If there’s one thing about the Baltimore Ravens last year that really got on the nerves of the Flock, it was their defense. Up until Week 10, the secondary was rough, as they ranked 27th in EPA per play. Yes, sure, they cleaned it up by the end of the regular season and actually finished first, but that kind of up-and-down performance had fans worried heading into 2025.
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That’s why Eric DeCosta and company went out and grabbed Malaki Starks and Mike Green in the draft — to tighten things up on that side of the ball. No more excuses now, right?
Mark Andrews’ two-point conversion still stings, sure, but the defense not being able to force any turnovers in the Divisional Round game against the Bills was the reason for the loss… And their abysmal performance in the first half didn’t help either. Things need to change, clearly, and that’s a sentiment former Raven Qadry Ismail strongly agrees with.
During his appearance on the Locked On Ravens podcast, Ismail seemed awed by rookie Mike Green’s performance in OTAs — his speed and his moves gave him hope for the upcoming season. But when the host of the pod, Kevin Oestreicher, suggested that Green’s addition would not only help the secondary become consistent this year but in the years ahead, Ismail had to cut him off and voice his frustration.
“I’m going to stop you right there. Cause we ain’t trying to worry about the beyond… Steve Bisciotti already talked about it. Who cares about the future? We want [to win] now. Now. Now. Now. Mike Green. Now.” Ismail said.
“I ain’t worried about Malaki Starks next year, two years. I don’t really care about whether or not Odafe Oweh gets a blockbuster deal. I want now. This team is built to win now. This team is supposed to go to the Super Bowl. That’s it,” he added.
Ismail knows very well that his former team will ball out in the regular season — they’ve got none other than Lamar Jackson to do their bidding. But it’s the postseason that has Ismail worried.
“We ain’t worried about the regular season because we know we got Lamar Jackson. He’s gonna be winning some games, balling, all the things… We want the postseason.”
Former Ravens WR @IamQadryIsmail is TIRED of the future talk
He wants Baltimore to win NOW pic.twitter.com/dpAE2uJH4M
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) June 15, 2025
Qadry Ismail, who won his maiden Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2001, is evidently frustrated with how his former team — despite being so strong — still isn’t going all the way. And can you blame him?
While we threw some shade at the team’s secondary, it’s no secret that Lamar Jackson hasn’t been that guy in the postseason. In the regular season, like Ismail said, he balls out.
Just last year, Jackson was a few votes away from clinching back-to-back MVP awards. He was that good. But against the Bills, in the playoffs, his two turnovers directly led to scoring drives for Josh Allen and Co.
Perhaps this year, Jackson finally gets his act together and those postseason blues disappear. Whether it’s Joe Burrow, Allen, or Patrick Mahomes, he needs to outperform them. Because this time, his defense looks ready to take care of business. No more excuses from the $52-million QB or his offense.
