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Crystal Ball - BATTLE PLANS; Ravens @ Browns
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Posted On: 9/28/07
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Ravens Offense
1) Influencing the linebackers: Overall, the Browns defense is not much to speak of, but the linebacker corps, headed by Dexter Jackson and Andra Davis in the middle, is a young and talented group. This is a unit that is still in its developmental stage, but it has the chance to be very good in the near future.
The unit is fast and athletic. But it is a group that tends to make mistakes, especially in pass coverage.
Baltimore has developed a fine play-action passing attack since Steve McNair took over at quarterback a year ago, and it should be on full display on Sunday. In particular, first-down is a prime down in which the Ravens can establish run-action fakes to draw the Cleveland defenders up the field and out of the zone pockets.
2) Stretch off tackle: In the last couple of games, the Ravens have started to establish an effective perimeter rushing attack which was not at all present in the offense a year ago.
The staple play of this attack appears to be the stretch run. The play is designed to allow tailback Willis McGahee to start off tackle and then he has the chance to continue running toward the sideline or cut up the field and through a gap.
This is a play that could especially work well against the Browns. While Cleveland outside backers Kamerion Wimbley and Chaun Thompson are active pass-rushers, they are not stout against the run. Considering that the Raven tackles have done such a nice job of sealing off the edges in the last two games to allow the backs to hit the perimeter, they should continue to try to execute these plays on Sunday.
3) Seeing red: The Ravens offense continues to hit the breaks when it gets inside of the red zone area. While lack of execution has been a primary factor for the Ravens’ inability to score seven on a more consistent basis, the play calling needs to be better as well.
It is not a coincidence that one of the few times the Ravens offense broke through the goal line plane was by running a play-action bootleg to perfection. The touchdown dump off pass to McGahee is the type of play the Ravens need to run more frequently in closed quarters.
Using play-action pass fakes will draw defenders out of position and open up voids for the receivers to run through, especially in the middle of the end zone.
Ravens Defense
1) Isolate Edwards: Despite sweeping the season series against Cleveland a year ago, the Ravens struggled mildly on defense in both games, especially in coverage situations.
Whether it was Charlie Frye or Derek Anderson tossing the rock, the tandem of Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards made big plays through the air against the Baltimore secondary.
Given that the Ravens have recently struggled to defend the spread offense, the two pass-catchers are probably itching to run routes and break open down the field on Sunday.
In the case of Winslow, if he plays (Winslow has missed practice all week due to a shoulder injury), he will likely be matched up against Bart Scott or one of the Ravens’ safeties.
But the Ravens will need to be more careful in how they handle defending Edwards. He has the ability to gain separation on deep routes, and the size and leaping ability to snag a jump ball.
If Edwards is in matchup situations against Corey Ivy, the Ravens could be in trouble. Ivy is a fighter, but he simply does not fare that well in coverage on the outside.
This is the type of game that Chris McAlister could be used to shadow Edwards all over the field, while Ivy handles Joe Jurevicius. While covering the 6-5 Jurevicius would not be much relief for Ivy, it is a better physical matchup for him to work with, as Jurevicius is not a burner and is a similar runner to some of the slot receivers and athletic tight ends that Ivy normally checks.
2) Put up or shut up: The most ballyhooed matchup of this game is between Jamal Lewis and the Baltimore rush defense. But this should not be much of a contest.
The Ravens are No.1 against the run. Meanwhile, Lewis put together an eye-popping 200-yard rushing day against the Bengals, but did little against the Steelers and the Raiders.
The key to stuffing Lewis is to gain penetration up the middle to force him to slide off tackle. Lewis is not as adept at rushing horizontally as he is vertically. If the Ravens are able to force Lewis to the outside, he should struggle to turn the corner. And even if he does, it will be hard for him to run past the Raven defenders chasing from the backside.
3) Playmakers: The Ravens poor two-minute defense has been dissected and examined by analysts for the past two weeks. Their struggles to get to the quarterback and to handle coverage responsibilities are an undisputed factor for the fourth-quarter collapses.
But more than anything, this defense has not made any significant plays all season. One of the biggest reasons that the Ravens were able to close out opponents a year ago can be attributed to their ability to create turnovers and negative plays.
In order to get back to being the ultimate closers, the defense needs to be more opportunistic and finish off their opponents when the occasion presents itself.
One-on-one Matchup to Watch: Sean Jones versus Todd Heap: On a defense bereft of impact players, Jones stands out as perhaps the best. He is a physical, hard-hitting safety that moves well from sideline-to-sideline. As the Browns did a year ago, expect to see Jones isolated against Heap on a consistent basis. Heap was a factor against the Cardinals a week ago, and he is tough enough to handle Jones’ physical cover tactics.
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