Marlon Brown

[gtalk12]

Let me start off by saying I think they need to get the ball in this guys hands A LOT more. It seems as if every single time he is targeted he comes down with the catch. Not only that but he goes after the ball instead of letting it come to him.

 

Why wasn't he used as much? I feel like he has big play written all over him. His rookie season showed us 7 TD's but it dropped because of Steve Smith.

 

What are your thoughts on his production and potential? Am I the only one he sees a guy who can be a number 1 threat for this team?

[GrimCoconut]

I think he'll have a good year under Trestman

[Alexir]

Aiken  outperformed him though..and they want to get Camp more involved So he was basically a 4 on this team and now will need to fight for more snaps from Camp....So, no, I don't see him being a Number 1

[757RavensFan]

Marlon doesn't even make it as the 3rd receiver as long as Torrey and Steve Smith are on the team. 

[Willbacker]

I agree with the op. It seemed like every time he was targeted he was coming up with the ball especially on some 3rd downs. He's stepping up next year imo.

[JoeyFlex5]

marlon brown looks good on a few occasions because of scheming, those plays are designed to get him open as a "surprise" target so to speak. marlon, contrary to popular belief, has problems taking advantage of his frame, he has a tendency to get alligator arms and doesnt consistently attack the ball, he has below average body control and has trouble positioning himself to "box out" defenders for the ball. 

 

im not sold on neither brown nor aiken, i think our best bet for a slot guy is campanaro, and i think as an outside threat, aiken is a better option. marlon can still be good but it was kinda obvious that his clutch catches were a result of scheme. hes a decent 3rd down target but once defenses start to get familiar he will disappear.

[Wildabeast88]

Personally I like Marlon a lot he showed a lot of potential as a rookie and I believe he could build off of that a be a good WR. As mentioned he will be behind Steve and Torrey if he's still around. I also like Aiken and Camp but Camp really shouldn't get a ton of run because he's around to make the tough catches which is what Steve does. I would definately give Marlon more run personally.

[Ravenslifer]

Let me start off by saying I think they need to get the ball in this guys hands A LOT more. It seems as if every single time he is targeted he comes down with the catch. Not only that but he goes after the ball instead of letting it come to him.

 

Why wasn't he used as much? I feel like he has big play written all over him. His rookie season showed us 7 TD's but it dropped because of Steve Smith.

 

What are your thoughts on his production and potential? Am I the only one he sees a guy who can be a number 1 threat for this team?

 

I'm going to go with the fact that he was a second year player trying to pick up an entirely new offensive scheme sitting behind 3 guys in Torrey, Senior, and Jacoby, all of whom have a lot more NFL experience and Jacoby, who he was trying to beat out, having both familiarity with the WCO in general and with Kubiak's version in particular.  I expect a second year in the WCO will help him out, as well as the fact that Trestman likes to use big-bodied receiving targets in his schemes a lot.

[Edgar]

He has shown a propensity to make big plays in pressure situations. All he does is catch what comes his way.

[gtalk12]

I'm going to go with the fact that he was a second year player trying to pick up an entirely new offensive scheme sitting behind 3 guys in Torrey, Senior, and Jacoby, all of whom have a lot more NFL experience and Jacoby, who he was trying to beat out, having both familiarity with the WCO in general and with Kubiak's version in particular.  I expect a second year in the WCO will help him out, as well as the fact that Trestman likes to use big-bodied receiving targets in his schemes a lot.

 

 

He has shown a propensity to make big plays in pressure situations. All he does is catch what comes his way.

 

 

This is EXACTLY what I was thinking

[Sizzlebshu]

People need to stop this. It is getting a bit ridiculous. The guy went undrafted for a reason and it was not just his injury. He is not a quality starter for us. He may not ever be and we shouldn't expect him to be. 

 

That being said, he has been better than we expected and is a benefit to us as a role player and that is fine and good for us. 

[gtalk12]

People need to stop this. It is getting a bit ridiculous. The guy went undrafted for a reason and it was not just his injury. He is not a quality starter for us. He may not ever be and we shouldn't expect him to be. 

 

That being said, he has been better than we expected and is a benefit to us as a role player and that is fine and good for us. 

 

Many players have gone undrafted for several reasons. That being said, 7Td's his rookie year is impressive. He has tools other WR's don't have and he is very big.

 

I for one see potential in him that I didn't see in other WR's we've actually drafted in the past minus T. Smith

[ludy51]

Wow, the hate some feel for brown is ridiculous.

[MTRavensFan]

I don't know, I've seen Marlon be aggressive and go up and fight for the ball, it's what I like best about him.

 

I find it interesting that all of our receivers (Torrey, Marlon, Jacoby) seemed to have regressed last year under Kubiak, while the newer guys (Sr., Camp and Aiken, and OD - a surprisingly nice addition) created some spark and earned some playing time. Maybe it was the system, maybe it was having to learn a new system every year,maybe the learning curve was too steep, maybe it was lack of coaching....But the general consensus has been that all three of those guys - Torrey, Marlon, and Jacoby - have the talent and potential to play WAY better than they did last year.

 

God bless you, Gary, for patching up the OLine and fixing the run game, I'm really hoping Trestman can do the same for the passing game.

[gtalk12]

By the way, being undrafted in the NFL does not mean you can't be a very good player.

 

A simple google search shows some of the top players who where undrafted.

 

Face is Marlon produced his rookie year and to expect growth from him shouldn't be seen as a crazy idea.

[PurpleCity5]

I know what you mean. I remember his rookie year, after seeing it I didn't believe we needed to take a WR round 1, especially with Phil Simms or whoever it was speaking highly of Marlon Brown. I felt that the biggest problem was the offensive Line that year. 

 

To be quiet honest, I actually thought that Marlon was going to have a break out season, I imagined he'd be a great compliment to Torrey, and both guys would break the 1000 barrier. In his rookie year so many people spoke very highly of him.

 

It was OTA's and Camp. Steve and Torrey out preformed Marlon. Had that not been the situation, Marlon probably would've been the #2 WR and he's a legit red-zone threat BTW, he thrived there in his rookie year.  

 

O well, maybe it was the sophomore slump?

[Bruce_Almty]

Marlon & Kamar both have a completion % > 70 based on limited targets while the Smith brothers are both < 60% with more than 90 targets each. Fact is both went undrafted yet both show solid ability. Or do they? Ozzie didn't draft a receiver last yr until the 7th round but did bring in a vet (SSS) in the off season. While Harbaugh sees the ability of these guys every day in practice yet both get minimal playing time. With 2 seasons as Ravens it's hard to tell which way (success or failure) these 2 will go or which way (confidence in them or not) mgmt. is leaning. Gtalk12 likes Marlon while sizzlebshu is not convinced; I agree with both.

 

Perhaps this draft//offseason will help clear the fog of uncertainty and next season we will know their future as Ravens.

[Tiz]

He wasn't used as much because he had a bad camp which pushed him down the depth chart. Think he was getting set up to be the third wr before camp struggles

[RaineV1]

Marlon Brown is an okay possession receiver but that's about it. He doesn't have the speed or physicality needed to be a top target on the outside, and I really don't think he can beat a top corner one on one. He's at his best when other receivers take up the defense's attention and he's allowed to work against a linebacker or safety.

[Pirate88]

I like Marlon, he has some good raw skills and can make plays on the ball. He has good athleticism but sloppy body control. For a 6'4 guy he is just as sudden in his breaks as Torrey who looks good at times in his breaks and stiff other times. However he doesn't take advantage of his frame nearly enough!! He is however natural catching the ball from different positions and dimensions, at various speeds something Torrey really struggles with. But like I said Joe doesn't trust him to use that skill cuz although very athletic his body control is very sloppy and inefficient. His production is intriguing at times but he mostly isn't doing it against the opponents top2 Corners.

Brown is no doubt behind Steve Smith and Torrey on the depth chart. And the speedy shifty Campanaro is the guy coaching rightfully wants to get more reps as the chain moving slot receiver in the west coast/spread timing offense. My opinion on Brown is he does have "potential" to be a good #2 and a 1000 yard 8+ TD WR. However he has lots of strides he needs to make and needs to work very hard on routes and detail. He needs to dedicate his off season to working to become a starter in the NFL. He needs to hire a retired WR and work with him as well as a college or backup QB like Wenning and treat his off season as part of his job!! He does have potential but a lot of work to get better and sharpen the edges. Actually I would like Joe and Camp to join him in off season practicing to be in flawless sync and work on every detail of routes and execution against various defensive coverage schemes as well as any WR/TE the ravens bring in through the draft or free agency.

[balfan23]

He's a fine #3 WR ... and at present, we have about 3 or 4 of those. Quite a battle to get on the field. 

[ellicottraven]

I think Marc Trestman will have Marlon Brown as our #2 WR whether Torrey is signed or not. Steve Smith Sr. will be relegated to #3 WR if Torrey is signed. Just makes too much sense in my view.

 

However, if we draft a wide out high in the draft, then I wouldn't be surprised to see Torrey relegated to #3 WR.

[gabefergy]

This is going to come across as unpopular opinion, but there is a reason he wasn't on the field very often. Perhaps more damning, he was on the field more than you think and just not being very productive.

Yards Per Route Run is a metric that really does a great job of determining a WR's effectivenses when he is on the field and running routes. I've seen quite a few posts intimating that all he needs is a chance, but the numbers suggest this is not the case. In 2013 Marlon played a lot due to the lack of depth we had at WR. He managed a paltry 1.01 yards per route run. In 2014 he managed to increase that number to 1.08 yards per route run. Let me just say up front that isn't very good. Other Ravens WRs fared much better in this metric. Steve Smith was at a very impressive 2.16, Campanaro was even better at 2.55. Aiken posted a very respectable 1.85 and Torrey came in at 1.65.

In the end, Marlon seems best served as a 4th or 5th WR. He has good size, but he just does not consistently get open, especially vs man coverage. He is probably best served as a slot WR, but I don't think he is a better option than Campanaro moving forward.

[PurpleCity5]

I think Marc Trestman will have Marlon Brown as our #2 WR whether Torrey is signed or not. Steve Smith Sr. will be relegated to #3 WR if Torrey is signed. Just makes too much sense in my view.

 

However, if we draft a wide out high in the draft, then I wouldn't be surprised to see Torrey relegated to #3 WR.

I don't think we'll resign Torrey if our approach is to draft a WR high. Even now I'm fairly convinced that Torrey may be gone and we could be looking at WR early. Just not enough cap at all. 

[usmccharles]

I think Marc Trestman will have Marlon Brown as our #2 WR whether Torrey is signed or not. Steve Smith Sr. will be relegated to #3 WR if Torrey is signed. Just makes too much sense in my view.

However, if we draft a wide out high in the draft, then I wouldn't be surprised to see Torrey relegated to #3 WR.

we wouldn't be paying a wr3 5+ mill a year... Makes no sense.

[allblackraven]

People need to stop this. It is getting a bit ridiculous. The guy went undrafted for a reason and it was not just his injury. He is not a quality starter for us. He may not ever be and we shouldn't expect him to be. 

 

That being said, he has been better than we expected and is a benefit to us as a role player and that is fine and good for us. 

 

He may have gone undrafted but the injury is definitely the only reason for that. I'm not saying he would have been picked first two days but day 3, definitely.

[Purple_City39]

marlon brown looks good on a few occasions because of scheming, those plays are designed to get him open as a "surprise" target so to speak. marlon, contrary to popular belief, has problems taking advantage of his frame, he has a tendency to get alligator arms and doesnt consistently attack the ball, he has below average body control and has trouble positioning himself to "box out" defenders for the ball. 

 

im not sold on neither brown nor aiken, i think our best bet for a slot guy is campanaro, and i think as an outside threat, aiken is a better option. marlon can still be good but it was kinda obvious that his clutch catches were a result of scheme. hes a decent 3rd down target but once defenses start to get familiar he will disappear.

I disagree with everything bolded.  Marlon actually had decent body control his rookie season and improved upon that last year.  He does have an issue boxing out defender but not the rest.  Look at the concussion play last year.  Fully turned his body around, went up for the ball with fully outstretched arms, made the catch and held that ball tight even after his head slammed against the turf.  A QB doesn't thrown 77% completions to a WR with alligator arms either.  

 

Marlon doesn't have the top end speed you want and still needs work on his routes, but he definitely had good body control and willingness to stretch out for a pass.

[Sizzlebshu]

He may have gone undrafted but the injury is definitely the only reason for that. I'm not saying he would have been picked first two days but day 3, definitely.

The injury was not the only reason. His injury plus lack of skill is what led to it. The injury just put the nail in the coffin

[Sizzlebshu]

Many players have gone undrafted for several reasons. That being said, 7Td's his rookie year is impressive. He has tools other WR's don't have and he is very big.

I for one see potential in him that I didn't see in other WR's we've actually drafted in the past minus T. Smith

So did Stephen hill, tommy streeter etc...

Tds don't mean anything as a stat

[rmcjacket23]

So did Stephen hill, tommy streeter etc...

Tds don't mean anything as a stat

For the most part, I agree. I wouldn't say they mean nothing, but its certainly not a predictor of future success.

 

TDs, for the most part, are impossible to predict. Fans can't just think that because a guy scores 7 times in his rookie season that's he going to score 10+ every year after that, even with the same or increased usage.

 

Some of the elite of the elite WRs in history have struggled to score double digit TDs consistently, and Marlon Brown certainly isn't an exception to that.