Mike Vrabel Hired As Head Coach

[titanrick]

2 hours ago, RavensTillIDie said:

I don't think Pees was necessarily "let go" behind closed doors, but I also don't think much, if any, effort was made to actually retain him by the Ravens front office. His contract was coming to an end and the front office more than likely wanted to gauge how the season went before fully committing to an extension. Knowing that there was a chance the Ravens would move on, given his age and everything else, he probably made the decision to retire on his own terms vs chasing down another coordinator job in the event that he was actually let go. So, when he retired and a coaching job came TO him, and presented him with the chance to coach alongside his son and reunite with a former player/friend in Vrabel, he said sure, why not?

As for how he actually performed and what to expect, I think the most honest take I could give is that he wasn't exactly a great coordinator, but he wasn't the worst either. Given the talent level of our players and the investment we put into that side of the ball through the draft and free agency, it was expected we would field a significantly better defense than we did. So, in that sense there were heavy expectations levied on the defense and Pees consistently failed to field the type of defense we were promised. Which of course lead to a lot of resentment from Ravens fans who have been somewhat spoiled by the historic defenses that have played in Baltimore. Though the overall rating of our defense this past year gets inflated due to the fact that we posted 3 shutouts vs 3 very incompetent backup quarterbacks and played a number of teams with very poor offenses, it should be noted that you still have to have a somewhat competent defensive scheme in order to do something like lead the league in takeaways. His two biggest downfalls were his inability to adjust his scheme in case of injury, e.g. when Brandon Williams went out we literally became the worst rush defense in the NFL, similar story with Jimmy Smith. Secondly, he has played a part in some of the biggest blown leads in the past few years of the Ravens. Obviously football is about execution, but his soft vanilla schemes at the end of games have largely been responsible for allowing opposing teams to seamlessly drive down the field and score in critical junctures of the game, time and time again.

So, what should you guys expect? From what I've read, you guys weren't huge fans of your defense this past year and statistically speaking it was about league average in terms of points allowed and yards per game. If that isn't a fair indicator and the defense was actually worse than where it is ranked statistically, then I think you might be mildly surprised about the overall play of your defense this coming year. However, expect to suffer some agonizingly heartbreaking losses as well, similar to what I noted above w/ the numerous blown leads. Outside of the gut wrenching loss or two, I think you should see something close to another top 15 defense.

Thanks for adding your insight!  It's more... shall we say, balanced and well thought-out than other things I've read today. 

Some Ravens fans said he would blame his players for poor execution.  Do you recall him doing that often?  It doesn't seem to mesh with the articles I've seen where his players were gushing in their praise for him.  I would assume if he were unfairly throwing people under the bus, he wouldn't have garnered that much loyalty.

[RavensTillIDie]

8 minutes ago, titanrick said:

Thanks for adding your insight!  It's more... shall we say, balanced and well thought-out than other things I've read today. 

Some Ravens fans said he would blame his players for poor execution.  Do you recall him doing that often?  It doesn't seem to mesh with the articles I've seen where his players were gushing in their praise for him.  I would assume if he were unfairly throwing people under the bus, he wouldn't have garnered that much loyalty.

Pees was definitely a players coach, by all accounts. No one in the locker room really seemed to have anything negative to say about him, and some would even come to his defense when local media would question his playcalling. So, in that sense I don't think Pees ever threw anyone under the bus or lost the respect of any of his players.

What I think a lot of Ravens fans are referring to is the mantra a lot of our coaching staff seems to follow in post game pressers, when something fails or the team doesn't win at a critical juncture of the game, it was "execution" and not play design. Thus, in a way he never called out individual players or blatantly said anyone failed to perform, just that the "team" didn't execute when they needed to. You hear this frequently enough  and over time it starts to become treated as a way to excuse poor play calling.

[Titans fan 617]

I’m excited to see which FAs we target. I know I want some speed at WR. Davis and Taylor are our 2 fastest guys. I can live with Matthews but I would like another guy with some speed it Tajae is back. 

The speedy RB is obvious I know we have Muhammad on the team but he seems like a wasted pick since the guy has yet to carry the ball in a game or even been targeted in a preseason game. It would of been nice to see what we have with him maybe new coaches help him see the field.

The need at Guard is still a need I expect to bring back Spain but would like some one other than Kline

[VY]

8 hours ago, RuskieTitan said:

.... not so much so at DC with Pees. He's had some pretty good statistical years, yes, but it helps facing the Browns and Bengals. 

This argument is getting a bit tired. Belichick has been facing the Dolphins, Bills and Jets the past 15+ years. The Browns are the Browns, but the Bengals had a 5 year playoff streak. The Ravens consistently have played at the very least a #2 division schedule (so facing other division's #2 teams) as well as the Steelers and competent Bengals. He has at the very least an above average track record that suggests he knows what he's doing. 

[TitanLegend]

1 hour ago, Titans fan 617 said:

I’m excited to see which FAs we target. I know I want some speed at WR. Davis and Taylor are our 2 fastest guys. I can live with Matthews but I would like another guy with some speed it Tajae is back. 

The speedy RB is obvious I know we have Muhammad on the team but he seems like a wasted pick since the guy has yet to carry the ball in a game or even been targeted in a preseason game. It would of been nice to see what we have with him maybe new coaches help him see the field.

The need at Guard is still a need I expect to bring back Spain but would like some one other than Kline

If we're going to a ZBS I expect the opposite, if either are kept. Kline is a better fit in a ZBS than Spain, and is straight up a better pass blocker. ZBS requires mobility, especially when you have multiple linemen blocking in the same zone, as one o-lineman will have to quickly break off and get to the next guy to avoid the play being blown up. Man blocking is much simpler because you're identified a man to block and you go block that guy. ZBS you have your zone(sometimes, as I noted, you have another o-lineman with you in that zone), and you have to be able to quickly read who you're supposed to block, and then be quick enough to get to that guy.

A simple/short breakdown of the MBS vs ZBS is done by Billick and Hill in this video for those interested:

Zone blocking is probably the most beneficial route for us to take because not only do we have players that can pull it off on the o-line in terms of athleticism, but it would really benefit Mariota's biggest strength: his play action passing. Another big difference in ZBS compared to MBS is in a ZBS your first steps are lateral to the line of scrimmage and are pretty much always the same regardless of run or pass. This is why the Shanahan/Kubiak/etc offense had such effective bootlegs/play action passing. Their run games were extremely effective and the defense always had to respect that and the line never gave away any tells as to what the play was going to be.

My biggest worry with the potential switch to a ZBS is Henry. He's awful at hitting the right holes at times, and ZBS is all about identifying the hole and hitting it ASAP. You can not under any circumstances dance in the backfield in a ZBS, it will get you crushed, you have to move with your offensive line and wait for the gap to open up. Henry will need to be heavily schooled over the off-season regardless of a MBS/ZBS/or mix, but especially if we primarily run ZBS.

Also worth noting for Henry though that cut backs can be a huge part of a successful ZBS because you can get the d-line/lbs flowing one way. Henry is really good at that aspect, but it will be meaningless if he can't get the basics down first.

[VY]

5 hours ago, TitanSS said:

Speculating in the radio that we will no longer be a primarily power running team and will see a lot more zone schemes.

Quinton Spain is the one guy who I think will have the hardest time adjusting to this, but seeing as he's a RFA, I just can't imagine him not being tendered. Lewan, Jones, and Conklin I think are all athletic enough to do either. Kline also if he's retained.

Also mentioned on the radio that we can expect to go from a man scheme to more of a zone/match-up zone where man and zone are mixed. We could see a learning curve here in the defensive backfield.

Interested to see if Henry is able to be even 75% as effective as Gurley was in that offense. Will have to put a lot more trust in Henry than the Mularkey regime ever showed. This should also pretty much signal Murray was gone if it wasn't already clear. 

Interesting on the defensive backfield. Going more zone I wonder how that affects a safety like Cyp? Would think we'd try to get a bit faster at that spot. Would also think another vet CB could be a target at CB. Maybe we overpay somebody like EJ Gaines who's young but just hitting that second contract. Played well in Buffalo's zone scheme last year, could be a fit. 

[TitanSS]

9 minutes ago, VY said:

Interested to see if Henry is able to be even 75% as effective as Gurley was in that offense. Will have to put a lot more trust in Henry than the Mularkey regime ever showed. This should also pretty much signal Murray was gone if it wasn't already clear. 

Interesting on the defensive backfield. Going more zone I wonder how that affects a safety like Cyp? Would think we'd try to get a bit faster at that spot. Would also think another vet CB could be a target at CB. Maybe we overpay somebody like EJ Gaines who's young but just hitting that second contract. Played well in Buffalo's zone scheme last year, could be a fit. 

I think Gurley is the best RB in the NFL, so those are going to be hard shoes to fill, but I actually think a zone scheme could work well for Henry. I think his running style is contrary to his size.. Still there are times when hes going to have to try to get skinny and hit the hole. He needs to do a better job of knowing when to run with power and lower the shoulder.

[titansNvolsR#1]

LaFleur (gonna have to memorize that spelling) has my body ready for some 2018 MariGOATa.

[VY]

39 minutes ago, TitanSS said:

I think Gurley is the best RB in the NFL, so those are going to be hard shoes to fill, but I actually think a zone scheme could work well for Henry. I think his running style is contrary to his size.. Still there are times when hes going to have to try to get skinny and hit the hole. He needs to do a better job of knowing when to run with power and lower the shoulder.

I thought just based on size Henry was way too big, but Gurley is bigger than I thought (6'1", 230lbs vs Henry at 6'3" 245). Gurley plays with a much lower center of gravity for sure. We will need a better complimentary back for sure, but even then I wonder if Henry isn't getting the lion's share of carries/touches if he'll be unhappy and not be a long term guy.

[SerenityNow]

One thing I've been thinking about is how our offense and defense should play off each other very well if our offense actually starts rolling how we expect it to with LaFleur at the helm.  I think that could really help Pees' defense and put less pressure on him than he had in Baltimore if our offense can put up 20 + PPG.  Pees never really had a high powered offense to lean on in Baltimore.  So, that in a sense makes his statistics a bit more impressive. It's actually somewhat similar to what we dealt with last year except Baltimore has been dealing with a lackluster offense for several years.  So, I feel like as long as our offense can carry their weight, Pees will do just fine for a year or two. 

[TitanLegend]

 

[ragevsuall17]

I found this article from the Baltimore Sun pretty interesting in regards to Pees, his accountability, and his man/zone preference. 

From http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bs-sp-pees-2017-story.html

Pees has been criticized a lot this week, and it is justified. The Ravens, who were missing an injured Jimmy Smith, allowed Roethlisberger to throw for more than 500 yards, and Brown had 11 catches for 213 yards, including one of 57 yards. After the game, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh came up with some silly excuse as to why Humphrey wasn’t on Brown (probably in defense of Pees) and so did some of the others in the organization.

But on Thursday, Pees said he made a mistake.

“That is probably what we … in hindsight, maybe what we should have done is try to do that,” Pees said of playing Humphrey on Brown. “Yes, that is true. We probably should have done that. We talked about it, actually, on the sideline, and what happened is in that game, I played less man coverage than I have played the entire year. After the first couple of passes that were thrown, we were in man, and we just kind of went away from it, and we went to a lot of zone. I pressured 40 percent of the time, and out of those 40 percent, only one of them was a man [coverage] pressure. Everything else was a zone pressure, just trying to keep the ball inside and in front of us.”

“In retrospect, maybe that is probably what we should have done, try to match that up a little better,” he said. “I’ll be honest, we probably should have.”

[TitanRedd]

How would you guys feel if we drafted Sony Michel in the 1st round ?? but serious though remember we drafted Chris Johnson when lendale came off a 1000 yards. Though that was under a different regime.. just throwing crazy things that I could see happening. 

[-Hope-]

Just now, TitanRedd said:

How would you guys feel if we drafted Sony Michel in the 1st round ?? but serious though remember we drafted Chris Johnson when lendale came off a 1000 yards. Though that was under a different regime.. just throwing crazy things that I could see happening. 

we've drafted offense in the first round what, 5 years running now? we seriously need an infusion of talent in our front 7. i love sony michel, but i don't think that's a great approach.

[TitanSlim]

1 minute ago, TitanRedd said:

How would you guys feel if we drafted Sony Michel in the 1st round ?? but serious though remember we drafted Chris Johnson when lendale came off a 1000 yards. Though that was under a different regime.. just throwing crazy things that I could see happening. 

I'm a big Michel fan but no to any 1st round RB. The depth of this RB class is way too good to draft a guy that early imo.