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Crystal Ball - BATTLE PLANS: RAVENS V. FALCONS

Photo by Sabina Moran
Posted On: 11/19/06
Written By:  
Dev Panchwagh
BATTLE PLANS: RAVENS V. FALCONS
Ravens Offense
 
1) Pounding the edges: With the loss of edge rushers Patrick Kerney and John Abraham to injuries, Atlanta will depend on reserves Chauncey Davis and Paul Carrington to fill the void. The best way to test new starters at the defensive end spots is to force them to play against the run. Baltimore has rarely run the ball off tackle. The usual focus of the attack it work the middle and if the backside is sealed off, Lewis can cut back off the edge. However, Lewis has rarely cut back this season even when the holes have been there. He has taken the safer route on runs, pounding it up the middle for two or three yards. In any case, the Ravens would be well advised to try to attack the edges more than they normally do in this game given the circumstances; if Lewis isn’t quick enough to get to the perimeter, than the Ravens may need to turn to Musa Smith instead.
 
2) Passing lanes in the middle: Where defenses have had the most success attacking Atlanta is against its safeties. While Lawyer Milloy and Chris Crocker are plus run defenders, they are too slow to handle man-to-man coverage situation. Milloy in particular has lost a step or two and doesn’t break on the ball like he used to. The Ravens have had success attacking secondaries on the outside, but have yet to make any big plays on pass plays down the seams.
 
Against Atlanta, look for the Ravens to spread the ball out when Atlanta is in their base defense in order to force the Atlanta safeties to cover the slot receivers. Baltimore can use Mark Clayton or Demetrius Williams on the inside, in addition to Todd Heap or Daniel Wilcox, to create favorable match-ups in passing situations.
 
Ravens Defense
 
1) Bubble Zone: Coming up with a sound game plan to defense Michael Vick is a coach’s dream and nightmare at the same time. While any defensive coach would welcome the challenge of shutting down an amazing playmaker like Vick, there is also a chance that the plan may not work, because Vick brings so much to the table as both a runner and a passer, and he can always make that one big play to spring his team to victory. That said, Rex Ryan and the Baltimore Ravens are up to the task.
 
The Ravens have given Vick fits over the years because they have the athleticism to keep pace with Vick’s frenetic play. The ideal way to defend Vick is to play zone coverage. By staying in this defensive scheme, everyone in coverage can stay in front of Vick instead of having their backs turned away from him. At the same time, the line essentially plays a zone scheme as well, because its job is to pressure and push Vick out of the pocket, but they can’t rush past Vick, allowing him to scramble up the middle. Playing this time of read-and-react style of defense requires patience and discipline. Defenders must force Vick to make the wrong move, and when he does take off as a runner, they need to take the right angles to get to him.
 
2) Checking Dunn: Warrick Dunn is equally dangerous as a runner and receiver. As a runner, he has the explosion and speed to break long runs in the open field. As a receiver, Dunn has sure hands and has the moves to make defenders miss after the catch. The Ravens’ number one priority is to take Dunn away as an offensive threat in Sunday’s game. If he is able to get untracked, then Atlanta’s ground attack is that much more effective, and the Ravens will be forced to deal with the threat of Vick’s play-action fakes. The onus on limiting Dunn will fall squarely on the linebackers. They must be able to locate Dunn when he leaks out of the backfield as a receiver, and they have to make sure they don’t miss tackles.
 
3) Defending the misdirection play: While the Ravens will key in on Vick and Dunn, they must also be cognizant of fakes and misdirection plays that the Falcons may run to take advantage of Baltimore’s over commitment to these two players. For example, they should anticipate seeing misdirection used in the running game, when either Vick or Dunn is used as a decoy to free up Jerious Norwood (questionable for Sunday), Dunn’s speedy and dangerous backup. To add, the Falcons like to run plays that take advantage of Vick’s ability to throw across the field. So they may set up a play to look like it’s going to one side of the field, have a receiver leak to the other side and Vick would try to catch the secondary napping and complete a pass across his body. This is just one of many examples of plays that Baltimore may need to be prepared to defend on Sunday.
 
 One-on-One Match-up to Watch: Adalius Thomas versus Alge Crumpler: While Vick’s wideouts have struggled to play at a consistent level all season, Crumpler has been the go-to target in the Falcons’ passing game. Crumpler is a wide body, but he moves well and has soft hands. He is Vick’s favorite red zone target because he uses does a great job of shielding himself from the defender so only he has the best chance at securing the ball. In all likelihood, the Ravens will use Thomas, aka ‘Slash,’ to shadow Crumpler. Thomas has the speed, length and strength to keep pace with Crumpler, and disrupt his routes on Sunday.

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Posted On: 11/19/06
Written By:  
Dev Panchwagh

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