Ed Reed - nobody has mentioned it, so I will.

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Originally Posted by GOTA

I agree but at least Ed Reed made some plays when we really needed them. Ray Rice with that awesome TD run was probably the last time the offense did anything. After that I'm not even sure Rice was given a touch.

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He wasn't.

I thought the gameplan was ok. There were plays to be made. Unfortunately, Flacco and the offense had one of their worst games at home in terms of execution and in general in terms of turnovers. If they make some of those plays, the Ravens win...maybe going away. You have to credit the Steelers' #1 defense for some of those struggles, too.

Anything you get out of the Ravens defense from this point moving forward is a bonus. A special teams play or two a game would be of great help, too.

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Originally Posted by wickedsolo

Letting Dwyer score right before the half to go into the half 13-10 was a bigger deal than most want to talk about. Dwyer ran into the back of the line, which completely sealed off the edges, and Dwyer bounces his fat ass outside and walks into the end zone.

Gave them momentum. Gave them a reason to believe. Kept them close.

Not too mention that the D allowed Charlie Batch to just march down the field by throwing it to Heath Miller.

Had the D been able to hold them to a FG there, it may have been a very different game in the 2nd half and 20 points may have done it.

Just like JAB said, and others, this was a completely and utter team loss. Offense and Defense shit the bed big time. The coaches shit the bed even more because they didn't have this team prepared at all. They were sleep walking through the entire game and it was obvious that they had completely overlooked Charlie Batch.

There is no way that anyone can convince me that the Ravens that ANY team's 3rd string QB should have been able to do that to the Ravens at home. Not only was Charlie Batch completely overlooked, but what the fuck was with the pass rush? They had moved two different guys on their OL and had two starters out. HELLO.

The defense needs a complete overhaul. The offense needs some major work as well - namely in the coaching staff and on the OL - however, the defense REALLY needs a major overhaul because they can't cover for shit, they can't get to the QB, they can't tackle, and half the time we're all sitting around hoping that Ed Reed can make some magic and pick off some poor unsuspecting QB so that the D can finally get off the field.

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That Dwyer play reminded me so much of game 1 against the Bengals. It was almost the exact same play that Green-Ellis ran to score a TD right before the half of the Bengals game. It was so close that I bet the Steelers saw how effective it was and decided to run a similar play.

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Originally Posted by GOTA

That Dwyer play reminded me so much of game 1 against the Bengals. It was almost the exact same play that Green-Ellis ran to score a TD right before the half of the Bengals game. It was so close that I bet the Steelers saw how effective it was and decided to run a similar play.

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Maybe. I couldn't say.

All I know is that the Steelers were operating with a hodge-podge offensive line and they dominated the Ravens DL for a majority of the game.

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Originally Posted by GOTA

I agree but at least Ed Reed made some plays when we really needed them. Ray Rice with that awesome TD run was probably the last time the offense did anything. After that I'm not even sure Rice was given a touch.

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He wasnt and they only had 8 offensive plays in total believe.

Again, the offense was bad against a very good defense. our defense was bad against a very poor offense. Both sides play resulted in a loss at the end of the day. however, ask yourself who you thought would struggle/succeed before the game and i think hands down people would say the matchup was our defense stopping their offense and our offense struggling against their D. our offense struggled, but it should have been expected against a top defense. our defense struggling to match their own performance from 2 weeks prior was the real disappointment. Thats not saying both didnt lead to the loss, its just saying which one under achieved. "Losing at home to Charlie Batch and no OL" is what i keep hearing but then blaming Cam and Joe for the loss. Cam and Joe arent playing against Batch and their OL, theyre playing against a #1 defense.

Being a great defender isn't about making big turnovers, I see them more as icing on the cake. Their job is to the prevent the opposing offense from getting first downs and points, and ultimately getting off the field. If you're a safety, and you blow assignments, and get torched for big plays regularly, an INT every few weeks isn't going to make up for that.

It's like the fielder who makes the ESPN highlight reel every now and then, but can't field his position servicably on a day to day basis.

Well, this isn't last year's defense for the Ravens.
Our defense has been hit hard by loss of personnel from last season and injuries this season.
Ellerbe being out was huge for our defense on Sunday.
None of our linebackers dropped back into coverage the way they are supposed to. Why not?
I don't know. And then Suggs was hurt again and there was no rush at all and apparently no blitzing either.
Why not? What the bloody hell are the coaches thinking or even seeing?!?!?!

On the offensive side of the ball, we are looking at all the same skill personnel plus Jacoby Jones and Pierce.
After a few seasons, this offense should be gelling and moving up and down the field.
But it is not, and we all know why.
I know the Steelers defense is really good but even the Browns moved and scored on them.
We know them as well as any team if not better.
The lack of adjustments throughout the game were more than obvious.
It shows a complete incompetence on the part of the Raven coaching staff to assess the situation and adapt; from the guys upstairs to the ones on the sidelines.

This team wins when individual efforts such as Rice's great run, Boldin's catch while being interferred with, and Reed's leaping interception to stop a drive and change the momentum are strung together without the help of strategy or design or adaptation.

Under these conditions, the only way to win is to have outstanding individual efforts inspite of the underwhelming position they are placed in.
Give me an Ed Reed game changing play any day because from the looks of things, that is what it will take to win games with this knucklehead crew of coaches.

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Originally Posted by Ravens44

I know the Steelers defense is really good but even the Browns moved and scored on them.

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The Steelers had 8 turnovers, and the Browns barely managed to put up 20 points to go along with their blistering 238 yards of total offense.