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

[Purple&Black]

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.

Hill's natural position is free safety, and kendrick lewis is strong safety. I think you have it backwards. Unless someone shows out in the preseason, those two are likely the starters for the start of the year at least. I'm rooting for Brooks. ACL injuries usually take a year or so unless you're adrian Peterson. I expect him to take the reigns next year and be a tremendous asset

[jdynamite]

Well, last offseason I read plenty of articles about Matt Elam how he gained confidence within the defensive structure was playing more freely in practice, making calls, I even remember Ladarius Webb speaking glowly about Elam's improvement. To be honest even before he forced into playing CB with all the injuries he just wasn't playing well enough. Blowing a coverage here and there as a safety is understandable ( I mean I lived with Landry, Pollard, Ihedigbo biting on play fakes occasionally too ) but those guys were much better tacklers, way more reliable at making a tackle after giving up a reception. That's been a real disappoint for me how poorly Elam tackles. So even when he might have solid underneath coverage a miss tackle would lead to bigger gain.

Art Brown yeah I understand last year CJ and D.Smith played great, but I feel like Art Brown needs to at least find a way to get on special teams and impact the game there if he hopes to earn some PT. If he were a factor on ST he'd at least make the game day roster and occasionally get into defensive subpackages.

[Purple&Black]

I like elam, but there can be no more excuses. He used them all. This is his last year to show up. Remember jimmy took about til year 4 to break out. Maybe a light bulb will click, though I'm sure that is just wishful thinking

[Guest]

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.

 RavenzOz agree with you upon your assessment of the import of the Free Safety.  Unfortunately, we've not drafted well there since Reed.  As far as comparisons to Jimmy Smith before he became more aware, I'm am not in accord.

[Guest]

Well, last offseason I read plenty of articles about Matt Elam how he gained confidence within the defensive structure was playing more freely in practice, making calls, I even remember Ladarius Webb speaking glowly about Elam's improvement. To be honest even before he forced into playing CB with all the injuries he just wasn't playing well enough. Blowing a coverage here and there as a safety is understandable ( I mean I lived with Landry, Pollard, Ihedigbo biting on play fakes occasionally too ) but those guys were much better tacklers, way more reliable at making a tackle after giving up a reception. That's been a real disappoint for me how poorly Elam tackles. So even when he might have solid underneath coverage a miss tackle would lead to bigger gain.

Art Brown yeah I understand last year CJ and D.Smith played great, but I feel like Art Brown needs to at least find a way to get on special teams and impact the game there if he hopes to earn some PT. If he were a factor on ST he'd at least make the game day roster and occasionally get into defensive subpackages.

Pollard was our leading tackler the Championship Year.  Which means...we cut our Leading Tackler after Not Resigning our HOF Free Safety.  I still don't get it.  But as bad as our secondary was last year, we were close, but make no mistake, secondary, especially safety is still our Achilles Heel as a result of that "planning". 

[MissRay27]

Put Arthur Brown out of his misery and trade him to another team for at least a conditional pick. I would suggest he's at least worth that much. The first time Matt Elam misses more than one tackle in a game send him to the shower.

[boldtown]

would be surprised if elam makes it out of camp. and, i really hoped i am surprised.

[Mystigo_Dragon]

This reminds me of how lost Paul Kruger looked his first 2 years with the pressure the coaches put on him early on, trying to get Kruger to do so many things! 

 

It wasn't until the year before his tremendous final year that the "light bulb" finally came on for Kruger and he was able to sort it all out! 

 

I expect this is the case with Matt Elam - we're asking him to perform as a pro player and live up to his billing in two positions in a game faster than he was accustomed and the "bulb" hasn't quite lit for him yet! 

Edited May 13, 2015 by Mystigo_Dragon

[stixfix69]

Elam and Brown will get every opportunity to succeed simply because of where they were drafted, if they have a decent camp, then look for Oz to try to trade them, if they have a great camp, then good for us......

[fusuymada]

Ed Reed during his press conference said how he and Ray would watch film all off season so that when he got to the regular season and was watching film he was so much further ahead. That is what the greatest safety did during his off season time in the NFL. Elam spent his first offseason working in a shoe store and learning about the shoe trade for when he retires. I think the difference between a great safety and a sub-par safety is obvious. One is preparing himself for the next season, the other is preparing for when he leaves the NFL. Personally, I think they were both successful, Ed Reed prepared for a long stint in the NFL and Matt Elam is preparing for a short stint in the NFL and a long stint selling shoes. I don't think anything more needs to be said about Elam's dedication. I think that unless a major turn of events occurs with Elam's play on the field, then first round pick or not, he needs to go and we need to make space for someone who wants to dedicate themselves to football, not selling shoes.

[RavenManiac#7]

Pollard was our leading tackler the Championship Year.  Which means...we cut our Leading Tackler after Not Resigning our HOF Free Safety.  I still don't get it.  But as bad as our secondary was last year, we were close, but make no mistake, secondary, especially safety is still our Achilles Heel as a result of that "planning". 

Yeah, we cut our leading tackler, but you still don't get it? Don't you remember hearing anything about the "mutiny"? I thought Pollard was a big ingredient in that if I remember correctly. Did you really expect Harbaugh to keep him around after that? By the way, I didn't neg you. Someone else did that.

[ellicottraven]

In the past several years, there have been only a few of second round picks to pan out if memory serves me right. Ray Rice, Upshaw and K.O

[RavenManiac#7]

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.

I kind of agree with what you're saying, but what bothers me about him is that he isn't even being dressed for games. His best asset as an ILB, I always thought, is his speed. Well, if that's the case how come he can't even seem to be able to contribute on STs? I don't know. It just seems to me that something the coaches are seeing in practices must be holding him back. I mean, if he really is the plan for replacing D Smith, when he ages too much to continue to be effective, why isn't he dressing? What if Mosely or Smith, heaven forbid, get injured? Apparently, A Brown isn't Really being looked at as the "next guy up". I tend to believe that his spot on the roster is tenuous, at best. If he hadn't been a second round pick, one that we even moved up to get, I'm not so sure he would still even be on the roster. The powers to be tend to take their time giving up on 1st & 2nd rounders. But, what we're seeing is that Elam Can't tackle, and A Brown can't even impress enough to dress consistently. We just drafted a LB the team is high on. I think Brown is very lucky that LB is an OLB, not an ILB. I'm not sure about our UFA LBs. I just have a feeling that A Brown better show considerable improvement this time around if he wants to make our 53 man roster. This could very well be his make or break season as a Raven. Hope I'm wrong and that he plays like the FO envisioned he would when they drafted him, but I'm kind of skeptical.

[ellicottraven]

I also believe we have a talented safety group unlike most posters. Will Hill and Kendrick Lewis will be awesome in the back field when you couple them with Jimmy and Webby! Also, there is a great possibility that Matt Elam would pan out and Brooks is going to be back after 6 games on PUP. So, why is it so bad?

[Mystigo_Dragon]

Pollard was our leading tackler the Championship Year.  Which means...we cut our Leading Tackler after Not Resigning our HOF Free Safety.  I still don't get it.  But as bad as our secondary was last year, we were close, but make no mistake, secondary, especially safety is still our Achilles Heel as a result of that "planning". 

The entire Secondary was hit unusually hard by the injury bug! When in the history of the Ravens has one segment of one unit sustained so many season-ending injuries? I can't remember a year!

Besides, we were so busy trying to plug in and coach up guys each week that we never got a chance to get them squared away as a whole unit!

One could see that it was not the PLAY of the SAFETIES and corners that proved to be our Achilles' Heel,... it was clearly lapses in communication! 

[Tru11]

I kind of agree with what you're saying, but what bothers me about him is that he isn't even being dressed for games. His best asset as an ILB, I always thought, is his speed. Well, if that's the case how come he can't even seem to be able to contribute on STs? I don't know. It just seems to me that something the coaches are seeing in practices must be holding him back. I mean, if he really is the plan for replacing D Smith, when he ages too much to continue to be effective, why isn't he dressing? What if Mosely or Smith, heaven forbid, get injured? Apparently, A Brown isn't Really being looked at as the "next guy up". I tend to believe that his spot on the roster is tenuous, at best. If he hadn't been a second round pick, one that we even moved up to get, I'm not so sure he would still even be on the roster. The powers to be tend to take their time giving up on 1st & 2nd rounders. But, what we're seeing is that Elam Can't tackle, and A Brown can't even impress enough to dress consistently. We just drafted a LB the team is high on. I think Brown is very lucky that LB is an OLB, not an ILB. I'm not sure about our UFA LBs. I just have a feeling that A Brown better show considerable improvement this time around if he wants to make our 53 man roster. This could very well be his make or break season as a Raven. Hope I'm wrong and that he plays like the FO envisioned he would when they drafted him, but I'm kind of skeptical.

 

while a team does have a roster of 53 players only 46 of those players are allowed to dress up on game day.

this means coaches have to make a choice on who to activate.

 

with smith and mosley barely missing a snap and both are 3 down players and brown doesent have special team value , its really not that hard to figure out why he doesent suit up.

 

also orr is a guy who can suit up on special teams and possibly fill in incase either gets injured.

 

if either goes down brown will see more snaps.

[bioLarzen]

What they say bears no importance. We can all remember how Harbaugh kept praising Kindle, saying he definitely has a future in Baltimore, mere weeks before he was cut for good. Also, he praised David Reed the same way not long before he was traded to the Colts for a running back who then failed to make the cut... ("Mark my words: David Reed is going to play in the NFL for a long time.")

They always praise any Ravens player - which is understood and not a bad thing at all. It's just that we should always take these appraisals with a pinch of salt - or two. They are often much more sales pitch than real evaluation.

 

That said, I hope Elam will come out of his sophomore slump - many players have done that before him, so its not impossible at all. We could certainly use a good Elam. Brown is a different matter - he never really showed he could be more than a backup, to be honest... Frankly, while I can imagine Elam become an anchor in our secondary, I don't really see Brown ever become more than a fringe player - like Jah Reid for example. Good for depth, but maybe not more.

Edited May 13, 2015 by bioLarzen

[elemento]

In the past several years, there have been only a few of second round picks to pan out if memory serves me right. Ray Rice, Upshaw and K.O

+ Torrey and Jernigan

 

I still have high hopes for A.Brown. 

 

2010 was by far the worst. Wasted two 2nds on Cody + Sergio

[Joey Flac]

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?

 

yeah i remember all of that... but I don't see anyone else clamoring for them now. James Ihedigbo was a Band-Aid. I didn't see him bringing Matt Elam along, considering he had his first starting stint with the Ravens. We had two strong safeties on the field with Ihedigbo and Elam, we couldn't afford to have TWO starters considering Ihedigbo was priced out and Elam was a 1st round pick. It'd be counter productive to sign a strong safety the season after we used a 1st round draft pick on one.

 

Elam shamed himself ALL the time missing tackles and blowing coverages... Watching him cover in his rookie season was PAINFUL. Didn't help that we didn't have a free safety. 

 

Huff being a "veteran" was my whole argument... Elam hasn't had GOOD veteran leadership in the backfield. Kendrick Lewis is a long time starter in the NFL, so is Will Hill. Not a sub-package guy that's been around a while, like Ihedigbo. 

 

I had nothing against him at all. 

 

My whole point was Kendrick Lewis and Will Hill are a MUCH better influence on Matt Elam than James Ihedigbo, Darian Stewart and Michael Huff... They have actually started before coming to the Ravens. Don't argue Darian Stewart is a starter cause he lost his job to a 3rd round rookie. If you watched Stewart last year, he was the 2nd most frustrating player on defense behind Elam...

[ellicottraven]

+ Torrey and Jernigan

 

I still have high hopes for A.Brown. 

 

2010 was by far the worst. Wasted two 2nds on Cody + Sergio

oh yes!

[lateman]

Glad to see he isn't working at a shoe store this offseason and focusing on his present-day occupation - not his future plans after football.

[terrynjulia03]

Maybe Im one of the very few but I still have hope for Elam. No way our scouting was that far off. Maybe not a probowler but a 1st rd pick being ranked as the worst safety in the league. That doesnt sound like Oz and our scouts at all! WR in the past and even QB till Joe. But NOT on the D side! We never miss that badly. Hill will likely price himself out of our range after this year. Its up to Matt to reach down amd dig deep and grab a pair and SHOW why we slected you and why next year you should be the starting SS alongside Lewis. Its up to you now. Because this is your last chance.

[terrynjulia03]

A Brown. Another embarassment of a Ravens D pick. And a 2nd rounder. You can't beat out old man Daryl? Cmon thats pathetic. Better buck up and beat him out this year because we dont need his age slowing down that slot. Other Vets showed up to rookie mini camp. Why didnt you? No heart and no dedication. If Smith gets the nod over him this year than I beg the Ravens to cut him loose next offseason. Biggest disapointment ever. And he plays and was drafted as a MLB for the Baltimore Ravens! Mosley saw the honor and grabbed hold. This guy so far is a embarrasment. I hope they have hazing in the castle and hope he still receives it. A disgrace to the position. Buck up son and show why you were drafted. Or go away and never play again. No other team is gonna give you a chance. This TC and Preseason is it. Unseat DSmith or start learning "would you like fries with that?"

[Crusader]

The one thing I notice about Elam is he could never stay on his feet. Disconnect between his head and feet. I'm not sure how you would fix that.

[Crusader]

The entire Secondary was hit unusually hard by the injury bug! When in the history of the Ravens has one segment of one unit sustained so many season-ending injuries? I can't remember a year!

Besides, we were so busy trying to plug in and coach up guys each week that we never got a chance to get them squared away as a whole unit!

One could see that it was not the PLAY of the SAFETIES and corners that proved to be our Achilles' Heel,... it was clearly lapses in communication!

Last year Ravens started with a healthy secondary and they got hurt. Now this year their starting a bunch of serious injured recovering players. How is that going to work out? Ben, Payton, Rivers, Dalton, and Tannehill (4,045 yards last year) will chew this secondary up..

[DiehardRavenFan]

To terrynjulia03........do you not realize how good of a linebacker Daryl Smith has been for us and how high of a level he had played? He has absolutely stepped in and did about as good of a job trying to fill the greatest linebacker of all times shoes as best as one could ask for. Arthur Brown has been behind Daryl on the depth chart for good reason. He has been one of the most consistent and solid defensive players on our team over the last few seasons. He is so underrated and underappreciated as a player by too many fans.

[Static]

In the past several years, there have been only a few of second round picks to pan out if memory serves me right. Ray Rice, Upshaw and K.O

 

Elam was 32, He might as well be a 2nd rounder.

[merryjman]

They moved Elam around a lot, and that probably had something to do with that bad season. But he also played really poorly at times. I'll never forget T-Sizzle yelling at him during the Pats playoff game last season: "The sideline ain't never missed a tackle!"

[Purple&Black]

A Brown. Another embarassment of a Ravens D pick. And a 2nd rounder. You can't beat out old man Daryl? Cmon thats pathetic. Better buck up and beat him out this year because we dont need his age slowing down that slot. Other Vets showed up to rookie mini camp. Why didnt you? No heart and no dedication. If Smith gets the nod over him this year than I beg the Ravens to cut him loose next offseason. Biggest disapointment ever. And he plays and was drafted as a MLB for the Baltimore Ravens! Mosley saw the honor and grabbed hold. This guy so far is a embarrasment. I hope they have hazing in the castle and hope he still receives it. A disgrace to the position. Buck up son and show why you were drafted. Or go away and never play again. No other team is gonna give you a chance. This TC and Preseason is it. Unseat DSmith or start learning "would you like fries with that?"

 

wow...do you even watch Ravens games? "old man Daryl"?? He has clearly been one of the best players on the field for us the past two seasons. He has been one of the best underrated LBs in the league. He just happened to play most of his career on a team which no one (includeing jags fans) wanted to watch. I could go on discrediting your post but just know that there is no way Brown beats him out. With the retiring of Boreland and Willis we argueable have the best LB group in the league. C'mon man!

[Purple&Black]

yeah i remember all of that... but I don't see anyone else clamoring for them now. James Ihedigbo was a Band-Aid. I didn't see him bringing Matt Elam along, considering he had his first starting stint with the Ravens. We had two strong safeties on the field with Ihedigbo and Elam, we couldn't afford to have TWO starters considering Ihedigbo was priced out and Elam was a 1st round pick. It'd be counter productive to sign a strong safety the season after we used a 1st round draft pick on one.

 

Elam shamed himself ALL the time missing tackles and blowing coverages... Watching him cover in his rookie season was PAINFUL. Didn't help that we didn't have a free safety. 

 

Huff being a "veteran" was my whole argument... Elam hasn't had GOOD veteran leadership in the backfield. Kendrick Lewis is a long time starter in the NFL, so is Will Hill. Not a sub-package guy that's been around a while, like Ihedigbo. 

 

I had nothing against him at all. 

 

My whole point was Kendrick Lewis and Will Hill are a MUCH better influence on Matt Elam than James Ihedigbo, Darian Stewart and Michael Huff... They have actually started before coming to the Ravens. Don't argue Darian Stewart is a starter cause he lost his job to a 3rd round rookie. If you watched Stewart last year, he was the 2nd most frustrating player on defense behind Elam...

 

Ihedigdo made the pro bowl with the Lions. He was a little better than a band-aid. We just needed to get value out of our first round pick because like you said, they both played SS. However, Ihedigdo despite his lack of starting experience, was clearly a leader on the field for us. But perhaps you are right, perhaps Hill and Lewis will be a better influence. Although, I would question Hill because he still needs some guidance himself (off the field at least)