Opportunities Wasted

[dc.]

I heard a local radio host praising the Ravens this week... the larger discussion was about the Ravens as the new franchise for Baltimore (standard Old Colts vs New Ravens discussion with Indy coming to town). But I had to chuckle when he said that one of the real reasons people love this team was its discipline.

 

Discipline?

 

Unable to score on how many close attempts...

Unable to convert the most make-able of field goals of the day...

An inability to understand the difference between challenging and calling a timeout...

A superstar who thinks his talent is above the good of the team... still...

 

It's just plain silly that this team cannot learn from its mistakes - the good players especially.

 

We lost this game in too many ways. A touchdown one one of those precious opportunities... one field goal... an extra time out... another possession... All offer a win.

 

And yet we cannot put the pieces together.

[dc.]

Did I forget to mention the opportunity that KC is going to give us... could have been tied with Pitt going into the game next week...

[deeshopper]

Yeah. Ravens fail to take advantage of opportunities: both those they can control, and those that have been handed to them by others.

[83eh01]

Yup, it makes matters worse that Steelers just lost

[OutsideRzAcE]

Harbaugh needs to get more out of his players. We are 1-4 in games decided late and to me, that falls on coaches.*

 

*well, besides the Vikings game - nothing Harbaugh could've done about that.

Edited November 22, 2009 by OutsideRzAcE

[geo]

Harbaugh needs to get more out of his players. We are 1-4 in games decided late and to me, that falls on coaches.*

 

*well, besides the Vikings game - nothing Harbaugh could've done about that.

 

Hmm his challenge last in this game did not help us... And that challenge was not even a close one like Reeds fumble.. and Reed migth have played his last play differently if we have had that timeout.

[vmax]

A superstar who thinks his talent is above the good of the team... still...

 

Who's that?

Reed? There were 17 seconds left and 10,000 yards to go...he was trying to make a play.

[dc.]

10,000 yards to go?

 

Reed has had his "lateral" problem for his entire career... and it has NEVER been worth the risk. Never.

 

He's gotten away with it many times... but that has never made it smart or rational.

 

He does it on punts. He does it on INTs. He encourages others to do it.

 

In fact, among all Ravens fans I know and watch games with, it is a running joke. If Reed gets the ball, how many times will he lateral... and how many times will the ball hit the ground.

 

Somehow, this is one of the few times I remember the opponent actually recovering the ball - but it's never been a worthwhile play. It always almost ends in someone having to dive on the ball or the ball going out of bounds... if not a penalty for a forward lateral.

 

Meanwhile, it was not that far to go... one pass away from field goal range, and not even a long bomb.

 

If Reed had never done it before, maybe I'd buy that he was "trying to make a play." No. He was trying to make too big a play. And we have often discussed that he needs to be reprimanded for the stupidity of his actions in those situations.

[vmax]

Well...he was a better option than 'Fair Catch' Carr.

[thundercleetz]

I think arguing about the Reed lateral is relevant. Ed realizes it was a bad play, the coaches do, and all the fans do. Bottom line is that is not what cost us the game. You bring up valid points about our redzone woes and Harbaugh's blunder with the challenge/time-out situation. More than anything, it was the wasted redzone opportunities that lost this game. Other than that, it was a solid gameplan on both sides of the ball. Even you have to be impressed dc with Cam's playcalling. I saw plenty of passes over the middle, quick slants, and other types of routes that I have not seen this season. Our chances deep actually seemed like they were being set up by our run game as opposed to just chucking it up like you have suggested. It all comes down to that goaline possession.

 

As for the missed field goal, I am willing to give Cundiff a pass on that one. He hit four other very difficult kicks. The missed one did not hurt us because we gained valuable field position that nearly got us a touchdown. Cundiff was putting solid leg under the ball on the kickoffs, and save for one kickoff in the fourth, our coverage was sound. What needs to be examined is the consistent bad snaps on the field goals. Four out of the five snaps today were errant and saved by Koch (there was one bad punt snap as well that Koch had to save). I know Katula is dealing with an injury problem. If this is affecting his play, put him on the IR and get someone else.

[vmax]

Back to the topic...I totally agree about the wasted opportunities.

Manning tried to give them the game with the INT's...the O couldn't convert to TD's.

 

The D had a good day and their performance was wasted because the O could not find the endzone.

 

Tell you what...Haushka would have been 3-3 on FG's today and I bet Matt would have missed 1 or 2 of the long ones. Cundiff did well on short notice.

[dc.]

Oh, please don't take this to be a negative nancy post... I was very impressed with many things today. Defense, offense, special teams... all looked good enough to beat 30 of 32 teams in this league, in my mind.

 

But I wanted to win this one... and we needed to get in from the 1, and we needed 1 more field goal, and we needed 1 more stop, and we needed 1 less bad decision on every side of the ball.

[RavensNest8483]

Oh, please don't take this to be a negative nancy post... I was very impressed with many things today. Defense, offense, special teams... all looked good enough to beat 30 of 32 teams in this league, in my mind.

 

But I wanted to win this one... and we needed to get in from the 1, and we needed 1 more field goal, and we needed 1 more stop, and we needed 1 less bad decision on every side of the ball.

 

 

DC do you blame Cam for this loss? To me when your on the 1 yd line and you oline cant get a push, that is execution, which is lacking on this team.

[ForceEight]

In case no one else noticed, the defense got a lot better once Washington was carted off...

[thundercleetz]

In case no one else noticed, the defense got a lot better once Washington was carted off...

 

I noticed that as well. Foxworth and Webb worked well on the outside together.

[ForceEight]

Washington has an absolutely awful game. We'll think of Mason having a great day, but he had two HUGE drops, too.

 

Back to the CBs though, Carr was aggressive and played tight all game long, even when he was put outside. He was the anti-Washington, and it worked well. Outside of a missed tackle on Wayne's long play, Foxworth had a good game, too.

[dc.]

I don't entirely blame Cam... I mean, some of it is play calling and the like. I particularly hated on the first or second series of the game, just like against the Browns, 3rd and long... so we send 3 guys 20 yards downfield and the only other option is a Rice dump off. And Ray is amazing, but that's just not the smartest football. Second half we certainly learned how to throw over the middle, which was nice.

 

But yeah, some of it is execution. I don't know why we went to Willis on the one. Willis had a good game, but in the end, he's a guy who hasn't been getting many reps. I don't know that I trust him to execute those plays when they really count. I would have loved to see a fake to Le'Ron and a flip outside to Rice and see who gets to the corner first - Ray or the D.

 

This team is lacking in a lot of places.

 

Again, not super negative... because we could have beaten so many teams the way we played today. But we were just a step shy on every side of the ball.

[smokeyjon]

Outside of a missed tackle on Wayne's long play, Foxworth had a good game, too.

 

He really didn't. I counted at least four instances in just the first half where his receiver made a catch and he was at least five yards off the guy and looking confused.

 

Take the Reed interception for example. If Reed isn't there, it's probably a Colts TD, because Foxworth had gotten completely burned. Receivers blow past him so fast you can see him doing that little cartoon headspin. They make a move on him and he slips and falls on his ass. He tries to bump guys and they just brush it off and leave him in the dust.

 

His play was just as worthless yesterday as it's been all season.

[vmax]

Talk about wasted opportunities the Bengals and Steelers lost.

Christmas only comes once a year.

[thundercleetz]

Take the Reed interception for example. If Reed isn't there, it's probably a Colts TD, because Foxworth had gotten completely burned. Receivers blow past him so fast you can see him doing that little cartoon headspin. They make a move on him and he slips and falls on his ass. He tries to bump guys and they just brush it off and leave him in the dust.

 

His play was just as worthless yesterday as it's been all season.

 

That is the nature of the cover 2 zone coverage. Reed had deep responsibility on that side of the field. I thought Foxworth played pretty well yesterday, Washington was the one who was slipping all over the place.

[cravnravn]

I seen Foxworth draped on Wayne numerous times yesterday..

 

 

One thing I said to a guy next to me is, we won the toss, why not take the ball and set the tempo instead of letting Manning set the tempo, which he did.

 

One incident I seen that was hilarious, was on the long pass to Gurson? Ray Lewis just absolutely blew up Manning, Manning bounced up and went after his O-Line..

[thundercleetz]

That is something else to consider, Foxworth was matched up against arguably the best receiver in the league yesterday and held his own. Foxworth is not a #1 corner, but he has the ability to be a very solid #2 for us if we can get a #1 guy or if Ladarius continues to develop. Ladarius is going to get some major playing time now!

[vmax]

Definately Webb will see more PT...maybe even start.

Next man up...Frank Walker!

[Guest BallTMore]

Texans lost. We're still very much in the hunt.

 

We could be sitting pretty if we didn't blow so many opportunities. Oh well, coulda, woulda, shoulda.

 

Crazy year so far.

[geo]

He really didn't. I counted at least four instances in just the first half where his receiver made a catch and he was at least five yards off the guy and looking confused.

 

Take the Reed interception for example. If Reed isn't there, it's probably a Colts TD, because Foxworth had gotten completely burned. Receivers blow past him so fast you can see him doing that little cartoon headspin. They make a move on him and he slips and falls on his ass. He tries to bump guys and they just brush it off and leave him in the dust.

 

His play was just as worthless yesterday as it's been all season.

Agreed.. His timing is awful, seems to me he is looking football, his tackling is bad.. probably worse than bad.. seems to me he always needs help from another defender to end the play.. I fear Ward would just carrie Fox and the ball in the endzone.