Ravens-'skins: Thoughts & Observations

[BirdWatcher]

[quote name='macbrak' date='14 August 2009 - 08:40 AM' timestamp='1250253607' post='219338']
Amusing, but please show respect to the skins crowd if for nothing else then to keep the trolls down here for the mods sake.

[/quote]

Thank you. We had enough trouble with the skins trolls last year.

[Ravensfan23]

Troy smith played well for a backup QB. When things broke down, he showed good feet and awareness.

Smith was a bit inaccurate, and also was hurt by some drops.

It's clear to me that Flacco is the guy, 0troy is the backup.

I heard someone say Joe had a poor performance. I disagree, Joe did what was asked of him. I think he missed Heap in the endzone but that's about it.

He was sharp and confident on 3rd downs. He moved the offense from his own goalline into scoring position.

I think it went well for the first preseason game.

Now we just rested up today, get back to camp tomorrow, and work on getting better.

[b-morebrotha]

Joe continues to struggle in the redzone, and w/ screen passes? He's 6'12" how does that happen? Probably just pre-game jitters. He looked a little stiff at times as well. He needs to step his work up if he wants to be elite, but I'm sure he will settle for just being a winner. That's fine with me too Joe, Keep it up.

Troy came out firing trying to get the ball down field to bad justin harper had those same jitters. With Troy who needs time in the pocket (so it would seem) the dude gets out of there like a trapped cat. His post game interview was so scripted you could see right through it.

RB Lawrence looked really well Peerman looked good too but I think Lawrence was better. I hope we keep Lawrence around athough its unlikly.

I wish Ellerbe got more time in the game, He opened the game up with the first tackle of the night way to go.

Gano blew it at the end of the game. I think that was double bad I was a short kick AND a the end of a ball game Gano -2 Houshka 0

Looks like Figures got his marbles back in regards to the return game lets see if he can return to form (pun intended).

Willis is out to earn his starting job back. He seems more ellusive than Rice and Rice looks like he has the better hands although I didn't see them throw to Willis much, if they did at all.

I love those slant patterns we ran, we should get plenty of rac yrds on those.

Oniel Cousins was absoutly horrible. Oher did his thing though that man is MEAN.

L.J. Smith might just be faster than Heap as he said. We will see

Good game bring on the Jets.

[PuRock]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' date='14 August 2009 - 01:54 AM' timestamp='1250229273' post='219274']
Also, I'm convinced that the coaches will be more aggressive in the red zone in the regular season. They went for it on 4th-and-1 on the first possession, after all. They could've just settled for a FG there, but going for it was probably meant to test their short-yardage and goalline packages.
[/quote]

I hope so. Going for it on 4th down in a preseason game is a lot easier to do than in a regular season game. When nothing is on the line, what bad will happen by going for it? Might as well get some goalline practice in pre-season.

But once the regular season rolls around, we need to stay aggressive. We aren't going to win a supebowl if all we do is kick field goals (2000 being the exception). We all know conservatism to well from the Billick regime.

[Ed_Reed20]

L.J. Smith looked good on his long catch but him getting a stinger on the same play is exactly why he isn't an Eagle anymore. If he can stay healthy good but I hope we don't have to see his name on the injury report all year long.

[robermar]

[quote name='BloodRaven' date='14 August 2009 - 12:55 AM' timestamp='1250225730' post='219263']
Just remember... last season the Lions won all their preseason games

Just a bit of perspective to keep us grounded.
[/quote]

Yikes....thats a downer. Did not know that.

[Runnin Raven]

I was impressed with a lot of things, especially our complete stable of running backs. Wow! Matt Lawrence jumped off the screen a few times.

We absolutely NEED these wideouts to step up. Harper, Figurs, Washington, Wheelwright, et al. What if something happens to Mason again or Clayton's hammy worsens? Harper, despite the drops, looks like the best of the bunch, although Washington brings swagger and experience. Wideouts worry me way more than anything else.

Oher - what a beast.

[Ed_Reed20]

I personally think people are more excited over how individual players like Harper and Oher performed rather the win itself.

I also liked Washington's swagger too. It may seem dumb but not only do the Ravens need a receiver to step up, they need someone who can intimidate opposing defenses to an extent.

[meckman71]

[center]Letter grades[/center]
[b]Overall B-[/b]
[left][b]O-line A-[/b] , Starters dominated though 2nd team needs a lot more discipline.[/left]
[left][b]D-line A [/b] , Starters and backups good recognition of play and discipline in position[/left]
[left][b]QB B,B+,F [/b],Flacco was solid, Smith was solid, Beck? did Boller sneak back on the field under an assumed name[/left]
[left][b]RB B+ [/b],Did not like some of Ray's spin moves at the moment of tackling he is going to spin himself into a decleater otherwise we are flush with good rb's[/left]
[left][b]WR's C[/b], Did not see anything from anyone to really set them apart.Our new Te has some wheels will really help.Harper did good against the second stringers.[/left]
[left][b]LB's A [/b] ,Solid play.Room for some polish but hey were Ravens we DO Linebackers better then anyone.[/left]
[left][b]DB's C+[/b], Only a C+ because they did not give up a touchdown but I did not gain a lot of confidence watching them.[/left]
[left][b]K/P/R A[/b], Special teams were solid all around. Gota love Koch and his touch for inside the 20.
[/left]

[cursona pirate]

work on penalties keep flacco out longer !

[jfc13]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' date='14 August 2009 - 10:13 AM' timestamp='1250259185' post='219375']
I personally think people are more excited over how individual players like Harper and Oher performed rather the win itself...[/quote]
I agree and I think that's the way it should be. Preseason wins mean nothing, it's all about individual performances.

I liked what I saw for the most part. I'm very excited for the next game...

[Girondoravens]

I was just glad to see that the defense still seems to be as aggressive as usual, despite the people we've lost. I'm just excited to see us playing again.

[Ed_Reed20]

Did anyone notice one of the early defensive plays where Gregg and Ngata combined to stuff Betts(his jersey said "Bettis" )? It was so good to see Gregg at in the middle of the action again.

[1/28/01]

[quote name='susejniesiugsid' date='14 August 2009 - 03:35 AM' timestamp='1250235303' post='219294']
Um, that was an incredible throw. Rolling out to his left, he put it on the money. If that's an incompletion it's on Figurs, not Troy. 2 of those incompletions were spikes and about 3 others were drops. He was closer to 14/25 than 14/30.
[/quote]

Good points

[lowrider]

[quote name='cursona pirate' date='14 August 2009 - 11:06 AM' timestamp='1250262364' post='219391']
work on penalties keep flacco out longer !
[/quote]
Well if we get rid of Cousins then we wouldn't get half of those flags.

I was impressed with Flacco. He put up good numbers. Made good throws and Marcus Smith even dropped one of Flacco's throws. It was good that he wasn't struggling as much as the media was saying he was. I know it was only a few drives but he looked comfortable as a whole.

[JEEPercreepermd]

[quote name='tweety' date='14 August 2009 - 04:33 AM' timestamp='1250238792' post='219305']
I would like to see Flacco use more of a variety when throwing the ball. Troy Smith was able to spread the ball to TE, WR, and RBs pretty equal. Flacco seemed to be very bias to dump-offs and Washington. Flacco didn't seem as confident with his throws like last year. Where are the bombs he use to throw against the Bengals and Jags. I want to see that trend again. Hopefully Flacco gets more snaps next game, so he can be better accessed. I'm sure after this poor performance he will break out next game.
[/quote]
Jeeze tweety, your STILL down on Flacco? How did he have a poor performance, he DID spread the ball around and I'm sure that if he had been in the game for more than two posessions,you might have seen a few long passes. 9-15 100yds on two scoring drives isn't bad at all. I don't know where you get poor performance from, and the fact that he used his check down receiver is actually a very good thing, if you watch Harbaugh's interview after the game he actually said that. I wish YOU were the coach of the Ravens tweety, because you go against the logic of some pretty good football minds so often that maybe you know something that they don't?

[lowrider]

[quote name='JEEPercreepermd' date='14 August 2009 - 12:14 PM' timestamp='1250266453' post='219420']
Jeeze tweety, your STILL down on Flacco? How did he have a poor performance, he DID spread the ball around and I'm sure that if he had been in the game for more than two posessions,you might have seen a few long passes. 9-15 100yds on two scoring drives isn't bad at all. I don't know where you get poor performance from, and the fact that he used his check down receiver is actually a very good thing, if you watch Harbaugh's interview after the game he actually said that. I wish YOU were the coach of the Ravens tweety, because you go against the logic of some pretty good football minds so often that maybe you know something that they don't?
[/quote]
Exactly. And if Smith wouldn't have dropped one he would have been 10-15 for 120 yards. Not bad. And if Smith would have caught it they would have been inside the 5 i believe. Flacco did very well. He stepped up in the pocket and did real well. It was good for him to do well and show all the people saying he was struggling in training camp that he is the future.

[#1 D]

[quote name='lowrider' date='14 August 2009 - 12:19 PM' timestamp='1250266799' post='219425']
Exactly. And if Smith wouldn't have dropped one he would have been 10-15 for 120 yards. Not bad. And if Smith would have caught it they would have been inside the 5 i believe. Flacco did very well. He stepped up in the pocket and did real well. It was good for him to do well and show all the people saying he was struggling in training camp that he is the future.
[/quote]

Yeah i loved seeing him actually going to other receivers other then mason...now i dont see him eyeing any receiver down anymore, he scans all his options downfield. And this was only the first preseason game, so even if we didn't see any down-the-middle passes, like Cam Cam said, he only wanted to see completions, no matter how good/deep/downfield. just execution. I'm pretty sure flacco was just playing it safe and going with the completely open or checkdown routes.

[lowrider]

[quote name='#1 D' date='14 August 2009 - 12:56 PM' timestamp='1250268992' post='219435']
Yeah i loved seeing him actually going to other receivers other then mason...now i dont see him eyeing any receiver down anymore, he scans all his options downfield. And this was only the first preseason game, so even if we didn't see any down-the-middle passes, like Cam Cam said, he only wanted to see completions, no matter how good/deep/downfield. just execution. I'm pretty sure flacco was just playing it safe and going with the completely open or checkdown routes.
[/quote]
I was so pumped on that slant route he hit Washington. The one where Washington acted like he made some amazing play. Before he threw it, he looked across the field and looked at his other recievers. And then he made the throw. When Washington caught it, I yelled in excitement and my family looked at me like I was retarded. He looked at his options! I know it's preseason but he is improving. Glad to see I wasn't the only one pumped about that.

[Ravens Lover]

I thought it was a great game to be at. The Offense didn't turn the ball over. The Defense didn't allow any points. If they can just get better discipline, and get better coverage on receivers they will definetly go far.

[Runnin Raven]

Apparently Beck has an injury to his throwing shoulder. Do you guys think they were planning on keeping 3QBs for the regular season? I think they were.

[Ravens Lover]

[font="Times New Roman"[b]I totally agree with you. Flacco did what you want a QB to do. He protected the ball and moved the Offence down the fieldTroy smith played well for a backup QB. When things broke down, he showed good feet and awareness.

Smith was a bit inaccurate, and also was hurt by some drops.

It's clear to me that Flacco is the guy, 0troy is the backup.

I heard someone say Joe had a poor performance. I disagree, Joe did what was asked of him. I think he missed Heap in the endzone but that's about it.

He was sharp and confident on 3rd downs. He moved the offense from his own goalline into scoring position.

I think it went well for the first preseason game.

Now we just rested up today, get back to camp tomorrow, and work on getting better.
[/quote]

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='Runnin Raven' date='14 August 2009 - 01:17 PM' timestamp='1250270261' post='219448']
Apparently Beck has an injury to his throwing shoulder. Do you guys think they were planning on keeping 3QBs for the regular season? I think they were.
[/quote]

Most teams keep three. Beck was definitely going to be on the roster because he knows the offense.

[jfc13]

I went to the Redskins forum that someone mentioned a few pages earlier and so far I haven't really seen anything I didn't expect - some were upset about the loss but many seemed to take it for what it is - just an evaluation - and they found some positives. I did find it amusing that they gave so much credit to Ozzie for us having a team with depth. I know we talk a lot about Ozzie, but I didn't expect other team's fan to do so, too. I certainly wouldn't know who scouts players for other teams.

Anyway, mostly what I wanted to say is that it seems like their forum has avatars that are Redskins figures [generic players and cheerleaders] in various poses. Pretty cool. Any chance of something like that here? I liked the way they looked and I be happy to see a bunch of purple uniformed players to pick from here!

[JoeFlax]

Kelly Washington brought something new to Baltimore this year, the swagger and attitude on the WR side of the ball. I hope he spreads that culture among the young inexperienced WRs that we have right now.

Harper really gave me some hope, sure he dropped some passes and wasn't physical enough, but from today's game he will have learned that and will be working on those areas. I'm really liking this and too bad about Marcus, that was a bummer.

Too bad Parmele was shook up from that tackle from the both sides, I've heard stories about him stepping up in training camp and was expecting things from him. All the RBs who have participated have been good. I really liked Peerman's speed, he would be a nice change of pace after McGahee and Rice have taken their tolls. Lawrence kept on getting +5 yard gains.

Tavares Gooden was fast as anything out there, he seems worthy heir to the mad backer.

Joe Flacco did well, he seemed bummed he didn't get a TD today but I'm just happy he kept the ball on our side and managed the game well. Troy did well too, good to see that this guy will be standing behind the pocket if anything was to happen to Flacco, Troy was excellent in avoiding sacks also. Beck was alright, good enough for a 3rd string I suppose.

LJ Smith's speed was scary, I'm happy we got him. Yamon Figurs showed a bit today too.

I was disappointed on failed sacks on McClain's part, he seemed kind of overexcited there.

[Ed_Reed20]

Antwan Barnes looked really good too. The explosion he displayed in '07 looks to be back.

[knowledge124]

i thought we finally looked like we have an offense the rythm looked good the running backs were consistant and the quaterbacks were smart. I THOUGHT paul kruger didnt get of the ball vs the starters the way everyone thoughtn oher was a beast wow our line is pretty good, but we need to put more pressure on the ball, we had no good pass rushing ablity, i would like to see webb alot more and the dual between the running backs is so close rice looked good but i thought maghaee looked better running. what dose everyone think i miss spelled alot cause im in the middle of madden 10 im playing the chiefs ( our first game)

[lowrider]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' date='14 August 2009 - 02:43 PM' timestamp='1250275396' post='219521']
Antwan Barnes looked really good too. The explosion he displayed in '07 looks to be back.
[/quote]
He needs to finish the sacks. He missed a few, but the pressure was great. He did show explosion. A lot of our linebackers did very well pass rushing.

[Moderator 2]

Ok I am watching the replay on NFLN, and Sandusky actually said they were hoping to kick a lot of FG's so who knows of that was Flacco's plan.

[Ravensfan23]

[quote name='Moderator 2' date='14 August 2009 - 03:04 PM' timestamp='1250276668' post='219535']
Ok I am watching the replay on NFLN, and Sandusky actually said they were hoping to kick a lot of FG's so who knows of that was Flacco's plan.
[/quote]

I don't think they purposely intented to kick FGs, but I don't think they really ran plays with the intent to score either.

I think in a regular season game we would have seen Ngata on the line and maybe McClain running.

Also we passed the ball about 3 times in the redzone that first trip. On all 3 play DWill was matched up 1 on 1 with the CB, I was yelling for a fade or jumpball in the back of the endzone.

I just think the Ravens had a certain set of redzone plays they wanted to work on. If they scored, great if not they let's see who can kick