How Can the Pats Stop the Ravens?

[scott99]

Didn't read the whole thread. If we face them in the playoffs, I think Belichick will have a plan for him. Pats ALWAYS struggle against the RPO, so it'll have to be a plan that hasn't worked yet for the Pats. It would really have to be a masterful plan, something LJ has never seen. Maybe something like a speedy DB instead of an LB as a spy. Just something different that will disrupt him. Easier said than done, but I believe in Belichick that he can do it. There is film out there of times he's been stopped, so it can be done, but it would be a great accomplishment.

That being said, when KC was steamrolling the NFL last year, I thought nobody would be able to stop them, but was pleasantly surprised the Pats were able to beat them in the AFFCG (beat them TWICE last year). We would need to be completely healthy if we face Baltimore again this year.

I know Brady has looked pedestrian this year, middle of the pack, but man, he's a different animal in the playoffs. Not many QBs are as cool, calm, and collected as Brady when you get to the playoffs. These next 5 games would be a great for Brady to get more comfortable with his new receivers. I do believe he's comfortable with Meyers, but if he can get comfortable with Sanu & Harry, this offense will be a formidable one.

 

[everlong]

Film room: What happened to the Patriots’ run defense against the Ravens?

1. Bill has now seen up close what their plan will be and will adjust like the Wildcat in 08.

2. The Ravens had an extra week to prepare and were well rested coming off the bye. That will be even in a second meeting.

3. The games the Ravens have lost this year:

A. They won the TOP in one and split in the other.
B. They ran more plays in both.
C. They played from behind most of the game.
D. They gave up major big plays in both the passing and running game.
E. They got gouged through the air.

4. They addressed a lot of #3 by trading for Peters and have since been really solid in pass defense.

To beat this team you at least need the threat of the big play and you cannot play from behind. I know Bill likes to start slow and feel things out but a play action bomb or trick play right out of the gate to stop them from playing downhill will be huge.

On defense I wonder about playing 4 DEs to control all the gaps, a nickle (Jones) to play man and no blitzing the linebackers to get out of position. Maybe play Hightower as a 4-3 DE so you can keep him on the field and play KVN and Collins at LB.

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

I've seen Rocky 3. I know how this ends...

Eye of the Tiger montage: [Pats beating tomato cans like Miami, Washington, Jets]

Ravens: "I want Balboa!"

Patsfans.com trolls: "He'll knock you to tomorrow, Rock."

Fight #1: 37-20

Patsfans.com chicken littles: [dies like Mick]

Ravens at AFCCG coin flip: "I'm going to bust you up."

Pats at AFCCG coin flip: "Go for it."

Fight #2: Winner by knockout.

Gronk: [Re-enacts awkward beach hug scene at his SB party]

Regards,
Chris

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Hitting him like RGIII would work if he ran like RGIII. Jackson is in the same vein as Wilson where both know to get out of bounds. They’re smart runners and very slippery. It’s extremely difficult to get a kill shot.

Sumo wrestlers were looked more athletic sliding. Griffin, who I actually liked was gods awful at sliding, so awkward.

I've watched Jackson as much as anyone since college & I can remember abt 2-3 times he took a shot that made you think twice. All close to the los, one in the open field unless I'm mistaken but the point stands. Believe it or not but 22 from Rams got one of the best shots on Jackson to date last night which was a love tap all things considering.
As much as you want to take him out, he's just as aware. You see it in his runs, saw it last night where he stopped around gl. That whole run his head/eyes were checking for defenders all around him.

Run is around 147 after a bad snap. Hit around 113.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Didn’t he post data that says exactly that? This isn’t a matter of opinion, there are numbers to show who is right. If he posted some stats then seems like you need to provide your own stats to counter instead of guessing.

Seems like you have no agenda. Thank you
"Good research in this Yahoo! piece from our buddies at Sports Info Solutions finds that the risk of getting injured on a designed quarterback run is remote. Quarterbacks are much more likely to be injured on a scramble or a sack -- and particularly, on a quarterback knockdown after a pass is thrown".

View Full Article

 

[Ring 6]

Didn’t he post data that says exactly that? This isn’t a matter of opinion, there are numbers to show who is right. If he posted some stats then seems like you need to provide your own stats to counter instead of guessing.

No he didn’t.

 

[XLIX]

I've seen Rocky 3. I know how this ends...

I love the analogy. My own internal analogy has been that the Patriots are like comic book superheroes. They defeat one villain, so the writers have to come up with another villain who is even bigger, badder and more un-defeatable than the last. Then the hero figures out a way to defeat the newest challenge too. But look out! Here comes an ever newer, bigger, badder, more un-defeatable villain than before!! (and so on....)

 

[TB_Helmet]

No he didn’t.

Come on, that’s not fun for anyone. He posted a stat earlier in the thread and another link to an article above. It’s an interesting question that we can all have a discussion about, which is the whole point of a message board.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Niners will lay the blue print this Sunday me thinks. They are strong at DL. To quote one poster from the Niners forum...

"Don't let that game last night influence your thinking about how to stop the Baltimore running game. The Ravens were able to attack the edges of Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense because the edge players the Rams employ are pass rushers who are weak against the run game. Dante Fowler and Clay Matthews wouldn't suit up on game day for the 49ers. They are that bad. Greg Roman knew that and just pounded away at them. Samson Ebukam was their only ED with good run defense ability and he got pounded with lead blockers all night because no one else demanded attention. They double-teamed Donald and won most of the other one-on-one battles. Easy pickings.

Try that same edge running attack on AA and Bosa and get ready to have your butt handed to you. Even if they did get past the DL on occasion, the speed of the 49er LBs will catch them.

Going up the middle is no picnic either. They can double Buckner but Jones has been beasting. If center Matt Skura can't go, that makes inside running much tougher.

We don't have to load the box. Spy Jackson with Warner or Greenlaw and the game will look VERY different than the Rams game.

This game will provide a good example of why Lynch insisted on loading up with high-end DL - it makes everything else much easier."

But from a NE perspective, we are build from the secondary-in so what the Niners will employ, Belichick will probably need to cook up a variation of that philosophy with our personnel.

49ers vs. Ravens might be the most interesting regular season game to me since the 2007 Patriots-Colts showdown. I don't see how you could draw up a better game with two emerging teams that are both absolutely annihilating everything in their path. I wasn't very intrigued by the Chiefs and Rams last year, as that was just a track meet. This game is very, very interesting.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Come on, that’s not fun for anyone. He posted a stat earlier in the thread and another link to an article above. It’s an interesting question that we can all have a discussion about, which is the whole point of a message board.

Thank you & it is interesting.

Again think of Big Ben, Manning, Cam, other "big" guys breaking down. Manning was outstanding at avoiding hits but his body couldn't take the wear n tear of the game. We've seen it w Ben for years. Cam.

Rivers is another bigger QB who's arm clearly hasn't been the same for a minute now.

At the very least it seems "bigger isn't better" & "running/mobile QB" doesn't = guaranteed injury/certain death that some make it seem.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

No. You’re wrong. Just hit him. Every down. Here are the steps...

Step 1: Hit him.
Step 2: Win.

Step 3: ?
Step 4: PROFIT!

 

[patsinthesnow]

 

[Uptown]

They may be stopping themselves. Pretty significant injury. I know we can attest to that. Also, Lamar is a class act.

 

[IndianPat]

Their Center just went down for the season. This is how systems breakdown. In some situations, that is all a good team needs to breakdown the opposition.

 

[italian pat patriot]

I don't know...

 

[Froob]

I know their OL pretty much mauled the Patriots, but does anyone remember specifically how well he played?

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

They may be stopping themselves. Pretty significant injury. I know we can attest to that. Also, Lamar is a class act.

That's amazing that a human being would give up a seat closer to the front to another human being with a torn ACL sustained from protecting him.

Sorry, not trying to hate on Jackson, he does seem like a good character guy, but I just think it's funny how the bar for celebrity behavior is so low that this act that 99.9% of people would perform is described as "unreal."

 

[raduray]

Maybe Old Man Winter will step in. January football at Foxborough.

 

[TB_Helmet]

That's amazing that a human being would give up a seat closer to the front to another human being with a torn ACL sustained from protecting him.

Sorry, not trying to hate on Jackson, he does seem like a good character guy, but I just think it's funny how the bar for celebrity behavior is so low that this act that 99.9% of people would perform is described as "unreal."

Aaron Rodgers would have made him walk to the back of the plane.

 

[Pape]

The Ravens are legit. You have to give credit where it's due. They are playing very well right now, and that includes hanging 37 up on NE's defense.

30 on the defense. 7 came from the fumble