HOLD THE RICE?
Why don’t the Ravens mix up the plays more…. I’m not a pro football player [but] I notice their lack or versatility so I know the other teams notice it….. We rely on Ray Rice way too much!
Will Matthews
Will I agree with you! With their personnel grouping the Ravens tip their hand way too much. Those groupings seemingly narrow Jim Caldwell’s playbook and their tendencies, if picked up by fans, one can only imagine what a coach with a trained eye studying film will pick up on.
And their tendencies don’t end with personnel groupings. The stance that offensive linemen take tips plays. How many times have you seen Joe Flacco under center motioning behind his back with his hands? It seems that each time the Ravens run the ball when he does. They rarely change cadence to get the opposing defense off balance and when they do, someone on the offensive line jumps instead.
The Ravens offense in today’s NFL is equivalent to a horse and wagon plodding along on I-95.
FULL OF FULLBACKS
1). Why do we have 2 fullbacks but use a zone blocking scheme?
2). What is going on with Ryan Jensen? He broke his foot on July 29th. He was kept on the active roster…could he be the answer at center?
3). Would you consider the Michael Huff signing a bust?
George G Mills Jr.
George,
Great questions!
I’m very surprised that Kyle Juszczyk has not been used more in the offense, particularly with Ed Dickson’s struggles. John Harbaugh has shown a tendency in the past to bring along rookies very slowly. That hasn’t changed, probably to the dismay of the scouts who spend months studying these players. Vonta Leach looks like a bad signing and a waste of cap space. Of even greater concern is that he doesn’t appear to be the player he once was.
Ryan Jensen is coming along and should soon be available to the team but I don’t expect him to be anything more than a backup at this point. The Ravens are struggling at center. Gino Gradkowski has been awful but he’s had little help from Kelechi Osemele or Marshal Yanda, both having very subpar seasons.
A wild card in the mix at center could be AQ Shipley. As a starter for the Colts in 2012, Shipley was 4-1.
As for Michael Huff, indications are that he is a bust but I’m not ready to label him as such just yet. I’m not convinced that James Ihedigbo is a quality starter on a consistent basis. He’s been exposed as a liability in coverage and I think he’ll be targeted in the weeks ahead. That could mean that Huff gets a chance to redeem himself.
SHOW ME (LESS) MONEY?
When on God’s green earth will the whiny fans stop bitching about Joe & Joe’s contract?
Dave Morris
Dave,
Given all of the problems with the Ravens offense, Joe Flacco is having a great season. The stats might not show it but when you consider the many problems the offensive line has in both the run game and passing game; the less than 100% Ray Rice; and the limited rapport Joe has with his receiving corps, what he has accomplished is impressive. I wrote more on this topic HERE.
As for the complaining, I’ve learned that fans just need to vent and that fanaticism isn’t always rational. Nor are the complaints about Joe being overpaid. If you want the organization to go backwards then let’s start over with a new quarterback. I’m sure the bitch-o-meter would really be put to the test then.
In today’s era of the NFL, if you don’t have a good quarterback, you don’t have a chance to be consistently successful. Joe isn’t the best but he’s among the Top 10 and he proved to the world last year that he can step up when the pressure is on. Complaining fans only need to look at his ring.
