The importance of generating interceptions is easy to see: the four best teams at picking off passes in 2015 all went to the playoffs and the seven worst -- including the Baltimore Ravens[3] -- did not.
This has become a long-standing problem for the Ravens, and it's a big reason why Leslie Frazier was hired Friday to become Baltimore's secondary coach. His focus is going to be cornerbacks, and his biggest challenge is getting them to pick off more passes.
Since the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2012, only three teams (Oakland, San Diego and Jacksonville) have fewer interceptions than Baltimore. In the last two seasons, Ravens cornerbacks have totaled seven interceptions. That's an average of one every 4.5 games, which isn't going to cut it when going against Ben Roethlisberger[4] and Andy Dalton[5] in the AFC North.
There is no easy answer on why the Ravens have struggled in picking off passes. In 2014, the Ravens got pressure on the quarterback -- they ranked second in the NFL in sacks -- and they still finished No. 25 in interceptions. In 2015, Baltimore devoted $16.7 million of cap space on cornerbacks -- which ranked ninth-most in the NFL, according to ESPN's Roster Management System -- and finished with a league-worst six interceptions.
The Ravens' cornerback position will likely look different than the group that finished the season. Only Jimmy Smith[6] is guaranteed to be among the top four cornerbacks when Baltimore starts the 2016 regular season. Lardarius Webb[7] has been moved to free safety. Shareece Wright[8] is a free agent. Kyle Arrington[9] could get cut.
Frazier will have plenty of opportunities to develop players. Baltimore returns some young prospects in Will Davis[10], Tray Walker[11] and Jumal Rolle[12]. There's a good chance the Ravens will u se one of their top picks on a cornerback.
Frazier had his struggles as the Minnesota Vikings[13] head coach, but he gets the players' attention because he started for the 1985 Chicago Bears[14]. He's a disciple of the Cover 2 scheme, which means he could have an adjustment with a Ravens defense that plays primarily man coverage.
Frazier's track record on turnovers isn't a great one. In his last seven seasons as a defensive coordinator of defensive backs coach, only one of his teams finished in the top half of the NFL in interceptions.
If the Ravens want to rebound from a 5-11 season, they have to turn around their turnover fortunes. That will be the test this season for Frazier and the Ravens secondary when they face the likes of Roethlisberger, Dalton, Tom Brady[15], Eli Manning[16], Tony Romo[17], Derek Carr[18] and Blake Bortles[19].
References
- ^ Close (espn.go.com)
- ^ print (espn.go.com)
- ^ Baltimore Ravens (espn. go.com)
- ^ Ben Roethlisberger (espn.go.com)
- ^ Andy Dalton (espn.go.com)
- ^ Jimmy Smith (espn.go.com)
- ^ Lardarius Webb (espn.go.com)
- ^ Shareece Wright (espn.go.com)
- ^ Kyle Arrington (espn.go.com)
- ^ Will Davis (espn.go.com)
- ^ Tray Walker (espn.go.com) < li>^ Jumal Rolle (espn.go.com)
- ^ Minnesota Vikings (espn.go.com)
- ^ Chicago Bears (espn.go.com)
- ^ Tom Brady (espn.go.com)
- ^ Eli Manning (espn.go.com)
- ^ Tony Romo (espn.go.com)
- ^ Derek Carr (espn.go.com)
- ^ Blake Bortles (espn.go.com)
