Merged: Preseason Game 2 Post Game Thoughts

[BenMir]

I think Yanda shut down Suh, right? No tackles or sacks. Did he get pressure?

[gabefergy]

[quote name='BenMir' timestamp='1345304309' post='1123118']
I actually thought he was LESS disruptive than in the inside
[/quote]
I went back and re-watched the first half and you are right. I think he had one nice play at DE that drew my attention, but for the most part he was ineffectual. He actually looked kind of lazy and disinterested rushing off the edge. He was really slow off the snap a few times. He played better at the 5-tech in our base package IMO, but he still lacked some of the quickness he displayed last season. I hope it's just a matter of getting back into football shape after the knee surgery. I was not impressed with his play last week at the 3 tech at all.

[gabefergy]

After re-watching the first half the biggest standout performer was Joe Flacco. Every single one of his passes was on point. The Lions made a few nice plays ( a penalty or two that wasnt called) and there were a few drops on catchable balls. Jones end-around was a thing of beauty. He is impressive in space and reads blocks really well. McClain and Ellerbe both made some nice plays at LB as well. Upshaw didnt stand out. I still think our defense has looked pretty vanilla, not too many exotic blitzes or stunts. I hope that Pees just doesnt want to show his hand.

[mhead66]

[quote name='PolishRifle' timestamp='1345306566' post='1123156']
I liked the [b]O-line[/b]. They clearly are getting better.

I liked our [b]QB[/b]. I am still suspicious about all those "breakout year"-predictions. We've been burned by them before, but it is undeniable, that Joes execution is much faster and precise and that he looks like he is in full control of his offense. Clearly he is getting better as well.

I have mixed feelings about our [b]Receivers[/b]. They looked alright, had a couple nice catches and look fast, but some very catchable passes have been dropped. Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson still seem irreplaceable.

I feel alarmed about the performance of our [b]Defense[/b]. Our CBs don't look good, [u][b]we can't seem to apply enough pressure on the QB[/b][/u]. It's kind of a mess and we have only 2 pre-season games left to work out these kinks.
[/quote]

Yeah, the Ever Cheerful Mike Preston said the same thing this morning - that it may be time to start worrying about the Defense, and particularly the pass rush.

I don't think you can blame Jimmy or Cary, guarding the world's best WR - with no pressure applied to Matt Stafford. No CB on the planet can guard Megatron for long, and if you give Stafford time, he'll connect with Johnson at some point.

My greater concern is the pass rush - in 2 games, with 88 pass attempts we've generated 2 sacks - one by Albert McClellan, and one by Corey Graham. Obviously, a defense can't rely on cornerbacks to provide pass rush... so Pees better figure it out.

No need for panic, but it's something they better work on.

[bigKO]

i saw cliff avril get whooped all night long by osemele KO is gonna be a monster hope he gets the job

[ratedr]

[quote name='gabefergy' timestamp='1345310457' post='1123201']
[b]After re-watching the first half the biggest standout performer was Joe Flacco. [/b]Every single one of his passes was on point. The Lions made a few nice plays ( a penalty or two that wasnt called) and there were a few drops on catchable balls. Jones end-around was a thing of beauty. He is impressive in space and reads blocks really well. McClain and Ellerbe both made some nice plays at LB as well. Upshaw didnt stand out. I still think our defense has looked pretty vanilla, not too many exotic blitzes or stunts. I hope that Pees just doesnt want to show his hand.
[/quote]I agree. The way he was calling plays at the LOS...Caldwell is a miracle worker.

[crazyboutravens]

Look at the bright side. With the no huddle it only takes us half the time it used to to get a field goal. Me thinks
BR.com and all the articles I have read are looking at a different team then the ones that are playing in the
preseason.

[arnie_uk]

A couple things I seen. From the first two games joe calling "Alaska Alaska" at the Los is a WR slant and "joe buckeye" is a run between tackle and guard. I thought they would change these every game but they haven't. Can anyone that plays football explain these calls and do they change them each game in regular season?

Joe was almost perfect, ball out fast, on target. Jones dropped a perfect ball thrown to the back shoulder of the defender where only he could get it, Williams in the end zone was the same, perfect ball. He was great at the hard count got three offsides I think.

Bobby Rainey has to make the team.

Doss is a good run blocker.

Sean c is awful. Cary playing bump and run on megaton at Los and the safety is not playing over the top, you have to be kidding. Passing defence was better except that one play.

[Tank 92]

[quote name='ratedr' timestamp='1345319031' post='1123341']
I agree. The way he was calling plays at the LOS...Caldwell is a miracle worker.
[/quote]


Caldwell has helped, I'm sure, but the talent and ability have been there from Day 1. It's also a product of seasoning and maturity,

To be frank, I think Caldwell's presence helps Cam as much as it does Joe.

[Tank 92]

I was most impressed by Joe, Osemele, LQW and Pierce.

Kelechi is a beast! Barring injury, he'll be a good one for a long time.

[Yatagarasu]

Asa Jackson Touchdown Dance

[img]http://www.playandroid.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Gangnam-Style-Gif.gif[/img]

He's Gangnam Style!

[AZravensfan]

[quote name='Corvus Amplus' timestamp='1345326191' post='1123400']
Asa Jackson Touchdown Dance

[img]http://www.playandroid.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Gangnam-Style-Gif.gif[/img]

He's Gangnam Style!
[/quote]

HAHAAH was wondering if anyone else knew what that was from, Psy made a pretty amazing video there lol.

[gabefergy]

[quote name='Corvus Amplus' timestamp='1345326191' post='1123400']
Asa Jackson Touchdown Dance

[img]http://www.playandroid.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Gangnam-Style-Gif.gif[/img]


He's Gangnam Style!
[/quote]
Haha yes. That video is awesome.

[TheRavenouseD2008]

one thing I must say I think the sugar was to sweet for suhs liking or fairly both had quite abit of calls while we all know this is not the most disciplined group we played against they are some big bulls and we did well

[Slim]

I hope we ain't gonna start throwing too much and keep on giving the ball to ray rice. On Defense, I'm really, really starting to get mad at all those missed tackles, same old song. Some need to understand that hitting isn't tackling and should focus on wrapping up, my biggest concern right now.

[K-Dog]

I really like what I am seeing from Joe and the offense a lot.
Defense, made me miss Pagano.
BUT, it is pre season

[Ed_Reed20]

For those that watched the game, was the pass rush noticeably better than it was against the Falcons? I can live with elite WRs making big-time plays. I can live with that, but getting consistent pressure is key.

Good to hear Joe was sharp. I can't wait till the third pre-season game.

Also, Omar Brown is the man.

[jusraven]

[quote name='PolishRifle' timestamp='1345306566' post='1123156']
I liked the [b]O-line[/b]. They clearly are getting better.

I liked our [b]QB[/b]. I am still suspicious about all those "breakout year"-predictions. We've been burned by them before, but it is undeniable, that Joes execution is much faster and precise and that he looks like he is in full control of his offense. Clearly he is getting better as well.

I have mixed feelings about our [b]Receivers[/b]. They looked alright, had a couple nice catches and look fast, but some very catchable passes have been dropped. Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson still seem irreplaceable.

I feel alarmed about the performance of our [b]Defense[/b]. Our CBs don't look good, we can't seem to apply enough pressure on the QB. It's kind of a mess and we have only 2 pre-season games left to work out these kinks.
[/quote]

The CBs are showing how much they really miss Suggs.

[Cville-Raven]

Considine is the most god awful player in the secondary.

[Ravenslifer]

[quote name='Cville-Raven' timestamp='1345383485' post='1123687']
Considine is the most god awful player in the secondary.
[/quote]

Yeah but isn't he mainly a ST guy anyway?

[The Raven]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1345323946' post='1123381']
[b]A couple things I seen. From the first two games joe calling "Alaska Alaska" at the Los is a WR slant and "joe buckeye" is a run between tackle and guard. I thought they would change these every game but they haven't. Can anyone that plays football explain these calls and do they change them each game in regular season?[/b]

Joe was almost perfect, ball out fast, on target. Jones dropped a perfect ball thrown to the back shoulder of the defender where only he could get it, Williams in the end zone was the same, perfect ball. He was great at the hard count got three offsides I think.

Bobby Rainey has to make the team.

Doss is a good run blocker.

Sean c is awful. Cary playing bump and run on megaton at Los and the safety is not playing over the top, you have to be kidding. Passing defence was better except that one play.
[/quote]

Some calls change and some don't. When you have an NFL offense the calls can be pretty complex, and changing the terminologies could result in a miscommunication. Miscommunications usually result in turnovers, incompletions, or timeouts. They probably do change them, but I'm not sure how often they do that.

[The Raven]

[quote name='Ravenslifer' timestamp='1345384051' post='1123689']
Yeah but isn't he mainly a ST guy anyway?
[/quote]

I never agreed with the concept that a player is "mainly a ST guy." While he is a key special teamer, he is also a backup safety. Should Reed or Pollard go down, we should be able to to rely on him to be able to play defense. I'm not saying special teams isn't important. It's essential! I'm just saying that guys that are just special teamers are expendable and replaceable. You need to be able to play defense as well.

[Ravenslifer]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1345390769' post='1123721']
I never agreed with the concept that a player is "mainly a ST guy." While he is a key special teamer, he is also a backup safety. Should Reed or Pollard go down, we should be able to to rely on him to be able to play defense. I'm not saying special teams isn't important. It's essential! I'm just saying that guys that are just special teamers are expendable and replaceable. You need to be able to play defense as well.
[/quote]

I agree, it's just my point is he's not being brought in to be a starter like say, Foxworth was or Fabian Washington or Chris Carr were. So his lack of ability isn't a big concern to me. And part of the reason we probably were able to sign him with such a tight cap is because his lack of skills outside of ST made him less attractive to most teams out there who aren't in a situation like ours with two outstanding starters at safety - I believe he's making the vet minimum for guys with 7 years of service. Besides, I'm of the opinion that rookies tossed into the fire end up better in the long run, so I'd rather have Asa Jackson, Omar Brown, and Chyle Quarles as the backups anyway.

[The Raven]

[quote name='Ravenslifer' timestamp='1345400184' post='1123796']
I agree, it's just my point is he's not being brought in to be a starter like say, Foxworth was or Fabian Washington or Chris Carr were. So his lack of ability isn't a big concern to me. And part of the reason we probably were able to sign him with such a tight cap is because his lack of skills outside of ST made him less attractive to most teams out there who aren't in a situation like ours with two outstanding starters at safety - I believe he's making the vet minimum for guys with 7 years of service. Besides, I'm of the opinion that rookies tossed into the fire end up better in the long run, so I'd rather have Asa Jackson, Omar Brown, and Chyle Quarles as the backups anyway.
[/quote]

Ah, I see your point.

[raybaby]

We might be seeing how much this Suggs injury sucks. Because really if Suggs wasn't injured the uncertainty on defense would be the safety depth but now we have a big uncertainty with pass rush. Regardless of how its looked this preseason our secondary is still better than most in the league. With the quarterbacks and receivers we are going against, pass rush is more important this season. You have to get those quarterbacks out of rhythm. I'm praying for him to be back by the Steelers game in form to at least make any kind of Sizzle impact. Paul has looked good out there so we at least have something to look forward to if/when they both get out on the field. Not saying pass rush is going to be a problem but its the biggest concern IMO heading into the season.

[jimmypowder]

Here is my impression. without Suggs,we have zero pressure on the opposing QB.
This has made our secondary look pitiful .It's called the domino effect.

Joe had better put up more points because we are gonna need them.

[Cville-Raven]

[quote name='Ravenslifer' timestamp='1345384051' post='1123689']
Yeah but isn't he mainly a ST guy anyway?
[/quote]
kind of but he will still see time in games when Ed takes plays off.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='Cville-Raven' timestamp='1345407277' post='1123863']
kind of but he will still see time in games when Ed takes plays off.
[/quote]

Assuming he makes the team, I think the team would sooner play Thompson, Cook (maybe even Brown) or one of the CBs at FS when Ed takes a breather.

[The Raven]

How did Nigel Carr do? I heard he played pretty well.

[hawkprey]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1345407551' post='1123867']
How did Nigel Carr do? I heard he played pretty well.
[/quote]
A few penalties of his cost the team, and one mess up on ST coverage gave way to a longer than normal return, but he was all over the field making tackles.