The defensive team is a whole, and the four lines must cooperate with each other and help each other to complete the defensive task; but there is no doubt that the core driving force of the Baltimore Ravens defensive team comes from the linebackers, because of the existence of Ray Lewis , and also because John Harbaugh's tactics often start to move and adjust from the linebackers.
During this year's regular season, the defensive intensity of the Ravens' linebackers declined significantly. Suggs was solely relied on to support him, and his own condition was far from comparable to his peak. This made the defensive team's There was a break in the operation, and the game process became uneven and unable to effectively display strength.
Entering the playoffs, regardless of whether it has something to do with Lewis's return from injury and impending retirement, what is certain is that the spirit of the entire linebacker group has shown signs of recovery, gradually getting them back on track. From ground defense to rushing the quarterback, the resurgence of linebackers maintains the power and intensity of the entire defensive team.
The seven players above the defensive front line include only one rookie and one third-year player, mainly veterans. However, compared to the defensive second line, the front line is already "very" young because the four players on the defensive second line are all the same. All are senior veterans.
This season, the Baltimore Ravens' defense has plummeted and is no longer the same as last year. In addition to the linebackers, the cornerback position is also plagued by injuries. Multiple players have been injured in a row. The lineup has been changed twice - now The third wave.
Currently serving as cornerbacks, Clay Williams (ary-i11ias) and Corey Graham (rey-graha) are veterans who have been in the league for many years. They have not accomplished anything, but they have never performed well. , after going around and around, he got a chance to play.
To some extent, the rotation caused by injuries prevented the Ravens' defense from improving the compression and rhythm, and missed opportunities in many key defenses.
But the most unpredictable thing about competitive sports is the state. It's possible for a top star to suddenly be in a sluggish state, or for a little-known blue-collar player to suddenly explode. This happened to the Ravens this year.
After entering the playoffs, the partnership of Clay and Corey shined. It seemed that after a short run-in in the regular season, they finally found a way and method. Facing the three games of Luck, Manning and Brady, this pair The cornerback duo had interceptions in three consecutive games and became an important part of turning the game around.
Therefore, the names of Clay and Corey cannot be seen in the Pro Bowl and All-American first-team lists this season, but they are important contributors to the Baltimore Ravens standing on the professional bowl stage.
At the safety position, Bernard Pollard (beard-p1rd) and Ed Reed are the league's top second-line defenders.
Pollard, who had always had ups and downs in the first six years of his career, suddenly broke out this season and became the Ravens' leader in tackles. His performance was particularly outstanding; while Reed, a nine-time Pro Bowl finalist, definitely did not. The King, whom people can easily ignore, has declined slightly this season, but has made a strong comeback in the playoffs.
Both Pollard and Reed are masters of positioning. They have a keen sense of where long passes will land and when they will step forward. They can always complete tackles in time and block potential long passes. Reed, in particular, can In his peak period, God almost killed God and Buddha blocked Buddha, so on the official media day of the Super Bowl, Reed, Lewis, Flacco and others took to the meeting stage as representatives.
Compared with the defensive front line, the strong explosion of the defensive second line in the playoffs is undoubtedly a huge surprise. Facing two quarterbacks, Luck and Manning, who often make long passes, the performance of the second line is gradually improving. Now The ultimate test is about to come.
The Baltimore Ravens' defensive team is different from strong teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, and Chicago Bears. Their "attack power" is more powerful and sturdy, not only putting pressure on the quarterback, but also on the tight end. and pressure on wide receivers --
The defensive team forces the quarterback to always pass the ball under pressure, and also forces the tight end and wide receiver to greatly reduce the efficiency of advancement after completing the ball, like layers of air waves, stacking up one after another. Coupled with the outstanding personal abilities of the players, they help each other create more threats.
Even if the opponent wins, the process will never be simple. Just look at the "Steel Crow War" every year. Every minute of the confrontation between the two sides is torture.
The two lines of linebackers and safety have become the strong sides of the Ravens' defense, like the mouth of an urn, creating more advantages in the middle and behind, and accumulating advantages.
Although the current defensive team cannot compare with the best in history in 2000 years, their state has indeed shown an upward curve since the start of the playoffs, allowing people to once again see the style of being second in the league last year.
Last year's regular season meeting, the San Francisco 49ers suffered a lot; tonight is a fresh start for Lu Ke. However, in the first wave of small trials of offense and defense, the San Francisco 49ers still failed to fully open up the situation. Everything happened too fast. Before their pace and mentality had time to adjust, they had already struck out. The Baltimore Ravens defensive team entered The state is obviously faster.
Lu Ke realized that he had to calm down as soon as possible. It was not good to be too nervous, and it was not good to be too excited. He had already encountered such a problem in the National League finals - excessive excitement, competition motivation and desire to win were the main issues in the team. But now we must calm down and turn all those emotions into concentration on the court, otherwise the next game will only be more difficult.
The San Francisco 49ers' punt position was very poor, at their own twenty-five-yard line, but punter Andy Lee was worthy of being a consecutive first-team All-American and Pro Bowl player. He successfully kicked the football. Within the twenty yard line in the opponent's half.
The Baltimore Ravens were responsible for the return attack, and the wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who was in very good competitive form this season, moved forward from the 18-yard line to the 30-yard line, winning for his quarterback. A good starting position, and then Joe Flacco led the offense.
6 Ke now has no time to care about the Ravens' offense. He stood on the sidelines with Kip Kleist and Craig Roman to discuss some details——
For example, for Vernon's illegal formation, why didn't the coaching staff or even the tactical room have time to spot it? For example, when attacking on the ground, do the offensive line's path opening options need to be changed? For another example, if you choose a quick short pass in the last attack, is it more appropriate to choose a mid-pass?
Not to seek accountability, but to adjust tactics. Only by grasping the changes in the situation on the playing field can we respond effectively in a timely manner. The time in the A-level bowl game is very precious. Instead of wasting time chasing responsibilities here, it is better to study the subsequent tactics.
The San Francisco 49ers offense was holding an emergency meeting on the sidelines; while the Baltimore Ravens offense launched a torrent of offense.
Joe Flacco performed very well in the playoffs this season. Although his pass success rate was only 548, which is a bit scary; he passed for 853 yards in three games, eight passing touchdowns, and no interceptions. The performance is astonishing, definitely not inferior to Lu Ke.
By the way, in this Baltimore Ravens team, the right tackle guarding Flacco's blind side, Michael Oher (ihae1-her), is a star, not because of his performance on the field, but because of his Hollywood stardom ——He is the prototype character in the movie "Weakness", which helped Sandra Bullock (sandra-bu11k) win the Oscar for Best Actress.
The Baltimore Ravens' offense is also quite unique. They often adopt a retro formation with two running backs, two wide receivers, two running backs and a tight end. This makes their offense as thick and strong as a bell. Among them, a running back paired with a halfback and a fullback can often create more short passing opportunities for Flacco.
Flacco is a very bold quarterback. He always dares to try long passes at critical moments and uses his unicorn arms to challenge the deep end zone. His risk-taking and craziness is comparable to that of Eli Manning, and his passing accuracy is only better than that of Lu Ke and Aaron Rodgers. It's just a little bit inferior, which makes his game extremely wild, but... often he is open and close, his state fluctuates a little, and his long passes become ridiculous.
More importantly, Flacco's short-pass area tactical layout ability is slightly insufficient. His tactical combination is relatively simple and easy to be seen through by the defensive team, so more often he needs his own players to complete the pick-and-roll and advance. This is why John -The reason why Hubble chose a two-running back tactic——
Ground attack is the cornerstone, assisted by short passing area advancement. Compared with the double tight end tactic, the double running back tactic can gain more advantages in the area within five yards. If the tight end is standing like a beacon, then the running back is a tiger, like a bulldozer. More importantly, when the offensive front pocket protection is unfavorable, dual running backs can gain more space and time to advance than dual tight ends.
This is more in line with the status and characteristics of the Baltimore Ravens offense.
That was the case on the Ravens' first drive of the game.
The San Francisco 49ers only used three defensive linemen to rush the passer and successfully ripped open the pocket. Flacco was instantly exposed to defensive end Justin Smith; and Flacco was about to be tackled before , and passed the football to fullback Vonta Rich (vnta-1eah).
Because Flacco was forced back by the defensive front and away from the line of scrimmage, when Flacco passed the ball, Rich had just crossed the line of scrimmage.
After Ritchie completed the ball, he used his strong body to break through the two linebackers' defense and advanced nine yards before falling to the ground exhausted.
From being about to be sacked to advancing nine yards, it has to be said that it is a close call to win. This is the style of the Baltimore Ravens offense, and it is unique in the entire league.
