The Blame Game

[ravenz_fan]

blame noone,, thers a winner and a loser in every game and today we were outplayed by a legendary team, it hurts but lets look forward to next year and not dwell on the negativity

[K-Dog]

the most penalised team in the NFL just got beat by the best QB in the NFL. No surprise here.

The better team won. We playe as a team and we lost as a team. Threre is not a lot for us to hang our hats on about tonights game.

[bacchys]

Cameron's playcalling. We needed to run power football up the middle against the Irsays, but we kept trying to run it around the tackles.

[K-Dog]

we did try to run it up the middle.
It didnt work.

[funky141]

[quote]we did try to run it up the middle.
It didnt work.
[/quote]

aggree just banging your heads against a wall

[ROCNRAVEN]

Blame ourselfz, We didnt "PLAY LIKE RAVENS"..... PERIOD!!!

[baadbobby]

We got beat by a better team tonight.
Flacco didn't have much of a pocket, and the recievers couldn't get open, when they did, they dropped passes. Field position stunk. Not enough out of LeRon and Willis. Ray Ray was leading with his shoulder, but because the helmets clanked, he gets called. Lots of problems tonight; we had done to us what we did to the Pats, we were outplayed.
Better days are ahead. For those calling for Harbaugh's head on a platter, you're nuts, he's a dam good coach. We've had 5 extra games in 2 seasons, let that be the judge.

[K-Dog]

[quote name='ROCNRAVEN' date='17 January 2010 - 12:32 AM' timestamp='1263706366' post='344359']
Blame ourselfz, We didnt "PLAY LIKE RAVENS"..... PERIOD!!!
[/quote]
actually we did!!
That was the problem

[Ed_Reed20]

There's is no one player who deserves to take the blame for this game. It was a team loss. Flacco missed on some throws, players dropped passes, offensive lineman got beat, DBs played with poor technique at inopportune times and there were mental lapses across the board.

[Moderator 2]

Lets see the QB everyone is hating on can't walk with out a limp, has trouble sitting down, has been beat up since the Vikes game yet he mans up and puts it all out there. The problems the people that are here all off-season identified: Lack of #1 WR and an extremely young secondary were still the weakest link.

[bacchys]

[quote name='K-Dog' date='17 January 2010 - 12:27 AM' timestamp='1263706039' post='344345']
we did try to run it up the middle.
It didnt work.
[/quote]

No, we didn't. Every run in the first quarter was set for off-tackle. The second quarter had a couple of runs up the middle, which gained decent yardage, but we didn't try to pound the ball.

Every other team in the damn league manages to run on these scum, but for some reason the Ravens can't seem to do it.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='bacchys' date='17 January 2010 - 01:04 AM' timestamp='1263708276' post='344428']
Every other team in the damn league manages to run on these scum, but for some reason the Ravens can't seem to do it.
[/quote]

That's what I can't understand. As good as the Colts' D is, every year, without fail, the Ravens make them look like the 2000 Ravens.

[H8R]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' date='17 January 2010 - 01:07 AM' timestamp='1263708460' post='344436']
That's what I can't understand. As good as the Colts' D is, every year, without fail, the Ravens make them look like the 2000 Ravens.
[/quote]


I was thinking the damn damn thing. cI will say this, Joe needs to learn how to attack the Cover2.

[Ravenfano3]

my take on why we lost:

Zebras did not help. The Lewis PF, the Ivy penalty, and the no call against brackett on the throw to rice were all huge mistakes.

however the drops didnt help either. Rice had what, 3? and one went through his hands and ended up an interception. Don't get me wrong, i love Ray Rice..i just think he had a crappy game tonight. It happens.

We DO need a WR. i didn't want to believe it until this game. The way the NFL is going now, you need a 6'3'' plus target, if for nothing else to eat up PI calls or go up and get balls in traffic. Why did D. Williams try to one hand that ball btw?

[poedacrow]

[quote name='VA_Fan' date='17 January 2010 - 12:14 AM' timestamp='1263701657' post='343985']
Well, I just think our offense had no answer to the colts D.

Our recievers can not get open or they take to long to get open and Joe just checks down to Ray.

Something isn't right with our O-Line but I can't figure it out for some reason.

Our Defense did great at the beginiing but tired before halftime.

But most of all I think we always beet ourselves with "stupid" penalties.


What are your thoughts?
[/quote]

This team played their hearts out against some of the best competition in the NFL. We all know the WR and DB situation was gonna be iffy at best this year...No blame here just congrats for doing their best

[Johnfan]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' date='16 January 2010 - 11:44 PM' timestamp='1263703478' post='344161']
If Ed Reed doesn't fumble that ball, I think we take that game... that totally deflated the team and we were completely demoralized from that point forward.
[/quote]
Nah. Champions don't let one play beat them in a big game.

[ravens_4life]

these guys always beat us always. i am not even going to blame the refs but there was some bs calls. the way we looked last week and the way we looked today its almost like we gave the colts the game. i mean i do you go from complete domination from last week to not even scoring a touchdown it does not make any sense.

[futurerRaven]

it starts in the trenches we got NO PRESSURE on manning with no pressure he picked the secondary apart in the second half. the o-line got no push so we couldnt sustain a drive. the recievers couldnt get seperation so the line had to try to block longer when they did give flacco time. cam camron didnt even try to run the three headed monster at them, they ran to the strength of that front seven freeny and mathis who ate oher and gaither alive. ray rice cant do it alone and there is no reason why a running back should lead an nfl team in receptions!

[ravens_4life]

i know futureraven. we have enough tape on these guys to come up with something. and you know whats sad the colts starters were basically off for a month and they still smoked us. i cant even imagine if they started the first stringers all season we would have been beyond smoked.

[Purple Punishment]

[quote name='D_UP' date='16 January 2010 - 11:28 PM' timestamp='1263702515' post='344076']
[b]game on offense begans and ends with the qb[/b]
[/quote]

I have to disagree there. I think it begins with the line. If hes not getting the protection, then hes not getting time to make the throws to receivers that are not getting open fast enough. I saw one play where Flacco had more than 3 seconds to throw the ball. They manhandled our line and thats why we didnt produce.

[hammer]

No one to blame here. The Colts are a better, more talented and balanced team than the Ravens. Did we forget so soon that the Colts won their first 14 games of the season?

Peyton just might be the best ever at his position before he retires.

[Moderator 2]

When it is all said and done Manning will be the best qb of the modern era. Watching him and Ray Lewis play against each is a thing of beauty if you love the game of football.

[jonnyloback76]

Most of the stuff I am reading, seems to be going back to Cam Cameron. I don't know much about the Ravens and how they are run, I have no idea how much pull Cameron has on the offensive play calling side of the ball - but something doesn't seem right there.

Ray Rice is a phenomenal player; I mean just ridiculously good. I don't think there is another running back in the NFL that I would rather have as a Raven, honestly. But the fact is that these little "shovel passes" are what got Rice to 2000 offensive yards on the season. No amount of play calling is going to make up for talent like he has. After watching Cameron as offensive coordinator since he has been there, I even know (for the most part) what is about to happen when the O lines up. The days of the "play it safe - textbook" play calls are GONE; the Saints are more then proof of that. I just hope they take the ball machine and start firing more balls at Kelly Washington in the offseason - sure he does a lot of "celebrating" after the catch, but he gets open really well.

I like Flacco, but don't know what is going on with him either. He seemed to act upset during the game that he wasn't throwing the ball (or whatever he was irritated over), but when he did it seemed like it was right on target or to an Indianapolis player. It's almost like he doesn't get enough real life practice in the games because Cameron is so "ground oriented". Cameron needs to unleash Flacco and let him make some more calls at the line - give him some more control IMO. When Flacco was on because he got to mix things up, things happened like in the Minnesota, Pittsuburgh, Cleveland and Kansas games; two of those teams are solid against the pass, while the other 2 are so-so. It's almost like Flacco looks "out of sorts" when a pass play is called. The games rumble along, run, run, pass, run, run, pass - so when a pass play comes up, if a wrench is thrown into the works, Flacco doesn't really have the experience to switch much up because of the offensive play calling from the looks of it. I just don't know if Cameron is a good fit for Baltimore.

It just seems like when they get to a team that is extremely good against the run, Flacco seems almost "out of it" because Cameron keeps it on the ground way to much with the teams that may be shallow against the run, but solid against the pass. Flacco needs to learn how to deal with plays in every situation, but can't if one of 3 people is being handed the ball to run it, for most of the game.

[b]ONLY David Garrard, Mark Sanchez and Carson Palmer had less passing yards for a QB this year, out of all the ones that played at least 15 games.[/b]

I just look at Cam Cameron's previous coaching history and kind of get a better idea from that. Philip Rivers and Drew Brees, [b]enough said[/b]. He took over the Dolphins as OC with Miami in 2007 and didn't really have much running to work with, and had I think Cleo Lemon and Caulpepper to work with. Both the above quarterbacks though (Rivers and Brees) were I think both coached by Cameron and then BOTH of their YPG went through the roof when Cameron wasn't their OC any more (or I'm pretty sure that's how it went with both of them).

Rice is almost like a 5th receiver, but Mason, Heap, Clayton, Williams and Washington all seem to have decent hands with a good amount of speed and agility. I think 4 of the 5 offensive linemen are 25 or 26 while only Birk is over the age of 30. But one of the things I enjoy about the Ravens, is just the connection of the players. Sometimes it may not work out for the best, but they just play with so much emotion all the time. The defense definetely needs to be revamped though - BUT, not as much as Cameron needs to let Flacco adjust to more passing plays. The Ravens were top ten against the pass and top 5 against the rush (as far as I know). Only 7 teams had a lower passing attempts per game ratio (not passing yards per game), while only SIX teams had more rushing attempts for the entire season. They got a AAA, Grade A, Golden, just SLAMMIN GOOD QB, use him.

With Rice doing what he does, Flacco getting some more experience throwing the ball rather then just run, run, pass and the penalty yardage going down - the team would be just RIDICULOUSLY good. Flacco just had 3613 yards on the year and over 700 of them were to his running back. But ALL the receivers seem to have good hands, fast or not.

The team needs some more wideouts in the draft and SAM MAXWELL out of Kentucky, LOL. I hope they get him. I was actually shocked with Chris Carr since Webb got injured. He may not be that big, but his timing is astounding - just some of those passes he defensed, tackles he made behind the line, hits he delivered perfectly on time - just good.

EDIT: I don't know if this board will be all that busy between now and draft day, since I am pretty new to the board, hense the length of the post. But I heard this board is pretty intense on draft day.

[RedFire]

cam cameron called tooo many screens that got sniffed out. and we didnt call any 3step drop plays with hitches, slants, or fades as often as peyton manning did. peyton manning outcoached cam cameron. did yall not see flacco yelling on da side lines!?? he can't change plays! cameron is like brad childress...even favre can't switch up the plays.

[Twoo]

[u][b]Offense:[/b][/u]

QB: Flacco has had one of the best Freshman and Sophomore QB years in the history of the NFL- all without a standout WR and an often injured front line. He's also showed how devoted he is to the team and he has earned the respect of the Ravens organization by taking the field and giving us wins all while being pretty badly injured.

WR: Our WR core has never been fantastic. We've never been a pass first team and we're not built for the pass. Our WR's have been the bane of our existence this season due to inconsistency, dropped passes, inability to get open and inability to stretch the field. When Flacco puts up the stats he did in the regular season but suffers a significant amount of sacks and tipped balls.... look to your WR core, they're the problem.

O-Line: One of the BEST in the NFL. Enough said. Get a stop watch and count how long Joe has when he's in shotgun. They'll give him 3-4 seconds a play. EXCELLENT.

RB: The Rice experiment/gamble has paid off. We now know we have an every down back in Ray and unless Willis is willing to renego his contract... it's time to let him go.


[b][u]Defense:[/u][/b]

Secondary: They stepped up when they needed to and down the final stretch they became one of the stingiest in the NFL. If they can carry over the stats they put up the second half of this season next season then I'm all smiles.

LB: The middle linebacker problem has been answered. Darnell Ellerbee is an absolute machine. He reminds of of Ray in his prime. Undersized, fast, hard-hitting, great vision and can hit gaps. Suggs has a horrendous first half of the season but he found his footing and came back like a freight train. He'll have a monster season next year. R.Lewis and JJ has spectacular seasons as usual.

D-Line: Gregg and Pryce need to go. You can't have an efficient pass rush if your defensive line can't generate holes to blitz though and put pressure on the QB. Ngata is the only shinning light of our D-Line


[u][b]Coaching:[/b][/u]

Cam: I don't agree with the majority of Cam's play calling- especially when were down by 17 points and still trying the run when there's 7 minutes left in the game. BUT... I can't complain about a offensive coordinator that led his team to two consecutive playoff berths. I WOULD like to see more shotgun formats though. If Joe is having problems with max protect passing them give him a 3 yard buffer from the get go and quit making it looks like we're going to run the ball on 3 and 8. The other team isn't stupid.

Harbs: My only complaint is the timeouts and ridiculous challenges. He needs to take a page out of college head coaching book and hire an ex-official whose job is to sit in the booth and tell Harbs when to challenge a call.

Matty: The first half of the season I was about ready to strangle G.Matt. Then I realized we were just in transition to a new defensive scheme and I stopped worrying. We ended the season as a top 5 defense in the NFL. I have nothing but praises for him.

[TXRaven]

It was a team effort. nothing more to say to sit here and try to blame one element of the game, is not the answer. Indy played better football than us last night they won.

[masons]

Congrats to the Colts and their fans. Next, the major blame I think is the O line. They were not able to create substantial holes and lanes for our backs to run in. Blocking downfield sucked when Rice did get through. When you run the ball the clock keeps ticking, but you must continue to acheive first downs....and when the clock is ticking, MOST IMPORTANTLY, it keeps Peyton on the sideline which is the ONLY place that he can't hurt you. Simple as that. Look at time of posession us vs. them. That tells the whole story.

[Tighthead420]

I blame the team. They obviously did not want to win this game bad enough. Their play was inexcusable, pathetic, embarassing and just plain despicable. Everything combined for a game when they regressed to the team we all saw earlier in the decade. Costly mistakes and penalties, and the inability to score will lose you games....obviously. Every player on the team should be ashamed of themselves for this. Have some dang pride for crying out loud and play like you want to be there. The Ravens got beat by a better team, yes...but 3 freaking points? Unacceptable...even for pee-wee football.

[HarleypsychRN]

Manning was just flat out brillant...period! The better team won (unfortunately). The Ravens needed to play a perfect game to win. I could only watch the first half because of work (but by the half the writting was on the wall); did they throw the ball to Clayton at all in the first half, did they throw to Heap? Listen, I could coach the offense when it's hand-off to Rice up the middle. The offensive play calling started out good but went downhill from there. We need receivers and a offensive coordinator with some imagination IMHO. I hope Flacco studies Manning on the game film; he put on a clinic.

[MsMarvel73]

I'm not blaming anyone. From the coaches to the players, they know they screwed up. They ended the season badly by playing the same old way. They know full well that they handed the Colts the game with all the penalties and Peyton Manning will burn you every time that happens. The Colts took full advantage of what we handed them.

Time to get to work.