[News] Marc Trestman Working On Improving Run Game Over Bye

[BR News]

The Ravens may face more run-stopping defensive fronts if they can’t throw the ball effectively.

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[fusuymada]

This isn't the 2014 Ravens playbook, it is the 2014 Bears playbook. They may have adapted some of the terminology, but this isn't Kubiak's offense.

[ravens4life86]

Good. Have to stay committed to the RUN! eveey game Forsett should have 20 carries, Ravens should have 20-25 runs.

[birdseye]

The whole, we've been behind in games making us throw isn't really a valid argument. If we were getting blown out and needing to come from 21 points down then yeah, you have to abandon the run. Trestman just isn't as smart as Kubiak was in calling in the right running play at the correct time. We rarely ever had loss of gains last year on the ground. For the record, Kubiak is one of the best run game coordinators ever so thats not really a slight on Trestman, as much as it was an indication that Kubkiak gets the most out of his OL's. Trestman has abandoned the run because his area of expertise is through the air, which makes sense. Harbs needs to stay in Trestmans ear about sticking to the run

[ravens4life86]

I love slinging deep bombs with Joe and using his cannon, using the TEs over the middle.. But look at teams who are successful in the playoffs and recently...committed to run game Seahawks,Panthers(undefeated), Cinci(Undefeated) ran for 150 yrds last night...notice the teams that throw the ball 55-60x a game are losing...Colts and Andrrew Luck,Phil Riversand Chargers, etc..

[devilsadvocate1]

We don't even use the run when it is the perfect option. Last game we have the ball tied 26-26 in field goal range with just over 2 minutes to go. What to do? Maybe run the ball 3 times, make SD use their time outs, then kick the field goal, so that SD gets the ball with no TOs. What do we do? Put Joe in an empty backfield shotgun,fumble the snap and move 10 yards further back. Then throw an incomplete pass, then pass again and kick FG. SD gets ball back with2 TOs. Terrible clock management.

[ALSKAN RAVEN FAN]

I love smash mouth ball. However the guys just seem to twinkle-toe instead of playing smash mouth when it's a short yardage situation and this has seemed to happen the last few years just like the DB's playing 10 yards off the WR's. I also don't like the way that the offense bunches everyone up instead of spreading them out a little bit so they don't get an 11 man defensive box trying to stop the short yardage situation.

[birdseye]

Fusuymada duh, theyre completely different coordinators, teams, offenses, offensive player personell. When we hired Trestman we didn't keep Kubiaks playbook, no coordinator would EVER accept a position where they dont get to call their own plays, thats not how it works. We kept Kubiaks philosphy and zone run scheme the same, thats it.

[Bohica5]

This team should be committed to Draft picks not wearing down our already banged up OL and RB's and just get healthy for next year.....Not giving %100 to a 2-10 team IS acceptable.......

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

Need to be improving redzone and 3rd down situational play calling. Especially adjustments Joe can make if he sees the defense is going to disrupt what we want to do

[Bohica5]

We don't even use the run when it is the perfect option. Last game we have the ball tied 26-26 in field goal range with just over 2 minutes to go. What to do? Maybe run the ball 3 times, make SD use their time outs, then kick the field goal, so that SD gets the ball with no TOs. What do we do? Put Joe in an empty backfield shotgun,fumble the snap and move 10 yards further back. Then throw an incomplete pass, then pass again and kick FG. SD gets ball back with2 TOs. Terrible clock management.

Exactly.......Thanks coach for that less than par play calling.....

[Purple Dawg 96]

Noooooooooooooooooo the run game is fine work on getting the WRs open and the TEs! SMH

[FloridalovesRavens]

Everyone is a coach. Ravens will do what they think is right. Fans may not agree but I dare say they know more about these things then the fans do. Go Ravens.

[Tenacious Faulker]

The issues that we face now are pretty close to what the Bears faced with Trestman. In 2014 Matt Forte ran the ball less as they tried to rely on Cutler's arm. They had an awful OL and Cutler was pressured and sacked often. They had trouble with 3rd down, red zone and short yardage conversions too. And the turn overs killed that team and was the capper on Trestman's so-call QB whisperer time there.

Run the Ball. That's what they built this team for in 2014 and it worked, dammit, and it was virtually the same offense! Don't change what ain't broken! And don't have too much ego to be Kubiak's "clone". Kubiak is a proven head coach and OC. You...not so much. Just use what he left you and run the freaking' ball!!! Joe will do better if you keep defenses honest with the run.

[PolishRifle]

We kinda have to. There's no one left to catch the dang ball.

[iluvpurple]

I still have confidence in our passing game, even with all that has transpired up till now, however, the run game is also a very important piece to our offense, and it certainly can't hurt to improve on it....

[TheConquerorWorm]

The issues that we face now are pretty close to what the Bears faced with Trestman. In 2014 Matt Forte ran the ball less as they tried to rely on Cutler's arm. They had an awful OL and Cutler was pressured and sacked often. They had trouble with 3rd down, red zone and short yardage conversions too. And the turn overs killed that team and was the capper on Trestman's so-call QB whisperer time there. Run the Ball. That's what they built this team for in 2014 and it worked, dammit, and it was virtually the same offense! Don't change what ain't broken! And don't have too much ego to be Kubiak's "clone". Kubiak is a proven head coach and OC. You...not so much. Just use what he left you and run the Freakin' ball!!! Joe will do better if you keep defenses honest with the run.

Running the ball for the sake of saying you ran the ball is not very smart. Neither is running the ball against 8-9 players in the box using run blitzes. That's what every team that plays us is doing. You can't keep a defense "honest" when they know you have no WR that can get open against single coverage. Stack the box, eliminate the run and make Kamar Aiken beat us - that's the philosophy of our opponents. Running 40 plays against a stacked box will get you nowhere (why do you think the Average Yards Per Carry is so low?). It worked in 2014 because you had Torrey & SSS and safeties had to play back.

[TheConquerorWorm]

We don't even use the run when it is the perfect option. Last game we have the ball tied 26-26 in field goal range with just over 2 minutes to go. What to do? Maybe run the ball 3 times, make SD use their time outs, then kick the field goal, so that SD gets the ball with no TOs. What do we do? Put Joe in an empty backfield shotgun,fumble the snap and move 10 yards further back. Then throw an incomplete pass, then pass again and kick FG. SD gets ball back with2 TOs. Terrible clock management.

That's not accurate. San Diego never got the ball back. And you forgot how we drove down the field in the first place - by throwing the ball. It was working. Sure, you could of tried to slam the ball forward for a couple of yards (against a stacked box) which would have made it a 50 yard FG for Tucker, who has struggled at M&T and was playing into the wind. The fumbled snap took you out of FG range, so you had to throw the ball twice (and SD used their 2nd TO after the fumble). I guess you also forgot about the two runs after the PI penalty - you know, the ones that resulted in "no gain" and 1 yard. SD was playing the run the whole time.

Edited November 6, 2015 by TheConquerorWorm

[Crusader]

Funny, it was working FINE before you got here. Whatever you did un do it since its the same offensive line with Gary.

[Crusader]

You really want to know what is wrong with the Ravens? Scroll down this page and pay attention to the gray highlighted names called "Pro Bowler". Notice before John was here and after John was here. You tell me. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_Ravens_draft_history

[RavensBaltimore]

We don't even use the run when it is the perfect option. Last game we have the ball tied 26-26 in field goal range with just over 2 minutes to go. What to do? Maybe run the ball 3 times, make SD use their time outs, then kick the field goal, so that SD gets the ball with no TOs. What do we do? Put Joe in an empty backfield shotgun,fumble the snap and move 10 yards further back. Then throw an incomplete pass, then pass again and kick FG. SD gets ball back with2 TOs. Terrible clock management.

That's not what happened. SD didn't get the ball back with 2 TOs. They didn't get the ball back at all, because we got a 1st down throwing the ball, so we were able to run down the clock entirely, and Tucker's FG was the last play of the game.

[RavensBaltimore]

This obsession with "running the ball more" in Baltimore is really annoying. Are you people watching the games? Running the ball has just been wasting downs and putting us in 3rd and long situations, and we don't have the receivers that can get open and make plays down the field to convert very often. A very high % of our run plays have gone for no more than 1 yrd. We beat SD because we pretty much abandoned the run in the first 3 qtrs, and we only punted twice all game. Being able to consistently stay on the field with our passing game wore down their defense, so we ran it well in the 4th qtr. How many games has our offense struggled early, been forced to abandon the run, then we make a late push and nearly pull off a comeback? If we wouldn't have wasted so many possessions trying to run the ball, and Trestman would have called every game similar to SD, we would probably at least .500 right now. You have to play to your strengths. Our offense is ranked in the top 10 despite a below average run game. Running the ball just for the sake of running it = 3-and-outs. We need to fix our red zone issues, we have been moving the ball and scoring points mostly with the passing game. Trying to force runs will just set us back.

[Crusader]

Work on the run game, pass defense, rushing the QB, passing the ball, and game plans. Sound like the Ravens are still in preseason mode or training camp.

[slowboater]

This isn't the 2014 Ravens playbook, it is the 2014 Bears playbook. They may have adapted some of the terminology, but this isn't Kubiak's offense.

Yes, you need to carry the rock, but many offenses now use the pass to set up the run. The Ravens have the line to run. They have the backs to run. Only problem is now most teams are stacking 8-9 in the box and daring the Ravens to pass. Even in a pass biased league, no team is scared of the Raven's receievers.

Fix that and no one will be complaining about the run game.

[purpledown]

the Ravens have the backs to sustain a running game with Forsett , Allen,Magee and i think Modesert can also help. They just needed a consistent effort to run the ball.

[alexbayrobin]

I really think they will play much better the rest of the season. They have had so many close games. I think they will win more of those close games from now on. I had such high hopes at the beginning. In a way I'm glad I wasn't here for those games. I know I would have been very disappointed. I'm disappointed now but it's only once instead of every week.

[ravenstime]

I think we're running the ball just fine. Look at the game last week. We needed to pass on the last few drives (last one especially) and we still mixed in runs, and some that went very well. I'm pretty sure that if we pass well, we're going to win. That will back defenders out of the box and the running game will be there. If we don't pass well, then we're in trouble, because you cannot win a game as easily with your running game. I think we need to take more shots 15 or more yards downfield, regularly. Flacco has got a good arm and in today's game, you have to put the game on your quarterbacks' shoulders. He's a franchise QB, if you don't want to say more than that (elite?), so let him play!

[Fastynart]

The Ravens achilles heel has been not being able to get tough yards. This is nothing new. They have failed on third and one and fourth and one more times than I can count. Their best play in those circumstances in the quarterback sneak. They badly need a bulldozer on the offensive line. Since Monroe is their weakest lineman, and Hurst is not the answer, an LT should be a draft priority. Say what you want about McKinney, he was a godsend to our LT woes. Bad attitude, overweight, notwithstanding. He did his job and did it well. Monroe stinks. The Ravens poor drafts and mantra for "best available" (which they have failed miserably at) has left open wounds in the LT position and defensive backfield. They need to fix both of them if they are to be competitive.

[Crusader]

"Funny, it was working FINE before you got here. Whatever you did un do it since its the same offensive line with Gary." SO WHAT changed People? All these players forgot how to block after one year?

[godc28]

That's not what happened. SD didn't get the ball back with 2 TOs. They didn't get the ball back at all, because we got a 1st down throwing the ball, so we were able to run down the clock entirely, and Tucker's FG was the last play of the game.

No, we got a first down on a penalty. while we did convert and ultimately win the game, but the first down shotgun in field goal range with a backup center seemed a little odd to me.