Ravens Need 3 Of Their Stars To Turn It Around In 2016
The Baltimore Ravens were 5-11 this past season, which means there is a lot of room for improvement. All across the board, it wasn’t the greatest season for the Ravens stars. Half of them got injured, the rest of them underperformed (or got forced into a different role due to an injury). This morning, we are going to take a look at three Ravens stars, whose turnaround 2016 season can boos the team towards another playoff run. Since I am not a morning person, we’re going to get right to the point:
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Elvis Dumervil
The dominant Elvis Dumervil didn’t go anywhere. I know after a six sack performance in 2015 that it looks like a down year for number 58. Dumervil is still capable of replicating his 17 sack 2014 campaign. The biggest problem for Dumervil last season was the absence of Terrell Suggs. Suggs went down in the first week of the season (the first sign that 2015 would be a year to forget). This created two problems for the former Bronco pass rusher:
- Without Suggs, teams were able to focus on stopping Dumervil. With Suggs in the lineup, offensive coordinators are put in a pick your poison situation. Without Suggs in the lineup, Dumervil is a one man wrecking crew and there is no way opponents are going to let him do the wrecking.
- Suggs did a lot of the gritty work in the trenches. Dumervil couldn’t focus on pass rushing as much as he’d like to. The Ravens asked him to be a well rounded football player, and to his credit, Dumervil was. The sack numbers went down, but there wasn’t a slip in performance.
So here’s the deal. If the Ravens get Terrell Suggs back in full force, Dumervil will be a force to be reckoned with. It seems unlikely that the Ravens won’t bolster their pass rush in the NFL Draft. Plus a guy like Za’Darius Smith could take the next step at the outside linebacker position. Either way, the Ravens will likely be better overall at the outside linebacker position opposite of the king of making quarterbacks roll, Elvis Dumervil. This means that the sack totals are going up. This means big plays are coming on the defensive side of the football.
Next: Justin Forsett
2. Justin Forsett
Justin Forsett broke his arm in the week 11 contest against the St. Louis Rams (the Ravens also lost Joe Flacco in the game, making it possibly the worst win ever). But Forsett wasn’t putting up the kind of production that he was in 2014. Honestly the offensive line wasn’t that problematic. Forsett was averaging 4.2 yards per carry, which means there was some room to operate. In 2014 Forsett averaged 5.4 yards per carry. In 2014 he had 17 rushes over 20 yards. Albeit in a shortened season due to his injury, Forsett had just 5 rushes over 20 yards.
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Forsett needs to be the difference maker in the Ravens rushing attack. With the zone blocking scheme that Juan Castillo installed and Gary Kubiak perfected in 2014, the running back is given plenty of choices. The choices add up over the course of a season. Forsett needs to be a downhill, one cut rusher who runs with reckless abandon. He was playing to prove something two seasons ago. Last season he was playing just to maintain what he had earned.
Forsett is capable of being a big time playmaker on the ground. The Ravens need to do whatever it takes to get him to be the star he can be.
Next: 3. Timmy Jernigan
Timmy Jernigan
It isn’t exaggeration when I say that Timmy Jernigan is one of the most talented players on the Ravens roster. He is an unbelievable athlete who can do it all at the defensive end position. Jernigan is more talented than any defensive lineman the Ravens have, including Brandon Williams who plays at a Pro Bowl level. He is also the team’s most inconsistent playmaker. Effort being questioned at times last season, Jernigan needs to find a way to keep the motor running.
Jernigan had 18 total tackles and four sacks last season, which essentially matches his rookie performance. There were times last season where it looked like he was capable of doing so much more. If he finds that magic formula, whatever works for him, he is going to be a dominant player. We’re talking about a player that is a muscular 302 pound man that moves like a 200 pound man. He has quickness. He has explosiveness. He has the pass rushing repertoire. He has the ability to be a Pro Bowl caliber player.
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If the Ravens can get consistent playmaking from Jernigan, the defense will be tough to stop. If the Ravens can get Dumervil back to his unstoppable ways, the defense will be scary good. If the Ravens can get the big chunks on the ground with Forsett, the offense could take a whole new step of greatness. There are a lot of question marks here. If these players answer them correctly, the AFC North better not take the Raven lightly.