oldno82

I certainly am not advocating a $300 mil deal...just saying it is the team's problem regarding the cap hit for the next two seasons. I don't know what the solution is but it is definitely NOT another big contract. I loved what Lamar has accomplished over the last several years but I agree that his performance this year MAY be indicative of him coming to the end of the line. He has really taken a beating this year with all the injuries and his running days might be over. He can still perform as a pocket passer but we don't have an O-line to protect him. So the question is 'what do we do now?'.

Isn't he under contract for the next two years? At $70+ mil a year if I remember right. The pressure would be on the F.O. to reduce that size cap hit, not Lamar. Maybe he's not feeling 'generous' for some reason. Who knows, really, what goes on in his mind. So what I'm saying is that he may be feeling put off by what the cap hit staff wants him to do. It would sure explain his recent lethargy. On the other hand, it's got to affect his performance if he's got hamstring, knee, ankle, and now a toe problem. For whatever reason, he isn't the Lamar we're used to seeing. It could be business or physical issues coupled with a lousy offensive line. There are so many things we do not know. All we see is the result. All we can do is speculate.

We are hurt by Lamar's being hurt. I think he's really banged up and has also lost a step running. Ironically, his passing has been pretty damned good---when he gets time to throw! I also gotta wonder if contract negotiations with the Front Office aren't going well. He has a cap hit over $70 million next year and the year after and the team was supposed too be working on that with him. This is really where we could use some critical but sensible reporting by the sports media! Maybe give us some insight.

Not optimistic about a Ravens' win. If they don't get fired up for this game and lose it we can kiss this season goodbye and I haven't seen any signs over the last 5 games to give me reason to think differently. Lamar's banged up, the O-line is a mess, and the defense will be exposed if Burrow plays. I hope I'm proved wrong.

I'm OK. Thanks for asking. Just been taking a break from dealing with how this team wins so ugh-ly for the last 5 games. I can only stand to read/talk about them so much because they look like they're a lost team. No emotion or energy from either the players or coaching staff. I can only blame Harbs but my better half says his wife is ill though I haven't been able to confirm that. I also think Lamar's banged up body coupled with the lousy O-line play makes the offense, well, offensive.

This should be the game where the Ravens get well on offense and defense. Another ugly win will cement them as pretenders not contenders. A loss would be as devastating as the Bills game for the team and fans. In hindsight, I think the Bills loss really screwed up the heads on this year's Ravens. They were so confident they'd win that they forgot to play a full 60 minute game. It was a psychological blow that coupled with the eventual 9 injuries destroyed the team's swagger. Now they are a mere shell of the team that started the season. There's a lot to blame here on Harbs for letting his team get away from themselves and not finding a way to get them back on track. DeCosta has to share the blame for the poor offensive line and the lack of, yet again, a game changing pass rusher on defense. And of course the players take the blame for not staying motivated enough to play better for those first several games. All of which is to say, they can only redeem the season by winning out and going on a deep playoff run. The schedule is in their favor. Now they have to act on ir.

Opportunity for Keaton Michell and Dez Walker though Browns D is tough.

Lamar has a balky knee now to go along with his hamstring issue. Bateman has a high ankle sprain and is out for Sunday's game. Humphrey is debating whether or not to have finger surgery that would keep him out 2-3 weeks. The injury bug has bitten again.

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.