The Ravens will be a legit contender in the AFC if they recognize Justin Forsett as their number one back and give him the bulk of the carries. So much of what this Ravens team is about revolves around the run game. Running the ball well allows them to take time off the clock, keep their defense fresh, open up the play-action passing game and take pressure off of Flacco. When the Ravens can run the ball and dominate time of possession, if forces teams to move quicker to play catch up, which is when they become vulnerable to mistakes, giving Baltimore’s defense chances to create turnovers.
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Forsett has been far and away the most effective runner for the Ravens this season. He’s currently averaging 6.4 yards per carry, a full yard and a half more than the next closest back, Lorenzo Taliaferro. Even if you take away his 111 yard game against a poor Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, he still averages a yard per carry more than Taliaferro.
I’ve talked before about how both Bernard Pierce and Taliaferro leave yards on the field. Forsett is much more natural when it comes to the zone running scheme. He doesn’t miss cutback lanes like Pierce does, but he also doesn’t force the cutback like Taliaferro has done. He reads the play well and makes the correct cut a high percentage of the time.
This run starts with Forsett taking the hand off to the left.
But he’s actually running a counter, where he cuts back against the direction of the offensive line.
Forsett approaches the backside of the offensive line. The plays is designed for him to cut it all the way back, but the Panthers have a backside defender waiting there for him. Instead, Forsett shows great vision, reading a defender playing with outside leverage. He spots a small gap for him to work with.
Forsett squeezes through the hole and is into the open field. He ends up picking up 21 yards on a play that other backs might have only managed four or five.
He also displays excellent patience when it comes to running the zone scheme, something that is critical to have to be successful.
This time, we see the Ravens run a stretch play to the right.
Forsett makes his first read quickly, knowing he has to cutback inside.
But as he approaches his lane, he notices a defender working to fill the hole.
Forsett stays patient and waits for his offensive lineman to sweep the defender out of the way before cutting in behind him.
Forsett bursts through the hole and finds himself in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown.
The vision and patience Forsett puts on show on these two runs is something unmatched by Pierce and Taliaferro. Taliaferro has shown glimpses of promise, and should be used to spell Forsett. But I believe Forsett needs to be treated as the number one back and given more carries. He needs to get more carries than the season high of 14 he had this past Sunday against the Bucs. I’d like to see the Ravens give him up to 20 rushes a game and see how he fares. I believe that that will be the key to the Ravens becoming a legitimate contender in the AFC.
Mark is an NFL follower from across the pond. He began analyzing Redskins football for SBNation’s HogsHaven.com, before moving on to The Washington Post. He also helps with NFL Draft coverage on FanSpeak.com. Mark was born and still lives in England, often battling the time difference to watch every minute of football he can.