Ravens CB Marcus Peters believes every pass has a 50/50 chance to be intercepted
Baltimore Ravens First-Team All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters is the best ballhawk in the NFL and he has the statistics to prove it. His 27 career interceptions are the most by any player in the league since he entered it in 2015.
Peters’ expertise at being able to bait opposing quarterbacks into bad throws or simply make them pay for throwing in his general vicinity because he is known to come off his man and jump or undercut passes intended for targets that were someone else’s responsibility comes from a culmination of God-given ability, dedication to his craft, intelligence, and pure instincts.
The Ravens acquired Peters at the midseason trade deadline last season and fellow First-Team All-Pro corner Marlon Humphrey was able to pair up and pick the brain of one of the best in the game once he arrived in Baltimore. On Monday, during his first press conference since training camp opened up, Humphrey shared that he asked Peters which plays he thought presented an opportunity for an interception.
“I think I see a couple of plays where I could maybe steal some interceptions. Tell me what you’re seeing,'” Humphrey said. “And he was like, ‘I think I can get an interception on every single play.’ And I’m like, ‘Uh, well … I’m just trying to pick out a couple.’ He’s like, ‘Every single one.’ So, he sees it a lot different than the average corner.”
Peters assertion that every time the ball is in the air presents the defense with just as much of a chance to get the ball back in the hands of the offense as it allows the opposing team’s offense to gain yards, move the chain or score a touchdown isn’t just wishful thinking from the Pro Bowl defensive back.
The gravitas of his answer to his teammate’s question that seems absurdly optimistic at first glance stems from a proven track record of a highly instinctual player who through film study and understanding as well as recognition of splits and route concepts routinely puts himself in the best possible position to give himself just as much of a chance to come down with an interception as the intended target does at reel it in for a reception.
“Every time the quarterback drops back to pass, our chances of picking it off is 50-50,” Peters said in his first time addressing the media since reporting to camp. “Why not give yourself a chance, an opportunity at making a play? Once the ball’s in the air, it’s see ball, get ball, whoever can go get it first.”
Peters will be playing his first full season with the Ravens and after watching what he was able to do and the impact he had on the secondary and defense overall after being thrust into the starting line up in the middle of the year last season, one can only imagine what he’ll be able to do now that he’s had a whole offseason to digest the entirety of the playbook and a training camp to get even better acquainted with his teammate both old and new.
His aggressively confident first come first serve attitude when it comes to playing the ball in the air has served him well through his first five seasons in the league and hopefully Humphrey and the rest of the Ravens top-notch secondary can apply that to their respective approaches in coverage as well and create even more turnovers in 2020.
