They're saying on the Ravens forum (talk.baltimoresun.com) that Harbaugh said tonight that Housh will play. That means we'll see him in a couple of offensive packages that he'll practice this week. He's got to learn new terminology, new plays, get timing down. I 'd give him 3 weeks before he's any kind of factor for them.
The defensive line didn't get a ton of pressure last year, that's why Rex had to blitz 2 out of every 3 plays. I'm not pulling this number out of my ass either, it was brought up on NFL Network when talking about the Jets defensive outlook. Despite the fact that the Jets blitzed by far more than any other team in the NFL (the Saints were 2nd most blitzing around 46% of the time) they were 17th in the league in sacks. Even without checking all the stats on blitzing in certain down and distances, as a fan that has seen a number of games you can certainly recall how frequently the Jets blitzed. If you remember this board from last season, one common gripe amongst posters was that the defense was not able to get pressure despite the frequency with which they blitzed. So yeah, the DL not getting pressure in and of themselves isn't really out of the question. I know it's a 3-4 defense and you're basically always blitzing, but the stat taken in to account was whenever the defense sent 5 or more rushers. If it didn't then, according to these statistics, Ryan would be rushing with a 3 man line only at least one out of every three snaps. We both know he's not that conservative. The biggest concern for the Jets should be the ability to shut down the run. I know they field an excellent defensive line, but the Ravens OL (if they're healthy, which is a BIG if at this point) ain't exactly a bunch of scrubs. If Rice, MaGahee (sp?), and McClain can start churning it out on the ground, I think the Ravens win that game. Flacco is not a skilled enough passer to win this game on his own. For their part, the Jets need their running game to show up. I know the Ravens secondary is very suspect due to injuries and Ed Reed not playing is HUGE, but I do not believe Sanchez is good enough to carry this Jets team to victory at this point. Running the ball against that Ravens DL, especially if Cody is healthy and able to take the field for a few meaningful snaps, is going to be challenging. Whichever team gets the most out of their running game wins this game, IMO. If it comes down to Sanchez vs Flacco the edge has to go to the Ravens. I am NOT trying to bash Sanchez, but I do not think he is developed enough to carry this team. I understand that some on this board will disagree with this assessment, but I can't think of a game where the burden to win was put squarely on Sanchez and he responded. He may be able to do that this year, but until I see him do that I am not ready to say that he's reached that point yet.
Sacks are not the only indicator of pressure though, and that's the important thing. The #1 pass defense (by far), couldn't do it without a lot of pressure, especially when Dwight F'n Lowery was our #2 CB for a good portion of the year. It would be great to get more sacks, but it's not the most important thing. The Jets were 7th in the league in sacks in 2008 under Mangini and 18th in the league in 2009 under Rex. Which pass defense was better?
a big reason why we had so few sacks, is that every single time the opposing QB new that they were going to have max 2-3 seconds to get rid of the ball because we were sending the house. so they didnt hesitate ever, either they hit the hot route, threw it away, or had it smacked into the dirt by Revis and Co. we got pressure on plenty of occasions, later in the year, against stellar OL/QB combos, like the colts, we simply weren't fast enough to beat Manning. Now with an actual specialist in taylor, we might not need to blitz 6 quite as often. How scary will this defense be if we can get consistent pressure with 4 or 5 as opposed to 6-7 guys?
Glad you mentioned. I would have never caught the homerism. Rice is real good. Heap is a decent TE. But on earth are Dickson and Pitta? Jets had the best pass D last year and it only got better with the off season dumps (Kiera Rhodes and half injured Lito and Strickland), and pick ups (Kyle Wilson, Cromartie, Pool, JT). Should be able to take care of the 'high power' offense Baltimore will have starting wk 2.
Besides one play, this D kept Chris Johnson in check in a season he gained over 2000 yards. His one play went for 30 yards. The other 21 plays went for 66 yards. This is a D you can't just thrash. Rice played well last year, but Jets should be able to keep him below 80 yards since Ravens will try to pass on this D, and that will be a great match-up to see.
BINGO. The opposing QBs knew they'd be blitzed so they were ready to get rid of the ball in a hurry. That is why our pass D was immaculate since QBs would throw before a route would develop. Hence, fewer sacks, higher incompletions, fewer yards yards, and a low QB rating.
I know, I had thought that was implied up above. It is, however, the place of a 3-4 DL to free up the LBs to make plays (getting QB pressure being one of them). So while I love Jenkins, I don't think I am going to call the Jets DL an excellent one as far as 3-4 DLs are concerned.
I agree with you on that completely. I don't really have the time now to dig up a ton of stats, but a common complaint on this board was that pressure wasn't getting home unless the team rushed more than 4. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I remember from last season; both from on this board and from watching the games.
I was happy when the ravens signed housh, but wasn't as ecstatic as other raven fans. We'll have 3 possession receivers and no deep threats. But after thinking about it, he'll fit in very well. Yea, we won't have many 50+ yard bombs with our receivers burning cornerbacks, but we'll have 3 very consistent, tough, good route running WR's that can make the hard catches at gain some YAC. I doubt flacco will throw many balls over even 20 yards in this game. It will be short to intermediate passes..then give ray rice the ball. This will be the toughest defense we face all season, so it will be real interesting to see how this new hyped up offense stacks up against one of the best.
I think Housh to the Ravens is a good move. While Boldin, Mason, and Housh are all "possession" receivers, Mason is used almost exclusively on the outside, while Housh is not afraid to go over the middle. Someone asked who Pitta and Dickson are. They are both rookie tight ends who have been impressive during the preseason. Dickson seems to be a WR in a tight end's body, and he's got surprising speed and the ability to stretch the field. Pitta is also a threat. They both should be good compliments to a revitalized Todd Heap. So with 3 tight ends, Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, LeRon McClain, and Mason, Boldin, and Housh -- the Ravens have the potential at least to field the most high powered offense in their history. The main questions that I see are: O-line: Is Gaither going to be ready? Is Oher going to be able to make the transition from right tackle to left tackle? Who will go at right tackle if Gaither is not ready? Offensive Coordinator: Will Cam Cameron be able to step up the offensive schemes and take the training wheels off of Joe Flacco (and will the O-line hold up and give Joe enough time to run some serious offensive schemes?) Corner backs: Are Fabian Washington, Chris Carr, Josh Wilson, Bryan McCann, Haruki Nakamura, & Cary Williams going to be able to hold down the fort until Lardarius Webb and Ed Reed return later on in the season? I'm looking forward to this matchup. It's the best opening game I can ever remember. I think it will tell a lot about both teams, and I fully expect a Rex Ryan-coached team to be ready to bring it. Fill up the fridge with some ice cold Natty Boh and let the good times roll! :up:
He'll play against us no question. Remember how fast we got Edwards onto the field after we traded for him- 3 days?
