Game Balls and Goats (Raven's Game) Week #8

[EzraTank]

I've started the last two don't want to break our streak! :)

GB = whole team, gutsy road win in a place Ben has always stunk in!

GOATS = None, see above.

[Fire Goodell]

Game ball - Spillane and Hightower. Big plays from our backup LB's kept us in the game. 14 points off turnovers, if not for those plays we might have lost handidly.

This game made me nervous like any other Steelers-Ravens game. They dominated the LoS from beginning to end, I'm not convinced we're that much better than that Ravens team. Every game against them is going to be a nail biter.

[polamalubeast]

I rarely saw the steelers win a game against a great team even if they were awful in the first half, offense and defense...Turnovers on defense was huge

[dislocatedday]

Game ball - Spillane and Hightower. Big plays from our backup LB's kept us in the game. 14 points off turnovers, if not for those plays we might have lost handidly.

Good call, and I would add Isiah Buggs to that list. He played great in 2nd half with pressure up middle and made the big stop of Lamar on 4th down.

[polamalubeast]

The first half....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tie0tz7jGDI

[tube517]

Game balls - Mickey Spillane 10 tackles, 1 pick 6, 1 Fumble recovery, Tuitt - 8 tackles, 2 sacks and just disruption all day, Highsmith w/a huge pick. Juju - some tough catches and conversions to 1st down, Ebron with some good catches as well.

Goats - Henry Mondeaux's hair

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Game ball - Spillane and Hightower. Big plays from our backup LB's kept us in the game. 14 points off turnovers, if not for those plays we might have lost handidly.

This game made me nervous like any other Steelers-Ravens game. They dominated the LoS from beginning to end, I'm not convinced we're that much better than that Ravens team. Every game against them is going to be a nail biter.


https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/policeacademy/images/b/bb/Hightower_films.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20140315183731

[ETL]

Goat - me - complaining about everything in the first half on the game day thread

Game ball - me - not posting anything in 2nd half when the team played well as to not jinx anything

[NCSteeler]

Goat - me - complaining about everything in the first half on the game day thread

Game ball - me - not posting anything in 2nd half when the team played well as to not jinx anythingLMAO

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[Shoes]

Goats - Henry Mondeaux's hair

:lol:

[pczach]

:lol:



Checking in from across the ocean!

What time is it there?

[86WARD]

Game Ball - Dupree, Watt, Spillane, second half Buggs on defense. Ebron, Second half Ben and second Half JuJu on offense.

Goats - First half team.

[polamalubeast]

I don't blame you if you thought the game was over after the first half.

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[Fire Goodell]

I don't blame you if you thought the game was over after the first half.

1323017690332581888

I felt we were fortunate to be down only 10 points TBH. In the first half, nearly nothing went our way after that pick 6. It was thoroughly dominated by the Ravens.

However, 10 point deficit at the half isn't safe if Ben can get rolling. Gotta love having a HoF QB, you're always in it.

[st33lersguy]

Ball: Dupree, Spillane, Highsmith all for big plays that without the Steelers would have lost. Tuitt had a monster game. TJ Watt was a beast as per usual. Buggs started to get acclimated nicely, Ben had a nice bounce back 2nd half, Juju had a big 2nd half

Goats: 1st half run defense was atrocious. Also the pass defense at times (even in the 2nd half) legit looked like Antwon Blake was in the secondary. WIDE OPEN at times

[polamalubeast]

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[Mojouw]

So did anyone notice what the heck defense they were running for parts of the second half? Who did they pull off? I swear they only played 1 CB or Safety because I say Heyward/Buggs/Tuitt/Watt/Dupree/Highsmith/Spillane/VW ALL on the field more than once. I know I did. But I was also having heart palpitations...so I might have been seeing things.

Because if they ran a 3-5-3 for run downs in the second half, that was bold and gets a gameball from me.

[Fire Goodell]

1323021598228684801

Kordell Stewart

[NCSteeler]

So did anyone notice what the heck defense they were running for parts of the second half? Who did they pull off? I swear they only played 1 CB or Safety because I say Heyward/Buggs/Tuitt/Watt/Dupree/Highsmith/Spillane/VW ALL on the field more than once. I know I did. But I was also having heart palpitations...so I might have been seeing things.

Because if they ran a 3-5-3 for run downs in the second half, that was bold and gets a gameball from me.Responding to all the college option Bullshit. There a reason that crap doesn't work in the nfl for long

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[polamalubeast]

Ben was the OC in the second half.

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Antonio's cousin is not happy!

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[tube517]

So did anyone notice what the heck defense they were running for parts of the second half? Who did they pull off? I swear they only played 1 CB or Safety because I say Heyward/Buggs/Tuitt/Watt/Dupree/Highsmith/Spillane/VW ALL on the field more than once. I know I did. But I was also having heart palpitations...so I might have been seeing things.

Because if they ran a 3-5-3 for run downs in the second half, that was bold and gets a gameball from me.Highsmith basically played Hiltons position on those snaps. Cool Shades said so

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[Istina]

Game Balls: Coaching staff, Linebackers, Tuitt, Juju, Ebron, Buggs and O-line
Goats: Run defense, 1st half offense

Istina

[Craic]

GAME BALLS

Offense:

Any receiver who touched the ball. I have seldom seen Steelers receivers play so smart. They ran out of bounds to avoid hits and thus, turnovers in rainy weather, they would catch a ball in the middle, and in one or two cases, simply cradle it and move backwards (facing their own endzone) to again protect the ball. But, when they needed the yards, they fought spectacularly for them. Wise choices on a rainy day against a hard-hitting football team.

Ebron. I know we wish he would block better, but game in and game out, he's making good plays and good catches. Today, four catches on five targets and a TD.

Ben R. "Okay, that's a homer pick!" a lone voice calls from the peanut gallery. No, no, Teagre, it's not, just let me explain (:chuckle: ). Ben wasn't on today, it seemed. But, this is the Ben we've all been waiting for, for the last fifteen or so years. This is the Ben who plays within himself and makes wise choices with the ball and does not make mistakes. Sure, he wasn't on today, but check this out. He threw for two TDs and no INTs. We played the a Raven's squad that is sixth in sacks, a squad that knows our front line. And yet Ben got the ball out fast enough that he was sacked only twice, and he took sacks rather than throwing the ball into traffic. Not only that, but he ended up with a 66 percent average reception rate on an ugly day and a 101.3 rating. For fighting through such a bad day and having no turnovers, two TDs, and hitting a 66 percent reception rate on such an ugly day, I give him a game ball.

JuJu. Seven receptions on eight targets with a 9.6 average. And, he was running hard.

Defense

Spillane. This kid is proving he belongs in the NFL. Bush is great and he's not going to lose his starting spot to Spillane unless he can't come back from injury (no reason to think he can't). But, He had a tackle for a loss, two passes defended, a pick-six and a fumble recovery.

Front Seven (and some CBs) Jackson was sacked 4 times today for sixteen yards. We also had a total of 9 QB hits. Moreover, he was punished for running the ball, and didn't break out for any long runs. (Had a couple of medium ones, but his longest was 14 yards).



Special Game Ball
Coaching Staff. On both sides of the field, this team was getting their rear-end handed to them in the first half. The only reason it was close was because of Spillane's INT. But at end of the first half, a thought crept into my head that was quite foreign. "This team does not put together to bad halves in a game. These coaches know how to make adjustments. And, they did.


GOATS
Can't really give any goats here to the Steelers. This is the Steelers/Ravens rivalry. I simply expect players and even entire offenses or defenses to get shut down for a quarter or a half, on both sides. That's how this game is played between these two team.

SPECIAL GOAT


Baltimore Ravens. For existing. Can't you guys just fold once in your life? Please? I'm telling you, I'm getting old and my heart can't take this anymore.

[Mojouw]

Highsmith basically played Hiltons position on those snaps. Cool Shades said so

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OK. I still thought I only saw 3 DBs plus Higsmith - -meaning that is the oddest nickel formation ever...

Can't wait to see some breakdowns of what actually happened because it was just too hard to figure out from my streaming feed...

[polamalubeast]

1323040005305020416

[polamalubeast]

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[Devilsdancefloor]

ball:

My heart for not stopping , Stephon Tuitt ,Robert Spillane & Ben

[polamalubeast]

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[polamalubeast]

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[86WARD]

Ben was the OC in the second half.

1323023305662697473

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Antonio's cousin is not happy!

1323024039296708609

Looks like he asked AB for advice...

[Rotorhead]

Game ball goes to Ben and Spillane. There were a lot of game changers today, but those came out and handed the Ravens their jocks.

Goats as close as this game was, no goats, the Ravens are a good team and will be in the playoffs (barring major injuries) and they played a better game than we did aside from the TO’s honestly.

[Fire Goodell]

Statistically Tuitt totally murdered it. WOW

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Big division win on the road!

Still, the defense gave up 265 yards rushing. Some Goats in there for that stat. I think that yardage shows how much they miss the range of Devin Bush on the field.

[HollywoodSteel]

Statistically Tuitt totally murdered it. WOW

I sometimes forget just how good Tuitt is. And how great it is to have him healthy this year.

He’s been killing it all year.

[polamalubeast]

I sometimes forget just how good Tuitt is. And how great it is to have him healthy this year.

He’s been killing it all year.

and this is under the radar so far....6 sacks for him after 7 games!

[teegre]

Do not get me wrong: giving up 265 yards rushing is not good.

That said, I think that it was by design.

On every play, TJ hit Lamar. TJ did this last time, as well. TJ has the “excuse” that he got faked out by the pitch (which honestly happens to a ton of players). If you watch, at least two long runs could have been stopped by TJ, but his assignment was Lamar. If Lamar had kept the ball, it would have been a huge TFL.

But, the yards!!!

Yes, the yards suck, but once the RB has the ball in his hands, it turns solely into a run. Whereas, if Lamar has the ball in his hands, it could still be a pass. Cutting to the chase: the Steelers wanted the ball out of Lamar’s hands... and TJ made that happen.

Obviously, it would have been golden if the RBs had been tackled for a short gain (instead of getting several long runs), but the Steelers were playing the long con.

SIDE-NOTE: Bud had one play where he was caught in “no man’s land” and got burned to the outside by Lamar. Bud should have stuck to the plan; he should have focused on Lamar. Yes, the RB might have gotten the first down, but focusing on Lamar does to things: takes the ball out of his haves and gets a hit on Lamar.

Lastly, the long pass-completions sucked, but as happened in early weeks, the Steelers were so focused on containing Lamar, that they lost coverages. This just happens when teams play Lamar. What you don’t want is Lamar scrambling around and turning those completions into TDs. So, again, by design the Steelers were taking away those short routes (e.g. the TEs barely caught any passes) and forcing Lamar to pass deep/throws incompletions. To Lamar’s credit, he made the necessary completions.

SUMMATION:
Stats can lie. If the Steelers can simply shore up (eliminate) a few of those big plays, they will set the bar for how to beat the Ravens.

[tube517]

Statistically Tuitt totally murdered it. WOW

Hey don't compare him to Stabby Ray :chuckle:

[polamalubeast]

Do not get me wrong: giving up 265 yards rushing is not good.

That said, I think that it was by design.

On every play, TJ hit Lamar. TJ did this last time, as well. TJ has the “excuse” that he got faked out by the pitch (which honestly happens to a ton of players). If you watch, at least two long runs could have been stopped by TJ, but his assignment was Lamar. If Lamar had kept the ball, it would have been a huge TFL.

But, the yards!!!

Yes, the yards suck, but once the RB has the ball in his hands, it turns solely into a run. Whereas, if Lamar has the ball in his hands, it could still be a pass. Cutting to the chase: the Steelers wanted the ball out of Lamar’s hands... and TJ made that happen.

Obviously, it would have been golden if the RBs had been tackled for a short gain (instead of getting several long runs), but the Steelers were playing the long con.

SIDE-NOTE: Bud had one play where he was caught in “no man’s land” and got burned to the outside by Lamar. Bud should have stuck to the plan; he should have focused on Lamar. Yes, the RB might have gotten the first down, but focusing on Lamar does to things: takes the ball out of his haves and gets a hit on Lamar.

Lastly, the long pass-completions sucked, but as happened in early weeks, the Steelers were so focused on containing Lamar, that they lost coverages. This just happens when teams play Lamar. What you don’t want is Lamar scrambling around and turning those completions into TDs. So, again, by design the Steelers were taking away those short routes (e.g. the TEs barely caught any passes) and forcing Lamar to pass deep/throws incompletions. To Lamar’s credit, he made the necessary completions.

SUMMATION:
Stats can lie. If the Steelers can simply shore up (eliminate) a few of those big plays, they will set the bar for how to beat the Ravens.

And I also think the big reason why the steelers give up so many rushing yards was because of the loss of Alualu.I hope this is not serious....

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My gameball goes to this guy who had the perfect prediction on that!

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1322946992704770048

[EzraTank]

Do not get me wrong: giving up 265 yards rushing is not good.

That said, I think that it was by design.

On every play, TJ hit Lamar. TJ did this last time, as well. TJ has the “excuse” that he got faked out by the pitch (which honestly happens to a ton of players). If you watch, at least two long runs could have been stopped by TJ, but his assignment was Lamar. If Lamar had kept the ball, it would have been a huge TFL.

But, the yards!!!

Yes, the yards suck, but once the RB has the ball in his hands, it turns solely into a run. Whereas, if Lamar has the ball in his hands, it could still be a pass. Cutting to the chase: the Steelers wanted the ball out of Lamar’s hands... and TJ made that happen.

Obviously, it would have been golden if the RBs had been tackled for a short gain (instead of getting several long runs), but the Steelers were playing the long con.

SIDE-NOTE: Bud had one play where he was caught in “no man’s land” and got burned to the outside by Lamar. Bud should have stuck to the plan; he should have focused on Lamar. Yes, the RB might have gotten the first down, but focusing on Lamar does to things: takes the ball out of his haves and gets a hit on Lamar.

Lastly, the long pass-completions sucked, but as happened in early weeks, the Steelers were so focused on containing Lamar, that they lost coverages. This just happens when teams play Lamar. What you don’t want is Lamar scrambling around and turning those completions into TDs. So, again, by design the Steelers were taking away those short routes (e.g. the TEs barely caught any passes) and forcing Lamar to pass deep/throws incompletions. To Lamar’s credit, he made the necessary completions.

SUMMATION:
Stats can lie. If the Steelers can simply shore up (eliminate) a few of those big plays, they will set the bar for how to beat the Ravens.

As usual fantastic football post. The high run yardage given up clearly was by design to contain LJ. Normally TJ and Dupree just fly in from the sides like crazy animals hunting prey. But Dupree got burned that one time and Lamar ran for like 20 yards. After that you can tell the coaches reminded Dupree that he had to come up field and contain, wait for the pocket to collapse THEN attack LJ. You could clearly see Dupree doing that after Lamar's run. As teegre pointed out TJ (or the spy) was focused just on LJ and tackled him no matter what. Had Alualu stayed healthy I think some of the longer runs down the middle would have been harder but give Buggs (and the coaches) credit as the game went along they adjusted. Yes the Ravens ran a lot on that last drive but the defense did look tired. But BOTH teams defenses started to look tired and let's not forget the Ravens are a DAMN good team and had the #1 rushing offense in the league.

The only thing that ticked me off was the long soft passes in the middle of the field. They have to fix those and hopefully with Williamson there and others getting healthy we can.

We have 9 games left and if we continue to play like this there's no reason this team can't win 13-14 games this year.

Our remaining games:

@Dallas: W
Cincy: W
@JAC: W
Baltimore: W/L (toss up)
Washington: W
@Buff: L/W (toss up)
@Cincy: W
Indy: L/W (toss up)
@Cleveland: W


I have us at 14-2 and possibly the #1 seed depending on what KC does. KC had the @Raiders, @Tampa on their schedule so they could drop a game or two. And remember this year ONLY the #1 seed gets a bye the #2 seed hosts the new #7 team that makes the playoffs. The most important thing now to always remember the ANY GIVEN SUNDAY rule. If we approach EVERY game with that in mind we got this!

[polamalubeast]

1323273466703945730

:rofl2:

[86WARD]

Do not get me wrong: giving up 265 yards rushing is not good.

That said, I think that it was by design.

On every play, TJ hit Lamar. TJ did this last time, as well. TJ has the “excuse” that he got faked out by the pitch (which honestly happens to a ton of players). If you watch, at least two long runs could have been stopped by TJ, but his assignment was Lamar. If Lamar had kept the ball, it would have been a huge TFL.

But, the yards!!!

Yes, the yards suck, but once the RB has the ball in his hands, it turns solely into a run. Whereas, if Lamar has the ball in his hands, it could still be a pass. Cutting to the chase: the Steelers wanted the ball out of Lamar’s hands... and TJ made that happen.

Obviously, it would have been golden if the RBs had been tackled for a short gain (instead of getting several long runs), but the Steelers were playing the long con.

SIDE-NOTE: Bud had one play where he was caught in “no man’s land” and got burned to the outside by Lamar. Bud should have stuck to the plan; he should have focused on Lamar. Yes, the RB might have gotten the first down, but focusing on Lamar does to things: takes the ball out of his haves and gets a hit on Lamar.

Lastly, the long pass-completions sucked, but as happened in early weeks, the Steelers were so focused on containing Lamar, that they lost coverages. This just happens when teams play Lamar. What you don’t want is Lamar scrambling around and turning those completions into TDs. So, again, by design the Steelers were taking away those short routes (e.g. the TEs barely caught any passes) and forcing Lamar to pass deep/throws incompletions. To Lamar’s credit, he made the necessary completions.

SUMMATION:
Stats can lie. If the Steelers can simply shore up (eliminate) a few of those big plays, they will set the bar for how to beat the Ravens.

Perfect summation!!

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

SUMMATION:
Stats can lie. If the Steelers can simply shore up (eliminate) a few of those big plays, they will set the bar for how to beat the Ravens.

Alternate Summation: If Jackson takes care of the football and doesnt throw 2 terrible passes to Spillane and Highsmith, the Ravens win 28-14 and dominated on the ground with 265 rushing yards.

The throw to Highsmith was something a highschool QB should know not to throw and the INT to Spillane is a reminder that he isnt Mahomes.

[tube517]

Alternate Summation: If Jackson takes care of the football and doesnt throw 2 terrible passes to Spillane and Highsmith, the Ravens win 28-14 and dominated on the ground with 265 rushing yards.

The throw to Highsmith was something a highschool QB should know not to throw and the INT to Spillane is a reminder that he isnt Mahomes.


There was a quick (short) pass attempt to Andrews on a 3rd and 2 play and he was WAY off. I know he was trying to get it out quickly but he wasn't even close to Andrews.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

There was a quick (short) pass attempt to Andrews on a 3rd and 2 play and he was WAY off. I know he was trying to get it out quickly but he wasn't even close to Andrews.

Yeah, basically put the game on Jacksons arm and there is a good chance the Ravens dont win. The problem is that the Steelers front 7 hasnt been able to stop the Ravens run game for a few seasons now. Devin Bush helped that problem by being able to get to the edges and tackle RB's on off tackle runs. The retirement of Marshall Yanda helps things out, but the Steelers Defensive Line isnt as good as it needs to be, even with AluAlu in the game, IMO.

Still, for me the game comes down to this:

Gameballs: Ben for making some great throws and taking care of the football. Lamar Jackson for being careless with the football and accounting for 14 points off his 4 turnovers.

Goats: Steelers front 7 for getting manhandled in the run game. Steelers pass defense for allowing long gains to Willie Snead and Devin Duvernay in what looked like coverage breakdowns.

[polamalubeast]

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[Steeler-in-west]

2nd half Ben, OL, receivers, and the defense overall

i hope Mason and Dobbs are watching Ben and taking notes

[Fire Goodell]

Alternate Summation: If Jackson takes care of the football and doesnt throw 2 terrible passes to Spillane and Highsmith, the Ravens win 28-14 and dominated on the ground with 265 rushing yards.

The throw to Highsmith was something a highschool QB should know not to throw and the INT to Spillane is a reminder that he isnt Mahomes.

I've said it before and will say it again. He's the next Kordell Stewart. Yes his athleticism makes him a threat to score on every play. But the one thing he won't scare defenses with is his pure passing ability.

He will lead the Ravens to the playoffs and AFCCG's perhaps, because his athleticism makes him dangerous, and overall he's a good player. But if the Ravens ever need to win big games with his arm, they're in trouble. I see them being a strong seeded playoff team every year but unable to get over the hump.

In today's NFL, it's obviously a QB league, and there are times you need your QB to carry the team. I just don't see that in him honestly.

[polamalubeast]

I've said it before and will say it again. He's the next Kordell Stewart. Yes his athleticism makes him a threat to score on every play. But the one thing he won't scare defenses with is his pure passing ability.

He will lead the Ravens to the playoffs and AFCCG's perhaps, because his athleticism makes him dangerous, and overall he's a good player. But if the Ravens ever need to win big games with his arm, they're in trouble. I see them being a strong seeded playoff team every year but unable to get over the hump.

In today's NFL, it's obviously a QB league, and there are times you need your QB to carry the team. I just don't see that in him honestly.

But there is a big difference between Kordell and Lamar

Jackson saved John Harbaugh's job in 2018 ... Kordell almost cost Cowher's job after the 1999 season.

[86WARD]

Alternate Summation: If Jackson takes care of the football and doesnt throw 2 terrible passes to Spillane and Highsmith, the Ravens win 28-14 and dominated on the ground with 265 rushing yards.

The throw to Highsmith was something a highschool QB should know not to throw and the INT to Spillane is a reminder that he isnt Mahomes.

Alternate Summation: if the offense comes into the game awake, they win by at least 10 more points...at the very least.

[polamalubeast]

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[El-Gonzo Jackson]

I've said it before and will say it again. He's the next Kordell Stewart. Yes his athleticism makes him a threat to score on every play. But the one thing he won't scare defenses with is his pure passing ability.

He will lead the Ravens to the playoffs and AFCCG's perhaps, because his athleticism makes him dangerous, and overall he's a good player. But if the Ravens ever need to win big games with his arm, they're in trouble. I see them being a strong seeded playoff team every year but unable to get over the hump.

In today's NFL, it's obviously a QB league, and there are times you need your QB to carry the team. I just don't see that in him honestly.

I dont think Kordell is a good comparison. Kordell Stewart was a pocket passer in college at Colorado and had decent base of footwork and mechanics. Jackson was just an athlete with a strong arm that was throwing passes to receivers running open in college, or if they were covered he just ran for chunks of yardage.

The Ravens are using his feet to maximize their chances of winning in the moment, but not doing anything to develop his game as a pocket passer. Jackson will move the chains, take hits and unless he learns to be a passer first, he will be the 2nd coming of Bob Griffin the 3rd.

The biggest key to Sundays game was Jackson turned the ball over 4 times, Ben turned the ball over ZERO times.

[teegre]

The only thing that ticked me off was the long soft passes in the middle of the field. They have to fix those and hopefully with Williamson there and others getting healthy we can.

Indeed

I wonder if it’s a breakdown in communication (which was happening early on, but got corrected for a few games). Or, maybe it was the defense trying to take away the TEs (but, that allowed the deep middle to be exposed). Or, maybe it was players getting faked by Lamar starting to run but then passing (which is why getting the ball out of his hands is so critical).

I have zero faith that Keith Butler will figure it out, :lol: but thankfully, Teryl Austin is in charge of the secondary.

(Great post. I agree with all of it, but wanted to focus on this one part, because it was/has been the most glaring problem with this defense, IMO.)

[teegre]

Alternate Summation: If Jackson takes care of the football and doesnt throw 2 terrible passes to Spillane and Highsmith, the Ravens win 28-14 and dominated on the ground with 265 rushing yards.

The throw to Highsmith was something a highschool QB should know not to throw and the INT to Spillane is a reminder that he isnt Mahomes.

To me, it’s by design.

Hit Lamar. Take the ball out of his hand. Make the RBs beat you.

When Lamar does keep it: a) make sure to wrap him up... and the second guy tries to force the fumble; b) confuse him and have Lamar make stupid throws that a “high school QB” wouldn’t make.

Lamar against the Steelers: 7 turnovers in 2 games
Lamar against the others: 15 turnovers in 27 games

ANALYSIS:
Lamar is 7 times as likely to turn it over against the Steelers.

SUMMATION:
Its not a fluke; it’s by design.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

To me, it’s by design.

Hit Lamar. Take the ball out of his hand. Make the RBs beat you.

When Lamar does keep it: a) make sure to wrap him up... and the second guy tries to force the fumble; b) confuse him and have Lamar make stupid throws that a “high school QB” wouldn’t make.

Lamar against the Steelers: 7 turnovers in 2 games
Lamar against the others: 15 turnovers in 27 games

ANALYSIS:
Lamar is 7 times as likely to turn it over against the Steelers.

SUMMATION:
Its not a fluke; it’s by design.

Unfortunately, that is incorrect and if you watched how the defense played the run, it would be apparent that they were not conceding yardage by, "making the RB's beat you".

Anyways....movin' on to dallas.

[Fire Goodell]

Unfortunately, that is incorrect and if you watched how the defense played the run, it would be apparent that they were not conceding yardage by, "making the RB's beat you".

Anyways....movin' on to dallas.

I don't think any game plan is to let anything beat you, but their primary objective seemed to be to stop Lamar Jackson from making huge plays.

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I dont think Kordell is a good comparison. Kordell Stewart was a pocket passer in college at Colorado and had decent base of footwork and mechanics. Jackson was just an athlete with a strong arm that was throwing passes to receivers running open in college, or if they were covered he just ran for chunks of yardage.

The Ravens are using his feet to maximize their chances of winning in the moment, but not doing anything to develop his game as a pocket passer. Jackson will move the chains, take hits and unless he learns to be a passer first, he will be the 2nd coming of Bob Griffin the 3rd.

The biggest key to Sundays game was Jackson turned the ball over 4 times, Ben turned the ball over ZERO times.

True, KS had better mechanics but less talent (Jackson is faster and has a bigger arm)

[Mojouw]

Indeed

I wonder if it’s a breakdown in communication (which was happening early on, but got corrected for a few games). Or, maybe it was the defense trying to take away the TEs (but, that allowed the deep middle to be exposed). Or, maybe it was players getting faked by Lamar starting to run but then passing (which is why getting the ball out of his hands is so critical).

I have zero faith that Keith Butler will figure it out, :lol: but thankfully, Teryl Austin is in charge of the secondary.

(Great post. I agree with all of it, but wanted to focus on this one part, because it was/has been the most glaring problem with this defense, IMO.)

I think there were like 3 long passes that just looked bad on TV. I know, or at least am pretty sure, that one was Layne getting just "rookied" by the Ravens. They lulled him into thinking it was one thing, he stopped his feet, and then they just zipped everything by him. The TD to Brown was zone defenders getting caught in no mans land between playing the pass and attacking Lamar on the move. Watt did a little bit of both and then neither well. The first TD to Andrews, well that was just a LB in coverage and a nice throw. You gotta take your chances on defense too.

What am I trying to say? Not sure if it was really a systemic communication problem like against the Eagles or a few isolated plays were "rookie" mistakes and the unique challenges of the Ravens offense created openings. But I do not know if I am right or even close, because two days later and I can't remember things so good...

[polamalubeast]

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[pczach]

1323731740804870145



Yep.

I talked about it in the game day thread. Big Ben basically spread them out and picked them apart.

It looked like he was just street balling. Telling guys to run certain routes and expect the ball. On one play, it looked like the right side of the WR set didn't even know what to do or what the play was. Ben just got them to line up properly, and he threw the ball to the left side for a positive play.

[Craic]

Yep.

I talked about it in the game day thread. Big Ben basically spread them out and picked them apart.

It looked like he was just street balling. Telling guys to run certain routes and expect the ball. On one play, it looked like the right side of the WR set didn't even know what to do or what the play was. Ben just got them to line up properly, and he threw the ball to the left side for a positive play.

I read somewhere else where he literally was making up plays in the huddle. I think he did a good job countering the Ravens pass rush enough to drive the team for points when we needed them. This, beyond anything else, is what we were missing last year.

[teegre]

I think there were like 3 long passes that just looked bad on TV. I know, or at least am pretty sure, that one was Layne getting just "rookied" by the Ravens. They lulled him into thinking it was one thing, he stopped his feet, and then they just zipped everything by him. The TD to Brown was zone defenders getting caught in no mans land between playing the pass and attacking Lamar on the move. Watt did a little bit of both and then neither well. The first TD to Andrews, well that was just a LB in coverage and a nice throw. You gotta take your chances on defense too.

What am I trying to say? Not sure if it was really a systemic communication problem like against the Eagles or a few isolated plays were "rookie" mistakes and the unique challenges of the Ravens offense created openings. But I do not know if I am right or even close, because two days later and I can't remember things so good...

Good points.

The Slayton TD and the multiple-catch day that Fulgham had were definitely communication breakdowns in the secondary. This past Sunday was probably different. Because, like you, I saw Terrell Edmunds break coverage on a receiver going deep, to run up at the TE. Edmunds was trying to take away Lamar’s favorite target (which was a smart idea by Edmunds), but it cost the Steelers quite a bit of yardage.