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Lombardi's Way - Quit Hammerin’ Cameron: It’s time to play hardball with Harbaugh

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Quit Hammerin’ Cameron: It’s time to play hardball with Harbaugh

Whether it’s sports or business or even at home one of the more important things that a teammate, co-worker or family member should possess is accountability.

Everyone makes mistakes and the only way any of the above gets better as a unit is to identify, admit to and work to correct those mistakes.

Humility is an understated quality. Some are afraid to admit mistakes because they believe it represents weakness which ultimately leads to disrespect. It’s quite the opposite if you ask me. Having the guts to man up and admit the error of your ways and commit to correcting them shows far more character than sticking your head in the sand and pretending the screw ups either didn’t happen or fail to acknowledge their occurrences.

What does that accomplish?

We’re all very well aware of the puzzling dearth of touches for Ray Rice during the team’s 3 road losses. In Tennessee Rice had 18 chances to advance the ball (13 rushes, 5 receptions); in Jacksonville the number fell to 13 (8,5); and then this past Sunday the number again hit 13 touches (5, 8).

Harbaugh vowed after the debacle in Jacksonville that Rice would run it more but that hasn’t really happened.

Down by 12 at half to the 29th ranked offense in the league that puts up an average of 16 points a game, the Ravens ran the ball just once – ONE TIME in the second half during the 34 offensive snaps taken after intermission.

During his weekly Monday presser a chippy John Harbaugh defended the team’s decision to shut down the rushing attack.

"I don't know how you would do it any differently," Harbaugh said. "We were in a situation where we lost two possessions. When you don't have very many plays, it's hard to build up your running game. And when you're down, you've got to throw it to get back in the game.”

Down 12 coach to the Seahawks…THE SEAHAWKS and TAVARIS JACKSON! And you are really trying to justify 33 throws v. 1 run?

Really?

No one is buying what Harbs is selling and let’s just hope he’s more humble in front of his players.

After the game Ray Rice declined interview requests, saying he would reserve his comments until Wednesday. "I don't want to say the wrong thing right now.”

Naturally everyone is blaming the play caller Cam Cameron. Did Cameron miss all those open receivers? Did Cameron drop all those passes? Did Cameron fumble 2 kickoff returns? Did Cameron fail to force a punt when the Ravens had the great Tavaris Jackson on the ropes facing a first and 20 from his own 10 yard line?

Rhetorical questions for sure and I’m not here to defend Cameron’s play calling or his handling of Joe Flacco. There’s plenty of blame there.

But if John Harbaugh is more involved in the offense this year as he promised during the offseason it stands to reason that if Cameron truly was directing the offense and ignoring his playmaker running back that Harbaugh at any time could step in and say, “Hey Cam, we need to get the ball in Ray’s hands.”

So if we’re to take Harbaugh at his word – that he’s more involved in the offense and that he believes the game situation necessitated the play calling that went down, then the Ravens are in trouble.

If he’s just giving lip service to the media and in turn the fans, then he’s disrespectful and is lacking in accountability.

And if he delivers this same insulting spin to his players and means it, how can he ask them to be accountable when he is not?

 

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opbilly
Posted On: 11/16/11 4:25 pm
@Jergs
blindness isn't the answer so i go with the other selection!!!
charlie
Posted On: 11/16/11 1:28 pm
i wonder what jeff fisher's up tp?
Jergs
Posted On: 11/16/11 9:08 am
Spot on. I'm unsure why Harbs hasn't gotten more criticism this season in regards to the offense. He saved Cam's job and then threw himself in with him by saying he's have more control of the offense.

I've said this before about Harbaugh. He generally wins so his arrogant, obnoxious behavior often gets a pass. But his lack of accountability when the team loses is staggering.

His comments about the Ray Rice's lack of involvement show either blindness,stupidity or both.
Barry
Posted On: 11/16/11 9:01 am
Rhetorical question only, we have the most dymanic play maker in the NFL in our back field, the best true fullback in the game there also, Yanda and Orr back to their true positions on the right, two time pro bowl alt Grubbs back, 360 pounds of McKinney on the left,a statment from management during the off season that they were returning to a smash mouth running game, why oh why???
GeneW
Posted On: 11/15/11 10:21 pm
Last year the team finished 14th in rushing yards, this year they at 22nd. That is unacceptable especially now that the team has Vonta Leach and Yanda is back at guard. Harbaugh also said during the offseason that we have to run the ball better and he would be involved in the offense. We'll it ain't working. It is a real shame because this team has one of the most dynamic backs int he NFL.
G-Mac
Posted On: 11/15/11 8:45 pm
Billick wasn't afraid to surround himself with top assistants. Harbaugh brings on assistants that can't threaten his job. He can't fire Cameron. Who else can install a game plan on his current staff? Harbaugh is a lot like his mentor, Andy Reid. Interesting how neither wants to run the ball much.
Steve Settan
Posted On: 11/15/11 8:01 pm
I miss Billick
Luigi
Posted On: 11/15/11 5:19 pm
Tony this is so spot on! WOW! If I'm the Biscuit Man I'm demanding answers. I know you just did a radio show/interview with him. You should forward this to him.
richieG
Posted On: 11/15/11 5:16 pm
TL,
Agreed, coachJohn's feet need to be held to the fire...AND YET, isn't insanity doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results? Hi-diddle-diddle RayRice up the middle was NOT working, albeit in a limited audition. To me, it was obvious it was not GOING to work no matter how many carries RR was deprived of. The Ravens' O-line is very average and they were not effective (better schemes from the O-line coach?); just as they were not effective v J-ville & Tenn...so we have a catch22: run once or twice and face an obvious passing down and a strong pass rush and we say "why can't they protect Flacco?" or run/run/run and we say "why are they running so much?". True, RR might break one; but what if he doesn't?
This was an ugly win if the bounces had gone for the Ravens, as they all did vs the Steelers in game 1 and vs the Jets.
On the other hand, I think Reed should have been cut Mon; I think the SpecTeams coach should have been canned Mon, perhaps along w/the O-line coach. CoachJohn needs to make a statement!!! And, if Flacco & camTHEman are like Israel & Iran, Harbaugh needs an intervention YESTERDAY!!!
Something's rotten in Denmark and it should be dealt w/now, NOT after the playoff-less season ends!
What happened to the RR swing pass? Could'nt they have tried the DStallworth special ONE more time - it worked twice, yes?!?
Matt
Posted On: 11/15/11 4:30 pm
Tony, I have to agree 100%. I caught that soundbite of the Monday presser and I couldn't believe my ears. Surely he wasn't serious. Prior to that, I cut him more slack. But I'll be keeping a much closer eye on Harbs, now. I still lay a significant portion of the blame on Cam (and of course, David Reed), but you're absolutely right that Harbs should've been reigning him in a bit more in the 2nd half.
Harry O'Sullivan
Posted On: 11/15/11 3:28 pm

Harry Thomas O'Sullivan
Tony...well written. I think our owner hired the Wrong Harbaugh. The one we have is turning into a spineless WHIMP. Were I the head coach of the Ravens... I would have taken the HEAD SET away from Cameron at half time and run the ball down their Throats. There is NEVER a reason to heave the ball 52 times: Never.
There is plenty of blame to go around when ever a team loses. However, I blame the head coach: And the Quaterback. Mike Preston was our Guest speker recently at our Ravens nest 14 montly meeting. One thing Mike said over and over....really came home to roost in SEATTLE: Joe does everything SLOW!
..One play I remember, where Torrey Smith was in the Endzone...with 3 defenders closing in; Point is, Torrey was wide open 2 seconds before the incomplete pass..fell to the ground; That is FLACCO's Fault.. get rid of the damn Ball Earlier. I don't know weather or not he does not have confidence in his receivers....or if its just his TIMID personality..but something is wr..



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