[News] Courtney Upshaw Aiming For More Sacks

[HomeoftheBRAVENS]

When we first drafted Upshaw my hope was that he would become our version of Lamar Woodley.He does good job in run defense and dropping in coverage but I'm not impressed with what he has become because he doesn't have pass rush skills.When you use what was basically a first rounder you expect a well rounded player.I don't really want to call him a bust but he kind of was.

[January J]

I just hope he will have a good year instead of a great year so that we could have a chance to afford him. I'm okay with Upshaw to have 4.5 or 5 sacks but not 7 or 8 sacks. I don't want him to be another Pernell McPhee to have a big year on his last deal of his contract but I'm okay if he wait till next year to have a great year if we sign him LOL.

I want all of our players to have the greatest year possible. We need every sack we can get! If he prices himself out of baltimore that would suck- but that's the nature if the game. If he has a spectacular season I'm sure we will make a strong effort to keep him- the rest will be up to him.

[stixfix69]

I think our LBer corp and secondary look good, very interested to see what our D-Line will be like over the course of the season without Ngata, yeah we played well without him for 4 games, but we were a better team with him....Gonna miss the big fella, but like anything else, you move on....

[Postapocalypse Raven]

We should have taken Courtney at #29 and got a fifth year option on him instead of trading out of the first only to take Gradkowski in the fourth round with the pick we got from Minnesota. Oh well... We all know what they say about hindsight....

[Orange_Peanut]

The fact that Upshaw is willing to sacrifice his stats and do what the team needs him to do to win just shows how great of a football player he is. He is selfless and is a team player which are qualities few players actually have. Even though he doesn't have great "sack production", if you actually watch him play you would know how big of an impact he has on this team. Love Upshaw for the player and person that he is and I'd like to see him stay in a purple jersey.

[purpledown]

hard to see this guy playing his last season as a Raven.

[RavensDieHard21]

I'd have to say that he might just be the most underrated Raven. His blue-collar work ethic and grit sets him apart from almost any other LB in run support. He turns everything inside and can absolutely dominate Offensive linemen. I hope with our stout D-line that he gets some nice opportunities to thump QB's lol

[Maryland]

Well Upshaw, I'll believe it when I see it. Your play on the field and the statistics on your resume say that you're not an effective pass rusher even when you do get the opportunities. You seem like another Jarret Johnson (not that that's a bad thing). I'm one of your doubters when it comes to your pass-rushing skills--prove me wrong.

[Fastynart]

Upshaw will be gone next year, period. He has not lived up to his billing, so if the Ravens didn't keep Kruger or McPhee, they certainly are not opening the vault for Upshaw. He just isn't worth it. Keeping Yanda and Tucker are a hell of a lot more important that paying Upshaw.

[LunarRover]

Wow...thats "news"...

Upshaw is either:

*not producing sacks

*not good in coverage

*fat and out of shape after the offseason

Its really too bad that arthur brown isnt picking this defense up and doesnt look to be progressing much either. Id say that Upshaws position for the most part is up for grabs at this point in his career. Being frank, i think he is a huge weak spot in the LB trio and if we had one more stud that had blitz capabilities then we would be very scary. he makes the crew above avg at best when they could be great. Smith may have another 1-2y tops as a top lb. this will need to be addressed sooner then later for sure. isnt there anyone on the up and coming within the roster? Upshaw is just a non factor with 1 or 2 good bigtime plays that i can recall

[harfordravenfan]

Kind of reminiscent of another Raven - one who recently retired.

Just what I was thinking

[robbie29]

Uggghhh...phase 2 of the unbearable offseason. That 4-month period between the draft and opening day where the articles speculate on who will do what and what each player hopes to achieve. Good article, Garrett. I'm just frustrated and want the season to begin already.

[Purple&Black]

Most the people hating on Upshaw are the same ones that praise JJ. I'm just saying. Dude hasn't been flashy, but he's been solid which is what we've asked of him. If he were struggling them OZ and John would "subtly" call him out as they have done with others. Namely, Matt Elam

[trevorsteadman]

I'm still salty that the Upshaw sack on Big Ben was flagged... Especially for roughing the passer... Guy still had the ball. Upshaw didn't hit his helmet. NFL is soon going to flag any hit that looks too hard.

[Halshayeji]

When we first drafted Upshaw my hope was that he would become our version of Lamar Woodley.He does good job in run defense and dropping in coverage but I'm not impressed with what he has become because he doesn't have pass rush skills.When you use what was basically a first rounder you expect a well rounded player.I don't really want to call him a bust but he kind of was.

 

Don't call Upshaw a bust, not yet.....

 

Lets go back a few years when Upshaw was drafted.

 

Upshaw fell to the second round because hes was too big to play DE in a 4-3 system and too small to play DE in a 3-4 scheme. He was considered a bit too big and stiff in a 4-3 scheme and too big and chunky as an OLB in a 3-4 which the ravens prefer. In other words, he needed to bulk up for real or lose weight and work on pass rush technique to become a potential pro bowler. (Good at everything but not great at anything syndrome)

 

The Ravens on the other hand, have had 3 off-seasons to work with him.

 

1- First year we had Kruger waiting for a chance to explode and that's exactly what he did. Upshaw learned quickly how important it was to set the edge and do the hard work. Upshaw still played about half the defensive snaps and had some good plays in the postseason.

 

2- Second year, Kruger leaves and guess what.... DOOM shows up. Upshaw once again got demoted to the role of freeing up space and killing the run. He also had weight problems and the Ravens tried their best to make him loose weight to play off the line. Upshaw also played more than half the snaps and played fairly well in my opinion. 

 

3- Doom didn't go anywhere and had a monstrous season. The Ravens then ordered Upshaw to start gaining weight. More muscle to play on the Line. 

 

In the meantime, Kruger, McPhee, A.Jones, D.Smith and Doom all had the best years of their lives. In my opinion, all five of those guys should thank Upshaw for working the trenches and freeing up space for them. All of these guys got the stats to get them the huge dollars. Upshaw on the other hand, played a huuuuge part on our Run Defense over those 3 years. That should not go un noticed. The Ravens were among the best against the run and in the red zone. 

 

Upshaw and B.Williams are the 2 most underrated stallions on this D. They ocuppy so much space and if you disrespect them they will push you 3 yards back. Totally messing up a play and never getting credit for breaking up the play. 

[Halshayeji]

Most the people hating on Upshaw are the same ones that praise JJ. I'm just saying. Dude hasn't been flashy, but he's been solid which is what we've asked of him. If he were struggling them OZ and John would "subtly" call him out as they have done with others. Namely, Matt Elam

 

Upshaw is a monster! Noone is hating on him were just expect a lot more from him as we see his potential on a weekly basis. When comparing him to JJ, I think hes a better version of JJ. Just a player that makes everyone around him better. 

[stixfix69]

Upshaw is playing his role to a T....Starter who sets the edge, and steps to the side on passing downs....Excellent backside speed, and strength to shed blockers to get to the runner....hopefully we resign him, plays like a Raven, and acts like one...Team Player...

[trevorsteadman]

Don't call Upshaw a bust, not yet.....

 

Lets go back a few years when Upshaw was drafted.

 

Upshaw fell to the second round because hes was too big to play DE in a 4-3 system and too small to play DE in a 3-4 scheme. He was considered a bit too big and stiff in a 4-3 scheme and too big and chunky as an OLB in a 3-4 which the ravens prefer. In other words, he needed to bulk up for real or lose weight and work on pass rush technique to become a potential pro bowler. (Good at everything but not great at anything syndrome)

 

The Ravens on the other hand, have had 3 off-seasons to work with him.

 

1- First year we had Kruger waiting for a chance to explode and that's exactly what he did. Upshaw learned quickly how important it was to set the edge and do the hard work. Upshaw still played about half the defensive snaps and had some good plays in the postseason.

 

2- Second year, Kruger leaves and guess what.... DOOM shows up. Upshaw once again got demoted to the role of freeing up space and killing the run. He also had weight problems and the Ravens tried their best to make him loose weight to play off the line. Upshaw also played more than half the snaps and played fairly well in my opinion. 

 

3- Doom didn't go anywhere and had a monstrous season. The Ravens then ordered Upshaw to start gaining weight. More muscle to play on the Line. 

 

In the meantime, Kruger, McPhee, A.Jones, D.Smith and Doom all had the best years of their lives. In my opinion, all five of those guys should thank Upshaw for working the trenches and freeing up space for them. All of these guys got the stats to get them the huge dollars. Upshaw on the other hand, played a huuuuge part on our Run Defense over those 3 years. That should not go un noticed. The Ravens were among the best against the run and in the red zone. 

 

Upshaw and B.Williams are the 2 most underrated stallions on this D. They ocuppy so much space and if you disrespect them they will push you 3 yards back. Totally messing up a play and never getting credit for breaking up the play. 

Upshaw I believe was the starter his rookie season for a good chunk. Suggs went out with his achilles so I think Upshaw started at least the first 5-6 games of that season. He played a significant number of snaps because Suggs was pretty awful that season, and he has his reasons he tore his achilles and rushed back but was a non factor the Super Bowl year. Harbaugh called Upshaw "An elite run stopper" because he is one of the best in the league at setting the edge and stopping runs for huge gains. Unfortunately the NFL is going pass happy so he isn't as valuable of a player as he would have been ten years ago. He is still a huge part of our defense because outside of Suggs who can do everything, Upshaw is the only other one who is good at run stuffing. Dumervil is a one trick pony of getting after the quarterback, but honestly if we didn't have Upshaw I could definitely see teams like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh run all over us. Luckily that isn't the case and our defense does a great job at keeping those games lower in score for the offense to do something about it.

[Saxxin]

Upshaw is a very underrated player. Just like JJ was. But like JJ was he's a key cog in the machine. Upshaw is a key factor in why the ravens are so hard to run the ball against. Not a flashy stat but an important one.

[riseNConquer81]

he was aiming for more sacks last year. Pass rush is just not his thing, and that's ok.

[Tdot.to.Bmore]

I don't get most of you. If he was on the field more for passing downs, im sure he would have more sacks. But unfortunately hes not on the field on passing downs, we have SIZZ and DOOM. He is a Raven i hope we keep for many years, of course at a decent price point.

[Mystigo_Dragon]

You may as well, Courtney!

Alas,... that will guarantee that this is your last year,...

 

That the FO will say we can't afford to keep you and the apologists will take up the "He's not worth the money you'll command!" chant!

 

It's been fun watching you grow,... Have a great year and good luck with your next team in 2016!

Edited May 19, 2015 by Mystigo_Dragon

[Sando]

It's been frustrating to see the list of players that the Ravens plan to extend this offseason - Smith, Yanda, Tucker, Osemele - and Upshaw is not mentioned. With Suggs and Dumervil getting older, I would love to see Upshaw extended this offseason. Maybe the guys who do our money already know that he wants more money than the Ravens would pay, but I wish they would say they'd love to sign him long-term once in a while...in other words include his name in that group. A lot of us fans consider him a core Raven and don't like the idea that he is certainly in his final year with us.

[DiehardRavenFan]

Upshaw is absolutely not a bust a d anyone who knows football knows that he is very appreciated and does exactly what's expected of him. He is an excellent run stopper and mainly is used only for that purpose. Given the chance I think he could get some sacks as well it's just that he isn't on the field for pass rush purposes. So people......STOP with the bust or we don't need him talk. Cuz truth be told we need and should want him more than most people have been showing. His stats and play on the surface may not be flashy but what he does for our Ravens D is very very productive. A defense that in my opinion is going to be significantly better this year even with losing Ngata.

[harfordravenfan]

Upshaw I believe was the starter his rookie season for a good chunk. Suggs went out with his achilles so I think Upshaw started at least the first 5-6 games of that season. He played a significant number of snaps because Suggs was pretty awful that season, and he has his reasons he tore his achilles and rushed back but was a non factor the Super Bowl year. Harbaugh called Upshaw "An elite run stopper" because he is one of the best in the league at setting the edge and stopping runs for huge gains. Unfortunately the NFL is going pass happy so he isn't as valuable of a player as he would have been ten years ago. He is still a huge part of our defense because outside of Suggs who can do everything, Upshaw is the only other one who is good at run stuffing. Dumervil is a one trick pony of getting after the quarterback, but honestly if we didn't have Upshaw I could definitely see teams like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh run all over us. Luckily that isn't the case and our defense does a great job at keeping those games lower in score for the offense to do something about it.

 

Hoping other teams de-value Upshaw since he doesn't get sacks and we can sign him to a good deal for both him and the team

[Purple&Black]

Upshaw is a monster! Noone is hating on him were just expect a lot more from him as we see his potential on a weekly basis. When comparing him to JJ, I think hes a better version of JJ. Just a player that makes everyone around him better. 

I completely agree with you, but you have people saying he is a bust because he doesn't get sacks as if that were the only way to measure a player's potential.

[Purple&Black]

I don't get most of you. If he was on the field more for passing downs, im sure he would have more sacks. But unfortunately hes not on the field on passing downs, we have SIZZ and DOOM. He is a Raven i hope we keep for many years, of course at a decent price point.

Exactly! he is asked to do a specific job and he excels at it

[Purple&Black]

You may as well, Courtney!

Alas,... that will guarantee that this is your last year,...

 

That the FO will say we can't afford to keep you and the apologists will take up the "He's not worth the money you'll command!" chant!

 

It's been fun watching you grow,... Have a great year and good luck with your next team in 2016!

I'm fairly certain that unless he explodes this year he won't command as much money as the others. Most teams don't use the same situational DEs as we do. No one is going to want to pay a ton of money for a guy that doesn't produce sacks. Most people just use stats to place the value of a defensive player. Sacks equal money. I think he tests the waters and comes back.

[Mystigo_Dragon]

I'm fairly certain that unless he explodes this year he won't command as much money as the others. Most teams don't use the same situational DEs as we do. No one is going to want to pay a ton of money for a guy that doesn't produce sacks. Most people just use stats to place the value of a defensive player. Sacks equal money. I think he tests the waters and comes back.

 

That's true, but the article highlights Courtney's declaration that he wants to increase his sack numbers,... in much the same way that Purnell did prior to his last, breakout year!

Then the point is if he does, when will we KEEP one of these guys rather than pass them off to other teams?

We are as brilliant at drafting and developing Linebackers as we are horrible at drafting and developing Wide Receivers!

Edited May 21, 2015 by Mystigo_Dragon

[Purple&Black]

That's true, but the article highlights Courtney's declaration that he wants to increase his sack numbers,... in much the same way that Purnell did prior to his last, breakout year!

Then the point is if he does, when will we KEEP one of these guys rather than pass them off to other teams?

We are as brilliant at drafting and developing Linebackers as we are horrible at drafting and developing Wide Receivers!

well he said that last year too. Talk is cheap (even though I do hope he produces) And think about it...as long as we keep producing guys that can put up numbers why fish out a lot of money? Since I could remember we've had pretty much no name OLBs come in and become studs only to leave and be replaced by more studs. I'd say since the Adalius Thomas days. probably even before him. Granted the luck has to run out at some point, but it really hasn't fizzled out for at least a decade.