Pre-Baltimore Blather
First off -- as today is Sept. 11 -- don't forget what happened two years ago and don't make the mistake of believing that an enemy "is just a friend we haven't done enough for -- yet."
Here's John Clayton's synopsis of the Browns v. Ravens game this weekend: "For the Ravens to win, they have to establish a first-half lead and run powerful halfback Jamal Lewis until the Browns defense wears down." Um, thanks John, that was amazingly insightful. It is accurate, though.
We know the Ravens defense is not as bad as they were in the first game; they'll play us well and it will be tough gaining yards at times. We also know that Boller, despite the blowout from the Steelers, played pretty well when he wasn't getting sacked. Our secondary is unlikely to feast on poorly thrown balls. Going on that, here are the two keys to the game: 1) Consistency on offense. We don't need tons of big plays (though it would be nice) as much as we need open running lanes and accurate passing. 2) Show up vs. the run. If our d-line has a good game it will be very hard for the Ravens to beat us throwing the ball. This is easier said than down, however.
I think this will be a tough game. It's already something of a must-win match-up, and there are still some serious wildcards at this point in the season. And don't discount that the Browns have some negative karma coming back to them due to last season's embarassment when Couch followed up a big win in Baltimore by taunting and flipping the bird to the fans. Go Kelly -- play it cool. We need Warren to show up -- I thought he sucked last week. The linebackers need a repeat performance. Our o-line will have to battle with a tough front seven. A win here gets the season rolling; a loss might end it before it begins.
NFL Picks -- last week was a great week for me with 12 correct games. No way does that happen this week as most of the games are tough calls. Best game of the week is the Steelers-Chiefs matchup -- I'd like to see the Steelers defense matchup against Holmes and Gonzalez. I'll take the Steelers. I half-expect the Texans to win in New Orleans or Carolina to upset Tampa but am not picking either cause I'm weak. Most importantly, I think the Browns will win, but 63% of people think the Ravens will.
Here's John Clayton's synopsis of the Browns v. Ravens game this weekend: "For the Ravens to win, they have to establish a first-half lead and run powerful halfback Jamal Lewis until the Browns defense wears down." Um, thanks John, that was amazingly insightful. It is accurate, though.
We know the Ravens defense is not as bad as they were in the first game; they'll play us well and it will be tough gaining yards at times. We also know that Boller, despite the blowout from the Steelers, played pretty well when he wasn't getting sacked. Our secondary is unlikely to feast on poorly thrown balls. Going on that, here are the two keys to the game: 1) Consistency on offense. We don't need tons of big plays (though it would be nice) as much as we need open running lanes and accurate passing. 2) Show up vs. the run. If our d-line has a good game it will be very hard for the Ravens to beat us throwing the ball. This is easier said than down, however.
I think this will be a tough game. It's already something of a must-win match-up, and there are still some serious wildcards at this point in the season. And don't discount that the Browns have some negative karma coming back to them due to last season's embarassment when Couch followed up a big win in Baltimore by taunting and flipping the bird to the fans. Go Kelly -- play it cool. We need Warren to show up -- I thought he sucked last week. The linebackers need a repeat performance. Our o-line will have to battle with a tough front seven. A win here gets the season rolling; a loss might end it before it begins.
NFL Picks -- last week was a great week for me with 12 correct games. No way does that happen this week as most of the games are tough calls. Best game of the week is the Steelers-Chiefs matchup -- I'd like to see the Steelers defense matchup against Holmes and Gonzalez. I'll take the Steelers. I half-expect the Texans to win in New Orleans or Carolina to upset Tampa but am not picking either cause I'm weak. Most importantly, I think the Browns will win, but 63% of people think the Ravens will.
posted by Michael @ 12:52 PM
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