Here at Glenn Clark Radio, we always reflect on the Baltimore Ravens game in a more jovial manner. In retrospect, we like to choose five players on the team who — depending on the outcome of the game — deserve a Pat On The Ass or Slap To The Helmet.
The rules are simple: pick two players on defense, two players on offense, and one “wild card” (an offensive player, defensive player, special teamer or coach) who stuck out from the pack.
As you all are surely aware, the Ravens fell short of their goal this season. As a result, we will dole out some final honors/demerits.
Without further ado:
Glenn’s Pats on the Ass, 2020 Season:
5. Cornerback Jimmy Smith
We are very good at forgetting that Jimmy Smith is very good.
4. Running Back Gus Edwards
He was always really good. Somehow he got better.
3. Quarterback Lamar Jackson
And while we were hoping for even a little more, he was still absolutely incredible. Just an absurdly high standard he has created for himself.
2. Offensive Tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
We truly can’t say enough about how good he was throughout the season.
1. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (two pats)
Perhaps he wasn’t able to maintain a “Defensive Player of the Year” pace, but he was still this team’s best player from start to finish.
Kyle’s Pats on the Ass, 2020 Season:
5. Pernell McPhee
He was such a pleasant surprise this season on a defensive line where many were expecting the improvement to come from Calais Campbell and Derrick Wolfe (both of whom were extremely helpful in their own right). McPhee proved that he is still plenty valuable to this Ravens defense.
4. Lamar Jackson
It is an unfair standard that we hold him to, but he was the unanimous MVP just a year prior. He has room for improvement in the passing department, and the sidearm stuff has got to stop. He is still one of a kind and clearly the best and most important player on the roster, bar none. But there is still room for criticism, more so than the guys ahead of him.
3. Gus Edwards
Outside of the fumbling spats, he was everything the Ravens asked him to be and more. His open-field elusiveness has improved bounds since his rookie season.
2. Orlando Brown
While he had a slightly slow start to the year, he didn’t flinch when pressed into duty at the left tackle position, a move that will surely earn him beaucoup dollars sometime soon.
1. Marlon Humphrey
Despite a slight drop-off in performance from his otherworldly start to the season, he has still firmly established himself as one of the best, most complete cornerbacks in football.
Glenn’s Slaps to the Helmet, 2020 Season:
The complaint about the Ravens’ offense from everyone else is that they aren’t effective enough throwing the ball. But my complaint is that they spent too much of the season worrying about trying to be more effective throwing the ball.
Obviously he came on down the stretch, which is why he isn’t number one on the list. For the totality of the season however, “disappointing” is the most appropriate word.
This is probably on the Ravens for acquiring someone who wasn’t a great fit. But it doesn’t change the fact that they paid an actual price for a player who offered very little and they truly needed something from.
Kyle’s Slaps to the Helmet, 2020 Season:
5. Yannick Ngakoue
He probably deserves to be higher on this list, but it’s tough to determine where the line between performance and opportunity lies with Ngakoue. Whichever the reason, the Ravens brought him to the team to be more impactful than he was.
4. Patrick Queen
Queen had a largely impressive rookie season, however he struggled in pass defense. To be fair, this is probably to be expected based upon what we knew of him coming out and the learning curve of rookie inside linebackers at the NFL level, but it was still disappointing to see him struggle. That said, I have faith he will improve in this regard.
3. Lamar Jackson
It is an unfair standard that we hold him to, but he was the unanimous MVP just a year prior. He has room for improvement in the passing department, and the sidearm stuff has got to stop being resorted to in unnecessary situations.
2. Matt Skura
I understand he had an injury to his hand earlier in the year that likely contributed to his snapping issues, but those seemed to persist after he had recovered. The simple fact is that an NFL center has got to be able to snap the football.
1. Hollywood Brown
Perhaps his strong finish could have lent itself to softened criticism, and it is surely an issue of the team’s that they relied on him so heavily, but the fact remains he was the team’s No. 1 receiver, and his disappearance and drop issues at various points of the season were incredibly frustrating.
If you missed the segment, click play below to listen.
