There has been quite a lot of noise made in the Professional Handicapping circles about where Phil Vassallo originated from. To set the record straight, he is originally from Athens, Greece. He is known by his friends as "Phil the Greek". He spent a lifetime as a professional gambler, mostly in Horse Racing. In the last decade he got turned onto sports betting and says he never looked back. The cigar smoking Phil Vassallo managed to beat other Sports Handicappers that have been in the business for a lifetime. He held an impressive 56% win ratio in the 2012 NFL Season and says he plans to do even better in 2013.

He says his strategy is betting on the previous seasons dogs. The dogs are the NFL teams that really struggled. The teams with the 2-14 record that nobody wants to bet on. Well someone does, Phil the Greek will take those dogs. Why you ask? Well he explains that losing teams usually do better the following years. They have more to prove and have very little to lose. Sportsbooks also give  these "dog" teams the best lines. Anybody that knows anything about Sports Betting will tell you that it is all about getting a more favorable line.

Phil says there are a few contenders for the team that will go against all odds and become the "dog to bet"  for 2013. Currently it's the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yes, the team with the worst record in the NFL for 2012. He is also looking at two more teams to beat the odds. The Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia  Eagles.
 

Sorry Tim Tebow, not this time. You can go back to Tebowing now.

Two of the NFL's elite franchises take on each other in a preseason game. The New York Giants (2012: 9-7 SU, 7-9 ATS) are looking to bounce back from last year's swoon. They did have the same record that they had in 2011 when they won the Super Bowl. The Pittsburgh Steelers (2012: 8-8 SU, 6-9-1 ATS) also missed the playoffs last year. They are 28-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Giants are 22-1. The Giants visit Heinz Field on Saturday night to take on the Steelers from Pittsburgh at 7:30pmET.


Pittsburgh opened as a -3-point betting odds favorite and moved to -2 in most books. The total opened at
35.5 and remained there in most books.

Brown and Wilson battle for starting running back

The New York Giants had a decent running attack last year, as they ranked 14th
in the league with 116.4 yards per game. Ahmad Bradshaw is gone and the Giants
will go younger with speedy David Wilson and Andre Brown. 

Wilson is the more explosive back, while Brown provides the power. He had eight
touchdowns in 10 games last year. 

The defense is the main concern for the Giants as DE/OLB Justin Tucker and DE
Jason Pierre-Paul is recovering from back surgery. The Giants drafted Damontre
Moore in the third round and he'll play alongside another rookie in Johnathan Hankins,
a second-rounder from Ohio State. The Giants ranked 25th last year against the run,
so they need better play up front. Both young players have been very impressive in
camp.

With Eli Manning taking a series or two, expect the Giants to get
a long look from rookie Ryan Nassib, the fourth-round pick from
Syracuse. 

Key Injuries

NY Giants:

• DE Justin Tuck (back) is out.
• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (back) is out.

Pittsburgh:

• WR Plaxico Burress (shoulder) is out indefinitely.
• TE Heath Miller (knee) is out indefinitely.
• LB Sean Spencer (knee) is out indefinitely.

Steelers looking for a Prime Comeback

The days of Jerome Bettis are over. Rashard Mendenhall is now playing in
Arizona. The Steelers have always been a run-first team but last year they
ranked an atrocious 26th (96.1 yards per game) on the ground.

They drafted Le'Veon Bell from Michigan State to help with the
running game. Bell is a big back with good feet but he's not considered a
powerful runner. He'll get every chance to win the job from Jonathan Dwyer and
Isaac Redman. He'll work with the starters on Saturday. 

The Steelers also changed their backup quarterbacks around as they brought in Bruce
Gradkowski to back up Ben Roethlisberger, who played with an injured shoulder
and rib last season.

Defensively, Pittsburgh needs to get younger as linebacker James Harrison and nose tackle Casey Hampton are gone. Safety Troy Polamalu can't seem to stay  healthy. Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones is the prototypical player for their 3-4 scheme. Rookie Shamarko Thomas is a big
hitting safety who the Steeler took in the fourth round that could eventually
replace Polamalu.

Weather:
Kickoff temperature: 73. Northeast wind 7-9. 
 
QB Rotations
New York Giants
Eli Manning
David Carr
Ryan Nassib (R)
Curtis
Painter

Pittsburgh
Ben Roethlisberger 
Bruce Gradkowski
Landry Jones (R)
John
Parker Wilson

Oh, the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers also have a very sexy female fan club that includes the hot Jessica Alba. Check them out!

LAST MEETING, PRESEASON
 

• Aug. 19, 2011, at Lambeau Field; Packers won, 28-20
• QB Aaron Rodgers connected on 9 of 12 passes for 97 yards and a TD (126.0
  passer rating).
• WR Chastin West led Green Bay’s offense with 134 receiving yards on five
  catches (26.8 avg.), highlighted by a game-winning 97-yard TD grab from QB Matt
  Flynn early in the fourth quarter that gave the Packers a 21-20 lead.
• Flynn completed 5 of 6 passes for 141 yards and a TD for a perfect 158.3
  passer rating.

1. David Bakhtiari.
In most preseason openers, Packers coach Mike McCarthy plays his starters only a few series. But look for new starting left tackle Bakhtiari to stay on the field even after the rest of the No. 1 offensive line retires for the night.

“He needs to learn to play the position at this level and speed and see the things he’s going to see in Week 1,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy tabbed the fourth-round pick from Colorado to start after Bryan Bulaga
sustained a season-ending knee injury, and so far the 21-year-old from the University
of Colorado has performed well.

“To his credit, he has picked things up really nicely and done a
good job for being book smart, but he transfers that onto the field,” Packers
offensive line coach James Campen said. “He’s the type of guy who’s
very cerebral and can go out there, see it in the meeting, take the information,
process it and put it on the field.”

2. The kickers.
Special teams coach Shawn Slocum could not have been put it any more
directly when asked about veteran kicker Mason Crosby’s on-going struggles.


“It’s time to make some field goals,” Slocum said this week.

Of course, he said the same thing last season when Crosby went through a horrible
stretch in which he missed 12-of-24 field goals on the way to an NFL-worst 63.6
percent conversion rate. Crosby had another woeful performance in last
Saturday’s scrimmage, when he made just 3-of-8 field goals. He bounced back with
a 3-for-4 performance in the lone field goal period during practice this week
but is just 15-of-23 so far in training camp.

The challenger, unproven first-year kicker Giorgio Tavecchio, can’t match Crosby’s leg
strength but has been far more accurate (19-of-23). Fundamentally, they are
completely different kickers. The right-footed Crosby use a two-step approach,
while the left-footed Tavecchio uses a three-step approach.

“I’ll tell you this, I’m going to withhold my judgment until we see these games start to
occur,” Slocum said. “That’s the biggest stage we can evaluate with right now,
and that’s where we’ll do that.”

3. Vince Young. If McCarthy and quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo had enough time,
they would probably make significant changes to Young’s footwork and throwing motion.
But with only three days of practice after Young signed a minimum contract with the Packers on
Monday, a complete overhaul is out of the question.

Instead, they have tried to give Young enough instruction to allow him to function. Though it
looked ugly at times in practice – he threw an interception during a half-speed,
jog-through period on Thursday – Young is expected to play against the Cardinals
because the Packers need to begin evaluating whether the 30-year-old former
first-round draft pick would be an upgrade over backups Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman.

“It’s definitely a challenge; it’s not easy,” McAdoo said. “It’s a lot easier to do it with a
veteran than a rookie coming in at this point. He has some background. He’s
played some football. He’s won some games in this league and has played well.
That’ll help.”

4. The return game. The Packers will continue to explore options so that they don’t have
to put Randall Cobb, one of their top receivers, at kick returner. With Cobb perhaps out
Friday night because of a biceps injury, it means Jeremy Ross should get the first crack at the
returns. Slocum has little doubt about Ross’ ability, but ball security
continues to be a concern. Ross had a 49-yard kickoff return in Saturday’s
scrimmage but muffed a punt in practice three days later.

The Packers have used several returners in practice, but many of them are unlikely to make
the roster. Ross is a good bet because of his improvement as a receiver. So is
rookie running back Johnathan Franklin, who has almost no experience
as a returner but has been working on it in practice.

5. Running backs. The unquestioned star of last Saturday’s scrimmage was rookie
Eddie Lacy, who had explosive runs of 16 and 20 yards.

It would be an upset if Lacy isn’t the Week 1 starter, especially considering Franklin is
off to a slow start and DuJuan Harris (knee) remains out. The only thing
that could hold back Lacy is an injury, and sure enough he had a hamstring
tighten up on him this week and might not play against the Cardinals.

PACKERS OPEN PRESEASON WITH HOME TILT VS. CARDINALS
 

• The Green Bay Packers’ 2013 season officially kicks off Friday night when
  they welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Lambeau Field, the first time since 2010
  that Green Bay has opened its preseason slate at home.
   
• It marks the third time in the past five years that the clubs have squared
  off in the preseason, with the last meeting between the teams coming in 2011 at
  Lambeau Field (Aug. 19).
   
• The teams have met 22 times before in the preseason, with the Packers
  holding a 16-6 lead in the all-time series. The clubs’ first preseason meeting
  came on Aug. 16, 1950, when the Packers hosted the Chicago Cardinals in Green
  Bay. The teams went on to play each other every year in the preseason from
  1950-58 (twice in 1957).
   
• The Packers have won each of the last six meetings between the clubs in the
  preseason. This marks the first time that Green Bay has opened the preseason
  against the Cardinals since the teams squared off in New Orleans on Aug. 8,
  1964.
   
• This will be the fourth preseason meeting between the clubs (2002, 2009,
  2011) since the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988.
   
• The Packers hosted the Cardinals last season in Week 9, a 31-17 Green Bay
  victory highlighted by QB Aaron Rodgers’
  four TD passes.
   
• One of Green Bay’s finest offensive efforts in the preseason came in 2009 at
  Arizona when the Packers racked up 38 points and 357 yards of total offense in
  the first half of their eventual 44-37 victory.
   
• The Packers enter Friday night’s contest having won six of their last eight
  preseason games at Lambeau Field.
   
• Green Bay’s next preseason contest comes a week from Saturday when it
  travels to St. Louis to face the Rams on Aug. 17.

Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3, 35.5)

In the past, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh usually played his starters for most of the first quarter but with a rash of injuries during the summer, Baltimore may limit the action of its first stringers. 

Tampa Bay is also trying to protect its key players from injury this offseason. The Bucs aren’t sold on Josh Freeman as the No. 1, so there could be plenty of snaps for him and rookie QB Mike Glennon.

St. Louis Rams at Cleveland Browns (-4, 35.5)

St. Louis is going to give RB Daryl Richardson the starting gig heading into the preseason opener. The Rams will work in their new offensive line additions Thursday, so Sam Bradford’s workload could depend on the protection.

Cleveland won’t have RB Trent Richardson in the lineup versus St. Louis and is still without Montario Hardesty, leaving rushing duties to third and fourth-stringers Dion Lewis and Brandon Jackson. 

Washington Redskins at Tennessee Titans (-2.5, 35.5)

While Robert Griffin III says he feels great, the Redskins won’t risk throwing their franchise QB out there Thursday. Washington will go with Kirk Cousins at QB and is expected to play its starters 10-15 plays.

Tennessee head coach Mike Munchak is focusing on his rebuilt offensive line this preseason, more specifically paving the way for RB Chris Johnson. The Titans first string will play between 18 and 25 plays.

Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons (-2.5, 37)

These two teams have shared practice time the past week, so there may be some familiarity with each other Thursday. Bengals star WR A.J. Green will sit out while nursing a sore knee and fellow WR Andrew Hawkins is out with an ankle injury.

Atlanta won’t have TE Tony Gonzalez, WR Julio Jones or LB Sean Weatherspoon in Week 1 of the preseason. Head coach Mike Smith may not keep QB Matt Ryan under center long with injuries to the offensive line this week.

Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers (-3, 35)

Peyton Manning is expected to see limited action all preseason but he did tell reporters he was anxious to play the 49ers Thursday, hinting that he may actually take snaps Thursday. Manning didn’t play in Denver’s Week 1 preseason game last summer.

San Francisco will give its first stringers a taste of action before turning its attention to position needs. An injury to CB Chris Culliver has left a big hole in the secondary, so there could be plenty of tinkering with the pass defense. Colt McCoy will get some face time as Colin Kaepernick’s backup.

Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers (+2, 35.5)

The Seahawks have become one of the best preseason bets, going 39-26-3 ATS since 1995 including a 4-0 ATS mark last summer. Seattle QB Russell Wilson, who will see limited snaps, told reporters the Seahawks are bringing a basic offense into Thursday game.

San Diego’s new head coach Mike McCoy is stressing speed this summer, so the Bolts could be full of juice Thursday night, even though they’re missing some downfield threats. The Chargers lost WR Danario Alexander for the season after he tore his ACL this week and WR Vincent Brown is still slowed with a hamstring strain.

Step #1:

(PW) 4% of bankroll 20% of the time.

(PW) stands for "Prime Wagers".

For example: If your bankroll is $400 then your prime wagers will be $16 (4% of $400).

Prime Wagers will be made in 2 out of every 10 games that are bet on average. 





Prime Wagers are the best plays of the day. They don't have to be a sure shot that is "suppose to be" much the best. For example: A Prime Wager can be a win bet on a True Odds Overlay. 

a Top Pick or Best Overlay that looks solid, etc, etc.

As mentioned in several other articles it is highly recommended that the player has
a separate bankroll for win bets and exotics.

Please Note:
Every player should have a "win bets bankroll" first and foremost. If the
player has a decent size overall bankroll it can be split up for win bets and
exotics and each exotic type wager gets a bankroll.

For example:
A player has a $1000 overall bankroll. $400 of that becomes the win bets bankroll,
$300 becomes the exacta bets bankroll and $300 becomes the pick 3 bankroll, etc. 

If the player does have a large enough overall bankroll to split, it is
recommended that at least 40% of it becomes the "win bets bankroll". The
rest can be divided into the exotic wagers that are desired most by the player. 

It has been proven by many experts over the decades that win bets are
the most productive type of wager. 

Step #2:

(RW) 2% of bankroll 50% of the time.

(RW) stands for "Regular Wagers".

For example: If your bankroll is $400 then
your regular bets will be $8 (2% of $400).

Regular Wagers will be made by the player in 5 out of every 10 games on average.

Regular Wagers are nothing special like prime bets but are still worth playing. They can be a
win bet using the Conservative / Powerful Betting strategy strategy, etc. 



Step #3:

(AW) 1% of bankroll 30% of the time.

(AW) stands for "Action Wagers".


For example: If your bankroll is $400 then your action bets will be $4
(1% of $400).

Action Wagers will be made by the player in 3 out of every 10 games on average.

Action wagers are basically bets just to have "action". Since many players only wager on the weekends or such, they don't like to pass a game.

This is acceptable as long as a small percentage
of bankroll is wagered on these games. It is ideal to actually pass certain 
 games when you are not liking the line but many players simply choose not to.

 
Summary:

We still have 43 days left until the Baltimore Ravens travel to Denver to
kick off the season, which means it’s a perfect time for some predictions. But
these aren’t just any predictions; these are BOLD predictions. By “BOLD
predictions”, I mean things that are unlikely to happen but could still
logically happen. If you’re expecting, Denver Broncos finish with

the best record in the NFL, well, that wouldn’t be very bold now would it? I make
these BOLD predictions so the people don’t have to. I am, of course, a man of
the people. This list is no particular order, so the boldness of each prediction is up to you.


Honorable Mention – New England Patriots miss the
playoffs


After Danny Amendola (who has injury issues), the next best receiver on the
Patriots is Julian Edleman. After Edleman, there’s a 31-year-old Michael Jenkins
and then a plate of dudes I’ve never heard of. The defense always has it’s issues too,
though they were better with Aqib Talib. It remains to be seen if running back
Steven Ridley can take the next step and improve on last year.


But the Pats have Tom Brady and no one else in the AFC East does. Brady is
one of those quarterbacks who could make me into a Pro Bowl receiver. The Miami
Dolphins should pose the biggest threat to the Pats, but as long as Tom Brady is
under center, the Pats are a playoff team.


1) Rex Ryan is fired after Week 5


This isn’t bold in the sense of Rex Ryan getting the pink slip; the Jets are
going to be terrible and Ryan will probably end up fired. The boldness can be
found in the week number Ryan gets the boot – Week 5 is pretty early in the NFL
season for a coach to get canned. So why Week 5? My guess is the Jets start 0-4
before they travel to Atlanta in Week 5 to take on the Falcons on Monday
Night Football. Once the Jets get throttled on national television,
they’ll have no choice but to fire Rex Ryan. This may also be the time when they
change the pace of their offense and stick in Geno Smith.


Hey, if Rex is fired, at least he’ll have more time to run with the
bulls.


2) Pittsburgh Steelers miss the playoffs for the second year in a
row


The Steelers haven’t missed the playoffs in consecutive years since 1998-2000
and it’s hard to imagine an organization like Pittsburgh missing the playoffs
again. But the Steelers aren’t as good as the Baltimore Ravens or Cincinnati
Bengals, which means they will be fighting for the wild card spot. Assuming the
Ravens or Bengals, Texans, Broncos and Patriots win their respective divisions,
here is the Steelers’ competition for a wild card spot: Ravens/Bengals, Miami,
Indianapolis, Tennessee, Kansas City and San Diego. That is a lot of teams to beat
out. Though Roesthlisburger is healthy, he, the offensive line and Troy Palumalu
have a recent history of being injured early and often. The Steelers will be
home on the couch eating Doritos Locos Tacos come playoff time.


3) Carolina Panthers make the playoffs


The Panthers haven’t made the playoffs since 2008, but they finished off 2012
on quite the roll. Cam Newton’s play improved and they won their last four games
of the season, including a win over Atlanta (they also played Atlanta well in
Week 4, losing 28-30). The NFC is stacked with potential wild card teams, and if
the Panthers make the playoffs, it’s likely because they beat out either New
Orleans or Atlanta – unless three NFC South teams make the playoffs. That’s
unlikely however given the strength of all the other teams in the
conference.


The Panthers have nice talent and if Cam Newton can put together a solid full
season the Panthers will be one of NFC wild card teams.


4) Tim Tebow scores as a tight end


Yes, I know that it’s been reported that the Pats will likely keep Tebow at
quarterback, but that just makes this all the more bold! With
Gronk hurt and Hernandez in the big house, the odds that Tebow takes a least one
snap at tight end have gone up. That one snap could be his touchdown. The
Patriots and Bill Bilichick have been creative before with versatile players.
You may recall a certain Mike Vrabel, the former linebacker for the New England
Patriots. During his time with the Pats, Vrabel caught eight
passes, all for goal-line touchdowns. I have a feeling Tebow could be Mike
Vrabel 2.0. The only problem with this is that Skip Bayless will somehow make
the argument that Tebow’s success at tight end means he can thrive as an NFL
quarterback. Won’t that be glorious?


5) St. Louis Rams finish top 10 in offensive


I’m a big believer in Sam Bradford and this is the year I believe he’s given
the chance thrive. Bradford has been stuck on a team with no weapons and no
offensive line. Receivers couldn’t get open, the offensive line couldn’t hold
back defenders to give Bradford time, and Bradford would end up on his back as a
result. In 2012, the Rams finished 23rd in yards per game and 25th in points per
game. But this year is going to be different. The Rams picked up left tackle
Jake Long to help strengthen the line and drafted playmakers Tavon Austin and
Stedmon Bailey. Austin is going to give Bradford a Percy Harvin type target and
Bailey should provide nice depth to a receiving corps that’s been lacking.


6) Dallas Cowboys win a playoff game


Take a look at the NFC East. Is there really one team significantly better
than the other? Not really. The NFC East is up in the air, and the Dallas
Cowboys may very well be the best team in the division. If they end up as a wild
card, I don’t see them winning a playoff game. If they win the NFC East however,
and play a wild card team (the Carolina Panthers!), the Cowboys may finally win
their first playoff game since 2009. As per usual, a lot of their success is dependent
on Tony Romo. They guy may be the most underrated or overrated player (depending
on your view) in the league, but there is no denying the guy has insane talent. In most
cases, it usually comes down to that one mistake Romo makes or that one play he
doesn’t make. With a full season from Demarrcoo Murray and limited mistakes from
Romo, the Cowboys’ will be in every game.


Their defense though, will have to make a jump if the ‘Boys want to win that
playoff game. Dallas’ gave up 25 points per game last season, good for 24th in
the league. If the Cowboys can improve to a more middle-of-the-pack type
defense, they’ll finally get that playoff win, and Skip Bayless can rejoice that
the Cowboys are playoff-relevant again.


7) Jacksonville Jaguars finish top 10 in
attendance 


If you haven’t heard, the Jacksonville Jaguars may air the NFL RedZone
channel on their fancy new big screens. The RedZone channel shows
the most compelling moments of games being simultaneously played around the
league. It’s basically the best invention of all-time. This move by the Jags is
clearly to attract fans to the stadium. I mean, they don’t want to come watch
the Jags play, but if the RedZone channel were playing on super-new, high
definition screens, fans may flock to the stadium. The Jags ranked 20th in
average home attendance in 2012 and had to cover some seats with a tarp at a few
home games due to lack of fans.


Fans LOVE the RedZone channel and fans LOVE fantasy football. Being able to
watch your fantasy players at any possible scoring moment makes for the one of
the most exciting football-watching experiences. The only question here is if
fans will be willing to pay ticket prices for something that they can watch at
home  and on the couch with unlimited nachos and cheese. Personally, I
think being at an NFL game is an unbeatable experience. To be surrounded by
70,000 of your closest friends is something that I will enjoy until the day I
die. But there are millions of people out there who prefer to watch games from
home. The improved TV experience and convenience  factor are huge in
keeping people on their couches. But what the Jags are doing combines the TV
experience and the game experience. Fans can have their choice of watching a
terrible team or watch the RedZone channel and chat it up with surrounding fans.
Hey, if the Jags turn out to play some decent football, at least there could be
more fans in the stands to bear witness. I’m very much looking forward to how
this plays out.


8) Adrian Peterson rushes for 2,000 yards again


No NFL player has ever done this. Then again, no NFL player was ever as much
of a freak as Adrian Peterson. The guy tore his ACL and then ran for 2,097 yards
and came within eight yards of Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105. If any guy is
going to rush for 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, it’s going to be Adrian
Peterson. Peterson also has his freakish year on a team with an average
quarterback and no receivers, meaning defenders could stack eight or nine guys
in the box. Yet Peterson still trucked and juked his way through bodies.


This year, the Vikings picked up Greg Jennings, so defenses will have to back
off at least a little to defend against the threat of Jennings. The offensive
line will have to have a repeat performance, but Peterson should have a little
more room to run that last year with Jennings in the picture.


The Vikings will face only three defenses in 2013 who ranked top 10 in
rushing yards per game in 2012 (Seahawks, Redskins and Steelers). Obviously that
could change, but it gives some indication of the defenses Peterson will be up
against.


I’ll even make this a two part BOLD prediction: Adrian Peterson will break
Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards. BOOM!


9) Chicago Bears finish with the best record in the NFL


Yes, even better than the Packers, Broncos, Texans, Ravens, Falcons, 49ers
and Seahawks. This is contingent upon the Bears’ offensive line keeping Jay
Cutler on his feet rather than his back. But Cutler has a natural chemistry with
Brandon Marshall and has a stud running back in Matt Forte. Their defense is one
of the best in the league, but again, it all comes down to Cutler and the
offensive line. Cutler, often consider Brett Favre 2.0, throws way too many
interceptions, many due to his poor decision making and many due to him having
to rush.


The Bears started 7-1 last season even with Cutler throwing interceptions
left and right. I just have this feeling that the Bears have been on the brink
for a few years now, and I think this is the year that Cutler and the offensive
line take the Bears to the next level. Chicago added left tackle Jermon Bushrod
and guard Matt Slauson via free agency and drafted guard Kyle Long, so the
offensive line should see an drastic improvement over past years.


Does this mean the Bears will make the Super Bowl? Not at all. But with the
dramatically improved offensive line and a limited-mistake Jay Cutler, the Bears
will finally take the next leap into one of the elite NFL teams.


10) Baltimore Ravens repeat as Super Bowl champions


Yeah, I said it! Joe Flacco has taken the leap into one of the top six or
seven quarterbacks in the league (Ron Jaworski even ranked Flacco fourth).
Flacco is coming of an historic NFL postseason, throwing 11 beautiful touchdowns
and zero interceptions, something only one other person – the great Joe Montana
– has accomplished.  Flacco lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl win, taking
home Super Bowl MVP in the process. So I’d say the Ravens are all set at
quarterback.


One of the arguments against the Ravens repeat chances (or postseason chances
depending on the analyst) is all of the players they lost. On defense, the
Ravens lost six players: Ray Lewis (retirement), Ed Reed (Texans), Dannell
Ellerbee (Dolphins), Paul Kruger (Browns), Cary Williams (Eagles) and Bernard
Pollard (Titans). But the Ravens brought in a plethora of defenders to replace
those that were lost and arguably improved their defense from last year.
Baltimore added safety Michael Huff (Raiders), defensive end Marcus Spears
(Cowboys), defensive lineman Chris Canty (Giants), linebackers Elvis Dumervil
(Broncos) and Daryl Smith (Jaguars). They also drafted safety Matt Elam
(Florida) and linebacker Arthur Brown (Kansas State) who are both projected to
contribute right away. Oh, they also get Lardarius Webb back from injury, who’s
one of the best cornerbacks in the league when healthy. To top it off, the
Ravens resigned left tackle Bryant McKinnie who was integral in the Ravens
playoff success once he was inserted back into the starting lineup.


The only true question mark is at wide receive. The Ravens traded Anquan
Boldin to the 49ers so Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones will assume the one and two
receiver sports, respectively. But the third receiving spot is very up in the
air. Tandon Doss got a few chances last season but had too many drops for him to
be guaranteed the third receiver spot. The others that are expected to compete
for the third spot include Deonte Thompson, Laquan Williams, Tommy Streeter and
veteran David Reed.


The Ravens also lost veteran Matt Birk at center, but they signed A.Q.
Shipley to compete with Gino Gradkowski. They may struggle at center in the
first few weeks, but the experienced lineman around those two will help to ease
the process.


The receiver issue may prove to be significant, but the Ravens have one of
the best all-around teams in the NFL and are primed to get back to the Super
Bowl. The Baltimore Ravens will be making snow angels come February in New
York.


Article By: Jared Kurtlander
Source: Sportsrageous.com