Filmstudy
11-24-2008, 08:17 PM
Defensive Notes 11/23/08 vs. Eagles
It’s Thanksgiving week, and these are scary economic times, but let’s be thankful for these 8+ mini-Super Bowls we have each year here at M&T. We still get 3 more of them (at least), and it’s likely each one will be meaningful. What a great day to be in the ballpark and watching our favorite team in my favorite type of game, a defensive laugher.
As usual, all the stats exclude kneels:
Overall: 64 plays, 206 yards, 3.2 YPPA
Best: Pryce 32/71, 2.2 YPPA
Worst: Barnes 14/66, 4.7 YPPA No starter was higher than 3.7 YPPA
Vs. the Run: 21 carries, 86 yards, 4.1 YPC
Best: Bannan 11/30, 2.7 YPC
Worst: Ivy 11/60, 5.5 YPC
Vs. the Pass: 43 pass plays, 118 net yards, 2.7 YPP
Best: Pryce 23/35, 1.5 YPP
Worst: Ngata 22/74 3.4 YPP was the worst of all Ravens with 10+ pass plays against and that’s damn good
By number of Pass Rushers:
3 or fewer: 3/8, 2.7 YPP
4: 17/62, 3.6 YPP, 1 Sack, 2 TO
5: 13/20, 1.5 YPP, 1 Sack, 1 TO
6: 9/28, 3.1 YPP, 1 TO
7: 1/0, 0.0 YPP, 1 TO—This was Reed’s 108-yard INT. With the ball inside the 1, there were 7 crashing the LoS and only 4 in coverage, but it’s a stretch to call this a true 7-man blitz. If you exclude this, it’s been 4 straight games without a 7-man rush.
By number of Defensive Backs:
3: 1 play, 0 yards, 0.0 YPPA, 1 TO—Again, Reed’s historic return in the Ravens’ 3-safety goal line alignment
4: 19 plays, 42 yards, 2.2 YPPA, 2 TO
5: 42 plays, 152 yards, 3.6 YPPA, 2 Sacks, 2 TO
6: 2 plays, 10 yards, 5.0 YPPA
7: None for the 3rd straight game
Individual Notes:
• The Ravens played the last play of the 1st half with just 10 men on the field. If you recall, the Ravens called timeout immediately before that play! Normally, when this sort of thing occurs, as it did vs. the Jets early last season, it's impossible to tell for certain that there is a player missing. However, due to the nature of the play, the camera panned across the entire field and each player can be easily counted. The Ravens rushed the passer with 3 (Pryce, Suggs, and Barnes), had Lewis at MLB, and 6 visible DB's (Ivy, Leonhard, Reed, Rolle, Walker, Washington). Who should have been on the field? Well, since that pass rush package is often used with a 7 DB set, I'd say it was most likely Nakamura.
• The Ravens had just 3 DT's Sunday with both Divens and McKinney inactive. That move appears to have been a function of activating an extra offensive lineman. The Ravens had 4 pure offensive tackles available, Anderson, Gaither, Terry, and Slaughter, all of whom played some snaps. Goal line defenses typically include 4 DT's, so Grubbs was again brought in for 1 play (Reed's 108-yard INT).
• Whether it was part of the game plan or a function of having just 3 DT's, the Ravens played a lot of nonmandatory nickel, including the very first play of the game. Ivy thus got the start while Bannan did not. Ivy played 44 snaps for the game, his high for the season (33 at Indy).
• Leonhard again sat out 5 for the Ravens 4-corner (Ivy, Rolle, Walker, Washington) nickel set.
• Nakamura replaced Reed for a single play (Q3, 12:15) as Ed went off with an apparent injury. The Eagles failed to convert on that 3rd down and Reed was back in for the next series.
• Barnes had one of the best productivity games of his career with 2 tackles (tripling his season total to 3) on 14 defensive snaps, including his atomic wedgie of Westbrook for a 2-yard loss. It was certainly a Kodak moment. At 1 Winning Drive, they have a number of paintings depicting great still shots you'd recognize from Ravens history. Somehow, I don't think this would translate well to canvas. Of the Ravens 4 LB's that compete for playing time, Barnes, Greisen (7 snaps), and McClain (5 snaps) all got a taste Sunday. Ayanbadejo, who played 2 snaps vs. the Giants, was seen only on special teams.
• I'm still trying to understand one weird play (Q3, 2:28). The Eagles' LG is pass blocking on the play and at one point leaps up much as a DT might to attempt to deflect a pass at the LoS. This must reduce visibility if not actually impede the passing lane. Does anyone know what that lineman might have been trying to accomplish?
• The very next play (Q3, 2:17) Kolb threw his first interception. The camera immediately went to McNabb who seemed to be clapping (as in "that's OK guys, we'll get 'em next time") with an assistant coach in the background. The assistant appears to be looking at McNabb as if the clapping was inappropriate. The NFL will someday catch up with soccer in Europe and Nascar to give us more personalized camera angle availability. When they do, I want to make sure they stay on the functional shots like “end zone view”, “WR matchup view”, and “MLB view”. I have as much desire to see “angry coach view” and “disgruntled player view” as I do the oft-requested “under the replay hood view”.
• On the 4th and 2 play (Q4, 6:16) that ended the Eagles' next-to-last drive, Bannan made a nice 1-handed grab on the sideline of a pass that looked like it might have been complete had he left it alone. In fact, he reached out towards the field of play, and Rex is visibly upset with him for sticking his hand out. The Philadelphia receiver wanted a flag, but he didn't get one.
• To this point in his career, Ed Reed has not yet ceased to amaze me with his ability to add a new trick to his arsenal. On Sunday, that was leaping PD at the LoS when he was sent on the blitz. Reed got tremendous altitude, made the deflection, and it was nearly intercepted by Rolle. It was 1 of 4 PD’s he had in the game. Tim Ryan correctly pointed out that Reed baited the Kolb into throwing the ball that he intercepted for his record return. The other pick was also a very athletic one as he bolted straight to the sideline, collected it, kept his feet, and returned 43 yards. Am I happy with the result of the attempted lateral? Of course not. Am I happy he looks for those opportunities? Absolutely. Reed has shown tremendous judgment over the years that has led to points and a mentality that the defense should have an obligation to score touchdowns on turnovers. For many of those years, the alternative was handing over the football to an anemic offense that turned 7 into 3 or 0. The big plays come with the risk of an occasional turnover or loss of yardage. We seem to be able to live with the risk/reward set on offense, why not trust talented defensive players to make those same judgments against those guys who aren’t used to making tackles? Still not convinced? Ed Reed ranks 13th in Ravens history in points scored (62).
• The other big question is whether Ed Reed is helping the Ravens being on the field when he can’t tackle effectively. Reed’s most effective weapon through 10 games in 2008 was fear. Opposing QB’s don’t like throwing to his area of the field. To maintain this, however, it is necessary that reality (at least occasionally) corroborate perception. That happened Sunday on a number of plays and after seeing Sportcenter opposing QB’s will again see Ed as a mix of Darth Vader, Hannibal Lechter, and the Lord of the Nazgul.
• JJ had one of the best games of his career with 6 tackles including 1.5 sacks, the FF/FR returned for 22 yards, and a holding penalty drawn.
• The Ravens 3 biggest defensive plays:
o Reed’s TD return—The Eagles were close to making a game of it, but Ed turned out the lights
o Reed’s 43-yard INT return—The TD was great, but would the Ravens have been in an even better position had Reed’s illegal forward pass been taken by the Eagles at the 3? Remember, the TD kickoff return came next.
o JJ’s Sack/FF/FR—This didn’t result in points, but it kept the Eagles from scoring first and the Ravens have been terrific when playing with the lead.
It’s Thanksgiving week, and these are scary economic times, but let’s be thankful for these 8+ mini-Super Bowls we have each year here at M&T. We still get 3 more of them (at least), and it’s likely each one will be meaningful. What a great day to be in the ballpark and watching our favorite team in my favorite type of game, a defensive laugher.
As usual, all the stats exclude kneels:
Overall: 64 plays, 206 yards, 3.2 YPPA
Best: Pryce 32/71, 2.2 YPPA
Worst: Barnes 14/66, 4.7 YPPA No starter was higher than 3.7 YPPA
Vs. the Run: 21 carries, 86 yards, 4.1 YPC
Best: Bannan 11/30, 2.7 YPC
Worst: Ivy 11/60, 5.5 YPC
Vs. the Pass: 43 pass plays, 118 net yards, 2.7 YPP
Best: Pryce 23/35, 1.5 YPP
Worst: Ngata 22/74 3.4 YPP was the worst of all Ravens with 10+ pass plays against and that’s damn good
By number of Pass Rushers:
3 or fewer: 3/8, 2.7 YPP
4: 17/62, 3.6 YPP, 1 Sack, 2 TO
5: 13/20, 1.5 YPP, 1 Sack, 1 TO
6: 9/28, 3.1 YPP, 1 TO
7: 1/0, 0.0 YPP, 1 TO—This was Reed’s 108-yard INT. With the ball inside the 1, there were 7 crashing the LoS and only 4 in coverage, but it’s a stretch to call this a true 7-man blitz. If you exclude this, it’s been 4 straight games without a 7-man rush.
By number of Defensive Backs:
3: 1 play, 0 yards, 0.0 YPPA, 1 TO—Again, Reed’s historic return in the Ravens’ 3-safety goal line alignment
4: 19 plays, 42 yards, 2.2 YPPA, 2 TO
5: 42 plays, 152 yards, 3.6 YPPA, 2 Sacks, 2 TO
6: 2 plays, 10 yards, 5.0 YPPA
7: None for the 3rd straight game
Individual Notes:
• The Ravens played the last play of the 1st half with just 10 men on the field. If you recall, the Ravens called timeout immediately before that play! Normally, when this sort of thing occurs, as it did vs. the Jets early last season, it's impossible to tell for certain that there is a player missing. However, due to the nature of the play, the camera panned across the entire field and each player can be easily counted. The Ravens rushed the passer with 3 (Pryce, Suggs, and Barnes), had Lewis at MLB, and 6 visible DB's (Ivy, Leonhard, Reed, Rolle, Walker, Washington). Who should have been on the field? Well, since that pass rush package is often used with a 7 DB set, I'd say it was most likely Nakamura.
• The Ravens had just 3 DT's Sunday with both Divens and McKinney inactive. That move appears to have been a function of activating an extra offensive lineman. The Ravens had 4 pure offensive tackles available, Anderson, Gaither, Terry, and Slaughter, all of whom played some snaps. Goal line defenses typically include 4 DT's, so Grubbs was again brought in for 1 play (Reed's 108-yard INT).
• Whether it was part of the game plan or a function of having just 3 DT's, the Ravens played a lot of nonmandatory nickel, including the very first play of the game. Ivy thus got the start while Bannan did not. Ivy played 44 snaps for the game, his high for the season (33 at Indy).
• Leonhard again sat out 5 for the Ravens 4-corner (Ivy, Rolle, Walker, Washington) nickel set.
• Nakamura replaced Reed for a single play (Q3, 12:15) as Ed went off with an apparent injury. The Eagles failed to convert on that 3rd down and Reed was back in for the next series.
• Barnes had one of the best productivity games of his career with 2 tackles (tripling his season total to 3) on 14 defensive snaps, including his atomic wedgie of Westbrook for a 2-yard loss. It was certainly a Kodak moment. At 1 Winning Drive, they have a number of paintings depicting great still shots you'd recognize from Ravens history. Somehow, I don't think this would translate well to canvas. Of the Ravens 4 LB's that compete for playing time, Barnes, Greisen (7 snaps), and McClain (5 snaps) all got a taste Sunday. Ayanbadejo, who played 2 snaps vs. the Giants, was seen only on special teams.
• I'm still trying to understand one weird play (Q3, 2:28). The Eagles' LG is pass blocking on the play and at one point leaps up much as a DT might to attempt to deflect a pass at the LoS. This must reduce visibility if not actually impede the passing lane. Does anyone know what that lineman might have been trying to accomplish?
• The very next play (Q3, 2:17) Kolb threw his first interception. The camera immediately went to McNabb who seemed to be clapping (as in "that's OK guys, we'll get 'em next time") with an assistant coach in the background. The assistant appears to be looking at McNabb as if the clapping was inappropriate. The NFL will someday catch up with soccer in Europe and Nascar to give us more personalized camera angle availability. When they do, I want to make sure they stay on the functional shots like “end zone view”, “WR matchup view”, and “MLB view”. I have as much desire to see “angry coach view” and “disgruntled player view” as I do the oft-requested “under the replay hood view”.
• On the 4th and 2 play (Q4, 6:16) that ended the Eagles' next-to-last drive, Bannan made a nice 1-handed grab on the sideline of a pass that looked like it might have been complete had he left it alone. In fact, he reached out towards the field of play, and Rex is visibly upset with him for sticking his hand out. The Philadelphia receiver wanted a flag, but he didn't get one.
• To this point in his career, Ed Reed has not yet ceased to amaze me with his ability to add a new trick to his arsenal. On Sunday, that was leaping PD at the LoS when he was sent on the blitz. Reed got tremendous altitude, made the deflection, and it was nearly intercepted by Rolle. It was 1 of 4 PD’s he had in the game. Tim Ryan correctly pointed out that Reed baited the Kolb into throwing the ball that he intercepted for his record return. The other pick was also a very athletic one as he bolted straight to the sideline, collected it, kept his feet, and returned 43 yards. Am I happy with the result of the attempted lateral? Of course not. Am I happy he looks for those opportunities? Absolutely. Reed has shown tremendous judgment over the years that has led to points and a mentality that the defense should have an obligation to score touchdowns on turnovers. For many of those years, the alternative was handing over the football to an anemic offense that turned 7 into 3 or 0. The big plays come with the risk of an occasional turnover or loss of yardage. We seem to be able to live with the risk/reward set on offense, why not trust talented defensive players to make those same judgments against those guys who aren’t used to making tackles? Still not convinced? Ed Reed ranks 13th in Ravens history in points scored (62).
• The other big question is whether Ed Reed is helping the Ravens being on the field when he can’t tackle effectively. Reed’s most effective weapon through 10 games in 2008 was fear. Opposing QB’s don’t like throwing to his area of the field. To maintain this, however, it is necessary that reality (at least occasionally) corroborate perception. That happened Sunday on a number of plays and after seeing Sportcenter opposing QB’s will again see Ed as a mix of Darth Vader, Hannibal Lechter, and the Lord of the Nazgul.
• JJ had one of the best games of his career with 6 tackles including 1.5 sacks, the FF/FR returned for 22 yards, and a holding penalty drawn.
• The Ravens 3 biggest defensive plays:
o Reed’s TD return—The Eagles were close to making a game of it, but Ed turned out the lights
o Reed’s 43-yard INT return—The TD was great, but would the Ravens have been in an even better position had Reed’s illegal forward pass been taken by the Eagles at the 3? Remember, the TD kickoff return came next.
o JJ’s Sack/FF/FR—This didn’t result in points, but it kept the Eagles from scoring first and the Ravens have been terrific when playing with the lead.