According to "Millman", we will be 8th worse team in 2013.

[leachisabeast]

Never even heard of these guys, but they are refrenced in this article on the website. Vegas has us middle of the pack with 8.5-9 wins, while these guys have us at 6.5 wins! I'm getting so sick and tired of the national perception of this team, its almost always wrong. Ok we get it, we lost some good players (most were just too old to continue playing at a good level anyway), but I think this has to be the most overrated crop of FAs we've ever lost tbh. What we gained is IMO a upgrade to what we lost, the only concern to me is the chemistry that we may have lost, but even that wont be enough to make us THAT bad. Our coaching staff is way too strong to let it happen, Joe Flacco is just too good, the Oline is solid, we still have a good running game with two very good RBs on the roster, and on paper we have a very solid defense again this year. People need to start doing their jobs and actually research teams properly other than the New York Jets.

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/...c-4510265ce88b

“It's no secret that totals, like anything else in betting, is skewed by public perception,” Millman wrote. “The Ravens won the Super Bowl and historically are a very good team. To set a line with them winning fewer than eight games in a year would draw as much attention as Kanye running into a pole. Yet, that is where the value might lie.

"‘I have them as the eighth-worst team this year when I played out the schedule, at 6.97 wins, which is a full two wins below where their number is set at nine. They lost personnel and they have a tougher schedule. Plus their stats last year were only OK; in my model I had them as the 13th-best team statistically last year -- 15th in offense and 13th on defense. I didn't have them as a top-10 team in any offensive stat I track except for interceptions.’”

[GreatWhiteNorthRaven]

I personally love it. Just makes us look so much better than we are. We play every game with a chip on our shoulder and it motivates the team

[BcRaven]

"Millman"? My Milkman says the Ravens will win 12 games this year, and he's usually right. Except when he leaves skim instead of whole on occasion... Bc

[Doctor]

I love it when I see things like this.

This team has been riding the "no respect" train for almost two decades, and it's served us pretty well.

All anyone does is tell the Patriots how great they are, but they haven't won the Super Bowl since the 2004 season, and the bulk of their players are a bunch of D-bags.

[trailhiker85]

"Millman"? My Milkman says the Ravens will win 12 games this year, and he's usually right. Except when he leaves skim instead of whole on occasion... Bc

There's still such a thing as a Milkman?

P.S. - Folks on this board care way too much about pundits and prognosticators, most of whom would be better served by reading chicken entrails in the first place. Oh well, guess it goes with the May "slow season"...

[wickedsolo]

Yep and according to everyone else last year there was no chance the Ravens were beating the Broncos, Pats, and 49ers in the playoffs.

:D

[Greg]

“It's no secret that totals, like anything else in betting, is skewed by public perception,” Millman wrote. “The Ravens won the Super Bowl and historically are a very good team. To set a line with them winning fewer than eight games in a year would draw as much attention as Kanye running into a pole. Yet, that is where the value might lie.

"‘I have them as the eighth-worst team this year when I played out the schedule, at 6.97 wins, which is a full two wins below where their number is set at nine. They lost personnel and they have a tougher schedule. Plus their stats last year were only OK; in my model I had them as the 13th-best team statistically last year -- 15th in offense and 13th on defense. I didn't have them as a top-10 team in any offensive stat I track except for interceptions.’”

This is incredibly vapid. So they are middle-of-the-pack statistically and lost personnel. You have to ask is the personnel lost the personnel that held them back or propped them up into the middle-of-the-pack.

Despite their greatness Ray and Ed were not propping this team up. Ed was fine but not great at safety. Ray's leadership will surely be missed but his abilities on the field were average to good even given his football smarts which are unmatched. Kruger was zip against the run. The best 3 players on the defense are coming back, none of which were healthy last year; Suggs, Webb, Ngata. To ignore that is just incredibly stupid.

I don't see how the defense can't be better. The only place I have a concern is in the passing game in regard to Boldin's work. I don't think we have that guy on the team and that concerns me. But defensively and running the ball I think will both be better this year. If the passing game can be as good this team is better than it was last year, by a bit.

[BcRaven]

There's still such a thing as a Milkman?

There must be 'cause my wife gets a delivery every morning after I leave for work... Bc

[GOTA]

Anyone know how accurate Chad Millman was in his predictions last year or the year before? Has he been good at this kind of analysis in the past?

[PurpleApocalypse37]

There's still such a thing as a Milkman?

P.S. - Folks on this board care way too much about pundits and prognosticators, most of whom would be better served by reading chicken entrails in the first place. Oh well, guess it goes with the May "slow season"...

Yes, i have one too. A few times I've been outside for whatever reason at like 4 am when they drop off milk, then have a conversation with them. Kinda weird. But you can ask for underground, off the map, chocolate milk that only a milkman would ever even be able to DREAM of getting his hands on.

[somedumbguy]

There's still such a thing as a Milkman?

P.S. - Folks on this board care way too much about pundits and prognosticators, most of whom would be better served by reading chicken entrails in the first place. Oh well, guess it goes with the May "slow season"...

I think the second part is right. There is not a lot of real news so we talk about silly opinions even though we know it does not matter.

I think the article makes two mistakes in the analysis. I am not sure how much more difficult the schedule is. The NFC North might be better than the NFC East, but the AFC South is a lot better as a whole than the AFC East this year. Plus I think the home/ away situation favors us this year. The Ravens play better at home historically and that is where a lot of the tougher opponents are this year. Also, the losses in personnel is being over stated. I love Reed and Lewis, but I think most real fans understand they are a better team now by not having them on the field next year. Ellerbe and Kruger were good players, but they can be replaced and Ozzie has brought in people for camp battles. I expect the LB unit to be younger and faster than last year.

I think the Ravens could be a better team this year than they were last year. Do I think another Super Bowl is automatic? No, it never is. But there is a lot of talent and the idea that this team is would have 6 or 7 wins playing the Browns twice, dolphins, bills, lions as well as home games against the steelers, bengals texans and vikings to me means there is something wrong with their model.

[moose10101]

Yes, i have one too. A few times I've been outside for whatever reason at like 4 am when they drop off milk, then have a conversation with them. Kinda weird. But you can ask for underground, off the map, chocolate milk that only a milkman would ever even be able to DREAM of getting his hands on.

Purple: "I want the chocolate milk!"

Milkman: "You can't handle the chocolate milk!"