oldno82

Clearly there are major problems with the offensive line. As you pointed out, Lamar barely has time to get the ball off and he knows harassment is coming on each and every pass play whether the opponent blitzes or not. In fact, that's the killer on both lines: the offense struggles to contain a 4 man rush and the defense can't generate a 4 man rush. I think the personnel are the problem as well as the O-line coach. Faalele and Vorhees just don't seem to have 'it' and the D-line, not quite as bad, misses Madds. Our Edge Rushers may be improving, especially with Dre'Mont who showed promise and our second round pick who seems to get a little better each week, but the interior rush is non-existent. Of course, the first priority for the interior lineman on the D line is run containment and they've done pretty well with that. As for Cleveland....good defense and new offense is going to mean we just can't steamroll them, but we ought to be able to beat the Browns and improve to .500 while, hopefully, the Steelers keep losing as they get into the meat of their schedule.

Yes. He looked like a completely different player. Hope he can pull out of it quickly.

That's a rarity!

This is a really good point and the ol coach dufus said at the time, he wouldn't make any changes right away but probably would later. That was a red flag I noticed at the time and it looks like it has been borne out.

I don't know if the vikes are interested in trading McCarthy. That's tempting for us, but not for them, methinks.

Well, that is an interesting thought that Lamar would want to leave. I don't think he does, but I think it is something he has to think about because I believe the Ravens don't have a clue on how to handle the renegotiation process with him. They can't afford the current out years for sure. The cap can't handle it. But there's been a lot of foot dragging on getting a new deal done. Don't know for sure if that's on Lamar, the Ravens, or both, but nothing has been getting done. Ditto in that nothing being done was the 'solution' to the Andrews situation. The Ravens seem like they don't want to trade or pay so Andrews or maybe even Lamar may leave, or ask to be traded in the latter's case. I'm just bummed that our front office is the opposite of pro-active. They appear to be indecisive to the point of paralysis. Why is that? Is it DeCosta, Harbs, Bisciotti? Do too many hands have to reach a consensus to get anything done? I just don't know.

It has become a bit like politics: there are no straight answers ever given. Never get caught in a statement that may leave you accountable. I think the lesson learned is that they aren't going to make major changes mid-season under any circumstances, anymore. Whatever happens to the team will be decided after the season, i.e, new coach(es), new players, new FO personnel. We aren't going to get any changes until then. And, who knows? Maybe this ship will right itself and have a deep playoff run. Our last SB team dropped 4 of their last 5 games. Our first SB team won 5 games without the offense scoring a TD. All we can do really now as fans is watch and bear it.

Gonna be a tough one. At this point, I don't think we can pull this one out but we a have a chance; I'd say we have a 40% chance of winning this one. Blame the usual suspects: weak D-line and O-line.

The same thought occurred to me.

Seems like a weak move just to make a move.I don't see where he brings much more than Oweh.

Well, he's been injured for 22 games over the last 2 years and has only 3 sacks so far this year, so I dunno.

Lack of depth and poor coaching explain most of why this season is different than last. We really miss our deceased O-lne coach and Orr can't handle the D alone, at least not yet. Right now the onus is on Harbaugh to keep up a high level of morale on the team as they swim through the next several weak opponents. And if Orr still isn't cutting it, let him go and give the job to Pags.

Saying they sucked with Lamar only applies at the very beginning of the game; he did, after all, complete 18 of 24 for 204 yds and 4 touchdowns and no INT's. What you say about the offensive line is more accurate. It needs a lot of work and Ricard didn't look ready, I agree. The defensive line is the big problem. They need a lot of help all across it. Another problem is that they'll have 20-some free agents after this year.

I dunno...the Ravens looked like they had recovered their confidence in the second half and looked a lot better. Lamar was out for 30 some days and really only had a couple of practices so he was rusty at the start but got much better as the night progressed. Henry benefits when the pass game is clicking and he showed he still has 'it'. The D survived another game by making adjustments in the 2nd half but Orr still can look lost at times and that's reflected in the defense's play. All in all, it was a nice win after a really low period. Hopefully, something to build on.

I watched the first half of the Bears game again. Huntley was impressive. He threw hard when he had to, and put air under the ball when necessary. He just might be the 'answer' for us as a backup. Vibes coming out of the Ravens' camp sound very positive. Maybe the Bears win will get them on track. The Dolphins don't have much but they're playing at home on a Thursday night. I hope we beat the crap out of them.

Like you said, anything can happen with these 2 teams on 4 days rest. Lamar will probably play so he can impress his south Florida fan base.

Rush looked like he was lost out there to me. I had high hopes for him but he just didn't pan out.

Sometimes it feels good to be wrong. I owe an apology to Huntley. He gave the Ravens just what they needed today. He played a clean game and had some good throws to boot. Kudos to Monken too. Even Orr seems to be getting it together. Still it's just one game. But it is a good first step. Stanley game back in the game and apparently played well despite the injury. If for some reason he can't go, I think the Ravens will still be able to beat the Dolphins.

And finally, do I really have to watch Huntley play again? I guess the $6 million man Rush was yet another waste of resources, though he played well enough for Dallas as a sub he's shown nada here in B-more.

Kiss the Ravens goodbye...they have gone from a paragon of an organization in the NFL to a laughingstock. All in 6 weeks. Or crying stock. Another thing...who's really in charge of this shit show, Harbs?, DeCosta?, Lamar? Or is no one? I'm inclined towards the latter. Anarchy rules at the Castle.

Dee, that is exactly how I feel. I think the team feels the same way all the way from coaches to water boy. If Lamar plays, I think we'll win but it is by no means something I'd count on.

I'm going to go with the Ravens leaving their funk behind and winning a close one. Just a gut feeling.

Well they could promote from within and make Monken HC. He's certainly earned a shot somewhere.

I fortunately won't be able to watch this game live this week. I'll probably DVR it and look at it later in the week. How much I look at it will depend on what kind of effort the team puts forth. I do expect an easy Rams win. Hard to believe we were expecting a Super Bowl run just 5 weeks ago. At least I was.

If Kyle was back practicing today, I expect he'll be a go for the Rams game.