Huge win for the Eagles. The NFL schedule makers gave the Eagles an early season test and for once…they passed. It wasn’t a perfect game to be sure, but the result was great. This game had a playoff atmosphere. There were 2 good teams on the field, really battling one another. Each side had weapons on offense and defense. There were veteran QBs running the show and some stud defensive players as well. The game just had a great feel to it. Neither team backed down. The Eagles just made a couple more clutch plays.

You can argue that it was good for the Eagles to win an imperfect game. Playing lights out can give you a false positive. The Jets played a near perfect game in the opener and then stunk the next week. What you saw from the Eagles on Sunday was real. The team made plays, made mistakes, and then found a way to come out on top vs a very tough team. To me, that’s legit.

The offense piled up 486 yards. They scored 24 points on a day when they also turned the ball over 4 times, including a couple of times in the Red Zone. In the 2 previous BAL/PHI games combined…the Eagles totaled 504 yards and 22 points on offense. Think about that for a minute to appreciate just how much more talented and explosive the team is now.

I can’t tell you how blown away I am that the offense marched down the field and scored the winning TD late in the game for the second week in a row. We’ve waited for years to see the Eagles respond like this. You can’t count on doing it every week, but the fact the team has done it twice should give them great confidence in future games when late points are needed. Dare I say…the Eagles are now clutch?

The defense has been clutch, dominating in the 2nd half and sealing both wins. So far this year the defense has given up 4 FGs in the 2nd half. No TDs. And 3 of the FGs came off of turnovers, when the offense was handed the ball basically in FG range already.

COACHING

Andy Reid had a pretty good game. He had the team well-prepared and the gameplans were good. Andy went for it on 4th/1 early in the game. I thought that was a good decision. The game was scoreless so going for the TD instead of settling for a FG sent a positive, aggressive message to the Eagles and also warned the Ravens that we weren’t “scared” of them. The next big decision came late in the game, when Vick was stopped on a scramble that left us facing 4th/1. Reid challenged the spot. I liked the move. Even if you lost, you essentially had a timeout to think about kicking vs going for it. The ball was spotted a full yard short so Reid did the wise thing and kicked. That FG tied the game at 17. Reid took a risk a bit later that almost blew up in his face. The Ravens were stopped on a 3rd down, while in FG range. There was a penalty for holding. Reid took it and gave them 3rd/long. His hope was that we’d stop them and they might miss the longer FG attempt. There were 2 penalties on us and the Ravens had a whole new set of downs. It was in this sequence that the Ravens appeared to score a TD, but it was nullified by a controversial penalty. Ryans sacked Flacco, which did set up a long FG and the Ravens nailed that anyway.

Reid was being aggressive, but also I think dumb. 3rd/long is good, but think of all the penalties that carry an automatic 1st down. The risk wasn’t worth the reward. If he had a chance to push them out of FG range, go for it. Instead it was going to give their kicker about a 45-yd attempt. That’s no chip shot, but it wasn’t worth risking the Ravens getting a new set of downs (which they did).

Solid game overall by Big Red, but almost a colossal blunder.

Marty had a terrific gameplan for the offense. We attacked with the passing game, but did so in a pretty safe way. We had a balanced offense. We also went no-huddle on them and I think it wore down their defense at times.

Juan Castillo did a good job with the defense. He mixed in more blitzes this week, although we only had mixed results. His best decision was to put DRC on Torrey Smith (the speedy WR) and have him follow Smith everywhere. Couldn’t have done this with Asante, but DRC and Nnamdi don’t care about playing right vs left. It was good to see us matching the CBs to the receivers.

The defense played a good game. It was mostly due to execution. We mainly did what we always do…rush the passer and play press coverage. I think Jim Washburn is the one who decided to limit Cullen Jenkins and play Fletcher Cox more. Great move on his part.

MISC

The game got out of control a few times. It started, as far as I can tell, when Kurt Coleman was trying to tug the ball loose from Anquan Boldin after a play. It was over, but Kurt gave a couple of extra tugs. Boldin let go of the ball and Kurt pushed it back toward him. Boldin became furious and shoved Kurt. That got everyone’s attention. The Ravens then scored a couple of plays later and Cullen got in a shoving match with an OL. Tensions were high from then on out.

I didn’t like the chippy nature of the game. Others have pointed out that it was important for the Eagles to stand up to the Ravens. There is some truth to that, but I also think if we had regular officials that we would have seen more flags and maybe even an ejection or two. Tough is good, but you never want to give up 15 yds or get thrown out.

I won’t go into all of the problems with the officials. One moment that hurt the Eagles came in the 2nd Qtr. The Ravens had 12 men on the field. A flag was thrown. The Ravens somehow convinced the officials that they’d called a timeout so the officials picked up the flag. The penalty would have resulted in 3rd/9. Instead the play was 3rd/4 and the Ravens scored a TD on that drive.

There were 2 2-minute warnings in the 4th Qtr due to some confusion. There were numerous plays where the refs got the spot wrong after a penalty. All of them were eventually right, but only after awkward delays and multiple adjustments.

Neither team clearly benefited. Our DBs got away with contact. Their rushers got away with some hits on Vick.

OFFENSE

Plays

4th/1. Drive where we got the ball off Flacco’s fumble. Reid decided to go for it. Ran right from I-formation. Line flowed to the right. Didn’t get much push, but the guys got enough movement that Shady was able to find a seam and got upfield for his yard.

2nd/GL. Lined up in GL running formation. Left side of OL blocked out, as if to sell wide play. Right side went straight. Evan Mathis ignored his DT and went upfield to seal LB. Bell lined up as TE on right and was supposed to come in and trap block Mathis’s DT. Bell was late on that block and the DT hit Vick, but only after Shady had the ball and was in the endzone. Risky, but effective design. Ray Lewis was unblocked, but the motion of the blockers on the left froze him for half a second and let Shady score. Ray may have also been influenced by pass play to that side a couple of plays earlier.

3rd/3. From BAL 23. Lined up with split backs, Shady & Celek. DJax way right, with Avant in slot on his side.. Maclin way left. Vick faked handoff to Shady. Celek crossed by them and headed left. Vick started running left. Earlier in the game Celek was wide open on this play for nice gain. This time the LB stuck with him. Both CB and S on the left side came up to go after Vick. Mac was wide open in the endzone and Vick got him the ball for a TD. Impressive vision and good throw. Very good catch by Mac to stay inbounds and control the ball as he fell to the ground. Actually got on his knees as the ball was on the way since the throw was coming in low. TD.

1st/10. Not a critical play, but nice design. Lined TEs up as wing backs. At the snap Brent went and sealed the LB in front of him. Clay pulled over to that side and acted as lead blocker for Shady. Run play got 5 yds. Simple, but creative. Played flowed left, but was designed cutback to the right.

3rd/GL. Final drive. Spread set. Reynolds blocked the NT. Bell sealed Ngata. Mathis and Shady double teamed an ILB and Vick got into the endzone easily on QB draw. Simple play, great result.

* Moving pocket was effective. We didn’t roll Vick out all the time, but did it enough to affect the Ravens rush and to help give Vick plenty of time to throw on some plays.

* We used a no-huddle attack very effectively. I think that tired the Ravens DL in the 4th Qtr.

* 7 of 15 on 3rd downs. Excellent. 1-1 on 4th down.

* 2 of 5 in the RZ. 2 were turnovers and one time we settled for a FG.

Players

QB

VICK – Up and down game. For the most part, was outstanding. 23-32-371. Threw a TD and 2 INTs. The picks are the problem. One was totally on him. The other was more bad luck than anything. Did have another pass that easily could have been picked off. Still, his decision making was worlds better than the season opener. He also played with confidence. We saw signs of the good Michael Vick in this game. I came away more encouraged than worried.

One thing I liked was how he ran. Vick was smart. He went out of bounds on at least 2 scrambles. On 3rd down in the 2nd half inside the RZ he dove into contact, because he knew that was a time to sell out. We didn’t get the 1st, but it sure wasn’t for lack of effort. Vick then ran twice on the final GL series. That was the easy way to score. Finished the game 10-34 on the ground, with a TD.

Got hit a few times by the Ravens when the contact was borderline illegal or flat out illegal. Got 1 call. That’s when Reed hit his helmet on a blitz. Hit by Upshaw after releasing a pass. Initial hit was clean, but spun Vick and put him on the ground. Borderline illegal. Penalties have been called for less. Vick got hit in the ankle after one pass. Not supposed to hit QBs below the knee. No call. Ngata got a couple of shots on Vick that could have been called. One was just a pure late hit. No flag. Late in the half Shady started left, then cut back to the right. Vick stepped up in traffic, as if to block. Realized that wasn’t wise. Ngata came in at the last moment and gave him a hard shove/hit from behind and Vick went hard to the ground. If that was Tom Brady…

-Misc-

* Caught an erratic snap on the second play, rolled to his left, and then threw sidearm to DJax for a nice gain. Good play.

* First INT – dumb, greedy. Rolled right, threw softly into the endzone. Picked. Can’t throw a lob pass on the move and into the endzone where there is traffic.

* Threw a strike to Celek on 3rd/20, allowing him to get RAC yards and almost the full 20.

* Got hit up high by Reed and drew flag.

* Threw a beautiful pass to Celek late in the 1st Qtr. Put the ball over the LBs, but in front of the Safeties. Great touch.

* Tried to get the ball to Celek in the early 2nd, but failed to notice Ray Lewis buzzing underneath. He deflected the ball.

* Ran over CBS parabolic mic guy on a scramble, then helped him up. Even the CBS guys want contact w/ him.

* Body-slammed Ray Lewis after the Shady fumble.

* Almost had another RZ INT in 3rd Qtr. Tried to hit Celek on the left side. LB was running behind him, but was able to get his hands on the ball. Pass actually went through the LB and hit Celek in the hands, but he was caught off guard and didn’t come close to catching it.

*Great throw to DJax on deep ball. 53 yds in air. On the money.

* Next play tried to hit Celek over the middle. Ball was a bit high and went off Celek’s hands…to Ed Reed. Ugh.

Made terrific throws on final drive. Hit DJax on sideline. Seam route to Celek. Harbor on crossing route. Scrambled for 8 yds. Drew roughing the passer penalty after the completion to Harbor. 2nd/GL was dumb pass play where we roll to one side and flood the area. Vick got pressure from Ngata before he could find anyone. Threw the ball as he was being hit. Idiot refs called it a fumble. Went to replay and it was reversed. Not even close to being a fumble. The ball went forward from his hand and traveled 5 yds. When Ngata hits you, the ball doesn’t go the opposite direction by 5 yds unless it is thrown.

RB/FB

SHADY – Up and down game. Made 3 big mistakes. If not for them, I’d have said he had a great game. Let’s start with the mistakes. Fumbled, again. Fumble came late in the half when we were at the 9-yd line. CB blitzed off edge and hit him in the arm. Ball shot out. That cost us 3 points at least. Dropped a pass on 3rd/1. Lined up out wide. Came inside on crossing pattern. Vick hit him with pass, but Shady dropped the ball. The pass wasn’t perfect, but was 100 percent catchable. Some also questioned the velocity. The pass had some speed, but should have been caught. Final mistake was missing a LB in blitz pickup. His guy sacked Vick. I’m pretty sure that was Shady’s guy, but could be wrong on that.

Now for the good stuff. Only finished 25-81 as a runner, but that doesn’t begin to describe how important he was. Giving the ball to him 25 times allowed the Eagles to control the flow of the game. Shady did a great job of not dancing in this game. Ravens are too good for that. You must focus on getting 3 yards. Shady showed good restraint and followed his blockers. He ran smart. The plays when blocking broke down, he did get creative and made some guys look bad. Ray Lewis can tell you how hard it is to tackle Shady. He missed him a time or two.

Aside from the one mistake, Shady also had a strong day in pass pro.

First play of the game was a fake to Shady and then pass. Shady did a good job of picking up blitzing ILB. Blocked long enough Vick to complete the pass. Shady’s LB did hit Vick, but not for a couple of seconds. Made a good cutblock of DE on next snap. Allowed Vick to get the ball to DJax. Best run of the day came late in the 2nd Qtr. Headed right. Went off tackle. Made a DB miss at the LOS, then took off up the sideline. Ran through a tackle attempt and Reed finally stopped him after a gain of 20. Excellent block of LB off the edge on 3rd/7 play in the 3rd Qtr. Gave Vick clean pocket and we moved the chains. Missed 59 on blitz up the middle. Great blitz pickup of Ray on final drive. Let Vick escape for 8-yd run.

B BROWN – Got good playing time, but the headline is that he fumbled in the Red Zone. More on that later. Got in the game on the opening drive. That was a pass play. Got first carry late in the 1st Qtr. Went left for 3 yds. Looked good in reading his blocks and finding a seam to hit. Sloppy pass block on creative play-action pass. His guy didn’t hit Vick, but still needs to get better. Had another RZ carry in the mid-3rd. Didn’t realize that watching the game live. Got 3 yards off the right side. Ran hard and with confidence, which was a good sign. Finished with 3 carries for 7 yds.

HAVILI – Whiffed on early block of Pollard. Went flying upfield and just missed his guy. Didn’t affect play. We handed him the ball a couple of times. Gained 0 and 1 yds. No room to run. Didn’t have an ideal lead block on 4th/1 run, but did at least draw a stalemate. FB cannot get blown up on that play. Got blown up on 3rd/1 run play where Bryce fumbled. Seeing Havili floored in the backfield could easily have affected the fumble. Lined up as single back in 3rd Qtr and then caught short pass over the middle for 4 yds. Nice block of Ray Lewis on 3rd Qtr run, but unfortunately it was meaningless since other LB already had Shady in the backfield. Blocked a blitzer in the 4th Qtr for about 2 seconds, but then the guy came free and hit Vick. Gotta hold those blocks as long as humanly possible. Good job in pass pro on late pass play that set up 1st/GL. Kept his guy off Vick completely.

TE

CELEK – Great game. 8-157. Got open over and over and over. I mean wide open. Added his normal RAC yards after catches. Blocking was up and down. Had some real good blocks. Also had a few that weren’t so good. Rarely does Brent light it up as a blocker and a receiver in the same game. We need his pass catching in this one and he delivered in a big way.

Caught pass on first play. Was wide open for a gain of 23. Missed block on WR screen that ended in TFL. Wasn’t an easy play, but he still missed. Lined up as FB and then ran short route on play-action that mirrored Vick. Easy pitch and catch for 5 yds. Caught a key pass on 2nd drive. We were in 3rd/20. Got the ball and fought through Pollard tackle for a gain of 19. Missed block of Reed on GL pass play where Vick got hit high and drew a flag. Got a terrific pass from Vick late in the 1st Qtr. Gained 21 yards on the play, but paid for it. Pollard leveled him with a huge hit. Celek stayed on the ground for a couple of moments, then got up and gave his trademark symbol for 1st down. Crowd went wild for that. Missed block of LB on run to his side where Havili was stuffed for no gain. Poor block of LB on run to his side led to TFL in the early 3rd Qtr. Helped Bell by blocking initially on pass play, then took off on a crossing route. Ravens completely lost him. Vick hit him out wide with a short pass. Celek turned that into a 22-yd gain. The highlight of the play was him hurdling over Ed Reed. Never thought I’d see that. Babin and Landri both went nuts on the sideline when they saw that. Caught pass up the right seam for 24 yds on final drive. Had to extend for the ball and get it up high. Got open on 3rd/2 on final drive and turned that into a gain of 13 and a 1st down.

HARBOR – Solid game. Did more blocking than catching. Clay was the target when Vick threw his first INT. Kind of wide open, as weird as that sounds. Vick just threw the ball softly and a DB was able to get in front of the ball easily. Caught a huge pass late in the game. Ran crossing route and Vick hit him in stride. CB tackled him at the 6. Tried to use a spin move so he could score, but good shot from Webb got him down. Gained 19 on the play.

WR

MACLIN – Less than 100 percent going into the game. Wasn’t a big part of the game plan. Only caught 1 pass and that was the only time the ball came his way. Even that wasn’t by design. Luckily, it was a 23-yd TD and a huge play. Blocked better this week. Last week was embarrassing. Good block on Damaris run on the opening drive. Occupied his guy and kept DJ clean. Got hurt on Celek’s leaping catch/run when he went low to block a DB. Guy hit him in the hip. 1-23-1.

D JACKSON – Very good game. 7-114. I’m really digging the new DeSean. This is the guy from 2008 and 2009. Only negative play was WR screen to him on opening drive. Lost a couple of yards. Had a chance for a few, but danced a bit and lost yards. Ravens played it well so the play wasn’t going to do much no matter what. Did a good job on short routes. Caught pass on 3rd/4 and got almost 10 yards. Caught pass for gain of 18 late in the half. Inside route. Didn’t hesitate, just headed upfield for RAC yds. Got down before being crushed, but impressive to see him comfortable in traffic. Caught 8-yd pass on 3rd/6 on opening drive of 3rd Qtr. CB played off and DJax made the catch. CB was scared of his speed. DeSean finally caught his first deep ball of the year in the 3rd Qtr. Beat the CB down the sideline. Tracked the ball from Vick and just after it hit his hands, he took a big shot from the FS. I don’t think DJax saw the FS until the last second. Really concentrated on the ball. Went down hard due to the hit, but held on to make a great catch. That play really flipped the field. Got 49 yds and moved us from deep in our own territory.

AVANT – Made a great catch on 3rd/10 on opening drive. Came open, but still in traffic. Vick gunned the ball his way. Jason had to extend for it and make a pure hands catch. Plucked the ball and then went down to avoid Ray Ray. Gain of 16. Key play for that drive and showed Jason at his best. Made a sliding catch over the middle in the early 4th. Finished 2-33.

GILYARD – Didn’t see him on offense.

D JOHNSON – Lined up at RB on opening drive. Got hand-off and took ball around the left side for a gain of 6. Took over for Maclin for parts of the 2nd half. Caught pass on 3rd/7. Used an excellent cut to get open and got 13 yds on the play. Just exploded out of the cut and created separation. CB was Jimmy Smith, 2011 1st rounder. Made sure his feet were down, then fell out of bounds. Not an easy play and it was perfectly executed. Made wrap-up tackle of Ed Redd after INT. Did we just find a new backup Safety? 1-13 as receiver.

OL

* First sack of the game was odd. Ravens ran overload blitz on the left side. Nice design. Guy came free. Single rusher on the other side also came free. Todd let him go, but Danny was looking elsewhere. Mistakes like that must be eliminated.

* 3rd/2 late in the game. OL gave Vick a super clean pocket. Ravens were tired maybe, but Vick had 4 seconds to scan the field. Hit Celek for the 1st. Excellent protection.

DUNLAP – Not a good game. Good reach and seal block on McPhee on Damaris run play to his side. Gave Damaris all the running room in the world with that block. Got beaten by Upshaw after initial block on Vick’s first INT. Upshaw’s pressure forced Vick to scramble. Called for holding on run play to his side. Initial block looked okay, but then pulled Ngata to the ground. Got beat on 2nd Qtr pass play and his guy hit Vick. Was pulling to the far right on Shady’s fumble. Could have blocked the DB who hit Shady, but was looking upfield for a LB. Bad block of DE on run play late in the half. His guy got in the backfield and hit Shady. Got hurt in the 3rd Qtr. As someone on Twitter said, watching him walk on a bum leg was like watching the Imperial Walkers from Empire Strikes Back.

MATHIS – Good game. Got up to the 2nd level and blocked Ray on Damaris run play. Real good block of DT on run to his side. Got off the ball quickly and was able to move his feet so that the DT was cleanly sealed and Shady could run by him easily. Had a really good block of DT on run play with flow to the right. Engaged his guy and slid him down the line. Shady cut back of Mathis hip and went upfield for nice gain. Good block of Ngata on 3rd Qtr run. Was backside of the play, but kept the big guy from pursuing. Had terrific block in the early 3rd when he washed the DT to the inside and left a huge cutback lane for Shady, who took it and got 12 yards. Read stunt perfectly and stoned his guy on play to open the final drive. Missed block of Ray and he stopped Shady for no gain on 2nd/2.

KELCE – Pulled and had good lead block of LB on draw where Shady got 7 yds. Had nice block of NT on run play. Ball was headed right. NT tried to flow with play. Jason locked on and sustained contact. Eventually got the NT on the ground by pushing him over another fallen Raven. Poor block of Ngata late in the half. Couldn’t keep him from helping to stuff Shady. Good block of the NT on play where he got hurt. Reed dove for Shady, but missed and hit Kelce in the side of the knee. Bad luck.

WATKINS – Danny, meet Haloti. Danny, get ready to find out what a dominant DL looks like. Wow. Ngata is one impressive dude. He made Watkins look like an orange cone in a pass rushing drill a few times. Danny did his job well enough for the offense to have some success, but I guarantee you that he’s fine with not having to face Ngata for another 4 years.

Good reach block of DE on run to his side. Got stuffed on run play where he pulled to the left. That forced Shady to cut back to the right and dive to get back to the LOS. Got beat by Ngata in pass pro on 3rd/20. Vick had enough time to get the pass off, but took a big hit. Good run block in early 2nd. Helped Kelce control the NT, then peeled off and got LB. Good block of LB no run to his side where Shady got loose along the sideline. Ngata disrupted a 3rd Qtr run by exploding off the ball and knocking Danny back. Ngata is just a special player. So impressive. Ngata used great burst, swim move to blow by Watkins in 3rd and would have sacked Vick, but the ball was already out. Still hit him hard. Got beat with initial burst of Ngata’s on 4th Qtr pass play, but Danny was able to recover and ride him deep, giving Vick space in the pocket.

HERREMANS – Up and down. Todd is playing more sloppy than I like to see from a veteran like him. Had some good plays to be sure, but got beat a few times when he just did the wrong thing. Put Ray Lewis on the ground with good seal block on run play. Sloppy pass set on 2nd Qtr pass play led to hit of Vick. Protected wide against a guy clearly heading inside. Good reach block of DE on run to his side in early 2nd Q. Let Shady get outside for nice gain. Good kick out block of Ray opened a hole for Shady on late 3rd Qtr run. Got off balance in pass pro and was called for holding Upshaw. Good call, terrible block attempt. Had a poor block on the next play. McPhee got by him too easily and slammed Vick down hard. Lost control of 97 on late pass play and the guy hit Vick hard. Was play-action and tough block, but Todd should have done a better job.

D BELL – Took over at LT at 9:50 mark of the 3rd Qtr. Score was 17-14. First play he lined up so far back it should have drawn a penalty, but there was no call. Got help from Celek, Harbor on that play. A DL drove him into the backfield a coupe of yards on early run. Got help from Celek on 3rd/7 pass play. Actually Brent did most of the blocking on that. Did a good job on DL on pass play. Gave ground, but kept Vick clean. Used his hands well on that play. Next play was 3rd/7. Blocked DE with no help and did a solid job. Got help on 3rd/15 play. Kept DE under control. Called for holding on run play where DL slanted hard to the inside. Singled blocked DE on deep ball to DJax. Good sign. Got caught off guard by a stunt on the final drive and his guy would have gotten to Vick, but thankfully the ball was already out. Must show better awareness. Beaten by Upshaw on run play for TFL.

REYNOLDS – Took over at C at 11:20 mark of 3rd Qtr. Good block of NT on first play. Good job of going quickly from snap to block. Uses his hands well. Strong. Better athlete than I expected. Had a real good block of Ngata on pass play for 1.5 seconds. Then Haloti used a swim move. Dallas went to the ground and Ngata started to come upfield, but tripped over him. Ugly, but effective. Shotgun snap to Vick was either a tad off target or just caught him off guard on the final drive. Vick bobbled the ball for literally half a second, then got it under control.

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DEFENSE

PLAYS

2nd/10. This was the 2nd play of the game for the Ravens. Landri drove the C backward. Jason drove the RT backward. Trent flew off the edge and Flacco had nowhere to go as the pocket collapsed on him. Trent was able to knock the ball loose from behind and Jenkins recovered. Simply perfect DL play.

1st/10. Ravens went to 3 WR set. Eagles brought Nate into the box to play like a LB. The Ravens ran a tackle-trap. They blocked Cole and Landri and the RT pulled and blocked Nate. That left a big hole for Rice. Kurt was there to make the stop and limit the play to about 10 yards, but he overran the play and Rice cut back inside of him and was off to the races. DRC showed great hustle in flying downfield to get in front of Rice. As Ray tried to move around him, Kendricks came in from the back and made the tackle. Bad D at the LOS, but good hustle prevented a TD.

* We mixed in zone blitzes a couple of times.

* The Ravens scripted plays to start the game worked really well. That’s more about good execution than bad defense.

* The Ravens spread out their TEs and mixed in quick throws to them. This was an issue at first, but the players adjusted and did a better job.

* Used Nnamdi on J Jones most of the game. Smart.

* Used a set in the 4th with Cole at LDE and Jenkins at RDE. Ravens called a run and were shut down.

* Ray Rice got free on pass play in mid-4th. Blocked initially, then released. I think he was Ryans man to cover and DeMeco looked away when he saw him blocking. A few plays later we blitzed on 3rd/7. Rice wasn’t covered at all and Flacco hit him for a gain of 37. Kurt Coleman started to blitz on the play, then reversed and chased Rice. Was this a blown assignment or did Flacco just find the open guy? Not sure. This is something that must be fixed for the future.

* Ravens OL were doing some odd things before the snap. They were trying to communicate and looking at each other and turning/shifting as they did that. A couple of times it looked like the RG false started while doing this. Wasn’t subtle at all. No calls.

PLAYERS

DL

COLE – Good game. Got a strip sack on the first series that turned the ball right back to the offense (after Vick INT). Got pressure on multiple plays. Beat Oher to hit Flacco on pass play late in the half and force errant throw. Got pressure on 3rd/2 pass play where Flacco lofted the ball out of bounds. Took a wide arc to get to Flacco on pass play in late 3rd. As Joe’s arm went back, Trent got his hand near the ball, but couldn’t get a piece of it. That was the deep ball to Smith. Got by Oher and hit Flacco on 4th Qtr pass play, but the ball was already out. Beat Oher to the inside to start the final drive. Holding could easily have been called, but there was no flag.

BABIN – Quiet game. Screwed up on the first TD. Ravens left him unblocked and Jason fell for the bait. Headed straight for the QB as Leach went right by him with the ball. Had a chance to get to Flacco on the TD pass. It was a blitz and Jason stood up in the middle of the D initially. Then looped wide. Came off his block just after the ball was out. So close. Beat the RT with a spin move and forced Flacco to throw short pass late in the half. Made a good tackle on run play to other side. Took inside angle and got Rice as he started upfield. Had a dumb roughing penalty in the early 4th. Hit Flacco late and it wasn’t even close. Knucklehead move. Cleanly beat the RT on final play and got some pressure.

LANDRI – Wasn’t credited with any tackles or hurries or QB hits in the Gamebook so must have been a bad game, right? Wrong. Out-freaking-standing game by Derek Landri. Went right by the LG and got a shot on Flacco in the early 2nd, but Joe had just let go of the pass. Got upfield on 3rd Qtr pass play and flushed Flacco, making him then throw on the run. Drove LG back toward Flacco on 3rd down pass and Joe couldn’t step up in pocket. Pass was way off target. He and Trent ran a stunt in the late 3rd on 3rd/2. Derek got on the LT and drove him back into Flacco’s face, making it impossible for Joe to step into his pass. Ball was off target. Blew up a 4th Qtr run. Drove the LG back into Rice. Created TFL for Cox. Blew by the LG and hit Flacco right as Joe was seeing an open TE in the endzone. Pass was off target because of Derek. Moved down the LOS and tackled Rice for minimal gain on 4th Qtr run. Got by the LG and into Flacco’s face as he threw a pass in the 4th Qtr. Incomplete. Blew by the LG and shoved Flacco as he was releasing a pass on the final drive.

JENKINS – Got dominated on first TD run. RG drove him into the endzone. CuJo got angry and that escalated into a scrum. Didn’t seem to play as much in the 2nd half. Was more of a situational rusher. Did do well there. Looped around Cox on a 4th Qtr pass play and got some pressure on Flacco. Helped tackle Rice after short catch and run in the late 4th. Set up long FG. Used spin move to beat the LG and get in Flacco’s face as he threw a pass on the final drive.

TAPP – Backup RDE. Got close to Flacco on the play where Graham got his first hit. Walked the LT back toward Flacco on a 3rd Qtr pass play. Hustled down the LOS on run play away from him and tackled Rice as he was going up the middle.

GRAHAM – Only had 9 snaps, but made the most of them. Got by the RT and hit Flacco on 3rd/2. Wasn’t explosive, but got off the block and landed a solid hit. BAL tried to block him with FB on play-action pass. BG would have none of that. Got right around Leach and then chased down Flacco. Put him on the ground just after the ball was out. BAL tried to block him with a TE on screen pass to other side. BG got by that guy easily and threw off the timing of the play, leading to incompletion. Came off the edge on draw play in 4th and showed good awareness. Saw RB with the ball and closed in quickly to get in on the tackle.

COX – Terrific game. Credited with 5 solo tackles, TFL, and PD. Tackled Rice on inside run by getting down the LOS. Only gave up a yard or so. Got the best of the RG and came free up the middle on pass play. Hit Flacco. Got cut blocked on run going to other side. Fought off the block and moved down the LOS to get in on the tackle. Broke up a 3rd Qtr pass. Was a screen and Fletch just got a hand up at the last second to deflect it. BAL ran outside to his side. Cox was fast enough to get over and get a hand on Rice. Didn’t make the play, but slowed him and pursuit was able to make the stop. Got a TFL to start the 4th Qtr, but it was a gift. Landri blew up a run and Fletch went and fell on the RB. Drove the RG back on run play and helped to clog the backfield. Drew a holding call in the early 4th when he split the RG and C. Birk grabbed him and drew the flag. I can’t tell you how impressed I am with Fletch. Looks like a stud DT in the making.

HUNT – Backup LDE. Got thrown to the ground on 3rd Qtr pass play. Easy holding call, but there was no flag. Happened to be Ryans INT play so it didn’t hurt us. Quiet game overall.

THORNTON – Disrupted an inside run by moving the C into the backfield. Flew upfield on 2nd Qtr run and had chance for TFL, but just missed Rice. Wasn’t an easy play. Cedric is showing the ability to get penetration on run plays. Must now learn to get the RBs in the backfield. Pass rush needs work.

LB

KENDRICKS – Stud. 5 solo tackles, TFL, 2 PDs. Tackled Pitta in the flat after a 2-yd catch. Covered Rice tightly down the sideline on 3rd down pass play. Was there too much contact? Yes. No flag, though. Ball was out in front and fell incomplete. TFL in the mid-2nd Qtr on pass play when Rice caught pass out wide and Kendricks was just waiting to tackle him. Was ready to get a TFL on early 3rd Qtr pass to Rice but the ball was deflected and not caught. Kendricks hit Rice to make sure the pass wasn’t complete. Covered Pitta on 3rd Qtr pass play. Ran a crossing route and tried to have other TE pick MK, but Kendricks side-stepped it and was in Pitta’s hip pocket. Pass came there and MK broke it up. Had a chance for the INT, but would have taken a really impressive catch. There was another pass play in the 3rd when MK had TE Ed Dickson. Looked like they were joined at the hip. Flacco looked that way, but had to go elsewhere. Great coverage. Worked through block of TE to get to other side of the formation and get in on tackle of Rice on run play. Jumped a 4th Qtr pass to Pitta and was able to knock it away. MK was upset that he didn’t pick the ball off. Had good coverage on Rice on final play. Ball was overthrown.

RYANS – Very good game. Blitzed up the middle on Flacco’s TD pass. Had a free run and might have gotten Joe, but Ryans tripped over OL’s foot. Play looked totally accidental to me. Bad luck for us. Great, but subtle play at 5:40 of 2nd Qtr. 3rd/2. WR runs shallow cross. Inside of 5 yds, it is legal to hit receivers when the ball isn’t in the air. Ryans hit Tandon Doss and knocked him back 3 yds. He then hits Doss again and knocks him back 3 more yds. Doss decides to act tough and Ryans knocks him back another 3 yds. Doss started at our 47, ended at the BAL 45. Overran inside run late in the half and Rice got 16 yds up the middle. Tackled Rice after short catch over the middle. Held him to 2 yds on that. The next play was 3rd/8. TE Dennis Pitta ran a shallow cross. Ryans gave him a shot, which meant Pitta caught the ball a yard upfield instead of 5 yds upfield. Ryans then tackled him cleanly. Stud. Great job on 3rd/2 on opening drive of the 2nd half. Started to move forward just after the snap, but read the QB and dropped back. Got into the lane and picked off pass to Pitta. Leaping INT. Got TFL in the early 4th. Ravens tried to run to their right. Ryans read the play and was in the right gap. Came upfield and got Rice for a short loss. Hit Rice in the backfield on 4th Qtr run, but Ray managed to get free and gain 1 yd on the play. Had a delay blitz off the edge on 3rd/14 and put Flacco down for a big loss. Couldn’t tell if this was a designed blitz or a green dog since Rice stayed in to block. Got TFL of RB Pierce in mid-4th. Pierce tried to go wide and Ryans read the play quickly. 6 solo stops. Sack. INT. 2 TFLs. Bullied receivers over the middle all game long.

JORDAN – His highlight was actually a lowlight. Tried to jam TE Dennis Pitta, but Akeem was the one knocked to the ground. Pitta then caught the pass and got upfield for about 15 yds. Wasn’t credited with any tackles. Did okay in coverage overall. Didn’t have any passes thrown his way.

S

ALLEN – Very active game. Led the team with 9 solo tackles. Was solid in coverage. Gave up a couple of completions, but blanketed guys at other times. Had a PD. If not for a couple of mistakes, might have been a great game for him. Made the first tackle of the game, although it wasn’t a clean tackle he did get Rice down for no gain. Had a chance to play the run in the box a few times. Nate can get in there, but he’s just not a standard box Safety that is good at fighting through blocks to get to the ball. Had tight coverage of Pitta on sideline pass play that came his way in the early 2nd Qtr. Had tight coverage on Dickson on 3rd down pass play. Ball came that way, but pressure forced it to be off target. Broke up a pass in the endzone in the early 4th. Went up to get a hand on the ball and knock it down. Penalty on CB negated the play. Pitta used a good move on him in the early 4th and got open in the endzone, but Landri’s pressure forced an errant throw. Missed tackle on quick pass to Rice vs 3rd down blitz. That miss cost us 25 or so yards. Had perfect inside position on pass play where ball came to TE Dickson on final drive. Nate knocked it away easily. Tackled Pitta after gain of 8 on final drive. Kept him inbounds so the clock was running.

COLEMAN – Solid game, but with a couple of issues. 5 solo tackles. Blitzed off edge on a run play and just missed TFL. Didn’t have a clean angle to Rice, but made dive for him. Helped DRC cover Smith deep in early 4th. Long incompletion. Came up very quickly in run support in the early 4th and stuffed Rice for short yards. Missed tackle of Rice on 43-yd run. Costly mistake. Might have been at fault on the long pass to Rice. Started to blitz, then peeled off and chased Rice. Either great awareness or “Oh crap, that’s my guy going out on a pass route”.

CB

NNAMDI – Tough to evaluate. Gave up a TD. Almost gave up a 2nd. Had a couple of penalties. Sounds terrible, but then you see that the primary guy Nnamdi covered, Jacoby Jones, only had the 1 catch…the TD. Nnamdi did cover other players, but that was his main target. Gave up a 6-yd pass to Tandon Doss on a crossing route. Gave up TD to Jacoby Jones. Pressed and had him initially, but Jones faked to the inside and that got Nnamdi off balance. Jones then had a step on him and went upfield for the score. Helped that he got a perfect pass. Covered Pitta on 3rd down pass play and actually just tossed him to the ground. Did it right at the LOS so it was legal. Drew a penalty in the early 4th when he grabbed a WR on 3rd/long when they were running downfield. I have no idea what Nnamdi was thinking. He had help from Nate. Seemed like he almost panicked and grabbed the guy. Gave up TD in the 4th, only to have refs call OPI on Jones. Replay didn’t show clearly what happened. Looked like Jones extended his arms into Nnamdi, but didn’t appear to be flagrant. Huge break. Broke up a pass to Doss on final drive. Was called for illegal contact on that play.

DRC – Pretty good game. Gave up 10-yd completion to Smith late in the 1st half. Got away with holding on downfield pass to Smith in the 3rd Qtr. Had tight coverage on Smith on the very next play, a 3rd down, and the pass had to be thrown off target. Gave up deep ball to Smith at the end of the 3rd Qtr. Had good coverage initially, but then stared at the QB for some reason and lost track of Smith. Dumb move. There was no reason to be peeking in the backfield on a route like that. Called for illegal contact in early 4th. Guilty, very guilty. Gave up a short completion to Smith on a crossing route when he got picked on the play. Pursuit got Smith down quickly. Had excellent coverage of Smith on deep ball in early 4th. Flacco put it out front and hoped for a miracle, but DRC was in better position than the WR.

BOYKIN – Played about half the game (Nickel situations). Had excellent coverage of Boldin on 3rd down pass play late in the 3rd Qtr. Forced Flacco to throw the ball away. Showed good awareness to come up and tackle Smith on 3rd down when he’d gotten free on a crossing route. Limited the play to 4 yds, only half of what was needed. Good coverage on Bolding on 1st down on final drive. Outstanding coverage of Jones on deep ball on final drive. Had help from Nate on inside so Brandon stayed deep. Saw the ball and then went up and knocked it away. Looked really athletic getting that high and hitting the ball. Brandon covered Anquan Boldin several times. Boldin finished with 2 catches for 7 yds.

HUGHES – Played some in place of DRC (to give him a rest). Didn’t do anything of note.

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ST’s

HENRY – Big letdown after last week. Averaged 55 yards per punt in the opener, just 39.2 on Sunday. Worst punt came late in the half. We were backed up deep with little time left. Chas had a 38-yd punt. That put the Ravens in FG range. An extra 10 yards costs them 3 points.

HENERY – 1 of 1 on FG and it was very short. Good job on KOs.

KOR – Boykin averaged 24 yds per KOR. He has yet to really break loose for us.

PR – Damaris had 1 fair catch and 3 PRs. Only totaled 10 yds. Had little room to work with. Made a big mistake late in the half when he fielded a punt inside the 5. That led to a short punt by us and gift FG for the Ravens. Can’t do that.

MISC

* David Sims made tackle on opening KO, but it was way upfield.

* Ravens ran a fake punt. Stanley Havili stopped it. Sort of. Sean Considine tripped on a teammate and then Havili fell on him. Could have been burned on that play. There was a good hole to work with.

* Mardy Gilyard did a good job covering the KO to open the 2nd half, but was held. No call. Boykin went and made the tackle.

* Hunt, Havili, and Matthews combined to make a tackle on PR in late 3rd.

* Gilyard made tackle on final KO.

* Ravens got a 49-yd KOR and an 18-yd PR. The coverage units must get better. Colt Anderson was on the field, but very rusty I’m sure.

GAMEBOOK