When the Ravens waxed the Chargers back on October 17, I thought it was a statement game. And the statement was, “The Ravens defense is back!”
Wink Martindale’s troops limited the 7th-ranked (yards) offense to 208 yard when they had averaged 411. They held the Chargers to 6 points when they averaged 28.4. The Ravens defense confused quarterback Justin Herbert who looked hesitant throughout the contest; they blanketed receivers across the field while tackling very efficiently.
But then last Sunday happened.
Joe Burrow shredded the Ravens defense as the Bengals posted 520 yards of offense, 321 coming in the second half alone. And then, just like that, the tackling whiffs returned as did the concerns about Wink’s defense.
Some have questioned the secondary’s ability to cover. But that’s not the problem. Scheme is.
While watching Burrow play pitch and catch with Messrs. Chase, Higgins, Boyd and Uzomah, I couldn’t help but to think back to training camp and one-on-one drills. Receivers are paired up against DB’s in open space with an entire field to navigate. Meanwhile the quarterback stares down the receiver without any pressure whatsoever, and waits for an opening. It is a drill that grossly favors the quarterback and receiver, featuring abnormally high completion rates.
Against the Ravens, particularly in the second half after the Bengals made the proper protection adjustments, Burrow enjoyed the same luxuries as the aforementioned practice quarterbacks. He sat back, waited for his receivers to come clean and then fired darts in their direction. The Ravens failed to get home with blitzes and got caught in some Cover 0 calls. And then, when they failed to tackle, the back end support just wasn’t there to stop the big, explosive plays. The Bengals scored five touchdowns averaging over 47 yards on each scoring play.
Let that sink in!
Even with the injuries, there is just far too much talent on the defensive side of the ball to have performances as horrific as that which the Ravens served up last Sunday. And while the players share the lion’s share of the blame, it isn’t all on them. Wink and his defensive assistants need to do better.
The Departed
The Ravens personnel department was the target of criticisms during the summer for allowing a couple of fifth-round draft picks escape to New England as if somehow, Bill Belichick is some football whisperer who can morph Baltimore’s rejects into household names throughout America.
Feeling fairly underwhelmed by Shaun Wade, Eric DeCosta did what any smart GM does. He cut his losses. Wade had an awful camp. Receivers that had no chance to make the team had their moments of glory usually when lined up opposite Wade. He was stiff and therefore not a good slot corner to take on shifty receivers, and on the boundary, his speed wasn’t sufficient enough to keep up. Wade was going to get cut and some team, given his Ohio State pedigree and once high expectations, would have taken a shot on Wade. The Ravens would have had nothing to show for the 2021 NFL Draft’s 160th overall pick. Instead the Ravens have the Patriots 2022 7th-round pick and Hoodie’s 2023 fifth-round pick.
The other player who headed north on I-95 to Foxboro was FB Ben Mason. From the jump that pick was always a head-scratcher and there have been hints suggesting that the selection was influenced by John Harbaugh. Whatever the case, Mason was never going to replace Pat Ricard in 2021. The Ravens hoped to have Mason join the team’s practice squad but the Newtown, CT native opted instead for a New England homecoming and sit on the Patriots practice squad. According to The Sun’s Jonas Shaffer, Mason has yet to land on New England’s active roster this season.
One Horse Town
In an article we posted on Thursday, John Minadakis from Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, encouraged fans to be thankful for the Ravens great organization, embrace the ebbs and flows, highs and lows that come with it, and “Enjoy The Ride” of any given season. His eloquence is certainly thought provoking.
Not long ago when I visited Mile High to watch the Ravens take on the Broncos, several Denver fans congratulated Baltimore fans on the win as the game neared its end. Some even extended well wishes for the balance of the season. I wondered if the roles were reversed would Ravens fans be as cordial in defeat. I have my doubts.
Reflecting on that trip and absorbing John’s message, reminded me of the weight the Ravens organization bears here in Charm City. Baltimore is a passionate town with some of the most interesting people from all walks of life who comprise one of the country’s most eclectic and eccentric communities. We also harbor a chip on our collective shoulder, the byproduct of a slight, yet understandable inferiority complex. Baltimore has always been a stepchild when compared to neighbors to the north and south. Crime, like that portrayed in The Wire, has only served to fan the flames of the complex. So winning, beating other cities and their teams, is arguably more important to Baltimore than most towns. Consequently, we lean on the Ravens for that boost in morale because God only knows, the Orioles can’t.
These dynamics put more weight on the Ravens. There’s not another team that can lift our civic spirit. The Orioles do quite the opposite. It’s a bit unfair but until the Orioles eventually turn things around, that’s just the way it is. And it fuels our emotions after a losing effort, particularly one like last week at The Bank.
Kelly Gregg
Back in 2007 when I hosted “Hot Sauce With Bart Scott” at Della Rose’s in Canton, Bart would often talk about the understated value of Kelly Gregg, who he affectionately referred to as Buddy Lee. He even went so far to say that the Ravens defense starts and stops with Kelly because he willingly did the dirty work that allowed others to come in, clean up, excel and add to their stat totals. And he shared all of this despite the fact that Haloti Ngata played alongside Gregg and was in his second season with the Ravens defense.
Haloti, as you know, just assumed his righteous spot in the team’s Ring of Honor. One could also make the argument for Gregg’s induction.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to interview Kelly Gregg and it was quite amusing. In the podcast below, Kelly touches down on who he thought was the best player he played with on the Ravens, his disdain for the Steelers and his addiction to fantasy football.
As for the ROH Kelly checks all of the boxes as it relates to the character traits the Ravens seek for enshrinement in The Ring. He was also universally loved within the organization. And if you think Haloti’s numbers were worthy, you have to at least give some consideration to Buddy Lee.
* Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
Former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is wearing No. 19 for the Jets pic.twitter.com/mBvd8AMXNo
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) October 29, 2021
