Chapter 662 Tailor-made
The Baltimore Ravens come prepared.
Obviously, Hubble led his team to visit Arrowhead Stadium, and he did not really come to reminisce about old times. The game is a game.
From the very beginning, Hubble showed their determination. They were ready to take away a victory. After all-
"Coach, if you lose, the most you can do is change from the No. 1 seed to the No. 2 seed; but now we are fighting desperately for a playoff spot."
One is the icing on the cake, the other is the edge of life and death.
Things are different after all.
So, Hubble is not being polite.
The current Baltimore Ravens defensive team may not be comparable to the legendary team of 2000. The two are not at the same level at all; but there is no doubt that their experience and strength are still among the top in the league.
The Baltimore Ravens adopt a "3-4" defensive formation, but it is slightly different from the "3-4" formation of other teams. The three defensive forwards and four linebackers here all have excellent "attack power"——
Whether it is sudden pressure or ground defense; whether it is sacking the quarterback or intercepting the running back, they can show outstanding intensity.
To be precise, this defensive team's position is "3-4", but the tactical arrangement is a mixture of "3-4" formation and "4-3" formation, which appears to be very varied. Hubble fully learned from the Seattle Seahawks " It absorbed the essence from the success of "Legion of Boom" and finally adapted to local conditions and evolved into its own characteristic style.
Of course, the root cause of everything is that Hubble has such capital——
Patrick-Onwuasor.
CJ Mosley.
Terrell-Suggs.
Matthew Judon.
Here are the Baltimore Ravens’ four starting linebackers this season.
Except for the undrafted rookie Unwasser in 2016, the other three are all legends. They are full of honors such as Pro Bowl, All-American First Team/Second Team, etc., and all of them are famous players in the league.
Among them, Suggs is the absolute leader.
After being selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 10th overall pick in the first round of 2003, Suggs quickly filled the vacancy after "Thor" Ray Lewis retired and grew into the new flag of the Baltimore Ravens defense. He was the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 and the league's 2011 NBA Defensive Rookie of the Year. Defensive Player of the Year, plus seven Pro Bowl appearances.
Despite the decline in form in the past two seasons and the inevitable effects of age and injuries, Suggs is still the spiritual pillar of the Baltimore Ravens defense.
Under the leadership of Suggs, the Baltimore Ravens linebacker group is still among the top in the league.
And, that's not all.
The depth of the Baltimore Ravens linebacker group is also significant.
Fourth-year player Za'Darius-Smith and second-year player Tyus-Bowser, both players were not the focus of the draft that year, but they were in the hands of Hubble. Complete growth quickly and become a reliable rotation player.
No matter when Zardaris and Bose appear in rotation, they can complete the task, change the rhythm, change the strategy, and throw the opponent into chaos.
At the same time, the Baltimore Ravens' defensive front is also very aggressive.
Defensive ends Brent Urban and Chris Wormley are both high-quality and cheap blue-collar players. They are not prominent in the league, but they can always lead the team in the game. Come and perform amazingly——
Pressure, pass rush, and ground defense are just the basics; both players have the ability to sack, which is the real icing on the cake.
"Offensive" defense refers to the team in front of us. Although the Baltimore Ravens defense has many veterans and lacks some continuity and stability due to injuries, their number of sacks and the number of ball transitions they create , are among the top players in the league this season.
In other words, they can make life hell for their quarterbacks and running backs. In this game, Hubble formulated tactics for Mahomes and Levi——
Apply pressure.
Full pressure.
Relying on the ability of the linebackers and defensive frontmen, overwhelming pressure is piled on Mahomes and Levi, pushing the rhythm and tension of the entire offensive and defensive confrontation to a new level.
If it were just that, Hubble's strategy would have nothing new, it would just be a piece of wisdom; the focus is on the details.
The fundamental purpose of the Baltimore Ravens' defensive strategy is not to sack Mahomes, at least in the opening stages; it is to put Mahomes under pressure at all times to pass the ball, forcing Mahomes to take quick shots as much as possible. Quick short pass.
Short pass?
The Baltimore Ravens aren't worried.
They tend to let go of short passes and allow Mahomes to complete short pass connections. Whether it is Kelsey or Levi, the defensive team allows the connection to be successful.
The point is:
First, it cuts off Mahomes' ability to make medium and long passes, forcing Mahomes to look like Alex Smith.
Second, rely on the second-line defense to immediately intercept the subsequent advancement of short passes.
It can be seen from the position that the Baltimore Ravens' safety guard is arrayed fifteen yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The entire formation moves forward, stacking all the pressure on the short passing area and the front line area.
Of course, this also means that the Baltimore Ravens' second-line defense is under tremendous pressure. Compared with the team's star-studded defensive front, this second-line defense appears to be much more low-key.
Two cornerbacks, one is Humphrey, Levi's college teammate; the other is Brandon Carr.
This player was born in the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent his rookie period unremarkably. After his rookie contract expired, he moved to the Dallas Cowboys, but he did not make a name for himself there. After moving to the Baltimore Ravens last year, he finally made a name for himself with the Dallas Cowboys. Bo showed ability in his hands.
And the same goes for safeties.
Strong guard Tony Jefferson is an undrafted rookie. He spent his rookie period with the Arizona Cardinals and also failed to make a name for himself. He transferred to the Baltimore Ravens last season and, like Karl, became a great player in the hands of Hubble. Waste becomes treasure.
To put it simply, the personal abilities of the Baltimore Ravens' second-line defense are mediocre, and they mainly rely on Hubble's tactical arrangements to play the role of the players.
The only exception is safety Eric Weddle.
This player, who plays as a freeback, was selected into the league by the San Diego Chargers in the 2007 draft. In 2016, he transferred to the Baltimore Ravens. He has made six Pro Bowls in his career, two All-American First Team selections, three All-American Second Team selections, and was recognized as the 2010 NBA Player of the Year. One of the best safeties of the era.
In a way, the Baltimore Ravens' secondary defense is very similar to the Kansas City Chiefs, relying on one star player to drive the entire team.
But the Baltimore Ravens relied on the frontline defense to create opportunities, and the second-line defense quickly kept up with the tactics, and also performed at the top of the league.
Therefore, this also allows Hubble to directly open up the posture in the opening stage——
The front line rushes the pass and applies pressure, deliberately leaving the gap in the short pass area, forcing Mahomes to make a short pass; but then promptly cuts off the advancement space after receiving the short pass, and completes the tackle immediately.
Not only Mahomes, but also facing Levi.
In this way, the Baltimore Ravens forcibly interrupted the Kansas Chiefs' offensive fluency and explosiveness, pushing Mahomes into an uncomfortable position. He had to continuously suppress his natural instinct and get stuck in the swamp of short passes. The entire game state also changed. Just can't type it out.
To put it simply, pressing and rushing the ball is just the appearance, but the real core is controlling the rhythm.
(End of chapter)