This is a seriously good team.

[Raven Roller]

Even a non-expert like myself sees this as maybe the best Ravens team ever. As good as we were last year, we'll be better in 2020. I'd hate to have to prepare for Baltimore.

We had a few weaknesses last year on defense that we have fixed through free agency, and even if our rookies don't all pan out (and they won't), we'll still stop the run. So you'll pass against us? With our secondary? Good luck with that.

Our offense probably won't be as good. So many of our guys had career years, no substantial injuries, Yanda's gone. But so what? We'll have more opportunities to score after forcing more three-and-outs.

Of course, we still have the best kicker ever, and an improved return game.

Really looking forward to the season, empty stadiums or not.

[jhoff66]

Even a non-expert like myself sees this as maybe the best Ravens team ever. As good as we were last year, we'll be better in 2020. I'd hate to have to prepare for Baltimore.

We had a few weaknesses last year on defense that we have fixed through free agency, and even if our rookies don't all pan out (and they won't), we'll still stop the run. So you'll pass against us? With our secondary? Good luck with that.

Our offense probably won't be as good. So many of our guys had career years, no substantial injuries, Yanda's gone. But so what? We'll have more opportunities to score after forcing more three-and-outs.

Of course, we still have the best kicker ever, and an improved return game.

Really looking forward to the season, empty stadiums or not.

But, but we have no true #1 WR. All great teams have at least three of those....

[Corey]

I am not willing to go there. LJ was the driving force behind this teams success and he had an out of this world season. I am a little skeptical of whether he can do it again. For now I am cautiously optimistic and I am not making any bold proclamations about how good they are. If LJ regresses at all, we are going to struggle.

[Blovius_Maximus]

Now we'll just have to see how many head-scratching fourth down decisions will be outcome determinative (or nearly so).

But, yes, on paper this seems to be the Ravens most talented team. We fans should have plenty of happy Mondays.

[HotInHere]

Now we'll just have to see how many head-scratching fourth down decisions will be outcome determinative (or nearly so).

But, yes, on paper this seems to be the Ravens most talented team. We fans should have plenty of happy Mondays.

The Seattle game was decided by a head-scratching 4th-down decision. (“Hell yeah Coach let’s go for it!”) And that was really the start of the run for this team.

So anyone who is unhappy with the 4th-down decisions should be unhappy with that decision too.

[camdenyard]

I would not say this is the best team in team history. Not yet.

We are putting a lot of stock in the FAs and in some draft picks to fill holes.

[QtR Nevermore]

I am not willing to go there. LJ was the driving force behind this teams success and he had an out of this world season. I am a little skeptical of whether he can do it again. For now I am cautiously optimistic and I am not making any bold proclamations about how good they are. If LJ regresses at all, we are going to struggle.

I'm not sure what you mean by struggle. Do you think the Ravens will be bad?

Lamar almost certainly won't be as good as his unanimous MVP season, we won't break the rushing record again and the Ravens are unlikely to be as injury free as last year, but the team still has a chance to be better.

The defense has could well be better and we'll still be a good running team but the real chance to improve lies in Roman's willingness to take advantage of the opportunities Lamar and the running game gives us in the passing game. We didn't do enough straight play action, screens, bootlegs, long hand-offs/YAC passes, RPOs - we didn't do enough of anything frankly and we left so much meat on the bone last season.

I'm not expecting Roman to become a genius designer of passing plays. He can just steal a few ideas from Reid, Payton, Shanahan etc and fit them into our dominant running game. Imagine the potential.

No Roman offense has ever taken sufficient advantage of its passing potential but he's never had a QB with the intelligence and understanding of the game that Lamar has. The lack of practice time might hurt our chances of really transforming the passing game but if we can add a few more strings to our bow the offense might really become undefendable. I just hope it's not a philosophical block that's stifling the chance for a really creative passing game (ie. Roman just doesn't want to pass much).

[John Reglarperson]

The Seattle game was decided by a head-scratching 4th-down decision. (“Hell yeah Coach let’s go for it!”) And that was really the start of the run for this team.

So anyone who is unhappy with the 4th-down decisions should be unhappy with that decision too.

If you take risks in the regular season, and risks pay off 2/3rds of the time, you win 2/3rds of the games. Great.

In the playoffs, you have to win every single game. And if luck isn't with you on any given day - even if you're the better team - you lose, when you take too many risks.

The Ravens were the better team last year, and lost because of too many risks taken - in the playoffs, where every game is a must win.

Running is more conservative and less risky.

[John Reglarperson]

Yes, this is a seriously good team.

[QtR Nevermore]

We are putting a lot of stock in the FAs and in some draft picks to fill holes.

How else does any team fill holes? Other then improvement from previously drafted players I mean, and we'll get some of that too - we almost always do. This year's Chuck Clark and Bradley Bozeman will probably emerge to help out.

[QtR Nevermore]

I would not say this is the best team in team history. Not yet.

I think last year's team was the best in team history. They had 13 pro bowlers, the unanimous MVP and they had the best record, too.

I know a lot of stock is put on playoff victories and Superbowl wins and once it's happened everyone looks on the results as inevitable, but I don't. I know people will think I'm stupid or crazy, because that's not how American sports fans tend to think, but one-off games are one-off games. Luck plays a part, how a team or individual performs on the day plays a part. Knockout tournaments are designed to provide excitement for the fans. Superbowl wins tell you which team won the Superbowl but not necessarily who the best team was.

I think 'soccer' leagues, where every team plays every other, home and away, tend to give a more genuine measure of the best team. You can see mid-table teams winning the knock out cup competitions occassionally. Tennis plays several tournaments on each surface and different winners emerge on the day. They look at overall rankings to see who is actually best. Last year's Ravens would have been higher in those kind of rankings than the 2000 or 2012 teams.

[BcRaven]

Without doubt this is a playoff team. Question is "will they win a playoff game?" ... Bc