Matt Elam knows that he didn’t handle his midseason demotion well, but at the time, the Ravens safety was angry about losing his starting job and especially down on himself.
“It was killing me at first,” Elam said Thursday. “I just felt like I didn’t want to be here no more. I didn’t want to play no more. My purpose was no longer needed. I felt like I let myself down and I let the [Ravens] down.”
At his worst moments, Elam sought the advice of veteran teammates like Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil, who kept telling the Ravens’ 2013 first-round pick to be positive and stay prepared. They warned Elam that the Ravens would need him before the 2014 season was all said and done, and they were right.
Elam was used as an extra defensive back in the Ravens’ 30-17 wild-card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers and played his most extensive snaps in several weeks. Two weeks after seeing action on just nine plays against the Houston Texans, Elam was on the field for 29 snaps versus the Steelers, and he contributed with a tackle, an interception on a two-point conversion attempt and solid coverage.
“I just put everything in God’s hands and I just realized it’s not the end of the world and I still have a big role on this team and I’m very important to this team,” said Elam, who will likely have a significant role in Saturday’s divisional playoff game against the New England Patriots with the Ravens wanting to have extra defensive backs on the field to deal with Tom Brady.
“I was mad about my reps and not playing as much, but I can’t let that affect me. This team still needs me and I still I can make plays. I just need to go out there and play my role as best as I can.”
Elam said that his improved play in recent weeks is a result of him taking care of himself physically and preparing better for the game.
“I’m trying to do the small things right,” he said. “It’s actually transferred to the game, the way I’m practicing, the way I’m studying, the way I’m keeping my body up. It’s starting to show from the practice field to the game. I’m just trying to stack these games, stack these practices and keep improving. I feel like the sky is the limit and I want to do whatever I can to help this team win.”
Elam started 15 games in an uneven rookie season and much more was expected of him this year. However, he’s struggled in coverage, getting beat for several big plays, and he’s missed a team-leading 16 tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. He was ultimately passed on the depth chart by Will Hill and because of the Ravens’ rash of cornerback injuries, Elam was used as a nickel back.
Though he’s seemingly miscast in that role, Elam isn’t making excuses and he vowed that this season’s struggles will make him a better player in the long run.
“They brought me here in the first round after getting rid of Ed Reed. They had very high expectations of me,” he said. “When they threw me out there, I should be able to handle it. I didn’t feel like it was too much. They got me in the first round for a reason. It’s just something I have to handle – prepare better and put myself in better situations to make those plays. I know I can.”