[News] Eisenberg: What Are Ravens' Biggest Questions?

[RavenManiac#7]

Another question I have involves our offense. So much has been written about our receivers. Omit SSS, for a moment and look at the rest. There's no denying that there is an Awesome amount of potential there. But, really, that's all there is, potential. We Need to have a couple/few of these guys perform up to the potential level we believe they have. And, to me, most importantly, are we going to stop this sleep walking our offense has such a habit to do early in games? I'm so tired of seeing so many three and outs, and unproductive starts to games. I mean, we're talking entire halves here in a lot of cases. I don't want to have to watch us play from behind so often and have big second halves, or worse, frantic fourth quarter comebacks to win games. I hope Trestman has identified this as a problem and has answers for it that work so that we can see consistent and effective offensive play for four quarters.

[Tank 92]

We did very well last year without Ngata... no reason to think this year will be any different.  Our DL will have another year under their belts and they are very hungry (unlike Ngata).

 

 

yeah, no.  We sucked against the run when Haloti was out.  But I think Brandon, with another year's experience steps up and fills the hole.

[Ngataninch]

Maybe I am just naive but I am not concerned about the tight-ends at all... I am more concerned about the Ravens receivers than tight-ends. We have three solid options at tight-end, anyone of them could be great, and we also have Dennis Pitta who could shock the world and recover. Wide receiver seems like we are waiting to see if it will work while TE we are waiting to see how it will work.

[Slysam88]

signing safety Kendrick Lewis and cornerback Kyle Arrington totally pleased with that. I also quickly became a Gillmore fan and think he will rise up to be a very good TE i also have High hope for Matt Elam (im sure lots will disagree) but not all rookies make smooth transitions to the NFL. I could go on an on about the drafted rookies and rookies coming back from injuries last year would like to see Urban have a splendid season . Just can't wait for this season to start

[Purple R3ign]

I’ll throw in another ‘biggest question’.  Have we solved the problem of the offense’s low production when Joe is under pressure during a passing play?  The data has shown that among all current NFL quarterbacks Joe has one of the biggest spreads of effectiveness when passing when he is hurried versus when he has time.  I think the solution to this problem breaks down into some combination of finding ways to give Joe more time while passing and retraining him to be more effective when he is pressured, like during a blitz.  So the question is by the time we play our first real game will the coaches have accomplished either or both of these to any appreciable extent?

 

I would say that we have solved this problem, at least in theory, with the hiring of Marc Trestman. No offence throws more screen passes then a Treastmen led attack, and I believe that with Flaccos height/size we will run an offence that gives Flacco easy, simple dump passes in obvious passing downs or easy audibles into quick screen plays when the defence shows a blitz. Of course this won't solve the problem eintirley, but it will help. During the superbowl run Flacco used dump passes to Leech, Rice and Pitta many times to pick up crucial first times and keep the pressure off of our offence, ultimatley giving flacco the time to hit Boldin on deeper patterns. The best I have ever seen Flacco play was when screen/dump passes were being utilized continously. The talent is here to run that kind of offence again, to go along with the OC. Juczychek has shown great hands and proven to be a more athletic FB then Leech, I don't think Forsette dropped a pass last year, Buck Allen is supposed to be a great receiving back and Maxx made a name for himself  on screen passes at Minnesota. So, in my opinion the problem is as solved as its going to be with a single off season under a new OC, so long as the actual game plan matches the team on paper.

[balfan23]

Signing safety Kendrick Lewis and cornerback Kyle Arrington totally pleased with that. I also quickly became a Gillmore fan and think he will rise up to be a very good TE i also have High hope for Matt Elam (im sure lots will disagree) but not all rookies make smooth transitions to the NFL. I could go on an on about the drafted rookies and rookies coming back from injuries last year would like to see Urban have a splendid season . Just can't wait for this season to start

I am cautiously optimistic about these signings ... given our cap, it was honestly about the best we could do, as we're not able to make moves to bring in obvious studs. Still, they are by no means can't miss signings.

 

IF they can become solid starters going forward (that is, considering a nickel corner is a starter ...) and we can ride that over the full 3 years of their contacts, that will be huge for us. Having relative cheap options locked up in those positions through 2017 would be a massive boon. I hope that comes to fruition. 

[hen826957]

I got a question. Can Trestman can use the hurry up offense more often this year? We saw it in 2012 when we play the Bengals on Monday Night but since then they stop doing it and the offense was ineffective during that season lost a couple of games in a row until we fired Cam Cameron and the rest was history we won the Super Bowl. I would love to see Joe pressure more on the defense and start to hut the ball more quickly it would make the defense more unbalance and less prepared. Hope Trestman would do that often.

[DomMcRaven]

I got a question. Can Trestman can use the hurry up offense more often this year? We saw it in 2012 when we play the Bengals on Monday Night but since then they stop doing it and the offense was ineffective during that season lost a couple of games in a row until we fired Cam Cameron and the rest was history we won the Super Bowl. I would love to see Joe pressure more on the defense and start to hut the ball more quickly it would make the defense more unbalance and less prepared. Hope Trestman would do that often.

In my opinion, I prefer not on a regular basis. I'm only for it on a few random drives to really throw defenses off. Our offense was pretty effective this past season for the most part and we really didn't have to use it.

[rmcjacket23]

I gonna have to disagree with you. Having a guy who's a threat to bring one back or flip the field on every kickoff/punt is a weapon and has to be factored in by the kicking/punt team.  Hell we don't win the Superbowl without Jacoby's kickoff return. 

32 NFL teams have that guy. Anytime the ball is kicked in the field of play, somebody is a threat to run it back. In most cases, the run back itself has a lot more to do with the guys blocking for him than it does the actual returner. We've seen close to 250lb RBs who have been successful on kick returns in their career.

 

Based on what I've seen from 31 other NFL teams the last two seasons, not exactly anybody I saw who went away from kicking to him in a Devin Hester like fashion, especially on punts.

 

Maybe we win the SB without his return, maybe we don't. Impossible to know, because we can't assume the rest of the game plays out the exact same way if he doesn't return that kick. We may waltz down the field and score a TD on the very next play for all we know.

 

Never once seen an NFL team in the history of the league that had to be great on ST in order to win a SB. What they all have in common, however, is that they aren't terrible on ST. We shouldn't be terrible on ST, because we rarely are. We are well coached and well disciplined typically in that area.

[b93333]

yeah, no.  We sucked against the run when Haloti was out.  But I think Brandon, with another year's experience steps up and fills the hole.

We gave up less than 100 total yards on the ground per game and won three out of four.  The Houston game was primarily lost for reasons other than Foster's 90 yards.  I'll take those numbers and Williams and Jernigan will be better this year.

[rmcjacket23]

yeah, no.  We sucked against the run when Haloti was out.  But I think Brandon, with another year's experience steps up and fills the hole.

Statistically, there was no difference. 3.53 YPC allowed with Ngata in 14 games, 3.56 YPC allowed without Ngata in 4 games. We were actually slightly better on a YPC allowed basis if you were to eliminate the Patriots playoff game where they literally stopped running all together.

 

There might be a false appearance that we were worse because we averaged about 115 RYPG allowed in the last two games, but they were a product of volume, since the YPG was the same. Teams tried to run about 3-4 carries per game more when he was out, but they weren't any more successful at it. 

[Tank 92]

We gave up less than 100 total yards on the ground per game and won three out of four.  The Houston game was primarily lost for reasons other than Foster's 90 yards.  I'll take those numbers and Williams and Jernigan will be better this year.

 

 

Numbers don't tell the story. Watching the 4 games, our run D pretty much sucked and improved tremendously with his return.

And as I said, with another year's experience Brandon will shine.

[stampedehero]

I was watching NFL Live a few days ago and they talked about who would win the AFC North. Jim Trotter chose the Bengals while Tim Hasselbeck and Mark Brunell chose the Steelers. Stephen A (host of NFL Live, surprisingly) goes on to say that there has been no talk about us (because they were also doing that "Worst to First" segment). Props to him. Either way, while all three analysts agreed that we would be good, Jim Trotter questions our offensive line. Hmm...funny because last time I checked, Flacco was top 5 in least sacked QBs this past season. And our offensive line is staying intact. No wonder why I need to stop watching ESPN.

 

My questions for the team goes as this: Will our secondary gel and stay healthy? How quickly will our young pass-catchers develop? And my favorite one: Who will return punts and kickoffs? 

Dom, Great post

[rmcjacket23]

Numbers don't tell the story. Watching the 4 games, our run D pretty much sucked and improved tremendously with his return.

And as I said, with another year's experience Brandon will shine.

Well, they sort of do tell the story, because they help take out the extreme subjectivity of classifying them as "sucking" based solely on the eye test in this case. I mean I'm watching the exact same games you are, looking at the exact same things, and I still don't see how a reasonable person determines that we were significantly worse. There's really no basis for that assessment. 

 

Williams isn't really the issue, because he was a dominant NT the whole season, regardless of whether Ngata played or didn't play. Jernigan is more likely to be the one who will determine if the run game struggles, as he will be asked to fill the bulk of Ngata's role, amongst others. 

[hen826957]

@DomMcRaven I agree but I like to use the hurry up offense on the road. It would make the defenses less time to gel due to the opponents at home being comfortable. I wouldn't use the hurry offense that much when we at home at lest we are down. I would prefer the offense if were down by the 3rd quarter or the offense in effective than they should do the hurry up offense right away because we saw when they were down in the fourth quarter and the try to do the hurry up offense but it was too late. They should do it earlier in the 3rd rather than in the forth.

[huntrgathrr]

This year there are unusually few questions that need answered. The ones that can be asked have pretty easy answers. We are good at TE with Gilmore locking down the starting spot even if Pitta is healthy. He should be a great blocker and one of Flacco's favorite targets. At 6'5 and 275 he reported for OTAs looking leaner, faster and catching everything. He proved he is NFL caliber last year with 400 rec yards and 4 TDs. If Pitta is healthy he will split snaps with Williams in 2 TE sets. If Pitta isn't, Williams will have to step up and that appears to be very likely. Boyle can be kept as a third blocking TE if Pitta retires or goes IR. This looks like a strength of the team IMO.

The secondary will be very good if they stay healthy and average if Jimmy Smith gets hurt again. His injury last year probably cost us a trip to the Super bowl. Bringing in Arrington to play the slot and Lewis at safety gives the Ravens upgrades to start with and better quality depth in case of injuries. So it will be improved. Jackson, Webb, Melvin, Walker and Vaughn are all fighting for the starting corner spot opposite Jimmy Smith. That's pretty good competition and depth.Elam and Brooks give us good depth at safety as well. Playing behind on e of the best front sevens in the NFL will make the secondary even better and probably result in one of the top 3 defenses in the league.

Wagner, Mosely and Zuttah all look to be returning to top form.

I guess the only real questions are the extensions on next year's contracts. But that's next year. Let's play 2015 first.

[Flockster]

I want to see the Ravens produce a return specialist. It's one position we don't have filled as of yet. KR is up for grabs. Maybe Trestman can pull a deal with one of his former players. One fumbled kick at the wrong time can turn out the lights. No doubt this will be addressed by the Ravens coaching staff.

[runcontrol]

Numbers don't tell the story. Watching the 4 games, our run D pretty much sucked and improved tremendously with his return.

And as I said, with another year's experience Brandon will shine.

 

 

Statistically, there was no difference. 3.53 YPC allowed with Ngata in 14 games, 3.56 YPC allowed without Ngata in 4 games. We were actually slightly better on a YPC allowed basis if you were to eliminate the Patriots playoff game where they literally stopped running all together.

 

There might be a false appearance that we were worse because we averaged about 115 RYPG allowed in the last two games, but they were a product of volume, since the YPG was the same. Teams tried to run about 3-4 carries per game more when he was out, but they weren't any more successful at it. 

 

I was thinking the run defense dropped a lot when Ngata wasn't playing but Miami and Jacksonville didn't really run that much against us.  Both of their lead runners only had about 50yds.  The Texans ran the ball a lot, and Foster had 95yds but he didn't even average 4 ypc.  When you can stop one of the top backs in the league for less than 4 yards than you did something right.  It was the Cleveland game that the run defense struggled with to make stops.  

 

NFL.com did an article on Jernigan about a week ago, saying he as one of the players to make a leap this season, and I thought this was an interesting quote.  "PFF graded Jernigan as their sixth-best 3-4 defensive end in run stop percentage with a 10.1 stop rate. The rookie rated second at the position in pass rush productivity, behind only J.J. Watt. "  Even though I think they are flawed, PFF grades is what most people use to guage how well a player performed.  

[DomMcRaven]

@DomMcRaven I agree but I like to use the hurry up offense on the road. It would make the defenses less time to gel due to the opponents at home being comfortable. I wouldn't use the hurry offense that much when we at home at lest we are down. I would prefer the offense if were down by the 3rd quarter or the offense in effective than they should do the hurry up offense right away because we saw when they were down in the fourth quarter and the try to do the hurry up offense but it was too late. They should do it earlier in the 3rd rather than in the forth.

If we use it in certain parts of a game and not in every single game, I'm all for it.