Next Up: Bengals!

[HomeoftheBRAVENS]

Dude you're out of your mind. Also your comparing the wrong guys at cornerback. Leon Hall and Webby are both starting number one corners who excel at moving into the slot in nickel formations. You are just proving that you don't have any idea of the bengal personnel. Also their line is much more solid than ours, there's has been near the top of the league for a while now according to PFF while everyone knows the Ravens have had horrible to mediocre lines the past few seasons. They are so much better at corner too that its so hard to understand why you would even make these statements when you clearly haven't seen the Bengals play much or are just plain biased against them. Rice and Daniels have fallen off and are no where near Gio or Eifert, so far away from them that I have to ask, is this a joke?

 "Dude you're out of your mind. Also your comparing the wrong guys at cornerback. Leon Hall and Webby are both starting number one corners who excel at moving into the slot in nickel formations."

 

Webb is not our #1 cb in any way shape or form.Who covered Marshall vs the bears?Jimmy Smith.When Calvin Johnson was going off who got the assignment to follow him around 1 on 1?Jimmy Smith.Who was asked to cover any wr of size or that could be considered a #1 for the majority of last year?Jimmy Smith.And who do you think will be asked to line up vs AJ Green this sunday?Our number one guy Jimmy Smith.And even if you do want me to compare Webb to Hall  and Newman to Smith we'd still win both of those match ups.

 

"You are just proving that you don't have any idea of the bengal personnel. Also their line is much more solid than ours, there's has been near the top of the league for a while now according to PFF while everyone knows the Ravens have had horrible to mediocre lines the past few seasons. "

 

Don't question my knowledge of a team when you have to say things like "according to PFF".I watch atleast 10 of the bengals,steelers and browns games a year online.And the ravens didn't start having o line problems until last year.Alot of people considered our o line top ten until last season and the stats prove that it was.But none of that even matters because besides Yanda we don't have any of the players that we had from those previous o lines.This years o line is this years o line.Last years o line was last years.

 

"Rice and Daniels have fallen off and are no where near Gio or Eifert, so far away from them that I have to ask, is this a joke?"

 

Let me guess,you looked up all four of these players 2013 stats and decided to base your opinion off of that didn't you?Rice didn't fall off.His 2013 season was the product of a bad o line and a bad OC.He only had a few carries in the pre season,but on those few carries he averaged about seven yards a pop.We won't see the same Rice we saw last year in this season.Owen Daniels didn't fall off either.He got hurt.It's kinda hard to put up stats when you get hurt in game 5 and miss the rest off the season.I watched every snap of Daniels' 2012 and 2013 season.Nothing suggested to me that he was falling off.You're clamoring over two players who made exciting plays but didn't even have spectacular rookie seasons.They were just productive.

 

"They are so much better at corner too that its so hard to understand why you would even make these statements when you clearly haven't seen the Bengals play much or are just plain biased against them."

 

I'll agree with you if you want to say that they're deeper but their top two guys are not better than our top two guys.

[BmoreBird22]

I'll agree with you if you want to say that they're deeper but they're top two guys are not better than our top two guys.

Their third cornerback is a rookie and is in the same boat as Asa regarding regular season experience. I wouldn't take Dennard at this point given the struggles of rookie cornerbacks. Plus, Kirkpatrick, as much as I liked him, as been so very disappointing

[HoldingCall]

According to the depth chart the Bengals appear to have rookie starting at center.

[BmoreBird22]

According to the depth chart the Bengals appear to have rookie starting at center.

Oh joy, this could be fun

[HomeoftheBRAVENS]

Their third cornerback is a rookie and is in the same boat as Asa regarding regular season experience. I wouldn't take Dennard at this point given the struggles of rookie cornerbacks. Plus, Kirkpatrick, as much as I liked him, as been so very disappointing

 

 

I'm just being objective.If the shoe was on the other foot and a bengals fan took a former 5th round pick who just made the jump from their practice squad to the roster and compared him to our 2013 first round pick who has real game experience or our 2014 first round pick I would scream "you're a homer"

[5aiah]

Rice has looked far better in preseason this year with a  better offensive line and a competent coordinator. You can't say he's fallen off yet.

As for Eifert, I wouldn't take Owen Daniels over him, but Eifert isn't anything special yet. Trust me, I really wanted him to be a Raven, but he struggled tremendously as a blocker last year and didn't have a big impact as a receiver like you'd expect from someone of his skill set.

 

You really like to puff up other teams.

It's the opposite, I don't downplay other teams just because I'm a Ravens fan. Eifert is a sophomore, he's 23 years old, he's on his way up. Daniels has to rest his legs and is now known for being injured more than how good he used to be. You just said you wouldn't take Daniels over him so that proves my point anyway. The difference in direction of their career is what makes the choice of Daniels over Eifert so baffling. Rice has looked ok, though he is still mostly the same back with same running style but he will be fresher this year than the last. That being said he still isn't close to Gio, I shouldn't even have to explain why. Just looking at footage of Rice in his early years and Gio now says it all. 

 

Also this was nitpicking and still helped make my point. 

 

 

 Webb is not our #1 cb in any way shape or form.Who covered Marshall vs the bears?Jimmy Smith.When Calvin Johnson was going off who got the assignment to follow him around 1 on 1?Jimmy Smith.Who was asked to cover any wr of size or that could be considered a #1 for the majority of last year?Jimmy Smith.And who do you think will be asked to line up vs AJ Green this sunday?Our number one guy Jimmy Smith.And even if you do want me to compare Webb to Hall  and Newman to Smith we'd still win both of those match ups.

 

 

Don't question my knowledge of a team when you have to say things like "according to PFF".I watch atleast 10 of the bengals,steelers and browns games a year online.And the ravens didn't start having o line problems until last year.Alot of people considered our o line top ten until last season and the stats prove that it was.But none of that even matters because besides Yanda we don't have any of the players that we had from those previous o lines.This years o line is this years o line.Last years o line was last years.

 

 

Let me guess,you looked up all four of these players 2013 stats and decided to base your opinion off of that didn't you?Rice didn't fall off.His 2013 season was the product of a bad o line and a bad OC.He only had a few carries in the pre season,but on those few carries he averaged about seven yards a pop.We won't see the same Rice we saw last year in this season.Owen Daniels didn't fall off either.He got hurt.It's kinda hard to put up stats when you get hurt in game 5 and miss the rest off the season.I watched every snap of Daniels' 2012 and 2013 season.Nothing suggested to me that he was falling off.You're clamoring over two players who made exciting plays but didn't even have spectacular rookie seasons.They were just productive.

 

I'll agree with you if you want to say that they're deeper but they're top two guys are not better than our top two guys.

1.Webby is our number one corner, the guy you named are big possession guys who Jimmy happens to match up better with. People keep saying Jimmy followed him around but it was a bit of everyone on Megatron iirc. I would not want Jimmy following someone into the slot because that's not his game. As for the matchups I was merely indicating that it was indicative of your knowledge(or lack thereof) of Bengals gameplan/strategy/personnel. That being said I agree Ravens win the top two spots as we are top heavy in that area until someone else steps up. But the CB group is about 4 spots not just two and the Bengals win that entire group. Leon,Terrence,Dre,and Dennard beat our group thus far. The only thing making it close is Cox's arrival and the hope he could get back to how good he was in the Jags scheme.

 

2. I use stuff like PFF and compare it to what I see and my analysis from watching games. I watch the games in all-22(sometimes) as well,just saying because I back and compare what I see up with more objective analysis doesn't mean I haven't watched the games myself. Also I provided actual reasons for questioning your knowledge of the team, ones that had to do with actual football, not bringing up the fact that someone doesn't just go off their own take of the games, like you just did with me. Really backwards there. Also of those ten games how many are Ravens games? Because that's not what I'm referring to when I say I watched them. Lastly the Ravens definitely were not considered a top ten Oline the year before and they did actually have problems before the playoff shuffle. The line has been somewhat problematic for a while now with it fully imploding last year.

 

3. Again I actually watched the Bengals in multiple games outside of the ones vs the Ravens and I read quite a bit of objective analysis on top of that. Gio just looks like he has the potential to be a stellar back, his run style is good and he can catch the ball well and once in open space is hard to bring down. To me he looks similar to Ray Rice near the beginning of his career. This has nothing to do with stats but go ahead and keep using that as a deflection. Owen Daniels has been having trouble staying healthy along with the usual claims of him being on his last legs just like Stokely last season. I'm not saying he's going to be useless just not anywhere near what he used to be. Yes I'm speaking of two sophomores who had productive rookie seasons and made some exciting plays and have the ability and potential do take it a step further this year compared to two guys who are on the way down. Owen Daniels had a nice year recently in 2012 but that doesn't mean he still isn't past his prime.

 

4. Yes, that is what I want to say, they are deeper and given our guys health concerns I believe that counts for a lot these days. Our three starting corners aren't going to be as good as theirs and they are deep and have the ability to mix and match the third guy based on the situation. Pacman or Kirkpatrick, both are better than Chykie and Asa on the outside. I certainly like the ability they have in that area than our situation of possibly having to put Webby and Asa(two slot corners) out there with Jimmy while they go AJ Green and Sanu with Eifert as slot receiver.

[ravensdan]

What's the point of comparing our corners vs their corners etc? What matters is our corners vs their receivers. Etc...

Ravens QB / receivers vs bengals secondary + ravens

Ravens O line vs bengals pass rush = pick em. Too close to call

Ravens O line / RBs vs bengals run defenders + bengals (especially with rice out)

Bengals QB /receivers vs Ravens secondary + ravens

Bengals O line vs Ravens pass rush + Ravens

Bengals O line /running backs vs Ravens run defenders = pick em too close to call.

[jazz1988]

Dude you're out of your mind. Also your comparing the wrong guys at cornerback. Leon Hall and Webby are both starting number one corners w

ho excel at moving into the slot in nickel formations. You are just proving that you don't have any idea of the bengal personnel. Also their line is much more solid than ours, there's has been near the top of the league for a while now according to PFF while everyone knows the Ravens have had horrible to mediocre lines the past few seasons. They are so much better at corner too that its so hard to understand why you would even make these statements when you clearly haven't seen the Bengals play much or are just plain biased against them. Rice and Daniels have fallen off and are no where near Gio or Eifert, so far away from them that I have to ask, is this a joke?

 

 

Gio has nice potentials but he has not proven to be a better running back than Rice. I know Rice looked ok during our preseason but Gio didn't look spectacular either but anyway it's preseason lol. I can understand  your explanation of Daniels but just because Ray Rice had to deal with a season of such things as a   terrible running blocking offensive line and him realizing he had put too much muscle on his frame does not mean he has falling off and I think it's ridiculous for you even say  Gio is  far away from Ray Rice base off one season. .

 

I respect Gio potentials but all I have to say is let that man play out his second year before even putting him in same conversation as Ray Rice. 

[Tank 92]

M&T Bank Stadium is going to be LOUD... I also can't wait to hear that "OH!!" during the National Anthem!!

 

Let's go, Ravens!!

 

 

And I will be contributing to that loudness on Sunday!  Let's goooooooo!!!!!!

 

#Mili

 

 

The real and original 12th Man!  Be sure to have some throat soothing medication on hand and get LOUD!!!!!

[flynismo]

 

 

I respect Gio potentials but all I have to say is let that man play out his second year before even putting him in same conversation as Ray Rice. 

 

Some of these guys are the same people who consider Luck to be an "elite" QB and future HOF

 

Dude you're out of your mind. Also your comparing the wrong guys at cornerback. Leon Hall and Webby are both starting number one corners who excel at moving into the slot in nickel formations. You are just proving that you don't have any idea of the bengal personnel. Also their line is much more solid than ours, there's has been near the top of the league for a while now according to PFF while everyone knows the Ravens have had horrible to mediocre lines the past few seasons. They are so much better at corner too that its so hard to understand why you would even make these statements when you clearly haven't seen the Bengals play much or are just plain biased against them. Rice and Daniels have fallen off and are no where near Gio or Eifert, so far away from them that I have to ask, is this a joke?

You going to sit there with a straight face and say that Jimmy and Webb are not clearly more talented than their CBs, and that after one season of playing hurt and/or overweight behind one of the worst OL in the NFL that Rice is clearly not better than some kid who has done next to nothing in the NFL?

[BmoreBird22]

It's the opposite, I don't downplay other teams just because I'm a Ravens fan. Eifert is a sophomore, he's 23 years old, he's on his way up. Daniels has to rest his legs and is now known for being injured more than how good he used to be. You just said you wouldn't take Daniels over him so that proves my point anyway. The difference in direction of their career is what makes the choice of Daniels over Eifert so baffling. Rice has looked ok, though he is still mostly the same back with same running style but he will be fresher this year than the last. That being said he still isn't close to Gio, I shouldn't even have to explain why. Just looking at footage of Rice in his early years and Gio now says it all. 

 

Also this was nitpicking and still helped make my point. 

 

 

1.Webby is our number one corner, the guy you named are big possession guys who Jimmy happens to match up better with. People keep saying Jimmy followed him around but it was a bit of everyone on Megatron iirc. I would not want Jimmy following someone into the slot because that's not his game. As for the matchups I was merely indicating that it was indicative of your knowledge(or lack thereof) of Bengals gameplan/strategy/personnel. That being said I agree Ravens win the top two spots as we are top heavy in that area until someone else steps up. But the CB group is about 4 spots not just two and the Bengals win that entire group. Leon,Terrence,Dre,and Dennard beat our group thus far. The only thing making it close is Cox's arrival and the hope he could get back to how good he was in the Jags scheme.

I would only take Eifert over Daniels because Daniels hasn't been full go this offseason. If he were full go, I'd take Daniels over Eifert. I just worry about Daniels lasting a full season at this point. As for Gio, sure, he was exciting last year, but he's not at Rice's level yet. As you've said, the Bengals routinely have a much better offensive line, so Gio gets to work behind said better offensive line, but Rice still does just as much or more. You're completely basing your assumptions off of potential. We're not talking five years down the line. We're talking this Sunday, and this Sunday, well of course I'd have to take Gio over Rice, but next time, I'd take Rice over Gio. And I'm only taking Eifert because I don't know if Daniels is 100%. 

 

There's no actual number one corner on the Ravens because it's not that black and white, but if analyst were to pick, most analyst, including the ones on this site, would say that Jimmy is the number one cornerback going forward. It wasn't a bit of everyone, which makes it sound like they all got a fair share of snaps against Megatron. It was 80% Jimmy, then some Graham, then a little bit of Webb. When comparing their cornerbacks to ours, don't use the fourth because the fourth will hardly see the field unless there's an injury, so we're looking at Jimmy/Webb/Asa vs Hall/Newman/Dennard. As you've said, the Ravens win the top two spots, and that's enough for me to say the Ravens have the better cornerbacks because have Asa and Dennard played a regular season defensive snap? No, so what are you basing this on? Oh, he has the potential to be better? Cool, he hasn't done anything yet, and if history is any indication, Dennard will struggle mightily to start the season, just like just about every single rookie cornerback.

[Militant X 1]

3 days and counting!  Let's goooooo!

 

#Mili

[Blackbirds Rule]

Honestly I don't even know what he said yet.... but c'mon we're the freakin Ravens. When did we get soft and start hating this stuff?

 

It's very VERY stupid.... Yes. But to take a slight spin on the common phrase... speak loudly and carry the big stick man. If it gets him amped up to play better then Im all for it. If he gets torched or looks bad then he's an idiot.

 

I reserve judgment.

Now that he said it I stand up for him and want to see him prove it on the field. I just don't like unproven players going at proven players. If this were Ed Reed or Webb or Jimmy Smith. I'd have no problem with it. If he backs it up on the field I eat my words and look forward to more from him.

[codizzle]

3 days and counting! Let's goooooo!

#Mili

We ready

http://youtu.be/Tstpw-DYyQ0

[Blackbirds Rule]

Are you scared?  Lol!  We said the same thing about Elam when he called Megatron "old."  These boards lit up with cats saying...Shhhhhhh!!!  Be quiet!  Don't say that!  Smh!  Then, Elam went out there and had a pretty decent game with an INT!  These are athletes man!  And if they don't believe in their own skills and abilities then I don't want them on my team!  I'm at the point now that whenever our guys say something about their own skills in reference to another player's; that I'm taking the mindset of Shannan Sharpe when he said; "Yeah we said it!  Whatever they said...we said...We said it!"  Just go out there and back it up now!

 

Let's go Ravens!!!

 

#Mili

That's my favorite Shannon Sharpe quote

[PurpleCityLights]

37-13 Ravens Baby!!!

[PurpleCityLights]

Are we doing who's gonna have the most sacks yet?

[codizzle]

Are we doing who's gonna have the most sacks yet?

Joe flacco

But whatever you do, don't wager anything

[Drew P]

So ignoring those published depth charts that are never accurate and don't mean squat; what is the starting front 7 on the defense that trots on the field on first and third downs? Given that its at the 20 yard line and a third and a long.

[Militant X 1]

That's my favorite Shannon Sharpe quote

It's mine to!  I love watching him walk up and down the sidelines saying it! Lol!

 

#Mili

[BmoreBird22]

So ignoring those published depth charts that are never accurate and don't mean squat; what is the starting front 7 on the defense that trots on the field on first and third downs? Given that its at the 20 yard line and a third and a long.

First- Ngata, Williams, Canty

Upshaw, Mosley, Smith, Suggs.

Third down- you're likely looking at nickel playing Ngata, Williams, McPhee, Suggs, Mosley/Smith, and Doom. You'd get some serious pass rush there

[Blackbirds Rule]

It's mine to!  I love watching him walk up and down the sidelines saying it! Lol!

 

#Mili

Yeah and i like Ray giving him that smile as Sharpe is walking the sideline talking.

[Ravenseconbeast]

Wait, wut??

 

I'm a Bengals fan so I'm sure my rebuttal will be ignored or trashed, but you can't obviously believe that the Ravens are better than the Bengals at every position except WR and Safety.

 

2013 Numbers

Rush Offense:

Bengals 18th (109.7 YPG)

Ravens 30th (83 YPG)

 

Pass Offense: 

Bengals 8th (258.5 YPG)

Ravens 18th (224.4 YPG)

 

Rush Defense:

Bengals 5th (96.5 YPG)

Ravens 11th (105.4)

 

Pass Defense: 

Bengals 5th (209 YPG)

Ravens 12th (230.1 YPG)

 

Points Scored:

Bengals 6th (26.9 PPG)

Ravens 25th (20 PPG)

 

Points Allowed:

Bengals 6th (19.1 PPG)

Ravens 12th (22 PPG)

 

You were saying???

 

That Bengals playoff game stat tho

[Drew P]

First- Ngata, Williams, Canty

Upshaw, Mosley, Smith, Suggs.

Third down- you're likely looking at nickel playing Ngata, Williams, McPhee, Suggs, Mosley/Smith, and Doom. You'd get some serious pass rush there

 

Id like to see Jernigan take some reps from Canty

[BmoreBird22]

Id like to see Jernigan take some reps from Canty

I would guess he would, but if we're talking "starters", my best is those guys. I would definitely think the Ravens will use Jernigan a lot in four man fronts at DT. The Ravens actually have an abundant of quality players for the nickel to rush the passer. It's a good problem this year.

[jazz1988]

I would guess he would, but if we're talking "starters", my best is those guys. I would definitely think the Ravens will use Jernigan a lot in four man fronts at DT. The Ravens actually have an abundant of quality players for the nickel to rush the passer. It's a good problem this year.

 

Yeah i'm not sure if Jernigans a good fit as a starting defensive end but anything can happen.

[BmoreBird22]

Yeah i'm not sure if Jernigans a good fit as a starting defensive end but anything can happen.

I think he could be, but it's not utilizing his skill set to the fullest

[5aiah]

Gio has nice potentials but he has not proven to be a better running back than Rice. I know Rice looked ok during our preseason but Gio didn't look spectacular either but anyway it's preseason lol. I can understand  your explanation of Daniels but just because Ray Rice had to deal with a season of such things as a   terrible running blocking offensive line and him realizing he had put too much muscle on his frame does not mean he has falling off and I think it's ridiculous for you even say  Gio is  far away from Ray Rice base off one season. .

 

I respect Gio potentials but all I have to say is let that man play out his second year before even putting him in same conversation as Ray Rice. 

I'm not one of those guys who will consider legacy and give points for that. In terms of how they run Gio is just better now, I've made a point of saying how  much better the Bengal offensive line has been then ours for years now so im taking that into account. The thing about Rice is that even with him putting on that extra muscle he was still avoiding tackles and diving through them instead of running through them. For a back with his age and mileage that was concerning to see because I thought we had preserved Rice better than any other organization has with their star back. He was a better RB last year, he's going to be more impressive in the open field, and he's only getting better. Rice was the lesser back(for many different reasons),we're hoping he can get back to being that open space guy, but he's only getting older and his style of running attracts questions in a full zone running scheme.

 

Some of these guys are the same people who consider Luck to be an "elite" QB and future HOF

 

You going to sit there with a straight face and say that Jimmy and Webb are not clearly more talented than their CBs, and that after one season of playing hurt and/or overweight behind one of the worst OL in the NFL that Rice is clearly not better than some kid who has done next to nothing in the NFL?

Luck is close to elite and likely a future HOFer if he gets the help current elite QBs have. 

 

Is the straw man your calling card? Do you do this just because there are other irrationals on the board and you are hoping for a upvote? Why is it that you are so willing to claim that I said the opposite of what I actually stated? I gotta say, its quite amusing. As for the latter part of your post, I do not give legacy points when looking at who is the better current running back. I like the chances of Gio improving more than Rice's chances. I think Gio is getting ready to enter his prime while Rice has left his.

 

I would only take Eifert over Daniels because Daniels hasn't been full go this offseason. If he were full go, I'd take Daniels over Eifert. I just worry about Daniels lasting a full season at this point. As for Gio, sure, he was exciting last year, but he's not at Rice's level yet. As you've said, the Bengals routinely have a much better offensive line, so Gio gets to work behind said better offensive line, but Rice still does just as much or more. You're completely basing your assumptions off of potential. We're not talking five years down the line. We're talking this Sunday, and this Sunday, well of course I'd have to take Gio over Rice, but next time, I'd take Rice over Gio. And I'm only taking Eifert because I don't know if Daniels is 100%. 

 

There's no actual number one corner on the Ravens because it's not that black and white, but if analyst were to pick, most analyst, including the ones on this site, would say that Jimmy is the number one cornerback going forward. It wasn't a bit of everyone, which makes it sound like they all got a fair share of snaps against Megatron. It was 80% Jimmy, then some Graham, then a little bit of Webb. When comparing their cornerbacks to ours, don't use the fourth because the fourth will hardly see the field unless there's an injury, so we're looking at Jimmy/Webb/Asa vs Hall/Newman/Dennard. As you've said, the Ravens win the top two spots, and that's enough for me to say the Ravens have the better cornerbacks because have Asa and Dennard played a regular season defensive snap? No, so what are you basing this on? Oh, he has the potential to be better? Cool, he hasn't done anything yet, and if history is any indication, Dennard will struggle mightily to start the season, just like just about every single rookie cornerback.

First of all thanks for a great discussion and acknowledgement of my actual points. Second I think Gio is already better than Rice and has the potential to be even greater. I'm not talking 5 years down the line either and I think RBs have an easier time adjusting to the NFL than other positions. I think Gio is entering his prime this season and next. Also that's my point about Daniels, you don't know if he's gonna make it through the season. Eifert himself is dealing with an injury but it looks like he will not only be able to play but will be a serious threat as well. 

 

I don't believe the fourth won't see the field, the third is a starter the fourth is second string. I also believe its better to have many CBs who you can bring in to do different things during different situations. I think Jimmy/Webb/Asa is at a disadvantage from the get go because Asa is suited for slot corner duties just like Webby. I think we rather have a guy with more length and strength. I think Jimmy/Webb/Asa isn't as good as Hall/Newman/Pacman. I haven't heard anyone mention Pacman yet. He's done pretty well for himself on the field. I also like H/N/P better than J/W/Cox and J/W/Brown. I think Cox on the outside is our best hope but I just don't see him being as good as Pacman on the outside. Dennard won't be rushed into anything because the Bengals have so many corners they can use. I believe he will be brought up well and be ready to make an impact late in the season and during the playoffs. One injury to one of our two top corners and we are in huge trouble, but the Bengals wouldn't be.

 

Also it has to be remembered that all my points were in response to a post that claimed Ravens were outright better than the Bungles at every group aside from WR and Safety.   

[BmoreBird22]

First of all thanks for a great discussion and acknowledgement of my actual points. Second I think Gio is already better than Rice and has the potential to be even greater. I'm not talking 5 years down the line either and I think RBs have an easier time adjusting to the NFL than other positions. I think Gio is entering his prime this season and next. Also that's my point about Daniels, you don't know if he's gonna make it through the season. Eifert himself is dealing with an injury but it looks like he will not only be able to play but will be a serious threat as well. 

 

I don't believe the fourth won't see the field, the third is a starter the fourth is second string. I also believe its better to have many CBs who you can bring in to do different things during different situations. I think Jimmy/Webb/Asa is at a disadvantage from the get go because Asa is suited for slot corner duties just like Webby. I think we rather have a guy with more length and strength. I think Jimmy/Webb/Asa isn't as good as Hall/Newman/Pacman. I haven't heard anyone mention Pacman yet. He's done pretty well for himself on the field. I also like H/N/P better than J/W/Cox and J/W/Brown. I think Cox on the outside is our best hope but I just don't see him being as good as Pacman on the outside. Dennard won't be rushed into anything because the Bengals have so many corners they can use. I believe he will be brought up well and be ready to make an impact late in the season and during the playoffs. One injury to one of our two top corners and we are in huge trouble, but the Bengals wouldn't be.

 

Also it has to be remembered that all my points were in response to a post that claimed Ravens were outright better than the Bungles at every group aside from WR and Safety.   

Is that sarcasm? I'm too lazy to go back and see what I read.

 

You are correct that running back is one of the easiest positions to make a transition into the NFL. I remember reading a statistical analysis article on rookies and there success and I think running backs were at the top. It's just not a terribly difficult position to master, outside of pass protection. 

 

As far as Gio and Rice go, I view them as being such similar players. Gio reminded me so much of Rice coming out of college and I had him as the best running back in that draft. I was a huge fan of his, and I still am. Still, I can't give a conclusive edge between the two. I give Rice the edge because he's done it at a high level for longer, not including last year, and from what I've seen in the preseason, he's getting back to his old form. I love Gio and think he can be an excellent back, but I don't see him passing Rice this year. They're just too similar to me for one to be decisively better. I also want to see if Gio can handle that full-time workload. He's a slight back, like Rice, and the Bengals brought Hill in to get work. Will Gio be the guy or will he be a part of a heavy rotation? I'm a huge fan of Eifert, like I said, but he's still the second string tight end, as far as I know, because he has his struggles. I'm expecting more out of him as a receiver, but I don't think he'll be some huge threat until next year when Gresham is likely gone.

 

How often do teams go to the dime package, though? I really would like to know. I know that Chykie got most of his defensive snaps when a player went out due to injury. The Ravens rarely deviated from Jimmy/Webb/Graham, and I can't honestly remember using the dime package too often. From that alone, I'd base it off of Jimmy/Webb/Asa. I agree that Asa and Webb are both suited for the slot, but Asa looked pretty good against the 49ers in the preseason on the outside. I think he could be an outside cover corner, and Webb is obviously capable of playing outside if need be. I know the NFL is shifting to wanting these long guys, but that doesn't mean smaller guys can't play. Now, with that said, let's just base this argument off of the top three corners because, again, I'm not sure how much the Ravens use the dime. Dennard will very likely be the third cornerback for that team. You don't get drafted in the first round to just rot on the bench, and the way Marvin Lewis talked about him, I'd be shocked not to see him out there. Still, he hasn't accrued a defensive snap, so I put him on the same level as Asa. That doesn't mean that Dennard can't be better than Asa, but until he plays a stretch of games, he's just an unknown, like Asa. That leaves us looking at Jimmy and Webb vs Newman and Hall, and I'm taking the Ravens cornerbacks. The Bengals are deeper, but the Ravens starters are better, in my opinion.

 

I agree that's ridiculous. The Bengals are a very talented team. I'd personally take the Ravens quarterback, linebackers, and corners, but that's just me. I also see a wash at running back, if Rice is healthy, and tight end is pretty close for me as well. The Bengals are not going to be a cake walk team. They are very talented and deep.

[5aiah]

Is that sarcasm? I'm too lazy to go back and see what I read.

 

I agree that's ridiculous. The Bengals are a very talented team. I'd personally take the Ravens quarterback, linebackers, and corners, but that's just me. I also see a wash at running back, if Rice is healthy, and tight end is pretty close for me as well. The Bengals are not going to be a cake walk team. They are very talented and deep.

It was not sarcasm, thanks for the rational discussion.