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Editor's note: Ravens questions for Baltimore Sun reporters can be submitted on game days from halftime until three hours after the game. Selected questions are published in a Q&A on baltimoresun.com later in the week. Bill Ordine filled in for Mike Preston this week. Click here to read past Q&As.
Adam: This was easily the worst I have seen the Ravens look in years and that includes some of the hopeless efforts of past seasons. Was this just an off day for everyone or does it expose bigger issues that will persist throughout the season?
Bill Ordine: Adam, the 31-3 loss to Indianapolis did highlight issues that are certainly going to persist through the season. Just to mention two:
No. 1, the Colts game reminded Ravens fans that there is a rookie quarterback running the offense whose growing pains will be, in fact, painful. That is simply the reality. And No. 2, you saw a wounded secondary (especially at cornerback) look vulnerable and that was a reminder that when the Ravens don't get extraordinary pressure on the opposing quarterback, their pass defense is going to struggle.
Hopefully, from the fans' point of view, against less formidable opponents, some of these issues won't be as magnified.
Staci: Why do you think the Ravens were unable to have any consistency on offense until late in the game? It looked like the Colts had nine men in the box throughout the first half. Do you think the Ravens should have adjusted their play-calling early in the game?
Bill Ordine: Staci, the Ravens' success late in the game was more a function of the Colts' defense than the Ravens' offense. In the second half, the Indianapolis defense could afford to allow the Ravens to gain yards as long as the Colts didn't give up the big play. In that way, the Ravens actually were running out the clock for the Colts. The Ravens took what the defense gave them with some success in the second half, but the inflated offensive stats at the end of the game were deceiving.
The following two questions/observations are both about Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, so we'll try to handle them in one response.
Jeff: Everyone is going to say that the loss to the Colts was a learning experience for Flacco. What does he specifically need to do to improve?
David: Last week Ravens coach John Harbaugh named Flacco the starting quarterback for the rest of the year. What was the point of that announcement? It doesn't seem like Flacco suffers from confidence problems, just poor mechanics at times and inexperience.
Bill Ordine: I'll take the second question first, I think that Harbaugh viewed the week-to-week questions about who would be the starting quarterback as a distraction that he could eliminate by announcing what seemed to be something of a foregone conclusion, at least at that point, that Flacco was the guy. The challenges facing the young quarterback are numerous and he and his coach will tell you there are many, many things he needs to improve, so let's break them down into two broad areas. Flacco needs to simply learn more about pro defenses and intellectually develop more recognition of what he is seeing. He is a smart kid and he'll do that. Plus, he has to develop a sense of rhythm for the pro game: How many milliseconds does he have as a pass rusher bears down on him, and how much velocity does he have to put on a throw so that a pass defender doesn't close on it. Ravens fans are concerned about Flacco throwing three interceptions against the Colts. Last night, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, Giants quarterback Eli Manning, threw three interceptions in New York's loss to the Browns. Let's face it, watching Flacco mature at the position will require patience.
Sam: I know tight end Todd Heap is adjusting to Cam Cameron's offense and isn't getting thrown to nearly as much, but are you surprised at the degree to which he's a non-factor?
Bill Ordine: As you know, Heap, who has been a Pro Bowl tight end, has not been very productive for some time, in part because of injuries. Last year, he played in just six games and had 23 catches. This year, a calf injury sidelined him through the preseason and appears to be limiting him as we go through the first month-plus of the regular season. In five games, he has just 8 catches for 91 yards. It appears that the current coaching regime has wanted Heap to take on more blocking responsibilities -- and you can argue whether or not that's his forte. Harbaugh indicated yesterday that Heap is still trying to get back to his pre-injury level of performance, and the coach voiced optimism that the tight end will be "a big go-to guy for Joe (Flacco) the rest of the way." We'll see.
Ravens fan down South: I like Harbaugh so far and I think Flacco has promise, but why did the Ravens go into the season without a viable veteran quarterback? With a guy like Byron Leftwich, who's nothing special but at least experienced, I think they would be 4-1 right now.
Bill Ordine: Ravens fan, at the time when the few veteran quarterbacks who you might think could help were available, the Ravens had Kyle Boller and Troy Smith. Frankly, it was a thin crop of veteran free-agent quarterbacks to begin with. But as far as Leftwich specifically, he was signed by Pittsburgh on Aug. 11 and Boller got hurt five days later, so you can see that the timing of the Boller injury and Smith's illness really worked against the Ravens signing a guy of the caliber of Leftwich. As far as the hypothetical about what Leftwich playing would have meant in terms of wins and losses for the Ravens -- Flacco played well against the Steelers so that loss wasn't on him. Maybe a better quarterback performance would have made a difference against Tennessee, but the Colts game was a total team collapse.
T.J.: What has happened to the Ravens' kickoff return team? For two weeks in a row, they haven't been able to make it beyond the 20-yard-line and every return seems to have one unblocked opposing player who runs straight down the field and tackles the return man.
Bill Ordine: Harbaugh addressed this very issue at his news conference yesterday. A special teams expert himself, Harbaugh emphasized that every return is distinct and the failures have been for a variety of reasons -- sometimes it has been the ball carrier, sometimes it has been the blocking. One issue that the coach talked about yesterday was the decision-making regarding the combination of kickoff distance and hang time because it impacts on the spacing between the return man and his blockers. Harbaugh seemed to imply that there have been miscalculations on that part of kickoff returns, especially ones that require a decision on whether to bring the ball out of the end zone.
Bert: Considering the play of the secondary, do you think we'll see the Ravens go after a cornerback before the trade deadline?
Bill Ordine: Bert, I'll let Harbaugh answer that one because yesterday he was asked about the likelihood of any type of trade before today's deadline.
Harbaugh: "No. It's really hard to trade in the NFL. I can't say that we haven't had any discussions about any kind of trades. There are a couple of things that have been brought to our attention, but it's hard to make trades in this league. If we could, if we could make a trade that we thought would help us, we would do it. But there's nothing available right now for us to do that."
John: Do you think the Ravens will target a wide receiver with a high pick in next year's draft? They have some competent possession receivers but lack a true deep threat.
Bill Ordine: John, it's way too soon to try to figure out the team's draft strategy. Right now, my guess is that they may have better luck going after a wide receiver in free agency, but there are too many variables right now to try to answer that.
Adam: This was easily the worst I have seen the Ravens look in years and that includes some of the hopeless efforts of past seasons. Was this just an off day for everyone or does it expose bigger issues that will persist throughout the season?
Bill Ordine: Adam, the 31-3 loss to Indianapolis did highlight issues that are certainly going to persist through the season. Just to mention two:
No. 1, the Colts game reminded Ravens fans that there is a rookie quarterback running the offense whose growing pains will be, in fact, painful. That is simply the reality. And No. 2, you saw a wounded secondary (especially at cornerback) look vulnerable and that was a reminder that when the Ravens don't get extraordinary pressure on the opposing quarterback, their pass defense is going to struggle.
Hopefully, from the fans' point of view, against less formidable opponents, some of these issues won't be as magnified.
Staci: Why do you think the Ravens were unable to have any consistency on offense until late in the game? It looked like the Colts had nine men in the box throughout the first half. Do you think the Ravens should have adjusted their play-calling early in the game?
Bill Ordine: Staci, the Ravens' success late in the game was more a function of the Colts' defense than the Ravens' offense. In the second half, the Indianapolis defense could afford to allow the Ravens to gain yards as long as the Colts didn't give up the big play. In that way, the Ravens actually were running out the clock for the Colts. The Ravens took what the defense gave them with some success in the second half, but the inflated offensive stats at the end of the game were deceiving.
The following two questions/observations are both about Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, so we'll try to handle them in one response.
Jeff: Everyone is going to say that the loss to the Colts was a learning experience for Flacco. What does he specifically need to do to improve?
David: Last week Ravens coach John Harbaugh named Flacco the starting quarterback for the rest of the year. What was the point of that announcement? It doesn't seem like Flacco suffers from confidence problems, just poor mechanics at times and inexperience.
Bill Ordine: I'll take the second question first, I think that Harbaugh viewed the week-to-week questions about who would be the starting quarterback as a distraction that he could eliminate by announcing what seemed to be something of a foregone conclusion, at least at that point, that Flacco was the guy. The challenges facing the young quarterback are numerous and he and his coach will tell you there are many, many things he needs to improve, so let's break them down into two broad areas. Flacco needs to simply learn more about pro defenses and intellectually develop more recognition of what he is seeing. He is a smart kid and he'll do that. Plus, he has to develop a sense of rhythm for the pro game: How many milliseconds does he have as a pass rusher bears down on him, and how much velocity does he have to put on a throw so that a pass defender doesn't close on it. Ravens fans are concerned about Flacco throwing three interceptions against the Colts. Last night, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, Giants quarterback Eli Manning, threw three interceptions in New York's loss to the Browns. Let's face it, watching Flacco mature at the position will require patience.
Sam: I know tight end Todd Heap is adjusting to Cam Cameron's offense and isn't getting thrown to nearly as much, but are you surprised at the degree to which he's a non-factor?
Bill Ordine: As you know, Heap, who has been a Pro Bowl tight end, has not been very productive for some time, in part because of injuries. Last year, he played in just six games and had 23 catches. This year, a calf injury sidelined him through the preseason and appears to be limiting him as we go through the first month-plus of the regular season. In five games, he has just 8 catches for 91 yards. It appears that the current coaching regime has wanted Heap to take on more blocking responsibilities -- and you can argue whether or not that's his forte. Harbaugh indicated yesterday that Heap is still trying to get back to his pre-injury level of performance, and the coach voiced optimism that the tight end will be "a big go-to guy for Joe (Flacco) the rest of the way." We'll see.
Ravens fan down South: I like Harbaugh so far and I think Flacco has promise, but why did the Ravens go into the season without a viable veteran quarterback? With a guy like Byron Leftwich, who's nothing special but at least experienced, I think they would be 4-1 right now.
Bill Ordine: Ravens fan, at the time when the few veteran quarterbacks who you might think could help were available, the Ravens had Kyle Boller and Troy Smith. Frankly, it was a thin crop of veteran free-agent quarterbacks to begin with. But as far as Leftwich specifically, he was signed by Pittsburgh on Aug. 11 and Boller got hurt five days later, so you can see that the timing of the Boller injury and Smith's illness really worked against the Ravens signing a guy of the caliber of Leftwich. As far as the hypothetical about what Leftwich playing would have meant in terms of wins and losses for the Ravens -- Flacco played well against the Steelers so that loss wasn't on him. Maybe a better quarterback performance would have made a difference against Tennessee, but the Colts game was a total team collapse.
T.J.: What has happened to the Ravens' kickoff return team? For two weeks in a row, they haven't been able to make it beyond the 20-yard-line and every return seems to have one unblocked opposing player who runs straight down the field and tackles the return man.
Bill Ordine: Harbaugh addressed this very issue at his news conference yesterday. A special teams expert himself, Harbaugh emphasized that every return is distinct and the failures have been for a variety of reasons -- sometimes it has been the ball carrier, sometimes it has been the blocking. One issue that the coach talked about yesterday was the decision-making regarding the combination of kickoff distance and hang time because it impacts on the spacing between the return man and his blockers. Harbaugh seemed to imply that there have been miscalculations on that part of kickoff returns, especially ones that require a decision on whether to bring the ball out of the end zone.
Bert: Considering the play of the secondary, do you think we'll see the Ravens go after a cornerback before the trade deadline?
Bill Ordine: Bert, I'll let Harbaugh answer that one because yesterday he was asked about the likelihood of any type of trade before today's deadline.
Harbaugh: "No. It's really hard to trade in the NFL. I can't say that we haven't had any discussions about any kind of trades. There are a couple of things that have been brought to our attention, but it's hard to make trades in this league. If we could, if we could make a trade that we thought would help us, we would do it. But there's nothing available right now for us to do that."
John: Do you think the Ravens will target a wide receiver with a high pick in next year's draft? They have some competent possession receivers but lack a true deep threat.
Bill Ordine: John, it's way too soon to try to figure out the team's draft strategy. Right now, my guess is that they may have better luck going after a wide receiver in free agency, but there are too many variables right now to try to answer that.
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