yagersports

I really don't want to lose Carrier. Also are any of these guys next in line for the DC slot???

Lewis will be back. He will have to take some sort of paycut, but I imagine he's expecting that. I will be very disappointed if Lewis will not take a pay cut and attempts to explore the market, where he inevitably will take a paycut anyway.

I think his helmet did hit first, but I saw nothing malicious or dirty about the play. It's football and these were two teams that were in it to win it. I don't think there should be a fine. (I did at the time, but I was drunk, so we'll excuse my beligerent behavior lol)

Dee also didn't have a good feeling about the Titan game, so we must be in good shape for an upset! ;)

Wow, I can't believe this thread has life just a few days before we play in the AFC Championship game! Comon, offseason talk is for Browns and Bengals fans! ;) haha

A quick note about Strengths.......you don't have to be great at something for it to be a strength. Strength is relative to the entity you're describing. Even the Detroit Lions had strengths.......just thier's were considerably weaker than the rest of the NFL lol! I got the same feeling about Rice, you would think that with his abilities he'd be given the ball. I agree with Srai about Rice on the screen passes, he would be a great one on those types of plays as well. However it seems either the team has no faith in him at this point, or he really is still a bit hobbled.

I guarantee it, if we open up the playbook before we have to, we lose the game. We do not want to be in a slinging contest with any team at this point. Flacco could get lucky and do some good things, but the chances of him throwing for 300 yrds and a couple of TDs is very remote against this Pitt team. I'll eat crow and admit that I was wrong if this occurs, but realistically we need to play to our STRENGTHS. All successful organizations play to their strengths while minimizing the impact of weaknesses. Check any book on leadership, management, or success. The afore mentioned statement is always an underlying theme. Passing the ball is not a strength of the Ravens team at this juncture. I guarantee it will be next year, but at this point this team is just not ready to be gun slinging. Also, the liklihood of a gimmick play working against a geat disciplined Steeler defense is very minimal. I think a good medium between opening up the play book and gimick plays would be to call a few of the following plays: 1. It would be nice to see a few WR screens. Clayton is pretty elusive if given the opportunity in space. It would also stretch the defense some and allow the quick hit to the TE more often. 2. Can I get 2-3 screen passes to Willis McGahee on third down. Willis, not McClain, should be given the ball in that situation, he's more of playmaker. 3. It would be nice to see a couple of reverse plays. Those can work even against good disciplined defenses.

Wow Crav, what a great post, I hope one day my son looks back on our time as fondly and caring as you have. My thoughts are with ya.

Crav, I thought you agreed to never do that again!!! Wow, that is soo disturbing lol.

You know when we went to the SB in 2000 we had traditionally had alot of trouble with the Titans as they were still in our division. We vanquished them that season, here's to history repeating itself, however this time it will be the Steelers!

I thought the Bengals were the team with all the guys in trouble with the law. Just because the Ravens defense is more badass than most does not make them criminals. lol Football is a rough sport, if one doesn't like it, go watch cricket lol.

Bingo........He holds the ball too long, and then he doesn't roll away from pressure to buy additional time. I think because he has been so big his whole life, he probably never felt the need the roll away as even in the NFL, sometimes the guy just shakes off lineman and linebackers.

Everything happens eventually........eventually a Rookie was gonna win playoff games. It only took how many years? And now that it's happened once, this team should just stop what's gotten them where they are and begin slinging the ball? No, I don't think so. Stick to what's been successful and what's been winning games. If we begin to falter, obviously we'll have to adjust. So far this team has not faltered, they've won. They just beat a Tennesee team that waxed Pitt using a formula that you disagree with.

And I suppose that these teams garnered their 12-4 and 13-3 records out of luck. Besides the Tenesee game, Pitt's largest loss margin was 8 points to the Eagles, a playoff team. Tenesee's largest loss margin was to the Jets when the Jets where playin near playoff level football. Tensee's other games were close with the exception of the Indy game when Tenesee did not play their starters. The basic point is, these teams are good teams, it's not an opinion, and they garnered their records playing great defense and NOT getting blown out.

Football is a rough sport, sometimes people get injured.

If you follow the NFL, you know that unless you have a highly effective seasoned QB, throwing more greatly increases the chances of turning the ball over. Especially when the decision maker is a rookie.

Good point on the screen passes and passes into the flat, we do have trouble covering them, however over all we just have more talent and we're a deeper team than Arizona.

The Titans and Steelers are not lesser teams. They're good solid football organizations like us.

Good point on the no turnover thing lol, I didn't consider that.

Fair enough, I do see your point on the comeback routes. Is it possible that having Heap not at 100% is making life hell for the outside throws??? Heap is not challenging the linebackers in the middle, or maybe Flacco is missing him and the defenses see this and key on the out routes and routes to the flats??? I have been thinkin and sayin it a few times on this board.....Flacco must use Heap more if he wants to be really successful. A quick remedy is the slant route by a WR, but what if Flacco just can't hit that route with regularity??? If he misses the WR, it's a pick, and good chance for pick 6. My point is, I think Flacco still has limitations and during games of this magnitude, it's not the time to be using any plays that are not the strength of a teams players. If Flaccos strengths remain the deep ball, screen passes, and running, then play to them. If he's not strong throwing to TEs and slants, don't call those plays. It's the playoffs, we need to maximize and play to our strengths as often as possible. That will equal the highest chance of winning.

Don't get me wrong Crav I believe we'll give it to them as well, same as the Titans. However I just don't see this Pitt team not coming to the game ready to play. The Titans came ready to play and where are they now! lol

It's not like we got blown out by the Steelers, we played em tough and came up just short. You start havin Flacco "take it to" the Steelers defense or the Titans defense and I guarantee both teams end up blowin us out. I'm a big Flacco supporter, but one has to be intelligent here. Part of being a great coach/coordinator is understanding the limitations of your own players. Cam understands that and he understands his competition. We are running the proper type of game here. No need to open anything up until another team proves they can go up by more than 14 on us, how many times has that happened??? No turnovers = best chance of winning playoff games.

I agree, Reed is playmaker, if this isn't the time to lay it on the line, I'm not sure when that time would come.

Aint that the truth..........Shittsburgh is the real challenge. They are gonna be ready to play.

In the Titan game there was never a need to "open up" the offense. Cam was being patient and allowing the game to unfold. On the scoreboard, the game never got out of hand, therefore there was never a need to "open up" the offense. Also gimick plays work against lesser teams......................because they are lesser teams.