PAGS: Ravens have scary defense

[TBird]

Anytime the D holds Luck to 20 pts they should win and intercept him twice and sack him you should win. The offense was so bad they couldn't stay on the field. JOe was sacked 3 times. There was no running game. The line got killed. Receivers couldn't get open.

 

That game was clearly on the offense. You must have missed our #1 draft pick with 15 tackles, 1 PD and an INT who played like a beast.

You must have missed McPhee who played well, Ngata had an INT and Mosley is being

called the DPOY year already. They stopped Luck who was scoring 40 pts pr game, held them to half of that and his last TD was

a gift from the offense, not them.

 

They did enough to win.

 

The were on the field so long because the O couldn't stay on the field at all.

[TBird]

And this:

 

 

Facing the NFL’s top-ranked offense and top-passing quarterback thus far, and on the field for way too long, Baltimore’s defenders came up with plays time and time again. They limited Luck to 312 yards as he completed 32 of 49 passes, and picked him off twice.

Even with the game seemingly sealed with the Colts inside the Ravens’ 10-yard line with less than two minutes left, safety Matt Elam came up with a strip (recovered by safety Terrence Brooks) to give the Ravens offense one last chance.

“When I got my hand in, I felt like I had a grip on it to pull it out,” Elam said. “It was just a great hustle play, not giving up on the play and just trying to give my team a chance to win.”

 

________________________________________

 

Yea, the defense was on the field too long and have to do better on 3 downs but the offense couldn't stay on the field and Steve

Smith SR, our only real WR threat forgot to show up but it didn't matter with Joe running for his life. You obviously missed that.

 

I don't know what you were watching.

[cravnravn]

Anytime the D holds Luck to 20 pts they should win and intercept him twice and sack him you should win. The offense was so bad they couldn't stay on the field. JOe was sacked 3 times. There was no running game. The line got killed. Receivers couldn't get open.

 

That game was clearly on the offense. You must have missed our #1 draft pick with 15 tackles, 1 PD and an INT who played like a beast.

You must have missed McPhee who played well, Ngata had an INT and Mosley is being

called the DPOY year already. They stopped Luck who was scoring 40 pts pr game, held them to half of that and his last TD was

a gift from the offense, not them.

 

They did enough to win.

 

The were on the field so long because the O couldn't stay on the field at all.

We did have a run game we avg 6.1 yards a carry, for whatever reason we choose to not use it

[tsylvester]

The Colts were 7 of 15 on 3rd conversations, had 117 yards rushing, average pass was 6.1 yards down field, five times they got into the red zone, yes turnovers by Jones and Flacco (sacked 4 times not three) were responsible for 2 of those.

 

The Ravens had 12 drives, same as the Colts, granted one of those drives was at the end of the game, turning it over on downs. The other at the end of the half with virtually no time on the clock and they still got 3.

 

Four sacks killed three of those drives, one of them after a long drive on 4th down, stupid play call.

 

I am not saying the defense was to blame, I am saying they share just as much blame. Look at the game thoughts thread you have been ignoring.

 

20 plays, 70 yards, 9:30 of time in the 2nd quarter. Teams average 10 plays to go 80 yards normally.... Yeah, good defense there, the offense was to blame for that, I mean the game had just basically started!

 

in the 4th, 8 plays, 80 yards for a td in five minutes then another drive 7 plays, 73 yards for 5:27 that resulted in the fumble at the end. One stop on any of those long, time consumming drives gets them off the field, allows the Ravens offense to get some rythem, perhaps.

 

Another total team loss, 2 of them this year an another game they barely won because of inconsistant defense, offense and coaching.

 

This while only five games in and the tougher part of the schedule coming up....

[oldno82]

We did have a run game we avg 6.1 yards a carry, for whatever reason we choose to not use it

That was the blunder that killed us.

[tsylvester]

We did have a run game we avg 6.1 yards a carry, for whatever reason we choose to not use it

 

 

 

Right! Pearce had almost 30 yards on 3 carries and they get pass happy after he is stopped for a short gain on his 3rd carry. Was Cavs back calling plays?

[TBird]

T - And don't forget about the special teams that put the D on the field twice after stops.

 

The D was the only unit to show up even at the end after being on the field so long, Elam stripped the ball that

gave the offense one last chance for the tie and it missed.

 

The Ravens offense was also 1 of 11 on 3rd down last week, not to mention the missed 4th down. I also recall the defense giving them the ball on the Indy 12 and they ended up with a FG. Special teams made the D go back on the field twice after stops too.

 

Elam came up big with the ball giving the offense one last chance to redeem itself but it couldn't. Joe got the look he wanted on the last play of the game with the CB playing

Torrey up tight. Torrey beat him but Qadry Ismail told Sandusky Sun night on TV that the receiver has to jump when the ball is at his highest peak. That is what Boldin did so well, going up and fighting for the ball. Torrey didn't do it. He waited for the ball to come down to him. The CB was the guy who jumped up and blocked Torrey's vision and he lost track of the ball and the game.

 

There is something drastically wrong with Torrey. Maybe he's pissed because his best friend Rice is gone but he dogged it on

Joen's INT too. I'm not sure if the Ravens want to sign him. Jimmy will be a bigger priority for sure.

 

And that's another point about the D. Teams keep going away from Jimmy picking on AsA who has improved but got hurt and will

be out for a while.

 

If Joe shows up, Ravens win this game. The D was the only unit that showed up and Justin Tucker who kicked a 50 yder at

halftime.

 

The Ravens D made the plays and are still tops in the red zone.

 

 

[cravnravn]

Right! Pearce had almost 30 yards on 3 carries and they get pass happy after he is stopped for a short gain on his 3rd carry. Was Cavs back calling plays?

 

Exactly, makes me wonder who gets that blame,sad thing is we were never more then a TD out of the lead, there was no reason to go pass happy.

[oldno82]

Exactly, makes me wonder who gets that blame,sad thing is we were never more then a TD out of the lead, there was no reason to go pass happy.

Every time they do that, I wonder why and yet they keep banging their head against the wall. Don't the coaches learn from past mistakes?

[oldno82]

Maybe they've seen the light this time:

 

"Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak’s scheme is focused around having balance. He has long stressed the importance of running the ball, and he likes to line up in the same formation and call either passes or runs out of it to disguise intentions.

“The best thing for our football team and for us is to be balanced and for us to be unpredictable and not sit back there and throw it too much, because if we’re doing that, we’re probably in a bad situations,” Kubiak said. “We’re always looking for the balance, and I’ve got to do a better job than I did last week with that.”

[tsylvester]

 

T - Joe got the look he wanted on the last play of the game with the CB playing

Torrey up tight. Torrey beat him but Qadry Ismail told Sandusky Sun night on TV that the receiver has to jump when the ball is at his highest peak. That is what Boldin did so well, going up and fighting for the ball. Torrey didn't do it. He waited for the ball to come down to him. The CB was the guy who jumped up and blocked Torrey's vision and he lost track of the ball and the game.

 

 

 

 

 

I have said this before about Smith, T, and will repeat it now. He doesn't know how to catch, nor can he adjust to the ball in the air. We saw flashes that he was "getting it" last year, the year prior, but nothing consistant. On the pass he dropped earlier, you see it clearly, he had his hands in the wrong position, leading to the ball spinning out of them.

 

On the last one, the "big one" he tried to catch & run, rather than just catching it, either because he wanted to make the big play or he just doesn't understand how to control his body in the air and did not want to turn & jump for it. It has been a sticking point for me since he was drafted, he was the same in college and has not progressed at all. Sure, there is a ctahc or two in a game or two per season, but not enough to be a number 3, let alone a number one.

 

As for the defense, we will have to agree to disagree. As I said, I am not saying they played poorly, just that they could have done more and it was a total team loss.

[tsylvester]

Maybe they've seen the light this time:

 

"Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak’s scheme is focused around having balance. He has long stressed the importance of running the ball, and he likes to line up in the same formation and call either passes or runs out of it to disguise intentions.

“The best thing for our football team and for us is to be balanced and for us to be unpredictable and not sit back there and throw it too much, because if we’re doing that, we’re probably in a bad situations,” Kubiak said. “We’re always looking for the balance, and I’ve got to do a better job than I did last week with that.”

 

 

 

Yet the games, thus far, would strongly disagree; proof is in the pudding as they say.

[TBird]

 

 

I have said this before about Smith, T, and will repeat it now. He doesn't know how to catch, nor can he adjust to the ball in the air. We saw flashes that he was "getting it" last year, the year prior, but nothing consistant. On the pass he dropped earlier, you see it clearly, he had his hands in the wrong position, leading to the ball spinning out of them.

 

On the last one, the "big one" he tried to catch & run, rather than just catching it, either because he wanted to make the big play or he just doesn't understand how to control his body in the air and did not want to turn & jump for it. It has been a sticking point for me since he was drafted, he was the same in college and has not progressed at all. Sure, there is a ctahc or two in a game or two per season, but not enough to be a number 3, let alone a number one.

 

As for the defense, we will have to agree to disagree. As I said, I am not saying they played poorly, just that they could have done more and it was a total team loss.

Well, I'm with you on the offense. It's been a sticking point on all the boards and radio. Do you think Torrey will be back. It's down to him and Jimmy and he's the one we gotta keep - right?

[tsylvester]

Well, I'm with you on the offense. It's been a sticking point on all the boards and radio. Do you think Torrey will be back. It's down to him and Jimmy and he's the one we gotta keep - right?

 

 

Depends on the money. The talent coming out of the draft at both positions over the next few years is going to be fabulous. With the onset of the hurry up offense in college, both positions are getting better because of reps, but also because coaching has gotten so much better. Receivers are being taught properly how to catch, with their hands, what position to put their hands in to catch different types of passes. How to find the ball, how to adjust on the run to make the catch.

 

Db's are also being taught better, and also because of the hurry up, they needed to learn the route combinations, the route trees possible for a receiver, pending where said receiver lines up. Normally, coaches don't teach that in college, but now, they have to because of the faster offenses, not being able to interchange their players. They are playing not just zone, but bump & run zone, man, a mixture of man/zone now in college. So these dbs are coming out more prepared. This is one position the Ravens have been able to draft well, yes, but coach well too.

 

Wide out, however, they have never, in their history here, developed a receiver. I was hoping Torrey would be the first, espcially sinc ehe had Bolden to help guide him and now Smith sr. However, something is going on with him, he has regressed in some aspects, not grown in otheres. He stil struggles to find the ball in the air, especially deep down the middle, he "flails" can't keep his speed up and doesn't, as we talked about, know how to properly catch a ball with his hands.

 

I know he worked with Cris Carter in the off season, so maybe he is just "stuck", it happens when we learn too much too fast, players start to think on the feild, rather than react; deadly. He may bounce back and if he does, yes keep him, he will be cheaper than Jimmy penalty Smith and the cap, unless the owners & players agree to a new deal for cap relief in situations like Rice, will be tight trying to squeeze top corner money in with the Suggs and Dumervil deals on the books and even when they re-do Joe's deal, it will save some, not much.

[TBird]

Great, great post and yea, WR has been Ozzie's only weak spot ala Clarence Moore and DEM Wills-lol.

 

There were links over the summer that SR was coaching Torrey and Marlon who was like his shadow. He made some plays

in one game this year but that's all.

 

Some have suggested that Torrey is pissed because they cut Rice who was his best friend. He was the only Raven at

Rice's press conf after the trial when the entire front office was out of town but some think he is pissed about losing his

best friend so he's just sleep walking. Also, he doesn't understand Kubes system. There's only about 4 routes he

knows, I think?

[tsylvester]

Great, great post and yea, WR has been Ozzie's only weak spot ala Clarence Moore and DEM Wills-lol.

 

There were links over the summer that SR was coaching Torrey and Marlon who was like his shadow. He made some plays

in one game this year but that's all.

 

Some have suggested that Torrey is pissed because they cut Rice who was his best friend. He was the only Raven at

Rice's press conf after the trial when the entire front office was out of town but some think he is pissed about losing his

best friend so he's just sleep walking. Also, he doesn't understand Kubes system. There's only about 4 routes he

knows, I think?

 

 

 

I've no doubt he is upset with what went down, with the way the team handled the Rice situation. It is also obvious he is struggling with the new offense, even the anouncers last week mentioned it. The timing between he & Joe is way off, I think I mentioned it last week, it is as if Torrey has lost a gear or can't get to top speed for some reason. Other routes he is running too deep, some too shallow.

 

In Kub's system, as with most, the wr needs to adjust the route based on the coverage, which is best, from his perspective, to discover depending on how the db is playing him. In past year all Torrye had to do was run a 9 route, an occasional out, maybe a deep crossing. These, in those systems, we called plays in the huddle, no reading on his part at all.

 

This year especially, Kubs wants to get him to be more of a complete wide out, acapable of running all the routes so the defense can't key on him and so the double moves will work. They have worked to some extent, mostly leading to a holding call on the db's, one thing I know Torry is upset about, they are holding him more this year than past years and he doesn't know how to break free or doesn't have the strength. But those routes, in this system are db dependant. If the db, for example, is tight and playing inside, Smith is to run an out to a certain depth, off and outside is another depth for that route.

 

He doesn't sell routes all that well, it is pretty easy to tell when he is running an out vs a double move, he rounds them off and drifts back. This will get the timing pass picked off. Running to the improper depth leads to wildly incomplete passes that peole think is on the quarterback. This is why Joe has been waiint to throw passes now, waiting for him or one of the other young receivers to get open before he throws it; he doesn't trust them to throw on timing. With Smith Sr and even with Daniles now, he does throw on timing. Watch for this, you will see it in this week's game. It is a trust issue now, another reason Smith is a little upset, Joe doesn't trust him. Joe even talked about this in a pre game production meeting to start the season, Simms mentioned it...

[TBird]

WOW - I didn't think of that about the timing and those other issues you mention but Joe should have his

timing down pat after several years with him. Torrey did have 1100 yds during the SB season so he can

catch but doesn't go up and fight for the ball and control his body as you said. That's for sure.

 

All that said, he's still contributing just by being on the field. He still requires their best DBs because if

they leave him alone for a second he can still burn them deep. He goes deep in one direction and JJ

in the opposite direction leaving the middle open for the TEs to roam. That's how we won the games

we have. Didn't work in Indy because Joe forgot to show up and still had a chance to tie it at the end

if not for Torrey's mis-playing the ball. UGH!

 

Great information from you. I learned a lot but Joe should have his timing down with Torrey by now.

Unitas used to stay til dark with his receivers - Ray Berry, Jimmy Orr and Lenny Moore. They even

practiced in the dark because Unitas knew where they would be on the field and threw to the spot.

 

In a game the QB is often blinded with those huge linemen jumping up in his face.

 

I guess they don't stay late anymore.

[tsylvester]

They did have their timing down before this season, but so far, Torrey has not been consistant with the way & speed with which he runs his routes, that is the issue. Some routes you have to run slower, others you have to get after it. On the slower routes, they usually depend on another receiver to clear out a zone, if run too fast, they are both in the same spot when the ball, on timing, is thrown.

 

People just do not realize, not their fault mind, just what goes into a completion, they just look at the ball think it was a poor pass or worse, look at the stats and not realize why there are incompletions on the stats.

 

 

& Yes, they do stay late and work together, but practice is not game speed. Time will tell...