2012 Ravens Record?

[Gatorman82]

You know, most years I have a pretty strong feeling about how the Ravens are going to do. I picked the Ravens to be 12-4 last year. But this year, there are just too many variables. Will Suggs play? If so, when and will he be 100%? Will Upshaw be a factor? Will Kruger step up? Will Jimmy Smith live up to expectations? Will the WRs live up to expectations? Will Torrey Smith become a star? Will the no-huddle be the thing that propels Joe and the offense to the upper tier of the NFL? Will Pees succeed as DC?

If most or all of the answers are "yes", then the Ravens could win the Super Bowl. If most are "no", the Ravens miss the playoffs. And I think that most of those questions could go either way. My hunch is that there will be more "yes" than "no" answers. But I think the Ravens won't reach their potential until the second half of the season. But I honestly have no idea what will happen.

The uncertainty makes me nervous, but it kinda makes me excited too.

[Honest John]

11 - 5. Win AFC North.

This isn't exactly news, but Suggs will be sorely missed, not only as a pass rusher but in run defense. So will JJ - toughness, smarts and experience are undervalued qualities. For years, teams knew they could not run on the Ravens, now the edges look like they may be vulnerable. The DL has to compensate for the loss of Suggs and JJ if the run defense is to maintain its level of excellence of past years. The DL is also going to have to play a larger role in the pass rush. On the other hand, the defense still has Ray and Ed, and Webb is a top flight CB. Pollard has been a great addition.

Offensively, we've seen Joe mature in terms of leadership and control of the offense, Torrie may be a budding star, Boldin is in the slot where he belongs and where he has been very effective, and there are now some legitimate 3rd and 4th receivers. Pitta makes big catches and catches everything thrown at him. Rice is Rice. The OL will be OK, especially if Cam actually calls these shorter, quicker slants and crossing routes and the OL doesn't have to block as long. IMO, the biggest problem with Cam over the years has been the routes - they've taken too long to develop and often result in little separation. Yes, that can also be result of lack of talent at the WR position, but that doesn't look like a big problem this year. I'm not sure I can see Big Mac in a no huddle, though. We'll see.

I think the Ravens go into game 12 at 6-5 and run the table to 11-5.

FWIW, I think Phila. makes to the SB this year. I'm not sure how anyone is going to be able to defend those guys. Unless Vick gets hurt. . I also don't get all the love for Denver. I see 6-10 for them, with SD and KC battling for that division. NO will win the NFC South. SF wins NFC West. GB, Det, and Chi all make the playoffs. NE, Pgh, and Buff or KC-SD runner-up fill out bracket. Hous vs. Phila in SB.

[bmore finest]

Tough run this year, but i have faith that we always step up with good teams. Ready for this one, 13-3!! Yup wont lose til pitt game and SD, with the third being manning, peyton. 5-1 in north, champs again, and will have both tiebreaker, NE and HOU, so the road goes thru Charm City!! With Art helping lift us to superbowl!!

[knots]

Given their schedule, 11-5 looks very reasonable....

Monday 10 Sept: Cincinnati Bengals W
Sunday 16 Sept: @ Philadelphia Eagles (previous game: @ Cleveland) L
Sunday 23 Sept: New England Patriots (8:20 start) (previous game: Arizona) W
Thurs 27 Sept: Cleveland Browns (previous game: Buffalo) w
Sunday 7 Oct: @ Kansas City Chiefs (previous game: San Diego) w
Sunday 14 Oct: Dallas Cowboys (previous game: BYE) w
Sunday 21 Oct: @ Houston Texans (previous game: Green Bay, SNF) L
Sunday 28 Oct: BYE
Sunday 4 Nov: @ Cleveland Browns (previous game: San Diego) W
Sunday 11 Nov: Oakland Raiders (previous game: Tampa Bay) W
Sunday 18 Nov: @ Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20 start) (previous game: Kansas City, MNF) L
Sunday 25 Nov: @ San Diego Chargers (previous game: @ Denver) L
Sunday 2 Dec: Pittsburgh Steelers (previous game: @ Cleveland) W
Sunday 9 Dec: @ Washington Redskins (previous game: NY Giants, MNF) W
Sunday 16 Dec: Denver Broncos (previous game: @ Oakland, TNF) W
Sunday 23 Dec: New York Giants (previous game: @ Atlanta) L
Sunday 30 Dec: @ Cincinnati Bengals (previous game: @ Pittsburgh) W

[Ravenous1]

Joe Flacco takes a huge step forward in a more open fast paced offense with better tools
This prediction leads to my next.... The Ravens D falls off some but nearly as much as people expect. WHY?
Many many less 3 and outs. The offense will be far more effective and thus D will need to do less.
Ravens shock many and go 13-3 maybe 14-2 if they can pick off Philly or Houston on the road.
Ravens are the 1 seed go to SB vrs GB
Ravens 31-23 in Super Bowl.
True Story

Seriously I think last year I went with 11-5. I just have this feeling that this team is going to be so much more dynamic on offense that when Suggs comes back it will be icing on the cake. A good offense can help cover up holes on your D... This D is maybe not as good as past versions without Suggs but for the first time in a long time they will not need to be that good either and that will help immensely.

[sandiegosean]

12-4 AFCN Champs, AFC Rep in Superbowl.....Difference this year is the offense carries us.

[dc369]

11-5 AFCN Champs. Lose in AFC Championship game in Houston.

[Real Fan Dan]

vs Cincinnati Bengals W
@ Philadelphia Eagles L
vs New England Patriots L
vs Cleveland Browns W
@ Kansas City Chiefs W
vs Dallas Cowboys W
@ Houston Texans L
Sunday 28 Oct: BYE
@ Cleveland Browns W
vs Oakland Raiders W
@ Pittsburgh Steelers L
@ San Diego Chargers L
Pittsburgh Steelers W
@ Washington Redskins W
vs Denver Broncos L
vs New York Giants W
@ Cincinnati Bengals W/L

I always temper my expectations - especially at the beginning of the year.
It's a truly tough schedule. We'll have a tough time against the gunslinger QB's without much pass rush. I still have my doubts about the OL protecting Joe long enough as well.

10-6 possibly 9-7
Hope i'm wrong

[bacchys]

I don't look at the schedule when trying to predict how the team is going to do. Invariably, it seems like they beat someone they perhaps shouldn't have and lose a game they should have. We shouldn't have beaten San Diego the year Ray stuffed Sproles to seal the game, but a crazy performance by Flacco and a defense showing that being great also means being able to gut out getting burned to still step and make plays pulled it out.

Instead, I just try to get a feel for how good I think the team is and express that in wins and losses. This is a very good Ravens squad, imo. The offense looks better than it has since Testaverde was under center, and Flacco doesn't have Vinnie's knack for tossing game-losing touchdowns. We have a good receiving corps, imo. The O-line looks better out of the starting gate than they did last year, though I don't rate them much better than average when it comes to O-lines. Some very good pieces, but the overall isn't dominant by any stretch. Ray Rice is Ray Rice. He's one of the best players in the game and a threat to score from anywhere on the field running or passing. Boldin is like having a fullback playing wide receiver: he punishes secondaries. Smith and Jones are serious downfield threats. More Smith than Jones, but our three-receiver sets are going to give defenses fits. Cameron can run the old Gibbs version of the Coryell with three receivers and a tight-end and cause match-up problems for any defense the other team uses to stop it: 3-4, 4-3, nickel...whatever. It's a power formation that stretch the field, especially with Boldin's ability to block downfield. We don't have a TE that can block quite like Donnie Warren could for those Gibbs teams, but our TE's aren't terrible blockers. The only problem with that formation is it takes Leach off the field, so I don't want to see a lot of it, but mixing it in, especially coupled with the sugar huddle, will do a lot to keep defenses off-balance.

Defensively, I don't think we have a dominant defense quite like we're used to seeing, but they're going to be good. We have good young players and two of the best defensive leaders in the history of the game in Lewis and Reed. Lewis is a lot like Gino Marchetti was: a leader who is respected by his colleagues across the league. Mattison gets a lot of (undeserved, imo) heat among Ravens fans, but he had a shaky secondary to protect. He still managed to lead a top 10 defense. Our secondary isn't shaky. It'll get burned at times, a natural consequence of having young corners, but Webb is a gamebreaker and Reed is still a force to be feared.

The pass rush worries a lot, and I, too, have concerns. There's no way to paint losing Suggs as a positive. But Kruger, McPhee are solid young players who are still improving, and Pees has a history of creativity and adroit use of talent. Lewis is a better pass rusher than most consider because he's always been so dominant against the run and solid in coverage. He's not been asked to blitz often in his career, but I think that changes this year.

I think both units finish in the top 10 this year, which bodes well in the W-L consideration. I think they go 12-4 and win the division. Unfortunately, I think that means that we'll again have to go through someone else's house to get to the Super Bowl.

[Corvus Corax]

League-wide predictions:

AFC
Division Champs
Patriots
Steelers
Texans
Chargers
Wild Card
Ravens
Jets

NFC
Division Champs
Eagles
Packers
Falcons
49ers
Wild Card
Cowboys
Bears

Super Bowl
Ravens vs 49ers
Champion
Ravens

P.S. Posting a bit late but I 'freeze-dried' my picks earlier this past week (before the Dallas-NYG game on 9/5).

[Agent 47]

Calling for 9-7. Probably win a couple games they shouldn't, but might also lose a couple they shouldn't. I know the latter goes against the Harbaugh-era Ravens' M.O., but if yesterday's action is any indication, it's already looking like it's going to be one of those kinds of wacky years, so they could be ripe for an upset or two.

Whether that's enough to get into the playoffs, who knows...it'll definitely be earned, that's for sure.

Can't quantify how big Suggs' absence is going to be. Just his presence changes the game significantly.

[leachisabeast]

Calling for 9-7. Probably win a couple games they shouldn't, but might also lose a couple they shouldn't. I know the latter goes against the Harbaugh-era Ravens' M.O., but if yesterday's action is any indication, it's already looking like it's going to be one of those kinds of wacky years, so they could be ripe for an upset or two.

Whether that's enough to get into the playoffs, who knows...it'll definitely be earned, that's for sure.

Can't quantify how big Suggs' absence is going to be. Just his presence changes the game significantly.

There aren't many teams even on this schedule that would be called "upsets" if we where to win. The Ravens are rarely underdogs against teams, I guess the Patriots, and the Texans are probably considered the favourites. But everyone else, you'd probably look at those games and say, yeah the Ravens should win this one.

Obviously as you said, we will lose some games that we shouldn't, but I doubt we will go 9-7 either.

[deuce]

I am normally a massive homer with my predictions, and really hope we roll to a 14 win type season, but I am super negative right now. Maybe I still have just not got over the AFCCG. The o-line is shaping up to be a disaster for 2012. I am glad we drafted KO and GG, but Birk is done IMO, not expecting much from Bobby Williams and hate how we have handled the MO/BM/KO situation. Also, the pass rush is too weak (on paper) in a divison/conference where it is vital to get after the QB. Those 2 things are too much to overcome. I hope I am VERY wrong, but 8-8.

A convincing win tonight can change my opinion quickly though LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO