CAMDEN YARDS FREEZEOUT
TL,
Love your site but stick to football. Tony I am sure that your motives are pure toward the station that chose to dump your show (an enjoyable show I might add). I find it hard for anyone to pass judgment from on high about an effort that by all accounts is from the heart. Will it draw attention to the station? Of course it will. What attention has the empty stands all year brought? Nothing! Attention is what is needed here not your analytical apathy.
Angelos doesn’t care because he is assured by MLB of a minimal profit. Will he be embarrassed yes; and I will pay my cheap seat ticket to do so. Protest by nature never accomplished the goal of the dreamer and leader, but they are part of the process of change. People like you and others never affect anything. According to you Rosa Parks should have not taken the seat on the bus in protest. She did it for herself. Stop taking such a condescending attitude.
Maybe if Peter Angelos was owner of the Ravens and no one gave a damn about 24X7.com you would feel different and you would be participating in some protest because 24X7 would stand to gain from it. Your alternatives do not make sense. People want "Real" major league baseball run by a real baseball organization. That is why your tax money built that stadium and Angelos better make a decent effort to provide. They do not want a minor league, nor do they want to go 40 miles after we the tax payers built that midget a platform for his product.
Bob Blizzard
Bob,
Love your emotion bro. Never let it die.
Gee, where do I start with this masterpiece? How about with that passing judgment comment?
I offered an opinion. Just as you have. If you really think this rally which was supposed to have from 3,000-10,000 participants but only registered 1,000 by most accounts will make a difference, you are kidding yourself. Do I want change? Of course I do. How does one affect that change, I’m not sure. What I am sure of is that it certainly isn’t by going to Camden Yards, plunking down your $9 per and leaving in the fourth inning. If Nike was held by a majority shareholder and they started to put out garbage products, what would you do? You would spend your money elsewhere. One day that shareholder would come to his or her senses and mend their ways to bring you back if they had the proper incentives to do so.
But with MLB, the league’s “braintrust” helped pave the way for Angelos to offset his losses at the gate with MASN. So what is his incentive now?
Do you really think that Angelos was embarrassed? More than likely he was laughing at the “demagogue” and happy for the extra nine grand in his pocket.
Look, I hope I’m dead wrong on this rally and that it really does help. But comparing this to Rosa Parks while others including the “demagogue” have compared it to the Berlin Wall, come on. To compare this rally to the stand Rosa Parks took is an insult to Parks. She took a stand for her civil rights. The only civil right you have regarding the Orioles is whether or not to spend your hard earned dollars at Camden Yards or elsewhere. Otherwise, you have no civil rights when it comes to the Orioles or MLB.
In the end, Nestor’s efforts deserve the publicity that this rally has provided him. And when it’s over, that’s the only thing that he’ll get from his hours of dedication to a cause that never ever had a chance to succeed from the start if the ultimate goal was to change Peter Angelos or affect his sale of the team.
If anything, it could all end up making it harder for the Orioles to attract free agent talent to Baltimore or top shelf scouts that might help the farm system.
And by the way, if Angelos owned the Ravens, 24×7 probably wouldn’t exist and we wouldn’t be engaging in this highly enjoyable exchange.
Rally on,
TL
TAMPA 2 LITTLE?
Hey, Tony,
I’ve been pondering a question that I can’t quite get my head around, so I thought I’d throw it your way.
It’s about the Ravens offensive line and their varied success handling protection, particularly against a Tampa-2 type defense. Mike Tomlin was a hot name as a defensive coordinator when the Vikings hired him, in part because of his ties to Monte Kiffin, Dungy and Lovie Smith and the Tampa-2 scheme, right? And we saw how much trouble the Ravens line had protecting against the revamped Vikings defense.
So I was expecting the Tampa defense, which by all accounts is more proficient at it than the Vikings should be, to really give the Ravens trouble in a more meaningful game. Yet the Ravens line held up pretty well. Why?
My understanding about the Tampa-2 is that coordinators like to drop safeties into coverage and have defenders swarm to the ball and intimidate in the defensive backfield (I assume that’s why I kept seeing Mason catch and drop to the ground last Sunday). Which means, upfront, they are relying on a lot of gap technique to get a pass rush and speed off the corners to get to the quarterback.
Was it simply dome noise that explains the difference in the Ravens being able to handle this attack in Tampa, but not in Minnesota? Was Ogden that much better than Terry? Did McNair do a better job dumping off? Did Tampa execute poorly?
What did you see? What are the implications for the line the rest of the year, especially on the road against athletic fronts?
Thanks,
Steve Häsler
Steve,
I think there are a few reasons why the Ravens were more successful against Tampa than they were in Minnesota.
First, the Ravens actually game planned for Tampa. They had objectives in mind and a strategy to exploit Tampa’s weaknesses and address their strengths. Secondly, I think their pacing was much better in and out of the huddle allowing them time to set and make adjustments at the line of scrimmage.
Third, they did a much better job on first down during their scoring drives — particularly the opening drive. Staying out of second and long situations is important to this offense when it comes to protecting the passer.
As for the future against athletic fronts on the road, if the Ravens face second and third and long situations and they don’t have a good tempo about them, they will be in trouble and once again relying on their defense to bail them out. If they are successful on first down particularly early in the game, the Ravens will be hard to beat.
All the best,
TL
I’M HAPPY BUT…
Tony,
Don’t get me wrong here, I am very happy with the Ravens’ season so far. However, it is already clear to me that teams know how to shut our offense down, and when we play some of the league’s better teams, we could have problems.
What I would like for you to do, if you haven’t already, is look at the tape of Sunday’s game against Oakland, and count how many offensive plays that Keydrick Vincent got beat and missed blocks. It will shock you. I even saw the man get pancaked by a linebacker! Warren Sapp is way past his prime, and got 2 sacks off Vincent, and 2 unassisted tackles, where last week he was shut out with zero. Once you’ve tallied that up, notice how Oakland came after us. They run blitz one side of the line, and rely on their best DT to single handedly beat Vincent (which he did for a good portion of the day). Because the pressure is effective up the middle, it reroutes our running backs, and takes away the middle of the field for a quick pass.
Now, I saw enough of Vincent’s foul ups in one game to permanently bench him. But, as we saw with Casey Rabach, the better player doesn’t always make it onto the field with this team. So, what has to happen for the light to go off in Billick’s head? Does McNair have to go down for 6-8 weeks? Do we have to lose a few close games? What!?
I am sure we all remember watching Ethan Brooks, Kip Vickers, and Orlando Brown lose games for us. It only takes one weak link to make the whole team look bad. Jason Brown or Chris Chester cannot be that bad. The only Raven who I think would play a worse right guard is Matt Stover, and that’s only because of his age.
So, I ask you, what is it going to take before disaster strikes, and a season of potential is flushed down the toilet?
Mark Considine
Mark,
I don’t think you will see any change on the offensive line unless they lose. And if the Ravens do lose, it will be because of their offense and more than likely the offensive line will be a culprit. Keydrick Vincent is more than likely the first linemen who will be replaced if there is in fact a replacement made. The bet here is that it will be Jason Brown to take his spot.
Vincent certainly wasn’t effective against the Raiders but he wasn’t the only Raven to struggle against Sapp. Mulitalo and Flynn were hardly stout taking on the grizzled veteran.
Cheers,
TL
FIRST DOWN!
Tony’s recent article regarding the key to the Raven offense is first down was very good. My question is: Is this still Brian Billick’s offense with Jim Fassel using it or has Jim added his own twist? I agree we run too much on first down. It’s great to establish the run because it is our bread and butter but we have got to mix it up. Since we have little breakaway speed with Mason and Clayton, then put Demetrius Williams out there. I wanted to see him run the corner at least once instead of Clarence Moore. Put Williams in the slot against a linebacker. This is starting to look like a Kyle Boller offense because McNair didn’t have sufficient work with it because he signed late. Let’s open it up more against Cleveland this Sunday.
Gregg Gummer, Nottingham
Gregg,
The offense is Jim Fassel’s. It has been throughout camp. I’m sure Billick has some influence depending upon the game situation. The running on first down is ok, but the Ravens need to not only mix up the run v. pass ratio on first down, they need to mix up the types of running plays they use along with the formations to create doubt in the mind of defenders. Now the Ravens are far too often sitting in a standard set and inviting 9 into the box. No matter who is at QB, it will invoke memories of a Kyle Boller led offense which suddenly doesn’t appear to be all Kyle Boller’s fault.
As for the receivers, I think there’s a way to get deep without being a blazer. The Ravens have practiced a route that when executed properly is indefensible. In this route, the receiver runs a sideline streak and gets the defender to turn his back to the quarterback. The moment that he does he stops and turns to the quarterback. The ball has already been thrown and by the time the defender reacts, the pass is already completed. With Mason’s and particularly Clayton’s ability to run after the catch, that 20-25 yard pass can become a big gainer after the reception.
As for Demetrius Williams, the rookie looks like a playmaker and I agree, the Ravens should give him a chance to show it. Clarence Moore is a one-dimensional player and the Ravens have an offense with too many limited players already.
Time to open it up,
TL
LOUD, PROUD AND PURPLE
TL,
I have a football etiquette question for you…
I am a loud and boisterous fan when I’m at the stadium – but never use foul language or derogatory comments. I cheer and sometimes whistle loudly when the Ravens have a good play, get a 1st down, score, sack, etc… While on defense, I yell on every play while the opposing QB approaches the line and tries to get the play off.
About 5 minutes before the end of the game I commented to the guy sitting in front of me about a Ravens play and he snapped-back -"I really wish you’d just shut the F@$& up for awhile". Another person two seats away commented they thought they were deaf.
I hadn’t realized I was [upsetting them] until that point. They never turned around or complained. Others around me were cheering the same way I was – but maybe not as loud.
I feel bad because I ticked these people off and probably have to sit behind them the rest of the season. I’d like to apologize at the next game and offer to tone-down my enthusiasm. Yet, I still want to cheer and make noise. I honestly believe the fans had an impact on the Raiders inability to get the ball snapped and check-offs made on Sunday. Billick applauds the fans for generating the noise level they do when the opponent has the ball.
I understand that they are ticket holders and entitled to enjoy the game in the seats they purchased. Yet, I too paid for my tickets and should be entitled to enjoy the game and cheer for the team, even contributing the noise while we’re on defense. I have a dilemma. Quiet-down to appease the people in front of me or continue to cheer and yell and continue to irritate the group in front.
I’m really not doing anything wrong, I’m just loud.
Your thoughts?
Mitch Hooper
Mitch,
“Fan” as I’m sure you know is short for fanatic, which by definition means marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea.
You aren’t doing anything wrong. Keep doing what you are doing and don’t give into the wine and cheese neighbors of yours. Be respectful as I know you are but you have every right to make as much noise as you want to support your team just as they have the right to sit on their thumbs. You aren’t complaining about their lack of enthusiasm, right?
Look if you go to the pool and you sit near the water’s edge, don’t complain if you get wet. Your neighbors need to wake up. If they want to be enveloped in silence, tell them to save money and go to the theatre.
Rave on,
TL
Tony,
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
TL,
I have to agree with your assessment of the game. It pretty much mirrors mine. McNair did look bad, and everyone who had anything to say about it was crucified by Gary Stein on the post game show.
The home opener didn’t quite play out the way many of us expected it to. Sure, it’s great to get the win, and have a 2-0 record, but the game left some burning questions that need to be answered. Is this all the offense has, or are they saving a little something for the tougher opponents we will face? I’m hoping it’s the latter.
I don’t know if the Ravens are saving some of their offensive plays for the games that will matter more, against the Chargers, Steelers, Bengals, etc. or if this is all they have on offense. I’m hoping it’s the former. I still believe McNair has to find a little more comfort in this system before he can just go out there and execute without having to think too much.
The mistakes he made yesterday aren’t a result of that. He flat out made poor decisions. His throwing into double coverage when pressured is something that a seasoned quarterback shouldn’t be doing. His accuracy has looked poor throughout the pre-season until now. I’m not throwing him under the bus, but you have to take notice. It makes one wonder.
The defense is looking great. Will they hold the Chargers, Steelers, and Bengals to 6 points? I don’t think so. But the way they are playing they should still have a huge impact on these games. That’s when we’ll see if we have an offense or not.
I have to say that I’m glad to hear you back on the air waves, you’re the best Ravens football coverage on the dial, period. My wife commented as we drove to the game Sunday, "Will Tony’s show be on? My answer was, "No hon, some radio people just don’t get it". Maybe one day they’ll figure it out. It’s not the same driving to the game and not hearing your show, though I listen faithfully every Friday night.
Rave on brother,
Mike in Grasonville
Mike,
Thanks for the kind words and for your support. It is very, very appreciated.
You are right, the offense has to get it together because if the Ravens want to sustain their success, they will need balance. If they get behind in games and are forced to pass, it could get ugly if what we’ve seen so far is indicative of things to come.
The good news is that the Ravens are 2-0 and they have so much room for improvement. It’s better to work out the kinks now. Many have wondered aloud if the Ravens just aren’t showing everything and given the nature of both wins, that’s certainly a valid question and if accurate, who could really blame the Ravens? Maybe they’re doing a little rope-a-dope.
Down goes Frazier,
TL
A SCHOLARLY GUY
TL,
Your analysis of yesterday’s game is astute and objective.
Quite awhile ago I said that Boller just did not seem to be at the NFL quarterback level. I don’t want to say that about McNair, but it looked like more of the same yesterday. I must note that our offensive line did not give Steve much time to set up, or move and throw. I am now inclined to retroactively forgive Boller a wee bit, and chastise the inability of our offensive line to effectively protect the quarterback.
I am having an exciting Fall! My Rutgers Scarlet Knights are 3-0, and my Ravens are 2-0. The only anxiety is that both teams have played weak opponents, and their offenses have not clicked. “D” is for defense, and it did win us a Super Bowl. Can it happen in the Big East and the NFL?
All the best,
Larry, Baltimore
Larry,
I think the Ravens offensive woes are a systematic problem. As I’ve said in a few forums this week, they are bad on first down and that doesn’t bode well for an offensive line that needs a somewhat deceptive offense in order to be effective. The Ravens haven’t been in the same area code as deceptive for a long, long time.
Good luck to your Scarlet Knights. I hear they have a fullback that has captured the eye of Eric DeCosta. But don’t tell anybody.
Keep it down now, voices carry,
TL
NORTON, I’VE BEEN WATCHIN’ YOU BOY
Hi Tony,
It’s been a while. I’ve been watching, listening, and reading about our 2006 Ravens all through the preseason, listening to your new talk show (congrats!), and of course visiting your web site every day. We’re now two games into the 2006 and I have a few observations:
1) Steve McNair’s unfamiliarity with the offense is evident. While this is a concern I have no doubt that he will be playing better by midseason- meaning calling a better game. It can only help that Derrick Mason is there to help him over the transition. His ability to stay on his two feet is more of a question, but more on that below.
2) I still have problems with the play calling, although some of this may be due to number 1 above. However, given the fact that the Ravens were inside the Raider Red Zone all day yesterday, all we got were 4 field goals for the special team and defensive efforts. This is, pardon the pun, indefensible. At least two of those incursions should have ended in the end zone. The final score for the Ravens should have started with a “4.” Somebody should be asking hard questions, starting with Billick and Fassel.
3) Who lighted the emotional fire under the defense this year? Admittedly, they played the pro equivalent of Podunk U the first two games, but they’re playing with a lot of emotion, increased skill, and a lot more under control this year (although our resident school yard bully Chris McAlister continues to bear watching). Who did what? Who got talked to?
4) The play of the offensive line is atrocious. I watched the middle of the line get no penetration on running plays and continually cave in on passing downs. Rob Ryan and his assistants game-planned this perfectly. They knew the Ravens weaknesses and went right after them. No doubt our future opponents will be breaking down this game film into bits and pieces. Flynn can’t run block or pass block effectively, and both he and Keydrick Vincent get confused on their blocking schemes. Then there’s the illegal procedures. No wonder Ogden threw his helmet yesterday. I would give anything to know what he said to Billick when he came off the sideline.
Meanwhile, Jason Brown continues to vegetate on the bench and Adam Terry is used only when somebody gets hurt, and Chris Chester hasn’t even been activated for two games. Why is an un-injured, supposedly highly-rated, second round draft choice watching the game in street clothes? I bet you don’t see this often on other teams.
I know this sounds like sour grapes, but in spite of the fine start there are clouds on the horizon. San Diego, Cincy, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Carolina. Those teams won’t gift-wrap opportunities in the red zone like Oakland did. The Ravens have to get this offense untracked and fast.
As always, regards
Fran from Glen Burnie
Fran,
As always, your observations are balls on. As noted above, don’t expect much change in the offensive line unless the Ravens lose or unless there’s an injury. Pashos actually did ok against the league’s top sack man last season, Derrick Burgess, particularly when you factor in the predictability of the Ravens offense and there insistence on a snap count of 1. I will venture to say that Brown and possibly Chester make it into the lineup at some point this season.
Overall, if the Ravens are going to play with the big boys they will need to step it up. The good news is, they know it and they’re working towards it.
To the future,
TL
Hey Tony,
I attended the Ravens game yesterday and have a few questions. How is the development of Jason Brown? If Mike Flynn continues to play we are not going to do anything offensively. He was Warren Sapp’s whipping boy all day yesterday and Sapp has not been good for years. What has been the development of Brown, Rimpf and Chester? They have to be an improvement over Flynn. Is this classic Billick where he goes with an old broken down veteran out of loyalty. See Corey Fuller etc. Please tell me there is hope.
Sean Robertson
Sean,
There’s hope. I hope yesterday’s rally at Camden Yards was successful and Pete ponies up the team to Cal Ripken. There’s always hope.
As for the linemen you mention, I think they all have potential but until the team loses, changes will not be made and even then begrudgingly by Brian Billick. FYI, Rimpf is on IR and done for the season.
I’m not ready to throw the line under the bus just yet. Not until I see improved play calling and improved play from Steve McNair. Then if the line continues to break down, I’ll be ready to point fingers. And as I’ve stated above, the first to fall barring injury is likely to be Vincent.
When the whip comes down,
TL
