Author: Michael Crawford

This will be a short post. I just wanted to share a nice pass rush from Ravens rookie Za’Darius Smith against the Bengals.  He didn’t sack Dalton, but does force him to leave the pocket.

Watch how he shocks the LG with his hands, then clubs him with his right arm and finishes with a rip and dip using his left arm and shoulder.

This is a really nice move and it’s a sign that he’s working hard on his technique. It may not have produced a sack, but if this move is any indication, he’s showing the tools to become an efficient pass rusher.

All teams have certain tendencies. Personnel, formations and plays they like to run based on down, distance, or other factors such as checks based on what the offense or defense is showing.

These 2 plays, one from the Raiders game and the other from the Bengals game, might show a Ravens’ defensive tendency that those two teams took advantage of.

Before we look at the video, let’s look at the formations.

Both formations appear to be 11 personnel (1RB, 1TE & 3Wrs). Both feature a single WR to the TE side (top of the screen on both pictures) and 2 WRs on the opposite side of the formation. Both teams are in the same general part of the field, inside the Ravens 20. The Raiders are in shotgun and the Bengals are under center. Now to the video.

Notice how SS Will Hill is down in the box as if he’s going to cover the TE or RB if one of the LBs bliztes. Also notice how FS Kendrick Lewis rotates to the middle of the field (MOF). Before the snap, the WR motions closer to the line. This tight split helps him gain inside position on the corner whose playing off. Hill and the LBs are sucked in by the run fake and this creates a seem for Carr to throw the ball. The WR makes an 18 yard reception on the 1 yard line.

Now take a look at the video from the Bengals game.

Again Hill is down in the box and Lewis rotates to the MOF. This time the Ravens rush Moseley off the TE side of the formation and Hill does cover the TE. The Bengals don’t use a run fake or motion the WR, but he still gets an inside release on the CB. The TE’s flat route also clears Hill out of the throwing lane. The result is similar to the play from the Raiders’ game. Only this time it’s a 20 yard pass for a TD.

I think the Ravens might have been aware of this tendency. The CB played closer to the WR and they brought pressure, but it wasn’t enough.

Tendency, tell, just coincidence? You be the judge. Leave me a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

So in my last post I talked about how well Andy Dalton through the ball against the Ravens on Sunday. In my opinion, these next 5 videos are some his best throws. As usual, all videos are courtesy of NFL Game Pass.

2nd Q, 6:11, 3rd & 9, ball on CIN 21:

Dalton hooks up with Green for a 17 yard completion. The Ravens run safety Terrance Brooks under Greens out route and have Jimmy Smith playing over the top. Dalton shows off his accuracy and arm strength on this throw.

3rd Q, 12:04, 3rd & 13, ball on the CIN 36:

47 yard completion to Green on 3rd & 13! I like the end zone view of this throw because it clearly shows how the Ravens’ pressure prevents Dalton from stepping into the throw. That said, he still puts the ball right on the money.

Green also makes a nice adjustment on the ball. He’s expecting it over his outside shoulder but adjusts mid-stride to catch it over his inside shoulder.

Big shout out to Turron Davenport (@TDavenport_NFL on Twitter) for explaining the coverage and Smith’s assignment to me on Twitter earlier today. Turron is a great follow for Ravens news and will generally make you smarter about football.

4th Q, 6:49, 1st & 10, ball on the CIN 20:

So the Ravens finally take the lead when Moseley returns a Dalton fumble (Doom!). The first play of the next series – BOOM, 80 yard TD! The Ravens bring pressure, Dalton can’t fully step into the throw but that doesn’t matter. Another dime that hits Green in stride.

Today in his post practice press conference, Dean Pees said there wasn’t one blown coverage on Sunday. Just bad techniques. But the coverage on this play has FS Kendrick Lewis matched up with Green in the slot. If this play isn’t a coverage breakdown, not sure how else you explain Lewis matched up on Green.

4th Q, 3:22, 1st & 10, ball on the CIN 39:

31 yard completion to Marvin Jones. This throw is a great example of Dalton ‘dropping it in the bucket’ (football cliche alert). The coverage isn’t bad and Jones does a good job using his body to box out Kyle Arrington.

This may be the “easiest” of the 5 throws I’ve shown, but it shows the touch and accuracy Dalton played with all game long.

So that’s all for this post. Yes, the Ravens’ secondary played poorly during the biggest moments in the game. But give credit to the Red Rifle. He took advantage of those opportunities and made the throws.

So so this is my first blogpost. I created this blog because I love football; specifically the Baltimore Ravens variety. Maybe the thing I love most about football is the strategy that sometimes goes unnoticed on TV. So my plan is to share my perspective on plays I find interesting. I’m not a former player, I’m not a coach. I’m just a fan who likes geeking out on the Xs and Os of football. That said, let’s look at some plays from the Ravens’ week 3 loss (don’t even get me started about 0-3) to the Bengals.

Andy Dalton played really well against the Ravens on Sunday. Sure, the end zone INT and fumble returned for a TD weren’t good, but aside from those 2 plays, Dalton had a very good game.

The video below is just one example of several really nice throws Dalton made on Sunday. This is the TD pass to Marvin Jones in the 2 quarter. Dalton threaded this pass between the corner and the safety. Notice how the ball is right on Jones as soon as he turns to look for it. The timing and accuracy of this throw are pretty sick!