I thought that game was a step forward for Kolb and the team. Kolb (particularly in the first half) threw the ball with significantly more zip, was more decisive, and improved his footwork (don't get me wrong, there is still much, much more work to be done). The pass protection this game was the worst it has been all season. Kolb is shell-shocked, and he was playing hurt. Add that up, and I get a small step in the right direction.
I'm completely astonished by the wide receiving corps. I honestly thought that Andre, Early and Stephen Williams were going to light it up this year. What a disappointment. Luckily, replacing receivers is the easiest thing to do in free agency and the draft.
Beanie ran the ball very, very hard. That was an impressive effort (again considering that he was hurt). Paradoxically, I think our run blocking has never been better (do you remember all of the negative running plays during the Edgerrin James era)? I wonder if someone just told Levi that every play is a run if we would do better than his pass pro. He does crush people in the run (which seems to support Mitch's suggestion to move him to guard).
We ran the ball a lot on first down (probably too much so in the second half), but didn't exploit it enough in the second half with play action. The Ravens sold out on the run on first down in the second half, and we had no chance.
I thought the run defense was good enough to win. We blitzed too much and paid for it in the secondary. Better edge rush, but simply not good enough. Having a poor man coverage group with a sluggish pass rush is a lethal combo. I think it's literally as simple as that. We won't stop anyone for 60 minutes until we improve at least one of those two issues. I wonder how much Toler's injury cost us this season. I personally think it's at least one win.
Again, as I've said before, I'm in this for the long haul of rebuilding. I never expected greatness this year. We are rebuilding. I'm focused on the progression from here on out. I want Whiz to stay.
This game was a step in the right direction IMHO.
I'm completely astonished by the wide receiving corps. I honestly thought that Andre, Early and Stephen Williams were going to light it up this year. What a disappointment. Luckily, replacing receivers is the easiest thing to do in free agency and the draft.
Beanie ran the ball very, very hard. That was an impressive effort (again considering that he was hurt). Paradoxically, I think our run blocking has never been better (do you remember all of the negative running plays during the Edgerrin James era)? I wonder if someone just told Levi that every play is a run if we would do better than his pass pro. He does crush people in the run (which seems to support Mitch's suggestion to move him to guard).
We ran the ball a lot on first down (probably too much so in the second half), but didn't exploit it enough in the second half with play action. The Ravens sold out on the run on first down in the second half, and we had no chance.
I thought the run defense was good enough to win. We blitzed too much and paid for it in the secondary. Better edge rush, but simply not good enough. Having a poor man coverage group with a sluggish pass rush is a lethal combo. I think it's literally as simple as that. We won't stop anyone for 60 minutes until we improve at least one of those two issues. I wonder how much Toler's injury cost us this season. I personally think it's at least one win.
Again, as I've said before, I'm in this for the long haul of rebuilding. I never expected greatness this year. We are rebuilding. I'm focused on the progression from here on out. I want Whiz to stay.
This game was a step in the right direction IMHO.