beasy2487

Paul Kruger couldn't or didn't want to be on ST. They finally let him on the field.

Ozzie Newsome and the scouting staff on the Ravens is top notch. They continually bring in so much talent this team wins inspite of Harbaughs coaching and decision making.

lol, we really shouldn't let Brian Billick post on these boards. let it go, Brian. let it go.

Don't forget 2012 regular season McKinnie. Meanwhile John kept an over matched Oher at LT, KO at RT, and of course the rotating joke fest at LG that featured Ramon Harewood and the great Jah Reid. 3 positions were upgraded once John let McKinnie out the doghouse.

I see what you're saying but I don't agree with the undertone that the doghouse was detrimental to the team. We won the Super Bowl. Harbs was/is doing something right.

Not this again. I wonder where this concepts of Harb's doghouse came from.

To this day, when has Harbs publically said anything negative about a player for us fans to make an assumption

that he's in the doghouse?

the doghouse exists, it's just much harder to get into than people like to believe. Guys like Cody, Gaither, Pierce, and the immature version of Ellerbe are doghouse guys. Brown isn't seeing the field because of Daryl Smith and poor special teams play and that's really all there is to it.

more and more I'm expecting a 12-4/13-3 type season. there's an energy about this team that could be special.

you're biased!

no you are!

nuh uh!

yesss huh!

/thisthread

liked what I read about Aiken but im really intrigued by the Williams-Boyle competition. Williams may have higher upside but Boyle seems to be far more NFL-ready. I'll be following those two closely.

Well if you're saying that, regardless of who is where on the depth chart, that numbers 3-6 or 3-7 see more snaps and more opportunities, I absolutely agree.  I think the best way for any player to get better is to play meaningful snaps, so the more you get guys on the field the better they'll be for you at the end of the year.

Yea I think that applies to guys like Perriman but if I see another season of Marlon Brown inexplicably disappearing for extended stretches I'm not going to be happy. I really would like to see Brown or Aiken fight for that #2 spot and actually play well enough to deserve it. I am admittedly more optimistic about Aiken than Brown just because the sample size (with the Ravens) is smaller and thus I see more room to grow. Regarding Brown, I think our standards as a fan base for receiver play/development are very low. To me, when you're a 6' 5" WR that makes the 53 on a team without elite receiving talent and have Joe Flacco throwing the ball, I don't care what system you're in, there should be no scenario where you're a healthy scratch. Especially true if you're a second year player with a full offseason under his belt.

So here's hoping one of them steps up to the plate to take some of the pressure off of Perriman.

i think i watched that flacco practice video like 50 times now.

Not gonna lie, maturity looks good on January Joe.

I think, in spite of them acting as though it's an open competition, that the job is Perriman's to lose at this point.  If he doesn't screw up royally in preseason he's the starter even if someone outperforms him in camp.  I think this for 2 reasons: 1) he's the first round pick and they've already seen what happens when they panic and try to replace a guy based on preseason with Torrey and Lee Evans (meaning if you draft a guy to be the starter, TC and OTAs shouldn't change that), and 2) more importantly, Torrey and Jacoby being gone makes us speed deficient when we've had a vertical receiver take part in almost every snap on the offense for the last 4 years.  I think it's just a different matchup issue when Joe has that deep threat, and I think it's something they're going to want on every play.  Maybe I'm wrong but I definitely think Breshad is currently being considered the de facto starter day 1.

Yea I agree that it's his job to lose, I just want someone else that's already in the system to step up and be a better player so he has the luxury of being brought along at a steady pace. I'd rather have two guys good enough be WR2 than two WR3's with one getting the nod because he's a first rounder, if that makes any sense.

Really rooting for Forsett.

If the young players step up, this is a Superbowl team.  The talent is there, no question.  But guys like Perriman and Williams are rookies, and they're going to be expected to carry a heavy workload.  Young players can do some special things, but they can also make easy mistakes that are costly to the team as they continue to grow and learn.  And mistakes are what have killed us in previous playoffs - interceptions, fumbles, penalties, etc. - if we'd cleaned up our own mistakes, we might have made 3 superbowls the last 5 years.  That's what I see as the biggest challenge - how to give these young rookies the best chance to succeed while trying to make sure that they, and the rest of the team, avoid costly mental mistakes.

I agree except about the rookies needing to carry the load. I think guys that have been given chances the past couple of years need to step up into that WR2 spot early in the season and let Perriman develop at WR3. I think Williams will be the second or third TE depending on Pitta's status. Honestly I think Williams is facing an Arthur Brown-like risk of getting buried in the depth chart in year 1 if Pitta is a go. He's a good receiver but not better than Pitta and an OK blocker but not better than Boyle or Gilmore. With Juice in the mix as well, Williams is going to need a little bit of luck along with stellar offensive and special teams play to see the field. 

So I agree that this team has Super Bowl talent, but that's because the guys that will carry the load have been meticulously added to the roster over the past two seasons. The rookies, even the high round ones, have been brought in as depth and that's an amazing position to be in.

While I agree with Jones looking like a bust. Way too early to say anything about Shazier considering he was hurt most of last year. We can discuss that after this year.

I have no clue where you are coming from on the Heyward comment. He is actually turning into a very good DE for them. 8 sacks as a 3-4 DE is nothing to be ashamed of. The Steelers should be extending him shortly.

You possess an intimate knowledge of the Steelers.

Still need an answer for cincy. They play as if they expect to beat us.

The answers for Cincy are competent WR3 and CB3 play. You beat the cover 2 in the soft zones and you beat the WCO with the press. Last year we couldn't get either position to step up. This year we just need one...(I'm looking at you, Kyle.)

Limited sample size helps. Watt may go sown as the best player of all time when it's all said and done. If Timmy becomes a good fraction of that I'd be thrilled.

Lol whoa there. Watt is a generational talent no doubt but let's leave it at that. I agree with you though, regarding the point about comparing him to Timmy...it's just unrealistic. Timmy is already and will be a great player for us. I also think he can be the better sack artist in his prime, but Watt's motor isn't just an asset it's his number one trait. You don't coach that and you don't grow into it, you just have it. That doesn't mean Timmy isn't a comparable player, it just means that using a scaled projection when one guy has a decided advantage in ability over time is a straw man.

The best receiver trio we ever fielded was Boldin, Smith and Jones. Not coincidentally, we won the Superbowl that year.

Roll credits.

Craig. I never liked Craig.

I think there will be no change in kickers or the way they are used due to the rule change unless after this coming season it proves an obvious need. I see no changes this coming season.

"I don't foresee things changing...unless they do."

I don't think you can call Harewood a miss considering he proved to be a valuable depth piece and even started, which is huge for a sixth rounder, whereas the other two were third rounders

happy to be proven wrong in pursuit of proving Ozzie right. haha.

I'm cautiously excited for Tray Walker. I think it's underrated how in-tune Ozzie is with the HBCU (Historically Black College/University) pipeline. Harewood was a miss but Webb and now B. Williams have been really solid additions. Hopefully Walker is next.

I think Tucker puts the same amount of juice on it from 33 as he does 15. And I really doubt any team with a decent kicker is gonna go for 2 point conversions more often. Sure PATs are a formality, but your team just scored a TD, it's pretty much a victory lap you're watching.

Agree with you on Tucker but I do think you're understating the statistical significance of being nearly guaranteed 7 points versus now having to accept 6 points as a more or less probable reality depending on the skill, dependability, and endurance of my kicker. Given cost-benefit, if I don't have a good kicker I go for it much more often with this rule change, why not? And what if, as a result, we start seeing more successful 2 point conversions, starting a trend?

I honestly think this rule change is going to dramatically impact kickers. I have no idea if it will be a positive or negative impact, but it is far from insignificant.

I don't know about that.Jimmy Smith isn't  a interception machine and Ladarius Webb was actually our best ball hawking cornerback at one time but he's been dealing with injuries. Corey Graham and  Cary Williams both had their best year interception wise with Dean Pees as the defensive cooridinator. I just don't  think the idea that getting more turnovers should be consider not a option with Pees as defensive cooridinator. 

 

In 2011 when The Ravens had more of  so called aggressive defensive coordinator  in Chuck Pagano the defense had a total of 15 interceptions and in 2013 when the defense had a much better secondary than in 2014 with Dean Pee as a defensive coordinator the defense had a total of 16 interceptions. Can't really say Dean Pees defensive system doesn't generate interceptions  or won't generate better numbers especially if the secondary stays healthy.

You've introduced logic into a conversation about Dean Pees. You've made a mistake.

like i said, clarence brooks. best DL coach in the league hands down. he makes pro bowlers out of guys like carl davis

Brooks is a great DL coach. I really think he can make Davis into a great player. 

Brooks, Monachino, and Wink are all tops at their disciplines. Our coaching staff has been stacked for some time...which is weird because we keep losing them.

...but it's only our first date. 

We will carry 4 TE's. TJ Maxx Williams, Crockett Gillmore, Nick Boyle, Darren Waller.

Pitta I'm sorry to say will be on IR

threw me off for a second with TJ Maxx...not gonna lie tho I like it lol although I disagree with the post. I don't think there's any way to know if Pitta is going to play. he's healthy right now...and if he stays exactly the way he is right now until week 1 he will be our starting TE. Now, if he has a setback of any kind he goes on IR and this is a totally different discussion but until then it's pure speculation.

I also don't think there's any way DW is listed as a TE on the depth chart this year. I think by the time his rookie contract is up he may be one of the best TEs in the league, but at this point I think the mental and physical learning curves are too steep for a full-on position switch.

professional football

I don't think Upshaw is great standing up, but I think he could be effective as a DL rushing from the interior while Suggs or Dumervil get double teamed in a role similar to McPhee.

I agree with this assessment. I don't think Upshaw will ever have the speed to get around a tackle and thus if he's lined up outside, unless there's a scheme-dependent mismatch (I.e. both of his hits on Big Ben) he's just not getting to the QB from the edge. That said, lined up inside where it's more about strength and skill than speed, he can use his uncommonly strong upper body to beat interior lineman.