Elvis Dumervil: From Fax Fiasco to Baltimore Raven

By Cole Moog | Nov 10, 2014

There is no story more unique than how Elvis Dumervil became a Baltimore Raven. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news the Ravens signed Elvis Dumervil. It was spring break of my junior year of high school.

The free agency period was a rough time for Ravens fans, coming off of the Super Bowl victory. When you win a Super Bowl, you tend to lose players because of the way the salary cap works now in the NFL. We watched Dannell Ellerbe go to the Dolphins, Paul Kruger head to division rival Cleveland and arguably the best corner on the Ravens that year, Cary Williams, leave to go north to the city of brotherly love.

It was a difficult time, but then there was the underrated signing of Chris Canty from the New York Giants that raised some hopes. The Baltimore Ravens’ front office is not known for making huge splashes in free agency, but then the unexplainable happened.

After Elvis Dumervil agreed to take a pay cut to stay on the Denver Broncos, his agent went on to fax the deal right before the deadline. However, for some unexplainable reason, the fax did not get to the the Broncos’ front office until after the deadline had passed.

Early on in the hunt for Dumervil, there were three teams that were highly interested: the New England Patriots, the Tennessee Titans, and of course, the Baltimore Ravens. Dumervil came from a 4-3 system in Denver, which would make for a pretty big transition to the Ravens 3-4 scheme.

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At first, because of the scheme fit, the early favorite to land Dumervil was the Patriots. Then, as I was watching NFL Network in my hotel room at the Disney World Resort, the news broke. Elvis Dumervil signed a five-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

I was ecstatic. The Ravens rarely spend big money on free agents, unless they are re-signing their own players. The last big splash they made was for veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who also left the Ravens via trade to the 49ers after refusing to take a pay cut.

Elvis Dumervil started out his Baltimore Ravens campaign by having 9.5 sacks last season. Terrell Suggs lead the team with 10.0 that year. Now it seems the role of sackmaster has fallen to Dumervil.

Through ten weeks, Dumveril has 10.5 sacks this season, one more than he had all last season. His career high is 17.0 total sacks in 2009. Dumervil definitely is not as young as he was, but I think he can beat his single season record this year.

Five years ago, when he set his single season record, Dumervil played a high amount of snaps for the Broncos because he was young and the Broncos used him beyond rushing situations. However, with Dumervil’s snaps lower than they used to be, it may seem a hindrance, but it is actually a huge help to his sack total.

There is no way you can tell if a team will throw or run on a certain play, but there are certain situations where a team should definitely throw or run the ball. The Ravens have such a plethora of talent at the OLB position with Terrell Suggs, Courtney Upshaw and Pernell McPhee that Dumervil can be used just in pass rush situations.

When Dumervil comes onto the field on a third-and-long passing situations, he has an edge on the offensive tackle who has already been in for two plays, as compared to a fresh veteran pass rusher. The way Dean Pees uses him strictly as a pass rusher keeps his legs fresh and definitely increases his chances of getting to the quarterback.

He is currently on pace to tie his record of 17.0 sacks. Even if he does not beat his record, there is no doubt as to the value he has provided to this organization through the halfway point of his second season. Dumervil has become a household name, as now Ravens fans have given him the nickname “Doom.” Every time he records a sack you hear “DOOOOM” echo throughout M&T Bank Stadium, and I expect to be hearing that many more times this season.

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