Crystal Ball

BATTLE PLANS: AFC Championship rematch

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suggschasebrady
Offense   1. This is a Rice Game         In the 2009 playoffs, Ray Rice shocked the Patriots with a handoff on the first play of the game that went 83 yards into the end zone. The Ravens never looked back, going on to clobber New England 33-14 in Gillette Stadium. Since then, Bill Belichick has focused his attention on stopping Rice. The three-time Pro Bowler’s production over the next three games has dipped, as he’s averaged 85 yards on the ground per game. Given Joe Flacco’s … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens vs. Colts

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boldincatchcolts
Offense 1. Tip Count        In a playoff game full of reunions, one of the biggest chess matches takes place between Baltimore offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell and Indianapolis head coach Chuck Pagano. Recognizing and exploiting Pagano’s defensive tendencies will be a big factor in whether the offense is able to have an efficient day. While Pagano was a masterful schemer in Baltimore, one of the biggest flaws in his blitz attack was that defenders would sometimes tip their blitz look too early and the opposing quarterback would adjust … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens vs. Bengals

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Dalton Sacked v Ravens 600
Offense    1. All Part of the “Plan”       The strategy for how to handle the starters for this game has been debated at length all week long. One thing is certain: The offense will and should get plenty of work, especially in the first half of the game. The threat of injury should not affect the coaches’ mindset that this unit needs to build off their sterling performance from a week ago. Last week, the offense looked just as they did back when they ran the Bengals off the … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Giants vs. Ravens

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Giants Ravens Football
Offense   1. Fast-Track the Running Game      Against a struggling Giants defense, the Ravens offense has to find a way to open it up. However, that doesn’t mean that they have to pass the ball out of these more open sets and formations. Using Ray Rice out of single back sets and getting him involved in the draw/delay game is a way to puncture the New York rush and keep the offense humming at a fast pace. It might help Rice as well to see a less condensed … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Broncos vs. Ravens

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Offense   1. Hog the Ball    It’s time to reestablish the no-huddle attack—and win the time of possession battle at the same time. With a new pulse on offense, the time is perfect to use the short passing game and mix of well-timed runs to drain the clock and keep Peyton Manning on the sidelines. Moreover, by staying in the same formation without substituting, the Ravens will have a chance to wear down a defensive front that feeds off its speed and playmaking ability. What’s the biggest key to keeping … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens @ Redskins

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Offense 1. Control the Blitzkrieg The biggest staple of Washington’s defense is their all-out blitz game. The Redskins will show a lot of aggressive looks – at times showing Cover 0 where there is no safety help over the top. In other instances, they will bluff the blitz and have the hovering A gap blitzers fan out to clog the inside passing lanes. For Joe Flacco to be successful, he’ll need an assortment of quick-hitting blitz beaters at his disposal. The ball must be out of his hand quickly and … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens v. Steelers (Part II)

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Offense 1. Motion Mr. Smith Last Sunday, the Ravens continued to beat their heads against a brick wall by chucking the ball to Torrey Smith on deep routes. Just as the Steelers did the week prior, the Chargers used the sidelines to their advantage, and made it extremely difficult for Joe Flacco to fit the ball in tight windows. Once Smith started moving around and ran more underneath routes, he became a factor in the passing game. Smith has proven that he is more than a “9” route runner. He … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens vs. Chargers

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Offense 1. Work the Middle There is a good chance San Diego will take a page out of Pittsburgh’s book by compressing their coverage on outside routes. Specifically, if they invert the coverage like Pittsburgh did –keep the corner deep and bring the safety underneath—it’ll be extremely tough for Joe Flacco to find Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones outside the hashes. The Ravens’ answer was to use short dump offs to Ray Rice over the middle. But with Rice, the routes can be limited to small 4 or 5 yard … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens vs. Steelers

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Offense 1. Crossover Dick LeBeau uses every blitz combination in the book and he definitely saves something extra for obvious passing situations. More often than not, he’ll dial up a few cross dog blitzes where his inside backers will split the A gaps. In anticipating LeBeau’s tendency to use the inside blitz, the Ravens will need to have an assortment of crossers in the pipeline. The Ravens have had success in the past using slants against the Pittsburgh corners and that should be a featured route as well. In addition, … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens vs. Raiders

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Offense 1. A Sprinkle of Rice Won’t Do Last Sunday, the Ravens got Ray Rice going again in the offense, but the overall consistency was still lacking, especially in the second half. Once Cleveland started stacking the box with eight defenders, the running game stalled and there were no adjustments. Instead, the team kept pounding the middle with Rice instead of working the ball off tackle or varying their rush alignments. Against an Oakland rush defense that is reeling, it’s not only imperative to get Rice the ball, but to … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens vs. Browns

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Joe Haden Torrey Smith copy
Offense 1. Manufacture Separation   The Baltimore receivers have been struggling against press coverage. Everyone knows it. Even after an impressive performance against Dallas’ formidable corners, the Texans didn’t back off and the receivers came back down to earth. At this point, it will take scheme to break these receivers open against tight coverage. With corner Joe Haden back in the lineup, the Browns will pack some additional bite on the back end. This is a game in which motioning receivers and using bunch route formations should help receivers uncover … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Baltimore Ravens v. Houston Texans

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JJ Watt v Ravens
Offense 1. Double Wattage    No 3-4 DE has been as dynamic a rusher as Houston’s J.J. Watt. What makes Watt so special is that he has the power to drive through blockers, and electric burst to get around them. Watt is so good that teams are not only devoting a double team inside, but a third blocker—either a back or tight end—to help chip block. The Ravens will need to take the same approach against Watt. They will need to lean on two blockers to keep Watt at bay … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Cowboys vs. Ravens

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Flacco v Cowboys
Offense  1. Two tight ends to secure the edges   The Ravens have been getting killed off the edges and relief is certainly not under way in the next two matchups. In Baltimore’s immediate view is the imposing DeMarcus Ware. Arguably the best pass rusher in the game, Ware is someone that moves around quite a bit, and the Baltimore pass protectors need to be aware. Moreover, while Anthony Spencer isn’t nearly as explosive as Ware, he is still a dangerous rusher. This could be a game in which the … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens vs. Chiefs

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Ray Rice v Chiefs
Offense  1. Get ahead in the pitch count In honor of the Baltimore Orioles’ first postseason berth in 15 (long) years, we use a baseball reference for winning the down-and-distance battle. For the Ravens to succeed on Sunday, they need to keep the Kansas City rushers from teeing off in third-and-long situations. Specifically, pass rushers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston form a formidable duo that can bend the edge. The tackle duo of Michael Oher and Kelechi Osmele struggled against Cleveland’s duo of Juqua Parker and Jabaal Sheard. If the … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens v. Browns

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Dennis Pitta
Offense  1. Five yards and a cloud of dust For the Ravens, it’s all about first down productivity. When they establish a five-yard gain or greater, they are on track with their no-huddle attack. If it’s three yards or less, the down-and-distance battle becomes a struggle, and they lose offensive rhythm. Against New England, the Ravens were able to consistently gain four or five yards on first down, giving them incredible flexibility to stay unpredictable with their attack. First down offense will remain critical against Cleveland, as the Ravens must … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens at Eagles

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ravenseagles
Offense 1. The Counter Punch Against a befuddled Cincinnati defense, the Ravens used a dizzying combination of first down pass/run plays to keep the Bengals tame. First down pass plays involved a steady diet of run-action, while the run consisted of well-timed traps and draws. The run-action consisted of a biting play-fake from Flacco, and hard pulling action from the offensive line. The Ravens faked the off-tackle slant run and had the Bengals—so worried about Rice—baited too far upfield. While run-action opened up the passing game for the Ravens against … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Bengals at Ravens

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bengalsravens
Offense 1. The Need for Speed The suspense is killing Ravens fans and observers. Will the Ravens unveil a fast-break style offense on Monday Night Football? Or will offensive coordinator Cam Cameron fall back into his proverbial first down handoff relapse with Ray Rice? The answer should be the no huddle, but with Cameron, it’s always a tricky question. For months, the Ravens have prepped to install an offense tailored around No.1 gunslinger Joe Flacco – and the Bengals are the perfect test. Cincinnati comes into this game limping in … Continue reading →

Upshaw adds to Ravens’ pass rush wave

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With the selection of Courtney Upshaw, the Ravens went from a dry well of edge rushers at the SAM position to a potential overflow. Upshaw adds to a group that already features Paul Kruger, Albert McClellan and Michael McaAdoo. In fact, the addition of Upshaw could give the team enough flexibility to continue featuring McClellan at ILB. Getting back to Upshaw, the Ravens accomplished a few things with his selection. One, they were able to largely offset the loss of Jarret Johnson. The impact of Johnson — who has been … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Ravens vs. Patriots

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Offense 1. Ball Control Offense To beat Brady, you might be better off not facing him at all. For the Ravens, the mission will be to hog the ball to win the time of possession (TOP) battle and keep the Golden Boy off the field. Much has been made of how the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to “out-Brady” the Patriots’ offense by mixing controlled passes with some power runs. The result was the Steelers controlling TOP for 39 minutes. In that game, Roethlisberger was masterful and hit on a lot … Continue reading →

Battle Plans: Texans vs. Ravens

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suggs_v_texans
Offense 1.      Isolate the outside backers Although much of the focus of Houston’s pass rush has turned to their down linemen, the edge rushers – Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed – can’t be overlooked. The Ravens should not only look to neutralize these two backers, but to attack them. Barwin and Reed are athletic, but they are better moving forward than backward. The Ravens have the right personnel to isolate these two defenders in space, forcing them to drop and run. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron should look to use some … Continue reading →