ExtremeRavens Posted October 11 Posted October 11 When it was pointed out to Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman that he has created separation on an NFL-best 72.73% of snaps against press coverage this season, he took notice, posting about it on social media Thursday. “It’s to show everybody else, I don’t know, they were wrong about me,” Bateman told The Baltimore Sun. “I don’t know, I’ve been open since I’ve been on the field here. “It proves that I can play ball. I didn’t create this stigma of me not getting the football, and now I’m supposed to defend it. I’m not going to. I’m gonna let the work speak for itself.” Ask any receiver in the league, and you’d be hard-pressed to find one who’d say he’s not open every play. But given Bateman’s numbers and play through the first five games of the season, Baltimore’s mercurial former first-round draft pick has a point. According to ESPN’s open score grade, which measures a receiver’s ability to get open on every route relative to expectations, he has the 10th highest mark in the NFL. In last week’s comeback overtime win over the Bengals, his separation percentage — how often a receiver beats coverage to get open rather than benefiting from a defense more focused on limiting yards after the catch or stopping them short of a first down — was the fourth-best in the league for Week 5 at 86.67%, per PFF. Even coach John Harbaugh acknowledged last month how open Bateman has been, “because he runs such good routes.” Finally, it paid off. Last week, Bateman posted season highs in targets (eight), catches (four) and yards (58). Though hardly eye-popping numbers, he did have a touchdown — the sixth of his NFL career — and converted a third-and-5 in the extra period. On Bateman’s 16-yard second-quarter score, he was indeed open with nary a defender near him as he streaked across the Paycor Stadium turf, gathered in quarterback Lamar Jackson’s short pass on the crossing route and raced into the end zone before sending the ball skyward in a rare display of jubilation. Lamar to Rashod Bateman, @Ravens re-take the lead! : #BALvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/kzNBjpmpHg — NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024 “When I get in the end zone, I feel that type of stuff,” Bateman told The Sun. “I don’t really show a lot of emotion when I play because I know what I bring to the table. I’m hungry right now. I feel really good. It’s the best I’ve been playing in a very long time. I’m very eager to put more on my plate.” Of course, feeding the ball to the fourth-year receiver has sometimes been a challenge. Bateman’s first two seasons were slowed by injuries, which included Lisfranc surgery on his left foot. Going into last season, he struggled with the deaths of his grandmother and a teenaged cousin, as well as lingering foot pain that he believed would lead to another season-ending surgery. This season, however, Bateman says he finally feels healthy. “I feel great,” he told The Sun, adding that this year he’s also wearing cleats that are more snug to help his foot feel more comfortable following the injury. “I feel like I’m a rookie all over again. “I got through the nicks and the bruises and this is actually my first real, true season. People can say what they want, but people are judging me off of time I barely played and barely got opportunities.” “I’m hungry right now,” Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman said. “I feel really good. It’s the best I’ve been playing in a very long time. I’m very eager to put more on my plate.” (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Early in the season, that was again the case. Until last week, Bateman was well down the list of Jackson’s targets. The reasons varied, from other plays being the first read to the Ravens leaning on their running game — thus limiting Jackson to 18 passes in a Week 4 win over the Buffalo Bills and 15 the week before in a victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Last week, nine players had at least one catch for the Ravens. “I love when our guys touch the ball, but what really matters is that we score points,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “I don’t always control that, but I did tell the players, I do truly understand skill players and their value of being able to touch the ball, being able to contribute in that way. “Is it great for us moving forward? [With] morale, practice, opportunities, of course. But ultimately, sometimes the ball finds them, sometimes situations find them, sometimes personnel groupings find them. … It’s great to see all of those guys contribute — the game kind of went that way. It adds to the next week — our guys [are] feeling good about where we’re headed.” None perhaps more than Bateman, who acknowledged that he is acutely aware of the criticism over a perceived lack of chemistry and relationship with Jackson that has hovered seemingly his entire tenure in Baltimore. “It takes time,” Bateman told The Sun. “Everybody is so quick to judge. People who think Lamar and I don’t have a connection or we don’t have a bond is kind of insane to me. Nobody is in here every day. Me and Lamar have been close since I’ve been here.” Still, many have wondered about their dynamic. During voluntary team workouts in the spring, one was often practicing when the other wasn’t. Before players broke for camp, Jackson said receivers had to come to South Florida where he lives if they wanted to train with him. And during training camp, Bateman sometimes sulked when he didn’t get the ball while Jackson sometimes badly misfired when he did try to get it to him. But to Bateman, who has 13 catches on 22 targets for 202 yards and two touchdowns this season, that perception is misguided. He added that he was the only receiver to work out with Jackson three years ago, and while the two didn’t get together this offseason, he spent the summer getting his body right in Phoenix, where he worked out daily and took up yoga. “Nobody has ever seen [tight end] Mark Andrews and Lamar train in the offseason ever,” Bateman told The Sun. “And they got one of the best connections in the NFL.” Finally, Bateman, says, he’s excited about having what he hopes is a similar impact. “I know my abilities. I trust my abilities,” he told The Sun. “People can say what they want, but if you wanna know about me, watch the tape. Everything speaks for itself. Since I’ve been here I’ve worked my [butt] off, and hopefully it’ll start to show up.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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