Smith set up for failure with coverage on Megatron TD

**TheJoeFlaccoShow** · 08-19-2012, 12:21 PM

Great article from NFP about why the coverage we played made it "too easy" for CJ on that play.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/...medium=twitter

On Friday night, Calvin Johnson beat Ravens’ CB Jimmy Smith for an 18-yard TD on the 9 (fade) route. A quick breakdown: win on the release vs. press-man, stem the route up the field and adjust to the ball. Almost too easy with the Lions’ WR against a single high-safety defense. And that’s why I’m starting to think playing Cover 1 (man-free) is a risk I wouldn’t be willing to take vs. Johnson once the ball crosses the 25-yard line.

....Get beat on the initial stem and now you are in a trail-position (without the oppportunity to recover) vs. an outside vertical concept. That’s trouble.

.....- I always talk technique when breaking down secondary play in the NFL because it wins. Mirror the release, use your hands, play the “pocket,” etc. Basic coaching points in the Cover 1 defense. However, that technique has to be almost perfect when playing Johnson one-on-one in the red zone to make a play.

I pulled a couple of specific quotes but you need to read the entire thing to get the point. What made it even worse is the single high safety was Sean Consodine, not Reed. Also I just rewatched the play and even though you really can't see where the safety was lined up initially, he has to come from the right hash all the way across the field to help.

If you are playing near the redzone, there just isn't enough time for the safety to read the QB, and get over in time to make any play on the ball. And sure enough, when CJ catches that ball Consodine is about 10 yards away trying to get over, but never even getting close.

Playing that coverage in closed quarters inside the 20 is basically telling Jimmy Smith, "good luck, you have man coverage with no help against a 6'5 monster." There isn't a corner in the world who doesn't get beat there 99 times out of a 100.

Now would we have been playing a different shell in a real game? Would Reed have gotten there by diagnosing the play sooner? Probably yes on both counts, but either way that coverage is a recipe for disaster, especially against a freak like CJ.

**Beau Petard** · 08-19-2012, 12:34 PM

I didn't have access to watching the game, so I can only go by what youse guys post and what I 've read on the Web. But sometimes I wonder about the tactics that teams employ in the pre-season.

As an example, and I know this may sound far-fetched, but is it possible that the Ravens sometimes use those types of situations to "teach" their players, especially the rookies and new arrivals, about stuff like using or not using a specific coverage (in the case of the secondary), and what the results would be if you use the wrong coverage? Not that Considine or Smith are "stupid", and not that the Ravens aren't doing their best to get a result, but I'm reminded of the concept of teams not showing their stuff earlier on in the pre-season games, or perhaps even during the early part of the regular season. This probably sounds crazy, but given that it's a game that doesn't really count as far as standings (well, I guess unless we're challenging the Warshington franchise for the Pre-Season championship!), do you think the Ravens try different things that thy may know are "wrong" or may not work in order to create a more in synch defense (or offense, or STs)?

**Benny8444** · 08-19-2012, 12:39 PM

Why was Webb not on CJ most of the game?????

I would expect once the season starts that he would be covering the other teams top WR. I guess in pre season they wanted Cary and Jimmy to get reps vs the other teams #1 WR.

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 08-19-2012, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by TheJoeFlaccoShow

Great article from NFP about why the coverage we played made it "too easy" for CJ on that play.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/...medium=twitter

I pulled a couple of specific quotes but you need to read the entire thing to get the point. What made it even worse is the single high safety was Sean Consodine, not Reed. Also I just rewatched the play and even though you really can't see where the safety was lined up initially, he has to come from the right hash all the way across the field to help.

If you are playing near the redzone, there just isn't enough time for the safety to read the QB, and get over in time to make any play on the ball. And sure enough, when CJ catches that ball Consodine is about 10 yards away trying to get over, but never even getting close.

Playing that coverage in closed quarters inside the 20 is basically telling Jimmy Smith, "good luck, you have man coverage with no help against a 6'5 monster." There isn't a corner in the world who doesn't get beat there 99 times out of a 100.

Now would we have been playing a different shell in a real game? Would Reed have gotten there by diagnosing the play sooner? Probably yes on both counts, but either way that coverage is a recipe for disaster, especially against a freak like CJ.

Not concerned because there is no way this team leaves Megatron one on one at any point in a real game.

There was zero game planning here and I think Pees is just trying to get a feel as to how our CB's do in man coverage at times.

**TheJoeFlaccoShow** · 08-19-2012, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by Benny8444

Why was Webb not on CJ most of the game?????

I would expect once the season starts that he would be covering the other teams top WR. I guess in pre season they wanted Cary and Jimmy to get reps vs the other teams #1 WR.

Size, plain and simple.

Jimmy is 6'2 210, much better matchup. Webb would be limited in what he could do against CJ, especially at the line and in the redzone.

If they were at their own 20 it changes everything, and you could put Webb on him, but near the endzone you have to play it a little different.

**goldenelite28** · 08-19-2012, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by Benny8444

Why was Webb not on CJ most of the game?????

I would expect once the season starts that he would be covering the other teams top WR. I guess in pre season they wanted Cary and Jimmy to get reps vs the other teams #1 WR.

Thats the exact reason.

Right now i don't even think Revis could cover him 1 on 1 tbh.

**TheJoeFlaccoShow** · 08-19-2012, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by Raveninwoodlawn

Not concerned because there is no way this team leaves Megatron one on one at any point in a real game.

There was zero game planning here and I think Pees is just trying to get a feel as to how our CB's do in man coverage at times.

I agree for the most part.

But I don't know what you are trying to accomplish if you knowingly put Smith in a position he was destined to fail at.

I guess it is a good teaching tool in general, despite knowing that no corner in the league has a chance one on one vs CJ in the endzone.

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 08-19-2012, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by Benny8444

Why was Webb not on CJ most of the game?????

I would expect once the season starts that he would be covering the other teams top WR. I guess in pre season they wanted Cary and Jimmy to get reps vs the other teams #1 WR.

Because it's preseason and there was zero game planning for this game at all.

Originally Posted by TheJoeFlaccoShow

I agree for the most part.

But I don't know what you are trying to accomplish if you knowingly put Smith in a position he was destined to fail at.

I guess it is a good teaching tool in general, despite knowing that no corner in the league has a chance one on one vs CJ in the endzone.

Who knows, maybe it toughens him up...maybe humbles him into knowing he has to work harder and what he has to work on?

But I know this, no team is dumb enough to not bracket CJ on ever play during a real game. Not even Revis could handle him on an island. That is why I'm not concerned. I assume Jimmy is a big boy and this won't affect him in a negative way.

Both our CB's need to work on defending those back shoulder throws anyway.

**NOLARavenFAN** · 08-19-2012, 01:05 PM

In pre-season you make the corners work one on one and save the schemes for the regular season...

**TheJoeFlaccoShow** · 08-19-2012, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by NOLARavenFAN

In pre-season you make the corners work one on one and save the schemes for the regular season...

Nothing exotic scheme wise about playing a standard cover 2 in that situation, with safety on that side of the field to help. That is about as basic as it gets.

Which is probably the coverage they play when it matters.

**Rave.n.y.** · 08-19-2012, 01:29 PM

If your gonna do a trial by fire for smith, who better than against C.J.

**leachisabeast** · 08-19-2012, 01:40 PM

This will all be forgotten about when Jimmy Smith picks off a pass by Andy Dalton and returns it like 50 yards (and doesn't fumble this time).

Pre season is pre season.

**The Excellector** · 08-19-2012, 04:02 PM

If we are going to question the strategy, we might as question putting Jimmy on Calvin at all, with barely a week of practice. Jimmy needed the reps. He will be playing a lot of man-iso during the season. He will be matched up against some of the larger WRs. It's preseason.

**Stealthbirds80** · 08-19-2012, 04:13 PM

I liked that our CBs had to play the best in the biz one on one. Getting Jimmy those reps were valuable especially knowing he had a bad back coming in. No worries.

**psuasskicker** · 08-19-2012, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by Raveninwoodlawn

Not concerned because there is no way this team leaves Megatron one on one at any point in a real game.

There was zero game planning here and I think Pees is just trying to get a feel as to how our CB's do in man coverage at times.

This. But even if there was, it's Calvin Johnson. He had 1,600 yards and 16 TDs last year. Does anyone here think that teams have figured out a way to cover him yet? It's still early, but right now in the pantheon of NFL receivers, there's him, and there's Jerry Rice, and no one else touches either of those two. The difference is, Jerry Rice had Joe Montana and Steve Young throwing to him in their prime. Calvin has mostly had garbage throwing him the ball till Stafford stayed healthy last year.

- C -

**The Excellector** · 08-19-2012, 06:46 PM

I don't see what the big deal was. Jimmy didn't get drafted, nor come into the league, with the idea of staying away from those type of WRs. Everybody knew why he was drafted and Jimmy himself embraces that reality, because he wants to be the best. To take a quote from Ric Flair, who stole it from somebody else anyway, "To be the man (Whooooo), you gotta beat the man".

Besides, they actually did have safety help for Cary when Johnson got him, but the help was late. I don't see how anyone could have expected a different result in that situation.

**Ravens75** · 08-19-2012, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by psuasskicker

This. But even if there was, it's Calvin Johnson. He had 1,600 yards and 16 TDs last year. Does anyone here think that teams have figured out a way to cover him yet? It's still early, but right now in the pantheon of NFL receivers, there's him, and there's Jerry Rice, and no one else touches either of those two. The difference is, Jerry Rice had Joe Montana and Steve Young throwing to him in their prime. Calvin has mostly had garbage throwing him the ball till Stafford stayed healthy last year.

- C -

Calvin Johnson's great but Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson are right there with him.

As for the game what a lot of people fail to realize is that the Lions didn't start moving the ball until nearly all of the Ravens starters were out. If LaQuan Williams holds on to the ball the Ravens are looking at bare minimum a 10-0 lead if not 14-0. When it counts the Ravens and their secondary will be fine. With that said I expect them to stifle the Jags and go into the half leading 17-3 with Gabbert being completely flustered. If the Ravens and specifically the secondary get torched by Blaine then they have a lot to really worry about because this is the exhibition that they game plan for and the starters know its time to play for real.

**GOTA** · 08-19-2012, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by Benny8444

Why was Webb not on CJ most of the game?????

I would expect once the season starts that he would be covering the other teams top WR. I guess in pre season they wanted Cary and Jimmy to get reps vs the other teams #1 WR.

Because Webb is a lot shorter than Cary and Jimmy.

Honestly I think it was good for Jimmy to play single against a monster like Megatron. He now has film and experience to go back to and see where he could have been better. This was a good use of the preseason

**The Excellector** · 08-19-2012, 06:54 PM

Calvin's route running is nowhere near Jerry's yet.

**The Excellector** · 08-19-2012, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by GOTA

Because Webb is a lot shorter than Cary and Jimmy.

Honestly I think it was good for Jimmy to play single against a monster like Megatron. He now has film and experience to go back to and see where he could have been better. This was a good use of the preseason

It seems very easy for people to forget that it is the preseason. During the first preseason game, I noticed the defense practicing a lot of off coverage. You wouldn't see them do that often during the regular season. Pees is working on some things and so is Cameron.

You never know, maybe one day, Jimmy will be able to take Calvin one-on-one.