Secondary is Ravens’ primary concern
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Version 0 of 1. The Seattle Seahawks built the NFL’s most revered secondary through the draft, nabbing can’t-miss safety Earl Thomas and late-round gems Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman. In winning Super Bowl XLIX, the New England Patriots relied on “rental” cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, and a previously unknown and undrafted rookie named Malcolm Butler. The New York Jets spent nearly $150 million this past offseason to strengthen the back end of their defense. There’s seemingly no surefire recipe for success in building an NFL secondary, but one thing could become abundantly clear when the Baltimore Ravens face the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals (4-2), who have perhaps the league’s most ball-hawking secondary, have found a formula that works for them, while the Ravens (1-5) clearly haven’t. “There are two areas that get you beat: quarterback and cornerback,” said former NFL defensive back Solomon Wilcots, now an analyst for CBS and the NFL Network. “You’ve seen that with them. Cornerback [play] gets you beat faster than any other position. You make a mistake back there and it’s a touchdown.” The Ravens know that all too well. A year after a porous secondary led to their playoff demise, the team’s pass defense has reached a new low. Despite General Manager Ozzie Newsome’s offseason attempt to fix it, the pass defense is 27th in the NFL and showing no signs of improvement. “[We] cannot give up big plays. It’s a broken record, but until we quit doing that, statistically, we’re going to look terrible,” Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. “It’s not rocket science.” Breakdowns in coverage and communication, poor tackling and faulty technique have allowed even flawed quarterbacks such as Derek Carr, Josh McCown and Colin Kaepernick to take apart a once-proud Ravens defense. Their coverage problems masked in recent years by a relentless pass rush, the Ravens have been left vulnerable by a failure to get immediate and dynamic help in the draft, a rash of injuries to defensive backs, and coaching and personnel changes. Since 2010, Newsome has used eight of his team’s 51 draft picks on defensive backs. Only three of those — cornerback Jimmy Smith (2011 first round), safety Matt Elam (2013 first round) and safety Terrence Brooks (2014 third round) — were taken in the first three rounds. That contrasts with Newsome’s first seven drafts, when he took at least one defensive back within the first three rounds in six of those years. This year, the Ravens were interested in Washington’s Marcus Peters and Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson (River Hill), but both cornerbacks were taken before they were on the clock with the 26th pick. The Ravens waited until late in the fourth round before grabbing cornerback Tray Walker out of Texas Southern. The jury is still out on Walker, but other defensive backs the Ravens have selected in recent years, including Chykie Brown and Asa Jackson, haven’t worked out. — Baltimore Sun |