Marlon Brown

[JoeyFlex5]

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.

i never said it wasnt there i said it was a consistency thing, sometimes you'll see him and his big frame completely fail to go after the ball and its just like "why are you even 6'5"?" lol but yes it was a bigger problem his rookie season and he did improve on it this year, but he still doesnt do it consistently, and as for the 77% completion, he was wide open on alot of his catches, especially later in the season when it seemed like 3rd down plays were schemed to get him open.

[dhstandard]

The guy can catch but can't get open.  I'd rather have a guy that may have a few drops on occasion but gets open more often.  

[FlocksGottaFeed]

I think Marlon and Cap have the potential of becoming more relevant possession receivers in Trestman's scheme. I'm seeing more screen aided dink-and-dunks coming to loosen up defenses early. It appeared that Marlon was used for a lot of overload zone patterns (decoy) to free-up target zones for SSS and/or Torrey last season. However when he was used as the actual target, he came through along with Cap.

 

With Trestman, they both will see more targets.

[gabefergy]

I think Marlon and Cap have the potential of becoming more relevant possession receivers in Trestman's scheme. I'm seeing more screen aided dink-and-dunks coming to loosen up defenses early. It appeared that Marlon was used for a lot of overload zone patterns (decoy) to free-up target zones for SSS and/or Torrey last season. However when he was used as the actual target, he came through along with Cap.

With Trestman, they both will see more targets.

A lot will depend on what the Ravens do in FA and the draft, but I doubt Marlon sees much more in targets. Trestman's offense ran predominantly through the top 2 WRs in Chicago, similar to what we do here.

[JoeyFlex5]

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.

thank you, people dont realize that marlon brown is on the field quite often, and his couple of clutch catches late in the season were due to scheme. he cant get open by his own ability, and he cant make contested catches as well as a 6'5" receiver should, which is why joe doesnt give him the chance to make the jumpballs, because he knows he lacks the body control and physicality to come down with it. 

 

the simple fact is, he was a surprise last year and he was on nobodies radar, and he made a few nice little plays, but in the end he is not good enough to take reps from a 36 year old SSS, a career PS player in aiken, a undersized 7th round rookie in camp, or torrey smith, fielding marlon brown over any of them likely hurts the team. 

 

if we want a slot receiver, we should be looking at giving camp the reps as long as he is healthy, there were many times where he looked like the best player on the field when he wasnt hurt, and i dont think it was a coincidence or anything, campanaro is legit and a much better wr than marlon brown, all he needs to do is stay healthy.

[Kid87]

These team is full of #3 wideouts. Marlon, Jacoby, Kamar, and Camp. Kamar is the best of them. Marlon is probably the next. We got restructure Jacoby's deal or cut him. Aint nothin personal. Just Business.  

[jazz1988]

Marlon Brown skill sets is pretty similar to former Jets/Bills receiver David Nelson. He's not a slot receiver like Micheal Campanaro but like Anquan Boldin/David Nelson he has the quickness and size to cause match up problems in the slot.   I think his upside can be that of Marques Colston but it seem like Gary Kubiak preferred using Marlon Brown on crossing routes  when  ever he was on the field. There were moments when Brown was open for  a big play  but Flacco didn't see him.

[HoldingCall]

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. 

 

There are many undrafted players who eventually have outstanding NFL careers so that shouldn't cloud your opinion. Scouts don't judge the upward potential of a player so they don't always catch the hidden gem. Marlon hasn't given me reason to doubt him, he just block and catch passes when asked to do so.

[HoldingCall]

Marlon Brown skill sets is pretty similar to former Jets/Bills receiver David Nelson. He's not a slot receiver like Micheal Campanaro but like Anquan Boldin/David Nelson he has the quickness and size to cause match up problems in the slot.   I think his upside can be that of Marques Colston but it seem like Gary Kubiak preferred using Marlon Brown on crossing routes  when  ever he was on the field. There were moments when Brown was open for  a big play  but Flacco didn't see him.

I noticed that in the playoff game.

[HoldingCall]

dhstandard, on 17 Feb 2015 - 11:24 PM, said:

The guy can catch but can't get open.  I'd rather have a guy that may have a few drops on occasion but gets open more often.  

It's still early in Brown's career, so time will tell either way. Didn't we hear the same about Anquan Boldin? Of course he's not Boldin nor a number one but is very useful.

[JoeyFlex5]

It's still early in Brown's career, so time will tell either way. Didn't we hear the same about Anquan Boldin? Of course he's not Boldin nor a number one but is very useful.

boldin couldnt get separation, but he was nearly always open because of his incredible ball skills and his linebacker-like strength, marlon brown doesnt have a fraction of boldins ball skills and is soft for his size.

[HoldingCall]

boldin couldnt get separation, but he was nearly always open because of his incredible ball skills and his linebacker-like strength, marlon brown doesnt have a fraction of boldins ball skills and is soft for his size.

Not saying Marlon is a number one, two or three, he'll have to prove and earn whatever he gets but I do think he has the ability to progress upward from last season. I may have misinterpreted some post that seem to question whether he belongs on the field. I have seen more evidence to suggest he belongs than not. How much, depends on the new OC, Joe, and Marlon.

[gtalk12]

Boldin just made life easier for everyone, and lets not forget we had a healthy Dennis Pitta.

 

I think ultimately this is what has caused T. Smith issues, defenses really keyed in on him more than before.

 

With Dennis healthy Smith would have had much more explosive plays more often and maybe change how we feel about Marlon. Brown would really take advantage of the fact defenses would key in on everyone else MUCH more.

 

Sucks

[JoeyFlex5]

Not saying Marlon is a number one, two or three, he'll have to prove and earn whatever he gets but I do think he has the ability to progress upward from last season. I may have misinterpreted some post that seem to question whether he belongs on the field. I have seen more evidence to suggest he belongs than not. How much, depends on the new OC, Joe, and Marlon.

the only reason i think he belongs on the field is due to our current wr corps. as long as we have no better options than sure field him all day, but we need to upgrade the wr position big time and marlon will probably be one of the first to hit the inactive list when we find a new wr

[HoldingCall]

the only reason i think he belongs on the field is due to our current wr corps. as long as we have no better options than sure field him all day, but we need to upgrade the wr position big time and marlon will probably be one of the first to hit the inactive list when we find a new wr

I disagree with your assessment on Brown but respect your opinion. I think he's better than you and some view him but time will tell. I'm also concerned about the TE position and hope the team can address it in the draft. Of the 12 playoff teams the ravens tie for last in 3rd down percentage at 25% during the playoffs; a major weakness. A dominate TE will help in that situation if one is available. 

[FlocksGottaFeed]

A lot will depend on what the Ravens do in FA and the draft, but I doubt Marlon sees much more in targets. Trestman's offense ran predominantly through the top 2 WRs in Chicago, similar to what we do here.

You're absolutely right about Trestman's offense targeting the top 2 receivers. As far as the other targets, I'm not sure if that was more personell driven than what he really wanted to do with the slot and tight-ends.

 

For example: Forte had over 100 receptions and I don't foresee those kinds of numbers coming from our backfield (not saying that it couldn't happen). I think 50+ of those targets will go to 3 and 4 receivers. I believe the tight-end production won't fall-off considerably, but the 3/4 receivers may probably get about 25+ of those targets, as well.

 

True. Trestman will not change the offense much, but he will scheme for Joe and our personnel using the advantages of our much more balanced distribution system approach - everybody contributes.

[gabefergy]

You're absolutely right about Trestman's offense targeting the top 2 receivers. As far as the other targets, I'm not sure if that was more personell driven than what he really wanted to do with the slot and tight-ends.

 

For example: Forte had over 100 receptions and I don't foresee those kinds of numbers coming from our backfield (not saying that it couldn't happen). I think 50+ of those targets will go to 3 and 4 receivers. I believe the tight-end production won't fall-off considerably, but the 3/4 receivers may probably get about 25+ of those targets, as well.

 

True. Trestman will not change the offense much, but he will scheme for Joe and our personnel using the advantages of our much more balanced distribution system approach - everybody contributes.

That's a good point with Forte being such a big part of the passing game. I don't see that happening here to the same extent. I just don't see Marlon seeing a big up-tick in targets unless we let Torrey walk and don't bring in a viable replacement.

[FlocksGottaFeed]

That's a good point with Forte being such a big part of the passing game. I don't see that happening here to the same extent. I just don't see Marlon seeing a big up-tick in targets unless we let Torrey walk and don't bring in a viable replacement.

I'm thinking that if both Smiths are still here their targets will probably not change too much. You're right about the 1 and 2 receivers in Testman's scheme - they will get the lion's share of targets . The Bears top 2 had similar numbers to our top 2 in 2014.

 

I just have a feeling this season with us playing NFCW, he will dink-and-dunk early in games to open-up the downfield game. We will face more elite front 7s than we've done in a long time. Aiken, Marlon, Cap, TEs, draft picks and/or whoever shines this offseason should have increased targets if we want to stay balanced and unpredictable in our offense.

[HoldingCall]

Last night I watched the nfl network replay of the Ravens and Patriots game. I saw the important contribution of both Brown and Campanaro to the offensive success of that game. I'm not sure what others are not seeing, both are very good and should be a part of the team going forward unless they regress or suffer injuries.

[jazz1988]

the only reason i think he belongs on the field is due to our current wr corps. as long as we have no better options than sure field him all day, but we need to upgrade the wr position big time and marlon will probably be one of the first to hit the inactive list when we find a new wr

It usually takes three years before a player starts to really get comfortable. I don't think Marlon Brown was bad at all last season but he did have a down year.  We shall see how he develops in his  third year in the same offensive system.

[BmoreBird22]

Last night I watched the nfl network replay of the Ravens and Patriots game. I saw the important contribution of both Brown and Campanaro to the offensive success of that game. I'm not sure what others are not seeing, both are very good and should be a part of the team going forward unless they regress or suffer injuries.

I think that spoke more to Kubiak being a very aggressive play caller and Joe being very willing to spread the ball around. Very early in the game, 10 different receivers had caught passes. Camp could be a valuable slot option down the line and a good rotational player now, but neither will be a major part of the offense if the Ravens want to be successful on offense. They should just be role players

[757RavensFan]

Last night I watched the nfl network replay of the Ravens and Patriots game. I saw the important contribution of both Brown and Campanaro to the offensive success of that game. I'm not sure what others are not seeing, both are very good and should be a part of the team going forward unless they regress or suffer injuries.

 

I watched that as well. Camp and Brown were instrumental in getting points on the board.  I think/hope they continue to grow w/ the new OC.  I really like their upside.  BTW, I couldn't watch the replay after we went up 28-14.  The rest of the game was too painful to watch again. 

[HoldingCall]

I think that spoke more to Kubiak being a very aggressive play caller and Joe being very willing to spread the ball around. Very early in the game, 10 different receivers had caught passes. Camp could be a valuable slot option down the line and a good rotational player now, but neither will be a major part of the offense if the Ravens want to be successful on offense. They should just be role players

Interesting statement! We've not seen Campanaro beyond his rookie season or Marlon beyond year two. Both had very few drops and contributed when called upon. Steve and Torrey had the major roles but neither is a lock to be here next season. Until that's clear I will not limit Camp's or Marlon's future potential on the team. Keep in mind that a top draft pick at receiver does not make their success in the NFL a guarantee for them or their team.

[HoldingCall]

I watched that as well. Camp and Brown were instrumental in getting points on the board.  I think/hope they continue to grow w/ the new OC.  I really like their upside.  BTW, I couldn't watch the replay after we went up 28-14.  The rest of the game was too painful to watch again. 

I believe the potential of these two players showed up. I just don't get how one can contribute their success in that game to scheme only, when the best schemes fall apart without the right players in place. Both proved they can play a major part in the offense when/if given the chance. I see upside in both players if they stay healthy.

 

Watching the game wasn't painful this time around, maybe due to it being condensed to one hour.

[BmoreBird22]

Interesting statement! We've not seen Campanaro beyond his rookie season or Marlon beyond year two. Both had very few drops and contributed when called upon. Steve and Torrey had the major roles but neither is a lock to be here next season. Until that's clear I will not limit Camp's or Marlon's future potential on the team. Keep in mind that a top draft pick at receiver does not make their success in the NFL a guarantee for them or their team.

Right, they played very well when called upon. Marlon Brown seemed to do much better in a more limited role. It's not a knock on him because if he can perform when called upon, then great, but there's no need to force too much on them. Let them do what they do best and contribute situationally.

[The Raven]

I think that spoke more to Kubiak being a very aggressive play caller and Joe being very willing to spread the ball around. Very early in the game, 10 different receivers had caught passes. Camp could be a valuable slot option down the line and a good rotational player now, but neither will be a major part of the offense if the Ravens want to be successful on offense. They should just be role players

 

I don't think we should say Camp is just a role player. Maybe that's what he was in 2014, but I want to see him as the full time slot receiver in 2015, barring any crazy signing, great draft pick, or freak development from Kamar or Marlon. He showed me enough  that I want him on the field way more. He can be a big contributor.

[Purple Punishment]

I don't think we should say Camp is just a role player. Maybe that's what he was in 2014, but I want to see him as the full time slot receiver in 2015, barring any crazy signing, great draft pick, or freak development from Kamar or Marlon. He showed me enough that I want him on the field way more. He can be a big contributor.

I agree. He proved to hold his own when he was on the field. Good quickness and elusiveness. I think he has a huge upside

[HoldingCall]

Right, they played very well when called upon. Marlon Brown seemed to do much better in a more limited role. It's not a knock on him because if he can perform when called upon, then great, but there's no need to force too much on them. Let them do what they do best and contribute situationally.

Compared to what? There are only 2 seasons to evaluated him and he did even better when used more during his rookie year. I'm just saying there is little on-the-field evidence to support holding him back. He's not the outside speedster to stretch the field but there is an effective place for him. He's a good blocker and belongs on the field.

 

Campanaro is another who appear to have a lot of upside but been judged by some based on just one season. Steelers Antonio Brown played in 9 games as a rookie and had just 167 yards receiving. Lets give these guys time to develop and blossom into good NFL players.

[hawkprey]

I was very skeptical of Marlon but when healthy he was great. I'd like to see him on the field more.

[BmoreBird22]

I don't think we should say Camp is just a role player. Maybe that's what he was in 2014, but I want to see him as the full time slot receiver in 2015, barring any crazy signing, great draft pick, or freak development from Kamar or Marlon. He showed me enough  that I want him on the field way more. He can be a big contributor.

I agree for when Steve is done, but it seems like the Ravens wanted Steve to be the slot receiver when he came to Baltimore and obviously things didn't go as planned, but I do like Camp a lot.