fusuymada

Knowing whether he should have fielded that punt is a rookie mistake. Jackson is a fourth year player but when you miss so much time, and your cornerback play is so bad, you risk your roster position. If a proven returner becomes available after final cuts we need to grab him and cut Jackson. I view Jackson as a last resort so let's wait to see who gets cut to see if we have to rely on the last resort or not.

Webb was quite unproductive last year and was forced to take a pay cut to stay on the Ravens this offseason. Since then things have spiraled out of control with him with either one injury after another, lack of productivity, failure to pass the conditioning test etc.... I am beginning to wonder if his pay cut has to do with what appears to be a lack of concern about the team with him. Maybe I am misreading this, but Ryan Mallet "overslept" after losing the qb battle in Houston and subsequently was dropped to the bottom of the depth chart. At some point in time the depth chart will have to show Webb at the bottom of the CB position because of what is the impression of him not caring. Once you give up on your team and teammates, you no longer belong.

I guess everyone is convincing themselves the outing against the eagles really didn't matter because we didn't game plan but to me, anytime you get that embarrassed, you better care about what happened. I am not going to rehash the game, but we got beat everywhere, offense and defense, 1st, 2nd and 3rd string, up front and in the back, we were straight up beaten. I am also uneasy about the comment Suggs made saying this isn't where we practice against them and then play all nice. What is that? They certainly practiced against us and didn't come out and play all nice, why did we? Maybe a little less bragging about their practices being like "apple juice" and "lets just say it was a good practice for THEM", maybe we should have worried about making it good practices for us and not playing "nice" during the game. The Eagles loss was because players went in cocky and got their butts handed to them. Sad part is, sounds like they haven't learned their lesson yet so it may take a beating by a lesser team to make these guys realize, just because people say they are good, doesn't necessarily make them good.

We have 12 receivers of which probably 10 will end up on someone's roster this year. With Perriman and Campanaro tying up two spots and both with a history of missing games due to injuries, does it make sense to waste roster spots. The only other option is to put 7 wide receivers on the roster because before the season even starts we are down to 5. We have 4 wide receiver sets which means if just one guy gets injured, we are playing every available wide receiver we have. Two injuries and that takes away a huge part of our 3rd and long offense. I don't think either of them can go on PUP because they practiced during training camp and my understanding is if you even play one down you cant go on the PUP list. One of them can go on IR scheduled to return which is where I put Perriman until he shows me otherwise. Right now, they don't know when he will be back, if he will be back. When you start at missing one day and it goes to five weeks, who knows when he will be back. Add to that the Osgood-Schlatter information that just came out and I would sit his butt for awhile until I am sure he is ok. Now there is a surgery to help that but the recovery time is 12 weeks which means he would miss most of the season but if not, we waste a first rounder everytime he bumps his knee. DrBobbyE says the injury is not related to OS but he should recheck his information because my research has shown that it is a possibility that stretching damage to the patellar tendon as a result of the growth spurts that is the cause of OS can carry over to adulthood depending on how damaged the knee was during the time that OS was an issue. In addition, spiky growth damage to the back of the patella injuring soft tissue like the synovial sac as well can cause damage later in life.

I went back and looked because I knew I had made a comment on Hill I thought was really appropriate to remind people why he deserves this................What more can you ask for. Here is a player who screwed up big time and could have developed an attitude and fought the establishment. Instead he chose to become part of it. To become a fixture in Owings Mills, to bring along the younger players and develop relationships with all of them. To work out when others rested, to study while others vacationed and when he vacationed he vacationed with other members of the secondary. He didn't choose to stroll in with the coaches here so they could see him, he chose to beat them into the building. Kudos to the front office for taking a chance on a guy they felt could turn it around and because they did, he will be not only a better player for it, but a better person and member of the community as well. Kudos to Will Hill for being a good person, a role model and a man who is living and playing like a Raven.

If people are following my comments, I am a big Waller fan. I think he has the same skill set Torrey Smith had coming out of Maryland. He has size, but also 4.47 speed and is raw but developing quickly. I can see him, much like Torrey, getting out there and playing and about the third game, rack up a couple TD's just like Smith did. I see Aiken, Butler, Brown, camp etc... and those guys more as slot guys, but game one we need some size and speed out there and they only one on the roster who can do that is Waller. As far as Monroe goes and his injury, I went to training camp this year and Monroe looked like he had twig legs and he was being pushed all over the place. He no longer impresses me in any way and we need to be looking for a legit left tackle who can actually get out there and play. I thought Hurst played as well as Monroe last year. It is too late to get a tackle now but next draft, I am sure left tackle will be on their list of priorities.

I think if Perriman can run a 9 route, a slant and a WR screen he would draw enough attention away from the other receivers to be successful even if he doesn't catch a pass. I also think Waller can fill that position with his 4.47 speed. The other receivers on the roster don't have the speed that Perriman and Waller have. The receiver opposite SSS and either Camp(if he can stay healthy),Aiken or Brown in the slot, just needs to draw attention of the safety, he doesn't have to be Calvin Johnson. Of course he has to catch the ball if it comes his way, but all he has to do is run fast down the field, across the field, and catch a screen and run.

I don't understand why people complain about "worthless" preseason games. Players are going to get hurt, regardless. During CBA negotiations the league agreed to stop 2 a day practices and really limit the amount of pad time that players have in training camp and during the season because of injuries. Now that they aren't getting injured in training camp (which was deemed "worthless") now they are getting injured in preseason game (which people are now saying is "worthless"). So let me get this straight, players are supposed to not practice, not play in preseason games, not play in pads and then go out in the regular season and play. And people think that will provide what kind of a product on the field? These guys are getting millions upon millions of dollars and all they want to do is go out once a week for 16 to 20 weeks, not practice, not play preseason games, and then go out and provide people who are paying outrageous ticket prices a crappy product because nobody has practiced enough to do anything on the field. This is getting crazy. If the General Manager and Coach thinks that they are putting a player at risk, then they wont play him because they know their paychecks are tied to winning games and you can't win games if your good players are injured. Preseason for the most part, except for week 3, is a time for the young guys to show what they can do. Most starters aren't playing except for those who the GM and Coach think needs the work. I am sorry, but the first four weeks of the season suck anyway while players finally learn the plays and what they need to do and we finally get good football about week 5 when teams finally get the play time they need to be good. Taliaferro was a back who missed games last year and clearly they thought he needed work or he wouldn't have played.

I like Brown but I still feel that Waller is the best option to put on the field with SSS. Waller has size, speed and the ability to go up strong. Brown has size, but doesn't have the speed to stretch the offense opposite of SSS the way the Waller does with his 4.47 speed (Brown was 4.63 coming out of college). Waller can fill the role of Torrey Smith. All he needs to do is run a 9 route, a slant, a wide receiver screen and a double move. Smith can do the rest on his side and either Brown or Camp can fill the slot spot. Just my opinion.

I disagree to this extent. If Chip Kelly didn't gameplan and we didn't gameplan then it was simply mano a mano and what I saw was our first string defensive line being pushed back regularly. What I saw was our secondary in man to man coverage, beaten and beaten bad. What I saw was special teams that looked like they were lost out there. Now if you are telling me our guys didn't try and that's why they got beat then I have issues with that. But what I am saying is that if our defensive line doesn't ever have to get penetration or hold firm on the line or if you are saying our secondary will never play man to man or if you are saying our special teams don't actually have to tackle anyone then no I would not be concerned. But there will be times when our radios go down and our guys have to step up and play mano a mano and do an awful lot better than what they did. So where you may not have concerns, I have concerns that after practicing against these guys for three days, we came out and that was the best we could do. I am sorry but I am concerned with our front line holding runners after Haloti's departure. And I am concerned (and I am not the only one) with our secondary, especially since a lot of the names are the same as the group who routinely got beat last year. So I am glad we shouldn't be concerned, but I guess looking from the outside in and not the inside out, I don't have to be an apologist. Or should I say, I'm not paid to be an apologist.

Haloti has it all wrong and it is fine if he wants to live with a revisionist history. The truth of the matter is that he could have retired a Raven, the Ravens wanted him to retire a Ravens, the fans wanted him to retire a Ravens but Ngata refused to renegotiate, refused to push his cap number up the road and refused, I repeat, refused to retire a Raven. There were plenty of options that would have allowed him to retire in Baltimore but he dug his heels in and said I want money, money and more money at a time when he knew the team was cap strapped. He left them no option. So being traded wasn't the idea of the Ravens by any means, it was a decision that Ngata and his agent made. Of course, the Ravens wouldn't pay him the outrageous amount he wanted because he has been consistently injured later in his career, had a drug suspension, he is injured now and he and his agent cant even work out an extension with the Lions after they already threw a very large amount of money his way. So the only chip on his shoulder he should have is the one he put there himself but if he needs that to motivate his old tired body to produce without using performance enhancing drugs, then I guess a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do.

I love Camp and I think he can do great things but you just can't rely on him. Too many times now over two years he has had a "soft tissue" injury. I was hoping we could cut Asa Jackson and Camp could take over the returner role and save a roster spot that I was hoping would be filled by Darren Waller. Now if we have to go out and pick up a returner after cuts are made, then we lose that spot. Unfortunately, you can't make roster decisions that cause you to rely on a guy that is always "lame". Like I said I love Camp's energy and play making ability but if he was a horse, he'd be glue right now. (please no animal comments it is just an analogy).

If I were the Ravens, I would hide this guy until after practice squads are decided. Brown looks like he has talent but his collegiate competition was not the best and he would benefit with a year on the practice squad. The more he plays, the more teams see him the more likely he will get picked up by someone else. Is it wrong to hold the guy back this year so he can shine next year or the following year? I don't think so. Especially since he isn't going to make the 53.

I have the game DVR'ed and I have GamePass and if you listen past that you will hear Arthur Brown making numerous tackles including a sack. The announcers said that after Orr made two tackles in a row because they ran to his side. After than Orr over ran the punt return that they gave up a touchdown on and he then committed another penalty after that. I don't just listen to what our announcers say as they have an agenda as well. I prefer to go with what I see and I see what the Ravens see. Albert McLellan is too slow in coverage and has been eaten up by blockers on the runs. Brown has had 5 or 6 tackles in each preseason game. No other linebacker has had as many. If they want to improve his trade stock they would play him against the scrubs so he would shine, not the 1st string. They want to see if he can cut it with the big boys. Go back on GamePass and look and I believe you will see the same thing that I did.

I wish I could have seen these practices. Everyone sees something different when they watch them. A week and a half ago I saw Waller and training camp and made comments here and wrote an article on another site that pointed out that Waller may be that guy to fill Perrimans shoes with his size and 4.47 speed. Now he is showing that. I would have loved to see this practice just to see how the Ravens stacked up. To read these articles you would think the Eagles didn't even show up but after all it's the Ravens site, which is why I would have loved to have seen them go head to head.

It will be interesting to see whether Boyle has fumbling problems or not. My opinion is that based on the number of catches he had during his college career, training him on retaining the ball probably wasn't a high priority. After all, they have to throw it to you for you to fumble it and clearly him making catches was not a priority. However, with the number of catches the Ravens plan on the tight ends making in the Trestman offense, that will dictate the Ravens DO spend that time on ball retention issues. Which means by the first game, we will know if it is a fumbling problem or whether he was never coached up on how to make sure the ball doesn't get popped out.

I believe Waller, who ran a 4.46 forty with his size and ability to attract PI penalties (as was evident in the first preseason game) would be good to fill in that spot. Lets face the facts here, all we need to start the season, with Smith Sr on the other side and Campanaro in the slot, is someone who can run a 9 route (straight down the field), a shallow cross and to be a big target in the red zone. If Perriman comes back soon, he should be able to accomplish that, however, Waller already showed in preseason he can handle that skillset. That was basically what we got from Torrey and if Perriman cant do it as a result of injury, Waller has the speed and size to get the job done without much loss.

At this point in time, after what apparently was little to no ability to stretch the field against the Saints, we need to consider whether Perriman is going to be productive at all this year and do we need to trade for or bring in someone who has the speed to do that. With an already crowded receiver corps, it could mean losing someone we wanted to keep but without that speed, our offense will be drastically limited. Last thing you want is the strongest arm in the NFL and no one who has the burst to create separation downfield. All the eggs were in one basket and someone dropped that basket and we are going to end up with egg all over our face if we continue to wait for something to happen without proactively addressing it. Bring in a burner and if Perriman is back in time, then he can be cut, but if not, then we at least have an insurance policy. Not that there is much left out there, but time for Ozzy to do his magic.

Problem with Schaub is he is not the type to trash talk and fight back. For a long time, Flacco and Suggs would jaw at each other and it was considered "good-natured" though there is always truth in jest. Although trash talking may not be Schaub's best attribute, he needs to throw some barbs back at Suggs. In addition, Schaub is coming off two tough years and although he says he doesn't rehash those years, he has to be sensitive to his numbers and production. One of the leaders on offense, whether it be Flacco, Forsett or Steve Smith need to be a team leader and step up and put an end to this one-sided berating of Schaub. This is what builds teams and maybe Crocket Gilmore, Nick Boyle, Yanda or KO need to knock Suggs down and stand over him and do a little trash talking. The offense needs to stick together and someone needs to be a leader and step up and at least defend Schaub if he wont defend himself. Team players don't allow their QB to get verbally abused without getting in the face of that player, even if it is Suggs. We talk about SSS being a leader, lets see some leadership from him in this case. He and Suggs used to wrestle after practice last year, maybe SSS needs to do a little wresting with Suggs during the practice.

I wouldn't be too concerned. We started our backups on the corners, Webb and Smith didn't even see the field, Arrington and Quinton Pointer started and they shut down the Saints first team (minus Brees) for two three and outs. It was actually when we brought in our third string corners, second string safeties and linebackers is when we had problems. McLellan isn't a coverage LB and I would have much preferred seeing Orr and A Brown out there. The Saints abused McClellan and our safeties down the middle of the field.

I like "Schaub's Second Shift". What I really thought hurt the team was the inability to stretch the field because Perryman is down and we have absolutely no one with any speed that can run down the field. Anyway, Butler was a huge letdown. He was supposed to go up and get passes but when he had a shot down the sidelines, he fell down and tried to catch it on his back (shades of Torrey Smith). Aiken and Butler couldn't get separation, Waller looked lost (even when he caught the slant it looked like he was surprised he caught it). Campanaro and Tom Nelson looked like the best receivers on the field. Nelson also made some plays on special teams. I am sorry, from what I saw I would prefer Nelson over Butler, Aldrich, Carter etc... Everytime I saw Nelson, he was wide open including the TD pass that Renner underthrew, there was no one within 10 yards of him. Nelson has earned more time with the ones as far as I am concerned.

Just an observation here and I could sit and congratulate the offense like many others have and don't think I am trying to throw a wet towel on the party (I am not sure I know what that means) but this is my thought and I wonder if anyone else saw what I saw. I noticed the QBs were doing the hurry up hand signal to Trestman trying to get the play in. Many times when you saw the QBs doing that, the cameras would go to Trestman who was standing there talking to someone on the sideline and then you could see him send in the call. That was a HUGE problem with Cameron and it handcuffs Joe (or whatever QB) from getting to the line and being able to read the defense. Even on the final drive when Renner was trying to move the ball, he would get to the line with only 4 seconds left on the clock and would have to just snap the ball and hope for the best. This has to be corrected. Also, Asa Jackson is hurt already, again? That really concerns me if we are relying on him to be a returner. Also, Arrington looked pathetic. Whether in coverage or tackling, it was like he wasn't even on the field. If he is our backup to replace the outside corners if they go down, hope Webb or J Smith don't get injured or look for another year like last year. We weren't going to get in this spot again according to OZ where our secondary is a pushover, but all we added were Arrington and Cassius Vaughn and both were less than impressive.

Is the defensive line going to be this years secondary? While it appeared we were deep enough to absorb the loss of Ngata, here we go again with the injuries. Ozzie said we would never be caught again like we were caught last year with the secondary but yet here we go with the defensive line collapsing like a house of cards in a typhoon. I know training camp is to weed out and deal with injuries, but one more hard practice like we had last Thursday and we may not have 11 people left to put out on the field in both directions. I know we need to get these guys ready to hit before the first preseason game and I am not qualified to second guess Harbaugh but (and there is always a but) we cant afford to do that.

I cant wait. There are those that put no stock in preseason games and refuse to watch (Norris and Davis), there will be those who shut it off after the first series when the starters sit, but to me, this game and the last game are the two most exciting games of the preseason. Here is where we see who the next Victor Cruz, Marlon Brown, Terrell Davis or James Harrison will be. All those guys weren't expected to amount to anything. I remember the Hard Knocks episode when Cruz catches 3 TDs against Rex's Jets and even he was so impressed he mentioned it to Tom Coughlin at the closing hand shake. Of course, after that tip toe catch against the Vikings with seconds left in the Blizzard bowl, who doesn't know Marlon Brown. TD was a special teamer who blew up a returner in his first kick return and got noticed and James Harrison was cut a couple times (even by the Ravens) before he stuck with Pittsburgh and look what he has done. I love to watch these young guys out there and see what I think about their performances. And I am sure the Ravens are looking at everyone's preseason as well seeing who looks like they may be a pro ball player. Yep, I love this game and I feel sorry for those who cant get up for this game or people like Norris and Davis who said on air this morning the only reason they are watching is because its their job. Maybe they need to find another job if they dislike football so much.

A couple Flacco comments if I can and this is just my opinion. I cant imagine anyone punching Flacco because I cant imagine Flacco standing up a co-player, taking their money and not making it right. I cant imagine Flacco chasing a corner down the field because he threw an interception and if he did, I cant imagine if the corner stiff armed him he would escalate the situation. Cam and Geno got what they deserved and its time to start punishing these immature qbs instead of rewarding them. Also, I think after Flacco inadvertently used the "R" word he was embarrassed by his actions and though he had always worked with special Olympics and the developmental disability community that he redoubled his efforts and has now become a prominent celebrity promoting their cause. I think it also shows how much of a real man he is by admitting he made a mistake and then stepped up and used his status to benefit the cause. That is a leader and a role model. Geno and Cam are not the type of people I would point to and say to my child, I want you to emulate that person. Joe is.