A fully healthy Marquise Brown could make the Ravens offense undefendable
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh wants his team’s offense to be as “undefendable” as possible in 2020 and having their first-round wide receiver fully healthy could be the key to capitalizing on their deep passing attack.
The speedy receiver out of Oklahoma nicknamed “Hollywood” couldn’t have asked for a more explosive start to his rookie campaign after recording 12 receptions for 233 yards and a pair of scores touchdowns in the first two games of the season, including a jaw-dropping performance in his rookie debut where he torched the Miami Dolphins for 147 yards and two touchdowns on just four catches in a homecoming of sorts for himself and Jackson who are both south Florida natives.
He missed the majority of the offseason while recovering from a Lisfranc foot fracture so to be doing that so early despite not being fully recovered and without as much time on the field as everybody else was truly impressive. Brown’s production came down to earth following his firing out of the gates but that was due to his still healing surgically repaired foot and a nagging ankle injury that he dealt with for most of the year.
Despite being hampered with injuries and rehab, he was still able to finish second on the team in receptions (46), receiving yards (584), and receiving touchdowns with seven—tying Torrey Smith (2011) and Marlon Brown (2013) for the Ravens rookie record.
Brown had surgery to repair the fracture early in the pre-draft process so it prohibited him from participating in any of the combine, Pro Day, or private workouts that would have improved his draft stock. Typically, that can spell death for a player’s—especially an undersized one like Brown at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds—chances of getting taken in the first round.
However, his elite top-end speed and electric playmaking ability that he showcased with the Sooners as the primary target for back to back Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks was too great of an opportunity for General Manager Eric DeCosta to pass up as he was looking to upgrade and add more speed to the repertoire of weapons at his young quarterback’s disposal.
Even at less than 100 percent, Brown was able to make plays down the field and keep the defense honest with the threat that he might burn them over the top on any given play if they left him alone on an island with no safety help.
“I had to try harder than I usually do,” Brown told Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report. “To run, for me, is easy. Last year, it wasn’t easy. Every step was like, ‘Ahhh…’ I’m a rookie, so you don’t want to think too much. And going out there, I was like, ‘How am I going to react if I land on my foot? How am I going to get around him?’ So there was a lot to think about.”
Now that he is fully healthy and ready to roll at full demon speed, the Ravens’ offense can take that next step that Head Coach John Harbaugh mentioned in a recent conference call and unlock their full potential as a unit by taking advantage of single coverage when team load up the box to slow down their potent rushing attack.
“Those corners are going to be one-on-one and those safeties are going to be one-on-one against receivers, especially on downfield throws, and we got to make them pay for it,” Harbaugh said. “I really do believe that’s the next step for this offense from an execution standpoint. I really do believe Lamar is going to take the next step and our receivers are going to take the next step.”
A fully healthy Hollywood Brown is not only a potential breakout candidate, but he could very well wind up having the triple crown of leading the league in yards per catch, yards after the catch and yards per route run because his speed allows him to cover a lot of ground in a very short amount of time. He’ll be feasting on flat-footed defensive backs that don’t get a running start when the ball is snapped or fail in their attempt to jam him off the line to disrupt his timing.
“I’m going to make a statement this year,” Brown said. “A big statement.”
