Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco Hits Breshad Perriman On Deep Pass During OTAs
By Joe Serpico
There are many things to take away from the Baltimore Ravens most recent organized team activities (OTAs), but the highlight for many Ravens fans is video of quarterback Joe Flacco hitting rookie wide receiver Breshad Perriman on a deep pass that will have fans gushing.
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The Ravens escaped the second of their OTAs with minimal injuries. The only injuries to date happen to both be at the wide receiver position with Michael Campanaro and Aldrick Robinson both suffering leg injuries. Robinson is dealing with a MCL sprain, while Campanaro is nursing a hamstring injury. The injuries are big blows to two players who are not guaranteed a spot on the Ravens roster.
The wide receiving corps has been scrutinized in Baltimore basically since the team’s existence. The Ravens have had their share of good to very good wide outs, but they have never had a main guy on the outside. The top receivers in franchise history were all drafted elsewhere. Derrick Mason, Anquan Boldin and now Steve Smith are arguably the three best receivers in the Ravens short history. The hope is that Perriman is the first wide receiver the Ravens have drafted to make that leap into the upper echelon of pass catchers.
Flacco is known for having one of the best arms in football. His ability to make the deep throw with accuracy is one of his best attributes. Flacco has enough arm strength to over throw most receivers so it is important that he has a receiver that has the speed to get downfield in a hurry. The reason why Torrey Smith was such a valuable piece to the Ravens was his ability to get deep fast.
The knock on Smith was his hands and the fact that he didn’t fight for the balls in air. It was apparent on the deep pass thrown by Flacco in the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the New England Patriots. It was not a great pass by Flacco to throw it off his back foot, but Smith made no attempt on a 50-50 ball floating in the air.
Perriman has a lot of the same traits as Torrey. He is lightning fast, posting a better 40-yard dash time than Smith recorded leading up to the 2011 draft. Perriman is an inch taller, but Torrey has a slightly longer arm length. That is about it for the positive comparisions between the two as all the traits are not good ones. He is raw in his route running, relying primarily on his speed rather than beating opponents with his route technique. He is also guilty of having susceptible hands and doesn’t work back to the ball. Those are characteristics that have become all too familiar to Ravens fans over the past few seasons.
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On this play, Flacco drops back and looks to his right. You see Flacco’s eyes light up as he notices that Perriman has beaten cornerback Tray Walker on the play. Flacco rears back and fires a cannon down the middle of the field that Perriman catches over his shoulder in stride with Walker a few steps behind. If this were live game action, we are looking at a touchdown of over 50 yards.
The Ravens are hopeful that this is a regular occurrence once the season begins on September 13. Marc Trestman has said he will not change the concepts of the running game, but we should expect a more aerial approach than Ravens fans have become accustomed too. He likes to get his big receivers in one-on-one situations and attack defenses. The Flacco to Perriman connection will be key to the future of the Ravens offense.
Some other things to note from the video found on BaltimoreRavens.com:
Crockett Gillmore made a terrific diving catch on a slightly overthrown ball by Flacco. He is battling rookie Maxx Williams for the starting tight end spot, and our colleague Cole Moog thinks Gillmore will have a breakout year.
It might be just a coincidence, but Flacco threw a lot of balls to second-year receiver Jeremy Butler. Butler was undrafted from Tennesse-Martin and spent last season on injured reserve, and will be in a battle to make the team. He will get more looks with Robinson and Campanaro not practicing.
Flacco seemed to be on the move quite a bit. There were a couple occasions that showed him rolling out and throwing the ball on the run, and another that seemed as if he “scrambled” for a touchdown. Trestman could put Flacco on the move more than we have seen previously, but let’s hope Flacco does not try to run for a score.