The Ravens, too strong for the steelers???

[polamalubeast]

http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=402653&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=90


I think the loss of Santonio ( Raven Killer ) Holmes is the one that is going to hurt the Steelers the most when they face the Ravens. Every Ravens/Steelers game Santonio would be the one that put the dagger in the Ravens hearts. I think Mike Wallace is going to be a good one but I don't think hes going to provide the Steelers with the kind of playmaking ability Holmes did at least not this year. I know hes an awesome deep threat but im talking in terms of finding the holes in coverage and being that go to guy when Ben scrambles out of the pocket.




What years did the Steelers win the superbowl? I don't think they can this year because they have never lost a WR before, and they have never played through adversity and won a superbowl.




I don't think it's going to bury you overall, but I don't think you are going to as good against the Ravens. Honestly, Holmes killed us when we played you guys and has been the difference maker in your games against us the past two seasons. I don't see our defense letting you guys do a whole lot against us without him. If Wallace can step up then he can make the difference, but I don't think he is going to be as good as Holmes was against us. Seriously, if you guys had played us the last two seasons without him, I don't think you could have won more than maybe one of the 5 game against us. Against other teams you will be fine, but without the speed and quickness of Holmes, the Ravens defense can stop your offense.

Our weakness is our CB's and we struggle against extra fast and quick receivers and also big tall physical receivers. I liked Limas Sweed when you drafted him, but he really hasn't shown anything. Ward is physical, but not exceptionally tall and he is aging and slowing down. The only WR's I see beating us really bad would be Wallace or Sanders, your two speedsters, but neither has proven they can do it. I mean, first game you won't even have Big Ben, so that game already looks like it's going to be really low scoring. We will see, but I don't see the Steelers putting up much offense this season against the Ravens at all.

The Ravens on the other hand have a good chance of being able to put up a lot of points on any team this year, even the Steelers. Adding Boldin means that Gay or McFadden is going to be covering Mason and I'm not sure either are good enough to cover a borderline #1 WR. Honestly I don't think either are good enough to cover a good #2 either so whatever you want to classify Mason, I think he could light either of them up 1 on 1. I like the Taylor- Boldin matchup as well. Boldin's physical style is something the Steelers haven't had to deal with from the Ravens WR's. Plus if you look at Stallworth, Clayton, Williams and Reed, 2 of them as the 3rd or 4th should be able to make an impact. All 4 have the ability to be decent in the slot role.




Who was the last Steeler WR to put up 100+ yards on the Ravens? Not Holmes... it was that old guy who is slowing down.

Haha. Holmes consistently put up better numbers and more TD's then Ward. Ward is great and he could always do well because he is a really smart player and gets in the CB's head. He can draw penalties and frustrate whoever is covering him. He is on the downswing though and if he doesn't have that guy on the otherside to draw coverage away, we won't have to put any CB one on one with Ward and we can double him and bump him on the line and double him with a LB under and CB deep. Our defense can do more to avoid those one on one's and he can be stopped. I'm not saying he can't have a great game if he is given opportunities, but even if he does, I don't think that alone would be enough to win it for you.

[polamalubeast]

No that's the point. The fact that he doesn't have Santonio Holmes on the other side drawing coverage is another reason why he won't get the opportunities against the Ravens. The difference between Mason and Ward is that Mason's role has been reduced to the #2 with the addition of Boldin. He should be able to continue to have success when next year he gets covered by #2 CB's instead of #1. Mason is getting older and isn't going to be able to handle the #1 role. I think Mason is going to decline due to age, but in his reduced role he can thrive. Ward, on the other hand, lost his #2 guy and is in the #1 role. It's not a good position to be in. Don't talk about Nate Washington filling in for him because we all know that Holmes is the better WR. Your only hope is Wallace this year and while I think he will be good, I don't think he is as good as Holmes. Or maybe Sanders will be the guy, but I don't think he is ready. I don't see any doubt that with the addition of Boldin for the Ravens and the loss of Holmes for the Steelers, the edge at the WR position has dramatically change hands.



It's that your offense is losing WR's and that our offense is gaining WR's. Not to mention the TWO TE's that we drafted. Our offense looks dramatically better this season, while your offense lost a WR and you just lost Colon to injury. You don't have Ben for at least the first 4 games. Both defenses are going to play great against the other team regardless, it's mostly about who has more offensive weapons to spread it out and confuse the defense. Bringing Polamalu back will be huge, but I think usually the difference between who wins in this rivalry is who has the better offense. It's not like the Ravens defense isn't getting better from the additions they made and having everyone back healthy. Both defense's will be great as long as their aren't any big injuries. [knock on wood]



I love how steelers fans constantly say that the ravens "barely" beat the steelers in OT last year with dixon at QB. That is a rediculous statement.

The ravens marched downfield on the steelers six times, and had Flacco had a better threat at wide reciever (Anquan Boldin, Donte Stallworth), the 6 field goal attempts (five were made) could have been touchdowns. Had that been the case, instead of only scoring 15 points, we may have scored 35 - 42. Now obviously, that is not what happened, but the additions of Q and Stallworth could have made that the case rather easily. Instead, because of lack of confidence in the #2 reciever, we had Rice/Mcgahee/Mclain run the ball against a very stout steelers defense. The steelers corners are subpar much like the ravens, and i think at least a couple of those field goals would have been TD's if Q and Stallworth were on the team last year.

Finally, Flacco likes to force the ball in the middle sometimes, and Q being a physical reciever who is great across the middle, is perfect for that type of situation. Thats a big deal, and because of it you will see less of Flacco flipping the ball a few yards to Rice.






That's not the point. The point is that with better recieving threats, the Ravens could have easily won that game. The same goes for several other losses we had last year. This is why adding Q and Stallworth is such a big deal and will really elevate the Ravens.





Stallworth is better than people give him credit for, and he has been training hard all summer. He definentally has more reliable hands then Clayton. Clayton can get open but can't catch the damn ball, which lost us more than one game last season.

Ben is a great QB, but I was at that game, and having Ben there wouldn't have made much of a difference. That game was an average scoring game for a Ravens-Steelers matchup, even when Big Ben is on the field. Common guys...five field goals...five of them. Flacco marched all over Pittsburgh until the red zone where our run game got stuffed. Having good depth at WR, and not to mention now TE, would have drastically changed the game.

Polumalu could have definentally made a huge impact in that game, but the point is that steelers fans are asking why all the sudden the Ravens are getting so much love? Well I just told you. Turning field goals into TD's.



On the topic of Donte Stallworth, I dont think anyone is making him out to be some sort of significant upgrade or difference maker at receiver. The way I see it he is purely a wildcard and anything we get from him is bonus. I think the potential is there for him to beat out Mark Clayton as the 3rd receiver and make an impact as a deep threat. Im sure not counting on it though and if not he should at least be an upgrade over Demetrius Williams, which is not at all a stretch. Stallworth was a low risk, high reward addition. If he doesnt return to the player he was a couple years ago or still cant stay healthy, oh well, we're in no worse shape than we were last season. Otherwise, we're better.


Also, I dont know what the root of all this talk about barely beating the Steelers or going into overtime against Dennis Dixon, but it seems kinda silly. What does it really mean? Are Steelers fans just offended that a couple Ravens fans think they will sweep them this season? What do you expect? The Ravens are coming off one of their most exciting offseasons and the Steelers are coming off one of their worst.

We all know that anything goes when the Steelers and Ravens play, regardless of who won last season, what the score was or who is out with injuries. It doesnt matter, but if there is going to be a year for people to expect a Ravens sweep, it makes sense for this to be it. I dont think it will happen personally, I think Baltimore splits with both Pit and Cin, but its not some outrageous statement either.

http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=402653&start=135&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

[Akagi]

LOL. I guess we'll have to schedule a couple games and find out... oh, wait.

[fansince'76]

They say the same crap pretty much every year. Talk's cheap.

[Dino 6 Rings]

They say the same crap pretty much every year. Talk's cheap.

I agree 100% its the same crap pouring out of their filthy loser mouths every single year.

And every year, we have to shut them up.

Someone let me know when they actually beat us in a Playoff Game.

[Vincent]

They say the same crap pretty much every year. Talk's cheap.

They behaved stupidly.

[salamander]

:coffee:

Is it September yet?

[SteelCityMan786]

Originally Posted by spiritoftruth
What years did the Steelers win the superbowl? I don't think they can this year because they have never lost a WR before, and they have never played through adversity and won a superbowl.

this had to have been said in jest.


p. burress
I have to LAUGH at this. :rofl: I am pretty certain the Steelers lost a great Wide Receiver (Hmmmm Burress sound familiar?) and what happened?

Also to the Rats fan who trys to down play Dixon's efforts, GIVE ME A ROYAL F'ING BREAK!!!! That's pitiful how a team who didn't even have their starter active for the game still managed to almost beat Baltimore IN BALTIMORE with their 3rd String QB. That's embarassing.

[SMR]

I have to LAUGH at this. :rofl: I am pretty certain the Steelers lost a great Wide Receiver (Hmmmm Burress sound familiar?) and what happened?

Also to the Rats fan who trys to down play Dixon's efforts, GIVE ME A ROYAL F'ING BREAK!!!! That's pitiful how a team who didn't even have their starter active for the game still managed to almost beat Baltimore IN BALTIMORE with their 3rd String QB. That's embarassing.

So true! :dance:

[NJarhead]

:jerkit:

Something tells me that footballsfuture's future is in doubt.

:coffee:

[st33lersguy]

What years did the Steelers win the superbowl? I don't think they can this year because they have never lost a WR before, and they have never played through adversity and won a superbowl.

To a ravens fan, going from 7-5 and one loss away from elimination to superbowl champions including 3 road playoff games isn't adversity

[kmsteelerwr15]

Damn why does it have to be so long before we can prove them wrong...again

[steeldevil]

To a ravens fan, going from 7-5 and one loss away from elimination to superbowl champions including 3 road playoff games isn't adversity

Nah man dont you know adversity is when a team starts out 0-10 and then wins the last 6 games and by some miracle 6-10 is good enough to win their division.... Then in the playoffs that team comes back from 30-0 deficits in all 4 games to win 31-30 on field goals with 1 second left in those games.... Nothing short of that may be defined as adversity....:lol: A 10-10 Super Bowl Champion...:doh2:

[HometownGal]

And how many Super Bowls have the Ratfinks won? :rolleyes2: :coffee:

Tis' the rantings of little purple dwarfs who only bruise their sternums whilst beating their bosoms while secretly fearing the one team who they know can knock them down off their stinky lil' brown burros.

[BlastFurnace]

They are again...the NFL Champions in July. Who cares what these nimrods think.

The games are won on the field.

[Devilsdancefloor]

The steelers are so in there heads it is killing them already.

[TatarMongol]

I like em rough & tough. It makes us play harder & when V do, V always win.

[solardave]

Let's face it. As long as they have Ray Lewis and Donte Stallworth there is always the possibility that they can KILL us.

[Galax Steeler]

It is funny how they talk this stuff every year. Lets just kick back and see what happens.

[Butch]

The steelers are so in there heads it is killing them already.

We always are: REMEMBER Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere except the Steelers, in Pittsburgh, during Prime Time WHAAA. This was their official appeal to the NFL so tell me again who's afraid of who???

In the words of Mr. Hines Ward..."EWWW I'm scared" ROFLMAO!

[memphissteelergirl]

Ho hum...Ravens fans talking smack again.

Next...:coffee:

[BigNastyDefense]

The Ravens don't scare me. Stallworth will be on IR by week three. Boldin, he'll miss his annual three games a season and then pull a hammy in the playoffs.

The scariest offensive player on the Ravens is Ray Rice, IMHO.

Oh yeah....and Flacco is afraid of Woodley and Harrison. They own him and he knows it.

[Indo]

The Ravens don't scare me. Stallworth will be on IR by week three. Boldin, he'll miss his annual three games a season and then pull a hammy in the playoffs.

The scariest offensive player on the Ravens is Ray Rice, IMHO.

Oh yeah....and Flacco is afraid of Woodley and Harrison. They own him and he knows it.


And let's not forget about Troy and the AFCCG-clinching INT that Flacco threw to him...or the time that Flacco thought his big ol' line could protect him from Troy---who simply jumped over them.

Yeah, he's afraid of Troy, too.

[steel striker]

Time will tell and, it cracks me up that most of the media is on all the raven bandwagon for now. I'm sure after we beat them twice and, win the afc north their tune will change.

[fansince'76]

Boldin, he'll miss his annual three games a season and then pull a hammy in the playoffs.

He also won't have Fitz on the other side....

[tyler289]

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSG-X_EeQhbxuZvoG232o_FyA7L1QMZZHA9IArHp9u0zer5mEg&t=1&usg=__iMWo2atzkHpR0cEKcYqykX-NePQ=

[Edman]

Both finished with 9-7 records.
Split last years meetings
3rd String QB took them to OT in Baltimore.
Ravens have 5 out of the last 7 meetings against Pittsburgh, including a three game sweep.

But now, we're supposed to be dominated by them. The only guy that scares me on the Ravens is Ray Rice. That's it.

You would think they learn by now that nothing ever comes easy in this rivalry.

[steelerdude15]

Their defense is also getting much older as well. It's their offense that is starting to heat things up and Ray Rice is their number one weapon. Take him out of the game plan and that offense is easier to manage.

[Steelerchad]

Their defense is also getting much older as well. It's their offense that is starting to heat things up and Ray Rice is their number one weapon. Take him out of the game plan and that offense is easier to manage.

I just heard that old defense will be without Ed Reed for at least the first 6 games of the year. Yes, their offense has gotten better the last couple years, but their defense has declined in my opinion the last couple years. Reed's injuries, Ray Lewis' age. Yeah, they can still stop the run, but who cares if you can throw all over them. Weak CB's and limited safety help with Reed either not playing or playing injured should spell doom for their pass D.

[steelerdude15]

I just heard that old defense will be without Ed Reed for at least the first 6 games of the year. Yes, their offense has gotten better the last couple years, but their defense has declined in my opinion the last couple years. Reed's injuries, Ray Lewis' age. Yeah, they can still stop the run, but who cares if you can throw all over them. Weak CB's and limited safety help with Reed either not playing or playing injured should spell doom for their pass D.
Yeah their secondary is going to hurt without Reed.

[st33lersguy]

wonder what slim cucumber has to say about this topic? :scratchchin: (lol)

[Psycho Ward 86]

Yeah their secondary is going to hurt without Reed.

Dont be so sure...Zbikowski has been a pleasant surprise for the Ravens.

Ozzie Newsome and his damned drafting prowess! :upyours:

[The Duke]

A team that hasn't beaten ben since 2006 is too strong for the steelers? Give me a break

Beat big ben and then you'll have bragging rights

[fansince'76]

wonder what slim cucumber has to say about this topic? :scratchchin: (lol)

Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be concluded with plenty of exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bucktooth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:chuckle:

[Killer]

Ratbirds will be lucky to go 8-8 without Reed.

Their secondary is worse than the Browns.

[polamalubeast]

AFC North
http://i.usatoday.net/_common/_images/_sports/logos/nfl/ravens_50t.png 1.) Baltimore Ravens - 14-2

http://i.usatoday.net/_common/_images/_sports/logos/nfl/bengals_50t.png 2.) Cincinnati Bengals - 9-7

http://i.usatoday.net/_common/_images/_sports/logos/nfl/steelers_50t.png 3.) Pitsburgh Steelers - 8-8

http://i.usatoday.net/_common/_images/_sports/logos/nfl/browns_50t.png 4. Cleveland Browns - 2-14

]

:coffee:

[salamander]

:coffee:

They actually think the Ravens are going to win 14 games next season?

[Edman]

Each and every year the Ravens are supposed to be hot shit and dominate everyone, and each and every year they get owned. They need to worry about not getting owned by the Colts, let alone being better than Pittsburgh, who has also owned them.

If I recall, didn't Cincy actually win the division last year? Granted they sucked near the end of the year and still couldn't win a playoff game, but still.

[86WARD]

Yeah their secondary is going to hurt without Reed.

Their secondary was hurting with Ed Reed. It's the weakest part of their team.

[tube517]

Yawn

[steelpride12]

Well the posts all came from Raven's fans what do you expect them to say? "Yay Steelers will kick our asses this season, here we go again!?"

[Crow-Magnon]

I am SO glad training camp opens Monday!

Then we can stop all the speculating and focus on who's doing what, who looks good and who looks fat and out-of-shape, etc.

It's a long season. Anything can happen. Baltimore could be 14-2 or 7-9....and so could Pittsburgh. This ain't MLB and the Yankees.

[polamalubeast]

:ranger:

[Edman]

They most certainly are.

[smokin3000gt]

*poops self a little*

[stillers4me]

I would have loved to have seen the score if we had actually been healthy and fully loaded. With all our injuries, they should have been able to walk all over us, but we held our own very nicely under the circumstances.

Never under estimate a pissed off Pittsburgh football team. :tt03:

[SMR]

ROFL

[stlrtruck]

Let's see the way it played out this year:

Game 1 - no Reed, no Ben, ravens win on last minute TD with Steelers defense playing off (aka prevent)
Game 2 - Reed and Ben play, Steelers win wth TD in final minutes, Steelers defense doesn't play off.

Do I point out the obvious or will they get it.