Do the Ravens not like the screen play, or not know how to run one well?

This is a question that has come up as I've watched the Ravens play not only this year, but in previous years as well. Not only do the Ravens rarely run screens, but when they do, they seem to have all the grace of those "end around" fiascos we run from time to time.

There is an art to drawing up and executing a timely screen play, but that art seems to be lost to the Ravens. With all the other short, "garbage" passing formations we use (i.e. curls to the backs thrown behind the line of scrimmage, etc.) why not incorporate the screen? It's perfect when D-Lineman get to the point where they're frustrated, and pin their ears back and try to blast through the line. What better way to frustrate them even more than to LET them through -- like releasing water from behind a damn -- and ALMOST get to the QB...right before the QB dumps the ball off to the back or receiver packed in behind a wedge of blockers?

GO RAVENS!!!

Lack the right mobile personnel on the O-line, see us drafting Chris Chester as a move in the direction being able to add the screen to our offense.

So what you're saying is that as of right now, we lack the personnel to even be able to HAVE a screen play in our playbook?

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1. Jamal's hands are pretty poor and passing to him has never really been an option.
2. Of our current starters Ogden is the only guy mobile enough to get out in front of a play on pulls and screens regularly.

Combine those two and you just don't have the players to successfully run screens in our offense. There are other ways to take advantage of an aggressive defense besides using screens so that's what we have to look to do. The most likely screen we are to run would be middle screens (O-line doesn't have to get to the perimeter) or quick WR screens (TEs and WRs blocking).

1. Ovie Mughelli does not have the same problems with catching the ball as JL
2. Chris Chester HAS played since Vincent got hurt.
3. And what about Jason Brown?
4. I don't know if there's a more pathetic thing than a pro football team that is a potential SB winner that can't even execute a freakin screen play.

1. True though FB screens tend to be rarer than screens to tailbacks as teams want to put the ball in the hands of their most dangerous players.
2. Also true but I thought Vincent re-assumed the starting role this past weekend when he returned from injury?
3. Don't know to be brutally honest, he's not immobile but I haven't seen enough of him this year to comment.
4. The inability to run a screen play is frustrating, but there's more teams in the NFL that run screens badly than run them well. I don't think we're doing ourselves any real disservice by not running them so long as we have other ways to exploit overly aggressive D's.

...so long as we have other ways to exploit overly aggressive D's.

Hmmmmm...All it took were those two "gimmick" plays by Cincy to seal the deal against us, right? (the little shuttle pass that picked up 14 and a 1st down, and then the flea flicker for the TD in the same drive.) I wonder what might have happened if we'd run a screen play on that 4th & 3. Or SOMETHING/ANYTHING that showed a different wrinkle. Just like Cicny did against us. And we all know how that turned out, right?

GO RAVENS!!!

Could this be the mastermind at work? After all, Brian Billick is an offensive guru and maybe he could be saving these for the playoffs.

• The team can come from behind to win
• Mcnair has the offense on a different page and mindset
• The DEADZONE defense ROCKS!!!
• The smashmouth football is present in Baltimore

I bet you any amount of money that the offensive plays and game plans we see in the playoffs will be different from what we have seen since BB took over.

Stay tuned...........

Uh...don't you think the time to have shown some new wrinkles WOULD HAVE BEEN AT CICNY TO HELP US CLINCH THE AFC NORTH? The only wrinkles I saw in that game were either from Cincy, or on McNair's dead tired arm. A screen play certainly wouldn't have taxed McNair -- he was already reduced to throwing nothing but crap dumpoffs to backs out of the backfield anyway. This sounds like the same kind of junk that was leaking all around the Redskins since the pre-season: "Oh...wait until you see what Al Saunders has waiting in his 700 page play book". Yeah, right. Maybe they'll show it all next year, if he's still around.

GO RAVENS!!!

While the Ravens do not have an especially mobile offensive line, they do have effective blockers at the receiver position in Heap, Clayton and Mason. Perhaps this is why we *do* see the passes out into the flat pretty often: no screen because the blockers are already in place.

Just a thought.

As a side note I love to see opposing offenses throw screen passes against us, because normally they get blown up immediately, often for a loss of yards. I'm not convinced it is a required part of a team's arsenal, excepting the Denver Broncos who are built around that kind of thing.

I saw the New England Pats execute one to perfection, resulting in a 31 yard TD. And maybe I'm old school, but I DO believe it should be in every team's arsenal -- to be pulled out maybe once or twice a game -- just when the opposing defense believes it can get to the QB, resulting in a big gainer instead of a sack. I'm also beginning to believe in the importance of having that quick little shuttle pass that Cincy used to gain a big first down, right before the flea flicker. (I'm less of a fan of the end around -- not only have I seen it blow up in our faces, I've seen it blow up against a lot of teams lately. I think the LBs are just too fast and/or too smart to make that play as effective as it used to be.)

GO RAVENS!!!

I like that shovel pass, and *that's* something I believe is in the playbook. In fact we've seen it once this year, resulting in a Wilcox fumble at the goal line, but it was still a good call in my opinion.

I would guess as the younger athletic offensive linemen mature and BB has an off season to rework the playbook - which I believe does not change much during the season - we may see the occasional screen pass in the years to come. Did he use it in Minnesota? Robert Smith was more of a weapon as a receiver then Jamal is.