So, the Broncos defense is missing Von Miller, Champ Bailey...and...

[Broncosballer32]

Well, the Ravens are missing what from last year? Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and who else? Kruger?

Broncos missing Von Miller, Champ Bailey and Dumervil. Arguably their three best 3 defenders. Two of those 3 in the middle of their prime.

Wonderful. No seriously. Wonderful.

 

[MrDoc420]

They also don't have Ellerbe, Pollard or Cary Williams anymore. I actually didn't realized how much turnover they had on defense till I really looked it over yesterday. Outside of Suggs and Ngata they're defense was gutted. I know they brought in Canty and Dumervil, but that hardly makes up for all the lossed they had on D.

 

[Tgann69]

But Last year we didn't have Lad Webb (due to injury) and he's back as our #1 cb and Graham played great in the playoffs last year; he picked Peyton twice once for a TD.

Our LBs were slow last year this year we have tackling maching D Smith and our D LINE is much improved.

Canty Ngata Spears backed by Doom and a healthy Suggs....

Ellerbe was a backup only on the field bc McClain was injured and Pollard was a deficit against the pass... Harbs got it right with replacing them. Cleveland and Miami overpaid for two backup Linebackers in Ellerbe and Kruger...40 million a piece? lol!

Our D is much better Reed and Lewis as great as they were should hv retired 2 years ago.

 

[Broncosr0k]

Our D is much better Reed and Lewis as great as they were should hv retired 2 years ago.

Except it will still take time for the D to gel. Also, Ed Reed and Ray Lewis were the heart and soul of the defense they may have taken a step back talent-wise but who else will bring the intensity they did?

 

[MrDoc420]

But Last year we didn't have Lad Webb (due to injury) and he's back as our #1 cb and Graham played great in the playoffs last year; he picked Peyton twice once for a TD.

Our LBs were slow last year this year we have tackling maching D Smith and our D LINE is much improved.

Canty Ngata Spears backed by Doom and a healthy Suggs....

Ellerbe was a backup only on the field bc McClain was injured and Pollard was a deficit against the pass... Harbs got it right with replacing them. Cleveland and Miami overpaid for two backup Linebackers in Ellerbe and Kruger...40 million a piece? lol!

Our D is much better Reed and Lewis as great as they were should hv retired 2 years ago.

You can't be serious?!!

 

[cdumler7]

Let us really think through this tgann. So what you are saying is all the players the Ravens have lost this off season especially on defense were nothing but a bunch of slow over the hill veterans or back ups at best type players yet somehow these kind of players just helped your team win a Superbowl? I'm sorry but back ups in the NFL do not win Superbowls and don't try to say well they won in spite of having these players that were a hindrance.

When all of these guys that have left are going and starting on other teams and some of them actually being quality teams that some are predicting to go to the Superbowl then at least many in the NFL viewed these guys as more than just career back ups.

Also with your comment about Reed and Lewis it just makes me think that somebody came and stuck a hose up your butt and pumped nothing but purple kool-aid into you all summer long. They are definitely not in their prime but that veteran leadership no matter how you try to slice it will be missed in that locker room and on the field. See Bronco fans understand in we have a guy named Champ Bailey who is maybe a step slower but he still year in and year out ranks among the best corners in the game because of the intelligence he brings to the field in knowing how to do his job right almost every single time.

The Ravens defense this past year yes took a step back but where they were still top notch was Red Zone defense and that is because of players knowing exactly where they were to be on the field. Having so many new faces that kind of thing takes time to build and it is not about athletic ability but intelligence at that point. Having a guy like Arthur Brown on the field as a rookie even though he is athletically gifted there will be some times where he is out of position as all rookies have those moments. Smith learning a new defense will have the same problem plus having two new safeties so the middle of that defense is going to struggle. Throw in teams like the Broncos who can spread the Ravens out because they are not very deep in the secondary (Jimmy Smith just looks horrible by the way) and unless the Ravens can get pressure on the quarterback are really going to struggle this year on defense at times even though they might have more talent on the field than last year. The Eagles should show us that Talent does not always equal success.

Seriously dude at least us Bronco fans can be half way objective about our own team in realizing we have some question marks especially on the defensive side of the ball. I don't think I have heard you even question one thing about your team for this year. You make it sound like they are the best thing since sliced bread and well hate to break it to you they are far from looking like the most complete team in the NFL and they even have a couple of positions that are laughable like Receiver and TE.

 

[mcro_rave_2001]

You can't be serious?!!

who knows it's not like our defense was great last year we were ranked 17th i don't see why saying we could be better than 17th this year on defense is a big deal.

 

[cdumler7]

who knows it's not like our defense was great last year we were ranked 17th i don't see why saying we could be better than 17th this year on defense is a big deal.

They were 17th in total yards but yards mean jack squat in reality unless it equals points. The Ravens had the best Red Zone defense last year in the NFL. Many of the key contributors of that part of the defense are gone. The biggest part of the Red Zone defense is players being in the right spot. Speed stops being as big of a deal as closing down the right lanes for the quarterback plays a bigger part. Having young and new players usually means there will be some growing pains especially in this area of the defense. So instead of just giving up 3 points the defense will be giving up 7. That can definitely be the difference between victory and defeat.

 

[mcro_rave_2001]

They were 17th in total yards but yards mean jack squat in reality unless it equals points. The Ravens had the best Red Zone defense last year in the NFL. Many of the key contributors of that part of the defense are gone. The biggest part of the Red Zone defense is players being in the right spot. Speed stops being as big of a deal as closing down the right lanes for the quarterback plays a bigger part. Having young and new players usually means there will be some growing pains especially in this area of the defense. So instead of just giving up 3 points the defense will be giving up 7. That can definitely be the difference between victory and defeat.

okay they were 12th in points per game last year, still not a stretch to say they'd improve. Plus our d-line got better so that should make our red zone defense better as well. Sorry i just don't see how saying the Ravens could be better this year as a stretch. You guys are acting like it's impossible for the Ravens defense to get improve, when that's clearly not the case.

 

[JDM]

Except it will still take time for the D to gel. Also, Ed Reed and Ray Lewis were the heart and soul of the defense they may have taken a step back talent-wise but who else will bring the intensity they did?

Intensity can be replaced. In terms of actual ability, the ravens upgraded at at least linebacker. I think reed has some left in the tank, but ray Lewis would not have even been on the roster if his name wasn't ray Lewis. He was a shell.

 

[mcro_rave_2001]

Intensity can be replaced. In terms of actual ability, the ravens upgraded at at least linebacker. I think reed has some left in the tank, but ray Lewis would not have even been on the roster if his name wasn't ray Lewis. He was a shell.

even Reed was a risk, he got caught out of position many times, but he was the greatest ever at closing and getting the overthrown/tipped balls.

 

[JDM]

Reed's not what he used to be but can still add value to a defense in my opinion. I honestly do not believe the Ray Lewis that played last year would have started on any team in the NFL without his history, though. An all time great, absolutely, but he just didn't have much of anything left, and it showed. Even in the playoff run people act like he carried the team (and his leadership did, absolutely), he wasn't meeting the ball carrier in or near the hole. He was tackling them from behind 8-10 yards up field.

Both are hall of famers, and ray Lewis should be first ballot without a doubt. But remember him as the guy who carried them to his first Super Bowl, not the one who was basically a glorified coach on the field last year.

 

[Tgann69]

@JDM...EXACTLY.

We will miss some of those lost for sure but its been severely overblown. Replacing backups like Ellerbe and Kruger was no problem and our Dline looks better then last year. It was horrible last year especially without Suggs' support.

I am glad Carey Williams is gone add Lad Webb being back and Graham who intercepted Peyton twice in the playoffs once for a TD and I am very comfortable with our secondary.

I say bring it.

 

[JDM]

I think Ellerbe hurt you just because he was your first choice at a replacement. But when he got the money he did you let him walk.

 

[Tgann69]

IMO Darryl Smith and Arthur Brown have played great in the pre-season. I am comfortable with them in the middle. Fast ILB's is something the Ravens have not had in some time.

 

[Broncos6482]

You guys are acting like it's impossible for the Ravens defense to get improve, when that's clearly not the case.

No, you Ravens fans are acting like it's guaranteed that the Ravens defense will improve, when that's clearly not the case. Could they be better? Sure, it's possible. But it's no lock, especially when it usually takes time to gel with so many new defensive players.

 

[Tgann69]

And you Broncos fans act like losing Doom Miller and Bailey will not be a HUGE deal!

All three levels of your defense losing its best players 2 of which were not expected at the beginning of the season.

HUGE DEAL.

 

[BobGnarly]

We all know how big of losses they are. THe thing is, we have (arguably) the most explosive offense in the NFL, which is primed to put at least 25+, which should be enough to win most games.

 

[Broncos6482]

And you Broncos fans act like losing Doom Miller and Bailey will not be a HUGE deal!

All three levels of your defense losing its best players 2 of which were not expected at the beginning of the season.

HUGE DEAL.

No we aren't. Do you think we're happy not to have Champ back there last night? Of course not. But we've got a guy back there in DRC who we didn't have last season that hopefully can help mitigate that blow.

Do you think we're happy that we don't have Doom anymore? I'm not, but we got a guy in Shaun Philips who had very similar production as Doom last season at a fraction of the cost.

A guy like Von Miller, there's just no replacing him. That's a huge blow until he gets back.

The thing is, I haven't seen any Broncos fan who thinks the defense will be better this season. I don't, I think they'll give up more yards and points and have fewer sacks. I think they can still be pretty good, but top 5 good is a stretch.

And here's the other side of the coin; we're bringing back a better offense than we had last year that was second in the NFL in points. Manning is healthier and his arm is stronger, the offensive line is better, the running game should be better, and obviously adding the best slot receiver in the NFL makes the receivers better. So on paper at least, the offense should be able to keep the team afloat while until the defense gets Von and Champ back.

Contrast that with the Ravens, who lost their top 2 receivers in receptions from a year ago. If their defense takes time to get it going, can their offense score enough to keep the team afloat? Is Joe Flacco more like the qb he was during the playoffs last year, or is he the guy who's barely a 60% passer and averages only 20 touchdowns to go with 11 picks a season?

 

[DownSetHutch]

Both teams are missing a lot of personnel from last year on defense. Both defenses will take a step back, at least for this game. Of course, the Broncos will be getting back 2/3's of the big three players they are missing from the 2012 team's defense, in the coming weeks.

The difference is that the Broncos got better on offense, and the Ravens got weaker. Advantage: Broncos.

I predict the Broncos to put up points in the 30's and the Ravens to put up points in the 20's. Anything less than a double-digit win will feel a little disappointing, but I think we can do it.