What in the world is going on with Ravens left tackle Eugene Monroe?
Monroe, who was re-signed to a new five-year contract this offseason was considered to be a strong point on the left side of the offensive line heading into 2014. Now it’s unclear which Monroe you’re going to get week in and week out.
In Week 1 against the Bengals, Monroe received an overall grade of -2.4 (+2.1 pass blocking, -3.8 run blocking) from Pro Football Focus in 88 snaps against a stout Cincinnati defense. Appearing sluggish off the snap, Monroe struggled warding off opposing defenders for much of the game resulting in one quarterback hit and one quarterback hurry.
In Week 2’s 26-6 victory over the Steelers, we saw a different Monroe.
In 70 snaps (38 run block, 32 pass block), the former Jacksonville Jaguar posted a solid +3.2 overall grade in PFF’s system. Monroe allowed just one QB hurry, as his pass blocking and run blocking were both excellent.
In yesterday’s 23-21 road win against the Browns, Monroe continued the trend of good game/bad game. Given the fact that Monroe appeared to be playing with an injured leg, it makes sense as to why the six-year veteran posted his worst rating thus far of the young season.
Playing in all 70 offensive snaps (34 run block, 36 pass block), Monroe posted a -3.6 overall grade. While Monroe’s pass blocking wasn’t exactly great (four QB hurries), his run blocking was worse resulting in another negative grade of -2.1.
The running back tandem of Lorenzo Taliaferro and Justin Forsett had success running the football yesterday, combining for 154 rushing yards and one touchdown, but it was mostly by running behind right side of the line.
The Ravens will head into their Week 4 matchup against Carolina as the NFL’s least penalized team (tied with the New Orleans Saints), but there is a bit of concern as Monroe is leading the Ravens with three total penalties.
Monroe has been flagged for a false start, a hold, and for lining up in an illegal formation.
We all knew heading into a new season with a new coordinator there would be bumps in the road such as this so it’s certainly not time to hit the panic button yet when it comes to Monroe. For now, here’s hoping he manages to continue his trend of good game/bad game, as he will need to be at his best against a hungry Panthers defense on Sunday.
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