Good News/Bad News

[vmax]

Nice article by Joe Plantania. Here's a few snippets...

 

 

 

GOOD NEWS: With the first units, or at least a portion of them, playing in the first halves of both games, the Ravens have outscored their opponents during the first two quarters, 40-13.

BAD NEWS: The Ravens aren't playing the kind of ball-control, run-oriented game they want to play. When the first-string offense has been on the field, it has produced two sustained touchdown drives, along with three punts, four field goals and a fumble. It has reached the red zone on four of 11 drives.

GOOD NEWS: The Ravens know how to draft players who are both versatile and open-minded enough to change positions when the need arises. Safeties Anthony Levine and Terrence Brooks have played corner to fill in some injury-induced holes, and Pernell McPhee has moved from his linebacker spot back to defensive end to help out there.

BAD NEWS: If the Ravens don't make a few fortunate scrap-heap pickups as they have done in previous years, their lack of depth at defensive end and cornerback will prevent them from having a playoff season. The team will go from one that wins low-scoring games to a squad that loses high-scoring ones.

GOOD NEWS: Even with more stringent pass-coverage calls, not to mention second- and third-stringers on the field for a good portion of the first two games, the Ravens have been charged with 13 accepted penalties. They were flagged 31 times in August 2013.

BAD NEWS: If the secondary injuries continue and experienced reinforcements can't be found after other teams cut their rosters, young players like Levine and Chykie Brown, as well as journeymen like Dominique Franks, will keep being beaten and exposed for back-breaking, game-changing plays downfield.

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2014/08/18/good-news-bad-news-for-ravens-halfway-through-preseason

 

The Ravens are halfway through the pre season and halfway towards building and developing the team who will compete this season. I expect mixed results like this. Pees has not shown a thing that this defense will do opening day.

That said...we all see one ugly secondary without Webb and Smith. I am beginning to get haunting thoughts of '96 and '97.

With Webb and Smith this is a playoff team.

Without them?

6-10

[oldno82]

This is what I think is the key paragraph:

"BAD NEWS: If the Ravens don't make a few fortunate scrap-heap pickups as they have done in previous years, their lack of depth at defensive end and cornerback will prevent them from having a playoff season. The team will go from one that wins low-scoring games to a squad that loses high-scoring ones."

[varaven45]

Nice article by Joe Plantania. Here's a few snippets...

 

 

The Ravens are halfway through the pre season and halfway towards building and developing the team who will compete this season. I expect mixed results like this. Pees has not shown a thing that this defense will do opening day.

That said...we all see one ugly secondary without Webb and Smith. I am beginning to get haunting thoughts of '96 and '97.

With Webb and Smith this is a playoff team.

Without them?

6-10

 

Max, you are spot on with that prediction.

[TBird]

The good news is Kubes was showing only his vanilla offense loaded down whith whipped cream and tasted

more like salt water.

 

Squeelers and Bungals won't even bother with the game tape as they run the same thing in pre-season.

[Tornado700]

Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb will start on Sep.7th. Both will be OK and ready to go.

[cravnravn]

Come on gang, we go through this every year, we are showing nothing on D, and nothing on O but what we are used to seeing , nothing has changed with pre season going back to the Teddy days..

 

Its great, the first pre season game we as fans are all wired up because finally, football is back..By the second week the media pundits are ripping apart the team proclaiming if we dont get this player we are doomed, just calm down, week 1 is right around the corner.

[tsylvester]

Im not sure I agree the team is thin at DE, several players have stepped up, he does point out McPhee, who I think is a special talent and really come along in his growth. With regular playing time I can see him get 8-10 sacks this year and he is very durable. The offensive line and secondary, including the linebackers, are thin and I don't see the rookie eveyone thinks is a stud making it through the season; so far I am far from impressed with his play.

[oldno82]

Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb will start on Sep.7th. Both will be OK and ready to go.

And if they stay healthy and we get Asa Jackson back we'll do alright.

[vmax]

I think the Ravens have run for more yards than anybody this pre season. I know that is a meaningless stat that will get them nothing, but after no running game, it is some hope.

Also the Line is doing well. Joe hasn't been sacked.

[TBird]

No, it's not a meaningless stat because as Willis of SF just commented at the close of camp with SF, Kubes wil.run and run at you and set you up with

the play action with Torrey Smith, Steve Smith and Jacoby Jones stretching the field. So far I don't remember any play actions but Kubes isn't showing

anything. Its all vanilla except for the running.

 

Get used to it in this pass happy league. Old School football still says that the run sets up the pass.

[tsylvester]

Max, if you remember last year at this time, the Ravens mostly threw the ball during the pre season. My remarks then were of concern for the running game because you need reps against real defenses, game time reps to build a running game. We saw the result, no running game.

 

This year, so far, they have made a real change to work on the running game and with pretty success. The stat is only meaningless if they fail to keep up the hard work in the season.