There were several interesting developments coming out of the Panthers game that deserve mention in this Ravens update. Let’s start with the obvious good.
Ravens Update: The Good, Number One – Patrick Queen
Talk about someone benefitting from the Roquan Smith trade. The lightbulb has magically gone on for Queen, who showed a decisiveness in attack that has been missing for much of his career. You can tell if Queen is getting it – or not – by watching his tackling angles and target zones. I’ve mentioned too many times that Queen comes in too hot too often – with the result that his hips overrun the play, his strike zone winds up above the chest, and he reaches with his arms to contact the ball carrier. This past week Queen seemed to better trust what he saw. He attacked with certainty and without the need to fire the after burners on every strike. This was especially notable coming towards the line of scrimmage.
But I must give Queen even more credit. His positioning on several downfield coverages was perfect. He dropped receivers immediately with no YAC. I only noticed one or two run plays where he “guessed,” but with the luxury of his new mate cleaning up behind him.
I’m not a believer, at all, in Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) rankings for too many reasons to recount here. PFF is not going to convince me that Patrick Queen is suddenly the second coming. But an honest account of Queen’s effort against Carolina must acknowledge good (if not great) play and improvement. Now, can he follow it up?
Ravens Update: The Good, Number Two – Roquan Smith
Smith’s great positive impact, expected as it was, has proven out. I must repeat – with Smith, this Ravens defense (if it gets and stays healthy) is what can take them to the Super Bowl. They are not at that level yet. But the arc is up and to the right and Smith is the essential ingredient in this ascendency. He’s been brilliant, and there’s not much more to say.
Ravens Update: The Good, Number Three – Kyle Hamilton
A great coach adapts his approach to the skills of the players on his squad. Ravens’ fans should appreciate what Mike Macdonald is doing with Hamilton. It’s working to great effect. Hamilton lined up in the slot and generally tight to the line of scrimmage has tapped brilliantly into Hamilton’s best qualities. Before the Smith acquisition, Macdonald often deployed Hamilton further back in space, functionally in the linebacker slot on many occasions. This forced Hamilton to process across the entire field. His new slotting allows him to narrowly focus his attention and play more instinctively. We are seeing the benefits. 
My reservations regarding Hamilton’s ultimate use remain. I don’t think we will see those concerns addressed this season – there’s no need, absent injuries. Macdonald now has Hamilton positioned exactly right. Let’s hope he can get back on the field soon.
Ravens Update: The Bad, Number One – Odafe Oweh
Man has Oweh disappeared. I mean, completely disappeared. Oweh hardly played against the Panthers. He saw the field on only 40% of the defensive snaps. When he played, he was invisible. And this from a man who through week five saw 85% of the playing time. So, what’s going on with a player the pundits thought was so dominant in training camp he could compete for defensive player of the year?
The lack of development is disheartening. Where do I start? For one, Oweh lacks punch. He’s unable to disengage. His hand usage is poor. Oweh plays high, lacking strength below the hips. His drive is disappointing. His change of direction – I don’t think he has one so far. These are an awful lot of deficiencies for a player with Oweh’s athletic potential. Is he thinking too much? Perhaps, one could argue, he’s going through the mental growth process that has taken Patrick Queen over three seasons. They both came into the league young and raw, after all.
But to his credit, Queen frequently highlighted his physical skills. He attacked when he could. He showed burst and speed, though often misfiring when he did so. With Oweh, we aren’t seeing him use his physical gifts. His play through game ten is extraordinarily disappointing. Is it a coaching problem? Can Oweh properly incorporate attack concepts into his game play? Is he simply unable to develop the techniques needed to become an effective and then dominant player?
I can’t answer these questions. But Mike Macdonald’s patience is growing much thinner. We’ll see if Oweh’s playing time diminishes even more once David Ojabo is available.
Ravens Update: The Bad, Number Two – Lamar Jackson
Jackson’s poor play has become a trend. We see the same mistakes week after week. Not getting to the line of scrimmage quickly enough. Preventing himself from processing the defense. Poor and inconsistent arm positioning. An inability to hit receivers in stride. Not giving open downfield receivers even a summer snowball’s chance to catch a ball. Overall poor decision-making.
And Jackson is noticeably running the ball less this year. He’s down from slightly over 11 carries per game to approximately 9.7, a number that doesn’t fully tell the story. We can all see that Jackson is not as electric as a runner this year, for reasons that none of us can fully explain. Is he hurting? Is it the contract situation? Jackson’s RPO reads have not been as successful.
All of which leads me to . . .
Ravens Update: The Big Bad – Greg Roman
I come to praise Roman, not to bury him! Let’s take a step back here and look at the Ravens’ offense and personnel from above. Ask yourself what’s missing from the general plan of attack? Now I don’t mean the obvious, i.e., the Ravens don’t have a true number one receiver, blah, blah, blah.
More generally, I look at the big picture and see a player, Lamar Jackson, who is arguably the most elusive runner in the league. A guy who can shimmy and change direction better than anyone. And because of that, defenses generally do two things against him. For one, eight or nine players often line up in front of Jackson, leaning forward to attack him at the snap. Second, Jackson sees tons of zone coverages because defenses are reluctant to play man where their personnel have their backs to Jackson. Let me focus on the first point.
What do you do when defenders, pre-snap, are geared to move in one direction, i.e., forward? You deploy misdirection and disguise in your attack, and you do it often. Last week against the Panthers it took Roman half the game to figure this out. And when he did, he used the simple draw play five times to great success on each attempt. It’s what allowed the Ravens to move the ball in the second half.
But there’s so much more to do here. Roman should be calling a variety of plays with Jackson using hard fakes and disguises. Think back two weeks ago when Jackson rolled right out of a run formation drawing defenders up to him. He then found Isaiah Likely running free behind the defense for an easy touchdown. This type of play should not be a “once out of the vault” surprise. Rather, it should be enough of a staple of the attack that defenses must play more honest and balanced. Because if you do that, defenses won’t be leaning forward on most snaps. Big advantage Ravens and Lamar Jackson.
Here’s a simple concept. Jackson spends approximately 90% of his time either in shotgun and/or pistol formation. Does anyone doubt that post-snap, if Lamar took half a step or one step forward defenses would read that as a running play? Edge rushers will freeze, inside backers will attack, and possibly safeties too. Now, have Lamar take that step and then pull back for almost any type of pass attempt (well, except in the soft flat). And then run variations off that. Or run a fake pitch to his tailback with a quick dart to a slanting receiver from the other side. The possibilities are endless because defenses are primed to succumb to misdirection.
C’mon Roman, let’s get going here. There’s so much more to do with Lamar Jackson, what are we waiting for?
