The 2014 sked: your feelings

[FadeToBlack]

I know the offseason isn't over, but we're getting close. A reminder what's on tap this Fall:

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7 – vs. Bengals, 1 p.m.
Week 2: Thursday, Sept. 11 – vs. Steelers, 8:25 (CBS)
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21 – at Browns, 1 p.m.
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28 – vs. Panthers, 1 p.m.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5 – at Colts, 1 p.m.
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 12 – at Buccaneers, 1 p.m.
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 19 – vs. Falcons, 1 p.m.
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26 – at Bengals, 1 p.m.
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2 – at Steelers, 8:30 p.m. (NBC)
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9 – vs. Titans, 1 p.m.
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16 – BYE
Week 12: Monday, Nov. 24 – at Saints, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Week 13: Sunday, Nov. 30 – vs. Chargers, 1 p.m.
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 7 – at Dolphins, 1 p.m.
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14 – vs. Jaguars, 1 p.m.
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21 – at Texans, 1 p.m.
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 28 – vs. Browns, 1 p.m.

Frankly, I don't know what to make of this thing. I remember thinking when the schedule first came out, it was easy. But is anything going to be "easy" in the NFL for a team like the Ravens? Perhaps a couple years ago, we'd look at this schedule and think we're a shoo-in for the playoffs.

But there seems to be a lot of transition happening in the NFL now, not to mention with the Ravens. League-wide, the top-end QBs like Brady, Manning, Brees and yes, Big Ben are all coming down the home stretch of their careers. It's being infused with the new breed in guys like Luck/Wilson/Kaep/RGIII/Newton, etc. The power structure as we knew it for a decade is about to change when these older great QBs break down and the young guns get better and begin to define their legacies.

In the division, the Browns, while still the Browns, have accumulated so much talent that you have to figure this will become a factor against a transitionary team like the Ravens, even if it means just going 1-1 vs. their usual 0-2. The Steelers have been unusually subdued for a few years, are they really in a worse position than us to compete in the AFCN? The Bengals were the clear best team in the division last year, has anything really bridged that gap since in your opinion?

And then you look outside the division on our schedule, I see the Falcons for example, does anyone really believe that won't be a significantly improved team in the W/L column from last year's aberration? Miami on the road, do we look at a matchup like this differently now than we did during the Ray days?

I originally thought "easy schedule", now I'm more inclined to believe we'll be in a similar position to where we were last year in December, fighting tooth and nail for that final spot.

Either way, I'm excited to see what really happens. Hope they surprise me and come out like a wrecking ball.

[mmi16]

To be cliche - one game at a time

[Sarcasticfury]

I see the Ravens winning games 1 & 2.
I see them winning against the Browns,
I see them beating the Panthers at M&T.
I see them losing at Lucas Oil.
I see them losing against the Buccaneers
I see them beating the Falcons at M&T.
I see them losing at Paul Brown and Heinz Field, a split between those two is the best possible situation in my opinion.
I see them going into the bye with a win against the Titans.
I see them losing at the Superdome, where the Saints are near invincible.
I see them beating the Chargers at home.
I see them beating the Dolphins at the Ravens 2nd home.
I see them beating the Jaguars at home.
I see them beating the Texans
I see them finishing with a win.
That puts them at 11-5 or 12-4 if they split the two games at Heinz Field and Paul Brown.

[HoustonRaven]

I see them losing at the Superdome, where the Saints are near invincible.

They're actually rather pedestrian ....

http://www.sportsdatallc.com/2012/09...advantage-nfl/

[Sarcasticfury]

They're actually rather pedestrian ....

http://www.sportsdatallc.com/2012/09...advantage-nfl/

That comes as a surprise, considering how much Saints fans boast about being invincible at the Superdome and how they would've beaten the Seahawks if they played there. And I hear a lot of talk about how the Saints play much better at home and how passionate their home crowd is supposed to be. Did the Patriots beat them last year at the Superdome?

[BcRaven]

OMG, I hope the Ravens have eight (8) home games, otherwise we're at a disadvantage... Bc

[Ravenswintitle]

Not much to complain about with this schedule. But I do have one complaint... it is almost 3 damn months before the first game!

[akashicrecorder]

Frankly, I don't know what to make of this thing. I remember thinking when the schedule first came out, it was easy. But is anything going to be "easy" in the NFL for a team like the Ravens?

I think that is the key here. You hit the nail on the head. Very few teams this year (probably any year) can go in knowing with good accuracy the wins and losses. This year I'd guess only Seahawks, Broncos and maybe Pats fans could do it with rational confidence and be mostly right.

For the Ravens you can't even say Jax is a surefire W because of the egg we laid some years back.

[Sarcasticfury]

For the Ravens you can't even say Jax is a surefire W because of the egg we laid some years back.

True, but the egg the Ravens laid at Jacksonville was at Jacksonville. The Ravens are at home, where they don't lay eggs as much.

[FadeToBlack]

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It's as if the Ravens are this top 5 NFL team at home, and on the road they become rather ineffectual. Particularly the offense.

This, above all other factors, is the one lingering concern I have about virtually any Ravens team. Say what you will about the changes Gary Kubiak is bringing, but frankly if this offense crawls into a shell 8 games a year because they don't have the wind at their back with their home fans cheering them on, does it really matter who the new OC is?

[Sarcasticfury]

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It's as if the Ravens are this top 5 NFL team at home, and on the road they become rather ineffectual. Particularly the offense.

This, above all other factors, is the one lingering concern I have about virtually any Ravens team. Say what you will about the changes Gary Kubiak is bringing, but frankly if this offense crawls into a shell 8 games a year because they don't have the wind at their back with their home fans cheering them on, does it really matter who the new OC is?

No, but some opposing stadiums have been less horrible to them than others.

[GOTA]

The Ravens have 3 of the first 4 games at home and really need to go 4-0 to start the season. That's because 4 of the next 5 are on the road. Talk about a lonesome October