Since the bulk of the discussion in the NSR thread was geared towards sports (and the NSR thread was HUGE), I decided to open up this thread. Feel free to create a new thread for other topics that were discussed in the NSR thread that doesn't already have a topic.
@lawsonishere, I was going through your AFC North breakdowns (great work, by the way, like your insight) and I noticed you were semi-low on the Ravens. Got to say I think the Ravens are going to make the playoffs in a weak AFC and they could make noise. I understand the skepticism regarding Trestman, and I know they have questions on offence, but I just think that they know how to win and they know how to play. The Ravens have never been that great on offensive skill positions, but Harbaugh and Flacco can make do and they can find a way, especially if they can run the ball.
I see exactly what you are saying and I'm not ready to commit to them not making the playoffs yet but my biggest worry is Forsett. If they can run the ball as good as last year i'm in complete agreement but i'm skeptical for sure. Plus we won't know how good Max Williams is until we see some preseason snaps and i'm at the point of ruling out Pitta regaining form. Do you think this is a top 5/ top 7 defense?
Forsett will continue to do well as long as they keep the zone-blocking scheme they installed with Kubiak IMO. I think their offensive line is a fundamentally good run-blocking line on top of that, especially on the interior with Yanda and Osmele. And yeah, assuming their secondary doesn't get absolutely decimated like last time, I could absolutely see them being really good on defence. Maybe not top five, but six to eight? Sure.
I actually listened to those too. I agreed for the most part, but I hardly feel bad for Flacco. He got paid elite money; It's time to produce like it. Sure, we can agrue that the Ravens had no choice, and I don't necessarily disagree. However, the Ravens and fans deserve what they got for building Flacco up like some sort of God before he won the SB. To Ravens fans, he can do no wrong. I also got forced fed the Marlon Brown crap. I was forced fed about their TEs years ago when they took Pitta and Dickson. LaQuan Williams was supposed to be the truth as a deep threat. I am sure come training camp, Perriman will be the next big thing. And like with all of these guys, if they fail, Flacco isn't 0.000001% at fault. As far as their defense is concerned, I agree. One player you didn't mention was Kyle Arrington. I like how he fits in their system as a nickel corner. Pittsburgh is a tough one to call. I also have serious questions about their defense. If they can somehow be a middle of the pack D, I can see them making the playoffs. As good as the pieces they have on O are, I don't see them winning shootouts vs many of the AFC's playoff teams.
I really like the steelers offense but yea I don't think they will be able to win shootouts , they need that d to be average and I can't see it being average right now, I guess it's time to see if mike Tomlin can truly "scrap". Flacco will completely throw away games and I see it happening a lot this year because he's going to have to force things in my opinion. Not sold on brown at all and who knows about perriman but they desperately need a deep threat. The Ravens hype must be annoying especially about the wrs
Trestman had better WRs, better OL and a better RB in Chicago than he does now. Say what you want about Cutler, but the results should have been better. I was hoping Chicago would hire Mike Shanahan because he would have been a great fit IMO, but that's a story for another day. I highly doubt Trestman can match what Kubiak was able to do, especially with Flacco. Flacco came off his worst year and bounced back decently. I agree that Harbaugh will probably have to be more hands on this year, but I have my doubts if that's enough to salvage it. Some players need to step up.
Say what you want regarding Flacco, @Mengão86, but the man knows how to turn up the heat in the postseason. At the end of the day, that's where I would want my QB to earn his dough. And I disagree that Trestman had a better overall situation in Chicago. He had better WRs in Chicago, but the offensive line, the organizational atmosphere, the QB, his fit in the role, are all much better in Baltimore. To be honest, I think Trestman is a much better fit as an offensive coordinator than as a head coach, and we all know that even if Trestman turns out to be a bad OC, Harbaugh's the lead banana in Baltimore and he'll have substantially more input. Throughout the Harbaugh era at the Ravens, offensive coordinator has been a revolving door, yet the offence itself has been really stable for having that much turmoil at the coordinator position.
And, regarding the Steelers, I love Brown, and I love Le'Veon Bell, but the player material on that defence could very well be at the bottom of the league right now. Even Jacksonville has more impact players on D (Sen'Derrick Marks, Chris Clemons).
Trestman's main fault is his ability to motivate/relate to others, he was suppose to be the next Bill Walsh but he is to quirky and geeky to command a room in the nfl, reminds me almost of a Dick Jauron (who is a very good dc). And Mengao has always been overly critical of Flacco. I see where he's coming from in most cases but he's above average and when he gets hot he is scary. He was good last year to me, but yea he has had some suspect seasons.
I'd agree with Mengao about Chicago having the better weapons. Chicago's O -line isn't as bad as people think, it improved a lot since 3 years ago. Plus imagine Forte on Baltimore..
But that's what makes him a good fit as a offensive coordinator next to a HC that can command the locker-room like Harbaugh.
It's still not as good as Baltimore's, particularly when Baltimore's O-line is on form. Baltimore can be one of the best offensive lines in the NFL when they "want to be", so to speak.
Prior to Flacco's SB run, he was a .500 QB in the postseason with average stats. We are only talking about his one run, which was good, no doubt, but he ought to thank Rahim Moore as well. Last year, Flacco returned to his .500 ways. He did have an excellent 1st half vs the Patriots but choked when it mattered the most. Everyone likes giving him credit for playing up to the moment, but when he lays an egg, it isn't his fault.
Chicago has some mean guys on that oline now. Baltimore lacks that sort of attitude on their line bar Yanda. That used to be a trademark of their oline some years ago.
Last year, he was fantastic against the Patriots. Let's not kid ourselves; if Baltimore's secondary wasn't absolutely terrible due to injuries, Flacco would've won that game 9 times out of 10 with that performance. I can live with the last-minute INT because without him playing like a boss the other 95% of the game, Baltimore would've been blown out.
At the end of the day, Forsett outplayed Forte significantly last season. That says something about the offensive line's blocking, and the respective "attitudes" there.
Like I said, he had an excellent first half, not so much the second half. The defense bailed him out for most of his career in the playoffs prior to the SB run. I hardly feel bad that his D let him down like what happens to many great QBs.
One member of the media here flipped out on his colleagues because of this. Seriously, everyone should have known what we were getting when we signed him last year. This is part of the package, like it or not.
I agree for the most part but even for me he is taking a bit far and I have a high tolerance for this stuff.