A Look Behind Enemy Lines: Baltimore Ravens

Coming into the year, not much was expected of running back Javorius “Buck” Allen. With Justin Forset and Lorenzo Taliaferro in front of him, Allen’s rookie year would have been better suited if he took a step back from the spotlight and learn the ropes of the NFL. However, as we see every year, injuries force young fourth round picks, like Allen, into the starting line-up. The issue that remains for the Ravens, however, is that Allen is the only healthy running back on the roster that has taken an NFL snap.

Inconsistency has been a big issue for the Ravens defense this year, and defensive coordinator Dean Pees addressed that in a tangent-like press conference. The Ravens have been their own worst enemy according to Pees and while they have made plays on defense, they fail to replicate and build off it. For instance, Pees gives the example of a play call against the Browns, “we had a pressure called in the second quarter, and we go in there and we flush the quarterback, and he actually has to throw it away. We don’t sack him, but he throws it away. We’re off the field [after] third down. Wait, come back, exact same pressure on third down-and-8 in the red zone. We’re going to hold them to a field goal. [We send] pressure, they block it the same way, so we had a flat, free player, and a guy doesn’t run it in the same gap that he’s supposed to run in, which he did earlier. That’s our inconsistency,”

Shareece Wright was recently released by the 49ers and he found his way to Baltimore where he now has to learn on the fly. However, Dean Pees and Eric Mangini have some similarities in there terminology. Which will make the transition a bit easier for Wright. ”The other part of it, too, is obviously, I know Eric Mangini very well… so I also kind of know the terminology and some of the things that Eric has taught him”, says Pees. Both Mangini and Pees coached under Bill Belichick in New England, with Pees eventually replacing Mangini as defensive coordinator in 2004.

Once again, a team has complimented Colin Kaepernick on his athletic ability. This time, however, it comes from a coach. Dean Pees believes that a lot of Kaepernicks struggles this year have come from him not being able to set his feet, saying that “I think the guy has a cannon for an arm. I think he can stick it in there in a tight window. I’ve seen him throw it a long ways and be very accurate on it…. Any quarterback is going to have a tough time if you can’t set your feet and throw the ball. I think when he can set his feet and throw the ball, he’s excellent”. Of course, Pees has only coached against Kaepernick during some of the highs of his career. While Pees gushes over Kaepernick’s ability as a passer, he’s most frightened by Kaepernick on third down. “The guy can run. I think he has converted more third downs with his feet than he has his arm, and that’s scary… if he gets loose, he’s a nightmare”. Hopefully Pees experiences those nightmare’s firsthand on Sunday.