[News] John Harbaugh Wants To See Breakout Season From Marlon Brown

[BR News]

The talented receiver is heading into his third season and the Ravens expect him to take on a bigger role.

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[757RavensFan]

Harbaugh wants to see a big season from Brown but some fans say he's getting cut.  Gotta love fans sometimes.

[MTRavensFan]

Gotta love Marlon, too. 

Here's hoping for great things!

[Purplepowers88]

Harbaugh wants to see a big season from Brown but some fans say he's getting cut.  Gotta love fans sometimes.

You realize those aren't contradictory ideas right? Fans also want to see a big season from Brown but after a solid start to his career he had an underwhelming second season. Combine that with the fact that there are many intriguing, young receivers on the team  and this is why some fans say that he's getting cut. I hope that he does have a breakout season, but he needs to learn how to take advantage of his size to dominate smaller cornerbacks, especially in the red-zone.

[Underdogsontop!]

Brown played on the opposite side of AJ Green for Georgia and IMO was projected to get drafted 3-4 round but dropped due to an injury. With his size and that mindset I think the skies the limit for this guy!

[NCMan]

I think this is the time to show what you can do, on a consistent basis, Mr. Brown. Or yes, you may lose your spot. 'nuff said.

[757RavensFan]

You realize those aren't contradictory ideas right? Fans also want to see a big season from Brown but after a solid start to his career he had an underwhelming second season. Combine that with the fact that there are many intriguing, young receivers on the team  and this is why some fans say that he's getting cut. I hope that he does have a breakout season, but he needs to learn how to take advantage of his size to dominate smaller cornerbacks, especially in the red-zone.

 

Just exactly how good of a season could you expect from Marlon Brown when a Hall of Fame receiver comes in his 2nd year and basically cut his time by 75%?  The time Brown was on the field his rookie year and the limited time at the end of the last season, he played extremely well. If you look at his small sample size of his playing time OBJECTIVELY, there's no reason to suggest he would get cut.  

[ravensrock007]

Know you can!

[bostonraven]

What can BROWN do for you? 1000 yds and 9 TDs.

[Drew P]

Help him out by inserting him into the lineup this year

[boldtown]

Man, I am pulling for this guy. I like to think he'll fly under the media's radar and make the plays. Last year was kinda of a learning year as he lost out on playing time to more notable receivers. Hopefully, he used that as motivation to sneak in.

The problem is how many guys are the Ravens going to keep at that position. Hearts will be broken. I just hope the talent level will not suffer.

[sami]

I seen a lot of replays where he was open but Flacco didn't see him. If you throw him the ball...he WILL catch it.

[ravenwildman]

I seen a lot of replays where he was open but Flacco didn't see him. If you throw him the ball...he WILL catch it.

Yes! 100% agree with you, I saw the same thing a lot last year. Maybe because Flacco's progression didn't get to him or Big Joe was focusing on the Smiths, whatever the reason, I agree with you, throw him the ball and awesome things will happen! GO RAVENS!

[Xander410]

Me too.

[stampedehero]

He's the natural choice to fill Torreys roster spot.  I also envisioned  him in red zone schemes. He would be a slot or deep threat reciever along with Waller  Both guys are 6'5' and could dominate smaller CB's all afternoon.    

[ravenstime]

Right after Joe, the WR's are the most impact-full and fun to watch, so this group of guys is ever so important to the team. I'm looking forward to great things from this bunch. It's hard to win games vs. the Steelers (A. Brown) and Bengals (A.J. Green ) without a good group of receivers, because you know those teams are going to put up points, so we have to be able to, as well. I look for Marlon and Aiken to shine, we'll need all of our guys to.

[Ravensfan23]

Marlon Brown will indeed have a breakout type season imo. As great as Smitty was for us last year, he started to fade pretty early in the season for the Ravens and then kind of picked it up for the playoffs. So i can definitely see the coaches wanting to limit his role this year. He'll still be a key part of the offense, but if any young guy can step up and take the load of Smitty, the coaches would love it. 

 

I think Brown is that guy. Engram summed up Marlon Brown perfectly. He just works hard and makes plays. Marlon Brown was a late bloomer because he dealt with injuries in college, and also had a guy by the name of AJ Green taking a lot of balls away from him. But in his senior year he started to break out and just as he did, injuries hit again. His rookie year was really just him using his raw talent to get open and win in most games. He ran poor routes and at times even running the wrong route at times. Last year he improved greatly and this season I expect him to continue to improve. Also I love his team first attitude and just his overall work ethic. I think he will be a pleasant surprise to even Harbs who thinks he can break out. I think Marlon Brown is a star and would pair well with Perriman. 

[Bandit666]

The person to impress is Joe, not Harbs. Marlon needs to catch everything thrown at him and build that confidence with Joe. I believe Brown will have a breakout year and have over 800 yards and 9 TDs.

[Mystigo_Dragon]

The person to impress is Joe, not Harbs. Marlon needs to catch everything thrown at him and build that confidence with Joe. I believe Brown will have a breakout year and have over 800 yards and 9 TDs.

 

I've liked Marlon from the start! I would love to see those type of numbers you posted! Joe needs to make that happen. He can't wait until a guy has 2, 3 yards of separation - he needs to put the ball where Marlon (or anybody) can snatch it, or battle for it!

You don't get that tool ordinarily,... you get that skill set when you're force to use that skill set!

[RavensBaltimore]

Just exactly how good of a season could you expect from Marlon Brown when a Hall of Fame receiver comes in his 2nd year and basically cut his time by 75%?  The time Brown was on the field his rookie year and the limited time at the end of the last season, he played extremely well. If you look at his small sample size of his playing time OBJECTIVELY, there's no reason to suggest he would get cut.  

Except the fact that Aiken played far fewer offensive snaps than Marlon last year, and Aiken had more yds, catches and TDs. Campanaro was on pace for more than twice as many yds as Marlon if they woudl have had the same amount of snaps. The fact that a 35 year-old, who clearly slowed down at the end of the year, took so many snaps away from a 24 year old says a lot. Plus a PS castoff even passed him on the depth chart by the end of the year. Marlon was our least productive receiver last year besides Jacoby. We lost Torrey, but got Perriman, and Waller seems to have much more upside than Marlon. Waller is as big and faster, and Marlon clearly doesn't know how to take advantage of his size against smaller corners. There was just a report yesterday that said Marlon was given several red-zone opportunities against smaller corners and couldn't come up with the ball, which goes along with what I had already been saying about him. Plus, Jeremy Butler has stood out a camp so far, and apparently looked great last year before getting injured as well. You can't keep them all. I have no idea who stays and who gets cut, but I think I gave you several OBJECTIVE reasons why Marlon could potentially get cut.

[Hardhitters]

Marlon is a gem, to me who starts doesn't matter. Who plays and produce does. Starts matter to players, effectiveness matters to results.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Hardhitters

[Hardhitters]

The person to impress is Joe, not Harbs. Marlon needs to catch everything thrown at him and build that confidence with Joe. I believe Brown will have a breakout year and have over 800 yards and 9 TDs.

 

Harbaugh matter just as well, because Flacco can't throw him nothing if Harbaugh keeps him off the field.

[Purple Dawg 96]

Marlon has size and speed and double moves will get him open more! Stop and go, bounce in and out etc! With all these WRS the Ravens can send a WR long have him run off the field and send in a FRESH WR and have him line up with the same CB that just ran down the field a minute ago and smoke him big time! Can do this "HABITUALLY" throughout the season! Jacoby and Torrey kept secondaries guessing and confused and the Ravens got away from that! No creativity what so ever! Marlon will catch Joe's 1st TD of the season on the 1st drive of the season! "CANT WAIT"!

[bryangraham013@gmail.ocm]

I think its Marlon's year he's had good year as a rookie becoming very reliable target for Flacco last year in the second half he started to come on he caught everything against san diego until he was drilled in the head and slammed on the ground should've been a PI defenseless receiver in that game. i'm excited about the Brown, Aiken and Butler and Perriman they just have to trust Smitty's tutelage but just can't wait to see what Brown do I really believe he is going to surprise some fans this year.

[cbrook1862]

I want Marlon to get more playing time but he has to earn it, i would love to see him involved in the offense more, but if he doesn't make his case strong enough in training camp, we have more than enough WR's to go out and make plays. I'm pulling for you Marlon, i think you can be a real star for this team, but you gotta work hard because Perriman, Aiken, Butler, Campanaro, and Waller are all strapped and loaded. Go Marlon!

[Ravens_Flock]

That's all well and good, however Marlon did not get the playing time he deserved after having a stellar rookie year, in 2014. He wasn't really used much until later in the season, which was lame. Starting him outside opposite of Torrey, and playing Smith Sr. in the slot, I think, always would have been the better way to go. It's the same with guys like Talliaferro, or Elam, or Arthur Brown, etc., if you want them to step up and impress, then play them right, and give them the chance to mature in their natural positions.

[huntrgathrr]

I think Brown, Aiken, Perriman Butler and Waller will all see considerable playing time. If someone fails to perform then he will get fewer reps. All of these guys are capable of excelling in this offense with a QB like Flacco. We are lucky to have this kind of depth. IMO it's the best group of WRs from top to bottom we have ever had.

[757RavensFan]

Except the fact that Aiken played far fewer offensive snaps than Marlon last year, and Aiken had more yds, catches and TDs. Campanaro was on pace for more than twice as many yds as Marlon if they woudl have had the same amount of snaps. The fact that a 35 year-old, who clearly slowed down at the end of the year, took so many snaps away from a 24 year old says a lot. Plus a PS castoff even passed him on the depth chart by the end of the year. Marlon was our least productive receiver last year besides Jacoby. We lost Torrey, but got Perriman, and Waller seems to have much more upside than Marlon. Waller is as big and faster, and Marlon clearly doesn't know how to take advantage of his size against smaller corners. There was just a report yesterday that said Marlon was given several red-zone opportunities against smaller corners and couldn't come up with the ball, which goes along with what I had already been saying about him. Plus, Jeremy Butler has stood out a camp so far, and apparently looked great last year before getting injured as well. You can't keep them all. I have no idea who stays and who gets cut, but I think I gave you several OBJECTIVE reasons why Marlon could potentially get cut.

 

1.  Don't use snap counts as a reference since it's not an accurate measure for a WR in a run oriented offense.  Tell me how many times they were targeted and the % caught before you compare. 

 

2.  That aging 35 year old guy you're talking about, well he ranked SEVENTEENTH of all WR's last year.  BTW, Torrey Smith who started every game, didn't even rank in the top 40 with only 49 catches.  So don't discount SSS contribution on this team or his affect on Brown's playing time. 

3. As far as Brown not coming down w/ a catch in the redzone during camp, ever stop to think the defender just made a good play. 

Yeah, you're far from looking at it objectively.  

[MissRay27]

Marlon, it's time to go to the" head of the class". No excuses!

[RavensBaltimore]

1.  Don't use snap counts as a reference since it's not an accurate measure for a WR in a run oriented offense.  Tell me how many times they were targeted and the % caught before you compare. 

 

2.  That aging 35 year old guy you're talking about, well he ranked SEVENTEENTH of all WR's last year.  BTW, Torrey Smith who started every game, didn't even rank in the top 40 with only 49 catches.  So don't discount SSS contribution on this team or his affect on Brown's playing time. 

3. As far as Brown not coming down w/ a catch in the redzone during camp, ever stop to think the defender just made a good play. 

Yeah, you're far from looking at it objectively.  

How is it not objective?

 

1.Snap count is an accurate way to look at it, but if you want targets, according to footballoutsiders.com, Brown and Aiken had 31 and 32 targets, respectively, and again, Aiken had much better production across the board. Campanaro had a small sample size, but he had about twice as many yds/target as Brown, and Camp caught a higher % of his targets. Those are objective facts.

 

2. Smith was one of the leaders in catches and yds early on, and he clearly dropped off. Also, the fact that Aiken had more than 100 fewer offensive snaps than Marlon, but the same amount of targets, shows who Joe trusts more.

 

3. Maybe the defender did make a good play, but when a 6'5 receiver is consistently getting bested by smaller defenders, it shows he doesn't know how to take advantage of his size. If it was just mini camp, I wouldn't be concerned, but can you think of a play at all last season where he boxed out someone smaller and won a jump ball? I can't. Even with most of his TDs in 2013, he found soft spots in zones. I've rarely seen him take advantage of his size against man coverage.