vmax

Right on. They are in that rare zone where they can have their flaws exposed and still win games. This is stuff they can correct and improve on. They can tighten it up for the better QB's and offenses all while winning. Same holds true for the offense. They are shaking off the rust and learning how to play together. It's like they are having "the preseason they didn't have" to get ready for the better defenses.

crav....it was only Cleaveland.

Hey! They made history!

I really enjoyed Lofton's commentary.Very insightful and informative. I had to stay home due to bronchitis which is a downer. This might be the first home opener that I've missed. The play calling was great. It kept a young, fast and aggressive defense off balance and kept them from collecting the bounty on Joe Flacco that Williams put up.

Watson is Joe's security blanket. It looks like the Ravens will be OK at tight end and this is huge in forcing teams to defend the middle and the whole field. Joe looked very good. He showed no signs of a back injury that could limit his effectiveness. Collins was a surprise. He ran hard like a man on a mission but he can't be fumbling. The D, which was great in turnovers does has some issues to fix.... That was a wild final 2 minutes of the first half. Good show by Joe, Buck and Jeremy. the ravens have been doing well at getting points for some time in these final 2 minute periods.

That's a lot to lose. I don't know how they will overcome this but "the Show must Go On."

and the defense is not happy because they gave up too many big plays. I agree with Weddle that they have to tighten things up. I hope Williams injury isn't too bad. Losing Davis really hurt and they need Williams to stay dominant. I'm happy though... ....it's highlight reel football. 3 sacks. 10 QB hits. They were Kiser's migraine.

Key injury. It's been too many "next man up" seasons in a row but that's the reality and challenge.

Team Mutiny....

Read the thread....it turned right to Flacco hating....then the front office/Ozzie must go stuff.... I'm exaggerating, but it seems like every thread turns into this same broken record. For me, this is off season stuff to talk about. I'm living in the Now. It's 9/15/17 and there's a game Sunday. I'm excited about that and don't feel like bitching and moaning at every opportunity. This is the team that we have for the 2017 season. My view is to accept it. Root for them. Stand behind them. They are going to show up for every opponent on their schedule....and go all out to win. In this thread, I'm trying to see what they "might" have going for them on offense. I am looking for positives because we all know very little about how well this new O line will perform as a unit. We all question their ability. They did "OK" against the Bengals. Not great, but "serviceable" It's a steeper test Sunday, because the Browns defense is better and will go all out to stop the run. We'll know more at the end of the day. This line is the key to this offense. All that defenses have to do is attack it, win the match ups and the Ravens O ain't going nowhere. The O line will be the Achilles heel of this team and season or they will hold their own and it will be an exciting season.

If that happens then the Ravens are going to the Super Bowl. Which is fine by me.

This thread was about the O line. If you want to talk about other stuff ....simply start another thread. Here's good topic suggestion: Why I hate on the Ravens Everyday.

That sounds about right.

The Browns have become a better team. They've added talent, youth and speed. This could be a close game but it's hard for me to see Kizer doing anything against the Ravens D. The flip side is that I have my doubts about what the Ravens offense can do. They're not going to run like they did last week.

I'll be at the game Sunday and take the test. It may help me on the keyboard to post faster. I'm a little concerned about this part: "The assessment offers “insight into your mind,...." I don't want to end up in Sheppard Pratt.

The Ravens O line had a good game when you consider they had been together a little more than a week and that there were so many new faces. Look at who played and you know nothing about this group. Howard has been here how long??? 2 weeks? Serviceable. That's what I'd call the O line right now. And hopefully not "Bums" after playing the Brownies. Jensen is not too swift. I doubt he'll ever get it. He's a liability. A drive killer. I hope Tony Bergstrom or Luke Bowanko are better and can take over. If I'm a Dline coach then I'd have my men doing everything they can to piss him off so he's loses it and gets penalties. Yea...I kmow....Joe only threw 17 times. Every D will now play to stop the run. And I like this.... The O line looks like a serviceable work in progress. A bigger and better test comes this week against a Brownie D that held the Stealers to a paltry 2.1 ypc. 17 carries. 35 yards! Think on that a while.

More good news....

Really, this is great news. Let's ride the D first, then special teams followed by a healthy Joe Flacco and this is going to be a fun season.

They need Woodhead especially. The offense stalled without him.

What more can you expect from a unit that's been together for 8 days? I was very pleased. They could have, maybe even should have, looked like the Bengal offense. Now they have a game under their belt and another week to practice and get more disciplined and cohesive. The D and Special Teams are ready and have arrived. The offense is a work in progress. The trick is to find ways to win while the O tries to get their shit together. And they will.

No. He's sane and serious. I'm missing that in my DNA. But I live right next door in Catonsville.

The Ravens ran the ball against an 8-9 man stacked box. At one point for 11 straight plays. They haven't been able to do that since the days of Jamal Lewis. I'll take the 3.7 ypc. The O line got serious road grading work that they needed. This was smart coaching and game management. "You Play to Win the Game." This was a real NFL game. Not fantasy football. They had an offense that had been together for 8 days. A QB who hadn't thrown for a couple of months. He has a back they were worried about. And he has a backup quarterback they were even more worried about. Anybody who saw Mallett warming up outside the concussion tent that Flacco was in had to be thinking "We're done." Up 17-0 at the half, with the best kicker in the league, and a defense that is feasting on Bengal flesh, the smart move is to take the ball out of the QB's hands. To avoid a turnover that could let the Bengals back in the game. To protect the QB physically. And to use the Bengals as a practice, scrimmage squad to try and get a non existent running game resurrected from the dead. The goal was to win the game. A divisional game. On the road, in a stadium where they don't win. Mission accomplished.