Things are in full swing at the castle this week as the Ravens play host to the Buffalo Bills in their season opener on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
Many questions have been asked throughout the summer and preseason regarding whether or not the team did enough this offseason to avoid another losing record.
One of those moves that most excited fans was the addition of safety Eric Weddle to bolster a secondary that had plenty of holes in 2015.
Weddle, who has fit right in with the mold of the defense from jump street, will look to answer those questions beginning against Bills QB Tyrod Taylor.
“He was outstanding last year,” responded Weddle when asked about the former Ravens backup. “He can throw. He can run; he is built like a running back. Leader, toughness, mental toughness – he has every quality you want in a quarterback.
“I couldn’t be happier for him for his future with Buffalo and his [contract] extension; he deserved it. He presents matchups and challenges. We are going to do our best to try and limit what he wants to do, and we are excited for it.”
One of those challenges will be displaying discipline in coverage against Taylor, who can extend plays with his quick feet.
“It is the worst,” said a laughing Weddle about mobile quarterbacks. “You’ve got great coverage on a guy, and he breaks off his route and gets open for a split second, and a guy like Tyrod can see it or gets out of the pocket and makes things happen with his feet.
“It is not normal going against a guy like that who can extend plays. He extends plays to throw the ball. Usually with a running quarterback, they would rather run. He wants to get the ball down the field. He has great touch on his deep ball. Obviously [Sammy Watkins] is explosive, [Robert Woods, Charles Clay] …
“They have talent at each three levels with running back, tight end and wide receivers. But we have great talent on this side, and we are excited to see who does better.”
Joining Weddle in the defensive backfield will of course be former cornerback Lardarius Webb, who has made the transition to safety this offseason.
Those who witnessed training camp saw progress from the veteran as he improved daily in his new position. During the preseason, we failed to see much as Webb was held out or saw few reps. Weddle provided some insight as to what to expect from the former Nicholls State standout.
“He grows every day in practice – asks a lot of questions,” stated the veteran safety after practice on Wednesday. “He is extremely humble. He brings a lot of energy, a lot of laughter to our meetings. He brings the level of energy up.
“When he is out there, he is talented; he is fast. He is healthy. He had a couple seasons of dealing with injuries, but he looks fantastic. He is starting to see the field more as a safety. So many years as a corner, you are locked in on a guy and the first few weeks, he was seeing too much.
“Now he is letting it come to him. We expect a big season from him and [for him] to make a lot of plays on the ball.”
Communication is key in the secondary and as we saw last season there were way too many breakdowns resulting in giving up big plays.
“Yes,” Weddle said when asked if he felt the communication is much improved this year. “That has probably been the biggest positive since April, I feel, coming with myself and [Lardarius Webb] – new starters in the back end. Building the relationship with Jimmy [Smith] and Shareece [Wright] and obviously the front seven [has been the biggest positive].
“Over the course of the preseason and all the practices we have had, we have had minimal busts in coverage. That is a testament to our coaches and to us as players really taking the approach that we have to be great every Sunday. ‘If I have a bad game or if I’m average, we are probably going to lose.’ That is the way we think.
“We play together, we are unselfish. We are about the team, we are about the 11 guys making the defense work and playing together. It has shown, and we just have to continue it and be consistent. It is a marathon, but it starts this week against Buffalo, and we are excited to show what we are all about.”
No one will ever confuse Weddle for Ed Reed, but his blue-collar work ethic and accountability are second to none. Ravens fans are ready to watch their new and (hopefully) improved secondary get to work. If these quotes from Weddle are any indication, he’s just as ready to get out there and show us what he can do.
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