Random Thoughts, Comments, and Opinions

- So there's some talk saying Harbaugh is flat out done after this year. It seems after the loss yesterday, a few players and coaches expressed displeasure with him. Considering that Flacco has called out the conservative approach across multiple years with multiple OCs, and we've actually seen Harbaugh on the sidelines arguing with coordinators, I won't be surprised if this is all true.

- Did Chris Moore get another offensive snap after that beautiful circus catch early in the game? What a way to reward a guy for a great play.

- Did anybody else see that one play where Michael Pierce dropped in coverage?? I love Pierce on the d-line, but why the hell is he dropping into coverage?

- Tony Jefferson was the man in Arizona as an in the box safety. Great, so let's keep him in coverage. That'll trick the other team. So glad we paid him all that money to not use his strengths to help the defense

- So glad we paid Brandon Williams all that money to stop the run. Conner ended with a 4.6 ypc average which shows how great this investment was because he went into the half at 7.4. This whole portion is dripping with sarcasm for the record.

- I wonder how many of our previous OCs, that we've all hated, might have actually been better than we saw if Harbaugh wasn't forcing his approach on them. A special teams guy telling offensive minds how to run the offense.

- In a passing league, we keep giving big money to run stoppers. Will Mosley set the record at ILB?

- Will pride stop this coaching staff from accepting that Mark Andrews is the better TE, or will they keep force feeding Hurst because of draft status?

- Does anyone really expect us to make the playoffs at this point? If so, what is your drink of choice because I want some of that shit.

- I'm taking bets on the fact that when James Hurst is healthy again, he'll get the starting RT position back and Brown will go back to the bench, even though he's played well. Meanwhile, Alex Lewis will continue to suck at LG and Skura will continue to suck at C.

- After the bye, the Ravens will beat the Bengals and crush the Raiders. People will ask "where was this team the previous few weeks" while getting excited about a win streak. We'll then get crushed by Atlanta. I currently live in Atlanta and have had a bet in place on that game since September, so there's no doubt that they will disappoint me yet again.

- If Lamar isn't going to throw the ball, don't play him. Period. Running to one side of the field only is just stupid. and predictable.

- Why do we save timeouts as if they get rolled over into the next game?

- If nothing changes during this bye week, and they roll into the Cincy game with the same status quo, I can't guarantee I'll actually watch that game.

- Finally, I wonder if Harbaugh is still the coach today if Rahim Moore times that jump better.

 

I am not a betting man, but Harbs is fucked.

Because he didnt blow harb before the game. Seriously though, the NFL is not a meritocracy, most teams function like that and ours does more than most. Ultimately, the call is harbs but im sure the problem is bigger than him.

Hubris- DC/OC/Coaches/Players all fall prey to hubris and think they can do far more than they are capable of.

See above.

I liked the Williams renewal at the time but its proving to not even bare the returns i thought it was, i thought he might be elite and his performance has slipped. Unless you can provide consistent interior pressure in the NFL today; you can not pay a lot for an interior D lineman even if they are good against the run.

Fair point, i guess we will find out

Mosely IS really good but we cant dump a large contract there

Yes it will

No, But it could happen some how.

Zeus should start but see the above comments on our coaching staff

That would be par for the course on our way to the 16th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft

^ also see hubris.

Poor game management, see John.

I'll still watch it, ill just be mad. I cant ever really switch off games of the team i support.

Oh hell no he wouldnt be, and joe wouldnt be our QB but it happened that way so we have a ring.

2k

 

They used to drop Ngata back into coverage also and he was pretty good. I don't think Pierce is the physical freak Ngata was, but if he is successful doing it, then why not? if he's not successful, then I hope Wink stops using it.

I'm pretty sure he did, but never got the ball thrown his way again.

Agree with the Raiders. That is a game I would start Jackson. Not so sure about the Bengals. Depends on whether or not AJ Green is able to play.

I'm thinking this is a given. The Ravens might be able to score some points, but they will not be able to stop that offense. Thus is another game i would start Jackson, especially if the Ravens record is still at or under .500.

I hope not, but I was thinking the same thing.

Still too early to tell. Andrews does remind me a lot of Pitta though. Whoever it is, they need to go back to what was working the 1st 4 games and that is getting all the TE's involved. Before Hurst came back, Andrews, Williams, and Boyle were all getting looks, catching most of what was thrown to them, picking up good yardage and 1st downs. Now it's either Hurst or Andrews with Williams and Boyle not even being a part of the play except to block. Go back to what was working. Hey Harbaugh and Marty. If it works, don't fix it!

 

In terms of the TEs, did y'all know Maxx Williams has caught every single pass thrown his way? No exaggeration here. He has a 100% catch rate.

In the first 4 weeks, he had 12 targets and 12 catches for 119 yards. How do we reward good play like that? 2 targets in week 5 (both caught, obviously **in Mike Tomlin voice**). 0 combined targets in weeks 6, 7, 8, and 9. I tried to see if he was injured and I missed it, but I can't find anything on that.

There's just so much wrong with this team and it definitely starts with Harbaugh. Hell, Flacco may be way better with a different HC who has an aggressive approach on offense and doesn't like yes men all around him.

 

You had me at “obviously”.

 

Joe's greatest weapon is his arm, and the way the league is operated right now, deep balls would aid us a lot simply because PI is an easy draw. And it is a meme against Joe but it works. And we do NOT use it enough, we dont really surround him with the talent on that front to perhaps make him or the OC inclined to take those shots.

Ultimately, i will always support my team when they are playing but it will be frustrating for a while

2k

 

Oh no... not back to the “glory days” of the designed 40-yd DPI play. The rest of the NFL is much happier now.

 

If it works....

2k

 

I think it was the first Ravens offensive play, not positive, but the Steelers lined up in man coverage with no deep safety. The CB on John Brown was playing close to the line as if he was going to press. I remember thinking, "hell yeah, a deep bomb early to set the tone". Nope, Brown ran, I think, a comeback route and the pass was incomplete.

I miss Torrey Smith

 

Pretty sure I saw him in all the games. In the Saints game, they handed the ball off to him for a 1-yd gain/1st down.

 

I can't say that I've read everything that has come out, but I didn't see anything about any players or coaches dissenting on the Ravens. If anything, that would be an extreme shock and contrary to who they are as a team. As far as arguing on the sidelines, I guess I don't have a specific example of this in mind. Would it shock anyone to see coaches and teammates arguing when a week's worth of preparation is being condensed into a few hours of chaos?

Jefferson has been another safety dud brought in which is a shame because all signs pointed to it being a steal for the team. See my previous comments on how the Ravens refuse to use players to their strength and instead force them to do everything.

As seen with the draft, it's another example of how out of touch the Ravens are with the league nowadays.

Nope, not buying this at all. The OCs here were outdated and didn't have systems or players that worked period. They were middling here because they are middling period. If you want to blame Harbaugh for being too loyal or spending too much time looking for people with archaic years of football experience, then I can get on board with criticizing him for that.

They cannot afford to keep sinking the big money deals on defense and picking up offensive castoffs year in and year out. That's the issue. They develop young defensive talent, but outside of the OL, they can't do squat on offense. That's where all the focus needs to be in seeing who is responsible for that. It's not all Harbaugh because the issue has persisted for years.

When you draft scared, this is what happens. Let's snag another DL.

I expect them to grab a few more wins and make it a case where they have a chance, but they will eventually fall short.

The problem is you have the complete dead weight at center right now. Would Brown at RT and Hurst at LG work better? It might, but you still have Skura in there, and that is a problem. I think the thought process is that Lewis and Hurst are both better OL in general than Skura, so if you still have Skura playing and Lewis is on the bench, then that seems odd. Brown is better too, but his rookie status makes it palatable for him to sit from a coach's perspective. Skura is the #1 problem.

They should have called time outs before the 2 minute warning last game no question. I didn't understand that at all.

Of course he is, and he earned it. Harbaugh and company had to win 2 more games after that one to hoist the Lombardi, and neither were under favorable circumstances.

Look, I get it where fatigue is even catching up to the fans. That's why I say that I think the Ravens have no choice but to fire Harbaugh. I still think he's a great coach, but his weakness is more in who he surrounds himself with as other coaches. He's not an X and O type of guy, so he needs those guys around him who can work with what they've got and utilize skillsets appropriately. The HC job varies from team to team, but I'd say keeping the team together and motivating them is a core responsibility, and those are the areas Harbaugh is actually qualified.

 

Pitt has a very very difficult schedule left...not out of it yet

 

Wink isn't the D coordinator he was touted to be?

In a passing league, why pay him to be a box safety? Why pay him at all if he can't cover?

Do you know for a fact this is what's happening? This isn't all Harbs fault any more than it is all Joe's. The offense is uber conservative, but that could be the fault of the coordinator, lack of a quality O line and the talent on the offensive side of the ball.
The personnel on this team is the fault (or responsibility) of the general manager. If DeCosta has had a larger hand in this the last few years while "learning the ropes" under Newsome, then he's got to go

See above reference to DeCosta and Ozzie

While Andrews has been impressive, no doubt. Have we seen enough of Hurst to make a definitive determination that Andrews is the better of the two? Not in my opinion. I'd like to see them both on the field at the same time.

NO.

The definition of insanity is to repeat the same thing over and over and espect different results. I can see Brown staying at RT and Hurst moving to LG or C with Lewis playing LG if Hurst goes to C

They'll lose to the Bengals. They SHOULD beat the Raiders but this team is Jekyll and Hyde. You don't know which team will show up from one week to the next.

Agreed. Personally, I think Lamar Jackson will end up being a major bust. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think he has the ability to make the transition to the NFL

All teams try to conserve timeouts in case they're needed at the end. The Ravens just have no idea of clock management.
To not watch a game because of no changes makes you fair weather. Win, lose or draw, I watch the game, go to the game and support the team. I get extremely frustrated, like I was this past Sunday, but I won't stop watching.

Chris Moore needs more playing time. He's the one receiver we've ever drafted who seems to have progressed into a quality NFL receiver

 

If Joe's greatest weapon is his arm (and I agree it is) then why hasn't the front office done more to build an offensive line with quality depth? And with the lack of a quality pass blocking line why hasn't the O Coordinator called up more quick slant routes 5-10 yards downfield? The deep receivers and TE's are here to accomplish this. The running game isn't scaring anyone.

 

Optimist

 

Idiots. That's why.

 

Part of that clock management issue is Joe himself. I fully believe that when it gets down to the last 2 minutes of a game that the Ravens are down in. He packs it in and doesn't even try to move down the field more often than not. No urgency, no sense of I am not going to give up. I sense that he says to himself, fk it, we lost, lets move on to next week. I NEVER get that sense with Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Tom Brady or Big Ben EVER.

He has skills, he can get it done IF everything is clicking, but when it isn't, he can't over come it. Those 2 picks a couple weeks ago were just plain WTH.... then this last week, he takes a sack on the last drive WHEN he had plenty of time to throw it to the sideline and save some clock.... It is like he just quits giving a shit when he feels its over.

I hate that about him, and that is why he will never be a top QB in the league and hasn't ever been one.

 

I think 9-10 games wins the division...more so 9 and the 2nd half favors Balt

 

That stupid tie might actually come back to help Pittsburgh. I could see the Bengals and Ravens going 9-7and the Steelers going 9-6-1.

Still none can beat KC or NE so, whatever.

 

I have a question for you guys...

If you swapped offensive lines right now, Ravens get the Steelers o-line and vice versa what are their records?