Ravens Still A "Smidge" Behind Steelers

by Bruce Raffel on Jun 4, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

While this may be a Baltimore Ravens blog, don't crucify me for posting that headline, as I am quoting Matt Williamson from ESPN's Scouts, Inc. from a conversation he had with the Baltimore Sun's Matt Vensel. Williamson actually like the Ravens and thinks they are one of the top five teams in the NFL but unfortunately are in the same division as the Pittsburgh Steelers. When looking at the two teams, he sees the big difference being the gap between the two quarterbacks, which he says is the only reason the Steelers win those close games.

He still thinks that Ravens QB Joe Flacco is on the right course and he could still lead Baltimore to the Super Bowl, noting that, "the Ravens won the Super Bowl with an inferior quarterback than Flacco," speaking about Trent Dilfer in 2001. Adding WR Anquan Boldin in 2010 and now Torrey Smith in 2011 is a step in the right direction, but he adds while Flacco is headed in the right direction, "it’s just not the fast track."

Williamson also thinks that offensive tackle Jared Gaither will not be returning to the Ravens and that while Michael Oher should not be labeled as a "bust" right now, he thinks he would be better served at right tackle. He "loves" right tackle/guard Marshal Yanda and says that he thought the bookends of Gaither on the left side and Oher on the right would have solidified their offensive line for years.

Tweet Comment 31 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Why would we crucify you?

The Ravens are behind the Steelers. Until Joe and company start beating them (with Ben) consistently, that will unfortunately continue to be the case.

by 60minuteassassin on Jun 4, 2011 7:17 PM EDT reply actions

agreed. I have no problem being just behind them because they have earned it. I do feel if we would have got past them that we would be representing the AFC and then who knows after that, but we got to prove we can beat them when it matters before we get ranked ahead of them.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Jun 4, 2011 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Here come the trolls…

by JoshuaStein on Jun 4, 2011 8:00 PM EDT reply actions

Stop inviting them and they won't come out.

by Roa on Jun 4, 2011 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, hello there! :)

"SteelFever gets #93. Just like Ron Artest. Great game just keep an eye on him that he doesn't go into the stands after a fan."
- 5020 on my making the BTSC active (riot) squad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC0NCHq4v3I

by Steel Spike on Jun 4, 2011 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey, there’s one of the losers!!

by JoshuaStein on Jun 5, 2011 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Ask, and ye shall receive

by Steel Spike on Jun 5, 2011 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Yes, I asked you to be a loser…

by JoshuaStein on Jun 5, 2011 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions

No you didn't

At the same time, I didn’t ask for you to be a sad, bitter little man who automatically dismisses any fan of another team as being a troll.

by Steel Spike on Jun 5, 2011 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

Well, by definition you are a troll considering you post comments on an opposing team’s website. And no one asked you to jump on that team’s bandwagon…

by JoshuaStein on Jun 5, 2011 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions

You mean, quite aside from the fact that I'm actually welcome here

This came straight from your fearless leader Bruce, since I actually come here to talk football, not troll.

However, it seems like you are more the troll than I, since you don’t seem to want to ever talk football. Your first comment in this thread was

Here come the trolls…

by JoshuaStein on Jun 4, 2011 5:00 PM PDT

So…Yeah…

by Steel Spike on Jun 5, 2011 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions

"However, it seems like you are more the troll than I, since you don’t seem to want to ever talk football."

It’s obvious no one has ever accused you of being intelligent.

by JoshuaStein on Jun 5, 2011 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions

just leave it be man. If they are here to talk football then let it be. I post over there sometimes as well as a few of us here and as long as it’s respectful who cares. As long as we are getting some good football talk in during this miserable off-season let whoever wants to post here post.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Jun 5, 2011 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Thank you...

Godamn, that guy is a trial. I know I’ve seen him get warned about this exact thing before.

Are you sure this joshuastein guy isn’t some MaLoR or Baltimore Warrior pseudonym?

by Steel Spike on Jun 5, 2011 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Because it's not an accusation, it's a fact

by Steel Spike on Jun 5, 2011 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Right on! It IS a fact…you guessed it, troll!!

by JoshuaStein on Jun 5, 2011 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions

You need to have your medication adjusted...Seriously

With that, I’m done with this. You may have the last word if you want. See? I’m a gracious troll. :)

by Steel Spike on Jun 5, 2011 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions

"You need to have your medication adjusted...Seriously"

I guess I’ll take some of yours…

by JoshuaStein on Jun 5, 2011 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Let's be a smidge better in Week 1

I’ll be happy with that

by Evan Skev on Jun 5, 2011 12:33 PM EDT reply actions

As much shit as I may talk about the Ravens

I love the rivalry, and relish the games. Steelers/Ravens games are played the way football was meant to.

by Steel Spike on Jun 5, 2011 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions

hell yes!

as much as i despise those (your) Steelers I really couldn’t imagine it any other way. when the schedules are released i look straight to the Pittsburgh games, those games are what have made the season for quite some time now. yea sure without you guys around we may have possibly won 2-3 more super bowls, but you take the good with the bad ha.

Scott Hines

by shines on Jun 5, 2011 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions

dilfer is no Joe, but

The defense is not as good as that defense! NOT a knock on your current defense, which is formidable, tough and well led, just not “lights” out of the 2000 and 2006 team.

A man is innocent untill proven guilty...Even if it's Ben Roethlisberger!
'I rather have a German division in front of me than a French division behind me'..General George Patton
" I don't care if he has two horns and a tail, as long as he is anti-communist"..General Douglas MacArthur..
"The way to end our dependence on foreign oil is to keep our tires properly inflated"....B. Hussein Obama
"Government is not the solution to our problems, it is the cause of them" Ronald Wilson Reagan..40th President of the United States

by nycsteelerfan on Jun 5, 2011 1:56 PM EDT reply actions

That defense was clearly one of the best ever.

Hardly a knock to say that our current doesn’t quite measure up.

by Roa on Jun 5, 2011 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Our D is still pretty damn good..

Mount Cody is in shape and will add a lot to an already solid D line. Jimmy Smith will contribute immediately and I’m sure the FO has a pass rusher in mind to complement Suggs. We have a new DC and Kindle could be cleared to play.

All in all, we’re a better team on both sides of the ball… we’ll know after Week 1.

You guys could lose Taylor and Polamalu is slown due to injury. I think you guys will have trouble this season.

by Evan Skev on Jun 5, 2011 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Ike has stated that he wants to play in Pittsburgh

Troy has fully healed from his Achilles injury.

The only reason I had reservations about the Steelers drafting Cody was his weight issues. If he has corrected them, then he could be a truly dominant player beside Ngata.

Jimmy Smith can only cover one guy at a time, though. I understand the optimism. I think our newly drafted corners are going to be good to great as well. I also think Heyward is going to be better in the long run than Cody. That may be just homerism talking, but it’s what I believe.

Your team keeps getting better and better. Fortunately, so do the Steelers. Our respective clubs have, hands down, two of the top talent evaluators in the league. Ozzie and Colbert could have any team in the league competing for the SB in 5 years.

by Steel Spike on Jun 5, 2011 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Ike has said Pittsburgh is "like home" to him

He hasn’t said he wants to take a hometown discount and remain a Steeler. He’s on the record as saying he wants market value.

Troy says he is fully healed but he was absent during the playoffs. Your D’s success is predicated on dominating performances from #43 so if that was a fully healthy Troy, you guys are in trouble.

Jimmy Smith only needs to cover one WR at a time… not sure if that’s a dig at our other corners but your other corners aren’t NFL starters. They’ll be hard-pressed to find a new team once they’re done in Pitt.

I love Heyward, too. I think he’s going to thrive in DLs system. He is an end and Cody is a tackle so it’s a difficult comparison to make and it’s impossible to predict who will have a better career so, yeah, you’re a homer!

by Evan Skev on Jun 5, 2011 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions

The Steelers drafted Cornerback Curtis Brown I dont know how long it will take for him

to be a starter but he was a solid cornerback in college it was even said teams quarterbacks stop throwing his way and that really means something.I think the Ravens overall had a better draft than the Steelers but they still was able to address some needs like cornerback, offensive tackle, and defensive end

by jazz20 on Jun 5, 2011 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions

I think your

draft will really hinge on how T.Smith pans out, if he is great then you’ve had an outstanding draft.

I love the Steelers.

by tannofsteel84 on Jun 6, 2011 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions

I think T.Smith could have a impact just like Mike Wallace had in his rookie year

by jazz20 on Jun 6, 2011 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I thought I dispelled this rumor

in the other thread.

Troy never said he was healed during the playoffs, he was more injured than the Steelers let on, there are numerous articles citing this that I can use as reference but I would hope that you take my word for it.

Troy was hurt the entire second half of the season and all playoffs. He toughed it out and played anyway because at 70% Troy is still as good as the average starting SS at 100%.

I love the Steelers.

by tannofsteel84 on Jun 6, 2011 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions