What I learned championship weekend

We need stud receivers. Speed is one thing - having someone go up and get and fight for the ball is better.

 

Well the Falcons are stacked with them and they lost. I honestly would say that a running game is a must. But yeah the receivers were awesome for the Ravens for sure and I was really thinking like you even during the Falcons game because their guys were catching everything they were thrown. That second td from Julio Jones was RIDICULOUS!

 

The Ravens have very physical receivers, but they also play to that end. This is basically how they beat us - their receviers manhandling our DBs. Which is surely an affront to football natural law.

I don't particularly buy that our receivers don't fight for the ball - mainly because I've seen far worse culprits than our current lot - but I do worry everytime Sanders gets hit that he's going to snap in two. Is this something he can overcome with good off-season training?

I also noted that the 49ers were giving their QB an almost perfect pocket each time in the 2nd half, and he was lasering it into his receivers. Maybe the Falcons weren't blitzing as much, but it just looked textbook in the 3rd quarter - drop back, step up, straight to open man.

 

What I learned is that the Falcons did the ols Steeler trick, go in at halftime up by 10 and come out and not score a single point on offense and the defense giving up 14 points again in the second half. Now, 14 points isn't bad but 28 points to a team that isn't an offensive powerhouse but a defensive one that you scored 24 points on, that game shouldn't have been lost. What happend in the offense played conservative and the defense played the same game, there was no change at halftime but the 49ers changed at halftime, kind of like watching a Steelers game, they play a good half and then stink it up for a half.

 

Agreed...Flacco throw many balls where Boldin wasn't even open, yet he goes up and makes the catch. We don't have those players and need them as guys are always going to be open

 

Ben's generally not going to throw those types passes anyway.

 

Boldin is a beast and T. Smith is getting better all the time. I was gonna post about this myself, their receivers and Pitta the TE really make the tough catches. They make Flacco look good.

 

We used to have a Boldin. His name is Hines Ward. Also Torey Smith can catch with his hands, unlike Mike Wallace.

Ravens offense won the game, but their defense kept them in the game. For what ever reason Pats were held to field goals and punts. I'm scratchin my head because the Ravens secondary is not better than the Steelers, and the Ravens didn't have much of a pass rush most of that game. I think their defensive line was able to make the pocket chaotic enough for Brady to force him into some bad throws.

Usually the PATs offensive line give Brady a nice clean pocket. Steelers need their front 5 be that disruptive again....

Also all the Ravens were laying solid hits on the Pats players, everyone on their defense hits hard. Steelers need to take some notes...

 

Well... I learned we were not there. I Hate that!!

 

I hope we Keep Plax. We can get two more years of good stuff from him. Shouldn't cost us big time either

 

Ben and Plax were a pretty amazing duo. Ben could throw in a five yard radius of Plax and he would comedown with it....

 

I have been saying all year, it isn't about height necessarily, it is about physicality. They need to have strong hands and they need to be able to physically overpower the CB in order to get the ball.

 

i don't want plax. i sick and tired of old. pick up some wr's and move on. half the trouble is they can hit our receivers when they catch the ball and when we hit theirs the yellow flags come out.

ben threw high to our receivers alot last year. that makes the vulnerable. alot of guys get short arms when that happens and don't make the catch. a jump ball is different.

sanders makes those catches and pays the price. it's not conditioning, it's selling out to make a play for your team.

 

right. it's about technique. again scottie montgomery doesn't know enough to teach this young talent. wallace is still more of a body catcher then i knew. that's ALOT of his problem. this stuff should be being taught to these guys and it's not. they are digressing instead of progressing under him.

 

We need guys with a big heart like Ray Lewis

 

My takeaways...

1. We have the defense to win championships. Baltimore held the top rated offense to just 13 points. How did they do it? By making them dink and dunk up and down the field (very few big plays, biggest was 36 yards). We're very good at that. In fact, we're the best in the league at that.

2. We don't have the offensive line to win championships. None of the quarterbacks this weekend were under significant, consistent pressure from opposing quarterbacks. All teams had an effective running game--not dominant, but effective. We struggled to protect Ben against good pass rushing teams, and our running game only excelled versus poor run defenses (ranked 26th overall in rushing offense).

 

The Ravens D created three turnovers in the game, none bigger than the hit and fumble on Ridley. The Steelers' D is lucky to get three turnovers in half a season. That's the difference.

 

if you can't get to the qb you tip the balls at the line. our guys better be taught to do it. i'd like to add some size up front too. casey is what 6-1 with a 3/4" verticle. ziggy 6-3 on a good day. that allows qb's some pretty good looks in his passing lanes.

 

I don't know about his heart as much as his mouth but we definitely need some like him when it comes to stepping up and being a leader. Once Hines, Farrior and Bettis left the leadership left with them. I think Ben is a decent leader but not a great one.

 

Flacco's receivers are one reason he looks good. Those pretty, rainbow passes look like anyone would have time to run over and catch them, but his receivers come down with them. Good strategy when you have those skilled receivers.

 

they also went through several weeks where they couldn't beat anyone including us with charlie batch.

 

Flacco has a stronger and more accurate deepball than Ben as well.

 

Games are and always will be won up front..... Dominate the l.o.s. on both sides and come out victorious.... it's still that simple no matter how much the game evolves

 

If James H had made that hit it wouldve been a flag, a fine, and a suspension. They let the Ravens play Ravens football and the Patriots arent good with playing smash mouth football. Last time they tried to play big dawg football, we broke Bradys leg.

Maybe they pissed off Goodell and he told them no special treatment or told them to suck it up a Hairball SB would make good profits.