We're on to Baltimore

[patsfan06]

Something people are really overlooking is the fact that Pittsburgh lost Leveon Bell and it made them completely one dimensional and even though we don't have a single RB that is as good as Bell our running game is pretty much on par with Pittsbrugh (17th for Pitt, 19 for us in the regular season) when Bell was healthy.

So when Bell was ruled out Baltimore didn't have to worry about the run, didn't have to focus on dump offs and didn't even remotely respect the play action. They could basically sit back and pin their ears back and rush the passer without worrying about anything else.

Biggest issue for Pittsburgh was being unable to change plays against the blitz. If anyone has tape of the game, watch the play where Suggs picked the ball off with his thighs. There were literally 9 guys outside the tackles. Only a DT and a Safety 10 yards off the LOS inside and the Ravens blitzed. Tom Brady doesn't miss that audible. He sees that and changes that play to a run and an easy first down.

The Steelers we're really limited without Bell, that's why we absolutely need McDaniels to be smart and establish the damn running game next week.

 

[obgod3]

I don't like our guys playing the Ravens but I still think NE is the better team in all three phases. there will be tons of analysis on it over the next week but NE has handled the best defines in the league! Lions and Denver as an example. But Big Ben holds the ball a long time, as someone else said, TB has to get rid of it fast, I agree an uptempo game will wear out Ngata and Suggs, there were times last night that Suggs looked like he was having a heart attack.

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

Ravens fans are licking their chops:
http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/topic/62080-next-up-patriots/

A very confident bunch. Aww, Aren't they adorable?

 

[PatsSox363804]

Something people are really overlooking is the fact that Pittsburgh lost Leveon Bell and it made them completely one dimensional and even though we don't have a single RB that is as good as Bell our running game is pretty much on par with Pittsbrugh (17th for Pitt, 19 for us in the regular season) when Bell was healthy.

So when Bell was ruled out Baltimore didn't have to worry about the run, didn't have to focus on dump offs and didn't even remotely respect the play action. They could basically sit back and pin their ears back and rush the passer without worrying about anything else.

Biggest issue for Pittsburgh was being unable to change plays against the blitz. If anyone has tape of the game, watch the play where Suggs picked the ball off with his thighs. There were literally 9 guys outside the tackles. Only a DT and a Safety 10 yards off the LOS inside and the Ravens blitzed. Tom Brady doesn't miss that audible. He sees that and changes that play to a run and an easy first down.

The Steelers we're really limited without Bell, that's why we absolutely need McDaniels to be smart and establish the damn running game next week.

Bell was literally 33% of their offense. For a mediocre team like Pittsburgh that's huge.

 

[patsfan06]

Ravens fans are in for a rude awakening huh?

Good, I want them to feel the pain when Brady and his bunch whoop them on Saturday.

 

[heavyde050]

I think we win, but lets hope there have been lessons learned from dealing with a dominate front 7. ( Giants super bowl team ).

IMHO, That Giants front 7 was far superior to this iteration of the Ravens front 7.

 

[50-yard-line]

Not hard to tell which posters never played sports.

When you hear things like, "I want them to play overtime so they'll be tired" or "I wanted a cream puff team for this round" or "oh why do we have to play the toughest team in the divisional round?"

Kind of tips you off. There ARE NO creampuff teams. It's the NFL playoffs. Think the losing-record Panthers are creampuff? Their defense is one of the toughest in football. Anyone taking them lightly is going to be shown the exit - and that includes Green Bay or Seattle next week. Their linebackers fly all over the field; their DL is ferocious...and Cam Newton, for all his flaws, has been known to take a team on his shoulders and win a game.

No team would come to Foxboro "scared." These are professional athletes, not weekend warriors afraid to drop the pop-up in front of a cute girl.

It's a war, plain and simple. You want to be the best, beat the best, or shut up.

The past editions of the Pats had problems in the playoffs for the same reason the Steelers sucked last night: they lost a key player late/during the game. You can't game plan when a guy like Talib leaves the field. Or when you lost a Gronk or a Welker who were HUGE parts of your offense, and so have to try to re-orient your offense in a week or two.

You can get away with that stuff in the regular season, but this is the tournament. The best. Every team will play mean. That's a different game last night if Bell had played - he WAS the Steeler's short passing game.

In the Pats simply didn't have the defense needed to win a slugfest when their offense got off-kilter, twice against the Ravens and once against the Jets. And let's face it, they were the most overachieving team imaginable last year - when they really weren't championship caliber (Brady should have won MVP, statistics be damned) and won several games they shouldn't have won.

This year's different. There were no "cheap" victories for the 12-4 Pats. They beat the Lions convincingly. They clobbered the Bengals, the Broncos and the Colts. They beat the snot out of San Diego. When Buffalo was looking like a world-beater, New England went to Buffalo and essentially ended their dreams.

For the last few years, did you feel confident at all when the other team had 3rd and long? There's your difference.

The Ravens are going to come in here and try to punch that Pats in the face. Give them all credit for that - then punch them back harder.

 

[patsfan06]

Bell was literally 33% of their offense. For a mediocre team like Pittsburgh that's huge.

Great point.

It would literally be like taking away Gronk AND Edelman from our offense.

 

[zipster9]

Hopefully our umpire-crew are not the tick-tack penalty flag throwers...

 

[obgod3]

Not hard to tell which posters never played sports.


The Ravens are going to come in here and try to punch that Pats in the face. Give them all credit for that - then punch them back harder.

And for the first time in ten years I feel like the Pats have the defense to punch other teams in the mouth, better than most, and this isn't a Pats defense Baltimore has ever seen.

 

[mayoclinic]

Great point.

It would literally be like taking away Gronk AND Edelman from our offense.

And it's a reason why diversification is important. It makes it harder for opposing teams to shut down your offense, and less likel that the loss of 1 player will be crippling.

The Steeler's offense was one dimensional last night without Bell. Baltimore could dial up the blitzes because they didn't have to worry about the running game, and the RB pass protection sucked. Draws and play action passes will slow the blitz down.

 

[mosi]

Ravens primer

City of Baltimore: filthy, blighted, crime-ridden hell hole.
Steve Bisciotti (owner): slimy, unethical, disingenuous turdball.
John Harbaugh: insufferably smug, smirking, histrionic douchebag.
Terrelle Suggs: detestable, woman-beating, Halloween freak.
Steve Smith: lippy, self-aggrandizing, snot-nosed punk.
Joe Flacco: homely, insecure, penalty-baiting dope.
Elvis Dumervil: stupid, dirty, money-grubbing miscreant.

And not to forgot, they were the Cleveland Browns!

 

[mayoclinic]

And for the first time in ten years I feel like the Pats have the defense to punch other teams in the mouth, better than most, and this isn't a Pats defense Baltimore has ever seen.

The Pats' D is a nightmare for pocket passers. They have the horses on the back end to match up, a deep safety to take away the jump ball, and the versatility up front to throw a lot of looks at Flacco and confuse him and disrupt his timing.

 

[mosi]

A very confident bunch. Aww, Aren't they adorable?

I have said this before and will say it again. The Colts once represented what Baltimore was. When they left, the city changed. Now the Ravens are a perfect representation of what Baltimore has become. And what it has become is a shthole. Pardon my french. A city of thugs and gangsters.

 

[PATSNUTme]

Not the best match up of all the playoff teams for the Patriots. Having said that, our DB's are much better than the Steelers. Just can't get stupid penalties to keep the Ravens alive. A fast short passing game will work well against the Ravens defense.

 

[clam chowdah]

The ravens are the 6th seed on the road playing against the best QB and Coach of all time in the hardest stadium to win a road game at of all time..

If somehow the Ravens win, I tip my hat to them.. but until then I'm not too worried about losing this game.

 

[Connecticut]

Not worried.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

And for the first time in ten years I feel like the Pats have the defense to punch other teams in the mouth, better than most, and this isn't a Pats defense Baltimore has ever seen.

Yup!! They also have a running back in Blount who will punch them in the face.
This is a VERY different Patriot team than the Ravens are used to seeing.

 

[PatsSox363804]

And it's a reason why diversification is important. It makes it harder for opposing teams to shut down your offense, and less likel that the loss of 1 player will be crippling.

The Steeler's offense was one dimensional last night without Bell. Baltimore could dial up the blitzes because they didn't have to worry about the running game, and the RB pass protection sucked. Draws and play action passes will slow the blitz down.

Completely one dimensional and the Steelers actually out gained them. Pitt lost because:

• Baltimore got key sacks when needed
• Baltimore held them to field goals
• PENALTIES. Baltimore got 114 yards in penalties to Pitts 14. This is my biggest concern next week other than pass protection

 

[Brit patriot]

I find myself acknowledging the fact that there are better match ups for us, but trying to tell myself that we can't play the Oakland Raiders twice on the way to the Superbowl.

If we can't beat Baltimore at home, then we shouldn't even dream about beating Seattle. That is the mindset we need, not an 'oh feck, it's them' one!

Tactics wise we need to keep them honest with the run, thus allowing Brady time in the pocket to shred their secondary.

Pittsburgh suffered from not having Bell there. Granted Blount and Jones Gray aren't Bell, but they ain't Tate and friends either.

It will be tough. We are in the play offs, it's meant to be tough. We are just better and if we do everything correctly, we win!