Which makes it all the more upsetting when they come out in the first half and can't even get a couple first downs. They didn't have any sort of the urgency you're talking about. All they did was put the defense in bad field position over and over again.
We comeback because we run the desperation-mode 2-minute offense in which Schaub calls the plays instead of Kubiak.
Can we PLEASE stop citing field position?? We're talking about a defense that allowed Mark Sanchez to drive 70 yards in 40 seconds with no timeouts. Field position is irrelevant. Had the Ravens needed 20-30 extra yards, there was nothing to suggest in last night's first half that they wouldn't have gotten them. They did whatever they wanted on those three scoring drives. 18 plays and they faced a grand total of 2 third downs - one a 3rd-and-16 that they converted with ease.
At the end of the day...the offense generated 28 points. They controlled the ball like crazy for the entire 2nd half. If you can't win after putting up 28 points against the Ravens, you're never going to win. You can't expect much more than that.
Right...the offense that scored 4 TD's against a team that only allows 17 points per game is the reason we lost. I'm sorry, but that's nonsensical. Only one team in the league averages 30 points per game...when you put up 4 TD's, you expect to win.
RUN THE ****ING BALL ! Especially in OT when you are on your own 8 yard line....and they have 3 man front.... DD
This makes sense, but doesn't seem to be true. The offense is at their best when they feel that way - they are GREAT when they are down big in games. But they clearly don't feel that way in the 1st halves of games. It's not until they are down 14 or 21 or so that they decide to actually start playing. So if the defense had pitched a shutout in the first half, it's very possible the team never feels the sense of urgency and the offense never does anything either. This team likes to do just enough to lose.
While I agree with the concept, on the 3 drives in the first half that Baltimore didn't get great field position, they also didn't score - the defense forced punts in those 3 series. So there is some evidence, at least, that if Baltimore needed more yards, they might not have gotten them.
they always have a 3 man front...it's a 3-4 defense. I'm somewhat torn on the OT call. On the one hand your offense was moving the ball well in the air so they were riding that wave. I get it and it makes sense. On the other I would have liked a change in pace and a "tendancy breaker" and come out running the ball. Complaining about the offense at this point is like a blind man complaining about the color of his shirt...it's just not his biggest problem.
It is one of the problems though Donkey, we can't ignore the first half just because they had a good 2nd half. They have the number 1 running back in the league, and he was gashing the defense at over 5 yards a carry, and the Ravens defense was dragging hind tit at the end.... There was no need to hurry up, there was no need to put Matt in the end zone and pass in OT....run the stinking ball.....at least once out of the first 2 downs....and if you don't want to run it, get it to Foster in the flat on a safe pass..and let him get to work. Kubiak is predictable as a play caller and that is inexcusable. DD
The counter is that on their three socring drives, the Ravens were virtually unstoppable: 18 plays, 2 third downs. They converted 3rd and 16, 2nd and 14, 2nd and 11 and 2 2nd and 9's. There's nothing to suggest, given how they fared on those three drives, that an extra 20+ yards would have made a difference.
Don't ignore the 1st half...don't ignore the 2nd. Look at the totality. They put up 28...4 TD's...on the Baltimore Ravens. Hold the Ravens to their average scoring output, and you win this game by two possessions (they average 20ppg).
I think, because Schaub threw an INT, the grass is suddenly much greener and OF COURSE we should have been running the ball. The counter is - look at what Schaub, through the air, did to that defense in the second half. Had Kubiak stopped that momentum and come out running and ended up punting.... everyone would be screaming about how they couldn't be stopped through the air - why are you running the ball?!! The truth is: losing the coin flip was the killer because it gave the Ravens' D a chance to rest and regroup. And Schaub panicked and made a terrible throw. Let's not forget that - it might not have been a smart playcall, but the players still have to execute and he threw off his backfoot, forced a pass and it cost 'em.
It's easy to look at it from the numbers standpoint...but spreading out that scoring makes a big difference. Time of possession and ball control is a huge factor, and each week we stink it up in the first half in those categories. If we pick up more first downs and put the ball in the endzone a couple times in the first half, all of a sudden the opponents offense is staying off the field, our defense gets rest, and maybe our defense gains some confidence with a lead while their offense loses a little confidence. Our defense is pitiful and I'm not making excuses for them. But a little output from the first half offense would go a long way toward masking this (until we can get a few new players of D in the offseason). Otherwise, it's just a snowball effect...the defense gets torched early, offense goes 3 and out, and all of a sudden the defense is back on the field two minutes later (and last night with bad field position!), tired, and with zapped confidence. We're down 14-0 before the offense has gotten past midfield. The story has been similar to this throughout most of the losing this year. Look at the Patriots. I know it's not a totally fair comparison since we don't have Tom Brady, but they don't have a dominant defense by any stretch; they stop the run pretty well but are terrible against the pass. They do a pretty good job of masking this by managing the ball and playing consistent offense, though. It seems like every loss, there is a key play or series late that ends up not going Kubiak's way, despite their being some "reason" as to why he did it. At some point you just have to look at him and realize he's no better at this than any of us, and that's a problem. He shouldn't just be guessing out there. I tend to believe that any coach with two brain cells to rub together would realize that when you are backed up to your endzone and the (now rested) defense is so set on stopping the pass, you need to run the ball at least once to give yourself manageable down and distance and keep them honest.
No, the truth is that the Texans had a chance to win it, and they played like they were still behind. I said it in the game thread that they needed to run the ball, and wallah, they came out firing...honestly, it could have been ruled a safety on the first pass by Schaub in OT where he threw it away to avoid the sack. That should have been a bit of a wake up call on the play calling and maybe they should get a little space by running it. Foster is having a great year, but he could be having an even better one and the team would be better off because of it. One of the ways to mask a bad defense is to have your offense control the ball. You listening Kubiak....CONTROL the ball. Once Fisher is jettisoned in Tenny, he would fit the talent on this team perfectly. DD
I disagree completely with this. That defense was winded on that last drive and the no-huddle was doing an awesome number on them. Our defense had gotten a rare stop at the best possible time and their D had to come out still sucking wind. This was not the case for our OT offensive possession. One of the premier pass defenses in the league had the benefit of an end-of-quarter timeout *and* an offensive possession to catch their wind, and they took the field with their ears pinned back. Not only that, but they lined up three up front and lots of coverage--a great time to run the ball! Finally, what the hell was the hurry? What call two-minute-offense type plays when the game is tied and the clock is no longer your enemy? The best RB in the NFL didn't get to touch the ball on what could have the game-winning drive that saved this pathetic season for at least another six days. That's inexcusable. Would any coach in the rest of NFL, NCAA, or freaking junior high have called those three plays? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I hate "sense of urgency" cliches. They don't execute and it's because they don't have a "sense of urgency."
