Harbaugh 'disappointed' in special teams penalties
Four of the Ravens' nine penalties and 45 of the 80 penalty yards were assessed to special teams, which drew the attention of coach John Harbaugh today during his weekly news conference.
The most egregious mistakes involved Tom Zbikowski's 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty in the first quarter that moved the offense from its own 42-yard line to the 27 and Tavares Gooden's illegal block above the waist call in the fourth quarter that wiped out a 43-yard punt return by Chris Carr.
"Very disappointed special-teams wise with the penalties," Harbaugh said. "There’s really no reason. We work on it every single day. There’s no reason to put your hand on a guy’s back. It’s hard to do now because you’re trying for a block and you’re reaching for a guy, but we have to be better than that. It’s not just the 10 yards you lose, it’s the yards that you gained on the return that you lose. Those can be huge penalties. At the end of the game, that was probably a 50-yard penalty. So that’s an area that we as a staff work really hard on and players work hard on, and we’ve just got to be better in that area."
Comments
Come on, i've never been a believer of the referee conspiracy but after this game (and no matter the last second regular period kick mistake) i really start to think the referees always looks at us more than other teams! illegal block in the back? they didn't see two or three vicious cutblock from steelers players during the last big punt return of chris Carr??? one player hit foxworth in the back ten times harder than Zbikowski! another cut right at Lj smith knees!!! no flag???
Posted by: mika from france | November 30, 2009 8:19 PM
I'm disapointed that our head coach has found so many things to be disapointed about this season. It's disapointing that Bisciotti hired a suck-up cliche machine to lead a bunch of professional men in a violent endeavor, and it's disapointing that Harbaugh's hand-picked kicker's disapointing kicks in crunch time and his players' disapointing costly penalties are going to result in a disapointing end to the 2009 season. What does his family's Christmas Card read? Disapointed Greetings from the Harbaughs?
Posted by: Bernie | December 1, 2009 6:06 AM
I don't know about anyone else, but I am tired of hearing Harbaughs weekly excuses. Every week it is the same -- one penalty after another. The special teams on punts and kickoffs are hurting the team -- and they do it every single week. With five games left will it be any different? Hard to see how -- this is disappointing consider what Harbaugh was doing in Philadelphia for nine years. Coach you need to change something!
Posted by: mlv | December 1, 2009 10:26 AM
The blocks in the back were so obvious, flagrant, and nonsensical, it does make you think that it is the mandate of the special teams coach to block someone on every play, irrespective of whether it is on the back or not. On the last particular infraction, Carr was already 10 yards upfield before the block in the back was even made. If there are mandates, do away with them please - they don't work! If there aren't, start fining these players for these game-changing bonehead decisions.
Posted by: Phil | December 1, 2009 11:55 AM
Harbs, how does one coach against chicken calls? Maybe you need to refine your own tactics for calling out the corrupt refs? That's the one page out of Billick's book you might want to read.
Posted by: Pete | December 1, 2009 1:55 PM
LOL Bernie...too funny! You gave me my laugh for the day....
Posted by: baltmom | December 1, 2009 5:54 PM
He's disappointed in the number of ST penalties? Hmmmmmmm...there were problems last year on ST's that have continued this year as well. How did he deal with that? He promoted ST coach Rosburg to assistant head coach. Maybe instead of being disappointed, he should learn how to become a competent head coach, so he doesn't continue to disappoint millions of Ravens fans.
Posted by: JB | December 2, 2009 9:09 PM