Back in the day, Mike Wallace proved to be a major headache to opposing defenses.
During his four-year tenure in Pittsburgh, Wallace caught 235 passes for 4,042 yards and 32 touchdowns. At one point in his career, his numbers ranked fifth overall in the NFL.
Ever since he left Pittsburgh, he wasn’t able to repeat such success. Shortly after his departure from Pittsburgh, Wallace signed with the Miami Dolphins. There, he caught 140 passes for 1,792 yards and was able to put the football in the end zone 15 times.
Last offseason, Wallace was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings cut him loose after one season as he only was able to record 39 receptions for 473 yards and two scores.
Now, he’s in Baltimore – a team who should be able to fully utilize his skill set.
“You can do anything with him,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “He goes deep, he comes across, he runs routes and has good hands. I think he’s done a tremendous job as an all-around receiver, and I think he’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing this year.”
“Going deep” is definitely something his new quarterback, Joe Flacco, should love to hear. Flacco is known to have one of the strongest, if not the strongest, arms in the game today.
That could explain why Wallace’s stints in Miami and Minnesota didn’t go as planned. Wallace’s strong suit is to go and get the deep ball. Unfortunately, Ryan Tannehill and Teddy Bridgewater aren’t exactly well known for their ability to throw the ball deep.
It might also be worth mentioning that the Vikings are known more for their ground-and-pound approach – as they currently have arguably the best running back in the NFL on their roster. Therefore, Wallace wasn’t able to be utilized to his full potential.
Wallace is also set to do something else for the Ravens next season that will drastically help his fellow teammate Steve Smith, Sr. He’s going to keep some opposing defenders away from Smith.
Anytime you have a guy that’s known for his ability to go and get the deep ball, opposing defenses will be forced to take notice, or pay greatly for it.
Mike Wallace is fast; really, really fast. In fact, he ran a 4.33 second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine shortly before he was drafted. To put into perspective, his time is faster than what Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders were able to record.
At one point, Patrick Peterson, the current Arizona Cardinals cornerback said Wallace had “crackhead speed” and was one of the toughest receivers in the NFL to cover. That’s one heck of a compliment considering Peterson is one of the best corners in the NFL.
Long story short, if opposing defenses sleep on Mike Wallace, they’re going to get burned. And that’s exactly what the Ravens expect Wallace to do in 2016.
