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Filmstudy - FILMSTUDY: Quick release exposes Ravens' pass rush

Posted On: 9/25/07
Written By:  
Ken McKusick
FILMSTUDY: Quick release exposes Ravens' pass rush
That was one ugly defensive game for the Ravens.  The loss of Trevor Pryce was painful even before that terrible 4th quarter (see Dwan Edwards—Featured Defender of the Week), but Curt Warner’s quick reads, release, and accuracy were just what the Ravens did not want to see either in their opponent or in themselves.
 
Let’s start with the numbers, none of them particularly pretty:
 
Standard (4 DB’s):   20 plays, 120 yards , 6.0 YPPA (McAlister, Ivy, Reed, Landry)
Nickel (5 DB’s):  10 plays, 100 yards, 10.0 YPPA (Base 4 plus Prude)
Dime (6 DB’s):  25/144, 5.8 YPPA (Base 4 plus Prude, Sapp)
 
By number of pass rushers (only pass attempts and sacks considered):
 
3:  5/25, 5.0 YPP, no sacks or turnovers
4:  20/101, 5.1 YPP, 1 sack
5:  12/117, 9.8 YPP
6:  2/42, 21.0 YPP, 1 TO
7:  2/18, 9.0
 
For comparison, the team allowed:
 
14 Rushes for 61 Yards (4.4 YPC)
·          Best: No one with over 4 rushes against was better than 4.4 YPC
·          Worst:  Ngata and Edwards, 5.0 on 11 and 7 rushes respectively
41 passes for 303 net yards (7.4 YPP)
·          Best:  Sapp 22/138, 6.3 (No kidding, that was the very best on the Ravens).  Barnes was also 6.6 on 29 plays.
·          Worst:  Edwards 11/109, 9.9
55 total plays for 364 yards (6.6 YPPA)
·          Best:  Sapp 5.8 YPPA, Barnes 6.4
·          Worst:  Edwards 8.0 (18/144)
 
By down, the Ravens allowed:
 
1st:  26/243, 9.3 YPPA
2nd:  17/101, 5.9 YPPA
3rd:  12/20, 1.7 YPPA
 
Individual Notes:
 
·          I was actually excited to see if we could get something out of our new DE combo to replace Pryce.  Edwards played worse than any other defender (see play-by-play review).  Barnes was active and contributed something to the pass rush.
·          Ngata played off the LoS only 3 times that I saw.  He was in for 30 snaps to Gregg’s 18.  Gregg saw his last snap with 7:37 to go in the 3rd quarter.  I hope that does not mean he is hurt.
·          The Ravens played much more dime (45%) than in the previous 2 games.  They registered their 6th sack of the year, and again it was in the dime.  The Ravens now have all 6 sacks with 6 DB’s this year, and 4 of those have been credited to a DB.
·          Bannan was in for just 6 plays for 11 yards (1.8).  Now that’s very little, so I don’t consider it for any “Best” categories above, but with Edwards playing so poorly, would it have been unreasonable to see more of Bannan at DE?
·          Ivy, Reed, Landry, CMac, Johnson, Lewis, and Scott played every down
·          Suggs left the field for 1 play to attend to a broken helmet.  It was his first play missed this season.
·          In Suggs absence, Edgar Jones played his first NFL defensive snap
 
What’s to blame for that horrible 4th quarter?
 
o         The no huddle is not good for any defense.  As Merlin Olsen often comments, “there’s nothing more tiring than rushing the passer”.  That did not, as the announcer Sunday suggested, cause the Ravens to curl into a shell of 4-man rushes, but everything they tried (from 3 to 7) was ineffective.
o         Suggs and Barnes were out there for the whole quarter, and clearly tired.  Along with Ivy’s strip, Suggs’ diagnosis of the shovel pass to Boldin at the 5-yard line will stick with me as the best Raven defensive play of the game.
o         With the exception of Ivy’s clutch PD vs. Johnson on Arizona’s last offensive play, the Ravens did not get a defensive hand on the football in the 4th quarter.  NO other PD’s or balls batted at the LoS.
o         Warner was terrific.  He made very quick reads, still releases the ball very quickly, and was very accurate.
o         The Ravens LB’s disappeared in coverage in the 4th.  They tried some interesting tricks jamming receivers vs. Cincy, but I saw none of that in the 4th on Sunday.
o         And of course, the lack of a legitimate 2nd cover corner killed the Ravens.  With 3 WR sets, Ivy moved inside again with Prude outside.  That’s a big lack of speed, of course, and the Ravens nearly paid dearly.
 
What can we take out of this that is positive?
 
o         The Ravens escaped with a win
o         They don’t play a team with as dangerous a set of weapons until Pittsburgh.  By then, Pryce should be back.
o         The Ravens defense has the right problems to be fixed in season.  Simply put, they need a good DE and a healthy Rolle.  I think there is a good chance we will see a rotation of players at DE this next week opposite Suggs with fewer than the 18 snaps for Edwards.

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Posted On: 9/25/07
Written By:  
Ken McKusick

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