If you’re looking for somewhere to invest your emotion, I would suggest maybe Navy football.
That’s it, that’s the column.
No? You wanted to read more? About THIS football team? Alright, here’s my five-point plan on how the Ravens’ 1-5 disaster can be fixed.
1. Say whatever you want. But make some necessary coaching changes.
The optics of Odafe Oweh recording his first sack of the season on his first series with the Chargers while the Ravens edge rushers combined for zero is … well … about right. I’ve said repeatedly that I don’t know how much of this is defensive coordinator Zach Orr’s “fault.” But this isn’t about fault. This is about acknowledging that something isn’t working. (And to be fair, the Ravens obviously did get sacks from defensive tackle John Jenkins and inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan against the Rams.)
But the non-existent edge rush is the story. The NFL’s “Next Gen Stats” include a stat called “Average Separation from QB.” They define it like this: “A Pass Rusher’s average pressure distance from the QB at the time of the passer throw or sack (in yards). Only includes passing plays where the defender is rushing the passer.” The league average is 4.57 yards. The Ravens had just one “rusher” better than league average in separation from Matthew Stafford in the Week 6 game: defensive tackle Travis Jones (4.51 yards).
Kyle Van Noy had 4.58 average yards of separation. Rookie Mike Green had 4.94. For context, top Rams edge rusher Jared Verse had 3.5 yards of separation. It’s not happening. Through their first four games of the season, the Ravens didn’t record a single sack on a blitz.
It’s not just a play-calling or player usage problem. There appear to be personnel and development problems as well. But in the end, it isn’t happening. John Harbaugh says he doesn’t envision firing any coaches. He doesn’t necessarily have to. He could simply re-assign Orr and elevate another assistant (Chuck Pagano would seem most obvious). He could name co-defensive coordinators and re-assign play-calling responsibilities. But something needs to be done.
A change in offensive line coaching seems prudent as well. Again, that doesn’t mean they need to “fire” line coach George Warhop. Adding an additional set of eyes could be the needed change.
2. Now we talk about the personnel.
I cannot believe the Ravens stuck with both Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele for the Rams game. It’s a miracle they were able to run the ball as successfully as they did given that both guards came into the game graded in the bottom third of the league’s guards for run blocking, according to PFF.
Everyone took turns getting hit with penalties (including Ronnie Stanley before his ankle flared up again) or getting beat in brutal spots. Even Tyler Linderbaum committed a block-above-the-waist penalty when the Ravens had great field position.
The answer may well be that the Ravens don’t like their options. But it’s been time to at least look at them … or street free agents … or making a trade to improve the offensive line.
The trade deadline is a complicated conversation itself. We have to assume that after trading away Odafe Oweh, the Ravens would intend to pursue edge rush help. There is an argument that things are so bad that it isn’t worth trading away any future draft picks for a 1-5 team, but the Ravens can’t operate that way. They won’t make reckless trades because they just don’t make reckless trades, but they need to address edge rush for both now and the future.
3. Have Lamar Jackson.
This one feels fairly self explanatory. The Ravens have not had Lamar Jackson. In this scenario, they will have Lamar Jackson. That will be helpful.
It’s easy to point out how terribly the Ravens fall apart when Jackson isn’t present and find an example of another team that doesn’t seem as devastated by a quarterback injury (like the 49ers). But the Ravens are far from the only team that would fall apart, has fallen apart or is actively falling apart due to a quarterback injury (see Bengals, Cincinnati).
The Ravens had problems before Jackson was hurt. But it’s nearly impossible to imagine they lose at least the Rams game with him. Yes, they need him to be Superman when he returns. The good news is that’s a role he plays quite well.
4. Chip away. The AFC isn’t running away from you.
We’ve talked about how the Ravens’ schedule (at least on paper) eases a bit after the bye, but we probably haven’t talked enough about how mid the AFC really appears to be. The conference’s best record (at the moment) belongs to the Colts. Maybe Daniel Jones will really play at an MVP level for a full season and the Colts will be a genuine threat to win the Super Bowl.
But color me suspect.
Some of the other top AFC contenders include a Broncos team that just put up 13 points against the (checks notes) Jets, a Steelers team that allowed 32 points against the same Jets team that posted just 82 total yards against the Broncos and a Chargers team that needed a miracle to beat the hapless Dolphins.
The Bills remain the consensus top team in the AFC and the Ravens had them dead to rights when they were a bit healthier in Week 1. The transitive property never holds up, but the point is that none of these teams appear unbeatable if the Ravens can chip away and get back into the playoff picture.
5. But if things remain this bad when Lamar returns in two weeks, be prepared to make the bigger changes.
John Harbaugh’s future should be at stake based on what happens when Jackson returns. Steve Bisciotti likely isn’t interested in paying the $50 million believed to be left on his coach’s contract after this season. Harbaugh would probably be interested in another challenge (likely within coaching) if he were to be fired. Another coaching job would limit how much of that number the Ravens have to pay.
But it shouldn’t be a factor in the decision Bisciotti ultimately makes. If this continues toward rock bottom, the change will be necessary.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox