I Love McPhee But....

**sflegend89** · 08-18-2019, 05:00 PM

He's a 3-4 DE being asked to start at OLB...

I really don't like the fit after seeing him in game action. I think he's good at setting the edge (Much like Sizzle the last few years) and is at his best against the run from that spot as he has the size/strength to hold contain... but I can already tell you he is going to struggle as a pass rusher. While it certainly is a spot we will rotate at on passing downs, I still see cause for concern. The Martindale defensive philosophy depends on blitzes getting home and the OLB's being able to pressure when we only send 4... to at least force the QB to throw early or throw from a broken pocket. With Tavon Young likely out the year we now have a pretty sizable hole at our nickel spot with not much quality depth ready to step in. This is going to put even more pressure on the pass rush to be effective and not force our secondary to cover all day while a QB sits back and surveys from a clean pocket. We will get dotted up and down the field if we can't pressure, I don't care if we have 2007 Ed Reed and Earl Thomas back there, they can't cover all day.

McPhee doesn't have the athleticism to man that spot in my eyes and he's not the cunning bull rusher even an old Suggs was. While I would love a splash trade for a Jadaveon Clowney the odds of that happening are very low. Overall this is a really good roster but my concerns with the pass rush have already begun. Judon has looked great but he can't carry that burden on his own. Bowser/Williams are extremely inconsistent from down-to-down, they have some brilliant moments but just as many absolute duds... there's no consistency with either of them.

That really just leaves Jaylen Ferguson as potentially our only hope for an upgrade at that position. If the football gods are kind to us he will start slow but find his swagger by the latter half of the year and give Judon a formidable rush partner by the last quarter of the season and into the playoffs. This is why I was banging on the table for Justin Houston when he got released, he really would've been the perfect fit as he has the superior athleticism to play the 3-4 OLB in our scheme.

**Unibomber** · 08-18-2019, 05:32 PM

He's not the player he once was, but isn't this the scheme he flourished in? Wink was here when Mcphee had the best years of his career, he knows how to use him.

**GA_Baltimorean** · 08-18-2019, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by sflegend89

He's a 3-4 DE being asked to start at OLB...

I really don't like the fit after seeing him in game action. I think he's good at setting the edge (Much like Sizzle the last few years) and is at his best against the run from that spot as he has the size/strength to hold contain... but I can already tell you he is going to struggle as a pass rusher. While it certainly is a spot we will rotate at on passing downs, I still see cause for concern. The Martindale defensive philosophy depends on blitzes getting home and the OLB's being able to pressure when we only send 4... to at least force the QB to throw early or throw from a broken pocket. With Tavon Young likely out the year we now have a pretty sizable hole at our nickel spot with not much quality depth ready to step in. This is going to put even more pressure on the pass rush to be effective and not force our secondary to cover all day while a QB sits back and surveys from a clean pocket. We will get dotted up and down the field if we can't pressure, I don't care if we have 2007 Ed Reed and Earl Thomas back there, they can't cover all day.

McPhee doesn't have the athleticism to man that spot in my eyes and he's not the cunning bull rusher even an old Suggs was. While I would love a splash trade for a Jadaveon Clowney the odds of that happening are very low. Overall this is a really good roster but my concerns with the pass rush have already begun. Judon has looked great but he can't carry that burden on his own. Bowser/Williams are extremely inconsistent from down-to-down, they have some brilliant moments but just as many absolute duds... there's no consistency with either of them.

That really just leaves Jaylen Ferguson as potentially our only hope for an upgrade at that position. If the football gods are kind to us he will start slow but find his swagger by the latter half of the year and give Judon a formidable rush partner by the last quarter of the season and into the playoffs. This is why I was banging on the table for Justin Houston when he got released, he really would've been the perfect fit as he has the superior athleticism to play the 3-4 OLB in our scheme.

McPhee unfortunately looks like our best option right now. Until Williams or Bowser steps up, we really have no choice in making him that joker LB in a sense. I’m hoping someone takes the lead and can prove to be better.

**ursula** · 08-18-2019, 06:44 PM

His role will be much like Z-Smith's was, especially with providing inside rush in passing downs, and Smith's role was much like well McPhee's was.

The thing to realize is that fairly rarely, less than 20% of the time, will the team be in a base 3-4 defense. The base defense for this team is equal parts nickel and dime.

**AQKingRaven** · 08-18-2019, 07:46 PM

Seemed like he has some gas left in the tank and the heart to make some plays. I was expecting him to be atleast a step slower than what i saw vs GB. i think he has 1 more productive season for the Ravens left in him.

**Ravens4Real** · 08-18-2019, 08:28 PM

OLB should be the 1st round pick next year.

**LC_Ravens_87** · 08-18-2019, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by AQKingRaven

Seemed like he has some gas left in the tank and the heart to make some plays. I was expecting him to be atleast a step slower than what i saw vs GB. i think he has 1 more productive season for the Ravens left in him.

Agreed. I think the whole thing up front, will be different this year without Sizz, and they will have a defined role for McPhee that doesn't include replacing Suggs. More mix and match based on situation, but he seems to be a guy who will bring it, albeit on a reduced snap count.

**edromeo** · 08-18-2019, 09:36 PM

McPhee is not and was not a 34 DE

**GreatWhiteNorthRaven** · 08-18-2019, 09:45 PM

I don't understand, when was he a 3-4 DE?

He played jLB in pass rush packages, but he was always a stand up 3-4 OLB. He did that in CHI and WSH too.

**The Excellector** · 08-18-2019, 09:51 PM

The issue with McPhee is going to be that we may need him for more reps than his body can really handle at this point in his career.

**New !** · 08-18-2019, 09:52 PM

Yeah, he played alot of edge for us in 2014 as well, which was his best year. I think it's an asset to have a guy that can rush from all different positions.