OTL: Another Chance to Button Up the Mistakes

As we prepare for a game that some fans are already stressing over, we got a scary injury report today from the Ravens:

CB Nate Wiggins (shoulder) and DL Travis Jones (ankle) returned to practice today, although Jones wasn’t doing much. He had a walking boot on yesterday.
Not practicing: WR Zay Flowers (ankle), RB Rasheen Ali (ankle), CB T.J. Tampa (ankle) and CB Marlon Humphrey (knee)

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) October 24, 2024

The Browns, with Jameis Winston playing, will run the ball as much as they can now that Nick Chubb is back. The run defense was suspect against the Bucs on Monday, and Travis Jones didn’t appear to be his usual self. The other guys on the DL are going to need to step up, as Jones seems unlikely to go, and certainly won’t be 100% if he does.

Others to worry about are Zay Flowers and Marlon Humphrey. The Ravens secondary is already an issue, and they don’t need any more injuries to complicate that. Marlo’s injury is said to be minor, so that’s good, but they may hold him out this week. That will make the return of Arthur Maulet that much more important.

Zay is a big one if he can’t go. While the Ravens aren’t a high-volume passing offense, he is one of their best weapons and really demands the attention of the opposing defense. The Browns have a talented secondary, and I will consider it a massive blow to the team if Zay can’t go.

While the good news is that they aren’t long-term injuries, not having these players in a division road game is never good.

Another thing to watch are these constant communication issues.

Zach Orr said RBs leaking out and not getting covered is partly a communication issue, but he also said there’s things he can do to help. He expects to see more of it. pic.twitter.com/1FHkPwbH7D

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) October 24, 2024

This is the main thing holding back the Ravens right now. Yes, I mean as a team, not just a defense. If you want to run a more complex scheme like the Ravens do, communication and discipline are required. I don’t know why this defense has been so bad at it. They returned most starters from last year, yet all act like chickens with their heads cut off, running around, not knowing what to do.

Either Orr needs to simplify his calls, or they need to bench some players because this has gone on for too long. They were working through some things fine for the first couple of weeks, but come on, man, this needs to get fixed. It is so frustrating having legends like Ed Reed call out our defense on the Manningcast, and it hurts because he is right. They are playing like they don’t care about giving up points.

One of the main things leading to these fourth-quarter comebacks in games that seemed out of reach is thankfully being addressed.

Special teams coordinator Chris Horton on onside kick issues: “We have to get it right the first time.” He confirmed that they shifted some personnel around on hands team.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) October 24, 2024

Thank you so much for doing this, Ravens. For those not in the know, onside kicks in the NFL are supposed to be moments where the kicking team is at a massive disadvantage. Usually, it is. Only two onside kicks have been successful so far this season – as Ravens fans know, they’ve both come against our squad.

For the love of everything good in this world, please permanently remove Flowers from the hands team. I love Zay, but he is the key reason both of those were converted. On the first, in Dallas, the bouncing ball ate him up, and in Tampa, he failed to attack the bounce (perhaps remembering the ball in Dallas NOT bouncing).

Usually a team attempting an onside kick knows they have little chance; now, against the Ravens, they are encouraged instead. The good news, I suppose, is that a team with an offense like Baltimore’s will have a lot of big leads going forward, so they’ll have more chances to work on their onside kick coverage in game situations.

I don’t mean to be so negative about a team that’s won five straight. However, I feel justified because this team has a special feel about it, and right now, they are being weighed down by mental mistakes and avoidable errors. It seems like, as Bill Belichick said on the Manningcast, that the Ravens are the only team that can beat the Ravens.

The post OTL: Another Chance to Button Up the Mistakes appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/10/25/out-to-lunch/otl-another-chance-to-button-up-the-mistakes/