‘Huge emphasis’ on stopping chunk plays
Defensive coordinator Macdonald focused on team limiting big-yardage plays
Last season, the Ravens’ defense gave up the third-fewest points of any team in the NFL, an impressive figure.
But dig a little deeper and Baltimore had some concerning weak spots that were perhaps masked by the simplicity of that statistic.
The Ravens also gave up the seventhmost completions in the league. They were eighth-worst in total air yards surrendered. So it’s little wonder that they gave up several big plays and blew multiple leads.
It’s no surprise that’s been a point of emphasis for second-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald through the first three days of training camp.
So far, the Ravens’ new up-tempo, supposedly more explosive offense has been limited when it’s come to big plays.
To that point, safety Kyle Hamilton had
an easy interception on a deep ball to speedy rookie Zay Flowers on Thursday and has been disruptive throughout camp. Safety Marcus Williams also had a nice strip (or breakup, depending on the call) on tight end Mark Andrews. And cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis has improved “mentally” and been “attacking every day,” Macdonald said.
Closer to the line, David Ojabo and Odafe Oweh have broken through with some pass rushes on Jackson, while linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen have showcased their speed in running down plays underneath.
“That’s a huge emphasis for us,” Macdonald said Friday of limiting big plays. “We want to take the ball away, and we want to limit explosive [plays]. So far, we’ve done a good job of that. But again, one is too many.
You’re always attacking it and always trying to stay ahead.
“Up to this point, the best thing I can say is each day has been a continual improvement.”
Yet, it’s a process, and the defense is still in the early stages of where it needs to get to. On the first day of camp, backup tight end Charlie Kolar made a 30-yard grab down the sideline.
But Macdonald has also liked what he has seen out of several key players, especially leaders Hamilton and Smith and the young but unproven duo of Oweh and Ojabo.
“The game’s slowing down for [Hamilton],” Macdonald said of the second-year safety Hamilton, a first-round pick in 2022. “He’s taken a definitely commanding presence back there with making calls.”
In the middle, Smith, who arrived in a trade from the Chicago Bears halfway through last season, has settled in with a full offseason program with Baltimore under his belt.
“He’s obviously an incredible player, great personality and he’s one of our top leaders,” Macdonald said. “The guys gravitate towards him and it’s fun to talk football with the guy. He wants to talk about what we’re seeing, he talks about what he sees. It’s just a constant communication about what we’re asking him to do, how he sees it and just building how we want to play things.”
Smith, who in January received a fiveyear deal worth a reported $100 million, is looking forward to his first full season with Macdonald.
“I think when you are just surrounded by playmakers and everybody is doing their job to the best of their ability ... I think good things are going to happen,” Smith said. “We’re just more focused on that.”
As for Oweh and and Ojabo, they’ve been able to take advantage of more reps with Tyus Bowser sidelined on the non-football injury list.
“They’re attacking it right now,” Macdonald said. “There’s things that we’ll mess up from time to time, but they’re not error repeaters, and it’s just a great attitude right now.”
Still, it’s not even August. Macdonald is optimistic, but there’s still a long way to go.
“There’s things we need to fix, so we’ll go attack those things,” he said. “But right now, I think we’re on the right track.”