Positives From Week 1

[beanfigger]

Positive: Flacco on pace for 5800 yards. At least, I hope that's a positive. Frankly, I love it if we had a running game to compliment him more.

[TonyTone1192]

Positive: Flacco on pace for 5800 yards. At least, I hope that's a positive. Frankly, I love it if we had a running game to compliment him more.

I means starts are nice to look @.. But I'd be content if Flacco never threw for more than 4k in a season as long as he plays well when it matters most.

[beanfigger]

I means starts are nice to look @.. But I'd be content if Flacco never threw for more than 4k in a season as long as he plays well when it matters most.

I agree. I'm glad you went where I was hoping people would go with that. Stats vs Wins is no contest. Honestly though, I'm not so worried based on the Broncos game as most people.

[Ravensfan23]

I think we all underestimated the full factors of our situation. It was gonna be tough for the Ravens to go into that game with all the change and come out victorious. Impossible? No, but when you are playing a great team and you have so many question marks, you have to play near perfect.

As many have said it was a great first half and wwould have been better wwithout the Clark dropped TD. 21 first half points are never better. Flacco was on pace for 376yds and 4TDs after the first half, but of course everyone seemingly lost their hands.

The oline clearly has to get used to Gino, but their were some really good moments, again in the first half. 2nd half Wagner had his moments, but he was overmatched for the most part, but I llike him going forward.

Clark and Dickson were terrible, no way around it. However it was encouraging to see how often those guys were open for big plays. Of course those plays need to be made, but I think that's fixable. I'm not the typ to overreact to the opening game be it good or bad, the NFL is a week to week league and I strongly believe in chemistry. I have no doubt that if Peyton was throwing the ball to to Clark he would have made 90% of those catches. I think familiarity is huge. No excuses but you can't miss the entire preseason and think you'll just come back without missing a beat. The timing between Flacco and Dickson just wasnt there. Again correctable.

Stokley is another guy, you can't just join a team for 3 weeks and think chemistry is there. Unlike the offense of old, this will be a offense where timing and chemistry will mean a lot. Thw WRs will have to see the field the same way as Joe and Joe will expect them to be in certain spots. Joe spent far too much time directing traffic and not just because it was no huddle, but because it was so many new pieces to the offense. That'll get better with time.

Defense played much better then the score. Again new pieces led to miscommunication and possibly the greatest offensive mind took full advantage. We tried to play to Mannings tendencies and early on it worked, but we don't even know ourselves well enough on defense right now. Again, it'll get better with time.

I actually though Webb and Jimmy(minus the boneheaded penalty) played really well on the outside. Thomas and Decker found little room to work and faced heavy pressure. It was the TE and Welker who killed us. Graham probably won't face a more dangerous slot man again all season. I gave Peyton more credit then the TE, as Peyton just worked our LBs and Safeties.

Dline looked strong and dangerous. Lesser QBs will struggle big time with this defense. If we go out Sunday and the same thing happens, then i'm worried. But right now it's just one game against a great team who wee will see again.

[GrimCoconut]

Clark had a bad game plagued by drops but he improved as the game wore on. Some of that can be attributed to soft coverage and prevent defense. Some wasn't. I liked his tenacity when he seemingly found his hands. He's still fresh with Joe so give him time.

I think we leaned too heavily on slow Stokley and he got tired. I think he'll be better in a rotational role. Also, keep in mind this defense played against Stokley in practice last year. They know him.

Jacoby looked like he was on fire before the injury. I liked what I saw from him. Torrey also liked really solid. Torrey looks like a #1 to me.

Dickson showed he can get open but he's got to work on the hands. I think it's mostly still concentration and chemistry for him. He needs to fix it fast.

Jimmy Smith and Webb looked really good. Smith's boneheaded penalty not withstanding. I give him a pass there since it was late and I think he just got bad and wanted to hit someone. He had to control that and I'm sure Harbaugh laid into him.

Yanda and McKinnie looked really good. Flacco looked like one of the few giving it everything he had. You can see gee wanted to win.

The defense looked great, specifically the run defense. We shut down the run. Suggs, Dumervil, Canty looked awesome and so did Ngata. Those guys became really tired towards the second half and you could see it. I think most of our defensive struggles can bet blamed on a few things:

1. Offense not converting and doing passes, being unable to run the ball to give the defense a break.
2. The OL knows Dumervil from practicing against him.
3. Huff looked lost and had poor communication with the secondary.
4. Graham shouldn't have been on Welker. Webb should've been on Welker with Smith on Thomas and Graham on Decker.

[blitzking33]

I really liked Rick Wagners dive from 5 yards out to recover a fumble.

[Juviebest]

Clark had a bad game plagued by drops but he improved as the game wore on. Some of that can be attributed to soft coverage and prevent defense. Some wasn't. I liked his tenacity when he seemingly found his hands. He's still fresh with Joe so give him time.

I think we leaned too heavily on slow Stokley and he got tired. I think he'll be better in a rotational role. Also, keep in mind this defense played against Stokley in practice last year. They know him.

Jacoby looked like he was on fire before the injury. I liked what I saw from him. Torrey also liked really solid. Torrey looks like a #1 to me.

Dickson showed he can get open but he's got to work on the hands. I think it's mostly still concentration and chemistry for him. He needs to fix it fast.

Jimmy Smith and Webb looked really good. Smith's boneheaded penalty not withstanding. I give him a pass there

Adding on to this just a bit...the guys who struggled the most on offense (besides Wagner who never really took a lot of first team reps) were the guys who weren't in camp the whole time. Dickson is my biggest concern with the hands, but I hope he's just knocking off rust. Clark and Stokley were brought in late so I hope they're chemistry builds with Flacc and I think it will. Obviously Stokley was gassed in the second half and he's not meant to be on the field every offensive snap. Things will get better.

[GrimCoconut]

Adding on to this just a bit...the guys who struggled the most on offense (besides Wagner who never really took a lot of first team reps) were the guys who weren't in camp the whole time. Dickson is my biggest concern with the hands, but I hope he's just knocking off rust. Clark and Stokley were brought in late so I hope they're chemistry builds with Flacc and I think it will. Obviously Stokley was gassed in the second half and he's not meant to be on the field every offensive snap. Things will get better.

Yeah, I added more into that post. It was posted premature because I accidentally hit post on mobile.

[NaveSenrag]

Which was a bad call IMHO he just put him on his butt

If he didn't take the guy down, that's a blocked punt. I'll take a penalty over a TO any day.

[Ravensfan23]

Clark had a bad game plagued by drops but he improved as the game wore on. Some of that can be attributed to soft coverage and prevent defense. Some wasn't. I liked his tenacity when he seemingly found his hands. He's still fresh with Joe so give him time.
I think we leaned too heavily on slow Stokley and he got tired. I think he'll be better in a rotational role. Also, keep in mind this defense played against Stokley in practice last year. They know him.
Jacoby looked like he was on fire before the injury. I liked what I saw from him. Torrey also liked really solid. Torrey looks like a #1 to me.
Dickson showed he can get open but he's got to work on the hands. I think it's mostly still concentration and chemistry for him. He needs to fix it fast.
Jimmy Smith and Webb looked really good. Smith's boneheaded penalty not withstanding. I give him a pass there since it was late and I think he just got bad and wanted to hit someone. He had to control that and I'm sure Harbaugh laid into him.
Yanda and McKinnie looked really good. Flacco looked like one of the few giving it everything he had. You can see gee wanted to win.
The defense looked great, specifically the run defense. We shut down the run. Suggs, Dumervil, Canty looked awesome and so did Ngata. Those guys became really tired towards the second half and you could see it. I think most of our defensive struggles can bet blamed on a few things:
1. Offense not converting and doing passes, being unable to run the ball to give the defense a break.
2. The OL knows Dumervil from practicing against him.
3. Huff looked lost and had poor communication with the secondary.
4. Graham shouldn't have been on Welker. Webb should've been on Welker with Smith on Thomas and Graham on Decker.

I agree, but with #4, hindsight is 20/20. I say that about not because I don't agree, because I do. I say it more so becauuse I actually think that was the right move going into the game. While Webb was fantastic, i'm not sure you want him covering option routes 90% of the time coming back in his first game on that knee. I'm not sure that puts him or the defense in the greatest position to win. Noww if this was week 5 or so, then i'm with you 100%.

I think the plan was to limit the impact of Thomas and Decker on the outside and just hope that Graham who is a pretty solid tackler can limit Welker's rac yards. I think at the end of the day, Peyton's greatest strength just took advantage of our lack of familiarity.

[GrimCoconut]

I agree, but with #4, hindsight is 20/20. I say that about not because I don't agree, because I do. I say it more so becauuse I actually think that was the right move going into the game. While Webb was fantastic, i'm not sure you want him covering option routes 90% of the time coming back in his first game on that knee. I'm not sure that puts him or the defense in the greatest position to win. Noww if this was week 5 or so, then i'm with you 100%.

I think the plan was to limit the impact of Thomas and Decker on the outside and just hope that Graham who is a pretty solid tackler can limit Welker's rac yards. I think at the end of the day, Peyton's greatest strength just took advantage of our lack of familiarity.

I'd agree with you there. Webb was clearly being given a chance to ease back into football but we need him on Welker. Personally, I wish we had put Smith on Wes. Or even Arthur Brown. I'm guessing we didn't want to give our rookies a ton of snaps this early but I think Brown would've done well or at least better than Graham against Welker. They struggled to run on us. Bynes was abused in coverage.

Also, Smith was on Thomas most of the game and he really helped erase him. Smith played really well.

I do want to see more pass rush from Ngata. He disappointed me there.

[Sami84]

.4 seconds. i honestly feel with art jones there we would have had a sack happy evening vs  manning. not so much him getting the sacks but the cumulative pressure. we would have been that split second closer to the qb. which is huge vs a guy like kanning. michael huff is an athlete no doubt..but he really does not have the awareness to handle a guy like manning. 

[The Raven]

.4 seconds. i honestly feel with art jones there we would have had a sack happy evening vs  manning. not so much him getting the sacks but the cumulative pressure. we would have been that split second closer to the qb. which is huge vs a guy like kanning. michael huff is an athlete no doubt..but he really does not have the awareness to handle a guy like manning. 

 

Really? We were lucky to get three sacks against Manning. Not many teams even get one sack on him. Three is a great day for going up against that offense. Also, you are vastly overrating Art's pass rush ability.

[Sami84]

compared to spears its like night and day.

[SecretAgentMan]

Really? We were lucky to get three sacks against Manning. Not many teams even get one sack on him. Three is a great day for going up against that offense. Also, you are vastly overrating Art's pass rush ability.

Art Jones is good but he ain't JJ Watt(we wish lol. Ngata, Watt, Suggs, Doom)
But that's true. The front 7 had a good night

[Bravens292]

Hard to say we played well on D despite 7 passing TD's but i think we did. Our run game was great.

[The Raven]

compared to spears its like night and day.

 

Compared to Spears, Jones is a good pass rusher. But in the grand scheme of things, Art is just a guy that really collapses the pocket and might come away with a few sacks a season. He's not a dynamic influence. 

[Sami84]

Compared to Spears, Jones is a good pass rusher. But in the grand scheme of things, Art is just a guy that really collapses the pocket and might come away with a few sacks a season. He's not a dynamic influence. 

its cumulative pressure. thats what i meant.

[DocMartin]

There were some positives:
1) We played good game till half time.
2) Marlon Brown look good and his future is bright. His performance outshined both of our TE's combined.
3) Defensive Line played great in 1st half, later got worse, but still good showing
4) Matt Elam played better in 1 quarter than Huff in 3, change neeed there, our secondary was awfull.
5) O-Line was pretty good before Oher got injured. After that all hell broke loose.
And the best positive comes after this game when All Those "WannaBe Fans" Fall of the SuperBowl Bandwagon and there will be more room in the bars and Ravens Nests. Come on Fellas, you didn't expect Ravens to be 16-0 did ya? Well, its a long season and Die Hards know better. GO RAVENS, TAKE YOUR REVENGE ON POOR BROWNIES!

[Ravensfan23]

I'd agree with you there. Webb was clearly being given a chance to ease back into football but we need him on Welker. Personally, I wish we had put Smith on Wes. Or even Arthur Brown. I'm guessing we didn't want to give our rookies a ton of snaps this early but I think Brown would've done well or at least better than Graham against Welker. They struggled to run on us. Bynes was abused in coverage.
Also, Smith was on Thomas most of the game and he really helped erase him. Smith played really well.
I do want to see more pass rush from Ngata. He disappointed me there.

Yea I agree, I just think the Ravens were placed in a really tough spot facing Peyton to open the season. As high as I am on Brown, it's hard for me not to thiink that one of the greatest QBs throwing to arguably the best slot WR of the last 5yrs or so wouldn't have picked on a rookie. It was tough because we really don't know our defensive identity. We have strong individual talent, but what's our overall defense? I think even with the lack of success, you feel more confident with graham against Welker then Brown.

As for Jimmy on Wes, I don't like that matchup at all. Jimmy is at his best getting physical and putting his hands on WRs. If he could get his hands on Wes cleanly then great.. but with as many option routes as he runs and the favoritism the refs show Peyton and Wes, I think Jimmy would have been call for way too many holding and tick tack illegal contact penalties. That would have only frustrated Jimmy and we know confidence is a huge part of his game.

I think what really hurt us is that we are just so knew on defense. If and when we see them again, I'm sure we'll have a great gameplan for Wes. I wouldn't even be surprised to see a combo of Elam and Brown working on Wes, especially if Jimmy and Webb continue their strong play on the outside.

[JoeCool#5]

Positives-

 

A dose of Humble pie is never a bad thing. 

1st Half performance.

All the drops that did occur, would have resulted in a first downs (kept the chains moving)/TDs.

Brown is a stud.

Break down in secondary was due to communication. (easy fix)

27 points by the offense even with the drops was pretty solid- that score should hold up to win most games.

When Payton wasnt throwing DL was able to get pressure, and their running game was stuffed.  

[GrimCoconut]

Yea I agree, I just think the Ravens were placed in a really tough spot facing Peyton to open the season. As high as I am on Brown, it's hard for me not to thiink that one of the greatest QBs throwing to arguably the best slot WR of the last 5yrs or so wouldn't have picked on a rookie. It was tough because we really don't know our defensive identity. We have strong individual talent, but what's our overall defense? I think even with the lack of success, you feel more confident with graham against Welker then Brown.

As for Jimmy on Wes, I don't like that matchup at all. Jimmy is at his best getting physical and putting his hands on WRs. If he could get his hands on Wes cleanly then great.. but with as many option routes as he runs and the favoritism the refs show Peyton and Wes, I think Jimmy would have been call for way too many holding and tick tack illegal contact penalties. That would have only frustrated Jimmy and we know confidence is a huge part of his game.

I think what really hurt us is that we are just so knew on defense. If and when we see them again, I'm sure we'll have a great gameplan for Wes. I wouldn't even be surprised to see a combo of Elam and Brown working on Wes, especially if Jimmy and Webb continue their strong play on the outside.

You confused me for a second lol. Thankfully I remembered my point because I thought I just lost my mind.

I meant we should've put Daryl Smith on Wes.

[BMORE_96]

the entire afc north lost. We are tied for first. Yay

[itsaamiracle]

Perhaps the best news? The Browns, Bengals and Steelers all lost too. 

[Ragin'Raven]

We'll be tied for first after next week too when we beat the Browns. :)

[GrimCoconut]

Week 1 begins week 2?

[GrimCoconut]

Also, one thing purple have totally neglected was that our offense had to fight 12 men that day. The stadium was loud! That doesn't excuse drops but we were at a clear disadvantage.

[Ravensfan23]

You confused me for a second lol. Thankfully I remembered my point because I thought I just lost my mind.
I meant we should've put Daryl Smith on Wes.

Oh yea, i gotta get used to Daryl being on the team. I saw Smith and instantly thought about Jimmy lol. I think D. Smith and Brown will be really big for us in pass defense. I like Bynes as a thumper, but his pass coverage was really bad. He has to improve that

[jimmypowder]

The only positive from the game against Denver is I got to go to sleep earlier then expected .

[Ravenseconbeast]

positives:  i got to watch a lot of TDs