[News] Ravens Not Satisfied, But Have High Hopes For Matt Elam

[BR News]

The 2013 first-round draft pick is carrying himself with more confidence and has lost eight pounds of fat.

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[Bleedpurple&black52]

Elam it's time to PUT UP or SHUT UP!

[CJBLAKE]

Can someone help me out a little bit with the Arthur Brown situation? What exactly are we looking for from him? Is he too slow? too small? not enough "football i.q" What are the things the coaches may be telling him that this is what he needs to do to see more snaps?

[ellicottraven]

Bottom line is precisely what was said. Either they play well enough to get on the field or they don't and get cut. No point carrying talent that cannot break out. There is way too much talent out there waiting to be discovered. Art Brown and Matt Elam should figure out a way to play well or make way for some others who do. Bottom line.

[stixfix69]

Brown apparently had issues picking up schemes, and having issues shedding blocks, which is key for a ILBer.....Plus with D.Smith playing like a beast, and C.J being a stud, it was hard fro him to get PT....But he has the opportunity to get it in gear, knowing we are looking for a replacement for D.Smith, once he retires....DePriest might give him a run for his money in camp.....

[ALSKAN RAVEN FAN]

Tackling 101 is where it's at Elam. It's all on your shoulders to prove wether or not you belong on this team.

[Maryland]

Elam will be camp fodder, a little competition to help make Nick Perry be the best player he can be.

[Guest]

If Harbaugh thinks Elam is remotely capable of filling the Ed Reed role he's hallucinating.

We have had no one back there that can dissuade a passing game since Reed was not resigned.

Still firmly believe the Ed Reed that just retired is better than anything we flashed back there last year.

[stixfix69]

Will be very difficult for Elam to get cut, Oz holds onto 1st and 2nd round picks longer than he should sometimes....If anything he might try to trade him down the road, if Perry, and Lewis really shine.....JMO...

[reed20fence]

Hey im with the PSL holder in Portland. Can the team do some activities for Ravens fans around the country to have a chamce to get closer to the team when they're in town for away games?

Also, the take away hashtag from that call #walesengland

Here's lookin at you Sandusky! ROFL

Edited May 13, 2015 by reed20fence

[Saxxin]

Make or break year for Brown. Elam will get another year regardless.

[huntrgathrr]

The Ravens hired Kendrick Lewis because they needed an NFL safety. Unfortunately everyone pretty much agrees that Elam is not an NFL caliber safety. To expect him to "blossom" this year is far fetched. It's doubtful he'll see the field that much and be cut either this year or next year. Ozzie doesn't get them all right.

[RavensReck27]

Most of you guys have given up on Elam.  He was only a sophomore last year! When he has a rebound season this year I will gladly remind you guys about how much you doubted him. Kendrick Lewis is here to help Elam grow, and be a solid option at SS until Elam is ready. I like Lewis, and I think he will do well alongside Will Hill, but I still believe Elam is our guy in the long run. Wait and see boys, wait and see.

Edited May 13, 2015 by RavensReck27

[thecommish]

I really believe that we will see improvment in Elams game.... he didnt play bad as a rookie... not as well as we had hoped but not bad either. I think we will see him break out of that sophomore slump....and see improvement.... but he will need to make plays in limited time.... bc Lewis and Hill will be the starters. I am not as optimistic about Aruthur Brown.... and I get that CJ and DSmith are playing at a high level but Arthur is not even dressing for many games and not contributing even via special teams... little worried about ABROWN hope he proves us all wrong! Would love to see him and CJ securing the middle for a long time to come!

[RavensReck27]

The reason why I still have hope in Arthur Brown is that he is very fast and quick on his feet for a LB. Mosley will take over as the head of the ILB once D. Smith goes, and once he does, having an illusive ILB to play alongside Mosley would be a great combo. By illusive I mean a ILB that is great at spying QB's, covering RB's, and covering TE's. Kind of like the Patrick Willis/NaVorro Bowman ILB combo. If Arthur Brown can stay healthy and get it together, he could very well be that guy. Either way, we were fine without him last year. So we can only get better with Brown's current situation.

Edited May 13, 2015 by RavensReck27

[Joey Flac]

with good veterans behind him, Will Hill and Kendrick Lewis, he can play sub-saftey packages and play more in the box. He never had good leadership back deep... James Ihedigbo, Darian Stewart and Michael Huff??

We won't have to play him because he is a healthy body. We can use him strategically..

I'm more high on Terrance Brooks doe.

[Rasenshuriken84]

well it's really a make or break year for elam, he was fairly decent as a rookie and was pretty horrible last year. he has the tools to be good just needs to shore up his tackling and that will get him some more pt.

[harfordravenfan]

I really believe that we will see improvment in Elams game.... he didnt play bad as a rookie... not as well as we had hoped but not bad either. I think we will see him break out of that sophomore slump....and see improvement.... but he will need to make plays in limited time.... bc Lewis and Hill will be the starters. I am not as optimistic about Aruthur Brown.... and I get that CJ and DSmith are playing at a high level but Arthur is not even dressing for many games and not contributing even via special teams... little worried about ABROWN hope he proves us all wrong! Would love to see him and CJ securing the middle for a long time to come!

Moving elam into different positions caused him to struggle last year (at least some of his struggles) but now safety position has been filled with some real competition so elam has an uphill battle but hoping for best. Can elam or brown play special teams?

[RavensReck27]

Elam has said that he is in the best shape of his life right now. Coming off a bad season, Elam is going to be playing with a fire in him this year. Starting Kendrick Lewis at SS over Elam will be a good move to start off the season. Now Elam will have to EARN the starting job, which he hasn't really had to do in the past.

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

Elam was the lowest-graded player on the Ravens defense and the 78th-ranked safety in the NFL, per PFF. Elam is a very prideful player, and the struggles naturally bothered him.

What has Elam done to get better on the Off Season?

The facts flat out said everything except he sttinks, and not only was he a waste of a furst round pick, but he ranked worse than even undrafted safeties last year. Wow. What a bust

[runcontrol]

If Harbaugh thinks Elam is remotely capable of filling the Ed Reed role he's hallucinating. We have had no one back there that can dissuade a passing game since Reed was not resigned. Still firmly believe the Ed Reed that just retired is better than anything we flashed back there last year.

 

From my understanding Harbaugh doesn't think Elam will fill Reed's role.  That's why  he signed Hill and drafted Brooks.  We will probably never see a safety play with instincts like Reed , but Hill and Brooks have the potential to follow in his footsteps.

[RavensReck27]

Can someone help me out a little bit with the Arthur Brown situation? What exactly are we looking for from him? Is he too slow? too small? not enough "football i.q" What are the things the coaches may be telling him that this is what he needs to do to see more snaps?

He is actually very fast for a ILB.  His biggest problem is injuries. His injuries set him back in his development. If he can stay healthy this offseason, we may finally see what he is capable of.

[Jeff_Raven247]

What position does Ozzie expect A.Brown to play?? Mosley and Smith rarely take plays off and were stacked at OLB base .........Before we picked Mosley A.Brown was HYPED up...Maybe we can throw him at FS lol

[RavenzOz]

IMHO Safety is the position requiring the highest football-IQ of any position on both sides of the ball (OK Except maybe QB). It probably has the steepest learning/development curve between college and the NFL because of the limited offensive variation a college Safety will be exposed to compared to what they will face in the NFL.

 

I loved Matt's attitude when he was first drafted, and had high hopes for the guy, hope he makes this his year. I remember another DB called Jimmy who was constantly regarded with scorn around here two-three years back, and he came good. Hopefully Matt can too.

Edited May 13, 2015 by RavenzOz

[FLBoyRaven]

Kendrick Lewis is a huge upgrade already. I just dont know whos going to play SS. I wish Brooks didnt get hurt because me being a fsu fan like his style of play and it showed in his first yr. Hill will most likley play SS but I still believe Matt just needs a good yr playing one position. He isnt the smartest most instinctive saftey weve seen. I wanted Swearinger and i think hes a goor player but he just got released. Just saying give the man some time, we have had the injury bug a lot.

[Dorota]

with good veterans behind him, Will Hill and Kendrick Lewis, he can play sub-saftey packages and play more in the box. He never had good leadership back deep... James Ihedigbo, Darian Stewart and Michael Huff?? We won't have to play him because he is a healthy body. We can use him strategically.. I'm more high on Terrance Brooks doe.

Ehm, what exactly is your quarrel with James Ihedigbo? I was sad to see him price himself out and go to the Lions. He brought veteran leadership into the locker room, he elevated the game and showed his prowess on the field and he was good with the media too as he was an intelligent speaker.

 

Oh, and while he was on the roster, Elam did not shame himself. Remember when Huff turned out to be a bust and Elam got the start by game 2 and played well all season?

[FLBoyRaven]

A. Brown on the other hand Idk if the guy loves football that much but i havent seen or heard the hunger to want to be great.

[mettro79]

I have always had hope that Elam would pan out because I really dug him in college, but with our recent acquisitions at Safety it may not be a good situation for him to break out.

[brob99]

I am routing for the kid because he flies around with enthusiasm, but so far he has stunk it up.

Only consolation being most of the 1st rounders from 2013 were busts.

In the offseason last year his improvements were hyped-up, but if you are a short db, without ballskills, that never wraps up, you can't play.

[reed20fence]

Ok can we just all agree on one thing, NO ONE is supposed to "replace Ed Reed." Guys that are being discussed as First Ballot Hallers and statue people don't just "get replaced." He's ranked 6th all-time in picks so think about it, are you really saying we're supposed to replace talent like that just by sheer will in the very next draft after we part ways with him? Reality doesn't work that way.it'll take some time for this league, much less the Ravens, to find a guy that has the impact that this generation of retiring safeties has had on the game.