The Ravens are a heavy favorite to beat Pittsburgh in the wild card round of the playoffs. They should be, but I believe that there is too much complacency around fans and pundits belief that this is an easy advance for Baltimore. Let me jump right into that, and what I took out of the Steelers loss to the Bengals. Continue reading “Round Three – Ravens versus Steelers”
Tag: Lamar Jackson
Steelers Week Number Two – Ruminations
Heading into Steelers week number two, the Ravens find themselves solid favorites against the team that has been in first place in the AFC North for most of the season. Somehow, the Steelers have dominated the Ravens over the last few seasons, winning games in ugly ways – but winning them nevertheless.
This week I spent no time watching tape of the Ravens win over the junior varsity Giants. Instead, I took a hard look at the Steelers matchup with the Eagles. Below, I share a few opinions from that game, and what they could mean as the Ravens face a must win game for divisional purposes. Continue reading “Steelers Week Number Two – Ruminations”
Ravens Thoughts Heading Into the Giants Game
This week I run through a series of Ravens thoughts heading into the Giants matchup. The Ravens are 16-point favorites as I pen this, the largest favorite spread for a road team in the NFL since 1966. Now the Baltimore Colts were the biggest favorites in NFL championship history to lose, and they did that on two occasions. The 1964 championship game against the Browns, and the awful loss to the Jets in Super Bowl III. But it’s hard to imagine the Ravens losing against the Giants, who are pitiful given their injuries, quarterback play, personnel, etc. A loss against New York would stamp the 2024 Ravens as a Super Bowl imposter. Continue reading “Ravens Thoughts Heading Into the Giants Game”
Ravens Comments Heading Into Steelers Week
Your blogger apologizes for taking last week off, but I’ll grab for insights from the 49ers game if the Ravens wind up meeting them again. Let’s focus instead on some Ravens comments coming out of the Dolphins shellacking and into the Steelers finale.
To Rest or Not to Rest, That is the Question
The “rust” concept doesn’t worry me. Thirty-four of the last 64 number one seeds (going into this year) have made it to the Super Bowl. The Ravens’ 2019 number one seed fiasco doesn’t mean a thing. That was a different roster, a different quarterback (de facto), and a different offense. They got behind early and lacked a complete passing attack. Of course, all of that is just noise. What should a prudent coach do with respect to an end-of-the-season meaningless game? Continue reading “Ravens Comments Heading Into Steelers Week”
Ravens Big Board Part 1 Supplement: More on Round One
Part 1 of my Ravens Big Board (found here) outlined where I think the Ravens should go if they draft a player at Pick 22. Part 2 of the Ravens Big Board will set forth a round-by-round view of who I think the Ravens could/should target. But a couple of other thoughts came to mind that I decided to put out in this Big Board Part 1 Supplement
More On Round One – The Quarterbacks and Lamar Jackson
What will happen with the quarterbacks in round one of the draft? I’d be shocked if Bryce Young is not the first pick. He’s simply the best quarterback in this class at this point. Do the Texans draft a quarterback at pick 2? Then what?
There’s no point in speculating about trades for quarterback prospects. That conversation is just a merry-go-round of confusion. But there are two similar questions to consider. First, after the Titans have selected at pick 11, and assuming the Texans did not draft a quarterback at pick 2, are either Anthony Richardson or C.J. Stroud still available? Continue reading “Ravens Big Board Part 1 Supplement: More on Round One”
Should the Ravens Trade Lamar Jackson?
Should (or must) the Ravens trade Lamar Jackson? Teams have almost universally rejected Jackson as a free agent. Many observers attribute this shunning to Lamar’s alleged fully guaranteed contract demand. But is it more than that? Yes. I’ve written numerous times regarding Lamar’s flaws as a pocket passer. He’s challenged reading defenses. Just getting to the line of scrimmage in a consistently timely manner has been difficult. His work habits are less than admirable. Then there’s the injuries and the obvious issue of how long he can retain his running skills. Add it all up and he’s nowhere near the “clean” quarterback that teams drool over. Combined with his contract demands, Lamar makes a poor case for a team to pay him a fortune and give up a lot of draft capital to do it. Continue reading “Should the Ravens Trade Lamar Jackson?”
The Ravens Non-Exclusive Tender to Lamar – Now What?
The non-exclusive tender to Lamar was perhaps a surprise to outsiders. But it tells us a great deal about Lamar’s likely future and how the Ravens have gauged that future. No doubt the Ravens had a very good sense that other owners have little taste for fully guaranteed contracts. There might be a legal issue brewing here (collusion is a tough case to make). But if Lamar has been unwilling to come off of his fully guaranteed negotiating position (which he must be at this point), there’s no better way for him to learn the illusion of such a contract then by talking to other teams. Which he is now free to do. Continue reading “The Ravens Non-Exclusive Tender to Lamar – Now What?”
The Ravens Lamar Salary Cap Quandary
I was originally intending this post as the “pro” case for keeping Lamar. But I’m changing things around a bit. It’s more pertinent to take a look at the basic question. From a salary cap perspective, can the Ravens afford to keep Lamar Jackson as a franchised player in 2023? Here, the Ravens really are in a salary cap quandary. Continue reading “The Ravens Lamar Salary Cap Quandary”
The Ravens’ Lamar Decision – Part 1, The Framework
This is the first piece addressing the Ravens’ Lamar decision. You can review some prior thoughts here. Below I outline the major considerations from the Ravens’ perspective that should govern their decision. Here’s how I would approach the Ravens Lamar decision.
The process starts with defining the overarching goal. A long-term and substantial financial commitment should be made only to a quarterback who has a reasonable probability of leading a team to the Super Bowl. How many current quarterbacks in the NFL meet this requirement? Continue reading “The Ravens’ Lamar Decision – Part 1, The Framework”
Ravens Before the Steelers Game: More on Lamar Jackson
This is a warm-up for a longer Lamar Jackson analysis that follows when the season ends. Today I offer a few comments on two inter-related Lamar considerations. First, his on-the-field strategic utilization. Second, his progress, and any additional upside potential, within the confines of Greg Roman’s “Lamar” offense. So let’s look at more on Lamar Jackson.
More on Lamar: The 2022 Handicaps
Let’s start with a brief review of how Lamar has been utilized this year. I caveat this discussion by noting that we really haven’t known Lamar’s physical status all season, current injury aside. To me, Lamar has not looked physically right since early in the year. He doesn’t look as quick, as evidenced by his reduced escapability on broken plays, and on occasions when he has been unable to turn the corner. The degree to which his condition has adversely impacted his on-field use is impossible to gauge. Continue reading “Ravens Before the Steelers Game: More on Lamar Jackson”