Matt Elam Leads NFL in Missed Tackles, Goodbye Bernard Pierce?
By Brett Foote
Sep 21, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin (11) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens strong safety Matt Elam (26) during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome to Lunchtime Links, where we round up all the latest Ravens news from around the web for your convenient consumption. Today we speculate on Bernard Pierce’s departure, Matt Elam is leading the NFL in missed tackles, the NFL says that the PI call on Steve Smith was correct, and Torrey Smith is an interception magnet.
"Back on October 14 I noticed a Tweet from Bernard Pierce featured in his Temple Owls uniform that seemed a bit unusual and clearly open to interpretation. I took a screen shot of the Tweet and it is the featured pic above.Now it’s entirely possible that Pierce is looking to buy a home or perhaps sell one that he now owns and move into a rental. There are a host of possibilities, so much so that I reached out to a friend who has helped other local professional athletes in such situations.Fast forward to Sunday in Cincinnati where Pierce was a healthy scratch."
NFL Says Steve Smith PI Call Was Right
"The Baltimore Ravens sent in the tape of Steve Smith’s offensive pass interference penalty to the NFL for review. The league, though, says its officials made the right call.Dean Blandino, the NFL’s vice president of officiating, told The NFL Network on Tuesday that Smith did commit a penalty and the officials were correct to overturn the go-ahead 80-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining.“Pass interference is any act that significantly hinders an eligible player’s ability to catch a pass,” Blandino said. “When we look at this replay, you can see Smith put his left hand in the chest of the defender and pushed him down. We do feel that this is the correct call.”"
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AFC North is the NFL’s Toughest Division
"Face it. If you’re looking for a dominant team this season in the NFL, we have not seen it. Inconsistency has been the hallmark of much of the league to date. The ups and downs of their roller-coaster year would make Coney Island proud.But isn’t it interesting that once again, one division has a certain look to it? And while no one’s making any playoff or Super Bowl predictions based on this limited body of work, recent history suggests that you don’t discount a team from the AFC North from winding up in Glendale less than four months from now."
Torrey Smith Becoming an Interception Magnet
"In a span of a year, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith went from quarterback Joe Flacco’s top target to an interception magnet.Five of Flacco’s seven interceptions this season have come when throwing the ball to Smith, including both interceptions Sunday in Cincinnati. Those five interceptions are tied with Dallas’ Dez Bryant for most interceptions when targeting a receiver."
Ravens Sign Jace Davis to Practice Squad
Ravens' only tryout today was wide receiver Jace Davis, who was signed to the practice squad
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 29, 2014
Matt Elam Leading all NFL Defensive Backs in Missed Tackles
"The rough season for Baltimore Ravens safety Matt Elam continued Sunday, when he missed five tackles in a 27-24 loss in Cincinnati.It began on the fourth play of the game when Elam took a bad pursuit angle and whiffed on wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who went on to run for an additional 20 yards to finish off a 48-yard catch."