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TMQ's take on the Ravens/Billick debacle....
This is what Gregg Easterbrook of ESPN's TMQ said about the Ravens/Billick era:
"Monday Night -- You're Surrounded: Will Dec. 9 -- Pittsburgh at New England -- be Super Bowl XLII.LXXV? The Steelers just blew Baltimore off the field. Not only did they win big, they held the Ravens to five first downs! Sure, the weather was bad. And sure, the homecoming-game atmosphere -- was there a dance afterward? -- was a factor. But it takes great defense to hold any team -- even the low-voltage Ravens -- to five first downs. Here are the Baltimore offensive possession results: fumble, punt, fumble, punt, punt, interception, touchdown, end of first half, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt. Pittsburgh has a great defense and a good offense. Unless the Chargers snap out of it, the Steelers are the only team besides the Colts that can threaten the Patriots. Circle Dec. 9 on your calendar now.
As for the Ravens, they were 13-3 before trotting onto their home field for a January playoff game after a restful bye week. They're 4-5 since. Last year's successful if predictable formula for Baltimore was power defense and clock-control rushing; this year's unsuccessful formula is pass-wacky futility. In the first half Monday night, the Ravens' coaches called 16 passes (attempts plus sacks) versus nine rushes; the 16 called passes netted 16 yards, the nine rushes 53 yards. You don't need to consult Ernie Adams in his off-limits office next to Bill Belichick's to determine the flaw in Baltimore's strategy that those numbers reveal. Steve McNair has a 75.8 quarterback rating, Kyle Boller a 75.6 rating; both are barely better than Miami's Cleo Lemon statistically, yet the Ravens' coaches keep calling passes. Brian Billick is in his ninth year running the Ravens and he's still commonly referred to as an "offensive guru," even though his team is in its ninth straight year of poor offense. If Denver is already this season's NFL train-wreck team, Baltimore appears to be barreling down a siding toward a washed-out bridge."
I agree wholeheartedly!!!!
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11-07-2007, 09:56 AM #2
Re: TMQ's take on the Ravens/Billick debacle....
Well, that says it all. The whole United States of America (looking at the MNF map) thinks we are lousy and everyone predicted that we would lose to the Steelers. Maybe they didn't think we were that bad, but we proved them right.
The one positive: Change is in the air.
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11-07-2007, 10:48 AM #3Pro Bowl Poster
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Re: TMQ's take on the Ravens/Billick debacle....
The 53 yards include a 30+ or whatever it was rush by McGahee for a touchdown. So that leaves 8 for 20.
Also, musa had a 10+ yard run, no? On a long 3rd down by our goal line? A draw play?
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11-07-2007, 11:56 AM #4
Re: TMQ's take on the Ravens/Billick debacle....
Yeah, those statistics are somewhat misleading, plus we were down 21 points before your ass could warm the seat up.
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11-07-2007, 11:57 AM #5Pro Bowl Poster
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Re: TMQ's take on the Ravens/Billick debacle....
Hey, misleading or not, at least running the ball in those instances actually made 1 play! That's more than passing got the team.
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11-07-2007, 12:42 PM #7
Re: TMQ's take on the Ravens/Billick debacle....
running the ball when down 2+ touchdowns doesn't usually work too well.
I think everyone is overreacting. we did this twice to the squealers last year; were they calling for Cowher's head?
we go in with a makeshift o-line and a 2nd string d-backfield; the squealers only passed so much cuz they couldn't run on us. Ed Reed's fumble was a blindside pop; it happens. lets face it, not too many teams are going to win in Pittsburgh these days.
we really, really need a qb."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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11-07-2007, 02:27 PM #8
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11-07-2007, 02:39 PM #9Pro Bowl Poster
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Re: TMQ's take on the Ravens/Billick debacle....
Originally Posted by sailorsam
But this game aside, TMQ does have a point in that we do appear to be a little pass-happy this season. This doesn't make much sense to me, because last year Billick kept giving Jamal carries when he wasn't really very productive, and this year, McGahee is running better than Jamal was but we are passing more and running less. Go figure.
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11-07-2007, 02:53 PM #10
Re: TMQ's take on the Ravens/Billick debacle....
"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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