The Defence, the Offence, and the Tucker

[drjohnnyfever]

You are not gonna win close games with Tucker missing 3 kicks in a game .

Just not gonna happen and the players know this too .

Tucker will be replaced next year but he will likely cost us in the playoffs in cold weather .

I think this is 100% correct. The reason Tucker is here is because we anticipate being in close games and him being the difference. The team is constructed on that philosophy, I believe. Big contracts in key roles and then - maybe not bargain basement - Ollies Outlet on lots of other spots. So they do expect close games and for tucker to be the difference. When that key piece breaks down, the whole machine breaks down. And the guys know it. It has to be demoralizing to them.

They need to get someone in as a safety valve.

 

[Militant X 1]

Do you know what great teams do? They overcome. If the defense isn't playing good, guess what Lamar's job is? To score a shit load of points. If the Oline isn't playing well, and the defense is playing good, guess what Lamar's job is? To score enough points to win.

And right now, there's no evidence that this team has the ability to win a game where shit ain't going well. They're trying to come up with explanations for something they can't explain. The explanation is that this team rarely puts a good, complete game together.

When shits not going well for one unit, its 100% of the responsibility of the other units to pick up the slack. If your kicker is missing FGs, score TDs. That's what you're paid to do.

 

[RavensMania]

Marlon signed his extension mid season 2020 after his All Pro season in 2019. He played 12 games in the 2021 season and 10 games in the 2023 season(Secondary was lights out even in his absence). That being said, I'll actually agree here since he's playing elite ball this year and probably getting All Pro honors. Same with Andrews.

Stanley has had similar problems as well, hard to fault him but unfortunately we've had bad luck with guys getting paid and then getting injured like Lardarius Webb, Eugene Monroe, ect, just kinda seems to be a tale of bad luck for Stanley. That said, he's having a great year but I can't say he's lived up to his deal, totally not his fault and he's playing like an All Pro this year so this point is null and void this year.


Mads and Roquon is a bit premature but they both got massive contracts and have taken a considerable step back this year. In terms of Mads, a bulk of his sack numbers have come from one game where he completely dominated(Bengals), but he's had 9 games where he hasn't recorded a sack, and multiple games where he's failed to make a huge impact. I was a bit concerned about giving him a big contract last offseason given how great the secondary was and I just didn't feel like he would replicate those numbers in a defense that was primed to decline.

Roquon has been a complete liability in coverage even though his play vs Pittsburgh and Philly was encouraging. I think his issues are fixable and his play lately has been encouraging. I think once Mads gets more help front the rest of the front four this offseason then I think he can have a better year, but as of right now I'm a bit disappointed in his play. He just hasn't really been all that disruptive this year. I don't really want to get into Marcus Williams, we already know the deal there.

Then you add the bad gambles they made with Faalele, Vorhees, and Mekari, those aren't bust signings but I consider those bust gambles.

 

[Tank]

I think it’s pretty obvious that Ro has been dealing with some untold, niggly issue that slowed him down. Seems he’s getting back into form and should be rolling after the bye.

 

[RavensMania]

I think it’s pretty obvious that Ro has been dealing with some untold, niggly issue that slowed him down. Seems he’s getting back into form and should be rolling after the bye.

I think it was how they were using him when Marcus Williams was playing

 

[OURavensFan]

x.com

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You know I wouldn’t even care if we hadn’t been penalized for this multiple times reversing big plays all season.

And good god AJ Brown blatant OPI. Ok now I’m pissed. They also false started on the sneak.

 

[Simba]

I am very far from an NFL kicking expert, but I did play soccer virtually my whole life.

Based on the tape, his mechanics are way off right now, which is wild considering he's been a beacon of consistency on that front up until this year. The plant leg is inconsistent. Upper body bend is inconsistent. You can tell most by where he ends up after the kick - when he misses wide left, his momentum leading up to the kick also left his body that direction. He tried to overcorrect on the first miss wide right. It looks correctable, but he's actually got to do it at some point.

I know people are still going to try to blame Stout, but this is a Tucker issue clear as day to me.

 

[Sandtown]

Sounds like it's attitude related, not performance related. He may not even be on the team much longer.

Yikes.I think he's too talented to just cut especially if he's goes to a playoff team. Hopefully they can work something out cause I think this offense needs him.

 

[Tank]

I think it was how they were using him when Marcus Williams was playing

IDK, he’s seemed a couple of steps slower as well.

 

[Simba]

Yikes.I think he's too talented to just cut especially if he's goes to a playoff team. Hopefully they can work something out cause I think this offense needs him.

My guess is that's part of the discussion. He may be unhappy, but does that mean you let him go to another team that you may end up facing at some point down the line? If you choose to keep him, do you run the risk of him being a major distraction?

 

[Tank]

I am very far from an NFL kicking expert, but I did play soccer virtually my whole life.

Based on the tape, his mechanics are way off right now, which is wild considering he's been a beacon of consistency on that front up until this year. The plant leg is inconsistent. Upper body bend is inconsistent. You can tell most by where he ends up after the kick - when he misses wide left, his momentum leading up to the kick also left his body that direction. He tried to overcorrect on the first miss wide right. It looks correctable, but he's actually got to do it at some point.

I know people are still going to try to blame Stout, but this is a Tucker issue clear as day to me.

Was listening to Belichek on Pat McAfee yesterday, he said it’s possible he has some sort of injury and believes he will eventually get straight.

 

[rossihunter2]

EDC straight up fucked us on the OL and thank God Roger has exceeded expectations. If he was even at expectation (in year 1) it would be that much worse. EDCs other drafting after RD1 has not been good enough (although better than middle of the pack) to support an elite roster with a Lamar sized cap hit.

how did EDC fuck us on the OL lol

we've got stanley and linderbaum
he drafted RR

we had cleveland, jones, vorhees, mekari and faalele to fight for 2 OG spots - we'd seen league average play from Cleveland and vorhees, josh jones and mekari have enough talent that you'd expect one of them to be not a disaster at LG

the problem is that cleveland's in the doghouse, mekari's probably one of the best 5 but not at guard and the coaching staff are apparently unwilling to make changes on offence while the team is competitive (despite having a completely different attitude on defence)

 

[rossihunter2]

I think it’s pretty obvious that Ro has been dealing with some untold, niggly issue that slowed him down. Seems he’s getting back into form and should be rolling after the bye.

with the issues at safety, he was also having to deal with covering 30 yard zones at times - that's a no-win situation

no surprise that the improved safety play has allowed him to look better also

 

[redrum52]

Wish Henry got 1 more carry to kill that 20 carries narrative.

 

[Tank]

Despite what some think, our O line is far from being terrible. And trying to second guess player selection is kinda silly when we don't know all that is going on with the squad. Probably best to trust the people that get paid to do those things and see the players every day. lol

 

[Simba]

Was listening to Belichek on Pat McAfee yesterday, he said it’s possible he has some sort of injury and believes he will eventually get straight.

I wouldn't be totally shocked, but unless Tucker is hiding it, the team would be doing him a huge disservice right now.

I feel like the issue is largely apparent... his mechanics are not great right now. I would assume that there's some mental stuff happening too. Finding the problem feels easy, but fixing it is clearly not.

 

[Grim]

I wouldn't be totally shocked, but unless Tucker is hiding it, the team would be doing him a huge disservice right now.

I feel like the issue is largely apparent... his mechanics are not great right now. I would assume that there's some mental stuff happening too. Finding the problem feels easy, but fixing it is clearly not.

Ask your contact about Tucker. He is a major problem on this team. Probably the biggest thing holding us back at this point. I don't know a single player on this team right now who is holding us back more. Even Stephens, who isn't bad, is playing OK & is 1 guy. Tucker literally is losing us points.

 

[Simba]

Ask your contact about Tucker. He is a major problem on this team. Probably the biggest thing holding us back at this point. I don't know a single player on this team right now who is holding us back more. Even Stephens, who isn't bad, is playing OK & is 1 guy. Tucker literally is losing us points.

He told me a few weeks back that there were some personal, off-field things that could be impacting him. He gave me a brief idea of what he thinks it might be, but he wasn't sure and I don't feel comfortable putting that out into the ether.

 

[Grim]

He told me a few weeks back that there were some personal, off-field things that could be impacting him. He gave me a brief idea of what he thinks it might be, but he wasn't sure and I don't feel comfortable putting that out into the ether.

That is interesting. I had the same exact thought.

 

[Sooky]

with the issues at safety, he was also having to deal with covering 30 yard zones at times - that's a no-win situation

no surprise that the improved safety play has allowed him to look better also

I've been saying all year that I do not think Ro has regressed. It looks that way because of the holes in the defense. Some guys have to step up and do way more than they were asked to last year. You can see how much better this defense is when you take those backend liabilities off the field.

After taking a step back from the loss, I do think the Ravens can compete in the playoffs with just about anyone. But that's only if they get some of these issues fixed. As much as I hate Harbaugh, the Ravens are typically really good off of a bye week. Plus, with the changes made on the defensive side after that Thursday night game, I think there can be enough change to compete.

1. Tucker and the special teams need to be fixed. Tucker can't be missing 2 kicks per game. In their 5 losses, the Ravens have lost by a combined 22 points. Tucker's missed points in those games are 22. I believe one of those games wasn't his fault, but for the other 4, he has hurt the team. Tylan for how good he has been in big moments on offense, needs to catch some of these punts, there have been too many times the Ravens offense has been pinned inside the 5-yard line where he could've fair caught the ball at the 15.

2. O-line needs changes. The team can't be chipping with a tight end or running back every play. It limits the options Lamar has downfield. When you have teams like the Steelers, Chiefs, and Eagles consistently winning with 3 or 4 and having 3 receivers running into 7-8 in coverage, we are not going to move the ball surgically and have to rely too much on Lamar's magic to extend the play.

3. Monken needs to reinvent the Derrick Henry experiment. As much as I love Henry, he still doesn't feel natural in this offense. It either feels forced or he gets forgotten about. And that's crazy to say given his production and his 6 yards per carry. Run, Run, Pass feels very predictable and teams are selling out for the run when he's on the field. The Ravens need to run more with Hill, and use Henry in more passing-down situations to dump the ball off to. It has worked but I don't know why this isn't done more.