Next Up: Ravens at Steelers, Sunday December 25 at 1630

[frozen joe flacco fan]

2 hours ago, baroquenspirit said:

Ugh...no doubt that streak hurts from our side of it. 

Your sentimental scouting report is so touching. Here's mine: You mentioned some of Pittsburgh's studs. Just in case you hadn't heard, we have a few new ones of our own, not to mention some old ones who will drive Ben absolutely nuts. We've built a team that is designed to defeat the Squealers so let's get it on! Watch out for Pitta, Waller, Aiken, Juice, West, Dixon and Campanaro! They are all forces to reckon with. Oh yeah! I almost neglected to mention we have two ole nasty Grinches, named Smith and Wallace that are really anxious to steal Christmas from the Spittsburgh fans so look out!! If the Ravens play up to their capability, this will be better than the Gunfight at the OK Corral. I'm jest glad Wyatt and Doc are on our side, Ke-Ma-Sa-Bee. Meanwhile, don't fall off your I-beam and have a Blessed Christmas and New Year! PS - I really hope the Squealers win the game if we don't. Oh and BTW, unlike Jeremy Hill, we won't denigrate your terrific towels but we do have one guy who eats them for pre-game meals so watch out for him too. I think it may be Brandon Williams but I'm not sure.

[rossihunter2]

maybe just to troll the steelers this week we should play with ryan mallet, buck allen and kamar aiken as our featured triplet and see if lightning cant strike twice

[frozen joe flacco fan]

11 minutes ago, rossihunter2 said:

maybe just to troll the steelers this week we should play with ryan mallet, buck allen and kamar aiken as our featured triplet and see if lightning cant strike twice

I like it!

[baroquenspirit]

28 minutes ago, frozen joe flacco fan said:

Your sentimental scouting report is so touching. Here's mine: You mentioned some of Pittsburgh's studs. Just in case you hadn't heard, we have a few new ones of our own, not to mention some old ones who will drive Ben absolutely nuts. We've built a team that is designed to defeat the Squealers so let's get it on! Watch out for Pitta, Waller, Aiken, Juice, West, Dixon and Campanaro! They are all forces to reckon with. Oh yeah! I almost neglected to mention we have two ole nasty Grinches, named Smith and Wallace that are really anxious to steal Christmas from the Spittsburgh fans so look out!! If the Ravens play up to their capability, this will be better than the Gunfight at the OK Corral. I'm jest glad Wyatt and Doc are on our side, Ke-Ma-Sa-Bee. Meanwhile, don't fall off your I-beam and have a Blessed Christmas and New Year! PS - I really hope the Squealers win the game if we don't. Oh and BTW, unlike Jeremy Hill, we won't denigrate your terrific towels but we do have one guy who eats them for pre-game meals so watch out for him too. I think it may be Brandon Williams but I'm not sure.

Thanks for your input. 

 

[DomMcRaven]

32 minutes ago, rossihunter2 said:

maybe just to troll the steelers this week we should play with ryan mallet, buck allen and kamar aiken as our featured triplet and see if lightning cant strike twice

You should say Mallett, Allen, and Aiken > big ben, bell, brown (make sure you keep them at lower case too)

[codizzle]

13 minutes ago, baroquenspirit said:

Thanks for your input. 

 

Yes please be very afraid of Waller, campanaro, Aiken..

All highly sought after players that we had to fight very hard to keep the past few years 

/s... for the lower iq crowd 

[flynismo]

3 hours ago, codizzle said:

Yes please be very afraid of Waller, campanaro, Aiken..

All highly sought after players that we had to fight very hard to keep the past few years 

/s... for the lower iq crowd 

Actually, they probably should be afraid of Waller if he ever gets more than a dozen or so snaps...he's been showing flashes of beastliness at times. Pretty excited to see what he can do given a full time role.

[flynismo]

8 hours ago, baroquenspirit said:

Well, here we go again. Ravens have won four straight against the Steelers. Harbaugh does a great job getting his team ready for the Steelers. Records and home field are meaningless at this point. I cannot see the future so I am not going to predict a winner. My brief take on the game:  Bell will get his yards from scrimmage. The key will be whether the Raven defense can cause Big Ben to turn the ball over. Flacco probably needs to stretch the field a few times. The Ravens will need to establish at least some running game to make that work. Interesting view on the Steelers...during the five game winning streak, Ben has not actually played his best. He has not been in great rhythm for most of the last three games...just enough to win. However, the much maligned defense is greatly improved. Granted, we have not played offensive power-houses but we are getting way more QB pressure, sacks and a few turnovers. Teams haven't scored much on us during this streak. We have a couple young guys, Artie Burns and Russ Cockerel that have grown into their roles. Shazier has become a genuine stud. Bud Dupree is finally healthy and is becoming  what we had hoped Jarvis Jones would be. (Jones is mostly a bust). It is no small loss if Stephan Tuitt is out. He's a beast. Other than that, we are surprisingly healthy for this time of the season. That's my quick fan scouting report. One of us is going to have something extra to celebrate on Christmas. But in any case, Merry Christmas Raven's fans. I hope you and your families are blessed in all the ways that really matter this holiday season! 

Yeah, you'd think that by now people would give up on predicting the outcome of Ravens / Steelers games LOL. All we know for certain is that we will all be very entertained, and one of the fan bases will be very happy afterwards, and the other likely moving on to 2017 draft mode.

Merry Xmas either way!

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

1 minute ago, flynismo said:

Yeah, you'd think that by now people would give up on predicting the outcome of Ravens / Steelers games LOL. All we know for certain is that we will all be very entertained, and one of the fan bases will be very happy afterwards, and the other likely moving on to 2017 draft mode.

Merry Xmas either way!

For all we know this game could go into a never ending tie where nobody makes mistakes and it goes on for 2 days non stop

[hn68wb4]

For what it's worth...I think we'll win...

 

[codizzle]

2 hours ago, flynismo said:

Actually, they probably should be afraid of Waller if he ever gets more than a dozen or so snaps...he's been showing flashes of beastliness at times. Pretty excited to see what he can do given a full time role.

Technically agreed but still not someone I'm going to list to instill fear in an opponent 

[Ravens419]

Personally I think we play best in this position but it's a toss up to me we will see should be fun to watch... actually not fun to watch at all I hate watching these games my blood pressure ain't built for this Lol idk if the Dolphins winning or losing Saturday makes it any better cause we either have it all on the line or there is small hope 

[The Mom Gene]

14 hours ago, Rav'n Maniac said:

I'm seriously contemplating not watching the game until the 26th. I'd rather not risk ruining my Christmas.

There is no way I couldn't watch....  I might be disappointed in the end...  BUT...  MAYBE NOT!  It could be the best Christmas EVER!

[The Mom Gene]

11 hours ago, frozen joe flacco fan said:

Your sentimental scouting report is so touching. Here's mine: You mentioned some of Pittsburgh's studs. Just in case you hadn't heard, we have a few new ones of our own, not to mention some old ones who will drive Ben absolutely nuts. We've built a team that is designed to defeat the Squealers so let's get it on! Watch out for Pitta, Waller, Aiken, Juice, West, Dixon and Campanaro! They are all forces to reckon with. Oh yeah! I almost neglected to mention we have two ole nasty Grinches, named Smith and Wallace that are really anxious to steal Christmas from the Spittsburgh fans so look out!! If the Ravens play up to their capability, this will be better than the Gunfight at the OK Corral. I'm jest glad Wyatt and Doc are on our side, Ke-Ma-Sa-Bee. Meanwhile, don't fall off your I-beam and have a Blessed Christmas and New Year! PS - I really hope the Squealers win the game if we don't. Oh and BTW, unlike Jeremy Hill, we won't denigrate your terrific towels but we do have one guy who eats them for pre-game meals so watch out for him too. I think it may be Brandon Williams but I'm not sure.

I think it's snacktime for Suggs, Dumer, and Williams.

[January J]

14 hours ago, Rav'n Maniac said:

I'm seriously contemplating not watching the game until the 26th. I'd rather not risk ruining my Christmas.

Lol I'm thinking the same thing dude. Don't want my bad mood to damper my family's Xmas if we don't get the job done. On the other hand if they win I'll be the most jolly ole fella you'll ever be around. Tough call. Honestly I don't have a good feeling- but then again I haven't had a good feeling for awhile now..

[January J]

49 minutes ago, Ravens419 said:

Personally I think we play best in this position but it's a toss up to me we will see should be fun to watch... actually not fun to watch at all I hate watching these games my blood pressure ain't built for this Lol idk if the Dolphins winning or losing Saturday makes it any better cause we either have it all on the line or there is small hope 

I'd feel much better if the fins lose...but then again then our guys might have that in the back of their heads and it wont be truly do or die.

Something that puzzled me... I noticed on the lfw article that in order for a wild card berth we need both Houston and Tennessee to finish 1-1? Why is this? 1 of them will win the division which doesn't effect us...and they play each other week 17 which is a guaranteed loss for 1 of them. I'm aware the fins have to lose 2 and Denver has to lose 1. Could someone clear this up for me?

[trevorsteadman]

7 minutes ago, January J said:

I'd feel much better if the fins lose...but then again then our guys might have that in the back of their heads and it wont be truly do or die.

Something that puzzled me... I noticed on the lfw article that in order for a wild card berth we need both Houston and Tennessee to finish 1-1? Why is this? 1 of them will win the division which doesn't effect us...and they play each other week 17 which is a guaranteed loss for 1 of them. I'm aware the fins have to lose 2 and Denver has to lose 1. Could someone clear this up for me?

The author probably didn't see they play each other later this season. I think if we match one of their record's we hold the wild card spot still. That is the only thing I can see.

[January J]

1 minute ago, trevorsteadman said:

The author probably didn't see they play each other later this season. I think if we match one of their record's we hold the wild card spot still. That is the only thing I can see.

Right- that's what I figured but didn't know if i was missing something or what. Either way though why would they state both of them had to lose 1 if one of them will win the division which has no bearing on the wildcard? I'm guessing just a straight up mistake or typo.

Edited December 20, 2016 by January J

[Neal Could Block the SUN!!]

In all honesty I try to watch these games and remain as calm as possible.  After years and years of watching the Ravens get blown out by nobodies or blow away teams away that no one saw coming, I just try to chill and watch the drama unfold.  I was honestly calm and predicting an Eagles come back on Sunday.  This team is just so chaotic in performance you never know. 

 

Of course, a few single malt scotch always help with that calm feeling!

[BmoreBird22]

17 hours ago, The Mom Gene said:

If you look at it week by week, it's just not true.  Simple as that. 

What you'd have to do is look at the games without Jimmy and then total up their yardages and points and compare against the league averages. Of course, having  a game like the AJ Green-less Bengals helps, but if you look at the Giants game, Jimmy goes out and Beckham has 211 yards and two touchdowns. No Jimmy and Dez goes for two touchdowns. Brady goes for over 400 yards.

[trevorsteadman]

1 minute ago, BmoreBird22 said:

What you'd have to do is look at the games without Jimmy and then total up their yardages and points and compare against the league averages. Of course, having  a game like the AJ Green-less Bengals helps, but if you look at the Giants game, Jimmy goes out and Beckham has 211 yards and two touchdowns. No Jimmy and Dez goes for two touchdowns. Brady goes for over 400 yards.

I would also look at the run defense stats without Jimmy Smith.... The team gets run on more when he is out as well. I feel like he is out on an island and without him we have to drop an extra safety or linebacker to help in coverage. 

[BmoreBird22]

1 minute ago, trevorsteadman said:

I would also look at the run defense stats without Jimmy Smith.... The team gets run on more when he is out as well. I feel like he is out on an island and without him we have to drop an extra safety or linebacker to help in coverage. 

This is correct. Without Jimmy, you can play Webb or Weddle more as a rover and rotate safety help over to Young

[Ravens4Real]

He missed so far this year: 

(for the games where he missed part of the game, I am just going to calculate the total game yards, which would actually help out the argument that they aren't as low as 27th)

2nd half vs. Giants = 435 total yards

Cowboys = 417 total yards

Bengals = 325 total yards

3 Q's vs. Pats = 496 total yards

Eagles = 330 total yards 

So adding up these numbers and taking the average to figure where the D would rank without Jimmy, the average for all these games is 400.6 total yards per game. 

Now to see where that falls in terms of total team defense. Looking at the chart and the average yards team defenses are allowing a game, The Mom Gene is actually correct, we wouldn't be ranked 27th.

We'd actually be ranked 30th. .2 yards ahead of the Browns D. And like I said above, the numbers are worse if you would look at it per quarter since the Giants and Pats went off without him in the lineup and I can't find a per quarter yardage output to make the analysis more accurate.

[The Mom Gene]

48 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

What you'd have to do is look at the games without Jimmy and then total up their yardages and points and compare against the league averages. Of course, having  a game like the AJ Green-less Bengals helps, but if you look at the Giants game, Jimmy goes out and Beckham has 211 yards and two touchdowns. No Jimmy and Dez goes for two touchdowns. Brady goes for over 400 yards.

I get that, but it doesn't lower our defensive ranking to 27th in the league.  It may lower it, but not that much.  Because then you would have to look at the yardage of Ezekiel Elliott, LeVeon Bell, and guys like that too.  The very fact that we held Elliott to 97 yards was pretty huge.  Did Mathews gash us???  yes...  But they had no passing game on Sunday either.  To me, it's just all relevant...  not just about one guy.

I still question the Beckham thing.  He has done the EXACT same thing in a couple of other games too... He goes down with an injury... misses a play and then  comes back in on the next play and gashes a team.  I've seen it 3 times that I can count just off the top of my head.  It's a thing.

[BmoreBird22]

1 minute ago, The Mom Gene said:

I get that, but it doesn't lower our defensive ranking to 27th in the league.  Because then you would have to look at the yardage of Ezekiel Elliott, LeVeon Bell, and guys like that too.  The very fact that we held Elliott to 97 yards was pretty huge.  Did Mathews gash us???  yes...  But they had no passing game on Sunday either.  To me, it's just all relevant...  not just about one guy.

I still question the Beckham thing.  He has done the EXACT same thing in a couple of other games too... He goes down with an injury... misses a play and then  comes back in on the next play and gashes a team.  I've seen it 3 times that I can count just off the top of my head.  It's a thing.

Look at the post above and it'll explain about all we need to know.

[The Mom Gene]

1 minute ago, BmoreBird22 said:

Look at the post above and it'll explain about all we need to know.

  It doesn't drop us to 27th.  That was by far an exaggeration.

[Marcus_Aurelius]

Game kicks off 930pm UK time, I'm normally fast asleep by that time on Christmas Day. I'll just check in here to catch the celebrations/recriminations ........

[BmoreBird22]

49 minutes ago, trevorsteadman said:

I would also look at the run defense stats without Jimmy Smith.... The team gets run on more when he is out as well. I feel like he is out on an island and without him we have to drop an extra safety or linebacker to help in coverage. 

Sorry, couldn't give a more detailed response before because I was about to play an online game, but...

Yeah, having Jimmy will immensely help your run defense. He allows Webb or Weddle to drop down and you can really just allow Zach Orr to play down on the line and not have to drop into coverage. I don't think it's a coincidence that some of Orr's worst games have been without Jimmy. Take away Weddle on a TE to play the deep safety spot and you put Orr in an uncomfortable spot. 

Lots of moving parts.

As far as the run defense issue goes, it's been a mixed bag. I don't remember the Giants doing much, the Bengals weren't running anywhere, and Elliot was largely held in check in the first half. However, in the Giants game, it's really hard to make an adjustment on the fly like that when your gameplan centered around having this player, so the Ravens probably didn't really change too much and kept the run game in check before sacrificing the passing defense. In the Cowboys game, Elliot goes off in the second half when the Ravens are forced to defend the pass more because Prescott and the line started catching fire. The Bengals game, they had no AJ Green and their top weapon was LaFell. Didn't have to really defend the run. 

Then you look at games like the Patriots (where the game plan would largely be to stop the pass, anyway) and Eagles and the Ravens were just getting gashed.

[BmoreBird22]

7 minutes ago, The Mom Gene said:

  It doesn't drop us to 27th.  That was by far an exaggeration.

It drops them to 30th

Without Jimmy, working with averages for games where Jimmy was out a half or three quarters, the Ravens give up an average of 27 points. Compare that against 15.2 with Jimmy. That's literally a two touchdown swing (no extra points). That's absurd.

Edited December 20, 2016 by BmoreBird22

[Ravens4Real]

5 minutes ago, The Mom Gene said:

  It doesn't drop us to 27th.  That was by far an exaggeration.

The initial poster never stated that it dropped us to 27th overall, throughout the year. 

He said that without Jimmy on the field, those stats taken over the course of the year would make us 27th in the league.