[News] Eisenberg: The Key To Another Ravens Playoff Season

[ellicottraven]

As long as we are in the top 10 in both categories again this year, and given the fact that our secondary will be at full strength and the fact that we have a ton of good pass catchers for Flacco, we'll be great all around! Playoffs? I would say SB!

[Reedit]

Mr. Eisnengber is right, it all starts in the trenches.  To be honest, our offensive line is going to be stacked this year as it was last year. Losing the tenacious Tongan is really unfortunate, but we also have a lot of depth on the D line that may make up for his absence.

Whatever happnes, the Ravens tend to build from the inside out.  The ablity to run the ball and stop the run will always be part of our forumula, and it's a huge factor in why we've been so successful.  Now it seems we're trying to  be more and more of a  balanced team.  I like the idea and I'm excited for next year. Although, what fan isn't excited about their team before the preseason?

[huntrgathrr]

The great things about our offense is the offensive line and the experience of Joe Flacco. We have all the skill people we need but the quality of our line is what will allow us to be a tough offense to stop.

The defense, top to bottom, is very talented and deep. There is a great mix of younger players and experienced veterans. Williams and Jernigan both have pro bowl expectations and I can easily see Urban, Davis and KLM playing up to a similar level. Having Canty, Guy and Tyson ready to go in case they don't is a luxury few teams have. Our LBs may be the best in the league.

The secondary is greatly improved with the return of a healthy Jimmy Smith. Adding Arrington as a slot corner is huge. Hill and Lewis should be really good safeties. Brooks and Elam are decent backups. We have 5 guys competing for the starting corner opposite Smith: Webb, Melvin, Walker, Jackson and Vaughn. Hopefully the one who wins this competition will be playing at a high level.

There really aren't any weak spots on this team. Barring significant injury problems, the rest of the AFC is going to find this out.

[Minionhunter]

"Stop the run.

Get after the quarterback.

Heroes baby!"

-52

No thumbs? Let's see if I remind everyone who said it in the first place.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Minionhunter

[KidNme]

At this point, I don't see any glaring weaknesses.

It will all shake out this fall but on paper, we're talented a couple rows back.

Being able to rotate out quality players in the same position is huge! It may be a little rough while some of the younger guys start coming into their own, but with all this talent, we are definitely going to have some newer guys step up and I think we'll have a star in nearly every position, by mid season.

It just feels like we're stacked this year, can't wait to see how it all pans out!

[harfordravenfan]

I agree with most that we need to be a balanced team with both the run and the pass. We just can not be too predictable.

 

100% agree with that. I want our offense capable of running when we want or need to but I also want to keep the defenses guessing and make them pay for blitzing

[harfordravenfan]

Mr. Eisnengber is right, it all starts in the trenches.  To be honest, our offensive line is going to be stacked this year as it was last year. Losing the tenacious Tongan is really unfortunate, but we also have a lot of depth on the D line that may make up for his absence.

Whatever happnes, the Ravens tend to build from the inside out.  The ablity to run the ball and stop the run will always be part of our forumula, and it's a huge factor in why we've been so successful.  Now it seems we're trying to  be more and more of a  balanced team.  I like the idea and I'm excited for next year. Although, what fan isn't excited about their team before the preseason?

 

Browns fans?

[RavensFootballFan]

I am happy we got T.Jernigan and B.Williams on the team. Both are monstrous and very good players. Looking forward to seeing them both get more snap counts and show the world why the Ravens drafted them. It is going to be a good year.

[gekaap]

Glad to hear some sanity for a change. The run game is the most important part of the game. Flacco brushed 4000 yards in an 8-8 season. When the run is going well, we actually perform.

And for your QB boinkers, the pass game does not make the run work. The run game is what allows passing to be meaningful.

[RavensBaltimore]

Glad to hear some sanity for a change. The run game is the most important part of the game. Flacco brushed 4000 yards in an 8-8 season. When the run is going well, we actually perform. And for your QB boinkers, the pass game does not make the run work. The run game is what allows passing to be meaningful.

4 of the last 5 SB winners were not in the top 10 in rushing yds. The only one that was had the best D of this generation to fall back on. The 2011 Giants won the SB with a run game that ranked dead last. That proves that the run game is not the most important part of the game.

 

Flacco's career high in yds was last year when our offense set franchise records. And the pass game absolutely does help the run game, which is why Ozzie Newsome told Justin Forsett that things just got easier for him when Perriman was drafted. When you beat teams down the field, they cannot stack the box against the run, which helps the run game. In our 2012 SB run, we ran the ball better in spread, 3wr, single back sets than we did in power running formations. We have come out throwing in the last couple postseasons, and we have averaged far more yds and points than in the regular season.

[Reedit]

Browns fans?

Wait, the Browns still have fans?

[stampedehero]

".......period that included a 44-game stretch of not allowing a 100-yard rusher a few years ago and then a 26-game stretch of such shutouts through the end of last season."  

......So this means that the opponents passing game was the default for teams to beat the Ravens with safeties and CB's contributing to the losses. May I introduce the NE playoff game as the perfect example. That choas was addressed in the acquistitions of Arrington and KLewis   

[berniemc2015]

#1 If the running game repeats itself, #2the wide receiver starters be the two giants Brown and Perriman # 3 the defensive line and secondary with these traded guys along with the rookies, the kicking game and if they need a kick off returner S.R. and Joe throwing over 5000 yards this year or close this friends is our season to take.

[gekaap]

We have come out throwing in the last couple postseasons, and we have averaged far more yds and points than in the regular season.

 

I believe what you meant to say was:  "We have come out throwing the past few regular seasons, and have gotten more losses, missed or just barely made the playoffs, and are currently on pace to match our franchise-worst 1st season's W/L record.

[RavensBaltimore]

I believe what you meant to say was:  "We have come out throwing the past few regular seasons, and have gotten more losses, missed or just barely made the playoffs, and are currently on pace to match our franchise-worst 1st season's W/L record.

 

Nope. We have never consistently run a spread, pass first offense throughout any regular season. 

 

Last year, we had the best offense in the history of the franchise. In EVERY ONE of our games where we scored more than our season average, we were very pass heavy until we had a comfortable lead and ran the ball to run the clock out, which gives the ILLUSION that we need to run the ball more to win games. We didn't come out throwing in every game though. 

 

The only time we missed the playoffs recently was 2013, and it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to blame the playcalling that season. We may have literally had the worst O-line, worst receiving corps, and worst run game in the league, and we did start the season with a lot of power run formations, which clearly wasn't working. We almost exclusively went to a spread offense in the middle of the season, and we went on a 4 game win streak and were in a playoff spot until Joe hurt his knee.

 

There has never been a time where we had a reasonably healthy team, ran the spread offense consistently, and it didn't work. There have been many times where we were a power running team and our offense was mediocre at best. In fact, our offense has never been better than mediocre when they were run first. 

 

Again, the only reason why more rushing attempts correlate to more wins is the fact that when we have a big lead, we run the ball a lot to milk the clock, and when we're trailing, we have to pass to try to come back. In the past several years, almost all of our big leads have been built through the passing game.