Baltimore Ravens 2016 Season Preview/Analysis

[BillsImpossible]

Preview:

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/ravens-season-preview-2016-predictions-and-analysis-090416

Key notes:

1. The Ravens have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL.

2. Questionable corners in Jimmy Smith and Kyle Arrington.

3. Can they rush the passer? Terrell Suggs is 33 years old and coming off his second Achilles tendon tear, and Elvis Dumervil is a 32 year old on the downside of his career.

4. Joe Flacco tore his MCL and ACL last year. A lack of mobility at the quarterback position is only good if you're Tom Brady.

5. Steve Smith, Sr. is 37 years old and tore his Achilles last year.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ravens-surprisingly-cut-justin-forsett-who-led-them-in-rushing-yards-in-2014-15/

Key notes:

1. The Ravens cut their leading rusher in Justin Forsett and will likely replace him with Terrance West.

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Eisenberg-No-Sentimentality-In-Ravens-Roster-Decisions-/191a56e0-61c4-49b8-ab23-c79c8fe3262b

Key notes:

1. The Ravens stable of running backs have only 12 combined starts in the NFL.

2. (Updated) It is being reported that the 33 year old Devin Hester has just signed a 1 year deal with the team.

3. Forsett could return for less money, but that is doubtful.

4. Super thin at safety with only 1 man to back up Weddle and Webb. Matt Elam is injured.

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Dennis-Pitta-Other-Key-Players-Return-To-Practice/40ee57c7-e5ce-4824-a1e1-ab8f924a6dec

Key notes:

1. TE Benjamin Watson is out for the season.

2. His backup, Dennis Pitta missed the entire preseason with a broken finger, and he has not played a regular season snap since September 21, 2014 after having 2 major hip surgeries.

3. A rookie 4th round draft pick in Alex Lewis could be starting at guard on Week 1.

4. As of yesterday, September 3rd, outside linebackers Elvis Dumervil (offseason foot procedure) and Za'Darius Smith (undisclosed) did not practice due to injury, along with DT Carl Davis, and two DB's in Shareece Wright and Jerraud Powers.

Analysis:

The Ravens are old and injury riddled. Their defense has always been the source of success for the team, but I don't think they have anywhere near the kind of talent and depth on D they had in previous years.

In 10 games last year, Joe Flacco was good but not great. With a 64.4% completion percentage, he had 14 TD's and 12 Int's.

Generally speaking, a quarterback's best friend can often be a strong running game and/or a very good TE.

The Ravens don't have a dominant defense, no Tight End, a starting 37 year old wide receiver coming off an Achilles tear, and an unproven running game.

[YardRat]

I guess I'm ready for football to start...this weekend's college games are helping ramp up the interest. I'm certainly not expecting much this season, but beginning next Sunday I'll be rooting like hell I'm wrong.

[Novacane]

Bills 34-13.

[BillsImpossible]

Ravens are 3 point favorites in Vegas.

https://www.sportsinsights.com/betting-trends/nfl-betting-trends/

Home field is their only advantage.

[BillsImpossible]

A super short synopsis:

The Baltimore Ravens suck.

[Night Train]

I already read here we have no shot in this game so lets move on...:crazy:

[OpIv37]

A super short synopsis:

The Baltimore Ravens suck.
The piece you're forgetting is that we suck worse. We have no depth at any position with the possible exception of RB. Our QB looks good but is still unproven and trailed off last season. Our OL can't pass block. The only improvements we made to a D that struggled last year were rookies, the best two of whom are injured. Our best DL is suspended and is a bunch of nobodies after Kyle Williams. Our LB's are a bunch of nobodies after Jerry Hughes and our coach is a loudmouth who has the team undisciplined.

[YardRat]

I'm still taking the Ravens in the Zone Pick 'em league.

[Mace]

I'm still taking the Ravens in the Zone Pick 'em league.

443 to 409 from every sim I run based on faulty data and inadequate programming. I never thought the Orioles would roll the Sabres like that, but it is what it is.

[sudzy]

A super short synopsis:

The Baltimore Ravens suck.


Ravens are 3 point favorites in Vegas.

https://www.sportsinsights.com/betting-trends/nfl-betting-trends/

Home field is their only advantage.

So the professional betting world disagrees with you. If the last 16 years have taught me anything, it is not to assume any Bills opponent sucks more then them. Like Yardie, I will also be picking the Ravens in my pick'em league and hoping to be wrong.

[justasportsfan]

The piece you're forgetting is that we suck worse. We have no depth at any position with the possible exception of RB. Our QB looks good but is still unproven and trailed off last season. Our OL can't pass block. The only improvements we made to a D that struggled last year were rookies, the best two of whom are injured. Our best DL is suspended and is a bunch of nobodies after Kyle Williams. Our LB's are a bunch of nobodies after Jerry Hughes and our coach is a loudmouth who has the team undisciplined.
Leave it to the BZs resident Jerry Sullivan to come up with the bills' sand in vajayjay analysis.

[Ginger Vitis]

Since this sites inception I bet OPIV has never picked the Bills to win a season opener

[justasportsfan]

He was so wrong last year. Hopefully hes wrong again

[geffy]

has been bookmark, this seems like a very interesting threadhttp://juragan.club/2/g.png

[Buffalogic]

It's just one game but I expect to win this one handily.

[alohabillsfan]

Bills win 27-13

[OpIv37]

Leave it to the BZs resident Jerry Sullivan to come up with the bills' sand in vajayjay analysis.

Call it whatever you want- it's still reality. The Ravens certainly have their issues, but that doesn't automatically preclude them from being better than us.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Call it whatever you want- it's still reality. The Ravens certainly have their issues, but that doesn't automatically preclude them from being better than us.

You said the same thing last year.

[OpIv37]

You said the same thing last year.

And I said the same thing many times before that. I've been right far more than I've been wrong. But, it's not about me. Looking at the Ravens in a vaccuum is flawed. It has to be about how they stack up vs us. We've got just as many flaws and question marks as they do.

[Joe Fo Sho]

We've got just as many flaws and question marks as they do.

Sounds like it's a pretty even matchup to me.

[swiper]

Sounds like it's a pretty even matchup to me.

If the personnel were equal, the Ravens have the advantage b/c their coach will be better prepared than the pig twins in Buffalo.

[Joe Fo Sho]

If the personnel were equal, the Ravens have the advantage b/c their coach will be better prepared than the pig twins in Buffalo.

Harbaugh is 0-3 in his last 3 season openers. Rex is 5-0 his last 5 season openers. Which coach should be better prepared?

Some of you guys just find any reason to dump on Rex, it's almost pathetic.

[swiper]

Harbaugh is 0-3 in his last 3 season openers. Rex is 5-0 his last 5 season openers. Which coach should be better prepared?

Some of you guys just find any reason to dump on Rex, it's almost pathetic.

Check back after this game. I watched Ryan coach in his time in NY. He was terrible. Terrible.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Check back after this game. I watched Ryan coach in his time in NY. He was terrible. Terrible.

I don't even think the Bills are going win this game, but to completely discount them is absurd.

[Mr. Pink]

Should be a low scoring defensive game.

Thinking around 17-13 type of affair.

Could go either way, slight edge to Baltimore seeing they're at home.

[Mahdi]

Elvis Dumervil - Out

[feldspar]

So the professional betting world disagrees with you.

Actually, the sports betting world does not disagree with him.

Generally, the home team gets 3 points. Since the Ravens are 3-point favorites, it stands to reason that the spread would be even if it were played on neutral ground. In other words, the idea is that the Bills and Ravens are an even matchup. So as far as Vegas is concerned, Bills impossible is right (it happens). The only advantage for the Ravens is home-field advantage...at least the spread reflects that.

That's the idea, anyway.

[feldspar]

Speaking of point spreads, all AFC East teams are underdogs this week:

Dolphins +10.5 at Seattle
Patriots +6 at Arizona
NY Jets +2.5 at home vs Cincinnati
Bills +3 at Baltimore

[justasportsfan]

Harbaugh is 0-3 in his last 3 season openers. Rex is 5-0 his last 5 season openers. Which coach should be better prepared?

Some of you guys just find any reason to dump on Rex, it's almost pathetic.

that reality and fact don't count because it actually favors the bills.

The only reality that counts for OP is that the bills suck during nationally televised games.

[Joe Fo Sho]

that reality and fact don't count because it actually favors the bills.

The only reality that counts for OP is that the bills suck during nationally televised games.

There are legitimate reasons to think the Bills will lose this game. They are actually plenty enough reasons that they don't have to border on the ridiculous. I just find it hard to claim that the Bills have no shot in this game.

Has anyone even mentioned the return of Tyrod and Ed Reed to their former teams. You think those guys don't want to win? If the roles were reversed, we'd be convinced that those guys were coming back for vengeance and that Tyrod would have a career day. Man, it's tough being a Bills fan. They've really beaten us all down over these last 20 years.

[feldspar]

There are legitimate reasons to think the Bills will lose this game. They are actually plenty enough reasons that they don't have to border on the ridiculous. I just find it hard to claim that the Bills have no shot in this game.

Has anyone even mentioned the return of Tyrod and Ed Reed to their former teams. You think those guys don't want to win? If the roles were reversed, we'd be convinced that those guys were coming back for vengeance and that Tyrod would have a career day. Man, it's tough being a Bills fan. They've really beaten us all down over these last 20 years.

The entire lack of enthusiasm on this board astounds even me. The season is about to start in 4 days, and all you hear about is how the sky has already fallen...like we've already lost the upcoming game and there is no hope.

Personally, I'm psyched to watch real football games again and see what happens. Hope springs eternal.

...what a bunch of miserable humps some fans have turned into...some of which seem to always have been humps.

[swiper]

Beaten down, yes. We have to be bouyed by threads telling us we're lucky that we're not the Cleveland Browns fans. LOL.

[Joe Fo Sho]

The entire lack of enthusiasm on this board astounds even me. The season is about to start in 4 days, and all you hear about is how the sky has already fallen...like we've already lost the upcoming game and there is no hope.

Personally, I'm psyched to watch real football games again and see what happens. Hope springs eternal.

...what a bunch of miserable humps some fans have turned into...some of which seem to always have been humps.

I'm as excited for the season to start as the next guy, even though I don't have the highest of hopes. I'd really enjoy watching the Bills prove me wrong.

I think that some of the guys here that seem like they're down on everything the Bills do are still really excited for football season and are kind of in the same boat I'm in. Their enthusiasm just doesn't show well on a message board. These are the same guys that talk/discuss/argue football 12 months out of the year, that's definitely devotion. The average fan does not do that. To top it all off, they're Bills fans so they've been miserable for years and years and years.

[trapezeus]

this is a frustration game. the bills win and it is a game they should win and that they desperatelyneed. winning it does not make them a good team.

if they lose this one, it could kick off a very miserable season

[Joe Fo Sho]

this is a frustration game. the bills win and it is a game they should win and that they desperatelyneed. winning it does not make them a good team.

if they lose this one, it could kick off a very miserable season

If we start 0-2, we may as well be starting 0-4.

[swiper]

this is a frustration game. the bills win and it is a game they should win and that they desperatelyneed. winning it does not make them a good team.

if they lose this one, it could kick off a very miserable season

This should be a good indicator of what type of team we'll see the rest of the way. Should.

And not only Taylor and Reed return. Rex Ryan returns.

[swiper]

Elvis Dumervil out for the game: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/09/07/elvis-dumervil-wont-play-this-weekend/.

(Apologies to Mahdi for missing his post above.)

[G]

The entire lack of enthusiasm on this board astounds even me. The season is about to start in 4 days, and all you hear about is how the sky has already fallen...like we've already lost the upcoming game and there is no hope.

Personally, I'm psyched to watch real football games again and see what happens. Hope springs eternal.

...what a bunch of miserable humps some fans have turned into...some of which seem to always have been humps.

i admit i don’t have the same militant enthusiasm for bills football that I did in the fire of my youth but i still enjoy the physiological sense of excitement that builds from the tummy up on sunday mornings right before kickoff. the bills may disappoint me on the regular, yet somehow i still find myself watching every week. the habit of routine runs deep and I suppose that’s not a bad thing. i'm still excited as i need to be.

[OpIv37]

I'm as excited for the season to start as the next guy, even though I don't have the highest of hopes. I'd really enjoy watching the Bills prove me wrong.

I think that some of the guys here that seem like they're down on everything the Bills do are still really excited for football season and are kind of in the same boat I'm in. Their enthusiasm just doesn't show well on a message board. These are the same guys that talk/discuss/argue football 12 months out of the year, that's definitely devotion. The average fan does not do that. To top it all off, they're Bills fans so they've been miserable for years and years and years.

It's not rocket science. We need at least 10 wins to make the playoffs. We won 8 games last season and have a more difficult schedule. Did we do enough in the off-season to get two more wins? I simply don't see it. I'm still hoping for the best while expecting the worst. But after 16 straight seasons of that while always getting the worst, it's hard to get excited.

[Joe Fo Sho]

It's not rocket science. We need at least 10 wins to make the playoffs. We won 8 games last season and have a more difficult schedule. Did we do enough in the off-season to get two more wins? I simply don't see it. I'm still hoping for the best while expecting the worst. But after 16 straight seasons of that while always getting the worst, it's hard to get excited.

We get it. It's fundamentally impossible to get any better without spending in free agency or with anyone who's a 3rd round pick or later.

[justasportsfan]

There are legitimate reasons to think the Bills will lose this game. They are actually plenty enough reasons that they don't have to border on the ridiculous. I just find it hard to claim that the Bills have no shot in this game.

Has anyone even mentioned the return of Tyrod and Ed Reed to their former teams. You think those guys don't want to win? If the roles were reversed, we'd be convinced that those guys were coming back for vengeance and that Tyrod would have a career day. Man, it's tough being a Bills fan. They've really beaten us all down over these last 20 years.

It was mentioned on the radio that Roman has a very high batting average on gameday. I dont have the exact numbers or stats

- - - Updated - - -

Meant on opening game

[feldspar]

I'm as excited for the season to start as the next guy, even though I don't have the highest of hopes. I'd really enjoy watching the Bills prove me wrong.

I think that some of the guys here that seem like they're down on everything the Bills do are still really excited for football season and are kind of in the same boat I'm in. Their enthusiasm just doesn't show well on a message board. These are the same guys that talk/discuss/argue football 12 months out of the year, that's definitely devotion. The average fan does not do that. To top it all off, they're Bills fans so they've been miserable for years and years and years.

Ah, I see...

They are like little boys on the playground that pulls a little girl's hair because he likes her.

That about right?

[OpIv37]

We get it. It's fundamentally impossible to get any better without spending in free agency or with anyone who's a 3rd round pick or later.

Yes. Doing the same thing over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Yes, players improve, but in the existence of this website, player improvement alone has never been sufficient enough to lead to better results on the field. The same guys aren't going to magically be better.

[feldspar]

The same guys aren't going to magically be better.

you haven't seen that happen?

If not, you haven't been paying attention...and it's not "magic."

Teams DO go up or down some years with basically the same personnel.

[OpIv37]

you haven't seen that happen?

If not, you haven't been paying attention...and it's not "magic."

Teams DO go up or down some years with basically the same personnel.

that has yet to happen for this team on a level sufficient enough to win more games. Yet, people like you and Joe keep repeating it, reality be damned.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Ah, I see...

They are like little boys on the playground that pulls a little girl's hair because he likes her.

That about right?

Yeah, it's just like when your dad had a bad day at work and would come home and kick the dog.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Yes. Doing the same thing over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Yes, players improve, but in the existence of this website, player improvement alone has never been sufficient enough to lead to better results on the field. The same guys aren't going to magically be better.

Expecting it to happen and saying that it could happen are not one and the same.

I think the best thing this defense did during the offseason is hire Ed Reed and to a lesser extent, Rob Ryan. The players last year admitted that they didn't always know their assignment, they had communication issues, players weren't buying into the Rex's scheme, blah blah blah. Rex went out and got 2 guys who know his defense as well as anyone on the planet. Who's not going to buy into a scheme that Ed Reed excelled in? The guy knows the defense and even better, knows how to play in it.

That's 1 example of how I think we could get better this year. It's not unheard of to think coaching can improve a team.

[Joe Fo Sho]

you haven't seen that happen?

If not, you haven't been paying attention...and it's not "magic."

Teams DO go up or down some years with basically the same personnel.

Players are as good as they're ever going to be when they come into this league. They can get worse, but clearly can not improve. That would be unheard of, at least on the Bills it would be.

[feldspar]

that has yet to happen for this team on a level sufficient enough to win more games. Yet, people like you and Joe keep repeating it, reality be damned.

I do NOT keep repeating it. I'm saying it now.

And I keep forgetting that you are the Master of Reality. Reality is that is DOES happen where teams get markedly better with the same or even lesser personnel. Take the Panthers for example. They went from 7-8-1 to 15-1 with basically the same guys last year. They even lost their best receiver for the year, among other injuries. They didn't really pick up anyone of note.

So it DOES happen. You may call it "magic," but it happens. The fact that it hasn't happened to the Bills specifically in the past 16 years doesn't mean that it can't...what kind of logic it that where it can't happen to us? Sooner or later it will.

Meanwhile, keep thinking that everything is static and proclaim yourself right when the bottom line doesn't change. Pat yourself on the back repeatedly for being right when you don't even demonstrate insight on the particulars. But reality is NEVER static. I don't rule out the possibility that the Bills make the playoffs this year.

[Night Train]

Speaking of stats, here's a fun one.

Last time Flacco faced the Bills in 2013...he threw 5 INT's ...ouch..

[trapezeus]

the problem about the bills getting better isn't that we don't try to get better, its that the same people who haven't gotten it right in the past, are largely in charge making very similar mistakes. no one pays for the mistakes except the coaches and the players. the front office needs a serious shake up. I think whaley is a good defensive scout. He finds defensive playmakers. but on the offensive side, he doesn't have it. and he relies on splash like trading up than using the techniques he uses for defensive players. and even though there are the Brandon apologists, his ability to stay through 16 years of failure and continue to rise, makes the power structure fairly toxic to outsiders to help the team in anyway. there is a reason we are never in the running for the best GM or coaches. its known that if you are going to pay the price while Brandon evades any sense of responsibility.

[Buffalogic]

Ravens have zero bright spots on their team. Zero.

We should crush them.