Defense

[Bltravens]

Loved how Webb was used today, in the slot, blitzing etc. more innovative play calling from pees this game. He was far more aggressive.

He should be used more in the slot going forward.  I think we held him out because of his knee.  Less cutting and pivoting on the outside.  Webb's true value in his contract lies in him bouncing inside as the nickel.  That's when the defense is at it's best.

[frozen joe flacco fan]

Its not how you start, its how you finish. you can apply that rule to pretty much anything in life.

How you start does matter. In some games this year, we started well, e.g., Denver and Cincy, but didn't finish. In other games, we started slowly but finished strongly, e.g., Green Bay and Pittsburgh, but it was simply too little too late. To be successful in football as in life, its important to start quickly and finish strongly. I do agree that your destination is more important than where you come from or the journey thereto.

[easternshore97]

Its not how you start, its how you finish. you can apply that rule to pretty much anything in life.

Agreed

[Tatelli]

I saw something I've not seen in a while....A swarming Ravens D !!

[Radinho84]

Its not how you start, its how you finish. you can apply that rule to pretty much anything in life.

you are right. never the less a better start would help to have a better finish. If you have a bad start you can only reach a certain point because you are already limited in your possibilities.

 

I think our defense is clearly not the problem this year. they should be great next year after playing a season together...

[callahan09]

Defense has been pretty good this year, even if they've had more than their fair share of fourth quarter disasters.  Offense has been pretty awful this year, even if they've been alive and kicking in the fourth quarter in a fair amount of these games.

 

There is plenty of blame to go around, offense, defense, special teams, but each of these losses has really been a team loss.  Offense not doing enough early enough, defense not doing enough too late, special teams has left a lot to be desired throughout the season in general.  The big problem in all of this is the offensive line.  We can't command any presence on offense because of this awful offensive line.  It leads to too much pressure and congested throwing for Flacco, no holes to run through for the backs, therefore low yards per play, too many difficult third and long situations, and therefore too many punts and turnovers.  The offensive line has been majority responsible for most of Flacco's turnovers this year because he goes to pass but the defense is already there to disrupt him.  These are mostly forced turnovers, not mistakes from the quarterback.  The offensive line has to do a better job at commanding presence on the field so the quarterback can be comfortable, throw in cleaner lanes, with more time, and so the running game can stop getting stuffed for 2 yards or less on two thirds of their carries.  If the offensive line can play at even an NFL average level, the running game would improve, the passing game would improve, turnovers would diminish, first downs would rise, and the defense would be in less pressure in the quarter because we'd have more points on the board.

 

Is it coaching?  Is it personnel?  Is it scheme?  Gameplanning?  Playbook?  What is it?  Whatever it is, I don't blame Flacco, or Rice, or Pierce, or the pass rush, or the secondary... I blame the fact that we have terrible pass protection and terrible run blocking, I just don't know if I'm supposed to blame the coaches, or the players for that.

[Guest RBates]

The defense is not the problem per say.  Its Pees passive approach  in the middle of the football field. Last game I saw a little improvement.  

 

The real problem is how long this pathetic offense is keeping thee defense on the field.  That said.  Pees is still not aggressive enough with the talent that he has on defense.  We should be in the top ten in takeaways also.

[RavensFan34950]

I might be in the minority, but I'm all in for Jameel McClain starting with Smith. Since he came back he hasn't been burnt in the passing game at all and he's a good tackler. He knows how to play. Plus he's also a good leader to have too bring the defense together when needed.

[Tank 92]

How you start does matter. In some games this year, we started well, e.g., Denver and Cincy, but didn't finish. In other games, we started slowly but finished strongly, e.g., Green Bay and Pittsburgh, but it was simply too little too late. To be successful in football as in life, its important to start quickly and finish strongly. I do agree that your destination is more important than where you come from or the journey thereto.

 

 

How did the D finish strongly in the GB and pburgh games? 

[Bltravens]

I might be in the minority, but I'm all in for Jameel McClain starting with Smith. Since he came back he hasn't been burnt in the passing game at all and he's a good tackler. He knows how to play. Plus he's also a good leader to have too bring the defense together when needed.

That's because we take him out in the nickel packages.  You have serious issues in coverage if you can't cover teams receiving threats in Iform or singleback.

[frozen joe flacco fan]

How did the D finish strongly in the GB and pburgh games?

Good point! I was thinking more of the offense having good 2nd halves against Discount Dabble Check Rodgers' team and Pig Pen's team.

[PolishRifle]

Harbaugh no leader Suggs no leader Flacco no leader.  I told all of you coming into this season. 

 

You're taking more shots at our players than Brynden Trawick. Calm down.

[Guest RBates]

You're taking more shots at our players than Brynden Trawick. Calm down.

 I'm just stating the obvious.  They lack leadership. Hard to be a leader when you make mistakes that cause your team games.( Harbs,Flacco).

 

 

 In Suggs case he is self promoting,  so it doesn't come off as leadership, it will be received as arrogance. He can change his approach and evolve as the leader but he has to do that. 

[77rus]

 I'm just stating the obvious.  They lack leadership. Hard to be a leader when you make mistakes that cause your team games.( Harbs,Flacco).

 

 

 In Suggs case he is self promoting,  so it doesn't come off as leadership, it will be received as arrogance. He can change his approach and evolve as the leader but he has to do that. 

Sometimes leadership is just not enough. With the amount of new and inexperienced players, they are still going to make mistakes even if they are fired up and want to do their best.

Suggs have proven that he can be the leader, when Ray was out of the game, hurt. But leadership and ability, especially in the young players, are two separate things

[PolishRifle]

 I'm just stating the obvious.  They lack leadership. Hard to be a leader when you make mistakes that cause your team games.( Harbs,Flacco).

 

 

 In Suggs case he is self promoting,  so it doesn't come off as leadership, it will be received as arrogance. He can change his approach and evolve as the leader but he has to do that. 

 

So leaders don't make mistakes? What player in the NFL is perfect all the time? Ray Lewis played mistake free football now? He missed so many tackles in the SB, that he almost cost us the championship and yet I wouldn't deny that he was a leader on that team.

 

Not to mention, that HC and QB are both positions with more responsibilities than an ILB, which mean that their decisions end up impacting the outcome of the game more often. I also doubt Lewis was more important for the performance of our defense than Suggs over the past couple of years (in fact last season pretty much proves it).

 

We lost more players than any other championship team before and we still are losing most of our games by just 3 or 4 points and you are already questioning the QB, HC and our best player on defense?

The Ravens are struggling in this one season, but they are doing just fine as a franchise. Rarely is a team this competitive in a rebuilding year. 

[Guest RBates]

So leaders don't make mistakes? What player in the NFL is perfect all the time? Ray Lewis played mistake free football now? He missed so many tackles in the SB, that he almost cost us the championship and yet I wouldn't deny that he was a leader on that team.

 

Not to mention, that HC and QB are both positions with more responsibilities than an ILB, which mean that their decisions end up impacting the outcome of the game more often. I also doubt Lewis was more important for the performance of our defense than Suggs over the past couple of years (in fact last season pretty much proves it).

 

We lost more players than any other championship team before and we still are losing most of our games by just 3 or 4 points and you are already questioning the QB, HC and our best player on defense?

The Ravens are struggling in this one season, but they are doing just fine as a franchise. Rarely is a team this competitive in a rebuilding year. 

I made those observations earlier in the year.  The Head coach is still learning the game.  He is having trouble with simple things like clock management, when to go for it or not, and challenges,  Not what i would call a polished coach in his sixth year.  Suggs is a leader by example and you are absolutely right, he has outplayed everyone on our team this year. With that said, should he be outplaying our 120 million dollar QB?  I don't think so. 

 

Overall though i see your point and for the most part i agree with you.  Maybe i can reserve the right for judgement until the season ends. 

[The Raven]

I made those observations earlier in the year.  The Head coach is still learning the game.  He is having trouble with simple things like clock management, when to go for it or not, and challenges,  Not what i would call a polished coach in his sixth year.  Suggs is a leader by example and you are absolutely right, he has outplayed everyone on our team this year. With that said, should he be outplaying our 120 million dollar QB?  I don't think so. 

 

Overall though i see your point and for the most part i agree with you.  Maybe i can reserve the right for judgement until the season ends. 

 

Comparing different positions? Oh lordy...

[Militant X 1]

I hope our defense shows up on Sunday vs. the bears!

 

#Mili

[PolishRifle]

Suggs is a leader by example and you are absolutely right, he has outplayed everyone on our team this year. With that said, should he be outplaying our 120 million dollar QB?  I don't think so. 

 

Didn't you say in an earlier post that Suggs wasn't a leader? Now, he is a leader by example? Oh well.

 

Suggs is making double of what Joe is making this year. Also, they both play different positions with different responsibilities and level of difficulty, which was my whole point from the begining. Flacco is the first good QB we ever had (well, not according to you maybe), while we had plenty of great pass rushers.

 

Also, the shots at Harbaugh are annoying, because you just focus on a few instances in a game making broad assumptions about his knowledge of it. How do you know, what is happening in the locker room? How much influence Harbs has on the gameplan or training? The only think we, as fans, truely know is that the Ravens were consistant winners under Harbaugh.

 

The 120 million dollar contract is normal market value for a franchise QB by now. Matt Ryan has 104 $million dollar in 5 years contract and Tony Romo has signed one, that earns him more garanteed money than Flacco's. Neither one of them have won consistently in the playoffs or a SB. Or are you giving them a pass because they are better fantasy QBs. I know that championships matter to me more.

Before Joe's contract comes even any close to making a dent in a cap room situation, it will be a very common contract in the league.

 

Overall though i see your point and for the most part i agree with you.  Maybe i can reserve the right for judgement until the season ends. 

 

Yes, please do that. I'm not saying, you have no right to be angry. If that's how you express your support for your team, than that's fair. It only shows you care about their success and I certainly have no right to tell you what to do.

But, I'm sure you were even more irate at Joe, after the game against the Broncos in Baltimore in 2012 and felt, that the team is going nowhere, especially with Flacco under center. Many did, eventhough he played really well in the AFCCG before that already. And then what happened?

 

Also, I might have made my first reply, just so I could make a Brynden Trawick joke. ;)

[arnie_uk]

Didn't you say in an earlier post that Suggs wasn't a leader? Now, he is a leader by example? Oh well.

Suggs is making double of what Joe is making this year. Also, they both play different positions with different responsibilities and level of difficulty, which was my whole point from the begining. Flacco is the first good QB we ever had (well, not according to you maybe), while we had plenty of great pass rushers.

Also, the shots at Harbaugh are annoying, because you just focus on a few instances in a game making broad assumptions about his knowledge of it. How do you know, what is happening in the locker room? How much influence Harbs has on the gameplan or training? The only think we, as fans, truely know is that the Ravens were consistant winners under Harbaugh.

The 120 million dollar contract is normal market value for a franchise QB by now. Matt Ryan has 104 $million dollar in 5 years contract and Tony Romo has signed one, that earns him more garanteed money than Flacco's. Neither one of them have won consistently in the playoffs or a SB. Or are you giving them a pass because they are better fantasy QBs. I know that championships matter to me more.
Before Joe's contract comes even any close to making a dent in a cap room situation, it will be a very common contract in the league.


Yes, please do that. I'm not saying, you have no right to be angry. If that's how you express your support for your team, than that's fair. It only shows you care about their success and I certainly have no right to tell you what to do.
But, I'm sure you were even more irate at Joe, after the game against the Broncos in Baltimore in 2012 and felt, that the team is going nowhere, especially with Flacco under center. Many did, eventhough he played really well in the AFCCG before that already. And then what happened?

Also, I might have made my first reply, just so I could make a Brynden Trawick joke. ;)

Harbs has any amount of influence om training etc that he wants. Its his team

[berad]

Harbs has any amount of influence om training etc that he wants. Its his team

 

But how much does he "want" and how much freedom does he give to his coordinators?

[arnie_uk]

But how much does he "want" and how much freedom does he give to his coordinators?

he didn't ask that, he worded it as if someone above harbs was controlling practice. But to answer your question I personally think he's involved to much, to defensive a gameplan, centered around running the ball control the clock, playing risk adverse football. We aren't in the. 70s anymore. We need to blow the play book up and have something more attacking, more pass orientated, more modern and innovative. We could have that already, who knows, because of the overall emphasis of risk adverse offense, play good defense, that harbs emphasises.

[Guest RBates]

Comparing different positions? Oh lordy...

Who cares how we compare Flacco he has been bad this year.  I'm tired of all of you coming to his rescue.  The guy is playing average football at best and i don't care who is hurt or what problems the O-line is having. 

[Guest RBates]

Didn't you say in an earlier post that Suggs wasn't a leader? Now, he is a leader by example? Oh well.

 

Suggs is making double of what Joe is making this year. Also, they both play different positions with different responsibilities and level of difficulty, which was my whole point from the begining. Flacco is the first good QB we ever had (well, not according to you maybe), while we had plenty of great pass rushers.

 

Also, the shots at Harbaugh are annoying, because you just focus on a few instances in a game making broad assumptions about his knowledge of it. How do you know, what is happening in the locker room? How much influence Harbs has on the gameplan or training? The only think we, as fans, truely know is that the Ravens were consistant winners under Harbaugh.

 

The 120 million dollar contract is normal market value for a franchise QB by now. Matt Ryan has 104 $million dollar in 5 years contract and Tony Romo has signed one, that earns him more garanteed money than Flacco's. Neither one of them have won consistently in the playoffs or a SB. Or are you giving them a pass because they are better fantasy QBs. I know that championships matter to me more.

Before Joe's contract comes even any close to making a dent in a cap room situation, it will be a very common contract in the league.

 

 

Yes, please do that. I'm not saying, you have no right to be angry. If that's how you express your support for your team, than that's fair. It only shows you care about their success and I certainly have no right to tell you what to do.

But, I'm sure you were even more irate at Joe, after the game against the Broncos in Baltimore in 2012 and felt, that the team is going nowhere, especially with Flacco under center. Many did, eventhough he played really well in the AFCCG before that already. And then what happened?

 

Also, I might have made my first reply, just so I could make a Brynden Trawick joke. ;)

What i meant was he is learning to lead by example.  That is the only avenue i know that he can take.  Obviously he is not the on the field vocal leader that Ray was and maybe never will be. 

 

Flacco is as Bad as any Qb that makes more than 80 million dollars this year.  If you continue to defend his poor play that is on you,  He is not playing anywhere close to his contract. 

[edthehead]

I do blame FLACCO,(some), but you have to fault our coaches,they are not putting players in position to play to their strengths ,, Dan pees is not aggressive our defense has always been built around chaos,,where  is it,, not alot to say about our offense being that it was never there, CALDWELL was put under contract to fast(wish we would have hired norv turner) anyway with another loss then we would be out the playoff race ,,,,FIRE HARBS,, get somebody that has a clue  

[Militant X 1]

Strange Day For Ravens Defense
Fittingly in such weird weather, it was a strange day for the Ravens defense. Haloti Ngata was out with a knee injury, scratched before the game. Terrell Suggs had his quietest game of 2013 with one tackle and no sacks. Elvis Dumervil was even quieter than Suggs with no tackles, no sacks, no stats at all except for one tackle for loss. So, doing the math, that’s one tackle and no sacks combined for the unit’s biggest names, Ngata, Suggs and Dumervil. (Meanwhile, Chicago’s Julius Peppers was omnipresent with eight tackles, two sacks, four tackles for losses and two quarterback hits – a big-time performance.) The Ravens defense still held up for most of the game, pressuring McCown and keeping Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte from taking over – a good showing. The unit wilted late, though, allowing the Bears to drive 83 yards to a touchdown and 60 yards to the game-winning field goal – shades of the “can’t get off the field” issue that recently troubled them. “It’s frustrating. Our job as a defense is to stop that from happening, and we didn’t,” linebacker Daryl Smith said.

 

^

 

#Mili

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

Can somebody in the secondary please make a tackle?

[Guest Mr. Nobody]

Can somebody in the secondary please make a tackle?

I thought Jimmy played quite a good game before he got injured, really physical - but letting Webb to defend vs a towering TE that was a really bad call

[Gordo52]

Who cares how we compare Flacco he has been bad this year. I'm tired of all of you coming to his rescue. The guy is playing average football at best and i don't care who is hurt or what problems the O-line is having.

Makes me sick your still defending Flacco. Give it up already

[frozen joe flacco fan]

Who cares how we compare Flacco he has been bad this year.  I'm tired of all of you coming to his rescue.  The guy is playing average football at best and i don't care who is hurt or what problems the O-line is having.

Makes me sick your still defending Flacco. Give it up already

I thought this post was about defense???????????????? Maybe that's the problem! If Joe Flacco could just play both ways like Chuck Bednarik did in 1960 we'd be better off. He couldn't have played any worse than our defensive stars did yesterday. I thought this thread would be more about how many sacks, fumbles and interceptions our defense tallied against another backup QB. Let's see. Wasn't it our ole buddie Andy Dalton who had a terrible game yesterday but his team still won by a score of 41-20. Talk about the defense here! Football is a team sport and that was a team loss.