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Filmstudy - FILMSTUDY: Ravens D gets a laboratory exam

Breaking down Ravens v. Jets
Posted On: 9/22/07
Written By:  
Ken McKusick
FILMSTUDY: Ravens D gets a laboratory exam FILMSTUDY: Ravens D gets a laboratory exam
There's an awful lot to talk about.  Eerily similar game to last week, but the Ravens come out on the winning end this time on the should-have-been-caught-deflected-INT-on-what-should-have-been-the-game-tying-TD-in-the-final-90-seconds play.

First, by coverage type:

Standard: 31/93, 3.0 YPPA, 0 sacks or TO
Nickel: 17/139, 8.2 YPPA, 0 sacks, 1 TO
Dime: 20/72, 3.6 YPPA, 4 sacks, 1 TO

By Player (Best and Worst)

YPC

Best: Ngata 14/29, 2.1
Worst: Pryce 11/40 3.6

YPP

Best: Pryce 10/34 3.4...Sapp 17/93 4.0
Worst: Gregg 12/89 7.4...Ivy 32/198 6.2

YPPA

Best: Bannan 17/58 3.4...Pryce 21/74 3.5...Sapp 20/72 3.6
Worst: Ivy 37/211 5.7

Individual notes:
  • For context, the team gave up 2.6 YPC (27/69), 5.7 YPP (41/235), and 4.5 YPPA (68/304)
  • Antwan Barnes played his first 8 NFL snaps. He was used both in coverage and as a pass rusher, primarily from LDE
  • All 4 Raven sacks in week 2 (as well as the only week 1 sack) came while in the dime.  The Ravens show a multitude of looks while in this formation, and it got Ivy, Sapp and Landry each an untouched run at the QB.
  • Suggs had a nice game with 2 hurries, 2 PD’s, and 4 tackles.  He’s yet to get his first sack this year, but he’s contributing in other ways
  • Suggs, Johnson, Lewis, Scott, CMac, Rolle, Reed, and Landry played every down the entire game
  • The defense looked really lost without Trevor Pryce.  While they did record consecutive sacks in the 3rd quarter, they went the last 22 drop backs with no sacks.  The pass rush is very weak with Bannan or Edwards on the field. 
  • In one of the truly weird plays of the year, the Ravens had only 10 men on the field for Cotchery’s 44-yard catch and run with 5:59 to go in the 4th quarter.  I’ve watched the video frame by frame at least 10-15 times trying to figure out what happened.  There is a small corner of the field I can’t see, and I can definitely identify Gregg, Suggs, Johnson, Lewis, Scott, Ivy, Landry, CMac, Reed, and Rolle.  There are 2 likely culprits.  Antwan Barnes, who played the previous 3 plays as well as the following 2 was conspicuously absent.  It could also have been Sapp, who would have been in had the Ravens called a dime package (it was 1st down, but the Ravens played a lot of 1st-down dime in this game).  Both Barnes and Sapp lined up near the line of Scrimmage on every other play they were in, so I can’t see that it’s likely Ryan called an extremely deep cover 2 with Sapp back.  In any case, the play took forever as Ivy got his hand held most of the way down the field by Cotchery.  If Sapp was on the field, he surely did not hustle to the ball.
  • Ngata continued to be the feature DT, getting 45 snaps to Gregg’s 32 (those include accepted penalties).  Ngata played very well early, as did all the Ravens, but he was on the field for the last 16 plays and looked tired.  His overall stats were good (4.1 YPPA), but it’s very apparent the Ravens are thin at DT and could use another rotational contributor.
  • I saw the other comments about Ivy’s coverage, and I want to review.  I certainly hated his tackle on Cotchery.
  • I was bothered more, however, that our Safeties seemed out of position several times (including 3 possible TD grabs…2 McCareins drops plus the low throw to Coles)
  • JJ was again terrific recording 7 tackles, 1 QH, 1 FF.  He also did a fine job distracting blockers on the sacks from the dime.
Pass Rush vs. Jets
 
The Ravens pass rush numbers were very telling on Sunday:
 
With 3 men rushing, 4 plays/43 yards, 10.8, 0 sacks, 1 TO (Lewis INT).  In all fairness, this includes the play with 10 men on the field which went for 44 yards.  Not sure how this would have gone, but we could simply have called it 3 for -1.
With 4: 18/134, 7.4, 0 sacks, 0 TO
With 5: 13/38, 2.9, 3 sacks, 1 TO
With 6: 5/20, 4.0, 1 sack, 0 TO
With 7: 1/0, 0.0, 0sacks, 0 TO
 
So that’s 8.0 YPPA with 3 or 4 rushing with 0 sacks and a TO on 31 plays.  Even if I take out the 10-defender play, it’s 6.3 YPPA as opposed to: 3.1 YPPA with 4 sacks and a TO on 19 plays with 5+ rushing.
 
Notes:
  • The Ravens very nearly had 6 sacks from DB’s in this game.  Sapp was first to the QB on Pryce’s sack, then got one of his own, then hit Clemens as he threw, which looked an awful lot like a sack/fumble to me.  Ivy bounced of Clemens on his first QB hit before rolling over him on his 2nd clean shot.  Landry also recorded a sack.
  • All 4 sacks (and all 5 for the year) occurred with the Ravens playing 6 DB’s.  4 of the 5 sacks came with the Ravens clearing a lane for 1 unblocked player (JJ, Sapp, Landry, Ivy).  It’s really odd, but the Ravens “Sack Pack” consists of a nickel and dime back.
  • Sapp has lined up with a hand on the turf a number of times already.  Ivy almost always slides off the slot receiver (obviously standing up) while feigning press coverage
  • The Jets twice attempted play action, the first 2 times it’s been done this year against the Ravens.  Interestingly, those came just 4 plays apart on 1 drive in the 3rd quarter.
  • One more note about the 10-man play.  It’s funny to watch, but JJ and Gregg are apparently aware of the absentee (Barnes, per Ryan) at the line of scrimmage (LoS).  They made a nice adjustment to spread out as best they could.  A timeout would have been well used in retrospect, but it would have taken a very alert defender.
  • The pass rushers were definitely tired on the Jets final 3 drives, and the absence of Pryce was felt.  While they tried to mount a decent rush with confusion, they did not register a sack in the last 22 drop backs.
Antwan Barnes first 8 NFL Plays
 
Barnes got 8 snaps against the Jets, getting decent penetration at times.  He also took away a scolding from the coaches for leaving the Ravens shorthanded for one of the Jets big plays.  By play, here’s what I saw:
 
Q2 3:30 3/14 Bal 45
 
The Ravens rushed 4/0 (total rushers/zone drops).  Barnes lined up at LDE and rushed very wide around both RT and RB.  Barnes got a hand on Clemens after he had released the ball which was completed left to Cotchery for an 11-yard gain.  Cotchery delayed his release from the slot, but the Ravens converge before he could get 1st down yardage.
 
Q3 1:30 3/13 NY 21
 
This play was Barnes’ first after Pryce’s injury.  From this point forward, every time he was in, he basically was replacing Edwards.  4/1 Rush.  Barnes lined up at LDE and was the zone drop as he slid into the middle about 5 yards from the LoS.  Scott registered a QH, hitting Clemens as he released the ball over the middle past Barnes and way too low for Cotchery at the 30.
 
Q3 13:03 1/10 Bal 34
 
LDE.  Ivy rushed from the slot, left of Barnes and both were effectively blocked wide out of the play as Jones ran up the middle for 9 yards.  JJ dislodged the ball to the 21 where it was recovered by Clark for a NY 1st down.
 
Q4 6:47 1/10 NY 19
 
LDE.  Ravens rushed 4/0.  Barnes was in quickly on Clemens, nearly blowing up the screen pass.  Clemens tossed left to Washington, who bobbled the ball to Suggs who in turn could not hold on for what might have been a TD. Lewis had the screen well sniffed, but Barnes pressure caused it to develop a little faster than planned.  RT Clement blocked Barnes in the backfield, attempting to seal, but was late.
 
Q4 6:41 2/10 NY 19
 
LDE.  Barnes was barely in his stance as the ball was snapped and immediately dropped into a short middle zone with no hands up, 1st step, or other pretense of a rush.  The Jets ran a draw play to Jones who was dropped by the blitzing Landry for no gain.
 
Q4 6:20 3/10 NY 19
 
LDE.  The Ravens rushed 5/1 as Barnes again dropped into the short middle zone.  Clemens beat the pressure, throwing a quick out to the right sideline where McCareins stepped out just at the marker.
 
Q4 5:59 1/10 NY 29
 
If I recall Philosophy 101 correctly, the question goes something like “If a tree falls in the woods, but I’m not on the field covering my assignment, should I get blamed or should one of the veterans have known to call timeout?”  This, of course, was the play where the Ravens had just 10 men on the field.  Barnes was later fingered by Ryan who I am told used the term “rookie mistake” to describe it.  Just before they cut to the replay of the previous play, you can see Kelly Gregg run 5 yards onto the field, then look back puzzled.  Edwards did not move.  When back from the replay of the 3rd down conversion, Gregg is again seen turning his head in a confused manner.  JJ and he lined up as best able, spreading the LoS.  The Ravens rushed just 3, and Clemens easily found Cotchery at the 46.  27 yards later, after Ivy had seemingly bitten and scratched Cotchery’s right arm in several spots (not particularly effective for dislodging the ball from his left arm), Cotchery went down at the Ravens 27.
 
Q4 5:25 1/10 Bal 27
 
LDE.  Barnes used a very nice inside move to beat the RT who had seen nothing but speed rushes to this point.  Barnes got to Clemens just after he released an 8-yard out to Coles on the left sideline.
 
Q4 5:06 2/2 Bal 19
 
LOLB.  Barnes lined up 2 yards off the LoS and for the first time was not in a 3-pt stance.  He seemed to burst thru between Guard and center, but RG Brandon Moore hit him from the side knocking him completely off his feet.  The block was so violent that the play was replayed simply for that hit.  Clemens rolled right pursued by Suggs and threw too low and incomplete to McCareins at the 8 yard line.
 
Overall I’d say Barnes would rather forget this one, but he did display the motor that made him a 4th round pick.  I did a similar play-by-play review of Cody’s first game last season, and it’s clear he understood the defense much better (to be fair, it was his 2nd year).  Cody had 14 plays, was used at NT, LDE, RDE, in zone drops, and showed very good decision-making skills in containing Michael Vick.  Barnes really had just 2 jobs:
  1. Go get the QB from LDE
  2. Drop into short middle zone
Barnes per play stats come with an asterisk but the Jets averaged 4.8 yards on 2 rushes (4.5) and 6 passes (4.8).  Charge him with the 44-yard play and he would be at 9.1 yards per play.
 
The Ravens 2007 season will depend largely on how they replace the pressure Pryce creates over the next 5 or 6 weeks.  Barnes should play a central role in that drama.
 
Nick Greisen
 
I pulled out the Short Cuts Video from the 2006 Jags/Houston game at Jax.  He wore number 55 for the Jags if you happen to be a compulsive SC saver.  It was Greisen’s best 2006 game with 5 solo tackles.  He was used on 1st and 2nd down, but off the field in passing situations.  He’s slow, but seemed to read the play and pursue well to the ball.  He had decent backfield penetration on 2 running plays I saw.  Given that’s how the Jags used him, I’m not sure if he can help improve the Ravens pass rush.
 
He played against the Ravens in 2004, recording 6 tackles and a PD.  I didn’t review that video since I’m not sure how relevant it still is.  That same season he had a 15-tackle, 1 sack performance vs. the Steelers.
 
Note: YPC (yards-per-carry); YPP (yards-per-pass); YPPA (yards-per-pass-attempt)
 
Photos by Michael Neapolitan

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Posted On: 9/22/07
Written By:  
Ken McKusick

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