I was very impressed by Flacco. He was extremely poised and accurate. The stat line could have looked a little better if it wasnt for drops. I only saw a couple throw that got away from him but besides that he was on target. His progression from the 1st week of the preseason till now has been impressive as well. I really dont see a reason why he shouldn't remain the starter

Impressed to say the least about what I saw during the game. It appears that some of the right pieces are in place for the offense to do good things this year. Even though I hated to see Troy Smith go down, things happen for a reason. Flacco seems like he has that certain umpf ! Flacco's stats would have been better had a few of his team mates been able to concentrate and hold onto the balls. Oh well "it happens. Perhaps this good start will increase the performance level and desire of some of the other players. The play of Rice and McClain will inspire Mcgahee. He's a great back but I think sometimes he holds a little something back when running the ball. I saw him on the sidelines next to Cameron biting to get some of the action. Hopefully the enthusiasm level and play of the entire team will go up. Had we lost it wouldn't have mattered to me, I was just glad to see the new refreshing looks out there.

"True story: At one point during the game, Bengals receiver Chad Johnson was talking to Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, pleading for Ryan to single him up man-on-man so he could catch a pass. The Ravens did a nice job of "coning" Johnson underneath and over the top."

That is soooo funny.

"I don't think we need to worry about tight end Todd Heap. He dropped a touchdown pass and fumbled once yesterday, but he'll be fine. Heap just needs to practice more often."

I hope that assessment will quiet the rabble. Todd Heap isn't 100% yet and as we could see, wasn't the real Todd Heap. He did stink it up but people are verbally piling on the Heap and are forgetting the clutch catches and excellent plays he's missed in the past. Just having him on the field is a relief rather than a third string or free agent. Remember all the injuries during the summer to the TE's that had the Ravens scrambling to find someone they could pick up on the wires?

Thought Flacco looked very poised yesterday. Even when protection broke down or a blitz came quick he never seemed rattled and got the ball to a receiver or threw it away. No stumbling, fumbling or looking rushed and half crazed. I felt (and it seems the team did too) that Joe was in control. Now if only we can catch the ball. Dropped passes cost us at least 10 points.

I agree with you on Marvin. His defense just gave up on that last drive to run out the clock. The difference in the character of these two teams is enormous.

Last season, a handful of games came down to nail-biting fourth quarters. The Ravens managed to throw away several tight games by not playing solid ball all the way through the clock. Flacco and Co. showed a professional and conservative demeanor, marching the ball back to their 10 yard line and then sitting on it rather than risk an end-zone INT or an overtime-inducing kickoff return. Good call and great execution.

What impressed me most on Offense was the line. They gave Flacco a load of time,something Raven QBs havent had in the past. It seemed some O Flaccos passes were a little late in getting to the receivers, but Hey it was his first game, he'll get faster. I was a little disapointed in the special teams on kick coverage. It seemed they gave the Bungles an awful lot of yardage. The D-fense...AWESOME. A+ all the way. Now where are all those crybabies that said our D was old and not together boo-hoo.

What's the status of Todd Heap. Did he re-injure himself in the game when he got undercut going for an errant pass?

I said that O-line would be fine. And I said Joe would have to be the starter for the team to win.If smith wpould have been the starter Ravens lose Its just that simple.Joe already is the best QB THIS CITY HAS EVER HAD already and he's just getting started.

They looked like a team that had some REAL practices together, unlike the starts in too many of the previous 6 years...few false starts or offensive holding.

I also saw a tremendous difference up the middle with Brown, Grubbs and Yanda there. Last year the middle of the line was pathetic especially pass blocking.

I thought Sunday's was one of the best overall performances in both pass and run blocking I've seen from the Ravens in a long time.

Add that to the unexpected quick feet, acceleration and power of McClain and the Ravens suddenly have both a strong running game and the basis for a good play-action passing game.

Overall, they looked far more focused for a first game than they usually did under Billick.

Hats off to Harbaugh and his staff.

The Ravens looked pretty horrible this game and can probably attribute luck to the win they got on Sunday. The O was only good on the last drive. They weren't sharp in the passing game. For the running game, the bottom line was assisted by the ineptitude of the Bengals' D to stop a 40+ yd. double reverse and botched play from a slow QB. The D was pretty solid, however, and pressured Palmer into mistakes and bad throws. C- performance against a struggling team.

DLee must be a Bungle fan or was watching the Browns lose. Can somebody say 'SOURGRAPES"