Let's Talk About Baltimore (AFC Championship)

[SHOWTIME]

Headed back to the AFC Championship Game!!!! Discuss.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Yup.

He's gonna still be amazing when he's 33 and doesn't have his legs to create coverage chaos and allow holes in the back end to develop. Because...savant.

That's definitely why the Ravens weren't willing to give him all those guarantees he was asking for, obviously why they were trying to drum up a trade market for him and clearly why they made sure to leave themselves an out in his contract before he turned 30...

Probably because they figured that when he's 30 years old, he'll be looking to get started on his career as an offensive coordinator. That's them just doing him a solid.

Not sure you're taking into account how many all out blitzes he'll see by then and the ensuing offensive meetings with the QB coach... his FBIQ will be through the roof.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

Just want to make one thing clear since it seems to be a recurrent theme here that the perception is most Ravens fans think the disparity between these two games is large and it winds up being a blowout. I don’t think that represents the fanbase. Anyone predicting that is not only wrong but disrespectful. The Chiefs have earned the right to never be considered outlclassed/outgunned.

I bring up the 23 Ravens DVOA not to say that the Ravens are so much better than the Chiefs. The point is more so that the Ravens are better than the other “contenders” that people here want to lump the Ravens in with (Titans, Texans, Bills, Bengals, Eagles). The Chiefs aren’t the Dolphins or 9ers or other teams the Ravens beat up on. But the Ravens aren’t the Titans or Bills.

So I don’t fault Chiefs fans whatsoever for pounding their chests and saying that they’re infallible until proven otherwise. I just think the Ravens have the best chance yet to prove it otherwise, and there are empirical reasons to believe that.

Many of those teams WERE weighted DVOA standouts, though.


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[IowaHawkeyeChief]

Originally Posted by StalkRavenMad

He just posted the most recent numbers however Lamar has been beating the blitz all year. The 1st half the Ravens were trying to take advantage of the Texans weak secondary and go deep, at halftime the guy with the low wonderlic score, you know the one that can't read defenses? Thay guy thats about to win his 2nd MVP went to the QB coach and told him that they had to go to the short to intermediate game to beat the blitz and wouldn't you know they scored 24 points in the 2nd half.

What the **** are you saying? I actually said the Wonderlic is BS as some guys are football guys and get it, they are football smart. I played with some in college. Dumb as a box of rocks on many things, but were football smart and gamers...

As far as the Blitz comments. Again, the Chiefs back 7 are night and day better than the Texans. We can go cover 0 and blitz and stop the short and intermediates as well. Spags may let you go up and down inside between the 20's as well and not blitz and play soft only to tighten the screws and make you kick FGs. This will really depend on how our offense is faring...

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

Lamar has improved every single year of his career. He is exponentially better as a passer now than he was when he came into the league. Fading/doubting Lamar’s ability to adapt/grow is a losing proposition.

Would Lamar be good if he was immobile and had to rely entirely on his arm like Joe Flacco? No. But he doesn’t need to be Barry Sanders at QB like he was in his early days. The threat of him recognizing running lanes/reading leverage and beating one man in the open field opens up so much for him. Those aren’t things that will go away even if his raw speed does.

And even if he doesn’t play when he’s 33+, so what? Oh no, we only got a decade of multiple MVPs/historic regular seasons/potential Super Bowls out of the 32nd overall pick, what a disaster!

But he's a football savant.

I'm sure he'll become Tom Brady as his legs go. I mean - the Ravens very clearly don't think that's the case, but the Washington Post said it so it must be true.

Savant. Not my words, mind you - the brilliant minds at WaPo came up with that one. Off the assurances of "people who engage with football on a professional level" - I mean, that kind of professional engagement of football simply cannot be argued with.

Definitely not getting by on freakish athleticism that sets the Madden sliders on Rookie level for him.

[smithandrew051]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Yup.

He's gonna still be amazing when he's 33 and doesn't have his legs to create coverage chaos and allow holes in the back end to develop. Because...savant.

That's definitely why the Ravens weren't willing to give him all those guarantees he was asking for, obviously why they were trying to drum up a trade market for him and clearly why they made sure to leave themselves an out in his contract before he turned 30...

Probably because they figured that when he's 30 years old, he'll be looking to get started on his career as an offensive coordinator. That's them just doing him a solid.

If he’s still amazing without being able to use his legs, why not just turn him into Tom Brady now so he can play into his 40’s?

Why allow him to have the 6th most rushing attempts in a season by a QB in NFL history this year?

[IowaHawkeyeChief]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

Calling Lamar dumb because of his accent (literally just a kid from South Florida)/some contrived written exam for draft prospects (which Stroud also bombed)/the fact that he wears a wristband (Tom Brady did too) is a tired trope.

It’s especially funny because this article came out today from
the Washington Post: “Lamar Jackson’s vision and intellect have unlocked the Ravens offense” (washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/18/lamar-jackson-ravens-offense/). In it, people who engage with football on a professional level call him a savant. But sure, Chiefsplanet posters don’t like the way he talks in the postgame.

Lamar is an all-time player not just because of the accolades like Hesiman trophy winner and 2x MVP, but also because what he’s doing is revolutionary. He has been a large factor in ushering in a new era of QB play. And he’s not a Greek God like Cam Newton or Anthony Richardson; I think his speed is even a bit overstated. He does it because of his processing/vision. Maybe not the type of processing Peyton Manning did, but processing of leverage, running lanes, whether to keep or give in the RPO. And this to smashing success. What makes that less than? He needs the title to cement it, so here’s to hoping.

and half your fans didn't want to sign him... that was weird. Although many will never admit it this year.

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Many of those teams WERE weighted DVOA standouts, though.


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Many? ‘22 Buffalo was the only all-time team by total (granted, not weighted; but the Raven are easily the best weighted team ever) DVOA through 16 games (ftnfantasy.com/articles/FTN/113412/week-17-dvoa-ravens-no-3-all-time). And they ran into you guys. Certainly a fate that could befall us too. You’re the boogeyman.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Not sure you're taking into account how many all out blitzes he'll see by then and the ensuing offensive meetings with the QB coach... his FBIQ will be through the roof.

Do the laws of thermodynamics apply in the Ravens QB room?

Like, when you put Lamar in a room with his OC and QB Coach, does the football IQ run away from him and into his coaches similar to heat escaping into a cold void?

Because if so, the WORST thing you can do to his football IQ is put him in offensive meetings with the offensive staff that was only recently introduced to throwing underneath. It'll just suck all the savant right out of him.

[KCUnited]

Lamar pre-snap

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

Lamar has improved every single year of his career. He is exponentially better as a passer now than he was when he came into the league. Fading/doubting Lamar’s ability to adapt/grow is a losing proposition.

Would Lamar be good if he was immobile and had to rely entirely on his arm like Joe Flacco? No. But he doesn’t need to be Barry Sanders at QB like he was in his early days. The threat of him recognizing running lanes/reading leverage and beating one man in the open field opens up so much for him. Those aren’t things that will go away even if his raw speed does.

And even if he doesn’t play when he’s 33+, so what? Oh no, we only got a decade of multiple MVPs/historic regular seasons/potential Super Bowls out of the 32nd overall pick, what a disaster! The Ravens will reinvent themselves as they have multiple times before and be right back in it. Unlike some franchises, the Ravens have shown they’re more than just a QB/coach.

Sorry....he hasn't improved at all. Bummer for you. Cover 0 will eviscerate him this Sunday. Spags will pick his spots and you will cry.

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by IowaHawkeyeChief

and half your fans didn't want to sign him... that was weird. Although many will never admit it this year.

Absolutely true. My own mother was one of them! The shame!

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by smithandrew051

If he’s still amazing without being able to use his legs, why not just turn him into Tom Brady now so he can play into his 40’s?

Why allow him to have the 6th most rushing attempts in a season by a QB in NFL history this year?

It's not ours to reason why, Andrew.

Only Lamar can know for sure. Someday he'll be goodly enough to pass this knowledge along to his OC...

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

But he's a football savant.

I'm sure he'll become Tom Brady as his legs go. I mean - the Ravens very clearly don't think that's the case, but the Washington Post said it so it must be true.

Savant. Not my words, mind you - the brilliant minds at WaPo came up with that one. Off the assurances of "people who engage with football on a professional level" - I mean, that kind of professional engagement of football simply cannot be argued with.

Definitely not getting by on freakish athleticism that sets the Madden sliders on Rookie level for him.

He’s 27 and just won the MVP with less rushing than ever in his life. He’s past the “freakish athleticism” stage of his career and better than ever.

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by Reroka

The chiefs hold the dolphins under 30 in both game and they had the best offense in the nfl. The ravens who has the 6th ranked offense is going to drop over 30 on the chiefs? That just a little disrespectful to the Chiefs defense. The ravens are only 1st in rushing offense.

They can get 30+ points if the Chiefs offense has some bad turnovers that give short fields to Baltimore. Or even potentially defensive touchdowns by Baltimore like we saw in the Chiefs/Raiders game on Christmas Day.

Chiefs offense has to avoid turnovers, especially deep in their own territory and deep in Baltimore territory. I don’t think they can afford to lose 7 points on a goal line fumble like they did in the Buffalo game.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Lying about some heroic halftime speech? Crying about Shawn Smith reffing the game?

Holy **** you Raven fans are scared shitless of the Chiefs aren't you?