Not many teams have a guy like the Ravens pass rush coach, Chuck Smith.
Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy is entering his 11th season with his fifth NFL team. He has explored the free agent market and twice decided to sign with the Ravens. Smith, who played nine seasons in the league, was a big draw.
“A lot of places worry about scheme; this place worries about scheme and technique, and he’s a pass rush technician and he’s very good,” Van Noy said.
As a player, Smith recorded 58.5 sacks in 125 career games. After retiring, he decided to share his knowledge. He coached at his alma mater, Tennessee, ran training camps and coached individual players. He served as a pass rush specialist for the New York Jets in 2009, a team that reached the AFC Championship game. In 2023, the Ravens offered him a job.
The Ravens’ defense was known for its fluidity and ability to disguise pressure situations last season under then-coordinator Mike Macdonald. Smith coached both the inside linebackers and the outside linebackers, helping the Ravens to the most sacks (60) and fourth-most quarterback hits (117) in the league.
In the offseason, outside linebackers lost Jadeveon Clowney, who led the position group with 9.5 sacks. However, Van Noy decided to return, and the Ravens drafted Adisa Isaac in the third round to complete a group that includes Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo and Tavius Robinson. Smith isn’t worried about the loss of Clowney or the high expectations that last season created.
“If we don’t achieve our goal? Everyone wants to be the best pass rush in the league,” Smith said. “But from my perspective and the guys’ perspective, we’re not going to say, ‘Oh man,’ if that doesn’t happen. We’re going to start over and see what happens in the future. … I just want to really impact the quarterbacks by getting them down. It’s as simple as that. If we get the quarterbacks down and they don’t always play the way they want, then we’ve made an impact.”
Here’s what Smith had to say about each of the outside linebackers he works with:
Kyle Van Noy
He’s the veteran of the group, but he approaches the lessons in pass rush with youthful vigor. That’s because Van Noy, an 11-year veteran, feels relatively new to the pass rush. He’s pointed out to the media and apparently to Smith on multiple occasions that other teams haven’t let him focus solely on that particular skill set.
“And he just loves it,” Smith said. “We talk about pass rush all the time. When he comes off the field, we walk past each other and talk about pass rush. In the offseason, he sends me some videos because he put in a lot of work this offseason and last offseason as well.”
In Baltimore, Van Noy had the chance to be the nickel rusher, a guy who comes off the bench when the Ravens want to pressure the quarterback with more linebackers than defensive backs. He finished the season with nine sacks, the most of his career, and did it in just 14 games. He said Smith played a role in his resurgence.
Van Noy has emerged as the leader of the group, Smith said. During training camp, he rotates with the starters and appears to pressure the quarterback (the defense backs off before actually sacking the passer). He has been more of a technician than a play-every-down player, and Smith said Van Noy is OK with that.
“And it’s cool to have a guy at this stage who says, you know what, I have no problem coming off the bench, so to speak … embracing my role and thriving in it,” Smith said.
Odafe Oweh
Smith wants to clear things up with Oweh.
There was a lot of talk about the Ravens picking up Oweh’s fifth-year option after the former first-round pick had just five sacks in 13 games. He had a 15.5% pressure rate, 18th in the league, but that obscures the fact that many pressure situations should have been sacks.
Smith acknowledged that Oweh missed some sacks, but he said it takes reps to produce numbers.
“He’ll easily land on a team that brings in two veterans who each play over 250 snaps,” Smith said. “If he gets the other five games (after his injury) and probably those 400, 500 reps, he’s a double-digit sacker.”
Oweh was explosive in training camp. He sacked quarterbacks several times and constantly caused problems for the offensive linemen.
David Ojabo
The 2022 second-round pick has had a lot of bad luck with injuries. After missing several seasons, he has played in just five NFL games. He returned to the field for individual drills during organized team activities and minicamp, and participated in team drills during training camp. As the weeks went by, he went from playing here and there with the second team to getting a large share of reps.
But when he didn’t dress for the preseason game, the Ravens announced he still hadn’t been cleared to play. This update provides an explanation as to why Ojabo still lacks some of the explosiveness he once showed. He appears to be nearing his peak form and is becoming more of a nuisance to quarterbacks at practice.
“I can’t get into the medical stuff, but I know he’s working hard,” Smith said. “I know he had a good rotation today. I know he’s running to the ball. I know he’s scoring. And I know he’s showing signs of improving. … He’s fighting out there. He’s fighting out there.”
Adisa Isaac
The third-round draft pick caught Smith’s eye when he saw Penn State “take the brakes off Auburn” in 2022. Isaac contributed a sack and two other tackles that resulted in a loss. Smith began watching his film and noticed that he was explosive, powerful and could change direction. According to coach John Harbaugh, Smith influenced the Ravens’ decision to draft Isaac.
Isaac’s debut with the Ravens was delayed when he suffered a hamstring strain during rookie camp. That sidelined him for over two weeks of training camp. Isaac didn’t return to the field until August 6, so the team has slowly been working him back up. He has begun participating in team drills, primarily on the third team.
Isaac obviously has a lot to learn after missing crucial weeks in his rookie career. He missed a few tackles when he wasn’t sure of his assignment, but he also showed off his strength when pushing past linemen, as well as his speed and momentum when catching up to the quarterback.
“He’s just getting started and it’s exciting to see him do some good things,” Smith said.
Tavius Robinson
Robinson “is a glass-eater.” Smith is impressed by Robinson’s willingness to play every rep he’s offered.
“Every game, and I’m not exaggerating, he’s put in the effort,” Smith said. “Tavius Robinson listens to coach every day. Every day he practices hard; he’s up early. Every day he does those drills and puts his hands on guys in the run.”
Robinson is entering his second NFL season and is ready for the big jump.
“And remember, Tavius played last year,” Smith said. “Tavius was in big games early on. He’s not like a second-year player who’s never played. He went out there and overwhelmed some of the great teams we played.”
Now that he’s comfortable with the speed of the game, he plays fast and aggressively. He’s a regular in the backfield and constantly gets into the pocket. After playing more than 40% of the defensive snaps in five games last season, Robinson has a solid foundation to build on. And with both Ojabo’s and Isaac’s health in question, there’s a real chance for him to get regular playing time.
