It’s been said often that the true measure of character isn’t determined by how someone deals with success, but rather how he or she handles adversity. Kudos to Torrey Smith for answering his critics, myself included.
Smith has struggled with consistency as a ball catcher and he’s been pretty much a one-trick pony. Yesterday he began to resemble the player who seemed to be growing as a receiver until he hit the wall in 2014. If he, Joe Flacco and Gary Kubiak can build upon his 4 catches for 51 yards and 2 scores it could really open things up for the offense.
Making his NFL debut yesterday was rookie WR Michael Campanaro. Insiders claim that Camp has looked great in practice and yesterday, he earned the opportunity for more playing time. Campanaro has uncanny instincts, a high football IQ and his change of direction skills and burst represent a nuisance for opposing defenders.
Making his first career start yesterday was guard John Urschel. Urschel chipped in with a solid performance and one that should ease any concerns the Ravens may have had about offensive line depth. The former Nittany Lion had the second highest grade amongst his offensive line mates according to Pro Football Focus (“PFF”), scoring a 1.9. Only Marshal Yanda (5.8) scored higher. Team insiders believe that Urschel could be the heir apparent to Yanda at right guard.
Can’t believe I made my first start in the NFL today. It was a dream come true. Thank you to all my fans and supporters over the years.
— John Urschel (@MathMeetsFball) October 12, 2014
A player who once again did not dress was ILB Arthur Brown. His inactive status was the 6th straight time this season that Brown failed to be listed among the 46 up. He is the only member of the Ravens 53-man squad who has yet to suit up on Sunday this season. And if you can’t suit up on the road where it is quieter playing defense against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when will he ever suit up?
By the way, the (1-5) Bucs only win came at the expense of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
DID YOU KNOW? The Ravens have beaten Tampa during the past 3 meetings by the combined scored of 92-28.
Don’t look now but the 4th best inside linebacker in the game according to PFF is rookie CJ Mosley. His explosiveness is obvious and the more comfortable he grows in Dean Pees’ defense allowing his instincts to take over, the more his burst will be on full display during games.
Just ahead of Mosley in the PFF rankings, to the surprise of most is Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain. Give McClain credit (so far) for straightening out his life and rekindling his passion for the game. The talent was always there but the commitment never was.
The terms of the trade that sent McClain from Baltimore to Dallas are described here by ESPNDallas.com’s Todd Archer:
The Cowboys give up their seventh-rounder in 2016 if McClain is on the 53-man roster for five games or 46-man roster for three games only if their pick is better than the Ravens’ pick in the round. If it is, then the teams will swap selections. If the Ravens finish with a worse record in 2014, then there is no swap.
If McClain plays in 50 percent of the defensive snaps in 2014, then the Ravens would receive the Cowboys’ sixth-round pick in 2015 and the Cowboys would receive Baltimore’s seventh-round pick in 2015.
So barring injury, McClain will get the needed playing time to get Dallas’ sixth.
And now you have even more reason to root against Jerry Jones & Co.
