Analyzing the defensive backfield

**Ravenalytics** · 05-05-2015, 04:11 PM

Hey all,
So I went through the PFF grades for all our DBs to see just how bad of a situation we may or may not be in regarding next year. I know PFF isn't perfect methodology, but it does provide some basis for comparison and maybe can help check our eye-tests/hindsight. The conclusion I came out with is that we're set at safety, but still really in a tight situation with corner.

If you want to double check yourself, I just got it off someone from reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/ravens/searc...ct_sr=on&t=all

Anyways, some observations:

Will Hill (FS): Absolute stud. Led all our DBs with a cumulative grade of 9.3. His single worst game was Week 11 against the Browns where he had a -0.3. He had no other negative games. In particular he plays well against tough passing offenses, earning a 1.1 against the Falcons, 1.4 and 2.6 against the Steelers, and 1.6 against the Patriots. His high water was 2.8 against the Texans.
Jimmy Smith (CB): Jimmy had a cumulative rank of 6.6, but that was only through 7.5 games. Nothing much to say, we know Jimmy is a stud. Hopefully he recovers fully. His lowest grade was a -0.1 vs the Falcons, and his highest was 1.8 in Week 1.
Jeromy Miles (SS): I was surprised to see it, but Miles was actually ranked as our third best DB with a cumulative grade of 5.4. He is a really solid player who had only really two negative games that came in the first half of the season (-1 vs the Browns week 3 and -0.8 vs the Colts week 5). Of particular note is his performance against the Steelers in Week 2 (1.3) and against the Chargers (2.3). Between him, Hill, and Lewis I think the safety spot is in good hands.
Rashaan Melvin (CB): Rashaan ranked fourth (well, fifth after Stewart who I excluded because he left the team) with a cumulative grade of 1.9. Big drop off obviously from the next guy up, but keep in mind he only played in a few games. Aside from the Pats game he actually didn't have any positive games, but nothing too horrendous. But he got absolutely abused by the Patriots, receiving a -4.4 grade. He's a guy we picked up off the street, so who knows how he'll turn out in the end. I think the ceiling is Cary Williams, I just hope it doesn't take too long to get there.
Danny Gorrer (CB): Gorrer ended the year with a fairly neutral cumulative grade of 0.6 that reflects a somewhat inconsistent performance level: 1.2 v the Titans, 0.2 v the Saints, -0.9 v the Chargers, -0.4 v the Dolphins. My takeaway is that Gorrer is a serviceable starter who can provide good depth without blowing the game but also won't win them for you.
Brynden Trawick (CB/S): Trawick is one of the handful of guys who were originally safeties that had to be thrust into the cornerback position out of necessity. He ended the year with a cumulative grade of 0.1, playing 6 games at safety and 3 at corner. His worst performance came playing corner against the Chargers, earning a grade of -1. His best performance however was also playing as corner earning a 0.7 grade against the Colts. As a safety he was neither very negative nor positive. I don't think he provides the level of play you want out of a full time starter, but his versatility is nice to have when needed.
Terrence Brooks (CB/S): The first negatively ranked member of the backfield with a cumulative grade of -2.1. This is largely due to a very bad Week 8 against the Bengals and a grade of -2.6. Outside of that, his performances ranged from -0.9 to 0.8. When considering the dumpster fire at corner and the fact that he was a third round rookie, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with his speed and hitting ability once he comes off the PUP. I also seem to remember him spending some time at corner, but PFF didn't list it as such.
Anthony Levine (CB/S): Another converted safety, Levin ended the year with a -2.8 cumulative grade. These numbers surprised me because I had thought of him as a very solid player. But after reaching a Week 10 high-water mark of 2.7 against the Titans, he began a decline with grades of -1.3 against the Browns, -1.4 against the Saints, -2 against the chargers, -1.3 against the Steelers, and -2.3 against the Patriots. Not encouraging.
Dominique Franks (CB): Some dude we signed off the street, ending with a cumulative -3.0. Franks's score is really weighed down by a -2.3 against the Steelers in Week 9. He only played three other games, his low being -0.4 and high being 0.6. I think the jury is still out.
Lardarius Webb (CB): We all know that Webb had an awful year and he ends up with a score of -4.7. His lowest point was a -5.6 against the Steelers in Week 9. His best game was Week 11 vs the Browns, where he scored 1.2. Other than that, he only had three positively graded games: 1.1 v the Bucs, 0.6 v the Chargers, and 0.7 v the Dolphins. He scored negatively against the Texans (-0.6) and against Pitt (-0.9) and the Pats (-0.9) in the playoffs. I think there's a lot of concern about his future and it wouldn't surprise me if Webb lost his starting job. It's a shame to see how far he's dropped.
Asa Jackson (CB): Scored a -12.4 for the year, second worst player on defense overall. Asa had one game with a positive grade: 1.8 v the Panthers. Other than that, he was a liability with strongly negative grades in all his other games. Combined with his suspension concerns, he better really turn it around in camp if he wants to make the roster.
Matt Elam (CB/S): Should come as no surprise that Elam was our worst player on defense and ended the year with a -15.4. Elam is pretty much worthless and is bad at both safety and corner. Interesting note, in games in which both Brooks and Elam played, Brooks outperformed him (save for the Falcons game, just barely). If Brooks wasn't starting the season on the PUP list I think Elam would be relegated to solely special teams. I can't imagine how much of a turn around needs to happen for him to get a second contract.

Anyways, there you have it. I think we're set with talent at safety, but definitely look for the Front Office to make a move for a corner or two since we only had three who graded positively (Smith, Gorrer, Melvin) and two of them are coming off injury while the other is fresh off the practice squad.

**WrongBaldy** · 05-05-2015, 04:49 PM

very nice write up. if like to see what filmstudy has to say about these guys

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 05-05-2015, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by Ravenalytics

Hey all,
So I went through the PFF grades for all our DBs to see just how bad of a situation we may or may not be in regarding next year. I know PFF isn't perfect methodology, but it does provide some basis for comparison and maybe can help check our eye-tests/hindsight. The conclusion I came out with is that we're set at safety, but still really in a tight situation with corner.

If you want to double check yourself, I just got it off someone from reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/ravens/searc...ct_sr=on&t=all

Anyways, some observations:

Will Hill (FS): Absolute stud. Led all our DBs with a cumulative grade of 9.3. His single worst game was Week 11 against the Browns where he had a -0.3. He had no other negative games. In particular he plays well against tough passing offenses, earning a 1.1 against the Falcons, 1.4 and 2.6 against the Steelers, and 1.6 against the Patriots. His high water was 2.8 against the Texans.
Jimmy Smith (CB): Jimmy had a cumulative rank of 6.6, but that was only through 7.5 games. Nothing much to say, we know Jimmy is a stud. Hopefully he recovers fully. His lowest grade was a -0.1 vs the Falcons, and his highest was 1.8 in Week 1.
Jeromy Miles (SS): I was surprised to see it, but Miles was actually ranked as our third best DB with a cumulative grade of 5.4. He is a really solid player who had only really two negative games that came in the first half of the season (-1 vs the Browns week 3 and -0.8 vs the Colts week 5). Of particular note is his performance against the Steelers in Week 2 (1.3) and against the Chargers (2.3). Between him, Hill, and Lewis I think the safety spot is in good hands.
Rashaan Melvin (CB): Rashaan ranked fourth (well, fifth after Stewart who I excluded because he left the team) with a cumulative grade of 1.9. Big drop off obviously from the next guy up, but keep in mind he only played in a few games. Aside from the Pats game he actually didn't have any positive games, but nothing too horrendous. But he got absolutely abused by the Patriots, receiving a -4.4 grade. He's a guy we picked up off the street, so who knows how he'll turn out in the end. I think the ceiling is Cary Williams, I just hope it doesn't take too long to get there.
Danny Gorrer (CB): Gorrer ended the year with a fairly neutral cumulative grade of 0.6 that reflects a somewhat inconsistent performance level: 1.2 v the Titans, 0.2 v the Saints, -0.9 v the Chargers, -0.4 v the Dolphins. My takeaway is that Gorrer is a serviceable starter who can provide good depth without blowing the game but also won't win them for you.
Brynden Trawick (CB/S): Trawick is one of the handful of guys who were originally safeties that had to be thrust into the cornerback position out of necessity. He ended the year with a cumulative grade of 0.1, playing 6 games at safety and 3 at corner. His worst performance came playing corner against the Chargers, earning a grade of -1. His best performance however was also playing as corner earning a 0.7 grade against the Colts. As a safety he was neither very negative nor positive. I don't think he provides the level of play you want out of a full time starter, but his versatility is nice to have when needed.
Terrence Brooks (CB/S): The first negatively ranked member of the backfield with a cumulative grade of -2.1. This is largely due to a very bad Week 8 against the Bengals and a grade of -2.6. Outside of that, his performances ranged from -0.9 to 0.8. When considering the dumpster fire at corner and the fact that he was a third round rookie, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with his speed and hitting ability once he comes off the PUP. I also seem to remember him spending some time at corner, but PFF didn't list it as such.
Anthony Levine (CB/S): Another converted safety, Levin ended the year with a -2.8 cumulative grade. These numbers surprised me because I had thought of him as a very solid player. But after reaching a Week 10 high-water mark of 2.7 against the Titans, he began a decline with grades of -1.3 against the Browns, -1.4 against the Saints, -2 against the chargers, -1.3 against the Steelers, and -2.3 against the Patriots. Not encouraging.
Dominique Franks (CB): Some dude we signed off the street, ending with a cumulative -3.0. Franks's score is really weighed down by a -2.3 against the Steelers in Week 9. He only played three other games, his low being -0.4 and high being 0.6. I think the jury is still out.
Lardarius Webb (CB): We all know that Webb had an awful year and he ends up with a score of -4.7. His lowest point was a -5.6 against the Steelers in Week 9. His best game was Week 11 vs the Browns, where he scored 1.2. Other than that, he only had three positively graded games: 1.1 v the Bucs, 0.6 v the Chargers, and 0.7 v the Dolphins. He scored negatively against the Texans (-0.6) and against Pitt (-0.9) and the Pats (-0.9) in the playoffs. I think there's a lot of concern about his future and it wouldn't surprise me if Webb lost his starting job. It's a shame to see how far he's dropped.
Asa Jackson (CB): Scored a -12.4 for the year, second worst player on defense overall. Asa had one game with a positive grade: 1.8 v the Panthers. Other than that, he was a liability with strongly negative grades in all his other games. Combined with his suspension concerns, he better really turn it around in camp if he wants to make the roster.
Matt Elam (CB/S): Should come as no surprise that Elam was our worst player on defense and ended the year with a -15.4. Elam is pretty much worthless and is bad at both safety and corner. Interesting note, in games in which both Brooks and Elam played, Brooks outperformed him (save for the Falcons game, just barely). If Brooks wasn't starting the season on the PUP list I think Elam would be relegated to solely special teams. I can't imagine how much of a turn around needs to happen for him to get a second contract.

Anyways, there you have it. I think we're set with talent at safety, but definitely look for the Front Office to make a move for a corner or two since we only had three who graded positively (Smith, Gorrer, Melvin) and two of them are coming off injury while the other is fresh off the practice squad.

Reading that...I continue to be baffled by how some people continue to think Asa Jackson is a good corner.

Hopefully we can grab someone that can compete for that 3rd spot.

**Captain Silver** · 05-05-2015, 05:13 PM

Elam might be Ozzie Newsome's worst pick EVER. I cannot wait for him to get off the fucking team.

**PerpetuallyBored74** · 05-05-2015, 05:17 PM

Jeromy Miles hasn't been resigned yet. He's currently a free agent. I'd like for him to return, he brings a lot as a special teamer and he's solid as a safety, kind of like Ihedigbo, and just as underrated.

Danny Gorrer's still a free agent too. Wouldn't mind resigning him as he's solid depth.

**RavensZ06** · 05-05-2015, 05:41 PM

Seeing that just proves what others have said. We NEED a starting CB. Period. Full stop nothing else to say. Well only carry 9 dbs including safety. You can assume that Hill and Lewis are the starters. With Elam and Brooks backing them up. Thats 4. So you MUST have the other 5 be pretty damn good starters. Developmental guys, on the ps or a mysterious injury. Webb and Jimmy are the starters. I have ZERO faith in anyone else listed. We need to get anither surefire starter we it takes and the other 2 are up for grabs. Noone not Melvin or Asa or anyone have a leg up. This is a business. And they should PS who they can. IR who they ccan and CUT anyone else. I dint care what their name is. This is so solly dolly time. We cant have a repeat of last year and we cant keep 5 or more damn safeties on the roster.

**RavensZ06** · 05-05-2015, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by PerpetuallyBored74

Jeromy Miles hasn't been resigned yet. He's currently a free agent. I'd like for him to return, he brings a lot as a special teamer and he's solid as a safety, kind of like Ihedigbo, and just as underrated.

No. See my post above. Useless. Let excess LB and such fill that more than safeties. Look at the end of year roster. We had more safeties than corners. And we saw the result. Miles, Levine. All of them need to go.

**RavensZ06** · 05-05-2015, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by Captain Silver

Elam might be Ozzie Newsome's worst pick EVER. I cannot wait for him to get off the fucking team.

Have some faith in the young one. He was a 1st rd pick. Is he a bust? Maybe. Let him back up Hill at SS for a year and than see. Just like Brooks. Hes looks like a bum at FS. Dropping sure picks and blowing assingments. But we invested in them. Let them back up Hill and Lewis for a year. If they still fail the answer is easy. If they show,what we drafted them for than.....m.

**bmorecareful** · 05-05-2015, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by Raveninwoodlawn

Reading that...I continue to be baffled by how some people continue to think Asa Jackson is a good corner.

Hopefully we can grab someone that can compete for that 3rd spot.

This. Tons of roster predictions have him as the #3 CB, as if he's ever proven himself to be anything other than a total liability. Dude sucks when he's on the field, which is rare.

Melvin is the #3 CB right now, and while I'm higher on him than most seem to be, we need to add competition at that spot.

**NjRavensFan** · 05-05-2015, 06:07 PM

How did Kendrick Lewis do?

**PerpetuallyBored74** · 05-05-2015, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by RavensZ06

No. See my post above. Useless. Let excess LB and such fill that more than safeties. Look at the end of year roster. We had more safeties than corners. And we saw the result. Miles, Levine. All of them need to go.

I'd rather have Miles than Elam. And I'd keep Levine because he can play safety and corner and not be horrible at both (I suspect his drop off in performance in Week 10 was because of an undisclosed injury that he played through.) Trawick can go as Miles and Levine are better.