The old aphorism certainly applies: a win is a win. But the Texans game highlighted some problems with the week one Ravens that we didn’t anticipate, and others that lurk large. Let’s start with some pleasant surprises and hopes going forward before I get to the warning lights.
The Outstanding – Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen
Mike Macdonald is solving for the Ravens’ arguable lack of pass rushing ability on the outside by bringing Smith and/or Queen in various blitz packages. They both bring explosion and speed with the versatility to be used in different schemes to get to the quarterback. There should be a lot more coming.
Smith dominates the middle of the field like no one else in the league. His understanding of the passing game is as good as anyone I’ve seen in recent memory, allowing him to control the middle of the field or wherever his assignment takes him. He played a critically successful role in last year’s final two Bengals’ game. I offered a little film study back then showing just how brilliant Smith can be in the passing game. He must dominate the middle of the field if the Ravens are to have a chance against the Bengals this week, particularly given the injuries to Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Williams.
Patrick Queen continues to excel as Smith’s dance partner. Going forward, I’m abandoning my prior criticisms of Queen as a strong-side linebacker, given that role is now Smith’s. As a weak-side backer with lesser responsibilities, and with Smith beside him, Queen is thriving. Enjoy it while he’s here.
No doubt these two are the strength of the Ravens defense at this early juncture.
The Really Good – Odafe Oweh
This was the best all-around game that I’ve seen Oweh play. For starters, he played with his head up, his play recognition improving significantly. He wasn’t thinking as much, a good sign of maturation. Misdirection and disguise had much less impact on Oweh than we’ve seen in the past. This enhanced his ability to hold the edge on the run, re-directing runners to the inside and not allowing them to get outside of his contain.
Oweh exhibited a much stronger initial punch coming out of his stance in pass rush situations. Granted, the Texans had a second-string right tackle in the game, and we don’t want to get too excited regarding Oweh’s better play in this respect. Although Oweh failed to get home on his rush attempts, he was more consistently disruptive. This week, I’m looking to see whether Oweh can integrate additional moves into his bull-rush approach. He is blessed with exceptional quickness which he needs to exploit to greater effect. In all, Oweh “came along” as a pass rusher with a plan in week one. Now let’s see more.
The Very Good – Ar’Darius Washington
I’ve long been a Washington fan. He brings good quickness, anticipation, smarts, determination, and tackling ability. He’s a hard hitter for his size. All of that was on great display against the Texans. Washington was very effective in the slot, and showed an outstanding blitzing ability. Ravens’ defensive coordinators have consistently loved slot corners who are explosive, and get home, on the blitz. In this regard Washington reminded me a lot of Tavon Young before his injuries.
Now, can Washington sustain (and improve) his play against the Bengals and Tyler Boyd?
The Very Good – Zay Flowers
I can’t offer anything here that you didn’t see with your own eyes. Flowers has the ankle breaking ability that no Raven has ever shown. He is the type of joystick player that I love because those guys create spacing problems in the defense. Todd Monken clearly wanted to get Flowers the ball quickly, with his use of wide receiver screens. In theory, these should be very effective plays, but the poor blocking of both Ravens’ tight ends and the other wide receivers led to poor results on several plays.
Now I’m looking for Monken to use some variations here. Quick fakes to Flowers’ trips-side of the field with a throw back to the naked side. Let’s say, putting Beckham over there alone. And many more options too. Will Monken use Flowers on some crossers this week? He’s a tough cover, and I love angled lateral routes for players like Flowers who can force corners to cross their hips. In any event, there’s a lot to get excited about here as we move forward.
The Very Bad – The Old-Guys on the Offensive Line
I can’t recall Ronnie Stanley being so ineffective when healthy. It was the worst performance by Stanley that I’ve seen. What’s the issue? I saw a player who did not anchor as well as he should (at least on occasion) and who did not move his feet as well as we are used to seeing. Was it rust? Who’s to say. But it was very disheartening to watch. Unfortunately, we aren’t going to get another read on Stanley for several weeks.
Morgan Moses simply struggled in pass protection. And he wasn’t a whole lot better in controlling defenders in the run game. Kevin Zeitler was also a bit slow, and he and Moses had some communication issues dealing with stunts. It’s easy to suggest that the play of all three of these guys – who didn’t play a down in the pre-season – was due to not having seen real-speed game time. Maybe so, but this was troubling and the Ravens are going nowhere if the line play doesn’t improve dramatically.
Kudos to John Simpson and Tyler Linderbaum. I really didn’t notice either player, which means they played well. And kudos to Todd Monken for bringing Patrick Ricard in the game for much of the second half and lining him up as an extra blocker outside of both tackles. Ricard was great.
The Bad – The $150 Million Quarterback
Well he certainly didn’t earn his money in week one. What struck me about Lamar in this game was the continued inability to recognize blitz packages, even when they were fairly obvious pre-snap. I don’t want to go full-Flacco here (Joe never saw a blitz that he understood), and Monken was right to take that wrist-band away from Jackson during the pre-season. But Lamar’s just got to do better if he’s ever going to reach his full potential as a drop-back passer.
I found it quite interesting that Monken did not call any running plays for Jackson. He ran the ball six times, but always on pass plays. If you want to play Lamar strictly as a drop-back guy you’re making a mistake. The threat (and the actual) use of the designed run should not disappear out of this offense. The Ravens’ need Lamar’s running ability to keep defenses on their heals and maximize their ability to force defenses to cover the entire field. Until (if) Lamar is better able to threaten defenses as a passer, it’s important to keep aspects of Greg Roman’s running philosophy in this offense.
Week One Random Observations
David Ojabo
Yes, he had an important strip sack; against a third-string right tackle. Ojabo was actually on the field for a running play or two (though not many, as expected). He even won one of those plays. But he was otherwise fairly invisible. There’s a lot of work to do here.
Jadaveon Clowney
Clowney gave the Ravens exactly what we expected in week one. Great effort, ability to control the edge, and pressure on the quarterback. But he also failed to finish those pass rush efforts, which has been his bug-a-boo his entire career. In any event, you had to love what he brought. He can bring more energy for longer than Justin Houston, but whether he brings those sacks is problematic.
Justin Madubuike
The talent continues to flash, but the ridiculous lack of mental discipline is unacceptable. I can’t remember three major penalties by an interior defensive lineman in one game. What gives? Those penalties are killers. If those types of lapses persist, Madubuike’s playing time will have to be reduced, an outcome the Ravens must avoid. The time is now for Madubuike.
J.K. Dobbins and Marcus Williams
What can you say for poor Dobbins. He’s a great talent. I almost wrote last week regarding how I’d be watching Dobbins’ explosiveness against the Texans. Now one wonders whether he’ll ever be an effective running back again. And almost certainly not for the Ravens. As a person you just have to feel great empathy for Dobbins.
The Ravens can survive and still thrive without Dobbins. That’s not the case without Marcus Williams. They need him, and badly. Williams remains an outstanding center fielder, and no one on the team can replicate what he brings. A torn pectoral – if it’s fully ripped – could ruin the season for Williams. This would really be a disaster. And it’s a disaster anyway if Williams is out until December.
Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell
I’m really eager to see Hill with a real workload as a running back. He’s been the Ravens’ most explosive runner since the beginning of last year. And he’s got good hands to boot. Then there’s Keaton Mitchell, who is eligible to come back after week four. His fate might be in the hands of Melvin Gordon, but there’s no denying what Mitchell can bring. As readers know I’m a big fan of Mitchell’s gadget ability and elite explosiveness. I have to believe he’s a lock over Gordon, barring the unknowable.
Rock Ya-Sin
His audition for the invisible man role was successful. Did anyone actually see him on the field in week one? Is he healthy? Brandon Stephens full-time at corner? I just don’t see it, surely not against the Bengals elite threesome. Say it ain’t so. Ron Darby played well, but the Ravens need Ya-Sin against the better passing teams in the league.
When Did the Ravens Bring Back Iman Marshall?
Jaylyn Armour-Davis just can’t get on the field. He was an injury risk pre-draft which is why I didn’t love the pick. Now, he’s Iman Marshall all over again. C’mon man, get on the field!
Injuries and The Bengals
I’m not buying the Bengals’ crappy week one performance against the Browns. Passing conditions were awful, this is the Bengals home opener, and the Ravens are really banged up. It’s amazing that six starters are going to be out this week. It must be the Flacco curse. This game is a tough grab for the Ravens, to state the obvious.
