How To Fix This Offense

[flynismo]

I think most of us realize that the OL is the main culprit. Joe gets zero protection, Rice gets no holes to crash.
So obviously, repairing this OL will go a long way towards our goal of a potent offense.

But let's delve into the strengths of these players further, and do Cam's job for him.

Let's start with Flacco.

He is nearly unstoppable when allowed to work the sidelines on short and intermediate routes, and has one of the best deep balls in the league. Throwing between the hashes, he seems about average -- not great, not bad.
With that in mind, it should be clear that we need big, physical recievers who are surehanded. (Boldin, Pitta)
We need that deep threat to stretch the field and take advantage of Flacco's arm (Torrey).

As we can see, we already have the pieces in place to assemble a dangerous passing attack...but surprise surprise, it is our scheme (and OL) that prevents it all from coming together.

To take advantage of what we have, here are some ideas we can consider implementing into our playbook.

First of all, reduce our useage of the Pro Set, unless we are in an obvious run situation or trying to catch the defense napping with a play action. I won't get too much into that, since the reasoning should be fairly obvious considering my previous comments.

Secondly, we'll keep it simple again, and mention the need to line up in shotgun more frequently. Flacco thrives in it, and gives the line a little help. Also helps spread the defense, increasing the likelihood that Flacco can find a one on one matchup before the rush arrives.

Third, why are we not using bunch sets? This offense is begging for it. We want to create space for Rice? Here's one way of doing it. And it gives us the added benefit of being able to simply flip the run based on the look the defense gives us, or easily audible into a pass if the box is loaded -- and in that scenario, we'd have plenty of one on one matchups to choose from, and even the possibility of the defense breaking down in coverage once the play develops.

Now before I continue, I realize this is starting to sound like I want us to gravitate to a WCO, and that is not the case. Ultimately, the goal here is to attack all levels of the defense, because we have a QB who can make any throw imagineable, and recievers with the necessary skill sets. What I want to see in the passing game is to move the chains and set up the deep balls by focusing more on isolating Boldin and Pitta outside of the hashes.
I stress the "outside the hashes" because the idea is to make the defense account for that, and sooner or later Rice will make them pay dearly when they cheat over to the sides, creating more space in the middle of the field.

This is starting to get long winded, so I will cut it short here so that we can talk about these things before moving on.

To be continued ...

[bdravens]

Also note that any time Flacco runs a PA to his right, he is very dangerous. It almost always gives him enough time and even if nobody is open, he has the legs to run. Once Doss can grow up a little bit and get some experience, he can be used as a weapon. See, I go against what everyone else thinks. I don't think we need another WR. Boldin, Torrey, Evans (If he is back, hopefully under a restructured contract), Doss (after he gets a full offseason to work), and as we know either of our TE's can go work the outside with success.

I agree with all of your points.

[Alexir]

While I agree that the tackles get owned, we have 3 great interior line man with Yanda,Grubbs, and Gurode. Flacco looked very good against that Patriots defense because he was escaping pressure and making plays with his feet, something we have all yearned for.

That being said, the Offensive line has nothing to do with the lack of slants or why we dont attack the middle of the field. I would like to see some new tackles brought in, but its Hue Jackson that will improve this offense. Don't understand how Cam is still with us at the senior bowl...

[arnie_uk]

[quote name='Alexir' timestamp='1327518237' post='972852']
While I agree that the tackles get owned, we have 3 great interior line man with Yanda,Grubbs, and Gurode. Flacco looked very good against that Patriots defense because he was escaping pressure and making plays with his feet, something we have all yearned for.

That being said, the Offensive line has nothing to do with the lack of slants or why we dont attack the middle of the field. I would like to see some new tackles brought in, but its Hue Jackson that will improve this offense. Don't understand how Cam is still with us at the senior bowl...
[/quote]
hes still under contract until the end of the seaons,(march 3rd iirc) we will not fire him.. just let it run out

[flynismo]

[quote name='Alexir' timestamp='1327518237' post='972852']
While I agree that the tackles get owned, we have 3 great interior line man with Yanda,Grubbs, and Gurode. Flacco looked very good against that Patriots defense because he was escaping pressure and [b]making plays with his feet, [/b]something we have all yearned for.

That being said, the Offensive line has nothing to do with the lack of slants or why we dont attack the middle of the field. I would like to see some new tackles brought in, but its Hue Jackson that will improve this offense. Don't understand how Cam is still with us at the senior bowl...
[/quote]


I don't want Michael Vick 2.0, but this is something else that I was going to get to. Flacco's feet can be dangerous if the opportunity presents itself.

[T-ray]

[quote name='Alexir' timestamp='1327518237' post='972852']
While I agree that the tackles get owned, we have 3 great interior line man with Yanda,Grubbs, and Gurode. Flacco looked very good against that Patriots defense because he was escaping pressure and making plays with his feet, something we have all yearned for.

That being said, the Offensive line has nothing to do with the lack of slants or why we dont attack the middle of the field. I would like to see some new tackles brought in, but its Hue Jackson that will improve this offense. Don't understand how Cam is still with us at the senior bowl...
[/quote]

Most definitely. When will our F.O. open their eyes and start to see its not the players, its the scheme, and thus, the OC?? Will it take us placing last in the league in offense?? If thats the case, Cam has a job here for life provided we continue to get good offensive players.

[Romo Ravens]

It seems like we've been saying this for years now about the offensive line. We tried to patch it up with Oher, and that worked momentarily with Gaither manning the left side, but then it all went down hill from there. What I would do to have Joe Thomas here. Get us a franchise LT, Ozzie!

[Alexir]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1327518611' post='972861']


I don't want Michael Vick 2.0, but this is something else that I was going to get to. Flacco's feet can be dangerous if the opportunity presents itself.
[/quote]
Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees use their feet, and I think thats what makes them good. Besides the rocket arm, precision laser accuracy.

[Alexir]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1327518504' post='972859']
hes still under contract until the end of the seaons,(march 3rd iirc) we will not fire him.. just let it run out
[/quote]
I would bring in Hue Jackson as QB coach then...because by march 3rd, every decent offensive coordinator will be loooonggg gone.

[T-ray]

[quote name='Alexir' timestamp='1327518950' post='972874']
I would bring in Hue Jackson as QB coach then...because by march 3rd, every decent offensive coordinator will be loooonggg gone.
[/quote]

Honestly, and I'm hoping I'm wrong, thats exactly what the F.O. wants to happen. That is, they want every decent OC gone before that date so they can set back and say, "See folks. There's nothing out there better than Cam." I really do not get the lovefest for Cam. Is he some monumental figure in Baltimore who helps charities and the homeless or something like that??

[T-ray]

[quote name='Romo Ravens' timestamp='1327518830' post='972871']
It seems like we've been saying this for years now about the offensive line. We tried to patch it up with Oher, and that worked momentarily with Gaither manning the left side, but then it all went down hill from there. What I would do to have Joe Thomas here. Get us a franchise LT, Ozzie!
[/quote]

Romo, you know that Thomas would commend too much money, even if he was an Unrestricted Free Agent somehow, someway.

But while we're at it, lets bring in Calvin Johnson, Rob Gronkowksi, Jimmy Graham, Patrick Willis, Aldon Smith, and a healthy Eric Berry. Ah heck, if we're gonna do all that, lets at least get an elite Qb in Aaron Rodgers and a power runningback in Adrian Peterson to spell Rice.... LOL

[AsianRice]

[quote name='Alexir' timestamp='1327518950' post='972874']
I would bring in Hue Jackson as QB coach then...because[b] by march 3rd[/b], every decent offensive coordinator will be loooonggg gone.
[/quote]
Jason Cam returns.......


The scariest horror film is ever made.......

[gabefergy]

I really think we need to draft a young, athletic center. That would go a long way towards improving our Oline play. I have nothing against Matt Birk, but his age has shown quite a bit and he cant keep up with the powerful DTs like Wilfork or Atkins anymore.

Onto Flacco, you mentioned how is better throwing to the outside than across the middle but this is incorrect. At least for this season Flacco has been considerably better throwing in between the hashes as opposed to throwing to the outside. Now that may be a function of the receivers he had to work with this season. Regardless, Joe has the tools to make every throw in the book but he needs to get more help from his receivers. I fully agree that we should see more bunch formations and just better designed routes in general.

Personally, I would like to see more creativity in the run game as well. Ray Rice is a dynamic player, but it is so obvious when the play-call is a run because thats pretty much all Vonta Leach is going to do on the field. I think I can count on 1 hand how many times we ran out of the shotgun this year, and I think it was only effective maybe once or twice. I really dont think Ray always need Vonta in front of him to pick up yards. I also wanted to see more Diesel Package, but not just as a passing formation. Use the TEs as run-blockers too. Maybe they werent good enough blockers, but if thats the case they need to get better because as it stands our play-calling is far too predictable based on what personnel is on the field. Another thing, we saw half the amount of play-action passing this year despite how effective it has been in the past.

[Npane171]

[quote name='AsianRice' timestamp='1327519839' post='972889']
Jason Cam returns.......


The scariest horror film is ever made.......
[/quote]

I don't know...the article suggesting Cam might stay was pretty scary today. I actually felt a bit nauseated when i saw it.

[CapoRocky]

If Cam returns, then we will be 10-6 next year with a steady diet of end arounds and predictable plays. I wasn't going to suggest anyone as a replacement. Anyone will do!

[AsianRice]

[quote name='Npane171' timestamp='1327521574' post='972924']

I don't know...the article suggesting Cam might stay was pretty scary today. I actually felt a bit nauseated when i saw it.
[/quote]
It seems like Harbs might have convinced Ozzie and Bisciotti again to keep Cam for another year......I just got that feeling.....

I think I'm going to throw up......


PS: so there is nobody out there better than Cam? boggled my mind......

[baltravens]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1327517695' post='972841']
I think most of us realize that the OL is the main culprit. Joe gets zero protection, Rice gets no holes to crash.
So obviously, repairing this OL will go a long way towards our goal of a potent offense.

But let's delve into the strengths of these players further, and do Cam's job for him.

Let's start with Flacco.

He is nearly unstoppable when allowed to work the sidelines on short and intermediate routes, and has one of the best deep balls in the league. Throwing between the hashes, he seems about average -- not great, not bad.
With that in mind, it should be clear that we need big, physical recievers who are surehanded. (Boldin, Pitta)
We need that deep threat to stretch the field and take advantage of Flacco's arm (Torrey).

As we can see, we already have the pieces in place to assemble a dangerous passing attack...but surprise surprise, it is our scheme (and OL) that prevents it all from coming together.

To take advantage of what we have, here are some ideas we can consider implementing into our playbook.

First of all, reduce our useage of the Pro Set, unless we are in an obvious run situation or trying to catch the defense napping with a play action. I won't get too much into that, since the reasoning should be fairly obvious considering my previous comments.

Secondly, we'll keep it simple again, and mention the need to line up in shotgun more frequently. Flacco thrives in it, and gives the line a little help. Also helps spread the defense, increasing the likelihood that Flacco can find a one on one matchup before the rush arrives.

Third, why are we not using bunch sets? This offense is begging for it. We want to create space for Rice? Here's one way of doing it. And it gives us the added benefit of being able to simply flip the run based on the look the defense gives us, or easily audible into a pass if the box is loaded -- and in that scenario, we'd have plenty of one on one matchups to choose from, and even the possibility of the defense breaking down in coverage once the play develops.

Now before I continue, I realize this is starting to sound like I want us to gravitate to a WCO, and that is not the case. Ultimately, the goal here is to attack all levels of the defense, because we have a QB who can make any throw imagineable, and recievers with the necessary skill sets. What I want to see in the passing game is to move the chains and set up the deep balls by focusing more on isolating Boldin and Pitta outside of the hashes.
I stress the "outside the hashes" because the idea is to make the defense account for that, and sooner or later Rice will make them pay dearly when they cheat over to the sides, creating more space in the middle of the field.

This is starting to get long winded, so I will cut it short here so that we can talk about these things before moving on.

To be continued ...
[/quote]
Football 101 says that to improve any offense address the offensive line. Bring Grubbs back, draft a center in rounds 1 or 2, and decide if Oher is a football player that we should let keep starting. BTW, McKinnie could produce for us at least another year.

[Gordo52]

I agree. I really think we just need to give Q the ball as much as possible though in the passing game.

[Npane171]

[quote name='AsianRice' timestamp='1327522426' post='972939']
It seems like Harbs might have convinced Ozzie and Bisciotti again to keep Cam for another year......I just got that feeling.....

I think I'm going to throw up......


PS: so there is nobody out there better than Cam? boggled my mind......
[/quote]

I'm going to keep hoping until it is certain that he stays, because if I don't I really just don't know what my mentality will be towards this organization. We can NOT get away with the same offenses we've been running with the upcoming schedule. There's no way. We need the offense to pull it's weight this year.

[Ravenslifer]

Hire somebody who knows what they're doing with an offense. Seriously, did nobody watch what Jim Harbaugh did with Alex Smith and Vernon Davis? Both of them were considered huge busts, and now people are like "Hey, they may actually turn out to be pretty good players." Look what Pags did here after Mattison left. And people still think we can't do a better job with someone other than Cam Cameron? It happens all the time - the right coach can change everything.

[Crawford_T1]

If Cam stays Ed Willnever get his first Super Bowl or Terrrel and Ray will only end with one that isnt right we need Hue Jackson look what bhe did for the Raiders Just saying we are a good football team with all the talent just need to work on our Offensive Line and get Hue and fill some holes on D but for the most part we dont need to worry about D to Much

[Perfekt]

My biggest gripe with Cam is that he wants all the credit and none of the blame. Hes good at developing Qbs that much I will give him but beyond that he just doesnt know what to do. If hes kept he better redo his schemes but i dont see him changing.

[reediddy]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1327518611' post='972861']


I don't want Michael Vick 2.0, but this is something else that I was going to get to. Flacco's feet can be dangerous if the opportunity presents itself.
[/quote]

I was so happy seeing him tuck it in and run when our receivers weren't open downfield. He used to do that a bunch his rookie year (remember his first ever touchdown?)

[frozen joe flacco fan]

When the Ravens are in the Pro set, they run the ball 80% of the time. That's fairly predictable. To improve the running game they need to improve the O-line play and mix some throws in for this formation. To improve our passing game, they need to utilize Vonte Leach more by throwing to him in the Power I-formation and develop the ability to throw some screen passes to take some of the pressure off Flacco and the O-line. To do so, we need pulling guards on the O-line. With all due respect to Ben Grubbs and Marshall Yanda, I haven't seen many plays designed to have them lead our running backs into the holes by pulling. I think they have the ability; they just need better coaching.