The Ravens

[Zuma]

Ian RapoportVerified account‏@RapSheet
Free agent CB Shareece Wright is signing with the #Ravens, source said. He fills an immediate need.

 

[Ivan]

Tough division. For the Ravens to get to the postseason - they need many good things to start happening asap.

I have no doubt they are praying for plane crashes and Ebola outbreaks as we speak , with the assistance of the Ravens chaplain, no doubt.

 

[Ivan]

Ian RapoportVerified account‏@RapSheet
Free agent CB Shareece Wright is signing with the #Ravens, source said. He fills an immediate need.

They don't have any other player with a girls name?

No f.cking way?

I'm flabbergasted.

Good work by their personnel dept to shore that up in a hurry.

 

[captain stone]

Too bad; now I have to root against him. He's gotta be better than Badly Fletcher.

 

[Rusty Coupe]

The natives are restless

In an off camera interview following the State of the Ravens press conference in 2013, owner Steve Bisciotti sent a clear message to John Harbaugh and the coaching staff – Repeated failure won’t be tolerated. This was, of course, following the only season in which the Ravens failed to make the playoffs in John Harbaugh’s tenure as head coach.

“I have to be patient and let people fail, but I don’t have to be patient enough to let people repeat failure,” Bisciotti said according to Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun. “I’ll be more apt to get my way next year if their solutions don’t change the problems. That’s fair, that’s where I am as an owner.”

While it’s true the Ravens have been to the playoffs six times in seven years under Harbaugh, with their perennial players and leaders now gone, it is up to Harbaugh to forge the Ravens new identity. Through the first five weeks of the season they’ve looked like a team that doesn’t have one. Outplayed and outcoached have been two words that have been thrown around a lot this season. As Tony Lombardi pointed out in a recent Word On the Street, some of Harbaugh’s recent decisions and strategies have been maddening to watch. Poor clock management, in game adjustments and ill-timed fakes that reek of desperation have been commonplace early on in 2015.

http://russellstreetreport.com/2015/10/13/street-talk/could-harbaugh-end-up-on-the-hot-seat/

 

[supafly]

The natives are restless





http://russellstreetreport.com/2015/10/13/street-talk/could-harbaugh-end-up-on-the-hot-seat/

Sometimes I think teams are too quick to try and replace HCs during down times, so if I were Biscotti I'd wait to see how the rest of the year plays out first. Unless Harbaugh goes 3-13 or something insane, I'd have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

We've seen the same with Mike Tomlin, Bill Cowher, and Tom Coughlin, who are 3 HCs who've had bad losing seasons only to come back and win SBs. The NFL shouldn't be a revolving turnstile if your proven coach has a bad year every now and then. That's my worthless opinion, anyway.

 

[supafly]

They don't have any other player with a girls name?

No f.cking way?

I'm flabbergasted.

Good work by their personnel dept to shore that up in a hurry.

Awesome post, Ivan. Love it, buddy! Cracked me up.

 

[Deus Irae]

Caldwell has only been an OC 1 year. Which happened with the Ravens just barely making the playoffs and then Flacco played out of his mind in that playoff with a historic run.

Everything played into that Ravens run including a Jacoby hail mary in Denver to tie the game and Gronk and Talib getting hurt in our game.

This was also the same year that there was a mutiny in the Ravens locker room it got so bad. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Pollard basically took control of that team (living in MD, I was able to hear all that stupid sh!t).

Pees sucks that's why we didn't keep him. He will get fired in Baltimore. And Caldwell is also gonna get fired in Detroit. Hey, maybe he'll get a second year as an OC somewhere and can backup your claim that he's good in the future.

Caldwell took over an offense that was going nowhere, and he got it playing much better, so that it became a strength during that Super Bowl run. He was then the OC again the next year, meaning he was an OC for more than just one year.

Pees won a SB as a DC.

Why you have such needless bias against the facts regarding those two is for you to figure out.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Sometimes I think teams are too quick to try and replace HCs during down times, so if I were Biscotti I'd wait to see how the rest of the year plays out first. Unless Harbaugh goes 3-13 or something insane, I'd have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

We've seen the same with Mike Tomlin, Bill Cowher, and Tom Coughlin, who are 3 HCs who've had bad losing seasons only to come back and win SBs. The NFL shouldn't be a revolving turnstile if your proven coach has a bad year every now and then. That's my worthless opinion, anyway.

This is all very true. I think in general teams fire coaches way way too soon. Often times the problems are more about the roster talent and especially the QB. You have these guys in Cleveland, Jacksonville, Washington getting canned every 2-3 years like clockwork, as though any coach would have made them winners. Then you have guys winning coach of the year and going 5-11 the next season because they lost the close games and ran out of luck this time around.

The Bengals, I think, realized a lot this and didn't cave to the pressure, as they held onto Marvin Lewis despite a string of disappointing seasons. That's a good example of how coaches are typically going to win as many games as the roster allows and also an example of why it's good to keep a coach long-term, as you don't have to change your system and schemes all the time either.

I'm not saying there aren't good and bad coaches out there, just that teams are too quick in giving up when unrealistic expectations aren't achieved immediately. The cost of starting over again is brutal for any football team, but it is spun to the fan base as a new hope. Nothing gets fans excited like scapegoating a coach who had no chance and bringing in the next guy, a new face with lots of promise. Most fans don't realize that hitting the reset button and changing the style of the team is going to set them back years.

 

[supafly]

This is all very true. I think in general teams fire coaches way way too soon. Often times the problems are more about the roster talent and especially the QB. You have these guys in Cleveland, Jacksonville, Washington getting canned every 2-3 years like clockwork, as though any coach would have made them winners. Then you have guys winning coach of the year and going 5-11 the next season because they lost the close games and ran out of luck this time around.

The Bengals, I think, realized a lot this and didn't cave to the pressure, as they held onto Marvin Lewis despite a string of disappointing seasons. That's a good example of how coaches are typically going to win as many games as the roster allows and also an example of why it's good to keep a coach long-term, as you don't have to change your system and schemes all the time either.

I'm not saying there aren't good and bad coaches out there, just that teams are too quick in giving up when unrealistic expectations aren't achieved immediately. The cost of starting over again is brutal for any football team, but it is spun to the fan base as a new hope. Nothing gets fans excited like scapegoating a coach who had no chance and bringing in the next guy, a new face with lots of promise. Most fans don't realize that hitting the reset button and changing the style of the team is going to set them back years.

Marvin Lewis is an excellent example of this, no doubt.

In the case of the Ravens, they struck out on any hope of having WRs once that high round draft pick got hurt. They also suffered tremendously when Suggs went out for the year, and already had issues in the secondary.

I wouldn't think that these problems can be solved anytime soon in 2015, but they should be right back to playing competitive football again next year. Harbaugh is not a bad coach. I think the problems are personnel issues and some bad luck.

 

[Rusty Coupe]

Marvin Lewis is an excellent example of this, no doubt.

In the case of the Ravens, they struck out on any hope of having WRs once that high round draft pick got hurt. They also suffered tremendously when Suggs went out for the year, and already had issues in the secondary.

I wouldn't think that these problems can be solved anytime soon in 2015, but they should be right back to playing competitive football again next year. Harbaugh is not a bad coach. I think the problems are personnel issues and some bad luck.

The window seems to have finally closed on the Ed Reed and Ray Lewis era, and now Harbaugh is being asked to coach in a different environment. Rebuilding on the fly with younger less established players.

The question for Bisciotti is does he have a better plan B, or does he roll the dice with Harbaugh to do something he hasn't done before. Without knowing any internal goings on or personal relationships, it's impossible to know but interesting to watch.

 

[supafly]

The window seems to have finally closed on the Ed Reed and Ray Lewis era, and now Harbaugh is being asked to coach in a different environment. Rebuilding on the fly with younger less established players.

The question for Bisciotti is does he have a better plan B, or does he roll the dice with Harbaugh to do something he hasn't done before. Without knowing any internal goings on or personal relationships, it's impossible to know but interesting to watch.

I think the Ed Reed and Ray Lewis era has been over since 2012, though, so I'm not seeing that as much of an issue as you may.

The Ravens seem to be one of those perennial 9-7 type teams every year, so a major hole at WR (probably shouldn't have let Torrey Smith leave), with injuries to their first round draft pick and Steve Smith have left their offense bare.

The injury to a guy like Suggs on defense wouldn't have been a deal breaker for some elite teams, but all of this combined can easily be the difference of say, 2-3 games. Those 2-3 games immediately turn a 9-7 record into a 7-9 or even 6-10 record.

Yes, it will be interesting to see if they give Harbaugh a chance at righting the ship again next year, but I think they'd be stupid not to.

 

[1960Pats]

How can we expect anything from a team with an Italian cookie for an owner?

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

They are 5 games behind the Bengals after 5 games.

They would have to go 11-2 to have any shot at making the playoffs.

Being 1-4 (5 games behind the Bengals due to tie breakers)
If they went 11-2, wouldn't that mean they're already in the playoffs

I'm not saying there aren't good and bad coaches out there, just that teams are too quick in giving up when unrealistic expectations aren't achieved immediately. The cost of starting over again is brutal for any football team, but it is spun to the fan base as a new hope. Nothing gets fans excited like scapegoating a coach who had no chance and bringing in the next guy, a new face with lots of promise. Most fans don't realize that hitting the reset button and changing the style of the team is going to set them back years.

Completely agree. Who do you think helps set up these unrealistic expectations? I mean the idea of parity is that teams can't have sustained success and you'd think the owners would know that more than anyone. Answer to my question would have to be BB. People are still chasing after him and think if 1 team can do it, others should be able to as well.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Marvin Lewis is an excellent example of this, no doubt.

In the case of the Ravens, they struck out on any hope of having WRs once that high round draft pick got hurt. They also suffered tremendously when Suggs went out for the year, and already had issues in the secondary.

I wouldn't think that these problems can be solved anytime soon in 2015, but they should be right back to playing competitive football again next year. Harbaugh is not a bad coach. I think the problems are personnel issues and some bad luck.

Yes...another personnel issue. Harbaugh can win 12 games in a tough division with a good roster. Did he forget how to coach? Lose the team? I don't think so. He is the same above-average (but not spectacular) coach he has always been. Meanwhile, the team is 1-4 with 4 losses by one possession; there was just an article on Flacco having the worst 4th quarter QB rating in the NFL, and that is typically not the case with him. Clearly the WR injuries have made a major impact. So often, the difference between 11-5 and 7-9 has to do with lots of close losses (to some degree, luck) along with injuries, which are really both major factors here. It's not like there's a team mutiny and they are losing every game by three touchdowns.

Bisciotti seems like a smart man. I highly doubt he would really consider firing Harbaugh after one or two disappointing seasons. He would be foolish to do so unless he has a truly decorated coaching candidate, and there aren't many of them out there. On a personal level, there's nothing I would enjoy more than seeing Harbaugh fired, as I can't stand his whiny, "he hit me first" attitude. Of course, there would be quite a few teams who would hire Harbaugh immediately if he became available.

 

[Deus Irae]

Yes...another personnel issue. Harbaugh can win 12 games in a tough division with a good roster. Did he forget how to coach? Lose the team? I don't think so. He is the same above-average (but not spectacular) coach he has always been. Meanwhile, the team is 1-4 with 4 losses by one possession; there was just an article on Flacco having the worst 4th quarter QB rating in the NFL, and that is typically not the case with him. Clearly the WR injuries have made a major impact. So often, the difference between 11-5 and 7-9 has to do with lots of close losses (to some degree, luck) along with injuries, which are really both major factors here. It's not like there's a team mutiny and they are losing every game by three touchdowns.

It really brings up the questions of whether they underestimated Torrey Smith's importance to the offense, and whether they've overestimated Flacco's ability.

 

[slam]

How can we expect anything from a team with an Italian cookie for an owner?

View attachment 10876

To be fair, this is our owner...

 

[jah]

It really brings up the questions of whether they underestimated Torrey Smith's importance to the offense, and whether they've overestimated Flacco's ability.

From what I've seen on Ravens forums, Flacco is doing about as well as he can with what he has, but he barely has anything, including a defense.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

From what I've seen on Ravens forums, Flacco is doing about as well as he can with what he has, but he barely has anything, including a defense.

Flacco seems to play well in the playoffs, especially on the road. That's something where I've seen enough to write off small sample size and believe the guy really does handle pressure better than most.

That being said, it's unbelievable that he isn't roasted after demanding the highest contract of any NFL QB at the time he signed it. Flacco is closer to average than he is elite. For so many years, he has just barely scraped by winning games with field goals and big defensive plays. Lots of other quarterbacks who are truly elite or even well above average have had major problems at points in their career with weapons/protection and still been able to carry the offense. That is what you expect from a guy making that much money. Apparently he is elite, according to Ravens fans and "the best quarterback in football" according to his coach, yet despite having a good running back and phenomenal offensive line, he can't be expected to put up anything above average production with sub-par receivers. Look at what Brady did in 2013. Rodgers would have that Ravens offense scoring 30 ppg. Russell Wilson has been playing behind a joke offensive line with sub-par skill players and still puts up a QB rating above anything Flacco has ever dreamed of. I bring up Rodgers and Wilson because they are paid around the same amount as Flacco. Many quarterbacks would at least have the Ravens looking competent and scoring when needed, such as in the two minute offense or at the end of games.

 

[NormZauchin]

Not

This is all very true. I think in general teams fire coaches way way too soon. Often times the problems are more about the roster talent and especially the QB. You have these guys in Cleveland, Jacksonville, Washington getting canned every 2-3 years like clockwork, as though any coach would have made them winners. Then you have guys winning coach of the year and going 5-11 the next season because they lost the close games and ran out of luck this time around.

The Bengals, I think, realized a lot this and didn't cave to the pressure, as they held onto Marvin Lewis despite a string of disappointing seasons. That's a good example of how coaches are typically going to win as many games as the roster allows and also an example of why it's good to keep a coach long-term, as you don't have to change your system and schemes all the time either.

I'm not saying there aren't good and bad coaches out there, just that teams are too quick in giving up when unrealistic expectations aren't achieved immediately. The cost of starting over again is brutal for any football team, but it is spun to the fan base as a new hope. Nothing gets fans excited like scapegoating a coach who had no chance and bringing in the next guy, a new face with lots of promise. Most fans don't realize that hitting the reset button and changing the style of the team is going to set them back years.

Mike Brown is hardly the Stephen Hawking of owners. He has been criticized in the past for being cheap, stupid, and stubborn. And I remain to be sold on Marvin Lewis. Not only has he had some really poor seasons, but even when the Bengals win, they are one and done in the playoffs. Their current success is built as much upon low draft choices (like A.J. Green) garnered over the 2006-2011 period when they went 42-51-1, as it is upon the patience of staying with Lewis.