varaven45

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 .

Yep and get out from underneath the Rice ordeal. It could be a clean break

the teams performance last season and this season' s 5-4 record clearly makes us an average team. And unless we see an infusion of players who "play like a Raven", witness an incredible draft, and make some defensive coaching changes, I don't see improvement from average in the near term.

After watching this team since '96 and the many lean, tough and smashmouth years, I often heard and could relate to the term "play like a raven". This label or moniker might have characterized our 1st Super Bowl team (w/Ray, McCrary, Goose, Boulware, etc.) and perhaps until (although to a lesser degree) our 2nd Lombardy with guys Ray, Reed, Boldin, etc. Subsequently, we've witnessed the departure/retirement of guys like Ray, Reed, Boldin, Pollard (and others) and a decline in intensity, character, passion, sense of urgency and ultimately, performance. This was all on display in Sunday night's meltdown in Pittsburgh. So, I am struggling to understand the true meaning of "play like Raven" and what current player actually exhibits or merits that label. Candid replies would be appreciated.

Max, it's what I said before the season began - 7 to 8 wins - with a botton out season this year or next. If Oz or future GM has extraordinary draft or FA acquisitions, we could start to ascend sooner. Otherwise, it's a grind it out 7-9 or 8-8 campaign this year and next. Afterwards, we put the Rice crap behind us, clean up the team and find Raven type players.

On your points, agree on point 1 and to some degree on 2 (in terms of the message getting stale). Not with you on point 3 - Flacco is no dummy. He may not be a cerebral as Brady or Manning but he did win a SB. Point 4 - not sure I agree here either. I think Harbaugh got his mulligan last year after SB win. He gets one more after the Rice debacle. My prediction is he's in the hot seat next year if we aren't in the playoff hunt or discussion.

We need both a young Boldin type as SS is truly a Sr by WR standards. We get 1 more quality yr (at best) from Sr.

Yep, we need a "Boldin to be" and he's not on this roster.

Ditto here. I still love watching the game - both college and pro - but money & commercialization has watered it down. Plus, its become a league that, in my opinion, that has "over" emphasized offense. Its almost become a flag/arena football league. Like Grubber, I still miss the grit and substance of the Ravens 2000 SB team. Unfortunately, in todays NFL, we aren't likely to ever see that again. As it stands, I'll continue to watch but with some reservation.

Yep -they've needed one since Sharpe and Heap. Pitta was very good but we've needed and still need a big, strong, fast, athletic, game changing TE. These guys don't grow on trees but the FO needs to make a commitment to find one, via draft or FA. . Look how Gronk's presence has affected Brady performance. Its like night and day.

As a long time, unbiased and infrequent poster, my thoughts about this seasons squad. 1. The 2014 team, compared to the rest of the league, is an average bunch and they'll end up with 7 or 8 wins. They feast on the weak sisters - Tampa, Atlanta, Carolina. Grind, occasionally win, but mostly lose to above average teams. 2. This team, unlike years past, lacks substance (the it factor), leadership, identity and chemistry. I don't see anyone- Flacco, Mosely, Jimmy Smith leading the team. 3. Flacco has no viable "go to" stud like a Gronk, Antonio Brown, Dez Bryant. Ozzie has never been successful in drafting one; they need to or acquire one via FA. 4. Defensively, the front seven is stout, impressive. The secondary, with Jimmy Smith in the lineup, is good but without is an embarrassment. I cannot imagine a scenario where this team doesn't overhaul the secondary. The secondary has been an embarrassment for so long. I am surprised the Biscuit and Ozzie haven't addressed this glaring problem. 5. Its been very difficult and frustrating to watch this team grind, scratch and claw the past two seasons. But with today's NFL; up one week, down the next, every team has a shot and can quickly change their fortunes ( NE and Pittsburgh were buried 2-3 weeks ago). I believe the ownership and fan base demands success and positive changes are in the offing.

If I could snag Jen, I'd replace Brady (vs Denver) with him in a heartbeat. Jen should get 300-350 yds, 3-4 TDS.

The planets aren't aligning for us Sunday night. This could get real ugly, real early for the good guys.

Mosley gives our D a lot of hope for the future. Now we need to start surrounding him with similar talent, esp in the secondary.

With Sunday night's tilt in the 'Burgh, it seems there are two chances of sneaking out a W - slim and none and ......... With our team's running game ( top 5 or 6 in league) and the Steeler's suddenly explosive passing game, the only conceivable way to stay in this game is to: * Using the 3 headed monster (if all are available), our offense runs the ball 40-45 times. No less, no exceptions. * Joe passes only 15- 20 times, targets primarily S Smith Sr., Forsett (if plays), Torrey and our no name TE (unless Daniels miraculously plays). * Defensively, we bring a steady, constant blitz; keeping Ben R under duress the entire game. Remaining patient and disciplined in the running game, using a suffocating D with explosive blitzing, gives us our only chance of keeping it close. If we do that, we've got a shot. Anything else, we are on the losing end of a blowout. Until Jimmy Smith returns and Will Hill finds his legs in the secondary, this may be our best formula for moving forward.