Cam Cameron is a big fan of changing things up every week. I was pretty much resigned to Todd Heap not being part of the passing offense, and then, all of a sudden, he’s the centerpiece against Houston (even before Mason was injured).

The Ravens were heavily relying on screens earlier in the year, now there aren’t as many screens.

Trick plays have shown up here and their. Our “special package” is a 2 QB package where Backup Troy Smith lines up as a running back. Sometimes Flacco will hand it off to Smith and Smith will run it up the middle, run outside and run a HB option play (like the pass to Flacco), lateral to a RB like a college option play, or, in one particularly awesome but failed play, pass the ball backwards across the field to Flacco, who then passes the ball to Troy Smith on a screen play. Flacco underthrew Smith, but if Smith had gotten the ball, he had 3 pulling lineman to block and not a single defender near him.

If Derrick Mason is healthy, he will be a huge part of this offense. He doesn’t tend to go deep, but he is very difficult to cover.

The Ravens were always known for two things: a tough defense and a woeful offense. Not any more. Joe Flacco and Cam Cameron have teamed up to create a whole new look to Baltimore’s offense. We are averaging over 33 points a game during our four game winning streak, with three of them on the road. Flacco is poised well beyond his rookie status, even more surprising due to his coming from a Div. 1-AA school like Delaware. He was not even supposed to challenge for the starting gig, as it was to be between Kyle Boller and Troy Smith. Well, Boller got IR’d and Smith developed a rare throat infection that cost him 20 pounds and the starting job. Flacco didn’t even take snaps with the first team until the THIRD preseason game! He’s made huge strides and has outperformed anything we expected of him.

We also have our own version of the three-headed monster running the ball. Willis McGahee is the known entity, but we also have the rookie from Rutgers, Ray Rice, zipping in and around, as well as the heavy package, which has 260 pound Le’Ron McClain running behind fullback Lorenzo Neal. Together with the renewed passing game, we’ve controlled the ball and the game clock.

theres a difference between “one of the highest rated” and “the highest rated”

no team over 76 rushing yards all season, no 100yd rusher in 28 games… We are also number 1 in red zone defense

Because the Eagles were allowing 87.7 yards per game going into the game against NY, and the Ravens currently allow 65.4 Yards per game, a 22 YPG improvement over the Eagles, who had been gashed for big yards before by Clinton Portis.

Because the Giants will go to the air more to exploit our injured secondary.

Because the Ravens allow 2.9 YPC and their best defensive players are run-stoppers. The Eagles allow 3.8 YPC, still very good, but not the same thing.

The Eagles dont have the same type of players as the Ravens do. One of, if not the main reason why the run D has been so good is because of DT Haloti Ngata. This guy clogs up the middle and has to be double teamed every down. This allows for our LB to fly towards the play and sstuff the run. Another reason why the Giants wont have much success running the ball is because the Ravens will Try and keep the ball away from your offense. We play a ballcontrol type offense just like you guys do.

Thanks for stepping in and taking this one.

and although he hasn’t made anyone forget Michael Stahan, he is taking over for Osi Umenyiora (I think I actually spelled that right, didn’t I? I had him on my fantasy team last year, as we count individual defensive stats, such as sacks and int’s.).

your teams runs the ball really well, your team defends the run really well, your team has a rookie QB that is progressing nicely.

am i missing anything?

You guys are having a conversation with yourselves. Let’s just say we as Giants fans are very confident in our football team. Since last season we have won against all kinds of teams in all kinds of situations. We have no fear of any team.

As long as Flacco keeps up the good work, i dont care. As well, he should be happy, because a lot of back-up quarterbacks dont get to see the field at all unless someone gets hurt

As of right now, there is no sign of Flacco losing the job. Sure, he got off to a rocky start, 1 td 7 int in his first 5 games, but in the last 4 games, he has thrown 6 tds and no INT. He has led us to a 6-3 record and in a good position to make a run at the playoffs.

Yes, before the season started Joe was not even in the competition as the coaches stated. His first preseason game, he went 0-3 on passes and never got another shot. Who knows where we would been with Troy taking the snaps. He sees playing time as we have run our version of the wildcat this year, using the 2 QB setup, and he has done a great job so far running our offense when given the opportunity. But for right now the only way I can see Flacco losing the job is he becomes the sole reason why we start losing games and losing our confidence.

I think you should read this rather interesting story about your team versus the AFC North >> http://www.bmorebirdsnest.com/?p=191

You all beat the Bengals in OT, lost to the Browns and Beat the Steelers by a TD.

You also mention LBers… In my personal opinion, with the exception of the steelers you havent faced a real linebacker core/front seven yet. The big man Haloti Ngata is a beast in his own right, even without helping free up our LBers to run around and make tackles.

Also in terms of the passing game this breakdown would also make a nice read >> http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2008/11/11/658840/bal-pass-defense

I just don’t see you all getting a run game established. The Titans couldnt do it, The Steelers couldn’t, the Colts couldnt… I know all three of those teams beat us, but the first two by 3 points, one of which was in OT. As for the latter, we got owned, point blank. But that was also in the beginning of the season before our offense got going. We’re averaging 33.5 points a game. I know your defense is amazing in its own respect but say if we were to knock approximately 2 TDs off that, thats still around a good 20 points a game, which I believe is more than enough to hang in a ball game.

As well, we’ve shut out both of the last teams we played in the 4th quarter, while putting up a decent amount of points at the same time. The ravens used to be a team that got lazy in the 4th quarter, that isn’t the case anymore. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, this game is going to come down to how well you can pass on us. I don’t see Eli having the same success as his brother on this Ravens D.

and have some success running the ball with Jacobs, Ward and Bradshaw, we will be in trouble. If we have to bring an extra player into the box we will be susceptible to play action. If that occurs, Eli could have a very big day. On the flip side, if we are able to shut down your run game and force Eli to beat us through the air, I love our chances. Sure Eli has been solid but he is not mistake proof. Over the course of our winning streak our strategy has been to force opposing QB’s to beat us. Sure, they have been racking up high yardage totals passing the ball, but they have also made critical mistakes in each game. The past four opposing QB’s have averaged 259 yds/game but have also thrown a total of 7 INT’s (2 for TD’s), and been sacked 8 times, not counting the safety last week when Suggs forced the Texans to hold him in the end zone. All those passing yards have amounted to an average of 14pts scored against our D. Joe Flacco has responded by throwing 6 TD’s (+ 1 rushing) and zero INT’s over that span. Granted your O is the best we’ve seen, but I think the trend will hold true if we can shut down your running game.

Regardless, this should be a great game and a true challenge for both teams.

the Giants may have the best offensive and defensive lines in the NFL. But the Ravens defensive line is not far behind. It should be a war inside. Most people will watch the stars Sunday, but I will be keeping an eye on the head banging inside. It should be a great battle of two great teams. Best team that day wins.

giants have more to go on as far as competition goes…this is our first winning team..so i’d have to say the giants are more battle tested.

GAP RESPONSIBILITY on the D-Line. Something’s gotta give here as the league’s top O-Line faces what I would argue is the league’s top front-7. I read the previous bit about them blowing the Steelers’ LBs off the ball, but I still think our ILBs Ray and BArt Scott have better lateral mobility than the Steelers ILBs do. We shall see.
Anyway, our stacked front 7 and near-flawless gap-responsibility is why teams havent run on us yet. the hole has ray waiting on the other end, and there is no cutback lane. Bouncing to the outside won’t workout well with Suggs on the weakside and Johnson on the other side.
The ravens have a potent pass rush but it relies mostly on the blitz and hasn’t yeilded as many sacks this year as in years past. Although, Cleveland has a good O-Line and we definitely got to the QB there.
Our secondary isn’t really a weakness although its not perfect. Rolle is back, which is huge, but Peyton exposed us majorly. If Eli has time to throw, he will probably make connections downfield. Your problem will be remaining multi-dimensional on offense. If all you have is Eli with no running game, its a matter of time before he starts getting sacked or picked off.

I see the shift from defense to offense that you speak of, but it is still in flux. One way or the other, we would like to be elite on both sides of the ball if at all possible. But this game will show us how much progress we’ve made.

Your biggest advantage is your ability to pressure the QB with a mere 4-man rush. You leave 7 guys in coverage, and with the Ravens b-grade receiving corps, its concievable that Flacco will have a hard time finding open men. Mason is definitely tough to cover in the intermediate passing game, but if he’s the only guy getting open, Flacco will have a long day, and will probably end up getting sacked as well.

One way or the other, I expect the Ravens to make a big impression on the NFL in general this weekend. We are ready for this game and it will be your classic, punch-you-in-the-face physical football game. These are, IMO, two of the NFL’s top 5 teams.

The main strength to our D is stopping the run and making opposing teams one dimensional. SO far this year NO ONE has run the ball vs. the Ravens. Most teams give up midway through the second quarter. I’d say our main weakness is lack of talent and depth is the secondary. McAlister is on IR, and our normal starting SS, Landry has been out since week 3. Our other top CB’s (Rolle and Washington) have missed time as well. We have been vulnerable to the occasional big play through the air, and teams have been able to move the ball between the 20’s against us. So far, our D has been solid in the red zone and has perfectly illustrated their mantra of bend don’t break with multiple goal line stands and forced turnovers.

I do see a shift as far as the Ravens being able to put more points on the board but their strategy of D first has not changed. The main difference is that we now have a chance if a game becomes a shoot out. In the past we were screwed when the other teams offense went off. With Flacco under center we finally have a QB who has the poise and skill to compete in high scoring affairs (not ideal for this team, but now we have a chance).

Our biggest needs are at CB and WR. We desperately need to get Flacco a young big play WR who can grow with him for years to come. Mason is great but he is an aging possession receiver and our other young WR’s are similar. We need a Boldin/Marshall/Calvin J…. type WR with size and speed to take advantage of Joe’s cannon for an arm. In regards to CB, McAlister may have played his last game as a Raven, and we will need a replacement if that’s the case. Malcolm Jenkins or Michael Crabtree would be no brainers in the draft, but they won’t last until the mid to late first round 32nd pick. As has been the Ravens draft strategy under Ozzie Newsome, we will take the best player available on his draft board. My hunch is that we take a CB with one of our top 2 picks, and try to sign or trade for an established WR in the off season.

I don’t know if I see our offense becoming as one dimensional as Denver’s is (even before all their RB injuries). We will continue to emphasize the running game in order to keep our D off the field. The great thing about our D, is that while we have many veterans who will be winding down (Lewis, Price, McAlister, Rolle….) we also have a ton of young talented players who can step in. Going into the future we already have two established franchise type talents in Suggs and Ngata to build our D around. Hopefully, Ed Reed should be around for a while as well. We have a stable of young LB’s in Tavaris Gooden, Jameel McClain, Antwan Barnes, not to mention Suggs who at 25 is already one of the premier edge players in the league. Oh yea, he can play the run also. Ngata is and should continue to be one of the top DT’s in the league for 6-8 years. How many 360+lb DT’s have the athleticism to drop into coverage? Last week Ngata had a goal line INT after dropping back. The scary thing is Suggs and Ngata are still improving greatly each year. Ozzie will fill in the holes around those guys and our D should be solid if not great for years to come.

The most concerning issue when it occurs (hopefully not for 3-4 years as Ray is playing light out this year. Really, his best football in the past five years) will be the loss of Ray Lewis. Hopefully, by then he will have groomed former Miami Hurricane Tavaris Gooden to take his spot as the leader of the D. Big shoes to fill, but we will worry about that when it gets closer.

its not as bad as you make it sound. ray’s performance will inevitably drop off one day, but we realistically can rely on at least another 5 years of Ed Reed. Landry is on IR but he’s young and he’s a beast. CB’s can be drafted and can make quick impacts.

As for LBs, Ray will start to drop off, but Suggs is 25 years old and he’s completely beasting right now. We have young depth at LB, and Tavaris Gooden is said to be on his way to being one of the teams leaders. Bart Scott will probably not be resinged since Gooden can replace him and Scott will want major money.

On D-Line, Haloti Gnata is practically 2 dudes in one, and he’s 24 if i’m not mistaken. so with him as an anchor and a few good years left out of gregg and bannan, we can afford to have pryce retire soon.

Basically i’m not worried. In the draft, we go for CBs and WRs in rounds 1 and 2. Probably a CB first round in order to keep our defense rejuvenated, and we can grab an impact WR in the second. But we might trade up for a guy like Crabtree and leave CB for the second round. From there, I would like to see us maybe draft another CB in rounds 3 or 4, or a pass-rusher, as that is one aspect of our D that has left a little to be desired from me. We’re definitely not a weak team pass rushing, but it does rely on the blitz. I want to be able to get pressure with just the line, like you guys do. If we can accomplish that, we will be a very very very scary team.

A quarter of our defensive players would be 3. That’s not that bad. We’ve got a lot of depth too.

Kelly Gregg, Samari Rolle, Chris McCallister, Trevor Pryce, and Ray Lewis are definitely all getting up there in age, but Rolle and Pryce haven’t been part of the defense for that long. It will be a bittersweet day when Ray Lewis hangs up his cleets, and he’s more or less irreplaceable, but the Ravens have an army of young talented linebackers. We have more linebackers than we know what to do with, and we seem to pick up one or two new ones every year.

The big problem is what can we do about the cornerback position. I think Fabian Washington can hold down one corner spot, but the Ravens need a #1 corner of the future for sure.

We need to get younger on the defensive line eventually, but the truth is, we’ve got a lot of depth on the line right now, and that makes it harder to go find new young players. Haloti Ngata, however, is an excellent start.

when we played the Browns the 1st time around?… LOL

Ravens run a 34 scheme centered around blitzes. early in the game before Eli develops a rythm with his receivers, he’l have to dump off on blitzes so Id certainly say he’ll get looks. Can’t guarantee major yardage there, since the ravens are always a risky team to start a fantasy player against, but if you’re gonna start anybody against baltimore, make it Boss or Plax.

http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef#defvsrec

Has the Ravens as one of the best defenses in football against TEs, which kind of surprises me. The Ravens are usually a good choice for receivers, because the Ravens only allow passing touchdowns.

I’d sit Boss, personally. Dallas Clark is a vastly superior option.

Now watch Boss score two TDs against us… But the point is, with the exception of the Titans, very few TEs have really done all that much damage to us.

poses a tough matchup with us. If Boss can get the underneath slant going with Eli, he can rip off huge chunks of yardage and will be hard to bring down. Ray Lewis’ weakest attribute is pass coverage when he has to be the primary coverage guy. He’s great if he gets to sit back and direct pass coverage, but if he has to take the TE one on one, then he can be beaten. Let’s hope what happened to Cleveland’s Kellen Winslow when he tried to go over the middle with Ray there, happens to Boss.

I don’t think one single O-lineman who can handle him one on one… that means he needs to be doubled. Doubling him frees up someone else. That takes some pressure off everybody else on the d, and Inherently makes the whole unit better.

Free’s up Ray to be Ray. Which is arguably the best middle linebacker ever. Can’t wait to see him and Jacobs meet in the hole. Reminiscent of Ray’s battles with Eddie George and Bettis? Ravens fans hope so, as Ray won more then his share of those match ups. Let’s see what happens…

He is arguably one of the best in the game. All we hear about from the Cleveland fans is how great Shaun Rogers is, although there is not a GM in the league who would trade Ngata for him, due to his age. He is so strong and so smart, that he also has two interceptions this season. His main job, and that of the other DT’s, are to keep the o-lionemen off of Ray Lewis, so he and the rest of the LB’s can swarm to the ball carrier. Obviously, he’s doing a damn good job, as Ray was just named the Defensive Player of the Week for his 8 tackle, 2 interception game against the Texans last Sunday.

Haloti Ngata makes the rest of our defense better by being absolutely awesome. He makes it virtually impossible to run the ball at him, and eats up plenty of space up the middle. Teams who run on us have to run off tackle, and generally this frees up the linebackers to make the play.

Oh, and he caught his own deflected pass in the end zone for a touchback on 1st and goal from the 1 yard line.

If New England had tackled him in the backfield on that famous 4th down in the Super Bowl, they’d be wearing the big diamond rings right about now. But no, Manning broke free and hit Tyree on that incredible pass, and the rest is his-tory!