As a whole, the Baltimore Ravens offensive line was excruciating to watch during Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos.
At times, the pass protection appeared to be even worse than in 2013, and the run blocking was consistently unaggressive, giving running backs Justin Forsett and Javorius Allen little to work with.
It is fair to be concerned about the state of the offensive, but one lineman’s performance elicits a high amount of doubt heading into Baltimore’s Week 2 bout with the Oakland Raiders.
Third-year right tackle Ricky Wagner, who bursted onto the scene in 2014, delivered an atrocious 2015 debut, struggling to give quarterback Joe Flacco any time to throw the football, and offering less-than-admirable run-blocking attempts.
After suffering foot injury in late December of 2014, perhaps Wagner experienced a setback in Denver. While it was just one bad game, it was poor enough to warrant a close look.
What went wrong for Wagner against Denver?
Pass Blocking
Handling Von Miller is a tough task for any NFL offensive tackle, and Wagner was no exception. Even when presented with ample working space and positioning, the right tackle still struggled to fend off Denver’s elite edge rusher.
Here, Wagner is left on an island with Miller, and has plenty of space to work with.
With enough distance between he and Joe Flacco and enough time to position himself to take on Miller, there should be no reason for him to allow a pressure on the play.
Wagner engages with Miller, still quite a distance from Flacco.
Miller simply outmuscles Wagner and carries him right into Flacco, who rushes his throw as Wagner unsuccessfully attempts to keep his quarterback upright.
Side note: Left tackle James Hurst was equally as bad as Wagner on the play, as he was playing catchup with DeMarcus Ware from the get-go.
Athleticism
While Wagner is not an overly athletic tackle, offensive coordinator Marc Trestman’s play-calling would lead one to believe that the coaching staff is confident in the health of Wagner’s foot, as well as his current athletic state.
That prompted Trestman to call a screen pass in which Wagner’s duty was to pull to the outside to block on a right-side screen.
Denver cornerback Chris Harris is locked in on the wide receiver who just hauled in the reception, and a block by the oncoming Wagner would give the Baltimore offense a chance to gain a few yards.
Wagner almost arrives to the spot in time, but instead is a split second too late, whiffs and is left on the ground as Harris makes the tackle.
Getting the screen game going, which may be a way to neutralize the inability to pass protect by the offensive line, simply will not happen if blocks like this cannot be made.
Run Blocking
Often a dependable force as a run blocker last season, Wagner offered little in that department on Sunday. He failed to initiate a consistent push against the opposition, dismantling run plays before they even developed.
On a zone run where Forsett cut back up the middle, Wagner comes across the left side of his body to attempt to execute a block.
As Forsett hits the hole, the defensive lineman’s strength is simply too much, sending Wagner to the ground as Forsett’s run lane begins to shrink.
When this is the end result, there are issues:
It may not be fair to judge Wagner’s performance in a vacuum without considering his strong past performance, but since it is his only 2015 tape so far, there is cause for concern (for now at least).
One of the most pleasant surprises of the offense last season, Wagner must right the ship in order to help get the offense moving and Flacco upright.
Unfortunately for Wagner, Sunday’s test of Khalil Mack and Aldon Smith is not too far of a drop-off from Miller and Ware.
