Bengals/Ravens

[Bmore Birds]

Hoping to get some feedback from Bengals fans on this game. What do you think are the keys to the game? What matchups are you watching?

I also have a few questions...
What has been the key on defense for this Bengals team with such improvement?
Have communication issues been fixed on the Oline and do you expect the Ravens blitzes to cause the same havoc as last year?
Do you feel better about the coaching this year, has that been a difference?

I know the Smack Talk section is humming but I'd really like to talk about this game if anyone is up for it. Also, I'm doing my weekly game preview show tomorrow so it'd be cool to hear from the respected people here. Good luck fellas!

[Sled21]

(10-20-2021, 08:30 AM)Bmore Birds Wrote: Hoping to get some feedback from Bengals fans on this game. What do you think are the keys to the game? What matchups are you watching?

I also have a few questions...
What has been the key on defense for this Bengals team with such improvement?
Have communication issues been fixed on the Oline and do you expect the Ravens blitzes to cause the same havoc as last year?
Do you feel better about the coaching this year, has that been a difference?

I know the Smack Talk section is humming but I'd really like to talk about this game if anyone is up for it. Also, I'm doing my weekly game preview show tomorrow so it'd be cool to hear from the respected people here. Good luck fellas!

Lou's first year with the D, he was trying to implement his system with Marvin's players. Some were not good fits for his system, some just wouldn't buy in. He got rid of the last of them last year. Last year, the D was just devastated by injury, we were playing guys off the street at DT and our 5th and 6th string corners. No chance with so many key players out. Also, we had a new batch of rookie Linebackers. This year, he has players brought in to fit his scheme and everyone is buying in. 

Most of the O line is now established, with the exception of the problematic RG position. Carman seems to have taken the starting gig, but was ill last week. For most of the line, the communication has improved. If we have problems with the blitz, it will come from the right side. 
I'm in the minority, but I have always felt good about our coaches and where they are taking us. I realize you don't get there overnight.
We will stop your run game from your running backs,  we/ve been doing that all season. The only wild card is stopping Lamar. 

[Bmore Birds]

Thanks so much Sled!

[Joelist]

The D improved a lot with Trey Hendrickson instead of Carl Lawson and Larry Ogunjobi next to Reader plus the total gift of BJ Hill from the Giants. Logan Wilson has developed big time as has Germanine Pratt and in the secondary Chito Awuzie came from the Cowboys and has been a top rate CB and Mike Hilton came from the Stealers and has added a lot. This is not the same defense that yielded 400 rush yards last year to the Ravens.

[Bmore Birds]

Excited for the challenge. Most interested to see the Bengals' defensive gameplan. Indy & Denver basically had their ILBs lining up on the heels of the DL. It wasn't just a stacked box, it was constant run blitzing hell bent on slowing down the run. LAC played their ILBs at normal depth and got gashed in the run game. But their run defense was really bad all the way around gameplan not included.

The Ravens offense looks a lot different as well. We finally have capable targets on the opposite side of Hollywood. They can win one-on-one. Lamar leads the league in air yards per target. It's an effective intermediate and deep passing game. Crossing routes have slayed. Andrews has more space to work with. Overall, the Ravens can attack every part of the field which hasn't been the case previously.

The in-game adjustments have been very good by the Ravens offense. They're basically taking what the defense gives them. So I'm really curious to see what the Bengals gameplan is. Do they completely sell out to stop the run or trust their basic run defense? Are they aggressive in pass defense or play it safer to take away the deep throws?

[*rfaulk34*]

(10-20-2021, 11:49 PM)Bmore Birds Wrote: Excited for the challenge. Most interested to see the Bengals' defensive gameplan. Indy & Denver basically had their ILBs lining up on the heels of the DL. It wasn't just a stacked box, it was constant run blitzing hell bent on slowing down the run. LAC played their ILBs at normal depth and got gashed in the run game. But their run defense was really bad all the way around gameplan not included.

The Ravens offense looks a lot different as well. We finally have capable targets on the opposite side of Hollywood. They can win one-on-one. Lamar leads the league in air yards per target. It's an effective intermediate and deep passing game. Crossing routes have slayed. Andrews has more space to work with. Overall, the Ravens can attack every part of the field which hasn't been the case previously.

The in-game adjustments have been very good by the Ravens offense. They're basically taking what the defense gives them. So I'm really curious to see what the Bengals gameplan is. Do they completely sell out to stop the run or trust their basic run defense? Are they aggressive in pass defense or play it safer to take away the deep throws?

It's going to take an innovative game plan to slow the Ravens down. Indy did a good job for 3 qtrs until they decided to drop into a zone and allow Andrews to have a career game in the 4th qtr. 

The Bengals D is night and day from where it was the last couple years. All 3 levels are playing well and supporting each other. The Bengals certainly know what doesn't work against the Ravens O so they need to do something different. With as well as they're playing, i can almost see them thinking they just need to keep doing what they're doing and be sound fundamentally. I don't know that's going to work. Giving Lamar too much time is almost a guarantee that he's going to find Brown or Andrews. Going too hard at him is almost a guarantee that he's going to take off and gash them with the run. You have to be able to pressure him but then have enough athleticism to keep him from the explosive runs. 

Chido Awuzie has been a very pleasant surprise this year and if i were coordinating the D, i'd have to think about Chido shadowing Brown. I'd then have either a safety or LB play press man trail on Andrews and bracket him. Wilson is too valuable to tie him up doing that and Pratt is more of a traditional thumper/run stopper. Akeem Davis-Gaither is very athletic and this may be a game where he sees his snaps go way up while Pratts goes down. I'd also go more with a controlled rush with blitzers coming from different angles to try and keep them guessing. 

The only problem is, you can't get too far away from what you are and what you've practiced all year so far...so it's going to be interesting. 

You also simply have to assume that the Ravens are going to score 30, so your offense has to be up to the task of putting points on the board. Fortunately, Burrow is very smart and he does have a game under his belt from last year. Also, he's currently the highest graded QB against the blitz this year and 4th in quarterback rating. They definitely have the firepower to keep up, but as always, it's going to come down to protecting the QB, giving him time and not turning the ball over. 

If they can come out of this game with a close, competitive loss, to me that's a plus and an arrow pointing up. I just don't think they're at the place, consistenly, where they can go to a good opponents place and come out with a win. They're close...and maybe they'll surprise me. At some point, to really be considered a good team, you have to go to someone's house and beat them. 

[Bmore Birds]

(10-21-2021, 11:48 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: It's going to take an innovative game plan to slow the Ravens down. Indy did a good job for 3 qtrs until they decided to drop into a zone and allow Andrews to have a career game in the 4th qtr. 

The Bengals D is night and day from where it was the last couple years. All 3 levels are playing well and supporting each other. The Bengals certainly know what doesn't work against the Ravens O so they need to do something different. With as well as they're playing, i can almost see them thinking they just need to keep doing what they're doing and be sound fundamentally. I don't know that's going to work. Giving Lamar too much time is almost a guarantee that he's going to find Brown or Andrews. Going too hard at him is almost a guarantee that he's going to take off and gash them with the run. You have to be able to pressure him but then have enough athleticism to keep him from the explosive runs. 

Chido Awuzie has been a very pleasant surprise this year and if i were coordinating the D, i'd have to think about Chido shadowing Brown. I'd then have either a safety or LB play press man trail on Andrews and bracket him. Wilson is too valuable to tie him up doing that and Pratt is more of a traditional thumper/run stopper. Akeem Davis-Gaither is very athletic and this may be a game where he sees his snaps go way up while Pratts goes down. I'd also go more with a controlled rush with blitzers coming from different angles to try and keep them guessing. 

The only problem is, you can't get too far away from what you are and what you've practiced all year so far...so it's going to be interesting. 

You also simply have to assume that the Ravens are going to score 30, so your offense has to be up to the task of putting points on the board. Fortunately, Burrow is very smart and he does have a game under his belt from last year. Also, he's currently the highest graded QB against the blitz this year and 4th in quarterback rating. They definitely have the firepower to keep up, but as always, it's going to come down to protecting the QB, giving him time and not turning the ball over. 

If they can come out of this game with a close, competitive loss, to me that's a plus and an arrow pointing up. I just don't think they're at the place, consistenly, where they can go to a good opponents place and come out with a win. They're close...and maybe they'll surprise me. At some point, to really be considered a good team, you have to go to someone's house and beat them. 

Thank you so much for sharing all of this. Major respect my friend

[Bmore Birds]

Here's our full preview of the matchups in the game. Both sides of the ball, OLs & DLs included. We're a very fair and thorough group. I never share my previews on other boards (or really even participate) but I've been treated really well here. So hopefully you enjoy this. Any feedback would be great, I'd like to hear what you disagree with or learned about the matchups.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dqGvJwr_CU

[Vambo]

Good win to the Bengals you earned it...

[Bmore Birds]

Sincere congrats to the Bengals and Bengals fans. Tough to come into Baltimore and win like that. See you fools later in the season.

[Interceptor]

Thanks! I never expected THAT kind of result. I was mostly worried about how our O-line would stand up to a playoff-caliber pass rush. The Ravens got their hits and that was definitely expected. But for the most part, we did well in the trenches - and I think that is where two-thirds of the success came from. The third aspect was the entire team's attitude. They were confident, not brash. The players believed in each other and in the coaching staff. Everyone was on the same page. No egos, no divas, no whiners, no trash-talkers. It's all "no worries, we got this" attitude. They found the recipe for making good Kool Aid.

[Sled21]

(10-25-2021, 05:55 AM)Bmore Birds Wrote: Sincere congrats to the Bengals and Bengals fans. Tough to come into Baltimore and win like that. See you fools later in the season.

Have to say I think la Josh Bynes was a huge addition to our linebacker room during his time here with the things he taught our young crew. Mad props to him.