It was the Browns

[vmax]

OK...the D only gave up 290 yards of offense....116 on the ground. Richardson did not beat them. The linebackers were laying the wood.

No TD's....not bad.

No pass rush....normal.

Time of possesion improved...Ravens actually on top 31 minutes to 28....on the road.

 

24 passes to 37 runs...thank you John...he had to be stepping on Cams neck. 25 rushing touches for Rice and they didn't shut him down when the Browns were stopping the run in the 3rd quarter.

 

Joe???? He was "Up and Down" Joe. Hot...then cold...then he made the plays necessary to win the game in the end....that was a game winning drive. 94.6 QB rating.

Final verdict: 25 points on the road. Improvement.

 

 

"No....it was stupid to go for it on 4th down Shumur....everybody knows that. Double dumb to not have Richardson run when you only needed a yard!"

[OutsideRzAcE]

Solid win I think the D was much improved. Yes it was the Browns, but these Browns ran and threw all over us in M&T a few weeks ago. Ellerbe and McClain were excellent. Jimmy Smith still looks like a bust....that Graham guy looks like he is decent.

 

Joe was frustrating to watch. He needs to step it up or this team will lose a lot of games in the 2nd half of the season.

[RavenMad]

Jimmy Smith still looks like a bust....

 

That is what I have been thinking for a few games now but I haven't really seen anyone else write or say it.

[cravnravn]

D was much improved in my eyes. Ngata is hurt, you can see it in his play.

 

I dont get how we look like world beaters on our opening drives, then we go into a shell.

[yagersports]

That Cleveland defense is pretty good. They've been keeping games close all year.

 

However....I think the constant 3 and outs is Cam's stubbornness. He just doesn't want to change game plans or adapt to what defenses are throwing at him.

 

I like the return to the run game. That's going to equal success.

[oldno82]

 

That is what I have been thinking for a few games now but I haven't really seen anyone else write or say it.

I'm not quite ready to call him a bust but I'm damned close to it.

Don't think much of Upshaw either though reporters say he's decent against the rush.

[vmax]

Harbaugh makes it sound like they knocked off Goliath...

 

That was a fight,” Harbaugh said to start the press conference.

“We’ll tip our hats to the Browns, first of all. I’m going to tell you what, that is a really good football team. That is a very well-coached football team. They’re physical, they’re tough, they’re disciplined. They’ve got all the tools. They’re young and they’re building something here.”

 

It was the Browns!

[varaven45]

Harbaugh makes it sound like they knocked off Goliath...

 

 

 

It was the Browns!

 

Yes, and we are the Ravens Max. As expected, we grinded it out and thanks to Joe's TD drive with 5-6 minutes left, we escaped with a close win.

If Weeden hadnt misfired on so many throws, we could have easily lost this game. Of course, if we hadnt screwed around after going up 14-0, we might have had an easier win.

 

As it is, I believe thats our identity from here on out. We will grind with the Raiders at home, Steelers (2x), Chargers, Skins, Broncos, Giants,and Bengals. We could go

anywhere from 2-6 to 6-2 and end up 8-8 to 12-4. That 3 game stretch - Steelers, Chargers, Steelers - will probably determine our post season fate.

 

BTW- I watched the game on tape delay and Paul Kruger is absolutely worthless. He is stiff, cant move, tackle or do much of anything. And Ngata is in awful shape - he can barely move out there.

They should sit him for a couple weeks or put him on IR. The D looked better than the Houston game (of course) but is still weak. Ozzie ought to be figuring out how to start loading up our D

with Bama and other SEC defensive studs in the draft. This D - minus a healthy Suggs, Webb, and Ngata - is in need of serious overhaul in the offseason.

 

In the meantime, its going to be the "grind it out" Ravens from here on out.

[cravnravn]

Harbaugh makes it sound like they knocked off Goliath...

 

 

 

It was the Browns!

 

 

The same Browns that knocked off San Diego 2 weeks ago?

[OutsideRzAcE]

I'm not quite ready to call him a bust but I'm damned close to it.

Don't think much of Upshaw either though reporters say he's decent against the rush.

 

I actually see potential in Upshaw. He makes a play here and there and you can see him setting and holding the edge well on running plays. He's not doing anything as a pass rusher yet, but at least he is making an impact at times against the run. That's more than I can say for Jimmy Smith. You never see him physically blanketing a receiver. He is always a yard or two away. He is a big physical looking guy that plays soft. The Steelers receivers are going to eat this guy up in two weeks and we better not have him on Denarius Moore vs Oakland.

[RavenMad]

On a brighter note Cary Williams seems to have settled down a bit. I guess after his injury during the offseason it took him a little while to get back to what he was doing last year. He is quietly making himself a lot of money. I thought it was a bad decision on his part by rejecting the money the Ravens threw at him but I guess he really believed in himself and he is starting to prove it.

 

That will help us to roll the coverage over to help Jimmy a little. While I'm not impressed with him, he has shown flashes but needs to be more consistent.

 

Since Upshaw has slimmed down a bit he seems to be in on more plays. If we could just get some of that pass rush we saw at Bama out of him then he could be a good one. I think Kruger might have hit his ceiling last season as a 3rd down specialist and he really benefitted from having Suggs and Ngata taking double teams. He seems a step slower this season in his increased role.

 

We badly need another consistent pass rusher in the offseason or QBs will torch a secondary with Jimmy Smith and a recovering Webb next season.

[yagersports]

Que Suggs. Our pass rush is going to consistently improve as the season wears on. We do need a healthier Ngata as well. However with Upshaw getting in better shape I expect things to get better and better.

[oldno82]

Suggs can't do it by himself. We need another pass rusher and we don't have one this year.

[yagersports]

Suggs is going to start drawing double teams soon. Once that happens he is going to open it up for the other guys. We had guys step up last year cuz Suggs demanded so much attention. It will happen again. We are not going to finish highly ranked but this defense will be good by the end of the year.