oldno82

I'm so glad we rested our injured and our starters as much as we could. So the Steelers travel up to Buffalo next week. Should be an interesting game to watch.

It doesn't hurt to give Cook a chance. We do miss Dobbins and Keaton, but Hill has been showing some speed of late.

If there was ever a game to rest your starters, this was it. The top seed was sewn up, the weather conditions were terrible and there was a great chance to get injured against a team that plays tough. Look at what happened to Watt. And we almost lost 2 players ourselves. Harbaugh did the smart thing.

Harbs said after the game that we avoided any injuries that would impact us in 2 weeks.

Well, I don’t know if it was just the weather but Pittsburgh doesn’t impress me.

Any word on if we had anybody get injured? Lousy game to watch. I’d like to see us play them in the playoffs.

Right!!!

I also think Huntley will do well. The backups on D are my biggest concern. The Steelers have a potent rushing duo and Rudolph the Red Nose Steeler has shown that their offense can put up points. Of course, how he does against the barrage of coverages and blitzes that MacDonald throws at him remains to be seen. Dee, I think we lose a close one but not to worry as what we need to accomplish is the avoidance of injuries in what is a meaningless game for us.

I'm for this.

Yep...I was not suggesting they replace Likely with Andrews. Just speculating that having both on the field at the same time could be of value in a few situations. I actually think Likely has worked his way into perhaps being the starter for next year but that's a long way from now. And you're right about Andrews getting back into game shape as opposed to just 'being over' his injury. Having depth is nice, isn't it?

I agree. Harbs said yesterday it's not going to be like a pre-season game in that they have only so many players now that they can rest at a time. They will be fielding a pretty full lineup so that should keep them focussed. Patrick Queen, who has an injury to his shoulder, said he loves playing the Steelers, and he will be playing. Snoop, I think, will be motivated too. If our defense holds up, we just might be able to beat these guys without Lamar, Stanley, and a few others. I'd be careful with our running backs and let Gordon handle most of the load. I'd sit Flowers as much as possible to allow him time to get over his calf injury. We might have to use some 3 TE sets. Any word on if Andrews will be available in 2 more weeks? Likely has been super taking his place but it would be neat to see what Monken would do if he has both available.

Not sure about this but I think it was implied by Stanley, or maybe it was Harbs, that there would be the usual practices. Perhaps they will rotate rest days for the first week or week and a half. I think after 2019, Harbs will have them on track and they have their own leaders who've been there before exhorting them on.

The Ravens announced today that Lamar is not going to play this Saturday. Also, Flowers, Zeitler, Beckham, Hamilton, Humphrey, Harrison, and Worley weren't at practice. Brandon Stephens and Ar'Darius Washington did practice. It personally don't expect Stanley or Moses to play but no official word on that. I think they'll rest anybody who has an injury as long as there is a replacement available.

That's what I've been thinking too, Tsyl. Our #2's, at least on offense, can be a match for the Steelers defense. I've got more confidence in Huntley than I used to, and I think we can use Gordon at RB and reserves at WR and TE and even O-line...not exclusively but certainly let these guys play most of the time and rest all the injured players like Hamilton, Stephens, Stanley, Flowers and others. If we lose, we lose but heal up for the playoffs run. If we win, great, but it's really not worth risking serious injuries to hurting starters. It's a delicate balancing act for Harbs , MacDonald, and Monken for sure.

Well, stats are helpful but don't tell the complete story, especially in football where leadership and morale are such important factors. The Ravens are lucky to have some real leaders in Lamar, Roquan, OBJ, and Andrews when he's playing. They all tend to lead by example rather than rah-rah stuff and I respect them for that. And the yearly stats don't really reflect the impact of the last two regular season games when the Ravens beat the NFC's leading team following just one week later in putting a whipping on the AFC's scariest offense. In other words, the Ravens have a long list of intangibles that are so important in football, including having a head coach that learns from past mistakes and can motivate the team to 'just win baby'. Lamar, by the way, has really opened my eyes these last 2 games. He really can do it all. If he's been guilty of anything in the past it's probably been his tendency to do too much himself. Now he has a full cast to get involved in the offense and he makes use of all of them. Another player to recognize is Justice Hill whom I have been highly critical of in the past. He has learned how to hold onto the ball and has displayed a dimension of speed I really didn't realize he had. Harbs has been better in both clock management and when to go/not go for it on 4th down. His gut instincts have proven to be better than the analytics. Very interesting. And then there's been his 2 most recent and important hires in MacDonald and Monken. Two guys whom we will greatly miss when they've inevitably moved on to head coaching jobs elsewhere. Maybe, Bisciotti can throw them a bag of money to keep them here for a few more seasons. And EDC has assembled a very varied list of characters on both offense (OBJ, Agholor) and defense (van Noy, Clowney, Smith, Hamilton, Maullett, et. al.,) that have meshed very well to stabilize the team first philosophy. While I truly believe this team can win the Super Bowl, they have already provided me with so much entertainment this year that I already consider this season a big success. I don't think I've enjoyed Ravens' football as much as I have just these last 2 games. Quite a ride---and it ain't over yet.

Lamar is in a zone and I think only a Super Bowl victory will bring him out of it. As you said, Monken and MacDonald have reached new heights in play calling and in making in-game adjustments. We'll probably lose both of them to head coaching jobs but hell that's the price you pay for superiority. Lamar, what more can I say? A perfect passer rating, 5 TD passes, 321 yards and, get this, he was dropping dimes in buckets way down field. He's definitely got MVP sewn up. I think Lamar and the vets, especially the older ones like OBJ and Clowney will keep the team focused on the ultimate goal: the ring and a trophy.

WOW JUST FREAKING WOW

Hang in there Dee...my wife and I are psyched up too.

I always record the game and start watching it from DVR about 30 min into it so I can skip the commercials. It's bad that Hamilton can't play...we needed him for the secondary and for stopping their rushing. I expect Miami to be able to hit a couple of deep passes. This game could be a high scoring affair.

They need that 3 week respite for sure. Gotta find a way to win tomorrow regardless of who is or isn't playing.

The Ravens just made 4 roster moves including calling up WR Treadwell, a DB and a LB. Sounds like Flowers and Hamilton might not be able to go. I don't know if we can win without them. What's your take?

Cool!

They also have to win to stay ahead of the 'December' Joe led Browns who are hot right now. The Ravens better come out smokin' this Sunday. Otherwise the Tua led Dolphins could easily upset them. Win and the guys that are hurting get 3 weeks of much needed rest. The time to win a Super Bowl is NOW because with all the players eligible for free agency after this year our window is closing.

I have a feeling that we're gonna be ready for them.

It won't be easy, probably won't be pretty, and may be a nail biter. Tucker could win it with a late FG.