The Comparison No One Wants to Look At

[dc.]

2009 Ravens Offense: 24 points per game (the one with Boldin, Houshmanzedah, Stallworth)

 

2010 Ravens Offense: 21 points per game

 

 

And here's where I can't blame Flacco...

 

This year all of our passing numbers are up. Rating, up from 87 to 92. Yards per game up 25. Yards per attempt from 7.0 to 7.5.

 

But rushing? Horrible. Same number of rush attempts per game (how that is true is beyond me) but from 4.7 yards per attempt to 3.6.

 

3.6 yards per attempt is second to worst, ahead of only the Colts.

 

 

That's pathetic. And that's on Cam. And that's on crappy play-calling that doesn't allow our runners to get into rhythm, or (imho) the entire offense. We're even on pace to just plain halve our rushing touchdowns from last year.

 

Pathetic.

[papasmurfbell]

It is also on a bad line. Oher very good but young. Yanda Very good but out of position. Grubbs really solid. Chester a career backup. Birk once very good but old now. There are 2 major holes on this OL. After this season they need to draft a center and maybe Harewood will be ready but I draft an OT also in say the 3rd. They need line depth.

 

Maybe not this game coming up since Houston is horrible on D but against NO watch the line on running plays. There simply are no holes.

 

Remember the one running play last night with Willis running. They actually mentioned that was the hardest 1 yd gain ever. Willis had to make like 3 moves in the backfield to not be taken for a loss of 3-4 yds. The tacklers came right up the middle in force.

 

I really do think Birk is hurting the team. He may know the line calls but he blows at stopping defenders.

[vmax]

I'll say it again. It goes back to the pre season when Rice got next to 0 carries. Cam tried to do an LT with Ray...take the pre season off and save it for the regular season.

It back fired. The line cannot road grade. They must have forgot.

[papasmurfbell]

They aren't built for it. Grubbs is the only guy who can road grade. They have switched to more athletic OL. There is softness inthe middle right. If they fix thatthis off season the OL should be very good next yr.

[dc.]

But we also aren't just trying in the way we used to. We used to pound and pound and holes opened up. We've pointed to case after case all season where it's worked and then we've gone away from it.

 

To start the ATL game, Rice had back to back first down carries of 12+ yards ... 30 yards on 3 carries. He got 3 carries the rest of the half. That's just stupid.

 

Rice and Willis had a combined one carry on our first two drives (granted both 3 and outs) last night. But it just drives the point home. We aren't trying. And yet Rice still found a 5 yard carry and a 10 yard carry in the 2nd half. That tells me it can happen.

 

No reason we need a fantastic line. If the play-calling is right, with that many weapons on the field, no one should ever have any idea what we're going to call. And yet, I can predict it. Almost anyone can. Willis is in? He's getting the ball. Empty backfield (well, that tells you all you need to know). Why would you ever go empty backfield with Rice or Willis on the field and a lead?

 

More weapons should equal more confusion and more diversity, unpredictability. It doesn't here.

[papasmurfbell]

You absolutely need a good line. They open the wholes and keep the pass rushers off the QB. The game is won in the trenches.

[yagersports]

I'm thinking that not having Gaither has also affected us more than we'd like to admit. Gaither was an absolute bulldozer.

[papasmurfbell]

There is no doubt it has made a difference. It made it so you have to play Chester at RG instead of Yanda. That allows for to week guys guys to be side by side on the line.

[dc.]

I'm not saying we don't need a good line. Of course we do. I'm just saying that we ran with this line. We've run with worse lines. And our backs have had success - even when they aren't getting a lot of carries in some games.

 

So I'm wondering why we can't get them carries?

 

If our passing numbers are all up and our running numbers are all down, how can it all be Joe's fault?

[papasmurfbell]

This season they have not run consistently. In the past the had road graders on the line. They really only have 1 now in Grubbs.

[vmax]

1. Nobody successfully runs on the Steelers.

2. When the Ravens run the ball it looks like "Here's our token committment to the run" in our scheme of things. They don't stick with it.

Therefore #3

3. The play action fake is a big part of Cam's passing attack and it is no longer respected. It's ignored. They can't sell it because they only run at specific times. Now it's "Here's our play action fake just as you expected...Hey!... Why are you in pass coverage?!".

4. No feel for the flow of the game. It's like they follow a blue print or plan that has no flexability...so the offense never can find a natural rythmn based on what they can successfully do that day. They have to "Stick with the plan".

[yagersports]

I agree Max, I absolutely agree. The offense is far too rigid. Flacco doesn't have options. And for crying out loud, run a freakin WR screen to Boldin! This is a major strength of his, hasn't anyone watched tape of this guy!

[oldno82]

I agree Max, I absolutely agree. The offense is far too rigid. Flacco doesn't have options. And for crying out loud, run a freakin WR screen to Boldin! This is a major strength of his, hasn't anyone watched tape of this guy!

 

I have seen the tape of those screens and can't figure out why we don't use them. Also, what happened to slants over the middle to the WRs?

[papasmurfbell]

They almost never work the middle of the field. That is on Joe or Cam.

[oldno82]

They almost never work the middle of the field. That is on Joe or Cam.

 

Well, I know Joe can throw a slant because that used to be one of his specialities with Mark Clayton in his first year. For some reason, Cam has gotten away from it.