| Mildcogs Forum http://mildcogs.com/forum/ | |
| The Baltimore Ravens got off to a great start to 2018 http://mildcogs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2272 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | zhangzk [ Sat Feb 23, 2019 9:40 am ] |
| Post subject: | The Baltimore Ravens got off to a great start to 2018 |
Sunday , steamrolling the Buffalo Bills 47-3. There were new faces all over the field for Baltimore, including the 2018 rookie class that collectively saw a decent amount of action, especially thanks to the lopsided score early on.So how did they perform? Let’s take a look:Top BillingTommy Gilligan-USA TODAY SportsBaltimore made four selections in the first three rounds of the draft in April, two of which saw significant snaps on Sunday. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, nobody probably would’ve guessed those two players to be Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews.Jackson relieved Joe Flacco after he had already put the game in hand, but Lamar was also mixed in as a weapon early on. Andrews saw his time partially due to Hayden Hurst’s injury leaving them somewhat thin at the position. Both players impressed in different ways.Andrews helped move the chains on his way to three catches for 39 yards on four targets and looked comfortable on the field, which was a bit of a concern throughout the preseason. The gadget plays with Jackson weren’t especially effective but did keep the defense on their heels. Beyond that he looked good after taking over for Flacco, tossing a long completion and finishing second on the team in rushing with 39 yards.The Defensive DuoTommy Gilligan-USA TODAY SportsKenny Young and Anthony Averett are two more players that made their debut on Sunday afternoon. Young was active, chipping in four stops and a sack , while Averett had two tackles of his own.In what was an impressive team performance for the defense, it was great to see some of the more unheralded young talent step up. This is especially true for this crop of rookies led by Young and Averett who have the potential to be starters at some point.The Wild CardPhoto by Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesRotational receiver was one of the more contested battles of the summer, and it ended up being decided partially by special teams value. Rather than keep a player like Breshad Perriman or have Jaleel Scott active this season, Baltimore opted to go with the undrafted Grant thanks to his return ability.On Sunday we saw why, as he raced through Buffalo’s punt coverage unit on his way to a 51-yard return that set up the offense for a touchdown. Hopefully Grant can produce more explosive plays like that down the line, and avoid mistakes such as his muffed punt._________________________________________All in all, this was a solid debut effort for several Ravens rookies. We saw young talent step up in all three phases of the game, which will be necessary throughout the season for a team that fancies itself an AFC contender.A hallmark of a true heavyweight is a deep roster, and Baltimore sure seems to have one right now. That’ll certainly be tested in the coming weeks , but for now it was nice to see some of the rookies showcase their skills in Week 1. Ravens defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale will have a difficult decision to make as star cornerback Jimmy Smith is set to return from his four-game suspension this week. Despite Baltimore having great success through the first four games without Smith, the expectation was that he and Marlon Humphrey would be the starting outside cornerbacks, while Tavon Young would remain in the slot. However, Martindale stated otherwise during his press conference on Thursday.“I’m not going to be the answer to that trivia question,” Martindale said, via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.The ‘trivia question’ Martindale is referring to is regarding who stopped Brandon Carr’s starting streak. Carr has a ten-year streak of consecutive starts in the NFL, and it appears it will not be broken this week. Carr is coming off of his best performance in Baltimore as he was dominant against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. He recorded three combined tackles and two pass breakups, including a critical play in the end zone against JuJu Smith-Schuster. If Martindale is not bluffing about Carr starting, it is likely that the Ravens could be exercising caution with Smith , and Humphrey will be starting on the opposite side of the field. Whether Smith starts or not may not be extremely important. Head coach John Harbaugh stated whoever starts is not as prevalent because ‘they are all going to play.’“It’s a good problem to have, the fact that we’ll have another really good player playing corner, and we’ll have the chance to put another guy out there that can cover people,” Harbaugh said. “I think who starts and all that is one thing, but really, they’re all going to play, and they’re going to play a lot, and that’s good for the Ravens.”Baltimore’s secondary is executing at a high level through four games. Opposing quarterbacks are averaging a league-low 69.1 quarterback rating, and the longest play against them — 38 yards — is tied for the lowest in the NFL. As the adage goes , “you can never have too many cornerbacks,” it appears the Ravens are in a much better place now than they were a couple of years ago. Not only did they survive the absence of Jimmy Smith, but they were among the best in the league. “I just think it’s going to be great to have all those guys that are good cover players. It’s tough to complete balls on those guys,” Harbaugh said. “We can play any coverage we want – man, zone, different types of man and zone, pressure – the way we want, and it gives us a lot of options on defense.” |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC + 8 hours |
| Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ | |