Now that was embarrassing. The Ravens lost to the Browns before a national audience, scoring just 3 points against a team that on average had given up 24.9 points per game. Tyler Huntley at the offensive controls, looked like a blindfolded kid missing wildly with his stick during a game of piñata. He does realize that it’s ok to throw the ball out of bounds outside of the pocket to avoid taking a sack, right? That’s still a legal play in the NFL, right?
Huntley was awful. He stared down receivers; didn’t seem to have any control of the offense and like the guy he backs up, Huntley struggled to get the ball snapped before the play clock expired. But as bad as Huntley played, this loss wasn’t all on him. For all intents and purposes, Huntley has been given the keys to a rotting pine boxcar and asked to keep pace with a Maserati. Sometimes I question if the Ravens are even playing the same game as the rest of the NFL.
“We have to just have a better passing game, basically. It’s not a good enough passing game right now across the board to do the things that we’re hoping to do. So, that will be priority one. Every area can get better at something in certain things, but from an offensive standpoint, that’s something that we have to go to work on, and we will.” ~ John Harbaugh
How bad is the Ravens offense?
Against the Browns 16th-ranked passing defense which had given up 215.8 yards per game prior to this game, the Ravens managed just 126 net yards by air. The Ravens wide receivers collected 8 balls for just 58 yards (7.25 YPC). No Ravens wide receiver has caught a touchdown since Week 3; Mark Andrews hasn’t hit pay dirt since Week 6; the Ravens have produced just 220 net passing yards total in the last two games combined, no passing TD’s and just 1 touchdown overall against middle-of-the-pack defenses. The forefathers of the forward pass who introduced the concept to the game in 1905, must be tumbling in their graves like another Demarcus Robinson fumble.
Talk about an indicator of things to come, how about the Ravens first play from scrimmage – a Huntley to Robinson completion – A COMPLETION, that set up a 2nd-and-17. Who does that? To say that the Ravens offense is a dinosaur is an insult to the extinct species.
“We have to do things better in terms of moving the ball through the air, making plays in the red zone, not turning the ball over. Those are all things that will cost you a game in December, and that’s what happened. Every area can improve, and that’s what we’re going to go to work on.” ~ John Harbaugh
Not So Special
One thing that the Ravens almost always seem to be able to count on is great special teams play. Even that abandoned them in Cleveland. Justin Tucker missed a 48-yard field goal to end the first half and had another blocked. Devin Duvernay doesn’t look like the same return specialist. Maybe he’s just exhausted after running fake jet sweep after fake jet sweep that seems to confuse no one but the Ravens. Duvernay fumbled the only time the Ravens actually tried the jet sweep. As a returner, Duvernay just looks like a player struggling with the wear and tear of the season. He lacks a burst and it’s as if he’s running in quick sand and without purpose. Over the course of the Ravens most recent six contests, Duvernay has averaged just 18.3 yards per kick return and 4.8 yards on punt returns. And this is from a player who has averaged 25.7 and 13.1 yards on kick and punt returns, respectively.
Remember when teams used to kick it through the end zone to eliminate the threat that Duv once presented? Now the kickoffs are kept in play intentionally. What was once a strength has suddenly become a liability.
[Ravens Report Card v. Browns]
Weirdness
• The Ravens scored just 3 points but punted just once. Again, who does that?
• The Ravens ran for a net of 198 yards, averaging 7.1 YPC and lost – decidedly!
• J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards combined for 180 yards on just 20 carries.
G-Ro Gotta Go
There’s an economic principle called The Law of Diminishing Returns. The principle comes into play when proportionally smaller profits or benefits are derived from something as more money or energy is invested in it. That in a nutshell describes the Ravens offense – specifically the passing game. Simply put, it’s obsolete.
Think of the king below as John Harbaugh and the machine gun as a legit passing offense.
As I watched the game unfold (or should I say unravel) last night, I grew progressively less agitated by the outcome. Why? Maybe I experienced an overdue epiphany. As much as I’d like to believe that the Ravens improved defense and running game, along with the return of some key players will help their chances of success in the postseason, I came to the realization that it’s the same old, same old. And there’s absolutely no expectation that things will change as the season winds down. There’s no reason to believe they can change. And I’m at peace with it, for now.
Let’s all just admit it and be honest – the Ravens don’t have what it takes to win in the postseason. They are too one-dimensional and eventually, the offense becomes no-dimensional. They can’t score and if they eventually want to compete with the likes of the Bills, Chiefs, Bengals, even the Dolphins in January, they’ll have to. They’ll have to threaten teams with their passing attack. And they just can’t. Not with the receivers currently on the active roster and not with the “mastermind” behind this gross, homogenous glob of nothingness that they call an offense.
And it’s not like this is anything new. The fact that this offense is still a problem; that they still do the same things the same way and expect different results is the quintessential definition of insanity. And the fact that it’s still going on makes not only Roman culpable. Equally as culpable is Harbaugh who allows it and therefore enables it, endorses it through his complicity.
“Every area can improve, and that’s what we’re going to go to work on.”
How many times do we have to listen to this rhetoric? More importantly, how many more times will Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti put up with it?
This Saturday the Ravens host the Atlanta Falcons. They’ll likely do so in front of a half-filled stadium on Christmas Eve. Many fans will opt to do things more exciting than watching an archaic brand of football. You know, like baking cookies or last minute shopping at Target or watching The Hallmark Channel. And maybe that will be Bisciotti’s wakeup call as his head coach ponders the stockings hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be there.
I don’t even think Santa can save the Ravens offense.
Maybe the Ravens will win on Saturday. Maybe they’ll still make the playoffs. But we all already know how the story ends.
Let that knowledge liberate you. Let it give you peace of mind. Let it allow you to enjoy The Season.
Because you already know how the Ravens season will end.
We’ve seen this movie before.
31 Responses
Spot on, as usual, Tony! I’d add one observation for what it’s worth: as they did with Flacco post SB and excluding the Kubiak season, they’ve lobotomized their QBs into check down artists and, that’s squarely on……..Harbaugh! Just one fan’s OPINION, for a change…….
Exactly and well said Tony. That is why I have come to the point of acceptance, we will be good but never live up to our potential because of the coaching issue. The talent is very good(minus the injuries) but it seems the trend has been downwards for awhile. Harbaugh is the leader, he picks his coaching staff, we have very good defense and ST units. Our offensive talent is for the most part very good. It all comes down to utilizing the talent available to be successful. It’s time to move on and find a new leader. 15 years is to long and it appears the game has passed him by. The excuses are just that. Where are the solutions to the problems. There appears to be none.
I saw a graphic on tv that said that of all the 32 teams in the NFL, the ravens flock was the most connected, interested or committed – something along those lines. Biscotti has to feel this. What’s going to happen is this – magically the ravens will be together again – firing on all cylinders and will beat the crap out of the falcons. Cue the questions – how is that guys did so well? How amazing for us and just like that another poor performance has been put to bed. See what we can do if the players can execute – it’s not GRo’s fault they will say. On to the next game and so on and so forth. All that analysis and the spewing we will hear from harbs today will be to put lipstick on a disaster- and the clock will reset and it will be another week – Tony will have another article like this and we will respond similarly and this nightmare of a Groundhog Day will continue.
Yet so many still want to indict Lamar as a core issue…even though since 2020 the kid has carried this anemic offense, turning Chicken $#¥£ into Chicken Salad, they’ve blamed him for the passing woes and not the team…it took this to say “maybe these guys aren’t that good?” This is a top-down MOST fans saw coming eons ago. Now the PurplePatrol want in. FOH
Man, Lamar – please sit out. Don’t risk your body for this.
And to be sure, Lamar will be excused for being rusty if the Offense sucks again next week
You do tell it like it is Tony. I think SB needs to clean house and that includes Harbaugh, his coaches and DeCosta,. Huntley is definitely not a legitimate NFL QB. The Ravens are the first team since the 2013 Rams to rush for 200 yards without scoring a TD. If I was SB I would hire a head coach who has success in developing QBs, put the franchise tag on Lamar, and see if he can improve his passing game. There are going to be 2 teams (Lions and Eagles) drafting in the top 5 who don’t need a quarterback. I would trade up to one of those 2 teams and draft the best QB available when their turn comes up. I have serious doubts about Lamar being the long term answer at QB.
How dense are you to still try and tell Lamar to improve his passing…it’s not Lamar, it’s the damn passing game and the weapons. Huntley just showed you what the the passing game is about and how inept it is. The only reason it does anything is because Lamar is in it. Jesus, I pray Lamar leaves and obtuse fans such as yourself are left wondering why you let him out the door.
I am not dense Joe and Lamar is the problem. He can’t throw accurately consistently. In fact I don’t know if Lamar could hit water if he fell out of a boat.
We know for a fact he can’t hit a wide open receiver behind the secondary
ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY WRITTEN !!!!!
I am starting to root for the other purple team – so sad given what we actually have and we are pissing it away. no receiver in their right mind would ever want to come here.
Roman should continue to coach Colin Kaepernick in his amazing new career..
I actually think Flacco would be better for us.
Not that they are going anywhere but the Ravens would probably be in better shape if they don’t win the division. The way it stands now either the Jets, Pats, or Chargers will be the #7 seed, Miami probably the 6 seed and the Ravens as the 5 seed, which would have them playing Tennessee on the road. If they win the division, they are probably playing home against Miami. I would then expect a similar result as the first time we played Miami.
I so enjoyed that Tony. I also tried to look for a silver lining. Maybe it’s that we’ve methodically debunked this “revolutionary” approach, its masterminds and the players we initially thought could take us to the promised land. Ravens brass first brought in a bunch of receivers, several from the first round. No real impact yet. Then we improved the O line. Better for sure but still not the overall results. Then we thought maybe if we get the RBs back and the running game clicks then we’ll be back to 2019. 3 points worth of results.
Like Yogi Berra once said .,,It ain’t over til it’s over. If Lamar does not play again next week I’m all for giving the ball to Anthony Brown. I’m starting to question Lamars intestinal fortitude in December. Knee sprain 2 games? How about taking the injection in the knee and a pain pill? Oh wait its woke 2022 and we can’t do that anymore for 23 million in salary. And while we are on injury issues. Huntley had a concussion correct? I thought the league that cares about CTE made it mandatory to sit out a game? Further proof the league that moves teams like bumper cars at Gywnn Oak in 1966 is full of BS. As far as Harbs he’s a class act but his fathers and Bo Schembechlers style of football is gone. The rules changes ,the players union, salaries,and even kids in D1 getting paid now destroyed that kind of football. Get rid of the fullback/Hback its a waste of a roster spot. And get a qb who can sling it while his o line legally holds on the defense and a stable of route running guys who can get separation and catch, It’s time!
This team is dying a slow death.
Actually not that slow …
One could say that the Ravens are a quality college football team. Twelve games and they are done. Not sayin’ they don’t have all the pieces. Just sayin’ they never seem to fit them all together.
This all falls on EDC. Any idiot last Jan said hey Brown is our 2 Bateman our 3 we need a 1 plus quality depth. Instead we trade our 2, and promote 3 to 1 and scrubs to 2 and 3. So even if impossible happens and all 3 young WR pan out we still have no depth for injuries. This is a SB roster that is being destroyed by incompetent WR depth chart. EDC wasted 5 years of cheap Lamat but hey lets fire the coaches who cant make chix salad out of 💩
If Harbs does not fire Roman BEFORE THE OFF-SEASON, fire Harbs
if EDC does not do it, fire him too
tag Lamar for one year, give him weapons, give him an OC with three functioning brain cells, see what you have. Move on if he’s average and demands 50M a year
Tony, I’ll give you another economic principle that applies here: Sunk Cost. A sunk cost is a cost that has already occurred and cannot be recovered by any means. This Ravens offense, with or without Lamar, is a lost a cause, a sunk cost. Cut your losses (GRo) and move on. And I think the Ravens will, although doing it this year may result in nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Eternal Optimist here: This season will turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
There 10 -12 top tier QBs who can win The Vince without a great running game. There are 10-15 very good QBs who would be dangerous with Dobbins and Edwards in their backfield!
An accurate QB easily trumps the best ever running QB.
Trade LJ for even a Baker Mayfield and see the improvement – even WITH Gro as OC.
Draft at least 5 WRs next year and hope 1 or 2 can catch.
honestly…let`s put the whole lamar thing to rest…i doubt he`s so injured that he can`t play pocket passer for a week or two…don`t let him run the ball…let him use the rpo as a decoy and have him just be a pocket passer for a week…we have two fantastic backs who are running the ball damned well…let lamar play pocket passer for a week with strict orders to not put himself in jeopardy…..
he`s our best passer,right?…we need him to be there….go out there and play pocket passer for a week….we already have the running game….
shut the naysayers up….by going out there and showing that he can do damage exclusively with his arm he not only helps the team win but he also helps his case in contract negotiations ..
it`s nut-cuttin` time….big time players show up and show out…let the man loose…let him stretch that arm out…
hes not so good when he cannot (or does not want to) run
i`m not 100% sure that any passcatcher drastically improves this style offense…..but i have to say my two biggest disappointments in recent draft history were when we drafted hurst at 1 and passing on a.j. brown for hollywood brown……if anybody might have been able to help our passing game it might have been anquan bloldin clone(and then some) a.j. brown….
if we make it, our potential first playoff opponent will be chiefs, titans, bills, bengals. I am not a betting man but I will be betting against the ravens. Easy money. I will also take the under.
“gross, homogenous glob of nothingness” are you talking about the offense? Or it’s architect?
It’s old and fans are getting tired of eating the same pile of crap every week. Apathy is setting in. It’s not a Qb issue bc you have a Generational qb. Why can’t we have nice things for 5-10 years? Like the Packers or KC with Rodgers or Mahomes and I know better pure passers but the point is scoring 3ppg loading up on offense with guys like Adams,Nelson etc before they left or Cheetah &Kelce and Andy Reid genius. We don’t want to be and don’t have to be this 18-17 or 13-10 blk and blue snoozefest offense just bc Front offense are & Biscotti won’t fire Roman, hire a Offensive guru type like Sean Payton aND bring in stud WRS
This article is saying everything I’ve been saying! It’s time for Harbaugh and Roman to go because they are dinosaurs and the offense is archaic, outdated, and played out! The Ravens have a young Lamar and they need a fresh young coaching staff to completely change the culture of the team. Get rid of Harbaugh and Roman and I’ll see y’all next year Baltimore because y’all not going nowhere this year.
So lets take a stroll down memory lane. The Ravens drafted lj when every other team including them passed him over. Why? because nobody saw this awesome athlete as a Pass Master. There was no illusion that he was a Joe Montana, Dan Moreno, Tom Brady, Joe Burrow style QB who could put up 30+ points a game.
However, some in the Ravens Organization and I am assuming old school John Harbaugh was among them, thought they could revamp their offense around this awesome athlete and run to glory. They succeeded thanks largely to Lamar for the first couple of years but then good defensed adjusted and here we are.
Now you want this RPO offense to shift into a passing lane, a gear they don’t have, and with your back-up QB no less and pretend to be surprised when you can’t put up numbers. After the Dolphins game their offense has been slowly degrading as lj more often tucked and ran rather than checked down and their improving defense is not going to be enough to put them into a Superbowl against the type of competition they are about to face. Under their current coaching staff the Ravens will be a playoff contender and a Superbowl pretender.
Finally if you want a Pass Master go get you a new QB. But, if you mortgage the ranch on a quarter billion guaranteed contract to lj then the last 2 seasons is the best you can expect going forward with many back up opportunity for qb2 and it will get worse with no money to spend on Defense. Do you really believe that well managed teams are salivating to guarantee Lamar a franchise busting contract only to have to revamp their whole offense around him? Well maybe Tennessee but they have proven to be as good as the Ravens without lj and he will only give them more of the same.
They have to win 3 in a row to get in. Then like 4 more in a row for the Lombardi? I doubt it unless its dinner over Tonys all you can eat. LOL
I demand a full house cleaning at end of season. Toss Harbaugh, Roman and maybe even LAME R (two years in a row this weak knee running back pretending to be a QB sits out meaningful December games. Contrast his attitude with Jets kid QB who is FIGHTING to play). Ship LAME R to Houston for two number one pics and a second round and move on. We arent winning with him under center. Thats a FACT. Witness his two home playoff losses one of which coming after a 14-2 season and a BYE. Simply disgraceful.
Remember when SF cut the other Harbaugh loose along with their SUPERBOWL QB? They retooled quickly and are again a monster with a recent RETURN TRIP to Super Bowl which ALMOST led to an upset vs. KC.
Its time folks!
Young good coaches are out there….just look to Miami and LA Chargers.
I actually don’t need a “me too” aerial offense. If they were so easy to put together everybody would have one. But if that is what you are wishing for, I am sorry to say, exciting as he is to watch, lj is not the guy to deliver that anyway.
Is everybody blind or do they choose to ignore his persistent and annoying habit of overthrowing downfield receivers, that in many instances would have been sure touchdowns? How many seasons has he played a full complement of games? He is getting injured in the pocket! I hear the media talking heads talk about getting him receivers as if you can pluck them from an apple tree. But when we have receivers they ask to be traded if they have tread on their tires because they are not going to lead any fantasy stats running patterns for the QB setting rushing records.
But mostly I am sick of hearing talking heads insisting that the bone headed move they made in the poorly manage Browns organization stands as some type of legal precedent requiring us to blow the top off our salary cap by guaranteeing a quarter billion to a QB who will never get into the hall of fame throwing deep balls to speedy receivers.
those calling for the sacking of the coaching staff thinking that we are going to become Air Ravens with lj are simply deluding themselves. The first thing a smart Head Coach who wants to build Air Raven will do is trade lj to some boneheaded organization like Cleveland for a first round pick to get a fresh QB who has a proven passing record at the college level and then draft his favorite college reciever with the Ravens first round pick.
All that said I am perfectly happy to stick with lj for a big but reasonable contract but stop deluding yourself into thinking he will be a passing QB if only the right receivers. He is a one checkdown and run guy. He won’t throw his primary open so he will checkdown to the tight end and run if covered. If you want him to stand in the pocket he will never play a full season and fully guaranteed is a ticket to the basement.