Charm City was mourning last night, and will continue to do so, as the unfortunate news in Baltimore was the passing of Orioles and MLB All-Time Great Brooks Robinson. While these are meant to be Ravens articles, I’d be remiss not to pay my respects, just as the Ravens did here:
"Brooks Robinson is iconic – not just in the game of baseball, but in Baltimore as a whole.
Few people captured the hearts of a community like Brooks. His charm, kindness and class truly made him one of a kind.”Steve Bisciotti on the passing of @Orioles legend Brooks… pic.twitter.com/VNBF1auf9I
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 26, 2023
I’m not old enough to have seen Robinson man the hot corner, but having played it myself I can absolutely appreciate his greatness, especially with the glove. But what I always seemed to hear more about was his personality and the great mean he was. That really says something, and he will be dearly missed in Baltimore.
The last few days haven’t been great on the Ravens’ side of things, either. Losing to Indianapolis in the manner they did is a tough pill to swallow, especially with the controversial non-calls on Zay Flowers. At the same time, however, this has to be taken as a learning opportunity for the Ravens, and it’s one I think they’ll take.
There were far too many mistakes by Baltimore late in the game to point the finger anywhere but in the mirror, and as Adam says here, all they can to now is turn the page.
Listen… I’m over the ugly L. It took literally everything going wrong for the Ravens to lose that game. Poor play. Poor coaching. Questionable penalties. A rare Tucker miss.
Everything.
Ugly loss out of the way. Carry the chip on your shoulder. Get back on track 😈
— AdamTBMore (@AdamBMore) September 25, 2023
Regardless, there will always be skeptics after losses like this. In the media, all the attention is going to Lamar Jackson , Todd Monken, and the offense:
Shannon Sharpe weighs in on the Ravens’ new-look offense pic.twitter.com/15w4rMl0pj
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) September 25, 2023
To expect anything fancy in that kind of weather seems a little unreasonable to me, but for the most part I have to agree with Sharpe. The offense was not doing anything to spread the Colts defense on Sunday, allowing them to pin their ears back going after Lamar and keep the box full to stop the run.
Gus Bradley and the Colts started sending major blitzes late in the game
against the Ravens, and for the most part it looks to have thrown the Baltimore offense even more off-kilter pic.twitter.com/NHyIhIXRO8— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) September 25, 2023
So much went wrong this week. Perhaps nothing is worse than this play below, where the Ravens literally out-manned the Colts secondary, yet still couldn’t make a play:
The Ravens somehow had more targets (5) than the Colts had players in coverage (4) on this overtime check-down. Another missed opportunity. pic.twitter.com/jc66qzZleG
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) September 26, 2023
At the same time, though, if some of Todd Monken’s ideas pan out, Baltimore will be in a great place. I really like this run concept:
Todd Monken has brought some unique run concepts, especially with unbalanced lines.
1.) Mark Andrews at left tackle, Patrick Mekari as an extra blocker off right tackle.
2.) I-formation out of shotgun.
Now if only the Ravens could get the O-line and RB room healthy. pic.twitter.com/FohGdX8erx
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) September 26, 2023
Even better, how about Sam Mustipher’s play in the absence of Tyler Linderbaum? He’s been a revelation, to be honest:
Sam Mustipher in pass protection this season:
79 pass blocking snaps
0 pressures allowed— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) September 26, 2023
There are absolutely positives moving forward. That’s especially true of Kyle Hamilton, who in most people’s opinions was the player of the game. He was wreaking havoc all day, making all kinds of plays and flying around the field. No matter where the ball was on a given play, he wasn’t far away:
.@Ravens @kyledhamilton_ with 3 first half blitzes. Got home all 3 times. Never seen this before. Anyone else seen this? #ravensflock #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/eXKb6FjLa7
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 26, 2023
The Ravens aren't going to lock Kyle Hamilton back into the nickel spot, John Harbaugh said.
But this is part of why it's tempting. Hamilton is so physical around the line of scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/WYQZcKPEVv
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) September 26, 2023
Kyle Hamilton looked like a cheat code in the Ravens Wk 3 loss to the Colts, and was a dominant force on perimeter screens while impacting the Run game, as well.#Ravens #RavensFlock #BaltimoreRavens pic.twitter.com/dJeVpa67Wq
— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) September 26, 2023
Don’t be surprised if Hamilton truly breaks out over the next few weeks.
He might be flying by a new outside linebacker, though, as Baltimore brought Kyle Van Noy in for a visit and signed him by the end of Tuesday. If you’re unfamiliar, here’s who Ravens fans can expect to be watching:
Kyle Van Noy in 13 Starts Last Season:
🔹 46 tackles
🔹 18 tackles for loss
🔹 9 QB hits
🔹 5 sacks
🔹 2 fumble recoveriesBaltimore is getting a BEAST. 😤🔥 pic.twitter.com/I581i98gAw
— Ravens Nation LIVE (@LIVERavenNation) September 26, 2023
The former Lion, Patriot, Dolphin and Charger may be a journeyman, but he will be a difference maker. I absolutely love this low-risk, high-reward signing.
