Bleacher Reports gives 2012 PREDICTION

[UCMehayward]

Oh how I would love for this to happen!!

Thoughts?

Comments of about the last game of the season against the Ravens

As in 2011, the Cincinnati Bengals will close the regular season with a home game against the Baltimore Ravens. If you've been keeping track, I believe I have the Bengals entering the week with 10 wins. If that's true, this game could wind up meaning a whole lot.

Contrary to the first game of the season, I think that the Baltimore defense will long since have crumbled and really deteriorated into shells of its former self. Cincinnati will come out stronger than ever, thus getting back to the postseason.

Prediction: Cincinnati shuts down Joe Flacco, wins 23-7.

Begin Slideshow

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...nd-predictions

[Jeff Query's Ghost]

Stopped reading when they said Baltimore D will crumble.

If there's one NFL prediction that can be made on a year end basis, is that Baltimore D wont crumble and will be as effective as its been for over a decade. Baltimore D has become an institution.

[Dmac18]

So this year we all are doing the complete opposite and consider Bleacher Report a valid source of information...lol amazing

[UCMehayward]

For one, all I said was that I would love for this to happen, not that it was etched in stone....

Secondly, them saying the Balitmore D crumbling in the LAST game of the 2012 season is not a idea just brought out of thin air... Most people have predicted that this is the year both Balitmore and Steelers D ages and has injury issues.... It is not at all unlikely that Reed, Lewis and Ngata have a injury prone year... They all did kind of break down last season.

Take it for what you want, I just thought it was an interesting article to post

[Jeff Query's Ghost]

...Baltimore D wont crumble...

[Carp]

Eox wrote a very nice article. But the respect given to Pitt at Heinz is over the top. We can do it again.

[savagehenry54]

Originally Posted by UCMehayward

Oh how I would love for this to happen!!

Thoughts?

Comments of about the last game of the season against the Ravens

As in 2011, the Cincinnati Bengals will close the regular season with a home game against the Baltimore Ravens. If you've been keeping track, I believe I have the Bengals entering the week with 10 wins. If that's true, this game could wind up meaning a whole lot.

Contrary to the first game of the season, I think that the Baltimore defense will long since have crumbled and really deteriorated into shells of its former self. Cincinnati will come out stronger than ever, thus getting back to the postseason.

Prediction: Cincinnati shuts down Joe Flacco, wins 23-7.

Begin Slideshow

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...nd-predictions

I've got us going 11-5 too. So I agree with that guy there, I find his final score predictions funny though....Way too many blowouts with scores of like 31-10 or some krap. That rarely happens in the NFL and certainly not with the regularity he's predicting.

[eoxyod]

Originally Posted by Carp

Eox wrote a very nice article.

ridiculous. I have never predicted a win for the team

[redwhodey]

I could care less who predicts what. I think we will make a run at the super bowl this year and probably for some years to come. Everybody said one win last year, so they know nothing.

[bengalfan74]

The NFL is set up for parity, even the really, really, good teams have bad stretches. Salary cap issues, injuries, and aging players all come together on occasion. Both the Steelers and Ravens are overdue for one.

[djam]

Bleacher Report is not legit, ever. I dont waste my time with it when you can get the same exact thing right here on a fan message board without trying to dress it up like it's written by anyone with a hint of cred.

[shaolinghost]

Originally Posted by bengalfan74

The NFL is set up for parity, even the really, really, good teams have bad stretches. Salary cap issues, injuries, and aging players all come together on occasion. Both the Steelers and Ravens are overdue for one.

Ravens overall defensive ranking:
2007: 22nd
2008: 3rd
2009: 3rd
2010: 3rd
2011: 3rd

Average: 7th

Steelers overall defensive ranking:
2007: 2nd
2008: 1st
2009: 12th
2010: 1st
2011: 1st

Average: 3rd

People have been saying for at least 4-5 years now that the Ravens and Steelers D will get worse. It hasn't happened, it likely won't happen this season either. We've gotta get out of this mentality of hoping our rivals get worse, and focus solely on beating every team at their best. That's the only real way to become great in the NFL.

[UCMehayward]

The Steelers havent seen this much turnover on there D for a while neither.... Also, the Ravens D during that stretch had arguably the best MLB and FS in the league playing at there peak during those years.... They are getting old and you can see it was taking its toll at the end of last year.... sooo

[WhoDeyLeisure]

Originally Posted by dmac18

So this year we all are doing the complete opposite and consider Bleacher Report a valid source of information...lol amazing

You do know opinion based articles are not facts right?

[Rathskeller]

As football is the only sport I really care about I've been watching it my whole life...(and I go back quite a few years).

After declaring in August of 2010 that our upcoming team could potentially one of our best ever...I've decided I know nothing about football and have retired from making season predictions.

That is...until I decide that "I still got it", at which point I will unretire.

[Dmac18]

Originally Posted by WhoDeyLeisure

You do know opinion based articles are not facts right?

Yeah i know but I just find it funny how when I joined this board I massacred anytime I even brought up BR I still have about 15 neg reps in my box from that.

[yellowxdiscipline]

Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are old as ****, but still some how manage to pump life into that Defense. Ravens D is far from crumbling.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Originally Posted by Jeff Query's Ghost

Stopped reading when they said Baltimore D will crumble.

If there's one NFL prediction that can be made on a year end basis, is that Baltimore D wont crumble and will be as effective as its been for over a decade. Baltimore D has become an institution.

I don't know about that.

If there's any year for them to crumble it will be this year.

They NEED big names in the draft; Jarret Johnson is gone, and that is a GARGANTUAN loss for the D; no rookie will supplant his production, at least initially; throws a major wrench in their hybrid D because he and Suggs are the two best hybrid guys in the league IMO.

Aaaaand the guys are all a year older.

[bengalfan74]

Originally Posted by shaolinghost

Ravens overall defensive ranking:
2007: 22nd
2008: 3rd
2009: 3rd
2010: 3rd
2011: 3rd

Average: 7th

Steelers overall defensive ranking:
2007: 2nd
2008: 1st
2009: 12th
2010: 1st
2011: 1st

Average: 3rd

People have been saying for at least 4-5 years now that the Ravens and Steelers D will get worse. It hasn't happened, it likely won't happen this season either. We've gotta get out of this mentality of hoping our rivals get worse, and focus solely on beating every team at their best. That's the only real way to become great in the NFL.

I'm not saying either "DEFENSE" is going to be horrible ! I'm simply saying the "TEAM" is bound to have a bad (for them) season or two were the "TEAM" is not among the best in the NFL record wise.

Both teams are built with a strong defense as their philosophy, and neither team is very likely to have a long run of horrible defensive years. Or as you say "get worse"

If you look back over the last several seasons, with just a couple anomalies, 06 Steelers 8-8, 07 Ravens 5-11. Both teams have been 11-5, 12-4 range almost every season. This run for both teams is bound to end with a couple bad seasons (for them) 8-8ish where they're rebuilding.

And yes to be the best you have to beat the best. But we should build our team now to take advantage of what I believe is bound to be an off year or two coming up very soon for both of them !

[Jeff Query's Ghost]

Originally Posted by Truck_1_0_1_

I don't know about that.

If there's any year for them to crumble it will be this year.

They NEED big names in the draft; Jarret Johnson is gone, and that is a GARGANTUAN loss for the D; no rookie will supplant his production, at least initially; throws a major wrench in their hybrid D because he and Suggs are the two best hybrid guys in the league IMO.

Aaaaand the guys are all a year older.

No, they are an institution. They are not going to crumble. They've been saying it for years, and both the Steelers and Ravens have proved them wrong through either drafts, FA, or just not aging as predicted. They are better than the sum of their parts because of their winning mentality. Only an idiot would bet against their Ds. When the stabbing murderer and Ed Reed are gone, the Ravens will draft 2 more beasts (like they always do, look at their draft record, its ridiculous). If they cant replace them each with one player, they'll pull a baseball move and go W.A.R. and still replace them. They succeed despite, we succeed in spite. Both teams have had consistently good (as consistent as you can be in the NFL) defenses since the 90s. Only a couple of players are even still on the teams from then. Don't see how losing one or two players (no matter who they were) is going to stop these defenses, since it never did before.

[grampahol]

Whenever I see Bleacher Report says.. I automatically think, Some Schmoe posted _________ on Bleacher Report.. I still read it, but.....