thundercleetz

Yeah!! That's what I'm talking about! What a way to respond! If we take one out of the next two games we're in really good shape! I want a sweep though!

Haha good analysis. I completely agree. I can't stand Zinno. On the flip side, Glenn Younes rocks! Vinny and Robb in the afternoons is an awesome show too!

We have a three game home series against Tampa and a two game home series against the Yanks. Then we go to KC Wednesday and Thursday next week and DC for a three game weekend series.

Losing three out of four to Texas isn't the worst thing in the world. There was a reason why Texas is the two-time defending AL champs and was within one out last year of winning the World Series. That lineup is spectacular. Everyone one of those guy can hit and work the count. And their starting pitching whiffs a lot of bats. IMO, Texas is the current overwhelming favorite to win the World Series. The big question here is how we respond against Tampa Bay this weekend. Taking two out of three from Tampa would put us back in great shape.

Tearing your achilles is an extremely painful injury. Supposedly it's a feeling of your heel slithering up the back of your leg. Grown men are known to roll on the ground screaming in pain after such an injury. The fact that Suggs thought he had originally sprained his ankle and was never on crutches makes me truly believe that it was only a partial tear. I believe the guy, he will be back. I am sure we will not rush him back. Ed Reed was out a little under half of the season and when he came back he hit the ground running. We will be certain to make sure Suggs is ready to play a full game before putting him on the field. Imagine the motivational boost Suggs is going to provide to the rest of the guys when he comes back. Even if he is a situational pass rusher that will still be an enormous boost. Suggs will be fine.

Love his style of play. He's a throw back, big, mean, imposing bully in the secondary. He set the tone right off the bat last season by getting in Hines Ward's face and jacking him up. He plays like a Ravens, and while he is mean and nasty on the field, he is a high character guy off the field. He also played better than expected in pass coverage IMO. Certainly better than Landry in 2010...

16-9... would have never guessed!!! Bring on Boston!

What happened to this topic?

We have a huge stretch coming up here: Yanks, Boston, Texas, Tampa, then the Yanks again. We are going to find out very soon whether this team is for real or not. If we are still standing after this stretch, there is no reason why we cannot be an above .500 team.

I think max was being sarcastic with his first post...

Maybe he was drafted for return ability?

Love the pick. We know the guy has good chemistry with Ed. Learn Ed's film habits and this guy could be a future starter for us. Good size (6' 211, 18 reps) and speed (4.5 flat, fastest among safeties) prospect.

Tweet from LaConfora @JasonLaConfora Baltimore's QB, Joe Flacco, also from Delaware. Gradkowski had 3rd round grades from smart teams.

I guess we got our center. Interesting pick.

I like Chapman A LOT. IMO, he's a more athletic Kelly Gregg (said he ran a sub 5.0 40 before his knee injury). Very similar playing style. Shorter, stocky NT that plays with leverage, strong as an ox. The guy is tough as nails too. Played with a torn ACL toward the end of his senior year. He could have gotten the surgery earlier to be ready for the NFL draft, but he knew his team was going to be playing for a national championship so he toughed it out.. I am not sure how healthy he is, but Ozzie loves his Alabama guys.

I love the draft so far. You get an impact defensive player with the first pick. A mauler offensive lineman who has a mean streak, lots of college experience, and can compete right away for a starting spot. And in the third we get a running back with size, speed, awareness, and outstanding college production. IMO you picked three players who will immediately contribute, and one or two might possibly be impact players. We'll get a center and receiver most definitely. Outside of that I could see us picking up a safety prospect. There are a few small school prospects out there that might be sleepers.

Max, scouts said the same thing about Lamar Woodley when the Steelers drafted him. Shorter, stocky, DE/OLB tweener who ran a bad 40 time at the combine. EDIT: From the Baltimore Ravens twitter feed:

There are lots of quality receivers still on the board: - Tommy Streeter (UMiami), 6'5", 219 pounds, 4.40 40, 800+ yards and 8 TDs in 2011 - Dwight Jones (UNC), 6'3", 230 pounds, 4.55 40, 85 receptions, nearly 1,200 yards, and 12 TDs in 2011 - Marvin McNutt (Iowa), 6'3", 216 pounds, 4.54 40, 82 receptions for 1,315 yards and 12 TDs in 2011 - Nick Toon (Wisconsin), 6'2", 215 pounds, 4.54 40, 926 yards and 10 TDs in 2011 - Marv Jones (Cal), 6'2", 191 pounds, 4.46 40, 4.11 20 yard shuttle, 846 yards in 2011. - Jarius Wright (Arkansas) You have to think we'll pick a receiver or two sometime this draft. This is the deepest receiver draft in years. How about Ben Jones, center from Georgia? Not the most athletic center, but the guy has a none stop motor, put up thirty reps at the combine, and has an excellent football IQ. Lots of football experience. I would be thrilled if we took Jones with one of our fourth rounders.

That would be a really good move for the Steelers IMO. Quickly turns a weakness into a strength.

I definitely think this should be the strategy. Try and get two of the players from this list. Drafting Upshaw then trading back up to get Hill would get us two impact players with first round talent. Or we could get Cordy Glenn and trade back up to nab Konz to really shore up the offensive line. Or a combination of Upshaw and Glenn would probably be the most in terms of value on most draft boards, potentially top twenty talents. We have a lot of flexibility with our stock of picks.

I would be willing to bet that McAdoo would be nothing more than a pass rushing specialist. And that is a best case scenario. The guy has a lot of raw talent and off the chart tools, and he even looked good in the preseason, but he is young in football years and will need a lot of experience. This offseason is huge for him. Did he work his butt off in the weight room? Is he going to show up to every voluntary minicamp? Will he work hard in training camp getting reps? This will determine whether he is ready or needs another year. FWIW, I follow the guy on Twitter and he eats everything and anything constantly. The guy realizes he is thin and needs to put on weight, so hopefully he's gained a few since last season.

Every team that wins Super Bowls gets breaks. Every team gets them and every team has plays that go against them. Unless you give me specific evidence breaking down every single game with every single play where there was a "break" for every team and indicate that the Ravens had a higher percentage of "break plays", I will not hold that against any team's success. Are there breaks at the end of games that determine the outcome? Absolutely. But the bottom line is that the team played tough for the preceding 59 minutes that got them to that point win or lose. As far as the Ravens retooling, every good team is always retooling. Teams can retool and win a Super Bowl the same year. Like you said, the D has some older players in Ray and Ed, so we are retooling the defense constantly. However, these guys are still playing at a high level and we have a nice mix of young players in Cody, Kruger, Webb, J Smith, Cary Williams, Pollard, McClain, and McPhee, and elite players in the prime of there career in Ngata and Suggs. IMO, it is a good mix. The Steelers have a similar makeup on defense. The results for us and the Steelers do not lie, we have been a top defense for the past decade. Players (and coaches) come and go, but both teams do an excellent job of staying on top. Sure, we have some big ones leaving soon (Ray and Ed), and the Steelers do too (Polamalu, Harrison, Hampton, and Smith), but I have no doubt both teams will replace. If you ask me, the best teams retool every season and are ready to win a Super Bowl. I would definitely put our team in this category. With the holes this team has, could I see us going 7-9/8-8 and missing the playoffs? Sure. But with the front office, coaching staff, talent, and vetern leadership we have, I believe we'll make it to the playoffs. And from there, it is a crapshoot. The 9-7 Giants won the Super Bowl for goodness sake.

Jason LaCanfora is a blogger for NFL Network. He is from Baltimore so you get both National and local reports from him. Twitter is @JasonLaCanfora.

Here's another big guy, long strider with speed, body control, and who tracks the deep ball well. He even has unusually agility and opperates well in small areas for a guy his size. With Quick I just don't see him using his size to his advantage on the deep balls. He doesn't have that Larry Fitz/Vincent Jackson-type trait where he grabs the ball at its highest point. He just lets it come into his body.

From Mel Kiper on ESPN Insider on a 'Grade A' draft for the Ravens: Kiper's 'Grade A' Draft: AFC Mel plays GM of every AFC team in picking Rounds 1-3 of the draft AFC North Baltimore Ravens Top needs: G/C, OLB, WR, S, DL Rd 1 (29) C Peter Konz, Wisconsin (or trade down) Rd 2 (60) OLB Terrell Manning, N.C. State Rd 3 (91) WR Joe Adams, Arkansas Analysis: If I'm Baltimore, I look to trade down at least a few slots. When your top need is on the interior of the offensive line, you're in good position to pile up some picks and look for one of the top players available into Round 2. For this exercise, I'll take Konz and feel good knowing I have the best center in the draft. Matt Birk can still play, but this is a clear position of need. Baltimore lost Jarret Johnson this offseason, but getting a talent like Manning has the potential to soften that blow. Adams is a guy who can come in and work underneath; he'll complement the other wide receivers in that offense well.