varaven45

Agree with Crav; got to pound the rock. In addition, and as bad as the Saints have been, we will have to game plan and execute flawlessly to win. If we sleep walk into game (a la Titan game), we are toast !

Max, It"lł take an exorcism and a little Bart Scott hot sauce to sneak a W in Nawlins ' !!

Yep. Me too

I don't share the same optimism on number of wins but see extremely close games down the stretch. We may witness a cliff hanger win or two and lose a heartbreaker or two. Stock up on your best beverages, pain meds, zantac, etc. for the final run. It should be interesting.

I really don't know about number of wins, Crav, though I predicted (before season) and am sticking with 7 to 8 wins (largely because of secondary). I see us seriously grinding out every outcome, W or L, and being competitive in every game. We could literally be involved in outcomes of 3 pts or less in all games. Justin Tucker might be a busy dude down the stretch.

Thanks Max . I thought it was a decent thread when initiated in the morning.

And the beat goes on ........

Yep. The dynamic changes next yr when we face the NFC west.

True. But its a watered down league and mediocrity runs ramped in todays NFL. Every team has played a few garbage teams.

Hard to argue here. Brees and TE Jimmy Graham should have EPIC MONSTER games. Our secondary will be busy

Crav and Papa, We are 4th in red zone defense - http://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-red-zone-scoring-pct The last 3 (mostly the Steeler meltdown) did us in, eh ? But we are dang good at home ! Rank Team 2014 Last 3 Last 1 Home Away 2013 1 Jacksonville 41.67% 55.56% 100.00% 37.50% 45.00% 60.00% 2 Kansas City 42.31% 22.22% 0.00% 50.00% 37.50% 55.81% 3 Cleveland 44.44% 25.00% 0.00% 40.00% 50.00% 64.00% 4 Baltimore 46.88% 70.00% 50.00% 18.18% 61.90% 48.78%

Crav, is there really hate for Joe ?

After ten games, here's where we stack up (points wise) : Offense (scoring): 26.1 ppg; tied for 6th with Dallas, Pittsburgh Defense : 18.1 ppg (behind Detroit 15.8, KC 16.8) In terms of offensive yards gained, we are Passing 8th Running 4th Meanwhile, in terms of yards allowed, we are: Passing 31st Rushing 6th Its no surprise we are 31st in yards allowed. Talk about an Achilles heel ! Maybe this newfangled, makeshift secondary can make a difference. NO will be a great litmus test. As an aside, while listening to ESPN, Mike and Mike mentioned that, according to Elias Sports, the QB with the most road playoff victories (with 6) is none other than our beloved Joe Flacco. I thought many of our Joe lovers would appreciate

fwiw, I like this kid. He's an NFL survivor and, like Forsett, is giving his all to make the team. As pointed out, itll be interesting to see how he does in NO next week.

Crav, Exactly. Even though Brees is having an off year (by his standards), gotta keep it out of his hands. Lots of the 3 headed monster - Forset, Talie, Pierce - in the offing.

Max, it was great to see such a potent run offense on display. It was a thing of beauty. Not sure where it has been the previous 2 games but glad they committed to it today.

Joe Flacco can't win for losing. He wins a Super Bowl, people don't like him because he gets a big contract. He loses several receivers and has a makeshift OL, goes through a couple OCs, has a few bad games, and everyone lights into him. I don't think the guy is ever going to get his due, no matter what he does on the field. But I"lł pose this - imagine Joe going down with a season ending surgery and Tyrod leading the team the rest of the way. How bad is he looking then ? I've always said Joe is Joe. He's a good to sometimes very good QB. Not great just good. He's not Brady, Manning, Rodgers. He's just Joe.

It's rolling a new set of dice. Who knows ?

No. Be patient and good things can still happen. Besides, he is here to stay for at least another year or two. Afterwards, we are into a regime - across the board .

Papa - there's always hope . Look at the Renaissance that Carson Palmet is enjoying. Everyone in the world wrote him off. So you see, there s always hope. You understand.

Yep. Another rite of passage awaits Joe . It'll be telling to see whether and how he can elevate the players around him in these times of adversity.

I expect 7-9, 8-8 would exceed my expectations, and all the planets would have to align for 9-7 or better. All games, including tomorrow against Tenn, will be a "grind" and In typical fashion. That's how I see it playing out .

Do we know which ones ?

Food for thought.... come off season

Max, No Smith, no problem. Didn't Bellichick use Julian Edelman as CB and he cover Boldin in AFCC a few years ago ? Hell, maybe Harbaugh can start Jacoby Jones as CB. Wait, he doesn't catch the ball . Never mind. Enjoy the game - it ought to be another grinder .