But they aren’t gaining 4-5 yards they’re gashing across all gaps for 10+ yards routinely, they have driven the length of the field with nearly all run plays in a matter of minutes and they’ve done it many times.
literally no other team runs the ball like the ravens, that’s why it’s non traditional, not because of how often we run, but how effectively and explosively. Lamar and dobbins break 20+ yarders so frequently at this point that we move the ball like a passing offense on the ground.
I just don’t buy the narrative that if we’re down 2 scores or if it’s 3rd and 5 or more that it’s automatically time to air it out.
You can’t quantify every single aspect of football with analytics, last year the theory was that the ravens offense was at its best in the spread because analytics said so, when in reality there were a few games where Lamar went absolutely nuts out of the spread and it skewed the stats, nobody is arguing the ravens should run spread all day in 2020. The analytics suggest that all offenses are more efficient when passing on first down, we don’t actually believe that’s the case with these ravens do we? Sometimes the analytics need context. This team should never have to air it out unless it’s in dire circumstances, balance should always be the key, and I’m talking down 14 at the beginning of the 4th quarter we should still be running the ball, because this team can absolutely make that comeback while staying grounded, but you’re supporting airing it out in situations like the chiefs game where we’re down one score in the second quarter, I will just never ever fall in line with that because it’s traditional thinking and all analytics based, this team is anything but traditional
I didn't conjure 4-5 yards out of thin air. 5.5 yards is the average run in this Ravens offense. Seems like a very natural place to start. If they were gaining 10 yards on every run, then why isn't their average 10 yards or better? Answer... because they're not getting 10 yards on every run. They're averaging 5.5 yards per run. For every run of 10+ yards, there's a couple runs that are a yard or two. That's how averages work.
This notion that the Ravens just line up against every team, and against all resistance, and just break off 10 yard runs whenever they feel like it isn't rooted in fact. They CAN do it, but its not consistent, nor is it something that's guaranteed. They have more 1-2 yard or less runs than they do 10 yard runs. One is just as likely to happen as another.
Not every game is against Cincinnati, or Dallas, or Jacksonville. You face teams that actually offer resistance, like we did Tennessee last year. Those chunk runs didn't happen in the first quarter when the game was close. They didn't happen in the second quarter when the game was close. If they started happening once you're down 15 points in the second half, its only a matter of time before the defense decides to stop it again.
The Tennessee lost wasn't due to ineffective play calling. The people that think it was are developing that opinion from a position of pretending like playing Tennessee is the same as playing every other team. It was ineffective running, turnovers, dropped passes, failure to convert short yardage in critical spots, and Tennessee capitalizing on nearly all of our offensive mistakes.
I actually hope one day the Ravens do what you suggest. I hope they're down like 15 points in the early 4th quarter, and they just go out and run their normal offense as if nothing is even wrong. And we'll go down and maybe score a TD, or get held to a FG, after a 4-5 minute drive. And then the other team will get the ball, probably drive some, rinse, repeat.
And you'll get down to the last minute or so of the game, and the Ravens will be down two scores still, and you'll realize "o crap, we're out of time". And then you'll be begging for urgency, hurry up offense, etc.
I'm not even suggesting you can't ever run the ball when you're down two scores. But if you're expecting some kind of 50/50 balance or a run-heavy approach when the clock is against you, good luck with that. It's not going to translate into wins.