44 replies to this topic

[Mike in STL]

BSL: https://baltimorespo...ying-with-fire/

 

It's fun having thoughts laid out for a game based on how it's going, only to have to scrap it all and start over late in the 4th quarter. 

 

5 thoughts from the game. Mainly, how much longer can they keep snatching victory from the jaws of defeat? 

[TwentyThirtyFive]

We were more efficient and playing better last year. Thats for sure. That was my beef with a certain poster around here last year. He was all doom and gloom and wasnt really paying close enough attention and using lazy narratives. This year hes not saying as much but if he were I wouldnt be pushing back nearly as hard as I did last year. This team has some big issues and they are very lucky to be 4-1.

[Mackus]

Had to be low single digit win probability late in each of the KC, @Det, and Indy games.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Had to be low single digit win probability late in each of the KC, @Det, and Indy games.

I forget some of the sequencing and details of the KC game but for sure it was super low in the Det and Ind games




Somewhere, maybe ESPN, has to have an odds prob chart for the games

[Bmore Irish]

Incredible performance by Lamar. The fumble was demoralizing as a fan, but it really speaks to what a special player he is. Make a mistake that looked like it'd be the dagger for your team, and turn around and put them on your back on the way to an incredible comeback.

 

This Ravens defense is scary as hell, and so is the matchup next week against the Chargers. Herbert is gonna light this team up, so I hope Lamar has another one of these performances in him. And hopefully the team comes out ready to play from the jump, because Staley is a very smart young coach with a more talented (and healthy) defense than the Colts.

 

I'll enjoy a crazy, fun, stressful win for now, but buckle up, because I think this entire season is gonna be a roller coaster.

[Slidemaster]

They absolutely can't do this forever. They have a bad habit of playing down to their competition and could easily be 1-4 with a few different bounces.

With that said...there's something to be said for finding ways to win. I just hope this team isn't like last year's Steelers - great (and lucky) in the record column, and exposed in the last third of the season.

[Mike in STL]

Had to be low single digit win probability late in each of the KC, @Det, and Indy games.

As far as I can tell with my sausage fingers and my trackpad on the laptop, IND had as high as a 98% win probability at 25-9 with 10:07 to play. The Colts were still at 93.5% after that botched read option that took them from the 1 to the 4 yard line late.

 

Lions game it was 97% for the Lions when it was 4th and 19. 67.2% when he completed the pass. 85% when they spiked it. So they gave the Ravens a 15% chance of scoring from the 48 yard line in 7 seconds. That seems, generous? 

 

Chiefs high was 91% when Koch punted down 11 with 3:32 to go in the 3rd and they took over on the Ravens 49. 

[JimJohnson]

As exhilarating as this season has been so far, these cycles almost never last. Inevitably they go one of two ways, either the team starts playing better and no longer needs these escapes at the end of games, or they don't improve and the odds even out on them and they start losing. The Ravens showed a lot of areas for improvement last night, and you could tell in Harbaugh's locker room speech he was painfully aware of that. They can't afford to waste any more time playing with fire with the Chargers and Bengals coming in-two games that we marked off as wins when the schedule came out but are quite losable games the way those two teams are playing.

 

But damn, Lamar was spectacular last night, and his two top receivers, Andrews and Brown, played like top receivers.  

[TwentyThirtyFive]

I just keep thinking and remembering that 2012 was the end of our window and it was arguably the weakest reg season team we had since '07. Doesnt mean we are making a deep run this year but you nwed to gwt in and get hot. Thats it

[PrimeTime]

I really don't even know what to say about this team right now. They're short on fundamentals but long on heart and that's carried them to a 4-1 start.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

23rd in total defense. 29th against the pass.

[You Play to Win the Game]

The defensive coaching staff sucks. The play calling sucks. The development of young players on basic fundamentals sucks. It all sucks. We should be thrilled about that dub last night, but have a pitch fork in the other hand for the defense. There is enough talent there to be better than 24th in yards and 28th in passing yards allowed. It is completely unacceptable.

[You Play to Win the Game]

I really don't even know what to say about this team right now. They're short on fundamentals but long on heart and that's carried them to a 4-1 start.

Lamar has plenty of heart, yes. Can't say that about the defense IMO. Even when they are performing better, they're bad when it counts the most.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

The defensive coaching staff sucks. The play calling sucks. The development of young players on basic fundamentals sucks. It all sucks. We should be thrilled about that dub last night, but have a pitch fork in the other hand for the defense. There is enough talent there to be better than 24th in yards and 28th in passing yards allowed. It is completely unacceptable.

Certainly fair to criticize most of the defensive staff.

[jamesdean]

The defensive coaching staff sucks. The play calling sucks. The development of young players on basic fundamentals sucks. It all sucks. We should be thrilled about that dub last night, but have a pitch fork in the other hand for the defense. There is enough talent there to be better than 24th in yards and 28th in passing yards allowed. It is completely unacceptable.

I'm not sure how you teach professional football players how to tackle since it's a fundamental skill taught in Pee Wee league.  We have a lot of arm tacklers on this team and with the speed and size of players today, they'll just run right through that.  You have to put your whole body into a tackle and it's just not something they choose to do.  Maybe they're afraid of injuries, feeling that jolt of pain each time they deliver the hit, the wear and tear over the course of a game, etc...who knows.  Whatever it is, I don't think you can pin it on the coaching staff.  I'm sure they harp on these guys every week in practice about it.  They just aren't willing to do it in games. 

[PrimeTime]

The defensive coaching staff sucks. The play calling sucks. The development of young players on basic fundamentals sucks. It all sucks. We should be thrilled about that dub last night, but have a pitch fork in the other hand for the defense. There is enough talent there to be better than 24th in yards and 28th in passing yards allowed. It is completely unacceptable.

It seems like everyone is overpursuing. There's no gap integrity, no spatial awareness. And it happens play after play. Even if they were in position to make a tackle, it's a coin flip at best.

[JStruds]

It seems like everyone is overpursuing. There's no gap integrity, no spatial awareness. And it happens play after play. Even if they were in position to make a tackle, it's a coin flip at best.

In conjunction with the over pursuit, they keep running into each other. I hope it's primarily a matter of discipline; not staying in their Lanes. That may be easier to fix than physical tackling weaknesses.

[jamesdean]

In conjunction with the over pursuit, they keep running into each other. I hope it's primarily a matter of discipline; not staying in their Lanes. That may be easier to fix than physical tackling weaknesses.

It's just extremely poor fundamentals.  Something you should at least have refined and mastered at the collegiate level.  "Sloppy" is the word that keeps popping in my mind when I watch them flailing away with their arm tackles.  Maybe Harbs and Wink need to simplify things a little and insert Josh Bynes back in there like they did early in 2019.  At least the guy can tackle.  I doubt they'd bench Queen but I'm sure they wouldn't have any regrets replacing Harrison.  Something needs to be done, that's for sure.  I know it's tempting to pile on with those two but there's plenty of others, including our corners, who are extremely poor tacklers too. 

[JStruds]

I know it's tempting to pile on with those two but there's plenty of others, including our corners, who are extremely poor tacklers too.

Agreed. I think even Houston whiffed on a one last night, and Humphrey may have become - at least occasionally - too focused on strips to make yard limiting tackles.

[hallas]

Had to be low single digit win probability late in each of the KC, @Det, and Indy games.

 To be fair, the peak Ravens win probability for the Ravens Raiders game was around 87%.  So we've played 4 coinflips and won 3 of them.