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MINNEAPOLIS -
- Michael Oher says he would like another shot at Jared Allen. Even though the rookie tackle had a pair of false-start penalties and struggled early to keep the Vikings' All-Pro defensive end from pressuring his quarterback early on, he held his own much of the time.
"In the second half, I feel like I shut him out," Oher said. "There is nothing really special about him. I think if we played them [in Baltimore], it would make a big difference. The false starts were just mistiming the snap."
Allen did have a sack in the fourth quarter when he came at Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completely unblocked, but it looked as if Oher let him go in anticipation of a screen that was slow to develop. Flacco never saw Allen coming. But the very next play, Oher sealed off Allen and Flacco stepped up in the pocket and hit Kelley Washington for a 28-yard gain.
"I think he found out I'm an OK player," Oher said. "Guy makes like $100 million. I think I did all right."
The rest of the Ravens' offensive line would probably also like another crack at the Vikings' front seven. Because as poorly as the Ravens blocked in the first half - when Baltimore's offense had just 13 rushing yards and Flacco was running for his life on almost every pass - they actually looked decent during the Ravens' comeback.
"I thought our tackles did a nice job on their outside guys," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "We slowed down their second step a little bit with the way we were releasing our tight ends and backs. It was basically a five- and six-man protection throughout, and I think our guys did a good job of blocking them."
Flacco finished 28-for-43 for 385 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Ray Rice gained 194 yards of total offense. On the 33-yard touchdown run that gave the Ravens 31-30 lead with 3:44 to play, Rice wasn't even touched by a Vikings defender.
"We didn't really change too much at halftime," Ravens right tackle Marshal Yanda said. "We knew sooner or later we would start to slow them down."
Yanda said he didn't feel that the Metrodome crowd - one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL - was a huge factor.
"You get used to it," Yanda said. "But it definitely didn't let up. It was loud the whole game."
The Vikings seemed to be anticipating the snap much of the first half, but the Ravens were able to get them on their heels with quick counts when the Vikings were trying to substitute personnel.
"To be honest with you, it was just plugging away," Rice said. "We knew they were stout up front, but if we get long drives, that is when it seems to open up. On my first touchdown run, there were seven guys in and out. We did a quick count and just got off the left edge, and they missed tackles."
Said Ravens center Matt Birk: "They have a good defense, and you have to give them credit. We certainly didn't perform how we wanted to in the first half offensively. We have great coaches that made some nice adjustments."
Even Allen seemed frustrated that the Vikings nearly let this one slip away.
"I think they had 17 yards rushing going into the fourth quarter," Allen said. "It wasn't a meltdown because we didn't lose, but it was close."
The ball was just beyond Mason's outstretched arms, and he placed the blame on himself for not catching what might have been a touchdown that would have made the score 14-7.
"It was close," Mason said. "It was a developing play, and I'll say that one is probably on me. I have to keep running. It took so long, but I have to run through it. I can't assume that just because my mental clock goes off that Joe is not back there doing something to buy more time."
"Lardarius is a good football player," Harbaugh said. "He is a young football player with plenty to learn, special teams-wise and defensively. He is a guy that continues to earn playing time and expanding his role. He did a good job on kickoff returns and on defense."
"In the second half, I feel like I shut him out," Oher said. "There is nothing really special about him. I think if we played them [in Baltimore], it would make a big difference. The false starts were just mistiming the snap."
Allen did have a sack in the fourth quarter when he came at Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completely unblocked, but it looked as if Oher let him go in anticipation of a screen that was slow to develop. Flacco never saw Allen coming. But the very next play, Oher sealed off Allen and Flacco stepped up in the pocket and hit Kelley Washington for a 28-yard gain.
"I think he found out I'm an OK player," Oher said. "Guy makes like $100 million. I think I did all right."
The rest of the Ravens' offensive line would probably also like another crack at the Vikings' front seven. Because as poorly as the Ravens blocked in the first half - when Baltimore's offense had just 13 rushing yards and Flacco was running for his life on almost every pass - they actually looked decent during the Ravens' comeback.
"I thought our tackles did a nice job on their outside guys," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "We slowed down their second step a little bit with the way we were releasing our tight ends and backs. It was basically a five- and six-man protection throughout, and I think our guys did a good job of blocking them."
Flacco finished 28-for-43 for 385 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Ray Rice gained 194 yards of total offense. On the 33-yard touchdown run that gave the Ravens 31-30 lead with 3:44 to play, Rice wasn't even touched by a Vikings defender.
"We didn't really change too much at halftime," Ravens right tackle Marshal Yanda said. "We knew sooner or later we would start to slow them down."
Yanda said he didn't feel that the Metrodome crowd - one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL - was a huge factor.
"You get used to it," Yanda said. "But it definitely didn't let up. It was loud the whole game."
The Vikings seemed to be anticipating the snap much of the first half, but the Ravens were able to get them on their heels with quick counts when the Vikings were trying to substitute personnel.
"To be honest with you, it was just plugging away," Rice said. "We knew they were stout up front, but if we get long drives, that is when it seems to open up. On my first touchdown run, there were seven guys in and out. We did a quick count and just got off the left edge, and they missed tackles."
Said Ravens center Matt Birk: "They have a good defense, and you have to give them credit. We certainly didn't perform how we wanted to in the first half offensively. We have great coaches that made some nice adjustments."
Even Allen seemed frustrated that the Vikings nearly let this one slip away.
"I think they had 17 yards rushing going into the fourth quarter," Allen said. "It wasn't a meltdown because we didn't lose, but it was close."
Missed connection
In the first half, with the Ravens really struggling to move the ball, Flacco and Derrick Mason almost hooked up on a long pass play that might have changed the momentum of the game, but Mason couldn't quite make the catch. On the play, which began at the Ravens' 14-yard line, Flacco ran around to buy time, then got drilled as he let the ball fly down the left sideline, where Mason was behind the Vikings' secondary.The ball was just beyond Mason's outstretched arms, and he placed the blame on himself for not catching what might have been a touchdown that would have made the score 14-7.
"It was close," Mason said. "It was a developing play, and I'll say that one is probably on me. I have to keep running. It took so long, but I have to run through it. I can't assume that just because my mental clock goes off that Joe is not back there doing something to buy more time."
Webb hits
Lardarius Webb took advantage of his first real opportunity to make an impact this year, returning seven kickoffs for 165 yards (23.6-yard average) and also playing some on defense. The Ravens used him several times on blitzes in the second half, though he didn't record a tackle."Lardarius is a good football player," Harbaugh said. "He is a young football player with plenty to learn, special teams-wise and defensively. He is a guy that continues to earn playing time and expanding his role. He did a good job on kickoff returns and on defense."
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It seems like Oher is looking on the bright side (ferocious comeback) of a painful loss. Unfortunately, the numbers do not support his analysis. Jared Allen schooled him, period; when an offensive lineman gives up a sack and four tackles for a loss and commits two dumb penalties, it is usually called a poor game. If that type of performance is turned in against an opponent that has "really nothing special about him," what does that say about the type of player Michael Oher is?
mcintyre@mcdaniel.edu (10/19/2009, 5:16 PM )