Kamalei Correa - Is he meeting expectations?

[redlobster]

has Boise state produced any good nfl talent besides Ryan clary?

[GrimCoconut]

1 hour ago, Ravensfan23 said:

If we are having this conversation 12 games into the regular season, I agree 100% but we're talking about 3 preseason games. I understand he's a high 2nd round pick and you want to see stats, but I'd rather see the guy do his job as opposed to trying to make something happen and not doing his job. Again we are talking about PRESEASON. If KC had the type of game Carter had in week 1, everyone would be talking about DROY for this guy but Carter has done next to nothing since. I only say that to say, preseason numbers don't mean anything. Again for me personally I'd rather see the guy doing his job as a rookie rather make a splash play or two but failing on most of his assignments.

I understand the need to see guys make impact plays and I think it'll happen for him soon. The difference between he and Upshaw imo is you see the potential in KC as a pass rusher, he just has to refine his skills. Upshaw wasn't a pass rusher at all. Just so we're on the same page, I'm not saying he doesn't have to put up numbers, I fully expect him to put up numbers and if he doesn't i'll be highly disappointed. But with that said, he's making plays that doesn't show up on the stat sheets for him. For example, he had a really quite game vs the Lions imo. However the two biggest defensive plays in that game KC had a impact on both. On both plays his coverage forced the QBs to hesitate and it led to Levine's Int and Judon's sack. When we talk about how bad our ILBs were in coverage last season, that's a big deal to have this rookie having a plus grade in pass coverage so far, especially since that's one of the areas he didn't really do in college. 

Right now he just seem to be a half of tick late in his reaction and get off in the pass rush which allows OTs to get there hands on him. Again i'm not saying KC doesn't have to put up numbers, I'm just saying right now I don't think he's playing bad and certainly not bad enough for us to be questioning if he's meeting expectations after 3 preseason games. 

Yeah, I'm not saying he's a bust or anything nuts like that. That's premature and that's hard to argue it not being premature. I just hoped he would do better out there in preseason. Yes, it's early, but he has loads of athleticism so I expect him to actually do very well in the preseason. Perhaps he's taking it mentally slow and trying to make sure he does everything right. Maybe he's toned the beast down within him, lol. Sometimes guys do that in preseason but turn it on in the regular. We'll see on that end. Also, perhaps I read you wrong here, but I am not saying it's time to panic on Correa. I am saying I am a little disappointed he hasn't done more statistically for himself to show up on the stats sheet. I saw him on those plays, and he did have an impact, yep. But I want to see him getting the glory because he should be winning in preseason, honestly. Do I think it's worrisome? Not yet, but preseason does sorta matter.

It may be preseason, but I'll admit I've been wrong before and now I have to take notice. Preseason may not mean much and some guys don't give it their all during it, but I've seen for probably three years now the effects of a bad preseason and I've seen it carry into the regular. People said the same thing--that it's "just preseason, relax" back then, too. The truth is that the preseason soon became the regular season and then became last season. I remember people voiced concerns on our defense last year, and people (myself included) reminded them it's just preseason. Guess what? Those concerns continued into the regular season and never dissipated. 

I agree with you overall, but the whole "he's helping other guys" thing isn't something I care about at this time. It's great, but I want to see him win and put up numbers as a 2nd round pick. We've had too many disappointing 2nd round picks lately and I want that taste gone.

[GrimCoconut]

43 minutes ago, redlobster said:

has Boise state produced any good nfl talent besides Ryan clary?

Well, Dallas has DeMarcus Lawrence and he's pretty good. They don't typically produce a lot of talent, though, honestly. It was a concern of mine since he came from Boise State, but we'll see how it goes. 

[Maryland]

I think not having a definitive position and playing somewhat out of position as an ILB is proving to be a big transition for Correa, thus the learning curve is a little steeper for him than someone coming from college without having to learn a new position or two positions at once. Granted, KC did a little of everything at Boise St., but ideally he is a speed-rusher off the edge.

I actually thought Correa would be more of a designated pass-rusher coming out, kind of similar to the Chiefs' Dee Ford, and it's worth noting that Ford had a terrible rookie season before developing into a decent DPR for them this past season. Correa could just need time to develop. 

Plus, I think he is showing the quickness and mental part of the game to be a good player and be in the right places; it's just not showing up enough in the stat sheet like others have said. 

Edited August 30, 2016 by Maryland

[Tru11]

6 hours ago, Ravensfan23 said:

Not a knock to your ability to see the game or anything, Just want to say that up front. But you probably don't remember him making plays because they aren't plays that show up in the stat sheets. There are plays that he's making that i'm sure he's getting praised in film study for and there are plays i'm sure he's getting coached up on as well. 

But him setting the edge and allowing a teammate to make the tackle, is him making a play because he "did his job". Him being smart enough to see that the defender isn't really giving much resistance on a screen pass so instead rushing the passer he jumps to get in the passing lane causing a incomplete pass is him making a play. Him taking a route away in the passing game isn't flashy, but it's him doing his job. I'm just now watching the Lions game so i'll let you know what I thought of his performance in that game, but in the first two games he played well and smart. He needs to learn how to finish in the NFL because he won't just overpower and outhustle everybody at this level. 

My ability to see the game seems fine since you cant even give examples of him making plays after you said he did.
The reason i cant remember them is because there probably where not any.
If they where people would have been talking about them and they would have been highlighted on the site.

Doing your job is not the same as making a play.

The only thing that you mentioned that could qualify as making a play is sniffing out the screen but even that is not actually making a play but merely showing good awareness...
 

 

Edited August 30, 2016 by Tru11

[Ravensfan23]

5 hours ago, Tru11 said:

My ability to see the game seems fine since you cant even give examples of him making plays after you said he did.
The reason i cant remember them is because there probably where not any.
If they where people would have been talking about them and they would have been highlighted on the site.

Doing your job is not the same as making a play.

The only thing that you mentioned that could qualify as making a play is sniffing out the screen but even that is not actually making a play but merely showing good awareness...
 

 

Again didn't knock your ability to see the game so I agree it seems just fine. 

If highlights and people talking about you was the measure of how good a guy played there would be no need for coaches and players to watch film, just turn on ESPN or follow message boards and blogs. The whole reason behind the saying the eye in the sky never lies is because everything can't be seen to the naked eye and highlights don't show you the whole picture. 

But I'm sure fans and reporters know more than coaches anyway so who cares about things like all 22 cams and guys doing their job. If you didn't record a stat you didn't perform well, cause nobody mentioned you on a highlight

 

[Jacquouille]

8 hours ago, redlobster said:

has Boise state produced any good nfl talent besides Ryan clary?

Doug Martin is the biggest name.

[Ravensfan23]

8 hours ago, GrimCoconut said:

I agree with you overall, but the whole "he's helping other guys" thing isn't something I care about at this time. It's great, but I want to see him win and put up numbers as a 2nd round pick. We've had too many disappointing 2nd round picks lately and I want that taste gone.

Oh I definitely agree with that and the statement of him helping others wasn't a way of covering up his lack of production just pointing out that just because a tackle or sack hasn't been recorded doesn't mean the guy is playing poorly because he's not. Unlike guys like Brown and Upshaw Correa is putting himself in great position to influence plays even if he's not the one physically making plays which is encouraging. So it's now a point of saying OK, time to take it to the next level and make the play don't just influence it. 

I expect him to be a play maker and nothing less so if that isn't the case during the season then yeah I'm upset. But right now I think he's developing well. He'll be a ST guy and a top sub to both ILB and OLB positions so I can live with that. 

[ellicottraven]

At least so far, Judon seems to have outplayed Correa in the pass rush department and Zack Orr seems to have outplayed him in the inside linebacker position. So really if you are looking for a hybrid linebacker that can do a little of everything, Correa fits that bill, but then again we do have Albert McClellan who can perhaps do the same stuff Correa is doing except maybe with more experience.

[ERey]

On 8/28/2016 at 1:46 AM, kjbmore said:

Just wondering what people are thinking in relation to our 2nd pick - KC.

From what I've seen - Im assuming he doesnt start and heard some chatter he doesnt dress on Sundays

Could we have been better served targeting a CB or a different player with this pick - to help us NOW for 2016?

Could we have drafted a project LB in a latter round and actually drafted an impact starter?

Interested to hear peoples thoughts

I wanted Miles Jack or Mackensie Alexander at that pick. But in fairness to Kamalei Correa it's only been 3 preseason games. Also, I doubt anyone expected Matt Judon to play so well. Is it possible Ozzie missed on our 2nd rounder but landed a steal in rd 5? In any event, Correa will make the team and at some point in the season he'll be called upon when injuries occur.

 

Edited August 30, 2016 by ERey

[flynismo]

I don't know why anyone would be surprised he isn't making an impact we were expecting just yet. I even distinctly remember having these discussions when he was drafted. I personally even said the following, and many seemed to agree:

1. He is raw and his rookie year will be and and down

2. Someone asked if he could play ILB, and I said "hell no". He is strictly OLB material.

That being said....it's three weeks into preseason. This is a discussion to be had at the end of the year, not in August.

[Tru11]

6 hours ago, Ravensfan23 said:

Again didn't knock your ability to see the game so I agree it seems just fine. 

If highlights and people talking about you was the measure of how good a guy played there would be no need for coaches and players to watch film, just turn on ESPN or follow message boards and blogs. The whole reason behind the saying the eye in the sky never lies is because everything can't be seen to the naked eye and highlights don't show you the whole picture. 

But I'm sure fans and reporters know more than coaches anyway so who cares about things like all 22 cams and guys doing their job. If you didn't record a stat you didn't perform well, cause nobody mentioned you on a highlight

 

i asked you what plays did he made.

are you going to answer or are you going to beat around the bush talking about stuff that has no relation to the question i directly asked you based on what you said?

i did not question if he did his job nor did i even once hinted that i did not feel like he did the job he was asked to do.

setting the edge , dropping into coverage where you are assigned to and stuff like that are nothing more then doing the job you where asked to do.
he certainly did a good job on that front.

making a play would be setting the edge and then making the tackle for a loss if the runner comes your way like suggs beautifully showed on 1 play for instance.

im quite sure the coaches are pleased with what they have seen so far but if this is all what they will expect from him going forward i will be highly disappointed cause we could have kept upshaw and used this pick on a corner or a lber who can actually or maybe 1 of the better wrs in the draft.....

[Ravensfan23]

6 hours ago, ERey said:

I wanted Miles Jack or Mackensie Alexander at that pick. But in fairness to Kamalei Correa it's only been 3 preseason games. Also, I doubt anyone expected Matt Judon to play so well. Is it possible Ozzie missed on our 2nd rounder but landed a steal in rd 5? In any event, Correa will make the team and at some point in the season he'll be called upon when injuries occur.

 

I think the reason you select BK and Judon is because you don't see KC as a full time Rush OLB. He's more of a hybrid type that'll move all around the defense. The thing about allowing him to line up at different positions is that he has to learn the playbook from each position. As opposed to just focusing on one position. I wouldn't say Ozzie missed on him, I just think it'll take some time for him to define his role. Orr looks really good next to CJ and snaps at OLB will be tough to come by but he'll see a lot of action in sub packages.

[GrimCoconut]

30 minutes ago, Ravensfan23 said:

I think the reason you select BK and Judon is because you don't see KC as a full time Rush OLB. He's more of a hybrid type that'll move all around the defense. The thing about allowing him to line up at different positions is that he has to learn the playbook from each position. As opposed to just focusing on one position. I wouldn't say Ozzie missed on him, I just think it'll take some time for him to define his role. Orr looks really good next to CJ and snaps at OLB will be tough to come by but he'll see a lot of action in sub packages.

I said it before, but I think Correa could be a Von Miler type of pass rusher. I don't think Correa can ever handle rushing from the 3-point stance and should exclusively rush from the 2-point stance. Miller can rush from the 3-point stance but he does it much more frequently from the 2-point. Like Miller did coming into the NFL, I think Correa will be used much the same. If Correa is used as a DE, then he can still rush from the 2-point like Miller did at times in Denver back with Fox.

[Jacquouille]

Comparing KC to Jack or Spence is unfair. The question is:

Do you prefer Jack or KC+Judon+Moore. Because those two picks may be homeruns... 

Sidenote : Chris Moore has 5 catches in the preseason. Jack has none. Choose your side. 

[kjbmore]

23 minutes ago, Jacquouille said:

Comparing KC to Jack or Spence is unfair. The question is:

Do you prefer Jack or KC+Judon+Moore. Because those two picks may be homeruns... 

Sidenote : Chris Moore has 5 catches in the preseason. Jack has none. Choose your side. 

Yeah I was thinking this but we could still have traded back - got those guys and had our pick of a lot of talent - other than jack n spence who were obviously off the board.

Even with the trade backs, was still quite a high 2nd round pick for us 

I was looking at some of the guys that went after KC, guys that might have come in and possibly contributed straight away

but it's all what ifs

let it play out, hope KC kills it

Edited August 31, 2016 by kjbmore

[BmoreBird22]

18 hours ago, Tru11 said:

i asked you what plays did he made.

@Filmstudy has really good notes on this

[Jacquouille]

23 minutes ago, kjbmore said:

Yeah I was thinking this but we could still have traded back - got those guys and had our pick of a lot of talent - other than jack n spence who were obviously off the board.

Even with the trade backs, was still quite a high 2nd round pick for us 

I was looking at some of the guys that went after KC, guys that might have come in and possibly contributed straight away

but it's all what ifs

let it play out, hope KC kills it

Fair, Tbh I was a bit puzzled at first when we got him, thought we reached for an OLB, then came back to the tape and gave him a better grade than initial. But at the time I really thought Alexander was ours. 

Now, I'm okay with not having Alexander. Because he's small, and our secondary is being owned on jump balls, so he wouldn't have helped. I'm confident for KC. Tell yourself he hasn't been outplayed by Jack this preseason. I just hope he's not gonna get intimidated and loose that agressiveness. 

[ellicottraven]

2 hours ago, Jacquouille said:

Fair, Tbh I was a bit puzzled at first when we got him, thought we reached for an OLB, then came back to the tape and gave him a better grade than initial. But at the time I really thought Alexander was ours. 

Now, I'm okay with not having Alexander. Because he's small, and our secondary is being owned on jump balls, so he wouldn't have helped. I'm confident for KC. Tell yourself he hasn't been outplayed by Jack this preseason. I just hope he's not gonna get intimidated and loose that agressiveness. 

Frankly I would've preferred Ragland or even Darron Lee over Correa. But, time will tell us if trading down twice was a good idea.

[Jacquouille]

23 minutes ago, ellicottraven said:

Frankly I would've preferred Ragland or even Darron Lee over Correa. But, time will tell us if trading down twice was a good idea.

Lee was off the board since the Jets (but I agree I would have loved him), and please not Ragland. He's basically a bigger and slower CJ, what would we have gained? I take KC before him in a heartbeat. 

[ellicottraven]

43 minutes ago, Jacquouille said:

Lee was off the board since the Jets (but I agree I would have loved him), and please not Ragland. He's basically a bigger and slower CJ, what would we have gained? I take KC before him in a heartbeat. 

Ragland has played in the SEC which closely resembles the NFL and he's been very successful there. As for Correa, I've nothing against him but the NFL may be a steeper learning curve as evidenced by his performance the last 2 preseason games. Having said that, I wish Correa becomes a better player than either of those and prove me wrong. After all he is a Raven now.

[JoeyFlex5]

1 hour ago, ellicottraven said:

Ragland has played in the SEC which closely resembles the NFL and he's been very successful there. As for Correa, I've nothing against him but the NFL may be a steeper learning curve as evidenced by his performance the last 2 preseason games. Having said that, I wish Correa becomes a better player than either of those and prove me wrong. After all he is a Raven now.

Cardinal rule, judge the player, not the competition. 

[ellicottraven]

1 minute ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

Cardinal rule, judge the player, not the competition. 

Judge the player against the competition imo. Just logical isn't it? Isn't that why they have age groups and weight classes?

[JoeyFlex5]

2 minutes ago, ellicottraven said:

Judge the player against the competition imo. Just logical isn't it? Isn't that why they have age groups and weight classes?

But that leaves a whole lot of Gray area. That doesn't account for raw abilities. Ragland is a unathletic thumper, he knew his stock was low so he made a desperate effort to boost himself by trying out at OLB and failed miserably, so he lacks versatility and lacks a desired skill set for the nfl, and is the exact opposite of what this team needs, which is more speed and a more modernized roster. 

It also doesn't account for the fact that one player one team has supreme coaching and had possibly the greatest college defense of all time, while the other was on a team known to have bad coaching on defense.

[ellicottraven]

4 hours ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

But that leaves a whole lot of Gray area. That doesn't account for raw abilities. Ragland is a unathletic thumper, he knew his stock was low so he made a desperate effort to boost himself by trying out at OLB and failed miserably, so he lacks versatility and lacks a desired skill set for the nfl, and is the exact opposite of what this team needs, which is more speed and a more modernized roster. 

It also doesn't account for the fact that one player one team has supreme coaching and had possibly the greatest college defense of all time, while the other was on a team known to have bad coaching on defense.

I thought he ran a 4.72 40 vs 4.70 for Correa. I don't see much difference there. Ragland did play well in the SEC and Correa in the Mountain West Conference. If you are telling me both conferences have an identical level of competition, I would say you are wrong. Now, it isn't like Correa blew everybody away athletically and Ragland was an unathletic log of wood in comparison. I don't think the difference in athleticism was that vast to be candid. I would still have preferred him over Correa and its my opinion. Now if Correa had blazing speed and was so far superior to Ragland athletically I would concede the whole gray area bit. But, I don't think its applicable in this case.

[JoeyFlex5]

11 hours ago, ellicottraven said:

I thought he ran a 4.72 40 vs 4.70 for Correa. I don't see much difference there. Ragland did play well in the SEC and Correa in the Mountain West Conference. If you are telling me both conferences have an identical level of competition, I would say you are wrong. Now, it isn't like Correa blew everybody away athletically and Ragland was an unathletic log of wood in comparison. I don't think the difference in athleticism was that vast to be candid. I would still have preferred him over Correa and its my opinion. Now if Correa had blazing speed and was so far superior to Ragland athletically I would concede the whole gray area bit. But, I don't think its applicable in this case.

40s don't tell the tale either. If your defender is sprinting 40 yards on the field then I got bad news for ya. On tape is where it matters, correa PLAYS faster, no question, correa played faster than any off-the-ball LB besides Myles Jack and jaylon smith. He showed a skill set we desired big time. Reggie wouldve been more of the same and would have contributed to the same problems we've had for years. 

Its why it's such a good thing we didn't take a'shawn robinson, or jarran reed, or billings in the 2nd, we don't need big strong run stuffers, we need athletic and explosive playmakers. Other teams have those finesse players but struggle to stop the run so they can draft those types of players, we are the opposite, the jets are another team that comes to mind, Ragland is a fine player but he is far from what we are looking for.

[Jacquouille]

My version is a bit different. Basically Ragland doesn't offre anything that CJ doesn't. He just hits harder. But if you think CJ is bad in coverage and you want Ragland, you haven't watched the tape. Correa is not really better all in all but fits our need more, and what really separates him is he's able to be disruptive in several spots, something Ragland absolutely can't. Ragland could have covered a zone maybe, but not better than Correa for sure, and from that point as an off ball Correa is as good if not better than Ragland.

Ragland is great for his IQ and leadership for the Bills, but we didn't need that (Even though Correa's IQ is absolutely fine)

[kjbmore]

Haven't seen today's game - how did KC look - show anything?

[GrimCoconut]

I think this guy was told to tone it down after the Pitta altercation. We hear about how violent and passionate he is on the field early on but then that event happened and now he has toned down and doesn't seem to be as aggressive when I watched him in preseason. I hope he turns it back up for the regular season. 

[Tru11]

On 31-8-2016 at 1:41 PM, BmoreBird22 said:

@Filmstudy has really good notes on this

where?

i have been looking for those.

ive seen him mention stanley and others.