ExtremeRavens Posted July 29 Posted July 29 Middle linebacker Roquan Smith needs to become the face of the organization and the unquestioned leader of the Ravens. Baltimore has some other players who can step up, but they all have limitations. Smith’s appeal is universal from the weight room to film study to on-the-field production to off-the-field charisma. Smith is ever-present. He attended every voluntary organized team activity, making a play or two every practice that made teammates and coaches shake their heads in disbelief. This is Smith’s team. “That’s exactly what he does, he does lead by example, but he does it every way,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s also a vocal leader, he’s also kind of an inspirational leader. He does it on the field, he does it in the weight room, he does it in the meeting room. He’s just one of those guys.” Every great team has strong leadership. Sometimes it can be provided through several player or positional groups. During the Ravens’ run to the Super Bowl title during the 2000 season, the backbone of that team were defensive linemen Tony Siraguasa, Sam Adams, Rob Burnett and Michael McCrary. Tight end Shannon Sharpe was the mouthpiece. After 2001, the Ravens became middle linebacker Ray Lewis’ team, and he helped lead the Ravens to another Super Bowl in 2012 shortly before the Pro Football Hall of Famer announced his retirement. Nobody has taken over that role since. They’ve had leaders, but nobody who transcends their side of the ball. Lamar Jackson is a great quarterback having won NFL Most Valuable Player Awards in 2019 and 2023, but he has a tendency to get caught up in himself. Tight end Mark Andrews practices as hard as any player in team history, but his presence is limited to offense. Defensive backs Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Williams and left tackle Ronnie Stanley have strong personalities, but injuries have limited their reach. Running back Derrick Henry has a dominant presence, but he didn’t join the team until March when he signed a two-year, $16 million contract. That brings us back to Smith. Great players make those around them better, and that was evident as soon as the Ravens traded for Roquan Smith on Halloween in 2022. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) “Yes, he’s a little more mature now. He’s getting older and all that stuff,” said inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone, who coached Smith in Chicago. “He’s the same great person [that] he’s always been. Day in and day out, the kind of person he is, the kind of man he is. I’ve got three boys; he’s their favorite player, and I’m happy about that. He is a better person than he is a player.” The Ravens need that type of leader. Sharpe would chastise teammates as much as opponents. Lewis would challenge offensive players as much or more than those on defense, and he could turn young guys into playmakers on game day. Smith is that kind of guy. On a day when receiver Rashod Bateman is sulking because he hasn’t touched the ball enough, Smith is the type of guy who can get in his face. Or maybe he can be that player who can whisper into the ears of either Harbaugh or offensive coordinator Todd Monken about running the ball more instead of throwing too much (see: AFC championship game). Great players make those around them better, and that was evident as soon as the Ravens traded for Smith on Halloween in 2022. Then-middle linebacker Patrick Queen was forced to the weak side position and finished as the team’s top tackler with 117 while Smith had 86 in half a season in Baltimore. Last year, Smith led the way with 158 tackles compared with 133 for Queen, whose second straight strong season helped him sign a three-year, $41 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. Queen’s replacement for this season, second-year performer Trenton Simpson, can’t wait to get into full pads and play next to Smith. “I love his personality, man. It’s amazing,” Simpson said of Smith. “When he comes around, he’s going to say something funny [or] make you laugh, so just that personality and that smile, it’s infectious to everybody around him. It makes you just like he always says, ‘Take advantage of every day. You never know when it’s going to be your last,’ so we’re playing football. “What other better job can you have? So, his personality, and the way he attacks it day after day, I feel like it impacts everybody around him, for sure.” Smith also has been learning from new defensive coordinator Zach Orr, who coached the inside linebackers the previous two seasons. Talk about an on-the-field coach? Orr is 32 while Smith is 27. “My first day here, I remember going up to his office, meeting, going over pretty much every play. There was a lot — my head was spinning a little bit, but he was very patient with me, and he was able to teach me the information that I would need in order to succeed playing a game within six days,” Smith said of Orr. “I think that’s a credit to how he gets down [and] how he’s about his business.” You could see Smith’s personality emerge by the middle of last season. He was the one delivering the pregame boomalacher much like Lewis did when it was Ray’s team. The Ravens last year had arguably the top defense in the league, but Smith doesn’t care. He is more concerned about 2024. “Last year doesn’t matter anymore,” he said. “It’s a new year, new team, but we still have a lot of these dogs on the team, and it’s just about staying hungry. We hunt as a pack, and I think of a safari and things like that, a pack of hyenas, lions whoever it is, [nobody] doesn’t want to run up on those guys. I feel like we have that mindset and guys on all three levels.” You can tell it is his team. View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.