NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Week 1: Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets

Monday September 13, 2010 7:00 PM

Line: Ravens +2 O/U 39
Welcome back constant reader. Today's the day, tonight's the night! After seven long month's of waiting the Ravens have finally returned to start their 2010/2011 NFL Campaign.

Week one of the NFL season promises to live up to the hype thanks to Roger Goodell's minions scheduling a whole host of marquee matchups. Cowboys at Redskins, Bengals at Patriots, and of course Monday night's clash between two pre-season Superbowl contenders Ravens at Jets.

Make no mistake about it; Rex and his not-ready-for-primetime players are certainly prepared for all out Armageddon. The Baltimore, New Jersey, New York Jets have made a number of marquee acquisitions during the off season designed to get them over the hump of the AFC Championship game and into the Superbowl. They are talented, deep at most positions, and they will be determined to open their new home with a bang. Simply stated, they will be a difficult team to beat.

With that in mind let's take a look at this week's match up.

RavensGab.com Keys to the Game

Minimize the Penalties

The Ravens struggled all of last season with stupid penalties. This off-season John Harbaugh has made it a point to coach smarter football and emphasize the need to not give up stupid yardage. The losses of certain repeat offenders like Frank Walker will undoubtedly help in this department. If the Ravens can stay disciplined and keep off the zebra radar, they will be in a much better position to control the flow of the game and force the Jets into mistakes of their own.

Possess the Ball

The Ravens have shown a fair amount of no huddle in the pre-season. If they can keep that up here and manage the game clock by possessing the ball for a number of long sustained drives, it will force Mark Sanchez to have to throw the ball more often, which is not his strongest suit (20 INT's last season). As always this may seem like a no brainer, but if they other team doesn't have the ball, they cannot score.

Keep it simple and win this game.

Bring Pressure

The Jets have a few issues on their offensive line. It's not the most cohesive unit, and at times has struggled dearly to protect Mark Sanchez. As I stated above, Sanchez is at his weakest when he's forced to move around and make tough throws. Although he may yet find his accuracy and his rhythm, he's still a young quarterback who will be prone to many mistakes. Couple that with the fact that the Ravens still have question marks surrounding their secondary, and this could be easily the most important Key to the game. Terrell and the rest of the Ravens front line is going to have to get pressure on Sanchez, otherwise the team could be drawn into a fire fight.

Stop the Run

Stuffing the run will be an early part of beating the Jets. No other team in the league ran the ball last season as many times as the jets did. Given the fact that they still have a growing quarterback, this is not likely to change anytime soon. Expect LT, and Shonn Green to get a healthy number of carries in an attempt to extend drives and weaken the Ravens defense.

Get Up Early and Take the Crowd Out of the Game

To say that the Jets and their fans will be fired up Monday night is to state that there's a little bit of sand at the beach. This is the season opener, the Monday night opener, in a brand spanking new stadium, for a team with the highest expectations of greatness. Getting up early on the Jets will have a crushing effect on their ego and will silence the New Jersey faithful. Take away their heart and victory will be that much easier to obtain.

Ravens Gab Predictions

Jonathon Scruggs

This will be as daunting a challenge as the Ravens may face in the first 10 weeks of the season. Its not about talent at this point, its about what team wants it more. You know that Rex, and Bart, and Jim Leonhard want this win badly. They can taste it. They will be focused and determined to stick it to their former mentor Ray Lewis. That being said, I don't know that there will be many who can contain the Ravens' offense this season, and I certainly don't think the Jets will be able to. Remember how god Joe looked last season in weeks 1-6 before he got hurt? He did that with Mason, Clayton and Kelly Washington. Now imagine what he's going to do with Mason, Boldin, and Houshmandzadeh.

What's Our Name?

Ravens 27 — Jets 17

Gene Winner

Ray Lewis knew exactly what he was doing when he commented on the Jets. In essence he was turning the tables, he won't be intimidated nor let his teamates be either.  The key for the offense is protecting Flacco and they will look to attack the Jets defense. The Ravens defense needs to stop the run and force QB Sanchez into some errant throws.   In the end the Ravens will take care of business

Ravens 26 – Jets 17

Matt Jergensen

As long as Baltimore stays away from costly turnovers they'll be fine. Sure it sounds easier said than done but the New York offense shouldn't scare anyone. So it's important to pin them back deep and make them sustain drives. The Baltimore defense has always been tough against the run and I'd expect the same on Monday night. Oddly enough the defense has been overlooked this pre-season and I think with Mattison in his second year at the controls the D won't have that same feeling out period that had them sputtering until Week 8 in '09.

The game plan should be simple. Make Mark Sanchez beat you.

Ravens 20 – Jets 13

The day is finally here.  The wait is finally over.  The quest for a championship begins today in Foxboro, MA as the new-look Bengals face a suddenly young New England team.

Both clubs are coming of division championships.  The Bengals completed their first division sweep in franchise history on their way to their second AFC North crown in five years.  The Patriots took their division in 2009 again, in what is almost a yearly exercise in the AFC East. Both teams are hoping to get a bad taste out of their mouths as each club was summarily dismissed, at home, in the first round of the playoffs. Both teams have explosive wide-outs, and prototype, star-quality quarterbacks.

Despite the hard work of the coaches, the relative calm of the offseason and the burgeoning confidence the Bengals have enjoyed, they have a tough test ahead of them against the cagey and experienced Pats.  Looking at the 2009 team statistics, New England is better in virtually every category.  Tom Brady is a first-ballot hall-of-famer, and Bill Belichick is perhaps the greatest coach in NFL history.

It's the proven winner against the up-and-comer.

Nonetheless, there are many reasons for optimism in Who-deyville.  The Bengal defense comes into the contest as healthy as they've ever been, and even more talented than last year's group that finished 4^th overall.  The Pats will throw the ball all over the field, usually with Brady in the shotgun.  Having a healthy group of pass rushers, including DE Antwan Odom, who will start despite rumors about a positive test for banned substances, should help the team hurry Brady.  Fellow rushers Michael Johnson, Jonathan Fanene, Robert Geathers, and Geno Atkins should also benefit from a depleted Patriots offensive line, with Logan Mankins sitting out over his contract and his replacement, Nick Kaczur out with a back injury.

While New England's strength is in the passing game, the best part of the Bengal defense is the secondary, where CB's Johnathan Joseph, Leon Hall, and Adam Jones will provide a capable challenge to Randy Moss and Wes Welker, who will be playing just 8 months after knee surgery. On paper at least, the Bengal defense is a solid matchup against the powerful Patriot offense.  Marvin Lewis has to like his chances there.

On the other side of the ball, the Bengals will clearly try to run the ball down the throats of a suddenly young Patriot defense. Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott will get opportunities to gash between the tackles, hoping to draw in New England's safeties.  Meanwhile, two of the NFL most productive wide receivers will test two of the most inexperienced starting corners in the league.  Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens are surely liking their chops at the prospect of lining up against Darius Butler and Devin McCourty.  The Pats' starting corners have a total of 6 starts between them, and McCourty is a rookie.  This should be a good matchup for QB Carson Palmer.  Look for the Bengals to go with a ball control, run-first offense to start the game, but they will attack New England's 3-4 defense in the passing game as needed.

Special teams looks like a draw, with New England's kicking game consistent and reliable.  The story of the preseason for Cincinnati was the fantastic kick returning of several players, including WR Quan Cosby, Jones, and rookie WR Jordan Shipley.

Despite all of these apparent advantages, I've learned before never bet against Bill Belichick or Tom Brady; especially when they've had six months to game plan.  The Patriots are at home where they traditionally play very well.

This will be a very tough test for the Bengals.  Their defense will have to show up and play at the level that's been expected.  The re-tooled offense will have to keep up with New England's high-octane attack on the scoreboard.  If the Bengals can win, it could make a strong statement to the NFL that they're more than some "Batman and Robin" talk, and a legitimate contender for the Super Bowl. With one of the toughest schedules in the league ahead of them, this game—win or lose—will be a good litmus test for the future.

Prediction:  Bengals 27-Patriots 24

A lot of people have uttered concerns over the past few weeks about whether the Saints' running game would be able to survive all of the devastating preseason injuries and the departure of Mike Bell. Well I'd say worriers can put those concerns to bed after Thursday night's performance.

In the first half of the showdown against the Vikings, the Saints' rushing attack was virtually nonexistent; they attempted only three rushes for 9 yards. But in the second half, they mixed things up and were able to establish the run against a very stout Vikings defense. Behind the stellar blocking of Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks, Pierre Thomas was able to slice and grind his way to 71 yards and a hard-fought touchdown on the night.  To put it mildly, they dominated on the ground.

I've got to tell you–Evans and Nicks have got to be the best tandem of guards in the NFL. The way they were able to just manhandle Kevin and Pat Williams (or as they are fearfully known, the "Williams Wall"), was nothing short of spectacular. They consistently overpowered the wall, bulldozing them to the ground and totally reversing their field of vision which allowed Thomas to muscle his way through for positive yards and critical first-downs. I don't think enough can be said about the sheer power and precision executed by those three against one of the best (if not the best) defensive fronts in all of football.

The running game has been so integral in setting the tempo for the Saints offense that it's hard to envision it being successful without it. So naturally people got anxious when running backs started dropping like flies in the preseason. I even wondered myself if having to rely on Thomas and Bush would be enough to catapult this year's rushing attack into the elite status of last year's. In this league, the way it's played out now, having two power backs is almost a necessity. But having watched how effectively the offensive line sprang those holes for Thomas and how masterfully he exploited them, I realized that the running game is going to be just fine, especially when a healthy Chris Ivory is added into the mix. And though I haven't seen much of DeShawn Wynn, I figure he had to really show something special to even make the roster.

One thing I can say is that being able to establish the run is going to be just as important this year as it was last year. Not only does it chew up time off the clock, but it also allows Drew Brees to take some shots down the field. In order for the Saints to duplicate their success of 2009, they will need to duplicate that same type of balance; it was quite evident Thursday night. Well, I think they answered the call on that, proving that finishing 6th in rushing in 2009 was definitely not a fluke. If the premiere backs and the ProBowl-caliber offensive linemen can stay healthy, the Saints running game is on target to once again be one of the most efficient in the league.

Just a note:  I made a prediction in an earlier article that Carl Nicks will be elected to the ProBowl this season.  I'd say he's off to a great start.

Ahh…game 1.  Fun time of the year, everyone has 0 loses, everyone in the playoff hunt, there is nothing  but positive vibes.  Top 5 things to watch for the Raiders in their game versus the Titans.

1.  Contain CJ

The Raiders run defense will be better this year, but they are going to face a tough test with the Titans offensive line and Chris Johnson.  I expect him to get 100 yards rushing, the objective though for the Raiders is to make him get 25-30 carries to get there.  Don't allow him to make long runs (10+ yards).

2.  Make VY beat you with the pass

The Titans will win if Vince Young makes plays with his feet and makes the 10-15 yard passes.  The Raiders need to make him step up in to middle of the pass rush and cover the middle of the field and force Vince to make deep passes, where he is less accurate.

3.  Run the ball

While they seemed to be better during the pre-season, the Titans run defense allowed over 4 yards a carry last year.  The Raiders should run the ball for 30 times and batter the middle of the field against the Titans.

4.  Be Consistent on Offense

While it would be great to have Jason Campbell throw for 300 yards, his gaol is to keep the offense moving.  It keeps the defense off the field to rest, put CJ on the bench where he is less effective, and allows them to play the field position game which Jeff Fisher likes to do.

5.  Be Special

Make all the field goal kicks, make the tackles during the punting and kickoff game, and don't allow the Titans the big play.  It is the most effective way to keep the crowd out of the game.

I like the momentum the Raiders have built this year, and they have players on the team that are not part of the recent losing atmosphere.   It's game 1, so I'm going to be optimistic.

Raiders 20 Titans 17