By Matthew Marczi
As has pretty much always been the case with Jason Worilds, the fourth-year outside linebacker sprinkled in both some good and some bad during his fill-in starting performance for Jarvis Jones against the Baltimore Ravens. At times, he displayed veteran awareness of his surroundings, and at others, he looked confused. For the sake of order, it is probably easiest to isolate the good from the bad. This would be the bad.
On the following three plays, Worilds, in my estimation, displays some degree of a lack of awareness of either his responsibilities or the on-field circumstances with which he is surrounded. That is not to say that they are fundamental issues or plays that are egregious. The bottom line is that they simply make Worilds look bad.
Take this first example, on which he is abruptly introduced to Ravens guard Marshal Yanda against his will.
While the fact that Worilds is taken off-guard and nearly off-balance by the All-Pro guard does not necessarily look very impressive, the fact of the matter is that Yanda does this fairly regularly. More importantly, however, Cortez Allen makes an excellent play to hold it to just a short gain. No harm, no foul.
On the following play, again, Worilds’ impact did not ultimately change the end result, but it still does not make him look good.
Lined up at inside linebacker pre-snap, Worilds shifts over to the defensive right side and takes left tackle Eugene Monroe wide on a pass rush. Meanwhile, Troy Polamalu’s inside move on the left guard helps open a wide hole through the B Gap that allows Joe Flacco to easily break the pocket and scramble for 12 yards on third and 11.
As mentioned, however, a holding penalty on Ike Taylor would have resulted in an automatic first down anyway. Instead, it just tacked on five extra yards to the end of the run. That was not the only run that he let slip by, however.
Prior to the snap, Worilds adjusts to Vontae Leach going in motion. He engages the block of tight end Ed Dickson, but he gets caught inside too far, and when the hole to the right side of the play quickly closes, Worilds is out of position to prevent the easy cutback from Bernard Pierce.
