Is the Kindle, Suggs “noise” a necessary distraction?

[TL24x7]

The Ravens have lacked a consistent pass rush since they stepped on the field for their very first preseason game in Atlanta.

Sergio Kindle was drafted with the hope that he could provide some explosiveness off the edge.

Add it up and you would think that Kindle could make his way on to the 46-man active list on Sundays – at least one, right?

After all, couldn’t the Ravens do without Anthony Allen’s ½ special teams tackle per game? Couldn’t they do without Deonte Thompson’s 20-yard kick returns from 8 yards deep?

Here’s a kid the Ravens have paid for 2+ years just to give him a chance; a kid they burned a second round pick on – their first in the 2010 NFL Draft.

All of these signs suggest just giving Kindle a shot in 2012, just one! But it never happened. Not even at home against the Cleveland Browns.

So when the Ravens promoted Josh Bynes from the practice squad AND Steve Bisciotti shared with us on Wednesday on the Ravens Rap that Bynes would see some action in Houston, Kindle was saved only because of Ray Lewis’ injured status.

And then Terrell Suggs, recovered heel, plump physique and all came knocking on the door. Then it became a question of “when” not “if” for Kindle.

Today the Ravens placed Suggs on the 53-man active roster even though they had 3 weeks to do so. To make room for Suggs, the Ravens finally cut ties with Kindle who apparently has no game left despite impressing the coaches during training camp.

The move is a curious one for sure.

It stands to reason that the Ravens would rest Suggs through the bye week and perhaps give him some limited snaps against the Browns in Cleveland on November 4. Clearly the club knows more about Suggs’ injury than any of us and they won’t take risks with their highly paid All-Pro.

But might he really take the field tomorrow or is this just some gamesmanship on John Harbaugh’s part? And if it is gamesmanship, are the Texans even paying attention? Could an out of shape Suggs really send Gary Kubiak back to the drawing board to restructure his plan of attack?

Last year against the Texans in two games Suggs had a total of 6 tackles and 0 sacks. During the regular season game on October 16, 2011 won by the Ravens 29-14, Suggs didn’t register a single defensive statistic. In 4 career games against the Texans Suggs had 4 sacks, 3 of them in a game won by the Ravens on December 4, 2005 at M&T Bank Stadium by the score of 16-15.

So as of late even a healthier and lighter Suggs hasn’t really been a major hindrance to the successful execution of Kubiak’s game plan.

I doubt that Harbaugh’s cat-and-mouse act has forced the Texans’ coaching staff to work overtime and run out of midnight oil.

Maybe all the noise about Suggs is simply a well-crafted red herring intended to take the focus off the abysmal defensive play from Dean Pees’ crew.

LINK

[lobachevsky]

But might he really take the field tomorrow or is this just some gamesmanship on John Harbaugh’s part? And if it is gamesmanship, are the Texans even paying attention? Could an out of shape Suggs really send Gary Kubiak back to the drawing board to restructure his plan of attack?

Maybe it's intended to keep Kubiak from restructuring his plan of attack.

...even a healthier and lighter Suggs hasn’t really been a major hindrance to the successful execution of Kubiak’s game plan.

I doubt that Harbaugh’s cat-and-mouse act has forced the Texans’ coaching staff to work overtime and run out of midnight oil.

Maybe all the noise about Suggs is simply a well-crafted red herring intended to take the focus off the abysmal defensive play from Dean Pees’ crew.

Let's take it as a given that the Texans have managed to keep Suggs pretty well controlled in recent years.

Do you think that just kindasorta happened?

Or did Houston make some specific arrangements in their game plan to minimize the impact of a player who was having a DPOY season?

Arrangments that they wouldn't need to make Sunday if they were absolutely sure that he wasn't playing?

I'm fond of quoting the old chess maxim that "the threat is more powerful than its execution." Maybe, just maybe, uncertainty about Suggs' status the Texans to plan for him & in turn limit their ability to put alternate game plans in place. Maybe, just maybe, that would be more of a contribution to the Ravens' winning chances than Kindle's possible presence.

It makes as much sense as any other theory right now.

(Re Kindle, I wonder how much of his inability to get onto the field had to do with the hearing loss. It appears [I never found anything definitive] that the league would not allow him to use a hearing aid while playing. No telling how much of a difference it might have made--but Sergio might want to look for some legal advice; it is after all his livelihood at stake.

(Just FTR, I for one will get very, very angry if one of the league's pet franchises signs Sergio & suddenly the hearing aid ruling is reversed & with it he turns into a decent player for them. And so, I'd wager, would Steve Bisciotti, who I hope would sue them until Greedell's eye-sockets dripped with the molten silver that runs in his veins instead of blood.)

PS Tony, why did you reproduce the entire article in your original post & then link to it?

[bmorecareful]

Kindle did get a shot--he was active versus the Eagles and registered a tackle.

He also had innumerable other shots--in practice, in defensive meetings, in the film room, etc. It's painfully obvious at this point that Kindle was not going to contribute in a meaningful way to the Baltimore Ravens. There's no point in rehashing that settled debate.

The gamesmanship with Suggs is nothing special. Teams engage in this kind of silliness constantly. The Texans probably aren't that worried about it because as the OP pointed out, Duane Brown has shut Suggs down every time he's met him.

In fact, based on his play thus far, Duane Brown is the best LT in the league this year. Not bad for a guy who goes 6'4, 310 and was labeled a "RT-only" coming out of college.

[Benny8444]

Brown is an okay LT who usually gets help so when he faces top pass rushers like suggs in the past and the other top ones he usually gets help which he wont need if suggs does not play.

When Brown is one on one he has been in trouble at times. Last week....

[TL24x7]

[QUOTE

PS Tony, why did you reproduce the entire article in your original post & then link to it? [/QUOTE]

I thought the board members might prefer that from time to time. No?