Game Day
The Ravens may have defeated San Diego, but the Chargers delivered the game plan on how to beat the Ravens' defense. Since that game, which the Chargers should have won, both Denver and Carolina have used spread offenses to slow the Ravens' blitz. All three teams used a lot of short passes, along with crossing routs. Opposing teams have attacked cornerback Chris McAlister with short passes and have gone after fellow cornerback Samari Rolle with long ones. To counter, the Ravens need to get more pressure from their front four, instead of having to rely on the blitz.
The team that best used this strategy against the Ravens was Green Bay in 2001, the year after Baltimore won the Super Bowl. Brett Favre dissected the Ravens' defense in a near perfect game as Green Bay defeated Baltimore, 31-23.
Comments
and your reccomendation to improve the front four right now is????
Posted by: Joe | October 25, 2006 11:20 AM
While I concur that the Ravens need to find a way to pressure the opposing QB from their front 4, I don't believe that there is a proven game plan to beat the Ravens defense. I also don't agree that the Chargers should have won against the Ravens. They couldn't stop the Ravens offense when it mattered most. If the Ravens hadn't turned the ball over 6 times in their 2 losses, including 3 in or near the red zone, they would be 6-0 right now.
Posted by: Eric Buckner | October 25, 2006 2:22 PM
I believe Cleveland also spread the Ravens out that year after the Super Bowl and beat them. They really don't seem to adjust well to that type of scheme at all. Is it a lack of coaching or fundamentals?
Posted by: Bacon | October 25, 2006 10:21 PM
If the Chargers should have won that game, then it can also be said the Ravens should have won the Carolina game, and the Denver game too for that matter. This is NFL football, and many variables determine the outcome of any given game, including luck. Every team is subject to these dynamics. The Cardinals should have won their game against the Bears, who are as undefeated due to some good luck as the Ravens are 4-2 owing to some bad luck. The only thing that matters is the final score. If San Diego should have won the game, then they would have won it.
Posted by: gordon | October 26, 2006 3:42 AM
"Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda..." Loser talk!
Posted by: Macadamia | October 27, 2006 4:24 PM