Banks Blueprint Week 5 - Ravens Look To Get On A Roll Against The Browns
Beating the Steelers was great. Yeah, it was just one win, but it was an especially great one because it was the start of something special. Most will laugh, but I good things are coming in Baltimore. Let’s do an exercise for a quick minute.
I want my fellow Ravens fans to do me a favor here (if you’re not, kick rocks). Close your eyes. Think back to that 3rd quarter when the Ravens were down 20-7 and remember everyone who told you the Ravens were dead. And then I want you to think of all the people telling you they were a joke even after they won because “we got lucky”. I want you to remember the people who laughed when the Ravens hit 0-1, and 0-2, and 0-3, and were staring right down the barrel of 0-4. I want you to remember all of these things so that you can savor it when the 2015 Baltimore Ravens make the playoffs with a full head of steam, ready to terrorize anyone who comes into the path of Joe Flacco in January. Because it’s going to be so fucking sweet.
Now open your eyes. Still 1-3! But Cleveland and San Francisco ahead and boom, Ravens are .500. Merely split the Cardinals and Chargers games and go into the bye at 4-4. From there, it’s all gravy baby. 4 bottom-dwellers in a row take us down the stretch for some monster division games. And nothing I love more than watching a John Harbaugh-coached team play in big games against guys like Marvin Lewis. It’s gonna be so fucking glorious to squash the naysayers.
So last week was step 1. Step 2 is winning Sunday. 3 reasons the Ravens will get er done against Cleveland.
1. Eugene Monroe is back and ready to let Joe Flacco actually do his job
I tried to give James Hurst a chance this season to make me believe in him. I really did. But he’s been the worst left tackle in football. The advanced metrics say as much, not that anyone needed them to know that anyway. That’s how bad he’s been.
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So Eugene Monroe comes back right when Steve Smith and Michael Campanaro go down. Couldn’t have asked for better timing, because this ragtag groud of receivers need all the time in the world to try to get open. Joe will have time, Joe will find one, and Joe will throw darts and rarely end up on the turf. When that happens, Joe wins.
2. Justin Forsett and Lorenzo Taliaferro are going to run rampant all over the Browns
The Browns are 31st in the league in rush defense, and the Ravens found their groove on the ground last week. I think Trestman is finally coming to realize what kind of asset Marshal Yanda is on the right side. Guy is such a bully.
Forsett will run early, run often, and then Taliaferro will come in and do more of the same. They won’t have a clue how to stop it, and even if they did, they couldn’t stop it anyway. Physical dominance through and through
3. I don’t even know who’s quarterbacking for the Browns
Is that whole JFF thing over? Are they back with McCown? I don’t even know and quite frankly, I don’t care. Whatever guy is their guy…. he stinks and ours doesn’t. That’s all you need to know there.
Sometimes all you need to know is the name of the two teams. Ravens. Browns. In Baltimore. Fuck outta here Browns.