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Article Quarter Mark Awards: Ravens Edition

29BmoreBird22

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After just four weeks, the Ravens are looking like a team at a crossroads needing to figure out their identity. Nonetheless after four weeks, we can go ahead and assign way too early awards for the Ravens and see who is working well for the Ravens and who needs to actually work to improve to make the Ravens season turn around. Without further ado, let us take a look at the Ravens MVP, OPOY, DPOY, biggest surprise, biggest disappointment, and most and least improved player.

MVP:

29BB22: This was actually a fairly difficult one for me to really figure out because MVP is usually a positive award, but clearly Joe Flacco is incredibly valuable to the Ravens because his poor play is becoming a detriment and it is clear how valuable Flacco it is. On the flip side, in two games without Brandon Williams, the Ravens run defense and pass rush have taken a major hit without the massive nose tackle to absorb blockers. Does Yanda deserve it because of how poor the offensive line looks without him?

For me, I had to settle finally upon Marshal Yanda. Yanda is out for the rest of the season and the entire offense has taken a nosedive. Sure, we still see the explosive plays from Alex Collins, but what we do not see is consistency anywhere else on the team. On Sunday, Jermaine Elemanuer and Matt Skura were very clearly overmatched by the Steelers defensive front and the play of Ryan Jensen and especially Austin Howard have trailed off in these past two games. The ability to not only handle elite defensive tackles 1 on 1, but also to pick up any assignment and combo block with either player on his shoulders is invaluable and we are looking at a very real possibility in the next few years- an offense with no Marshal Yanda.

Lost: I cannot disagree with you at all. While for me, Maclin and Alex Collins have been very good, along with Benjamin Watson. It’s Yanda. Yanda was a massive asset in both the running game and the passing game, and it is clear that we are sorely missing him. Although the run blocking still appears to be solid, I think the pass blocking has taken a massive hit. Overall, Yanda is sorely missed. Hopefully he can come back next year the same player.

OPOY:

29BB22: This one was actually much easier for me to figure out. It has to be Benjamin Watson. Sure, his stat line of 16/146/1 is far from overwhelming, but he has been way better than expected at his age coming off an Achilles tear. Watson has showed extremely strong hands consistently and has provided a security blanket that has a nose for the first down. It seems that any time Flacco needs a first down on third down, he can just dump it off to Watson and Watson will pick up the yards or he can fit the ball to Watson in tight coverage and know that his tight end will come down with the ball.

Even more than his receiving, though, is the fact that Watson has been an excellent blocker. Whether it is to seal the edge for a long Collins run or to give Flacco just an extra tick of time, Watson is proving that his blocking knows no age. A timeless player, Watson is my OPOY.

Lost: Watson is good, but I cannot overstate how well Jeremy Maclin has played thus far. Even if Flacco has been struggling(and hindering Maclin’s statistics) Maclin has been getting open and proving to be a #1 WR that the team needed. I am pleasantly surprised by Watson recovering as well from his Achilles injury as he has, and he deserves major props. But Maclin also looks like a weapon for us, and will keep #1 corners off of Wallace, who is still a premiere deep threat in the NFL, and Perriman, who even with his struggles should be able to handle #3 corners in coverage. If Flacco can fix his issues, he’s got himself a decent crop of toys to play with. Both Maclin and Watson look excellent.

DPOY:

29BB22: You can call me biased on this one, but Jimmy Smith all the way for this defense. AJ Green is usually the Ravens killer, but he was held to just five catches for 74 yards and no scores. Smith held Marqise Lee to just one catch for 13 yards and had two pass deflections on a day where Blake Bortles could do no wrong. Antonio Brown, who has already topped 100 yards twice this season, was held to just four catches for 34 yards.

More than just limiting receivers, though, Smith has been making plays. Smith played receiver better than Green on Dalton’s final interception, running the route for the receiver and leaping in front of Green for an easy interception. Against the Steelers, the defense would again force an interception due to Smith helping to jar the ball loose from Brown. Jimmy has always been able to keep players in check and from making catches, but we are now seeing Smith combine that with a play making mentality.

Lost:I think Jimmy has been fantastic this season. But for me the MVP has proven to be someone who has been absent the previous two games. Brandon Williams, in his absence, is proving to be an elite overall defensive lineman. He looks like his pass rush ability has improved and he’s already amongst the league’s best run defenders. Although I think that overall, CJ Mosley is the most important player on the defense(given his ability to quarterback the front 7), Williams is a big reason why CJ can make big plays by eating up his blockers. We have also missed his ability to create third and longs.. We can only hope Brandon Williams returns against Chicago’s strong rushing attack.

Biggest Surprise:

29BB22: Count me amongst those who have actually been pleasantly surprised by the play of James Hurst. The fans generally saw Hurst as the punching bag of the Ravens offensive line after putting up some of the worst tackle grades PFF has ever seen. At left guard next to Ronnie Stanley, Hurst may have found a home. He is not a road grader by any means or an immovable wall in pass protection, but Hurst has been better than expected, providing generally solid to above average performances in each game so far. Given how poorly Hurst has played in the past, the recent play has come as a really pleasant surprise for Ravens fans.


Lost: Lost: Hurst has been a pleasant surprise. Can’t disagree there. While I do think he’s not really starting caliber full time, he’s proven his worth as a backup and I think it will be a priority to resign him this offseason as a quality reserve. Keeping him will be essential for the depth. However, I think that the biggest surprise for me has been Marlon Humphrey. Yes, although I was critical of Humphrey when we drafted him, I understood that he had a pretty high ceiling and a decent floor. But I also expected him to have some struggles out of the gate as most rookie corners do. Humphrey was one of the only players that showed up against the Jaguars and has continued to display his abilities in coverage throughout the year. Scary thing is, he’s only going to get better. I think Hurst has been a surprise, but Humphrey looks like he might be a #1 CB at the NFL level as soon as the end of this season, or at worst, some point next season. When Tavon Young comes back we are going to have one of the best corner trios in the whole league.

I just want to throw out a big told you so. I was riding the Humphrey hype train since February- 29BB22


Biggest Disappointment:

29BB22: Without a doubt, Kamalei Correa is the biggest disappointment for the Ravens. After being a second round pick in the 2016 draft, Correa saw little playing time as he figured out whether or not he would be an inside or outside linebacker. After the retirement of Zac Orr, that question was answered.

However, for as overrated as Orr was, his play would be a very welcome addition right now with how poor Correa has been. Correa looks way too hesitant against the run, failing to recognize the play and failing to absorb and blockers for CJ Mosley to make a play. Many of the big runs up the middle this season have been a direct result of Correa not being sure of his duties. At this point, Patrick “Peanut” Onwuasor should have the job at the WILL. What makes Correa even more disappointing, though, is the fact that the Ravens passed on the likes of Noah Spence, Myles Jack, Chris Jones, Sterling Shepherd, Mike Thomas, Deion Jones, and Cody Whitehair. Yikes.

Lost: My biggest disappointment is none other than Joe Flacco. This is the best wide receiving corps that he’s ever had talent wise, and he’s been overthrowing his receivers and been playing overly conservative. Although I think he will eventually bounce back, I don’t see it happening anytime soon. The Steelers loss is sorely on him, as he blew opportunities to put us back in the game. Correa has been abysmal, but he’s ultimately replaceable in the immediate future. Flacco is not.

Most Improved Player:

29BB22: Where did this version of Za’Darius Smith come from? He has come out of nowhere, shot out of a cannon as a pass rusher. When Smith was drafted, there were some that believed he was the better option to teammate Bud Dupree. Given how both have played so far in 2017, that may not be so far fetched.

Smith has hardly been a stellar run defender, but he has been an electric pass rusher when he has been given the chance. In his rookie season, Smith was able to notch 5.5 sacks on the year, but many were just effort or coverage sacks. So far in 2017, Smith has showed surprising burst and the ability to stack and shed defenders on his way to the quarterback. He may only have one sack on the year, but with the way he is playing, if the secondary can get into shape, Smith will surpass 5.5 easily.

Least Improved Player:

29BB22: What makes this one so particularly frustrating is that this as supposed to be the year for the big leap. Instead of showing progression, Breshad Perriman has seemingly fallen off a cliff. Is that due to a lack of targets and Flacco’s erratic play? Sure, it absolutely is. However, the majority of the blame falls on Perriman. He just is not showing the level of route running needed to separate himself consistently from defenders and make himself an available target. When he does make himself a target, he has shown inconsistent and unreliable hands. As it stands, Perriman is a very intriguing speed prospect with a very high ceiling, but that ceiling may never be reached if Perriman cannot refine the parts of the game that make you an actual football player, not just a skilled athlete.

Lost: Another time where we totally agree. As a big Perirman fan myself, I am disappointed that he is still making these routine drops and running poor routes. I do think we need to start feeding him in order to inspire confidence, but overall: most of his struggles are on him. That said, I also expect Breshad to have a breakout game of sorts sometime in the near future. Even with Joe’s struggles #3 cornerbacks are not going to be able to handle someone with his freakish athleticism. That said, if Perriman continues to disappoint us, I see us addressing WR heavily next offseason.

Hey Bmore? Mind if I add my own category? Nah, why would I mind?

Biggest Sleeper- Category self-explanatory. Who has been playing sneakily well under the radar that you expect to keep it up. Here’s my pick.

Lost: Willie Henry has not looked like a stud like his potential suggests but looks like he has a clear place on this football team. He looks like he has the skills to be, at worst, a good interior pass rusher in this league. However, his run defense also looks to be improved as well, which was a problem with him in college. If he keeps it up, expect to see him more and more in the rotation where he can hopefully keep up pressuring the QB and being decent enough to stop the run to help us disguise defenses. Sky is the limit with him, and he looks good thus far. I think he could sneakily turn into a very good player for us.
 
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