Ravens Report Card:
Quarterback: D-
Joe showed some signs of life in the 3rd quarter-which means I can’t give him a failing grade (as others will be inclined to do). Other than that, it was a miserable performance from Joe-his lowest point during his tenure as quarterback.
Running Back: C-
Ray Rice’s early fumble really hurt, but he also showed TREMENDOUS effort the rest of the way. I’m just not a fan of using Willis McGahee at the goal line; even if he scored a touchdown the first time. I think he’s a candidate to lose 2 yards every time he touches the ball.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B-
I thought Mark Clayton and Kelley Washington each gave a TREMENDOUS effort. And while I seriously doubt Demetrius Williams would have caught either of those passes, he was a real plus for this team in drawing two big penalties. Todd Heap made a nice catch early, but Derrick Mason was a non-factor. Credit Dom Capers for sliding Charles Woodson into the nickel to help take away the 8-12 yard range Mason loves.
Offensive Line: C+
Michael Oher struggled MIGHTILY, and Ben Grubbs had a few tough plays in there too. Jared Gaither played pretty well, but the unit lacked cohesiveness at times.
Defensive Line: C+
It’s hard to fault the effort that Haloti Ngata and Dwan Edwards gave-and Kelly Gregg too for that matter. But without Terrell Suggs, the Ravens again failed to get much pressure on Aaron Rodgers. The front four just haven’t done it.
Linebackers: C-
It was a mixed bag from this unit. Tavares Gooden was pretty bad at times, but Dannell Ellerbe really made some plays. I thought Ray’s ankle was again a factor in slowing him down; and this unit struggled to drop back to make plays in pass coverage.
Secondary: D
Lardarius Webb played okay. The pass interference call on Domonique Foxworth was COMPLETELY bogus. Tom Zbikowski had an interception…..if only his game could have ended there. It was just a tough night all around from a unit that has had a very tough season.
Special Teams: C+
Sam Koch was solid again, and the coverage wasn’t that bad after Jordy Nelson’s initial long return. Lardarius had another big return (although there was really no reason he shouldn’t have taken that one home-which would have cut the game to 24-21), and looked pretty good on others. Even Chris Carr moved the ball a little bit. The short kickoffs were absolutely BIZARRE.
Coaching: D-
John Harbaugh’s time management philosophy is absolutely laughable. There are kids playing Madden 2010 today that understand timeout strategy better than a NFL head coach. YOU CAN STOP THE CLOCK ON OFFENSE WITHOUT TIMEOUTS! YOU CAN’T DO THAT DEFENSIVELY! While the offensive gameplan appeared solid early on, adjustments weren’t made well when the Packers answered the Ravens’ tries to run. Jerry Rosburg will have to try to give us an idea of what they were thinking about on the short kickoffs, and Greg Mattison again failed to dial up much pressure.
Let’s see what everyone else has to say…..
Best of Monday’s WNST Blogs:
Glenn Clark thinks Harbaugh/Cam Cameron/Hue Jackson may have put too much trust in Flacco too early in his career
Drew Forrester says Packers beat Ravens ‘in trenches’
And the best from the rest of the world…..
The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says without Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed, Ravens couldn’t take down Packers
The Official Site’s Ryan Mink says Domonique Foxworth, Frank Walker, Lardarius Webb, Dawan Landry, Derrick Mason all hit with pass interference penalties in loss
The Official Site’s Sarah Ellison says defense really hurting without Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Fabian Washington, Haruki Nakamura, Brendon Ayanbadejo
The Official Site says John Harbaugh told media afterwards Ravens ‘fighting for (their) lives right now, but still breathing’
Packers Official Site says Mike McCarthy thought ‘penalties were unbelievable for both sides’
Packers Official Site’s Mike Spofford says teams combined for 310 yards-most combined yards in Packers history
Packers Official Site’s Mike Spofford says Nick Barnett thought win ‘beautiful’ despite how ugly it looked
Packers Official Site’s Tom Fanning says 4th quarter interceptions from Tramon Williams, AJ Hawk wrapped things up
Packers Official Site’s Tom Fanning says Jermichael Finley abused Zbikowski for 2 TD’s
The AP’s Chris Jenkins says Packers improved to 8-4 with win, maintained good position in NFC Wild Card race
The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Flacco thought INT in endzone ‘stupid decision and even worse throw’
The Sun’s Mike Preston gives harshest criticism to Flacco
The Sun’s Edward Lee says Donald Driver also caught TD for Packers in win
The Sun’s Edward Lee says despite early INT, Ravens won’t ‘pass mantle’ from Reed to Zbikowski after tough performance
The Sun’s Mike Preston ‘doubtful’ Flacco will ever reach level of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but thinks he COULD be as good as Eli Manning or Phillip Rivers
The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says 17-0 deficit matched biggest deficit of season in losses to Vikings, Bengals
The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Harbs thought Flacco was being a ‘competitor’ when he threw pick in endzone
The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Billy Cundiff (concussion), Mark Clayton (hamstring), Jared Gaither (foot), Kelly Gregg (shoulder strain) all injured in loss
The Sun’s Ron Fritz says even ESPN analysts Gruden, Jaworski couldn’t figure out what Ravens were doing offensively in first half of Monday Night Football loss
The Sun’s Ken Murray says Derrick Mason showed ‘lack of control’ as Ravens tried to make 2nd half comeback
The Sun’s Ken Murray says Charles Woodson ‘owned’ Derrick Mason
The Sun’s David Zurawik thinks ESPN analysts correct in criticism of Ravens in MNF broadcast
The Sun’s Justin Fenton says Candace Williams claims Terrell Suggs knocked her down, spilled bleach on her after argument
Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Flacco was trying to throw across body to Demetrius Williams when he was picked off in endzone
Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says NFL ‘monitoring’ T-Sizzle situation under personal conduct policy
Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Paul Kruger made first NFL start in place of Suggs
Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson gives harshest criticism to Flacco in loss
Green Bay Press Gazette’s Pete Dougherty says Ryan Pickett, Cullen Jenkins, Johnny Jolly, B.J. Raji controlled line of scrimmage in Packers’ win
Green Bay Press Gazette’s Mike Vandermause says Aaron Rodgers ‘continued stellar play’ in win over Ravens
Green Bay Press Gazette’s Rob Demovsky says Finley, Packers exploited Ravens’ loss of Ed Reed
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein says Jermichael Finley ‘hero’ for Packers in victory
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Lori Nickel says Tramon Williams did ‘just enough’ in place of Al Harris
Wisconsin State Journal’s Tom Ziemer says over 70,000 at Lambeau Field saw Packers get past Ravens
Wisconsin State Journal’s Jon Masson says OG Daryn Colledge thought Finley ‘extremely important weapon’ for Packers in win
Wisconsin State Journal says teams combined to tie for 2nd most penalty yards in NFL history
USA Today’s Sean Leahy says Ravens feel further behind in race for AFC Wild Card spots with loss
USA Today’s Sean Leahy says Kevin Byrne reported Suggs plans to ‘tell his side of story’ in incident with alleged girlfriend
Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer thinks Aaron Rodgers has proved himself as ‘elite’ quarterback
Sporting News’ Clifton Brown has Ravens 14th in power rankings
CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman thinks Walt Anderson’s crew had ‘one of the worst officiating performances in league history’
ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert says Nick Collins thought Packers’ defense ‘phenomenal’ in win
ESPN.com’s James Walker says Ravens lacked urgency, gave Rodgers too much time to throw, saw Flacco struggle, were undisciplined, didn’t give Flacco enough time, and hurt playoff chances (is that all?)
ESPN.com’s James Walker says Ravens now 1 game behind Jaguars, tied with Steelers in playoff race
SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:
-The Terrell Suggs story is strange, and would be particularly troubling if we find out it is true. Even if it isn’t true, Terrell’s reputation will be hurt just by having the story reported. Terrell MAY have never put his hands on the woman, but there will be female football fans in Baltimore that will say “I just can’t root for Terrell anymore.” It will be interesting to see how the story plays out in the coming days.
Talk to you tomorrow.
-G
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