What were the Ravens planned tactics on defense?

**Beau Petard** · 02-04-2013, 07:49 PM

Forgive me if this was covered in another thread, there are so many I can't read them all.

But watching Around the Horn earlier, a comment was made that Jerome Boger, the head official, is known as one who does not call "a lot" of penalties. My question is, did Harbaugh and his staff consider this in their game planning over the last two weeks, and work with the team, especially the defense, to incorporate some of the things that we saw? For example, the talk all night was that "they're letting them play", and too often I feel like I don't see the Ravens take advantage of things like this, but their opponents do. It appeared to me like the secondary was prepped pretty well as far as executing their coverage assignments without drawing calls.

**Captain Silver** · 02-04-2013, 08:09 PM

From a lot of things I heard from Mangini, yes, the Raven's started playing defense a lot like the Patriots did in their Championship years, playing smart and getting away with whatever they could.

**bmoreraventerp** · 02-04-2013, 08:24 PM

Jimmy Smith said he played physical with Crabtree at the end because the refs were letting them play. Not sure if he and the team just adjusted to the game or if they game planned to play like that.

**Beau Petard** · 02-04-2013, 08:36 PM

Cap'n-
Thanks. Mangini has been a real breath of fresh air in the stench that I've experienced from a lot of the other talking heads, Hasselbeck(sp?) being one. He offers some nice insight without sounding like he's knobbing on either team.

b-terp--
Yeah, I wonder about that as well, but in either case, I suspect "Dan"* Pees had more than a little to do with things.

* semi-obscure reference to Peter King's column ;)

**akashicrecorder** · 02-04-2013, 08:44 PM

I forget where I read it (I've inundated myself with articles about the game!), but on our goal line stand, the Ravens showed the Niners a "zero blitz" look three of four times, which is basically an all-out blitz. We wanted them to see it, because we wanted them to understand the pistol and running Gore wouldn't get them into the end zone. We were making a statement that Kaepernick was going to beat us through the air or the Niners weren't going to beat us at all. (The pundits who are bemoaning how the Niners got away from their roots on the last four downs are overlooking this.)

On first down, the only down on which the Niners ran Gore, he ran up the middle right into the blitz for not much, maybe two yards.

The Niners saw this and on second down sent Kaepernick running out to the flat, figuring he'd outrun another all-out blitz, get the edge and get into the end zone. The Ravens figured the Niners would react this way and on second did NOT call zero blitz: so Kaepernick rolled out, defenders were sitting back, he had kind of an "oh crap" moment and threw it to a well covered Crabtree. On this down I read that Harbaugh had actually called upstairs to Pees and told him to blitz again, but Pees said no, we showed them a look, and now they're going to counteract THAT look, so let's sit back. Pees was right.

On third and fourth downs the Ravens went back to blitzing, taking advantage of Kaepernick's inexperience in identifying blitzers. His last two throws were bad because each time he had a defender in his face.

**Ravens44** · 02-04-2013, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by Beau Petard

Forgive me if this was covered in another thread, there are so many I can't read them all.

But watching Around the Horn earlier, a comment was made that Jerome Boger, the head official, is known as one who does not call "a lot" of penalties. My question is, did Harbaugh and his staff consider this in their game planning over the last two weeks, and work with the team, especially the defense, to incorporate some of the things that we saw? For example, the talk all night was that "they're letting them play", and too often I feel like I don't see the Ravens take advantage of things like this, but their opponents do. It appeared to me like the secondary was prepped pretty well as far as executing their coverage assignments without drawing calls.

I do believe that as much as possible was examined to determine how to play them.
I think playing against RGIII and Vick helped this defense as well.
I think the Ravens entire team turned it up a notch and definitely believed in each other and that made everyone step up.
I believe that played a huge part in how the Ravens changed their defensive strategy at every level.
In the past few years, our corners played way off the wideouts.
That seemed to change starting with the Giant game.
So they must have decided they can't go through the gauntlet of Luck, Peyton, and Brady by sitting back and waiting.
And so, I think once they walked onto the Super Bowl stage, every DB plays physical to see how the refs would call it.
The refs let the players play and it seemed everytime Boldin was targeted, he was being pulled and grabbed the entire route even up to and through his catches.
There were some plays where the defender never let go of Boldin, but no flag.
To add to that, it is ridiculous to me, that the talk of PI on that 4th down play is even discussed since we didn't hear the media go apeshit over the non-call last season when Pitta was being held the entire 3rd down play after Evans drop. That would have given the Ravens 1st and goal. Instead, we all know what happened.
And no discussion, no big stink...just Brady wins again. Flacco not good enough.

**Beau Petard** · 02-04-2013, 08:59 PM

aka--
IIRC, that was mentioned in the Peter King column (the one where he writes about our DC - Dan Pees!) that was discussed in another thread, and may be where you saw/read it.

R-44--
I tend to agree that the media seems to favor certain teas and players for how much they sympathize with a losing plight. On one of the shows today (don't recall which), I heard one talking head comment during a replaying of the "shoulda been PI on the Ravens on the last play" that the Ravens were impeding and holding whoever the Niners receiver was down on the other side of the LOS/field such that he couldn't run freely in his pass route. I found this of particular interest given that the play started at the Ravens 5 yard line, and have labored under the impression that contact in the first five yards was permissible. In any case, the media types were indignant that the PI wasn't called on either.

As Flacco might have said, "Awesome! Fuck 'em!" ;)