Odd Night back to their Roots.

[vmax]

Here's the truth about last nights offense;

If the defense and special teams don't give them good field position as a result of turnovers, then the offense would have failed to score a point. Tucker missed on their only drive of the game.

The problem wasn't Cam or the gameplan....it was execution.

 

The Ravens offense went into their Spartan War Shell and weathered the storm, content to know that they would not commit a mortal, self inflicted wound and instead, wait it out until the Steelers made the one or two costly errors that would lead to their undoing.

Most Ravens/Steelers games come down to this. A snot knocking, defensive slug fest. Both defenses hammered the opposing offenses....bullied them to a degree....which O would crack?

 

In the past,the big hurtfull losses happened when Joe turned it over in the 4th quarter trying to make something out of nothing while those around him failed to execute. He's learned from that. He was not going to make the same mistake last night. That is true strengh of character and wisdom. Another way of putting it is that he realizes the team and the win come first....that pulling the trigger in certain situations leads to undesirable results. He didn't have to be the savior on national tv.

Patience.

That was the #1 D last night. Joe's line was weak. The running game not there. Boldin and Smith were covered. Pita out. Joe might have known he didn't have "it" too.

Joe did know the margin for error was huge....the probably of a good offensive showing was minimal. He was being baited.

 

So he hung in there and played "Rope-a-Dope". That was perfect for last nights game....only because you can't win that way without a damn good defensive performance that suddenly appeared and excellent special teams play. The Ravens have done this many times in the past and secured the win. Joe believed the game would turn on 1 or 2 plays...that the opportunity to win would present itself... and it did.

 

The Ravens D only alowed 3 points for the final 59 minutes and 20 seconds of the game. They were on fire too. 13 points were all that was needed to win. To ask last nights offense for 7 more would probably have ended up in a 17-13 loss.

I've seen these before.

 

Nice adjustment Joe, Cam, John and company realizing that your gameplan was not going to work last night and to pull back into Old School Ravens Football. Nice to remember that there are other ways to win the game.

Edited November 19, 2012 by vmax

[yagersports]

The problem is, the defensive performance was an illusion. Leftwich flat out could not get the ball to the open receivers. I'm disappointed that Joe was not making the right reads in the passing game. I'm also disappointed that our running plays aren't more creative. Is what it is I suppose.

[thesteelhurtin]

Also lefty fractured two ribs on that td run so that is why he was off but I get my wish of Charlie starting.

[vmax]

It doesn't matter if the defensive performance was an abberation or if they were playing the Little Sisters of the Poor.

 

The point is that last night, as the first half wore on, it became clear that they were not going to be scored on. That 10-7 might stand.

So......play the gring out 1 yard and a cloud of dust and see which offense makes the fatal mistake. The Ravens recognized this and circled the wagons because they were not going to execute anything but trouble. The Steelers didn't and let Lefty keep throwing the ball.

DUMB! Given the past history of games between these two teams.....dumb.

 

Last night was a 1 game abberation. The Ravens remembered how to win this type of battle.

The Steelers didn't or they would have stuck with the run and punted.

[oldno82]

Also lefty fractured two ribs on that td run so that is why he was off but I get my wish of Charlie starting.

I thought Tomlin made a very poor decision in not letting Batch play after it was clear to everybody Leftwich couldn't throw any more. Can't understand why a coach would leave a guy hurting that badly in the game.

[thesteelhurtin]

Tomlin made two big mistakes last night one being keeping lefty in and the other is not pounding Dwyer on 3rd and 2

[vmax]

Here's another of Tomlin's bad decisions that helped cost them the game....

 

Bad game management drives me crazy. It was on full display late in the Ravens' 13-10 victory over the Steelers, when a decision impacted the game -- even if few noticed. With one timeout left and the Ravens facing a third-and-7 from their own 38, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called his final timeout with 2:04 left. Bad move. That decision would have allowed the Ravens to throw on that down because of the two-minute warning. Run or incomplete pass, the clock is stopped. There was no risk to throw it then. When the Steelers jumped offsides, nullifying a sack, it set up a third-and-2 at the two-minute warning. The Ravens decided to throw after that, but Joe Flacco wisely took a sack to eat up clock. The Steelers got the ball back at their 16 with no timeouts and 1:05 left. That made it tough to move to a potential game-tying field goal. If Tomlin waits until after the two-minute warning to call his timeout, the Steelers would have had almost two minutes on the clock In addition, it would have made Baltimore's third-down call interesting. That timeout let the Ravens off the hook. And it might have cost the Steelers a chance to tie a key divisional game. Why teams don't hire a clock-management specialist to stand on the sidelines is mystifying to me. Tomlin blew that one in a big way.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/pete-prisco/21057788/monday-musings-tomlin-blew-clock-management-at-end-of-loss-to-ravens

[cravnravn]

Its always fun to second guess a coaches decision.

[varaven45]

Its always fun to second guess a coaches decision.

 

Or hindsight is 20-20.