10 replies to this topic

[You Play to Win the Game]

When we faced off against the Texans in the regular season they had Schaub, but didn't have Andre Johnson. We keyed in on the run, held Foster in check, but didn't have to respect their passing game. So they have Johnson back, but it's not the veteran Schaub behind center, it's the rookie, T.J. Yates, who has one career playoff win more than Matt Ryan.

Here are my keys:
1.) Bring the house against Yates. Houston and Baltimore were tied at 13th in the NFL with 33 sacks allowed during the regular season. However, in Yates 5 regular season starts, he averaged 3 sacks per game (extrapolates to 51 sacks over a 16 game schedule, good for 29th in the NFL).

2.) Stop Foster, control the clock. What you can't do is allow this offense to do what they do best... Rush the ball and control the clock. Force Houston to 3rd and longs and get our defense off the field.

3.) Pitta sandwich with extra Rice. The Texans were ranked 3rd in passing D, and 4th in run D in the regular season. To me, the only way to crack that code is to keep them guessing. We need a steady dose of Rice, and some play action. My guess is we see a lot of two TE sets and a lot of play action plays to Pitta and Dickson across the middle.

4.) Keep the crowd in the game. This is the first playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium since 2006. All you have to do to make that work to your advantage is start fast and keep your foot on the Texans throats. For once, don't pull a "Raven" and make this interesting. Gives the fans what they deserve, a start to finish butt whipping like we're capable of delivering.

What say you?

[Don Olsen]

Some specific items to see success this weekend on Defense

1. Seal the Edge - The Texans bread and butter are zone scheme stretch runs. The men on the end have to maintain position on the edge against the tackle and not allow them to get turned at any point. The result is the end can string along the play to the sideline and Foster/Tate cannot bounce it to the outside (Ravens weakness in run support). Stringing it out forces Foster/Tate to funnel back inside and the meat/potatoes of the Ravens defense needs to anchor down and stuff the gaps.

2. Contain the backside - Anytime the offense runs off to the opposing edge, the DE/OLB has to stay home and not over pursue. Maintain your assignment and keep from the cutback and reverse. Foster does a great job of staying patience and he will turn it back if the DE/OLB crashes. The Texans offense lulls you and next thing you know Jones is running a short end roll reverse. He is lighting in a bottle and if he gets a head of steam up field, it is good for 15-20 yards.

3. If Owen Daniels does not play, it is still a big deal. Joel Dressen routinely gets behind the linebackers and finds the soft spot. When you have a rookie, he needs his blanket. The Ravens must get pressure, but maintain a hat on the TE at all times. Especially when the Ravens will shade over the top coverage to Andre Johnson. The Ravens have been wish-washy over the season and allow the TE to find huge chunks of yards.

4. Sniff out the screen - Foster is dangerous in the passing game and the Texans will use the Ravens aggression against them with scat screens, slow roll screens, TE screens and everything in between. The Ravens may have stuffed Houston's run game earlier in the season, but Foster had some impressive screen plays and all it takes is one missed tackle for him to turn it into 6 points.

[SportsGuy]

Get out early, stop and/or take away the run(because of the score) and makes Yates beat you.

You probably can't commit 8 to the box all the time because of Andre Johnson, so you will need to stop the run with 7 guys in a lot of cases.

[Don Olsen]

Some specific items to see success this weekend on Offense

1. Torrey Smith, Lee Evans, and/or Ed Dickson must open up the box with some down-field presence. Whether it is completed for a huge chunk, the Ravens need to keep their defense on its' toes. They have a nice blend of speed and power, but the Ravens have the passing weapons fully healthy and should out-match there press coverage with Boldin, Smith, Dickson, and Pitta into the fold.

2. Joe Cool has to be Joe Upright - Brooks Reed, Antonio Smith, and JJ Watt have a knack for getting to the QB. Even without Mario Williams, they have a stout front seven that provides pressure on the quarterback. The right side of the line is key for this game and Smith versus Oher is a match that may dicate how this all plays out.

3. Big Boy needs to exact some revenge - Vonte Leach was brought he for one reason and it was to knock the snot out of the DeMeco Ryan's and Brian Cushing's of the world. His bruising style and Ray Rice's vision need to be on point. Rice has to continue to get skinny and find what that stingy run defense gives. As with Foster, Rice is likely to make a bigger impact in the passing game. But any success between him and Williams will go even that much further helping the passing game.

4. Do what got you here in the first place. Play smart with the ball, play within yourself, make every a positive game, limit penalties. Make it priority to get Ray Rice actively involved in the game with 20-25 touches. Make sure to get Boldin early in the game, when both he and Rice are moving full steam there are not many defense that can successful defend the Ravens. Sprinkle in a big pass play or PI with Smith down-field to give the Ravens a short field to throw up 6 points.

[Mackus]

I think if the play the style of football that got 'em there and don't make any big mistakes, that it shouldn't be that close.

Barring a terrible day by Flacco, some fumbles or other weird turnovers, or the Texans getting a ST score (my biggest concern) and the team falling behind early, I think the Ravens win handily. If they get down by two scores and have to throw, then it'll be a struggle, as was the recipe in all 4 of the losses this year.

I don't expect it to be that tough to get ahead, and then force some Yates mistakes as he tries to bring Houston back and seal the game up.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Agree completely with SG and Mackus... get out to a good start... minimizes Foster and forces Yates into mistakes.

[BSLChrisStoner]

NBC / ProFootballTalk: http://nbcsports.msn.../ns/sports-nfl/

Great piece here from PFT.

[BSLChrisStoner]

CSN Baltimore: http://www.csnbaltim...054&feedID=6876

Wiki: http://en.wikipedia....wiki/T.J._Yates

NFL Draft Scout: http://www.nfldrafts...=2011&genpos=QB

[BSLChrisStoner]

PressBox: http://www.pressboxo...log.cfm?id=4334

[BSLChrisStoner]

From the '46 Ravens Related Observations...' thread:

1) ... So, assuming the Ravens play either Houston or Pittsburgh; the Ravens are going to face a good run-defense who has already played in Baltimore this year. Should Baltimore come out trying to throw the ball (to open up the run) against these teams, or should the Ravens commit right from the beginning to making these teams show they can stop the run?"

14) The Ravens were 11th overall in time of possession. Houston and Pittsburgh were ranked 1st, and 2nd.

26) Is anyone going to try and run the ball at the Ravens? What is the point, it is not going to happen. Baltimore has been taking away the opposing running game, and making the opposition one dimensional for over a decade. If the Ravens play Houston, the Texans have to get the ball to Foster, but will it be on the ground? Probably not. In the Houston / Baltimore game earlier this season, Foster had 15 carries for 49 yards. He did better work as a receiver, with 6 catches for 52 yards. Foster did have 7 games with 100+ yards as a rusher, so they won’t abandon the run completely. His 3 games with 100+ yards as a receiver is a bigger concern to me though.

44) Denver and Pittsburgh tied for 9th in the league, with 42 sacks allowed. Green Bay allowed 41. New England allowed 34. Houston and Baltimore were tied for 20th, with 33 sacks allowed. New Orleans allowed 24, tied for 2nd best.

[BSLChrisStoner]

From the previous Ravens / Texans game:

BSL: Ravens over Houston;The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
http://baltimorespor...ife.com/?p=3110

Back from their Week 4 Bye, the Ravens outscored Houston 13-0 in the 4th Quarter to win 29-14. With Andre Johnson out for the game, and ‘Super’ Mario Williams out for the season; there was a sense from many Baltimore fans that this should have been an easy game. Houston showed today that they have a deep and talented roster. I’m glad to have the head-to-head win, because I believe the Texans could be a hard out in the playoffs. If these teams were to play again, I would much prefer it to be in Baltimore vs. having to travel to Houston. With their third consecutive win, the Ravens move to 4-1 as they will now prepare for a trip to Jacksonville.

The Good:

1) Brought on a blitz, Ray Lewis recorded the 40th and a 1/2 sack of his career. Lewis finished with 12 tackles.

2) Facing 3rd and 9 on the first series of the game, Flacco beat the blitz to pick up 1st down. On that first series, Flacco did an excellent job of spreading the ball around – completing passes to Boldin, Smith, Rice, and Dickson.

3) Houston started their 3rd series at the Ravens 41 yard line. Webb made a good open-field tackle on Walter on 3rd down, and the rest of defense swarmed to stop Foster on 4th & 1 (though replays showed that Cody should have been called for face mask).

4) Towards the end of the 1st half, Flacco hit Rice for an 18 yard gain. What I loved about the play was that Pitta was right there to help provide blocking.

5) Pro Football Focus reported earlier this week that Matt Birk was the only starting Center in the league yet to allow a single pressure this season, over 152 pass-blocking snaps. Most of the pressure Flacco faced today, did not come up the middle. I still tend to believe the Ravens would be better with a returning Grubbs at LG, and Gurode taking over at Center, but the information from PFF is interesting.

6) As he was being dragged to the field on the first series of the 2nd half, Flacco was able to stay-up long enough to hit Rice for the 1st down.

7) Smith caught balls today towards the sideline, over the middle, and made a great adjustment on his 51 yard grab down the field. He finished with 84 yards on his 3 receptions.

8) Nice rush from Johnson for his sack.

9) Again dealing with lots of pressure, Flacco stood in and had a great 56 yard completion to Boldin.
9a) Boldin had 8 grabs for 132 yards. It was great seeing him make a play down the field.

10) On 3rd & 9 in the 4th, Pollard made a nice play in coverage, helping prevent a Foster reception.

11) The Ravens did force a lot of 3rd and longs. Without having to worry about Johnson on the outside, Baltimore was able to control Foster as a runner (14 carries, for 48 yards).

12) I loved Jamal Lewis in his prime. Lewis had that rare combination of speed and power. He beat up the defense, and made them unwilling to want to tackle him late in games. He also had a 47 catch season in ’02, before they went away from throwing him the ball. That all said, Ray Rice probably wins out in a head to head comparison. Most every week, Rice is as much of a play-maker as anyone on the field. Rice finished with 23 carries, 101 yards with 5 receptions, and 60 yards receiving.

13) In the middle of the 4th, Suggs was finally able to get some pressure, and McPhee was able to get the sack and cause a fumble (recovered by Houston).

14) Ricky Williams had his first Ravens TD, and had a couple of helpful blocks. His TD culminated a 2 minute 37 second drive, which started at the Baltimore 34. This was the type of drive quality teams put together to ice games.

15) Against his old team, Vonta Leach looked extra motivated with his blocking today.

16) Baltimore had 402 yards of offense, with Flacco finishing the day 20 of 33, for 305 yards. Based on the pressure he dealt with, I think it was a good day for the QB overall, even after accounting for the fumble and the pick.

17) Houston was 6 of 16 on 3rd down for the day. I’m listing this as ‘good’ because as I point out below, the Texans converted five 3rd downs on their first two possessions. The Ravens were obviously able to make some quality adjustments.

18) Cundiff was 5 for 5 on his FG attempts, and hit the crowd at-least once on his kickoffs.

19) McCann had two quality Kick Returns.

The Bad:

1) Houston converted 3rd & 7, 3rd & 8, and 3rd & 15 on their first series. The 3rd & 15 came on a delayed run from Foster. The second Texans series brought more of the same, as two more 3rd downs were converted. The constant in all of those plays was the lack of pressure brought from the Baltimore defense. The Ravens did not have a lot of success against the Texans’ Tackles Duane Brown and Eric Winston for most of the game.

2) Smith and Carr were again inactive today, again making it puzzling to me why the Ravens would increase Webb’s chances for injury, by having him return punts.
2a) I feel the same way about Reed being back there for two punts as well.

3) Gurode and Pitta were both called for penalties.

4) Conor Barwin, Brooks Reed and Antonio Smith were collapsing the pocket with regularity. There were numerous plays where Barwin was basically going unblocked.

5) On the Ravens 3rd possession, Flacco was hit and stripped of the ball. Giving Houston possession in the Baltimore Red Zone.

6) With two minutes left in the 1st half, the Ravens prepared to run 3rd & 11 from the 25 yard line. Baltimore had some extra time to think over the play, but the Ravens were not able to devise a play to handle the Texans’ pass rush.

7) On 3rd & 4 on the 1st Baltimore possession of the 2nd half, the Ravens were on the Houston 30 yard line. I would have wanted to target a weapon other than LaQuan Williams in that situation.

8) On the Jacoby Jones TD, the Ravens defense bit on play action and over-played the TE Owen Daniels. Reed was completely beat in 1×1 coverage.

9) While the Ravens were swarming to stop Foster, Tate was a bit more successful on the ground. (9 carries, 41 yards)

The Ugly:

1) As the 1st half ended, Dickson was wide open on Flacco’s interception. This may have cost the Ravens points, and almost gave Houston the opportunity to kick a tying FG.

2) The Red Zone offense continues to disappoint. After Smith’s 51 yard catch, the Ravens had a 1st and 10 at the Texans 13. Rice ran for 6 yards on 1st down. On 2nd and 4th, Boldin had a 2 yard reception. On 3rd & 2, Rice was stuffed for a 2 yard loss. After Boldin’s 56 yard catch, Baltimore had a 1st and 10 at the Houston 10 yard line. On 1st down, Rice was stopped for a 5 yard loss. 2nd and 3rd down passes would go incomplete, and the Ravens again had to settle for 3. Baltimore simply has to become more proficient when they have similar opportunities.


From the October 5th entry, "Will the Ravens be in Indianapolis Feb 5th," (http://baltimorespor...ife.com/?p=3036)

Houston
"Positives: The Texans are loaded with talent. Their bookend Offensive Tackles – Duane Brown, and Eric Winston – are very strong upfront. Andre Johnson (who appears likely to miss the Ravens game) is a monster at WR. Walter, and J. Jones are capable. TE Owen Daniels looks like the Pro Bowl player he was prior to his injuries. Foster had 2,200+ combined yards at RB last year, and his backup Ben Tate is showing why Houston selected him in the 2nd round last year. Matt Schaub lives in basic anonymity, but continues to put up prolific numbers. The talent continues on the Defensive side of the ball as well. Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips has had a lot of success in that position previously (particularly with Denver, and Buffalo in the ’90s). Mario Williams has adjusted to his move to ROLB, and already has 4 sacks. Those Texans LB’s are just strong in-general. Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed are recent high draft picks at LOLB. Brian Cushing has moved inside, and All-Pro DeMeco Ryans has returned from his injuries. ’11 1st rounder JJ Watt is starting at LE. Opposite of him, Antonio Smith has 4 sacks. Jonathan Joseph was added to the Secondary at a much more reasonable price than Asomugha. ’10 1st rounder Kareem Jackson is no longer required to match-up against the best opposing WR. Rackers has as strong a leg as anyone as a PK.

Negatives: Houston is 10th in Total Defense, but just 18th against the run. Cushing is putting up tackles inside, but has yet to make the type of impact plays that made him an All-Pro during ’09 Rookie season. I’m struggling to come up with other negatives for the Texans, they are loaded. Probably their biggest current limitation is that as they have not won big games yet as a team, they collectively do not know how good they can be."