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MDFan reminded me I have been away from the board too long. I'll try to be more of a regular. Never too busy to talk serious football.
I have an approach to preseason games that may be a little different. I try to look for matchups or situations that ISOLATE the play of individuals WITHOUT the help or assistance of scheme. With rookies, I just want to see if they PHYSICALLY can match up and handle NFL level play. Do they "flash" at all, to use a tired buzzword. I expect mental busts, breakdowns in special teams, and the inability of 2nd and 3rd string OL's to handle complex blitzes. I don't want to see people on D playing with their pad levels too high and getting blown off the line, or OL getting no push when runs are called, ect ect. I expect WR's to catch the d*mn ball. I want to see LB's take their feet to the ballcarrier and wrap up. With QB's, especially pups like Kolb, its more important to me that I see they are making the correct reads and choices with the football, than if the soon to be cut scrubs they throw to in the 4th quarter catch the rock or not.
With that background, here's my take on the game:
1. The Ravens O wasn't straight vanilla. In fact, they "gameplanned" in a way, as they ran play action, and bootleg action, to take advantage of our fast, aggressive D. They didn't just run straight ahead. They threw off alot of short drops, where its hard to get pressure, and when they went down the field it was off playaction. Our D was too overeager, like Spikes, and ran themselves out of lanes. The first team D didn't get mauled physically IMO. They played too much as individuals and not a tight unit--thats why its PRESEASON. The Ravens ran stuff that tests your discipline and cohesion as a D. That should improve. Madden talked Sunday about how the throws to TE's off the boot action is a guaranteed big play in preseason.
2. I saw the posts below slamming Ryan's approach last night. Reid never gameplans in preseason much at all except the 3rd game--he likes to get ready for the real opener and the season. Let me say this clear-if you don't gameplan for the protections needed to handle Ryan's stuff, the outcome is predictable and what you got last night. I saw OL not getting bullrushed all day, I saw people hitting gaps, blitzes, stunts up front--stuff way too complicated for most O's to handle, especially backups, week 1. Relax. That just shows the Ravens SCHEME on D, without prep, "won." What does that really "prove"? I am not mad about it, because its a legit thing for a team that runs so many blitzes, stunts and games to do it to get the timing down. JJ does that too, usually games 2 and 3 preseason.
3.Kolb really impressed me. He was playing with dreck. He made the right reads. Threw catchable balls that were dropped. Showed poise under big pressure, and took hits. His football IQ is very high. Only negative, he needs more pocket awareness, and needs to judge the speed of the rush better. NFL speed-that will come.
4. I did think the backup O and D lines did get manhandled at times, without use of trickeration by Balt. Arm tackle attempts, pad levels too high--that to me is the sign of a TIRED team. Now maybe I'm a glass half full type, but I haven't read about too many teams hitting 9 days straight like Andy did this year at Lehigh. Maybe he was so busy working on getting ready for the season and getting all the "situations" coached up, he didn't give them enough time to get their legs back. I do think that may be part of it. I noticed Andy wasn't as p*ssed as he normally would be after such a lame effort--maybe he knew going in the tanks were low, and he just wanted to see the youngins compete under duress and fatigue.
5. Bloom--I like my return men to hit it hard and go north and south. You make moves gaining yards. In this respect, I really give Bloom high marks. He has a feel for making the first man miss, and following blocks. When he sees a crease he explodes into it. Like what I see, but you have to be a tough guy too. Can't make the club in the tub.
6.Rocca-let me say I want Sav to win the job. His leg is unreal. But its not the length of the kicks that counts as much as hangtime. You can't blast a "flat" 65 yarder without outkicking your coverage, which is what happened when they had a 17 yard return, for a 48 yd. net. Still good, but with more height and less distance, I'd love a 55 yarder with huge hangtime, and a faircatch or a PR blasted for the turnover potential. Dirk was solid, the first punt was great. But even though Sav shanked one in the 30's, I am drooling thinking of being able to punt from your own end zone and pinning the other team on their side of the 50 after a 60+ yard blast. That field position shift can mean 10, 15, 20+ yards that stop scoring chances, while the shanks, rarely returned, would only be maybe 10 yard off avg. net. To me, the upside is worth it--but do they trust him to hold for Dirk?
7. Don't blast Akers, the snap sucked on the missed FG. THAT is a real concern for me, snapper and holder. Akers needs a real consistent year to get back to being the Akers of old. He can't unless the parts around him are working. Stover looked automatic-I miss that . . .
8. I'm not drinking the Kool Aid just yet on Celek. The fact he picked up the offense fast is great. Coaches like guys you can depend on. But he can't stretch the D IMO, and is maybe a slightly better than average blocker. The dropoff in talent level between LJ and the rest of the TE's is huge. Schoebel has more stretch the field ability than Celek, although he does run after catch a little better than I thought he would.
9. I don't know what they like in Pat McCoy. From the footage at camp he gets schooled, and he stunk last night. Nasty Nate is not an NFL player IMO.
10. Its almost a LOCK the Birds will pluck from the waiver wire before the final roster is set somebody from at least 1 of these positions: HB, CB, S.
11. It blows McDougle and Moats got hurt, we could have gotten maybe a 6th or 7th for them. I like Lajuan Ramsey alot, but he may be headed to PUP or IR.
I have an approach to preseason games that may be a little different. I try to look for matchups or situations that ISOLATE the play of individuals WITHOUT the help or assistance of scheme. With rookies, I just want to see if they PHYSICALLY can match up and handle NFL level play. Do they "flash" at all, to use a tired buzzword. I expect mental busts, breakdowns in special teams, and the inability of 2nd and 3rd string OL's to handle complex blitzes. I don't want to see people on D playing with their pad levels too high and getting blown off the line, or OL getting no push when runs are called, ect ect. I expect WR's to catch the d*mn ball. I want to see LB's take their feet to the ballcarrier and wrap up. With QB's, especially pups like Kolb, its more important to me that I see they are making the correct reads and choices with the football, than if the soon to be cut scrubs they throw to in the 4th quarter catch the rock or not.
With that background, here's my take on the game:
1. The Ravens O wasn't straight vanilla. In fact, they "gameplanned" in a way, as they ran play action, and bootleg action, to take advantage of our fast, aggressive D. They didn't just run straight ahead. They threw off alot of short drops, where its hard to get pressure, and when they went down the field it was off playaction. Our D was too overeager, like Spikes, and ran themselves out of lanes. The first team D didn't get mauled physically IMO. They played too much as individuals and not a tight unit--thats why its PRESEASON. The Ravens ran stuff that tests your discipline and cohesion as a D. That should improve. Madden talked Sunday about how the throws to TE's off the boot action is a guaranteed big play in preseason.
2. I saw the posts below slamming Ryan's approach last night. Reid never gameplans in preseason much at all except the 3rd game--he likes to get ready for the real opener and the season. Let me say this clear-if you don't gameplan for the protections needed to handle Ryan's stuff, the outcome is predictable and what you got last night. I saw OL not getting bullrushed all day, I saw people hitting gaps, blitzes, stunts up front--stuff way too complicated for most O's to handle, especially backups, week 1. Relax. That just shows the Ravens SCHEME on D, without prep, "won." What does that really "prove"? I am not mad about it, because its a legit thing for a team that runs so many blitzes, stunts and games to do it to get the timing down. JJ does that too, usually games 2 and 3 preseason.
3.Kolb really impressed me. He was playing with dreck. He made the right reads. Threw catchable balls that were dropped. Showed poise under big pressure, and took hits. His football IQ is very high. Only negative, he needs more pocket awareness, and needs to judge the speed of the rush better. NFL speed-that will come.
4. I did think the backup O and D lines did get manhandled at times, without use of trickeration by Balt. Arm tackle attempts, pad levels too high--that to me is the sign of a TIRED team. Now maybe I'm a glass half full type, but I haven't read about too many teams hitting 9 days straight like Andy did this year at Lehigh. Maybe he was so busy working on getting ready for the season and getting all the "situations" coached up, he didn't give them enough time to get their legs back. I do think that may be part of it. I noticed Andy wasn't as p*ssed as he normally would be after such a lame effort--maybe he knew going in the tanks were low, and he just wanted to see the youngins compete under duress and fatigue.
5. Bloom--I like my return men to hit it hard and go north and south. You make moves gaining yards. In this respect, I really give Bloom high marks. He has a feel for making the first man miss, and following blocks. When he sees a crease he explodes into it. Like what I see, but you have to be a tough guy too. Can't make the club in the tub.
6.Rocca-let me say I want Sav to win the job. His leg is unreal. But its not the length of the kicks that counts as much as hangtime. You can't blast a "flat" 65 yarder without outkicking your coverage, which is what happened when they had a 17 yard return, for a 48 yd. net. Still good, but with more height and less distance, I'd love a 55 yarder with huge hangtime, and a faircatch or a PR blasted for the turnover potential. Dirk was solid, the first punt was great. But even though Sav shanked one in the 30's, I am drooling thinking of being able to punt from your own end zone and pinning the other team on their side of the 50 after a 60+ yard blast. That field position shift can mean 10, 15, 20+ yards that stop scoring chances, while the shanks, rarely returned, would only be maybe 10 yard off avg. net. To me, the upside is worth it--but do they trust him to hold for Dirk?
7. Don't blast Akers, the snap sucked on the missed FG. THAT is a real concern for me, snapper and holder. Akers needs a real consistent year to get back to being the Akers of old. He can't unless the parts around him are working. Stover looked automatic-I miss that . . .
8. I'm not drinking the Kool Aid just yet on Celek. The fact he picked up the offense fast is great. Coaches like guys you can depend on. But he can't stretch the D IMO, and is maybe a slightly better than average blocker. The dropoff in talent level between LJ and the rest of the TE's is huge. Schoebel has more stretch the field ability than Celek, although he does run after catch a little better than I thought he would.
9. I don't know what they like in Pat McCoy. From the footage at camp he gets schooled, and he stunk last night. Nasty Nate is not an NFL player IMO.
10. Its almost a LOCK the Birds will pluck from the waiver wire before the final roster is set somebody from at least 1 of these positions: HB, CB, S.
11. It blows McDougle and Moats got hurt, we could have gotten maybe a 6th or 7th for them. I like Lajuan Ramsey alot, but he may be headed to PUP or IR.
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