10) Why did we even give Le’Veon Bell a shot with the team when it was obvious he had lost a couple of steps and his deliberate style was not a match for our scheme? What are the reasons that we cannot get back to the type of running plays that Lamar utilized back in 2019 when no team could stop us? Yes, we had a better offensive line back then. But we converted our offense during a bye week when Flacco was injured so it can’t take that long for running backs to get comfortable with the mesh type hand-offs. We look much more like a traditional style offense now — with the added threat of Lamar running the ball on designed plays or on scrambles.
9) Why does Coach Harbs seem so out of the loop when it comes to projecting when injured players might become available again for game situations? I understand he doesn’t want to give medical opinions and he doesn’t want to be pinned down regarding availability. But there seems to be a huge disconnect with how optimistic he often is (“I expect Player X to be ready soon”) vs. the harsh reality that comes down the pike. Something is going on with the Derek Wolfe injury beyond what has been reported. Was Ronnie Stanley pushed into action prematurely? Nick Boyle has certainly taken longer than expected to recover, etc.
8) Why didn’t Offensive Coordinator Roman make any adjustments during the Miami game to help Lamar cope with the 0-blitz strategy? We just kept running the same failed plays (e.g. sideline screen to Hollywood) and receiving the same poor results. It was one of our poorest coaching performances ever.
7) What are the reasons for our slow starts in almost every game this season? Sometimes there are dropped passes where the design was good and we just don’t execute. But often we just seem lethargic. We have a huge problem with getting in and out of the huddle in time in order to get the play off before we are in panic mode with under 2 seconds on the play clock. That should be easy for professionals to fix. Maybe we should use the up tempo offense more early in games to give us a sense of urgency and help to jump start the offense.
6) Has anybody asked Sammy Watkins why he pulled up in the Miami game on that potential TD pass down the center of the end zone? He seemed to just quit on the route. Was it a business decision because he was afraid of hitting the goal post? Did he lost the flight of the ball or just evaluate that he had no shot to catch it inbounds? Somebody should get a direct answer.
5) The hiring of Rob Ryan to coach the linebackers never seemed like a good fit to my. Sure, he is a long-time buddy of Wink, but he does not seem to be a fit with Coach Harbs in my opinion. Why did we let such a good coach as Mike MacDonald transfer over to his brother’s staff at Michigan? Wasn’t there some way we could elevate him, pay him and keep him happy on our team?
4) Why can’t Proche get more targets at pass receiving? He caught everything in practice and in the preseason. He seems to have the quickness to get open on underneath routes. Does he get jammed at the line of scrimmage? Now that our receivers are all healthy he could end up as the odd man out without ever really getting a true shot.
3) Given all of the problems that other teams have had with their kicking game, why haven’t we been able to swing a trade for Jake Verity? He should bring back at least a fifth or sixth round draft pick. The Ravens have proven that they recruit and develop excellent field goal kickers that eventually find a home with other NFL teams.
2) What has buried running back Ty’Son Williams so deep into Coach Harbaugh’s doghouse? The Ravens just refuse to give him any rushing attempts despite his obvious advantage in speed and burst over our existing geriatric squad. Maybe he isn’t the best practice player? When he was featured during the preseason he seemed like a better option than what we are relying on currently. Since we are on the topic of shelved players . . . Why has Jimmy Smith not been getting any defensive reps the past couple of games? He certainly is paid enough and hasn’t been on the injury report.
1) What is the explanation for the frequent non-COVID illnesses that cause Lamar Jackson to miss practices every few weeks? So far he has missed time during 3 different weeks of game preparation. We are told that he sleeps more than anyone … so that should not be the issue. Otherwise he appears to be normal and healthy as an elite young athlete. Is he spending his off days in community service at preschool or elementary school settings where the little ones are passing on germs? What is the deal here?