Matt Elam leads NFL defensive backs in missed tackles

[Cillmatic]

The rough season for Baltimore Ravens safety Matt Elam continued Sunday, when he missed five tackles in a 27-24 loss in Cincinnati.

It began on the fourth play of the game when Elam took a bad pursuit angle and whiffed on wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who went on to run for an additional 20 yards to finish off a 48-yard catch.

Elam has now missed 12 tackles this season, which is tied with New Orleans Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro for most by an NFL defensive back. Elam's missed tackles are five more than any other Ravens player.

Do you guys think he's done? Should we bench him?

[GrimCoconut]

Too many arm tackles. He doesn't wrap up well. It's really frustrating to watch. I'm not sure it matters what we think but I think he'll get this year and next to prove himself.

[Tru11]

he is a 2nd year player who has yet had the chance to focus primarly on the position he is used to play.

 

cant we please stop these threads and this way of thinking.

 

if it was up to most people here both Jimmy and flacco would have been long before they finally settled down.

 

give young players to develop.

 

he has been making plays as well so it isent all that bad .

[allblackraven]

Too many arm tackles. He doesn't wrap up well. It's really frustrating to watch. I'm not sure it matters what we think but I think he'll get this year and next to prove himself.

His technique needs to improve but it's not a major issue here. I think missed tackles are largely a bi-product of Elam playing out of his natural spot. He doesn't know how to position himself and appears to always play a catch up game with very quick guys. The stats are almost as much on coaches as they are on Matt.

 

He might benefit from sitting for a bit and contributing via ST but he's far from being done.

[Sami84]

bust..

 

said it on the day of the draft

[redrum52]

Not many SS are asked to play FS, then SS/FS/nickel and succeed in their sophomore season.

Still not encouraging to hear though and his play hasn't exactly been up to par to put it nicely.

[GrimCoconut]

he is a 2nd year player who has yet had the chance to focus primarly on the position he is used to play.

 

cant we please stop these threads and this way of thinking.

 

if it was up to most people here both Jimmy and flacco would have been long before they finally settled down.

 

give young players to develop.

 

he has been making plays as well so it isent all that bad .

I'll preface with the statement that I am not an Elam hater. 

 

Elam does not have anywhere close to the talent of Jimmy Smith or Joe Flacco, and the comparison is awful for you to make. First of all, Jimmy did show flashes of greatness--far more than Elam. Granted, Jimmy was hurt his rookie year early in the year and had a ton of depth ahead of him, but he played well when he played. This myth about him being bad is just that--a myth. Joe led us to an AFC Championship game against the Steelers as a rookie! Yes, he had a good team around him but that is not easy for a rookie QB to do. 

 

With that said, it's too early to just completely give up on him, but he hasn't looked good. He needs to improve. These are just facts. Even when he has played SS, he hasn't excelled at it. He is very inconsistent, with more bad than good if I am being honest. He has a few splash plays, but they are not enough. Also, you want a safety to be a hybrid player now, which is why his struggles are more alarming. If we wanted what Elam is giving us, we could have just retained Bernard Pollard. 

[GrimCoconut]

His technique needs to improve but it's not a major issue here. I think missed tackles are largely a bi-product of Elam playing out of his natural spot. He doesn't know how to position himself and appears to always play a catch up game with very quick guys. The stats are almost as much on coaches as they are on Matt.

 

He might benefit from sitting for a bit and contributing via ST but he's far from being done.

Elam misses tackles even when he plays his 'natural' position of SS, and regardless, you want a safety to be versatile now in the NFL. Long gone are the days of an Ed Reed and a Bernard Pollard backfield. I do agree he shouldn't be done. It's too early. 

[GrimCoconut]

bust..

 

said it on the day of the draft

I think that's very presumptuous. 

[GrimCoconut]

Not many SS are asked to play FS, then SS/FS/nickel and succeed in their sophomore season.

Still not encouraging to hear though and his play hasn't exactly been up to par to put it nicely.

In today's game, you need to play those areas as a safety. That's what the best can do and we clearly thought he was one of the best based off of how giddy we were to get him, acting like we got a top-10 player at 32. I'm being a jerk or anything, but if you wanted an in-the-box SS who can tackle and play the run and don't plan to put him at FS or NB, then you just take the guy in the 3rd round or later or even as an UDFA. 

[Wildabeast88]

His technique needs to improve but it's not a major issue here. I think missed tackles are largely a bi-product of Elam playing out of his natural spot. He doesn't know how to position himself and appears to always play a catch up game with very quick guys. The stats are almost as much on coaches as they are on Matt.

 Last year he played out of position this year he Is back in the strong safety spot which is what he played in college. I am all for giving time for a player to develop I was a huge defender of Jimmy the difference is Jimmy was playing behind Webb Graham and Carey Williams over the previous years where as Elam is out there almost every down so he is more exposed in his short comings. The biggest problem is poor technique bad form nd bad angles. Also I am sure Elam has had plenty of playing time he should have corrected at leat some of his issues. In my opinion he isn't learning and that is the problem

[rmcjacket23]

His technique needs to improve but it's not a major issue here. I think missed tackles are largely a bi-product of Elam playing out of his natural spot. He doesn't know how to position himself and appears to always play a catch up game with very quick guys. The stats are almost as much on coaches as they are on Matt.

 Last year he played out of position this year he Is back in the strong safety spot which is what he played in college. I am all for giving time for a player to develop I was a huge defender of Jimmy the difference is Jimmy was playing behind Webb Graham and Carey Williams over the previous years where as Elam is out there almost every down so he is more exposed in his short comings. The biggest problem is poor technique bad form nd bad angles. Also I am sure Elam has had plenty of playing time he should have corrected at leat some of his issues. In my opinion he isn't learning and that is the problem

Well, he's been spending a lot of time as a slot corner in coverage this season, not just as a SS.

 

But... that doesn't really matter. For starters, tackling is tackling. You should be able to tackle from any position on the field. And it also doesn't matter because slot corner is a major need, and its where the team wants him to play. He can either play it better, or risk being benched.

 

Doesn't really matter if thats his natural position or not.

[GrimCoconut]

 Last year he played out of position this year he Is back in the strong safety spot which is what he played in college. I am all for giving time for a player to develop I was a huge defender of Jimmy the difference is Jimmy was playing behind Webb Graham and Carey Williams over the previous years where as Elam is out there almost every down so he is more exposed in his short comings. The biggest problem is poor technique bad form nd bad angles. Also I am sure Elam has had plenty of playing time he should have corrected at leat some of his issues. In my opinion he isn't learning and that is the problem

I think Elam's issues are far more complex, but I agree. I see technique issues (tackling), very poor instincts, somewhat limited athleticism, trying too hard to make a big play, and just low football IQ that leads to very stupid decisions, such as him staring down a WR on the ground without touching him to mark him down. Those are all the problems I have noticed with Elam. 

 

Elam wants to make a big play a lot of the time, and that's why he does those arm tackles and the "lunging tackles" he has become infamous for executing--and also missing. His technique should be better by now, but it's not. He's either stupid or he just is over-thinking--both are very good possibilities. I'm not trying to bash the guy. He's just way too impatient for my liking. 

[The Raven]

he is a 2nd year player who has yet had the chance to focus primarly on the position he is used to play.

 

cant we please stop these threads and this way of thinking.

 

if it was up to most people here both Jimmy and flacco would have been long before they finally settled down.

 

give young players to develop.

 

he has been making plays as well so it isent all that bad .

 

This is a pathetically stupid excuse for missed tackles. What, do you think the art of tackling changes between FS and SS? No. Tackling is tackling.

[757RavensFan]

Ummm, it doesn't matter where they have him playing, the fundamental premise for someone on defense is to stop the ball carrier.  He's probably played defense since he was 8 years old in pop warner.  So tackling isn't foreign to him at all.  Stop making excuses for him missing tackles.  He's a starting safety on a contending NFL team, if he can't tackle he shouldn't be on the field regardless of the position he's playing!!

[The Raven]

Do people seriously think that tackling technique changes from position to position? It changes slightly between open field tackling and box tackling, but for the most part, tackling is tackling. Seriously? Tackling changes from SS to FS? People believe that?

 

The future has no hope.

[Dewy101]

I wasn't high on him in the draft, but I thought he had Bob Sanders type of potential. His college tape showed a lot of flaws especially tackling(he never wrapped up). The NFL is a different ball game players are much faster and stronger. Throwing your body on every tackle instead of wrapping up doesn't work in the pros. His coverage skills are another story, but in all honesty there is nothing that justifies his job as a starting safety in the NFL. I'm not giving up on him just yet though.

[AsianRice]

I'll bet half of yo in here been predicting Jimmy was a bust..........

[Inqui]

He's struggling, but it's WAY too early to say he's done. The end of next season's the earliest time to start making those calls.

[Dfence4champs2052]

he is a 2nd year player who has yet had the chance to focus primarly on the position he is used to play.

 

cant we please stop these threads and this way of thinking.

 

if it was up to most people here both Jimmy and flacco would have been long before they finally settled down.

 

give young players to develop.

 

he has been making plays as well so it isent all that bad .

I agree, but he's not the first to play out of his position. He needs to step it up.

[BSHU_Miami]

Brooks has been a better tackler than Elam. I'd rather put brooks at SS.

[Lockdown#22]

Will Hill and Terrance Brooks look like the Ravens future starting safety tandem. At least for 2014. Elam makes too many mistakes. Period.

 

And it doesn't matter if he's a second year player or not. Look how mature CJ Mosley and Campanaro are playing as ROOKS.

Elam has his moments but he's not consistent enough to keep a starting job as an NFL safety. He's starting to feel like a liability. I can't wait until Brooks and Hill get up to speed.

[BmoreBird22]

I'll preface with the statement that I am not an Elam hater. 

 

Elam does not have anywhere close to the talent of Jimmy Smith or Joe Flacco, and the comparison is awful for you to make. First of all, Jimmy did show flashes of greatness--far more than Elam. 

 

With that said, it's too early to just completely give up on him, but he hasn't looked good. He needs to improve. These are just facts. Even when he has played SS, he hasn't excelled at it.

I couldn't disagree with this statement more. If you want proof for how well he's actually played strong safety, look to his rookie season and look at the Lions and Bears games, both games where he played strong safety from start to finish, not FS or corner. 

 

He excelled in those games where he was asked to play only strong safety. If you want to say he hasn't played well to this point, fine, that's true, but he has played exceptionally well in the two games he was allowed to actually play in his rover type role.

[Gordo52]

Not surprising at all.... The biggest and most frustrating knock on him is his arm tackling.

[BmoreBird22]

Do people seriously think that tackling technique changes from position to position? It changes slightly between open field tackling and box tackling, but for the most part, tackling is tackling. Seriously? Tackling changes from SS to FS? People believe that?

 

The future has no hope.

I don't know, I think he's struggling a lot in terms of knowing his assignments and playing naturally because of the increased overload of learning so many positions, but as you said, tackling is tackling. It really gets me how he's not a natural, wrap up tackler. It would bode far better if he tried to break that habit of diving

[rmw10]

This is the least surprising thing I've read all day.

[redrum52]

Do people seriously think that tackling technique changes from position to position? It changes slightly between open field tackling and box tackling, but for the most part, tackling is tackling. Seriously? Tackling changes from SS to FS? People believe that?

The future has no hope.

No one is saying the position change is the excuse for his poor tackling... it's just poor tackling. I'm talking about his other struggles.

[gabefergy]

In the pre draft process well before we drafted him, I knew tackling would be an issue foe him. He rarely tackled with proper form. Often leading with his shoulder in an effort to make a big hit.

Clearly this poor form has not been fixed and is maybe getting even worse. His coverage and recognition skills are extremely poor, and he can't tackle. At what point do the Ravens admit to their mistake and stop playing him?

He needs to find the bench ASAP.

[Militant X 1]

Ummm, it doesn't matter where they have him playing, the fundamental premise for someone on defense is to stop the ball carrier.  He's probably played defense since he was 8 years old in pop warner.  So tackling isn't foreign to him at all.  Stop making excuses for him missing tackles.  He's a starting safety on a contending NFL team, if he can't tackle he shouldn't be on the field regardless of the position he's playing!!

 

Exactly!  Wrap your man up and run through him!  All of these high arm grabs and swiping at the ball instead of trying to get the man down first is pitiful!!

 

@Mili

[Cillmatic]

His technique needs to improve but it's not a major issue here. I think missed tackles are largely a bi-product of Elam playing out of his natural spot. He doesn't know how to position himself and appears to always play a catch up game with very quick guys. The stats are almost as much on coaches as they are on Matt.

 

He might benefit from sitting for a bit and contributing via ST but he's far from being done.

How does him moving positions make him suck at tackling?