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Filmstudy - FILMSTUDY: Ravens show off "deep depth"

Posted On: 9/23/08
Written By:  
Ken McKusick
FILMSTUDY: Ravens show off "deep depth"
After two one sided defensive smotherings it’s very difficult to come up with enough superlatives.  The Ravens have held two pretty decent QB’s to their worst (Palmer) and next-to-worst ( Anderson) games as professionals.  They have held consecutive opponents under 100 yards passing and 170 yards of total offense.  They played without one of their best DT’s, but his backups stepped right up.  They lost Dawan Landry before halftime and the team responded with one of the 2 or 3 greatest halves of defensive football in franchise history.
 

 

This team has a lot of similarities defensively to each of the 2000 and 2006 squads, but let’s save that for later and savor some stats:
 
GLOSSARY OF TERMINOLOGY

 

Overall: 57 plays, 169 yards 3.0 YPPA

Best:  Leonhard 29/25 0.9 YPPA with 3 TO and 4 sacks, Walker 19/24, 1.3 YPPA

Worst:  Landry 29/142, 4.9 YPPA

 

Vs. the Run:  15 carries, 73 yards, 4.9 YPC

Best:   Douglas 7/29, 4.1 YPC, Landry 11/46, 4.2 YPC

Worst:  Pryce 8/44, 5.5.

 

Vs. the Pass:  42 pass plays, 96 yards, 2.3 YPP

Best:  Leonhard 25 plays, -2 yards, -0.1 YPP

Worst:  Landry 18/96, 5.3 YPP

 

By number of Pass Rushers:
 

3:  8/13, 1.6 YPP, 2 TO

4:  22/45 2.0 YPP, 4 sacks

5:  9/38, 4.2 YPP, 1 TO, 1 sack

6:  3/0, 0.0 YPP

 

Note: For the 2nd straight game, the Ravens did not once rush 7 or more.

 

By number of Defensive Backs:
 

4:  28 plays, 80 yards, 2.9 YPPA, 2 sacks, 1 TO

5:  11 plays, 72 yards, 6.5 YPPA

6:  13 plays, 9 yards, 0.7 YPPA, 1 sack, 1 TO

7:  5 plays, 8 yards, 1.6 YPPA, 2 sacks, 1 TO

 

Individual notes:
 
·       Leonhard’s performance is the best individual YPPA game of 20+ plays I’ve ever recorded, and that includes all of 2000, 2006, and 2007.  The Browns ran the ball 4 times for 27 yards with him in, but his 25 pass plays included 4 turnovers, 3 sacks (including a 7-yarder of his own), and -2 net yards.  He clearly was a contributor, but he was also very much in the right place at the right time.
 
·       The greatest YPPA in 2000, 2006, or 2007?  Well it was 14 plays for -22 yards (-1.6 YPPA).  Please post or email me your guess.
 
·       Suggs was used about equally at LDE and RDE, but recorded both of his sacks by beating RT Shaffer.  Thomas handled him effectively.
 
·       In addition to his sack (that was air guitar, right?), Pryce drew a key double on Thomas/McKinney allowing Walker and Leonhard to streak by the barely occupied Thomas.  The RB picked up Walker and Leonhard hit Anderson untouched.  It was 4-man pressure with a lot of Browns linemen standing around waiting for someone to block.  Pryce has played 67% of the snaps through 2 games, which looks to me like an amount that should keep him fresh.
 
·       Nakamura got his first 4 defensive snaps in the NFL.  He was inserted all 4 times as a deep safety in a 7-DB alignment and was sent on the pass rush once.  After playing 6 plays against the Bengals, which included a punishing QH on Palmer, Zbikowski got just 1 snap defensively Sunday.  Even with the injuries to Gregg and Landry and Washington’s suspension, the Ravens have Barnes, Zbikowski, Nakamura, Ayanbadejo, and even Walker competing for playing time.  Behind them, I’m sure Jameel McClain, Martin, and Gooden would each like to see the field a few defensive plays this season.  Earl Weaver would call it “deep depth” and you can bet with the veteran starters that it will be tested before this season is done.
 
·       Frank Walker has been frustrating with a costly penalty in each of the 1st 2 games, but he did not play poorly in pass defense against the Browns (1.3 YPP on 19 plays, all of which were passes).
 
·       Landry led the team in tackles (6) despite playing just 29 of 57 snaps.  The news that he appears to be alright is the best of the week.
 
·       Ivy looked his old physical self, riding Winslow down hard after Anderson threw high to him midway through the 3rd.  If he’s still hurt, he’s hiding it well.
 
·       Chris McAlister looks to me like he has the nose and hands for the football to be a good safety in this league with his play the first 2 weeks.  He’s vulched 2 interceptions off tips and recovered a fumble.  Perhaps due to the injury he’s also clearly not the dominant cover corner he once was.  It was McAlister that was beaten by Cribbs deep down the right sideline on Anderson’s overthrow in Q4.
 
·       The Ravens had an uncharacteristic game against the run allowing 4.9 YPC on 15 carries.  That included 4 plays of 9+ yards.  Surprisingly, Ngata was on the field for all 15 of those runs.  He finished with 5 tackles and a QH.
 
·       The greatest similarity to the 2006 team showed up Sunday in the form of a great 4-man pass rush.  That year, the Ravens sacked the QB 28 times in 283 pass plays (9.9%) with a 4-man rush.  In 2007 that ratio dropped to 13/249 (5.2%).  So far in 2008 they’ve had 5 sacks in just 35 4-man rushes, including 4/22 Sunday.  Yes, they have played 2 pretty bad teams, but a defense that can get pressure with 4 men will invariably be very successful.  Pryce and Suggs appear back to their 2006 form and Ryan is mixing up the additional pressure very effectively.  On Leonhard’s sack, for example, the Ravens only brought 4 with Suggs and Lewis dropping off the LoS to coverage.
 
·       The similarity with the 2000 team is Ryan’s use of 7 DB’s.  The Ravens used that very flexible set 55 times in 2000.  They never used it in 2007 and I am almost 100% sure they never did in 2006 either.  With the personnel they have, Ryan is afforded some terrific options for both rushing the passer and coverage.  So far this season, the Ravens have run it 10/37 (3.7 YPPA) with 2 sacks and 1 TO.
 
·       With 6 or 7 DB’s on the field Sunday, the Browns ran 8 plays and gained 17 yards.
 
·       The Ravens best defense is a 4th quarter running game that has proved to be unstoppable thus far.  The 4th quarter time-of-possession edge for the Ravens through 2 games is an unreal 26:35 to 3:25.
 
Next Monday will be another big hurdle in what already has been a very exciting season.  Any sort of ugly win in Pittsburgh would install the Ravens as a strong favorite to win the division.  A performance like Sunday would put the rest of the NFL on notice that this is one of the elite teams.

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Posted On: 9/23/08
Written By:  
Ken McKusick

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