One of the players that the Ravens are counting on to help them weather the loss of tight end Dennis Pitta is tight end Ed Dickson, but Dickson hasn’t come through in the first four games of the season.
Dickson has started all four games, but has just three catches for 25 yards. He’s dropped a lot of passes, though, including one that went off his hands and into those of Bills safety Jim Leonhard for one of Joe Flacco’s five interceptions in Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Bills.
The Ravens were hoping to get a player closer to the one that caught 54 passes for 528 yards and five touchdowns in 2011, but coach John Harbaugh said Monday that he doesn’t see the same things from Dickson on the field anymore.
“The stats kind of speak for themselves as you’re alluding to. He’s not the same player right now than he was then obviously,” Harbaugh said, via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “Ed just needs to go catch the ball. Make it easy: Run fast, get open and catch the football, put it away and get upfield. That’s all he needs to do. And if he’s thinking about anything besides that, he’s doing himself a disservice. And if he’s lacking confidence for some reason, that’s on him. When you have that kind of talent, those kinds of gifts, go play ball, go show everybody what you’re capable of doing. That’s what I expect to see from Ed.”
Dickson isn’t the only member of the Ravens offense making Harbaugh unhappy these days. The coach also ripped his offensive line as “disappointing” on Monday and there’s sure to be more where that came from if the defending Super Bowl champs continue to struggle to points on the scoreboard.