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  1. #1

    Bubble Notes--Preseason Finale 9/3/09

    In 2 pieces.

    Preseason Finale 9/3/09 vs. Falcons

    I can’t imagine a more productive preseason finale.

    The Ravens rested all the significant regulars. No injuries were suffered. Suggs saw his first action and appears to be the same old Sizzle. Demetrius Williams stepped forward with a big game to send the Ravens into the regular season with at least 3 decent and uninjured receivers. Beck overcame a terrible performance by the 2nd string offensive line and turned in a fine game. All 4 of the RB/FB crew did a little something to impress. All 4 of the young ILB candidates played well. We finally got a look at some players we’d been wondering about on the fringe of the roster. And the Ravens capped off a 4-0 preseason with a big win over the Falcons.

    The game was billed as the battle of the bubble and did not disappoint. You know how this works…I’ve given the bubble contenders and a few other Ravens a grade from +3 to -3 reflecting how much I think their chance to impact the 2009 Ravens changed by their play Saturday. Each player has a number associated with this game and a total for the 4 games to date, in that order.

    Ayanbadejo (0/-3): Brendan had a quiet night. I don’t count the snaps in the preseason, but I’d estimate he was in for a dozen plays or so, recording 2 tackles. His own contributions were fine, but he was not helped by the play of Burgess and Phillips, each of whom are potential competition and have more significant long-term value to the Ravens.

    Barnes (0/0): He had an offsides penalty against the Atlanta first team. He then recorded an apparent sack and forced fumble (Q2, 6:25). After dislodging the ball, he watched the QB fall to his knees and began his victory dance and the QB got up and threw incomplete. It was a dumb play and once again Barnes turned a positive into a negative.

    Burgess (+2/+1): Who is that guy wearing number 54? We hadn’t seen him since college. Burgess was a bulwark, setting his feet very well when tackling (example: Q2, 9:38 stand up of Snelling). He had a separation hit on #30 (Q2, 7:03). I missed the Falcon’s name, and that isn’t among the listed numbers. He had 3 tackles, 1 for a loss, another tackle on special teams, and recovered Webb’s fumbled punt return.

    Cook (+1/0): It was good to see him catch the ball. Remember, it started with a single catch for Mughelli against Cincinnati in week 9 of 2006 (he had not even had a carry to that point) and ended with a Pro Bowl selection that same season and a big contract from the Falcons that Winter. He also was the first man down the field on the last kickoff (Q4, 1:17). I’d guess he’ll start the year on the practice squad, but will see action in the NFL in 2009.

    Cousins (0/-5): According to the Gamebook, Cousins came in as a substitute. I did not see him play, even on special teams, and wonder if he even dressed. The Ravens used at least 3 OT’s in the game (Reitz, Stallings, Rodgers). In his absence the offensive line situation did not become any clearer (see offensive line comments below).

    Drew (+1/-3): Drew caught one of the 2 balls thrown to him (the first 2 of the preseason). LJ Smith and Heap were inactive, so Jones, Smolko, and Drew split the time at TE with Drew not seeing action until the 2nd half. If Ozzie liked him, I have to believe there is another team out there that also did, because the Ravens don’t waste draft picks when they can sign UDFA’s. For that reason, I think it’s still more likely that he goes to IR than the PS.

    Edwards (+1/+1): Edwards played well Thursday, registering a tackle and coming close to half of each sack. The Ravens have a couple of extra roster spots on the margin. So, I’d say Edwards is very likely on the team, but if he’s going to dress on Sundays before there are some injuries I think he needs to do something else. Here’s an idea…could Dwan be used as a TE in short yardage situations? He’s not Haloti Ngata, but I think he might be able to use his size effectively on the edge, and the Ravens are not stacked with blocking TE’s. Given Ngata’s defensive importance, I think it might be a practical use for Dwan. It’s just a thought, but if I were Dwan, I’d have offered it already.

    Ellerbe (0/-1): Again inactive. Bummer. By all accounts, the guy can play. With the position so deep, I’m not sure the PS makes sense, but he will be on someone’s PS this season if he isn’t on IR with the Ravens.

    Figurs (0/-1): He got a smattering of action, including 2 punt returns, some snaps at receiver, and 2 balls/1 catch. I think Foster and Harper will make the team ahead of him. Was he used as a punt gunner? No, not that I could tell. The Ravens used 5 different sets of gunners on their 6 punts:
    1. Lawrence and a player I can’t make out (Q2, 14:04)
    2. Webb and Gerard (Q2, 9:45)
    3. Gerard and Martin (Q2, 4:40)
    4. Gerard and Martin (Q3, 12:10)
    5. Riley and Oglesby (Q3, 2:20)
    6. Foster an unknown (Q4, 9:43)

    Foster (+1/+2): Foster had 2 balls thrown to him and caught them both. Each catch was made in traffic (Q1, 7:57 and Q4, 15:00). He also took a big hit on a punt return but held on to the football. The Ravens may yet make a move for a veteran receiver, but I think this game clearly put Foster ahead of Figurs.

    Gerard (+1/0): He had a special teams tackle and 2 more on defense. He also forced a holding penalty while gunning on a punt return. I would think he’ll make the PS if another team doesn’t pick him up.

    Gooden (+1/+3): He appears to have won the starting spot at RILB. Both of his sacks this preseason were as a free hitter, but he closed the deal each time. You can’t take that for granted with, say, a blitzing nickel. Gooden showed exceptional timing on his blitz (Q1, 1:15) Thursday, but the play was made by McClain who drew a double team to create the gap.

    Gregg (0/-1): I think Gregg is going to want to start the season, whether he is ready or not. I can’t see how he’ll make it through 16 games, however, so I think it makes sense to keep Talavou protected.

    Hale (-2/0): Followed up a fine game against Panthers with a very poor effort against the Falcons. Hale was on the ground frequently. There were 2 plays that stood out to me. On the plus side, he stayed with a run block, driving Gilbert deep into level 2 (Q4, 11:13). On Peerman’s 1-yard run left (Q4, 7:40), Hale pulled, but ran right into Lucas. Lucas was occupied by Mattison, but Hale bounced right off him to the ground.

    Harper (-2/-3): Wow. What a very frustrating player. He makes Reese McCall look like Dave Casper. Harper dropped 2 passes which might have gone for a combined 100+ yards and a TD. I’m happy about his size and the amount of separation he’s getting, but he is too easily distracted. On Thursday, he dropped 2 balls deep along the left sideline. On the first (Q2, 6:08), the defender had his hand up, but didn’t touch the ball. Shades of last week. On the second (Q3, 13:11), Harper tried to make a 1-handed grab when his left arm was on top of the defender’s. Inexcuseable. I keep weighing the pros and cons. He has 4 cheap years left, size, verticality vs. lack of football intelligence, a tendency to alligator arm in traffic, and hands of stone. Regardless of their developmental plans for Harper, it won’t be a good thing if he sees any meaningful snaps in 2009.

    Jones (+1/-1): Jones rebounded from his effort against Carolina with a catch on the only ball thrown his way. He caught the ball as an outlet and did not show fear cutting back to the inside where he was hit by 3 Falcons. On the play he lined up in the backfield again. I don’t think he had a very good game as a blocker.

    Kruger (0/+3): Paul again played most of the game and played very well outside the tackles. There were 3 plays that stood out. He made a cut tackle of Rader in the flat (Q2, 7:39) that was just gorgeous. He took down Snelling on a sweep right (Q2, 2:24). And he missed a tackle of Weems (Q3, 10:28), but forced the play outside so that most of the posse could arrive. Kruger actually missed that tackle twice, but still made the play. I can’t think of another time I’ve ever seen that. On the downside, Kruger didn’t really generate any decent pressure and although he made the tackle, Paul got flattened (Q2, 13:13) by Snelling when he ran right at him.





  2. #2

    Re: Bubble Notes--Preseason Finale 9/3/09

    Lawrence (0/0): He was the victim of some truly bad offensive line play and finished with just 5 yards on 8 carries, but he made 2 catches, was the gunner on at least 1 punt, and made a special teams tackle. I don’t think he did anything to hurt his chances to play in 2009, but the competition here in Baltimore will be stiff.

    Martin (0/+1): Martin played, gunned on at least 2 punts and did a good job in coverage. When Oglesby intercepted Shockley (Q4, 6:38), Martin also had made a move on the ball behind 25 and would have at least had a PD had the ball made it by Evan. He also seemed to be very happy for Oglesby with each play he made, which is good to see when they may be competing for a spot.

    J McClain (+1/+2): In addition to setting up Gooden’s sack, McClain got off a block well (Q2, 8:17) to take down Snelling. He was a step slow covering the TE Zinger (Q3, 11:09). He’s made the team but I think he and Gooden are probably the best players the Ravens could consider trading due to the surplus of LB talent and their other needs.

    McKinney (+1/+2): McKinney controlled his gaps well on Thursday. He got good pocket push and worked off his block well to take down Wilson (Q2, 1:46). His penetration (Q3, 7:49) forced Brown outside where he was corralled by Oglesby for a loss of 1. That was one of the weird formations of the night as the Falcons lined up 8 men (3 TEs) tight along or slightly behind the LoS.

    Oglesby (+3/0): What a turnaround from Carolina. By my count he made 6 plays that were good or better. He twice delivered solid hits on WR screens (Q2, 6:57 and Q3, 12:12). He got a PD on a slant (Q3, 1:17) and another on a curl (Q4, 6:44). He made the acrobatic interception and even when he lost a man to a double move (Q4, 8:18) he recovered to distract Williams into a drop. It was Evan’s night. He’s in his 4th season and not PS eligible, so if the Ravens don’t keep him, I have to believe some team in need of a #4 or #5 corner is going to see the video of this game and give him a shot.

    Parmele (0/+1): He had a pedestrian game as a runner, but I think that was a function of the line. He remains eligible for the practice squad. I think each of the 3 additional running backs (as well as Cook) has done some things to impress. Parmele could win the spot if it’s a matter of knowing Cam’s system, Lawrence for his versatility, Peerman for his draft status, or Cook because the Ravens might suddenly realize they want McClain at RB more.

    Peerman (+1/0): He saw plenty of action Thursday. Cedric registered a special teams tackle and was consistently among the first down the field on punts. His rushing total (10 for 31) was unimpressive, but he had 2 runs I really liked. He outran the defense right (Q4, 14:39) until he found room and ended up gaining 12. He also ran a ball right up the gut on 1st down for 6 yards (Q4, 6:32) on a play where he should have been stopped for 3, but kept moving his legs with a pile of defenders on him. Subsequently, the Ravens ran for 3 and 2 yards to make the fist down. They’d go on to hold the ball for 5:18, essentially running out the game.

    Phillips (0/0): Saw action on both special teams and played much of the 2nd half at ILB, recording 2 tackles.

    Reitz (-3/-3): Joe had a disastrous game, allowing parts of 2 sacks and plenty of additional pressure. As a team, the Ravens allowed 8 QHs, 4 sacks, and an additional 4 (non-sack) tackles for loss. If you are looking for a positive for Reitz, I’d say he held some run blocks well (Q1, 7:21, for example). You might say he could be a backup tackle who is used primarily when the Ravens use a 6-man line, but I don’t see that role as significant enough by itself to take a roster spot, much less an active spot. Unlike some of the inside linemen, Reitz was typically singled up on his pass blocking assignments, which is, of course, what you need a tackle to handle. I was hoping the Ravens would give him a shot, but he didn’t make the most of it. With his size and athleticism, I’m guessing the folks he went to high school and college both thought he’d have a pro career in either basketball or football. It’s nice to have a finance degree to fall back on.

    Riley (+1/+1): Eron certainly made good on his chance. The 4 throws to him:
    1. (Q4, 13:31) Beck threw incomplete to Riley at the goal line, defensed by Jackson. He took a big hit from the safety (Harris) on the play, but he didn’t even go down.
    2. (Q4, 8:03) Riley made a nice adjustment to turn his body to catch Beck’s slightly underthrown ball. The corner lost the sideline and gave Beck/Riley an unimpeded trajectory. Riley caught the ball close to his body for a 47-yard gain.
    3. (Q4, 7:04) Riley caught the ball out of bounds again along the sideline. Could he have moved back towards the QB and caught the ball in bounds? Perhaps.
    4. (Q4, 6:56) Beck found his new favorite receiver again on the right side. Riley took the ball in at the 8 and maneuvered dragged 2 defenders the last 3 yards into the end zone. Fine use of his size.
    Despite his 4th quarter success, Riley may not have a spot, even on the PS. The Ravens might make a move for a vet, which could mean Foster or Harper moves to the PS (Harper is more likely to be stashed on IR and if his pride isn’t hurt at this point, I don’t know when it would be).

    Smolko (0/0): Played both some and special teams snaps, but he’s clearly behind Jones from where I sit.

    Talavou (-1/0): I still think the Ravens will want him for Gregg insurance, but Talavou didn’t play well on Thursday. With extended exposure, it’s apparent he has very little ability to impact the pass rush with a decent bull rush, the ability to command a double team, or even the desire to get his arms up.

    Walker (NA/NA): Let’s not and say we did.

    Webb (-1/+1): The fumbled punt probably sealed his fate in the return battle, but he made an impressive takedown (Q3, 6:33) to stop Verron Haynes (the 233-pound, ex-Steeler RB) a yard short of the sticks. Elam would miss a short field goal and the score remained 7-3.

    The offensive line performance was the biggest letdown. They had 3 jailbreaks on running plays, which would produce some very painful film to watch were many of them not to be cut by tomorrow. Parmele was caught for a 4-yard loss (Q2, 6:00), where there were literally 4 linemen standing up without a partner looking backwards to the pile. On the Ravens first 2 plays of the 2nd half (Q3,14:54 and 14:19), they gave up consecutive 3-yard losses, each with a swarm of penetration. Finally, they gave up a rare sack to a 4-man pass rush (Q2, 0:10), which is bad enough, but worse because they kept 7 men in to block.

    Every lineman contributed to the poor effort. Were they all bad because they aren’t used to getting snaps together? I can’t say, but each did enough individually bad to stoke the veteran offensive line discussion. Personally, I think the Ravens will go with 9 including the starters plus Chester, Hale, Cousins, and a veteran tackle pickup.





  3. #3

    Re: Bubble Notes--Preseason Finale 9/3/09

    Good job. My Report Card tracks very closely with what you saw.

    Hard to call the WR and LB final cuts. I am a little more harsh regarding Barnes. While he has value as a rush specialist, over a couple years of exposure he's shown himself to be a real bone head and could easily see Harbaugh wanting no more of him when there are more consistent performers like McClain, Burgess, and Ellerbe, and better options on special teams like Burgess and Ayenbadjo.

    I have Foster and Harper going to the practice squad and Figurs backing into the final WR spot. That could be completely wrong, but it looked to me like the team auditioned the first two to take his job and I don't think they did enough, particularly when you consider that they could go to the PS and Figurs would just be cut. Figurs has value as a gunner. As for Riley, I'm not sure one quarter of play in the final preseason game will be enough. This way is almost a four way toss up, and the best option might be someone like Reggie Brown for the final spot.





  4. #4

    Re: Bubble Notes--Preseason Finale 9/3/09

    Great info as always.

    I was very impressed with Mkinney and Edwards they moved the LOS back consistantly (like the way our 2nd team O line was getting pushed around). I also expect to see Bannan get a lot more inside pressure playing a lot less snaps but maybe a lot more production.

    The deep Dt rotation should hurt Talavou, along with the fact that both he and Phillips gave up that long run right up the middle. They would both make great P squad guys, but who knows if they would make it. Dre Moore a DT from MD I thought would be a 2nd round pick last year, dropped to the 4th to TB and they cut him and were able to get him to the p squad. Anyway I do not think either one would turn out to be a huge loss, especially since I liked Will JOhnson and Ellerbe more than those 2 anyway. We should be able to keep some combo of the 4 on the p squad.

    Figurs did not get much pt, and Foster may have out played him, but who would be easier to keep on the P squad. I do not see any real pt in the regular season for either guy, but would rather have Figurs as a back up Wr and return man just for his experience and potential. He is a small and very fast guy, and a lot of times those guys take 3 or 4 years to get NFL tough. I think his speed and decent enough hands would be at least respectable enough to draw coverage if they sent him deep 3 or 4 times a game even if there was only 1 or 2 throws.

    The Frank Walker thing is not as simple to me. He has looked like burnt toast, but last preseason it was the exact same thing, but when the season started and he had to play, he did better than just OK, really did not even look like the same guy that was getting scorched in the preseason. Even though he has not been playing there, I still think he would be the best slot CB, maybe the 4th not the 3rd, but his game tape last year and the way the coaches seem to defend him all the time make me think he is going to make the team.

    There seem to be more WRs and RBs out there on the street than CBs so maybe we will go with just 4 or 5 active WRs with another 2 on the p squad and keep 6 Cbs.



    :T2:





  5. #5
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    Re: Bubble Notes--Preseason Finale 9/3/09

    Apparently Cook has been cut.





  6. #6

    Re: Bubble Notes--Preseason Finale 9/3/09

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Van Cleef View Post
    Apparently Cook has been cut.
    Where did you hear that?





  7. #7
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    Re: Bubble Notes--Preseason Finale 9/3/09

    Title of thread started by Aaron Wilson over at Insider:

    "Ravens' Saturday updates (Jason Cook cut)"





  8. #8
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    Re: Bubble Notes--Preseason Finale 9/3/09

    Good stuff, thanks Filmstudy.

    I wouldn't hold Webb's muff strongly against him since it was a punt. If it had been a kickoff I'd be real worried. We've seen KR who weren't great on P, I think he may be the KR and someone else handles P for now.

    I was excited when we got Cook, and dissapointed I never saw a wham block. I suspect he may be PS to get a NFL body and blitz recognition experience, I can't see anyone else grabbing him for other than PS at this point.

    Parmele looked good despite pedestrian totals. Liked his reads for where his positioning should have been for blocking. I think he makes it if we keep another back because he is the furtherest along in that area.

    Foster is the tough call, I think he may make it but is at risk to be the first of the 53 replaced by another's cut.
    at one point of my life I was exactly Pi years old





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