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Week 1: Ravens @ Bengals on MNF


HoosierCat

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We get thrown a freebie bone by scouts...as usual their analysis is questionable at best, but it's a way to kick off the chatter, eh?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mnf/surround07/game

Palmer must avoid mistakes

Wow. People actually pay espn.com for "insights" like this? Oh, sorry, anyhow...

By Scouts, Inc

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Why To Watch

The AFC North will be a very competitive division this season, and this Week 1 matchup could set the tone early on. This is a huge game on a national stage to begin the season. The Bengals are a volatile team and must not take unnecessary penalties. This has developed into a very good rivalry, with both teams winning at home last season.

When the Ravens have the ball

Rushing: It will be critical for the Ravens to control the game on the ground, keeping Carson Palmer on the sidelines. Baltimore's offensive line struggled a great deal during the preseason, but the unit was missing All-Pro left tackle Jonathan Ogden (toe).

This offensive line is young, but very talented. Expect the group to make great strides as the season progresses. Cincinnati's defense is notoriously soft up the middle and Baltimore will attack between the tackles with Willis McGahee.

Brian Billick likes to use two backs and two tight ends to pound his opponent. Cincinnati has a perfect defense to employ this tactic against. The Bengals will probably rotate their linebackers quite a bit, as they go six deep at linebacker, but none of the six has put a stranglehold on a starting position. Lewis will rotate his linebackers based on the situation. Steve McNair no longer offers a serious running threat, so the onus is squarely on McGahee to carry his new teammates.

Passing: In his first year as a starter, right tackle Adam Terry will be tested in pass protection. In fact, the Ravens may choose to keep a tight end on the right side on throwing downs. Robert Geathers is not a starter, but has developed into a very good pass rusher who could give Terry fits if the two are left alone on a regular basis.

Johnathan Joseph is an exceptional young cornerback who is poised to take his game to an elite level in 2007. He has the ability to lock down any of Baltimore's wide receivers and will likely do battle with Mark Clayton. Baltimore's offense is not a vertically inclined, but Joseph's weakness is his inability to defend the deep ball.

The Ravens will surely test him down the field. Baltimore has not utilized three-receiver sets much in recent years, but that could change this year with the emergence of Demetrius Williams. Williams is a tall, angular wide out with very good ball skills and the ability to get deep.

With improved talent on the backend, expect Lewis to blitz even more this season. He has never been bashful in this area and will also bring defensive backs to create big plays. The Bengals' defense is predicated on creating turnovers, but McNair is a cautious passer who will not take unnecessary risks.

The Ravens will also utilize McGahee in the passing game. He is a reliable option who can break a tackle and make a big play. McNair is a conservative decision maker for the most part and his deep arm strength is dwindling, so expect McGahee to see a lot of passes in the flat.

When the Bengals have the ball

Rushing: Running the ball successfully against the Ravens is not easy and Rudi Johnson will get little help from his backfield mates. While Johnson is a fine running back who is operating behind an excellent offensive line, he has dropped weight in the offseason and is beginning to show signs of aging. He might not be the workhorse he once was.

The Ravens are loaded in the front seven. Everyone knows about Ray Lewis, but the key players in Baltimore's front seven are defensive tackles Kelly Gregg and Haloti Ngata.

The Bengals rarely use a single-back set or place multiple tight ends on the field at the same time, so fullback Jeremi Johnson is a major part of the rushing attack. He is a very good athlete for such a big man, and is an exceptional lead blocker who can also carry the ball in a pinch. Johnson has had some epic battles against Baltimore's linebackers, Lewis in particular. Palmer utilizes play-action extremely well, but if the Bengals cannot establish the running game, this aspect of their offense will be wasted.

Passing: Palmer has outstanding ability as a passer. He can fit the ball into very tight windows and is deadly accurate. He also has a great feel for the rhythm of his receivers. Baltimore's defense is obviously very fast and aggressive, meaning Palmer must be very sound with his decision making.

While the Ravens are exceptional against the pass, the defense does have a glaring weakness Cincinnati is sure to exploit. Samari Rolle is a big-name cornerback, but his skills have certainly diminished. Rolle also has been fighting an ankle injury. With two great wide receivers in Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals can take advantage.

The best way to slow down Johnson is to challenge him physically at the line of scrimmage. Chris McAlister is excellent at being physical and should fair reasonably well against Johnson, although this is a risky tactic.The Bengals will use quite a bit of their no-huddle offense to help dictate the pace of the game and keep Baltimore on its heels. Palmer is now very adept at running this kind of offense.

Even in the face of Baltimore's heavy rush, the Bengals will still use empty sets to stretch the defense horizontally and exploit the Ravens on the back end. Cincinnati's offensive line will have to deal with a variety of blitzes and zone pressures dialed up by Rex Ryan, who has established himself as one of the very best defensive coordinators in the league. Recognizing where pressure is coming from will be very difficult for Cincinnati's blockers.

Both of Cincinnati's offensive tackles missed significant time in the preseason and may not be 100 percent for this game. RT Willie Anderson (foot) and LT Levi Jones (knee) will be tested against Baltimore's fierce pass rush. Right defensive end Terrell Suggs and left defensive end Trevor Pryce form an exceptional pass rushing duo and will challenge Cincinnati's tackles with speed and power.

This has the makings of a very close divisional battle. Do not be surprised to see the game come down to a kick at the end. Both kickers will be up for the challenge. Matt Stover is a very established, veteran kicker who has come through in the clutch year after year. Shayne Graham's track record isn't quite as stellar, but he is among the best in business and has a bigger leg than Stover.

Final score? I'm going with Cincinnati 42, Baltimore 0 :sure:

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Also: a link to the Balti Sun's Ravens blog. Good injury tidbits from the beat writers/columnists. Seems like an awful lot of sprained ankles in Ravens-land these days. Remember how to fly but forgot how to land?

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/blog/

Also also: no-nothing ProFootballWeekly.com handicappers pick Balti..

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Handi...elections01.htm

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While Johnson is a fine running back who is operating behind an excellent offensive line, he has dropped weight in the offseason and is beginning to show signs of aging. He might not be the workhorse he once was.

I guess scouts, inc didn't watch Rudi in action this preseason. I think Rudi looked to be in raw form. Our offensive line will be fine too.

Not even close

Bengals - 27

Ravens - 16 (4th quarter score makes it look closer than it was)

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Bengals 26

Ravens 24

A last minute field goal wins it. :bengal:

So, you pick the Bengals to beat the RAVENS, but you don't think they will win 10 games? If they 'man up' and beat the Ravens, wouldn't you agree that your preseason panic was for naught?

I too hit the panic button in the preseason, predicting 8-8. If they beat the Ravens on MNF, then I will un-push the panic button and promptly start pushing the bandwagon (I dont deserve to get back on yet). I will be particularly happy if the defense shows up and plays to their highest potential and not to their lowest. The Ravens defense cannot stop our offense, that was clear last year. It is all about defense and special teams.

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I hope this game doesn't come down to FG's - as Graham is still questionable right? The Bengals are trying out kickers as we speak.

Bengals' will have to do well in the red zone and take advantage of the times they do get there, and the Bengals' will have to limit MacGahee and find a way to stop the short passing game. They have to score TD's Monday night - not settle for FG's.

The first half will be a struggle and the Bengals' need to win their games at home if nothing else.

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Bengals 26

Ravens 24

A last minute field goal wins it. :bengal:

So, you pick the Bengals to beat the RAVENS, but you don't think they will win 10 games? If they 'man up' and beat the Ravens, wouldn't you agree that your preseason panic was for naught?

I pick that because of their success in recent years playing on primetime TV. Something you probably didn't even consider.

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Bengals 26

Ravens 24

A last minute field goal wins it. :bengal:

So, you pick the Bengals to beat the RAVENS, but you don't think they will win 10 games? If they 'man up' and beat the Ravens, wouldn't you agree that your preseason panic was for naught?

I pick that because of their success in recent years playing on primetime TV. Something you probably didn't even consider.

Have you even looked at the schedule? They may lose this game and still win 10 or 11 games. The 2nd half of the schedule is where they can make hay. Especially considering the fact that , with any luck, they will have Henry and Perry back.

My point is, if they beat the Ravens, you will not find a sole that picks them to win less than 10 games. I mean, except for you, you will not find a sole that picks them to win less than 10 games.

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Have you even looked at the schedule? They may lose this game and still win 10 or 11 games. The 2nd half of the schedule is where they can make hay. Especially considering the fact that , with any luck, they will have Henry and Perry back.

My point is, if they beat the Ravens, you will not find a sole that picks them to win less than 10 games. I mean, except for you, you will not find a sole that picks them to win less than 10 games.

How quickly they forget. Is 2001 so far in the past?

Start the season by beating the team who would win the Super Bowl that year (Pats)? Check.

Beat the defending Super Bowl champs (Balti) in game 2? Check.

Easy-looking remaining sked (more than half the teams left to go would finish under .500)? Check.

Finish 6-10. Sadly, check.

Don't read too much into early games, especially divisional ones. A win would be big; a loss a blow but not the end of the world. It's a long season.

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Bengals 26

Ravens 24

A last minute field goal wins it. :bengal:

So, you pick the Bengals to beat the RAVENS, but you don't think they will win 10 games? If they 'man up' and beat the Ravens, wouldn't you agree that your preseason panic was for naught?

I pick that because of their success in recent years playing on primetime TV. Something you probably didn't even consider.

Have you even looked at the schedule? They may lose this game and still win 10 or 11 games. The 2nd half of the schedule is where they can make hay. Especially considering the fact that , with any luck, they will have Henry and Perry back.

My point is, if they beat the Ravens, you will not find a sole that picks them to win less than 10 games. I mean, except for you, you will not find a sole that picks them to win less than 10 games.

I get the feeling that you think I'm hoping for the Bengals to have little success this year, and that's simply not true. It's just with what I've seen them do defensively last year, and the pre-season this year, I can't fathom them winning 10 or 11 games without a good deal of improvement there. Do I pray for this? I sure as hell do. OTOH I've prayed for a Super Bowl Win for many years as well. I think God is pissed at me for something. :huh:

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First play of the game, Skyler Green run sit back for a TD.

After ensuig kickoff McNairs' arm falls clean off on the first play, no blood, no screaming it just falls clean off.

Kyle Boller enters then game.

Cincy 54 Baltimore 0

5 TD's intercepted.

The Johnsons get plenty of TD's

Call in sick to work Tuesday

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Bengals 26

Ravens 24

A last minute field goal wins it. :bengal:

So, you pick the Bengals to beat the RAVENS, but you don't think they will win 10 games? If they 'man up' and beat the Ravens, wouldn't you agree that your preseason panic was for naught?

I pick that because of their success in recent years playing on primetime TV. Something you probably didn't even consider.

Have you even looked at the schedule? They may lose this game and still win 10 or 11 games. The 2nd half of the schedule is where they can make hay. Especially considering the fact that , with any luck, they will have Henry and Perry back.

My point is, if they beat the Ravens, you will not find a sole that picks them to win less than 10 games. I mean, except for you, you will not find a sole that picks them to win less than 10 games.

I get the feeling that you think I'm hoping for the Bengals to have little success this year, and that's simply not true. It's just with what I've seen them do defensively last year, and the pre-season this year, I can't fathom them winning 10 or 11 games without a good deal of improvement there. Do I pray for this? I sure as hell do. OTOH I've prayed for a Super Bowl Win for many years as well. I think God is pissed at me for something. :huh:

I understand, they can be a very frustrating team to cheer for. Don't worry, it's a done deal anyway. They can not beat the Ravens because I am going to the game. They have lost like the last 6 games I have attended. Maybe I'll wear a different shirt or something.

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I think the Bengals can win, but they'll have to make the game a shootout....which they can do as they've proven they can move the ball against the Ravens as few teams can IF they can protect Carson Palmer.

They need to build an early lead, get the home crowd into the game, and feed off of the emotion resulting in a rare MNF appearance.

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