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09-10-2012, 02:43 PM #121
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Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
WNST being the most levelheaded, for a change...
WNST @WNST
Glenn: I'm going to stop speculating about the O-Line until I see the group out there tonight. #Ravens.
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“When I think of a Baltimore Raven - we go in there, we take your lunch box, we take your sandwich, we take your juice box, we take your applesauce, and we take your spork and we break it. And we leave you with an empty lunch. That’s the Baltimore Raven way.” - Steve Smith Sr.
Call me a Special Teams coach again. I dare you! I double dare you, MFer!
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09-10-2012, 02:49 PM #122
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Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
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09-10-2012, 02:57 PM #123
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Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
There was that too, but you still cannot deny in any way that McKinnie didn't have a bad game against the Pats, and contributed to our inability to protect Joe (even if he did have a big game) or run the ball.
Birk was just too worn down through the year because of his age, when he begins the season you can clearly see he plays like a top flight center, sadly age has it's huge disadvantage towards the end of the year. Don't forget mr all pro Ben Grubbs who also had an awful game, and could not help Birk out at all in that one.
McKinnie still looked like crap in that game regardless (as did Oher admittedly).
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09-10-2012, 03:01 PM #125Regular 1st Stringer
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Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
I actually read a pretty detailed o-line evaluation after that game in which the author analyzed every snap, and he actually he had Birk rated pretty high. He said that Birk was unfairly criticized for his play in that game and that Grubbs was actually the lineman most responsible for Wilfork having a huge game...for what it's worth
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09-10-2012, 03:31 PM #126Hall Of Fame Poster
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Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
This is true. Birk played very well outside of the 4th down play where he allowed a pressure up the middle from Wilfork--and he had NO HELP AT ALL on that play or most of the rest of the game. For being essentially singled up with Wilfork all game long he wasn't that bad.
Yanda and Grubbs were miserable in the AFCCG and both of them got beaten like drums by the Pats' 5-techs. Yanda of course was injured and probably shouldn't have even been playing, but Grubbs has no excuse.
Oher and McKinnie were not the weak links in that game, bottom line.
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Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
And the fact that Birk is still starting over a slew of decent youngsters tells you what the coaching staff and Ozzie think of Birk.
Sure, he's on the way out, but he's a LOT better than people give him credit for and Center is one of those positions where game experience REALLY counts for something.
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09-10-2012, 03:38 PM #128Hall Of Fame Poster
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Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
You just can't win the Birk argument. You can present them game tape, detailed breakdowns, stats, whatever--the response is always "well, he's old, so he most be bad!"
Birk probably isn't one of the top centers in the league anymore, but he is more than good enough and can do what we need him to do. He still has plenty of mobility to zone block and get out to the second level, he gives up very little pressure in the passing game, and he absolutely does not miss game time.
There's definitely the chance that his game falls off at some point, but plenty of centers have played deep into their 30's and retired while still able to play at a good level. Birk is one of them, as much as some people don't want to think so for whatever reason.
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Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
This.
If anybody re-watches that tape, they would see that Wilfork played probably 50-55% of his snaps...maybe even more...at DE in that 3-4.
But you know... people don't pay attention that stuff. Since the Patriots list him as a NT, that has to be where he plays all the time.
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Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
Spot on.
And I'm sorry, but the idea of a rookie making the line calls agaisnt Pittsburgh or Cincy this year scares the hell out of me.
And probably Flacco too.
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09-10-2012, 03:48 PM #131
Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
Last edited by HoustonRaven; 09-10-2012 at 04:01 PM.
"Nothing stops these Baltimore Ravens. Beat them, injure them, shove them to the bottom of the standings, drag them into a hostile environment and mount a big lead, and they just keep trudging forward like nothing fazes them." (Bleacher Report)
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Re: Osemele to start at tackle on Monday night
Yeah Birk isn't really everyone's favourite around this board for whatever reason, but he was one of our best FA signings since the Harbaugh era. If you watch film on him, he has very little weaknesses to his game, and he is without question our next best olineman after Yanda.
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