Joe Philbin and his coordinators talk about the Baltimore Ravens

It’s another week in the NFL and that means another challenge for everyone in the league. This week, the Miami Dolphins take on the Baltimore Ravens and they certainly present a lot of different challenges. Earlier this week, Joe Philbin and his coordinators talked about the challenges they present to the Dolphins.

“I think it’s fair to say their secondary is a little less stable than their front seven probably. Their front seven is outstanding. They are hard to run the ball against, number one. Number two, I kind of look at every team we play what the sack differential. They have 31 sacks, and they’ve only given up 15 (sacks). They have an exceptional pass rush. I’m sure they have had to work through some injuries. That’s not always easy, but I think it is a well-coached defense. They have some really good players. I think at the end of the day they are still in the top 10 in scoring defense. Yards are great, everybody loves yard, but head coaches care more about how many points you score and how many you give up. They are still pretty good in that area.”

Bill Lazor also talked about the Ravens defense and compared it to the one years ago when they had Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and others running up and down the field wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. 

“It’s been a long time since I faced them, so it’s a hard question for me to answer. I would have to go far back, we used to scrimmage them every year when I was in Washington and the similarities I would say is that they have an excellent, excellent linebacking corps which they always did back in those days. I think their front is explosive. I think they are productive obviously and they cause problems, run and pass. I think it’s going to be a pretty tough duty for us this week. They don’t seem to be getting easier week-to-week, we have faced some pretty good fronts here.”

Kevin Coyle said the Ravens are a very well-rounded team with excellent skill players, mainly because of Joe Flacco, who has proven time and time again his ability to play at a high level and make all the plays necessary.

“Their offensive line works very well, they’ve got a good scheme with Coach (Gary) Kubiak coming from Houston. They’ve always been a good running football team and they’re doing a great job with their back right now. It’s a big time challenge. They’ve got excellent players, their tight end is a threat, they have receiving threats, running back has over 1,000 yards right now. This is a really good, balanced, offensive team. They can run it, they can throw it. They’re scoring, they’re sixth in the league in scoring right now, almost 28 points a game.”

One of the biggest concerns for the Dolphins, especially their defense, will be stopping Justin Forsett, who already has over 1,000 yards rushing on the season.

“I think their running back, (Justin) Forsett, he’s averaging almost five-and-a-half yards a carry,” Philbin said. “That’s exceptional production. He’s been able to make guys miss. Their scheme is good. They are well-coached. They have good players. We are certainly going to have our hands full stopping their run game.” 
 
The Dolphins will certainly have their hands full and it’s going to take a total team effort to win the game. If they do, they’ll be on the inside track to securing a playoff spot.

Written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter: @PhinManiacs

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