merryjman

We are a Marcus Peters/Von Miller combo away from making it to the playoffs. That is exactly what this team is missing. A premium pass rusher and a shut down corner that can stay healthy.

agree!

I disagree. Just look at yesterday's Packers game - no secondary can hold up if the QB gets 10 seconds to throw the ball. Our true issue was the lack of outside pass rush. We had great pressure coming from the interior defensive line, until teams figured out that Suggs and Dumervil couldn't get the job done on the outside and started blocking heavy in the middle.

Forget CB unless there's a premier player we get lucky on. I say we focus on DE/OLB for the first couple rounds.

The game is in the trenches. Blocking and tackling. If we want a better defense that will hold up over the season, we need a stronger defensive line that can stuff the run and get pressure on the QB at will. No secondary can hold up if a QB can have 4+ seconds to survey the defense. The pass rush simply did not exist the latter half of the defense. Fix the trenches and watch the chain reaction.

Agree totally. Pass rush is the issue here, no the defensive backs.

he is average at best he got flacco hurried on numerous occasions he is no Ogden he is a consistent Oher and we all know how that turned out he is solid but I wish we would have gotten hargraves CB at 6 but I don't see stanley being a franchise LT hope we finally draft a good CB this year with 1st round pick

I think if you watched some tape of just him, especially in the last several games, you wouldn't say any of this. In the "What you missed" articles they do on this site, I've seen him do some awesome things. He may not be an Ogden but he is way better than Oher, and it's not a fluke that he was the highest graded tackle in the ENTIRE LEAGUE at the end.

  1 hour ago, merryjman said:

I get what you're saying, but don't you think the bad performance in 2013 could also have been at least partly due to new pieces in the line (Birk, McKinnie, Oher all left), a basically new OC (Caldwell) and - the fact people always miss - Ray Rice having a pretty bad season? If you blame Castillo instead, and then give Kubiak all the credit in 2014, that seems kind of unfair.

Seems more fair to say that the zone run scheme takes a while to get good at, and in Kubiak's year it fell into place, and then Trestman basically abandoned it so the O line and Castillo had to start over. And now they'll start over again with Mornhinweg :/

So we gonna qualify Caldwell as the new OC although it was his playcalling through the Super Bowl run. 

Birk Retired, McKinnie only played half the season with passion anyway and Oher had 1 more year as a raven 2013 before he left for the Titans.

2014 Kubiak's year was when Oher was gone. And the team ran for a total of 2019 yds vs the other 3 years with Castillo minus kubiak 1328, 1478, and 1463 ( this year )  and I'm willing to give a bit of pass this year with the new cut block rules. 

 

Its undeniable the impact kubiak had on this team's rushing attack and oline. James Hurst actually looked serviceable in the 5 games he started as Rookie undrafted FA in 2014 and he's never looked anything close to that since lol

I agree with you about Kubiak's impact. I pointed out in another thread that he took a mediocre-at-best running back in Forsett and made him a pro bowler. No denying it, he's done that several times.

I'm simply saying it's not fair to blame Castillo when every year a new OC comes in and changes schemes again, then 2-4 starters leave or get hurt. Just saying there is a lag there between when a new line practices together and when it starts to click in games.

If Flacco gets pressured a lot again next year, and (assuming we run the ball at all) the rush game is again nonexistent, I will happily go back to hating Castillo again :)

(Caldwell was running Cameron's playbook during the SB run because it was so late, that's why I called him "basically new.")

  1 hour ago, merryjman said:

I will admit that I used to be a Castillo hater, especially in the year after the SB when we kept running #27 from the shotgun in the oh-so-predictable draw plays.

But if you're being honest, you have to admit that our offensive line has been pretty darn good, considering (a) all the injuries that have plagued them the last two seasons, and (b) the constant need to learn new blocking schemes with each new coordinator. The offensive line has to function as one body, with all five of them on the same page and being able to rely on each other. If a key piece is hurt (Wagner, Stanley, Yanda, Lewis - seriously, 4 out of 5 starters this year!) or if they have to learn a new scheme, their play will suffer!

Think about how great they played the last time we won a SB, where even McKinnie played well because the coaches benched him for several games to rest him up. Joe threw 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions, and nobody even got close to sacking him most of the time. It wasn't that Joe played better, it was the O line.

So I no longer blame Castillo, and don't think he should be fired.

 Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but since you mentioned the 2012 SB run let's recall Juan Castillo was not apart of that he was Eagles DC then.   

*he became the Run game coordinator in 2013 and it was widely reported he was running the show as oline coach from behind the scenes. 

Regardless as the Run game coordinator the team regressed significantly in Rushing in 2013. 

2014 - was all kubiak

2015-2016. Back to back abysmal rushing attacks  ( some could be attributed to play calling )

I'll give him credit for developing Wagner and having a hand in KO's.   

* 

I get what you're saying, but don't you think the bad performance in 2013 could also have been at least partly due to new pieces in the line (Birk, McKinnie, Oher all left), a basically new OC (Caldwell) and - the fact people always miss - Ray Rice having a pretty bad season? If you blame Castillo instead, and then give Kubiak all the credit in 2014, that seems kind of unfair.

Seems more fair to say that the zone run scheme takes a while to get good at, and in Kubiak's year it fell into place, and then Trestman basically abandoned it so the O line and Castillo had to start over. And now they'll start over again with Mornhinweg :/

I will admit that I used to be a Castillo hater, especially in the year after the SB when we kept running #27 from the shotgun in the oh-so-predictable draw plays.

But if you're being honest, you have to admit that our offensive line has been pretty darn good, considering (a) all the injuries that have plagued them the last two seasons, and (b) the constant need to learn new blocking schemes with each new coordinator. The offensive line has to function as one body, with all five of them on the same page and being able to rely on each other. If a key piece is hurt (Wagner, Stanley, Yanda, Lewis - seriously, 4 out of 5 starters this year!) or if they have to learn a new scheme, their play will suffer!

Think about how great they played the last time we won a SB, where even McKinnie played well because the coaches benched him for several games to rest him up. Joe threw 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions, and nobody even got close to sacking him most of the time. It wasn't that Joe played better, it was the O line.

So I no longer blame Castillo, and don't think he should be fired.

The Catch-22 to hiring a good OC is that after a good year they get offered a head coaching job and leave. Happened to us twice recently with Caldwell and Kubiak, and even Cameron became a head coach in college. So in that sense I'd rather keep an under-the-radar guy like MM who's got a pretty solid record as an OC with the Eagles. Consistency is key, especially with the offensive line and their need to practice blocking schemes. That is what will determine our running success more than anything else, I think. Assuming we run the ball at all, that is :)

I wish urshel was a good football player

haha yes, at the moment he is just a PR stunt for the Ravens and the NFL to brag about.

21 minutes ago, Raven1995 said:

No not Zuttah alone but a big chunk of it. Injuries played a big part of it. I saw a play Sunday where Zuttah was blocking nobody and Ducasse had one player and he let him go by and sack Flacco. They were both just standing their with nobody around them. Lewis missed games, Stanley missed games and had 2 bad games after he came back. Yanda missed some games and Wagner missed some games. Jensen, Hurst and Urschel don't seem to be the answer. We need to Draft and get a couple good players and hope the Injuries go done next year. Also, a new Offensive Line Coach would be Great!

Zuttah has had a lot of ups and downs, and I wonder if there are some injury issues that he wasn't talking about, or maybe it's just that he had a rookie on his left (beginning of season) or a backup on his right (end of season) and that was contributing - those guys talk a lot about how they depend on each other very heavily, and of course he sure looked a lot better when it was KO on the left and MY on the right. It could be that he's just not that good, but I'm convinced he's done better than freaking Gradkowski did! (if Urschel was actually starter caliber we'd have seen it by now; as it is, he's a PR tool and not much more)

Might seem like a wasted pick, but I wouldn't complain if they took a high graded center for their 2nd or 3rd round draft choice. If we kept Wagner, and if Lewis and Stanley continued to improve in their 2nd year, and we have a coordinator who commits to the run, with a good center as the last puzzle piece our offense would be unstoppable.

I used to criticize Castillo but I'm not too proud to say I was wrong. I think he's done a good job with that line, especially in light of the injury bug that kept biting them.

1 hour ago, billiejean said:

Joe does tend to get flustered under pressure but I think as the year went on he got a bit more comfortable (not much though). I totally agree with you about the play calling though, the line did have some issues, but the play calls were so predictable. When we give up on the run no one bites on play action and the lineman can pin their ears back. I read this a few months ago and I dont agree with everything it says but most of it rings true. Trigger Warning - its from the Steelers SB nation site

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/steelers-2016-preview-regular-season-news-updates-roster-depth-chart-salary-cap-tickets-baltimore-ravens-how-to-watch/2016/11/6/13538156/steelers-film-room-ravens-live-die-by-play-action-passes-preview-joe-flacco-steelers-secondary

I read that article after you linked it, and I gotta say it's very well written and right on the money. I know that it's usually not a good idea for coaches and staff to pay attention to the press, but I feel like if someone in the Ravens org had seen this, it would have been a good wakeup call that everyone knows what they're up to! What he said about running early in the drive, then striking on a big play action, then passing for short gains for the rest of the drive--- that explains perfectly why people complain about the Ravens not being able to finish a drive, and about abandoning the run!

It was tough seeing the offense this year. After promising not to mess with Kubiak's system, Trestman basically killed the zone run scheme that the O line had worked so hard to learn and master, and had Flacco go out of the shotgun many times. And let's face it: Justin Forsett was not that great a RB, he was just the latest in a series of mediocre backs who looked like pro bowlers behind Kubiak's run schemes! (how many times has Kube done this now?) And Flacco, despite all the legitimate excuses like inconsistent protection, slow receivers, etc. still had some pretty bad individual performances. It's clear more than ever that he is unable to read blitzes and make corrections at the line. (did he do an audible all year?) This doesn't make him a bad QB, but it does mean that the OC has to do a lot of work to get the right play out to him.

Agree that pass rush is a big need. Bisciotti said so last year, and he'll probably say it again this year if asked. I am very glad we got Ronnie, as I think he'll be a franchise player for us for a long time. And considering all the Bosa drama, I'm not sure he would have been the right pick. But we need an edge rusher badly.

Not sure whether receiver is a need, or whether it's a system issue. I think Pitta, Gilmore, Boyle, Perriman and Wallace (and grudgingly, maybe even Campanaro) make a good corps if we can get a consistent system going.

Ozzie always says he can never have enough cornerbacks. Smith is great when healthy and Tavon Young was a nice surprise, so I would hate to see us take a CB with the #16 pick because I'd imagine all the top CB talent would be gone by then.

2 minutes ago, ryananth said:

Flacco's contract is not the problem. All teams have essentially the same money committed to their QBs (around $20 milliion). Flacco's deal averages $22mil a year. Even if there wasn't s a dead money issue we'd still pay Flacco what he's receiving. Would you rather have someone like Fitzpatrick for $14mil or Romo for $18mil? I don't think so. Who are you proposing would replace Joe anyway?

I agree. In that sense, the true problem is that with a salary cap of about $150 million, almost all teams are being forced to spend 15% of it on one player! Add to that the fact that injuries usually destroy another 10-20% of the salary cap, and it's an almost impossible task to keep a team together.

ugh, meanwhile Darren Waller was all by himself, running to the right unguarded in the end zone.

To summarize: our vanilla offense was outsmarted by some great NE coaching, and Tom Brady outsmarted the best defense in the league. Not hating, just facing facts :)

6 minutes ago, reed20 said:

Why is Elam still here?

I know, I keep hoping he will finally live up to what everyone saw at UF. But it doesn't look like that will ever happen.

33 minutes ago, fusuymada said:

Ravens may be scouring other teams practice squads for someone who could return punts and kicks and is also a cb. We had Asa Jackson who could have fit that bill but someone snagged him off our practice squad before we acted. Had we done this 2 weeks ago when it should have been done, our options would be much greater than they are now.

Ravens already cut Asa Jackson twice in the past, and 3 other teams tried him out and cut him too. So it's not like they wrongly ignored some hidden diamond on the practice squad - they correctly ignored a borderline player who is lucky to still be in this league at all. I'd rather have Webb fair catch every punt than put Asa back there.

When we beat the Patriots it has usually been because we've been able to rattle Brady. Not necessarily sack him, but at least get some legal hits on him just as he releases.We have Jimmy Smith back and we have 55 & 58 back. With them putting pressure on the outside, 22 and 36 on the corners, and 98 eating blocks in the middle, our defense is in a good position to limit Brady to short throws by making him get rid of the ball quickly.

No defense in this league is going to keep Brady from throwing 300 yds, but the Ravens can use their bend-don't-break defense, let Brady have his 8-yard quick throws, and hopefully limit their possessions to mostly field goals.

The key of course will be for the offense to put up points. They'll need to put up more than 24 points, I think, to have a real shot.

Re-signing Williams should IMHO be as high of a priority as re-signing Flacco was after our SB run. From the top of my head, I cannot think of another defensive player who makes teammate around him look so good as B.Williams does.

Dolphins had to block him with 4 players at times. First, that allowed LBs to make pretty much open field tackles on RB at the freaking line of scrimmage! LBs are drooling over these opportunities. Second, it left pass rushers on one-on-one blocks coming from the edge. Guys like Suggs and Doom nearly never get opportunities like that otherwise. Lastly, thanks to the havoc wrecked by the front seven, defensive backfield had a blast defending the panic-passes QB was able to get off of his hand.

I’m pretty sure that without Williams, Orr would not look half as impressive starter as he currently does, Suggs and Doom would be overwhelmed by double teams they’d be getting, rest of the pass rush department would be invisible, and the DBs would be exposed and shredded like they have been for past couple of seasons without pressure up front.

So dear FO, can we please please please do EVERYTHING we can do keep Williams?? I envision our defense being in the TOP5 for many years to come with Williams behemothing up front alongside Jernigan, Pierce, Davis and out of the TOP10 without him.

I actually think I haven’t wanted anyone to be re-signed as badly as I want them to re-sign Williams. My Christmas wish right there.

I agree but I think he's probably priced himself out of Bmore. One of many times I wish there wasn't a salary cap, because I think we'd keep him if we could.

But there is going to be a team out there with plenty of cap space and a terrible defense, who will pay this guy more than Ozzie is willing to. Like Miami maybe.

Win came at a good time, in terms of morale. Even if they end up losing to NE next week, I think it will be a much closer game than anyone would have thought possible from this Ravens team. Great to see all three phases working, even greater to see the key players mostly healthy.

On a related note: O line performance was a really big deal yesterday, and nobody said much about it. Joe didn't get sacked at all and the line was able to protect him long enough to get those middle-of-the-field passes that tore up the Dolphins yesterday. Kudos to those guys, especially Yanda who's a tougher human being than just about everyone else on this planet!

If you are really honest with yourself, you'll admit Ray Lewis's fiery speeches have always been equal parts performing for the camera and motivating the troops. To me this is totally an example of the former - saying something provocative to put the spotlight back on himself, and to draw ratings for the new TV show he works for. Nothing more. It is a selfish, petty and also untrue statement.

I am not a Flacco fanboy but long ago I accepted that Joe is not an extroverted guy - that doesn't mean he isn't passionate about the team and about winning. He clearly is. Go watch his last play from last season, when his knee had just been demolished, and he stayed on the field anyway. Go look for photos of his leg after the 2009 playoff games, when his thigh was one giant bruise and he played anyway. Ray Lewis is no idiot, he saw these things too, so it's obviously a publicity stunt.

In all of those clips, I see a QB with enough protection to get some throws off. And when he was hurried, the play had already been designed to get it to someone quickly underneath so it didn't matter much. So kudos to the O-line for keeping the defense off Flacco. Let's hope they can do the same against the Cowboys.

I am interested in seeing the offensive line performance this week. All players back, but have they had time to gel again? I think having Ronnie back will help Joe's confidence a lot, and I hope this gives him a chance to air the ball out a little more.

When did Flacco play his best? When the Ravens sat McKinnie for the second half of the season and he was fresh for the playoffs. The O line was solid for the whole playoff run, and Flacco threw 11 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and won a Super Bowl.

So yeah, I agree with Eisenberg that you can't really judge a QB without looking at his line.

Hey Harbs: Stop being coy about the injuries. Your "deceptive tactics" are clearly of no benefit to the team. You suck, and whole stinkin team sucks. So why don't you just tell us who's going to play and who's not.

no coach ever does this, or should. Why do you think Tom Brady has been listed as questionable for over a decade?