How Do We Rank In Our Own Division

[reediddy]

To tell you all the truth i think Steelers will for sure be up front because their defense is so dominant. Ravens defense looked kinda old last year, I mean weren't we down 27-10 to the Browns one game (which could/should have been more had Braylon Edwards not dropped a perfectly thrown deep pass)...I know it was really due to the injuries we had, and the fact that our offense was turning the ball over, but that's still pretty bad. But for the most part the Browns shouldn't be a problem. Bengals defense should be slightly improved, at least in the LB corps, but Flacco tore the Bengals secondary a new one last year, and hopefully our receivers develop to where Flac isn't looking at Mason all day. Bengals offense, at least in terms of the passing game, always makes me nervous cuz Ochocinco seems motivated this year, and L Coles is a #1 receiver playing the #2 position. It really depends on how our CBs can hold up, I don't have a lot of confidence right now in Foxworth because he wasn't very successful elsewhere but he is coming to the best defensive team he's ever been on, plus I'm used to Pro-Bowl caliber CBs on our team, like CMac in his prime, and a healthy Samari. Fabian was solid last year hopefully he can hold his own, if not hopefully Lardarius Webb can do some work. I still think we can pull of 2nd if not 1st, but we need Marcus Smith or Mark Clayton to step up big this year if we want to surpass the Steelers

[darklight1216]

[quote name='Chi_Town_Raven' post='202094' date='Jun 20 2009, 04:01 PM'][url="http://www.nfl.com/standings/tiebreakingprocedures"]http://www.nfl.com/standings/tiebreakingprocedures[/url]
See for yourself[/quote]
That's wild.

[ravens world]

Come on were # 2 behind the steelers , now to beat the steelers i feel the same way you do topic starter we need a deep threat cause williams is not it and clayton is not it. And those that say we went to the afc championship game with the recievers we have that is true but if we had a deep threat he might have made a huge play down field for a lot of yards in some of those 3 and outs. Or made a huge down the field td in some of those 3 and outs. So yea we did make it with these recievers but if we had a deep threat who knows we might be the sb champs right now instead of the steelers.

[berad]

[quote name='Chi_Town_Raven' post='202094' date='Jun 20 2009, 04:01 PM'][url="http://www.nfl.com/standings/tiebreakingprocedures"]http://www.nfl.com/standings/tiebreakingprocedures[/url]
See for yourself[/quote]

That's last resort. Considering that there are 11 other factors in front of it, I doubt a division crown will ever be decided by a coin toss.

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='berad' post='202105' date='Jun 20 2009, 05:03 PM']That's last resort. Considering that there are 11 other factors in front of it, I doubt a division crown will ever be decided by a coin toss.[/quote]And now that you've said that, watch there be a division champion crowned by a coin flip next season.

(I vote for the AFC West or NFC West)

[berad]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' post='202106' date='Jun 20 2009, 05:16 PM']And now that you've said that, watch there be a division champion crowned by a coin flip next season.

(I vote for the AFC West or NFC West) [/quote]

Haha I know, just my luck.

[Chi_Town_Raven]

Instead of a coin flip, I would think an overtime period would be amazing. Sellout for sure. But Goodell would never allow it.

[mhead66]

[quote name='berad' post='201909' date='Jun 19 2009, 06:25 PM']Yeah, you could go 0-6 in the division and still, by some abomination of nature, win the division title.

Don't underestimate the Browns, now. It wasn't too long ago that they whipped us twice, along with Cincy, plus our game in Cleveland was closer than the final score might indicate. Just saying, they aren't exactly a cakewalk.[/quote]
On the other hand, you could be like the '08 Cardinals.

6-0 in their cake division.
3-7 outside their division.

Super Bowl appearance.

It doesn't say much for the NFC...

[mhead66]

[quote name='neepo13' post='202007' date='Jun 20 2009, 12:07 AM']Based on what? Because the stats dont back that up. The last two seasons their running game has been subpar to say the least. Granted they've had some injury troubles but thats no excuse. They are definitly not the smash mouth pound the ball down your throats type of team that the Steelers are usually associated with on the offensive side of the ball.[/quote]
Yeah, the Steelers were 17th in passing, 23rd in rushing last year...

Like the (over-used) cliche goes, D wins SBs.

[mhead66]

[quote name='JEEPercreepermd' post='202086' date='Jun 20 2009, 03:45 PM']I think this division is going to be closer than anyone might think. I don't think anyone can deny that the steelers are #1 they are the champions for a reason. It seems like Cincy will be a bit tougher, I have every confidence that the Ravens are the better team though. A sweep of them this season might be less likely. Cleveland is at the bottom of the division, but let's not forget that we had to mount a serious comeback on them in the game @ cleveland, and it came down to the suggs int for a touchdown to seal the win. The good news is that the Ravens could also be a better team this season as well, with the exception of pittsburgh, I think we are just too pysical. However, I don't think Pittsburgh will sweep us again this year.

1.Steelers (12-4)
2.Ravens ( 11-5)
3.Bengals (8-8)
4. Browns (6-10)[/quote]
With the easier schedule our division has this year, if the Steelers & Ravens split this year, I wouldn't be surprised if both had 13+ wins.

[mhead66]

[quote name='EdReedFTW' post='202075' date='Jun 20 2009, 01:52 PM']I know its trendy to be on the bengals bandwagon right now, but I've honestly been saying that they're gonna be good since halfway through last season. There are just some teams that you dont want to have even a semi decent defense and Cincy is one of them. If their defense can start making turnovers and can stop people from running down their throats like we did to them last year then they have a good chance at being pretty good.[/quote]
I know Palmer was hurt last year, but...

I keep hearing people predict Cincy is going to be so much better this year. Yes, Palmer is healthier, but they lost Houshmanzadeh, and in 2008 they had the:

29th Rush offense
30th Pass Offense
21st Rush Defense
15th Pass Defense

They were 4-11-1 last year. I don't see a huge turnaround in the cards for them.

[ROH522155]

[quote name='nextgen_RavensFan' post='201863' date='Jun 19 2009, 04:06 PM']I know everyone says we are a couple of pieces away from a Bowl win[/quote]


wat is this college football?

[ROH522155]

[quote name='ravens world' post='202101' date='Jun 20 2009, 03:51 PM']Come on were # 2 behind the steelers , now to beat the steelers i feel the same way you do topic starter we need a deep threat cause williams is not it and clayton is not it. And those that say we went to the afc championship game with the recievers we have that is true but if we had a deep threat he might have made a huge play down field for a lot of yards in some of those 3 and outs. Or made a huge down the field td in some of those 3 and outs. So yea we did make it with these recievers but if we had a deep threat who knows we might be the sb champs right now instead of the steelers.[/quote]

now that we can actually run 3 or 4 wide recievers sets more frequently, the big plays will come. and why do people think Mark Clayton cannot be a deep threat and that he is a posession reciever? 17 yards per catch arent exactly the type of stats posession recievers put up.

[ROH522155]

[quote name='reediddy' post='202095' date='Jun 20 2009, 03:05 PM']Ravens defense looked kinda old last year, I mean weren't we down 27-10 to the Browns one game[/quote]

so you think that we looked old because we got down in 1 game?? gimme a break. a sign of an old defense would be if we fell apart at the end of the season and late in games but we didnt we were great from beginning to end in the regular season and throughout the playoffs although the titans did put up a good amount of yardage on us but we were still very quick to the ball to force all those turnovers.

[Marc2k6]

As of today we(the Raven's) are in a 4 way tie for 1st place in the AFC North with the steeler's, Brown's and Bengal's.

[ROH522155]

[quote name='Marc2k6' post='202175' date='Jun 20 2009, 10:24 PM']As of today we(the Raven's) are in a 4 way tie for 1st place in the AFC North with the steeler's, Brown's and Bengal's. [/quote]

Damn wat a tight race

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[quote name='ravensorioleshoyas522155' post='202147' date='Jun 21 2009, 01:49 PM']wat is this college football?[/quote]
Lol. We're a close 2nd to Pittsburgh. Until we beat them, we can't really say we're number one. Cincinnati to me is definitely better than Cleveland, I see another rough year for Browns fans.

[edreedfromtheu]

[quote name='nextgen_RavensFan' post='201863' date='Jun 19 2009, 05:06 PM']I think we are still in the top 2 and was hoping to be the leaser after being so close last year. I know everyone says we are a couple of pieces away from a Bowl win but i still wonder about Rices durability and the lack of a deep threat. Our defense will be ok as always but we could stand to have just a good defense if we had a good set of recievers. Why try not putting so much money into the defense and invest in a few offensive tools. Ozzie is seemingly a defensive minded guy but i wish he would think offense 2 straight years and see which gets you the better results. I know, some are thinking back to testeverde right, what a nightmare. Great offense at times right. Just to many turn overs. That we cannot survive. What are your thoughts on going offensive instead of defensive in the next couple of years while flacco is still young ?[/quote]


You saw how all that money they gave to Heap worked out, right?

[edreedfromtheu]

Here's the breakdown:

The Steelers kept almost there entire team from last year.

The Ravens did NOTHING to address their two main weaknesses when playing the Steelers:
1. Covering the receivers, especially taller ones like Santonio Holmes(sorry, Foxworth isn't the answer)
2. Getting a big receiver of their own, a red-zone threat, so the Steelers can't load up on the run EVERY PLAY!

The Ravens have to play the Colts and the Patriots.

The Steelers do NOT play the Colts or the Patriots.


Not factoring in injuries, it's pretty safe to say that the Steelers will win the division again.

If the Ravens play up to their potential, instead of hitting their every-other-year slump... they should be able to finish 2nd.

I think the Brown can surprise a lot of people, as they still have many piece from that 10-6 year two seasons ago, and new but experienced coach.

The Bengals... they might be more entertaining on offense this year with Ocho and Carson at least talking for now, but I still have them way behind the other 3 teams.

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[quote name='mhead66' post='202119' date='Jun 21 2009, 10:13 AM']With the easier schedule our division has this year, if the Steelers & Ravens split this year, I wouldn't be surprised if both had 13+ wins.[/quote]
Dunno about 13 wins for either team, let alone both...

[mhead66]

[quote name='Ed_Reed_Pick_Six' post='202244' date='Jun 21 2009, 08:03 AM']Dunno about 13 wins for either team, let alone both...[/quote]
Some teams the Ravens play:

KC, DNV, GB, DET, CHI, OAK, CLEV, CIN, CLEV, CIN

Would you pick against the Ravens in any of these games?

The other six games:

SD, NE, INDY, MINN, PIT, PIT

Min can run the ball well, but the Ravens shut down the run.
SD is overrated.

And I said, that if the Ravens split with Pit, they could win 13. IF they split the last 6 opponents, and win against the first 10, they'll win 13.

I know about "any Given Sunday", that holy football-fan cliche. But, there's a legitimate chance the Ravens win 13.

And Pittsburgh has (IMO) an easier schedule than the Ravens. Instead of NE/Indy, they play Tenn/Mia...

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[quote name='mhead66' post='202250' date='Jun 22 2009, 12:16 AM']Some teams the Ravens play:

KC, DNV, GB, DET, CHI, OAK, CLEV, CIN, CLEV, CIN

Would you pick against the Ravens in any of these games?

The other six games:

SD, NE, INDY, MINN, PIT, PIT

Min can run the ball well, but the Ravens shut down the run.
SD is overrated.

And I said, that if the Ravens split with Pit, they could win 13. IF they split the last 6 opponents, and win against the first 10, they'll win 13.

I know about "any Given Sunday", that holy football-fan cliche. But, there's a legitimate chance the Ravens win 13.

And Pittsburgh has (IMO) an easier schedule than the Ravens. Instead of NE/Indy, they play Tenn/Mia...[/quote]
Its very rare for a team to not trip up on bad teams though... Green Bay isn't a bad team at all. I hope you're right, but as a front runner, bad teams often rise to the occassion and play their best football, so I'll hope for an expect 11-12 wins. Anything more is good by me though, would love 13+!

[Alexir]

[quote name='edreedfromtheu' post='202243' date='Jun 21 2009, 08:00 AM']Here's the breakdown:

The Steelers kept almost there entire team from last year.

The Ravens did NOTHING to address their two main weaknesses when playing the Steelers:
1. Covering the receivers, especially taller ones like Santonio Holmes(sorry, Foxworth isn't the answer)
2. Getting a big receiver of their own, a red-zone threat, so the Steelers can't load up on the run EVERY PLAY!

The Ravens have to play the Colts and the Patriots.

The Steelers do NOT play the Colts or the Patriots.


Not factoring in injuries, it's pretty safe to say that the Steelers will win the division again.

If the Ravens play up to their potential, instead of hitting their every-other-year slump... they should be able to finish 2nd.

I think the Brown can surprise a lot of people, as they still have many piece from that 10-6 year two seasons ago, and new but experienced coach.

The Bengals... they might be more entertaining on offense this year with Ocho and Carson at least talking for now, but I still have them way behind the other 3 teams.[/quote]

um, we definitely addressed both "weaknesses" by adding some young talent at CB and getting some TE's that will stand out in the redzone.

[berad]

[quote name='edreedfromtheu' post='202243' date='Jun 21 2009, 08:00 AM']Here's the breakdown:

The Steelers kept almost there entire team from last year.

The Ravens did NOTHING to address their two main weaknesses when playing the Steelers:
[b] 1. Covering the receivers, especially taller ones like Santonio Holmes(sorry, Foxworth isn't the answer)[/b]
2. Getting a big receiver of their own, a red-zone threat, so the Steelers can't load up on the run EVERY PLAY![/quote]

That made me laugh.. You do realize Santonio Holmes is a colossal 5'10 from the ground? Foxworth is actually [b]TALLER [/b]than him.
Moving on, though, the Ravens [i]biggest[/i] weakness when they played the Steelers was the pass protection. [i](I hope anyone who watched NFL Replay today paid attention to it)[/i] We added Michael Oher, Matt Birk, and our OL has another season of experience with each other and the Offense. I'm not saying we're better than the Steelers, but to say we haven't focused on them this off-season is ridiculous.

[ROH522155]

yea the whole point of this offseason was to get even with Pittsburgh

[ROH522155]

[quote name='berad' post='202389' date='Jun 21 2009, 06:41 PM']That made me laugh.. You do realize Santonio Holmes is a colossal 5'10 from the ground? Foxworth is actually [b]TALLER [/b]than him.[/quote]

haha good call.

[berad]

[quote name='ravensorioleshoyas522155' post='202397' date='Jun 21 2009, 07:47 PM']haha good call.[/quote]

thanks, haha, he called Santonio Holmes "tall" and I almost fell out of my chair.

[SteelersProphet]

I think it ranks like this

STEELERS
RAVENS
BENGALS
BROWNS

but the top two could easily switch this year

i think the steelers will take the division because of two games

us vs dolphins and you vs colts

i think we win our game.......but i dont think you guys will beat the colts

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[quote name='STEELERS PROPHET268' post='202545' date='Jun 23 2009, 01:26 AM']I think it ranks like this

STEELERS
RAVENS
BENGALS
BROWNS

but the top two could easily switch this year

i think the steelers will take the division because of two games

us vs dolphins and you vs colts

i think we win our game.......but i dont think you guys will beat the colts[/quote]
I think we'll beat the Colts, the Colts will win 10-11 games this year. They will be hurt by their coaching losses.

[SteelersProphet]

[quote name='Ed_Reed_Pick_Six' post='202546' date='Jun 22 2009, 09:31 AM']I think we'll beat the Colts, the Colts will win 10-11 games this year. They will be hurt by their coaching losses.[/quote]

well then i hope we pick heads for the coin flip lol