OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A common theme has been echoed by Ravens players and coaches alike in describing the offensive woes away from M&T Bank Stadium this season.
In pinpointing what needs to be done after mustering just 28 points in their last 10 quarters of play on the road, members of the organization have uttered “execution” over and over, but making it happen is the challenge. An offense that’s looked like one of the NFL’s elite in four home games this season — averaging just over 32 points per contest — has been out of sync and unproductive in three road games this season in which they’ve scored a total of 45 points.
Taking the bye week to assess what’s gone wrong and how to fix it, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron reminded everyone the tools are there to be successful away from M&T Bank Stadium. The productive numbers at home prove the personnel and scheme are more than capable of being successful, but overcoming the challenges of communication and simply remaining calm have plagued the Ravens far too often in road contests.
“The one thing that we’re not as good at on the road as we are at home is being on the same page,” Cameron said. “It might be any combination — it could be in the passing game, it could be in protection, it could be in the run game. So, we’re looking at everything from a communication standpoint, how we can make sure, on the road, that we’re on the same page.”
Questions have once again surfaced about quarterback Joe Flacco and the amount of freedom he has to operate at the line of scrimmage and make adjustments if necessary. Cameron repeated the fifth-year signal caller has all the freedom he needs to read opposing defenses and make changes on the fly.
With the increased use of the no-huddle attack this season, the proclamation shouldn’t come as a shock despite some critics suggesting otherwise.
“It’s common knowledge all the leeway that Joe has at the line of scrimmage now,” Cameron said. “Everybody knows the options that he has.”
If Flacco holds as much influence as his offensive coordinator suggests, perhaps a more important question that hasn’t been asked very often is the amount of responsibility the on-field leader of the offense holds in explaining why Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice has seemingly disappeared at certain points in road games this season.
Has the Baltimore quarterback checked out of plays designed to feed Rice the football when it may not have been the best choice to do so? Or, has the quarterback simply made the necessary adjustments against certain defensive looks? Does the audible menu itself needs to be adjusted to include Rice more often?
The answer is open for interpretation based on comments made by Cameron on Thursday.
“We are at our best when everyone is involved,” Cameron said. “Ray is a big part of what we’re doing. We have to make sure that within our audible system, the audibles don’t take the ball out of his hands, based on what the defense might be dictating.”
Whether it’s making a concerted effort to give Rice more carries early in games or to target him more often out of the backfield in the passing game, nearly everyone invested in the Ravens’ offense has suggested the two-time Pro Bowl running back needs to have a bigger workload.
Sunday’s meeting with the Cleveland Browns will provide the first post-bye test in determining what breakthroughs the Ravens have made offensively, albeit against an underwhelming opposing defense.
As always, this week’s 15-7-0 is brought to you by Roofing By Elite. Visit them at roofingbyelite.com. We make 15 observations about football ELITE, 7 about football “not so ELITE” and one “zero” who deserves to sleep on the roof from outside of football.
(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens game analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)
On more than one occasion during the first three quarters in Baton Rouge I found myself saying “oh my God oh my God oh my God”. It was an amazing effort from the Tigers in Death Valley…
No matter what, it doesn’t mean this didn’t happen…
I remember taking a picture of the screen when Morgan State lead West Virginia 10-0 in the NCAA Tournament. Things went SIGNIFICANTLY better for Towson after their moment than they did for MSU.
2. Hey! Remember last week when the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons were the best team in their respective conferences? Like Sonny & Cher said, “the beat goes on”.
Want to see Danieal Manning make an interception return TD look like a kick return TD? Of course you do.
It’s probably worth taking a closer look at the block Jonathan Joseph laid on Nate Washington during the return…
Oh my. Houston stomped Tennessee, but you knew that was going to happen. Tennessee also lost quarterback Jake Locker for what looks like could be “several weeks” according to CBS. So they’ve got that going for them.
The Falcons-Panthers game was significantly more interesting. Carolina had a chance to pull the upset at the Georgia Dome but (first) Cam Newton fumbled the ball after what would have been a late 3rd down conversion (then) Ron Rivera decided not to go for it on 4th and short but instead give the ball back to Matt Ryan (and) Ryan did this from the shadow of his own endzone…
The Falcons would get a game winner from Matt Bryant to stay undefeated, the Panthers fell to 1-3. Matt Ryan’s thoughts are NSFW if you’re a lip-reader…
Earlier in the game, Cam Newton did THIS…
And I guess spending time in Atlanta has helped Dunta Robinson perfect his Tomahawk Chop…
The Pats were in a bit of trouble in the first half of this one, but then they remembered they were the Patriots and scored like 600 unanswered points. Was it 600? I think it was 600. Let’s ask Tom Brady.
By the way-I’m terrible at lip-reading. If you told me he was asking about whether or not Looper was any good, I would believe you.
Now Ryan Fitzpatrick’s reaction…
Maybe he just found out the new stadium is going up in Los Angeles and is getting excited about buying a home in Burbank.
Vince Wilfork nearly killed a man in this one…
And Rob Gronkowski made sure he didn’t miss another spike…
WVU QB Geno Smith threw more touchdowns (8) than incomplete passes (6) Saturday against Baylor. He also threw for 656 yards and no picks. Try to keep up…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqDruveDZD0
How about that last catch from JD Woods to seal it? Geesh. You might not have seen it because your head was still spinning from the 133 points scored in the game.
Smith is your Heisman Trophy frontrunner and the Mountaineers are a sexy “dark hose” pick to make a run at the BCS Championship. The folks in Morgantown might want to make sure they have room for a third digit on the scoreboard.
First, we start with the fact that ESPN’s College Gameday was in East Lansing this week. It’s noteworthy. Here’s the singular best sign…
That’s just…so…exceptional. Mom and dad are proud of the education they’re paying for you to get at MSU!
The Buckeyes are 5-0 but can’t win anything. This will be an awkward storyline if the season continues this way…
And since the Big Ten stinks, I kinda have to assume it will. Oh and also, the Spartans coaches were complaining postgame that the game film they received from Ohio State wasn’t up to standards. It sounds like whiny bitching from sore losers, but I’ll let you be the judge…
I don’t really understand the issue. Of course, if they had sent the right video, the Spartans probably would have been able to figure out what the Buckeyes’ hand signals were all about…
Remember what everyone said about the Raiders defense? They probably didn’t say enough. The guy most thankful for the asskicking? Demaryius Thomas. Otherwise this would have been REALLY embarrassing…
And for fellow Peyton Manning fantasy owners, this one is worth watching again…
But the six turnovers, they were helpful. And since we’re talking about baked goods, thanks to whoever brought the Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding (I’m sorry I forgot who you are!) to Maritime Magic Friday night (an event to benefit Living Classrooms Foundation). Holy hell I’ve never had anything greater.
