List your top changes with some explanation

[ExiledRaven]

We're all frustrated, so I think this might be an interesting way for each of us to list some changes we'd like to see after Monday night and why we think they'd be a good thing for the team.

I'll go ahead and get 'er started

1) Start BOTH Musa Smith and Mike Anderson. That's right. Both. Run both of them in the backfield of the majority of plays. What? Anderson can play fullback. So you've still got a fullback in there if you want one, you have two guys that can run, two guys that have some hands out of the backfield. This still leaves room for Heap, Clayton, and Mason. Basically, you can think LT-Turner or Bush-McAllister type of play.

2) Throw more passes downfield. That's right, throw more passes over 15 yards. And no, catch a 5 yard pass and run 10 doesn't count. We have time. Get those guys downfield and catch a 15-20 yard pass...please. If they can't get open, give Williams a shot at it.

3) STOP playing ball-control on offense. This trying to gain 4-5 yards each play all the time, with perfect execution, is great. Poor execution and we are hosing ourselves. Play to score and play like you damn well mean it. Don't play little dink-dunk all night...the D jumps all over it.

4) throw more screens to Smith or Anderson. They might not all be pretty, but splitting out smith or anderson or hitting them with a non-obvious designed screen has gotten use some nice yardage...provided it wasn't some kind of dump off pass.

5) Bench/Cut Moore. Everyone knows what he's in the game to do. Everyone knows he's a coward about doing any time of crossing route or anything else over the middle. He's no help at all unless you use him as a decoy, and I sure as hell wouldn't waste a roster spot on a decoy who can't even knock a pass down that's poorly thrown.

[Gwaihir]

I like it all. I still think the biggest key, however, is just getting Jamal out of there! He’s just not capable of finding the hole. His whole career he’s always followed the fullback to the hole and made his cut off of the fullback’s block, even going back to his days at Tennessee. I just don’t think he sees the field very well and can’t find the holes the way Mike Anderson obviously can, hence his “happy feet” or stutter-stepping. Without someone to lead him to the hole he just can’t find it!

I don’t think that means we need to get a big bruising fullback, however. Instead we just need to let Mike Anderson have a chance to be the feature back with Musa giving him breathers and playing more on third down, where I would like to see them both out there together. Jamal’s only place on this offense should be in more of a Bettis-type role, the way Pittsburgh used him the last two years.

I think if the Ravens had started Anderson in place of Jamal Monday Night and given him 15-20 carries we win that game going away with 100-150 yards rushing from him. He just seems more used to finding the holes on the fly, especially since the holes don’t always appear where they’re drawn up to be in the playbook.

[RavenScallywag]

I think we need to start Mike Anderson, with Musa Smith being our 3rd down back...for now.

Musa has definitley begun to establish himself in the Chester Taylor guise as a pass catcher. If we shift him to a feature back status, it might be too much at once. I say ease him in, using a proven starter in MA to help him in.

[deuce]

I like all of the proposed changes. However I would like to suggest an alternative to change #1. If Billick/Fassell/whoever still want to start Jamal, start Anderson as FB. When Jamal ran well he always had a FB blowing up holes for him. Maybe that is the root of his problems?

[AZRAVEN]

I agree with all of your suggestions Exiled. This team just relies to much on defense to win for them it is high time we be made to prove we have an offense! For whatever reason Jamal isn't doing any better this year than he did last year it's time to stop pussyfooting around with him ~ SIT HIM!
McNair needs to get his head out of his ass also. I refuse to believe our playbook is that much more difficult than any other NFL teams. It's all well and good that he "accepted responsibility" for Monday's disaster but to me he looks as lost at game 5 as he did at game one ~ maybe he needs to eat in and hit the books instead of whatever he's doing. The line looked some better to me Monday, at least he seemed to be able stand in a bit longer (not that it helped much) but I'd still shuffle some guys around just so they know they better be on their toes.

[Tspot-D-Ravenator]

Mike Flynn...I like Mike, but he is getting blown up at the line of scrimmage:grbac:

Jamal Lewis...He has to sit for a while..He's just not getting it done:thumbdown:

[RavenTD]

Nice reading.

Billick needs to change his MO. From playing not to lose,to playing to win a game.You keep that other team hanging around,and its going to bite you in the a$$.You keep relying on your defense to keep you in a game.Then that one play thats going to bite your a$$ is going to happen eventually.It doesn't matter who you have on defense.

If the only creative play in your playbook is an end around.Then you have problems.

[highwater]

Pretty good suggestions all around, but here is the one I endorse strongly:


2) Throw more passes downfield. That's right, throw more passes over 15 yards. And no, catch a 5 yard pass and run 10 doesn't count.

Why in the world don't we EVER go long? Forget about completing one, we don't even try one per game. Of course teams are going to play the run against us, because they know the only passes we throw will be short ones, or mid-range at best. That has to change.

[psuasskicker]

1) Replace Flynn. Mulitalo's injury is a major problem cause I'd have said Vincent should be replaced as well. Chester can't be worse than Flynn, though I'd probably go with Brown at C and Chester at OG.

2) Musa should be starting. Anderson to spell him. Jamal clearly isn't working. Musa though, is clearly the best RB we have.

3) Musa seems to run effectively without a FB, so I'd start more three WR sets with Williams and take shots deep more.

I don't even know how to address the QB issue. I swear we're cursed.

- C -

[ravenjoe]

Ditto on keeping MA and MS in the backfield, instead of Jamal. Jamal was Once a Great running back; however, for whatever reason, he has lost 'the eye of the tiger' ! That mean streak that he used to run with has abandoned him, unfortunately. I REALLY believe this offense will be much more effective with Jamal out of there.

Also, by mid-season, I predict the Offense will become more fluid, and will have established their identity, which will carry them thru the remainder of the season!

[Mista T]

Bench McNair - he's getting worse each game. If not for two drives, he'd be this years' version of Anthony Wright, with less arm strength. Although my exectations were low, he's even worse than I expected.

Bench Jamal - he's washed up.

Fire Moore - he never was.

Rotate Cody into the LB mix - that last TD may have been prevented upfield with fresher defenders.

Get a bona fide fullback on the roster.:grbac:



:T2:

[darb72]

Attitude change. Some folks on here have already brought it up, but it is the most glaring point. Stop playing for field-goals. You're on offense so go and attack somebody.

Teams want to stack the box? Go four wide with Heap as a WR and Musa as the running back. You get single coverage on all the WRs and probably a few mis-matches, plus you get the defense spread out so our offensive line just has to block people one-on-one in the run game. I'll take our offensive line and Musa against just about any five defenders in the league.

[Merlin]

Amen on the attitude change.

Chicago is showing what can happen if you have an awesome defense and try to score instead of just playing not to loose.

I just hope McNair can pick up his game -- if that doesn't happen we'll be in for some interesting times.

[StingerNLG]

Musa has definitley begun to establish himself in the Chester Taylor guise as a pass catcher. If we shift him to a feature back status, it might be too much at once. I say ease him in, using a proven starter in MA to help him in.


3/4ths of me wants to see Musa Smith start. He's really done his time with the Ravens. Remember he's also a really good special teams guy. But that is part of the reason the other 1/4th agrees with you. MA would be a nice feature back and keep MS rested to play special teams too. Especially with Cory Ivy now down. We need all the ST players we can keep. But Musa needs some touches absolutely.


Bench McNair - he's getting worse each game. If not for two drives, he'd be this years' version of Anthony Wright, with less arm strength. Although my exectations were low, he's even worse than I expected.

Errrfffff. I don't think we're quite there YET. Steve's done his part to hamstring the offense, but once again just like with Boller, it's damn hard to get into rhythm when you can't trust the 5 guys in front of you to protect you.


Fire Moore - he never was.

I will take my lumps right now. I said in Moore's first seemingly magical farce of a year that he could be the next Randy Moss. Go right ahead, flame away at me. Crow on that tastes like chicken. :insane:


Get a bona fide fullback on the roster.

Anyone else miss Alan Ricard yet?

[WVURaven]

i agree with all these ideas

but the real question I have here is that will Billick really even change anything? I am scared that his arrogence will get in the way of any huge changes to the offense until its too late.


I hope I am wrong, but we need these changes now! :mad:

[skimmy]

Changes I would make during the season:
1. Make Musa the feature back. Having a more versitle halfback in the game the majority of the time might make our offense less predictable to the opposing teams when we're in between the 20s. It seems like you can predict the play (run or pass I mean, not the exact play) with at least 80% certainty based off of the formation and the down/distance when Jamal is in the game.

2. Make MA the short yardage and goal line back. Having a running back that runs with authority like MA could help extend some drives by picking up first downs in 3rd and short and also help us score TD's instead of kicking field goals or throwing up jump balls (or shovel passes). Why is this guy even on the team if he isn't allowed to contribute.

3. Use the backs out of the backfield in the passing game. Instead of dink and dunking to the wideouts over the middle, use the backs more out of the back field. It'd be nice to see some passes to the backs that are designed to go to the backs like screens, flares, shovel pass, etc not just a safety valve. This is predicated on #1 happening first. Jamal in the passing game is always an adventure.

4. Fix the kick coverage units. We have all these special team specialists we kept on the roster and our coverage is still piss poor. We're constantly losing the field position battle week in and out despite our 4-1 record.

5. Practice everyday outside even in the rainy, cold and sloppy weather. There is no excuse that this team looks terrible when the weather isn't perfect. Baltimore isn't a city in Florida and we don't play in a dome.