Due to the injuries we have on defense, Stephens is playing more than he would be and he has been out of position on numerous occasions. I feel he will improve, but believe he is going to need another offseason take really take the next step.
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The Passing Game, The Running Game and another OL Injury
- Thread starter rossihunter2
- Start date
OURavensFan
Ravens Ring of Honor
They’re overrated and getting cocky, bury them
SepticeyePoe
Hall of Famer
I thought it was being exaggerated, but they were actually mad? I don't understand why everyone's so salty.
SepticeyePoe
Hall of Famer
42 games of 100 rushing yards isn't cheap history. You were a few yards away with time left on the clock, might as well go for it to extend the streak. It's not like it was a bomb to extend some passing or scoring streak.
QuothTheRaven
Veteran
For real. How can you call it "cheap history" to extend a three-year streak by calling one running play after you've overcome your entire RB room being injured and your best rush threat playing through injury. They earned that historic opportunity by overcoming adversity, don't throw it away out of some weird sense of "honor".
OURavensFan
Ravens Ring of Honor
Agree, how many plays did Peyton and Bellicheck call for Brady and Brees to pad stats, happened all the time
rmcjacket23
Ravens Ring of Honor
I'm sure there's a combination of things that are hurting our run game, but from what I see, we simply don't have backs that are explosive. Murray is essentially a plodder at this point... he'll get you 3-4 yards up the middle and will spring bigger plays if it's blocked well, but other than that, he's just going to get what is blocked for him. I can pretty much say the same for Bell and Freeman.
Clearly Williams is in the doghouse for sucking in pass protection, but he's easily the most explosive back I've seen of the bunch this year, and he's the only guy I see who is able to bounce to the perimeter and get yardage outside.
What I'm seeing from Detroit and Denver is that they're just flooding between the hashes, because they don't think any of our backs have the speed to get outside or can run the stretch/outside runs, and they're probably right. That's where missing Dobbins hurts so much, because he had the speed to make linebackers pay on the perimeter for collapsing too quickly. And because of that, it opened up the middle for Edwards.
And honestly, I'm not sure I see a fix for this. I think it's somewhat a talent issue.
Clearly Williams is in the doghouse for sucking in pass protection, but he's easily the most explosive back I've seen of the bunch this year, and he's the only guy I see who is able to bounce to the perimeter and get yardage outside.
What I'm seeing from Detroit and Denver is that they're just flooding between the hashes, because they don't think any of our backs have the speed to get outside or can run the stretch/outside runs, and they're probably right. That's where missing Dobbins hurts so much, because he had the speed to make linebackers pay on the perimeter for collapsing too quickly. And because of that, it opened up the middle for Edwards.
And honestly, I'm not sure I see a fix for this. I think it's somewhat a talent issue.
combine that with the interior OL not being maulers like we’ve had in the past at that position and youre not going to have an explosive running game that breaks efficiency rules hence why you’re seeing us pass more because it’s a more efficient way of scoring points as our offence is currently constructed (more conventionally)
I agree with this entire post although I want to give Bell a little more time. At the very least he will be good in the passing game. The bolded part is what I am truly responding to and also feel it is the main reason he was benched.
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
Duvernay on jet motion counter bash needs to be made a wrinkle, and it needs to be practiced to the point that it can comfortably be used 2-3 times a game. That is our only hope of stretching the box laterally, and it can and would work if we just get the chemistry down, we’ve seen it used before and it’s worked frequently
BoredMarine13
Ravens Ring of Honor
The game was won already. What does Lamar scrambling out of the victory formation have anything to do with winning the game? Just take a knee
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we've played most teams in the NFL at this point now so not many teams are facing Lamar for the first time but you can see from comments like these just how hard it is to play Lamar and this offence the first time you see it
he did take a knee - he just did it 5 yards downfield to break a record
why are you obsessed with the idea that we shouldn't have broken the record?
rmcjacket23
Ravens Ring of Honor
I mean... I don't think the OLine is as strong run blocking, but clearly they were still effective in the run game against KC and even to a certain extent against Vegas.
Now, ultimately, I think teams as we move into the year will realize they can't stack the box, because Lamar is making them pay, so I expect things to open up. It's more about the design of how teams are stopping the run vs actually doing it. I'm literally not seeing 8 men in the box like some people think. Sometimes yes, but it's more of defenses scheming their way to stop the interior run game vs playing the numbers game.
rmcjacket23
Ravens Ring of Honor
Right, but good in the passing game, to me, means pass protection. I'd love to see us use RBs more out of the backfield, but the way our pass game is evolving at this point, and with Bateman coming back, I'm not as super concerned about lack of RB usage in the pass game.
I don't think Bell is nearly as explosive enough of a runner to make a major impact. I understand they're trying to figure out the pecking order in the backfield, and its clear that Murray is sort of the "Edwards" in this attack, but none of the other three guys are coming close to replicating what Dobbins brought, and of the three, I think Williams is the most explosive. I've seen nothing from Freeman at all.
rmcjacket23
Ravens Ring of Honor
Possibly. I just don't think that's enough, because I don't think teams will actually spread their defenses out to stop a play they know will only have 2-3 times a game and that we're using a WR to manipulate with.
I just don't think that's enough to make the defense change what it's doing. Attacking the middle of the field in the passing game and throwing in windows over the linebackers who are pinching down "should" do it long term.
JAAM
Hall of Famer
I love this. He couldn’t get a real victory, nor could he get a moral victory for stopping our streak.
im more referring to our inability to get a yard in short yardage money downs - where we've to run the ball in those situations because guys have managed to blow up 1 of the 3 interior guys - none of those guys are maulers in there, more technicians which is fine mostly but in some of those situations against aggressive/destructive nose tackles and defensive linemen they're struggling to match aggression and power at times
not a fatal flaw but supplements the lack of explosive ability we have at RB
JAAM
Hall of Famer
Kind of seems like a backhanded compliment unless I’m reading it wrong
and Bell is good in pass protection - he adds 2 elements on passing downs that none of the other 3 guys offer us - he's an actual route runner who can run routes from all different alignments including being split out wide and is a trustworthy receiver - and he can pass protect and has the body to have a chance to somewhat match the physicality of EDGE guys and DBs in those scenarios