[News] The Breakdown: Eisenberg's Five Thoughts vs. Broncos

[BR News]

Frustrating loss. How much longer does Suggs play? Better protection needed. Defense played to win.

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[bmoraven]

1. Defense was ready, shut down a very good offense. 2. Need a speedy receiver back and better Tight End play 3. O line please protect Joe 4. Steve Smith cannot be our punt returner, too risky 5. Get well Soon Sizzle, we will greatly miss Every Aspect of your Game on and off the field

[omar586]

need speed to stretch defenses.

[whobilly]

Tough loss. Offense struggled, Perriman needs to get back and stretch the field. WR's invisible for the entire game. Time for some young blood/next man up to replace Sizzle.

[whobilly]

Oakland getting destroyed by the Bengals will not make life any easier next week.

[MichaelJ34]

My take away is that the Offensive line has to play better they didnt do well in run blocking or pass blocking. Therefore Joe couldnt get into a rhythm with his targets. Fix that and we roll big defense was outstanding today.

[LNB]

need speed to stretch defenses.

Wouldn't it be nice to have JJ Dragonfly with us still?  He wasn't perfect, but he would have torched Talil and given Joe a target deep down field.  I don't care if he dropped 2 out of 3, it would have backed Denver up.   As it was, they knew that we had no one fast enough to get past their secondary, and one of Joe's best weapons, his long ball, was essentially taken out of play, from the very beginning of the game.

[J.Flacco#5]

Wouldn't it be nice to have JJ Dragonfly with us still?  He wasn't perfect, but he would have torched Talil and given Joe a target deep down field.  I don't care if he dropped 2 out of 3, it would have backed Denver up.   As it was, they knew that we had no one fast enough to get past their secondary, and one of Joe's best weapons, his long ball, was essentially taken out of play, from the very beginning of the game.

Honestly, IMO even if we had a deep threat with the way the broncos got to Flacco, we wouldn't have had any time to even throw it deep. And that is why we didn't have any deep throws. If you noticed we were just making dump off passes because they got to Flacco so quickly.

[RavensDieHard21]

Despite losing the game and our Defensive Captain, the great news is Pees is finally calling great defensive plays! Great mix of blitz packages and the players executed them. Also, Jimmy Smith is a straight STUD! He shut down a top 3 receiver and made every tackle possible. I was even really pleased with Webbys aggressive play and Hill's nice deceptive coverages. running to the line and either coming in to make a play or dropping back in coverage so quickly certainly made Peyton think twice.

[thecommish]

5 thoughts.... 1. WOW is Monroe ever gonna live up to expectations???? (will we ever be able to count on him)??? 2. If Perriman is going to be out much longer... we need to go out an get another WR with some wheels. 3. The DL and entire defense played very well... encouraging 4. Carl Davis is a gem... BWilliams is a beast and getting Timmy back will make us even better. 5. Joe has to manage the pocket better -this has been an issue of his throughout his career and he needs to take the next step and stop panicing! NEXT WEEK WILL BE BETTER

[Zeus]

Trestmans play calling was very boring and predictable (Cam Cameron 101)

[law215]

1.) Offensive line was supposed to the strength of the team. Returning 5 starters but they were the worst unit today. Pass protection and Run game struggled. Must learn how to beat the blitz 2.) hard to gauge effectiveness of receivers. With the pressure Joe was getting , it may not matter who was out there. We've seen this even with Torrey and Jacoby. Must learn to beat blitz 3) Excellent Run Defense 4) Secondary will be tested especially if we need to blitz to get pressure. Can't wait to see how we are against Steelers and Bengals 5.) Injuries. I've seen more non-contact injuries in the NFL lately. Ravens can't take too many more.

[EddiOK]

Kudos to the D for keeping Manning & the Broncos out of the end zone. Get a decent offense going, and that game is ours. Frustrating to lose that close when it was still up for grabs in the final minute.

[Purpleghost23]

Hate losing like this..but or ofense was ugly to watch

[huntrgathrr]

Defense was as good as it gets....Offense was horrible. Sad that Flacco looked sooo bad. He acted scared the whole game, like he was afraid to take a hit. He lost a game that the defense won, it was entirely his fault. Then to not score in the red zone at the end was his way of making sure HE lost the game. Hate to say it, but if Renner was in there we win that game. Terrible way to start the season.

[Ravens8383]

On a positive note. Ravens play the Raiders next week. Good chance to bounce back.

[reed20fence]

When you lose a potential Hall of Famer in the first game in which you only put up 38 yards of offense in the 1st half, it's hard to find positives, but here is my shot at it:

1) our two safeties are really good. Pees had this scheme where either Hill or Lewis would line up in the box and try to sync their drop back into coverage with Peytons snaps. It worked, but they started moving too soon giving Peyton time to audible runs into the gaps vacated by the safety. The more Lewis gels back there the better this already tough defense will get.

2) It's good to find out right out of the gate that with no deep stretching element like Torrey forcing rival safeties out of the box and helping our run game, you're gonna have flat offense. Even if we get Perriman back, it may be worth getting another 9 route runner.

3) Hopefully in 2015 Upshaw is to Suggs what Jimmy was to Webby in 2012. The door of opportunity just blew wide open in a contract year, time for the big man to walk through. Same can be said of Za'darius. Doom isn't an edge setting container so we need 2 guys.

4) Putting Gilmore, with his massive frame, into these critical clutch situations early this year can only be a good thing. Let him get comfertable being that blanket for Joe on 3rd down and late in close games.

5) Ravens fans, after years of watching clutch games and pushing through devestating injuries and witnessing the perseverence of this team under Harbaugh have wisened up. At this stage we've been through so much that most of us aren't panicking about Suggs' loss, and are still looking forward to a lot of good football.

Edited September 14, 2015 by reed20fence

[iluvpurple]

Defense was as good as it gets....Offense was horrible. Sad that Flacco looked sooo bad. He acted scared the whole game, like he was afraid to take a hit. He lost a game that the defense won, it was entirely his fault. Then to not score in the red zone at the end was his way of making sure HE lost the game. Hate to say it, but if Renner was in there we win that game. Terrible way to start the season.

Seriously??? I don't know what game you watched but this loss is NOT on Joe..... He was being pounded and pressured just about the entire game, THAT is on the O-line..... He had ONE bad throw under pressure and that was the pic, as I recall, Manning had one as well...... Manning never got into the red zone and had 0 TDs, Joe not only did get into the red zone, he tossed TWO passes that should have been caught for a TD the last couple minutes of the game...... And Renner??? Ok, whatever........

[designermaryland]

I support Flacco, but you HAVE to know getting pressured on 3rd down and on your own 20 yard line to just eat that, or throw the ball away. We were up 4 on the road and the defense was looking impressive. If they punt that away on 4th down, at worst you need a FG later in the game and probably may have not even needed any scoring. The interception was a back breaker. It put them in the position to need a score - and they nearly pulled it off. I thought he was too casual with the last throw. They had 4 downs to put it in there, and surely we could have gotten a better look. Typical Joe on the road i guess.

On another note, Monroe is awful and is always nicked up and sitting. That was money wasted at LT. if the center of the line is going to cave in like that and allow pressure, Zuttah should be benched in favor of Urschel to see if he fares any better. Monroe is going to constantly be missing time, so we may as well count on Hurst playing, or use KO on the left and use Urschel at left guard.

[boldtown]

the defense wasn't as good and neither is manning. manning did more for the ravens defense that defense did for themselves. manning threw more errored throws than the ravens defended. the finger problems of manning seem to be evident. his career is done. it is just a matter of when the fork will be stuck. if it wasn't for manning inabilities we would be talking about the lack of skilled corners the ravens have instead of how the game actually ended. watch the replay if you disagree.

another thing was the play calling was horrible for the offense. professional football players, making millions, and you can't make quicker plays. play development was like watching molasses.

take a minute and think about brady. he isn't that good naturally. belichick made him. old bill realized that defenses were fast and good tackles were rare. so he made drills to get the ball out is the shortest time possible. trestman needs to elaborate on this. flacco can do it but the players around him need to step up. "well, the receivers aren't that good" well make them. there is no excuse for the offense to play this poorly. you adjust, next man up...adapt.

i put this lost on the coaches. they had no answer. the play calling look like they were scared. is trestman like kubiak or cameron? i couldn't handle another season of cameron. pridicality makes for a long season.

[FoltOrdog]

5 thoughts.... 1. WOW is Monroe ever gonna live up to expectations???? (will we ever be able to count on him)???

 

I'm pretty sure it was Hurst, who got run around by Ware all day, not Monroe.

[Rasenshuriken84]

if only Darryl Smith got that dropped pick, things could of been different.

[I*Bleed*Purple]

Defense was as good as it gets....Offense was horrible. Sad that Flacco looked sooo bad. He acted scared the whole game, like he was afraid to take a hit. He lost a game that the defense won, it was entirely his fault. Then to not score in the red zone at the end was his way of making sure HE lost the game. Hate to say it, but if Renner was in there we win that game. Terrible way to start the season.

This is a joke, right? You must have been in the can late in the game when Smith dropped a TD pass, and Gillmore had one taken out of his hands.

[AZRaven520]

The offensive game was hard to watch.. I wonder how much better they would have done if Monroe hadn't gotten knocked out of the game.

It seemed like all Flacco was thinking about was the rushers late in the game. The INT kind of showed it too.. but who could blame him.. those edge guys we're flying off the ball. Right from the snap the pocket was collapsing. Hopefully the online gets it together. Also hope Perriman can get on the field soon..but without practices under his belt that doesn't really mean much..

DEFENSE though.. held it down. Williams was killing it. Mosely was all over too.. I think Doom, Upshaw, and Z. Smith can do damage.. if the d-line can stuff the run like they did today. I guess if anything it's a good sign that they shut the down running game of a run-first offense. But we shall see. Sucks to lose Suggs, hope he makes a strong recovery.

[DENNYK]

The O-Line needs to step up now. Joe needs a little more time back there in order for things to set up. If we can't give him that time it will be a long and disappointing season for the fans and the team.

[Purple Dawg 96]

I was sitting next to a guy with fantasy teams and he was going for denver and he said this about time Joe Flacco throws and INT! The words didn't clear his mouth before Joe threw that pick six! Smh Joe needs to step his game up and the play calling SUCKED running instead of passing! Smh We good tho

[bioLarzen]

It would be a huge mistake to draw deep conclusions based on one game (I mean who saw a Super Bwol winning Ravens team in the regular season game in Kansas City in 2012?), so I guess we should wait until at least a few more games - but the O we saw last night might be the weakest Ravens O in a looooong while. It was frightening to see how inefficient, unimaginative, weak and bland the O was. The very last drive was really OK - but the rest... One fact: the first time the O set foot on the Denver end zone was late in the fourth round. That's inexcusable even from the Browns, Bucs or Jets, let alone the Ravens.

 

What makes this more than a bad start or a bad day for the O is that it seems encoded in the roster: the case might easily be that we weren't this bad because we had a bad day or because their D was so phenomenal, but because that's about what they are capable of. Until Perriman is ready to make any serious contribution (and I'd be very surprised if it was before mid-October (Week 6-7) the earliest), we have no legit deep threat, which at once strips us of Flacco's prime weapon. I still not see a legit backup situation behind Forsett (though Buck Allen was much better last night than I thought he would be, based on the pre-season) - and even Forsett won't be much of a weapon if the O-line doesn't realize it's no longer the pre-season... Neither Flacco nor Trestman is to blame here IMHO. Flacco can't be effective if the line doesn't protect him and give him time to throw. We all know Flacco isn't a quick thrower, he needs a couple of seconds. And I don't really see what Trestman could do differently with play calling if he only has what he had last night. How do you spice it up when the opponent's D knows damn well that it's not gonna be a deep pass, and the TE crop is inexperienced. Of course they're gonna blitz and stuff the running lanes - and in the majority of cfases it will work. Sure, Trestman needs to start being creative - and real soon... And sure, Flacco may need to realize he no longer has long seconds to throw and adjust his game accordingly - but mostly, we need a functioning O-line. Lat night we didn't. 2013, the only season we missed the playoffs in the Harbaugh-Flacco era was dominantly because of a miserable O-line that was spectacularly unable pick up blitzes, hold up the D-line and create running lanes. That immediately takes away the deep passes,and the running game. And the remaining one-dimensional O is a piece of cake to defend...

 

If - and that's  big if - what we saw of the O last night is in any way indicative of what we can expect of them this season, it's gonna be the D once again to carry us to the playoffs - a D that's just lost the captain... If Harbaugh doesn't do magic, we are in for a long - or rather, a short (16-game) season...

 

We'll see what happens. It's still week#1.

[bioLarzen]

 Hate to say it, but if Renner was in there we win that game.

 

Frustration is a terrible source of "thoughts"...

[Cillmatic]

Seriously??? I don't know what game you watched but this loss is NOT on Joe..... He was being pounded and pressured just about the entire game, THAT is on the O-line..... He had ONE bad throw under pressure and that was the pic, as I recall, Manning had one as well...... Manning never got into the red zone and had 0 TDs, Joe not only did get into the red zone, he tossed TWO passes that should have been caught for a TD the last couple minutes of the game...... And Renner??? Ok, whatever........

So I'm guessing you missed the play where Joe decided he was gonna play catch with Aqib Talib...

[PalmBayRaven]

Inept Offense always seems to be the way in Baltimore and this goes back since the beginning. We draft offensive players in the draft and get nothing except hearts broken. We got nothing right now. How does this happen year after year? Games like yesterday are why Flacco is not considered elite. Romo without Dez Bryant and no time outs drove his team 72 yards to score the game winning touchdown. I hate it when the Ravens lose! My week is ruined until Sunday for redemption. All is not lost only Cincinnati won yesterday but still..... Tired of the offense always sucking....