During the off season, one of the Ravens primary goals was to improve their corps of receivers in order to compliment Kyle Boller with the necessary weapons to elevate a very deficient passing attack. Enter Derrick Mason. Mason is as polished and as professional as NFL receivers come. He brings an impressive resume, an outstanding work ethic and the ability to create separation not through raw speed, but through precision in his route running.
Enter Mark Clayton. Clayton is a younger version of Mason. He possesses rare fluidity in hip movement that enables him to break quickly without decelerating. This naturally creates distance between Clayton and defenders and provides the momentary opening that NFL quarterbacks look for in order to expose opposing defenses.
Mason and Clayton bring unique skills sets, varying styles and certainly different body types than the Ravens are accustomed to fielding at the wide receiver position. In years past, the Ravens have suited up a collection of receivers that were generally over 6 feet tall and weren’t very fast – guys that lacked explosiveness.
Ravens Director of Scouting Eric DeCosta concurs. “Looking back over our receivers over the last couple of years, we’ve had a lot of guys that were very similar. We’ve had players that could get the jump ball. But I’ve always felt what we were missing was a nifty guy — a guy with some suddenness who could catch the ball inside, make a play with his feet, gain after the catch and take one to the house.” Now they have two.
Yet in order to have a collection of receivers that truly are complimentary, it’s important to have talents that aren’t necessarily the same. Diversity at receiver places additional pressures on a defense. In Mason and Clayton the Ravens have the receivers who can get open underneath and produce yardage after the catch. Randy Hymes brings physicality to the game and so far in camp, Jim Fassel has featured Hymes’ unique throwing ability. And then there’s Clarence Moore.
At 6’6” tall, Moore presents match up problems for defenses. Last season, Moore felt his way through the NFL season in search of a role befitting his skills. He showed flashes of brilliance in the red zone and at times the ability to be a vertical threat more so through his size than sheer foot speed. Yet Moore was a bit one dimensional last season and this season, the Ravens are looking for a little more. “I expect him to be a threat every time he lines up and the team playing against him has to know it,” says Ravens Receivers Coach David Shaw.
So far this camp and during the scrimmage game against the Redskins, Moore has consistently made plays downfield even when blanketed in coverage. This consistency will command respect and that respect could include roll over coverage from the safety which could free up space for the other receivers – those complimentary receivers.
But Moore wants to be more than just a vertical threat. He seeks to be a complete receiver and appears to be more willing to journey into the middle of the field between the hash marks – a place where he found little comfort last season. “My attitude is you have to [go across the middle]. It’s part of the game. You can’t come into this game expecting to just catch the fade ball or the post. You’ve got to be able to catch the ball over the middle and you’ve got to be physically ready for it. And that’s why I’ve done the extra work. I’ve had to get my body ready to take on those kinds of hits because I don’t think my body was ready for it last year. But it’s a different story this year and hopefully it will work out for me.”
Coach Shaw concurs. “He hit the weights hard. He had to because he came out a little thin. We put some muscle on him. Jeff Friday did a great job with him in the weight room. He’s in good condition and now he’s got to take advantage of his match-ups.”
Shaw also points out that Moore hit that proverbial rookie wall last year and it showed in Moore’s performance. “Here’s a young kid coming out of Northern Arizona and he’s never seen competition like we’ve got out here, yet as a rookie he comes in and starts half the season and we basically play two college seasons. So midway through the year, his legs were gone and his concentration was weaning. It wasn’t until late in the year that he picked back up again. But now he’s ready to play the whole stretch.”
Ah, but there’s that word again – “stretch.”
Heading into the offseason, the Ravens as Eric DeCosta indicated, sought to field complimentary talents at the wide receiver position. Many even suggested that Plaxico Burress might bring that vertical presence to the Ravens passing attack that has been missing. Ravens insiders scoffed at that notion believing that they already had a Burress type receiver in Moore. Some laughed at the thought.
Those that have seen Moore in camp this summer aren’t laughing.
Moore could command the respect that Coach Shaw suggests and if he’s successful, Moore could do for Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton what Burress once did for Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El.
During Burress’ rookie season, the former Michigan State Spartan hauled in 22 catches for 273 yards, 13 of which went for first downs. He did not score a single touchdown his rookie season and 3 of his catches went for 20 yards or more. Clarence Moore had 24 catches last year for 293 yards, 18 of which went for first downs. Moore touched pay dirt 4 times and 3 of his catches went for 20 yards or more – one going for 52 yards.
Still laughing?
What Moore doesn’t bring that Burress does is baggage and a bad attitude. Moore is a very pleasant, well spoken and mannerly young man who is seems determined to make his mark on the NFL and who is willing to embrace coaching advice and develop his overall game. “We’re really focusing on yards after the catch, yards after [the running backs] break the line of scrimmage and staying with your blocks after the catch. I was here all off season. I didn’t go home. My little brother and little cousin came out to visit me and they stayed for the summer. It was all about working out and eating – two three times a day and a lot of rest…staying off my feet a lot.”
Heading into the off season, Eric DeCosta wanted diversity at the receiver position and he wanted playmakers. Early indications so far suggest that DeCosta and the Ravens have been successful doing just that. David Shaw states that the group is clearly the best he’s had since Shaw joined the Ravens. Clarence Moore likes what he sees also. “We’ve been looking nice out here. We haven’t gotten it all together yet with Mark Clayton just arriving and Todd Heap is still not here. But with the tools that we do have it should be real fun this year.”
It’s still very early but so far, the Ravens passing game looks like it just might deliver a little more.
