Hmmm, when I hear steps involved in solving a problem, step 1 is to usually admit you have a problem.
Step 2 is always fire the coordinator responsible for the problem.
Harbs needs to be Pees Tested, because he obviously isn't thinking clearly.
This team is not worthy of Steve Smith Sr.'s drive, dedication and playing through pain. He should go on the IR or be traded to a contender.
Pees is like Greg Mattison without the imagination. Yikes. He got lucky in 2012 with some playmakers who stepped up and an offense that got hot in the playoffs. Maybe his scheme works if you have pro-bowlers in their prime at every position. Since that isn't likely, we need a new guy with a new scheme. Also need someone who can coach the secondary not to be confused about assignments, who can coach guys to stay onsides and not make stupid penalties, who can teach proper coverage techniques, and who can ensure the defense can actually tackle a ballcarrier when they get to them.
It's gonna be so amazing when we finish 12-4. Amazing, I tell ya!
Would you rather have Williams covering a #2 or #3 receiver, or the walking dead we have been trotting out since last season?
Tough to see guys like Carey Williams, Corey Graham, and Ihedigbo playing so well on defense for other teams. That said, there should be enough talent on this defense to have handled business today. For Biscotti, this will come down to talent (on Ozzie) or scheme and technique (on Pees and his staff). Guess who wins this one?
Guess we'll find a cure for the old injured guys that are the cornerstones of our team (Smith, Suggs, Dumervil, Webb)
"And with the 5th pick in the 2016 draft, the Ravens select..."
This defense doesn't have a nasty streak. Smith Sr. said himself that there were too many guys on this team just happy to be here. There is no fight, no dogs. Harbs has the "coachable" team he wanted, with him installed as the alpha dog. Well, you got it, coach.
Sad to see the defense drop another one. Two home losses in a row. Can't believe it. That was a bad football team today, and it beat a worse one in the Ravens. Amazing how the team was a play away from the AFC Championship game last year and now have fallen to this. On the bright side, Ozzie should have a higher draft pick to play with, probably the highest since we nabbed Ngata or Suggs.
This is spot on. As the Stiller game showed, even against a very good defense, the Ravens can run the ball and be successful doing so if they choose to. That comes down to Trestman's playacting and game plan, and where he deviated from the Kubiak mold over the first 3 games. He may have no choice but to run the rock going forward until our WR corps heals up.
Smith did a great job getting to the QB...although he did have all the time in the world to do so because the secondary blanketed the Stillers' receivers.
I see a lot of play action passes to TEs on Sunday in-between heavy doses of Forsett.
Bungles running away with the Division. If they stay healthy, they look like the most complete team, especially on offense. I wouldn't count on them choking or tripping up until we meet them in the playoffs.
Better that Bell eked out 100 over 5 quarters than to allow Antonio Brown to run free through our secondary. And when it mattered most, the Stillers didn't have enough confidence in their run game to lean on it when the game was on the line.
Hope Givens can get up to speed on the playbook and that Crockett gets healthy. Browns' defense won't be a cakewalk by any stretch.
If Givens is the replacement for Camp, and if Smith Sr will be out for a while or would be hobbled by this injury, we are still down a #1 receiver. The Bears denying Alshon is on the block is like waving a big flag that he IS on the block. I've heard that the Bears want a 3rd rounder for him, and if Ozzie could do a trade-and-sign, it might be worth it since he has such trouble drafting viable WRs (Torrey Smith the exception that proves the rule). Of course, that won't happen, because he will never give a top-tier WR top-tier money. Here's to the 3 TE sets on offense! Go Ravens!
If you're going to give up draft picks for a WR in an attempt to make a run, why Givens? Why not make a play for Alshon Jeffery? If Ozzie wanted to pick at the Rams' bones, why not Brian Quick over this guy?
I love the fight of Steve Smith Sr., the stoicism of Daryl Smith, the swagger of Suggs, and the tenacity of Dumervil. Problem is, they are all near the end of their careers and we don't yet know who will fill that leadership void. This team may will itself to 8-8, but if they don't have the players to make the playoffs, then they may as well go 2-14 and reload. Some have suggested we trade a mid-round draft pick for a proven WR like Alshon Jeffery. I think that would be a mistake as we are more than one player away from making a SB run, and I'd like to see Ozzie work with those picks.
The defense's issue is either personnel, scheme, or technique. The first is on Ozzie, the rest is on coaching. Since Ozzie is infallible (in the eyes of ownership) it falls on Pees to take the lions-share of the responsibility. The scheme has to generate pressure on the quarterback, put defenders in the right place to make plays, and be adjusted when ineffective. Players need to understand the scheme and not be lost when it comes time to understand their responsibilities. They also need to have proper positioning in coverage and MAKE A TACKLE. yes, those are player responsibilities, but when failure in technique is this consistent, that has to fall on coaching. This defense has been quietly suspect since 2012, and now its flaws are evident for all to see.
With the exception of Hurst (who actually filled in decently several games last year), this is the SAME personnel group as last year. The only difference is the offensive coordinator. Just as he was in Chicago, he is dialing up a pass-heavy set of plays. Without a commitment to the run by the OC, the O-Line can't get into a rhythm. That's also bad for Joe, as he is not an accurate enough passer to get the high completion percentage needed to have passing game be as effective as a good running game (completion percentage of a handoff is nearly 100%). This also means the defense is on the field longer. So far, Trestman is a bad fit. Personnel-wise, Monroe is often-injured and plays soft, Zuttah is merely serviceable, and Osemele makes too many mistakes with penalties and missed assignments.
Harbs has put himself in the role of absolute team leader, jettisoning contentious veteran leaders like Boldin, Pollard, etc. Problem is, it takes peer leadership to reinforce the discipline, habits and focus necessary to be a pro. Committing to proper technique, focusing on the scheme/plays (hello, secondary), and avoiding penalties are all about execution. Since Harbs has elevated himself, he's probably struggling to find enforcers in the locker room. Biscotti will take notice, no doubt.
Ravens could use a WR/KR with speed, and should even accept one with questionable skills as a WR. Deonte Thompson, Hayward Bey, and even Jacoby Jones all fit the mold and were available last offseason. Cindy has a sale of taller receivers with speed, and Pittsburgh has four WRs who are burners. Just need to have the threat of a deep ball (and a QB who won't under-throw them).
The Ravens performance in the last two regular season games is a carry over of their wildly inconsistent and underwhelming pre-season. For Harbs' reputation for having some of the most challenging camps, the team looked gassed yesterday to boot. At this rate, Ravens nation may have to look forward to actually having a top-10 pick in the 2016 draft for an unwelcome change.
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Hope his Achilles, ACL, MCL, Hamstrings and Lower back last for more than one game.