Shareece Wright Struggles In Ravens Debut

Head Coach John Harbaugh didn’t go* *easy on cornerback Shareece Wright just because he’s new. Wright had a very rough debut in purple and black, allowing two touchdowns, including a 76-yard score by former Ravens wideout Torrey Smith. Wright was signed Monday after the season-ending injury to cornerback Will Davis, who was also acquired midseason but was performing quite well. Wright was thrust into a major role because Lardarius Webb was out with a thigh injury. “I don’t care if you’ve been here for four days,” Harbaugh said after Sunday’s 25-20 loss. “You put your eyes and your coverage on the right spot. It’s that simple.” The Ravens’ pass defense has been a weak point all season and allowed 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has struggled all season, to throw for a season-high 340 yards and two touchdowns. Harbaugh was asked what the troubles were in the secondary. Harbaugh pointed right at Wright’s mistake. Smith gave him a classic out and up route. Wright cut underneath the route and Smith easily got around him and was wide open for the long score. “Double moves,” Harbaugh said. “You put your eyes where they’re supposed to be in man coverage. It’s simple as that. If you don’t do that, you can’t play. It’s as simple as that. … You can’t let a guy get behind you. That’s below the line.” The 49ers knew exactly what they were getting in Wright. They recently released Wright, making him available for the Ravens to snatch off the market.Wright wasn’t activated for any of the 49ers’ first five games, and their secondary has been lights out. The 49ers released Wright after he made the request to move on. “When a guy’s on your team that long, you definitely know his weaknesses, and strengths,” 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin said. “That was one of the things we wanted to attack today.” Wright prepared throughout the week, putting in extra time after hours with the Ravens’ defensive coaches. But he still struggled when it came to game time. Asked what went wrong, the first thing Wright said was, “this was my first game as a part of this defense.” “It was long hours and a fast turnaround for me, but that’s part of this process,” Wright said. “When you’re coming to a team at this part of the season and you’re expected to play a big role, I’ve got to get it done.” Wright was the culprit on the 49ers’ only other touchdown, which came in the fourth quarter and put San Francisco up, 25-13. As Kaepernick scrambled, Wright got tied up with wide receiver Quinton Patton and fell down. Patton was wide open for the 21-yard score. “Our feet got caught up,” Wright said. “He kept his balance and I didn’t.” So where do Wright and the Ravens secondary go from here? Wright said he just has to “go get better” and get more comfortable within the defense. Fellow cornerback Jimmy Smith, who was high school teammates with Wright and recruited him to come to Baltimore said Wright needs to keep his head up. Still, Smith harped on the big plays being the problem. Smith also allowed a 51-yard catch by Boldin, although he was close in coverage. “Every corner gets beat. Playing corner, period, you either win the game or lose the game,” Smith said. “I know [Wright’s] sitting over there feeling the same way I’m feeling. I know the whole secondary is feeling the way I feel. We put that on us. I’m tired of saying the same thing, but we’ve got to come though. It’s unacceptable what we’re doing.”