Elliott hopes vision on field catches team’s eye
It’s not often that a safety gets to bathe in attention after a game, and Thursday night was no different. All eyes were on the starters and rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson during the Ravens’ 33-7 preseason win over the Los Angeles Rams at M&T Bank Stadium.
But during the third quarter, therewas a glimpse to the future — a ball recovered during a pivotal moment of the game, protected under the body of rookie safety DeShon Elliott.
This time, it wasn’t very monumental — the Ravens were shutting the Rams out at that point. But in just two preseason games, Elliott has greased the hands of receivers, forcing a fumble and recovering one in the first and second games, respectively, both in the third quarter.
It’s an appetizer to what could be a vital main course in the Ravens defense come September.
“Playmaking, that’s what I do, that’s what I’ve always done. That’s why they brought me here,” Elliott said. “Haven’t had any interceptions yet, but they will come.”
In the third quarter of the Pro Football Hall ofFameGamelastweek, Elliottdove at the legs of Chicago Bears wide receiver Demarcus Ayers, forcing the ball to skitter away. On Thursday night, it was outside linebacker Tim Williams that batted the ball out of Rams quarterback Brandon Allen’s hands. When Williams couldn’t recover the loose ball, Elliott darted in to return possession to the Ravens.
Elliott’s fumble highlights are a combination of the rookie’s mature vision on the field and a sign of the former Texas Longhorn’s potential. In college, hewas far more physical, recording 105 tackles and nine interceptions for 156 yards. He only had three forced fumbles, which all came in his senior season.
Right now, he’s catching up to the speed of NFL-level players.
“I can adjust to the speed of the game because I’m a ballplayer. It’s just getting used to the route combinations and better quarterbacks than I faced in college,” Elliott said. “The separation that you’re going to have here for where a pass is going to be Preseason RAVENS@ COLTS
TV: Radio: thrown is a lot smaller than it was in college.”
During two days practicing with the Rams at training camp earlier this week, Elliottwas clued in quickly that he couldn’t be gentle. After tussling with the offense during punting practice Tuesday, the 22year-old safety stepped a little stiffly back to the sideline.
“IknewIwas going tocomeout here and be more physical,” he said.
Just after the Ravens’ second touchdown in the first quarter Thursday, Elliott pooled his lessons from camp onto the field. After Justin Tucker kicked off, Elliott hunted Rams wideout JoJo Natson down to bury him at the Rams’ 22-yard line, adding a special teams tackle to his brief NFL resume. He had four tackles overall on the night.
“That’s one thing that I bring to the table. I love to hit,” he said. “I love contact. It is what it is. That’s howIwas raised.”
Elliott is one of three Ravens to recover a fumble this preseason, along with Bronson Kaufusi and Patrick Ricard.
Maybe it was because his daughter is a teenager and has possibly Netflix-binged every episode of “The Office” at least twice.
Maybe it was because his younger brother was making his own pop-culture wavesThursday night.
Ormaybe itwas because, in the course of a blowout like the Ravens’ 33-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams, your mind tends to wander to far-off places such as Scranton, Pa.
Whatever the reason, Ravens coach John Harbaugh, when asked about the improving health of his team, invoked Michael Scott at Thursday’s postgame news conference.
“Well, I think we should just leave that alone, you know?” Harbaugh said. “It’s like the dugout [during a no-hitter in baseball] — you know where I’m going with that? You know, you kind of just leave some things alone sometimes. Not that we’re superstitious. How’s the old saying [by] Michael Scott: ‘I’m not superstitious. But I am a little stitious.’ ”
It was as if he were channeling Michael Scott himself.
No word on whether Harbaugh also has a “WORLD’SBESTBOSS” mugonhis desk.
Harbaugh works in office:
Jackson started with a highlight for his burgeoning reel when he juked two Rams out of their cleats on his way to a 9-yard touchdown run. From the moment he hit the field during spring workouts, Jackson embarrassed defenders with sudden, fluid cuts that simply cannot be taught.
Those same moves earned him comparisons to MichaelVick and the greatest running quarterbacks in history when he was at Louisville. He runs without fear of contact, whichmakes him awonder to behold but also inspiresconcernsgiventhespeedandviolence of front-lineNFLdefenders.
Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg saidheexpectedJacksontotakeastepforward fromhis debut, and the rookie did, leading the Ravens to 16 points after he relieved Flacco on the second drive.
He benefited from playing behind the starting offensive line for one series, and generally avoided glaring mistakes.
That said, he still missed a few wide-open targets, and he has a tendency to flick the ball sidearm when he’s under pressure, which reduces his accuracy (he completed 7 of 18 passes against the Rams) and exposes him to batted balls. He takes ill-timed sacks because he’s too eager to extend plays.
Orlando Brown Jr. stood out in an improved performance by the offensive line.