Ravens working on a deal with DT Domata Peko

[Greg]

And just how do you propose to get said bodies on the field when the opponent is successfully running a no-huddle whose express purpose is to prevent the defense from running in substitutions?

Sheesh.

Against NE and the no-huddle, the Ravens would manage subs in here and there. They couldn't change scheme (nickel to dime, for example) but they could sub a DL here and there. It can be done.

[lobachevsky]

Seems strange to say all this after cutting out the part of my post where I pointed out why depth is still useful against no-huddle teams.

I left it out because I thought it was pure bullshit & not worth repeating.

[NjRavensFan]

I left it out because I thought it was pure bullshit & not worth repeating.

Fucks wrong with you

[NjRavensFan]

Playing fewer snaps doesn't keep people fresher? That seems like a bizarre point to fight back against at all, let alone to that much of a dickheaded degree

[sflegend89]

This was a good get for a team thin on the iDL even with a healthy Pierce. Somoan DL are just tough MF'ers, he spent 10 years in the AFCN, he's built of this brand of football.

I think he gives us some quality snaps, last chance for a ring too, bet he battles hard for us deep in the season

[John Reglarperson]

Big space eater to rotate and keep the other guys a little more rested. I don’t see this as a big issue - more insurance as the season goes on and guys get injured or fatigued.

Been thinking about these 2 new 330 pound NTs. Really like these. Normally, these might be somewhat ho hum 330 pound backup NTs. Solid, capable backups. But I generally look at outlier size and speed guys as innovation pieces. On most NFL teams, they're not going to be about innovation, they don't really seem on top of it. They don't seem to that that kind of mastery. But the Ravens are different. They have Lamar, who, probably at this point, will end up breaking Vick's single season record, and the Ravens overall are on pace for the single season rushing record. A key piece is 310 pound DT/FB Ricard. Most running QB ever, plus 310 FB who just obliterates dbs outside. The 4th and 2 at the 8 TD run was Lamar + 10 big blockers. Really close to a pure kind of run play, I run, and we beat you with 10 big blockers blocking and me running. Little in the way of trickery or anything like that, just we are bigger and we can push you, and our running QB is so good at running. It's a distillation down of a run play to it's barest form, and it worked perfectly. That's where the Ravens are at, what they're capable of doing.

And now the Ravens have 2 more 330 pound NTs. What exactly can the Ravens do with all these 330 pound DTs? I'd say, a lot. They have now, on the team, injured, IR, Williams, Pierce, Mack, Ellis, Peko. That's 5 players 330 pounds or more. And they're all largely short. Short, very heavy, often pretty fast for how heavy they are. And now they have 5 of them, most ever, I think. Short, heavy and fast like that seems to me is the absolutely perfect size in the run game. On the defense side and, also, on the offense size. I'm not oline coach, but if someone asked me what I'd like as a powerful run blocking guard, a 6'5 300 pound offensive guard or a 6'1 330 pound DT, with the same 40 time, and there was time to train that person, I'd take the short 330 pound DT. Often, when these massive DTs are out there, they get double teamed. Often they're double teamed and neutralized. And some say "oh that guy ain't so good, he isn't showing up on the stat sheet or whatever". But it takes 2 guys to stop him. What often happens when he isn't double teamed? Sometimes he just marches the oliner backwards like a blocking shed. They don't put 6'1 330 pound DTs, or just, football players, at OL, because these guys might not have, probably don't have, the kind of lateral agility that you want on your OL to pass protect. But I'd have to say that if I had a year with 2 guys or as long as needed for the bare basics, I would have to think that a 6'1 330 pounder would be able to blow away one 280-300 pound DT, just get him in there and push him back. And the Ravens have 5 of them. You can put 5 DTs out there as the OL and simply demolish the middle of the line, or use them as backs or ends. Lamar + 10 blockers worked great on 4th and 2, for the 8 yard TD. I'd have to think that 5 330 pound DTs would just crush it.

And on defense, what happens when you put 4 of those 330 pounders out there. If each of these players are neutralized with 2, and disrupt the pocket with one, how many oliners would the offense put on the field to avoid pocket disruption? It seems to me that they'd need 8. And they're not going to put 8 out there, so you'll have either Pierce or Williams or Mack or Ellis or Peko pushing the oliner back and disrupting the pocket. To some degree there's a conventional wisdom about how to sack or how to rush the passer collectively. DEs are trained to go around the Tackle on the edge and then bend around and try to grab the QB or sack him. And the Tackle is trained to prevent exactly that. It's a fast edge rusher vs a tackle with enough lateral quickness to keep the edger in front of the tackle or pushed backward behind the QB. And each of the DL/OL matchups are seemingly designed to work in predictable ways. There aren't any teams other than the Ravens who have 5 330 pound DTs? They could put those huge guys out there, and it's not clear at all how the offensive line will deal with that. A 300 pound DT might be more versatile than a 330 DT/NT, but that 330 pound NT will present unique challenges that a 300 pounder probably wouldn't. Put 4 at the same time? Difficult challenges, or matchup nightmare, or something around that, maybe? I just don't know, it's not like I can remember what happens there. It just seems that more 330 pounders than normal are real innovation pieces, and you can invent blitzes, etc, if you place DTs at different places, getting the ols to respond to them, and then have some unseen db race around and sack a QB in a second. I don't know, there are just a lot of innovations that could take place with more size on the DL than any team has ever had before.

In reality the most likely outcome is that these guys are solid backup contributors at DT, but I really like the fact that these solid backup contributors at DT could be seen as innovation pieces in so many different areas.

[BillickFan]

The 2 new DT's will play a series here & there to give BWill & Pierce a breather. Bring them all in on goal line situations. But...if you see more than 10-12 snaps from either...I'll be surprised.

[NjRavensFan]

The 2 new DT's will play a series here & there to give BWill & Pierce a breather. Bring them all in on goal line situations. But...if you see more than 10-12 snaps from either...I'll be surprised.

Pierce might be out a while, and Peko will play a lot as long as that's the case.

[WNCRavensFan]

Pierce might be out a while, and Peko will play a lot as long as that's the case.

It'll be interesting to see who gets more snaps, Peko or Ellis. Peko is almost 35. Ellis is only 28, but he's got the injury issues.

[WNCRavensFan]

It’s interesting because Daylon Mack had that explosive first step on tape and in the preseason so I had high hopes. Then again I always have high hopes so what do I know.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The Ravens are reporting that Mack is legit injured and I see no reason why they would lie about that particular subject. He'll be back competing for playing time next season.

[jhoff66]

From two years ago...

[boller4president]

Call a time-out or something? Incomplete pass?

Fake an injury.

Make them bring out the cart and get guys a breather.