Ravens 2011 Projected Starting Lineup

[ralaw]

I'll jump on the bandwagon too.....thanks be to Senser

Offense

QB – Joe Flacco – B - Flacco is cerainly the best QB Baltimore has had in many years, but IMO he’s still far from really being the guy that can carry the franchise. He’ll have games where he’s great and games when you wonder where his head is. Has to get better in his progressions, reads, and ball security....and show up against the Steelers.

RB – Ray Rice – B+ – I see him as a young Jones-Drew…..has all of the skills that you would want in a runningback. I love his versatility.

FB – Vonta Leach - A – Supposed to be the best blocking FB in the league. All-Pro. Ray Rice smiles.

"Hitting is part of what I do,.....It's the mentality of a fullback. You're going to go in there hit somebody every single time, every single play. It's going to be like a car crash."

:smug:

WR – Anquon Boldin – B+ - Tough, reliable, makes the catch…fits Baltimore. Underused.

WR – Derrick Mason – B - Getting old, but still producing…..

TE – Ed Dickson - C- – Heap is out...insert Ed Dickson..he's young, but has lots of potential. Flacco also enjoys throwing to his TE.

LT – Michael Orr - B – Has the tools, but rather see him at RT.

LG – Ben Grubbs – B+ - Consistent, reliable.

C – Matt Birk – B- – Old, but still getting it done.

RG – Marshal Yanda – B+ – Is a more natural RG. Moving him will be an upgrade over Chester.

RT – Jah Reid – C – Early word is the rookie is tearing it up. Hearing words like, "controlled aggressiveness, solid technique and good athleticism and power." I like.

Defense

DE – Haloti Ngata - A – Complete….best in the business?

NT – Terrance Cody - C – The kid is going to get a chance. Has lost some weight, so hopefully he'll be conditioned. If he comes in and is ready I don't see much of a drop off from Kelly Gregg....if he's matured and ready this grade could be higher.

DE – Corey Redding – C – Expect more consistency.

LB – Terrell Suggs - A – Great pass rusher

LB – Jameel McClain – B- – Can get sideline to sideline pretty well.

LB – Ray Lewis – B+ - We all know about Ray Ray. He’ll be there.

LB – Jarret Johnson – B – If healthy will be good.

CB – Jimmy Smith - C+ - Rookie, but everyone says he probably was top 10 talent, so we’ll see.

CB – Dominique Foxworth – C+ – I’m not a Foxworth guy, but I appreciate his work with the NFLPA.

S – Ed Reed - A - Monster.

S – Tom Zbikowski – D - Landry is probably gone. Not sure Zibs will get it done fulltime, but he has shown flashes in the past.

 

[Liquidrob]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-8BYolVPVw[/ame]

 

[Aso]

I definitely think Joe Flacco is overrated. Inconsistent and tends to hold onto the ball far too long.

Also the Ravens were dumb not to resign Jared Gaither long term. That man was a hell of a pass blocker, Oher is not nearly the pass blocker he was and because of it belongs at RT.

 

[ralaw]

I definitely think Joe Flacco is overrated. Inconsistent and tends to hold onto the ball far too long.

Also the Ravens were dumb not to resign Jared Gaither long term. That man was a hell of a pass blocker, Oher is not nearly the pass blocker he was and because of it belongs at RT.

Gaither is good, but he's lazy and often got into it with the coaching staff. I'm not 100% sure he's gone, but I don't see the front office doing what they have to do to keep him either. A team will probably throw a lot of money at him.

 

[Aso]

Gaither is good, but he's lazy and often got into it with the coaching staff. I'm not 100% sure he's gone, but I don't see the front office doing what they have to do to keep him either. A team will probably throw a lot of money at him.

With them getting Jah Reid in the draft it definitely looks like his days are numbered.

 

[Bmore]

I see it a bit differently...




Offense

QB – Joe Flacco – B+ - Proved last year that he can beat Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, this year he has to prove he can get over the hump in the playoffs.

RB – Ray Rice – A – Top of the league in receiving the ball out of the back field and top 5 (IMO) running the ball. Dirt McGirt is actually the future of this offense and all championships ride on his shoulders. You can't fumble in the playoffs after being so good during the season not fumbling; specially against your rivals. I don't like the 50+ carries in 2 less games though, We need to refrain from running our back into the ground like the Chiefs did with LJ.

WR – Anquan Boldin – B - Underused is laughable... If you thought the Ravens offense was going to turn into the Cardinals then you are dumb. I would even go as far out to say that Cam Cameron went out of his way to accommodate Boldin. Is it Cam Camerons fault Boldin went 1rec for -2 yards and a HUGE dropped touchdown in the playoffs @ Pitt? You can't expect Boldin to go from practically a spread offense in Arizona with him being the #2 (and at times #3 behind Breaston) to Baltimore who runs a run down your throat pro offense, where he would become #1 and demand all the attention.

WR – Derrick Mason – B- - Another guy who didn't show up in the playoffs. 1 rec for 11 yards in the entire playoffs isn't anything to boast about. Specially when during the season Mason had 12 rec for 180+ yards against Pittsburgh. Besides the fact that he still has some left in the gas tank, Mason needs to stick around and mentor (more so then Boldin) the 2 WR's coming in.

TE – Todd Heap - B – X-factor position for me. If you guys didn't notice, when Boldin joined the team Todd Heaps Avg per reception shot up. If he played a full 16 game season last year, he would have ended the season probably around 700 - 750 yards. Put Dickson in as much as possible, but don't cut Heap out of the picture just yet. Dude has some of the best hands at his position still, only problem he has is staying healthy.

LT – Michael Oher - B – The Blind side is protecting the Blind Side. Probably the most inconsistent lineman on our line. Some games he is a beast, sometimes he plays like a cupcake, and then there are the times he has mental lapses and forgets all together how to block. I'd like to believe in Oher at the LT spot, so I'll give him one more year, before throwing him under the bus.

LG – Ben Grubbs – A- - Top 5 LG in the league. Very reliable, very durable and gets the job done. Perfect guard for Ray Rice, who doesn't need much space to burst through a hole. Not the strongest guard ever, but his technique is perfect.

C – Matt Birk – B+ – Birk proved last year that he still has a couple years in him. Besides the horrible fumble last year in the playoffs, due to a missed snap. His pass blocking was stellar. I find the Center position to be very underrated in the AFC North. Which shouldn't be the case, since the AFC North has some of the most dominating DT's in the game.

RG – Chris Chester – B- – Inconsistent? You could say that about half the players on the team. Chris Chester is a versatile O-lineman who can swing to any position on the line (which would include Tightend). He played Center, Guard and Tackle last year, while in a rotation with Oneil Cousins.

RT – Marshal Yanda – B+ - Probably our best lineman last year. He's a guard, but because Baltimore rotates there offensive line on one side and Jared Gaither has a sandy vagina, Yanda spent most of the season at RT. If we can keep him in Baltimore, then our offense stays a whole lot better.


Defense

DE – Haloti Ngata - A+ – Best defensive lineman in the AFC North for sure. Always takes up 2-3 blockers per play and has the ability to beat it. Keeps the opposing O-line off the backers, so they can do what they do best (IE: Hunt). Also when subbed in on offense, makes a very nice goal line FB... just sayin...

NT – Kelly Gregg - B – High motor, underrated NT. He gives his all every play, which is more then I can say about a lot of players. Not the same 60+ tackle guy he was 2 years ago, and declining do to age. We will probably see a lot of Mt. Cody on 1st and 2nds, specially due to Terrances good play in the playoffs.

DE – Cory Redding – B- – Decent player. He doesn't get many sacks, but does give his all. Maybe we see a glimpse of Sergio Kindle and more Paul Kruger this year?

LB – Terrell Suggs - A – Best clutch pass rushing LB in the league (possibly homer). 11 sacks in the season to add to his 5 in the playoffs (mind you we only played 2 playoff games). We could see more of him dropping back into coverage (like 08).

LB – Danelle Ellerbe – B- – The will backer spot has been given to so many different players I don't even know who to put here, So I'll go with the guy with the most upside. Tavares was given his chance and he didn't capitalize and Jameel is a rush backer primarily and doesn't play well when he is forced to cover.

LB – Ray Lewis – A - Ray Lewis is the key to the defense. He is the equivalent of Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh. When Ray isn't on the field, our Defense can't stop a nose bleed, but for some reason when he is on the field; we play lights out. Most likely lost some speed, but still plays better then majority of the league at the Mike/Middle anyway.

LB – Jarret Johnson – B+ – Underrated, overlooked Sam. Didn't blitz as much this past year and it showed. He accumulated almost 25 more tackles, yet his sack count dropped by almost 5 whole sacks. He seems to excel at getting to the ball carrier and making plays.

CB – Jimmy Smith - C+ - If he doesn't light one up, he can easily be the next Chris McCalister. I can't really see him causing to many off field problems, but you never know. I see him as Aqib Talib in the way, that can easily get in trouble off the field, but could easily be a lock down corner from game-2-game.

CB – Dominique Foxworth – B- - The bright side to the position. He missed all of last year and every team took advantage of it. If he comes back healthy, he instantly makes the DB's better. He was only getting better in his first year in Baltimore and if he can pick up where he left off, I can't see us getting beat deep as much.

S – Ed Reed - A - Still the best safety in the league. This time he'll be playing a full season, so looking forward to him giving the DPOY award another run.

S – Dawan Landry – B - If Landry isn't resigned, it would be one of the biggest blunders I've seen Ozzie Newsome make. Ed Reed isn't the healthiest person in the NFL and knowing his resume he may get injured or take some games off. If this is the case and there is no Landry around, who runs the DB's? Landry may not be the future at the position, but clearly he is the best option at the position the Ravens can make.

 

[G-men]

C'mon Bmore, all you did was boost everyone's ratings. That's not seeing it differently, that's being a homer.

 

[Bmore]

C'mon Bmore, all you did was boost everyone's ratings. That's not seeing it differently, that's being a homer.

you must not have read.


Reading is fundamental you know.

Here I'll point out 3 key differences.

Anquan Boldin, ILB, SS

 

[ralaw]

S – Dawan Landry – B - If Landry isn't resigned, it would be one of the biggest blunders I've seen Ozzie Newsome make. Ed Reed isn't the healthiest person in the NFL and knowing his resume he may get injured or take some games off. If this is the case and there is no Landry around, who runs the DB's? Landry may not be the future at the position, but clearly he is the best option at the position the Ravens can make.

Did you see the article from the Balitmore Sun about this?

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/blog/2011/07/sign_or_decline_dawan_landry.html

I'd love to have him back too, because IMO he won't be easy to replace. The issue is some other team throwing a lot of money at him.

 

[Bmore]

Did you see the article from the Balitmore Sun about this?

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/blog/2011/07/sign_or_decline_dawan_landry.html

I'd love to have him back too, because IMO he won't be easy to replace. The issue is some other team throwing a lot of money at him.

haven't seen that, good article.

 

[G-men]

you must not have read.


Reading is fundamental you know.

Here I'll point out 3 key differences.

Anquan Boldin, ILB, SS

You are fucking retarded. All you did was lower one person's rating and raised all the others to a point where many are overrated. You have every single person as a B or better. That just isn't fucking true.

 

[Bmore]

You are fucking retarded. All you did was lower one person's rating and raised all the others to a point where many are overrated. You have every single person as a B or better. That just isn't fucking true.

Overrated?

okely dokely

 

[G-men]

Overrated?

okely dokely

Corey Redding a B-? Not even close.

 

[Scikotic]

There's alot of mediocre players that received B's in Bmore's new look grades. Interesting....

 

[G-men]

There's alot of mediocre players that received B's in Bmore's new look grades. Interesting....

Weird, right?

 

[G-men]

Now Bmore, you groaned my post about Corey Redding, yet I am still waiting for a rebuttal. Your rating for him doesn't even correspond with the description. You said he was a decent player that could get replaced. How in the hell does that make him a B-? The homerism is obvious.

 

[Bmore]

Now Bmore, you groaned my post about Corey Redding, yet I am still waiting for a rebuttal. Your rating for him doesn't even correspond with the description. You said he was a decent player that could get replaced. How in the hell does that make him a B-? The homerism is obvious.

I think you answered your own question.

B- = Decent, average, etc...

F,D-,D,D+,C-,C,C+,B-,B,B+,A-,A,A+

Pretty simple logic here.

 

[G-men]

A "decent" player does not warrant a B- rating. A "decent" player is someone who can be replaced. KNUBB rated Carl Nicks a B- to give this some perspective. I think we all know that Carl Nicks is far and away a better player than Corey Redding.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

What worries me the most about the Ravens is their secondary. Sure the pass rush can get there, but Ed Reed is the only sure thing in their secondary (if he can stay on the field.) Foxworth is better as a #2, and as far as Jimmy Smith goes, it is rare that a corner has a great first season.

I also think that Flacco needs to prove he can win in the playoffs and develop leadership. One of the biggest things that is holding him back is that, even with the plethora of receiving options, he tends to lock on and that is a no no. His future in Baltimore, as well as Cam Cameron's, are tied to this season.

 

[Aso]

The Ravens are impenetrable, you didn't know?

Carl Nicks should probably be an A though in all honesty.