Report card

So what is the grade?

Kyle Boller was 5-3 as a rookie also,
"which is outstanding in itself."

Chi Chi wrote:

Kyle Boller was 5-3 as a rookie also,
"which is outstanding in itself."

Joe, that was then, this is now but Kyle B didn't have the Oline Joe has and I hope continues to have. Plus Joe might have a deeper level of self-confidence.
Mike very good assessment, my opinion of your articles is back to a B-.

Besides cornerback, special teams really needs a shot in the arm. There are two or three guys that manage to get to the ball carrier every kick (Ayanbadejo and Zbikowski mostly), and everyone else gets blocked right out of the play. There's also a lot of over-pursuit and guys wind up running right by the receiver before he even gets the ball.
Cornerback and wide receiver absolutely need to be addressed this offseason, whether it be throught the draft or free agency. I would prefer the draft.

Improvements almost all around. Secondary is a problem, but that's not new this year. Special teams for some reason not up to par. Isn't funny how the great Jonathan O. retired and now we finally have a offensive line that is working as a well oiled unit. Just goes to show what coaching and player dedication will do. Harbaugh, what a great selection for coach. GO RAVENS!

I disagree with your assessment of Flacco. His problem is not his 'touch' on the ball but his ability to read defenses and lead his receivers on the long ball. He needs to be able to read blitzs because the line has been giving him time this year but expect a pounding when we play the Giants. This is something he can improve over time but until he can read the D and get more reps with the receivers, he will only be better then average.
You also miss the fact that our pass rush is only average and even though the D-line stops the run we can't get to the QB with only 4. That has to change for us to have a 'good grade'. I still think Mason and Clayton are very good and I have been disappointed not seeing Wilcox in the mix. Their grade has more to do with play calling then dropped balls. Though you don't mention it, I think Coaching is an A-. Some shortcomings (special teams) but working with a young team and leveraging veterans along with sound game plans. Music to my ears. Go Ravens!

a fair assesment Mike. my key for this week and the rest of the season is get the special teams back in shape. Ravens must tackle when defending and know what to do to move the ball forward when receiving. If they can solidify this part of the game they can now start edging out highly competitive teams which is going to be crucial going forward this season.

5-3 at mid-season? You kidding me? We weren't "supposed" to win 5 games all year? My mid-season grade is A+ for everyone!!! Enjoy the ride Baltimore, next year it is serious! Lets Go Flacco! Lets Go Ravens!

Flacco is "5-1". The kicker is the other 0-2. He played well enough for the team to win every game but the Indy debacle.

Not sure Defensive backs warrant a C+, but based on al the injuries, I guess it's OK. We do not need to find a punt and KO return guy, we have one already in Leonhard. The guy makes plays.

unless I misunderstood Mike, which I think I may have, and he was alluding to the KO and punt teams. My bad.

flacco deserves a A-. rookie qb playing behind a young inexperienced line with at best average receivers and he shows improvement each week.

I think B- is a bit low for Flacco. If he's a B-minus, I hate to think what Boller's rating would have been. For a rookie I would give him an A-minus. Especially since he was prepared to be the starter in the first place.

Flacco got a B- because compared to the other quarterbacks around the league, he has played a little bit above average. For a rookie, that's great. For a Ravens qb, that's great. But I think a B- is a fair grade when you compare him to what other qb's are doing throughout the league. If he keeps performing like he has the past few weeks, then the Ravens might finally get to see an A in the qb section of the report card.

I can't believe our special teams though. Why are we not consistently getting good field position with two great returners in Figurs and Leohnard? Why are we giving the other team great field position on both kickoffs and punts? It hasn't been mentioned yet, but I think that cutting Gary Stills was a big mistake. I thought so when we did it, and based on our coverage performance thus far, I still think so now. He plays for the Rams now, so we can't snatch him back. Let me see...keep edgar jones, or cut him and keep Gary Stills? We all know the answer to that now.

Special teams are our achilles' heel. They were a strength the first two games but not since the Steeler game when we started kicking punts from the opponent's 35 yd line. We're losing the field-position game badly.

Too many short kicks. Poor tackling. Long returns by them but not by us.

We need Hauschka to kick off and try any FG's over 40 yds. Koch's as good as there is now, but the next time we line up to punt inside their 40, it better be a fake punt.

Play to win in all three phases - stop wimping out on special teams. Playing not to lose already cost us two games & almost three (before Ray spoke up).

What is it with coordinators that become head coaches?

Billick, the "Offensive Genius" coordinator for Minnesota, had an awful O under him as HC in Baltimore. Lewis, the genius D-Coordinator for the Ravens SB run, has had an awful D under him as a Cincy HC.

Now Harbaugh, who brought in Brandon A+10 and drafted Zbikowski and Nakamura, is the HC for a team with nearly no ability to cover punts or kickoffs.

Mongo wrote:

What is it with coordinators that become head coaches?
Billick, the "Offensive Genius" coordinator for Minnesota, had an awful O under him as HC in Baltimore. Lewis, the genius D-Coordinator for the Ravens SB run, has had an awful D under him as a Cincy HC.
Now Harbaugh, who brought in Brandon A+10 and drafted Zbikowski and Nakamura, is the HC for a team with nearly no ability to cover punts or kickoffs.

LOL, perplexing huh?

Maybe we need to bring in a coordinator who's had a terrible time with players being accountable and undisciplined?

A B+ for the O line. Are you kidding me? What does a group on offensive side of the ball need to do to get an A rating? What hasn't this line done this year?
We have a great running game which always starts with you line, and they have done well in pass coverage.

Monogo,
I think the problem with is Coordinators is that they spend so much time on the other areas they are trying to learn, and figure their "Specialty" will not be an issue.

I love Stover, but we need to be looking for his replacement, especially on kickoffs. If a guy is crushing you, you need to be able to kick it through the endzone and create a touchback.

Ray is playing like a "killer" again, pun intended, and McCallister is history. Smith will make a fine receiver some day. We need to pick up a backup QB. Go Ravens

What happened to Figures? Why isnt he running hard this year?