Ravens Cleveland Fiasco – What Does it Mean?

It takes a village to make a successful team, and no more was that evident than in the Ravens fiasco against Cleveland.  We must not forget that a lot went right in this game.  The natural response is to focus on what went wrong and why.  I’ll take a crack at that first.

A Tale of Two Games

The Ravens dominated the first quarter of the game, played to a rough push in the second quarter, and were outplayed in the second half.  There’s a bunch of bad in the second half, but on my game review much of that was isolated to poor play by a handful of players.  So, what did I see? Continue reading “Ravens Cleveland Fiasco – What Does it Mean?”

Ravens Crush Seattle: A Deeper Dive Into the Ravens Defense

After a win such as the Ravens drubbing of Seattle, there’s often little to criticize.  This was a defensive blitzkrieg, and it’s time to take a deeper dive into what Mike Macdonald is achieving and how he does it.  But I’d be remiss (and an empty vessel) if I let readers march happily into the night without showing them a goblin or two.  I’ll start there, and then move into the sunlight.

It’s Not Getting Better – Ronnie Stanley is a Major Problem

I know Halloween is behind us, but it’s scary watching Stanley in pass protect.  He’s going to get Lamar killed.  I’m not saying we are full Alejandro Villanueva yet, but Stanley’s a lot closer to that than he is to Jonathan Ogden.  There’s no need to fully rehash Ronnie’s lower body instability.  It’s not getting better, nor should we expect it to at this point. Continue reading “Ravens Crush Seattle: A Deeper Dive Into the Ravens Defense”

Ravens Post Cardinals: Inconsistency Persists

In the end all that matters is that you win the game so we should be happy with the Ravens win over Arizona.  Yet their performance was uneven (to say the least).  Inconsistency is still stamped all over the Ravens.  Let’s take a look at a few reasons why the consistency just wasn’t there.

Defending the Run Trouble – A (One Game?) Reversion By Patrick Queen

Forget tackle numbers, as they rarely tell the whole story.  Patrick Queen played arguably the worst game I’ve seen since Roquan Smith joined the team.  Continue reading “Ravens Post Cardinals: Inconsistency Persists”

Ravens Into Week Eight: Elation After the Lions Game

There are good reasons for a healthy dose of elation following the Ravens’ destruction of the Lions.  On offense, it started in the trenches and didn’t end there.  There are still lingering concerns, which can’t be ignored, and I touch on that.  On defense, besides the obvious we saw continued evidence of more than one emerging star.  Both Mike Macdonald (whose praises I’ve been singing since last year) and Todd Monken are masterfully exploiting the talents of their individual players.  Let’s get into this weeks’ comments from the couch. Continue reading “Ravens Into Week Eight: Elation After the Lions Game”

Ravens After Game Six: The Real Problem, and More

The Ravens victory over Tennessee just wasn’t satisfying.  It was another game where they should have blown out the opponent but allowed them to hang around.  Let’s face it, the 4-2 Ravens should be 6-0, and they had a tighter margin in Cincinnati than they should have.  So what’s preventing the Ravens from becoming a dominant team?  Let’s identify the real problem on the Ravens.

The Problem Isn’t Lamar

The $250 million quarterback is the punching bag for most Ravens fans.  Let’s look at the major defects in Lamar’s game.  For one, he has had serious fumble problems, commented on in prior blogs.  Lack of ball protection is unacceptable.  But we have to examine why the fumbles have occurred, which I touch on below.  Nevertheless, the fumble challenge has not been the principal problem on the offense. Continue reading “Ravens After Game Six: The Real Problem, and More”

Ravens After Week Five: Unacceptable!

The Colts stink.  The Steelers are bad.  The Ravens are . . . ?  There are no mincing words after the Ravens’ outrageous performance in Pittsburgh.  A team that just keeps throwing away games isn’t a very good team.  Every time the Ravens play Pittsburgh, whether with or without Lamar, they blow it.  Losing six out of seven over the last four years just doesn’t cut it, especially when the Ravens dominate most of the play.

I don’t need to rehash all of what we saw against the Steelers.  Pittsburgh should not have been on the field with the Ravens in the fourth quarter.  I’ll get back to them after I’m laying back on my sofa.  Nevertheless, here’s this week’s comments from the couch. Continue reading “Ravens After Week Five: Unacceptable!”

Ravens: Browns Review and More – Comments from the Couch

It sure helped that DeShaun Watson missed the Browns game last week.  Perils for any “contender” whose backup quarterback is a rookie.  The Browns were doomed before the first snap.  Let’s jump into this week’s comments from the couch.

Todd Monken to the Rescue

The Browns’ defense stymied the Ravens in the first quarter.  It swarmed to the ball and dominated the play.  Power runs were not working, nor was Lamar getting any time to fully drop back.  Monken had to make a dramatic switch, and he did. Continue reading “Ravens: Browns Review and More – Comments from the Couch”

Ravens – Comments From the Colts Fiasco

What a rotten day for the Ravens.  Injuries notwithstanding, this was an unacceptable performance at every level.  There were plenty of mental and physical mistakes.  Here are a couple of comments from the couch.

Harbaugh and the Fair Catch

Coach Harbaugh has been captaining this ship into his 16th season.  How can it be that there is an on-field scenario for which he and his staff are unprepared?  Frankly, it’s shocking how games are lost on his watch for the zaniest of reasons.  Continue reading “Ravens – Comments From the Colts Fiasco”

Ravens Insights From the Bengals’ Game

Part of my goal in penning these little pieces is to offer a few insights that might not be obvious as we watch live games.  Any success in this endeavor depends on the reader.  Dare I say a little bit of what follows is this week’s attempt to add a little spice to your Ravens’ thoughts going into the Colts game.

Todd Monken’s Game Plan and Play Selection

Monken likely entered the Bengals game expecting his patchwork offensive line to have challenges in pass protection.  He focused on a quick throw passing attack, to great effect, as Lamar consistently released the ball faster than any game I could recall.  The enhanced receiving corps did an excellent job across the board, and Lamar’s accuracy might have reached a high point. Continue reading “Ravens Insights From the Bengals’ Game”

The Ravens After Week One: A Bit of Analysis

The old aphorism certainly applies: a win is a win.  But the Texans game highlighted some problems with the week one Ravens that we didn’t anticipate, and others that lurk large.  Let’s start with some pleasant surprises and hopes going forward before I get to the warning lights.

The Outstanding – Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen

Mike Macdonald is solving for the Ravens’ arguable lack of pass rushing ability on the outside by bringing Smith and/or Queen in various blitz packages.  They both bring explosion and speed with the versatility to be used in different schemes to get to the quarterback.  There should be a lot more coming. Continue reading “The Ravens After Week One: A Bit of Analysis”

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