Loading ...
Is Practice the Root of the Problem for the Ravens’ Offense?
Despite being a jealous douche most of the time, Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun occasionally makes a good point. And points don’t usually get better than this.
On the Ravens’ Insider blog, Preston opined that the defense practicing full force against the offense rarely gives the quarterbacks time to go through their reads and make good throws. Given that the Ravens are annually among the NFL’s best defensive units, could it be possible that all these years of offensive futility have been a direct results of their defensive intensity?
Think about it. No one takes a play off when Ray Lewis is on the field, or so goes the local lore. How can you develop a young quarterback when the defense is challenged on every play to yield zero yards? To anyone?
And they all blamed it on Kyle Boller.
Neither Boller, Troy Smith or Joe Flacco have looked particularly impressive during camp, aside from a few flashes of brilliance. It may be particularly hard on the offense this season, as the defense has even more to prove after last year’s 5-11 campaign.
There are those that will say opponents won’t take plays off during the season, so why should coaches and teammates? That may be true, but there aren’t many teams that pride themselves or throw themselves at an offense like the Baltimore Ravens, and if they don’t ease up on the throttle, it may mean another year of sputtering for a patchwork offense.
Recent Posts...
Redskins-Ravens Makes Prime Time by Jarrett
What Went Right for the Ravens by Jarrett
Chris McAlister and John Harbaugh at Odds? by Jarrett
John Harbaugh Takes Lesson from Brian Billick School of Motivational Speaking by Jarrett
The fact this team is till trying to find an offense given all the good individual players this offense has and has had, is amazing to me. Boller is your best option at QB right now. I really like Heap (although he is an Arizona St. guy and I’m a University of Arizona guy - so don’t tell anyone I said that!). Maybe Stover can stop being the biggest offensive threat you have.
August 12th, 2008 at 8:46 amPlaying against our defense should make our qb’s better, not worst. Kyle boller was thrown into the fire as a rookie coming out of a cal system that does not get them ready for the nfl rite away. billick was the one who messed up boller.
August 12th, 2008 at 10:53 amI agree that Billick ruined Boller with his gimmick play-calling, but the defense messing up timing and confidence can be a real issue; for Boller, and others.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:11 amThis is the most idiotic explanation of why our offense is so horrible. If anything our defense should help the offense perform better against other defenses. If the offense can’t stand up to our defense. How good could they ever really be? Preston would find any reason to put the blame for the team’s issues on Ray. This has been his sorry MO since the Billick era.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:19 pm