One of the Worst Articles I've Ever Read

[GreatWhiteNorthRaven]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story...-playoffs-2014

If you dont have Insider with ESPN my bad. This was one of the worst quality stories I have ever read in my life.

Honestly, to say the Ravens haven't made personnel upgrades (He only acknowledges Kubiak) is ridiculous. He doesn't even mention zone blocking and how meshing Castillo with Kubiak makes a lot more sense than what they had last year.

This stands as proof that you give any monkey some statistics and you can write a truly riveting story (LOL, JK)

I mean obviously I'm not surprised, it is ESPN, but this was just really irritating so I thought I'd share

[JAB1985]

KC "the football scientist" Joyner.... football metrics still dont work for me.

[JoeCool5]

KC "the football scientist" Joyner.... football metrics still dont work for me.

They're like sabermetrics in baseball: too convoluted and don't tell the whole story.

[Cj34]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story...-playoffs-2014

If you dont have Insider with ESPN my bad. This was one of the worst quality stories I have ever read in my life.

Honestly, to say the Ravens haven't made personnel upgrades (He only acknowledges Kubiak) is ridiculous. He doesn't even mention zone blocking and how meshing Castillo with Kubiak makes a lot more sense than what they had last year.

This stands as proof that you give any monkey some statistics and you can write a truly riveting story (LOL, JK)

I mean obviously I'm not surprised, it is ESPN, but this was just really irritating so I thought I'd share

It is complete garbage. I particularly like this little nugget...

"The only major changes made were the signings of tight end Owen Daniels and wide receiver Steve Smith via free agency, and a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that netted center Jeremy Zuttah."

So upgrading our worst lineman in arguably the most critical OL position isn't that noteworthy? He doesn't even mention that the Ravens get Osemele back. You would think in an article where he blasts the offense as a whole and in particular the OL (rightfully so after last year) he would address the return of one of it's key performers. He also focuses on Wagner for a lot of the article saying that if Wagner falls short of expectations then the Ravens are in deep trouble. Nothing is mentioned about James Hurst who IMO may very well beat out Wagner for the starting RT job. He also never mentioned John Urschel, who I think could upgrade their bench depth even if he doesn't start this year. It's a substandard article and that's being kind.

[esmd]

The point the author missed is that the offense regressed last year, much below it's previous production. Last year was an anomaly, not the norm. Pitta, Osemele and Yanda are healthy, Monroe was only here 1/2 of the year, Jones missed a quarter of the season, etc, etc. I also expect RR and Pierce to bounce back and have much better seasons, though Rice's overall numbers will be lower than most other starting RB's since he will miss several games.

Actually, that's a good over/under - will Rice have more rushing and total yards this year vs last year, even with him expected to miss +/- 4 games due to suspension? I think his numbers will be higher this year, and it won't even be close. I think he puts up 850+ yds rushing (660 last year) and 1300+ total yards (981 last year), even if he misses a quarter of the season.

[JayJay]

The point the author missed is that the offense regressed last year, much below it's previous production. Last year was an anomaly, not the norm. Pitta, Osemele and Yanda are healthy, Monroe was only here 1/2 of the year, Jones missed a quarter of the season, etc, etc. I also expect RR and Pierce to bounce back and have much better seasons, though Rice's overall numbers will be lower than most other starting RB's since he will miss several games.

Actually, that's a good over/under - will Rice have more rushing and total yards this year vs last year, even with him expected to miss +/- 4 games due to suspension? I think his numbers will be higher this year, and it won't even be close. I think he puts up 850+ yds rushing (660 last year) and 1300+ total yards (981 last year), even if he misses a quarter of the season.

I totally agree. A lot of fans & 'experts' want to compare this Offense to last year's O but I think you can realistically (potentially) compare this year to the 2012 O that was ranked 15th (IIRC). The only big piece missing is Boldin, and I think his toughness & 65/921/4 stat line can be duplicated by SSmith. The 2013 O fell apart due to multiple key injuries (Pitta, KO, Rice, Pierce, Yanda) and not properly replacing Birk & Q.

[PerpetuallyBored74]

He picked the Steelers to take the division, so of course he has to back that up not only by giving reasons why the Steelers will win but also why the other 3 teams, including the Ravens, will lose.

The curious part though is that these are his 6 reasons why the Steelers will win:
1. Run Blocking Could Reach An Elite Level
2. Improved Decision Making Of Ben Roethlisberger
3. Addition Of Big Play Threats Dri Archer and LeGarrette Blount During The Offseason
4. Improved Pass Rush
5. Emmanuel Sanders Easily Replaced
6. AFC North Weaker In 2014

What makes that curious is that you can apply his first 5 reasons (or very similar ones) just as easily to the Ravens as he does to the Steelers. Think about it, and you'll see what I mean.
And the 6th reason isn't even one he can justify with any argument other than "because I said so".

[bacchys]

The Steelers might be improved, but I doubt the division is going to be weaker in 2014.

[SugarRay52]

It is complete garbage. I particularly like this little nugget...

"The only major changes made were the signings of tight end Owen Daniels and wide receiver Steve Smith via free agency, and a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that netted center Jeremy Zuttah."

So upgrading our worst lineman in arguably the most critical OL position isn't that noteworthy? He doesn't even mention that the Ravens get Osemele back. You would think in an article where he blasts the offense as a whole and in particular the OL (rightfully so after last year) he would address the return of one of it's key performers. He also focuses on Wagner for a lot of the article saying that if Wagner falls short of expectations then the Ravens are in deep trouble. Nothing is mentioned about James Hurst who IMO may very well beat out Wagner for the starting RT job. He also never mentioned John Urschel, who I think could upgrade their bench depth even if he doesn't start this year. It's a substandard article and that's being kind.

He wrote an article a couple of weeks about how the Steelers are the favorites to win the AFC North so I wouldn't take him too seriously. The Steelers do have a shot to win the division but he made it seem like the other teams had no chance to win it. The NFL is so unpredictable but every year these analysts and writers want to claim that their predictions are set in stone and there is no chance for any surprises. The Ravens have their issues but they have a shot just like any other team, you never know how things can turn out.

[lobachevsky]

Another urinalist in the Mike "Bag O'Donuts" Preston mold. Solid in-depth analysis is too hard, takes too long & no one reads it anyway, & since all that matters is page clicks, let's just go with superficial impressions & pander to the team with the most fans.

Face it, everyone out there has some reason or other to dislike the Ravens. So what? Game's played on the field. Screw 'em.

[Terpsfan82]

Another urinalist in the Mike "Bag O'Donuts" Preston mold. Solid in-depth analysis is too hard, takes too long & no one reads it anyway, & since all that matters is page clicks, let's just go with superficial impressions & pander to the team with the most fans.

Face it, everyone out there has some reason or other to dislike the Ravens. So what? Game's played on the field. Screw 'em.

:word

[Beau Petard]

The author posts, "And they don't seem likely to get any better."

Nothing to substantiate this, just 'it's my opinion"....

As Lob noted, "superficial impressions & pander to the team with the most fans."