Maryland posters...can we get a Ravens scouting report?

[eball]

Any locals got some insight or tidbits on how the area feels about the Ravens heading into the season opener?

 

I hesitate to read the national stuff, simply because I know how inaccurate it is with respect to the Bills.

[PromoTheRobot]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/

 

Start here.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

From what I can tell based on just my personal knowledge of football (fantasy and just generally reading too much) - they tried to get depth across the board after having a year destroyed by injuries. Really good on the o-line, They go 4 deep at receiver (all pretty solid choices), they have a few running backs they rotate in (kind of like us), and have a few TE options because of their oft injured star TE. Flacco is a solid if not spectacular QB.

 

Rex is going to stack it up and not let them get anything going on the ground. For a team with no reliable deep threats this is probably a smart route to go. Will probably get caught blitzing a bit too much, but with a solid line like this we have to keep them guessing.

 

Defensively - excellent linebacker group when healthy. Will be tough to run on.

 

They don't have a ton of depth in their defensive backfield though so i would probably game plan to pass a bit more and get our speedier backs in space. It also makes it more difficult to keep all those linebackers on the field if we split clay out wide and roll with 3 receivers. Asking suggs/dumervil/upshaw to cover mccoy/clay would be a big problem. We will probably run some zone read concepts out of this formation to create running room. We are a lot faster, so we need to use that in this one to get the W.

[billsfanmd07]

The local radio stations here still don't respect the the Bills or Rex. They keep saying we lost our top 2 draft picks which they think hurts us....They are saying how great Perriman is going to be. But I think we match up well. They have no great WR no threat at TE. Flacco has not played in 10 months and their best D players are old and coming off bad injuries. Their back ups have played very well in preseason and they are scoring points. On paper I think we have a great chance bit the stadium is nuts on Sunday and the home opener makes it even tougher.

[zow2]

I am bombarded by local DC/Balt sports talk all the time. From the Ravens perspective, they expect to be 1-0 after their home opener. They definitely expect a bounce back year. Maybe their O doesn't have the recognizable names other than Flacco, but they've moved the ball well in preseason. But then again, Kamar Aiken (ex-Bills player) is one of their better WR's so they aren't stacked. I'm worried about the Ravens D. They look to play very physical and they will be a tough group for Tyrod & Co. to move the ball against, especially with crowd noise. I see a very close, low scoring game...something like 17-14, 20-17 type final.

 

No idea who will win but I'll be fairly impressed if the Bills come out of there 1-0. That would be a good win for sure.

Edited August 31, 2016 by zow2

[CNY315]

Left side of their Oline could both be rookies

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

I am honestly not impressed with their receivers and pass catching TEs. Their #1 WR is Steve Smith, and my Raven fan friend raves over him. But he is 37 and coming off a double Achilles and is currently questionable. Wallace is ok, but I trust Darby in single coverage. Perriman is a burner, but he's getting his first snaps this week. I trust all of our starters in single coverage on them.

[John from Riverside]

It is gonna be a good test for us in this aspect

 

- QBs that got the ball out quickly? Killed us last year

 

- QBs that didnt? We feasted on

 

So the question becomes....has our D made the adjustment to be able to get the needed pressure and take away the quick throws that plaqued the bills last year.

 

Because I truly believe we have the offense this year to win games if our D can do the above

[Bocephuz]

I've lived in Baltimore for about 18 years now (originally from Wellsville, NY) and keep an eye on them as most of my friends.. co-workers are Ravens fans. I am actually going to the game wearing my Darryl Talley jersey.. so hopefully I don't get into any fights.

 

Here are my impressions:

 

OVERALL: Most of the Ravens fans I talk to have low expectations for them this year... I myself am on the fence regarding the Ravens. When you have a franchise QB like Flacco you always have a shot

 

QB: Joe Flacco

• He's coming off ACL surgery and only played a few minutes in one pre-season game so he will most likely be rusty for Week 1 vs. Bills. He is streaky and will make the occasional bone headed throw and occasionally take risks he shouldn't .. but when he is hot (and gets some time) he is elite and can particularly kill you with his deep ball.
• Bottom Line: Flacco will most likely be shaking off the rust for this game .. hopefully

 

WR:

• STEVE SMITH - like Flacco he will be coming off a serious Achilles injury from last year.. and at age 37 chances are he will be shaking off some rust as well. Flacco does love him though.. and if for some reason they both come out on fire Steve Smith will be a problem. Bottom Line: I can't see Smith tearing us up in this week 1 game.. too early in his comeback from injury
• MIKE WALLACE - One trick pony.. however.. that one trick (the deep ball) is something Joe Flacco excels at. Bottom Line: Rex needs to pay attention to Wallace and scheme his way to ensure he doesn't shake loose deep. If he does.. Flacco will find him and it will hurt the Bills
• KAMAR AIKEN - showed potential last year.. and is good all around receiver. Bottom Line: I think ether Gilmore or Darby can handle him

 

RB ( West, Forsett, Allen?)

• Forsett will probably get most of the work between the 20's.. don't be surprised if Terrance West gets some goal line carries
• Bottom Line: All three RBs are decent and Marshall Yanda is still a road grader at RG .. so they have potential to run the ball on our TBD Run D

TE: Gillmore, Williams

• Nothing notable about either of these guys..

OL

• Ronnie Stanley - 1st RD rookie LT. Will probably be an upgrade over Eugene Monroe in pass protect.. but he doesn't seem to have the strength to be a good run blocker: Bottom Line: Rex should be running stunts toward Stanley frequently to test him and confuse the rookie
• John Urschel - probably the weak point of the O Line. He is smart (a math whiz) but can be beaten
• Jeremy Zuttah - nothing remarkable about Zuttah
• Marshal Yanda - arguably the best guard in the NFL.. he's nasty, smart and is a solid pass protector but is a freaking road grader in the run game. Expect the Ravens to run to the right side behind him most of the day
• Rick Wagner - he struggled last year .. but that may have been due to injuries. He was pretty solid the year before at RT so I would say TBD on him
• BOTTOM LINE: This O Line was horrendous in pass protect last year and the only material change has been Stanley at LT. Bills should be able to generate a pass rush .. especially if they attack the left side of the line and stay away from Yanda

DL

• Timmy Jernigan - was serviceable..average last year
• Brandon Williams - don't really have an opinion
• Lawrence Guy - don't really have opinion
• Bottom Line: There is no Haloti Ngata or Siragusa on this line...

LB

• Elvis Dumervil - an elite pass rusher if healthy. However.. like many other key Ravens he is coming off an injury so he may be rusty
• Zachary Orr - has looked really solid in pre-season. He looks to be a solid MLB
• CJ Mosely - very consistent, solid leader of the D
• Terrell Suggs - borderline HOFer... like Dumervil.. coming off serious injury so who knows how he will look Week 1 against Bills
• Bottom Line: Even with Dumervil and Suggs coming off injuries... this LB corp is very solid and will most likely cause some problems for the Bills O

 

CB:

• Jimmy Smith - dependable vet .. but not to the level of Gilmore or Darby
• Shareece Wright - don't have an opinion.. but if I'm Greg Roman I'm having TT go after this guy

S

• Eric Weddle - picking up Weddle in FA should really shore up the back end and prevent them from being burnt deep like they were last year.
• Ladarius Webb - has made a solid transition from CB to Safety
• Bottom Line: The Ravens have a solid back line now.. so TT needs to be careful and pick his spots. Both Webb and Weddle have good hands and are unlikely to drop anything coming their way

 

PREDICTION

• Bills 24 - Ravens 13
• I think the Ravens D will come to play and the Bills O will have to grind it out.. but I think more than likely we'll be able to get a decent pass rush on Flacco .. and he will be rusty and skittish enough to throw a few bad picks that will be enough to put us in a position to win.

Edited August 31, 2016 by Bocephuz

[CNY315]

I've lived in Baltimore for about 18 years now (originally from Wellsville, NY) and keep an eye on them as most of my friends.. co-workers are Ravens fans. I am actually going to the game wearing my Darryl Talley jersey.. so hopefully I don't get into any fights.

 

Here are my impressions:

 

OVERALL: Most of the Ravens fans I talk to have low expectations for them this year... I myself am on the fence regarding the Ravens. When you have a franchise QB like Flacco you always have a shot

 

QB: Joe Flacco

 

• He's coming off ACL surgery and only played a few minutes in one pre-season game so he will most likely be rusty for Week 1 vs. Bills. He is streaky and will make the occasional bone headed throw and occasionally take risks he shouldn't .. but when he is hot (and gets some time) he is elite and can particularly kill you with his deep ball.
• Bottom Line: Flacco will most likely be shaking off the rust for this game .. hopefully

WR:

• STEVE SMITH - like Flacco he will be coming off a serious Achilles injury from last year.. and at age 37 chances are he will be shaking off some rust as well. Flacco does love him though.. and if for some reason they both come out on fire Steve Smith will be a problem. Bottom Line: I can't see Smith tearing us up in this week 1 game.. too early in his comeback from injury
• MIKE WALLACE - One trick pony.. however.. that one trick (the deep ball) is something Joe Flacco excels at. Bottom Line: Rex needs to pay attention to Wallace and scheme his way to ensure he doesn't shake loose deep. If he does.. Flacco will find him and it will hurt the Bills
• KAMAR AIKEN - showed potential last year.. and is good all around receiver. Bottom Line: I think ether Gilmore or Darby can handle him

RB ( West, Forsett, Allen?)

• Forsett will probably get most of the work between the 20's.. don't be surprised if Terrance West gets some goal line carries
• Bottom Line: All three RBs are decent and Marshall Yanda is still a road grader at RG .. so they have potential to run the ball on our TBD Run D

TE: Gillmore, Williams

• Nothing notable about either of these guys..

OL

• Ronnie Stanley - 1st RD rookie LT. Will probably be an upgrade over Eugene Monroe in pass protect.. but he doesn't seem to have the strength to be a good run blocker: Bottom Line: Rex should be running stunts toward Stanley frequently to test him and confuse the rookie
• John Urschel - probably the weak point of the O Line. He is smart (a math whiz) but can be beaten
• Jeremy Zuttah - nothing remarkable about Zuttah
• Marshal Yanda - arguably the best guard in the NFL.. he's nasty, smart and is a solid pass protector but is a freaking road grader in the run game. Expect the Ravens to run to the right side behind him most of the day
• Rick Wagner - he struggled last year .. but that may have been due to injuries. He was pretty solid the year before at RT so I would say TBD on him
• BOTTOM LINE: This O Line was horrendous in pass protect last year and the only material change has been Stanley at LT. Bills should be able to generate a pass rush .. especially if they attack the left side of the line and stay away from Yanda

DL

• Timmy Jernigan - was serviceable..average last year
• Brandon Williams - don't really have an opinion
• Lawrence Guy - don't really have opinion
• Bottom Line: There is no Haloti Ngata or Siragusa on this line...

LB

• Elvis Dumervil - an elite pass rusher if healthy. However.. like many other key Ravens he is coming off an injury so he may be rusty
• Zachary Orr - has looked really solid in pre-season. He looks to be a solid MLB
• CJ Mosely - very consistent, solid leader of the D
• Terrell Suggs - borderline HOFer... like Dumervil.. coming off serious injury so who knows how he will look Week 1 against Bills
• Bottom Line: Even with Dumervil and Suggs coming off injuries... this LB corp is very solid and will most likely cause some problems for the Bills O

CB:

• Jimmy Smith - dependable vet .. but not to the level of Gilmore or Darby
• Shareece Wright - don't have an opinion.. but if I'm Greg Roman I'm having TT go after this guy

S

• Eric Weddle - picking up Weddle in FA should really shore up the back end and prevent them from being burnt deep like they were last year.
• Ladarius Webb - has made a solid transition from CB to Safety
• Bottom Line: The Ravens have a solid back line now.. so TT needs to be careful and pick his spots. Both Webb and Weddle have good hands and are unlikely to drop anything coming their way

PREDICTION

• Bills 24 - Ravens 13
• I think the Ravens D will come to play and the Bills O will have to grind it out.. but I think more than likely we'll be able to get a decent pass rush on Flacco .. and he will be rusty and skittish enough to throw a few bad picks that will be enough to put us in a position to win.

Good stuff, thanks

[scribo]

The Ravens have a lot riding on Week One. They feel they've recovered well from last year's terrible start (2-7) and many injuries, but they have to prove it. There is a good chance a pair of rookies will be trying to protect Flacco's blindside on opening day (fourth-round pick Alex Lewis at LG & sixth-overall pick Ronnie Stanley at LT). Stanley has been a beast this preseason. The last time that happened Frank Reich was sacked nine times as a Panther in 1995. Flacco has looked strong. They are going to attack on the ground via running back by committee. Excellent defensive personnel, for the most part, especially their linebacker corps. The Ravens lack depth at o-line, tight end and safety. Any dings there could really hurt. They are quite strong on special teams.

[26CornerBlitz]

@PFF

2016 cheat sheet: Baltimore Ravens http://pffoc.us/2bGK96E

@RyanTalbotBills

Did you know: Rex Ryan is 6-1 in Week 1 games? His only loss came in 2010, a 10-9 loss to the Ravens, Buffalo's Week 1 opponent

[Niagara Bill]

Any locals got some insight or tidbits on how the area feels about the Ravens heading into the season opener?

 

I hesitate to read the national stuff, simply because I know how inaccurate it is with respect to the Bills.

you think the National media is unreliable...., you would trust Jerry Sullivan, Vic Carruci , Tim Graham, Gaughn, Gleason etc. (maybe Sal and Joe are a better source)

Every important story that comes out about the Bills comes from the national media, like Ian Rappaport.

[scribo]

Listening to Ravens radio coverage this morning in Baltimore. The fans and radio guys were not happy with the final roster moves, complaining they cut loose promising youth in favor of too many older players past their prime. Seems the radio hosts believe the Ravens front office has a need to win early rather than build for the long haul.