Are we a top tier team now?

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

I think Upshaw will play at a high level, especially being in a contract year. Definitely made strides as a pass rusher last year and could potentially get even better heading into this season. Za'Darius Smith is still a question mark as far as his pass rushing effectiveness in his rookie year but he certainly has all the tools to at least moderately replace McPhee from the jump and that's really all we need out of him with the improved secondary.

Plus with Jernigan becoming a full time player we should generate a more consistent inside rush which will help offset the loss of McPhee. Urban and KLM also looked explosive rushing the passer in preseason before injuries hit so we can't really count on their contributions but I wouldn't count them out either.

And you never know, Ozzie may yet have another trick up his sleeve to add another pass rusher before the season hits. Nothing blockbuster but another Arrington like signing.

[Im Too Legendary]

I'll comment on this after week 17 of the season. I can't remember the last time we made it to the playoffs where it didn't come down to one of the last two weeks.

It would be nice to clinch a spot in week 12 like the Patriots somehow seem to do every year.

 

That's not very difficult to accomplish when your division, as a whole, is comparatively garbage. Just look at the Bronco's as well. 

[Ravensuperfan1]

this thread title is a head scratcher

[Alaska Alaska!]

this thread title is a head scratcher

How so?

[Alaska Alaska!]

That's not very difficult to accomplish when your division, as a whole, is comparatively garbage. Just look at the Bronco's as well. 

AFC West isn't a joke.  Chargers and Chiefs are good teams.

[757RavensFan]

Here's what's arguably stopped the Ravens from appearing in 4 of the last 5 Super Bowls:

 

2010: Webb's punt return TD not called back OR Boldin and Housh don't drop their Endzone/4th down catches, respectively.

 

2011: Lee Evans.

 

2014: Edelman's fumble is recovered by a Raven. (By him fumbling in Pats territory, we either score a TD or kick a FG and can kick a FG at the end to win it. The Pats scored as many points as possible after this occurred.)

 

So yes, I feel like we should be considered one of the best teams going into this season.

 

2014: Next to last offensive drive, Owen Daniels drops a TD pass in the endzone, Ravens settle for FG.  If OD catches that TD, our last drive of the game is for a game winning FG.  Joe doesn't need to force the ball for the TD. 

[GrimCoconut]

How so?

Probably because we already are a "top tier" team.

[January J]

i think people may be putting too much stock into maxx williams. i am ecstatic about the pick and i think he'll become a top flight pro bowl TE, but he doesnt have the luxury of great speed or size to give him something to lean on while he adjusts to the pro game mentally and technically. i think he has about 30-35 catches as a rookie and ill give him 4 td's, and i think he makes a major leap in year 2 doubling his production. TE is a tough position to learn in the nfl

the only thing I'm worried about is him being so young. I have no doubt he will have success in this league - but he's barely 21 and it might take 3 years or so for him to really mature into a strong player. However it pitta comes back even at mid season we won't need him to do too much and he can really learn and blossom behind him.

[Ravensuperfan1]

How so?

pretty much the "now" part. Season hasn't started and we are just jumping to conclusions about new addititions. As a franchise we've been top tier for a while.

 

If you make the playoffs, and lose by 3 points to the Super Bowl champs your already there. We've been a top tier team since 2008.  Defense has always been good/great till the 2013 to 2014 secondary hiccups.  Offense while at times inconsistent has always had the weapons and potential to be top tier and tends to give us about 10 or more games each year to back that up.

 

We just need a stable running game to be consistent.

[TDubbs]

Yes we are a top tier team, and we have been for quite some time. 

 

a ) We can beat any team in this league at home or on the road.

b ) We're always a threat to win the division and get home field advantage. 

c ) Ask the fans of any team, we're the last team they want to see in the playoffs. 

Edited May 15, 2015 by TDubbs

[Cillmatic]

Yes, namely New England, Denver, Seattle and Green Bay. All of which are consensus "top tier teams" (except for possibly Manning's declining ability).

Not New England. The patriots have no secondary or running game against us,(Blunt only got 4 yards against us in playoffs) this would force Tom to throw the ball to average WR's in arguably one of the best secondary's in the league. Joe could carve up their defense. I'd bet on that game.

[omar586]

It's obvious that the offense and defense has gotten MAJOR boasts this offseason. When you compare our team to the other top teams(Patriots,Seahawks,Broncos,Colts,Packers and Cardinals) I think we can beat all of them. The defense(The Birdcage) is now a top run stuffing unit and should be a top secondary unit and The offense should be elite with the receiver/tight ends and running game.

Edit:

Is there a team that outclasses us

How do you view the schedule now?

 

on paper we look sick we have depth, we have proving we can beat top teams like the pats and broncos, yes we r SB contender for sure.

[HoldingCall]

On paper, the offense and defensive secondary looks stronger. A place of concern for me is the defensive front that appears weaker than last season at this time.

[ALSKAN RAVEN FAN]

It is hard to accuratly predict how a season is going to turn out for any team. At the risk of sounding like a total homer I have  always thought the Ravens were a top tier team after J.Flacco was drafted and we saw what he did the first season. We have never been a media favorite but since he has been here we have made the playoffs every year except 1. We all know when you get a ticket to play in the post season you have a shot at winning it all. Just my opinion but I think the AFC north is the toughest division in the NFL.

[Cillmatic]

It is hard to accuratly predict how a season is going to turn out for any team. At the risk of sounding like a total homer I have always thought the Ravens were a top tier team after J.Flacco was drafted and we saw what he did the first season. We have never been a media favorite but since he has been here we have made the playoffs every year except 1. We all know when you get a ticket to play in the post season you have a shot at winning it all. Just my opinion but I think the AFC north is the toughest division in the NFL.

Bengals might've taken a step back, I can't remember ANYONE they drafted except for a LT with back problems. Plus they still have Dalton at QB.

[Im Too Legendary]

AFC West isn't a joke.  Chargers and Chiefs are good teams.

 

Define "good". Let's be real here, the Chiefs are a mediocre team at best, and the Chargers.. well.. it would seem as if that organization is just setup to fail.. no matter the amount of talent on that team. 

 

Chiefs can be great at home and can perform great when least expected to. However, when the pressure is on, they're extremely inconsistent and flutter like no-ones business. Not qualities of a "good" team. 

 

The Chargers as aforementioned, no one really seems to know what their problem is. A few years back they were what, the number one team in the league, with arguably the most talent, and got knocked out in the first round? Even now, still fairly talented, but they're still going nowhere. 

 

Hard to say, but that division as a whole is not strong. Perhaps not nearly as bad as let's say.. 2010, but they're still not a strong or even good division. 

[gtalk12]

When weren't we?

[kassaiscool]

I really like the offensive improvements. I think offensively we have depth across the board. Defensively as odd as it might sound basing this off last year, I feel more comfortable with our secondary more than I do with the D-line. As other people stated we really don't have someone who has done it before at a high level behind doom and sizz as far as rushing the passer is concerned. We also lost Mcphee and Haloti, so they their is gonna be some type of drop off in our pass rush and run D, but the question is how much? I personally think the other two real threats in the AFC are the Broncos and Colts.  The Broncos air attack will not be as good as other years, but they have a run game now with Kubiak. Defensively they are pretty sound across the board. They have CB's and pass rushers. I think we have a better chance beating the Colts than the Broncos this year.

Edited May 17, 2015 by kassaiscool

[Guest]

We have a couple unknowns.

 

First is Safety Play, will we be able to have good enough safety play to win it all?

 

The second is Receiver Production, will the guys we drafted provide us with the production to outscore our opponents?  I'm leaning decidedly to Yes. Much less concern than Safety.

It's obvious that the offense and defense has gotten MAJOR boasts this offseason. When you compare our team to the other top teams(Patriots,Seahawks,Broncos,Colts,Packers and Cardinals) I think we can beat all of them. The defense(The Birdcage) is now a top run stuffing unit and should be a top secondary unit and The offense should be elite with the receiver/tight ends and running game.
Edit:
Is there a team that outclasses us?
How do you view the schedule now?

[HomeoftheBRAVENS]

If by top tier you mean super bowl caliber,then no,but we do have the potential to be one.If by some miracle we hit on both Perriman and Williams and they're both contributors straight out of the gate then we're tops in the AFC.If atleast one of them aren't CJ Mosley-esque right out the gate then we're going to struggle on offense.I'm not as happy go lucky about our pass catchers as everyone else on here seems to be.I'm happy focused on offense in the first two rounds,but neither of those two were high on my wish list before the draft.I don't trust Aiken,Brown or Camp to be able to fill Owen and Torrey's production either.If any of them reached atleast 50 catches and 700 yards with atleast 4 or 5 TD's on their own I'd be floored.I also would like to wait and see what Trestmans offense looks like.He could be another Caldwell,he could be another Kubiak or he could be anywhere in-between.We have alot of uncertainty on offense.We need to wait and see how it starts to pan out before anyone can truly say where we rank with out any bias.By the third week of preseason I'll know exactly what to expect out of this team.

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

If by top tier you mean super bowl caliber,then no,but we do have the potential to be one.If by some miracle we hit on both Perriman and Williams and they're both contributors straight out of the gate then we're tops in the AFC.If atleast one of them aren't CJ Mosley-esque right out the gate then we're going to struggle on offense.I'm not as happy go lucky about our pass catchers as everyone else on here seems to be.I'm happy focused on offense in the first two rounds,but neither of those two were high on my wish list before the draft.I don't trust Aiken,Brown or Camp to be able to fill Owen and Torrey's production either.If any of them reached atleast 50 catches and 700 yards with atleast 4 or 5 TD's on their own I'd be floored.I also would like to wait and see what Trestmans offense looks like.He could be another Caldwell,he could be another Kubiak or he could be anywhere in-between.We have alot of uncertainty on offense.We need to wait and see how it starts to pan out before anyone can truly say where we rank with out any bias.By the third week of preseason I'll know exactly what to expect out of this team.

I think Camp will be a catch machine - our Wes Welker/Julian Edelman.

Aiken and Brown... I think you're partially right. I see both as 40 catch, 500 yard type guys but mostly because I don't think either will be our 2nd target. And let me clarify, I don't think both have that kind of production this year... They both have that potential. 1 will have that, the other will be more along the lines of 25-30 catches and 350 yards.

I'm confident Perriman is the #2 out the gate and will be #1 by week 8. I see a 60 catch 1,000 yard season from him year 1. Call me optimistic or a homer but I am overly confident that he will be among the elite receivers in the league by year 3.

I also think pitta will be ready to go early on in the season taking some of the pressure off of Maxx Williams. I think he has a Zach Ertz kind of rookie season and shows the potential to eventually take over. Pitta will be comeback player of the year. Book it.

Edited May 17, 2015 by BOLDnPurPnBlacK

[codizzle]

When weren't we?

The other day ago

[codizzle]

We have a couple unknowns.

First is Safety Play, will we be able to have good enough safety play to win it all?

The second is Receiver Production, will the guys we drafted provide us with the production to outscore our opponents? I'm leaning decidedly to Yes. Much less concern than Safety.

Safety play will be quite fine.. Not ed reed find but more than sufficient with the pieces we have in place

[Guest]

If by top tier you mean super bowl caliber,then no,but we do have the potential to be one.If by some miracle we hit on both Perriman and Williams and they're both contributors straight out of the gate then we're tops in the AFC.If atleast one of them aren't CJ Mosley-esque right out the gate then we're going to struggle on offense.I'm not as happy go lucky about our pass catchers as everyone else on here seems to be.I'm happy focused on offense in the first two rounds,but neither of those two were high on my wish list before the draft.I don't trust Aiken,Brown or Camp to be able to fill Owen and Torrey's production either.If any of them reached atleast 50 catches and 700 yards with atleast 4 or 5 TD's on their own I'd be floored.I also would like to wait and see what Trestmans offense looks like.He could be another Caldwell,he could be another Kubiak or he could be anywhere in-between.We have alot of uncertainty on offense.We need to wait and see how it starts to pan out before anyone can truly say where we rank with out any bias.By the third week of preseason I'll know exactly what to expect out of this team.

 

I'm much more confident that our Receivers drafted will bolster us up.  They have to show it first of course, but I'm very positive on them.

 

So much so that I really don't think Marlon Brown or Aiken will deserve to make the squad. One may, only because the F.O. likes security. But mediocre security is not a Raven thing.

[NYCRAVEN4LIFE]

I think the loss of Jacoby Jones really really hurts the team.

 

Getting good field position off kickoffs and punts is VITAL. We all remember the David Reed debacle, we would start yards away from our own endzone quite frequently, backed up on our own goaline even. Other guys besides Reed were returning kicks too but I forget who.

 

Not to mention, Jacoby's CLUTCH playmaking ability ie- the miracle catch in denver.

 

So yea, its very important that we find a returner that can strike some fear into opposing teams the way Jones did.

 

Also, I don't want to see Webb or a defensive player returning or catching punts for us anymore. 

[Guest]

 

I think the loss of Jacoby Jones really really hurts the team.

 

Getting good field position off kickoffs and punts is VITAL. We all remember the David Reed debacle, we would start yards away from our own endzone quite frequently, backed up on our own goaline even. Other guys besides Reed were returning kicks too but I forget who.

 

Not to mention, Jacoby's CLUTCH playmaking ability ie- the miracle catch in denver.

 

So yea, its very important that we find a returner that can strike some fear into opposing teams the way Jones did.

 

Also, I don't want to see Webb or a defensive player returning or catching punts for us anymore. 

 

 

Yeah, agree with everything you said. 

 

What's interesting is that of all our receivers Jacoby was the one guy that could deke a corner out of his shorts.  His weakness was that he had hard hands and liked to body catch.  They didn't trust him at receiver and that's why he's gone. 

 

You could make a strong case for Championship Game MVP, but they didn't want to use him in the passing game.

[JoeyFlex5]

On paper, the offense and defensive secondary looks stronger. A place of concern for me is the defensive front that appears weaker than last season at this time.

i think carl davis could actually be a force to be reckoned with, even with his inconsistencies, that is the type of guy that clarence brooks takes and makes other gm's say "why did we pass on him again?". he has the ability to be every bit as good as ngata. za'darius smith appears more complete than mcphee, he is a powerful and violent player with a well rounded skillset, he wont be the speed rusher and stunt expert like mcphee, but put him on the right task and he could be too much to handle when playing behind our DL. 

 

my only real concern is the edge rush depth, if either of the top 2 gets hurt or starts to fall off we could be in trouble, but i also think the pressure our DL can generate on its own can make up for that

[JoeyFlex5]

Safety play will be quite fine.. Not ed reed find but more than sufficient with the pieces we have in place

as long as your safety doesnt miss tackles when he is truly the last line of defense, and as long as he follows assignments and picks up coverage when its assigned, then you have good enough safety play. 

 

if one safety can blitz, man cover TEs, run support, lay the wood on crossing patterns, then you have a luxury at SS, if your FS can make even 5 int's in a year, you have a luxury at FS. 

 

ed reed and troy polamalu style safeties are not necessities, those types of players are few and far between, and if you get one then you are lucky, but as long as your safety plays better than michael huff and matt elam, then you have a chance to win it all. an elite safety duo is nothing without cb's and/or a front seven.

[HoldingCall]

i think carl davis could actually be a force to be reckoned with, even with his inconsistencies, that is the type of guy that clarence brooks takes and makes other gm's say "why did we pass on him again?". he has the ability to be every bit as good as ngata. za'darius smith appears more complete than mcphee, he is a powerful and violent player with a well rounded skillset, he wont be the speed rusher and stunt expert like mcphee, but put him on the right task and he could be too much to handle when playing behind our DL. 

 

my only real concern is the edge rush depth, if either of the top 2 gets hurt or starts to fall off we could be in trouble, but i also think the pressure our DL can generate on its own can make up for that

Good point on the edge rushing depth and I agree it should be an area of concern. As for the DL, the new guys have to prove themselves in the NFL before I can give them that much credit. Although it would be a nice surprise, I expect it to take some time before either play at the level of vets like Ngata or McPhee  and  sustain that level throughout the length of an NFL game; not an easy task.

[hawkprey]

 

I think the loss of Jacoby Jones really really hurts the team.

 

Getting good field position off kickoffs and punts is VITAL. We all remember the David Reed debacle, we would start yards away from our own endzone quite frequently, backed up on our own goaline even. Other guys besides Reed were returning kicks too but I forget who.

 

Not to mention, Jacoby's CLUTCH playmaking ability ie- the miracle catch in denver.

 

So yea, its very important that we find a returner that can strike some fear into opposing teams the way Jones did.

 

Also, I don't want to see Webb or a defensive player returning or catching punts for us anymore. 

 

David Reed and Tandon Doss both have high return averages behind our ST blocking. Reed led the league in kickoff average in 2010 I believe. Jacoby also turned the ball over a few times and we can certainly do without that. I think we'll be fine. Plenty of guys can fill in.