Substitution Woes

The Ravens played another snap with just 10 on the field, their second of the season (Q1, 4:56).  In this case it was a 2nd and 9 play.  Not immense leverage, but still worth a timeout had it been noticed by anyone on the headset loop.  Given the last 10-man play came on 4th and 6, I think it’s safe to say no one caught it in real time as opposed to it being a conscious choice not to want to use a timeout.

It’s relatively easy to be caught with a 12th man (or just 10) on defense, but the formation requirements on offense should make it readily apparent. 

Aggregate OL Results

The Ravens provided Jackson Ample Time and Space (ATS) on 8 of 25 drop backs (32%).  That’s just a little below average, but the Colts did so without using much in the way of numbers (18 rushes with 4 men and 7 with 5).  Otherwise summarizing the line performance:

  • They had responsibility for just 1/3 of the 2 sacks
  • They did not allow any other QHs
  • They allowed a season-low 2 pressures
  • They had much more difficulty maintaining ground in the run game with 4 penetrations (run play for loss) allowed
  • They had 2 penalties (holding, illegal formation), both of which occurred on the same play

Individual Scoring

The Ravens ran 63 scored snaps (excludes accepted penalties which result in no play, kneels, spikes, and special teams plays that result in a run or pass).

Brown:  Zeus continued his fine play at LT.  He logged his only negative play of the day when flagged for holding Autry (Q2, 6:44) which was in part a function of Jackson sliding left outside the pocket and compromising Brown’s position.  In any case, there is little to validate the foul on the broadcast or from either coaches film angle.  One interesting thing about that play is how Brown lined up with a wider-than-normal split from Bozeman to combat a wide rush alignment.  Brown doesn’t have Stanley’s feet, so he has to compensate by using length and positioning (horizontal cheating) to more frequently push a pass rusher past the pocket as opposed to staying square and in front of the defender.  Of 6 missed blocks, just 1 was a loss at the LoS.  However, he also failed to effectively engage with Leonard in L2 (Q3, 11:54), which allowed the Colts star to make the tackle on what appeared should have been a walk in TD..  He made 5 blocks in level 2 and delivered 2 pancakes.  He executed his fake (counter) on his only pull.  His highlight was a combination on Buckner then Leonard to lead Edwards’ 3rd-and-1 conversion (Q3, 7:39) when lined up on the right side of an unbalanced formation.

Scoring:  63 plays, 57 blocks, 6 missed, 1 offensive holding, 51 points (.81 per play).  That’s a B with or without adjustment.

He’s now played 121 snaps at LT since Stanley’s injury and has not allowed a single pressure event as a pass blocker (he was flagged for holding as noted above).

Bozeman:  Bradley had a solid game and continued his success as a puller as the Ravens offense rolled in the second half.  He was bulled by DT Grover Stewart which blew up an option run left for a loss of 1 (Q1, 11:06).  He had a full charge for a pressure when beaten inside by Buckner (Q2, 0:40) for his only other negative play.  Of 7 missed blocks, 3 were losses at the LoS.  He had 4 blocks in level 2 and connected on 9 of 11 pulling assignments.  He did not have a highlight.  Buckner and Stewart created trouble for the pulling game with off-and-on rapid penetration.  In particular, Bozeman’s pull on Jackson’s TD run (Q4, 11:14) was obstructed when both Skura and Mekari were pancaked straight back.  Fortunately, the run went in the other direction and Jackson sprinted in untouched behind the “show-the-grandchildren” block by Mark Andrews. 

Scoring:  63 plays, 54 blocks, 7 missed, 1 penetration, 1 pressure, 50 points (.79 per play).  That’s a B after adjustment.

Skura:  Matt overcame issues with snap accuracy in the first half to post a solid grade.  He was beaten right by DT Taylor Stallworth who took down Dobbins for a loss of 2 (Q1, 3:49).  He missed 9 blocks (a high total for a center), of which 6 were losses at the LoS.  He had a great deal of trouble anchoring vs Stewart and Buckner, which is not wholly unexpected, but he is fortunate that none of the 6 losses at the LoS resulted in negative events (as opposed to just 0s).  He made 2 blocks in level 2, had 2 pancakes, and connected on 1 of 2 pulls.  He had 2 highlight combination blocks (Q3, 9:49; Q3, 1:59).  Like most of the offensive line, he played much better in the second half.

Scoring: 63 plays, 53 blocks, 9 missed, 1 penetration, 51 points (.81 per play).  That’s a C and I eliminated what would have been a significant adjustment for opponents due to the shotgun snap problems.  Even so, the cost of those off target snaps was probably not fully reflected in the grade.  Pitchers often have lingering issues with cuts or split nails on the fingers of their pitching hand, so it might be premature to assume the problem has been or can be solved prior to the Patriots game.  The Ravens have the week to find a solution (glove, tape, or other device) that will support more consistent delivery.

Mekari:  Patrick played the entire game for the first time this season.  He was bulled by DT Autry to flush Jackson on what became a sack for -1 (Q2, 0:29).  I gave him 1/3 of the sack charge (the same as a pressure) because I think Jackson could have chosen a better path from the pocket or unloaded the football and also because he chose to try the run which was only a yard different in terms of result.  Patrick also surrendered a pressure to Buckner (Q3, 14:17) where the Colts DT dropped at Lamar’s feet.  Buckner beat Mekari inside to strip Edwards (Q3, 11:12).  He made 6 blocks in level 2 and delivered 1 pancake.  He was successful on 4 of 5 pulls.  He had 2 highlight combination blocks (Q2, 0:34; Q4, 5:22).

Scoring:  63 plays, 52 blocks, 7 missed, 1.5 penetrations, 1 pressure, 1/3 sack, 45 points (.71 per play). That’s a C- after adjustment.  Mekari got the bulk of the 7-on-7 shotgun snaps in camp prior to the 2019 season.  If Skura’s injury does not heal, it’s possible Mekari will move to center for a game.

Fluker:  DJ again played the entire game at RT and did not allow a pass rush event.  He was flagged for illegal formation on the same play Brown was flagged for holding (that’s efficiency!).  The only charge I scored for him was a ¼ charge for a penetration shared with Powers when neither managed to block DeForest Buckner (Q2, 8:14).  He missed 7 blocks, 5 of which were losses at the LoS, which is a larger number than ideal, but less concerning in the context of his overall performance.  He made 1 block in level 2 and did not find a block on his only pull.  His highlight was an unusual combination block at the LoS where he first teed up DT Sheldon Day for Mekari, then blocked DE Tyquan Lewis on the backside of a run left.  If I had only seen this game from Fluker, I’d say mobility was a concern, but he had 4 blocks in level 2 last week, including a pair of highlight combinations.

Scoring:  63 plays, 55 blocks, 7 missed, 1/4 penetration, 1 illegal formation, 51.5 points (.82 per play).  That’s a B with or without adjustment.

Powers:  Ben had 5 snaps as a 6th lineman and made 4 blocks.  He was charged with a ¼ penetration on the only block he failed to convert (Q2, 8:14).

If you’re interested in seeing scoring trends for the players this season, those charts will be posted in the Gallery section and updated weekly.