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

[BR News]

Officially time to reassess. Stock market crashed on defense. Needs more playmakers. Confidence crisis.

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[Purpleghost23]

Cuse,bad word, profanity, oh god, really? There are your five thoughts

[Crusader]

Looks like the Ravens are the new cleavland. I don't blame the workers I blame who hired and train them. Evidently they lost their skills.

[ravens4life86]

FIVE THOUGHTS..........

1) Need more Game Changers. (Specifically @ WRs, Secondary outside Jimmy Smith, D line. Elite franchise type 2way Edge setting/Rush End eventual Sizzle replacement, HOF Caliber DT/NT Suh/Ngata type who single handedly dismantles interior of Olines)

2) These games with Cini show the recent mistakes Ozzie and the organization has made letting Game Changers walk and draft misses. Boldin let go, Torrey let go, Jacoby let go, then Elam and Brown look like misses in draft.

3) Season Over.

4) Bye bye Pees

5) This is going to be a make or break offseason for direction of this organization. Joes contract extention needs to be team friendly. More money guaranteed up front but lower cap numbers 15 ish mil area per yr, so Oz can bring in WRs and defefensive gamechangers on both sides of the ball so we have a second 4 to 6 yr window at Rings.

Plus Tucker,Yanda, etc

[reed20fence]

1. Repeatedly failing to clamp down in 2 and 4 minutes defense scenarios spanning over multiple seasons now isn't just a player execution issue anymore. Either the coaching on defense isn't getting through to the players, or there's something wrong with the play calling itself. All signs are pointing at the defensive coordinator.

2. The "Flacco needs more playmakers" refrain is getting old. They went and got him SSS. They invested in Gilmore. They invested a coveted 1st round pick in Perriman, after having hoped Pitta's injury issues were over and investing in a new contract for him before the second injury. They re-signed Forsett after a solid rushing year. That's 2 WRs, a TE and starting RB. They brought the same o-line back which is a rarity these days in the NFL. He's thown for 400 in the last two games and Denver wasn't an anomaly cuz their defense is shutting everyone down.

3. We need a new D-Coordinator who can get through to the players and whose playcalling isn't predictable by your average Madden-playing couch potato. "Bend but don't break" is a soul-destroying, fear-rooted, cowards game plan. I don't care what the historical statistics say.

4. We've seen that in this age of the NFL, your front 4 need to generate pressure. We need to invest in fresh, young, versatile, edge rushers because the future of our AFC North opposition is Dalton and his young weapons.

5. We keep losing close, which means we're competitive. Losing close comes down to a handful of playcalls and play executions. The roster is what it is with the exception of Perriman's return. The only thing we can do is change the playcallers in Pees and hope it provides enough "umph" to carry us over the edge in these close games.

I vote Monachino.

Edited September 27, 2015 by reed20fence

[Militant X 1]

The Ravens showed a lot of heart Sunday, rallied from way back and had chances (plural) to win, but they're dealing with too many issues to play winning football. Right now, they aren't what everyone thought they were.

 

^ I've said it all throughout last week in here after their loss to the Raiders.  These Ravens are not as good as we'd like to think that they are or we'd like them to be...their not!  And it has shown itself 3 weeks into the season now. Reality!

Edited September 27, 2015 by Militant X 1

[ravens4life86]

As great as the Secondary looked in week 1 v Broncos, I also think your seeing how important pass rush is or lack thereof. Thats why I was so pissed when two straight weeks no Babin. He could have helped the pass rush.

But with Sizzle being a yr older and Dum being a yr older next yr, definitely think a have to invest in atleast 1 Edge Rusher maybe Two.. Because Pass Rush is a premium now in the NFL!

[slowboater]

When will the Ravens realize the run-first offense if no more? Everyone else has 2 or 3 big fast receivers and the Ravens have SSS. I see promise with 3 up and coming TE's but that is it. I know it is a league of parity or is it parody, with the way this season is going but this team has few game changing athletes. I already am trying to find something positive to look forward to for next year. This team really is not very good.

[ravens4life86]

If they invest in Pass Rushers and WRs through draft and otherwise... That will make this team 100x better.

Because your seeing how great NGATA and Sizzle are. 2 HOF Potential players. GAMECHANGERS!!! You take them off the D Line and QBs and Olines dont fear anyone on our Dline anymore

[ravenwildman]

Steve Smith can not be the only playmaker actually making plays if the Ravens are to win. The secondary right now is..... just terrible. Rothlisberger being out may not help us since it would seem a HS QB can beat up our secondary. Pees.....A.J. Green one on one all game or in zones on 3rd down?...and we wonder why we got burned? Every team that beat the Bengals last year doubled up on A.J. Green taking him out of the equation. Offense even with issues keep us in the game, defense turned it over on a platter. Something got to change fast or we start thinking about next years draft. GO RAVENS!

[bmoraven]

Not "Fast - Not "Physical"- Not Pissed Off"- Not Winning!

[law215]

1. Poor offensive play calling and lack of emphasis on the run game. Kubiak had the same exact guys so why can%u2019t this team run the football. Ravens don%u2019t win when Flacoo has to throw more than 35 times

2. Fire Pees. He is not putting players in situation to win. If AJ Green is lighting you up the whole game, why would you not double him, jam him. I don%u2019t care if they call holding on every play, but you do not let AJ Green run through the secondary for 80 yards in the 4th quarter.

3. Poor Team building. From misses in the draft (Oher, Elam, Kindle, Cody, Upshaw), letting key position go, relying on old men to carry the team. We saw this purging of the roster after the last Super Bowl. Review the draft and see how many guys we passed on. Team lack elite talent.

4. Boldin, Pollard, Torrey, Jones, you let go over a million here or there, but Paid often injured and under achieving J. Smith, Webb, and Monroe. That is how a team is always up against the salary CAP while but lack elite talent.

5. Humble Pie. OZ, Harbs, Decosta, Steve pride themselves on not having knee jerk reactions. I keep hearing our success mean we draft low, have a higher cap, so that%u2019s why the team is not talented. How do the Steelers, Patriots, Packers,Broncos stay below the CAP with so much talent, have more talent at WR, keep coaches in house? Better front office decision making , scout better, durable playmakers, negotiate better contracts, better drafts in the same or worse position as the Rave

[Zeus]

It will only get worse once Vick has his way with us

[drillem]

Five thoughts? I can think of 2 dozen. DC, penalties, OC, run game, corner backs, safeties, receivers, stupidity, etc. The coaches need to get on the field during the week with the players and work with them. There need to be penalties for the penalties. Lackluster performance needs to be handled with replacements. You come out to play for the Ravens, you better be motivated and have your head screwed on tight.

[RavenManiac#7]

I believe that I, also, see a loss of confidence in our players. And I think that it's going to get worse unless some changes are made. With, or without, Ben, the Squealers game on Monday evening is going to be very difficult to win and will, once again, tell us some more about just how downhill our team has gone. I really believe that mistakes have been made with our coaching staff. I think that we need a new Defensive Coordinator as well as a new Offensive Coordinator. It's probably realistic to expect Pees to get fired before too much longer but, unfortunately, I think that it's too soon to expect Harbs to admit that he made a mistake with his selection of Trestman as our OC. So, I suspect that we'll be stuck with him for a while. I'm not placing All the blame for our slide on the coaches. The quality of our players, I believe, has gone down the last few years too. I believe that it's safe to say that the team needs to be rebuilt, and I think it needs to start with the coaching staff. Improving the overall quality of our players will take a while. So, buckle your chin straps, and let's watch the rebuild begin. I still believe in Ozzie, but the only miracles I believe in are not man made. This could take a while.

[DenverRaven]

I have one thought: This organization needs to get it's act together. The Patriots, Packers, even the Bengals have the right talent, in the right places, to win big games. We do not. We're suddenly fans of a franchise with no identity. None.

Get it together.

[EliteRavens]

If only our free agents wouldn't leave for bigger contracts.

[balfan23]

The issue with the defense isn't new, it is just far worse. We've had late game issues for a while ... thankfully, our late game defensive issue didn't cost us a Super Bowl, but it came close. 

 

You can't give up leads like this. When you struggle and then take a lead, momentum is now in your court and our defense gives it back. Crazy in the one case where they took the lead and then they gave it back in 8 seconds. 

 

It feels like a coaching issue. Need to get it corrected, but since it has going on for a while, that seems unlikely to have happen in a snap. 

[stancofski]

If Harbaugh does not fire Pees, He will not be the ravens head coach when A.J. Green retires. Not even when he resigns.

[whobilly]

Thought #1. This is why you never get cranked up and excited about OTA's and Training Camp.The stories about how this was the deepest wide receiver core the Ravens ever had was laughable. Every receiver in an NFL camp can catch balls in shorts and a jersey. Thought #2. This D could possibly be the worst in the NFL.

[thecommish]

Five thoughts: 1. How long can we watch Dean Pees completely collapse? Week after week he shows that he is not up for the task (and we have way too much talent and investment in that defense for that to be true) Pees is our # 1 problem... we put up over 30 points twice this year and lost both games 2. We need to accept that Marlon Brown and Kamar Aiken are nothing more the decent role players (at best). We need Perriman back ASAP or trade for a WR. would like to see campanaro used more 3. Steve Smith is worth everything we are paying him and then some. However he is almost 37 and over use early could mean him hitting the wall down the stretch. We need to get him some help sooner then later 4. Missed opportunities.... we are a handful of plays away from being 3-0 but instead we are 0-3. Thats the NFL. We have to make plays and stop giving up stupid penalties.... no more free yards. 5. The Sqeelers on Thursday night and a long week to prepare for the Browns could go a long way to changing the direction of this season!

[OzzieBisciotti]

My Five Thoughts:

1) The secondary continues to stink- since last year as well- we did nothing to address the secondary in the off season

2) We don't need rushing play maker- we need wide receiver play makers. Aiken, Campanero, and Brown would not be first stringers on any team besides the Baltimore Ravens- we miss you Torrey and Jacoby

3) This was a must win game- with all the marbles on this game, we ended up losing at home- we will not make the playoffs, nor do we deserve to make the playoffs

4) We are missing leadership, heart from this team. There is no passion on this team.

5) Flacco said it best, "we're not good enough to be good in crunch time." Remember Jacoby (against Denver) and Torrey (against the Pats)? They'd always be good in crunch time. We can't expect Perriman to be our savior either- he hasn't proven anything, and with Ozzie's drafting of WRs, we know he usually can't pick them well.

[designermaryland]

Here is what is killing the Ravens: poor front office performance for about 10 years, and serious flawed picks the past 5. It is finally catching up with them because they are thin at too many positions. They are ignoring position of need. You do not need to draft 2 TE's when you drafted Crockett Gilmore the year before who looked good, when you have glaring needs at pass rush and defensive back. And they are signing average players to superstar contracts, who are not living up to billing. Jimmy Smith looks like a joke. Webb, Pitta, Monroe, Zuttah, Will Hill, etc. These are average to below average players getting top tier money. God love Pitta, but once you break your hip, you dont sign a guy to a 5 year contract. That is wasted money that is killing the overall team depth. Between Monroe who never plays and Pitta we are paying $12 mil for no performance return. If you add suggs and webb, that may be about 25% of the payroll which is out, or playing horribly. i dont see any positive results coming this season with the current effort level.

[Ravens530]

The team looks exactly like I thought it would now that this new era of Ravens is completely on its own. The issues with the defense are not new, they are simply at the end of their time. The time for unproven young talent and free agent bandaids are simply not enough anymore. This bend but don't break philosophy has been the wrong attitude for the last three years. Time to turn the page.

The offense goes as Flacco goes -- which means how effective is the offensive line and run/pass balance. Right now it is very poor and you see the results. Joe is a great QB, but needs the basics around him. Only guys like Brady and Rogers can ALLOW your team excess injuries and/or vulnerabilities.

Lastly, and I can say this proudly that I have never been a Harbaugh guy. I support him as our guy but that's it. Personally I attach just about all of his success to the hand he was dealt. Ray Lewis and the old guard supported by Flacco have afforded us the success we have known -- NOT John Harbaugh! You don't need a Navy Seal to give team speeches. Just show a few Ray Lewis highlight reels and they will understand what it means to play like a Raven.

[gooftroop]

How many times have we seen this movie? Offense lousy early but defense does enough to keep us in the game. Offense wakes up and gets us ahead, or close. Defense needs one big stop and can't get it.

[BallsoHard622]

Everything mentioned in this article is what I was saying during the preseason an was easy for everybody to see. But we still went into the season like things were kool. I would write how I really feel but I would be repeating myself again, it's like beating a dead horse.

[Fastynart]

Well, at least the defense tried to put pressure on the qb and stuffed the run. What they can't do is cover anyone. Steve Smith is a gutsy guy, but he can't carry this pathetic team. Flacco is no leader. If you watched Brady, when his pocket collapsed, he drifted outside, looked downfield (the entire field), and fired a bullet to his open receiver for a first down. Flacco doesn't plain and simple. He plays like crap against Cincy, but, to be fair, we had the lead twice in the fourth quarter, and the poor excuse for a defense gave the game away......again.

[Dfrm410]

Damn, We miss Ed Reed bAD

[EdBallhawkReed20]

I disagree with a lot of the plans complaining. If you say John Harbaugh is not a good coach. Go cheer for another team because you are not a Baltimore Ravens fan. The same person saying John Harbaugh isn't a great coach is ridiculous if your going to say talking to and coaching the players is not important... You stop watching sports because I'm sure you weren't saying that when we won the Super Bowl. Plus we have been o the playoff the last seven of eight years with the majority of these coaches.Don't blame Dean Pees because injuries happen and we typically use certain players in certain formations on defense. The Ravens problems are obvious. !.) Offensively we don't have a speedy receiver to stretch the field. This set Joe Flacco in a "Land Before Time I Mean Torrey Smith" The Ravens lost to the Steelers three games in a row and Harbaugh went out in the draft next season and got a fast receiver. 2.) You can't call that a bad defense because honestly its a like the Ravens old defense and what I mean by that is a lot of fans got used to Baltimore getting off a fast start sometimes. This used to happen where the defense would eventually get tired or give up a big play against a talented team. All the teams we played are arguably stronger offensive teams than defensive. It's not showing because the offense is not putting up points at the beginning of games. When you think about the teams we played you don't think about their defense first as their strong point. I think once Breshad Perriman plays two games then everybody will see the team they envisioned us being. Permian not playing is killing the team. Harbaugh or Ozzie needs to get a speedy receiver asap to help Flacco. These games are a lot harder to win when teams know you can't stretch the field which is also hurting the run game as well... Something to think about I'm not hitting the panic button just yet.

[WordProphet]

I keep saying that penalties will kill us, everyone knows that a face mask is a penalty, so why do it, that person should be fined $20,000.00 for doing that. I'm telling you now, it seem like a lot of these players on the Ravens today don't care about the team winning or they wouldn't get all these stupid penalties that make us lose. You tell these people that penalties are killing us and they go out there and make more. Me myself, I get tired of stupid stuff real quick, especially when it's done by adults, for it just does not make sense and these people can't seem to understand that. Hitting the opposing QB when he doesn't have the ball in his hands and a facemask when your team is driving to win the game, for it stops you, and give the other team the advantage and they go on to win the game. There is no excuse to lose games because of penalties. That's just not professional, those people have to look at themselves and make changes to the way they play. Now, I can understand that football is a fight for 60 minutes but your team is now 0 and 3, what are you going to do to start winning, you better think of something unless you want to be 0 and 16 for penalties can get you there, because they stop drives and will turn the ball over or move the opposing team closing to the endzone with a 1st down in tow, so nothing good come out of penalties only super bad stuff that can make you lose, I'm just saying!!!