Another year of anaemic offense???

[rossihunter2]

49 minutes ago, Ravens4Real said:

I don't care what happened in the game between us and the Dolphins. The fact still remains that they made the playoffs and the Ravens did not.

Its funny that you bring up how useless the Bills offense was when ours was just as bad as theirs. We scored 13 points. 

The Jets game, we lost plain and simple. I don't care what happened.

And exactly what would the Patriots do in our division every year? The Steelers were 0-2 against them last year, Bengals 0-1, Browns 0-1 and Brady almost threw for 500 yards in the spanking they gave us. 

You could make the same argument that they would do just as well in our division. The Steelers and Bengals do not match up well with them. We play them tough once in awhile. And the Browns are 2 free wins. 

so you don't care about the dolphins game... i wonder why

and you don't care about the jets game... hmmm

so you only care about the bills game... the first game of the season... seems to make sense

and to actually refute points - the dolphins limped into the playoffs on the back of a soft schedule and end of year collapses by the broncos, titans and ravens - they were not a good team but were able to ascend in a weak year for the afc full of mediocre teams - and you seem to be very results oriented in your analysis and yet discount that game because the ravens won which makes... sense?

the jets was a travesty of a performance with starters missing and murphy's law in full flow - if there's a game to discount its that one

you cant say that it doesnt matter how the jets game was won/lost because they won and yet say that the ravens almost lost the bills game - you must see the hypocrisy in that "analysis"

and all this was in an up year for the division... things look a lot worse for those three teams - the jets are free-falling to the bottom of the nfl and their good players are parachuting out as quick as they can (or are getting pushed out), the bills dont even really support their starting qb- have changed head coach and lost impact players also - their front office since the last couple of games of the regular season last year have given the washington front office a run for its money for sheer ineptitude, and the dolphins may well have missed their chance to do anything - they still have a middling qb, they put together an historic run, faced a ridiculously easy slate - 8 of their 16 games came against teams picking in the top 10 this year, they also played the rams, a roethlisberger-less steelers team, the cardinals (who are picking 13th) and a brady-less patriots - they only played 4 games against teams that reached the playoffs - two of which were missing their starting qb

- the entire division outside of new england had their highest heights in a while last year and are about to plummet again - no wonder new england always goes 12-4 because they literally get 6 guaranteed easy games a year

[Ravens4Real]

49 minutes ago, Adreme said:

The fact that they made the playoffs and what happened to them when they did kind of proves my point about the AFCEast as a whole.  I suspect that you actually see that but are avoiding admitting it because there is no way you honestly believe the AFCEast and AFCNorth are the same quality of division year in and year out.  Even in a down year for the north they were still a better division than the East.

 

Unlike most years though NE was just the only complete team in the NFL with every other AFC team either being a year too early or missing a core piece.  Judging by how the off-season played out and that said year has passed that likely will not be the case (though the Jets and Bill's will still stink with Dolphins being at best below average)

So making the playoffs and losing the first game is somehow worse than not making the playoffs at all?

The Patriots ran through the AFCNorth. I don't know what I am failing to admit? That they would not do as well in our division when the results say they certainly would? 5-0 against the AFCNorth last year. 5-1 in their division. What's better? 2013: 3-1 vs. AFCNorth. 4-2 in division. 2011: 3-1 to 5-1. The results show that they fare better against the teams in our division than their own. That isn't conjecture. That's cold hard facts.

Some of you have such extreme purple colored shades on that it's impossible to get across a point. 

[rossihunter2]

7 minutes ago, Ravens4Real said:

So making the playoffs and losing the first game is somehow worse than not making the playoffs at all?

when they legitimately had no shot of winning a game then you could argue maybe it is worse: last year, the way i see it, is there were 5 playoff-worthy teams in the AFC but 6 have to get in every year - you could argue the same about the texans the year before

[berad]

13 minutes ago, Ravens4Real said:

So making the playoffs and losing the first game is somehow worse than not making the playoffs at all?

The Patriots ran through the AFCNorth. I don't know what I am failing to admit? That they would not do as well in our division when the results say they certainly would? 5-0 against the AFCNorth last year. 5-1 in their division. What's better? 2013: 3-1 vs. AFCNorth. 4-2 in division. 2011: 3-1 to 5-1. The results show that they fare better against the teams in our division than their own. That isn't conjecture. That's cold hard facts.

Some of you have such extreme purple colored shades on that it's impossible to get across a point. 

Generous to call the Dolphins-Steelers a 'game', they got the doors blown off at the coin toss lol

But point does stand, they did what they needed to get into the playoffs, the Ravens did not. Still think we were a better team, though, for whatever that matters.

[Adreme]

15 minutes ago, Ravens4Real said:

So making the playoffs and losing the first game is somehow worse than not making the playoffs at all?

The Patriots ran through the AFCNorth. I don't know what I am failing to admit? That they would not do as well in our division when the results say they certainly would? 5-0 against the AFCNorth last year. 5-1 in their division. What's better? 2013: 3-1 vs. AFCNorth. 4-2 in division. 2011: 3-1 to 5-1. The results show that they fare better against the teams in our division than their own. That isn't conjecture. That's cold hard facts.

Some of you have such extreme purple colored shades on that it's impossible to get across a point. 

Of course making the playoffs is ideal but let's not be delusional and pretend that the,teams that make the playoffs are always the best teams.  Miami played a soft schedule in a weak division and got crushed when they played decent teams.  Despite being one of the 6 AFC playoff teams in wouldn't even consider them in the top 8 in terms of best teams in AFC last year.

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

6 hours ago, Ravens4Real said:

So making the playoffs and losing the first game is somehow worse than not making the playoffs at all?

The Patriots ran through the AFCNorth. I don't know what I am failing to admit? That they would not do as well in our division when the results say they certainly would? 5-0 against the AFCNorth last year. 5-1 in their division. What's better? 2013: 3-1 vs. AFCNorth. 4-2 in division. 2011: 3-1 to 5-1. The results show that they fare better against the teams in our division than their own. That isn't conjecture. That's cold hard facts.

Some of you have such extreme purple colored shades on that it's impossible to get across a point. 

Playing a team every year, twice a year is much different than facing them once in a while. 

Idk why this is going this far. 

The original point was simple. It wouldn't be as easy for the Pats to go 12-4 every year if they played in the AFCN. 

Could they? Yea. Would they some years? Sure. That's not the point. 

 

Were talking about a span of over a decade at this point. Playing in a much tougher, more physical division is going to make a difference. 1-2 loss difference every other year and their playoffs aren't as guaranteed. 

Even if they win as many games... facing harder fought, closer divisional games has a cumalitve effect over time. 

 

Thats all. The pats would be a great team no matter what. Maybe the greatest dynasty in sports history. So comparing what they do and making it an expectation for your own team is stupid. 

But playing in a tougher division would make the job harder. Idk how anyone could argue the AFCE has been even close to the AFCN over the past decade with how bad those teams have been for so long and how often we've sent 2 and even 3 teams to the playoffs. 

 

Youre trying to complicate this with specifics and semantics when the point is very simple and very clear. It'd be more difficult. Doesn't mean they'd struggle to make the playoffs. It'd just be harder to do so as easily as often. 

And taking away just 5-6 wins over a decade could be the difference in losing 2-3 first round byes.

So that means having to play an extra playoff game in 2-3 of their runs which could easily be the difference between 5 Super Bowls and 3.

 

Edited March 23 by BOLDnPurPnBlacK

[RAYvenFan20]

Not sure where to put this, currently at a scholarship banquet that maxx williams is the guest speaker. Great young man. Still rehabbing the knee, one month away from running. Looks good though. Big man 

[SepticeyePoe]

14 minutes ago, RAYvenFan20 said:

Not sure where to put this, currently at a scholarship banquet that maxx williams is the guest speaker. Great young man. Still rehabbing the knee, one month away from running. Looks good though. Big man 

That's so cool.

I have high hopes that he'll be able to stay healthy and become a contributor for our offense.

[kjbmore]

 

this season could be painful to watch from an offensive stand point.

Wonder who our return man is going to be too - woodhead return?

[RayRayRaven]

On ‎3‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 1:57 PM, Adreme said:

Of course making the playoffs is ideal but let's not be delusional and pretend that the,teams that make the playoffs are always the best teams.  Miami played a soft schedule in a weak division and got crushed when they played decent teams.  Despite being one of the 6 AFC playoff teams in wouldn't even consider them in the top 8 in terms of best teams in AFC last year.

u are failin to giv credit for being there.  they have a sharp young coach an have made some good draff piks. haven even looked at there draff but they have been buildin

[Adreme]

35 minutes ago, RayRayRaven said:

u are failin to giv credit for being there.  they have a sharp young coach an have made some good draff piks. haven even looked at there draff but they have been buildin

They are doing a good job building (though there off-season signings were terrible).  That does not mean I viewed them as one of the top 8 teams in the AFC last year.  They got a soft schedule, snuck into the playoffs and got destroyed because they are not ready yet.

[frozen joe flacco fan]

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 9:46 AM, trevorsteadman said:

Yep! People seem to forget that the season begins in September, and that there is still several free agency moves and draft moves to go through.

But to be honest let's be real, the Ravens defense was #1 last year most the season until Jimmy Smith was injured. If I was the Ravens wanting a title I think the team is closer to an elite defense than an elite offense. The Ravens front office always neglects the offense, but in this case I agree with where they are going so far. 

If the team is going to compete with the best in the AFC, most AFC teams have a high-powered offense. With the free agents available, the front office did the right move to try to slow those AFC offenses down. Sure the Ravens offense sucks and won't be any better without Steve Smith, and they will need to find a replacement. But them not resigning Juice and signing Juice shows the team is likely going away from an offense that uses a fullback. I don't think the team lost much from Wagner as he was a good RT but from the scheme changes from what have been told so far he did not fit the mold the team was looking for.

In the end it will be 2-3 years at least for this offense to get on track. I think the best strategy for the Ravens front office to go was to improve their already good defense. It will hurt losing those low scoring games and easily blaming the offense. But I think the offense can find some contributors on offense in this draft. 

How ridiculous does this sound now???????????? The surest recipe for success is to score at least 20 ppg while holding your opposition to less than 20. The revamped defense should be able to do the latter. Will our depleted offense be able to score at least 20 ppg? Someone made a great point. We scored 10 last year against the Redskins at home. As you have stated so eloquently, it will hurt losing those low scoring games and easily blaming the offense. That will be a recipe for disaster and your quote will be prophetic because that is what will happen. Marty and his band of merry-making men will become the scapegoats once again.

[sflegend89]

Let me get this straight we had an offensive unit that struggled mightily in 2016, couldn't get 1st downs, couldn't finish drives and constantly settled for 3, tired out our defense with their inability to sustain drives. That already poor unit then loses it's best playmaker in Steve Smith, our alpha dog. A pro bowl fullback, one of the best RT's in football in Wagner, as well as our starting Center.

I'm not even mad about the draft, the offensive players who were worth the value of our pick never made it to us outside of maybe OJ Howard. The issue is FREE AGENCY! We knew this was a weak offensive draft, we knew the board was probably going to fall heavily on defense at our picks. Yet we ignore offense in free agency and sign 2 fat contracts on defense. That is the mis-step here, we should've spent on offense and drafted on defense. I love our defense, but this offense is garbage right now. OL is in shambles, WR core is one of the worst in the NFL... We have problems here guys. I don't see how you fix this unit to a reasonable degree without a significant trade.

 

 

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

The offensive improvement will come from a couple things. 

#1 having our OC and playcaller in charge from day 1.  He can build and call his offense. 

#2 a change in identity that actually fits our personnel. The coaches that were brought in speak to this. We're getting bigger and nastier on the OL. Free agency is far from over. Expect Mangold, maybe another vet OL (RT?) and possibly a WR (Boldin?).

Everyone complains about not drafting offense yet ignores the drafted players on offense from the past 2-3. First year players rarely make large contributions and most young players make their biggest leaps in years 2 and 3.

Perriman, Moore, Reynolds, Dixon, Maxx, Boyle, and Waller all are in that range.

Why would a rookie definitely be a better solution than just giving the players we've drafted recently and now have some experience their shot??

Consider Perriman, Maxx, Boyle, Reynolds and even Camp as extra draft picks. Because this could be their first full offseason with the team or in their position. If just 1-2 of them steps up in a meaningful way it won't be hard to replace the lost production. 

We always want to draft for new solutions.... but then once we have them if they aren't stars year 1 no one wants to give them a chance to play. Most rookies don't make an immediate impact so this kind of thinking is totally ridiculous.

 

Committing to a better run game is going to have the biggest impact. More sustained drives and more 3rd and shorts will keep this D fresh which could be a contender for best in the league. 

And with a power, ball control offense that gets us into favorable down and distance situations will allow is to effectively employ multiple TE sets to get the most out of the talent we do have on the roster. 

Theres a reason Roman was name TE coach and not just run game coordinator, OL coach or offensive assistant. We have talent and depth at the position and it hasn't been used effectively at all. Roman was brought in to change that. 

And I expect Campanero to be an X-Factor if he can stay healthy. He's proven to be an explosive play maker when on the field. If he's healthy a full season I expect that to continue. 

Dixon is a 3 down, lead back. He can become one of the best young backs in the league if he stays out of trouble. He will become our offensive MVP quickly.

And Woodhead is a 3rd down terror. Perfect weapon for a ball control power offense that can get into a lot of 3rd and shorts. Pass protection, can run it or catch it out of the back field. He'll be a Swiss Army knife for us. 

 

Wagner and Zuttah will be addition by subtraction. They weren't fits for the change were making on the OL. Neither can play in a power blocking scheme. 

SSS as much as I love him clearly slowed down last year. It's time for Perriman to shine. And he will. 

Moore got open early and often. Dropped 2 passes and that was it. Never got another chance. But... he was getting open which is the hardest part. He'll get every opportunity to make an impact this year and he will. The praise he's gotten from Wallace and Harbs is no hyperbole. The kids going to prove to be a steal. 

 

I fully expect the offense to improve. Simply by fitting the personnel we do have and getting the most out of them we'll be much better. 

This will be a smash mouth running team that hits on big plays 1-2x per game. 

Edited Sunday at 03:33 AM by BOLDnPurPnBlacK

[redrum52]

Ozzie gonna suit up this season.

[PurpleCity5]

I think I'll agree with Jeff here, I think the Ravens are certainly going to add a WR. I definitely understand the frustration with the lack of action on offense, but do you guys remember how the Patriots completely broke out "#1 Ranked Defense" down? We can't go into NE with that same unit and expect to win. I think this unit can certainly hold it down, just need the offense to put up, which seems hard to put your money on. 

[PurpleCity5]

Oh another thing to add, I think Jimmy Smith is going to be a monster and revert to that Jimmy Smith we saw from 2014. He is, as he said for the first time not 100% healthy to the point where he can participate in team OTAs. He must feel really good and if so I see no reason why he won't return to his 2014 form. I think he's going to be a #1 shut down CB. That's going to be a mega-boost for this defense honestly and would propel us to potentially having the best defense in the league by a good margin. We could honestly put out the best defense seen since the last Broncos team that won the SB and a secondary that compares to that of the Seattle Seahawks from 2013-2015.  People are forgetting how much of a game-changer that could be for us. 

Edited Sunday at 03:50 AM by PurpleCity5

[kjbmore]

24 minutes ago, PurpleCity5 said:

I think I'll agree with Jeff here, I think the Ravens are certainly going to add a WR. I definitely understand the frustration with the lack of action on offense, but do you guys remember how the Patriots completely broke out "#1 Ranked Defense" down? We can't go into NE with that same unit and expect to win. I think this unit can certainly hold it down, just need the offense to put up, which seems hard to put your money on. 

Our offense couldn't keep our defense off the field - doesn't matter how good your defense is if it's b2b with a 3 and out offense - it will eventually tire.

Talk of Denver and Seahawk like D, both those sides still had weapons and offensive identity.

well only need an average offense to be able to compete with our new look d, but will we be mired In the bottom third of the league offensively??

[The Raven]

Because of the oline additions, I'm feeling a bit better about the offense this season. A good run game and good pass protection opens up so much for an offense. 

[redrum52]

57 minutes ago, The Raven said:

Because of the oline additions, I'm feeling a bit better about the offense this season. A good run game and good pass protection opens up so much for an offense. 

This.  As the OL goes, so will the offense.  The weapons don't bother me as much as others around here.

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

45 minutes ago, The Raven said:

Because of the oline additions, I'm feeling a bit better about the offense this season. A good run game and good pass protection opens up so much for an offense. 

 

I agree. However, I do think we should add Mangold and/or Dunlap. I like Siragusa but would rather see him at G. I also think that the team might like Lewis at guard(for some reason) and they think that sitting Siragusa and letting him develop into the starting C. 

 

I actually don't have too big of an issue going forward. Mike is still a deep threat, and I think Perriman continues to develop. Likewise, I also think that Maxx shows up, and becomes a good option himself. I think Dixon, West, and Woodhead are good players. Maybe we think we can get a guy, (Brian Hartline, Andrew Hawkins, Stevie Johnson, Vincent Jackson, Cecil Shorts, hell, even an Anquan Boldin or Josh Gordon) that we think we can kick the tires on to be a third option, as Moore did not show much. 

 

But I agree. I think that if we can improve the oline a little more, and we field an average  offense... We're a playoff team

[Maryland]

For the reasons others have mentioned, I am not going to act like the sky is falling regarding our offensive outlook for 2017, at least not yet. There's some room for optimism.

Cons:

Lost Juszczyk, Wagner, Steve Smith, Aiken, Ducasse in FA. 

Pros:

Marty gets to start the season as OC instead of inheriting Trestman's offense. The chemistry and playcalling should be intrinsically better than last year's. Plus Greg Roman has been brought in to help our running game and TEs. 

Drafted Siragusa and Eluemunor, one of whom might fill the hole at LG (most likely Siragusa) while Alex Lewis moves to his natural OT position on the right side.

Losing Zuttah is irrelevant, as Jensen is an equivalent player. 

Signed Woodhead to be the pass-catching RB we haven't had since Rice. Dixon looked good his rookie season, so hopefully he breaks out (after his 4-game suspension is up).

Nick Boyle (knock on wood) will finally get to play a full season, transitioning to FB most likely, which gives us an intriguing replacement for Juszczyk. 

Perriman (knock on wood) will get to participate in TC for the first time in his career. Year three is usually the year players breakout... if they breakout.

Free-agency is not over. We can still look to someone in FA to fill our biggest holes. Some names to consider: Boldin, Vjax, Mangold, Clady, King Dunlap, Evan Mathis. 

 

So, while I'm not expecting a good offense, I'm thinking/hoping we can be average. After pouring so many resources into defense, an average offense should be enough to win, since the defense should make it so that our offense doesn't need to score a lot of points. If we end up with a bottom-ranked offense, then, well, you can just say 'I told you so,' lol. 

Edited Sunday at 06:14 AM by Maryland

[PurpleHorseman]

36 minutes ago, LosT_in_TranSlatioN said:

I agree. However, I do think we should add Mangold and/or Dunlap. I like Siragusa but would rather see him at G. I also think that the team might like Lewis at guard(for some reason) and they think that sitting Siragusa and letting him develop into the starting C. 

 

I actually don't have too big of an issue going forward. Mike is still a deep threat, and I think Perriman continues to develop. Likewise, I also think that Maxx shows up, and becomes a good option himself. I think Dixon, West, and Woodhead are good players. Maybe we think we can get a guy, (Brian Hartline, Andrew Hawkins, Stevie Johnson, Vincent Jackson, Cecil Shorts, hell, even an Anquan Boldin or Josh Gordon) that we think we can kick the tires on to be a third option, as Moore did not show much. 

 

But I agree. I think that if we can improve the oline a little more, and we field an average  offense... We're a playoff team

Mike Wallace doesn't have the speed at 31-32 whatever is that he displayed 7 yrs ago. Hoping max shows up and mentioning the receivers you did as helpful demonstrates how bad the offense is.

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

Just now, PurpleHorseman said:

Mike Wallace doesn't have the speed at 31-32 whatever is that he displayed 7 yrs ago. Hoping max shows up and mentioning the receivers you did as helpful demonstrates how bad the offense is.

Yet Wallace is still probably one of the ten fastest players in the league. Maxx still has a high ceiling, not his fault that he got hurt/Marc Trestman is a moron

[Static]

I dont have a problem with this draft but IF the offense sputters this season i don't want anyone saying anything about Joe Flacco.

[allblackraven]

41 minutes ago, Static said:

I dont have a problem with this draft but IF the offense sputters this season i don't want anyone saying anything about Joe Flacco.

Good luck with that one

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

3 minutes ago, allblackraven said:

Good luck with that one

Yeah man. Flacco doesn't have that fast twitch muscle. Not a good Quarterback at all. He clearly will never win a super bowl. He just locked on to Boldin all day. Screw him.

 

 

#NotmyQB

[Maryland]

1 hour ago, Static said:

I dont have a problem with this draft but IF the offense sputters this season i don't want anyone saying anything about Joe Flacco.

If Flacco's mechanics are still terrible in 2017, then he will deserve criticism for not improving himself. Yes, OL was part of the problem, but Flacco threw off his back foot on plenty of occasions when he didn't have to.

Craig Ver Steeg is his new QB coach. Hopefully he does a better job than Marty did last season as QB coach. Flacco's mechanics were the worst I had ever seen them in 2016. 

[Jonah DeVito]

1 hour ago, LosT_in_TranSlatioN said:

Yet Wallace is still probably one of the ten fastest players in the league. Maxx still has a high ceiling, not his fault that he got hurt/Marc Trestman is a moron

Not a chance Wallace is one of the 10 fastest. Not saying he's not fast, but top 10 seems like a reach. 

Edited Sunday at 07:49 AM by Jonah DeVito

[Grapple Raven]

I do so miss the ole' days getting into the red zone and throwing a pass to someone actually open in the end zone catching it for a TD, lol.   It has been a while.  As much as I love Tucker, it is overwhelming the number of times we just settle for FG's, granted 3 pts. is better than nothing, but ya know what I mean, lol. I would just love to see my ole' Ravens offense on the field.