Well I haven't posted in a while, and now's as good a time as any.
In response to the OP:
1. I like what Solder's doing this year. He seems to be performing well. I just hope that this isn't one of those games you look back on thinking of how he struggled and that "he was only a rookie afterall." If Vollmer can muster a comeback for this game, we should obviously expect some rust. I honestly don't want him in there over Solder if there's no one else helping him out on the right side (i.e. a TE). I still love the idea of both of them on the line for a jumbo package. It reminds me of 2009 when we drafted Vollmer. We still had the incumbents Matt Light and Nick Kaczur at tackle, but under the theory of 'getting your best players out on the field', we added Vollmer to the line frequently (when he wasn't substituting for an injured tackle) for the same type of package.
2. Flacco is probably getting a little too much flack on this board. Have we forgotten how mediocre qb's have performed against us? I get the sense that our defense will actually perform well against him. Not lights out good, but I expect a decent showing. But after the season our defense has had, I don't think we should be so confident and dismiss him so easily. Even
In general my fears of this game can be broken down as follows:
1. Defense - Can we control the line of scrimmage well enough against the big Ravens O-line? They have a pretty darn good O-line that was challenged last weekend by a darn good Texans line. We played well last week, but I get the sense that our line won't be as disruptive and dominant against the Ravens as they were against the Broncos. If we can't contend on the LOS, then we're in for a long game (defensively).
2. Offense - We have a unique and strong offense that has developed over the course of the season. I like the strides they've made in perfecting their execution. However, the Ravens offense is talented and strong. In particular, their front seven features a powerful group. Our O-line has been holding up nicely and looked good last week. I just hope that they don't get pushed around on the LOS. Again, I look to us winning the battles at the LOS to be a major decider over who wins--our offense or their defense. If Brady's got the time, then despite what Ravens' fans think, they will get picked apart. If the Ravens start getting penetration, then it will be a long game on offense.
I finally watched Inside the NFL on Showtime this week. I saw LT on there who did a pretty good job I thought. He remarked on how well the Patriots make adjustments. It's amazing how much the team has improved in this area since 2009. They were horrid in the second half of games that season. In 2010, they improved a lot to become at least average in that category. This year, I feel as though they are one of the very top teams at making adjustments--and not just second half adjustments. As LT noted, they make quality, effective adjustments between series'. Whatever happens in the first quarter and half of this game, we can depend on this: they will "out-adjust" the Ravens. Pegano is the DQ. He's done a good job this year. Albeit, he has the players to be successful and a quality system to work with. But we will perform better in making adjustments than he does. The same goes for Cam Cameron, who Ravens' fans detest. Many want him gone with the only exception being if they win the SB.
There are a lot of reasons that can be thrown around for why one team will win or lose this game. Ravens' fans point to the fact that we haven't proven anything because we haven't been able to beat many good teams. If we lose this game, that might be the fatal flaw we come away with. If the Ravens' lose however, we will all point to the Ravens' performance issues on the road as their fatal flaw. It's surprising that a team who uses a strong running game and defense combination to win games struggles when on the road. I can understand a team like the Saints struggling, but it's a bit surprising with the Ravens. Even comparing their two games against the Steelers, you can see a definite difference. In the first match-up, they squashed the Steelers (home game). In the second game, they still won, but it was very close (away game).
I'm curious how Josh McDaniels will contribute in this game. He did play the Ravens earlier this year, so perhaps we have a leg-up in preparing for them. I wonder if it was his input that got Ocho essentially benched. It was probably O'Brien, but I wouldn't be suprised if he said "we're better off with Edelman." If we already thought he was gone after this offseason, that would be the final nail in the coffin. I can't blame them, at least Edelman is a decent blocker and occasionally gets open. I feel like Brady has a greater comfort with him over Ocho anyways.
Some Ravens' fans like to point to the 2009 game (not all of them). I can understand that game coming to mind, but that Pats team really wasn't that good and was a different team. We had a very productive offense at gaining yards, but we're horrible in the red zone. Plus, it was entirely dependent upon Welker and Moss. What does one expect when half the offensive production gets removed from the game (Welker's ACL tear)? That team still used the old spread offense from our former 2007 offensive glory days. But it wasn't nearly as effective, and was lacking quality receiving targets to make it function (and a running game). We had undergone a major offensive strategy change last year during the middle of the season, which got into full swing for the second half of the season. When we played the Ravens' in week 6 or so, they didn't have an opportunity to play the new-style Patriot offense. So it's very difficult to look to the past to try to predict the future when analyzing the Ravens defense against our offense. The Jets had the most success in the playoff loss last year, which we seem to have corrected since then. We played this style defense three times this year. Twice against the Jets and once against the 'boys. And we went 3 for 3. If anyone could figure out the Pats' offense, it would be Rex Ryan. Perhaps this style offense performs well against the Buddy Ryan 34?? I'm no x's and o's guy, so I can't make any legitimate claims.
The final concern I have for this team is due to all the players on the injury report. I know that some of them are probably red herrings, but I felt like that contributed to our ultimate elimination from the playoffs last year. We lost one too many d-linemen and had guys like Cohen and Love playing significantly in the playoffs (neither of them were ready for that level of action). I feel like if we have the same personnel playing on gameday as last week, then the defense will perform fine. Who knows? It could even be a defensive struggle all game. Or the opposite, a high-scorer. It's really hard to predict.
I know many will dismiss them, but I think it's interesting that both Rex Ryan and Mangini both are saying that they think the Ravens will win. Obviously, Rex is biased (as he admitted), but I still respect his honest assessment (assuming that it's not just wishful thinking). And regardless of his coaching failures, I still respect Mangini's opinion. He knows the Patriot's style and defense better than most (and we know that he knows how to beat the Pats)and I think was giving an honest and informed opinion.
Finally, I noticed that some Ravens' fans think we're being ****y. I think they're missing the point. Last weekend, both the Packers and Saints were eliminated. As far as I'm concerned, the Superbowl is truly up for grabs. No team looks scary to me anymore. It's a rat race for who wants it the most. Luckily for us, we've got the homefield advantage for this game, and then no matter who represents the AFC, they will be playing a very tough NFC opponent. We knew going into the playoffs that whoever represents the NFC that they are going to be a very strong team considering that the Packers, Saints, Niners, Lions, and Giants all made the playoffs (I didn't think much of the Falcons). I'm just glad we didn't have to compete in that conference.
With all that being said, should be a good game.
