how do we stop 49ers vaunted pistol offense?

[alien bird]

Matt Ryan threw for almost 400 yards against them.

Yes, but he's Matty Ice, the bestest quarterback from the 2008 draft, especially in the post season. The guy is elite.

[Paintballguy]

Yes, but he's Matty Ice, the bestest quarterback from the 2008 draft, especially in the post season. The guy is elite.

Yeah you're right. I doubt Flacco can match the Elite Matty Ice. lol

[runrayrun27]

Yes, but he's Matty Ice, the bestest quarterback from the 2008 draft, especially in the post season. The guy is elite.

[NOLARavenFAN]

Matt Ryan threw for almost 400 yards against them.

Yeah, Julio Jones was wearing them out, and the Niners had almost no pass rush. I kept watching that Niner DL, especially Soapoanga get no push at all......Ryan had all day until the very end really. They almost ever ran any kind of scheme at all. It look like Grandpa Matti at his worst. I really think we can work Soapoang over.

[iggyman555]

We have two weeks to work on it, and Tyrod to practice against........either way, we aren't going to shut them down totally, or need to, because i think we can score on them.

didnt we use dennis dixon to practice for rg tres?

[Paintballguy]

Yeah, Julio Jones was wearing them out, and the Niners had almost no pass rush. I kept watching that Niner DL, especially Soapoanga get no push at all......Ryan had all day until the very end really. They almost ever ran any kind of scheme at all. It look like Grandpa Matti at his worst. I really think we can work Soapoang over.

Aldon Smith disappeared too. He didn't do much at all in the pass rush department.

[Haloti92]

I'm not. theres a reason it's still in college and not in the NFL.

Remember the last time some team tried some cutesy little BS from College(Wildcat). yeah how'd that work for them? The only reason the Niners are here is because they started this towards the end of the season. We have enough gametape now. All the respect to Jim and all but Ryan and the Failclowns aren't Flacco and the Ravens.

Not sure I agree about the gimmick-nature of the read-option. The Wildcat is a gimmick, because having a running back take the snap means it is a run. The read-option using a QB who cannot throw the ball well (i.e. most college QBs) is also not going to work in the NFL. But having a QB who can run the read option but also throw the ball decently is a big problem for a defense, not simply a gimmick. That is until the QB runs, gets tackled and gets concussed or blows out his knee (i.e. RG III), which is another reason why we haven't seen it much in the NFL. But the rules are changing making the odds of injury less, plus, up until such an injury it is still tough to defend.

I can assure you the Ravens are going to spend a LOT of time scheming to stop the read-option run, along with play-action off of that look.

[Kyle Cactus]

+1 to Haloti92's post

I'm sure NFL teams will be better prepared to stop these kinds of offenses next season, but that doesn't mean they will become nearly irrelevant as the wildcard has. Haloti92 pointed out why. You keep the ball in your QBs hands, so you can still throw.

There's a lot of talented young QBs having success this way. If nothing else it could be an effective way for more athletic QBs to transition into the NFL until they develop more effective pocket passing skills.

[iggyman555]

+1 to Haloti92's post

I'm sure NFL teams will be better prepared to stop these kinds of offenses next season, but that doesn't mean they will become nearly irrelevant as the wildcard has. Haloti92 pointed out why. You keep the ball in your QBs hands, so you can still throw.

There's a lot of talented young QBs having success this way. If nothing else it could be an effective way for more athletic QBs to transition into the NFL until they develop more effective pocket passing skills.

i wanna see what the eagles O looks like next year

[RavenDavey]

Our defense is too smart to get taken by this type of offense. RGIII didn't do it on the run and neither will Kaepernick.

Ray knows the game better than anyone...and Reed is a close 2nd in regards to studying the films and knowing what will happen. Disciplined Defense is a mainstay in Baltimore....shouldn't be any different for the SB.

[edgecrusher]

I don't think we really have the speed on defense to stop Kaepernick from scrambling to the outside and getting some yardage. Key will be to limit the damage and hit him hard when he makes the attempt. Red-hot Flacco in a dome should be good for 30 points unless Caldwell suffers a stroke so the question really should be can the gimmick 49ers offense run with the Ravens? One thing is certain -- the Ravens will hit far harder than the creampuff Packers or Falcons.

[Ravenboy2003]

I'm sick of already hearing the press talk about how we aren't going to be able to stop Kaepernick and Gore.

Just like couldn't stop Manning or Brady, right?

Kaepernick is due for a "deer in the headlights" type game. And who better to oblige than our veteran team that has 5 years of playoff experience.

[alienrace]

The Ravens have rarely, if ever been succeptible to these running type QB's in the past, and I don't expect they will in this game either. They are disciplined, and don't over pursue.

I know much has been made about the Niners physicality, but they haven't fared as well against the few defenses like that they faced this year.

[Uli2001]

The same way they stopped Broncos and Patriots, by hitting them in the mouth.

I recall all the talk before SB35, how the Ravens D could not stop the Giants offense, how they would "spread the Ravens out" with 3 and 4 WRs, etc. The Giants had just had their way with a weak NFC field, hanged 40 on the Vikings in the NFCCG... Everybody saw what happened in the SB.

Football is a contact sport, and statistics and X and O's mean little if you can impose your will.

[Uli2001]

The Giants had a more potent offense than these 49ers and scored zero points on offense in SB35. I will say that the 49ers do better and score 10 points.

[The Excellector]

I don't want to underestimate the 49ers and will likely be nervous Super Bowl Sunday, but I just have a hard time believing that a rested Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata and Benard Pollard, with two weeks or preparation, are going to get handled by a pistol offense.

[lovefootball]

I don't want to underestimate the 49ers and will likely be nervous Super Bowl Sunday, but I just have a hard time believing that a rested Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata and Benard Pollard, with two weeks or preparation, are going to get handled by a pistol offense.

Joe gets two more weeks to work with Caldwell, who only took over 5-6 weeks ago. Can't tell me that Caldwell has more work to do with the offense and Joe. Ray and company have motivation coming from Ray retiring and the medias ideas that the Ravens will lose all the time. Ravens have made the media look sorry and uninformed. Next year ,some of the media need to get replaced, they are doing football fans a disservice by not reporting onwhats is really going on in football.
I think it will be a good game in the first half. Second half so be like the pats game. Joe take the gas out ofthe 9er defense and Ravens defense finishes strong.

[ballhawk]

Trent Dilfer seems to think the pistol is the greatest thing to hit football since the forward pass.

[JAB1985]

The redskins play the pistol as well. Granted they beat us but we certainly able to win that game. Kaepernick vs rg3 im not sure i see much of a difference. I think using that game plus tape on the 49ers will make our defense better prepared. I think with two weeks to prepare well likely figure something out.

[Iscull]

With a week's rest Sizzle, Ngata and Lewis should be ready to go.......

IMO, this is gonna help our defense immensely.