66 replies to this topic

[BaltBird 24]

Marlon, Hamilton, Williams, Stephens, Stone, Darby, Maulett.

Bring on Miami.

[Ravens2006]

Last year they left Armour Davis, playing his first NFL game, alone on Hill with no safety help on a long TD. All of the coaches, head and DC, sat there and decided it wasn't worth burning a TO apparently. Roquan also wasn't here, and I think (?) the highly overrated Chuck Clark was still wearing the helmet mic at the time??? That was fully preventable (the whole comeback) by someone having the common sense to dictate a lot of 3 or 4 deep and forcing Tua to go underneath.

Bend don't break, and don't let anyone behind you against that team. Greatly increases your chances of winning.

[Slidemaster]

They are as good a regular season team as there is.

Until they show the ability to elevate in the playoffs like Philadelphia and KC have, I just don't believe they're a real contender. They play their worst in the most critical moments.

I don't know if the lights get too bright or if their heartbeat gets too fast or what. When the pressure is on, they fold.

[hallas]

Last year they left Armour Davis, playing his first NFL game, alone on Hill with no safety help on a long TD. All of the coaches, head and DC, sat there and decided it wasn't worth burning a TO apparently. Roquan also wasn't here, and I think (?) the highly overrated Chuck Clark was still wearing the helmet mic at the time??? That was fully preventable (the whole comeback) by someone having the common sense to dictate a lot of 3 or 4 deep and forcing Tua to go underneath.

Bend don't break, and don't let anyone behind you against that team. Greatly increases your chances of winning.

The issue is that those plays weren't obviously busted presnap because MacDonald was trying to disguise coverages by putting Hamilton in the box showing blitz. Either he or Williams was supposed to break back out and cover deep zone, and based on the comments post-game I'm pretty sure it was Hamilton.

On another play I think Hamilton bit on a deep crosser from Waddle and left Hill alone with JAD.

We just weren't very talented at CB that game and Hamilton was still figuring out his role.

[MikeinOwingsMills]

Not saying they're "better" than us, certainly not this season....but do we give any breath to the Steelers as a potential threat?

 

I admit I'm worried that this OC change creates a spark, the light suddenly comes on for Pickett, they close out hot and become an even bigger burr in our saddle than we anticipated.

[Mackus]

Zero concern from me about the Steelers. Doesnt mean we'll beat them or hold them off for the division, but if they derail you, then you weren't going anywhere anyways.

[Ravens2006]

The issue is that those plays weren't obviously busted presnap because MacDonald was trying to disguise coverages by putting Hamilton in the box showing blitz. Either he or Williams was supposed to break back out and cover deep zone, and based on the comments post-game I'm pretty sure it was Hamilton.

On another play I think Hamilton bit on a deep crosser from Waddle and left Hill alone with JAD.

We just weren't very talented at CB that game and Hamilton was still figuring out his role.

To me that situation calls for straight up "show over the top coverage" pre snap and don't get cute. I get that someone, probably Hamilton, failed to switch over... but why put it on rookies with zero or almost zero NFL experience to pull off Ed Reed style bait and switch there? Show over the top coverage, show it blatantly, and force them to dink and dunk and take the underneath. The score and the clock is your friend.

Ugh, anyway, I still think that was a coaching mistake at its core because of who was available and the position the staff put them in. It's like me asking a slow base runner to steal third as the tying run in the last inning, and there's a cannon behind the plate... then putting all the blame on the runner for not getting a better jump on the pitch.

[hallas]

To me that situation calls for straight up "show over the top coverage" pre snap and don't get cute. I get that someone, probably Hamilton, failed to switch over... but why put it on rookies with zero or almost zero NFL experience to pull off Ed Reed style bait and switch there? Show over the top coverage, show it blatantly, and force them to dink and dunk and take the underneath. The score and the clock is your friend.

Ugh, anyway, I still think that was a coaching mistake at its core because of who was available and the position the staff put them in. It's like me asking a slow base runner to steal third as the tying run in the last inning, and there's a cannon behind the plate... then putting all the blame on the runner for not getting a better jump on the pitch.

 

it's 100% a coaching mistake to tell a rook in his 2nd game to disguise coverages by lining up in the box and then break out into the opposite side of the field in deep zone.  That said, if MacDonald dialed that up with Hamilton now, I'd be fine with it (and I'm sure he has.)

[jamesdean]

Hill is going to get his yardage one way or another.  It's inevitable.  What you don't want is him taking a ball to the house like he did last year.  Keep him out of the endzone and above all else, apply consistent pressure on Tagovailoa, make him uncomfortable and get him to the ground a few times.  Maybe even get a pick or two.  Miami doesn't worry me defensively.  The Ravens should score their 24-30 points against them.  Play a clean game and it should be a W. 

[PrimeTime]

Hill is going to get his yardage one way or another. It's inevitable. What you don't want is him taking a ball to the house like he did last year. Keep him out of the endzone and above all else, apply consistent pressure on Tagovailoa, make him uncomfortable and get him to the ground a few times. Maybe even get a pick or two. Miami doesn't worry me defensively. The Ravens should score their 24-30 points against them. Play a clean game and it should be a W.

I've put this out there a few times but the 2023 Ravens are their own worst enemies.

Catch the ball, don't throw it to the other team, don't put the ball on the carpet and if those things happen, I will take this club to win 99 times out of 100.

[Mike B]

I've put this out there a few times but the 2023 Ravens are their own worst enemies.

Catch the ball, don't throw it to the other team, don't put the ball on the carpet and if those things happen, I will take this club to win 99 times out of 100.

I agree, but I watch way too much football and that is the case with just about every team.

[hallas]

I agree, but I watch way too much football and that is the case with just about every team.

 

At least with two out of 3 things the Ravens have been very good.  Lamar's int rate is really low at 1.5%, and we haven't been plagued by drops other than the Pitt game where the entire team decided to dip their gloves in butter.  Still need to work on putting the ball on the ground, but that's a pretty good start.

 

I think Lamar's making a bit more of a conscious effort to secure the ball - his fumbles lately have seemed at least understandable.  Earlier in the year he had some serious WTF fumbles.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

KC is the nightmare playoff matchup, particularly if it’s at Arrowhead. Their D will shut us down, and Mahomes will likely be able to do enough.

My boy called it exactly in late Nov

[Biggsy]

My boy called it exactly in late Nov

Spagnuolo made Monken his Bit.... lady friend.

On top of Lamar having his worst game of the season at the worst time... again.

If Lamar is healthy, we're going to be players again at the end. Gotta hope he eventually can put it together in crunch time.

[You Play to Win the Game]

It’d be nice if his surrounding cast had his back for once. Flowers made some nice plays eventually but otherwise made some disastrous mistakes given the moment. If he weren’t a rookie I’d still be holding a grudge. Hoping he got that out of his system.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Spagnuolo made Monken his Bit.... lady friend.

On top of Lamar having his worst game of the season at the worst time... again.

If Lamar is healthy, we're going to be players again at the end. Gotta hope he eventually can put it together in crunch time.

They knew how to D up our O. Or Lamar. However you want to look at it.

[Slidemaster]

Nah, KC didn't win that game. The Ravens lost it. That was no testament to the Chiefs. It was a testament to Raven playoff futility.

[BaltBird 24]

Flowers about to have a huge sophomore season. Best WR we've ever drafted, not that it's saying much. If he stays healthy he's gonna be a stud.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Flowers about to have a huge sophomore season. Best WR we've ever drafted, not that it's saying much. If he stays healthy he's gonna be a stud.

Agreed. Absolute stud.

[You Play to Win the Game]

The great Matt Harmon of Reception Perception on Zay Flowers rookie campaign:

Flowers’ primary position as a rookie was as a flanker. He took 64.3% of his sampled snaps as an outside receiver and was off the line on nearly 71%. The Ravens will shift him into the slot on occasion (29.6% of his sampled snaps), primarily for vertical routes, and he’s their primary pre-snap motion weapon. Flowers was in the backfield for 6.2% of his sampled snaps.

There was some criticism of Flowers during last NFL season that he only really won on gimmicky or designed plays. He holds some real value in that role and most of his alignment data shouldn’t change going forward. However, Reception Perception will show that he wins in far more areas than just those designer looks.
Flowers’ 85% success rate vs. zone coverage is an eye-popping result. Once all relevant players from 2023 are charted, Flowers will likely be keeping some impressive company among some of the premier wideouts in the game. Some of that is boosted by underneath and designer routes but it’s hard to take too many swipes at an 85% success rate. He earned that score. I love the way Flowers works against zone, especially in the intermediate and deep areas. The Ravens see a ton of zone because of Lamar Jackson and it’s easy to see why these two developed such an instant rapport.

Flowers’ 71.7% success rate vs. man coverage is also a good mark. He’s an explosive player who has strong fundamentals of deceptive route running. You get plenty of reps of defensive backs buried on what he sells as deep routes only to cut them off at 90 degrees and uncover wide open on digs and outs.

One area you can pick some nits in Flowers’ game is his work against press. His 62.9% success rate vs. press falls at the 35th percentile. His size may always limit him in this area but it was a strong mark in his prospect profile so with more time on task working through details, I won’t rule out that we see some improvement. Overall, Flowers is a great route runner so it’s hard to bet against him but right now, this is the one sector of the game I could see putting a ceiling on his path to be considered a true No. 1 receiver.

Ironically, given the way folks speak about him, Flowers needs the most work on routes closer to the line of scrimmage like slants and curls. Some of the press-man issues creep into those results. Flowers’ most dominant marks are on outs, posts and digs. Again, the intermediate and deep areas of the field are where he should be absolutely gobbling up targets and ripping big plays.

Don’t expect the designer work to ever be completely erased from Flowers’ game, however. Teams design plays for true non-gadget receivers because they view them as dynamic enough to warrant the looks. Dynamism in the open field is the calling card of Flowers’ game. He went down on first contact on a mere 35.7% of his “in space” attempts and broke multiple tackles on 28.6%. He’s a menace in the open field and shakes free of much larger defenders.

Zay Flowers made his handful of mistakes as a rookie but those are rightfully overshadowed by his vibrant plays as a run after catch option and some highly intriguing route running on big-boy patterns. He’s an exciting talent who should be a mainstay of the Ravens passing attack for years with the potential to be a volume-hog receiver if he iron

https://receptionper...player-profile/