Baltimore Ravens' Main Problem: Lack of Offensive Identity

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After starting the season 3-0, the Baltimore Ravens have scuffled as of late. They lost tough games to the Patriots (27-21), Vikings (33-31), and Bengals (17-14), and even after a very impressive win over the previously undefeated Denver Broncos, the Ravens have lost two of three, and find themselves at 5-5, third in the AFC North. The playoffs are looking like a possibility, but it will be nearly impossible to do it as more than a second wild card. Fans in general love to play the blame game, blaming one person or one side of the ball, and I don't think it's fair to pinpoint one person, but I will say I don't think the Ravens have the identity offensively that they did last season.

2008 was definitely a successful season for the Ravens, as they went 11-5. As a team, they had an identity. They knew who they were. They were a dominant defensive team who played smashmouth ball and forced turnovers. Offensively, they were a team with a rookie quarterback who tried to put their newbie in a situation to succeed by putting him behind a very young, talented offensive line, and gave him three good running backs to give the ball to in Le'Ron McClain (All Pro fullback), Willis McGahee, and Ray Rice. That's a team who knows who they are. They know they have to be themselves - a physical, hard-hitting, run-first team - to be successful.

That's exactly why they went to the AFC Championship Game that year. But this year, things have changed - on offense at least - and it's not positive change.

Throwing the ball: Let it be known, I wanted to see quarterback Joe Flacco throw the ball a lot week-by-week this season. That's why I was glad to see him throw 43, 26, and 35 times in the first three games of the year. But it's really getting out of hand. This is not to say Flacco has struggled. In fact, he's having a Pro Bowl season. His 89.1 quarterback rating is impressive, and he has 2,455 yards (on pace for 3,928), 12 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. On average, the Ravens throw the ball 33.5 times per game, up from 26.75 last year.

Flacco is now a game-changing quarterback, something he wasn't early in 2008, as he was more of a game-manager. But I don't think the Ravens should be using him as much as they have. That's exactly why he's struggled recently. He's been overexposed, if that exists. In a 17-7 loss to Cincinnati, he had his worst game of the year, as he was 18-of-32 with two picks. He was solid in the other three games (Denver, W 30-7, Cleveland, W 16-0, Indianapolis, L 15-17). He threw a backbreaking pick againast Indianapolis, but was 22-of-33 with 251 yards up to that point. The Ravens need to stray away from trying to become a pass-happy team and be themselves.

Le'Ron McClain: Since Willis McGahee struggled last year (mainly due to early injuries), and Ray Rice was just a rookie, somebody had to pick up the slack in the backfield, and that guy turned out to be Le'Ron McClain. The second year fullback out of Alabama didn't ever dominate a game, but did the job of a power back - he wore down defenses, and put games away when the Ravens had small leads. And he finished with 902 yards and ten touchdowns on 232 carries. He ran for over 120 yards against Dallas, but that was mainly because of an 82-yard run in the final two minutes.

So where is he in the gameplan this year? Even with the emergence of Ray Rice, the Ravens need to get this guy far more involved than he is. It's not as if he's struggled. In fact, he's a better receiving threat (18 rec., 142 yards in 10 games, 19 rec., 123 yards in 16 games in 2008). His yards per carry is down from 3.9 to 3.5, but I don't think anybody in their right mind can expect a run-up-the-gut fullback to average much more than 3.4, 3.5 per touch. So far, the guy has 26 carries for 92 yards. Really, that's insulting. Granted, he's doing an excellent job as a lead blocker, but offensive coordinator Cam Cameron must utilize this guy, and he'll be extremely important in December when the weather gets colder.

Ray Rice: Not much can be said to adequately describe what a year Rice is having. At 5'8", 210, he's not very big, but he's having a huge campaign. He hasn't missed a game yet, and has been extremely consistent. He has 148 carries, 733 yards, six touchdowns, and is a dynamic receiving threat, with 56 catches for 515 yards. All in all, he has 1,248 all purpose yards, which ranks up there with the likes of Maurice Jones-Drew and Chris Johnson. But look at the workload he's had this year. If anything, he's extremely under-used. I understand that the Ravens don't want to overwork the guy and have the wheels fall off down the road, but this is ridiculous.

Before I introduce, that, let's talk about another great back. Anyone who watched the Titans 20-17 victory over the Texans knows what makes Chris Johnson so good - speed. He's able to torch defenses through the run and in the pass - just like Rice. This year, Johnson is on pace for 1,987 rushing yards along with 419 receiving. He averages 20 carries a game, and got 29 against Houston. If Rice had 199 carries like "CJ" does, he'd have 986 yards. But it's obvious Rice needs to get more carries. Overall, I think the Ravens need to run a lot more than they are, led by the speedy Rice and 260 pound, All-Pro fullback McClain.

Razzle dazzle: Last year, the thing I loved about the Ravens was not only the balance, but also the razzle dazzle. Almost every game, there were tricks. In the first game, they did a double reverse, which resulted in a 42-yard touchdown run by Mark Clayton. In a Week 8 win over Oakland, backup quarterback Troy Smith threw to Flacco for a 43-yard gain in an eventual 29-10 triumph. Just two weeks later, Smith came in on another trick play and threw a touchdown pass to tight end Todd Heap. Weeks later, the team routed the Bengals, 34-3, and on one play, wide receiver Mark Clayton threw a long touchdown pass to fellow wideout Derrick Mason.

It wasn't just the tricks. On one instance, in fact, the Ravens were leading the Redskins at home, 17-10 after a touchdown pass from Jason Campbell to Antwaan Randle El that made an uninteresting game interesting. With 11:22 left, it was suddenly something it wasn't for the previous 48:38 - a game. The Ravens ran a whopping 11 times in a row, ten times with McClain for 43 yards, and Clayton once on a 12-yard reverse. But on third down, the Ravens passed, hitting up Derrick Mason for a touchdown that put all thought of a Redskins comeback to rest. That has been gone this year. They haven't been predictable with their playcalls, but haven't been as balanced.

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Still, the Ravens are having some success offensively, but during this week, not only do they have to prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they have to find out who they are. Will they continue to be a pass heavy team? Will they use their three headed - or even two headed - monster? Will they bring back their razzle dazzle? Who knows? But I do know why the Ravens aren't winning - they aren't being themselves. One of the many football cliches you hear is "don't try to play outside of yourself". The Ravens, I think, are breaking one of those.

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