DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2019 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 15 Ravens 31 Post game

I would like to add to this if I may, DC.

Iron sharpens Iron. So, in practice we are running this play and its probably working. You see, our defense has been and is garbage right now. So if we are running this play against our own defense and its working - we think its a good play.

Then we get into the game, against a real defense - and the play gets blown up because as you stated already, its poorly designed from the start.

that fact is covered up because it probably worked against our def.

The problem with your analysis is that Landry was the decoy. The TE was the intended target.

A corner blitz from that side was about the worst possible thing the Ravens could have called from our perspective against that trick play. Don't give a "the Ravens knew it was coming", either. We'd never shown the play.

If the pass was incomplete, the plan was to go for it on 4th down and short. Unfortunately, Hunt couldn't get rid of the ball and we lost yards.

Sometimes they just get you.

Could Baker have faked the pitch and thrown it himself if he saw the corner blitz? Maybe.

Our adjustments at the line need to improve. Is that because of Baker? If so, is that because of Lindley?

Is it because the process of getting plays in is too slow? If so, what is the process? Is Monken giving input to Freddie who is calling the plays?

Is it a mixture of a lot of things?

What perfect complete coaching staff is available that will have everything working perfectly immediately?

I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist.

We have been beaten by many Steeler teams playing a back up. Plus, they were not missing defensive players.

If you want to take something positive out of only splitting the series with this depleted steeler team, have at it. I see it as a failure.

"Fundamentally, you have the NFLs leading rusher in the backfield, a second great runner standing beside him.. it's 3rd and 1 at an important moment in the game.. your offense has been struggling to sustain drives.. you call a play to get the first down. That's it, it's pretty much that simple. If your 6'2" guard steals the ball in basketball and is going to the hoop as time expires to win the game, he shouldn't try a 360 windmill dunk that he has never actually executed before.. just make the play. Freddie has been out thinking himself all year on plays where the simplest answer is the one he should have chosen.'

I think a lot of it comes down to our Red Zone success last year. We were getting touchdowns on trick plays. Landry throwing the ball to Mayfield, end arounds, Statue of Liberty plays. Last year, we surprised people because Hue was actually pretty conservative in the Red Zone, Freddie was not. After people realized that Freddie was going to call plays by the seat of his pants, other teams began to prepare.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

That pretty much sums it up

The Ravens have blitzed 54.3% of the time this season; more than half the time. (I think the TV announcer said they blitzed 60% of the time this season.) Point being, it should have been anticipated that they might very well blitz on that ill-considered play.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2019/opp.htm

Freddie isn't the only one who does that. That seems to be fairly common in football. They make the draft process too complicated, they make game plans too complicated.

There are different kinds of blitzes. Just about any version other than the corner to the side the pitch was going wouldn't have been so bad.

In short yardage, Freddie probably expected it inside, leaving a hole in the middle behind it.

What Freddie expects and what actually happens are usually not one and the same. He just won a bucket of coal on ESPN for the 3 most horrible sport performances in 2019.

When exactly did the focus shift from the OL to Freddie? Why?

I understand some of the blame goes to Freddie, but I feel like the OL affected Freddie more than Freddie affected the OL.

I don't know that our o-line was much worse this year than last year. But last year we ran designed rollouts with a moving pocket and did other things to help it out. I don't see those things this year. I have not seen all of every game but I have yet to see one moving pocket.

Keith, I see what you are saying even though I'm coming down more on DC's viewpoint.

But let's say it is primarily an execution issue...

... was the play set up properly by previous plays (think playaction off of runs)

... are the players not putting forth the effort?
... do the players have the skills and ability to execute the play to begin with?

So at what point as a play caller do you take an honest look at what your line is capable of and design/call plays that they ARE able to execute?

Look, we aren't very good on short, goal line yardage. But there's a huge leap between lining up 3 TE's with Chubb and Hunt in the backfield and running a play action off of the threat of the run versus completely ceding to the opponent and going empty backfield.

Has anyone else noticed the lack of talk about player input on the game plan? Maybe it's still there, but there I haven't heard any talk of collaboration between players and coaches, coaches and coaches like we did last year.