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Ravens @ Steelers

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Offense


 

1) Run left: Remember those old NFL films clips of Vince Lombardi diagramming the power sweep? Lombardi’s primary objective was to keep coming at a defense with the same play until a defense could stop it. Most of the time, there is no need for a coordinator to be cute to outfox a defense when he can come straight at them until they wilt.


 

In the last two games, this is precisely the philosophy that

Baltimore offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has adhered to. To finish off the Browns and Bengals in the fourth quarter, Cameron used a mix of jumbo and one-wide sets, and called power rushes off the left side.


 

A few times Cameron would use an unbalanced formation in which right tackle Adam Terry would motion over. Or else he would run pulling plays to the left, so that the backs could spring loose off tackle. Either way, the Ravens have clearly established themselves as a left-handed rushing attack.


Considering that nose guard Casey Hampton and right end Brett Keisel are out, Baltimore will try to run away from left end Aaron Smith and continue to move left.


 

2) Shotgun set: One of the big concerns that scouts had about quarterback Joe Flacco coming out of a Division I-AA school was how he would perform directly under center in the pros.  Flacco primarily operated from the gun at

Delaware. So far, Flacco has shown proper coordination and timing on his drops, when handling a direct snap from the center.


 

Despite proving that he can handle dropping back, Monday night could be the night for Flacco to set up more often from his natural home. With Flacco catching snaps away from the center, he would gain more time to see

Pittsburgh’s rush alignments, and have the chance to get rid of the ball to his hot reads. In addition, with the backs positioned to his sides as opposed to behind him, Flacco will have an easier time directing them to block the outside backers.


 

3) Quick hitters: Playing off of the theme for getting rid of the ball against the

Pittsburgh pass-rush, the Ravens should avoid running delayed plays. The emphasis for the offense should be to gain yards quickly. Bubble screens, draws and an assortment of timed pass plays should be called. Counters, double move patterns and long developing pass plays should be nixed until the offensive line gets a handle on

Pittsburgh’s blitz scheme.


 

To add, the offense should be moving quickly in and out of the huddle, if they go with a huddle at all. The offensive pace should be fast before and after the snap, to catch the

Pittsburgh rush off guard.


 

Defense


 

1) Face the Spread: This should be the week in which the

Baltimore defenders finally get a full dose of the spread attack. Against the Bengals and the Browns, the Ravens had to defend variations of multiple receiver looks, but not consistently.


 

The Steelers normally pass first to establish an offensive rhythm. Unlike the depleted
Cincinnati and
Cleveland receiving corps,

Pittsburgh has a bevy of targets in its arsenal for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to turn to.


 

The Ravens may be challenged to handle the three, four and five-wide looks with Samari Rolle ruled out for this contest. Nickel corner Fabian Washington will likely return from a neck injury to help soften the loss of Rolle.  Look for Rex Ryan to continue to use three-safety alignments in third-and-long situations.


 

2) Corralling Big Ben: During the Steelers’ Monday night demolition of the Ravens a season ago, Roethlisberger had his way, as he tossed five touchdown passes in the blink of an eye. Roethlisberger evaded the Baltimore rush on a couple of those connections, either by scrambling or breaking tackles to buy enough time for his wideouts to separate downfield.


 

Suffice to say that the Ravens’ rush will have to better disciplined when it faces Big Ben on Monday night. The key for the

Baltimore defenders will be to stick to their assignments. If the plays breaks down, the backers and the defensive backs will still need to cover their men until the play is dead. If defenders get caught up watching Roethlisberger as he jukes and jives behind the line-of-scrimmage, there will be a re-creation of last year’s debacle.


 

3) Rookie debut: Rashard Mendenhall makes his much-anticipated debut on a big stage, against the vaunted front seven of the

Baltimore defense. It will be interesting to see how the

Baltimore defenders approach tackling Mendenhall.


 

The former Illini is not nearly as fast as Willie Parker, but he is slippery and capable of making defenders miss. Mendenhall is especially dangerous in open space.


 

Look for the Steelers to use as many screens and dump-off passes to get Mendenhall involved in the passing game, and expose the Ravens when they blitz.


 

One-on-one Matchup to Watch: Lorenzo Neal versus James Farrior: Under the Ravens’ revamped power attack, Neal has become a human battering ram. Neal has been one of the premier isolation blockers in the league for the past decade. He is adept at locating his target and guiding a back through the right crease. Farrior is the backbone of the

Pittsburgh linebacking corps. He is able to diagnose plays quickly, and he does a nice job of avoiding blocks. For Neal to have a productive night, he will need to be able to get to Farrior.

 
 
Photo by Sabina Moran
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