Oakland Ravens | PFL | Season 2017-18
By Ryan Solis, PFL Reporter.
The Oakland Ravens are the only undefeated team after five rounds of the PFL season. They have been the only truly consistent team this year, so whay have they not been getting the love and appreciation that Landor were getting last year?
No Razzle Dazzle?
The main difference between the 2016 Landor Knights and the 2017 Oakland Ravens is showmanship. You had the capital city, bright lights, a little bit of styling and profiling, dabbing, charisma. The Ravens have been saying and doing the right things- just it has been a little too low-key for TV! Some say boring, even. Tom Tomkowski, or ‘TOM2’ is a brand, but he’s been playing to the part lines, been a team player. This is a very good thing, but it doesn’t raise the profile. That is how the Ravens seem to like it, though.
Option Kings?
Tom Tomkowski is a good all-rounder. The team have been successfully implementing triple option and read-option plays into their schemes. With a league that apart from a few prefer the air-raid passing attacks, this is a novelty. You played against it in UFB, but not so much in the PFL. This is showing to be a good option for the Ravens so far.
Defensive Showing?
The Ravens’ defence has played very well to date, only conceding 60 points in five games, 7 points of the 67 came from a kick return. They have shown a lot of discipline in sticking to their roles and allowing the combined talent to shine. This reminds me a lot of the New England Patriots ‘do your job’ mantra. So far, so good.
Only five games in
Part of the lack of hype has been that we are only five games in, less than a third of the season played out. The hype will definitely grow if they continue to win as the weeks go by. No one is expecting an 18-0 team in this new 16 team set-up. You play everyone nowadays. My thoughts are that the team are happy flying a little under the radar, just taking things week by week.
Without making headlines or seeking attention, the Ravens are clearly doing it their way- as a team. Best of luck to them.
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