Bring on the Ravens

[flynismo]

25-17 is not smacked silly. They were physcially beaten but losing by one score is not smacked silly.

The point is, the only time you faced an elite defense, you lost. Now you are facing another one this week.

 

[RobertWeathers]

This is just dumb. Most uniformed post on this board. Which is saying alot.

Joe has the skill set to become elite. Will he be? I don't know, you don't know. Nobody does so to say he wont ever be and insult the coach is just ignorant.

Flacco has been in the league since 2008. Hes had some issues with personnel, o-line, etc changes. He is a decent to good QB and has had a very respectable career. With that said, having the skills to be elite and being elite are seperate issues.

In the playoffs, QBs- even the marginal ones need to make big plays without making big mistakes.

Flacco is known as not making big mistakes (see Sanchez) but he is also known for not making big plays for his team when they need him.

 

[SVN]

The point is, the only time you faced an elite defense, you lost. Now you are facing another one this week.

yes and we will lose again .plus you beat that elite defense twice so we have no shot...

 

[BaltimorePatsFan]

One thing I'm worried about is that I'm not sure if anyone on the Pats D can run with Torrey Smith.

With the NFL's ******ed pass interference rule that places the ball at the spot of the foul, honestly if Baltimore is smart they'd just air it out on every play to draw a flag, which is what the Ravens did in their comeback victory against Arizona when Smith drew like three pass interference calls in the end zone.

 

[flynismo]

Flacco is known as not making big mistakes (see Sanchez) but he is also known for not making big plays for his team when they need him.

He whooped PIT in the first meeting, led a last minute 92 yard drive for the win in the second meeting in their house, led us to the biggest comeback in team history vs AZ the following week, scored the only TD of the game for either team against SFO in a 16 - 6 win. He can definitely make plays when we ask him to.

 

[PatsFan2]

One thing I'm worried about is that I'm not sure if anyone on the Pats D can run with Torrey Smith it is
With the NFL's ******ed pass interference rule that places the ball at the spot of the foul, honestly if Baltimore is smart they'd just air it out on every play to draw a flag, which is what the Ravens did in their comeback victory against Arizona when Smith drew like three pass interference calls in the end zone.

Devin McCourty!

 

[flynismo]

yes and we will lose again .plus you beat that elite defense twice so we have no shot...

I'm just using his logic against him. It's stupid, isn't it?

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

First of all, dont be a hypocrite. Dont call me dumb, but then cry about it when I respond in kind.

Now on to football.

I'll try your approach.

You played ONE elite defense this season, the Steelers. You got smacked silly.

So what does that mean?

Smacked silly...... We lost that game. We still scored more points than their Per game average. Their defense was effective against us, but it didn't shut us out. We lost that game not because of TB (although he had pedestrian #s). We lost that game because Big Ben had a monster day against our "weak defense".

The Donks beat the Squeelers handily because they (Steelers) happened to play the dumbest gameplan in the history of playoff games. Pitt be us, Denver beat Pitt, We beat Denver twice (by double digit margins). What does it all mean....... not much.

Taking a one game "we beat them, and they beat so and so, so we're better then so and so" approach is never really telling (beyond what you did on that given day). Thats why you look at stats over time.

We've faced several "good to elite" defenses this year........ and went 3-1 against them. You've faced 1 "good" offense and no great offenses and are 0-1 against it.

Which is better?

 

[SVN]

One thing I'm worried about is that I'm not sure if anyone on the Pats D can run with Torrey Smith.

With the NFL's ******ed pass interference rule that places the ball at the spot of the foul, honestly if Baltimore is smart they'd just air it out on every play to draw a flag, which is what the Ravens did in their comeback victory against Arizona when Smith drew like three pass interference calls in the end zone.

Ah..you are back....

 

[RobertWeathers]

One thing I'm worried about is that I'm not sure if anyone on the Pats D can run with Torrey Smith.

With the NFL's ******ed pass interference rule that places the ball at the spot of the foul, honestly if Baltimore is smart they'd just air it out on every play to draw a flag, which is what the Ravens did in their comeback victory against Arizona when Smith drew like three pass interference calls in the end zone.

I think you'll see a lot of nickel and dime from the Pats for that reason. They'll commit 4-5 on the LoS to keep and eye on Rice and with 6-7 DBs ensure that they don't give up the big play to Smith or Boldin. Pats DB tackling is much improved. They'll need to be with Rice.

Might mean a big game by Dixon. They can live with that.

 

[Patspsycho]

The point is, the only time you faced an elite defense, you lost. Now you are facing another one this week.

We didn't lose because the Pittsburgh defense was "elite." We lost because they pulled a 180 and played man to man instead of zone which they played every other time they faced us, yet we only lost by one TD.

I'm amused by the fact that you and most every other Ravens fans keep bringing up 2009 even though all of you don't get that only 16 players from that year are still on the team.

 

[Lurks_All_Day]

yes and we will lose again .plus you beat that elite defense twice so we have no shot...

I think that many of these Crow fans are standing there in the emperor's new clothes.

• To only score 7 against Jax and lose?
• To only score 13 against the Seahawks.... and lose?
• To get smoked, 34-14 by the Chargers????

I'd take our three losses any day over those clunkers.

And as for "Pats haven't beaten winning teams" blather.... Those .500 teams are where they are BECAUSE they lost to..... The Patriots. What an insipid and dishonest argument.

 

[RobertWeathers]

He whooped PIT in the first meeting, led a last minute 92 yard drive for the win in the second meeting in their house, led us to the biggest comeback in team history vs AZ the following week, scored the only TD of the game for either team against SFO in a 16 - 6 win. He can definitely make plays when we ask him to.

Playoffs. He does have a winning record, but his body of work is very marginal.

 

[SVN]

I think you'll see a lot of nickel and dime from the Pats for that reason. They'll commit 4-5 on the LoS to keep and eye on Rice and with 6-7 DBs ensure that they don't give up the big play to Smith or Boldin. Pats DB tackling is much improved. They'll need to be with Rice.

Might mean a big game by Dixon. They can live with that.

I expect a slight chance that cam cameron outsmarts himself and comes out taking shots down the field against this secondary instead of relying on rice at the start. That could set the tone of the game how those deep shots turn out.

 

[flynismo]

Smacked silly...... We lost that game. We still scored more points than their Per game average. Their defense was effective against us, but it didn't shut us out. We lost that game not because of TB (although he had pedestrian #s). We lost that game because Big Ben had a monster day against our "weak defense".

The Donks beat the Squeelers handily because they (Steelers) happened to play the dumbest gameplan in the history of playoff games. Pitt be us, Denver beat Pitt, We beat Denver twice (by double digit margins). What does it all mean....... not much.

Taking a one game "we beat them, and they beat so and so, so we're better then so and so" approach is never really telling (beyond what you did on that given day). Thats why you look at stats over time.

We've faced several "good to elite" defenses........ and went 3-1 against them. You've face 1 "good" offense and no great offenses and are 0-1

Which is better.

I don't care what you did against "good defenses". We're not good, we are arguably the best in the league, one of the two or three elite defenses. There is a notable dropoff from us and the Jets, no matter how hard they try to become the New York Ravens (yes, we have a common enemy). And trust me, I smile from ear to ear every time you whip those tools.

But back on topic.

You said we faced only one highly productive offense this year, and they threw us a beat down.

You faced only one elite defense, and they threw you a beat down.

What does any of that have to do with anything? Not a damn thing, as you just said. So I'm not sure really why you even brought it up.

 

[BaltimorePatsFan]

This would be the perfect time to finally use Lee Evans. I cant figure out why he's only thrown to 1 time a game, 2 at the most

Because Lee Evans is finished and Torrey Smith is instead everything that Lee Evans/Demetrius Williams/Donte Stallworth were supposed to be.

 

[flynismo]

Playoffs. He does have a winning record, but his body of work is very marginal.

That is true.

Only thing I can say in his defense is that he suffered from five drops last week, so that 14 -27 performance last week is a bit decieving. However, it doesn't matter who's fault it is, bottom line is, we cant drop 5 passes and expect to beat NE.

 

[NEP4Life]

Wonder if Ihedigbo will be pulled from base because of concerns about the deep ball?

Surely a 3-4 plus Chung is enough to shut down Rice.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I expect a slight chance that cam cameron outsmarts himself and comes out taking shots down the field against this secondary instead of relying on rice at the start. That could set the tone of the game how those deep shots turn out.

If he does he is a fool for three reasons.

1. I think BAL want to slow the game way down and keep TB off the field. If it's a track meet their defense won't last 4 Qtrs.
2. Flacco MUST get off to a strong start, develop good tempo and have that confidence throwing the ball. That was their strategy last year and it worked very well.
3. Ge the ball into Rice's hands as much as possible. He is their playmaker.

 

[flynismo]

This would be the perfect time to finally use Lee Evans. I cant figure out why he's only thrown to 1 time a game, 2 at the most

Well, I imagine it's because he is the number three, and Houston man handling our OL didnt allow us to spread it out.

We *shouldnt* have those same problem this week.