Is the defense for real?

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

On 9/12/2016 at 7:33 AM, jazz1988 said:

The Ravens also lost Suggs after their  first game last year.its quite obvious now Suggs helps give The Ravens defense life .

Well its certainly not Boring with Suggs back...lol

[PurpleCity5]

11 hours ago, Steve0x said:

Heres the real test..On Sept 25 @ Jacksonville. Jags are way better than the Bills and The Browns. They're a couple steps better then those two teams. Plus you're playing in Jacksonville where those fans are loud.   

I don't think they're way better than the Bills. I don't even know if they're even that much better honestly, Cleveland sure but Buffalo? I don't know about that. I'm still worried about them because their next game is at San Diego and if they lose that then they will be in super desperation mode and we have a history of struggling on the road against weak teams.

[52liveforever]

4 hours ago, PurpleCity5 said:

I don't think they're way better than the Bills. I don't even know if they're even that much better honestly, Cleveland sure but Buffalo? I don't know about that. I'm still worried about them because their next game is at San Diego and if they lose that then they will be in super desperation mode and we have a history of struggling on the road against weak teams.

I agree.  Their offenses are very different in that one is a dynamic run based offense and the other is a very versatile pass offense.  Not having to deal with a well rounded offense right away to get our defense in a groove and build confidence before we have to face the bengals and steelers who can effectively run and pass on you I think will be really good for our guys. 

[berad]

21 hours ago, Steve0x said:

Heres the real test..On Sept 25 @ Jacksonville. Jags are way better than the Bills and The Browns. They're a couple steps better then those two teams. Plus you're playing in Jacksonville where those fans are loud.   

A couple months ago, you were ready to ship the Jags to Texas because lack of fan support.

Jacksonville has a ton of receiving talent and good passing game, they'll be a test for sure

[OUravensfan]

On September 12, 2016 at 9:23 PM, ThatsMyJoeTerback said:

885 yards, 4 TD's, 0 INT's, 96.7 rating. 

That's pretty good, don't you think?

Its good, but half his yards are from one game. We should put an end to this fear of a 37 year old journey man this Sunday. 

But I agree, we have every right to be mindful of this threat, and the Browns, anyone that's followed this team and division for at least 2 seasons knows there is no such thing as a free AFCN win

[reed20]

Well Buffalo posted 31 points against the Jets so hmm..

[Adreme]

14 minutes ago, reed20 said:

Well Buffalo posted 31 points against the Jets so hmm..

 

The Jets also scored 37 so I would not read too much into it.  Thursday games can be weird especially early in the year when teams are still figuring out who they are.  Having those super short weeks to further hinder preparation time can lead to some unusual outcomes.

[kjbmore]

yeah im looking at buffalo pointing up 31 against the jets and thinking our defense must be doing something right

[KBoum]

3 hours ago, kjbmore said:

yeah im looking at buffalo pointing up 31 against the jets and thinking our defense must be doing something right

Does that mean how offense isn't so good

[Adreme]

11 hours ago, KBoum said:

Does that mean how offense isn't so good

It means that the defenses did not have time to make the corrections and adjustments that most teams want to make after week 1 when after that first game they get a food feeling of who they are.  Offenses usually start off the year better then defenses and on a short week with little time to adjust that was going to be the case this time as well.

[CalvinSmoke]

14 hours ago, Adreme said:

It means that the defenses did not have time to make the corrections and adjustments that most teams want to make after week 1 when after that first game they get a food feeling of who they are.  Offenses usually start off the year better then defenses and on a short week with little time to adjust that was going to be the case this time as well.

That's an excuse. The week one game didn't show us much, we didn't allow big plays like the Jets did. But Buffalo struggles with building long scoring drives so far.

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

On 9/16/2016 at 2:15 AM, kjbmore said:

yeah im looking at buffalo pointing up 31 against the jets and thinking our defense must be doing something right

For some context:

The D scored on a fumble return... so 24 pts for the offense. 

Of the 3 TDs... 2 came on passing TDs of 70+ yards. One of the first plays of those respective drives and both were partially blown coverages. 

The third came after a great kick return started them near midfield. 

And the run game still really struggled. They were 3/10 on 3rd downs and only manage about 15 total 1st downs. Lost TOP almost 2:1  

 

We did avoid void the big plays which is a positive... but the Bills offense didn't look very good against the Jets either. But, in fairness the Jets D is no slouch... and we looked better. 

Still lots to be encouraged about. But, we didn't shut out an offensive juggernaut. They just happened to exploit the 2-3 mistakes the Jets made... while we didn't have those lapses.

[JoeyFlex5]

14 minutes ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

For some context:

The D scored on a fumble return... so 24 pts for the offense. 

Of the 3 TDs... 2 came on passing TDs of 70+ yards. One of the first plays of those respective drives and both were partially blown coverages. 

The third came after a great kick return started them near midfield. 

And the run game still really struggled. They were 3/10 on 3rd downs and only manage about 15 total 1st downs. Lost TOP almost 2:1  

 

We did avoid void the big plays which is a positive... but the Bills offense didn't look very good against the Jets either. But, in fairness the Jets D is no slouch... and we looked better. 

Still lots to be encouraged about. But, we didn't shut out an offensive juggernaut. They just happened to exploit the 2-3 mistakes the Jets made... while we didn't have those lapses.

The most encouraging thing of all was that last year we got decimated by the big play due to mental lapses and errors. Didn't matter what offense we played, big plays were bound to happen against us.

For a team that lost 9 games by 1 possession and many of those losses coming in the final minutes, I'd say that cutting down greatly on big plays is something to be excited about

[OUravensfan]

15 minutes ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

The most encouraging thing of all was that last year we got decimated by the big play due to mental lapses and errors. Didn't matter what offense we played, big plays were bound to happen against us.

For a team that lost 9 games by 1 possession and many of those losses coming in the final minutes, I'd say that cutting down greatly on big plays is something to be excited about

I would of preferred a blowout obviously but as you say, in stark contrast from last year it is very encouraging to see us have the killer instinct to pull out a close win, something we clearly lacked last year. Eventually, if you want to win it all you have to demonstrate you can win close games, it was nice to see. I'd like to see a blowout tomorrow @ CLE all that being said.

[reed20]

6 hours ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

For some context:

The D scored on a fumble return... so 24 pts for the offense. 

Of the 3 TDs... 2 came on passing TDs of 70+ yards. One of the first plays of those respective drives and both were partially blown coverages. 

The third came after a great kick return started them near midfield. 

And the run game still really struggled. They were 3/10 on 3rd downs and only manage about 15 total 1st downs. Lost TOP almost 2:1  

 

We did avoid void the big plays which is a positive... but the Bills offense didn't look very good against the Jets either. But, in fairness the Jets D is no slouch... and we looked better. 

Still lots to be encouraged about. But, we didn't shut out an offensive juggernaut. They just happened to exploit the 2-3 mistakes the Jets made... while we didn't have those lapses.

Not one but two passing TD's of 70+ yards? It's a pretty big deal. Tyrod had a passer rating of 112.8. Tyrod! The Jets' defense was trash. They didn't even register a single sack and recorded 1 QB hit on taylor all day. Trash. That INT they had was a forced throw near the end of the game to try and make something happen.

Edited September 18, 2016 by reed20

[ellicottraven]

On 9/12/2016 at 2:25 AM, reed20 said:

Or was it just the bills?

 

160 yards makes us #1 so far in fewest yards allowed. And next week we play against Cleveland  

And we are not going to blow it either. I expect the D to come out swinging and stay swinging tomorrow to honor the passing of a great coach CB!

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

10 minutes ago, ellicottraven said:

And we are not going to blow it either. I expect the D to come out swinging and stay swinging tomorrow to honor the passing of a great coach CB!

They better. I wouldn't want to deal with Harbs after something like that. 

It would be humiliating to lose to the Browns

[ellicottraven]

35 minutes ago, LosT_in_TranSlatioN said:

They better. I wouldn't want to deal with Harbs after something like that. 

It would be humiliating to lose to the Browns

Should they lose to the Browns tomorrow the reckoning is near for a lot of people.

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

7 minutes ago, ellicottraven said:

Should they lose to the Browns tomorrow the reckoning is near for a lot of people.

I feel like if we lose to the Browns the world would explode. We are far better off than last year. But they always play us hard.

[Halshayeji]

On September 12, 2016 at 9:09 PM, cobrajet said:

I have to say that we had many drives on offense that started around our 10 yard line. We may of had to punt several times but we would get up to our 30 or 40 yard line first, so it did not seem like we had many 3 and outs. Since we moved the ball a few series on offense, even before punting, the defense did have an opportunity to rest a little each change of possession. Also, the Bills did not put together too many long drives (3-13 on third down), to our defenses credit. We ate up a lot of time in the 4th quarter on offense with that long drive and we won the time of possession on offense by almost 6 minutes. Therefore, overall I think that the defense was able to stay rested during the game. I think this gave our defense an edge during the game. It might have made a difference if our offense had a lot of three and outs, especially in the 4th quarter.

Great post! No 3 and outs and our D will feast!

[Halshayeji]

On September 14, 2016 at 1:49 AM, Cillmatic said:

After the game Jimmy confirmed that the staff simplified the defense and brought out a lot of new looks. Glad that Pees finally changing things. Defense looked confident and ready the whole game.

I don't know who it was from the bills that said the Ravens threw plays at us that we've never seen on film. Keep them coming Pees. Make smart QBs think about certain looks while we execute our gameplan in disguise. 

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

1 hour ago, Halshayeji said:

I don't know who it was from the bills that said the Ravens threw plays at us that we've never seen on film. Keep them coming Pees. Make smart QBs think about certain looks while we execute our gameplan in disguise. 

Both Tyrod and Shady were the ones who mentioned we did a lot of things on 3rd down and in the red zone that they had never seen before. That was good to hear. We're not going to be predictable and Pees is putting a serious emphasis in getting us off the field on 3rd down. 

Most important down in football. When our defense has looked bad, especially last year, it felt like we'd force 3rd and longs, play it vanilla or soft and give up the first. That would lead to long drives and we'd get gassed, offense would lose rhythm and there's would start to roll. 

If we can keep that up, and continue to avoid the big plays (which I'm 100% confident in with Weddle and Webb back there) this D should continue to feast. 

Really excited to see this defense with a pocket passer. Instead of just containing the pocket we can really get after it. 

Jernigan and Judon are going to have big games tomorrow. Book it. Judons going to make sure the NFL knows who he is after tomorrow. 

[Halshayeji]

4 hours ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

Both Tyrod and Shady were the ones who mentioned we did a lot of things on 3rd down and in the red zone that they had never seen before. That was good to hear. We're not going to be predictable and Pees is putting a serious emphasis in getting us off the field on 3rd down. 

Most important down in football. When our defense has looked bad, especially last year, it felt like we'd force 3rd and longs, play it vanilla or soft and give up the first. That would lead to long drives and we'd get gassed, offense would lose rhythm and there's would start to roll. 

If we can keep that up, and continue to avoid the big plays (which I'm 100% confident in with Weddle and Webb back there) this D should continue to feast. 

Really excited to see this defense with a pocket passer. Instead of just containing the pocket we can really get after it. 

Jernigan and Judon are going to have big games tomorrow. Book it. Judons going to make sure the NFL knows who he is after tomorrow. 

Oh man my lips are watering after reading a comment like that!

I miss having a D that just flat out dominates... Lets stay healthy and keep the chaos going!

[flynismo]

Hats off to the defense for rebounding from a god awful start. Shutting a team out for over three quarters is no small feat.

[Steve0x]

Perhaps maybe Ravens defense play so much better in Baltimore than on the road. Simply because our fans are very loud at the bank.

[reed20]

The jury is still out. We learned a lot though and that's we REALLY need Dumervil to return.

[52520Andrew]

I didn't jump on the annual hype train regarding the defense so overall I am actually happy we have gone through 2 games without blowing a lead(after doing that only once last year(shudders)) but I want to see us against Jacksonville and Oakland before I decide whether I think this is a good group or not.

As for my thoughts regarding the defense in this game

Good: Kept them at 20 points through the final 3 quarters. Now McCown did get injured so it is tough to tell how much of an impact that had as he was lighting us up beforehand. It is hard to give all the credit to us for making adjustments but it is still a clear positive and we don't win if they didn't step up their play. 

The Bad: The first quarter and the final drive leading up to the pick. I shouldn't have to explain the first quarter. Final drive could have been handled better and we need to stop letting the opponent march down the field during almost every final drive. Why not get an early stop for once and save us from a heart attack every Sunday? Yeah that isn't happening anytime soon but next week will be pretty telling with this group.

[GrimCoconut]

3 hours ago, 52520Andrew said:

I didn't jump on the annual hype train regarding the defense so overall I am actually happy we have gone through 2 games without blowing a lead(after doing that only once last year(shudders)) but I want to see us against Jacksonville and Oakland before I decide whether I think this is a good group or not.

As for my thoughts regarding the defense in this game

Good: Kept them at 20 points through the final 3 quarters. Now McCown did get injured so it is tough to tell how much of an impact that had as he was lighting us up beforehand. It is hard to give all the credit to us for making adjustments but it is still a clear positive and we don't win if they didn't step up their play. 

The Bad: The first quarter and the final drive leading up to the pick. I shouldn't have to explain the first quarter. Final drive could have been handled better and we need to stop letting the opponent march down the field during almost every final drive. Why not get an early stop for once and save us from a heart attack every Sunday? Yeah that isn't happening anytime soon but next week will be pretty telling with this group.

I thought about this during the game, but this is sort of a chicken and the egg kinda deal. We were relentlessly hitting him and knocking the life out of him. In fact, that's one thing I noticed about this defense compared to last year--we are physical with our pass rushers, whether they are OLB or DL. These guys are hitting the QB and making them feel the hit (at least, whenever they actually get to the QB they do--sometimes they run past the QB or try to wrap up and fail miserably, but that's another story for another day). I think that affected Tyrod and I think it affected McCown. Did their poor performance both result from these hits they sustained as a consequence of our physical presence in getting after the QB? That's a good question and it's one I am wondering. Jernigan in particular is bringing the pain, but so is Pierce. 

[Maryland]

We hit McCown a TON, but it was always just a fraction of a second late. Maybe with a healthy Doom and Sizzle those hits become incompletions or sacks

[Sami84]

so far webb has been given a pass due to the two wins...but he's not been impressive at all IMHO.