Is Matt Elam a bust?

[Rav'n Maniac]

Like I said before, one more year. The third year is the most telling for a defensive back. That being said, if he can't grasp something as simple as tackling, his future is bleak.

Foot Locker would strongly disagree with you.

[redlobster]

I think we are spoiled. We expected an Ed Reed and there is only one of them.

 

Plug and play guys are not that common. Only his 2nd season. Give the guy a chance.

 

Nobody expected Ed Reed, they expected somebody that could tackle better than Ed Reed the last few years, instead we long for the days of ed reed letting defenders bound over him or him shoulder tackling because at least he made contact.

 

He was supposed to be a great tackler and he can't tackle to save his life.

[JustinB]

All I can think is Jimmy Smith being considered a bust his first few years and now he is the reason we didn't win as many games.  Lets give him little bit yet

[3-4ravdef509]

All I can think is Jimmy Smith being considered a bust his first few years and now he is the reason we didn't win as many games.  Lets give him little bit yet

 

Jimmy's problems were easily correctable and more a function of needing to adjust to defending NFL receivers and offenses. (Not turning head to play the ball, not biting on double moves)

 

Elam looks lost on 99.99% of all plays. Can't tackle, can't cover.

[blitzking33]

Name two good plays from Elam this year...cause I can only name 1

Elam ripping the ball out allowing a Mosley INT vs. Bengals.

Elam ripping ball out vs. Colts.

 

If you asked for 3.. I would be lost. Lol.

[JustinB]

Jimmy's problems were easily correctable and more a function of needing to adjust to defending NFL receivers and offenses. (Not turning head to play the ball, not biting on double moves)

 

Elam looks lost on 99.99% of all plays. Can't tackle, can't cover.

Yet still called a bust and many wanted to throw him out of Baltimore.  All I am saying is wait and see.  If he has not improved by his final year i will admit I was wrong but until then I will wait and see

[jimmypowder]

Like I said before, one more year. The third year is the most telling for a defensive back. That being said, if he can't grasp something as simple as tackling, his future is bleak.

How do you fix ,"HE can't tackle"????? You can't  .Just like you can't instill instincts in a player.

You either have it or you don't.

 

Ed Reed was overloaded with instincts. You think he would have picked off one or 2 Brady passes last Saturday?.You Betcha!

 Probably try to lateral one or both. LOL.

Edited January 13, 2015 by jimmypowder

[jimmypowder]

Elam ripping the ball out allowing a Mosley INT vs. Bengals.

Elam ripping ball out vs. Colts.

 

If you asked for 3.. I would be lost. Lol.

Ripping the ball out may be his best talent. Cause he gets beat like a drum on most plays.

Edited January 13, 2015 by jimmypowder

[blitzking33]

Ripping the ball out may be his best talent. Cause he gets beat like a drum on most plays.

Usually requires 2-3 people to hold someone up and then that's when Elam is at his best.

Well there ya go.. we found something he's good at.

 

EDIT: Still a bust

Edited January 14, 2015 by blitzking33

[jazz1988]

Name two good plays from Elam this year...cause I can only name 1

The strip fumble against The Colts, the  strip fumble against the Bengels,the interceptions he had against the steelers in the playoffs, the sack he had against big ben during our second meeting against the steelers in the regular season, the pass deflection he had while covering Antonio Brown in the slot,and that's it.

[frozen joe flacco fan]

There are times when you have to cut your losses and move on. This may be one of those times. Jimmy

Smith struggled at first but I could see him progressing and learning from his mistakes. Elam regressed if anything this year. He's taking up a roster spot we could use for someone who wants to play.

Playing in the NFL is not a right; its a privilege.

[GrimCoconut]

I still don't grasp these comparisons people make for Elam between him and Jimmy. There's no correlation. Jimmy played far better than Elam, without question, in their respective time. There's a true difference and if you can't see it then you didn't pay attention.

Jimmy always had flashes of great play albeit he had some issues as well. He wasn't a standout but he didn't have nearly the same amount of struggles as Elam. There's simply no comparison.

It might not be fair to even compare them anyway. They're two different positions and furthermore, there is a stark difference in their snap count.

[Challenge Accepted]

The sad thing is, if you saw his highlights from Florida, he looked very, very promising. I just wonder were it went wrong...

[Challenge Accepted]

It's just crazy how someone could go from being a first round pick, to the 2nd to worst safety in the game.

[flynismo]

Bust?  I wouldn't say that perse.  However, this kid is horrible in certain aspects of his game especially with tackling!  All season long and in the playoffs he couldn't tackle a damn cold!  Smh!

Two years is too soon to label a guy a bust, I think that three years (more for QBs) is the minimum before you can reasonably apply that label.

 

That said....Elam does absolutely nothing well. In fact, I can't even think of anything he does that is on a consistently acceptable level of play....eww

[Militant X 1]

I think we are spoiled. We expected an Ed Reed and there is only one of them.

 

Plug and play guys are not that common. Only his 2nd season. Give the guy a chance.

 

Not spoiled!  Just use to the greatest ball hawk ever in Ed Reed!  Like Ray Lewis, no one could ever replace Ed Reed.  Our secondary has been a patch job ever since he left and it doesn't have 1 ball hawk in it..not one!  Jimmy is just now starting to come into his own but has been plagued with injuries.  And, I don't care what anyone says...Webb is not the same either!

Like I said before, one more year. The third year is the most telling for a defensive back. That being said, if he can't grasp something as simple as tackling, his future is bleak.

 

Absolutely!  Cause I hated seeing Elam try to tackle anyone by himself, in open space or near the sidelines.  It didn't matter!  The kid couldn't tackle his way out of a wet paper sack man!  Smh!

 

Nobody expected Ed Reed, they expected somebody that could tackle better than Ed Reed the last few years, instead we long for the days of ed reed letting defenders bound over him or him shoulder tackling because at least he made contact.

 

He was supposed to be a great tackler and he can't tackle to save his life.

 

Yep!  And he definitely isn't that!

 

How do you fix ,"HE can't tackle"????? You can't  .Just like you can't instill instincts in a player.

You either have it or you don't.

 

Ed Reed was overloaded with instincts. You think he would have picked off one or 2 Brady passes last Saturday?.You Betcha!

 Probably try to lateral one or both. LOL.

 

True!  True!  And, True!

[redlobster]

Jimmy also has something that elam doesn't, size

[Gordo52]

I still don't grasp these comparisons people make for Elam between him and Jimmy. There's no correlation. Jimmy played far better than Elam, without question, in their respective time. There's a true difference and if you can't see it then you didn't pay attention.

Jimmy always had flashes of great play albeit he had some issues as well. He wasn't a standout but he didn't have nearly the same amount of struggles as Elam. There's simply no comparison.

It might not be fair to even compare them anyway. They're two different positions and furthermore, there is a stark difference in their snap count.

Agreed. It's annyoing when people do that. I don't think any reasonable fan ever labeled Jimmy a bust....

Also agree with the 3 year window with players before labeling them a complete bust. But through 2 years that's that's what he's looked like, unfortunately. Not showing us any real reason for us to be encouraged or optimistic doesn't help his case.

[The Raven]

How do you fix ,"HE can't tackle"????? You can't  .Just like you can't instill instincts in a player.

You either have it or you don't.

 

Ed Reed was overloaded with instincts. You think he would have picked off one or 2 Brady passes last Saturday?.You Betcha!

 Probably try to lateral one or both. LOL.

 

I know. That's why I said his future is bleak

[Dfence4champs2052]

He's still climbing that ladder of horribleness. He's trash right now......bust is the pinnacle of where he's headed.

[GrimCoconut]

I found Harbaugh's answer to the Elam question presented during the press conference very interesting. John was very direct and quick in his answers about many things, but when asked about Elam and his reduced snaps and performance, he was very reticent. I saw a lot of thinking and carefully picking words. I am not sure about others, and I am not trying to be biased so if you (whoever reads this) think I am seeing things that aren't true, please, call me out on it. I'm not being sarcastic. It's just I want to put out my observation here and I can absolutely be wrong, and I accept that. 

 

Harbaugh almost looked disappointed when asked about Elam. He stuttered quite a bit, was going to say "he didn't---" and then cut himself off. He said he hasn't been consistent, and got more consistent in the "past 6-7 weeks," the time after he was theoretically benched. Said he always practices well. I found these responses interesting, and John's body language wasn't the same as other players when he talks about them. Usually you'll see Harbaugh's face light up like a kid when he talks about players, but with Elam I saw a lot of disappointment, as I said earlier. 

 

I now question whether Harbaugh is also concerned. I think he might be. Again, if you disagree, please call me out. I have no problem with that and I would welcome a differing opinion. 

[airconteka1]

If Harbs says he plays poor, essentially he is saying his boss made a bad decision. I try and avoid doing that where possible.

Edited January 14, 2015 by airconteka1

[Bltravens]

I found Harbaugh's answer to the Elam question presented during the press conference very interesting. John was very direct and quick in his answers about many things, but when asked about Elam and his reduced snaps and performance, he was very reticent. I saw a lot of thinking and carefully picking words. I am not sure about others, and I am not trying to be biased so if you (whoever reads this) think I am seeing things that aren't true, please, call me out on it. I'm not being sarcastic. It's just I want to put out my observation here and I can absolutely be wrong, and I accept that. 

 

Harbaugh almost looked disappointed when asked about Elam. He stuttered quite a bit, was going to say "he didn't---" and then cut himself off. He said he hasn't been consistent, and got more consistent in the "past 6-7 weeks," the time after he was theoretically benched. Said he always practices well. I found these responses interesting, and John's body language wasn't the same as other players when he talks about them. Usually you'll see Harbaugh's face light up like a kid when he talks about players, but with Elam I saw a lot of disappointment, as I said earlier. 

 

I now question whether Harbaugh is also concerned. I think he might be. Again, if you disagree, please call me out. I have no problem with that and I would welcome a differing opinion. 

Man when Harbs has pretty much thrown the towel in on you as a player you know you're fricked.

[PurpleCity5]

As hard as it seems to defend Elam nowadays, It's pretty inaccurate to say Elam hasn't shown flashes, he has, it's just that his play hasn't been consistent. 

[BmoreBird22]

I found Harbaugh's answer to the Elam question presented during the press conference very interesting. John was very direct and quick in his answers about many things, but when asked about Elam and his reduced snaps and performance, he was very reticent. I saw a lot of thinking and carefully picking words. I am not sure about others, and I am not trying to be biased so if you (whoever reads this) think I am seeing things that aren't true, please, call me out on it. I'm not being sarcastic. It's just I want to put out my observation here and I can absolutely be wrong, and I accept that. 

 

Harbaugh almost looked disappointed when asked about Elam. He stuttered quite a bit, was going to say "he didn't---" and then cut himself off. He said he hasn't been consistent, and got more consistent in the "past 6-7 weeks," the time after he was theoretically benched. Said he always practices well. I found these responses interesting, and John's body language wasn't the same as other players when he talks about them. Usually you'll see Harbaugh's face light up like a kid when he talks about players, but with Elam I saw a lot of disappointment, as I said earlier. 

 

I now question whether Harbaugh is also concerned. I think he might be. Again, if you disagree, please call me out. I have no problem with that and I would welcome a differing opinion. 

Oh, I think all the coaches are concerned with Elam. Anytime you have to take a former first rounder that started 15 games a season ago and cut down their snaps, you're not going to be happy.

[BmoreBird22]

As hard as it seems to defend Elam nowadays, It's pretty inaccurate to say Elam hasn't shown flashes, he has, it's just that his play hasn't been consistent. 

I would agree to this and I would even go as far as to say Elam is doing things right and playing well in game, but just not tackling. I think there would be a night and day difference in how people saw his play if he didn't miss so many tackles

[GrimCoconut]

As hard as it seems to defend Elam nowadays, It's pretty inaccurate to say Elam hasn't shown flashes, he has, it's just that his play hasn't been consistent. 

Oh, I think all the coaches are concerned with Elam. Anytime you have to take a former first rounder that started 15 games a season ago and cut down their snaps, you're not going to be happy.

I would agree to this and I would even go as far as to say Elam is doing things right and playing well in game, but just not tackling. I think there would be a night and day difference in how people saw his play if he didn't miss so many tackles

The tackling is a real issue and it really needs to be remedied. If it isn't, he is gone because there is no sense in having a safety that cannot tackle and perform the most important role a safety brings. He isn't generating TO like Ed Reed. 

 

For every game Elam looks good, there seem to be more where he gets abused. I almost want to call the crisis center it's that bad at times. He's very hot and cold. But more than anything, Elam needs to fix that tackling. I think he stays next year but if he doesn't fix his game, he is gone in 2016. 

[BmoreBird22]

The tackling is a real issue and it really needs to be remedied. If it isn't, he is gone because there is no sense in having a safety that cannot tackle and perform the most important role a safety brings. He isn't generating TO like Ed Reed. 

 

For every game Elam looks good, there seem to be more where he gets abused. I almost want to call the crisis center it's that bad at times. He's very hot and cold. But more than anything, Elam needs to fix that tackling. I think he stays next year but if he doesn't fix his game, he is gone in 2016. 

I think the tackling is 100% the key to his game being so much better. I see Elam in the backfield so often, getting to the quarterback often, getting to a receiver right at the LoS, etc, but he just does not tackle well. I think we started to see him try to wrap up more as the season progressed, but he still wasn't bringing his man down. Hopefully that's something that changes.

[AsianRice]

I think the tackling is 100% the key to his game being so much better. I see Elam in the backfield so often, getting to the quarterback often, getting to a receiver right at the LoS, etc, but he just does not tackle well. I think we started to see him try to wrap up more as the season progressed, but he still wasn't bringing his man down. Hopefully that's something that changes.

yeah, he needs to tackle like Pollard; straight up smacking the ball carriers' face.....

[PurpleCity5]

I would agree to this and I would even go as far as to say Elam is doing things right and playing well in game, but just not tackling. I think there would be a night and day difference in how people saw his play if he didn't miss so many tackles

Tackling and coverage has been a struggle, but he hasn't shown flashes? That's kind of unfair to Elam IMO, he made big plays in Indy and Cincy.