BSL: Flacco Struggles Against the Bengals Zone Blitz

**Justlovemybirds** · 09-10-2014, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by bmorecareful

It was obvious that the game plan clearly called for a lot of spread/empty sets. Perhaps they thought there was something they could exploit in Cincinnati's dime sets?

At the end of the day, as bad as Flacco looked in the first half and as frustrating as his pre-snap failings are, the Ravens' receivers still put 6 catchable balls on the ground. That would have been another 100 yards and 1 TD right there, which takes Flacco's QBR from 71 to 85.7 (or possibly better, since we can't predict how much the game situation would have changed if those passes were completed.)

That's not to mention how terrible the WRs looked running routes and trying to get open. Torrey Smith, in particular, just looks totally lost out there trying to run actual NFL routes. Through one game, I'm disappointed with Flacco but offensively IMO the bigger failing is this WR group.

Yup

Pro Football Focus @PFF
Joe Flacco lost 110 yards in the air through drops, highest in the league in Week 1

**Paintballguy** · 09-10-2014, 12:23 PM

Losing 110 yards through drops is unacceptable.

**Stealthbirds80** · 09-10-2014, 12:34 PM

My positive that I take from this is that Joe should improve a smidge this year as this is only the second time he's had a former QB working with him that is his coach. The last time that happened, we had Jim Zorn working with Joe and he posted his best season ever (2nd season).

I look to see Kubiak going over his issues in film from a QB perspective and during a game with the all-22 images. It is getting to the point that we say, "he is what he is" at this point in his career, but he may also still not be a finished product.

I will give him the benefit of the doubt in a totally new system against defenses he hasnt seen in practice. I reserve judgement to about weeks 8-10.

**AirFlacco** · 09-10-2014, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by Ravenstatsman

Why do people think Joe gave us the win? A 1 point lead with 6 minutes remaining is not a win. 16 points is not a win. Most teams will have a hard time keeping the other team from scoring a FG in that situation.

Defense still should have held. Green scored on the next play. We
win that game with Webbie in there instead of Brown. I don't think he gets
181 yds vs him much less that TD but they still should have held.

**Haloti92** · 09-10-2014, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by AirFlacco

You must have missed the bomb to Smith Sr for what should have been
the winning TD with 2 mins left.

2 minutes left? Re-check the clock on that one.

If Flacco had hit Smith Sr for a TD with 2 minutes left, it would have tied the game. Instead, that drive ended on downs (with a sack).

**AirFlacco** · 09-10-2014, 01:38 PM

Yea, it was 6 mins left according to post above,but they still couldn't protect the lead.
They came back right away.

**Haloti92** · 09-10-2014, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by AirFlacco

Yea, it was 6 mins left according to post above,but they still couldn't protect the lead.
They came back right away.

Yep, just like Cincy couldn't protect the lead right before we couldn't protect the lead. And like a half dozen other teams, like the Steelers and Saints and Patriots, couldn't protect the lead. But unlike those other teams we couldn't score more than 16 points at home in beautiful weather.

**AirFlacco** · 09-10-2014, 01:57 PM

Cinci held on for the win and blitzed the hell out of Joe at the end to win it. They still won and Squeelers still won when Jen brought them back vs the Clowns. Jen didn't throw 60 times in that game either. It think it was closer to 34 times w/o looking it up. Broncos held vs Dolts comeback.

**Filmstudy** · 09-10-2014, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by Terpsfan82

I read that Cincinnati ran the same blitz earlier in the game and Flacco saw it and got rid of the ball. It just seems he's not consistent enough with pre-snap recognition and moving people around to compensate for extra blitzers. He will get better as he grows more comfortable with this offense, I believe, but after six plus seasons, his football IQ is what it is.

They ran the same double-a-gap look for 3/4 of the game. Basically it was a simple 4-man front or double-a-gap look on the vast majority of plays.

**Filmstudy** · 09-10-2014, 02:21 PM

Regarding the drops, the 110 yard figure quoted by PFF doesn't mean Joe should have had 110 more yards. In fact, it would be upped for some YAC, but should be reduced for a league average number of drops for 62 passes. I estimate that number at 3 and change based on the average number of drops for WRs targeted between 52 and 72 times last season.

So make the receivers responsible for approximately 5/8 of those 110 yards or approximately 69 yards. Flacco came out 88 yards shy of his expectations based on my ATS model, so I think it's fair to say MOST of the problem Sunday was the receivers, but not all of it.

**ravensnhokies** · 09-10-2014, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by Stealthbirds80

My positive that I take from this is that Joe should improve a smidge this year as this is only the second time he's had a former QB working with him that is his coach. The last time that happened, we had Jim Zorn working with Joe and he posted his best season ever (2nd season).

I look to see Kubiak going over his issues in film from a QB perspective and during a game with the all-22 images. It is getting to the point that we say, "he is what he is" at this point in his career, but he may also still not be a finished product.

I will give him the benefit of the doubt in a totally new system against defenses he hasnt seen in practice. I reserve judgement to about weeks 8-10.

I am strongly in the camp that Joe is by no means a finished product. Its the 1st year he is in a real offense scheme where there are a multitude of routes working in concert with one another. He actually has to read the defense (pre and post snap) to determine the best passing option. Cam's offense had some rudimentary reading of the defense scheme, but none of the routes worked off another. It was incumbent for the receivers to get open on their own doing and not by play design like Kubes scheme. Honestly, I've been pleased with Joe's development, b/c this scheme is the polar opposite from Cam's. I thought Joe was gonna look a lot worse, but I still expect growing pains. (Sidenote: Cam offensive scheme is good for years 1 & 2 for a new QB, b/c it protects them from making too many inexperienced mistakes. Beyond that it becomes it becomes detrimental to the QB's mental development.)

Its the receivers that are having a lot more trouble mentally with running the right routes or sitting in zones in this Kubes offense. There were a few times Torrey didn't do the right thing. During Joe's INT, there were two receivers in the same area where Joe was going to deliver the ball to (so he made a poor throw to his 2nd read). Even Pitta didn't continue his route when he sat in a zone right behind a LB. These receivers have gotta read the defenses and run the right routes. Biggest cause of the drops is always thinking too much when running a route, and not focusing on catching the ball (why Ed Dickson dropped half of the balls thrown to him)

**Igotstoknow** · 09-10-2014, 03:30 PM

I don't like to throw Joe under the bus. Other QB's, even elite ones make bad mistakes. I alluded to one Rodgers made in the thread about Joe owning the 1st half ending gaffe. The only thing that bothers me, going back to the TP strip sack, is that these blitz's seem pretty obvious before they happen, not exactly well disguised. Why can't our D do that? We used to.

Anyway, not to digress, but when I saw that game ending blitz coming right in front of my seats, I thought, what a perfect set up for a screen to that side. I know a screen is risky when you need 9 yards and it was an empty backfield, but a WR screen seemed wide open. Then I remembered what a shitty screen team we are and dismissed the possibility, as our guy probably would have been dropped at the LOS. I'm sure the Bengals know that too.