Why Do We Shut Down The Playbook For Certain Games?

[NC Ravens Fan]

The Giants game, any pittsburgh game, titans game why is it we fall back on such a limited
playbook? I know these teams have tough defenses but it seems by doing nothing but running
like we did today it just makes these teams look even better.

Just a week ago whoever the announcer was, was talking about this not being your fathers ravens
and us using all sorts of gadget plays. Against these better defensive teams I know they wont fall
for trick plays as much as a team like the redskins but why not try it if things arent working?

I'd rather see us try some things than to just run, run, force a 3rd down throw each time.

Flacco looked awful today because he wasn't put into favorable position when a pass play was called.
The one pick was off a tipped pass which 98% of the time would have hit the ground so im not even
sure i can blame him for that.

I know im all over the place but today really got me down because it was a tough team to beat but
by the way the play calling went it was like we admitted we couldnt do anything from the start.

[theFRANCHISE]

Let's be honest: gadget plays only work every once in a while. And usually, good teams never fall for them.

Why have the Patriots, Colts, and other perenially-great teams had success so often, for so long? Because of solid, fundamental football.

Gadget plays don't win championships. How many championship teams can you name that have used a lot of gadget plays and trickery?

[Ravnet]

Do you really want to see Troy Smith passing it to Flacco against Pittsburgh? Mark Clayton hitting Mason on a long ball? Smith running the option?

They don't work against good teams.

[neepo13]

I dont know about gadget plays but it would have been nice to see the offense not start playing Marty ball when we got the lead. Cam was calling plays not to lose this game. He wasnt playing to win.

[FerrariFan87]

[quote name='neepo13' post='105593' date='Dec 14 2008, 09:23 PM']I dont know about gadget plays but it would have been nice to see the offense not start playing Marty ball when we got the lead. Cam was calling plays not to lose this game. He wasnt playing to win.[/quote]

Exactly, every drive was the same: run, run, pass or run, play action pass, pass... we almost NEVER passed on first down, the statistically best down to throw and when we WERE running well during a drive, Cam abandoned it for no reason.

[NC Ravens Fan]

let me edit my opening statement.

its less about making gadget plays work and more about having some imagination when it comes
to the playbook. you cant go vanilla when it comes to good defenses. we see it against our d all the
time. you cant go against a team like the steelers and expect to run all over the place and win. you have
to throw short and intermediate routes to back the defense up and we failed miserably at that today.

[WACKO4FLACC0]

[quote name='NC Ravens Fan' post='105571' date='Dec 14 2008, 09:14 PM']The Giants game, any pittsburgh game, titans game why is it we fall back on such a limited
playbook? I know these teams have tough defenses but it seems by doing nothing but running
like we did today it just makes these teams look even better.

Just a week ago whoever the announcer was, was talking about this not being your fathers ravens
and us using all sorts of gadget plays. Against these better defensive teams I know they wont fall
for trick plays as much as a team like the redskins but why not try it if things arent working?

I'd rather see us try some things than to just run, run, force a 3rd down throw each time.

Flacco looked awful today because he wasn't put into favorable position when a pass play was called.
The one pick was off a tipped pass which 98% of the time would have hit the ground so im not even
sure i can blame him for that.

I know im all over the place but today really got me down because it was a tough team to beat but
by the way the play calling went it was like we admitted we couldnt do anything from the start.[/quote]
I think what the Ravens try to do is they run the trick plays so that when they play a good team they have to waste their time studying and preparing how to stop them but your right we should try to use them.
Like running the option against the Steelers worked great I dont know why we didnt try some more trick plays... especially from the wildcat formation.

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' post='105602' date='Dec 14 2008, 09:25 PM']Exactly, every drive was the same: run, run, pass or run, play action pass, pass... we almost NEVER passed on first down, the statistically best down to throw and when we WERE running well during a drive, Cam abandoned it for no reason.[/quote]

To be fair, though, this offense has always been a run-first offense, even this season. So, even though the run wasn't effective at first, we saw the effects when the ground attack started to chip away successfully.

But, I still agree. The pattern of playcalling was a bit too vanilla for my liking.

[H8R]

The objective is to keep the defense guessing. Did we keep them guessing ? No. Do you not think Juron thought to himself, I wonder what crazy stuff Cam will throw at us? Sure, but then once we tried to carry out our Boring Basic game plan with little success, we removed all thoughts of us trying anything out of the ordinary by Conservative play calling. We needed to treat that game as a playoff game, we did not do that. In order to put the Steelers away you need to throw the kitchen sink at them, we didn't even give them a different look all game. Maybe this had a lot to do with Joe's bad showing and poor accuracy or maybe just the play calls for the game, but we certainly didn't go for broke.

[neepo13]

The problem isnt that he called 'vanilla' plays. The problem he didnt switch it up. The entire second half it was run,run, pass. Why not run on all 3 downs or pass on first or second down and then run on third? Throw in a screen or a fake reverse? I also think we should have kept up the no huddle. The one time we used it, we got to the redzone but as soon as we get there we stopped. The playcalling in the redzone was absolutly horrible and some needs to explain to Flacco and Mcgahee that unless its 3rd and goal, you can get the first down without scoring a TD. On one play in the redzone it was like 3rd and 7 from the 10 yard line. Every single route went into the endzone, McGahee was the only guy in 1-1 coverage, had he broken off the route at the 2 we would have had the 1st and 3 more shots to punch it in.

[Perfekt]

we cant fault the players for the play calling. were being to hard on our team were not perfect and were not going to have a perfect season. atleast we made it this far and we still have a chance to make it into the playoffs. be happy with the success we have gained and move on that game is behind us and hopefully we learned from our mistakes.

[Sub-Zero]

we also missed out on two TD opportunities, both to Mason. The first time he mistimed his jump, otherwise it's a TD. The second time Flacco barely overthrew Mason but he had a step on Polamalu. Those were potential game changing plays but instead we settled for a FG and got sacked out of range on the other.

and it wasn't just the offense going vanilla. When Ryan decided to go prevent, I knew we were pretty much screwed the way we were giving up all that space. All game long Ben was getting pressured, until we went into a prevent and cut the rope that we tied their hands with. You know how that saying goes, 'the only thing the prevent prevents, is winning games'.

[shaikh015]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' post='105602' date='Dec 14 2008, 09:25 PM']Exactly, every drive was the same: run, run, pass or run, play action pass, pass... we almost NEVER passed on first down, the statistically best down to throw and when we WERE running well during a drive, Cam abandoned it for no reason.[/quote]

Cam Cameron is not to blame for this loss it was the players on the field. The young offense that is developing did not know what to expect from a "post season bound" late in the regular season Steeler Defense.

[NC Ravens Fan]

on a side note of this, what is up with when we call a timeout and the next play going horribly wrong.
watching the games this year it looks like almost every time we call a time out to set up a play for a key
down when we come out of the timeout and run the play its a hurried throw because of pressure or
something similar?
kinda aggravating also

[Marc2k6]

Did you see the Steeler's dumb down there play calling for this game? Ahhhh no! They play the game like they play the game. How many times this season have you watched the Steeler's get beat for 3 qtrs and then win in the 4th because the other team could not put the game away. This what they do! But I look at it like this we have won all of the games we were supposed to win, now we need to work on winning the games we are not expected to win.

[macbrak]

I didn't see a problem with the play calling. Seemed the same as usual.

Flacco was off, too many missed throws, a foot lower would have been a different game. McGahee didn't help (get him some stickum).

[WhackoForFlacco]

[quote name='neepo13' post='105593' date='Dec 14 2008, 09:23 PM']I dont know about gadget plays but it would have been nice to see the offense not start playing Marty ball when we got the lead. Cam was calling plays not to lose this game. He wasnt playing to win.[/quote]Exactly. It's not just about gadget plays. Where were the screens to take pressure off of the rush? Draws? Slants? There was NO creativity -- or energy -- on offense. NONE. And when there SHOULD have been a straight forward run up the middle -- with the ball alredy on the 27, and an upcoming FG opportunity that would have forced the Steelers to get a TD to go up 13-12 -- Cameron dials up a stupid pass play with McGahee there on the right to block. What a total <mess>.

[macbrak]

Its not exactly the playbooks fault if the players don't execute a perfectly easy play.

[WhackoForFlacco]

[quote name='macbrak' post='106539' date='Dec 15 2008, 09:31 PM']Its not exactly the playbooks fault if the players don't execute a perfectly easy play.[/quote]First of all, there is no such thing as a "perfectly easy play" against the number 1 defense in the NFL. Second, Willis McGahee left alone to block on a passing play that was not necessary in the first place is just flat out stupid. Third, plays that work against teams like the Steelers -- screens, draws, slants -- need to be a part of the schemes. And they were not. Running up the middle twice, then trying to pass for first down is clearly counterproductive. You want to keep singing your mantra -- be my guest. But anyone who can watch a game and see beyond simplistic interpretations understands what went wrong on Sunday.