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One Winning Drive: Someone has to say it...


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The Blame Game: Vikings 33, Ravens 31

He’s not getting the most blame - and he doesn’t deserve the most blame - but someone has to say it. And I will if I have to…

Steven Hauschka: 30%495f0702-42d0-4dcf-ae29-ec42cd172bcb.jpg

Like it or not… when you need a field goal to win, a very makeable field goal, in a dome, with no wind or other issues… it needs to be made. That’s the end of it. The end. There’s nothing more to say. Clutch or not. Last minute or not. Field goals matter at all times; this one happened to determine the outcome of the game. Haushcka has to make the kick. The end. Throw blame everywhere else for our position up to that point, but Hauschka  has to make the kick.

In the words of a friend, let’s call it “poetic justice.” The minute Stover is picked up elsewhere, the makeable kick is missed. In all honesty, I love Hauschka and all that he brings to the table… but I was probably giving him better odds than most when I was thinking “this is 50-50…”

Ravens Secondary: 60%

Domonique Foxworth, Fabian Washington, Dawan Landry, Chris Carr, Lardarius Webb, Frank Walker. Frank f’n Walker. We’re looking at you. For the fourth time in six games you all looked worse than bad. You were pathetic. I’m not holding back anymore. I don’t know if you’re just confused or if you simply don’t have the ability, but you are the reason this defense is crumbling. Even the 100-yard rushers connect back to you.

Seriously, Frank, what are you doing? Is it even possible for you to be on the field and NOT have a flag thrown at you. Or not have the QB single you out? And Dawan… on yet another big play you looked absolutely lost. In fact, on one of Favre’s late TDs you almost seemed to be telling Brett to throw it to the man you were simply refusing to cover. Get it together.

Coaching: 10%

The Ravens defensive woes are not solely the fault of the players or the greatness of the opposing offense. Greg Mattison needs to find a way to get this unit to work together. Maybe it’s about getting Samari Rolle on the field. Maybe it’s about getting Paul Kruger on the field. Maybe it’s about play-calling. Whatever it is, do it.

Mattison has been unable to adjust his schemes and his plays to the needs of his players and the strengths of his opponents. Apparently the Ravens are just too easy to read.

Even offensively, Cam Cameron took long enough to find his groove. Had the Ravens started showing life just one possession earlier, perhaps that last kick is less necessary. Nice recovery, though, of course.



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Mattison has been unable to adjust his schemes and his plays to the needs of his players and the strengths of his opponents.

 

I heard Bruce Laid say it's not Mattison's fault. He's teaching them, coaching them, and linning them up right. He said it's about "Allighnment, Assignment and Technique" They are being taught that, but those players are not doing that.

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Well, but any teacher will tell you that they are not succeeding or achieving their best until their students are learning. I can shove as much as I want down my students throats about the US Constitution... but if I test them and they all fail, it's not just they who are failing. I have failed.

 

Again, perhaps Mattison is expecting too much from his players. Perhaps he is trying to fit square pegs into round holes. If you can't make the peg round, make the hole square. If the players can't execute the plays and schemes, change the plays and schemes.

 

Certainly at some point the blame shifts to the players... certainly there is always some blame on the players, even... but with how disorganized and confused our secondary looks, time after time, I have to believe that Mattison (or someone under him) isn't doing everything there is to be done.

 

The second TD of the day, where it appeared Fabian was picked by Bernard Berrian... the pick was illegal, sure... but Fabian didn't have a play anyway. Both CBs were trying to cover Berrian... neither was even looking at the other receiver. And from his position, Fab had no chance. Mattison has to be able to fix that.

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Well, but any teacher will tell you that they are not succeeding or achieving their best until their students are learning. I can shove as much as I want down my students throats about the US Constitution... but if I test them and they all fail, it's not just they who are failing. I have failed.

 

Again, perhaps Mattison is expecting too much from his players. Perhaps he is trying to fit square pegs into round holes. If you can't make the peg round, make the hole square. If the players can't execute the plays and schemes, change the plays and schemes.

 

Certainly at some point the blame shifts to the players... certainly there is always some blame on the players, even... but with how disorganized and confused our secondary looks, time after time, I have to believe that Mattison (or someone under him) isn't doing everything there is to be done.

 

The second TD of the day, where it appeared Fabian was picked by Bernard Berrian... the pick was illegal, sure... but Fabian didn't have a play anyway. Both CBs were trying to cover Berrian... neither was even looking at the other receiver. And from his position, Fab had no chance. Mattison has to be able to fix that.

 

I agree with DC, just because Mattison has the right alinements and such, it is obvious that these alignments and schemes are not the best schemes for our type of players. Heck, I could take a secondary of high school kids, say you have him, you have him, and you have him. If the offense scores, I can just say that every man was covered, my DBs just didn't make the play. That is hardly fair, Mattison needs to find better ways to use the talent we have.

 

 

As for the blame game dc, Webb once again did not see the field on defense, so he is not to blame. I do not know why Webb is not getting PT with how bad our DBs are. Landry was getting abused by Shiancoe. Both TDs to Shiancoe were on Landry's coverage were Landry seemed to have no idea of what he was doing. The first TD was thrown right at Landry's head, he just had no idea where the ball was.

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The secondary has stopped nobody throwing to the intermediate middle of the field (over the LB's in front of the safeties). Every WR who runs the slant is open. The coverage is not there...at all.

That's one I blame on Mattison...the pattern has existed all season.

 

The rest?....here's my answer DC...

 

If your students are sub morons...(dumber than morons)...they can't learn the US Constitution.

You only failed because you tried to teach them that instead of putting a mop in their hands...:)

Edited by vmax
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If your students are sub morons...(dumber than morons)...they can't learn the US Constitution.

You only failed because you tried to teach them that instead of putting a mop in their hands...:)

 

Of course... Like I said, eventually it reaches that point. But my first reaction is never to just blame the kids... and it should never just be to blame the players. There are obvious areas we need to see improvement, and we're not seeing it.

 

And if the answer is playing Webb instead... then play Webb. But if you don't make that change, it's still your fault to some extent.

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I saw Webb in there on D towards the end of the game. He was blitzing, and I'm not sure if he got any playing time in coverage, but the fact that they benched washington and have started using webb means at least they aren't delusional about it anymore. I could've screamed when I read Harbaugh's "I think our coverage has been good" comment last week.

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Frank Walker. Frank f’n Walker. We’re looking at you. For the fourth time in six games you all looked worse than bad. You were pathetic. I’m not holding back anymore. I don’t know if you’re just confused or if you simply don’t have the ability, but you are the reason this defense is crumbling.

 

Walker played like crap regardless, but to be fair Harbaugh said Walker was supposed to have safety help on that 58 yard bomb that set up what proved to be the Vikes game winning FG. Apparently said safety bit on the run fake (which is interesting because Favre held the ball a good 6 seconds on that play). He didn't say which safety it was.

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Our blitzing has been terrible and very predictable. Our guys are showing blitz too early and then the line gets time to adjust and pick it up. Only once did I see us show blitz early and then back off into coverage. We need to quit with the all out blitzes as well, I don't think they have worked once this season.

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Our blitzing has been terrible and very predictable. Our guys are showing blitz too early and then the line gets time to adjust and pick it up. Only once did I see us show blitz early and then back off into coverage. We need to quit with the all out blitzes as well, I don't think they have worked once this season.

 

Good point, this gets me absolutely furious. Teams counter our blitz by going on different snap counts. If this happens and we show our blitz prematurely, why not just check out of it or audible into a different blitz? For as much as everyone misses Rex, the same thing happened last year as well. It is reasons like this why I miss Mike Nolan as our DC. Nolan would just line up in a traditional 3-4 and play football. I hate to say it, but Nolan would probably have great success coaching this defense. For how badly we are doing, you cannot deny the talent.

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The blitzing schemes have bothered me as well... as has the rapid change-outs on the line. I want Ngata out there on every play. Maybe he needs a breather, but that seems to be coming way too often. I want the big man there every play.

 

Instead, and I know there is a method to it all that I don't always understand, but I see Ngata/Gregg/Edwards make a great play... and then they all run off while Bannan/Pryce/McKinney run on. After just one play. And I'm just staring at the TV saying "they finally get pressure and we replace all three guys?"

 

[For the record, that's not a dig at the second three guys... I've seen them have that happen as well. Especially Pryce... he seems to be taken out after every sack he makes. It's like we're giving them time to adjust to what we've figured out.]

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It is reasons like this why I miss Mike Nolan as our DC. Nolan would just line up in a traditional 3-4 and play football. I hate to say it, but Nolan would probably have great success coaching this defense. For how badly we are doing, you cannot deny the talent.

 

You know I have been thinking the same thing. I see the success Nolan is having in Denver and I wish we had brought him back, although I didn't think he was that good when he was here the first time. The only problem is he could have seen it as a step back in his career, coming back to the Ravens as a DC.

 

That said, I'm not giving up on Mattison. Hopefully he can get us turned around.

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You know I have been thinking the same thing. I see the success Nolan is having in Denver and I wish we had brought him back, although I didn't think he was that good when he was here the first time. The only problem is he could have seen it as a step back in his career, coming back to the Ravens as a DC.

 

That said, I'm not giving up on Mattison. Hopefully he can get us turned around.

Thanks RavenMad...I've been thinking about Nolan too...you gave me an idea and I'm going to put up a thread on Nolan/Mattison.

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