RayRocks

I was skeptical but hopeful that he could come back.  I wanted to give him one more season to try to prove himself, and I'm glad the team did.

Amazingly, he's second in total yards for a TE through week 2, and he's tied for first in total catches with 3 other TE's (3 of the best at their position in Olsen, Witten and Reed).

2 minutes ago, Gtown Purple said:

We really need doom back for this game. We are going to need all the pass rush we can get. Getting Dixon back will help us too. Im not happy with Forsetts play either. West is playing better but can't seem to catch passes. Curious why Buck has been down both games. Jags can be exposed in the passing game.

If Dixon isn't ready to come back, I think I'd still like Buck to be active to see if maybe he can get something going.  It's not totally clear if it's the RB's, OL, or the scheme/play calling that is creating our rushing issues on offense, but my gut feeling is it's the use of the shotgun that is creating a lot of the problems.

11 hours ago, GrimCoconut said:

Why not keep both Williams and Pierce and have a nice interior duo that can do some amazing things together? I really like the combo we have going with Willierce. 

I think we'd all LIKE to keep Williams.  It's just going to depend on how much he'll command on the open market (which will likely be Top 5 NT money).  I don't think it'll be Top 5 DT money since almost all of those guys are pass rushers, but it could be at least 7-9 mil per year to keep Williams.

Using Flacco in the shotgun has definitely helped him to get the ball out faster, but I think it's also a major reason the run game is struggling.  The (stupid) pitch plays that they're running take too long to develop AND don't fool the defense at all.  

I think the obvious correction here is to start putting Flacco under center more, so we can start using the play action and Juice for 5-10 snaps a game at his true position (FB).  This will help make the offense more unpredictable.

I think there's a chance that for the first few games, they wanted to get him in the shotgun as much as possible to get him comfortable playing again, but there's no way they can expect to have him playing out of the shotgun this often for the entire season.

He has a lot of room for improvement, but he's shown the most potential out of probably all of our rookies so far (with a few other guys having good showings so far).  I agree that if he keeps it up, it'll make it easier to let B-Will go at the end of the year.

3 minutes ago, PurpleCity5 said:

I'm predicting a breakout game for Za'Darius Smith. He was questionable coming into the Bills game and I don't know if he was 100%, he also missed plenty of time prior to the game. I think he'll do much better this time around. I also think Matt Judon has a good game. 

I think Z missed practice today, so I'm not sure if he's really ready.  Hopefully Correa, Carter and Judon can hold the fort down.

Just because a 2nd round pick isn't playing on defense in his first game doesn't mean he's going to be a disappointment.  He was playing on ST, and with McClellan, Orr and Mosely at ILB (all now on their 3rd+ year with the team) and Suggs, Smith, McClellan (all with 2+ seasons with the team) , I don't really see how this would be much of a surprise.  KC was also learning 2 different positions during training camp.

I think patience is the key with Correa.  If at this point next year, he's still not playing many defensive snaps then maybe we'll have some reason to be concerned with the pick.

1 hour ago, Sami84 said:

if hes a healthy scratch for most of the year you can start thinking arthur brown 2.0

Fixed:  if hes a healthy scratch for most of the year you can start thinking Paul Kruger 2.0

1 minute ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

I think our pass rush will hold up well with sizzle zds and judon. We'll need our DTs to get some push in the middle though for them to be effective. I think jernigan guy and urban are the keys up front. Also proper scheming, we gotta get some exotic looks in the nickel and dime and make use of levine orr and correa in the blitz

I think 2 players could play pretty big roles in the game against the Bills.

1.  Urban, specifically, could be very effective against Tyrod because of his height and ability to get into the passing lane.   Tyrod is short and struggled throwing over the middle a lot more than he does when he steps back or rolls out of the pocket.  If Urban can get in his face, and Jernigan/Guy/Williams can get some solid push up the middle, then I could see it causing issues for 

2.  Obviously the defensive contain will be important, and I can definitely see Levine playing QB spy for a lot of the game.  The only issue with that is I'm not sure who covers Clay, but my guess is Weddle, Webb or Powers get that assignment.

1 minute ago, Ravens4Real said:

Doom officially out. That's a huge blow to the pass defense.

It is being reported that he suffered a setback in his recovery. So this may end up being a multi week absence. What a way to start the new season. Right where we left off the last one with injuries.

I think that's a bit of an exaggeration.  Doom is our best pure pass rusher, but we're also a lot deeper at the position this year than we were last year.  Z, Suggs, Judon and Correa should do a fine job there for the next couple of weeks (with McClellan filling in on run downs).

If this carries over for another 1-2 weeks, I'll start to be a little more concerned, but he did call this a minor setback.

7 minutes ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

Aditi Kinkabwala is reporting that we are actively trying to bring Forsett back at a lower salary, presumably after we send Elam to IR or some other move. 

Forsett's tweet was interesting. Tells me the FO told him they'd be interested in bringing him back. The plot thickening meaning instead of just making it he's gonna have to go through waivers and then weigh potential suitors against the Ravens offer. 

Maybe they're only interested until Dixon is back. Who knows?

 

i just hope we make a hard play for Sitton. Speaking of waivers, does he have to clear? We'd be in decent shape of claiming him though SD, Cleveland, LA, and maybe even Jax could all use a guard like him and are in front of us. 

Just find a way to get Sitton here. With that line this offense could really take off. 

No, I believe vested veterans become free agents when they're released and do not have to clear waivers.

1 minute ago, BmoreBird22 said:

True, but you need a backup and there aren't even 32 starting quality LT's in the league, so stressing over the backup is pointless 

This would have been the only logical reason behind keeping Monroe on the team, and it was my only argument for it.

1 minute ago, Sami84 said:

might as well just sign everyone elses best ST player :/

Probably won't be able to because most teams won't cut them.  That's kind of the point.

Just now, ellicottraven said:

They can only suit up 45 players on game day. So 8 have to be inactive is my best guess.

I think he knows that, the question is "Why?"  

My best guess is to make it a level playing field when accounting for injuries.  If one team has 12 injured players and the other has 6, the one with fewer injuries has more of an advantage because they have less active options to play on game day.

Correa has showed plenty of potential during the pre-season if you watch him play.  Is he making mistakes?  Absolutely, quite a few.  But he's playing out of position and also trying to learn several positions on the defense.  I expect him to take another few month s before he starts being a more consistent playmaker.

Remember, it took Paul Kruger, Arthur Jones, and even Dwan Edwards a few SEASONS before the lights turned on.  I don't think Correa will take that long, but it will take some time to get the mental part down.

43 minutes ago, Moderator 3 said:

From our rules.

 

1. Post topics and comments related to the Ravens and surrounding football issues. Avoid political, religious and personal relationship discussions. Off-topic issues are allowed to be discussed in the Off-Topic Forum. Also, do not discuss illegal activities on our boards. This includes illegal game-streaming links. We reserve the right to remove any posts that violate this policy without notice.
 

Not sure if this was directed at me but I don't think it should be against the rules to promote the use of the Gamepass Free Trial option.  It's a trial for a reason

8 hours ago, jdynamite said:

Hope to see no more injuries! 

Beyond that I would like to see Ochi make an impact giving the team something to think about. 

 

I'd almost rather him not play much at all so we can sneak him on to the Practice Squad.  If he does play, I'll almost take that as a sign that the team doesn't really want to hide him there.  As it stands right now, there probably isn't any room for Ochi on the 53 man roster.

4 minutes ago, Fastynart said:

Perriman, Perriman, Perriman. Just like we heard Elam, Elam, Elam. Perriman is a guy from a mid level college, who was known as a pass dropper, but, because of his "speed", the Ravens decided to blow another number one pick on him 2 years ago. Since then he hasn't even gotten on the field. After two knee surgeries, how much of that coveted speed will he still have, and, even if he does, how does that translate into miraculously holding on to the ball? Chris Moore is head and shoulders above Perriman.
It is nice to have the problem Urschel or Lewis. Both are capable. Sooner or later we will need them. One starts, the other a capable back up.

I hope you'll eat your words when he turns into a playmaker for us

I get why people don't want Perriman to play, but it could be vitally important for him if we plan to get any use out of him in the first few weeks of the season.  Even if he only plays 1-2 quarters, just getting a feel for the pace of the game and getting some of the 'jitters' out could really help his progress.

I'm all in favor of giving him a little time to play if the medical team clears him.

From what I remember, our cap situation next offseason is relatively friendly, so if Aiken wants to stay in Baltimore and isn't looking for an outrageous contract, I think he'll stay.  Although it all depends on how this year goes, obviously.

I'd say that the team is more likely to keep Aiken than Brandon Williams, to be honest.

1 hour ago, Maryland said:

His style of play is similar to Aiken, which would make him a good successor for when Aiken leaves next season as a UFA, but also makes him hard to keep this season because he's not going to see the field if Aiken is healthy. Shame he doesn't have 1 more year of PS eligibility, since they're probably going to keep Campanaro instead of Butler. 

On that note, I think they'll try hard to keep Aiken.  SSS will be gone, and Wallace is really only likely to play for 2 more seasons.  Unless Perriman shows this year that he's definitely going to be a #1 (or #2) player, I think Aiken will stay on a relatively team friendly contract.  He's probably not the type of player who could get Torrey Smith type money on the market, and I think he's worth more to this team than he would be almost anywhere else.

2 hours ago, picke said:

Can he survive an NFL hit? Ravens' fans are holding their collective breath about this. You can't out-run everything and everyone all the time in the NFL.

He never got hurt while taking a hit, so I don't think a hit is something we have to worry about.  He got hurt (the first time) in a freak accident when he fell to the ground while making a catch.  This isn't something that will (or should) happen any time he falls to the ground.

5 minutes ago, Fastynart said:

What a load of crap. Why should a first round draft pick have to show "improved hands"? Why is someone who needs "improved hands" a first round pick? Perhaps these "reporters" should be asking those questions instead of sugar coating his inability to catch the ball. He was that way in college. No big surprise. Yet, the Ravens spend a number one on him. Good grief.

If you really knew what they meant and didn't overreact, improved hands really means improved consistency.  His knock coming out wasn't that he had bad hands, it was that he would occasionally drop some easy passes, likely due to lapses in concentration.  He's actually a phenomenal hands catcher and made some tremendous catches in college.

I can't wait for Perriman to shut all of these haters up.  Campanero too, for that matter.

11 hours ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

I dont see this being the end of Pitta's career. Hes not getting cut, and he'll be back soon.

They've waited this long, they're not going to walk away now over a finger. I think if this was regular season, Pitta would be able to suit up and play. Tape it to a Popsicle stick and get out there. 

Agree, although I'm not sure he'd be able to play yet, but I imagine he'll be back within the next 7-10 days.

I also think it may be underrated how much cutting Pitta could mess with Joe's psyche.  He's coming back from a serious injury and Pitta is like his security blanket in the offense.  I would want Joe to have every weapon that makes him comfortable at his disposal, especially when he's only going to have at most 1 half of football played before the first game.

7 minutes ago, January J said:

I'm wondering if we keep 7 or 8 on the O line and if we keep 8 who will the last one be? Hurst, Wesley or Ducasse are the top candidates but I haven't heard jack about any of them. Anybody ?

I could see them going with 7 OL to start this year knowing that Lewis and Jensen can back up at both tackle and guard positions, and Jensen is also a backup at center.  Especially with the rest of the roster being so tight, that could be an area where they go a bit slimmer at the beginning of the year.