Baltimore Ravens: What We've Learned Through Week 1 of Training Camp
Now the Baltimore Ravens have their first week of training camp in the books, it’s time to assess and evaluate where the team is in terms of some of the areas of concern entering the preseason. This is a team in a state of flux but maintaining Super Bowl aspirations.
Baltimore gets the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons during the preseason to continue to refine the roster and hone the game plan prior to the regular season on September 13. Football is almost here, fans.
Let’s take a closer look at what seems to be working early on and which areas this team still needs to focus on, breaking the situation down a bit to see how things are looking. Read on and find out.
Unless specified, all stats courtesy of the official NFL site.
Sorting out the Backup Quarterback Spot
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Ravens fans can sit back and relax, as there is no quarterback controversy in Baltimore. This team is in great hands with quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco has had full command of this team since 2008 and is really starting to hit his stride. This is a sentiment echoed on the MMBQ, which lists Flacco as one of the pillars of a successful franchise.
There is and always will be tremendous debate about whether Flacco breathes the rarefied air of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Baltimore really doesn’t care. He is the Ravens' franchise quarterback, and he produces.
The real news surrounding the quarterback depth chart in Baltimore centers more on the backups. According to Joe Platania of PressBox, veteran Matt Schaub has overtaken the more youthful and inexperienced Bryn Renner.
You hate to even think about backup quarterbacks in early August, but such is life in the NFL. Every player is just one play away from getting on the field, and no position is more valuable than quarterback. No one wants to see Flacco get hurt, but if he does, this team needs to have confidence in whomever takes his place.
Young Running Back Emerging
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In 2014, no running back on the Ravens roster got within 900 yards of Justin Forsett. He is truly developing into a feature back in this league, and he is the type of player who can carry a rushing offense. But why should he? If you put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to running back, when that unexpected injury strikes, your team is lost.
Gone are running backs Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce. In their places we find Lorenzo Taliaferro and Javorius Allen. Allen, in particular, seems to be turning heads in camp early on. Turron Davenport, an NFL writer for the Baltimore Times, said Allen was "hitting the holes with authority" based on watching him in practice.
Similarly, Brett Foote of Ebony Bird said Allen has been “quietly the more impressive rookie in camp” and indicated he could have “a much bigger rookie campaign than most expected." Allen’s mix of size and speed make him the perfect complement for the quickness and elusive style of Forsett.
Wide Receivers Still a Work in Progress
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After one week of practice, we really don’t know much about anything. In fact, the only thing we know for sure, based on early observations at camp is that wide receiver Steve Smith is in mid-season form.
This was to be expected, but beyond Smith, there are far more questions than answers. Ryan Mink of the Ravens official site reported that rookie Breshad Perriman missed his sixth straight practice with a knee injury, but the team isn’t in panic mode.
The news is no better for the other top wide receiver on the roster, Marlon Brown. Per Clifton Brown of CSN Baltimore, Brown is set to have an MRI on his bad back in hopes of some answers. This whole situation makes it feel like the injury is going to linger throughout the preseason and possibly well beyond.
If this team wants to contend in 2015, this wide receiver situation is going to have to sort itself out quickly. That means the players the team is counting on have to get healthy or it’s going to be a heavy dose of Michael Campanaro and Kamar Aiken all season long.
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The Defensive Line Is in Good Hands
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There was some distress when the reality hit that defensive tackle Haloti Ngata would not be back this season. It’s cliche to say the hole his departure has left is big, but let’s be real, it is pretty darn big. However, it's so far so good, as defensive tackles Timmy Jernigan and Brandon Williams look to be up to the task.
Davenport of the Baltimore Times made another excellent observation, this time about Jernigan.
Along similar lines, Dev Panchwagh of Russel Street Report talked glowingly about Williams, making reference to his dominance against the run and the pass. Williams was drafted as the heir apparent to Ngata, and early reports are he’s ready to take the reigns.
You can even count rookie defensive tackle Carl Davis among the players making sure this defense doesn’t miss a beat. It seems that no matter the losses, this group just reloads.
Things Returning to Normal at Cornerback
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The situation at cornerback started off a bit tense, as projected starting cornerback Lardarius Webb came into camp and promptly failed his conditioning test. The team's official Twitter account put out the disconcerting news.
Even though everyone understood this was just a temporary situation, it didn’t make the any easier to swallow. The Ravens need a solid presence opposite star cornerback Jimmy Smith. As Smith continues to ascend among NFL defensive backs, the sights of opposing quarterbacks are going to focus firmly on the cornerback opposite him.
Webb himself is bracing for the inevitability of increased targets this season. Once again, we tip the hat to Mink at the official site, as Webb admits he expects teams to come at him first. However, he is confident and up for the challenge.
In the final analysis, Webb and Smith have a chance to become one of the top cornerback tandems in the NFL. After a rocky start to camp, things seem to be moving right along toward making that a reality.
No Panic About Losing Elam
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If you don’t follow the Ravens closely, it was easy to overreact to the news about safety Matt Elam's biceps tear, as reported by ESPN’s Ed Werder. His injury was absolutely worst-case scenario, and his season is over before it started.
Fortunately for Baltimore, Elam didn’t look to be part of the plans in terms of being a starter to begin with. Starting free safety is all sealed up by veteran Kendrick Lewis. He has tremendous range and exceptional football acumen. What Lewis needs is a running mate who can be counted on not to win more than they lose on big plays and rolls downhill like a runaway train.
On paper, this sounds like Elam. Instead, however, Baltimore is handing it over to Will Hill. Hill is a hammer and hyper-aggressive player. He will be a perfect fit as a hybrid safety who can stuff the run and still maintain coverage responsibilities.
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