Bernard Pollard: 1) Don't blame Pees; We haven't been executing. 2) Things are going to change on D.

[kronusthebonus]

Pollard is a born Raven. He's going to be one of the leaders of this defense for years to come. I'm glad they're getting angry, but you know the old adage... talk is cheap.

[leachisabeast]

I really like Pollard. I like his tenacity and I think outside of Suggs he is probably the best candidate for an on field leader with Ray out for a while.

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Sorry, but Ed Reed is second in command after Ray Lewis, as much as I like Pollard.

[bacchys]

This is good to hear. I hope we see it. This is the game to see it. If Houston gets close to 200 yards on the ground, I have a tough time seeing us win the game. Flacco would have to turn out to be the reincarnation of Unitas and Otto Graham to pull it off.

We're going to have win with offense, but even the teams that have done it that way through the years have to be able to force punts, get turnovers, and and at least keep the other offense from keeping up. The good news is our defense is fairly good in the red zone. The bad news is they don't do a good job of staying out of the red zone. We need more pass rush and better tackling. As Pollard said, the scheme has been putting players in position to make a play. They just haven't consistently made the play. Multiple times against the Cowboys there were opportunities to make a big play and it didn't happen.

Tackling is down around the league, but that's not a good excuse. Fine, so the new CBA limits contact practice. I don't think it limits working with tackling dummies. Tackling is a fundamental skill. It's a learned, mechanical process. Whether it's practicing hitting through the QB for a sack/QB hit or making an open field tackle, you can work on the mechanical process with a tackling dummy.

[akashicrecorder]

And now there's this ... Dean Pees telling our defense to "cut the crap."

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-cut-the-crap/

[The Excellector]

If you reflect on the schemes used in the games, they have become less and less of an issue. We wanted blitzes and Pees has blitzed more. We wanted press coverage on the outside and Pees has provided more of that.

The players just haven't been executing.

[wickedsolo]

Sorry, but Ed Reed is second in command after Ray Lewis, as much as I like Pollard.

People always say that, but its really not that true. Yes, Ed does talk, but he has always been more of the silent type.

Pollard and Suggs can get guys riled up and ready to go. Ed is also almost exclusively keying on the QB, so other guys generally call shifts and changes before the snap. McClain did this last year when Ray was out.

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[goodandfast]

People always say that, but its really not that true. Yes, Ed does talk, but he has always been more of the silent type.

Pollard and Suggs can get guys riled up and ready to go. Ed is also almost exclusively keying on the QB, so other guys generally call shifts and changes before the snap. McClain did this last year when Ray was out.

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More than that, if he is doing his job on defense then he should be invisible more often than not. Pollard, Suggs, Ngata...those guys have a responsibility to be involved on almost every play, be it making hard tackles, penetrating into the back field, or getting after the QB. Their play is louder, so their leadership is easier to back up play after play, game after game.

As an aside, it appears as though Pollard is already becoming the mouthpiece for the defense. His answers have been appearing more consistently than other players. He has a lot of charisma, and is a born-Raven, as others have noted.

Above all, I think that the team make up is such that every player knows his responsibility and is accountable for it. That makes them all leaders, IMO.

[rastaman831226]

Not buying any of this. Pees was squeezed out of N.E. because his defense was considered too soft. Pees may be intelligent but he's definitely not in the blue collar tradition of Lewis, Ryan, and Pagano. Had hoped he'd grown some ballz as a Ravens assistant but I clearly see that's not the case.

[bmore finest]

Did anyone feel how bad that felt getting beat on by a soft Texas team. That hurt! But Pollard is right, Pees wasn't on the field getting man handled. Things better changed, cause Foster is a beast. He will fumble, and Pollard, Reed, and Ngata will get a couple.

Stop Foster and get a 10 point lead, I got to believe this D can play pissed off for one more week and enjoy this much needed bye coming. I'm pumped to see this D try to get the run D on track.

Ngata please hold up for this game buddy. You will feel better at 6-1 and a week to relax!! Raven Nation will too

[RavenScallywag]

The biggest issue I see with the run is not scheme, but personell. Frequently, our ILBs get swallowed up in second level blocks, our OLBs fail to set a good edge, and the back cuts into the secondary. On top of that, a lot of our DBs try to arm tackle or swat at the ball instead of taking down the ball carrier, leading to extra gains of 5, 10, 15 yards.

Pees can draw up whatever he wants scheme wise...if the DBs can't bring the guy down on the first hit, it's not going to matter.

[steelerhater]

The biggest issue I see with the run is not scheme, but personell. Frequently, our ILBs get swallowed up in second level blocks, our OLBs fail to set a good edge, and the back cuts into the secondary. On top of that, a lot of our DBs try to arm tackle or swat at the ball instead of taking down the ball carrier, leading to extra gains of 5, 10, 15 yards.

Pees can draw up whatever he wants scheme wise...if the DBs can't bring the guy down on the first hit, it's not going to matter.

Maybe, but I still blame Pees for the Philly loss. We had an opportunity to give them the knockout blow when their center left the game, but Pees took his foot off the gas.

[RavenScallywag]

Maybe, but I still blame Pees for the Philly loss. We had an opportunity to give them the knockout blow when their center left the game, but Pees took his foot off the gas.

I think offense should shoulder some of that blame too...Joe looks AWFUL towards the end of the game.