Tag: 2022 Ravens

Let me say it for everyone – so disappointing!  One and done is hard to accept, especially because the Ravens were the better team last night.  They had the Bengals.  But the backup quarterback and the offensive coordinator had brain spasms, and the season is over.  There’s plenty to talk about as the off-season is here.  I’ll start here. Continue reading “Ravens One and Done – Boy Was That Painful”

My simple rule-of-thumb with NFL players is this.  Once you’ve played 60 or so games in the NFL, that’s the player you are.  In almost every case the slope of improvement just isn’t much higher after game 60.  Guess which Ravens’ player has recently crossed that 60 game plateau?  Lamar Jackson.

Let me take a hard – and hopefully un-biased – review of Lamar Jackson the football player.

Lamar Jackson, The Athlete

Lamar Jackson is the greatest athlete to play quarterback in NFL history.  He’s the most elusive and gifted runner at the position that we have ever seen.  He can keep a play alive with his extraordinary instincts.  Jackson has the ability to force defenses to cover the entire field.  He can create touchdowns and touchdown opportunities in a multitude of ways.  So can Josh Allen. Continue reading “A Little Note on Lamar Jackson”

There is an improving outlook for the 2022 Ravens heading into the Giants game.  But there are a few enduring warts too.  Here are a few idle observations.

Improving Outlook – Ronnie Stanley

The wait on Ronnie Stanley finally paid off last week.  Stanley looked good.  He was pretty clean in pass protect and made an impact in the run game across his 22 plays.  Optimism now applies here.  The positive domino effect from a healthy Stanley over the balance of the season could be significant.  The left side of the line becomes solidified.  The blind side becomes a strength.  And the Ravens need it, given Lamar’s increasing propensity to hold the ball an extra tick (or even two). Continue reading “Baltimore Ravens – Improving Outlook, and a Few Warts”

We are three weeks into the 2022 season the and the Ravens are a tale of two teams.  They are both terrific and terrible.  On the terrific side, Lamar has been sensational, so I won’t review the obvious.  But the Ravens offense is more than Lamar.  It’s an offense that has increasing – and potentially dominant – explosiveness.  Its upside is constrained, if at all, only by the play of the offensive line – particularly the left side of the line.

Tale of Two Teams: The Biggest Offensive Shortcoming – Left Tackle and Left Guard

If it wasn’t for bad luck the Ravens would have no luck at left tackle.  Ja’Wuan James was never the answer but, in fairness, he hardly had time to be the question.  At least Patrick Mekari gave them one game plus six more plays, though Mekari avoided the dreaded high ankle sprain. Continue reading “Baltimore Ravens Three Weeks In – A Tale of Two Teams”

There are – or should be – big concerns regarding the 2022 Baltimore Ravens.  This is a team that, as we sit here today, may be significantly over-rated.  Let me make the case that the 2022 Ravens are Over-Rated.

Holes on the Roster

I’ll preface this discussion by noting the obvious.  The Ravens roster as of game one is a bit of a mess.  Nevertheless, taking the roster as it sits, edge rusher is a mess, interior linebacker is a mess, the offensive line is full of question marks, the wide receiver room is untested, and Lamar’s refusal to work out a deal with the Ravens hangs over him and the team.

Ravens Over-Rated Argument Number One – Abundant Health Red Flags

Everyone knows about the devastating injuries in 2021.  But the flip side of last year’s injuries is the risk to performance of the affected players in 2022.  None of the players listed below has set foot on the field yet, so to assume there’s no material risk of any lingering health problem is imprudent.

The most important player in this group is Ronnie Stanley.  What are the Ravens going to get out of him, if anything?  The contingency plan is atrocious.  Ju’Wuan James?  Don’t make me cry.  Patrick Mekari?  He can man the right side but not the left.  No doubt the upside case for the 2022 Ravens is dependent on Stanley producing at a high level.  And even if he manages to come back and play at a decent level, given the magnitude of his injuries, durability will always be a high concern.  This is a very fragile situation. Continue reading “The 2022 Ravens are Over-Rated: The Argument”