Rookie Report – Week 11 vs. Rams
As injuries absolutely ravage this 2015 Baltimore Ravens squad, the home team managed to secure one of the hollowest victories in recent memory against the Rams on Sunday. Not only did the Ravens lose their leader in Joe Flacco for the year, but Justin Forsett, their best remaining offensive skill player, was also lost for the season to a broken arm in the first quarter.
That leaves Buck Allen as the Ravens top back for the rest of the year, so let’s take a look at what Allen has done, and can continue to do, for the Baltimore offense.
On Sunday, Allen took over after Forsett’s injury and played 53 of the team’s 77 offensive snaps, finishing with a +1.4 PFF grade. He was decent on the ground, taking 22 attempts for 67 yards, but excelled through the air, tying the team-high for receptions at 5-for-48.
Allen has steadily developed throughout the season. He has the raw skill set that can be coached up into something potentially special. Allen’s vision and awareness are both developing, he has above-average speed, is elusive yet surprisingly powerful, and is an excellent pass catcher.
Allen’s best run of the day was a 17-yard scamper in the second quarter. The offensive line actually gets good push here against the Rams front 4 (which was a true rarity on the day), giving the appearance of a few fairly sizeable holes off right guard. Some backs would be tempted to stick their nose up in the inside hole or bounce it outside for a decent 4 or 5-yard gain.
But as Allen presses the hole to the right of the line (our left), he shows phenomenal awareness, feeling Eugene Monroe gain leverage on dominant defensive tackle Aaron Donald, (perhaps the only such occurrence all day) creating a seal to Allen’s left.
He cuts hard, and accelerates for a big gain, eventually putting safety Rodney McLeod Jr. on his back to end the run.
Allen is not without his flaws: he sometimes waits too long to make his cut, thereby running into his own linemen on occasion, and like all young backs his pass blocking can always improve.
But Allen should average 25 touches a game for the rest of the season (especially with Matt Schaub at quarterback) which will be a fantastic sample size to see where he will fit in the pecking order next summer. Count me among those who think he could be in the discussion for the starter at running back in 2016.
Rookie Notes
– Tight end Maxx Williams displayed versatility catching 3 passes for 20 yards all from different alignments. He grabbed a slant as a split-out receiver, a slip screen as an in-line tight end, and a flat route as an H-back. But he was lucky to fall on his own fumble after taking a vicious series of hits on the screen, and showed poor technique when flagged for offensive pass interference when he blocked before the reception on a quick out to Kamar Aiken in the first quarter.
– Cornerback Tray Walker was active Sunday, but did not record a defensive snap, playing only special teams. Nick Boyle was seen in a boot after sustaining a foot injury against Jacksonville last week. He did not practice all week and missed the game Sunday.
– Za’Darius Smith and Carl Davis were absent from the defensive box score Sunday. They notched just 27 combined snaps and PFF rated them at -0.3 and -3.4 respectively. Their rough outings were summarized by the 49-yard pass interference penalty play where Michael Vick—whoops, I meant Case Keenum—pump faked to get Smith wildly off his feet and juked Davis to unleash the deep ball.
While the 2015 season has been lost, watching youngsters like Buck Allen develop should be enjoyable, especially in games against divisional foes like Monday night’s battle in Cleveland.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/Vpb7_8OXw_U[/youtube]
Credit for the video goes to chrisbraven.
