The Running Game, The Passing Game and Dallas's Defence

[rmcjacket23]

Powers must have been awful in training camp because when he's played he's been solid at least and in some ways good
he's looked really solid and has moved well in level 2 finding work etc.

I like what Tyre looks to have to offer moving forwards but Ben Powers looks to me like he should have been starting at RG to start the season

I want us to get better on the interior this offseason but I don't know that it necessarily means that Powers will be the odd man out...

I think that's what raises so many red flags for me. Like usually a guy like him wins that job early or at least wins the 6th lineman spot, so he's playing a lot.

Like they could have whiffed in practice, but guys like him scare me. He plays great for a half season, you bring him back as the incumbent, and if you don't bring at least some competition, he just plays like crap. I hope that's not the case, but there's no way if I'm the Ravens that I roll into next season with just the interior lineman I have. Fluker shouldn't be back, and especially if I want Phillips to remain at Tackle, I'm adding at least one more player at some point. Unless somehow they really like Bredeson's development.

 

[rossihunter2]

I think that's what raises so many red flags for me. Like usually a guy like him wins that job early or at least wins the 6th lineman spot, so he's playing a lot.

Like they could have whiffed in practice, but guys like him scare me. He plays great for a half season, you bring him back as the incumbent, and if you don't bring at least some competition, he just plays like crap. I hope that's not the case, but there's no way if I'm the Ravens that I roll into next season with just the interior lineman I have. Fluker shouldn't be back, and especially if I want Phillips to remain at Tackle, I'm adding at least one more player at some point. Unless somehow they really like Bredeson's development.

i just think it's even weirder with powers because he did great in his only playing time before this offseason too against the steelers in week 17...
it's just odd to me that he can put that level of play on film and still not even get a look in for the starting RG job - he wasn't even the backup RG, Mekari was lol

and now he's giving us the best RG play we've had all year

100% behind adding a day1/day2 pick to the IOL group though - powers, mekari, phillips and bozeman arent good enough to the point where we would not try and improve those interior spots if a talent fell to us in the draft

i think more generally across the whole offence we're seeing maybe the fallout from a lack of competition in the offseason - we stood on ceremony and didnt really add any new pieces other than JK Dobbins to the entire group despite losing Hurst and Yanda

we committed hard to the defence and the defence has been great

but we need to find ways to improve this offence this offseason - adding talent and competition at multiple spots - it'll be hard with only 2 picks in the first 3 rounds though but based on need I don't think anyone would have any issue if the first 2 picks in some order were Receiver and OL especially with how expensive those 2 positions are in free agency

 

[rmcjacket23]

i just think it's even weirder with powers because he did great in his only playing time before this offseason too against the steelers in week 17...
it's just odd to me that he can put that level of play on film and still not even get a look in for the starting RG job - he wasn't even the backup RG, Mekari was lol

and now he's giving us the best RG play we've had all year

100% behind adding a day1/day2 pick to the IOL group though - powers, mekari, phillips and bozeman arent good enough to the point where we would not try and improve those interior spots if a talent fell to us in the draft

i think more generally across the whole offence we're seeing maybe the fallout from a lack of competition in the offseason - we stood on ceremony and didnt really add any new pieces other than JK Dobbins to the entire group despite losing Hurst and Yanda

we committed hard to the defence and the defence has been great

but we need to find ways to improve this offence this offseason - adding talent and competition at multiple spots - it'll be hard with only 2 picks in the first 3 rounds though but based on need I don't think anyone would have any issue if the first 2 picks in some order were Receiver and OL especially with how expensive those 2 positions are in free agency

I'll play spoiler again... we won't make that much investment in offense I don't think.

I'd expect competition for starting C, some depth on the Oline, and maybe adding a receiver somewhere. Maybe they throw in a late pick or FA add at TE.

They'll get rid of Ingram, but Dobbins and Edwards will be back. Maybe they keep Hill or add another back later in the draft. But frankly, if we get MAYBE 1-2 starters on the offense in the offseason, I'll be surprised.

Its going to be a defensive heavy offseason in my eyes. Your entire pass rush group are FAs. Literally. There's not a lot of "big names" that are FAs, since we've locked up Marlon and Ronnie, but there's Judon and Yannick, and there is a TON of defensive depth and rotational players that are FAs. Jimmy Smith is a FA. Wolfe is a FA. Unless they're ready to go all-in on Anthony Averett and pretend like they're confident in Tavon Young returning to form, Corner is going to be addressed in some fashion also. I see ZERO depth at Safety at the moment, and we've been blessed for the last two years that there's no injuries there. A Chuck Clark injury would sting badly, and while I like our Safeties, I wouldn't consider them world beaters either.

This defense could use a LOT of depth, and it could use a lot of youth up front also. In two years, I'm not sure a single one of our "big 3" defensive lineman are on our roster.

I'd temper my expectations on a lot of emphasis being placed on the offense this offseason. I don't think we're there yet.

 

[rossihunter2]

I'll play spoiler again... we won't make that much investment in offense I don't think.

I'd expect competition for starting C, some depth on the Oline, and maybe adding a receiver somewhere. Maybe they throw in a late pick or FA add at TE.

They'll get rid of Ingram, but Dobbins and Edwards will be back. Maybe they keep Hill or add another back later in the draft. But frankly, if we get MAYBE 1-2 starters on the offense in the offseason, I'll be surprised.

Its going to be a defensive heavy offseason in my eyes. Your entire pass rush group are FAs. Literally. There's not a lot of "big names" that are FAs, since we've locked up Marlon and Ronnie, but there's Judon and Yannick, and there is a TON of defensive depth and rotational players that are FAs. Jimmy Smith is a FA. Wolfe is a FA. Unless they're ready to go all-in on Anthony Averett and pretend like they're confident in Tavon Young returning to form, Corner is going to be addressed in some fashion also. I see ZERO depth at Safety at the moment, and we've been blessed for the last two years that there's no injuries there. A Chuck Clark injury would sting badly, and while I like our Safeties, I wouldn't consider them world beaters either.

This defense could use a LOT of depth, and it could use a lot of youth up front also. In two years, I'm not sure a single one of our "big 3" defensive lineman are on our roster.

I'd temper my expectations on a lot of emphasis being placed on the offense this offseason. I don't think we're there yet.

i just dont think they'll expect to not add at least 1 major piece to that unit and the unit to somehow get better

it's also a lot easier to get defensive role players it seems in free agency than their offensive counterparts
so i'd understand not going all in in free agency

and i obviously get that we stick to BPA - but BPA does include need to a certain extent when they rank players on the board - i find it hard to believe we wont be looking for at least 1 of those first 2 picks to go to the offensive side of the ball

otherwise why wouldnt this unit continue to underperform and remain 1 dimensional?

 

[JoeyFlex5]

I think if they get a unit that works by the end of the year, they'll "plan" to target Oline in days 2-3. I obviously don't expect them to pigeon hole themselves into "must draft" Oline in the first round, because we never do, and I actually think we do have bigger fish to fry.

I don't expect Skura to be back unless he's at like the vet min, so at the very least, Center is going to be a priority in the draft or in FA most likely. Even if they like Mekari, no way they don't add a body or two there.

One could argue you've got some players at Guard that you should focus on depth at Tackle. Maybe Phillips is going to be the swing guy, but Fluker sucks.

if mekari and bozeman are locked in, i think we gotta add an ELITE guard at the other side, not a ben powers or tyre phillips. Bozeman May be very solid, but a weak center makes the interior unit weak unless we offset it with a very good or elite RG.

this offense will go nowhere without a dominant run game and ample space for Lamar to throw from, yanda has been one of the most impactful losses I’ve ever seen from this franchise, we gotta do what we gotta do to bridge the gap on the talent level at RG, you rarely see a guard that looks impactful enough to be slam dunk guaranteed first rounder, But Wyatt Davis is that guy

 

[JoeyFlex5]

that's certainly a possibility with only 1 year left on Orlando's deal

I’m about to say terrible terrible things here... after seeing Orlando at LT, I kinda wish we went the cheaper route, if you catch my drift.... I don’t even wanna say it directly lol

 

[rossihunter2]

I’m about to say terrible terrible things here... after seeing Orlando at LT, I kinda wish we went the cheaper route, if you catch my drift.... I don’t even wanna say it directly lol

i mean i disagree - Orlando's still got fairly slow feet and if we ever truly want this passing game to work we need to be able to give our QB time in the pocket

we also managed to get a pretty cheap deal for our LT all things considered

I dont know if Tyre is the successor to Orlando - he might be but his feet are even slower than Orlando's (whose feet aren't quick to begin with lol)

I think there'll be talks this offseason with Orlando to see if he might be amenable to do a deal that will keep him here - but my expectation is that his asking price will be much higher than we'll want to pay right now

 

[rmcjacket23]

if mekari and bozeman are locked in, i think we gotta add an ELITE guard at the other side, not a ben powers or tyre phillips. Bozeman May be very solid, but a weak center makes the interior unit weak unless we offset it with a very good or elite RG.

this offense will go nowhere without a dominant run game and ample space for Lamar to throw from, yanda has been one of the most impactful losses I’ve ever seen from this franchise, we gotta do what we gotta do to bridge the gap on the talent level at RG, you rarely see a guard that looks impactful enough to be slam dunk guaranteed first rounder, But Wyatt Davis is that guy

I'm not expecting Mekari to just be handed the starting job. I think Center will certainly be a position we add in FA or in the draft. Skura is a FA and may not be retained.

For me, it depends on where you think Tyre Phillips fits best. If you think he's a good swing Tackle, then you probably add a Center and a Guard for competition and depth. If you think Tyre is better at Guard, then you need to add a Tackle.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

i mean i disagree - Orlando's still got fairly slow feet and if we ever truly want this passing game to work we need to be able to give our QB time in the pocket

we also managed to get a pretty cheap deal for our LT all things considered

I dont know if Tyre is the successor to Orlando - he might be but his feet are even slower than Orlando's (whose feet aren't quick to begin with lol)

I think there'll be talks this offseason with Orlando to see if he might be amenable to do a deal that will keep him here - but my expectation is that his asking price will be much higher than we'll want to pay right now

And this makes me sad, because maybe this team is just different and we are better off getting stud mauling run blockers all across the front and as long as the OTs pass pro is viable, then we are good. I could be wrong, but it feels like the run game began picking up steam when Orlando stepped in.

and this is not to say Orlando is a better LT than Stanley, just that if Orlando comes much cheaper then he may work better.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

I'm not expecting Mekari to just be handed the starting job. I think Center will certainly be a position we add in FA or in the draft. Skura is a FA and may not be retained.

For me, it depends on where you think Tyre Phillips fits best. If you think he's a good swing Tackle, then you probably add a Center and a Guard for competition and depth. If you think Tyre is better at Guard, then you need to add a Tackle.

I’m not sold on Tyre at either position, but I’m also not convinced he’s going to fail either. I just haven’t seen enough to say either way but right now at this moment he looks like he should be the favorite at RT for the remainder of the season, so maybe I am kinda magnifying our current situation rather than looking at the future by calling for a RG over a RT.

that said, I don’t care if you think phillips is a stud G, Wyatt Davis is too excellent a prospect for the most run heavy team in the nfl to pass up unless there is a big fat juicy prospect that fell inexplicably ie. ceedee lamb at 17. I just think that even if the ravens miss the playoffs and pick in the top 18 you’d be hard pressed to find a guy who could be available that would be a bigger upgrade than Wyatt Davis

 

[rossihunter2]

And this makes me sad, because maybe this team is just different and we are better off getting stud mauling run blockers all across the front and as long as the OTs pass pro is viable, then we are good. I could be wrong, but it feels like the run game began picking up steam when Orlando stepped in.

and this is not to say Orlando is a better LT than Stanley, just that if Orlando comes much cheaper then he may work better.

it's a moot point anyhow and if I'm being cynical we'd regret not keeping Stanley even more if Lamar doesn't pan out

and tbh even with Lamar - Stanley's like maybe the only LT in the league who's got a chance of making a block out in front when Lamar gets the edge on a scramble

 

[rossihunter2]

I’m not sold on Tyre at either position, but I’m also not convinced he’s going to fail either. I just haven’t seen enough to say either way but right now at this moment he looks like he should be the favorite at RT for the remainder of the season, so maybe I am kinda magnifying our current situation rather than looking at the future by calling for a RG over a RT.

that said, I don’t care if you think phillips is a stud G, Wyatt Davis is too excellent a prospect for the most run heavy team in the nfl to pass up unless there is a big fat juicy prospect that fell inexplicably ie. ceedee lamb at 17. I just think that even if the ravens miss the playoffs and pick in the top 18 you’d be hard pressed to find a guy who could be available that would be a bigger upgrade than Wyatt Davis

Right now I think Tyre's playing RT for the rest of this season but I do still think his best position is going to be guard but he's going to be ok enough at RT in a pinch

Even if he doesnt ever become a starter for us at guard i'd be ok with him being backup at 4 spots on the OL

on a side note - I'm really starting to get that itch to get into draft prospect tape lol
If we lose to the Browns that itch might become impossible to ignore lol

 

[rmcjacket23]

Right now I think Tyre's playing RT for the rest of this season but I do still think his best position is going to be guard but he's going to be ok enough at RT in a pinch

Even if he doesnt ever become a starter for us at guard i'd be ok with him being backup at 4 spots on the OL

on a side note - I'm really starting to get that itch to get into draft prospect tape lol
If we lose to the Browns that itch might become impossible to ignore lol

In terms of the Browns game, I'll say what I've been saying...

I don't think there will be a 10 win team left out of the playoffs in the AFC. I think we win 3 out of 4, and we're 100% in the playoffs. That means the Browns game isn't a must win. It'll put pressure on the last three games for sure, but quite frankly, losing any of our last 3, even against the Giants, would be massively disappointing.

All the teams we're competing with for playoff spots (Miami, Indy, LV mostly) have games against each other, and other challenging games left on their schedule. Even with two of them being 8-4, I don't see any of them winning 3 of their next 4, meaning all of them will at least finish 10-6 or worse.

Miami still has to play KC, Vegas, Buffalo and NE. They could lose all 4 and it wouldn't surprise me. I think the only chance they have of going 3-1 in that stretch is if Buffalo is resting players in week 17.

Raiders are likely going to need to beat either Indy or Miami to have a shot, and they're playing as poorly as anybody in the league right now.

I like Indy's chances the best, but they still play Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh as well, and Vegas this weekend.

I think the Raiders and Dolphins will be on the outside looking in when its over, both likely finishing 9-7.

 

[UPennChem]

In terms of the Browns game, I'll say what I've been saying...

I don't think there will be a 10 win team left out of the playoffs in the AFC. I think we win 3 out of 4, and we're 100% in the playoffs. That means the Browns game isn't a must win. It'll put pressure on the last three games for sure, but quite frankly, losing any of our last 3, even against the Giants, would be massively disappointing.

All the teams we're competing with for playoff spots (Miami, Indy, LV mostly) have games against each other, and other challenging games left on their schedule. Even with two of them being 8-4, I don't see any of them winning 3 of their next 4, meaning all of them will at least finish 10-6 or worse.

Miami still has to play KC, Vegas, Buffalo and NE. They could lose all 4 and it wouldn't surprise me. I think the only chance they have of going 3-1 in that stretch is if Buffalo is resting players in week 17.

Raiders are likely going to need to beat either Indy or Miami to have a shot, and they're playing as poorly as anybody in the league right now.

I like Indy's chances the best, but they still play Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh as well, and Vegas this weekend.

I think the Raiders and Dolphins will be on the outside looking in when its over, both likely finishing 9-7.

Call me crazy, despite everything we've seen this year, I think the only team that could beat the ravens as they are now in the AFC is the Cheifs. Obviously my tune could change if we get shaken down by the browns, but I feel like the improvement of the run game from the OLine, more involvement of Dobbins and Gus have been really good. I also feel like Lamar really showed some good decision making on deciding when to run and when to pass. Early on he was always choosing pass and it was really bad for us. Hollywood also has 2 TDs in 2 games, Boykin gotta a little something. Dez seems passionate. Willie is coming back. The DLine is coming back from various things. Fort is back. We've seen more Harrison. We're not a great team. In fact at times we just look bad. But all that aside the AFC seems so weak to me it's crazy. If we can get past the Browns, no one outside of KC scares me.

 

[rmcjacket23]

Call me crazy, despite everything we've seen this year, I think the only team that could beat the ravens as they are now in the AFC is the Cheifs. Obviously my tune could change if we get shaken down by the browns, but I feel like the improvement of the run game from the OLine, more involvement of Dobbins and Gus have been really good. I also feel like Lamar really showed some good decision making on deciding when to run and when to pass. Early on he was always choosing pass and it was really bad for us. Hollywood also has 2 TDs in 2 games, Boykin gotta a little something. Dez seems passionate. Willie is coming back. The DLine is coming back from various things. Fort is back. We've seen more Harrison. We're not a great team. In fact at times we just look bad. But all that aside the AFC seems so weak to me it's crazy. If we can get past the Browns, no one outside of KC scares me.

I mean Tennessee beat us like a month ago, and I don't see why we're better today than we were then. We had some self inflicted wounds that led to that loss and Lamar killed us against Pittsburgh the first time.

I have no doubt we can play with anybody in the AFC except KC seemingly. I just wouldn't have the confidence that we'd go and win a road game in any of those spots. We're just not playing well enough consistently at this point to do it.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

this weeks wired episode was great, because LJ Fort is a gem. hes been one of the most consistent players on the team all year, and hes a great teammate, hes got great energy and is a high iq high effort player

 

[rossihunter2]

In terms of the Browns game, I'll say what I've been saying...

I don't think there will be a 10 win team left out of the playoffs in the AFC. I think we win 3 out of 4, and we're 100% in the playoffs. That means the Browns game isn't a must win. It'll put pressure on the last three games for sure, but quite frankly, losing any of our last 3, even against the Giants, would be massively disappointing.

All the teams we're competing with for playoff spots (Miami, Indy, LV mostly) have games against each other, and other challenging games left on their schedule. Even with two of them being 8-4, I don't see any of them winning 3 of their next 4, meaning all of them will at least finish 10-6 or worse.

Miami still has to play KC, Vegas, Buffalo and NE. They could lose all 4 and it wouldn't surprise me. I think the only chance they have of going 3-1 in that stretch is if Buffalo is resting players in week 17.

Raiders are likely going to need to beat either Indy or Miami to have a shot, and they're playing as poorly as anybody in the league right now.

I like Indy's chances the best, but they still play Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh as well, and Vegas this weekend.

I think the Raiders and Dolphins will be on the outside looking in when its over, both likely finishing 9-7.

i didnt mean it in the sense that i'd be done with the year but just that the itch to start on the draft tape for 2021 is already here and will only get louder with a loss this week - according to most predictor stats even with a loss to the browns our odds of making the playoffs still lie at around 50%