St. Louis Will Be Ravens "Sacrificial Rams"
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 25, 2011 10:00 AM EDT
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Had the Baltimore Ravens did to the Tennessee Titans last week what they did to the Pittsburgh Steelers the previous week, no one would be looking at this game at the St. Louis Rams with much of a concern. The Ravens would be 2-0 and close to the top of the NFL Power Rankings and perhaps even looking ahead to a prime time match-up with the New York Jets in Baltimore next Sunday night.
Unfortunately, the Titans as well as our Ravens did not cooperate with that expected scenario and thus, many Ravens fans are praying that there is not another letdown like there was last week. If that were to happen, then it would be the Steelers game that would be considered the "fluke," not the Titans game.
Therein lies the issue, and it is my firm belief that last week was that annual bump on the road that has frustrated Ravens fans over the years, especially the years that the expectations for success are so high. This is one of those years and many people including pretty much every Ravens fan, expected the team to go into the Jets game with a 3-0 record.
Now it will just have to be a 2-1 record, as there is nothing to be done about the Titans game which will be in the distant rear view mirror after Baltimore return to their former self with a huge road win at St. Louis today. The winless Rams have had problems with both the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants in their two losses and now facing a tough and angry Ravens team is a sad way to force the Rams to start the 2011 season.
Expect the ravens to establish the running game and then go over the top when needed to punish the Rams secondary when they sneak up and try to stack the box. Look for at least one of the Ravens rookie wide receivers, Torrey Smith or Tandon Doss, to step out with a big game. If any team is just what the doctor ordered for the Ravens to take their frustrations out on, this one is tailor-made for them.
Just like the Steelers did to the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams will be a sacrificial lamb for the Ravens as Baltimore rolls to an easy victory and dominates all phases of the game.
Ravens: 30-13
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Hate to say it but I think this game is going to close. The defense will play well, but Flacco will struggle. I expect for them to take away Rice and make Flacco beat them with his arm.
by Raven_all_day on Sep 25, 2011 11:41 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I disagree. I think Joe shows up and finally meets up with Torrey with a couple deep strikes. All of this made possible by Rice and Ricky shredding the Rams defense, setting up the playaction. Prediction: Rams keep it close in the 1st half, Ravens blow them out in the 2nd.
"Is adult entertainment killing our children, or is killing children entertaining adults?"
-Marilyn Manson
by StuckInUtah on Sep 25, 2011 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree. Flacco usually does a pretty good job of bouncing back after a run game and the Rams have been getting gashed by the run so far this year. I expect us to move the ball on the ground and that will open up the passing lanes. I’m not too concerned about them running on us, but if we can put some pressure on Bradford I think it will be a good day for us.
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
Raven all day: now what?
Stuck in Utah: amazing foresight on Torrey!!!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 25, 2011 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions
The last time Joe had a poor game like he did last week (week 2 of 2010 against Cinci) he game back the following week for 3 TD’s (week 3 of 2010 against Cleveland).
Joe is going to shred them today.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
MaLoR dead on correct
Shadow: get on the bandwagon whole there is still room. Bulger is not returning so if you want to root for these guys, root for all of them!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 25, 2011 9:01 PM EDT up reply actions
You really do hate Joe, don’t you. Man, it is so sad how you refuse to give credit where it is due, but are the first to rage about pulling the guy when he makes a mistake.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
It's easy to look great when you are playing a terrible team
What happened to Joe last week when forced to step up and carry the team. He did good the first week, but as we saw against the Colts, Pittsburgh is just a shell of what they used to be. I don’t think their fans had wood very long after crushing the hapless Seahawks.
yeah but that was cleveland but I guess it count. I just thought it be better if it was the colts or packers
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?-langton Hughes
yeah I agree with Jimmy and Cary shutting down the other teams WR’s, they’ll make anybody rushing the QB look good - Jaz
All Day
I agree with you 100%.
I expect a Ravens win, but it will not be easy- probably by a TD. Hardest thing to do in sports: win on the road in the NFL.
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
"God's whiskers! Your face is as hideous as the demon's in my storybook!"
"I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do today."
"It's big for a reason."
For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind
Vlad
Time to write a “I’m sorry” post,must like a lot of other counters. I think we just saw the Ravens of 2011 today!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 25, 2011 9:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I’ll put it in my GBU tomorrow -I’m going to soak this one in a little more.
Look, the
Ravens of 2011
are somewhere in between. They are not this good, or good like in the sqeeler game. By the same token, they are not nearly as bad as the Titans game. They are somewhere in between, most definitely closer to today and week 1 than last week. You just can’t keep up this kind of pace for seventeen straight weeks. And the Rams are way worse than I thought they would be this year.
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
"God's whiskers! Your face is as hideous as the demon's in my storybook!"
"I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do today."
"It's big for a reason."
For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind
We went deep more often than almost any other team.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
State your case, back it up with facts and reasonable opinions ...
Bruce Raffel
… they are not nearly as bad as the Titans game.
I think you’re going to see us consistently struggle against teams that run a 4-3 and can both get consistent rush with the front four and play an effective zone coverage. Just like in week two, you’ll see Cam dialing up two receiver sets while Flacco struggles to stay upright until one of the two receivers can get open against seven defenders. We’ve seen it consistently (almost religiously) in the past against the likes of the Bengals, Titans, and Colts, and we’re likely to see it continue in the future.
What I’m saying is that you’re very much right in that we’re not as bad as we looked against the Titans, but match ups like those are going to reveal a chink in Cam’s scheming. I imagine we’ll do well against other sorts of competitors, but we’ll need to get lucky with our opponents in the playoffs unless Cam figures this out.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
State your case, back it up with facts and reasonable opinions ...
Bruce Raffel
I Agree
And further to Utah’s post below, speed is the kryptonite to Cover-2. We now have it. I would not be surprised if we see a marked improvement against cover-2’s from now on. Not saying it is going to be great, because I agree our offense, not just Joe, has a collective blind spot with 4-3 cover-2’s, but it should be improved.
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
"God's whiskers! Your face is as hideous as the demon's in my storybook!"
"I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do today."
"It's big for a reason."
For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind
Wow, is it just me, or is this whole thread branched off of a ridiculous comment by RavenAllDay? Guess what guys…..we now have a WR who can take the top off of defenses, things will only get better.
"Is adult entertainment killing our children, or is killing children entertaining adults?"
-Marilyn Manson
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