The Raven

I wouldn't say I'm oversensitive to cliches. I just find them annoyingly vapid. A prevalence of cliches usually indicates an absence of actual thought. "I can't bring anything meaningful to the conversation so let me just fall back on this stupid cliche I heard John Madden say once during a game."

Yeah, Harbaugh says that crap in part because fans eat it up. "Heart" always makes for a good quote. What did I dream up? Was I watching Rudy? Don't even know what you're talking about. All I know is I didn't need some coach to say the word "heart" for me to want to clobber someone. If you think Dennis deserved comeback player of the year for leading the league in wide open catches followed by falling down immediately, then you should probably see a doctor.

You forgot bring back Ray to be a locker room leader and keep guys in line and inspire people to work even harder

Pitta only got separation on five yard curl routes and two yard flat routes that had no potential to convert third down. He found the literal dead zone where nobody was because it didn't ever matter if he went there. He'd run short of sticks and fall down before even thinking about breaking a tackle for YAC. But hey, at least he's open and catches every wide open pass. And good god if I read one more mindless cliche like "heart of a lion" I will vomit. Do you guys watch Disney movies and Hallmark movies nonstop with all these cliches? Or do you just listen to aimless, hackneyed Ray Lewis speeches on repeat, for days at a time? I swear I don't think any of the coaches I played for said "heart" more than once a year -- at the end of the year banquet, talking about the guy that never played a down but got the crap kicked out of him in practice.

The fact that it works for other teams and not us should indicate to an intelligent human that the idea works but our personnel sucks. You can't just talk about the Ravens in a vacuum and pretend that other teams don't exist because the reality is that other teams do exist and they do things well that we don't do well. The concept of "well, that team isn't us so we shouldn't make a comparison" is flat out stupid. Comparisons set a benchmark and they show you how to improve. Refusing to make a comparison is refusing to look at the bigger picture.

You're not wrong that the inside zone requires a specific skill set, but frankly, when the majority of teams in the NFL run the inside zone, I don't think that the skill set is that hard to find. You just need guys that, you know, aren't weak/small like Zuttah and Urschel and Wagner. It was dumb to use it with Zuttah and Wagner on the line, but using OL with even average strength, it should work.

Honestly this is the best advice to give. Good call K-Dog

Just a small part? There's a very large part of me that wishes that. As much as he sometimes gets needlessly cute and sophisticated, he's aggressive as hell, creative, innovative, and uses his players well. Another part of it is I think we suck at self scouting. I really don't think we're that good at evaluating our own guys and analyzing what they do.

The idea that Joe is not capable of being a WCO QB is just flat out wrong since his best year came in Kubiak's WCO. The issue is he needs a QB coach that will keep him reined in with good feet. We need an OC that drills into his head -- like Kubiak did -- that you need to throw to your reads and not wait for the deep ball. That's the advice I guess I'd give. Fix Joe's technique and work with him on making fewer risky decisions. WCO works in rhythm. It works when you take what the defense gives you. I'd also advise using a run scheme that fits the personnel. You know, like not using a tight zone with a weak line. If the line is mobile run wide zone. If they're slow, run gap and power til a defense crumbles. And for pete's sake stop wasting people's talent. He's gone now but Juice was woefully underused by every OC we've had. Kamar, yes, even Kamar, was underused. We could've used a big, strong handed receiver with solid route running and the ability to break tackles. Yet, we didn't even use Kamar. We needed a center that could hold his own in a bar fight and we trot out pathetic ole Zuttah, when we have a pancake machine in Jensen sitting on the bench. Too often, we ask round pegs to fill square holes, when we already have square pegs. Too often, we get guys that fill a certain role, and then we use them in another. I really think there's a disconnect between the FO and the coaching staff. Our personnel rarely reflects our scheme and philosophy. I think Pees and the FO are finally on the same page, but I don't think our offensive staff has ever connected with the draft team.

When will the cliches end

I'd like to keep Waller in the 6'6 240 range. I think he's a little heavier than that right now, but his versatility is probably best preserved at 240. I don't think he has a true position, but I like him as a a matchup disaster, whether it's killing LBs in the seams or mossing guys outside the hashes. Unfortunately, he hasn't proven yet to be able to moss guys regularly. Fullback is interesting to me. Lorenzo Taliaferro is the closest fit we have to the modern fullback in the mold of Mike Tolbert. He's already an ample pass blocker, and if you get him to 240, I think he'll be able to handle blocking many (but maybe not most) linebackers, and he'll demolish safeties. One thing I like about Tali is that he's more mobile than Juice which will make him a better blocker in the open field, and frankly, that's what we need a fullback to be 2017. A guy who can just crack that last defender, be it a backer or a safety, to spring the play. Juice wasn't the most agile fella, and he wasn't the best open field blocker because of it. Now, Boyle I think can fill that traditional fullback role, but he's definitely a bit too tall and, well, slow, to be a fullback. Being a good fullback is dependent on getting to the landmark before your assignment does. A slow fullback means a linebacker blowing up your back for a two yard loss. With his height, too, he'll have no leverage -- which is crucial in the trenches. The thing is that linebackers are getting faster and oftentimes smaller. I don't have data to prove it, but empirically, that seems to be the trend. Going off of that, Tali is my pick for fullback. He's a true triple threat as a blocker, runner, or receiver, and Boyle isn't. He's also much more athletic, and as defenders are increasingly more athletic, you need an athletic fullback to keep up. I do not support Buck Allen at fullback. Way too gifted as a runner to be used as a blocker. On the line, Yanda at RG or LG, period, sorry. I think Alex Lewis will be fine at RT if it comes down to it.

So other than the hackneyed, hopelessly cliche, and overused traits like heart and effort (gross), the general traits I look for in all positions are a craving for physicality, a fast burst off the line (10 yard split), and good technique. Here's why. - Football is a violent game, and if you avoid contact, you're going to suck, no matter what position you play, whether you're in the trenches or on the outside. - The game is won at the LOS -- at every position, arguably. The quicker and stronger you are off the snap, the better you are. Whether you're a center or a wide receiver, that 10 yard split is the best measure of game speed. How often do guys go further than ten yards? Other than WR/DB, it's infrequent, and if you are a WR/DB, those first ten yards make the difference on most plays. - There's this idea that an NFL coach can take a raw but athletic freak and turn him into a HOFer. It's a myth. There's a reason guys like Julian Edelman dominate: they have good technique. If you do the little things right, you're gonna be in good shape. After that, my criteria gets a lot more specific.

Three year deal? Hope it's low on the guarantees and has a coaching option in year three but I'm happy as hell that Webb's gonna retire a Raven now.

He definitely has the size and frame for it, and I do think he'd prefer tackle to tight end, but I think it's a little late in his career for that kind of a move. His blocking is also a bit overrated. He's just not very mobile and doesn't move his feet well.

Looks like the Eagles are looking forward. Wish we would.

Idk, I know I didn't watch him. Kinda hard to watch a DB on TV when the ball never gets thrown their way

We've drafted Brent Urban, Willie Henry, and Bronson Kaufusi in the span of three years. All three are much more athletic than your typical 3-4 linemen. That gives me the impression that we're at the very least shifting away from the traditional 3-4 and towards the Wade Phillips single gapping model that helped make JJ Watt the freak that he is. I mean, Urban and Kaufusi are practically JJ Watt models. Not nearly as good, but the same basic model. Long, explosive penetrators that are disruptive more so than clogging. I just hate two gapping. I couldn't care less about 3-4 or 4-3, especially with the abundance of nickel these days, but two gapping fronts are stupid. I'm not sure how the Patriots and Steelers have continued to use those fronts with success. How the Patriots had such a beastly defense with just 34 sacks is beyond me. Guess they're just really good at tackling.

He has Warren Sapp type potential if he gets more athleticism and stamina. The stamina is killer, too. He simply doesn't have a lot of it.

Fair. I'd love to see him slim down and become a dominant, one gapping 3-tech in the 4-3 Tampa 2 we should be transitioning to, with Pierce playing the 1. I firmly believe that if he slimmed down a bit, got a better first step, and was allowed to one gap from the 3, he'd be a HOF caliber player. Considering thats what happened this past season, yes. Neither of them were ever a significant threat in passing situations. They might have gotten doubled a lot in the run game in the first 12 games (lord knows they didn't in the last four), but neither pulled doubles in passing situations. It's a fact that they were not threats in the pass rush. They didn't get pressure, sacks, or double teams. Do you think they actually were threats? If they actually collapsed the pocket regularly, I'd consider that pass rush, but the notion that they regularly collapsed the pocket is what's really "complete bull." Both of Pierce's sacks were hustle plays. They were coverage sacks. If you pay attention, it's rare for defensive linemen to pull doubles in passing situations. They might get chipped, but unless you really deserve to be TRULY doubled, you won't be. The only value he provides at present time is his sheer size and strength. He's a space eater. He could provide a lot more value if the team would get with the times but for now, yes, he is your stereotypical "fat guy" NT. A good one, though.

Don't even get me started Arnie lol Still pissed about the Terrence Cody pick. And the Williams deal. And the increasing reliance on Pierce.

Oh and one more thing... I don't remember a whole lot of sets with one down linemen and five backers. Definitely remember a lot of four man fronts. If you count Zadarius Smith occasionally playing the 3, with Jernigan at the 1 and two edges, then I guess that's technically a 1-5-5, but it was still a four man front. We did run more 1-5-5 than we have since the Pagano days but the idea that we "often" went with it is inaccurate. Definitely more four man fronts by a long shot.

This isn't wrong in theory, I guess, but in pass rushing situations, you only "eat blocks" if you actually pose a threat as a pass rusher. Jernigan, contrary to popular belief, was doubled a lot in passing scenarios. Pierce, however, was not. Eating blocks does not happen in passing situations unless you require a double team. As far as the pass rush goes, gap shooters are far more impactful than "block eaters." The "block eater" types are just fat guys that rarely sniff the QB. You can usually find them stood up by the center at the LOS as the QB is entering his fifth second without pressure. See: Cody, Terrence; Ngata, Haloti; Williams, Brandon.. TL;DR? Gap shooters get pressure. Block eaters don't. Pressure requires athleticism. If you don't get pressure, you won't get doubled, and if you aren't eating blocks, are you even actually a block eater? The whole concept of sending fat guys out there for the sole purpose of clogging space is so damn outdated and obsolete.

And the tight end situation? I don't get it at all. Please cut the dead weight. Receiver? Please sign somebody that can run a damn in route and catch a third down ball over the middle because I don't think that person's on the roster. Oline? What are we waiting for? I am simply amazed we got yet another starting caliber running back before addressing any other offensive need. Here's hoping to a good draft where we hit on every pick -- because that's what we need to happen if we don't make any other free agency moves.

I don't see the direction either, but at the same time, I do think this is a team that can compete. We competed last year until injuries caught up with us. Jefferson and Carr are guys that improve things we didn't do well last year: tackling and pressing. We didn't tackle well in the secondary and our corners (not blaming Pees for this) gave receivers too much space to work with. Those, to me, were the biggest problems we faced. We gave receivers too much space and we failed to tackle, and that's why we gave up so many third down conversions. We basically let them have the easy stuff. I'm actually seeing a clear defensive direction, as I flesh this out. The plan I see Ozzie making is going to help get the We retained Brandon Williams and got Jefferson -- both moves that will improve the run defense. A good run defense will put us in more third and longs on defense. We got Carr, who plays closer to the line, and we got Jefferson, who makes tackles. By taking away the easy stuff, I think we'll force more punts. Dean Pees's defense works when you do the little things right -- chasing and tackling. So, I see this as a clear direction. The offense, on the other hand, remains directionless and without an identity.

That's the other thing, for sure. The injuries. I could see Tali as a Mike Tolbert type fullback if he stays healthy.