How did the Ravens bump the Giants for 249 rushing years?
Many plays were won before the ball was cracked because defensive players were in the wrong gaps.
“Depending on the defensive call, certain guys had to utilize certain players on any game,” blue back Blake Martinez said. ‘Whether it’s the no. 2-receiver, no. 3, the guy is at stake no matter what it ended up being.
“Suddenly they start doing their shifts and movements – all the things they did beforehand – which then changed your certain alignment beforehand. Once you were not in the spot, they suddenly broke the ball. Now you are two places behind instead of being in the right place to start. ”
The Ravens use more pre-snap movement than any offense in the NFL, so that should not have come as a surprise. In addition to defending man-to-man or zone pass coverage, movement helps time out their unique run-up option offense.
“As I look at it, you have 11-on-11,” Martinez said. ‘One man has to hold the ball, so there’s 10 to 11 to turn. If we can fit it right, one guy should be free and we just do not do our assignment to each of the plays to have that free man the advantage. ‘
The Giants missed an awkward number of tackles and apparently always chased ball carriers from behind. Martinez credited coordinator Patrick Graham’s adjustments in the game, listening to players’ feedback on why the stormy defense improved as the game continued, but the 14-0 hole in the first quarter (on the back of 95 runs) ) was too large to dig out.
“You could not scrape over the top or get over the attacking lineouts or the fullback, whoever it was,” Martinez said. “It enabled them to have just that open running track.”
When a coach is asked directly about the future of a player, he sometimes feels no choice but to dance around the truth with lip service. Take what 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said about quarterback Jimmy Garappolo as an example of creating wrap-up space: “I do believe Jimmy will be our quarterback next year.”
This is different from Giants coach Joe Judge’s undisputed vote of confidence for quarterback Daniel Jones, who was voluntarily included on Monday in response to a question about penalties. Judge points to Jones’ ball safety and decision-making as reasons why he is a “key piece” for the future.
“You always want to know about ‘Is Daniel our guy? Are we continuing with Daniel? “The answer is absolute,” the judge said.
‘What gives us that confidence is even in games like [Sunday] where it did not come out perfectly … you look at the tire and you see that man working in there, exerting the pressure, and not just standing there with courage as he did all along and succeeding a blow, but understand how to take the hit and deliver an accurate pass and move the sticks down the field. ”
TE Evan Engram left Sunday’s game late due to injury and met with doctors on Monday night. Judge is ‘optimistic’ that the Pro Bowler can play in all 16 games for the first time in his four-year career.