Courtesy: Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Ravens were patiently hoping the return of cornerback Jimmy Smith. But now with the news of his season-ending surgery on his foot, placing him on the injured-reserve list, things look bleak for their defensive backfield. A team struggling against good passing offenses will now have to survive without the ‘calvary’ returning to action at any point in 2014.
Besides quarterback, very few players across the NFL can make such a major impact to their team’s success. All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson has been inactive for the past month for the Detroit Lions; they are 3-0 in that span. And Johnson is considered by almost everyone as the best wide out in football (if not best overall player). But yet he is not nearly as valuable to his team’s success than Jimmy Smith.
How can a player that has never made a pro-bowl, has only started 29 games in 3 1/2 seasons be more vital than one of the greatest athletes to ever step onto a football field?
The Baltimore Ravens thrive in the next man up philosophy. When one player goes down due to injury, their replacement is expected to fill in without a drastic drop-off in production. Since Jimmy Smith left against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, the defensive backfield has been torched. Adding insult to injury, the Baltimore Ravens are 0-2 against division opponents, including giving up six touchdowns to rival Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
The cornerback play has been so bad over that span, incumbents Dominique Franks and Chykie Brown were both handed their walking players this week. Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome would literally rather play two guys off the street then see those two in coverage for another minute. The Jimmy Smith injury left the team with ZERO cornerbacks that have been on the active roster for all nine games this season.
But where have things gone so wrong on a team that prides themselves on defense?
The Ravens biggest issue for the rest of 2014 can be traced all the way back to March. Newsome decided against applying for the services of any of the available veteran cornerbacks that hit free agency this offseason. To double-down on that mistake, Baltimore did not select a single cornerback with any of their nine selections in the draft. That left the team reliant on unproven commodities like Brown and Asa Jackson (who was placed on the injured reserved-designated to return list on October 8th).
That forced the Ravens to be so desperate, they turned back the clocks to give cornerback Danny Gorrer another stint on the roster. With the lack of depth behind him, the loss of Jimmy Smith is now the most devastating blow (behind quarterback Joe Flacco) to a team trying to make their way back to the playoffs. A feat that much more difficult when they still have to face strong passing offenses like the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins in the coming weeks.
