November 1, 2009

BALTIMORE RAVENS 30 VS DENVER BRONCOS 7

The Baltimore Ravens had two weeks to absorb the sting of their three-game losing streak.   A bye week left them ample time for all the questions to sink in.  Questions that had piled up in newspaper stories, on radio talk shows, and on Internet message boards.  The doubters were calling the once-vaunted defense a shell of its former self.  The defensive backfield was termed weak. Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison was called an unimaginative fraud.   The ability of the front four to apply pressure on the quarterback was dubbed a rumor.

That’s what three game losing streaks will do to a team and its fans, even when that team is losing the three games by a combined total of just eleven points.

Rather than sulk, the Ravens worked through the bye.  And they came back against the previously undefeated Denver Broncos to respond in every possible way.  They adjusted their defensive schemes.  They out-hustled and out-executed and out-coached the Broncos on offense, on defense, and on special teams.   And they succeeded where it matters most, on the scoreboard, in a convincing 30-7 style.

And they did all this against a very good team.  Oh sure, there will be those who will tell you that desperate teams in need of wins to salvage seasons are sure to do so against teams that have coasted to impressive records and can afford to take a loss.  But tell that to the New York Giants, who needed a win to reclaim their reputation, but still got spanked by the Philadelphia Eagles, 40-17.

No, this Ravens victory against a very good Broncos team was surely as solid as the score and the standings suggest.  Starting with the way the Ravens defense reclaimed their prideful reputation.  They asserted themselves from the opening whistle, when Jarret Johnson blitzed unblocked off the left side and wiped-out a sluggish Kyle Orton with a hit that was just as much a statement as the hit Bart Scott laid on Ben Roethlisberger, circa 2006.  

One key to the victory was the way the Ravens defense adjusted their schemes, and became more unpredictably aggressive on downs where they had previously been “vanilla.”  They also filled gaps and flew to the ball to hold Denver’s dink-and-dunk offense in check.  It grounded the Broncos to a halt and led to eight Denver punts.   All this from a Ravens defense that had been plagued by yielding explosive plays; on Sunday they gave up just two plays of 17 or more yards to the Broncos, compared to seven for the Ravens offense.

In fact, in sorting out this victory you may want to just say the Ravens finally learned how to put a team away after getting a win in their sights.

In their three losses this season they played games closely enough to win, but found strange ways to lose in the end—by giving up the big play, missing assignments, committing dumb penalties, dropping passes, or hooking field goals.  

Against the Broncos, with the game’s outcome still in doubt, and the game announcers reminding viewers that the Broncos had been the league’s most unbeatable team in the second half of their games, it was the Ravens who suddenly looked unbeatable in stepping on the gas and cruising to a victory.  Rather than find a way to lose, they found a way to dial up the intensity and very much proved they belong in the discussion about the NFL’s best teams.

It was the entire team contributing and finding a way to win, as the grades suggest.

Quarterback: A-

As continues to be his custom, Joe Flacco started slowly, misfiring over the heads of a couple receivers, but then found his rhythm, completing all fourteen of his final passing attempts.  That gave him a remarkable 80% completion percentage on the day, 20 of 25 against a Broncos defense that had been ranked first in the NFL.  His total output was just 175 yards and one TD.  But Flacco was impressive in poking holes in a normally airtight defense to find six different receivers along the way.  And he showed tremendous agility and creativity in the face of a rush, including a last-second flip to his leading receiver, Ray Rice, to turn a sack into positive yardage.   Similarly, he flicked a nine-yard completion to Derrick Mason while on the run. The play of the game may have occurred on a third down call in the second quarter, with the play clock ticking down to 0:04.  Flacco showed no panic in getting off the snap, drifting left to avoid a fierce rush up the middle and firing a strike to Kelley Washington that propelled the drive near the red zone.  His touchdown throw to Derrick Mason on a post pattern, timed to beat safety help from the middle, was also a thing of beauty.

Running Backs: B

LeRon McClain started slowly with an “air block” on Renaldo Hill to allow Ray Rice to be stuffed behind the line.   But he improved as the game wore on including a nice pick up of Mario Haggan on a run blitz.   By the fourth quarter Rice and McClain were carrying the load, with the lead in hand and more of a commitment to the run game from Cam Cameron against an increasingly porous Denver defense. Rice finished with 34 carries 84 yards and TD and did most of his damage in fourth quarter.

Wide Receivers: A-

When Derrick Mason’s shirttail was held and he did not benefit from a favorable call, he lost it. He cost his team 15 yards of field position by making a show of tossing his helmet from the sideline.  Normally that kind of poor composure a black mark against the entire unit (another reason to remember Bart Scott fondly), but I won’t judge Mason too harshly.  The fifteen yards were meaningless in this punting situation, as it turned out, and his passionate response may have helped rally his coach, and his team to keep the intensity burning.  How long have Ravens fans complained of a passion-free offense compared to their intimidating defense?  I’ll give Mason a pass.  I’ll also give Mason credit for the touchdown later in the game, of course, taking advantage of single coverage.  The whole unit gets credited for looking like a bona fide NFL receiving crew, in fact.  Kelley Washington doesn’t get many looks, but he catches most everything thrown his way, and has a knack for making those catches on crucial third down calls, which was key against a Broncos team that had only given up two third-down conversions in their six previous second halves.  He also showed he could be a strong, elusive runner after the catch.  Who needs Brandon Marshall in a Ravens uniform, right?  Mark Clayton made a fantastic leaping grab and also showed good elusiveness for extra YAC.

Tight Ends: B+

Todd Heap was targeted just four times, with three catches for sixteen yards.  His ability to make the catch and turn up field to fight for three more yards and a first down, however, was one of the game’s pivotal moments.  Staying on the field on third downs (while forcing Denver punts on the other side of the ball) was probably the key to the game for the Ravens, and Heap, with Washington and Rice, continue to play big roles, despite Heap’s limited overall production. The other underappreciated area where Heap is contributing has been blocking. He was mostly excellent Sunday.  He didn’t quit on blocks where he easily could have, and sprung Rice around the left end and up the middle on two key plays.  He was bested by Haggan on a stalled sweep right, but then came right back and stood Haggan up, one-on-one, to allow Rice to slip down to the three yard line on a run.

Tackles:  B

Prior to the game Ravens fans heard Elvis Dumervil’s name all week just as they had just before the previous game against the Vikings and Jared Allen.   Dumervil, we heard, was another star end who was on pace to break the NFL sack record.  It’s testament to a job done well by the Ravens’ offensive tackles that Dumervil had nearly left the building before his name was ever called.  They made him a nonfactor.  Jared Gaither, coming back from a neck injury, looked best moving in space.  That included a fluid job pulling left to find Renaldo Hill on the corner and turn day into night for the diminutive Broncos safety as Rice sped past.  Gaither continues to be a work in progress when rushers set him up to the outside to beat him inside. Michael Oher was flagged for a critical personal foul on a ticky-tack call after the Ravens pushed the ball into the red zone.  It should be a lesson for the tackle that word is out among the officials about his temper.  Oher also allowed Haggan to speed rush right past him to flush Flacco.

Interior Line: C-

It was a tough day for the interior of the Ravens line; the Broncos seemed to game plan to overload the middle.  Matt Birk struggled to get a push against Ronald Fields and had the big nose tackle blow right past him on occasion.  There was poor communication inside to allow blitzers run free up middle. Birk also seemed to be guilty of a late snap to cause both his guards to jump off-sides as he snapped the ball into Todd Heap coming through on a trap block.    Ben Grubbs was nearly airborne getting shoved into the backfield on one occasion and struggled to control Vonnie Holiday at times.  Chris Chester did not fare much better, getting flagged for holding near the goal line or allowing Andre Davis to blow right past him to stuff Rice in the backfield. The Broncos made too many plays behind the line.

Cornerbacks: A

This much-aligned unit showed a lot of pride in shutting down the Broncos passing game. No single receiver had more than 45 yards receiving on the day, including just four catches for 24 yards for Marshall.  The intensity shown by this unit was purposeful. Clearly they intended to send a message that they were determined to correct previous flaws. After looking a tad timid on an off-tackle run, Fabian Washington warmed up and was closing fast in run support on the edge.  Even when playing in seemingly soft coverage, seven yards off the ball on a third and five situation, Washington closed on the receiver with authority for a minimal gain.  Domonique Foxworth made some great breaks on Kyle Orton’s throws to his area, breaking up passes and nearly picking off a pass in front of Marshall.  Chris Carr was a sure tackler and did his best Jim Leonhard impression coming off the edge to get a sack of Orton.  Lardarius Webb saw some time at corner late, and made a very aggressive move to blow up a screen pass to Eddie Royal. On the whole, it was the best game of the year from this unit, who will get another chance to show progress this week against the Bengals’ playmakers.

Safeties: B+

This group did a better job of covering the middle of the field and supporting the cornerbacks.  Dawan Landry showed a lot of willingness in run support, but he did miss an open field tackle on Knowshon Moreno.  There also seemed to be some secondary confusion on the coverage scheme when the Broncos flooded the right side of the line with three wideouts.  Ed Reed seemed much more active as a tackler. An explosive move on a screen pass led to a shirttail tackle for a loss. And his huge hit on Moreno caused a crucial Ravens turnover that they were able to turn into three points.  But his off-sides penalty gave Denver a first and goal on a play that looked like it was going to fall short of the sticks on fourth down.

Linebackers: A

Jarret Johnson made another case for being named the Ravens’ defensive MVP.  He started the game with the gimme sack on Orton.  But the one-time college defensive tackle showed that he could easily move anywhere along the front seven and attack from a three-point stance or as a stand-up Sam linebacker.  He applied pressure with outside or inside moves and even made an impressive arm tackle of a streaking Moreno while getting caught up in the wash.   In general, Mattison employed a smart scheme that freed lanes for his linebackers and the players responded.  Johnson and Ray Lewis applied dual pressure on Orton to cause what should have been an interception through the hands of Terrell Suggs, who otherwise spent the rest of the day taking on double team blocks.  Johnson also dropped a pick that probably otherwise would have landed in Landry’s hands for a touchdown.  Starter Tavares Gooden looked best in pursuit, but is still prone to biting on fakes.  He took himself out after a special teams tumble and Dannell Ellerbe once again showed that he is a more physical player, blitzing or fighting off blocks to reach the ball.

Defensive Line: A-

Kelly Gregg is still prone to being pushed off line when playing runs up middle, but also seemed to improve on gap assignments.  Brandon McKinney, Dwan Edwards, and Trevor Pryce were all dominate at times pressuring.  They did have a bit of trouble with outside contain, but the Broncos didn’t seem able to capitalize on it.  The biggest concern coming out of the game was Haloti Ngata’s twisted ankle.  His availability against the Bengals’ running game will be key.

Special Teams: A

This is the team’s greatest area of improvement.  First the obvious.  Lardarius Webb took inspiration from a Ray Lewis halftime blessing to go out and take back the opening kick of the second half 95 yards.  Perhaps recalling a lesson from the preseason where he had fumbled a kick return, Webb seemed to slow down to deliberately switch the ball to his outside arm, but still managed to cut to the pylon for the score. Webb received key blocks from Le’Ron McClain (on Spencer Larson) and Matt Lawrence (on Darrel Reid) to spring the return; no word yet on whether Lewis also blessed these two at the half.  Lawrence has been a real unsung hero on special teams throughout the year.  Steve Hauschka was perfect in three field goal attempts, despite an off-center snap from Matt Katula on the first try, reminiscent of the kick missed against the Vikings. His first kickoff only sailed to the ten, but the rest were caught in the end zone, one for a touchback.  The Ravens coverage units were outstanding, swarming to the ball. Eddie Royal would get by the first defender and then get hit by six Ravens.  Proof of the Ravens superiority on special teams (and defense) was that the Ravens’ average starting field position on their first five positions was their own 44, compared to 21 for Broncos first five…and that was before Webb’s return.  It was also interesting to see Lardarius Webb assigned single coverage on one of the punt gunners, which allowed Ed Reed to rush the kicker and narrowly miss a block.  Look for more of this approach in upcoming games. One negative was the newest Raven, David Tyree getting flagged for running into the kicker, and getting chewed out by his coach.

Coaching: A

Credit Cam Cameron for a more balanced attack, mixing runs and passes when the Broncos least expected it.  The best example was a draw play on fourth down for Rice’s touchdown run.  Cameron also kept the Broncos off balance by a lot of hurry-up offense, particularly at the start of the second half, when it seemed to prevent the Broncos from implementing halftime adjustments.  He outcoached the Broncos.  That included the use of a lot different formations, whether it was unbalanced line, or four-wides, or passing out of the I formation.  He ran the ball outside early with limited success, and when the Broncos adjusted in the fourth quarter he was successful sending Rice and McClain up the middle.  On defense it appeared that the team worked on fundamentals in terms of gap integrity and covering receivers, and the results were dramatic. Mattison also did a good job of being unpredictable when taking chances with blitzers.

Officiating: C-

There was the obvious missed call when Mason was held, although the resulting unsportsmanlike call was probably justified. You could argue that Mason for removing helmet on the field of play was the more correct call, not throwing it on the sidelines, but the call was justified.  If the officials refused to call interference on the Mason play, it’s hard to see how an official from across the field could see Foxworth holding down Marshall’s arm.  It’s a question of consistency.  There was a totally unnecessary bit of confusion after Suggs recovered a fumble and the clock was blown dead by line judge Jeff Bergman and the clock sat motionless at 2:52 as a challenge and official review necessitated a prolonged delay.  The officials were ready to restart the game, with the clock still at 2:52, but then changed their minds as the Ravens were about to snap the ball and instead had another conference before deciding that nine more seconds should be taken off the clock.  Huh?  The call on Oher was ticky-tack, especially in light of the fact that a Broncos’ player was allowed to yank a Ravens players’ facemask well after change of possession, as tempers flared.  As if to prove their constant state of confusion, Walt Coleman announced the Broncos would have to re-kick from half the distance to their own goal line after the Ravens ran into their punter.

Broadcast:  B-

For a Dan Dierdorf production, the telecast was not too bad.  He seemed to be more focused than usual.  But he still made his fair share of mistakes. Someone tell Dan that in the offseason the league removed “football move” as a criterion for judging catches and fumbles.  As Dan was urging the Ravens to just snap the ball with the Broncos shuttling players on and off the field, he needed to clarify the rule that if the offense makes substitutions, the officials must stand over the ball and not allow it to be snapped until defensive substitutions are in place.  Although Dierdorf correctly noted Reed’s smart play to pick up the punt after the Broncos coverage unit committed “illegal touching” Dierdorf missed the chance to explain the arcane rule. (Notably, when the punting team is the first to touch the ball, but not “down it,” the receiving team may attempt to pick it up and return it with no risk; no matter what happens, even fumbles, the receiving team can always elect to have the ball back where it was first touched).  Dierdorf did do a good job explaining the difference between no-huddle and hurry-up. And there was a great replay showing a punt sail between Reed’s outstretched arms.