Category: Opinions

Ravens Defensive Problems Just Keep Rolling On

For the second week in a row I’m not going to spend any time on the Ravens offense.  Through ten games the only team that has stopped the Ravens offense is the Ravens.  I’m eager to see whether Lamar can finally exorcise his Steelers demons.  But the Ravens defensive problems just continue to roll on.  The risk that these problems are unfixable is growing.  Below, I try to characterize my concerns, take a quick look at what is going wrong, and point to a few dim glimmers of hope.

Zach Orr and the (In)ability to Adapt

Continue reading “Ravens Defensive Problems Just Keep Rolling On”

Ravens: Quick Thoughts From the Broncos Win

Short weeks are tough on the players.  But they are even tougher on your humble blogger.  A complete film study of the Broncos victory was not possible, so I focused only on the Ravens “defense” for the week.  Some quick thoughts on that, and trade deadline activity, follow.

Quick Thoughts: Defensive Improvement?

Who wouldn’t be eager to read a post about improvement all across the Ravens defense?  We are all looking (hoping) for it.  Against the Broncos mediocre offense, the defense continued to allow too many chunk plays, particularly in the first half.  But there were a couple of “glimmers” inside of this mess. Continue reading “Ravens: Quick Thoughts From the Broncos Win”

The Cleveland Loss: Defensive Suggestions, and More

The trade deadline is three days away.  There’s a lot for Ravens fans to think about.  Below, I take a look at the pitiful defensive (and sub-par offensive) performance against Cleveland.  Then, let’s focus on some defensive  suggestions and some other stuff.

Lessons From the Cleveland Loss – Lord, The Defense

Wondering why Marcus Williams may start this week against Denver?  Because Eddie Jackson was that awful against the Browns.  Forgetting his dropped interceptions, Jackson continued his season-long assignment confusion.  It was a horror show. Continue reading “The Cleveland Loss: Defensive Suggestions, and More”

The Ravens Defensive Mess: Trenton Simpson and a Bit More

Many a local sports voice claim that Trenton Simpson is part of the reason that Roquan Smith has been terrible in pass coverage.  They now claim that Patrick Queen is what made Roquan so effective, not the other way around.  They argue, “if only the Ravens had exercised their one year option on Queen the Ravens wouldn’t be in this predicament.”  The defense would be better if the Ravens replace Simpson, they maintain.

Maybe some of you feel the same way.  Let’s unemotionally examine the Simpson-Smith-Queen issue with some data and film review and see where that leads.  More generally, should Simpson be on the field, or do the Ravens need to acquire an inside linebacker before the trade deadline to help fix the defense, as some now claim? Continue reading “The Ravens Defensive Mess: Trenton Simpson and a Bit More”

Ravens: Change is Blowin’ in the Wind

Film study and resulting thoughts will come later in the week.  But given that the trade deadline is looming, and the myriad of issues facing the Ravens defense, I’m compelled to make an extra post or two.  Any clear-eyed general manager, and Eric DeCosta is that, realizes that this team cannot win the Super Bowl with the current defense.  Self delusion leads to failure.  There is change blowin’ in the wind.  This post looks at the safety fiasco and possible options for improvement.  But first, a thought on Diontae Johnson. Continue reading “Ravens: Change is Blowin’ in the Wind”

Tampa Win, Defensive Mistakes – It Was Worse Than You Thought

In the last several posts I’ve pointed out the unstoppable nature of the Ravens offense.  I’m not going to spend much time in this post reviewing the wonderful play by the offense against the helpless Buccaneers defense.  It has all come together for the offense at the highest possible level.  Rather, the focus here is on the atrocious Ravens defensive play by the back seven.  Against Tampa, the Ravens defense was even worse than it appeared on the broadcast.

After weeks of mediocre to downright poor performances, last week was disheartening.  Scoring 41 points helps to hide all of this, but the mistakes against Tampa were downright alarming.  Folks, it hasn’t gotten one iota better.  I’m going to review some of this in even more (hopefully not boring) detail than usual. Continue reading “Tampa Win, Defensive Mistakes – It Was Worse Than You Thought”

Ravens Over Commanders: Unstoppable Offensive Machine?

Let’s face it.  The Ravens offense simply overpowered the Commanders defense, bringing home a fourth straight win.  Jayden Daniels is an outstanding prospect.  He reads defenses like a ten year veteran and brings rare pinpoint accuracy.  But I had the feeling the Commanders could have put twelve men on the defensive side of the ball and it would not have mattered.  Do the Ravens have an unstoppable offensive machine?

On the other side of the ball, did the Ravens secondary show any improvement against Daniels?  Can the Ravens run the table in the post-season with the group they have?  Let’s take a look at these and a few other points. Continue reading “Ravens Over Commanders: Unstoppable Offensive Machine?”

Ravens Over Bills: A Lot to Love

It’s really enjoyable watching tape when the home team drubs a top-level opponent.  There was a lot to love.  The Ravens are brimming with potential as both the offensive and defensive units made real leaps last week.  I touch on a handful of warts, but it’s mostly good stuff out of the Bills’ game.

A Lot to Love: Best Players Last Week

Derrick Henry was obviously phenomenal.  After the Ravens signed Derrick Henry, I posted a piece with the claim that Henry was the perfect player for a Lamar-led offense.  I take no bows because it seemed obvious – but the Henry signing (barring injury) will be seen as the best free agent signing league-wide in the offseason.  A bit more on Henry and the offense below. Continue reading “Ravens Over Bills: A Lot to Love”

Ravens-Cowboys: The Good and the Bad

Let’s avoid the obvious discussion regarding the good fortune of escaping Dallas with a win.  Instead, I go directly into the good and the bad and, hopefully, what it all means for the rest of the season.  But first, a quick word on the competition.

Don’t Sleep on the Steelers

I had my first chance to watch the Steelers in detail against the Chargers (though no time for game tape review).  The obvious: Pittsburgh has a championship level defense.  T.J. Watt remains the best (in my view) overall defender in the league.  His partners on the edge, whether it’s Alex Highsmith or now Nick Herbig, make it really hard to protect the quarterback.  The ageless Cam Heyward – well, he’s ageless.  The secondary is improved.  This is a tough defense. Continue reading “Ravens-Cowboys: The Good and the Bad”

The Raiders Debacle

Yet another fourth quarter collapse that has become all too much of a regular experience for the Ravens.  I walk through some of the Raiders debacle below.  But make no mistake, a victory over the Cowboys is essential for the Ravens 2024 chances.  At 0-3, their playoff aspirations would likely hinge on very poor play across the entire AFC North for the balance of the season.  Now that’s possible, as the Browns have real issues, the Bengals find themselves in the same hot seat, and the Steelers just can’t be believed offensively.  But let’s take a look at what was shockingly terrible in the Raiders game, and identify the promising things as well. Continue reading “The Raiders Debacle”

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