MASNsports.com is your online home for the latest Orioles and Nationals news, features, and commentary. And now, you can connect with MASN on every digital level. From web and social media to our new mobile alert service, MASN has got all the bases covered.
Get the latest breaking news direct to your phone with our mobile texting service.
The Ravens went no-huddle at times last year, but in the first half of tonight's 24-3 win over the Giants, they utilized the offensive strategy more than they have at any previous point under Cam Cameron.
Cameron had his first-team offense go no-huddle for entire drives tonight, and the hurry-up looks were successful. The Ravens put up 243 total yards in the first half, and had three drives of 10 plays or greater.
"The no-huddle is a big part of what we are and what we do," Cameron said. "We'll continue with it throughout the season."
How exactly does running the no-huddle benefit the Ravens? Let quarterback Joe Flacco break it down for you.
"The defense has got to stay out there on the field, and they are probably sucking wind a little bit more than we are," Flacco said. "It just takes away the pass rush, and our offensive line did a great job on those guys, really creating some time so I could wait for some other routes to develop down field."
The Giants clearly seemed to be a step behind as they tried to quickly get fresh players on the field and figure out how best to match up with the Ravens' spread look which featured three wide receivers for almost the entire half.
"We were very surprised to see [the no-huddle]," Giants safety Antrel Rolle said. "We definitely did not expect them to run a no-huddle, so we were running a very basic defense. Their no-huddle offense made us very uncomfortable."
One of the main positives that head coach John Harbaugh took out of the no-huddle experience was the lack of flags that it caused.
As we all know, the Ravens were assessed the most penalty yardage in the league last season, but they heard very few whistles that were a result of the up-tempo offense.
"We were sharp in the no-huddle, and we ran it on a good tempo without penalties," head coach John Harbaugh said. "There are a lot of moving parts when you run it, and we were crisp with it, including with our motion and sets.
"We had a lot of hard counts, [but] we didn't offsides a lot. We did get lined up. It's really hard to [be effective] in the preseason, but our guys did a good job with that."
The Ravens' passing-heavy gameplan and no-huddle tempo put points on the board and made things tough on the Giants' defense. It also left Flacco walking out of M&T Bank Stadium with a smile on his face.
"It was a lot of fun," Flacco said. "I like to play and come out and just throw the ball, throw the ball, and throw the ball some more. It was fun man, I had a great time."
