Ravens are middling team at midseason
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It's still too early to say they have squandered their playoff chances, but the path to the playoffs is uphill
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It's midseason, and it's at this point when the good teams start separating themselves from the bad ones. The Ravens are in no-man's land. They aren't good. They aren't bad. They're average, and no one can tell where they're heading.
It's still too early to write the Ravens (4-4) off as a playoff team with eight games remaining. It's an uphill challenge, but the NFL is unpredictable.
Unfortunately, what we've seen with the Ravens is something we're going to see the rest of the season. If they somehow make it into the postseason, it will likely be a one-and-done venture.
It's no longer a debate about the talent of defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. The Ravens can't cover because they lack several good players in the secondary, and even when they blitz they can't get pressure on the quarterback.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has had a good season, but he is not at the point in his young career at which he can carry an offense, nor does he have the receivers to win shootouts.
In a way, the Ravens have become predictable. They'll lose against any team that has a good quarterback and offense, and they'll stay with most teams that don't.
With that said, it's still hard to figure out whether they will make the playoffs, so at least the season is still interesting, despite Cincinnati's smack-down of the Ravens on Sunday.
Reed injury?
During the offseason, the Ravens and Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed have to make some decisions. It's apparent that Reed is bothered by a neck, shoulder or arm injury. He missed at least four tackles Sunday against the Bengals.There might be some type of surgery needed to correct the problem, but the Ravens can't keep playing with a one-armed free safety. You feel sorry for Reed because he has always played so hard for so long.
Up to his old tricks
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis always makes it look easy to shut down the Ravens' offense.First, he eliminates wide receiver Derrick Mason as a weapon by turning the coverage toward him. Then, he eliminates those comeback and slant-in routes that the Ravens like to run.
The Bengals have a great tandem in starting cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall, and they held the Ravens' three top receivers to five catches.
You didn't even know Kelley Washington was in the game until the second half.
Look at the tape
One reason that left offensive tackle Jared Gaither holds so much is that he has sloppy technique. Even before the snap out of his pass-protection set, he is often overextended.He might want to look at old film of Jonathan Ogden and notice how Ogden's back was always straight so he could deliver the punch.
Also, the Ravens need to do a better job of picking up blitzes. They are unsure of who to block when pressure comes up the middle.
Heal fast, Haloti
The Ravens will struggle against the run as long as defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is out of the lineup with a sprained ankle. Ngata missed the Bengals game, and Cincinnati running back Cedric Benson rushed for 117 yards on 34 carries.Justin Bannan is a capable backup to Ngata, but Kelly Gregg, the other starting tackle, probably won't return to full strength until next season.
Gregg returned this season after missing last year because of knee surgery. His injury is basically regarded as one that takes two years for full recovery.
Talk to someone
When a kicker starts to talk to himself, then you know he has problems.- 1
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StumbleUponRe defensive technique, recall that Harbaugh spent a year as a Defensive Secondary coach.
AgentMacGyver (11/10/2009, 10:55 PM )
You're judgment weighs the week 9 Bengals game too heavily. The coaches need to focus on specific game plans for each game. We're playing the opposing team, not ourselves.
The Bengals came in with the perfect game plan to counteract ours. Why didn't we blitz a linebacker or two more often? Why did we rush 3 men on the second touchdown play, and give Carson Palmer a free throw on our 10 yard line? Our secondary is going to miss anyway if an accurate QB has 4-5 seconds, so focusing on better coverage and on the run is insufficient. We need to acknowledge that pressure is more important than good coverage at this point, and try to force quarterbacks into shorter passes, longer drives and mistakes. At this point, teams that can are going to play us with the pass long mentality, so there really is no other option if we want to slow down an opposing offense.
Every match up is a different game. What the teams expect from their opponent, the ability of a coach and a game plan to adapt if necessary, the choices made by the coordinators. We have done things well, with the exception of the Bengals games. Is that something inherent in how the players match up, or does it have more to do with the coaches and how they manage the game? Both are important, but I find it hard to believe that our offense is only capable of scoring 7 points on the Bengals. Marv Lewis knows what he's doing.
Ravin'Raven (11/10/2009, 4:30 PM )
Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun
How much did they pay you to run the advertisment? Ah, never mind it's none of my business. Your not the only site here at the Sun to carry it today. Nothing good can come out of the Browns game. We win and it's like beating the St. Pauls Girls football team, and we still arn't better than Cinncy or the Steelers. We lose and we are in the same place as where we are now, no mans land. Seasons over except for being spoilers to the Steelers, Colts etc. It's disapointing but it will still be good tough football if Harbaugh can hold it together amid all the gloom.
ydna66 (11/11/2009, 10:13 AM )