You buying this?

[vmax]

Head Coach John Harbaugh said there are multiple factors that go into why Flacco – who has historically been an accurate quarterback with a career completion rate over 60 percent – has had trouble connecting in the early part of the season.

“I don’t think we’re too worried about it,” Harbaugh said.

“Yeah, we want the percentages to be higher, but you can be 70 percent and averaging four yards per completion. We’re not very interested in that. I think we want to attack people.”

The Ravens continued to take deep shots against the New York Jets’ defense and highly-regarded cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.

Baltimore never did cash in on one of the long balls, however, as it did in St. Louis. Two shots to speedster Torrey Smith went incomplete, but they do put that threat into the opposing defense’s mind.

“A lot of incompletions were on shot plays where they’re high risk/high reward plays,” Harbaugh said. “They’ve low probability of completion, but when you get it, it’s a touchdown.”

http://blogs.baltimoreravens.com/2011/10/03/harbaugh-not-worried-about-flacco/

 

Does he want the Matt Cavanaugh offense?....with a 'Dilfer' at QB....make 2-3 big plays a game. The rest of the time flounder around.

It works is you have a very good defense....get a lead and let the D pin their ears back and make life hell for the opposing offense.

 

Maybe I can buy it...on this premise...Harbaugh is willing to risk games now to develop deep play making catches. He's willing to look ugly while developing a thing of beauty like we saw against the Rams. He wants to attack the whole field...stretch out defenses and that in turn opens up play making ability everywhere.

The Ravens will need it in the playoffs against the better defenses in the NFL. They'll need it if they run into Arron Rodgers because they will have to score...a lot.

 

Maybe it's a risk worth taking the way the D is playing. The only way to have a deep ball big play game is to learn and develop it "on the job" because Joe has got to get the intuitive side down with his new targets. Everybody has to develop the rythmn and timing, the backs, the line, the receivers....on the job. Therefore Joe will have more incomplete attempts.

 

High risk/high reward.

One or 2 quick strikes a game changes everything.

[cravnravn]

I do buy it, Flacco went down field, most of the incompletes were high percentage/ high reward passes minus a few dropsies.

[tsylvester]

what crav said. this was clear back in April with their draft choices and again when they traded for Evans. Flacco has the arm and normally the accuracy. people forget his carrer completion % is over 60. Now it's a matter of proper timing with the deep threats. Smith didnt run full speed on the first 9 route, which threw Joe off, leading to the ball being over thrown by what, two yards, maybe three.... He was open too........ On the other one down the middle, Joe was just off target because he was having a bad game. Check Brady, he too has games where his completion % is sub or near 50.... It happens sometimes, these guys are human....

 

I like it, just not when it is clear Joe is off, against top pass defenses, when the lead is 17 or more and your best deep threat is injured..... Cam screwed the pooch not exploiting the lb's of the Jets with the te's as he did earlier in the game. There is nothing wrong with deep crossing routes, Cam just got away from them................

[Spen]

I don't think Harbaugh is or should be happy with Joe and the offenses performance Sunday night and he shouldn't be. However because it comes right after the Rams game where they played great I understand the patience and acceptance. If the Titans game was last week instead of two ago there may be a different attitude.

 

They won the game Sunday so their troubles are a lot less severe than they could be. Even with my doubts about Joe I certainly think that the offense will gel more as the year progresses.

[papasmurfbell]

Why anyone would believe anything that comes out of his mouth amazes me. He does nothing but mislead and lie about what this team is doing. Listening to him is pointless.

[OutsideRzAcE]

He had a higher completion percentage in the past, but a lot of those were dump offs to Ray Rice or quick outs to Mason. They are trying to stretch the field now and those deep bombs are gonna connect a lot less often than a ball that travels 5-10 yards in the air. That's what Harbargh is basically saying so yea, I buy it.

 

What they are after now is not quite the same as what we did with Dilfer, IMO. They don't want to have just 2-3 quick strikes and then buckle down and rely on the run game. I think they prefer a dynamic aerial attack with the option of running effectively in their back pocket. In the Jets game, the Ravens were up big and still throwing in the 2nd, and early 3rd quarters. It was only after Flacco's 2nd turnover that Cam finally threw in the towel and went to the run game to wind down the clock.

[vmax]

... I think they prefer a dynamic aerial attack with the option of running effectively in their back pocket. In the Jets game, the Ravens were up big and still throwing in the 2nd, and early 3rd quarters. It was only after Flacco's 2nd turnover that Cam finally threw in the towel and went to the run game to wind down the clock.

 

 

Interesting OTR. Let me follow through and probably stretch what you just said a bit...

 

What you say almost sounds like Cam, knowing he had a lead and that the defense was hot, was experimenting, using this game as practice. Then he backed off 'school' and went back to making sure the game was won when the mistakes/inefficiency made the game close.

It was a great practice and learning enviroment. There's none better than a real live game against a very good defense. He wanted to let his guys get reps against a very good secondary. He was giving Joe what Joe wanted: a chance to air it out. Let Joe have it his way{Cams way too}.

Now both know there has to be a balance for this offense to work.

 

Then he went back to school letting his guys run the ball 11 straight times. That looked like practice. Shit...they ran to Yandas hole 5 straight times.

Now I hear Yanda was in Cams face telling him to run the ball and then coincidentaly the Ravens began to run so I just might be stretching this theory too far.

You could almost say there was no rhyme or reason to Cam's play calling but "In game experimenting/learning" would add some reason to that. It was disjointed.

Interesting.

[OutsideRzAcE]

It's possible he was trying to use the opportunity to build some real game passing experience for his guys, but I think more likely that's just who Cam is. It's what he did in San Diego when he was at the top of his game. When he became Miami HC, he took what was even then considered a reach for speedy wideout Ted Ginn. I just don't think Cam believes in a run based offense. This is just speculation, but I think the move to acquire Leach was a Harbs/Ozzie decision. In this past off-season, Harbaurgh stated he was going to have more input in the offense and Biscotti made a mention that he thought our running game needed to improve. I think we saw Cam's vision of the offense in St. Louis. Deep passes to open up the field and a back like Rice (LT in San Deigo) who is as dyamic in the passing game as he is in the running game). Run oriented only when you are burning clock.

[reddog271]

I buy it yes...

[colincac]

There's nothing to 'buy'. It was obvious we were/are taking many more deep shots, and its also obvious those lower the % completion rate. I don't even think Joe had a bad game last week, people are already forgetting those amazing scrambles he had in the First Quarter that ended up as completions, ALL BECAUSE OF JOE. I do want us to keep taking deep shots, but I also want us to work the run more as well as the play action.

[oldno82]

Actually Joe stood out in the first quarter with 142 yards passing. It was only after that (maybe the Jets adjusted) that the passing game stunk.

[OutsideRzAcE]

 

 

Interesting OTR. Let me follow through and probably stretch what you just said a bit...

 

What you say almost sounds like Cam, knowing he had a lead and that the defense was hot, was experimenting, using this game as practice. Then he backed off 'school' and went back to making sure the game was won when the mistakes/inefficiency made the game close.

It was a great practice and learning enviroment. There's none better than a real live game against a very good defense. He wanted to let his guys get reps against a very good secondary.

 

 

Looks like KVV agrees with you.

 

Fan reaction to Cameron's play-calling in that game -- specifically the 12 straight incomplete passes Flacco threw -- was almost entirely negative. But I understand why he did it. Cameron is faced with a difficult juggling act each game. The Ravens offense is going to be more consistent running the ball early in the season. That's just a reality. There are fewer new pieces to integrate. But if Baltimore is going to win a Super Bowl, they also have to develop the nuances of their passing game. Games when they have a big lead are a good opportunity to work on those nuances. That's why I think you saw the Ravens throwing the ball in the second half against the Rams, even though they had a big lead. And that's why Cameron kept calling plays for Flacco to take a shot down the field against the Jets.

 

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