During the interviews at camp, coordinators rarely make an unqualified positive comment about a player, particularly a rookie.
Some of that may be a motivational tool, but few players escaped this game without a poor play of some sort.
Making Change
John Harbaugh alluded to the defense being thin at nickel during interviews this week. Kyle Arrington, Sheldon Price, Tavon Young, and Kendrick Lewis did not play. This may be the reason Dean Pees did not continue with much of the dime package from the first game. In total, the Ravens played just 5 snaps of dime on the final drive of the first half.
The remainder of the game was split between standard (4 DBs) and nickel (5 DBs), which have been the primary 2 schemes during Pees tenure in Baltimore.
The dime is often a reaction to the offensive personnel on the field, but it is also dictated by certain game/down/distance situations. On the last drive of the game, for instance, the Ravens continued to line up in the nickel with Levine as the slot corner. That points to a lack of healthy corners.
In any case, the early hook for Powers (I don’t know if it was related to injury or effectiveness) led to some interesting combinations in the secondary.
I’ve split the grades into offense and defense this week.
Individual Grades and Notes
As in past years, I have given a number of Ravens a grade from +3 to -3 reflecting how much my expectation of their impact on the 2016 Ravens changed based on their performance Thursday. I don’t rate starters, players who have no place on the team, or anyone for whom I don’t think I have any data for a judgment. The players here are new to the team, rookies, on the cusp of making the team, have new responsibilities in 2016, in positional battles, or have otherwise have something to prove this season. The first grade is for the game and the second is cumulative for the preseason.
Beyer, Brennan (0/0): He played in the 4th quarter (4 snaps), but did not make my notes for the second straight game. He’s a long shot to make the team given the depth at OLB, but he is a practice squad candidate.
Brooks, Terrence (+1/+2): He again entered for the 2nd full drive of Q2 and played the remainder of the game, first with Matt Elam and then with Julian Wilson. Seeing Eric Weddle pick his spots as he did on the first drive, it’s easy to see Brooks doesn’t have that level of instinctive play, but he made a nice open-field tackle of Swoope (Q3, 4:23) to hold the gain to 4 yards. He also made a clean open field tackle of McKay (Q4, 1:02) for an 18-yard gain in bounds that ran 21 seconds off the clock. Under the circumstances, that was a good result, since he was the back defender and had McKay broken the tackle, the Colts would at least have had an easier FG attempt.
Brown, Arthur (-1/-1): He had a mixed game of coverage without a splash play. He could have been flagged for defensive holding on Ferguson (Q3, 12:00) on the 6-yard pass that set up the Colts’ first TD. He had good coverage of Todman (Q3, 7:20) on a ball the Colts RB tipped pass for which Onwuasor was eventually credited with a PD.
Byndom, Carrington (0/0): He’s only been with the team a couple of days, but he managed to play the entire 4th quarter at RCB. I did not note him targeted and that’s a positive.
Canady, Maurice (-1/-2): Maurice missed an opportunity for extended playing time due to a cramp and played just 11 snaps. He was flagged for encroachment on a play where Smith may have moved first (Q2, 3:46). That surrendered a 1st down on 3rd and 3. Just 3 plays later, however, he knocked down a pass intended for Smith at the goal line.
Carter, Chris (0/+3): He made a good open-field tackle to stop Ferguson at the 1-yard line. However, his playing time was cut from 23 to 15 snaps, which doesn’t indicate to me he’s improved his chance to make the team from his fine first game. He also did not register a pass rush event.
Conner, Kavel (0/-1): He was in with Onwuasor at ILB during the 4th quarter. He had inside coverage, so I’m fairly sure he isn’t the one responsible for Williams floating free for his 7-yard TD (Q4, 3:56). Conner is not a practice squad candidate (he’s in his 7th season) and I don’t see how he’ll make the Ravens, but he might be a guy that gets a phone call if injuries strike.
Correa, Kamalei (+2/+3): He again lined up both at ILB and OLB and had a disruptive game. He drew a face mask flag on Reitz (Q1, 9:00) that was declined when Luck failed to convert by run and the Colts were forced to settle for a FG. He was not credited in the Gamebook, but it appeared he may have deflected Tolzien’s pass (Q2, 1:28) – he altered the throw at a minimum. He rushed unblocked and deflected Tolzien’s pass (Q2, 8:41) which denied 3rd and 9. He played just 20 snaps in total.
Davis, Carl (0/0): Carl flushed Morris from the pocket (Q4, 8:21) despite being held on the play where Will Davis eventually forced him to run OOB for a 1-yard sack. It’s good to see him make a pass rush contribution, which he had some of early in his rookie year, but the opposition must be considered.
Davis, Will (+2/+3): Will had an up-and-down game where he saw action at nickel (5 snaps) before he moved to the outside through the second quarter where he finished the game. His plays are listworthy:
–(Q2, 9:32) He shadowed Bray effectively and took him down for a gain of 4 in the open field.
–(Q2, 8:41) He had side-by-side pressure with Correa unblocked off the left edge on Correa’s PD.
–(Q2, 2:44) He took down Rogers for a gain of 3 (0 YAC) in the middle of the field.
–(Q4, 8:21) He forced Morris to run OOB for a 1-yard sack.
–(Q4, 6:33) He touched down Rogers for a gain of 4 on a screen right.
–(Q4, 5:54) He committed a DPI which converted 3rd down on the Colts TD drive.
–(Q4, 5:47) He took down Todman on a screen right for a gain of 4.
–(Q4, 3:54) He made a crucial tackle in space to prevent the Colts from succeeding on the 2-point conversion despite Levine’s offside penalty.
–(Q4, 0:43) He missed the tackle on Williams at the LoS, which allowed him to eventually escape to the sideline for a gain of 6. While it’s never good to miss, he was defending the sideline and initially forced Williams inside.
On a team where every cornerback seems to have been injured (Arrington, Price, and Young did not play, Canady left early) or inconsistent (that’s really everyone), Davis has been a bright light. Other than what it might say about Young, I would be happy if he won the nickel role, but he should be the first man up on the outside if anything happens to Smith or Wright.
Elam, Matt (+2/+4): The coaches are clearly trying to find ways for him to contribute. Against the Colts he entered for the 2nd series as the nickel for 4 snaps. That was unexpected since he replaced Powers, but the other starting corners each played 3 full series. Matt made 2 nice open-field tackles as the nickel and appeared to receive praise from Harbaugh on the sideline. He returned midway through Q2 for 24 more snaps at safety. It was a game where they could have given Elam an extended trial as they did versus the Panthers, but instead they moved Julian Wilson to safety for the entire 4th quarter. The indicators for his roles, playing time, health (Lewis did not play), and obvious commitment in the weight room lead me to believe he’s improved his chance to make the team.
Henry, Willie (0/+2): Willie will recall his relief for the missed 62-yard FG attempt generated by his late flag, but it wasn’t all bad. He flushed Morris from the pocket (Q4, 5:08), which would be good except the Colts QB had an open field for a 26-yard gain down the right sideline. He beat a double team from the RG and RT to register a QH on Morris (Q4, 0:33) on a pass that was completed for a gain of 10.
Judon, Matt (+3/+5): Matt was the team’s defensive MVP in a 40-snap effort. If there is one player I would like to see playing against opposing starters in game 3, it is Judon. He has mopped the field with backups in a manner similar to the first preseason trials for Kelly Gregg and Pernell McPhee (but also Hard Knocks-protagonist Dwayne Missouri and preseason-hall-of-famer Nate Bolling). On Saturday:
–(Q2, 7:07) He won the right edge versus Vujnovich to set up Orr’s tackle for a loss of 1.
–(Q2, 5:14) He bulled Vujnovich for pressure, but Tolzien completed a 26-yard pass nonetheless.
–(Q2, 2:44) He beat LT Graf inside for pressure that forced Tolzien to dump off for a gain of 3.
–(Q2, 2:00) He backed up and pancaked Graf for pressure on the throw broken up by Canady at the goal line.
–(Q3, 11:31) He rushed unblocked to sack Tolzien on the 2-point conversion.
–(Q3, 3:37) He beat RT Clark easily to the outside for a thunderous 10-yard sack.
I expect him to be a starter on opening day, 2017.
Levine, Anthony (+1/+2): Sandusky and White described Levine’s dime role in the broadcast, something that really should make you appreciate them as announcers. Strangely, he played just 5 snaps at dime during last drive of Q2. After that, he played nickel for the entire second half. Levine has played SCB before, but he’s practiced as a linebacker this camp and his usage would fairly be termed “out of position”. He was tested deep 4 times in the role resulting in:
–a ticky-tack DPI call (should have been illegal contact if anything) when he had excellent inside coverage (Q3, 13:15)
–a drop behind him when he had good coverage near the left sideline (Q4, 10:45)
–a 17-yard play where he failed to strip the receiver despite being in position (Q4, 7:35)
–good coverage of Rogers 20 yards downfield on an overthrow wiped out by Onwuasor’s DH
The 2 comments I have are 1) those plays are indicative of coverage skill given his proximity to the receivers and 2) he will need to make many fewer coverage plays down the field as a dime. Near the LoS he made plays including negotiating screen traffic, a tackle for loss on a run blitz, and the game-winning interception. And yes, he also gave away his blitz and jumped offsides in the process to give the Colts an extra chance. However, it’s his playmaking near the LoS which makes him an outstanding dime candidate. Anything else he can do in an emergency is a bonus.
Lewis, Kendrick (-1/-1): DNP. Health and future health prospects are a concern across the roster. Age is also a significant concern at safety.
Lewis-Moore, Kapron (-1/0): He bulled Harrison for a pressure on the pass that set up the Colts first TD (Q3, 12:00). He was also flagged for encroachment to generate 1 of the 7 (!) first downs the Colts got by penalty.
McClellan, Albert (+2/+3): Albert set the edge effectively (examples: Q1, 2:14 and Q1, 0:18 and Q2, 10:09). He should have been credited with the QH on Tolzien washed out by the cheap roughing the passer flag on Mosley (Q2, 11:24) and forced the Ravens only turnover (Q2, 15:00). That’s a hell of a game for 23 snaps.
Ochi, Victor (-1/-2): After playing just 7 snaps against the Panthers, he played just 5 at Indianapolis. He did not make my notes. He’s looked good at camp, but the position looks deeper now with Suggs back.
Onwuasor, Patrick (-1/0): Harbaugh lashed out about the penalties after the game and Patrick’s gave the Colts 5 yards on the final drive. More importantly, someone among he, Conner, and Wilson appeared to mess up the coverage of Williams on the touchdown that gave the Colts the lead (Q4, 3:56).
Orr, Zach (+1/0): He beat the left tackle for a QH (Q2, 9:32) and penetrated opportunistically to take down Ferguson for a loss of 1.
Pierce, Michael (+1/+2): He had another solid game at NT in 19 snaps. His highlight was a holding call drawn on Redmond that negated a 15-yard run.
Powers, Jerraud (-2/-4): Powers shadowed Moncrief well on a short pass left, but whiffed the tackle to allow 17 YAC (Q1, 11:19). He was pulled after 1 series (5 snaps), but I have not heard that he was hurt. Elam and Will Davis each got chances as SCB for the remainder of the half before Levine took the role for the 2nd half.
Price, Sheldon (-1/-1): DNP. Will Davis played well in his absence.
Smith, Jimmy (+1/+1): He played 3 series and didn’t get burned. His highlight was the initial hit on Allen that was followed up by McClellan’s forced fumble.
Smith, Za’Darius (0/+1): He generated a pressure with a nice bull rush of RT Reitz (Q1, 10:07) and squared up for a quick tackle (no gain) in coverage (Q2, 6:31). He did, however, whiff on a tackle in the secondary to allow 9 YAC (Q2, 5:14). He has to get a share of the blame for the lack of pressure which fueled the long early drives. He played 38 snaps.
Urban, Brent (+2/+3): He played well and used his height to advantage as a pass rusher. His 3 pressures included 2 PDs (Q2, 4:31 and Q4, 11:31). He did not otherwise make the defensive scoresheet in 20 snaps.
Webb, Lardarius (0/0): It was nice to see Webb make a hard, low tackle by the sideline. It would be even nicer to see him make a play with coverage over the top. He played 3 series before retiring.
Wilson, Julian (-2/-2): Wilson was in the immediate vicinity for both of the Colts’ TDs. He was picked on directly on a slant pass (Q3, 11:34) and was 1 of 3 players (Conner, Onwuasor) who didn’t cover Williams on his 7-yard TD (Q4, 3:56). The Ravens were thin in the secondary for this game, which afforded Wilson an extended opportunity at both RCB and safety after he did not play defensively in the opener.
Wright, Shareece (-1/-2): Shareece played 3 series at LCB and returned to play in nickel situations for a 4th series. He gave up 2 soft receptions for 15 and 17 yards, respectively.
Young, Tavon (0/-1): Normally a DNP would set him back, but the field did not distinguish itself.