One Major Flaw in Ravens Offense

**mommathurgoesthatman** · 10-23-2012, 12:07 PM

Cam and Ozzie understanding of offensive philosophy and personel.

Ozzie peronel chocies does not match cam offensive philosophy.

If the Ravens was a run first team than ozzie personel choices would have been great. Signing Leach to go along with Ray Rice and an aggressive run blocking offensive line is perfect for a run first based team. You give your big arm QB good size targets to throw to and give him players that are possesion type recievers with sure hands(Boldin, Pitta, Dickson, Doss). You draft and sign tall, big, fast WR's that can stretch the field (Smith, Jones, Streeter). This personel grouping would be great for a run first-play action type of offfense. Ozzie has done a great job in building a run first based team.

Cam on the other hand has a philosophy that run first is not always the first option. Some due to his part but the other is due to the progression of Flacco and the NFL. Flacco has proven that he can lead the offensive on scoring drives in crunch situations(ie Pats and Ravens game in AFC championship game last playoff) and has showed at times he can move the ball up and down the field on long drives. Also this leauge is driven by offensive and scoring now. And the rules are favorite for offensive players. Especially QB's and WR's. So a combination of both along with Flacco turning into a franchise qb and playing for a new contract has shifted the philosophy to center around Flacco and him having the keys. Flacco no huddle(sugar) offense is his. I give credit because he has been very good at times with the offense. Rice is a good player but he is not cam top priorty as we can tell from the games when Rice only recieved 13 or fewer run attempts.

If cam will be here for the long run (or maybe not) than ozzie needs to look to draft or sign quicker WR's that can create separation between defenders in the short-medium passing game (ie, wes welker, Hawkins from the begals, Brown from the steelers). That type of WR on the ravens offense will help us in the short yardage and underneath routes. We have fast recieves that are not necessarily quick. They have fast and long strides that can strecth the field but that doesnt help in short yardage situations. Bobby Rainey is a guy who i am hoping will get more clock because he is a very quick and shifty player that can make plays in open space and help out a great deal in short yard situations.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

**The Excellector** · 10-23-2012, 12:14 PM

I still say that there is a difference between having a player with size and having a player who 'plays up to' his size. As a passing option, there is no reason why Ed Dickson shouldn't be a focal point. However, he does not play to his size. He drops passes when he hears footsteps. He is not consistent with going up and getting the football. I think that fans assumed that Jones' speed would require safety help, but he doesn't play to his size or get open consistently either. This was an issue for him in Houston.

There have been games against adequate defenses where Boldin could leave his mark. However, he is not separating from the better defenses.

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 10-23-2012, 12:20 PM

I will say this...if we are not going to be a run first team, there is no point in paying a fullback $3.5 million.

**ravensnhokies** · 10-23-2012, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by Raveninwoodlawn

I will say this...if we are not going to be a run first team, there is no point in paying a fullback $3.5 million.

Honestly, there was no point in allocating $3.5M to a fullback, no matter how good Leach is. Having a fullback in there bunches up the defense bc they are not much of a receiving threat. Spreading teams out is the name of the game in todays NFL with passing the ball effectively and in fact, I think you can run the ball better bc that extra defender isnt in the box. IMO the best option the Ravens have on offense is single back Ray with 3 WR/1TE or 2WR/2TE sets on 1st down. I like Leach in there on 2nd and 3rd & short, but otherwise, I dont think Leach helps out. So with that in mind, should the Ravens devoted $3.5M to Leach instead of a quality defensive player? I say no

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 10-23-2012, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by ravensnhokies

Honestly, there was no point in allocating $3.5M to a fullback, no matter how good Leach is. Having a fullback in there bunches up the defense bc they are not much of a receiving threat. Spreading teams out is the name of the game in todays NFL with passing the ball effectively and in fact, I think you can run the ball better bc that extra defender isnt in the box. IMO the best option the Ravens have on offense is single back Ray with 3 WR/1TE or 2WR/2TE sets on 1st down. I like Leach in there on 2nd and 3rd & short, but otherwise, I dont think Leach helps out. So with that in mind, should the Ravens devoted $3.5M to Leach instead of a quality defensive player? I say no

Yeah, I know it's almost blasphemous to say we don't need Leach as he's a hell of a FB, but the team needs to come to a decision on what it's going to be.

If it's going to be a run primarily team, Leach needs to be on the field for most snaps.

If he's not, then take that money and use it on something else and use someone like Bajema as an H-Back when you need a lead blocker.

**darthpemo** · 10-23-2012, 02:22 PM

I love Leach... guys looks to hit somebody every play.

Maybe its time to put Rice and Leach in a pro set and let Leach hit who ever is blitzing head on.

He likes and the other guy won't. Next a Houston player jumps up to bat a ball... encourage Leach to hit him.

**NOLARavenFAN** · 10-23-2012, 02:16 PM

Cam is a run guy........we have to win the next two games and take it from there.

**wickedsolo** · 10-23-2012, 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by Raveninwoodlawn

I will say this...if we are not going to be a run first team, there is no point in paying a fullback $3.5 million.

Bingo.

They paid all this money to Rice and Leach...and then they don't use them.

Makes no sense.

**bmorecareful** · 10-23-2012, 12:25 PM

Where are people getting this notion that Cam is a pass-first coordinator? This is NOT reality!!! Cam Cameron has never coordinated an offense that was higher than 12th in the league in passing attempts, and the Ravens have never been higher than 16th (which is thus far in 2012, last year was 2nd most at 18th in the league).

Cam Cameron has been an NFL OC for 10 years. For 7 of those 10 years his offense has been in the top 8 in rush attempts, including every year w/the Ravens except this year (28th in attempts).

Cam Cameron was never a pass-first coordinator until this year, IF he even is so now, so the argument that we have run-first personnel with a pass-first coordinator isn't true, historically. If it's even true this year, I would argue that we have the best skill position players on offense we've ever had for the passing game.

Offensive line is a different story. Ozzie has spent some picks on OL, but he let some talented players walk (Jason Brown, Gaither, Grubbs) for better or worse, and tried to fill them in with aging FA vets at the last minute (Willie Anderson, Bryant McKinnie, Bobbie Williams). He has not signed a marquee FA OL during that time, but that's kinda rare anyway.

Our offense would probably be better with Vincent Jackson or Calvin Johnson at WR (great fits for the Coryell offense,) but what offense wouldn't be better?

**leachisabeast** · 10-23-2012, 12:40 PM

Screw this Coryell crap anyway, we need to be a power run based offense and use play action like the 49ers do. That's what we should have been ever since 08, we had the defense to do that. But, I have to agree with bmorecareful after thinking about it, our defense probably isn't good enough to do what the 49ers do on offense now that our defense has fallen off a cliff.

**srobert96** · 10-24-2012, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

Screw this Coryell crap anyway, we need to be a power run based offense and use play action like the 49ers do. That's what we should have been ever since 08, we had the defense to do that. But, I have to agree with bmorecareful after thinking about it, our defense probably isn't good enough to do what the 49ers do on offense now that our defense has fallen off a cliff.

We have tried that and it does not work. Rice is not the right running back for that offense. Rice is more shifty than he is powerful.

**leachisabeast** · 10-25-2012, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by srobert96

We have tried that and it does not work. Rice is not the right running back for that offense. Rice is more shifty than he is powerful.

lol it doesn't work? Have you seen Rice's stats over the last 3 years? Comments like this are beyond me, and so stupid. How many times do people need to know that WE WIN MORE DAMN GAMES WHEN RICE RUNS THE BALL, end of story. People say that Rice isn't a power back, but that's not entirely true, he's more of a power back than a shifty back, people just look at his height and assume he can't be a power back. He isn't really a guy in the mold of McFadden who's a threat to take it to the house on any given play, he's actually more effective between the tackles and powering him self through linebackers with his low center of gravity.