The Ravens scraped by with a 24-18 win against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, pushing their record to 3-1, but former Baltimore tight end Daniel Wilcox still sees plenty of improvements that are necessary for the defense.
Wilcox, who played for the Ravens from 2004-2008 and now co-hosts the “We Bleed Purple Podcast,” believes the issues aren’t about a lack of talent but rather stem from a defense that’s still adjusting to a new coaching staff and building chemistry.
“I definitely don’t think it’s a personnel problem,” Wilcox said on Glenn Clark Radio Oct. 5. “I think we’ve got absolutely some studs on this defense, all the way across the board, from the D-line to the linebackers to the safety room and the corner room.”
Baltimore held Tennessee to 18 points and forced two turnovers, but the Titans still kept the game close until the end. Tennessee successfully converted a fourth-and-11, a stepping stone on a 70-yard drive late in the fourth quarter that cut the deficit to six points with a two-point conversion. The Ravens were left with recovering an onside kick in order to secure the win.
To Wilcox, the inconsistencies he saw looked like growing pains under new head coach Jesse Minter rather than a sign to replace players. He compared that transition to moving from one relationship to another and harboring old habits.
“It takes a while for you to get over that bad relationship and all the bad habits that you picked up,” Wilcox said. “So I think what you’re seeing right now is a lack of intensity and a lack of ownership of a new defense by the players.”
Wilcox said he has seen defenders fail to play consistently, whether it’s with speed, missing tackles or mistakes in coverage. He believes those issues can be fixed as the players get more comfortable in Minter’s system and with each other.
“They’re just not playing the way that they can play together cohesively as a team,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox also believes that safety Kyle Hamilton can play an important role in the unit’s development. Hamilton has been one of Baltimore’s brightest defensive spots so far this season. Against Tennessee, he had seven tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.
Wilcox compared Hamilton’s responsibility to what he saw from Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed, who would hold teammates accountable for small details as simple as keeping the locker room clean.
“It starts with all the little things that you ignore and that you take for granted,” Wilcox said. “It’s the little things, man, that really [change] a team and make a team what they are.”
It’s not just the defense that has been the issue in Baltimore. The Ravens committed 13 penalties for 131 yards against Tennessee. That brought their season total to 39 accepted penalties through four games, pushing them into the top three in that category. Minter called the number of penalties “unacceptable” postgame.
Wilcox said he isn’t overly concerned with the penalties. He said some penalties come from players thinking through new assignments and responsibilities instead of trusting their instincts. As the offense and defense become more familiar with their systems, some of the mistakes will disappear.
“If you could win ugly, that’s when you know you got a freaking good team,” Wilcox said. “We’re winning ugly right now.”
The Ravens might also have to play their next stretch of games without Lamar Jackson, or with him at partial strength. Jackson suffered a left ankle injury late in the first half against the Titans and didn’t return. Tyler Huntley finished the game, completing 8 of 9 passes for 63 yards as Baltimore went scoreless in the second half.
Jackson was considered day-to-day after the game but didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday ahead of the Ravens’ matchup against the Falcons on Sunday night.
Wilcox believes Huntley can keep the offense competitive if Jackson misses time, but the Ravens can’t simply rely on him to run the same offense.
“Your game plan has to change,” Wilcox said. “You can’t run the exact same plays that you ran with Lamar with Tyler.”
For more from Wilcox, watch the full interview here:
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