GDT Ravens @ Steelers- 12/5 4:25PM(ET)

[AngusMcFife]

1 minute ago, baltimoreRebel said:

This is one of the most insane takes I've seen on this forum. Not even kidding. 

I've seen Marlon Humphrey get straight up beat by average TEs multiple times this season. That's something that doesn't happen to a decent CB.

[Ray Reed]

2 hours ago, AngusMcFife said:

I think we'll easily make the postseason.

We can easily beat the Browns because their offense is predicated on the running game and we can still stuff the run. 

We can beat the Steelers at home. 

I don't fear the Packers, they have a lot of wins but are ranked 11th in DVOA. They aren't that good. We're at home. 

I don't fear the Rams either, McVey's offense is inconsistent and can be solved. We're at home. 

@ Bengals is tough, but we had the lead against them in the 3rd quarter last game. We just need to play more cover-2 and not big blitz. 

That makes one of us lol...wish I shared your optimism. 

[AngusMcFife]

1 minute ago, Ray Reed said:

That makes one of us lol...wish I shared your optimism. 

Ok, we just lost a road game to an above average opponent by 1 point. I'm not sure why to be so pessimistic. We can't win all the close games. 

[ThatJaxxenGuy]

5 hours ago, AngusMcFife said:

Given his skillset, I think Humphrey could be a truly elite FS. He just isn't twitchy enough to be a great cover corner. 

Takes like these are why I avoid game day threads of our team. Too much wanting to see everything burn 

[diamondbull424]

23 hours ago, AngusMcFife said:

I wouldn't want to be in a foxhole with you. Don't watch for the rest of the season, then. 

Yeah, this forum is so negative nowadays. We’re literally sitting at 8-4 and instead of enjoying the ride, this board has consistently been melting down since the preseason. 😂

23 hours ago, Ray Reed said:

Yeah sooooo everyone who was still arguing - for some ungodly reason - “weapons > OL” this week because the OL collapsed in years past in the playoffs anyway...at least we made it to the playoffs those years lol.

Where was new weapon Bateman today? Oh right. Lamar couldn’t get the ball out because he’s a completely different player without a good OL in front of him.

Lets just put this thing to rest already.

Just @ me next time, since I’m the only one who has made such claims. No need to do the whole “sneak diss” thing, especially since I’ve barely followed this forum as of late and likely won’t catch those. Only stopped into this GDT because it was still Steelers week.

I’ve been consistent all season. The OL is an issue. yet there IMO, wasn’t some easy fix of the situation. Are you thinking of replacing likely runner up DROY Odafe Oweh? Are you thinking of replacing Rashod Bateman who has shown he can be a 1st down machine?

We took Ben Cleveland along the OL with the next selection, he has done nothing, like many of our other drafted OL as of late. We invested in Kevin Zeitler who has been above average. Bozeman moved to center has been above average. Patrick Mekari has been above average. Stanley is out and AV, Powers, and Phillips have shown to be below average quality- in pass pro especially.

The front office did invest in the OL, who are you replacing and with whom? What’s the cascading impact from those alternate decisions?

But I digress, because those are simply rhetorical question above. Because we’ve discussed this ad nauseam already… and as I’ve said all season, the playoffs is where we can judge weapons over OL. This season has seen an ungodly number of players go to IR, so it’s not even an apples to apples comparison, yet even then, I maintain the real mark of value will show playoff time.

If you don’t think this team will make it to the playoffs, sounds good. Continue to neg it into existence to your hearts content.

Beyond that, no need to @ me until what I’ve said either happens or does not happen… and no need to sneak diss either. If it doesn’t happen then you can celebrate and have a negball parade in the event the Ravens offense sputters us out of the playoffs… (on second thought, that’s happened each of the last three playoffs, so nevermind… at least we’ll always have those regular season offensive displays amirite?!)

As you were…

[AFlaccoSeagulls]

1 hour ago, diamondbull424 said:

Yeah, this forum is so negative nowadays. We’re literally sitting at 8-4 and instead of enjoying the ride, this board has consistently been melting down since the preseason.

I'm a pessimist, but there's nothing really to enjoy with this team lol we're losing ugly and we're winning ugly. It's cool seeing us win close games against bad teams but there's really nothing to be excited about with this team. Right when our receiving weapons started to all get healthy Lamar starts to suck and can't throw a football. Our defense is bad, our OL is bad, we have no run game. Odafe Oweh is really exciting but didn't do much of anything against PIT.

Idk. 

[AngusMcFife]

I'm enjoying this season just to watch the development of Lamar.

He went up a level in the early part of the season, with the development of his deep throwing.

Now the league has adjusted. Teams are forcing him to make quick, accurate throws. That's his biggest weakness right now. He just can't "grip it and rip it", and he's a bit slow making these reads under heavy pressure. 

If Lamar can adjust and start playing better, we can beat anyone. He's struggling now, but he has never struggled for long. We just need to be patient for him to figure out a way to solve these defenses.  

[RavensfanRD]

We all need to do what @DreamKid said, "Enjoy the ride". I think universally everyone would have thought the Ravens would be 0-12, 2-10 had we known what we would lose during the course of the season, earlier. But we're 8-4 AND STILL atop the AFC North with all this adversity. Sure, a lot of the wins haven't been pretty, nor the losses, but we're still battling in spite of it. In spite of questionable coaching, too. Good or bad, we should all enjoy this mulligan because the Ravens shouldn't be doing what they're doing right now anyway given the circumstances. 

We still have 5 weeks to make something shake. A win in Cleveland can be the start of that. We still control our own destiny and for the most part, this team has shown heart and continue to fight even if it isn't pretty. They play for Harbaugh and he has trust in his players. We still got time to right this ship and the whole forum should be behind the boys. 

Let's go!

[baltimoreRebel]

2 hours ago, diamondbull424 said:

Yeah, this forum is so negative nowadays. We’re literally sitting at 8-4 and instead of enjoying the ride, this board has consistently been melting down since the preseason. 😂

Just @ me next time, since I’m the only one who has made such claims. No need to do the whole “sneak diss” thing, especially since I’ve barely followed this forum as of late and likely won’t catch those. Only stopped into this GDT because it was still Steelers week.

I’ve been consistent all season. The OL is an issue. yet there IMO, wasn’t some easy fix of the situation. Are you thinking of replacing likely runner up DROY Odafe Oweh? Are you thinking of replacing Rashod Bateman who has shown he can be a 1st down machine?

We took Ben Cleveland along the OL with the next selection, he has done nothing, like many of our other drafted OL as of late. We invested in Kevin Zeitler who has been above average. Bozeman moved to center has been above average. Patrick Mekari has been above average. Stanley is out and AV, Powers, and Phillips have shown to be below average quality- in pass pro especially.

The front office did invest in the OL, who are you replacing and with whom? What’s the cascading impact from those alternate decisions?

But I digress, because those are simply rhetorical question above. Because we’ve discussed this ad nauseam already… and as I’ve said all season, the playoffs is where we can judge weapons over OL. This season has seen an ungodly number of players go to IR, so it’s not even an apples to apples comparison, yet even then, I maintain the real mark of value will show playoff time.

If you don’t think this team will make it to the playoffs, sounds good. Continue to neg it into existence to your hearts content.

Beyond that, no need to @ me until what I’ve said either happens or does not happen… and no need to sneak diss either. If it doesn’t happen then you can celebrate and have a negball parade in the event the Ravens offense sputters us out of the playoffs… (on second thought, that’s happened each of the last three playoffs, so nevermind… at least we’ll always have those regular season offensive displays amirite?!)

As you were…

I obviously didn't mean what I said literally. Was just more of a in the moment post to try and be funny. 

I think of myself as a pretty positive fan that attempts to see the good side, even in losses. Weren't many things to feel positive about after yesterday. 

Im also a realist and call things like I see this. This team has a great record, but many injuries. Playoffs are likely but we're just so banged up, I don't see is doing much when we get there. I'd obviously love to make a run but it looks bleak

[DreamKid]

4 hours ago, ThatJaxxenGuy said:

Takes like these are why I avoid game day threads of our team. Too much wanting to see everything burn 

The Marlon shouldn't be at CB stuff is silly, as is any "WTH Marlo LEGit SUckss NoW" talk. He's having a down year relative to his other offerings, but he's still an amazing CB. Anyone claiming otherwise shouldn't be taken seriously.

As @RavensfanRD points out, I am of the 'enjoy the ride' mindset. We should try to enjoy what the Ravens have been able to accomplish in the face of utter horror this season and look specifically to appreciate genuinely good aspects of the club. Such as the emergence of young players like Odafe Oweh, legendary moments added to a legendary career(Tucker and his record FG), and even things like Josh Bynes' "Save the Day at ILB" Act 2 performance. 

It doesn't all have to be one way though. For example, Lamar's regression is something fans shouldn't feel some responsibility to ignore in effort to stay overly positive during a sh*tty season. Also, for the most part every single GDT in every sub's forum has a negative slant. It's not exclusive to our little section here. Fans are going to be critical of bad football, play that doesn't meet expectations, and what they perceive as issues during the games.

Look for the positives but feel free to critique the negatives- would be my advice to everyone going forward. Season is almost over, we'll either crash and burn and earn a more representative(of our collective play this season) record or troll a couple better on paper teams and slink into the postseason tourney. Expectations should be low, but surprises should be appreciated. When everything is officially wrapped up, put on your couch scouting hats and dig into the 2022 class. With a ton of picks, needs(Some glaring, some minor), and it likely being our first post Lamar Max Deal class- it'll be one of the most important drafts in franchise history. So it's never too early to start prospect posting over in our Draft thread. 

[Ray Reed]

20 hours ago, AngusMcFife said:

Ok, we just lost a road game to an above average opponent by 1 point. I'm not sure why to be so pessimistic. We can't win all the close games. 

Then there's the disconnect lol.

That same team tied the Lions and got blown out by 31 to the Bengals the 2 weeks prior.

In no way do I consider how the Steelers have performed lately "above average". They are very arguably the worst team we had left on our schedule.

[Ray Reed]

15 hours ago, diamondbull424 said:

Yeah, this forum is so negative nowadays. We’re literally sitting at 8-4 and instead of enjoying the ride, this board has consistently been melting down since the preseason. 😂

Just @ me next time, since I’m the only one who has made such claims. No need to do the whole “sneak diss” thing, especially since I’ve barely followed this forum as of late and likely won’t catch those. Only stopped into this GDT because it was still Steelers week.

I’ve been consistent all season. The OL is an issue. yet there IMO, wasn’t some easy fix of the situation. Are you thinking of replacing likely runner up DROY Odafe Oweh? Are you thinking of replacing Rashod Bateman who has shown he can be a 1st down machine?

We took Ben Cleveland along the OL with the next selection, he has done nothing, like many of our other drafted OL as of late. We invested in Kevin Zeitler who has been above average. Bozeman moved to center has been above average. Patrick Mekari has been above average. Stanley is out and AV, Powers, and Phillips have shown to be below average quality- in pass pro especially.

The front office did invest in the OL, who are you replacing and with whom? What’s the cascading impact from those alternate decisions?

But I digress, because those are simply rhetorical question above. Because we’ve discussed this ad nauseam already… and as I’ve said all season, the playoffs is where we can judge weapons over OL. This season has seen an ungodly number of players go to IR, so it’s not even an apples to apples comparison, yet even then, I maintain the real mark of value will show playoff time.

If you don’t think this team will make it to the playoffs, sounds good. Continue to neg it into existence to your hearts content.

Beyond that, no need to @ me until what I’ve said either happens or does not happen… and no need to sneak diss either. If it doesn’t happen then you can celebrate and have a negball parade in the event the Ravens offense sputters us out of the playoffs… (on second thought, that’s happened each of the last three playoffs, so nevermind… at least we’ll always have those regular season offensive displays amirite?!)

As you were…

Lol got it. If we don't make the playoffs, it's not because you were wrong about the OL.

It's because I "negged it into existence".

👌

The proof is already here, dude. This is far and away the worst Ravens offense under Lamar we've had - and it's because of the OL.

But whatever. Do you. You'll backtrack somehow and contort something to where you don't admit you were wrong, like always. Kinda like when you pounded the table that the Ravens would NEVER trade Orlando Brown Jr. for more than multiple 1st round picks.

You just can't admit when you're wrong and that's ok. But I'm still going to talk about the OL sucking, so just ignore it I guess.

[ravens5520]

Haven’t been around much this year with work. The injuries are brutal and continue to see that dark cloud looming over us. Though, I’ve seen this team bounce back continuously from being knocked down. Humphrey is a huge loss, but for a change. Lamar and the offense need to shoulder the load. 
 

Id like to see Roman open these weapons up a bit more. Let’s get Duvernay, Andrews, Brown & Bateman out there and put Lamar to work! We’ve seen what can be done with the air attack when it was used for the amazing comeback vs Colts. Pedal down right from Q1. Only way to get teams out of the all out blitz, throw it and move the chains

Edited December 7, 2021 by ravens5520

[AFlaccoSeagulls]

48 minutes ago, ravens5520 said:

Id like to see Roman open these weapons up a bit more. Let’s get Duvernay, Andrews, Brown & Bateman out there and put Lamar to work! We’ve seen what can be done with the air attack when it was used for the amazing comeback vs Colts. Pedal down right from Q1. Only way to get teams out of the all out blitz, throw it and move the chains

We've been pass-heavy all year long. Those guys are all out there plenty. The issue right now is that Lamar is not looking to anybody other than Mark Andrews and occasionally Marquise Brown, and John Harbaugh isn't going to manufacture targets for anyone:

We would all like to see other people get more involved to make our passing attack more diverse, but in the end we have to realize that we're dealing with:

• A QB who is not a naturally good passer and is currently hyper-focusing one player and making continuously bad decisions because he's in his head
• An Offensive Coordinator who is not comfortable being in a pass-heavy offense and struggles to design/execute such an offense
• An OL that is struggling mightily to do anything good

Honestly IMO the path forward is trying to forge our run identity again with Lamar and the creative runs that Greg Roman can scheme up. We may not have JK Dobbins, but we do have Latavius Murray who can replicate what Gus does, and heck even Duvernay has shown the ability to be an X-factor on jet sweeps and the like and we know he's explosive once he hits the edge.

I don't believe this team will make the playoffs continuing to rely on Lamar's arm as we head into December football in the AFC North and given what Lamar has shown the past 6 games.

[AngusMcFife]

8 hours ago, Ray Reed said:

Then there's the disconnect lol.

That same team tied the Lions and got blown out by 31 to the Bengals the 2 weeks prior.

In no way do I consider how the Steelers have performed lately "above average". They are very arguably the worst team we had left on our schedule.

The same team beat the Bills. 

Its a week-to-week league. It doesn't matter what a team did the week before, there is no "momentum". Sometimes teams play well and sometimes not. Look at what they've done over the season and make your evaluation. Don't cherry pick data points and try to draw sweeping conclusions.