3rd preseason game ahead...

[Zod]

If you are going to start making predictions based on the preseason, the third game is the cat's meow. Starters will stay in maybe up until halftime, some game planning gets done in the film room.

Good news is Baltimore will have the same mentality on Saturday, and we will get to see what the Panthers can really do against a decent team.

Soo....prediction time.

Do the Panthers come out swinging and look like a post season team, or do they continue on the vanilla road of preseason no mans land?

[17+89=6]

I think I will have to go with the latter. The only player that has looked to be in postseason form thus far has been DeAngelo. I expect to see improvement from last game offensively, but not on the defensive side of the ball. But I'd like to see what our Offense does against a good defense.

[Guild]

My prediction: Nick Hayden helps hold down the line (seriously? about time) and we give up less than 100 yards rushing.

E Brown gets a sack and possibly Peppers too.

Quiet night from our running game probably no rushing TDs.

One of our backup receivers will catch a TD pass.

The starting secondary will blow a coverage and give up a long TD pass.

Score: 17 - 13 Ravens Win.

[Darth Biscuit]

I don't think this next pre-season game will look all that much different than the first two other than the fact that the starters will play more. I do think that the first regular season game will look a lot different, they'll turn it up for that.

My fear is that the injury bug is trying to make up for the lack of them last season...

[The Link]

We come out and look like sh*t, again.

[Cyberjag]

I think our offense gets in gear and goes all tutti-fruity on them. The defense, however, stays in the simple packages and nothing more than fundamentals are stressed. In that, expect better tackling, but little else.

The Ravens offense won't do anything fancy, so neither will we. A vanilla package is all we need to evaluate our folks, and that will probably continue until the Eagles game. Their defense is good enough that we'll want to test some of our real stuff against it though.

Panthers will win this one, just because it's a home game. I'm calling that based on thin air though, I really have nothing more than wishful thinking to justify it.

I'm looking forward to the game tonight, to see how the Ravens look.

[MadHatter]

Everyone is talking about how the Falcons 1st team has looked strong this preaseason. Please remember they have gone 1-1 against the likes of the Lions and the Rams....combined 3 wins last year.

Fox believes in testing his team in the preseason. We are playing 4 playoff teams in the Giants, Dolphins, Ravens, and Steelers. Playing the likes of these teams identifies areas of weakness so they can be addressed.

Playing the likes of the Lions and Rams do nothing more than pad stats for meaningless games.

Not saying the Falcons are not and will not be a good team this year. However, comparing performances agains the Lions/Rams to the Giants/Dolphins is absurd.

[17+89=6]

Everyone is talking about how the Falcons 1st team has looked strong this preaseason. Please remember they have gone 1-1 against the likes of the Lions and the Rams....combined 3 wins last year.

Fox believes in testing his team in the preseason. We are playing 4 playoff teams in the Giants, Dolphins, Ravens, and Steelers. Playing the likes of these teams identifies areas of weakness so they can be addressed.

Playing the likes of the Lions and Rams do nothing more than pad stats for meaningless games.

Not saying the Falcons are not and will not be a good team this year. However, comparing performances agains the Lions/Rams to the Giants/Dolphins is absurd.

I agree that comparing performances is not the way it should be with the teams the Falcons have played. But our first team guys have looked less than average against the first team guys we have played. Who wins preseason games means nothing really. I more look for how the first team guys played, and if we aren't doing well against playoff caliber teams, that doesn't bode well for our season and the tough schedule we have.

[CRA]

I think we will have some success on offense. The D will look the same.....we simply aren't good there.

[LiQuiD]

I still see vanilla for the third preseason game. But more like Breyer's vanilla with the specks of real bean.

[MadHatter]

I even disagree on the defense. We WILL bring a starting calibre DT into the fold soon. We will also see alot of different things on D during the regular season.

I was talking to Dan Morgan about the defenses performance in the first two games last week. He said to remember this:

1. Our guys are learning a new system

2. We have about 3 vanilla plays that are being run

3. We are using these games to take a long look at alot of backup players

He agrees that the defense you see on Sept 13 will not resemble anything you have seen in these first two games.

Maybe this is just optimism, but he does understand more about what Meeks is doing than any of us.

[Zod]

I still see vanilla for the third preseason game. But more like Breyer's vanilla with the specks of real bean.

The only vanilla worth buying

[JungleCat]

I think it depends on whether we've signed a DT and who is out of the game because of injuries. Carolina pride will eventually have to show up.

[Kevin Greene]

Prediction, hmmm.

Dwill will cause Ray Lewis to do a Rhonde Barber imitation from last year.