24 replies to this topic

[SportsGuy]

http://espn.go.com/b... ... the-ravens

[BSLChrisStoner]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/53756/previewing-and-predicting-the-ravens

Heard him say this on Cowherd's show the other day. It amazed me that someone that has been around the Ravens as much as Hensley has, would point to the age of Lewis and Reed as the primary point of his evaluation (in-conjunction with the loss of Suggs).

I know it is a popular National story, that the Ravens defense is old... but the Ravens will be relying on Ngata, Webb, Smith, Cody, McPhee, Kruger, Upshaw, McClellan, McClain, and Williams plenty; and each of them have young legs.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Now that said, the Ravens could finish 3rd in the division. It would be an upset in my estimation, but possible.

[SportsGuy]

Now that said, the Ravens could finish 3rd in the division. It would be an upset in my estimation, but possible.

Its possible...but Hemsley is terrible.

He is a reporter, not an analyst.

He has consistently brought up Suggs as his biggest issue. Just amazing to me.

[SportsGuy]

The funny thing is, in his Steelers article, he says that they have the fewest question marks...Really?

Essentially, their question marks are very similar to ours..but they have less of them?

[Chris B]

I still think Cincinnati is going to have some issues. They had a cake schedule this year, and now teams have had time to scout Dalton and figure out how to stop him.

[Chris B]

I really could see CIN or PIT finishing third as well. I think the Ravens are pretty safe at either 1 or 2, but all three teams definitely have holes.

[BSLChrisStoner]

So, I just read the article.

An ancient offensive line? So Bobbie Williams starts a few games at LG, and is ultimately replaced by KO.
Williams is 35, Osemele is 23.

Suddenly the line does not look so old.

[SportsGuy]

I still think Cincinnati is going to have some issues. They had a cake schedule this year, and now teams have had time to scout Dalton and figure out how to stop him.

And Cinci has had some very bad injuries this offseason.

I just don't see how you can say the Ravens have bigger question marks than the other 2.

I do agree with Hemsley that the Ravens won't make the playoffs every year but its almost as if he wants to say he predicted that..even though his reasoning behind it is poor.

[SportsGuy]

http://espn.go.com/b... ... he-bengals

He picked Cinci because he was impressed when he visited them in training camp?

[BSLChrisStoner]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/53761/previewing-and-predicting-the-bengals

He picked Cinci because he was impressed when he visited them in training camp?

I do think the Bengals have a lot of young talent. Agree with his general comments about their defense.

The head to head games will tell the story.

[SportsGuy]

I do think the Bengals have a lot of young talent. Agree with his general comments about their defense.

The head to head games will tell the story.

Yea..Its not even that I think this is some horrendous prediction..things happen..injuries, poor play, etc...

I could certainly see a scenario where the Ravens finish 3rd...But some of his reasoning and how he comes to the conclusion is really awful.

Personally, I think some people are overrating Cinci a little bit but I would also agree that the upside is there for that team.

[JordanKough]

This must be why Baltimore is a six point favorite to start the year off against Cinci. The dumbest part of the whole thing is he doesn't even give specific records of the team. It's hard to get a feel for his predictions without records. Does he think they'll all go 10-6 but Pitt/Cinci end up having tiebreakers for some reason or another? Does he have Balt at 10-6 and both other teams at 11-5.

This season will ride on the offense's improvement. And even without Suggs there is much more ground for the Ravens to make up statistically on offense than lose on defense (even with Suggs).

It sounds like Hensley also doesn't buy that Suggs can at any point come back and be effective. I'm still also being a fan and holding out hope that Suggs returns and can show us something.

[JeremyStrain]

Now that said, the Ravens could finish 3rd in the division. It would be an upset in my estimation, but possible.

Could be but I think PIT is going to regress a bit, and CIN could get better.

[bnickle]

I got the division being down as a whole this year. I have us 2nd at 9-7 behind Pittsburgh at 10-6. Only Pittsburgh makes the playoffs. I have Cincy 8-8.

That said I could see any of the 3 winning the division but I don't think any of the 3 with more than 10 wins. Kinda like '09 when Cincy was 10-6 and Pitt and Baltimore finished 9-7.

[JordanKough]

I got the division being down as a whole this year. I have us 2nd at 9-7 behind Pittsburgh at 10-6. Only Pittsburgh makes the playoffs. I have Cincy 8-8.

That said I could see any of the 3 winning the division but I don't think any of the 3 with more than 10 wins. Kinda like '09 when Cincy was 10-6 and Pitt and Baltimore finished 9-7.

I know your down on the team this year...but I think you have to wait and see the first two games before we make a call. It looks like the Ravens are committed to almost a 100% no huddle scheme for the whole year. If this is true, this will fundamentally change how I view this team from last year to this year.

If the Ravens hang 60+ points on the Eagles/Bengals in the first two weeks I wouldn't be hesitant to say this is a team that could win 12 games. If they got business as usual we see 25-35 points in those games and a sluggish typical Cam Cameron offense , then I'll agree with you a 9-7 year is on the horizon.

By Week 4 I think we'll know exactly what our team is really going to look like this year. But for the moment I'll reserve judgment due to the desired changes.

[DuffMan]

I feel like since Hensley started working for ESPN he has made it a point to pick against, go against, speak down of the Ravens in an attempt to not come across as a homer. I never liked him much before and I like him even less now. I wish James Walker was still covering the AFC North.

[SportsGuy]

I know your down on the team this year...but I think you have to wait and see the first two games before we make a call. It looks like the Ravens are committed to almost a 100% no huddle scheme for the whole year. If this is true, this will fundamentally change how I view this team from last year to this year.

If the Ravens hang 60+ points on the Eagles/Bengals in the first two weeks I wouldn't be hesitant to say this is a team that could win 12 games. If they got business as usual we see 25-35 points in those games and a sluggish typical Cam Cameron offense , then I'll agree with you a 9-7 year is on the horizon.

By Week 4 I think we'll know exactly what our team is really going to look like this year. But for the moment I'll reserve judgment due to the desired changes.

Lets not forget a few years when the team came out throwing and scored a lot of points early in the season...only to revert back to the same, vanilla, predictable offense.

[JordanKough]

Lets not forget a few years when the team came out throwing and scored a lot of points early in the season...only to revert back to the same, vanilla, predictable offense.

Sigh...BUT I WANT TO FORGET!

Let's put it this way...Peter King, like him or not, said he was going to write about Flacco this week in his MMQB follow up. He waited to not do the write up because of what he's heard and seen from the Ravens and what they're planning to do with the offense and he felt it deserved more words/press.

That's enough for me to perk my ears up, plus the sugar huddle pretty much through the whole preseason. If they run that sugar huddle 100% of the time through the first couple games, I'll be one happy Ravens fan.

[SportsGuy]

Sigh...BUT I WANT TO FORGET!

Let's put it this way...Peter King, like him or not, said he was going to write about Flacco this week in his MMQB follow up. He waited to not do the write up because of what he's heard and seen from the Ravens and what they're planning to do with the offense and he felt it deserved more words/press.

That's enough for me to perk my ears up, plus the sugar huddle pretty much through the whole preseason. If they run that sugar huddle 100% of the time through the first couple games, I'll be one happy Ravens fan.

Dont get me wrong, the fact that they are even playing this right now is a big difference than anything they have done in the past.

I love this offense and I really think that this offense will help hide some of the weaknesses of the team...IF CAMERON STAYS WITH IT!

That's the key. So, its going to take a lot more than 2 games for me to believe Cameron changed in the offseason.