I had high hopes for them coming into this season.  I wish they would have worked harder to keep their current roster together and build it up.  Teams that go this hard in FA rarely attain early results.  I think they will struggle, and they will probably go through a long spell where they have trouble finding out how to win as a team.  The Wallace signing was good for them, but they acted like they couldn't stop and had to keep buying and buying.  Retaining Long and Dansby would have seemed more prudent moves than a lot of their new additions.  Then, they made a huge leap in the draft and took Jordan instead of a replacement for Long.  I agree that they could easily be better than the Colts, who really overachieved last season (even though I like the Colts moves this offseason).  I don't think the Dolphins will be miserable, but I need to see them play like a playoff team before I believe they are one ahead of the teams that have proven to be just that for that past few seasons.

[rmw10]

I actually liked the Dolphins before they went on their FA spending spree. If anyone watched the Dolphins last year, they could've easily been a 10-6 team if not for Dan Carpenter shanking some easy field goals. In fact, I think they're a better team than the Colts. They have a decent enough defense, new help at receiver, and besides the Ravens/Giants, there's nothing that gives Tom Brady more trouble than playing @Miami.

 

Now that everyone is picking them, I feel like I need to back off a little. But damn, I was on their bandwagon first lol. Their OL is a concern though, I completely forgot about them losing Long. But Long has always been injury-prone, so I figure they'll be able to adjust.

 

Agreed, and as Bean said, I think Wallace was a great pickup for them, as well as the other talent they put around an underrated player in Tannehill.  I do think they overspent for the defense on average players, and made a bad choice in picking Jordan over an OT.  I definitely think they're a team heading toward contention, though.

[BMORElegacy]

He admits when he starts talking about the Ravens that he's "not that bright" so I think we should take him for his word.

[AsianRice]

I rarely visit ESPN channel unless they broadcast Ravens' games.....

[Bravens292]

ESPN football (TV)

I like Boomer and TJ (miss primetime), Ditka, Stephen A, Bruschi, Jaws (turrible to take him off MNF), Herm (most of the time)

I hate Skip (stating the obvious), Hoge (can't stand him), Hasselbeck (so glad matt had a better career), Keyshawn, Marcellus

[TonyTone1192]

Difference is that at that point in his career Joe had already won multiple playoff games.

I agree.. But Joe didn't do it alone. He's had a better running back(a number 1 back), Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and much better Ravens FO.

I'm not saying that Dalton is great. His team is solid & his offense his maturing. We can't hold QB's to the same measuring stick.

Perfect example Joe Flacco. He won't put up "great fantasy numbers" but he knows how to win games.

[TonyTone1192]

I get what you mean, but like Miami Hurricane said, at this point in his career Flacco had already shown potential. He already had a playoff game-winning drive under his belt (@TEN) and an epic should've been comeback against one of the best teams in the league (@MIN).

Also, Dalton has very limited physical tools. His deep ball might be one of the worst in the league. In my opinion he's a high floor/low ceiling type - he'll rarely make you tear your hair out (like Flacco does sometimes) but at the same time there isn't much he can do to threaten a defense with his arm. They really should've won against Houston but didn't because Dalton couldn't get Green the ball consistently. As good as Green's numbers are they would be soooooo much better with a QB who could actually threaten defenses deep. Besides Megatron I honestly think Green is the best receiver in the league.

Megatron
Fitzgerald
Green

Let's not forget what Fitzgerald can do when he has someone to put the ball in his area code. Green has put up better numbers b/c he has a QB.
Now I agree that Dalton's game is limited in some aspects but I do believe that Green led the league in reception TD's last year, that would not be possible w/o a solid QB and an offensive line.
The Texans defense has been top 5 year in and year out for the past several years. So for a young offense to go on the road in a playoff game and look sharp is very difficult. 2 seasons ago the Texans gave us trouble in the Divisional rd, our offense did not look sharp at all.
I'm just saying that Dalton is not a great QB but he's a starter. Many teams around the league would love to have a "starting" QB, he's no scrub.

[jdynamite]

Not to go off topic but who the hell do the Dolphins have? Last time I checked their 2 biggest pick ups are Wallace and Ellerbe. Whoopity doo! And they have a no name RB, lost their LT and I just don't see a lot of talent on either side of the ball.

Well I think dolphins fans are probably more optimistic because they had a surprising 7-9 record last year Rookie QB that looked good with nearly no weapons, I don't think lost of R.Bush will be felt because Lamar Miller should replace him. Jake long was often injured last year although still a above average LT he wasn't as dominate. Mike Wallace is solid pick up for them along with Keller.

Middle of pack offense and middle of pack defense just hoping to get better I guess lol. I think there secondary has a lot to prove.

[jdynamite]

See I don't mind if an analyst doesn't pick The Ravens to make the playoffs or win division. But I just hate when they can't give reasoning behind these choices.

Heath Evans just last week said on NFLN that no team in the AFC north will have above 8-8 record... And the team with that record will be the Steelers ....
Okay so why is that? I mean the last 2 years the division has had 3 teams with at least 8 wins Ravens, Steelers, & Bengals, so what is the reasoning behind 2 of them struggling?

I think sometimes Heath Evans just watches Jamie Dukes previous comments and figures how can I top this what can I say !!!

[jdynamite]

Megatron
Fitzgerald
Green

Let's not forget what Fitzgerald can do when he has someone to put the ball in his area code. Green has put up better numbers b/c he has a QB.
Now I agree that Dalton's game is limited in some aspects but I do believe that Green led the league in reception TD's last year, that would not be possible w/o a solid QB and an offensive line.
The Texans defense has been top 5 year in and year out for the past several years. So for a young offense to go on the road in a playoff game and look sharp is very difficult. 2 seasons ago the Texans gave us trouble in the Divisional rd, our offense did not look sharp at all.
I'm just saying that Dalton is not a great QB but he's a starter. Many teams around the league would love to have a "starting" QB, he's no scrub.

This is really in response to the end of comment u commented on and your WR list.

Because since u said don't forget Fitzgerald I feel I must say don't forget Andre Johnson, who just constantly performs at high level even while injured. Until these last 2 seasons where Calvin has finally reached his potential as Top WR. I always felt Johnson and Fitzgerald were 1A & 1B as WRs. AJ green is definitely gunning for a Top WR spot.
Yes Fitzgerald played with abysmal QB play but to not even get 800 yds receiving & have 4 games with under 15 yards receiving is not acceptable for a top playmaker.

Going into next season I'd rank my WRs like this:
1) Calvin Johnson
2) Andre Johnson
3) AJ Green
4) Fitzgerald
5) Brandon Marshall
6) Julio Jones
7) Dez Bryant
( list not necessarily for guys that work slot mostly)

[Tank 92]

In Schlereths defense. If we turn it around he'll admit he's wrong and give us credit. He's just skeptical, and he has the right to be.

If we turn what around? Our consistent success in making the playoffs?

I guess we shouldn't expect Mark to know that the Ravens have signed Doom, Huff, Canty, Spears, Smith, etc.. Yeah, we should all be "skeptical" and not optimistic. LMAO!

[A Fish Called Yanda]

We always get talked about like this by the analysts.  I feel like the reason this happens is because we are a small market team.  No one really sees who we are until we do something to put us in the national headlines.  This offseason, we were in the headlines because we were hemorrhaging players.  There was barely any news about who we picked up except for when we got Doom - which everyone seems to have forgotten already.

 

I hope our defense comes out and absolutely crushes everyone.  It certainly has the potential, and even if our offense produces a couple of TDs a game, we should be able to put W's on the board.

[H8R]

Hes a blowhard, and pretty much useless as an analyst .

[izvoodoo]

If we turn what around? Our consistent success in making the playoffs?

I guess we shouldn't expect Mark to know that the Ravens have signed Doom, Huff, Canty, Spears, Smith, etc.. Yeah, we should all be "skeptical" and not optimistic. LMAO!

No I'm optimistic, I'm just saying he's not wrong to be skeptical.  I guess we're not really turning it around.  More like if we come out of that gate swinging he'll appreciate this.

[TonyTone1192]

This is really in response to the end of comment u commented on and your WR list.

Because since u said don't forget Fitzgerald I feel I must say don't forget Andre Johnson, who just constantly performs at high level even while injured. Until these last 2 seasons where Calvin has finally reached his potential as Top WR. I always felt Johnson and Fitzgerald were 1A & 1B as WRs. AJ green is definitely gunning for a Top WR spot.
Yes Fitzgerald played with abysmal QB play but to not even get 800 yds receiving & have 4 games with under 15 yards receiving is not acceptable for a top playmaker.

Going into next season I'd rank my WRs like this:
1) Calvin Johnson
2) Andre Johnson
3) AJ Green
4) Fitzgerald
5) Brandon Marshall
6) Julio Jones
7) Dez Bryant
( list not necessarily for guys that work slot mostly)

 

I can agree that under 800 yards receiving is not acceptable for a player of his caliber. But Andre Johnson plays in a much better system as well as a much better offense. He has the benefit of playing with a pro-bowl QB as well as Running back. They have dual threats on that offense. You look at the Cardinals offense and you know there is only ONE player that you have to focus on containing, the rest are role players or scrubs. If we are going off of numbers and potential then I agree with your list. But if we are going off of sheer talent then I cannot agree.

 

Megatron

Fitzgerald

Green

Andre Johnson

Marshall

Julio Jones

 

Dez Bryant

[Tank 92]

No I'm optimistic, I'm just saying he's not wrong to be skeptical.  I guess we're not really turning it around.  More like if we come out of that gate swinging he'll appreciate this.

I just find it curious(although I think I understand why) that the majority of the talking heads focus on negatives when speaking about the Ravens, but always seem to rationalize how other teams(I.e. pburgh, patsies, etc.) will be the ones to succeed no matter their situation. Although I could care less, even after winning the SB we get little respect in the national press for the masterful planning and squad management done by our FO.

Let 'em keep underestimating us. It will be that much more enjoyable when we succeed!

[Tank 92]

Hes a blowhard, and pretty much useless as an analyst .

Don't hold back, say how you really feel! LOL!

[easternshore97]

One of those people that thinks he knows more than he actually knows...

[jdynamite]

I can agree that under 800 yards receiving is not acceptable for a player of his caliber. But Andre Johnson plays in a much better system as well as a much better offense. He has the benefit of playing with a pro-bowl QB as well as Running back. They have dual threats on that offense. You look at the Cardinals offense and you know there is only ONE player that you have to focus on containing, the rest are role players or scrubs. If we are going off of numbers and potential then I agree with your list. But if we are going off of sheer talent then I cannot agree.
 
Megatron
Fitzgerald
Green
Andre Johnson
Marshall
Julio Jones
 
Dez Bryant

The list in my mind is a combination of current stats ( most recent performance, a down year for a player that has been really consistent like Fitzgerald taken into consideration as rare), potential (what can be done in the future).

As far as Andre Johnson playing in a better system, that Texans offense just became above average the last 2 seasons, for years it was simply throw the ball to Johnson and hope some RB can fit into the zone-blocking run game. Johnson has never played along side a good complimentary WR, never had a WR or TE that reach 1,000 yds, it has always been Andre Johnson and whoever else. For the most part the Texans have always had an erratic offense it was pass to Johnson and hope some else contributes, run the ball regardless of production. These last 3 years the Texans have had a dominate run game with Arian Foster emerging, but Andre Johnson has bit injured some....

And on the other hand with Fitzgerald ( not to dismiss or downgrade his greatness in anyway, only for sake of talk lol) the Cardinals "system" has always been built around a heavy passing game spreading the ball around, developing a rushing attack was often an after-thought and their run attack has been abysmal... Fitzgerald hasn't had to play alone for long he lost Boldin 3 years ago, then Breaston the next season so he's just learning what it's like to have no WR or TE help like A.Johnson lol....
If I had to pick one reason to elevate Fitzgerald above Andre Johnson then I would have to go back to 2008 playoffs when Fitzgerald broke playoff receiving records, but that was with Kurt Warner throwing the passes. an incredible offense at the time... Schaub is good but he's not gonna elevate anyone to a new level.

[jdynamite]

I really think that we are going to get over losing players really fast when the new players turn us into a top 5 defense.  The main loss on offense was Birk and Boldin.  We have Gradkowski to fill in after studying under Birk last season.  We can only hope that Doss can show something or we may need to pick up a veteran WR in 2 months when they are desperate for a contract.  On defense, I don't see any letdowns.  Ray and Ed were slowing down in coverage and missed a few tackles.  Dumervil will be much better than Kruger.  Brown and Smith will be better than Ellerbe and McClain would have been.  Huff will replace the hits from Pollard.  Elam is going to be a star.  Williams will take Cody's job away.  Overall, I'm psyched most of all to see Dumervil, Canty, Suggs, and Spears in there to see how much we have improved.  Until then, it's way too early to say anything, Schlereth.  You sucked as a QB and now at ESPN.  Go write about the decline of the Steelers.

Lol, you might be thinking of Tim Hasselback, or Jaws, because I'm sure you already know Dilfer... Schlereth was a Guard as player and he won SuperBowls with Redskins and Broncos, he was a good player and a tough player he suffered numerous injuries had more than 10 surgeries on his knees alone during his playing career....
I'm surprise because "Stink" usually has pretty solid analysis, with reasoning, I've heard him plenty over the years on Mike & Mike and NFL Live....

[CapoRocky]

Lol, you might be thinking of Tim Hasselback, or Jaws, because I'm sure you already know Dilfer... Schlereth was a Guard as player and he won SuperBowls with Redskins and Broncos, he was a good player and a tough player he suffered numerous injuries had more than 10 surgeries on his knees alone during his playing career....
I'm surprise because "Stink" usually has pretty solid analysis, with reasoning, I've heard him plenty over the years on Mike & Mike and NFL Live....

Corrected!  I was mixing him up with Hasselschlep.  I try to avoid ESPN due to that clue schmuck Bayless.  The point is that the big dumb lineman from Alaska is trying to sell ad space by shooting off his mouth.  The Squeelers are going to be lucky to make the playoffs again.  The Bengals are choke artists.  The Browns will be slightly better at the expense of the other 2 teams.  We are the defending champions.  At least those jerks at ESPN can pretend to respect that.