thundercleetz

The Cards are doing a great job wrapping Turner up. I cannot help but think that we would absolutely demolish both of these teams.

The announcers said it best, Ryan looked nervous out there. Good thing we got Joe Cool

Hahahaha... that is a great Belicheck impression!

Sounds painful. :o

Interesting, might be a right price type of guy, but I am sure there will be plenty of teams competing for his service. I believe Philly would be an ideal landing spot for Holt. Antonio Bryant would be a good fit for us, he is a deep threat with good hands. However, is an extremely risky signing, and is probably going to be out of our price range. I think our best bet is drafting a guy within the first two rounds who can grow with Joe.

I like Bess a lot. The kid is a playmaker, is dangerous with the ball in his hands, on screens, and is very sneaky out of the slot. Bess had to be a pleasant surprise for you guys. Our punt coverage has been very good this year, but our kick coverage has been a little shaky. Although it has been good the past few weeks. I have to believe that Harbaugh and Rex will be game planning to contain Bess. Yeah, our fanbase is not very national, so we usually do not travel too well. However, Miami is one of our best away games. I expect there to be a good amount of Ravens fans there tomorrow, but I am sure there will be a tough crowd tomorrow.

HAHAHAHAH... that filter must look very dumb to someone that does not understand it! :lol:

Good stuff, you have definitely done well in explaining your prediction, and I could certainly see the game playing out that way. I have to give you some credit, you are one Dolphin fan holding your own against ten Ravens fans! I see the game in a similar fashion, except I see Ravens winning a close one, but I would not be shocked if it went the other way. Let me just throw out one final point on my side. In a game of field position, special teams is going to play a huge role. Sam Koch has been on an absolute tear the past few weeks and finished second in the league with 34 punts inside the 20 yard line and ninth in the league with a 45-yard net average. According to Scouts, Inc., the Dolphins have been weak on kick coverage and return this year. Do not be surprised if this game comes down to special teams. Do not forget, we had a little home-field advantage during the game in October. Hopefully you and your Dolphin fans come out in full-fleet tomorrow afternoon

Good points, and this is where I do believe Pennington can hurt us. The Dolphins have the best take/give away ratio in the league (+17 I think? We are at +13). The Dolphins do a great job of protecting the ball. Ultimately, if the Dolphins offensive line can give Pennington time to throw, there will be opportunities downfield. I agree with you in your earlier post, Pennington can make plays downfield, if he has time. However, Chad is not the type of QB to buy time with his feet, then chuck one downfield (ala Big Ben). These are the QBs that kill us. In October the Ravens were very successful in pressuring Pennington, even if the sack numbers don't suggest it. If the Ravens pressure Pennington and shutdown the run game like back in October, the Dolphins will be in serous trouble. This is why this game is going to be so good. Both teams have progressed a lot since October, which means anything can happen tomorrow. While Pennington was only in Miami for 2 months, Flacco was only 5 months out of a D1-AA football! Remember, we were both 2-3 going into that October matchup. That Dolphin game was the turning point in our season. So while you guys have progressed since October, so have we.

Fair enough. Here is why I bring up Pennington's arm strength, and feel free to correct me because you have obviously seen the Dolphins play more than me. However from the few times that I have seen the Dolphins play this season, the only way Pennington is able to get the ball downfield for a big play is when it is setup by the play action or a trick play. When the Wildcat and run game gets shutdown, so does the big play, as we saw in October. This is the only relevant thing from that October game, for we saw what happened when the run and Wildcat were shut down. Pennington was unable to throw downfield. In comparison, Joe Flacco is a threat to throw the ball downfield every play. Which is why teams are unable to stack the box, for Joe has been making defenses pay all season long. Also take into consideration Joe's ability to avoid the rush to make the throw downfield, and teams think twice about blitzing. Yes, I am not doubting Pennington's accuracy. However, the Ravens excel against teams that try to "dink and dunk" down the field. The Ravens in these cases, bend, but don't break. Which is once again, what we saw happen in October. Yes, Pennington passed for 295 yards, but the Ravens were giving him the short-to-intermediate passes because the run game was shutdown. Teams that are successful passing the ball against the Ravens are teams that have QBs who can keep plays alive by moving in the pocket, and firing the ball downfield with their arm strength (for example: Ben, Peyton, and Carson are QBs who usually kill us by doing this). Chad is not this type of QB. The Ravens will give Chad the "dink and dunk" passes. But what that usually means is that the run game is shutdown, and the only way teams will be able to score is on 10-15 play drives. With our defense, I like our chances at getting a turnover. Teams that beat us through the air are the teams that score with the big play. In my opinion for the Dolphins to win, they HAVE to find a way to run the ball. If they cannot, I do not think Chad will be able to beat us. We have historically done very well against Chad Pennington-led teams. If the Dolphins can run the ball efficiently, then Chad will be dangerous to us. However, if the run game is not there, I do not like your chances.

Good read! I have always admired Bart's loyalty to the team. It will be interesting to see what happens in the offense. However, the focus right now is on tomorrow's big matchup!

Welcome to the board! We always appreciate hearing the opposition's perspective. As for Cam Cameron's impact on this team, you have to consider what us Ravens fans have been through the past ten years under Brian Billick. We have never had a offense that could threaten teams with the big play, nor have we ever had a QB that had the ability to stretch the field like Joe Flacco has. So that is why us fans and our local papers are so praising of Cam. The 18th ranked offense is unheard of for a Ravens team! Second, being a good coordinator has nothing to do with being a good coach. Some guys just are not cut out and do not have the leadership skills to be a head coach. More so, these types of coaches are better suited working behind the scenes in film room dissecting defenses and scouting for the draft, while the head coach reigns supreme in leading the team. These types of coaches can make wonderful coordinators. Particularly on the offensive side of the ball, Mike Martz and Norv Turner are examples. Would I want either of Martz, Turner, or Cameron coaching my team? No. Would I want any of these guys as my offensive coordinator? Without a doubt! This is the current setup we have in Baltimore. John Harbaugh is a charismatic leader that commands respect from the team. Yet, he lets Cam gameplan the offense and Rex gameplan the defense. I believe Cam is best suited in this type of setup, for he does not have the full responsibilities of a head coach and is able to do what he does best, gameplan for the offense. Be very careful about playing the numbers. I see you are very heavily basing your prediction on historical statistics. Think about this however, no rookie head coach with a rookie quarterback had ever made the playoffs before this season. Two made it this season. No team had ever went 1-15 one year, and made the playoffs the next. Of course, you guys accomplished this feat. The Colts believed they had the Steelers in 2005 because no six seed had ever reached the Super Bowl, well so much for that. You mention all the statistics except the one that probably has the most relevance: 27-13. Yes, the score of the last time we played in Miami. And what about 27-yards over 13 carries? The numbers of your feature back. And if you want to get historical, the Ravens are 1-0 against the Phins in the playoffs. Of course, these numbers to me are completely irrelevant. And if you read our local papers, our team has not once mentioned the last match up as a reason why we could win this game. Nevertheless, that October 19th game has to linger in your head just a little bit. What I am trying to say is that the odds are hardly stacked in Miami's favor. I believe this is one of the more evenly matched games in this year's playoffs. You stated you feel pretty confident about your defense going up against Cam, Joe, and our offense. Granted, I can see why you are, you guys have a very strong and disciplined defense. However, how do you feel about your offense going against our defense? Aren't you concerned about not being able to run the ball? If you cannot run the ball, the big play will not be there downfield because of Chad's lack of arm strength, and ultimately, Ed Reed roaming centerfield. I agree, it will be a very physical game. Both teams are very well coached and disciplined. It will definitely be a joy to watch tomorrow. Good luck, welcome to the board, and I look forward to hearing more of your perspective on the game. We do not get the opposition's perspective enough around here (except the few Bengal fans that linger, but we love them )!

I am not a big believer in "bulletin board material." This is the NFL playoffs, if you are not already revved up to play, then you should not be playing. No one thing someone said can make you play any better. The bottom line is the better prepared team will win.

Very true, which is why I believe that this team will not suffer the same fate in the playoffs as the 2003 team. The reason I made the comparison is because our offensive line has not been this strong and physical since that 2003 season. The scary part is that our guys are only scrapping the surface of their potential. And now, like you stated, we have a QB that can kill teams for stacking the box. Once we get a tall deep threat on the outside, this offense will be dangerous.

Good post, max. I re-thought what you said about Pennington needing the Wildcat and trick plays to effectively move the ball downfield. After reading this post, I agree with you. Like you said, Pennington cannot make all the throws. Pennington is only a threat for the deep pass if it is setup by the Wildcat or a trick play. Other than that, Pennington is a "dink & dunk" QB like you said. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it catches up to you, like it did to us in 2006. "Dinking and dunking" might effectively move the ball down the field against some defenses, but not ours. What it comes down to is staying disciplined against the trick plays. If we do this, the Dolphins will be voided of any big plays downfield. Once again like you stated, Flacco can make all the throws and the defense has to defend the big play because Flacco is a threat to throw downfield every play. This is where we have the advantage, and this is why our running game will be able to prosper. It is really nice to finally have a big play QB

I have come to the conclusion that Willis just isn't that smart, and probably did not understand the question and the impact of what he was saying. Like Crav said, we only heard bits of the interview. Willis was probably asked about how he was doing personally, and that is what he meant by saying his season was over. In other words, it is all about the team now. I like Willis a lot, and I think he will have a great game in his native Miami this week.

Torched is a little harsh. Most of those yards came against a prevent defense when the game was already won. We never lost control of that game, the Dolphins played our game. We held Ronnie Brown to 27 yards on 13 carries. Of course they were going to pass the ball. Rolle was out that game as well, I believe. Yes, this team is not the 2000 team. I do not ever think we will see a defense as good as the 2000 team again, because of the rule changes. However, our offense is a lot more dynamic than the 2000 team. Unlike the 2000 team, this offense has the ability to bailout the defense. Does this mean we will win the Super Bowl? No. But I certainly like our prospects against anyone except the Colts. If you want to make a comparison, I like comparing this team to the 2003 team that went 10-6. That team had an excellent defense like the one we have now, and the running game on that team was very physical, just like ours. I do think this team is a little better than that one though, so hopefully we will not suffer the same first round defeat.

You are right, the Jets would be a great job for Rex as well. I am not sure if Rex would deal with the whole Brett Favre-saga though.

Amen to that! Happy New Year to everyone!

I think the Denver job would be a good one for Rex. They have their QB and a good offense, which would allow Rex to re-establish a once fearsome Denver defense. For Rex's sake, I hope he stays away from the Lions and Browns.

I just find it troubling that McGahee said his season is over and he does not feel like he is contributing. 600+ yards and 7 TDs is not contributing? Just because McGahee is not a star player this year does not mean he is not contributing. I just do not get his mindset. To me, it seems like McGahee only wants a Super Bowl if he is the reason his team won. Maybe he is just disappointed in himself, who knows.

Very true, but hindsight is 20/20 I guess. They may not have their signal caller for the next 10+ years, but they do have their potential Pro-Bowl LT for the next 10+ years. Speaking about Pennington when he goes south, I hear a lot of NFL people saying that Pennington is going to make an excellent coach. He is very smart and understands defenses, which has allowed him to essentially do the most with the talent he was given. He is going to be a very good teacher. Henne does not impress me either, which reminds me of draft day and how we ended up with Flacco. Remember that article in the Sun about a month ago telling the pre-draft workout Cam Cameron and Hugh Jackson had with Joe Flacco in the bad weather where they gave Flacco diffferent balls and different receivers to throw to? Cam and Hugh were very impressed with Flacco, but had to keep their poker face. Then there was another article in the Sun about a pre-draft workout that Cam had with Henne. Cam was openly praising Henne after every pass. Come draft day, every draft analyst was convinced that we were taking Henne (Peter King had an article "The Ravens and Henne: A Match Made in Heaven"). In fact, when we traded back up in the first round, ESPN guaranteed that we were taking Henne with the 18th pick. ESPN even went as far as filming Henne at his house when our pick was being made. My point with this story is that Cam, Hugh, Ozzie, and company completely played the media, and maybe even some NFL people as well. We definitely played the situation as best as we could. Pretty amazing chemistry by a staff that was just assembled about a month prior. This is why we are one of the best organizations when it comes to the draft.

Remember, Flacco has not done one thing yet, lead a game-winning drive. How great would it be if that came in the playoffs? I am feeling it too, max. Something big is going to come from the offense!

I do not think I have ever seen an athlete charge for an autograph where the money has not gone to a charity/cause. Has anyone else seen otherwise?