[News] Recent Ravens Defenses In Rare Company

[BR News]

Only three defenses in the NFL have finished in the top 10 in overall yards allowed in each of the last three seasons.

View the full article

[ibleedpurpleandblack]

That’s exactly the question we have to look at. We’ve looked at it really specifically, so that’s a general overview of it – what it is going to take to be the best defense in the league for 16 weeks-plus.”

Stay healthy and get bigger and stronger in the backfield is a good place to start!

[RavensDieHard21]

Just imagine if we had a solid #2 corner so young could have stayed inside. Or another young pass rusher? 

Our unit is close. We get a rusher and a pair of corners in the draft and maybe another rotational lineman and we will be scary--if we stay healthy😆

[sami]

I have to look at the DC. He coaches well until its crunch time then he plays scared. Too much playing not to lose rather than playing to disrupt and dismantle. The reason I think this is cuz it happens just before the half and at the end of the game. In other words CRUNCH TIME

[The Greek]

That’s exactly the question we have to look at. We’ve looked at it really specifically, so that’s a general overview of it – what it is going to take to be the best defense in the league for 16 weeks-plus.”

Stay healthy and get bigger and stronger in the backfield is a good place to start!

would like to see us find a hard hitter on the back. make receivers think twice. hope we can find 2 cb's

[RavensDieHard21]

12 minutes ago, The Greek said:

would like to see us find a hard hitter on the back. make receivers think twice. hope we can find 2 cb's

One in the first or second then double dip in the third would be real nice.

[griffrb]

"Upside." Here we go. Another off-season of raising expectations based on "upside."

[ellicottraven]

Pees is a very good coach, no make it a great coach..... till we get to the 4th quarter or leading by less than 10 points in the 4th quarter whichever comes first!

[BiggMack91]

dean is not good plays scared zone in the 4th and will lose you the game doesn't hide the blitz good enough has CB playing 10 yards off the line rarely presses the receivers witch would give pass rush more time but in the end he will not be here much longer playing this way

[thegooddoc456]

Lack of pass rush is a real killer in this passing league. When push comes to shove, this might be the Ravens most glaring weakness. The Ravens secondary is serviceable(certainly not excellent) if it's complimented by any semblance of a pass rush...the offense, when healthy, might not be potent, but it's also serviceable. When Flacco is not in dump-off mode, we can generate a decent rushing and passing attack...but we're plagued by a tendency to settle for too many FGs. However, the Ravens pass rush is truly lifeless. It's not even what's coming off the edge as many think...the fact that there's absolutely no push up the middle is a serious deficiency. Our D-linemen are not disruptive at all, they're far too easily stone-walled by the opposition, and this goes for every single one of them. Something has to be wrong in the techniques and schemes cos' those guys as a unit(to me) are the weakest link on the entire team. Heck, the guys on the edges would get more sacks if they can generate any pressure up the middle. They also struggled when we went up against really good running teams. I'm not even going to pretend like I know what the solution is, it just shocks me when I watch D-linemen on other teams wrecking havoc and ours stand there like mannequins for the most part.

[TheConquerorWorm]

Lack of pass rush is a real killer in this passing league. When push comes to shove, this might be the Ravens most glaring weakness. The Ravens secondary is serviceable(certainly not excellent) if it's complimented by any semblance of a pass rush...the offense, when healthy, might not be potent, but it's also serviceable. When Flacco is not in dump-off mode, we can generate a decent rushing and passing attack...but we're plagued by a tendency to settle for too many FGs. However, the Ravens pass rush is truly lifeless. It's not even what's coming off the edge as many think...the fact that there's absolutely no push up the middle is a serious deficiency. Our D-linemen are not disruptive at all, they're far too easily stone-walled by the opposition, and this goes for every single one of them. Something has to be wrong in the techniques and schemes cos' those guys as a unit(to me) are the weakest link on the entire team. Heck, the guys on the edges would get more sacks if they can generate any pressure up the middle. They also struggled when we went up against really good running teams. I'm not even going to pretend like I know what the solution is, it just shocks me when I watch D-linemen on other teams wrecking havoc and ours stand there like mannequins for the most part.

It's a product of the 3-4 defense. In the 3-4, the d-linemen 1st responsibility is gap control and control LOS (tying up O-lineman). It's not to get to the QB or generate pressure. That's why we are good against the run but you don't see much penetration - its not their primary responsibility. What that is designed to do is to stop the run with basically 3 lineman and allow 1-on-1 matchups with the OLB. To me, it's there that we have a significant problem. Suggs & Doom were hurt so it's hard to judge them but we need more production from that position, period.

[raven4evr]

Big deal... Statistics don't mean much when you can't finish 60 minutes and loss games.

[sizzlingdoom]

  14 hours ago, ibleedpurpleandblack said:

That’s exactly the question we have to look at. We’ve looked at it really specifically, so that’s a general overview of it – what it is going to take to be the best defense in the league for 16 weeks-plus.”

Stay healthy and get bigger and stronger in the backfield is a good place to start!

would like to see us find a hard hitter on the back. make receivers think twice. hope we can find 2 cb's

I agree. And Weddle was a favorite of mine before he was in Baltimore but he's anything but an enforcer back there. That's why I like the idea this. Cut Webb. Move Weddle back to FS which would improve our FS play overall and allow him to really control the back end. Plus, great FSs are hard to find, esp with a rookie or through FA. Then sign Cyphrien. He's average against the pass but was graded as the top run stopping S in the league. And he's big and can hit and shouldn't break the bank. That would insert that fear you're talking about, while also significantly upgrading our run D. And FS play imo. Plus there are about 7 first round cbs this year. So we snag a playmaking shut down corner at 16, and all of the sudden our secondary is one of the best in the league for years. First round corner+Tavon+Jimmy is what I'm looking forward to. It has to happen. I agree though, we need a hard hitting SS. And Weddle would be awesome as our FS

[sizzlingdoom]

Pees is a very good coach, no make it a great coach..... till we get to the 4th quarter or leading by less than 10 points in the 4th quarter whichever comes first!

I agree. Our scheme gets very questionable at that point. And it has been happening for years. But I can't help but think what things would be like if the defense was anywhere close to rested when it comes to these crucial drives at the ends of games. I mean to say our defense carried our offense and was on the field way too much this year is a huge understatement. We need them fresh in the 4th quarter. Hopefully Roman and Dixon can help that next year. And Harbaugh being on the chopping block. Dixon's a stud. If we slightly tweak our line this offseason and get it right, I can easily see him making the pro bowl. I can't see Fournette slipping to 16, but Dixon and Fournette would be THE most abusing rb combo ever. That would keep our D fresh

[sizzlingdoom]

Just imagine if we had a solid #2 corner so young could have stayed inside. Or another young pass rusher? 

Our unit is close. We get a rusher and a pair of corners in the draft and maybe another rotational lineman and we will be scary--if we stay healthy😆

That's exactly what I'm sayin. 6-8 legitimate first round corners this year.
King, Tabor, Wilson, and Jones are my favorite. If we pair one of those bad boys with Jimmy and Tavon, we're set for years. Weddle is set for a couple years. Just if we could cut Webb and find a legitimate other S.
I'm all for Weddle to FS, Cyphrien at SSS. Then the 3 cb tandem. That would give us one of the best secondaries in the league for years imo. And we can easily make that happen. Huge offseason. We either going way up from 8-8 this offseason, or even further below it. We'll see what the front office has got. My confidence has been wavering, that's for sure

[BigUgly]

It's tough to say that a defense that is elite 3/4 of the time is in rare company, unless there is some stat for late season, late game meltdowns.  This is beyond personnel, since the same guys who dominated for 3 quarters don't suddenly turn into chumps in the final 5-10 minutes of a game.  The issue has to be with how they are deployed by the coaches, and reflects a signature pattern of the Dean Pees era here.  I hope he does some more significant self-scouting and figures out how to adjust his approach, because I doubt a talent infusion alone will fix it.

[thegooddoc456]

14 hours ago, TheConquerorWorm said:

It's a product of the 3-4 defense. In the 3-4, the d-linemen 1st responsibility is gap control and control LOS (tying up O-lineman). It's not to get to the QB or generate pressure. That's why we are good against the run but you don't see much penetration - its not their primary responsibility. What that is designed to do is to stop the run with basically 3 lineman and allow 1-on-1 matchups with the OLB. To me, it's there that we have a significant problem. Suggs & Doom were hurt so it's hard to judge them but we need more production from that position, period.

I see what you're saying, they're playing the gaps on run plays, but on obvious passing downs, against 1-on-1 matchups, our D-linemen give us absolutely nothing. Even in a 3-4 scheme there's got to be some pressure up the middle. 

[Crusader]

Big deal... Statistics don't mean much when you can't finish 60 minutes and loss games.

I would blame most of that on the 3 & outs, age, and leadership. Remember how Ray and crew got themselves pumped up during those times in the game?

[sizzlingdoom]

And Zachary Orr just retired................

[thegooddoc456]

2 minutes ago, sizzlingdoom said:

And Zachary Orr just retired................

What??? OMG.

Edited January 20 by thegooddoc456

[sizzlingdoom]

  4 minutes ago, sizzlingdoom said:

And Zachary Orr just retired................

What??? OMG.

Neck injury. sounds like it happened week 16. rotoworld.com is a great site for updates

[thegooddoc456]

1 minute ago, sizzlingdoom said:

Neck injury. sounds like it happened week 16. rotoworld.com is a great site for updates

Wow, is it confirmed? That's just terrible, he's still young and was well on his way to greatness, given how he played last season.

[sizzlingdoom]

  11 minutes ago, sizzlingdoom said:

Neck injury. sounds like it happened week 16. rotoworld.com is a great site for updates

Wow, is it confirmed? That's just terrible, he's still young and was well on his way to greatness, given how he played last season.

yup, he's done. smart man though

[thegooddoc456]

21 minutes ago, sizzlingdoom said:

yup, he's done. smart man though

True.

[Rav'n Maniac]

To be the best defense in the league for 16 plus games is going to take fixing the bend and break zone defense that Pees always slips us into late in games.

[#Nevermore]

I have given Dean Pees a hard time for the last few years. The blitzes he deploys are elementary and redundant. The corners play way too far off the line and he doesn't make many adjustments during the end of games and at the end of the halves. It is not all his fault. The Ravens have not given him any quality corners outside Jimmy Smith. So if you don't have quality corners you don't want to blitz and leave your corners on an island. Also the corners are afraid to get beat deep so they give a huge cushion.

My full expectation is that the Ravens will address getting quality corners early in the draft and possibly free agency. Even with rookies out there I expect Pees to blitz more, bring more exotic pressures and make those guys press more. Let them learn from their mistakes early in the season and by the end of the season, they will be ready for the playoffs.