The Baltimore Ravens didn’t have quite the 2021 season that many were expecting, as they finished at 8-9 and missed the playoffs after starting the year at 8-3, which led the entire AFC through 12 weeks. There were plenty of factors that went into their disappointing year, including injuries, execution and more.
During his end of season press conference, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh was asked about the team’s tackling woes over the course of the season. He went into vast detail about some of the things that contributed to it, shedding light on multiple factors.
“So many things go into it. We really just had issues early in the season, especially. It got better towards the end, and some young guys did a better job with their angles and just understanding the basic … It starts with understanding the basic angles. For a run play, when the ball is handed off, first of all, I’ve got to understand my gap control up front, I’ve got to understand my edge control. I’ve got to control an edge on the front side and the back side. I’ve got to understand a cut-back play, I’ve got to understand a reverse or an end-around, I’ve got to understand what boots are all about. Those are all back-side, edge-types of plays. And then from a linebacker standpoint, you’ve got to understand it’s not just about the scheme, it’s about your relationship to that running back. [Just] because scheme is telling me wide zone, doesn’t mean I’m running out there (points outward); the back might be running down here (points inward) and cutting to the back, and we started to learn those things. Or in the passing game, if I’m out here in space, I’ve got to understand, is it an inside-out angle? Is it an outside-in angle? I’ve got to maintain that relationship to a near hip or to a near shoulder, but not doing it in a way where I’m breaking down and giving the guy five yards to make me miss; doing it in an aggressive way where I drop my weight, and I run through and I make the tackle aggressively, on time. Are my eyes in the right place? If I’m playing zone coverage, am I staring at a receiver, and I don’t see the ball thrown over here? Am I staring at the quarterback, and I don’t understand there are routes around me? Or am I starting to get a comprehensive understanding of how to relate to passes and be in the right spot to go make a tackle?
As Harbaugh noted, the team’s tackling issues did get better towards the end of the year, but were front and center for the first few weeks of the regular season. Players such as Patrick Queen struggled immensely with tackling, but he and his teammates were able to work hard and improve, which is very important. Tackling should continue to be emphasized throughout the organization as a key area of execution, and all eyes will be on if the Ravens can put together a full season of consistent tackling in 2022.