oldno82

Gee...not sure what to think of the Ryan move. Not sure I like it.

I think Harbaugh was very defensive in his answer to the questions many have about the anemic passing game. I don't think there's much question that we need a better pass protecting line and [sigh!] a real number one receiver (as we have needed for years). While I love what Lamar does we could use a little more balance and a return to the improved passing Lamar showed in 2019. And really, Lamar is probably the only true playmaker on the offense. Now it's quite possible that the Covid disrupted pre-season and mid-season contributed mightily to the imbalance in 2020. But it would be nice if Harbaugh would just admit that and say we have areas that need real improvement. Now for the executioners that may be out there, I am NOT calling for Harbaugh's head. I'm NOT calling for a remake of Lamar's game. I would just like to see improvement in pass protection on the O-line (losing Stanley really hurt here) and more play action passing by Roman. The Ravens are going to have their hands full with the talent loaded Browns and the resurrected Bengals for the next several years and I don't think think the 2020 offense will be capable of handling them at this point. Hope I'm wrong...Dobbins and Edwards, Andrews and Brown give me hope, but we need even more. I found these comments (not all of which I agree with) from Brian Baldinger to be enlightening and who expresses himself better than I do: Brian Baldinger: Signing No. 1 Wide Receiver Won't Fix Ravens' Passing Game During Head Coach John Harbaugh's season-ending press conference yesterday, he pushed back against critics such as NFL Network's Steve Smith Sr. and Kurt Warner who contended that the Ravens' passing attack was too simplistic. Another NFL Network analyst, Brian Baldinger, weighed in on the subject, and he agreed with Smith and Warner's assessment, saying Baltimore's aerial attack is "too elementary, too simplistic." Baldinger was not suggesting the Ravens abandon their league-leading running game, but when opponents have success stopping the run — as the Buffalo Bills did in their 17-3 win over the Ravens in the divisional playoff game — he said the Ravens need to be able to make them pay through the air. "[Bills Defensive Coordinator] Leslie Frazier and [Head Coach] Sean McDermott figured it out, and they blitzed off the edges and they shrunk the field, and they didn't let Lamar [Jackson] escape, and they were masterful at it," Baldinger said in his "Baldy's Breakdowns" podcast. "But, ultimately, when you start blitzing your safeties and your corners to fix the run game, you have to make them pay. And the Ravens simply can't do that." "Can't" and "didn't" are two different things. Baldinger said the Ravens landing a No. 1 wide receiver in free agency such as Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin or Kenny Golladay won't necessarily change anything. "If you put Stefon Diggs in that offense, Stefon Diggs isn't getting 1,500 yards in catches. He's not leading the league in receptions, as great as he is," Baldinger said. "Until they start opening the offense up in different ways, where receivers can actually run routes, beat man coverage, all those kinds of things, there's got to be a better balance in how you throw the football right now, and it can't just be, 'third-and-8, all right, let's throw it.'" The Ravens have had a lot of success with their run-oriented offense the past three seasons, as Jackson is 30-7 in the regular season as a starter. They led the league in scoring last season and were No. 7 this season. In the postseason, however, they're 1-3 and have scored a total of 32 points in the three losses. "They're going to get to the playoffs almost every year right now the way the roster is built, the depth that they have, the way that they restock. But can they move in the playoffs?" Baldinger said. "Because this is three years in a row where they've been bounced like this, and it's the same problem three years in a row."

Roman is a good offensive coordinator for a run game. But, I wonder if his time here is over, just as it was in San Francisco and Buffalo. His teams always look unbeatable for the first 2-3 seasons but then kind of die out. His running game is beautiful but you have to be able to pass when it gets shut down. And as most people here have said, our passing game sucks. If Andrews is covered our options are really limited. Brown does a nice job but he and Andrews need help. The O-line is built for a rushing attack but can't pass defend. I've noticed in past seasons that when Lamar has time to pass he can be deadly. The O-line isn't giving him that time consistently and receivers are often not getting separation. The loss of Yanda and Stanley was probably the nail in the coffin for the passing attack for this year. So, the O-line needs retooling, the receivers need complementing. Fix those 2 issues and Lamar will take them to the Super Bowl.

Interesting matchup. The Bills can't run well but pass with abandon and success. Their defense is crap. The Ravens have a great secondary. If our front seven can provide a good pass rush the secondary should hold up though you'll have to give Diggs a TD pass; he's just that good. In theory our running offense should cause the Bills fits especially if we can work a good pass or two into the mix like last week. I like our chances. Hopefully we don't let the weather play mind games with us.

I have only one comment to make: LOCK HIM UP!