Analysts' Reasons For Picking Ravens

Originally posted by dscola:

Originally posted by IdahoNiner:

I never said you have no buisness in the game. I just happen to think the AFC is very weak compared to the NFC right now as far as level of competition week in and week out, and i dont think you guys have had any experiance this season facing a team like this 49ers team. The niners on the other hand have had a very diverse schedule, and we play in a division with very good defenses throughout. Better than the ravens. The ravens defense is ageing, and without the big plays from flacco you would not be where you are this season. I feel this 49ers team is going to seriously exploit your defense. Further more we have played the whos who of top NFL offenses this season, and more often than not we came out on top. Your offense simple does not scare me.

Before I began my post, I'm not arguing. Just debating, so please don't take what I say personally.

1st of all, who on our defense besides Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are old? Suggs just turned 30. Ngata, Kruger, Arthur Jones, Ellerbee, Cary Williams, Pollard, and Jimmy Smith are all under 30 years old. We are an old defense by no means. Just more lazy reporting by the media that gets spewed as fact.
Secondly, if my mother had balls, she'd be my uncle. You can't take away the big plays from Flacco because they happened. If the Rams had a halfway decent team, you'd be 10-6.
3rd, It matters not who the 9ers or Ravens have played to this point. Especially considering that the Ravens hadn't played their starting defense together until the 1st playoff game and Kaepernick(sp) hadn't started until Smith got hurt.

Both teams can and have shut down the best offenses for multiple years. So thinking that your team will be impossible to stop is ridiculous. I'm sure both teams will have multiple stops of the other team tommorow.

For the record, I have the game ending at 27-24 Ravens. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it ends up the other way around though.

Our O-Line is the best in the league. Our defensive front 7 is the best in the league. Basically, the 49ers and Ravens are the same team - except SF is better in every facet of the game besides FG kicking and our QB is more athletic and dangerous in more ways. Also, our offense is more dynamic and the pistol hasn't been stopped. This is why most analysts are picking SF.

This particular thread, however, is simply about the lame reasoning given by the few analysts who are picking the Ravens. I'd like to know how you feel about their reasons. Do you think their magical reasoning is valid? Is it a real argument to use Ray Lewis' last game as a reason your team should win?

Originally posted by TheTruth2013:

Team of Destiny? No but the reasons for a Ravens victory is simple. Heathly for the first time all season the D and O line is playing like champions, the D holding Brady to 13 pts in their house! Stopping a hot Colts team and follow that with wins at denver and NE! Flacco playing on fire with tons of post season exp. Your QB is good (so Far) but has 10 games under his belt. Quite frankly everytime he takes off the odds of him having a long NFL life gets smaller. Just ask guys like RG3 if he would run against the Ravens again. I have nothing against the 49ers I like them , but the Ravens are on a run and I feel they are not going to stop. So 31-20 Ravens is my pick....TheTruth

You fail to realize Kaepernick is not a small guy who is likely to get injured if he runs. Guys like Vick, RG3 AND Russell Wilson are small and your assumption of them getting hurt is valid. Kaepernick is 6'5" and over 230 lbs. He isn't a fragile little guy. He's big enough to take the hits.

Originally posted by 49erRider:

Originally posted by TheTruth2013:
Team of Destiny? No but the reasons for a Ravens victory is simple. Heathly for the first time all season the D and O line is playing like champions, the D holding Brady to 13 pts in their house! Stopping a hot Colts team and follow that with wins at denver and NE! Flacco playing on fire with tons of post season exp. Your QB is good (so Far) but has 10 games under his belt. Quite frankly everytime he takes off the odds of him having a long NFL life gets smaller. Just ask guys like RG3 if he would run against the Ravens again. I have nothing against the 49ers I like them , but the Ravens are on a run and I feel they are not going to stop. So 31-20 Ravens is my pick....TheTruth

You fail to realize Kaepernick is not a small guy who is likely to get injured if he runs. Guys like Vick, RG3 AND Russell Wilson are small and your assumption of them getting hurt is valid. Kaepernick is 6'5" and over 230 lbs. He isn't a fragile little guy. He's big enough to take the hits.

Originally posted by 49erRider:

Originally posted by TheTruth2013:

Team of Destiny? No but the reasons for a Ravens victory is simple. Heathly for the first time all season the D and O line is playing like champions, the D holding Brady to 13 pts in their house! Stopping a hot Colts team and follow that with wins at denver and NE! Flacco playing on fire with tons of post season exp. Your QB is good (so Far) but has 10 games under his belt. Quite frankly everytime he takes off the odds of him having a long NFL life gets smaller. Just ask guys like RG3 if he would run against the Ravens again. I have nothing against the 49ers I like them , but the Ravens are on a run and I feel they are not going to stop. So 31-20 Ravens is my pick....TheTruth

You fail to realize Kaepernick is not a small guy who is likely to get injured if he runs. Guys like Vick, RG3 AND Russell Wilson are small and your assumption of them getting hurt is valid. Kaepernick is 6'5" and over 230 lbs. He isn't a fragile little guy. He's big enough to take the hits.

Not only that, Kaep doesn't get hit often. He generally slides or runs out of bounds to avoid the hit. I can only remember a few times of him actually getting hit. Kaep plays smart.

I usually wait until after a game before disputing all of the "experts" and their dumb predictions. Let's look at what is real. The Niners OL, when they go heavy, weighs roughly 3200lbs. What's going to happen when the smallish Ravens defensive front is constantly leaned and beat on by these guys? They haven't seen offensive speed like the Niners. Who has the wheels to keep up with these cats? Believe me, Coach Harbaugh is going to unleash every weapon he can absolutely imagine. On defense, our defensive speed is unmatched in the NFL. The Smith guys are going to leave everything they have on the field, which means Flacco is in for a brutal handling. Hey diddle diddle, Ray Rice, sit a little. You ain't goin' nowhere! And I predict, "experts", no less than 5 different offensive Niners players will score, a couple more than once. Oh, and to the great Ray Lewis, thanks for participating!

I hope Jim Harbaugh is putting up all these quotes on the bulletin board.

Originally posted by 49erRider:
Our O-Line is the best in the league. Our defensive front 7 is the best in the league. Basically, the 49ers and Ravens are the same team - except SF is better in every facet of the game besides FG kicking and our QB is more athletic and dangerous in more ways. Also, our offense is more dynamic and the pistol hasn't been stopped. This is why most analysts are picking SF.

This particular thread, however, is simply about the lame reasoning given by the few analysts who are picking the Ravens. I'd like to know how you feel about their reasons. Do you think their magical reasoning is valid? Is it a real argument to use Ray Lewis' last game as a reason your team should win?

I think the emotion thing holds some weight but not as much as the media make it out to be. The reasion we have and always will have a chance is that we have very good, smart, and fundamentally sound players on defense. That's why we have had so many coaches leave our team yet we still continue our excellent football team. The 3-4, 4-3, 46, pressure, soft zone. It doesn't matter because our team will make it work.
We were slowed down this year by a rash of injuries and turmoil that happened to correct itself at the right time. The heart of our defense; Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngat, and Ed Reed hadn't played together all year until our first playoff game.

Our offense was severley hampered by an unimaginative Offensive coordinator who hated to make adjustments and would not let the QB audible.

Our offensive line actually were actually placed where they succeed best. McKinnie is an pro bowl (albeit with the VIkings) LT. Osemele played guard in college but was forced to play RT due to injuries. Birk is considered to be 1 of the best centers in the league. Yanda is all pro and Oher is 10 times better on the right than the left.

Contrary to what the media spews, Flacco simply does not turn the ball over. He has never thrown over 12 interceptions in his career and is among the top in total turnover ratiio among QBs.

We are a very versatile team who can win a game in every way. Just like the 49ers.

49er fans are fooling themselves if they believe that the Ravens can't win this game convincingly. And the same goes for the Raven fans.

I need this game to start now. THe suspense is killing me. Either way, I'll be hear tonight, gracious in victory or defeat.
After my colts left, I was a diehard 49er fan. I still have my Rice home and away jersey as he was my favorite player. I still have my replica Superbowl XXXIII Lombardi trophy. Until the Ravens won in 2000, the 1994 season was my most satisfying moment. To see us finally get past the Cowboys made me so f**king happy.

We got the Ravens in 1996 and got two 1st ballot Hall of Famers in the first round and I was hooked. I still followed my 9ers until the let my favorite player go and was completely Ravens.

Heres to an injury free game.

Originally posted by TheTruth2013:

Team of Destiny? No but the reasons for a Ravens victory is simple. Heathly for the first time all season the D and O line is playing like champions, the D holding Brady to 13 pts in their house! Stopping a hot Colts team and follow that with wins at denver and NE! Flacco playing on fire with tons of post season exp. Your QB is good (so Far) but has 10 games under his belt. Quite frankly everytime he takes off the odds of him having a long NFL life gets smaller. Just ask guys like RG3 if he would run against the Ravens again. I have nothing against the 49ers I like them , but the Ravens are on a run and I feel they are not going to stop. So 31-20 Ravens is my pick....TheTruth

How many times do you have to be told about Kaepernick??

HES NOT A RUNNING QB.

Hes a pocket passer with an accurate and strong arm. He runs in read option plays that he can decide are clear paths or not beforehand. When he does run, he takes what he can get, and then slides down or runs out of bounds, just like a pocket passer would.

This weird fantasy you have about him running into the teeth of the Ravens D like a maniac and getting knocked out cold are so misguided...

Hes a responsible and opportunistic runner that happens to be able to cover 50 yds like a racehorse. Hes a passer first and foremost, and if the Ravens look past his ability as a throwing QB, they will be sorry.

It's going to come down to Roman vs Pees, Fangio vs Caldwell. We have the spy in Fangio, so I think the edge goes to us. We'll see. Both rosters are dinged. Our OLine is pretty healthy so i like our edge there (any word on Staley's arm? Not much in the media about it.) I am praying that Fangio loosens the collar a little bit and sends in the corners early, mid 1st quarter. If we play 7 back we will not get Rice/Pitta/Smith/Boldin off the field. That's how it's been for the last 6 weeks. No need to wait and see how things play out. A healthy AldSmith will be nice to have today.

XFactor is Head Shot Pollard. Who will he take out with blatantly illegal hits today?

Originally posted by Niners99:
How many times do you have to be told about Kaepernick??

HES NOT A RUNNING QB.

Hes a pocket passer with an accurate and strong arm. He runs in read option plays that he can decide are clear paths or not beforehand. When he does run, he takes what he can get, and then slides down or runs out of bounds, just like a pocket passer would.

This weird fantasy you have about him running into the teeth of the Ravens D like a maniac and getting knocked out cold are so misguided...

Hes a responsible and opportunistic runner that happens to be able to cover 50 yds like a racehorse. Hes a passer first and foremost, and if the Ravens look past his ability as a throwing QB, they will be sorry.

Actually, no one knows who Kapernaeck "is" or "isn't." 10 games doesn't give you much tape. he can be a racehorse or a pocket passer....what is the defense giving him? That will determine who he is or isn't. His poise and ability to manage & win the game from the pocket, coming from behind, against Atlanta was by far the most impressive performance of the season for CK. Peaking at the right time? Let's hope. He is a lot stronger than other Q's. The Jerry Rice of QB's as far as conditioning goes? Hopefully the Ravens will try to rough him up and get a few 15 yarders early.

Originally posted by ElDannMann:
Not only that, Kaep doesn't get hit often. He generally slides or runs out of bounds to avoid the hit. I can only remember a few times of him actually getting hit. Kaep plays smart.

And, he's got the best slide I've actually seen in a QB because of all his baseball experience. He slides like he's stealing second base. He gets down real quick. Look at his slide during the Falcons game - it's very fast.

Reading some of these analyst predictions makes me think that they should just say, "I think the Ravens will win because...



It's magic....

Originally posted by dscola:

Originally posted by 49erRider:
Our O-Line is the best in the league. Our defensive front 7 is the best in the league. Basically, the 49ers and Ravens are the same team - except SF is better in every facet of the game besides FG kicking and our QB is more athletic and dangerous in more ways. Also, our offense is more dynamic and the pistol hasn't been stopped. This is why most analysts are picking SF.

This particular thread, however, is simply about the lame reasoning given by the few analysts who are picking the Ravens. I'd like to know how you feel about their reasons. Do you think their magical reasoning is valid? Is it a real argument to use Ray Lewis' last game as a reason your team should win?

I think the emotion thing holds some weight but not as much as the media make it out to be. The reasion we have and always will have a chance is that we have very good, smart, and fundamentally sound players on defense. That's why we have had so many coaches leave our team yet we still continue our excellent football team. The 3-4, 4-3, 46, pressure, soft zone. It doesn't matter because our team will make it work.
We were slowed down this year by a rash of injuries and turmoil that happened to correct itself at the right time. The heart of our defense; Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngat, and Ed Reed hadn't played together all year until our first playoff game.

Our offense was severley hampered by an unimaginative Offensive coordinator who hated to make adjustments and would not let the QB audible.

Our offensive line actually were actually placed where they succeed best. McKinnie is an pro bowl (albeit with the VIkings) LT. Osemele played guard in college but was forced to play RT due to injuries. Birk is considered to be 1 of the best centers in the league. Yanda is all pro and Oher is 10 times better on the right than the left.

Contrary to what the media spews, Flacco simply does not turn the ball over. He has never thrown over 12 interceptions in his career and is among the top in total turnover ratiio among QBs.

We are a very versatile team who can win a game in every way. Just like the 49ers.

49er fans are fooling themselves if they believe that the Ravens can't win this game convincingly. And the same goes for the Raven fans.

I need this game to start now. THe suspense is killing me. Either way, I'll be hear tonight, gracious in victory or defeat.
After my colts left, I was a diehard 49er fan. I still have my Rice home and away jersey as he was my favorite player. I still have my replica Superbowl XXXIII Lombardi trophy. Until the Ravens won in 2000, the 1994 season was my most satisfying moment. To see us finally get past the Cowboys made me so f**king happy.

We got the Ravens in 1996 and got two 1st ballot Hall of Famers in the first round and I was hooked. I still followed my 9ers until the let my favorite player go and was completely Ravens.

Heres to an injury free game.

Nice post.

I agree that the Ravens have got all their key defensive players together for the play-offs. That's good for them.

The Ravens re-configured offensive line has also played very well during the play-off run. That's a bit unexpected, because generally the line has to play together for a while to get used to each other's tendencies. But good for the Ravens, they seem to have gelled quickly. And, I agree that they seem to be on a bit of a roll. That dismantling of the Patriots was impressive; not something expected.

The Niners defense has been a bit nicked up. The injury to Justin Smith has had a big effect, unfortunately. I throw out the window the statistics that average out the season. They are not the same defense they were at the beginning of the season. At this time the team needs the offense to help out the defense not the other way around (as had previously been the case). Fortunately now the offense is up to the challenge.

The Niners offensive line has been excellent, but I believe that the QB play has a lot to do with that.

The Niners woes makes this a much closer game than it would otherwise have been IMO.

So whichever team comes out with the greater energy will have the advantage. If a team comes out flat (it happens), it will lose. If both teams come out with high, controlled energy, it will be epic. Mistakes will be decisive. But if the breaks fall evenly, I really expect the Niners to win. 31 -20.

Hey, I can dream along with the best of them!

I would rather people pick against us. We do best when people do not give us credit.

Analysts are making predictions without reason because it really doesn't matter which team is better on paper. With two weeks to prepare - the gap between the two teams is almost non-existent. That's why - the so called analysts are going with gut feeling and emotions involved in the game than which team is better.

It's 1 game, 60 minutes - better teams don't always win. Heck - I'd think it's close to 50-50 at this point. Giants and Green Bay were wild-card teams - and IMO they beat a better team every step of the way.

It usually comes down to who makes couple of extra plays than the other team...and I feel that's what will happen in this Super Bowl. I feel confident that it will be Niners but there isn't really a reason behind it - it's just how I feel.