Suggs Package MIA
A lot of people have been asking about the Suggs Package the last couple of days -- it had been so successful in previous weeks, why was it not used against the Giants?
If you look at the times when the Suggs Package (or Wildcat or Wildbird or whatever you want to call it) has worked, it's been against teams who struggle against the run. Baltimore has utilized the formation with positive results against the Texans, Browns and Raiders, who rank 24th, 28th and 30th in the league in rushing defense, respectively.
These teams all have to devote more attention to the run by bringing up their linebackers and pulling safeties into the box. When they do that, they've vulnerable to plays with play-action fakes, option reads and gimmicks, which the Suggs Package is all about.
We clearly saw the Giants do not struggle against the run. They rank eighth overall in the league in rush defense, and they shut down Baltimore's running attack mostly because of the strong play of their defensive front-seven.
Also, the Giants are, to put it simply, a good football team. Steve Spagnuolo is one of the best defensive coordinators in the game, and I guarantee you he had his group ready for any wrinkles the Ravens chose to throw at them.
The Suggs Package isn't gone, but John Harbaugh and Cam Cameron are smart enough to know when and when not to let it loose.
Leave a comment