The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Ravens game 2

[kriZENry]

:this_thread_is_useless_without_

 

sorry 

Hahaha!!! Don't be!

[|SF2|]

I cannot tell you how much that pissed me off, especially when BJGE almost got in on the long run. There was simply no reason to not feed him the ball three times in a row if necessary and get him the TD he had earned. Not to mention there was NO REASON to get cute there on offense either. RUN THE FUCKING BALL on first and goal inside the one yard line! I fear Gruden sometimes....Sims and Nantz were sucking his dick all game long about how complicated and "Arena Leauge-like" his offense is....but sometimes you just have to line up and punch another team in the face. THAT was one of those times.

Worst case is run it three times, burn 2:30 off the clock or the rest of their time outs and kick field goal. No way that was close to a good decision.

[mongo]

Crowd was pretty awesome.

Defense was rockin'.

Dalton threw two INT's that didn't look like his fault (as in I think the ball was thrown well enough for the receiver to make the play, but didn't), and two that probably were. It's tough to tell. So many passes of his get thrown before the receiver, I can't tell what was a bad route and what was a bad pass.

BJGE was putting a little Gio in his runs and having a great time.

Robinson seemed to come in and play well for Cook.

Those twin penalties for 30 yards sucked. The Burfict one seemed crap. Not sure what the one on Nelson or Jones was for.

[cincity]

Shuffled O-Line doesn't allow a sack on Andy, who had all kinds of time against a Baltimore front that got, what, 5 sacks last game?  Normally they give us all kinds of fits, and today nothing.

 

 

 

I really didn't like this... You have a bunch of vets, that have all played decent minutes this year.  There was really no need to try to shuffle your line unless there is an injury.  And what do you know, after they put the original line back in (-Cook) they drive down the field and score

[ccartman2]

I am not a Baltimore fan and hope you are correct but the Ravens front office had been one of the best the last 10-15 yrs. my guess is that they we will back pretty quickly.

i really think they missed boldin. brown just wasnt a good compliment to smith. boldin can be a game changer

[|Bunghole|]

Those twin penalties for 30 yards sucked. The Burfict one seemed crap. Not sure what the one on Nelson or Jones was for.

It totally was. I still have no idea why he was flagged there,

[USN Bengal]

It totally was. I still have no idea why he was flagged there,

Announcers said it was a BS call too... his reputation got him that penalty.

[Oldcat]

It totally was. I still have no idea why he was flagged there,

 

Because they refs couldn't see the Ravens driving 80 yards and decided to give them a 30 yard boost.

[JBandJoeyV]

Crowd was pretty awesome.
 

 

 

Im excited to see what the crowd is like for the playoff game. It should be awesome. Early weather forecast calls for about 46 degrees, 30 percent chance of rain. Similar to today. 

 

Considering we are playing a west coast team there really shouldnt be a ton of chargers fans there. Should be a great opportunity to rock the jungle!!!

[alleycat]

Crowd was pretty awesome.
 

 

I'll take everyone's word for it but what's up with that entire band of empty seats ringing the stadium?  Club seats?  Must be a little deflating as a player to look up and see no one home like that.  At least it won't be ringed in Steeler gold next week.

[unleashed]

 
I'll take everyone's word for it but what's up with that entire band of empty seats ringing the stadium?  Club seats?  Must be a little deflating as a player to look up and see no one home like that.  At least it won't be ringed in Steeler gold next week.

Yea you can always tell where the club seats start. I sit next to the guard rail in convertible club and it's packed every week. The club seats are hit or miss but there's still plenty of die hard club seat holders near me too. I think a lot of seats are just company seats.

The stadium was fucking rocking today. It seemed like it was the loudest it's been all year, which is encouraging for next week.

The defense eats that shit up when they've got 60,000 plus people behind them

[Bengals1181]

I not a huge fan of the play call on the goal line, but AJ needs to go after the ball more there.

There was no effort whatsoever. Almost looked like he was blocking thinking it was a running play. Looked like he had no idea where the ball was.

[Bengals1181]

Then Dalton needs to be sat down and understand how you play football in the winter.
 
I've hinted at this before, but this is where Dalton concerns me the most.  I actually think he's worried about his stats and other "appearances" a bit too much.  Also, you are the QB! Don't take a TD away from your O-Line and RB who just pounded the fucking ball down here.  Understand the dynamics of the game better, and don't take such big risks.  Only fucking retards think you are a bad QB.  Don't play right into their criticism by over-compensating and forcing shit.
 
Rant over.

I don't think he gives a damn about his stats. If it was his decision, and I see no reason why gruden would be lying, it was just a dumb decision. Maybe the run play didn't look good and he thought he had a mismatch with AJ, but that's when you audible to another run play or call a timeout. It also seems AJ didn't get the audible.

I've never seen any indication that Dalton is concerned about stats.

[alleycat]

I don't think he gives a damn about his stats. If it was his decision, and I see no reason why gruden would be lying, it was just a dumb decision. Maybe the run play didn't look good and he thought he had a mismatch with AJ, but that's when you audible to another run play or call a timeout. It also seems AJ didn't get the audible.

I've never seen any indication that Dalton is concerned about stats.

 

Read the post by Colin Harvey I just posted.  Both he and Gruden are using the word "Greedy" to describe Dalton.  OK, so maybe saying it's about stats particularly is overstating it, but it's ego pure and simple.  Winning -- and by extension NOT LOSING -- is the most important thing, and whatever is going through his head I can tell you that it's impeding his ability to think clearly and rationally in the way that he needs to.

 

I've made various posts here and there about this over the last year or so, and this is the one area where I haven't seen the growth I want to see in Andy.  It's helps make sense as to why he often does more poorly in bigger games.  He's trying to do too much and it's dangerous.  

 

Gruden's claim that he didn't communicate effectively that he wanted Dalton to run - and to ONLY RUN - is simply not good enough.  If Andy needs to be reminded over the radio what the game situation is along with the call, then so be it, but that's a problem that we need to cure right quick. 

[Bengals1181]

At least twice, maybe three times AJ didn't even put his hands out for the ball.

There was 4 I can think of. A deep ball he let up on that could have been a TD, the dropped INT,the third INT where he didn't finish he route (as it looked in the stadium) and the youth into where he seemed not to realize the ball was coming to him, though it never should have.

[bengaled]

I just disagree with it given how that drive was going. We had 3 pts for sure and to risk that on 1st down made me cuss. Of course it's not my offense but I call a QB sneak at the one every time on first down.

 

 

i'm with you as that's the safest play, with such a minimal distance. i just didn't think that was all on dalton, there, whereas i had the impression you did.

[Bengals1181]

Read the post by Colin Harvey I just posted.  Both he and Gruden are using the word "Greedy" to describe Dalton.  OK, so maybe saying it's about stats particularly is overstating it, but it's ego pure and simple.  Winning -- and by extension NOT LOSING -- is the most important thing, and whatever is going through his head I can tell you that it's impeding his ability to think clearly and rationally in the way that he needs to.
 
I've made various posts here and there about this over the last year or so, and this is the one area where I haven't seen the growth I want to see in Andy.  It's helps make sense as to why he often does more poorly in bigger games.  He's trying to do too much and it's dangerous.  
 
Gruden's claim that he didn't communicate effectively that he wanted Dalton to run - and to ONLY RUN - is simply not good enough.  If Andy needs to be reminded over the radio what the game situation is along with the call, then so be it, but that's a problem that we need to cure right quick.

We can't just blindly assume that. Maybe he audibled because the run play looked doomed. Maybe he saw a good matchup.

Grudens greedy comment wasn't about that play specifically and being greedy doesn't mean you're concerned about stats. All it may mean is you don't checkdown enough, or as you say try to do too much at times. You can be greedy without it being about personal accomplishments.

[JC]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Marvin and AJ were the first Bengals receiving duo to post double digit touchdowns in a season.  A bit surprised Chad and TJ didn't do that in 05.

[|SF2|]

 
I'll take everyone's word for it but what's up with that entire band of empty seats ringing the stadium?  Club seats?  Must be a little deflating as a player to look up and see no one home like that.  At least it won't be ringed in Steeler gold next week.

LOL, the club seats give you access to the club level bars which are awesome. Those blue blood types are sitting at the bar, surrounded by TVs and young talent.

[bengaled]

Crowd was pretty awesome.

Defense was rockin'.

Dalton threw two INT's that didn't look like his fault (as in I think the ball was thrown well enough for the receiver to make the play, but didn't), and two that probably were. It's tough to tell. So many passes of his get thrown before the receiver, I can't tell what was a bad route and what was a bad pass.

BJGE was putting a little Gio in his runs and having a great time.

Robinson seemed to come in and play well for Cook.

Those twin penalties for 30 yards sucked. The Burfict one seemed crap. Not sure what the one on Nelson or Jones was for.

 

Crowd was pretty awesome.

Defense was rockin'.

Dalton threw two INT's that didn't look like his fault (as in I think the ball was thrown well enough for the receiver to make the play, but didn't), and two that probably were. It's tough to tell. So many passes of his get thrown before the receiver, I can't tell what was a bad route and what was a bad pass.

BJGE was putting a little Gio in his runs and having a great time.

Robinson seemed to come in and play well for Cook.

Those twin penalties for 30 yards sucked. The Burfict one seemed crap. Not sure what the one on Nelson or Jones was for.

 

 

 

Im excited to see what the crowd is like for the playoff game. It should be awesome. Early weather forecast calls for about 46 degrees, 30 percent chance of rain. Similar to today. 

 

Considering we are playing a west coast team there really shouldnt be a ton of chargers fans there. Should be a great opportunity to rock the jungle!!!

 

 

 

in the post game interview mike johnson thanked all the fans and said that was the loudest he's ever heard them.

[Bengals1181]

if AJ has to tackle the CB before the ball gets there, that's what he should be instructed to do. despite the OPI penalty, you live for another day, and at the very least have an easy FG attempt. if he didn't know that prior to that play, he should have that schooled into his brain after today. his lack of effort was absolutely pathetic.

I honestly don't think aj had any idea the ball was being thrown. In the stadium he looked like he was blocking. Maybe it looked different on TV.

[alleycat]

We can't just blindly assume that. Maybe he audibled because the run play looked doomed. Maybe he saw a good matchup.

Grudens greedy comment wasn't about that play specifically and being greedy doesn't mean you're concerned about stats. All it may mean is you don't checkdown enough, or as you say try to do too much at times. You can be greedy without it being about personal accomplishments.

 

Well, the definition of Greedy is:

noun

noun: greed

1.

intense and selfish desire for something, esp. wealth, power, or food.

 

Notice the word SELFISH.

 

OK, even if you don't think he's after "personal accomplishments", you have to agree that he's not thinking about the greater team's needs either. 

 

Because that would be: don't be greedy; play it safe and get the win.

[alleycat]

And just to quote the referenced article and post:

 

This guy Harvey is absolutely marvelous.  Kudos to both Gruden and Dalton for being so forthright about the issue.  Awareness is always the first step to recovery, lol (in other words, they at least see what we see). Still growing, still learning.  Now it's all for keeps...

 

Quote

 

Bengals need a patient Andy Dalton

December, 29, 2013

Dec 29

9:45

PM ET

By Coley Harvey | ESPN.com

 

CINCINNATI -- Has a quarterback ever been given more nicknames by fans and media than the Cincinnati Bengals' Andy Dalton?

The latest nickname for Dalton has popped up: "Greedy Andy."

When Cincinnati hosts the San Diego Chargers next week in the opening round of the playoffs, the Bengals have to hope they've completely vanquished Dalton's latest incarnation.

The desperate, overly aggressive and apparently touchdown-starved person who got behind center Sunday afternoon against the Ravens could have cost Cincinnati a victory in its regular-season finale. If he shows up again in a few days, he just might cost the Bengals an entire season.

There are any number of reasons the third-seed Bengals could fall flat next weekend. There also, naturally, are any number of reasons why they could succeed, too. One way to increase the odds of a victory? Prevent your quarterback from throwing four interceptions.
 

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Tom UhlmanThe Bengals defeated the Ravens in the season finale despite Andy Dalton's four interceptions.

That could be easier said than done.

"Sometimes when he gets into a rhythm he gets too comfortable and gets a little greedy, so to speak," offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said.

Now you know where the new nickname comes from.

Right before making that comment, Gruden was discussing how complacent his quarterback can sometimes be when the offense appears to be rolling. Decision making in those instances can be problematic for Dalton who has misread routes or been a touch off with the precise delivery of his passes. Gruden felt that was the exact player who showed up in Miami on the last Thursday night of October. Against the Dolphins in that game, Dalton passed for 338 yards and three interceptions in an overtime loss that was decided by a walk-off safety.

Had it not been for several game-saving plays by Cincinnati's defense Sunday, including three fourth-quarter interceptions, Dalton might have added another high-yard but turnover-filled performance to his ledger.

"It was a roller coaster, man," Gruden said of Dalton's day. "He was either really, really good, as good as anybody, or he made a couple of really poor decisions. We need to eliminate those."

That might be the best summation of Dalton's latest performance. He was flat-out stellar the time he saw A.J. Green completely sprint past Baltimore's secondary, only to be hit in stride for a 53-yard touchdown pass. But when Dalton got picked off four times, including once on a ball that was thrown well over Green's head, Dalton didn't look so strong.

The greediest the quarterback got Sunday was in the middle of the fourth quarter when he tried to force a pass on first-and-goal from the Ravens' 1-yard line. One play after Bengals running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis plowed through Baltimore's defensive line with a physical tackle-breaking carry, Dalton was picked off when he tried to dump a fade route to a single-covered Green.

"I got a little greedy and I tried to take a shot," Dalton said. "I didn't throw it how I wanted to, and should have ran it in or handed it off."

There's that word again.

He's right, though. Instead of throwing short on the fade that looked more like a flat, he should have either switched to a play that would allow Giovani Bernard to run in or scramble out and take it in on the run himself. So why didn't he do that?

"Usually I'd put in goal-line personnel and we didn't have that," Gruden said. "We were in two tight ends and two receivers and thought they were in goal-line defense. We knew with numbers that we would have been splattered with a run, so we threw a fade. ... [But] he should have handed it off. But I'm not mad. We won the game, 34-17. Had we lost the game, that play would have been glaring and stuck out in our minds for a long time. But luckily our defense held us up and covered our backs because that was a terrible play and a terrible call."

Gruden wasn't shy about admitting that he had a few play calls that he wished he could take back. He shouldered as much of the blame for Dalton's performance as the quarterback himself.

While head coach Marvin Lewis wasn't pleased with the up-and-down nature of Dalton's play Sunday, he still couldn't feel more confident about where his quarterback can take him now that the playoffs are beginning. Performances like this one won't be repeated, he believes.

"I feel great about where Andy is right now," Lewis said. "He just keeps playing and is really unflappable. He is in a good spot as we move forward. We just have to coach better and play better as we move forward."

[JBandJoeyV]

 

 

Well, the definition of Greedy is:

noun

noun: greed

1.

intense and selfish desire for something, esp. wealth, power, or food.

 

Notice the word SELFISH.

 

OK, even if you don't think he's after "personal accomplishments", you have to agree that he's not thinking about the greater team's needs either. 

 

Because that would be: don't be greedy; play it safe and get the win.

 

 

I know Dalton and Gruden both used the word greedy, but im not sure that it was the right word. I think they just mean that he needs to know when it is smart to take risks and when it is smart to be more conservative. Throwing the fade was probably the right call based on the alignment of the defense and what not, but it wasnt the smart play. In that situation the right play is to be very conservative.

[Bengals1181]

Well, the definition of Greedy is:
noun
noun: greed
1.
intense and selfish desire for something, esp. wealth, power, or food.
 
Notice the word SELFISH.
 
OK, even if you don't think he's after "personal accomplishments", you have to agree that he's not thinking about the greater team's needs either. 
 
Because that would be: don't be greedy; play it safe and get the win.

I'd put it as being greedy in trying to get more points for the TEAM but not trusting your defense enough. :)

As Dalton said last week when asked about the reduced picks: sometimes we just have to remember as an offense that we have a pretty good defense and a punt isn't a bad play.