Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals: What We Learned

Jan 29, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach Dean Pees addresses the press during media day in preparation for Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Dean Pees hasn’t learned

I was finally starting to believe in Dean Pees after the Ravens had been aggressive and border-line dominant defensively the last several weeks. Then Jimmy Smith got hurt, and Pees resorted to his old habit of calling horribly conservative coverages.

Dominique Franks, Terrence Brooks and Lardarius Webb did not look great in this game, but Pees never gave them a chance to look great. When a cornerback is lined up eight yards off the line of scrimmage, he is completely unable to defend the short passes the Bengals consistently threw.

With the Bengals able to throw quick routes with impunity, the pass rush was unable to generate any pressure, just like in the Ravens’ first several weeks of the season.

My growing confidence in Dean Pees has been shattered. The Ravens need to put their players in position to make plays, and they didn’t do that against the Bengals. That’s inexcusable and needs to result in changes to the game plan.