Pass Rush Improvements

[Benny8444]

Has anyone noticed an improvement in the pass rush over the past 3 games. I have and seen a large part due to pressure from Kruger taking advantage of the Suggs double team and Cody stepping up. I am hoping the rest helped Ngata.

I hope to see Upshaw rushing in passing downs at times but he will be doing more of that next year when Kruger is an FA.

[Paintballguy]

I hope having McPhee healthy will help also.

[Justlovemybirds]

I think Ellerbe has provided a lot of pressure from his A-Gap blitzes. I like that as soon as he hits the hole his gets skinny to slice through and force the QB out of the pocket.

[GOTA]

It's more due to the competition than anything else. Going against a rookie QB one week and a crap o-line the next week is going to make you look pretty good.

[Captain Silver]

I think Suggs is huge here. Plus if a few more on the line get healthy. Going to need it with the secondary banged up.

Of course it isn't how you start, its how you finish. I'll grade the D when the season is over. Lot of injuries this year.

[GOTA]

I think Suggs is huge here. Plus if a few more on the line get healthy. Going to need it with the secondary banged up.

Of course it isn't how you start, its how you finish. I'll grade the D when the season is over. Lot of injuries this year.

Suggs is a great point too. He's a good a rusher as everyone else combined. Getting Suggs back was huge

[JMUpurkfool]

It's a mix of the competition and Suggs being back. No one was getting the attention that Sizzle has now started to receive from opposing offenses.

[Jsmoove]

someone else needs to step up though and be a legit guy next to suggs, someone needs to cease those one on one opportunities so it gives offenses a second rusher to think about. Kruger needs to make a name for himself with every pass rush snap right now or even upshaw. Someone needs to solidify that second rush.

[Ravenswintitle]

I hope they can stop the run this Sunday; that's going to be huge.

[leachisabeast]

I hope they can stop the run this Sunday; that's going to be huge.

If the Ravens stop the run, and the offense doesn't turn the ball over, I think there is a very good chance we will win, because Leftwich can't win games off his arm.

[wickedsolo]

I agree that getting McPhee back (a 100% McPhee, that is) should be a good thing.


I also really liked seeing them move Upshaw around. It is that kind of creative thinking that is going to produce mismatches and confuse the offense.

[Shambla]

Beyond sacks, I loved seeing all the tipped passes at the line last Sunday. It's usually an automatic incompletion and a lot of times it gets picked as was the case for Kruger.

If Byron does his wind up thing hopefully that gives the guys up front a chance to get airborne.

[NC Raven]

Suggs for me is the main difference. I know "next man up" and all that, but the fact is there's a reason why some guys on a team make $8 million a year and other guys make 500k.

Your stars have to play like stars, because the salary cap dictates that a bunch of players have to fit within limited roles. Those roles are defined in large part by what the star players do.

When Reed is healthy he takes away half the downfield passing area or more. Which is why we haven't been inclined to overpay for FA CBs (with the exception of Foxworth). Similarly, because a healthy Ngata takes up so much attention, we haven't had to spend on a big time DE (Cory Redding and Trevor Pryce were bargain buys, very good but not the big dollar FA superstars).

When those stars are out, or playing less than 100%, of course the role players aren't going to turn into Suggs or Reed or Ngata. If they could do that, then we wouldn't need to pay those guys all that money, would we? No. If Paul Kruger was as good as Suggs and Ellerbee was as good as Lewis and...... so on, there would never be a drop off on the defense, ever.

So Suggs coming back definitely has done more for the D than anything, as it should. Now lets hope Ngata is good to go And lets get McPhee healthy again, and we might just piece this D back together after all.

The dream would be to sweep Pitt and give Reed and Ngata plenty of snaps off down the stretch and have the most hellacious D possible (given no Webb, and likely no J Smith, or at least a less than 100% version of him) for the playoffs. I think a fully healthy Ravens D, with the players currently on the roster, will still be quite formidable, and home field in the playoffs would make this team the favorite to get to the SB.

Keep believing!!!!!!!!

[The Excellector]

The return of Terrell Suggs allowed them to fit certain players back into the roles that best suit them. Paul Kruger is more of a pass rusher, as is Pernell McPhee. Now, McPhee has been hurt, but you've seen Kruger play better with less responsibility. He still gets swept away on the edge, in run defense, but he is in the picture with the pass rush. They'll be able to do the same with Pernell McPhee. This also helps to keep your pass rushers fresh. Right now, DeAngelo Tyson looks more like the properly suited 5 technique anyway.

[Ravenous1]

The return of Terrell Suggs allowed them to fit certain players back into the roles that best suit them. Paul Kruger is more of a pass rusher, as is Pernell McPhee. Now, McPhee has been hurt, but you've seen Kruger play better with less responsibility. He still gets swept away on the edge, in run defense, but he is in the picture with the pass rush. They'll be able to do the same with Pernell McPhee. This also helps to keep your pass rushers fresh. Right now, DeAngelo Tyson looks more like the properly suited 5 technique anyway.

Getting Suggs back has been huge. The Ravens of old who never give up a 100yd rusher they will never be this year but I also do not expect to see them as bad as they were in the first half. The mounting injuries in the secondary are pretty concerning though.