FlocksGottaFeed

6 minutes ago, nextgen_RavensFan said:

An average O'line can hold their own against the Dallas D'line. We should be ok as far as protecting Flacco.

Even with the injuries that were a direct effect from our last game, it's better to have 9-10 days of assessment, recovery and/or preparing 'the next man up'. Not sure how Dallas will deal with their guys after playing a very intense barn-burner like that. That's one of those hidden advantages (Ravens +).

Good article. Very encouraging. Anytime a player is returning from injury and is getting back to form is something worthy of acknowledgement. 80 yards of production may not translate well with some fans, but put it into perspective. If he is given double the play calls spread throughout the entire game we're looking at 160 yards of contributions. Add in West getting his in as well with double the opportunities balance-out through the game (84 yards) and that's over 240 yards from your running back position.

If this is the indicator and we stay healthy it would completely surpass one elite back (Bell or Elliot) could produce.

We've been slow starters offensively this season, but once we put 4 consistent offensive quarters together - that's money. Now knowing and having confidence in what we're capable of utilizing, it could change our entire approach and make it even harder for the remaining teams to scheme for.

Another advantage for Ravens - Dallas and Pittsburgh are currently the 'biggest' NFL market draws. We're just that team that ends-up humbling 'big' market draws. So humbling, when you think about it.

8 minutes ago, balfan23 said:

Gotta contain Elliott. Can't stuff a bunch of runs and feel good about it, but then let up an 80 yard play on him. The defense, even if it plays well, needs a little help. As always, the question is can the offense score enough points. On the road has often been a challenge for the offense, but they have to start getting the job done if they want the team to succeed down the stretch. 

They're calling this game the 'Best NFL Game of the Year'. How many times can a team repeat that kind of performance? I think our game will more resemble their 1st game that they loss against the Giants. Our defense contains them and our offense does just enough to win (but score more than the Giants).

2 minutes ago, Ravensfan23 said:

I wouldn't say they were manhandled at all. I think it was a fight and the Cowboys more than held their own. It's gonna be another fight next week and that's where the test will come for the Cowboys. That one a physical style of play and they are gonna have to gear up for yet another next week with the Ravens coming to town. Could this be considered a trap game for Dallas?

More like a wrap game with us. We tackle better, we finish plays better on defense and don't make as many mental mistakes as of late. 400 yards of offense? I don't think we'll surrender. It's going to be interesting. Looking forward to see who we'll have out there with 10 days rest compare to what the wear and tear they've had tonight.

They'll be looking ahead to the Washington prime-time game on Turkey Day. We'll be just trying to eat next sunday.

FlocksGottaFeed. Go Ravens!!!

3 minutes ago, kassaiscool said:

In order to get the dallas offense off there running game is to put pressure on them by scoring with our own offense. get a lead on them fast and then you make the rookie Qb win it.

Exactly. Not just by scoring more with our offense, but more importantly - taking away their run-short passing offense and winning the deep passing game with our 1st-2nd ranked secondary. There's no guarantees to victory (chess not checkers), but that would put us in a more advantageous position to do what we do best. 

On 8/31/2016 at 8:32 AM, Purple_City39 said:

The military and the NFL are not the same.  Players in the NFL aren't appointed leadership due to any rank or seniority.  They are leaders because other players and coaches see leadership in their actions.  An above example is Ray Lewis.  Fans talk about the "rah rah" leadership far more than the fact he was one of the people you could count on to lead by example.  4th and 1 against the charges is the type of thing that makes him a leader.

Exactly. Based on the eye-test can we say Weddle fits the mold?

http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/topic/71098-weddle-pffs-mid-season-defensive-mvp-runner-up/

Emotional Leadership.

1 minute ago, nextgen_RavensFan said:

The Steelers kept the Offense off the field, that is the ticket. But now i can see they are going pass crazy on Brown. 

Did anyone else here the announcers say that Ben was being reigned in during our game because it was his first game back ? 

As I've posted earlier, that's the ticket! Take-away the things they do best and force them into a different universe (downfield passing game) and voila! You've got a Ravens advantage that plays to our strengths.

Dallas rushing yards at the half 42 yd could be a good indicator - Ravens ranked 1st against the run.

2 minutes ago, The Raven said:

That's my point. Dolphins addressed their OL issues and are doing much better. We didn't do enough and now we're struggling. Castillo's not to blame. Ozzie is, or maybe Harbaugh.

Maybe you should take that to the 'Ozzie and Harbaugh Must Go Although We're Leading the Division Currently and Our Draft Picks, Free Agents, Un-drafted are All Contributing and Ranking Pretty High Based-on Where Some Pre-Season So-Called Experts Place Us ...' thread.

Or just make-up one. Just Copy and Paste.

1 minute ago, flynismo said:

No no, I'm not sure how you arrived at that conclusion, but absolutely not! In fact, you probably missed it, but just a few posts ago in this topic, I said the exact opposite. It absolutely is not on Castillo. Not at all!

Thank you. That's my only point here. We're not Dallas, but we're no scrubs either. Just about giving credit where credits due.

6 minutes ago, The Raven said:

It's like you're in some kind of weird portal, stuck in the past and oblivious to the fact that the Dolphins are 2nd in yard per carry, 18th in sacks, and 19th in QB hits. Not top of the league, I guess, but better than us.

Newsflash! The Dolphins no longer have the worst line in the league.

This is not about the Dolphins. They are really irrelevant to me. This thread is about Castillo and if he's the cancer of our O-line development and if Ozzie has ignored the O-line when team building. That's when I chimed-in. Read the post dude.

1 minute ago, flynismo said:

 

In light of the above...what does the eye test tell you now? (Pro tip: it should tell you to visit an ophthalmologist ASAP!)

Team and Schemes - make dreams. The original poster questioned Castillo's coaching (Really?) because last game blocks were missed (Really?). We had our best offensive performance this season. Yes, blocks were missed by a make-shift Oline without it's pro-bowler, but what my I test saw was TEs missing blocks who were never blocking tight-ends, defensive overloads to the play side (good DC scheming to win a down) and great effort out there once we adjusted-out of those plays.

Yet, it's all because of Castillo? 2 O-linemen ranking in the top 5 performance rankings. Pro Tip Fly: Most times I find you to be quit resourceful and within reason, but are you saying that Castillo must go?  That's not somebody I would ever take professional advice from on this matter. Thanks, but no thanks.

1 minute ago, The Raven said:

Dolphins are top five in yards per carry and 18th in sacks allowed. Overall, that's better than us.

We might be 11th best in sacks but we're 6th worst in QB hits. Dolphins are 13th worst.

Thanks for playing but the Dolphins line is better than ours.

You're welcome. Now visit the actual Dolphins Forum or Insider Blogs and you'll see things very similar to this thread:

"The team could have gone into free agency and signed interior lineman to help block for Tannehill. Instead, they ignored the position once again. Now it is entirely possible that they address the need in the draft by selecting guards, but there aren’t any first-round prospects at the position. So, what is the Dolphins’ plan for 2016 on the interior O-Line? I have absolutely no idea."

Based-on injuries, shifting positions, etc. (i.e. Ravens) OLine performance has been erratic - sometimes good (lately) and sometimes bad (more frequently). That said, fan critical assessments have been just as microwaved. Blame it on Castillo? Come-on man!

5 minutes ago, flynismo said:

I'm very anti-PFF:

This is another example of why. Can you honestly look someone in the eyes, and tell them with a straight face that this OL is one of the 11 best in the league?

Me neither.

Speak for yourself fly. My I test tells me that the PFF assessment may not be the all-in-all barometer, but multiple Oline players having top 5 performance grades consistently throughout the season thus far says - we're not the scrubs that some are seeing in here.

Steelers have schemed a Ravens-like Offensive and Defensive game plan. It's working for them so far with less talent. This bares well for us next game.

On 11/6/2016 at 7:44 PM, Cillmatic said:

This thread looks ridiculous now. 

This thread has looked ridiculous before now. 

22 minutes ago, flynismo said:

That's a fair criticism. However, I think it's just that good values in the middle rounds are common at OG, so I think we focused more on the high valued positions early on.

Of course, that's a gamble in itself, which is why I think the criticism is more than fair.

Fair criticism? Currently Ravens Offensive Line ranked #13 - Dolphins Offensive Line ranked #31

https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-ranking-all-32-offensive-lines-this-season/

That's 'slightly' lower than a fair assessment. And it's all Ozzie's fault?

Just in: Currently 11th ranked OLine - Ravens

1 hour ago, The Raven said:

For the millionth time, Castillo is responsible for technique and player development. And if you look at player development, Castillo is doing one hell of a job.

Kelechi Osemele wasn't the dominant force that he became until Castillo got here.

Rick Wagner is lowkey one of the best right tackles in the league.

Until his injury, Ronnie Stanley was looking like a top ten left tackle -- as a rookie.

Alex Lewis held his own at left tackle and is coming into his own at left guard.

Ryan Jensen has gone from a no-name D-2 linemen to a very reliable backup that would have been a starter ten years ago. He's by far the second best run blocker on our roster.

The question marks are Jeremy Zuttah and John Urschel. Zuttah came in here as a vet, someone who Castillo wouldn't be able to make an impact on. And his issue, I think, is just strength and nastiness. For Urschel, I no longer think his heart is in it. Either that, or he had a bad offseason, because he just looks weak/

Simply put, position coaches should be graded on player development, and if you think our offensive linemen aren't developing, you don't know what you're watching. Wagner, Stanley, Osemele, Lewis, and Jensen have all demonstrated significant growth. Castillo is not the problem.

Agreed. There hasn't been a (profootballfocus) performance rating all season that didn't have multiple offensive linemen in the top 5. Considering the injuries, multiple position moves, questionable/transparent scheming (before OC change), etc. there's no way to not acknowledge the great job Castillo has done.

Now add this: The 'new' 2016 rule to pretty much eliminate the 'Zone Blocking Scheme' which completely changed a blocking technique that we've been concentrating on, mastering, basing FA/draft picks and coaching prospects on for the last 5 years. Castillo and the players' commitment got our guys adjusted and fluent in one concentrated off-season. That's coaching.

The most impressive thing about him is that he's managed to become a team leader not through appointment, but through the players. Jimmy Smith said that he gets everybody in position on every down (High Football ID). Teammates also have said that he calls-out the opposing offenses plays before snaps (Unselfish Commitment). McClellan, Smith and others on the field said the communication was as good as it's been since Reed and Ray Lewis were the leaders of the Super Bowl defense (Team Confidence). Last but not least - he makes plays.

He's a true leader. Big UPS Eric.

1 hour ago, January J said:

I agree to an extent but the 20's? A division leading team above .500 shouldn't be in the 20's regardless of our offenses struggles. To me -fair is ranking us somewhere right in the middle of the pack, and if we beat Dallas that should catapult us up into the top 12 rather easily IMO.

The Boston Herald ranks Ravens 20th (the only 20's Ranking) huuuummm...Boston

 http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/patriots/the_blitz/2016/11/nfl_power_rankings_patriots_hold_top_position_even_after_bye_week

ESPN ranks Ravens 15th

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17993973/nfl-2016-week-10-power-rankings-new-england-patriots-oakland-raiders-dallas-cowboys

Pro Football Focus ranks Ravens 15th

https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl-power-rankings/

There slight variations in every poll (14th-16th), but currently we are in the top half of the league. After loses this weekend of teams placed higher currently there will be another shift. If we keep adding to the win column we'll stay on an upward trajectory.

Answer: This defense is for real.

http://www.footballdb.com/stats/teamstat.html?group=D&cat=T

With the play-making emergence and contributions of the youngsters...it's looking very promising.

10 minutes ago, Davesta said:

Win or lose, we all know the media will be talking about the Cowboys and not us.

So, so, so TRUE.

• We win it's 'Is it time for Romo?' - If we loss it's 'Is it time for Romo to retire...?'
• If all the lights go off at half-time and the Ravens are up it's - 'Did Jerry do this on purpose to postpone the game to have more time to decide Dak or Romo. We'll be right back after a word from our sponsors.'
• A brand-new Jerry World commercial comes on.

They jumped us up 13 positions after beating Pittsburgh and Cleveland to rank us 14th. Interesting.

2 hours ago, Rav'n Maniac said:

I see Elliott as that Jamal Lewis type runner, gets hit at or just past the line and drags the DL for 2-3 yards. We have to find a way to limit that.

Good comparison. He's proven himself to be special. I think a good barometer for us is how he fairs against the Steelers (We held them to 36 yards rushing). I feel that if our D can limit Elliott to a sub-100 yd game (even 75-95 yds) and force Dak to come out of his comfort zone (run game and mid-range passes) - big plays from our defense will ensue. We make their offense 1 dimensional (No one has so far this season - maybe the Steelers can) then we can dictate the outcome.

Their secondary is very suspect since losing key players early in the season (downward performance trajectory) and our run-pass offense balance is on an upward trajectory moving in a positive direction (slower than I hope, but still upwards). Their game against the Steelers will speak volumes as to the resolve of their offense and how we prepare to takeaway what they want to do. Thank you Pittsburgh...(That was really, really, really tough for me.)

Go Ravens!!! We're all the way up!