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Thursday, January 4
Ravens cut down Broncos running game
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
BALTIMORE -- Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis stressed the "Keep your
feet" mantra throughout the week of preparation for Sunday's 21-3 victory
over the Broncos. The Broncos have won Super Bowls because of an offensive
line scheme that turns defenders into speed bumps.
"After watching film all week on everyone Denver played, Mike
Anderson's runs came off of people cut down on the backside," Ravens middle
linebacker Ray Lewis said. "Everyone just wanted to get up and get on the
blocks early and that's what we did today."
|  | | Mike Anderson had nowhere to run Sunday against Baltimore's stingy defense. |
Marvin Lewis' fundamental worked to perfection Sunday. Ravens
defenders stayed on their feet all day long and held Anderson to 40 rushing
yards on 15 carries. They kept their feet so well that once they had the
lead, the Ravens defense forced the Broncos out of their prized running
offense and into a passing mode.
That failed miserably. Quarterback Gus Frerotte completed only 13 of
28 passes for 124 yards. Brian Griese couldn't play because of his third
degree shoulder separation. Once the Ravens forced the Broncos into a
passing offense, their worries were over.
"When you have to throw the ball, you can't be cutting people like
the Broncos do," Pro Bowl defensive tackle Sam Adams said. "Their technique is to
try to get you on the ground."
The Ravens plan wasn't unlike what they've done all season in
limiting running offenses to an NFL record 970 yards in 16 games. That's 2.7
yards a carry, but the Ravens knew they had to pick up their game for the
best running offense in football the past few years.
The Broncos finished with a puny 2.3 yards a carry.
Marvin Lewis' plan was simple. First, defensive linemen had to
penetrate the Broncos zone blocking schemes. Adams was the first to respond. "Sam was very disruptive," Lewis said.
Adams, despite weighing around 330 pounds, has perhaps the most explosive
first step in the NFL.
He explodes past guards and centers. Lewis mixed his calls enough to
make sure different defensive linemen tried to shoot gaps to disrupt the run
whenever possible. Next, he told to defensive ends -- Michael McCrary and Rob
Burnett -- to keep chopping their feet so that Broncos blockers can't fall on
the back of their legs and bring them to the ground.
Ends engaged tackles quickly and kept chopping their feet. Keep your
feet. Keep your feet. Linebackers who filled running lanes did the same.
Rarely did a Ravens defender land on the ground.
"We have practiced against cut blocks from training camp on,"
Adams said. "You have to be technically sound. When you do get knocked
down, you get back up. I think Matt Lepsis (Broncos tackle) got me once out
of maybe 10 times.
"But when you get two big guys like Tony Siragusa and me in the
middle that come off the ball like we do, that's a handful to deal with."
The Ravens were fundamentally perfect. Only three times did Anderson
gain over three yards on any carry.
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When you have to throw the ball, you can't be cutting people like the Broncos do. Their technique is to try to get you on the ground. ” |
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— Sam Adams, Ravens defensive tackle |
"People that get penetration affect them, and our defense gets
penetration," said Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe, a former Bronco. "Sam
Adams gets better penetration than any defensive tackle in the league. The
Broncos aren't very big on their offensive line, but they are athletic.
Marvin Lewis did enough to take away the run and make them
one-dimensional."
Siragusa said it the best. "Nobody runs on us."
The amazing part of Sunday's plan is that it didn't require much blitzing or
extra help by the safety. In fact, strong safety Kim Herring didn't play the
second half because of a lower leg injury and he wasn't that involved in
being an extra guy near the line of scrimmage to stop the run.
The Ravens got most of their pressure from their front four and middle
linebacker Ray Lewis.
"It's really a matter of survival," Marvin Lewis said.
"Simply, you either are going to move your feet or get blocked. You have to
keep your feet moving. Larry Webster did a great job of coming off the bench
and stopping the run. The ends didn't get too wide and let somebody race up
field."
It will be interesting to see how the Broncos recover. Alex Gibbs, the
offensive line coach is retiring. Left tackle Tony Jones is thinking about
doing the same. Former Pro Bowl guard Mark Schlereth, currently on injured
reserve, is all but retired. What the Broncos do best is run. But as
Siragusa says, nobody runs on the
Ravens.
John Clayton is the senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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