alright less than a month to go till preseason. time to start this thread
this constant entrance and subsequent exit of coaches is getting annoying. we really need some dam continuity at the coaching positions. thankfully i think we finally have a guy who will finally stick around in ryan. schotty on the other hand will probably take a head coaching job next year.
Lots of questions as we start the season:
1. Who's gonna be claim the starting QB job? its hard to say for sure, but obviously most have to think it will be Sanchez. however you cant discount the possibility of Clemens performing well this preseason and the coaches having no choice but to declare him the starter. he has to earn it but if he does the team will be clearly better with him and capable of making the playoffs imo.
2. The WR corps. A lot of you are worried about this, but as long as the OL stays healthy this is not a concern. Stop looking at Keller as a TE, he is the #2 receiver. Stuckey is #2 on the WR depth chart, but he is clearly the 3rd receiving option, and Clowney/Smith 4th/5th. This is adequate because of how often they'll be running the ball. Ryan LOVES the OL. The ravens ran the ball almost 600 times last year to about 460 pass dropbacks. expect a similar ratio. If Sanchez is the starter, maybe even more runs. For those of you still unconvinced, keep an eye on the Plaxico situation. If he gets the nod from Goodell to play this season, I wouldnt be surprised to see tannenbaum move quickly.
3. What can we expect from Gholston? Forget that we drafted him in 2008. This kid is still a rookie. He missed half the offseason and then mangini gave him gigantic book to memorize. His number of plays were minimal, and usually in garbage time. And oh, forget that book now, new coach new defense. He's a rookie. So what can you expect? Anything, nothing, inbetween. Impossible to say, but we will get an idea soon enough. This time he was here the entire offseason, and with Pace out for 4 games, he will see plenty of action.
4. Is the defense as good as its being talked up? How much will the loss of Pace for 4 games hurt? I think this is the season we get to appreciate how good Kerry Rhodes is. There is alot of talent on this defense, but make no mistake, Rhodes is the star and this season the defense is built around him. The loss of Pace is a small setback but he is by no means an elite force that will be sorely missed, not for only 4 games anyway. If this unit is not as good as advertised, they will not make the playoffs. But obv I think it is
Preseason:
Aug 14 - vs. St. Louis 7:00 PM
Aug 24 - @ Baltimore 8:00 PM
Aug 29 - @ NY Giants 8:00 PM
Sept 3 - vs. Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Regular Season:
Sept 13 - @ Houston 1:00 PM
Sept 20 - vs. New England 1:00 PM
Sept 27 - vs. Tennessee 4:15 PM
Oct 4 - @ New Orleans 4:05 PM
Oct 12 - vs. @ Miami 8:30 PM
Oct 18 - vs. Buffalo 4:15 PM
Oct 25 - @ Oakland 4:05 PM
Nov 1 - vs. Miami 1:00 PM
Bye
Nov 15 - Jacksonville 1:00 PM
Nov 22 - @New England 4:15 PM
Nov 29 - vs. Carolina 1:00 PM
Dec 3 - @ Buffalo 8:20 PM
Dec 13 - @ Tampa Bay 1:00 PM
Dec 20 - vs. Atlanta 1:00 PM
Dec 27 - @ Indianapolis 4:15 PM
Jan 3 - vs. Cincinnati 1:00 PM
If Clemens starts, I think they can win 8-10, mayyybe 11 games. If Sanchez, it gets pretty unpredictable with about the same ceiling. Regardless, I think you can expect a pretty competitive season from this team with lots of close games. This team stayed very healthy last year, hopefully they can avoid key injuries again this year, especially on the OL