Archive for Cam Cameron – Page 2

Nov
27

Ravens ready for Steelers

by Jeff Wolfson

It’s Steelers week in Baltimore and the Ravens have been preparing for this all season long. Baltimore wants to beat Pittsburgh this season after the Steelers took all three games last season.

In many ways this game is the season for Baltimore and Pittsburgh. If the Ravens win they will be 6-5 and, for the moment have a tiebreaker over Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh wins, they will drop the Ravens to 5-6 and most likely out of the playoff hunt. Each team has problems with injuries going in to this game too.

For Pittsburgh, safety Troy Polamalu is likely out with his second knee injury of the year. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a minor concussion last Sunday against Kansas City and may be held out of Sunday’s game as to not risk further injury. Roethlisberger’s injury is possibly more devastating to Pittsburgh than Polamalu’s. He has beaten the Ravens four straight times and plays some of his best games against Baltimore. The Ravens have struggled with their secondary all season and Roethlisberger does have the ability to pick apart a suspect secondary.

On Baltimore’s side, Terrell Suggs is doing everything he can to play, but I don’t think he will play this week. Suggs is still nursing a knee injury and with his big contract, I think the Ravens will hold him out. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed both have foot injuries, however, if they can walk they will play. Lewis and Reed simply don’t miss Steelers games unless they are badly injured. One of the injuries that I’m worried about is Joe Flacco’s ankle. Flacco hurt his ankle against Minnesota and hasn’t been as effective since that game.  I’m interested in seeing how Flacco does against Pittsburgh.

How do these injuries impact gameplans and how each team plays? For Pittsburgh, if Roethlisberger doesn’t play and Dennis Dixon gets the start, I expect to see a heavy dose of Rashard Mendenhall. The Ravens didn’t see much of Mendenhall last season because Lewis broke his shoulder on a hit in September. He has been playing well this season and has taken the starting job away from Willie Parker. Mendenhall has the ability to cause problems because he is a big physical back and we have seen what similar running backs have done to the Ravens this season. Polamalu’s absence in the secondary will most likely be filled by Tyrone Carter. Carter has filled in well for the Steelers this year and I wouldn’t expect anything less.

For the Ravens, I expect Jarret Johnson to fill in again for Suggs and Paul Kruger, among others, will again rotate and get extensive play at the other outside linebacker position. Baltimore’s defense has improved steadily since the beginning of the year and I wouldn’t expect Steelers week to be any different. The offense, however, has seemed to regress since the Denver game in Week 8. I expect to see the Ravens use more of a jumbo package and work the newly-signed Charles Ali in to the offense in front of Le’Ron McClain. Flacco may have an easier time throwing the ball on a Steelers defense without Polamalu and an offensive line that has done a pretty good job of protecting him all season. I’d like to see Cam Cameron be a little more aggressive than he was in the games against the Steelers last season.

Add it all up and you get a hard-hitting, nasty game between these two bitter rivals. Prediction: Ravens 21, Steelers 20

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Nov
20

Previewing Colts @ Ravens

by Jeff Wolfson

I’m not getting a good feeling about this game at all. The Baltimore Ravens are banged up and sputtering on offense. Indianapolis is rolling on offense and has played just well enough on defense to continue their undefeated start.

The only advantage that the Ravens have is their passing offense. If Joe Flacco can snap out of his recent funk and hit his receivers, Baltimore’s offense has a chance to be ezplosive against a young, inexperienced Colts secondary. Not all of the passing attack’s struggles can be put on Flacco though. The Ravens receiving corps must work to get open against Indianapolis’ soft Cover-2 shell.

At first, I thought the Ravens may have an advantage running the ball against a small Colts front seven, but Cam Cameron has gotten away from the run this season for whatever reason. I do expect Ray Rice to have a solid game as far as all-purpose yards go though.

The biggest disadvantage the Ravens have is their pass defense. They’re pass defense has been mediocre at best all season long and I don’t expect that to change against Peyton Manning. However, the Ravens defense is riding a six quarter shutout streak between the second half of Cincinnati and Monday’s game in Cleveland. I fully expect that streak to end pretty early in the first quarter on Sunday.

The Colts rushing offense is fairly weak, but the Ravens rush defense hasn’t been as good as it has been in years past. I would think that Joseph Addai and Donald Brown will give the Ravens a few problems. Haloti Ngata is expected back, but Terrell Suggs has already been ruled out which won’t help the Ravens rush defense at all.

I don’t see the Ravens stopping Manning in this game and the home fans will once again feel burned by the Indianapolis Colts. This could get ugly quickly if the defense doesn’t step up. Prediction: Colts 31, Ravens 20

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Nov
17

Ravens roll past Browns; Release Hauschka

by Jeff Wolfson

It wasn’t pretty, but the Baltimore Ravens shut down the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. All it took was a nice interception return by Dawan Landry. That play just about closed out the Browns. I’m going to take a look at how we got to that point.

The first half was a really ugly half of football. Neither team could get anything going on offense and the defenses dominated. Then Cleveland got the ball to start the second half and went three-and-out. The Ravens took over and Derrick Mason got free for a 41-yard gain in to Cleveland’s red zone. Ray Rice ran it in from there for the first score of the game.

Landry picked off Brady Quinn’s next pass and took it in to the end zone. The Browns were done then, but the Ravens put another field goal on the board to complete the game’s scoring.

What bothered me about this game was the Ravens’ first half clock management. While there was time left in the first quarter, the Ravens had no timeouts left. Partially this was due to a bad challenge by John Harbaugh on a Jamal Lewis run. The offense sputtered in the first half. Cam Cameron never got the running game in rhythm and Joe Flacco looked flustered at times.

Steve Hauschka added to frustration with his first quarter field goal going wide left. That was his third miss in six chances. I can’t see Hauschka surviving for another week. Points are just too valuable in the NFL, and especially in the upcoming weeks against Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. Hauschka needs to hit his field goals all the time, not just in garbage time. He also missed an extra point. Harbaugh wasn’t happy with Hauschka after the game and he has since been released.

The shining part of this game was the defense. The defensive line got to Quinn multiple times throughout the game. Baltimore’s linebacker corps was one of the better units on the field playing in pass coverage and stuffing the run. I liked how the secondary tackled the receivers and gave run support to the front seven. Of course they had their interceptions and added to the scoring.

Lardarius Webb may be the next big time player on the roster. His time in the secondary was solid, but his real value Monday night came on special teams. Webb had a good return on the opening kickoff of the game, but was spectacular on punt coverage. If he wasn’t making the tackle, Webb was searching for the ball and helping the team down it inside the 20.

Overall, the Ravens played a good half of football. They obviously have to improve if they’re going to even compete with Indianapolis. I liked certain things from the Ravens on Monday night, but there are plenty of holes to work on this week in practice.

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Nov
9

Ravens-Bengals Reflections

by Jeff Wolfson

Sunday represented a crucial game for the Baltimore Ravens and they didn’t show up. Cincinnati outplayed them in every phase of the game. It was over when the Bengals scored 14 points in the first quarter. Carson Palmer had no trouble picking apart the Ravens secondary in the first half and Chad Ochocinco was on his game making fantastic catches. The defense wasn’t the only problem though.

The Ravens offense was just as guilty as the defense for this loss. Joe Flacco had his worst game of the year. Once again Cam Cameron went pass-heavy. Baltimore’s offense is built on running the ball. Ray Rice averaged four yards per carry in the game, but only carried the ball 12 times. Cameron is an outstanding coordinator, but sometimes he drives me crazy when he almost refuses to run the ball.

Willis McGahee has disappeared from the offense. I know Rice is having a good year, but he still could get worn down. McGahee would be the perfect compliment to Rice right now. The times that McGahee has played, he has run with a determination this season. To me, it seems like McGahee realized the better he does, the better the team does.

Flacco wound up chucking the ball around 32 times. He should have been picked off at least five times, but was only picked off twice. At times, Flacco looked like a rookie and like he had trouble reading the Bengals defense. The best offensive play on Sunday were screen passes to Rice. Cameron has to do better than that.

Like I said it was a total team effort. Special teams were terrible. Steve Hauschka, at this point, isn’t ready to be a full-time kicker. Hauschka again missed a big kick wide left. It has been rough watching Hauschka struggle to make clutch kicks. I don’t know which kickers are free agents, but there has to be someone that can make a crucial kick for this team. Lardarius Webb was solid returning kickoffs again, but Chris Carr looked really bad on punt returns. It might be time to switch that up a little bit. Sam Koch, as always, was good.

A positive from this game was Webb. When Fabian Washington left with an injury Webb came in and filled in admirably. Webb was knocking down passes and making tackles every time he got an opportunity. I was very impressed with him.

So what does this loss mean for Baltimore? The Baltimore Ravens must win their remaining games against the NFC North. That gives them seven wins. They also must beat Oakland and Cleveland. That would leave Baltimore with nine wins. The remaining three games are the two Pittsburgh games and Indianapolis. Indianapolis is going to be tough because Peyton Manning has been on fire all year. Manning has recently driven Baltimore’s defense crazy and the Colts have blown out the Ravens. Of course Pittsburgh games are always tough. Best case scenario, I think, this season is a split with the Steelers. If the Ravens can win one of those three games, they will be in good position for a playoff push.

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Nov
2

Ravens Blast Broncos; Prepare For Bengals

by Jeff Wolfson

In their most complete performance of the season, the Baltimore Ravens took apart the previously undefeated Denver Broncos 30-7. From the start of the game the Ravens set the tone against Denver. Eddie Royal didn’t do much with the opening kickoff and then Jarret Johnson came in untouched to drill Kyle Orton.

As soon as that sack was recorded, I think a lot of people believed the Ravens defense was out to prove something Sunday. Baltimore’s defense, for much of this season, has had a much-maligned pass rush and secondary. It sure didn’t look that way in their win. The secondary shut down Brandon Marshall and Royal. Orton managed to only throw for 152 yards.

If Johnson’s sack wasn’t enough, early in the game, secondary member Ed Reed thumped Knowshon Moreno, forcing the rookie to lose a fumble. Moreno’s fumble was the only turnover for either side in the game, but it was crucial. The turnover led to three points for the Ravens and an early lead.

Baltimore looked like a very determined team in the second half. Rookie Lardarius Webb returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. This marked the Ravens first return on a kickoff since the 2007 season and almost doubled Denver’s point total of points allowed in the second half. The Ravens offense took it from there. Joe Flacco kept completing passes on third down to Kelley Washington breaking the Broncos’ streak of not allowing a third down in the second half for four straight games. Also, in crunch time, Flacco completed the last 14 passes he threw getting his completion percentage to 80 percent.

Baltimore’s offense scored 17 points in the second half on a Denver team that allowed just 10 points in the second half all season. Midway through the fourth quarter it looked like Denver was beaten down from the physicality of the Ravens. So, what did I like?

I liked that the Ravens ran the ball 35 times and passed it just 25 times. Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron used all of his weapons, including Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain, to keep the Broncos off balance.

The special teams was air tight on coverage of Royal and dominant on kick returns. Baltimore has had a lot of different results out of their special teams, but this was the best game that they’ve played all season.

Lastly, I liked the secondary and the rest of the defense. The Ravens allowed only 66 yards rushing after allowing back-to-back 100-yard rushers. Also, the secondary, as I said earlier, shut down the Broncos passing game. Overall, the unit yielded just 200 total yards to Denver.

What is there to work on for Cincinnati? Lots. The offensive line needs to get bigger holes for Ray Rice and McGahee. The blocking was great against the Broncos, but the Bengals are familiar with the Ravens schemes as they are division rivals. Baltimore’s defensive backfield got some help from the pass rush this week, but still has some holes that need to be worked out. Carson Palmer did a good job picking apart the Ravens when the two teams met in Week 5. I’m expecting a very entertaining, physical game next Sunday.

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Oct
26

How Will the Ravens Come Back From the Bye?

by Jeff Wolfson

Baltimore is coming off of three straight losses. All of which were close, competitive games. They probably should have won two of them. Blowing the game against Cincinnati was disastrous. Bad officiating in New England cost the Ravens the game and a missed field goal did the Ravens in against the Vikings.

However, it wasn’t just about officiating or missed kicks. The defense, which has been so good for so long, has been borderline lousy. The secondary has been getting beaten badly for big plays. Baltimore’s defense also hasn’t been getting to the quarterback. These two items are very troublesome, but not nearly as bad as some of the penalties that the Ravens seem to get every game. Personal foul penalties doomed Baltimore in the Cincinnati loss and factored in to the New England game.

The best that can be hoped for is the coaches noticed something and have made adjustments. Greg Mattison is a first-year NFL coordinator, but the players all insist the scheme isn’t the problem. That only means tackling and coverage are the problem. Never has this been a problem for the Ravens in the last 10 years.

There’s not much to complain about on offense. Joe Flacco has the Ravens flying high, getting an assist from fellow second-year player Ray Rice. My only qualm with the offense is that Cam Cameron has fallen in love with his quarterback. It’s not only him that has done this though. I’ve noticed a trend around the NFL that offensive coordinators and head coaches rely on the pass way too much.

Part of that could be the lack of good running backs, or even the lack of good secondaries around the NFL. I think if the Ravens want to win more though, they must run the ball effectively the next 10 games. Willis McGahee, Rice and Le’Ron McClain are all solid running backs in their own way and Cameron should use them more.

For the Ravens to make the playoffs they have to win at least seven of their next 10 games. That’s a tall task with Cincinnati, Pittsburgh twice and Indianapolis still left on the schedule. To get those seven wins the coaches had to make adjustments on both sides of the ball, and I think they did.

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Oct
16

Previewing Ravens-Vikings

by Jeff Wolfson

Coming off of a last minute loss to Cincinnati, Baltimore will be looking to bounce back this Sunday. The problem is the opponent.

Minnesota is one of five undefeated teams left in the NFL. Brett Favre has had a solid season so far and Adrian Peterson is doing what he’s done for the last three years. The Vikings defense is stout led by their defensive line. Jared Allen potentially could drive Michael Oher crazy. The Williams Wall (Pat and Kevin) are excellent run stoppers. Minnesota’s weakness is their pass defense.

Minnesota is 18th in the NFL in pass defense, yielding 224.6 yards per game. Their linebackers will struggle covering Todd Heap and their corners are good, but like the Ravens, small and fast. Darren Sharper, who was the glue at safety for Minnesota, has now moved on to New Orleans, was the Vikings best safety for a few years. If Joe Flacco and the offense get their early-season swagger back it could be a long day for Minnesota.

I expect Baltimore’s defense will be in a foul mood after allowing 100+ yards to Cedric Benson last Sunday. Benson broke the 100-yard mark for the first time in 40 games and it’s just not going to sit well. Peterson is an absolute beast for the Vikings and the Ravens can’t afford to load up eight in the box. However, Peterson fumbles the ball a lot. That could be a plus for Baltimore. The real X-factor is the Ravens running game, though.

The running game has been seemingly abandoned by offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. There’s no reason for that. Ray Rice averages 5.8 yards per carry and seems to make a play every time he touches the ball. Willis McGahee has a ton of touchdowns so he should get touches too. In short-yardage situations Le’Ron McClain hasn’t gotten the ball and that’s a problem. If Baltimore gets back to running the ball at least half the time, they will win Sunday.

Prediction: Baltimore 17, Minnesota 14

 

Note: There has been a rumor that the Ravens are trying to acquire Dwayne Bowe from the Kansas City Chiefs. If this happens then that’s a great move for the Ravens. Bowe is big, fast and physical. That’s the kind of receiver the Ravens could use going forward.

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Sep
29

The 'O' is clicking

by Jeff Wolfson

Who would have ever thought that the Baltimore Ravens would have an offense? The Ravens of course, are known for their suffocating defense over the past decade, but suddenly they can move the ball. Not only can they move the ball though, they put it in the end zone when they sniff the opponents 20-yard line.

Rolling up over 400 yard of offense a game is an unbelievable feat, especially against the complex NFL defenses. I will say that the Browns and Chiefs are pretty sorry, but San Diego is a good team. The Ravens rolled over the Chargers defense in San Diego. Lots of fun to watch.

Baltimore’s 34 point average is great. The defense could live with the offense only scoring about 24 points a game, but Joe Flacco keeps the unit moving up and down the field. Cam Cameron has creative play-calling that is also very helpful to a Ravens offense that once struggled under the leadership of Brian Billick.

I like this offense. Even more importantly, the defense likes this offense. The recipe of offensive success and team unity could spell trouble for the Patriots Sunday. I’m not calling a win, but I think if the Ravens bring their offense like they have, it’s a very good possibility.

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Sep
14

Ravens-Chiefs: The Aftermath

by Jeff Wolfson

The Ravens had a successful season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, winning 38-24. The offense was balanced, the defense looked good, but the special teams leave a lot to be desired.

First I’ll discuss the offense. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron started to open up the playbook a bit. Joe Flacco passed a lot in the first half, but the Ravens also wore the Chiefs down. Flacco tossed the ball all over the field to multiple receivers throughout the game. It also seemed to be a coming out party for tight end Todd Heap. Heap had disappeared for the past few years, but had a solid game Sunday afternoon. The former Pro Bowl tight end also had five receptions including a touchdown. Ray Rice introduced himself to the league as a starter and powered his way to 108 yards on 19 carries.

As it turned out, the Ravens ran 84 offensive plays. That is an astouding number. For some reason, experts are saying this is an aerial attack. I disagree. Let’s take a quick look at why I disagree. Flacco threw the football 43 times for 307 yards. This averages 7.13 yards per attempt. That’s an improvement. The balance, though, is from the running game. Baltimore ran the ball 41 times. On those 41 carries the Ravens gained 198 yards for an average of 4.8 yards per rush. So, in 84 plays Cameron split pass and run almost evenly.

Now for the defense. A staple of Baltimore Ravens football has been a ferocious, suffocating defense. They partially showed up Sunday. The team only totaled three sacks and struggled at times to get pressure on the passer. Baltimore’s defensive backfield is one of the fastest in the league, but I think they struggled some with the physicality of the bigger Dwayne Bowe. It seemed like most of the game the defense was playing their base scheme and not showing too much. I’m looking for the Ravens to open up their defensive playbook against San Diego on Sunday.

The special teams, as I said, left a lot to be desired. New kicker Steve Hauschka missed a field goal, but had nice kickoffs. Hauschka still has a long way to go to replace longtime kicker Matt Stover, but could turn out to be very good. Sam Koch had a punt blocked for the first time in his career. Punt returns weren’t good either. The coverage teams did look good flying down the field which was saving grace.

Overall, the Ravens looked good, but there’s room for improvement. Look for the team to clean up their penalties and play more aggressive defense against a very good, talented San Diego Chargers team.

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Aug
16

Expectations High For 2009-2010 Ravens

by Jeff Wolfson

The Baltimore Ravens are going in to the second season of a revamped attitude away from the Brian Billick style of doing things and more toward the John Harbaugh way.

There are very few players on the roster that can feel they are threatened for a roster spot and competition, but most are in the defensive backfield, receiving corps and backup running back.

In the defensive backfield, I think the starters are questioned. Fabian Washington and free-agent acquisition Domonique Foxworth should start, while the nickel-back battle will take place between third-round pick Lardarius Webb and free-agent signee Chris Carr.
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