redrum52
Hall of Famer
And at the end of the day we both missed playoffs and they will most likely be more enjoyable to watch (as a causal NFL fan) next year.
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Home and Away Opponents Set for 2018 Season
- Thread starter allblackraven
- Start date
And at the end of the day we both missed playoffs and they will most likely be more enjoyable to watch (as a causal NFL fan) next year.
That wasn't the topic. Yes they are the ultimate underdog and that is sexy, but the topic I was replying to was why people here like our offseason moves but sells the Browns moves short despite them getting better players.
The reason is they are so putrid that they needed to make those moves to become bad whereas even being slightly better makes Ravens a playoff team.
redrum52
Hall of Famer
Regardless how you feel, the moves they have made were better than our moves. That's all I'm trying to say. If the roles were reversed people here would be praising those pick ups.
the moves each team has made are incomparable because of the available cap space
and if im honest i dont think the browns moves would be praised here... they've significantly overpaid for a number of players who arent superstar type players...
redrum52
Hall of Famer
I saw people here trying to rationalize the Grant deal.
it didnt need to be rationalised - it was a good deal
and i was probably its biggest supporter
DeVito52
Ravens Ring of Honor
Dude we were gonna give him 15 million gaurunteed....thats not my idea of a good deal for a guy who's never been a starter.
it was a 10m signing bonus spread of 4 years... with his first year's base salary fully guaranteed and part of his second year's base guaranteed but only becomes fully guaranteed through injury...
his cap hits would have been perfectly low and reasonable in the first 2 years of his contract and he was an ascending player - if he played above the level of his contract he likely gets an extension after 2 years or he is worth the cap hits that would have been around 9m in year 3 and 4 i think (given inflation and any sort of good play and the new CBA that would have happened after his 3rd year those cap hits would likely be entirely reasonable anyway...
and then on the other side if he didnt play up to the level we hoped he was cuttable after only 2 years into the contract with only 5m in dead money...
it was a fairly low risk deal (as long as his medicals checked out) with enormous upside
much of that was his first and 2nd year base salaries were guaranteed and the 2nd year was only guaranteed if the team took his option bonus. His actual signing bonus was 10m and that was spread out over 4 years. That was his guaranteed money.
It only went up to 15m if the team kept him around. His salary in year 1 was 1m and his year 2 salary was 3m. Add in an additional 2.5m in prorated signing bonus per year and that's the cap hit. That is a very good deal. He would never see year 3 and 4 which were over 9m base salary.
Anyway, this is much about nothing now, since he failed the physical.
Ellicottraven
Ravens Ring of Honor
Well, there is a point at which all those first round and high picks begin to work together. This year they're simply stacked from top to bottom. In my opinion, they're are the Rams of the East where talent is concerned especially after this draft they'll surely be. Assuming they pick Darnold and Chubb/Barkley I can't imagine them not winning consistently from here on out.
good players isn't everything. In football especially coaching is a big part of it and I believer that is a big reason why they have only one 1 game over the last two seasons. Prior to this offseason they had some pretty decent talent on the team outside of QB. However, even with an awful QB they should have lucked themselves into a couple more wins.
Tank
Hall of Famer
It’s really far in the rear view mirror now, but it’s still fascinating to see how the fantasy games changed the way people view and rate football teams. You would think the read would be obvious when the same teams that get the high picks year in, year out continue to flail about in the cellar.
RaineV1
Ravens Ring of Honor
They've been having high picks and occasionally multiple first round picks for decades now. It's been happening since 1999. And it hasn't payed off. That's why I'll believe it when it happens, but I put no faith in their ability to draft anything besides o-linemen.
Oldfaithful
Hall of Famer
After the draft... I actually have for more confidence in this team this season.... Like holy crap. This offseason wasn't perfect. But it was pretty damn good. I mean.. The defense was already a SB caliber unit. And yes, despite collapsing down the strectch.. It was. It has holes still(namely interior pass rush and ILB #2), but overall it's deep on all levels and has talent all over. I'm a little worried that Harbaugh's obsession with Za'Darius Smith is going to cost Bowser and Williams more playing time, and that Judon is going to get overused again(I mean Judon isn't a bad player... But he's maxed out imo and nothing more than a jack of all trades master of none type. But even then, having a few of these guys returning from injury is going to help. Which is needed. We play some good offenses... But I still have confidence. This schedule is more of a "could go either way" type of year... But I could see us beating a good amount of these teams.
Obviously the big thing is the sheer amount of bodies we've added. There weren't too many quality options this offseason to acquire at the WR position. And we couldn't afford the one guy who was actually worth paying the money. So we opted for a lot of sure handed options who know how to get open that compliment each other well. Crabtree is a threat in the red zone. John Brown is super explosive and can take the top off of the defense, but he can also go over the middle and kill you there. Snead won't match his production with the Saints but Brees does not make him have good hands or run good routes. Add in Hurst who could be a stud at TE and Andrews is reliable and knows how to get open... By my count that's five options that are far superior upgrades to anything we had last season. Lasley himself should be an adaquate replacement for Brown if/when he goes down, and Scott is going to be a jumpball specialists in red zone packages. Last season if our WR corps was an average one, we would've made the playoffs.
Our defense is going to make things tough for even the best offenses, and if Wink really is an upgrade we could realistically win the division. Sounds unlikely but it is possible.
I see us getting out of NFL purgatory this year if Flacco decides not to shit the bed.. if not, Jackson takes over and we... Really don't need too many things next offseason and the team is in a really good position for the future.
Ozzie went vintage for this offseason. Thank fuck for that after the mediocre crap we've had post-super bowl
Obviously the big thing is the sheer amount of bodies we've added. There weren't too many quality options this offseason to acquire at the WR position. And we couldn't afford the one guy who was actually worth paying the money. So we opted for a lot of sure handed options who know how to get open that compliment each other well. Crabtree is a threat in the red zone. John Brown is super explosive and can take the top off of the defense, but he can also go over the middle and kill you there. Snead won't match his production with the Saints but Brees does not make him have good hands or run good routes. Add in Hurst who could be a stud at TE and Andrews is reliable and knows how to get open... By my count that's five options that are far superior upgrades to anything we had last season. Lasley himself should be an adaquate replacement for Brown if/when he goes down, and Scott is going to be a jumpball specialists in red zone packages. Last season if our WR corps was an average one, we would've made the playoffs.
Our defense is going to make things tough for even the best offenses, and if Wink really is an upgrade we could realistically win the division. Sounds unlikely but it is possible.
I see us getting out of NFL purgatory this year if Flacco decides not to shit the bed.. if not, Jackson takes over and we... Really don't need too many things next offseason and the team is in a really good position for the future.
Ozzie went vintage for this offseason. Thank fuck for that after the mediocre crap we've had post-super bowl
Oldfaithful
Hall of Famer
Holy crap we play the Bills week one.
Josh Allen is going to get his welcome to the NFL moment immediately if he's starting. He's got
No oline
A "meh" WR corps with only two true viable options
A solid defense, but unspectacular.
That run game, even with Shady, is likely to be an utter joke with that joke of an oline.
At Cinci is going to be a tough one. I actually am kind of scared of Mixon behind an oline that is no longer total ass. We need to acquire a run stopping ILB at this point. The run defense cannot have a repeat of 2017. But otherwise this game should be winnable. We've gotten significantly better as well, and even with their upgrades on the oline, that unit still has some holes. This is a hard one though.
I want to fly out for the Bronco's game(I should be in the area anyways and a few of my best friends are die hard fans). That defense is still very good, and adding Chubb is going to be a big add on. But losing Talib is goning to be a big blow and they still haven't really improved that oline at all. I could see this game being boring. Keenum isn't a terrible QB by any sense of the word, but that oline is worse than what he had last year.
PIT. We need our revenge more than anything now. This is where the fight for the division comes into play. They still have a juggernaut of an offense and adding James Washington does not make it easier.. But that defense is still completely uninspiring. Not an easy game, but very winnable. Pit is about to fall off of a cliff anyways. Time to take back the division.
Cleveland: Don't let their offseason improvements fool you. This squad has gone from being one of the worst teams in league history, from being a team that might have pick #8 in the draft rather than the first one. They've added some nice pieces like Landry, Hyde, Mayfield, Chubb, but have still missed the point entirely. They could've taken Rosen, who'd actually make me afraid of this team. They're not going to roll over and lose, but we are still better now. And will probably have the better QB going forward as even Baker might be ruined by the toxic culture Haslam has installed
Titans: This game is something I can be worried about. That oline is still very good, and Dion Lewis should be a good anchor for the run game to go off of. The receiving corps should improve with time, and I liked their minimalist, but effective draft. This game is not going to be easy at all. But nonetheless is winnable.
Saints: We always play them well. They are a SB team but we could match up well with them. This game is one I have little confidence in winning. They are simply one of the most complete teams in the league.. And they are likely to be the fourth seed in the NFC anyways behind the Rams, Vikings, and Eagles.
Panthers: Another really good matchup for us. Will not be a cakewalk for us.. But they're not going to have fun either. That oline without Norwell is now far weaker. Turner and Kalil are both quality options still, but it's a weakness, and that WR corps is still subpar even with the addition of DJ Moore. McCaffery and Anderson make an interesting pairing though. So their offense isn't a total pushover. Plus Cam is superman. Defense will continue to be the bread and butter of this team. This is very much a winnable game though
Covered Steelers.
Covered Bengals
The Raiders should be one of the most interesting teams in the league. They added pieces to their oline, but are they really upgrades in the short or long term? How stable is that RB corps? Will the WR corps continue to stay healthy or be plagued with injuries? Will Derek Carr revert back to form full time? Will the defense bounce back with Gruden at the helm? If the answers to these questions are a resounding "yes" then this game is not going to be easy for us. If the answer is "no" then I could see us pulling out with a handy W. I'll come back tot his one later.
At Atlanta. This game, like the Saints one, I have little to no confidence with us winning. Atlanta like New Orleans is one of the most balanced teams in the entire league. Just have to hope Sarkisian is still coaching there and continues to ignore thoroughbread Julio Jones. If the Falcons get an OC who could effectively use both Julio and Ridley in tandem with their running backs Atlanta might just go back to the SB. If they have Sarkisian still.. We have a slimmer chance.
At KC. I'll believe the hype when I see it. Mahomes looks promising but will still be prone to rookieesq mistakes. It's just his playstyle. The oline needs work, but having Hunt, Kelce, and Hill will make the life of Mahomes a lot easier. I cannot say that I have a ton of confidence in that defense. Houston and Berry remain and are both respective studs if healthy, but a lot of that defense has been gutted over the past several seasons. This game, even in Arrowhead has the potential to be very winnable
Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay is a team that I've been predicting to breakout soon. But they are not there yet imo. They have a lot of nice pieces around Winston. Evans, Brate, Howard, Jones III is a good fit for that team. The oline has some nice pieces with Jensen there. Defense has some great pieces as well. But how's their depth? How's that secondary? Outside of Gerald McCoy and Curry how's that pass rush of there's? Game once again winnable, but I would not be surprised if this team has no confidence at this point in the year playing in the NFL's hardest division.
At LA.. If we go into this game underestimating the compeition we will lose. LA is one of those sneaky SB contenders. That oline will likely improve itself and they've surrounded Rivers with some good weapons. Defense is run by Gus Bradley and with Bosa and Ingram as his pass rushers, anything is possible. Add in a massive upgrade in the secondary with the return of Verett and the drafting of Derwin James. They still have a joke of a run defense though. But like Atlanta and New Orleans.. I have very little confidence. We better show up.
Vs. Cleveland... Thank god no Bengals. This game should be a W if we are in playoff contention.
There are three games in the schedule I don't really see as winnable. All of these teams have exploitable holes that I think we've prepared ourselves for.. This offseason has turned us into a far more rounded team. Flacco shows up, this team has the potential to win the entire division. If the oline plays up to it's potential.... And Flacco doesn't show up and we put Jackson in we still might be a playoff team anyways.
Josh Allen is going to get his welcome to the NFL moment immediately if he's starting. He's got
No oline
A "meh" WR corps with only two true viable options
A solid defense, but unspectacular.
That run game, even with Shady, is likely to be an utter joke with that joke of an oline.
At Cinci is going to be a tough one. I actually am kind of scared of Mixon behind an oline that is no longer total ass. We need to acquire a run stopping ILB at this point. The run defense cannot have a repeat of 2017. But otherwise this game should be winnable. We've gotten significantly better as well, and even with their upgrades on the oline, that unit still has some holes. This is a hard one though.
I want to fly out for the Bronco's game(I should be in the area anyways and a few of my best friends are die hard fans). That defense is still very good, and adding Chubb is going to be a big add on. But losing Talib is goning to be a big blow and they still haven't really improved that oline at all. I could see this game being boring. Keenum isn't a terrible QB by any sense of the word, but that oline is worse than what he had last year.
PIT. We need our revenge more than anything now. This is where the fight for the division comes into play. They still have a juggernaut of an offense and adding James Washington does not make it easier.. But that defense is still completely uninspiring. Not an easy game, but very winnable. Pit is about to fall off of a cliff anyways. Time to take back the division.
Cleveland: Don't let their offseason improvements fool you. This squad has gone from being one of the worst teams in league history, from being a team that might have pick #8 in the draft rather than the first one. They've added some nice pieces like Landry, Hyde, Mayfield, Chubb, but have still missed the point entirely. They could've taken Rosen, who'd actually make me afraid of this team. They're not going to roll over and lose, but we are still better now. And will probably have the better QB going forward as even Baker might be ruined by the toxic culture Haslam has installed
Titans: This game is something I can be worried about. That oline is still very good, and Dion Lewis should be a good anchor for the run game to go off of. The receiving corps should improve with time, and I liked their minimalist, but effective draft. This game is not going to be easy at all. But nonetheless is winnable.
Saints: We always play them well. They are a SB team but we could match up well with them. This game is one I have little confidence in winning. They are simply one of the most complete teams in the league.. And they are likely to be the fourth seed in the NFC anyways behind the Rams, Vikings, and Eagles.
Panthers: Another really good matchup for us. Will not be a cakewalk for us.. But they're not going to have fun either. That oline without Norwell is now far weaker. Turner and Kalil are both quality options still, but it's a weakness, and that WR corps is still subpar even with the addition of DJ Moore. McCaffery and Anderson make an interesting pairing though. So their offense isn't a total pushover. Plus Cam is superman. Defense will continue to be the bread and butter of this team. This is very much a winnable game though
Covered Steelers.
Covered Bengals
The Raiders should be one of the most interesting teams in the league. They added pieces to their oline, but are they really upgrades in the short or long term? How stable is that RB corps? Will the WR corps continue to stay healthy or be plagued with injuries? Will Derek Carr revert back to form full time? Will the defense bounce back with Gruden at the helm? If the answers to these questions are a resounding "yes" then this game is not going to be easy for us. If the answer is "no" then I could see us pulling out with a handy W. I'll come back tot his one later.
At Atlanta. This game, like the Saints one, I have little to no confidence with us winning. Atlanta like New Orleans is one of the most balanced teams in the entire league. Just have to hope Sarkisian is still coaching there and continues to ignore thoroughbread Julio Jones. If the Falcons get an OC who could effectively use both Julio and Ridley in tandem with their running backs Atlanta might just go back to the SB. If they have Sarkisian still.. We have a slimmer chance.
At KC. I'll believe the hype when I see it. Mahomes looks promising but will still be prone to rookieesq mistakes. It's just his playstyle. The oline needs work, but having Hunt, Kelce, and Hill will make the life of Mahomes a lot easier. I cannot say that I have a ton of confidence in that defense. Houston and Berry remain and are both respective studs if healthy, but a lot of that defense has been gutted over the past several seasons. This game, even in Arrowhead has the potential to be very winnable
Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay is a team that I've been predicting to breakout soon. But they are not there yet imo. They have a lot of nice pieces around Winston. Evans, Brate, Howard, Jones III is a good fit for that team. The oline has some nice pieces with Jensen there. Defense has some great pieces as well. But how's their depth? How's that secondary? Outside of Gerald McCoy and Curry how's that pass rush of there's? Game once again winnable, but I would not be surprised if this team has no confidence at this point in the year playing in the NFL's hardest division.
At LA.. If we go into this game underestimating the compeition we will lose. LA is one of those sneaky SB contenders. That oline will likely improve itself and they've surrounded Rivers with some good weapons. Defense is run by Gus Bradley and with Bosa and Ingram as his pass rushers, anything is possible. Add in a massive upgrade in the secondary with the return of Verett and the drafting of Derwin James. They still have a joke of a run defense though. But like Atlanta and New Orleans.. I have very little confidence. We better show up.
Vs. Cleveland... Thank god no Bengals. This game should be a W if we are in playoff contention.
There are three games in the schedule I don't really see as winnable. All of these teams have exploitable holes that I think we've prepared ourselves for.. This offseason has turned us into a far more rounded team. Flacco shows up, this team has the potential to win the entire division. If the oline plays up to it's potential.... And Flacco doesn't show up and we put Jackson in we still might be a playoff team anyways.