Battle Plans: San Diego Chargers vs. Baltimore Ravens
Offense
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Taking away the safety net: One of the big twists in the storyline for Sunday’s match-up is that both of San Diego’s starting safeties (Terrence Kiel and Bwoh Jue) are going to be out of the lineup. The replacements are Client Hart and Marlon McCree. Both players are almost interchangeable with Kiel and Jue, considering that they have started at some point for San Diego in the past. However, the Ravens should certainly test both McCree and Hart to see if they are capable of holding their own. The Ravens have the ability to exploit the middle using play-action, especially on first down (a down the Ravens normally run on) in order to get the safeties to come up the field. In addition, in obvious passing situations, Steve McNair could use the pump fake to try and get either safety moving towards the wrong side of the field. Expect Todd Heap to be force fed the ball on crossing routes, in and post seam routes all day long.
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Countering the blitz: The Ravens offensive players should know first hand how lethal a fast pass rush can be to an offensive attack considering how dominant the Ravens’ defensive pass rush has been against opposing offenses. In a similar fashion, the Chargers are just as capable of dominating up front and causing all sorts of trouble for the Ravens’ offensive line. San Diego uses its 3-4 scheme to perfection. They move linebackers around, shading the look of the blitz so the quarterback does not get a good read on which defender is coming and which defender is dropping back into coverage. In order to slow down this rush, the Ravens can use a couple of different strategies. One, they should use more motion and change formations. For instance, they could start out in a base I-form, then the tight ends could split out wide, changing the formation to a spread with four receivers and one back. Two, the use of motion, especially moving Todd Heap around, could force the Chargers linebackers to switch their assignments. After all, one would think that San Diego will make sure to account for Heap to take him completely out of the passing game. The use of motion and switches could force the Chargers to be more cautious with their attacks or switch out of a possible blitz they called in the huddle.
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Finding Merriman: In just two games, Shawne Merriman has recorded three sacks, forced a fumble and picked off a pass. Last year’s defensive rookie of the year has become a pass-rushing force. He has the ability to get to the quarterback rushing out of a two-point or three-point stance. Against the Raiders, Merriman often lined up as an end and he was very successful in that role. Not only does he have great instincts and burst, but he also has deceptive power to rip through a block. The Ravens have to make sure to account for Merriman. There will be times when he lines up against Jonathan Ogden, and in those situations the Ravens should rely on Ogden to stymie Merriman at the line. But in situations where Merriman may line up on the right side, the Ravens need to use an extra blocker to help out Tony Pashos. Or use plays that will force Merriman out of the play. This can be done using chip routes (when a back or tight end pretends to block, but then releases into a route) or draws in the running game.
Defense
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First-down defense: To force Philip Rivers to play outside of himself, the Ravens must turn up the heat on first down. First down is the most important down in football because based on how the match-up plays out, either the offense or the defense can dictate on second down and third-down. The Ravens have to hold the Chargers to no more than three yards on first-down to have a better chance of making Phillip Rivers throw long on third-down. Clearly, San Diego will look for LaDanian Tomlinson on first down either as a rusher or pass catcher, so Tomlinson is who the Raven defenders will need to keep an eye on. But they must also protect themselves from being too aggressive against Tomlinson, because San Diego could exploit that aggressiveness by using play-action. Rivers could gain a lot of confidence early and get into a rhythm if he completes some easy passes on first-down off of play-action fakes.
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Crowding the inside: In general, the Ravens should look to take away San Diego’s short passing game, and force Phillip Rivers to complete passes down-the-field. Throwing the ball deep is not Rivers strength. And aside from Antonio Gates, the Chargers do not have any receivers who could make plays as a deep threat. To accomplish this goal, the Ravens should play more man-to-man coverage on the outside, keep the backers as active pass rushers and have the safeties close hard and fast on any inside routes to force minimal gains in the passing game. Rivers can exploit zone coverage, especially if he is not pressured, so it behooves the Ravens to pressure the first year starter as much as possible.
One-on-One Battle to Watch: Antonio Gates versus Adalius Thomas: The Chargers’ go-to-guy in the passing game remains Gates. He is the ultimate pass catching tight-end. Although Gates lacks great speed, he is tough to bring down after the catch and as a deep threat, he has a knack for catching any jump ball thrown in his area. The Ravens will use multiple defenders to account for Gates, but the best person to handle the role could be Adalius Thomas. Thomas has the length and extension to disrupt pass attempts. In addition, he has the speed and instincts to stay close to Gates, especially on intermediate routes. At the line, it is important that Thomas plays physical and gets a good jam on Gates to delay his release as much as possible.
