The Baltimore Ravens have a new defensive tandem in town and they are already making a lot of noise. After the team lost key veteran presence in Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, head coach John Harbaugh was ready for a few players to step up and fill the void. Insert Elvis Dumervil and Courtney Upshaw, two linebackers feeding off each other perfectly.
Dumervil signed with Baltimore in the offseason after a contract debacle in Denver. He is place right new to Terrell Suggs for a success one-two punch. Dumervil has Pro Bowl appearances under his belt and has been an immediate presence on the field for Baltimore.
The kid is explosive," Suggs said, via the team website. "It's good to see another guy that wants to get after the quarterback. We've always had guys around here that want to do it, but we've never had such a phenomenal talent on the opposite side of me."
Those two together would be enough for most teams, but the Ravens also have Upshaw who is slowly developing into a real-deal linebacker according to Harbaugh. Both Upshaw and Dumervil are listed as starter for the Ravens, working in rotation on the strong side of the line. Upshaw comes in on run plays, Dumervil chases the quarterback. It is the perfect system for the Ravens.
"It's great for Dumervil and for me. As a young pass rusher, I'm out there trying to learn from him. We talked on some things on my pass rush game. I'm just trying to get better. I enjoy Dumervil as a teammate and as a person. I'm really happy he's here," Upshaw said.
In his rookie campaign, Upshaw put up 55 tackles and 1.5 sacks in nine starts. His skillset paired with Dumervi's could be a giant headache for most opposing offenses. Harbaugh is holding off on getting too excited, but he does note that this was the team's plan all along.
"As far as making some broad statement about what it means, we'll find out when the games start to get played, for real," Harbaugh said. "That's when we'll find out if it's what we hoped for."
All three linebackers came into the preseason looking much improved after the offseason. Harbaugh notes everyone looked leaner and motivated. Dumervil arrived early in Baltimore, taking part in all voluntary workout programs. Upshaw lost a significant amount of weight after a rollercoaster offseason.
Baltimore will miss Reed and Lewis. But with Dumervil and Upshaw picking up the slack, they will not be missed for long.
