As a part of our series on the 2013/14 Ravens defense, we’re going to start looking at young veterans who are projected to have a big impact this fall. We start this group with the Ravens’ 2012 second round draft pick, Courtney Upshaw. Don’t miss our previous parts of this series: 1) 2) 3) and 4) .
Join the discussion on Courtney Upshaw on the Message Board here.
Additionally, we took a closer look at the Ravens’ free agent additions. Check out Chris Canty, Elvis Dumervil, Michael Huff, and Daryl Smith.
In 2012 Courtney Upshaw followed in the footsteps of Terrence Cody, Le’Ron McClain, and Jarrett Johnson by becoming the most recent draft choice out of Ozzie Newsome’s alma mater, Alabama.
Teams always want their high-round picks to contribute starting Week 1, and Upshaw did just that. He was on the field for 886 defensive snaps (only seven defensive Ravens took more) and played almost exclusively strong-side outside linebacker in the Ravens 3-4.
After losing Jarrett Johnson in the previous off-season, the Ravens seemed intent on replacing Johnson’s run-stopping ability. The superficial stats suggest that Upshaw played this role well (44 tackles and 2 sacks), but I dug into the tape to see just how effective Upshaw was.
As an OLB Against the Run
Upshaw’s strength this past season was setting the edge in the run game, so it’s no surprise that he was utilized most often on first down. At 6’2 and 272lbs he is a big body to move on the edge, so the Ravens positioned him (as above) as the strong-side outside linebacker.
Above is the Ravens base 3-4 on first down, but they actually play a 4-3-type concept with 3-4 personnel. This image from the Super Bowl shows the responsibilities of each piece in this defense. The 1-technique Nose Tackle and 5-technique Defensive Tackle are “2-gapping” while everyone else is playing one gap. These are the general responsibilities in a “4-3 Under.” Upshaw is responsible for the strong-side D gap and is charged with forcing everything back toward the middle.
Edge=Set
In the above play, Upshaw is playing the strong-side OLB. The offensive playcall is Inside Zone to the left, a staple of the Houston offense. The Texans’ goal is to get the entire defense flowing playside until Foster can find a cut-back lane to get upfield.
Upshaw takes on a tight end (as he often does) on the backside and controls him through leverage as you can see in shot #2, where he has lifted Owen Daniels’ inside armpit.
In shot #3, Foster sees a giant hole to run through, and it seems like he will be off to the races. Upshaw, however, squeezes the play down and closes the D gap so that he and Ellerbe can make the tackle.
This play is less of a highlight and more of a standard run-stop effort by Upshaw. He can use his above-average lateral quickness to maintain his gap integrity on zone runs but he also stands up to double-teams while having a knack for getting his hands free and taking down the ball carrier. Upshaw is your classic “edge setter” and he was a valuable asset for a run defense that was subpar last year.
What about when it’s time to get after the quarterback?
In college, Courtney Upshaw played a 4-3 defensive end and rushed the passer very well, so he was projected to do so in the NFL too. But it was this part of his game that was missing in 2012.
His rush snaps were minimized (due to his teammates) since Suggs and Kruger were both seen as better outside rushers. Regardless, he did not pressure the quarterback very much and the stats bear this out: ProFootballFocus charted Upshaw as having the second worst Pass Rush Productivity (~QB disruptions per rush) of all qualifying 3-4 OLBs.
Upshaw does not have an explosive first step and should be better at leveraging blockers given his size. Upshaw tends to club blockers in front of him but doesn’t move his hips around bodies in order to get around the edge. In addition, I didn’t see him use a single counter-move (swim, rip, spin). It seemed that when there was even a small possibility of a run play, Upshaw played the outside run support role by steering the blocker in front of him. I think it was this trait that kept him from reaching the quarterback.
A coverage linebacker
3-4 outside linebackers need to be versatile, meaning they need to set the edge on the run, rush the passer from the outside, and drop into coverage when necessary.
Upshaw played pass coverage on 130 snaps, which is pretty high for a 270lb man. On the play below, the fullback motions to the widest receiver spot and Upshaw is charged with playing man coverage on speedster Michael Crabtree.
Upshaw is amazingly agile given his frame. The pass did not go to Crabtree but instead went to Vernon Davis, the TE aligned inside of Crabtree. Upshaw made the tackle after catch in space.
The Ravens mostly had Upshaw drop into Curl/Flat zone coverage in their Cover-4 look or periodically had him matched up on a running back. Upshaw is not a great cover guy and should not be counted on regularly against match-ups like Crabtree, but when the personnel group demands he play in the secondary, he is adequate.
Situational Roles
On 3rd-and-Obvious-Pass downs the Ravens like to run what some call “Amoeba” or “Psycho” fronts. These are plays where they stack the box with motioning bodies in an attempt to disguise the coverage/blitz combination. Courtney Upshaw was generally an inside rusher in this package. One example is the following.
Depending on the blitz, Upshaw either rushes or drops back into a short hook zone. In the above instance, he feigns zone coverage and begins to rush directly at the Center. Upshaw was in this package a number of times, presumably to substitute space eaters like Cody for a bit more speed.
Toward the beginning of the season, Upshaw played as a 4-3 defensive tackle on pass downs and the results were not pretty. Upshaw does not rush with power to begin with and attempting to push around NFL guards and centers was futile for him. Defensive tackle should not be a spot for Upshaw if the Ravens plan to get any pressure up the middle.
Does Upshaw fit as an Inside Linebacker?
Dean Pees discussed the idea of moving Upshaw to inside linebacker in order to maximize Dumervil and Suggs’ snaps as outside linebackers. Keeping Upshaw on the field is a great idea in theory, but he has very little experience as an inside guy. The only example I could find goes back to his college days.
Upshaw had a clear lane to run through and disrupt the play in the backfield. Since most Division I linebackers can consistently make this play, it would have been more enlightening if Upshaw hadn’t made this tackle.
Altogether I’m not sold on Upshaw as an inside linebacker. He holds his own on the edge of defenses, but he generally has the luxury of facing tight ends. NFL guards can get to the next level and drive a player like Upshaw out of the play, so he will need to get some on-the-job experience to improve his positioning and technique.
Overall
Courtney Upshaw is a fascinating study. He has an amazing skill-set that is likely to develop given more opportunities next year. He is a fixture on the edge and will very much be a part of the projected improvement of this run defense next year. I don’t like the initial prospect of Upshaw as an inside ‘backer, but he will begin to gather experience there provided he can beat out Josh Bynes and Albert McClellan.
Dan played high school football at Wilde Lake and graduated from McDaniel College with a degree in Psychology. Dan is currently a Maryland Terp working on his PhD degree in Neuroscience. He has experience writing published scientific material as well as blogging for SBNation via Baltimore Beatdown. Beginning in the 2012 season, Dan has been writing about the Ravens focusing on the X’s and O’s of the game of football with heavy use of overhead (All-22) film analysis. The Columbia, MD native currently lives in Silver Spring.