Terrapin Tables

While I think T.O. is definitely the perfect fit for the Ravens, they still have a glaring weakness at QB. While Boller may be a very good QB, I think it's safe to say that no one has any clue how good or bad he really may be. Now that coverages may cheat towards Owens, I think Heap will actually benefit more than anyone else in this offense, as he'll be matched up one-on-one every play. And while Chris is ready to crown them AFC champs, you can't forget that the AFC is still strong, and the Pats always make out one way or the other in free agency.

One wide reciever doesn't make a team. In SF, they had a decent running game, decent defense, good QB and T.O. and never made it to a NFC championship. Now we all can agree that the Ravens D is awesome, I'm still a bit suspect....Cincy is on the rise, NE is strong, Indy will be strong, Jacksonville will be better, Tennessee will still be strong, I doubt Pittsburgh will have another awful season, and when Cleveland gets Garcia to chuck the ball to Andre Davis and hand it off to Suggs, they could be decent.

Just let T.O. have 3 straight 2 or 3 catch games, and see how nuts he is...

TO is quite the catch for the Ravens, but there has never been a team that goes to the Super Bowl based on 1 WR -- especially when Ray Lewis stabs TO for buying crack from Jamal Lewis. Congrats to Chris for calling it right a LONG time ago, but Mr. Tagliabue just called and wants his Lombardi Trophy back. Apparently they actually play the games now. I know, shocked me too, but all 32 teams have a shot at winning it all...ok, maybe 31 when Dan Snyder finds out they don't play the Super Bowl in March. I think the Ravens should be cautious of Cincinnatah, and Tennessee always seems to do something with whatever they have (Chris Brown is good).

Move of the offseason: The Rams signing two punters...Re-signed punter Sean Landeta to a one-year contract; signed punter Mark Jensen.

I know I'm talking a lot of Ravens poop, but they now have a top-3 WR that I believe will work in a Billick-StabStab run locker room, the best OL in football (maybe second to KC, but BAL is bigger), last year's best rusher, an incredible DL, LB core, and a very good secondary. Also, the Ravens tend to overachieve (you don't say).

I know anything can happen...is there a magazine in the world that didn't pick the Rams to win last year? That worked out. But Cinicinnati won't win 10 games with Carson Palmer in his first real year, Pittsburgh will go 8-8 since they haven't made any changes to my knowledge, McNair is awesome, but he keeps breaking and is another year older, I can't see the Pats pulling another one out of their ass, etc. I know Super Bowl predictions are crap, but I don't see another AFC team in a better position. Plus, my uncle has season tickets, so I'm all about the good vibes. If I ever show up in purple camo and a hard hat, feel free to NYPD me with a broom handle like I was a jaywalking Haitian.

I don't think it's fair to say the Pats pulled it out of their ass, the won 15 straight games, had the toughest schedule in football and beat every 10 win team they played (Philly, Tennesee-twice, Miami-twice, Denver, Dallas, Indy-twice, and Carolina). Their FA's are not going to be huge losses, and they have more than enough money to make it up, plus 4 picks in the 1st 2 rounds this year. Baltimore is going to be a force, but the future is looking very bright for the Pats.

I can't believe I typed that...

Nate, you have to turn in your Dolphins card now.

Obviously I do not keep up with the Ravens, but they don't have a 1st or 2nd round pick now right? Not being critical, just uninformed. Lord knows my team gives away draft picks when they don't even need to (Brunell said he would have come here anyway, and I think the 2nd rounder with Champ was mistake).

What about Indy? I think they could be really good. They didn't lose anyone, and while everyone is one year older, they are just going to make that defense better. And if Tennessee has a down year, they can take that AFC South from Jacksonville and Houston. Actually, I think Houston may be much improved this year, but that might be a bit of a stretch.

Yeah the Ravens 1st round pick is, oddly enough, now the Pats pick.
And of course Brunnell would've come to Washington, no other team would've come close to giving him that kind of contract. And giving up a 2nd rounder as well as Champ was a joke....if they wouldn't have done the deal straight up, it's not like it would've been hard to find another player/players for him (I heard Miami was going to send Wally & Madison for Champ & a pick, the Jets were going to send like 4 players for Champ). And we don't know if Portis is really that good, or a product of the Denver Dirty Line.

Indy lost a lot of vet players like Walt Harris and, most important for them, Ryan Diem, a very good starting OL (I think right guard...he's a 94 on my Madden team) in order to afford Manning's 20 Quintillion dollar contract.

I meant the Pats pulled it out of their ass by winning when they shouldn't - they won on strong team chemistry, great and lucky coaching (what were the odds of that intentional safety working out?) - all while having no top-twenty RB, no top-40 WR, etc. Much like the notable lucky breaks BAL got en route to the Super Bowl (remember Sharpe's deflected-pass-becomes-70yd TD catch, etc.), I think much of NE's success came off unrepeatable events. The Denver safety and the crap Indy goalline stand should have both had different outcomes - NE didn't win, the other teams lost.

Ravens have no early pics, that's correct, but if you lok at what they got in the last two years - a Def Rookie of the Year, probably a franchise QB, a world class WR, and a safety playing like he wants to be in the Hall of Fame someday - it's not a big deal. No one on the Ravens is old or broken - in 2002 they were the youngest team in the history of the NFL, right?

Personally I think that the Reven's division will be about the same as last year or worse. There is a lot of free agency to be decided. I think the Titans will be worse, they lost McCairens, Kearse and Robaire Smith, which should benefit the Colts. So I like the Colts as well, and maybe Denver.