Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver hasn’t been backing away from the idea that Mike Green can turn in a double-digit sack season. If anything, he sounds more convinced every time he talks about the second-round pick.
Weaver said in the spring that Green was primed for a 10-sack year, and he backed that up with a cutup of near-misses he put together for the rookie. The clips showed just how close Green came to finishing plays: a fingertip here, a half-inch there, even a missed hold that never got called. Weaver, who is never shy about pushing his players, seemed especially serious about this one.
Green has carried that confidence into training camp, where he’s gotten off to a strong start. That’s happening while the Ravens install a brand new offense and the offensive line has had some shaky moments, so the setting may be helping him. Even so, the bigger point is clear: the Ravens believe Green can be much more than a player who averages a half sack per game.
“Now, just being more comfortable with the environment,” Weaver said recently after practice, “with what our expectation is, and just being able to go out there and play - he is going to eat. He is going to eat because he cares, and he plays too hard.”
There’s also a football reason for the optimism. Rookie head coach Jesse Minter is viewed as a scheming mastermind, and Green’s skill set gives him a chance to be used in ways that actually play to his strengths.
That matters, because last season nobody on the roster could consistently get home, and former defensive coordinator Zach Orr’s answer - bringing extra rushers too often - didn’t solve the problem. It left the secondary exposed and contributed to late-game collapses and struggles in man coverage.
A cleaner path for Green would help on both fronts. More one-on-one chances, more deception to create free runs, and fewer snaps spent doing too much on early downs could unlock him. He logged nearly 300 snaps on first down alone last year, a workload that didn’t exactly match what he does best.
Green, for his part, isn’t ducking the expectation. The tape of all those near sacks hit the right nerve.
"I would say it definitely had me fired up in the meeting, of course,” Green said of watching the video. “Just to see how many times I got so close and was just inches away from making a play and changing the game around.
Shout out to Weave for that, because I definitely needed it at that time. Big expectations from last year, and big expectations rolling into this year, as well.
So, it's definitely something I needed, and I appreciate Weave for that."
Weaver’s belief goes beyond the sacks Green piled up in college or the burst he shows off the line. The coaches like his motor, his work habits, and the way he handles business away from the field.
“Approach to work - that is what this is about,” Weaver said. “This is not about showing up one day and not showing up the next day.
It is about consistency. And right now, that is where his mindset is.”
Outside linebackers coach Harland Bower sees another step coming as the game starts to slow down for Green.
“The game is slowing down. When the game slows down schematically for you, now your God-given ability can show and shine.
And that is what you are seeing, I believe, on the field. You will see that this year."
There’s also the larger defensive picture around him. With $30M-a-year pass rusher Trey Hendrickson now in the mix and Nnamdi Madubuike potentially back on the field after April neck surgery, Green should have more room to work. Madubuike is described as a top five defensive tackle on the planet, and if he stays healthy, offenses will have a harder time keying on Green.
That’s why 10 sacks doesn’t sound far-fetched if the defense reaches its ceiling.
“I’m a lot more comfortable out there,” Green said.
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