OT: Chris Redman out playing Matt Ryan

[Jeremiah W]

Didn't they hold the Chiefs to 14 points or something like that? The o/u on that game was like 52 (after opening at like 49) and everyone thought it was gonna be "last one holding the ball wins". That was Larry Johnson's monster year and the Chiefs offense was dominant, and the Colts D just shut it down... The Colts D played incredibly well in the playoffs...shockingly so...

- C -

They did play a lot better in the playoffs, but when teams really commited tot he run despite the 8 man fronts they did it well. By then Peyton started to play well though and they were on a roll.

For some reason the Cheifs did not stick with LJ the same way we did not stick with jamal. That was made it so frustrating. They saw KC fall into the same Tapma 2 trap. sanders would roam and cover a whole lot of ground, but they played the same defense on almost every play. Cover 2 man or zone with the SS flying into the box on run looks if he does not lineup there in the frst place.
This is a look that encourages you to pass into it, but that is what they are waiting on scrificing yardage for potential turnovers.
They did not, and still do not have the defensive personell to hold up vs a good run attack for 60 minutes. Sanders is almost ruined already by making so many sticks. They are going to have to get a DT tandem like we have if they are going to continue in that scheme but htey have almost everything else.
That Colts game was basically all I could stand from Billick. I just could not understand how he could not give Jamal 20 second half carries vs that D with 50 in the first half. They had no answer for the Pashos 100 pound mismatch and Ovie Mughelli mashing the littlle LBs. The only guy who had a chance to drop Jamal 1 on 1 was Sanders and they were getting some blocking on him in the first half.

I still don't think I unfairly turned on Billick. There was a lot of ups and downs before I just could not see letting him coach the offense. i did not think he needed to be fired, at least until I got to see some of the things Harbaugh has changed already in camp.

[purplepoe]

I still don't think I unfairly turned on Billick. There was a lot of ups and downs before I just could not see letting him coach the offense. i did not think he needed to be fired, at least until I got to see some of the things Harbaugh has changed already in camp.

This blows my mind.

A week of camp and you're convinced about what exactly?

This offensive line is in complete shambles right now.

You can say "it'll be fine by week 1" all you want but the fact of the matter is that we've got major issues at both tackle spots. We've got major issues at QB. We've got major issues at WR.

Are we really gonna go down that road of believing what we see in training camp?

You know, where Travis Taylor was a world beater and Kyle Boller looked great? Ron Johnson caught everything and Patrick Johnson was ready to break out?

Sorry, but a week of full team practice with a rash of injured players doesn't show me much of anything.

PP

[psuasskicker]

They did play a lot better in the playoffs, but when teams really commited tot he run despite the 8 man fronts they did it well. By then Peyton started to play well though and they were on a roll.

For some reason the Cheifs did not stick with LJ the same way we did not stick with jamal. That was made it so frustrating. They saw KC fall into the same Tapma 2 trap. sanders would roam and cover a whole lot of ground, but they played the same defense on almost every play. Cover 2 man or zone with the SS flying into the box on run looks if he does not lineup there in the frst place.

Are you insane? The Chiefs didn't stick with the run cause LJ averaged 2.4 YPC in a year he ran for almost 1,800 yards and 17 TDs. The Chiefs offense, which was a good one, scored 8 points (not 14 like I originally thought). Granted we abandoned the run too early but it's not like we were killing it on the ground...Jamal only averaged 4 per carry. The Pats averaged 3.9 per carry. The Bears were the only team that ran well against them, but they got the sh*t kicked out of them, and if I remember right it was mostly on one or two runs.

This is a team that was DEAD LAST against the run in the regular season, allowing 5.3 per carry.

Seriously, don't talk about something as if you know it when you're clearly blowing smoke out your ass. The Colts weren't doing it with smoke and mirrors in the playoffs. They flat out played defense a LOT better in the playoffs than in the regular season, and that includes against the run where up to the Superbowl they allowed less than 4 per carry vs. the regular season where they allowed over 5.

And it's not like it was an anomoly...he carried it through to this past year's regular season where they only allowed 3.8 per carry.

That wasn't a result of 8 man fronts. That was a result of some key defensive members getting healthy and the unit gelling completely...

- C -

[lance1086]

Kinda like Boller outplaying Flacco?

PP

More like Troy Smith outplaying Joe Flacco. Outside of his first day debacle, Troy's been solid. And has been outstanding the past couple days, especially this morning when he was VERY sharp. He WILL start next week against the patriots.

Boller has looked very... mediocre thus far. Flacco & Boller have looked about the same. But Flacco has already shown signs of improvement.

Right now its Smith, Boller, then Flacco.

[PurpleRulz]

I have to agree with PP here.

Listen, I have seen Flacco in camp and I believe this guy has IT and he will finally solidify our QB position for the next ten to fifteen years. Flacco will have success at some level in the NFL.

With that said, he does need to pull a Marino and just come out blazing from day one. Let Flacco grow and let this crappy OL get much better. The best case scenario is for Troy Smith to start the season. If Smith plays well, then he can stay in and get Flacco ready for 09.

Getting back to Flacco, he will go through growing pains. He will throw INTs, and make poor decisions with the ball. It may take Flacco a year or two before he really blows up and he may do it right away (once he starts). The same can be said for Matt Ryan.

I will say that before all is said and done, both Ryan and Flacco will be amongst the better QBs in the league.

Lastly, Flacco is not a project QB as Boller was. Flacco had much success in college and is NFL ready. He just has to make a great adjustment than Ryan has to, but Flacco is no project. If you see him in practice, you'll see that Flacco know what he is doing at QB.

[FHRaven]

Are we really gonna go down that road of believing what we see in training camp?

You know, where Travis Taylor was a world beater and Kyle Boller looked great? Ron Johnson caught everything and Patrick Johnson was ready to break out?

PP

Did you have to remind me about Travis Taylor?

On the original topic, I would not expect ANY rookie QB, regardless of draft position, to look that good in training camp. If he did, I would question that teams defense.

FHRaven

[baltimorebirdgirl198]

Honestly, thats not saying much. I dont think Matt Ryan is going to be a good QB in this league. But if Redman does win the job, I wish him the best of luck.

[bmorebirds_24]

great post purplerulz!!!!!i def. love what i am hearing about flacco.....

[B-more Ravor]

This may just be yet another name on the long list of QB carrers Billick killed. Redman was left for dead after losing the "competion" with a bad looking rookie Boller. Perhaps he can play, was a solid 3rd round pick and should have gotten a little more of a look.

The guy was hurt from the middle of 2002 on. It was clear in TC in 2003, to me at least, that he didn't have the same arm strength he had the prior year (And he never really had that strong of an arm to start with).

He was signed or given a tryout by NE, Tenn and Cinncy after he left here, but never made any of those teams. No one else was interested.

How anyone could conceivably blame that on Billick is beyond me......

Redman was out of football, when Bobby Petrino - his old coach at Louisville - called to offer him a job, which was basically to help him teach his offense to the QBs.

Redman ended up playing well and showing more arm strength than I ever remember. It's a great story for a good kid, but he's failures before that had nothing to do with Billick.

Grback, Cunningham, McNair all came here off probowl type seasons or borderline HOF level carreers, and Brian succesfully choked the life out of all of them.
Dilfer even looked much more productive as the starter in Seatle for that first season.

Grbac was coming off of a Pro-Bowl season.

Cunningham had been benched in 1999 and was the back-up in Dallas in 2000 before signing here to be the back-up in 2001. McNair had one of his worst seasons in 2005, the year before he arrived here.

McNair is the only one who could be considered to be "borderline HOF level".

Dilfer was horrible in TB before arriving here. He was signed by the Ravens in June of 2000 to be our back-up, after being released by TB in March. No one apparently felt he was good enough to start for them. Even after being a SB-winning QB, he wasn't signed by anyone to be their starter and only signed by Seattle as a back-up in June.

Dilfer had 4 good games in Seattle (as you mentioned), but bombed the next year and again in Cleveland. He was pretty bad in SF last year.

Again, what any of that would have to do with Billick is beyond me?

[highwater]

Again, what any of that would have to do with Billick is beyond me?

Well said. I'm particularly amused at the notion that Billick "chocked the life" out of Randall Cunningham, who was here as a backup and played pretty well, as I recall. What exactly did Billick do to him?

[Sports Steve]

Ryan will catch up only a matter of time.

He has to understand the NFL better.