RavenManiac#7

You make a valid point, although we still do have Forsett, who is just as knowledgeable of Kubiak's system as the guys that moved with him, as you put it. But, I must confess, I'm having my doubts about Schaub. He was a successful QB for a number of years, but the last couple seasons have shown a Serious decline in his game. I was all about getting a veteran QB as a backup as opposed to a rookie or second year guy when we signed him and thought it was a good move. But now I'm not feeling all that warm and fuzzy about him. Looking at his last two years and reading about how poorly he is looking so far with us has me praying, even more than I always have, that Joe continues showing his incredible durability. As of now, I am totally Dreading the unthinkable prospect of Joe having to miss any time this year. And until we either read about, or better yet, see for ourselves, that Schaub has anything left to give, I Really don't want to see him on the field in a game that matters. By that, I mean Any regular season game. Without seeing that improvement on Schaub's part, the Only time I would want him on the field would be in a game that had absolutely No bearing in the standings or has any playoff repercussions. I'm still waiting to read something, anything really, that indicates that Schaub deserves any confidence from us. Right now, the prospect of seeing him line up under center is pretty scary.

I don't think Trestman, or Harbaugh for that matter, is trying to change the system. They've constantly been stressing the fact that the system will Not be changing much at all. There are just some things that Trestman has had success in that he wants to add to our repertoire. I think that's a good thing. The more defenses have to think about, be prepared for, and try to defend, the better for us. And Joe just continues to learn more and develop his considerable talents even more. And remember this, although our offense did improve considerably last year, it was far from a perfectly oiled and running machine. Have you forgotten all the times the offense started games like it was sleep walking? And all the three and outs, with almost totally ineffective first halves? If you really look back at last season's offense, you should be able to see that there certainly is room for improvement. It might not have been "broken", but I surely wouldn't call it a finished project.

You might be right, because I don't trust my memory anymore, but my recollection was that he was reaching the ball forward and away from his body trying to gain a bit more yardage when he fumbled those balls. And I thought I remembered three fumbles rather than only two. Nevertheless, with as few touches as he had, two Or three was too many. I've seen players get benched and forgotten about for long stretches by Harbaugh after just One fumble, so Juice should be happy that didn't happen to him. Just ask Taliaferro how Harbaugh treated him after he fumbled for the very first time, even if it was against the Squealers. Everybody is going to fumble sometime, but it just Has to be a very rare occurrence. Fumbles will kill you. Terrible momentum changers. Juice Has to cure that or he won't be catching anything.

Way to early for talk like that. Actually, the talk coming out of Mad Maxx sounds a lot more sensible. He's saying the right things and with that attitude I think he'll do well.

Why would Elam and Brooks have to be gone if they don't beat out Lewis and Hill for starting jobs? Depending on their contract situations, they could still be depth and backups. We can't just go with our two starting safeties. If Elam improves and Brooks continues to develop, I like the sound of Lewis, Hill, Brooks, Elam, and Levine if we keep 5 safeties. They can't all start and if they don't that doesn't have to mean they have to go. Man, every year good competition brings out the best in players. I say keep as many quality guys as you can afford and let them all keep pushing each other.

What the heck am I talking about today? It's Kendrick Lewis I meant to say as the free safety starter, not Hill! And Elam is behind Hill at strong safety, not Lewis! I think I better get my thoughts in order before I make another post today. I think my mind must be elsewhere. Sorry, everybody!

I can't see any chance of him not being on the 53 this year. Yeah, he's got people ahead of him on the depth chart early on, and he's still got some healing to get through, but he has impressed by being so far ahead of schedule and, also, with his potential on the field. Although I see Will Hill as the starter at free safety, who knows about Elam and depending on how Brooks pans out it just could mean that we'll be that much stronger in our revamped secondary. Just, PLEASE, let us escape the injury curse this season.

Forgot to put the LOL in at the end of that last post. Surely everybody knows I was just kidding!

What the heck! Why doesn't Bisciotti just offer Joe 49% ownership of the franchise in exchange for Joe just donating his services as a QB? We pay him no salary that way and nothing goes towards our cap because he's just donating us his time and talents. Just tell the Player's Association, "Ah, Nunya"!

As a Ravens fan, of course I want him to succeed as a football player. But, you know what? As a man I am even happier, Much happier, to hear about all these things that seem to show that he has finally figured things out about life. I am Very happy for him and his family. Being a good and successful man, father, and husband as so, so much more important than being a good and successful football player. That little girl of his is a million times more important than Any football will ever be. Good luck to you and your family Will Hill, and may God bless you all greatly.

It's really disappointing to have to come to the realization of how unlikely it is that we will have both Yanda and KO lining up together beyond this upcoming season. Wow, the best Guard tandom in the NFL disintegrates when this season ends. What a bummer. I will readily admit that I am not a typical man, because I will tell anyone who wants to listen that money is not Nearly the most important thing to me in this world. In fact, I will go so far as to say that I very strongly believe that man's love for it can be a very dangerous thing. But, to the subject at hand, Yanda and KO, I would ask, just how many millions of dollars does it take for either one of them to be happy with their life? Isn't there Anything else that matters? How much money does it take for a man to feel secure that he has enough to adequately provide for his family? Especially in Yanda's situation, is there any value to him to want to be a part, a valuable part actually, of a perennially successful contender for the SB? Yes, he undoubtedly could find an opportunity to make a few more million dollars elsewhere, but does he place any value on the comradories and friendships he has developed with his fellow teammates as they fought together in the trenches in their efforts to win the ultimate prize, the Lombardi Trophy? And uprooting his family, leaving friends behind, aren't these things maybe worth a few million here or there? Yanda is already a millionaire and, no doubt, the Ravens Will be offering him at least a somewhat competitive offer. Isn't finishing his career with the same team that drafted him worth something? Or, is the almighty dollar Truly the Only thing that matters? At some point in the next year we will, most likely, find some answers to those questions. Now, KO, is in a slightly different situation. He is coming to the end of his rookie contract and is about to cash in on his first BIG payday. He doesn't have as much history with the Ravens or his teammates as Yanda has. His desire to get as much money as he can will probably be greater. With him, I can understand a little better that the answer to those questions perhaps won't be weighed down as much as I would hope those considerations might be for Yanda. Who knows how this will all play out. Perhaps, all the stars will almost miraculously line up in such a way that both Yanda and KO remain Ravens. Maybe, just maybe, Joe will want to win so much, and have the great pass protection that having the pair of them stay might offer, that he might make some additional money available with his own extension negotiations. And maybe, just maybe, Yanda might be willing to take a few million less to stay put. And perhaps, just perhaps, that might make enough money available to satisfy KO's desire to cash in with his big payday. Yeah, maybe all that could happen. But, you know what? I think man's love of money will definitely get in the way of making that happen. To me, it's really a shame, because I know, without any doubt whatsoever, that we're talking about three men who either already are or are about to be (in KO's instance) incredibly wealthy men by anyone's standard. Now, I realize that I am looking at all this from a fan's perspective and, as I already admitted, one who does not hold money in such high regard as most people do. I have learned over many years that the old saying that money can't buy happiness actually really IS true. But, I still wonder, just how many millions does it take to make the people who Do love money happy. I doubt that I'll ever know the answer to that question.

In regards to LT's fumble, yeah it came at a horrible time, but really, All fumbles stink. If he earns himself more carries and shows ball security to be a problem, well, then, yes, that's just what it is, a problem. But, to put a guy in the "dog-house", or label him a "fumbler" as soon as he has his first fumble, well, that just means that every RB that ever played in the NFL is a fumbler. Maybe there has been some RBs that have Never had a fumble, but I'm not aware of any. Maybe LT, with more carries will fumble often enough to not be trusted with the ball. But, maybe the opposite could turn out to be true as well. He may have even had one more fumble, I don't know. I kind of think he did, but I just don't trust my memory anymore. Nevertheless, I don't think that LT has had enough carries in the NFL to judge him in that capacity. His, being against our hated rivals, stung more than most just because it Was against the Squealers. But, come on, really, anybody who watched that game knows that one play is Not why we lost that game. Give the guy a break. He's a Raven, and as such, we should throw our support his way as long as he is. I, for one, do not hold that fumble against him any more than I do Forsett's fumble/fumbles last season. I'm just trying to say that LT has Not had enough carries to be labeled a "fumbler." It will take a lot more carries for that to be able to be determined.

I agree with you 100%. You're absolutely right. They should both want and be trying to earn the #1 spot. That is 100% effort. Sorry I can't agree with you any more than 100%, though. You see, that's just something that's always kind of bugged me. While I certainly know what you, and others, mean when they pick an arbitrary number above 100%, the fact is 100% IS really All Anyone can give. That's all they have To give, 100%. There just, in reality, isn't any more than 100%. That's the max, man, 100%. Really, I'm 100% sure about this. But, honest, friend, I'm 100% with you on this. I like your way of thinking. Aim for the top. ALWAYS. Please don't take offense. None is intended. Like I said, it has just always been a pet peeve of mine. No harm, no foul, I hope, fellow Ravens fan.

I agree with pretty much everything you said. Great post. Your last point, though, about a blowout being a great way to start. Although I agree 100%, that thought touches on the one thing that still concerns me and that we don't know about yet. In fact, we Can't know about it until we start playing for real. That is, the Dreaded Slow Starts by our offense. I'm sure we all remember entire first halves last season where our offense was inept and seemed to be sleep walking. I hope and pray that gets fixed this off-season too. Come on, Trestman, find a way to cure us of that and we could truly be a dangerous team.

I feel so much better about our secondary going into this season than I did when we ended last season. Of course, that's only natural considering we're hoping to have our injured guys back and healthy, and Ozzie did pick up a couple of guys who should really be able to help us back there. I'm certainly not envisioning the second coming of Ed Reed, I mean let's stay real here, but I do think that Lewis was a really good pickup. I believe he and Will Hill will be our starting safeties and with Jimmy, Webby, and Arrington in the nickel package, well, that sounds pretty good to me. Whoever is left standing as our backups will have had a year (last season) of good experience which should help them. Reports are coming out raving about vast improvements being made by Elam, so much so that some are actually starting to think he could challenge Hill for the starting strong safety spot. Don't count me among them, but any improvement is Very welcome because a Great deal is needed on his part. His lack of coverage skills he has so far shown is bad enough, but if he wants to get on the field at all, he just has to learn, or relearn, whatever the case might be, to tackle. He just Has to be able to tackle. Rashad Melvin showed promise. Asa showed flashes of good play. So Melvin still needs to develop and Asa needs to play more consistently well. But, barring the horrible injury word, if they can just Please stay healthy, that terrible weakness last year could potentially become a strength, kind of like the OL experienced in one off season. If that would happen again, with our secondary, Ozzie just might enter a new stratosphere in with his reputation. Anyway, I really do think that the signing of Kendrick Lewis was huge. We shall see.

Daryl Smith is a real "trooper." He stepped into a very uncomfortable place to be, the replacement for the position held down for so long by the best there's ever been, Ray Lewis. Not only was Ray the best as a MLB, he was,also, the greatest motivator and team leader the Ravens, and maybe football, has ever had. Not exactly the easiest spot to step into. But, Daryl Smith came in and quietly started building his own "Raven legacy." Of course, because of where he was in his career and the kind of person he is, he knew that he would Never replace the legend of Ray Lewis. Nevertheless, we Ravens fans have been blessed to see another fine and talented MLB put on the purple and black. And, not only that, we have also watched Daryl Smith become a leader on our defense in his own right and in his own way. No, he's not the boisterous, vocal motivator Ray was/is, but he is a leader nonetheless. He is a quieter leader, but he is a hard working player that younger ones look up to. He could very easily have stayed home and waited until he was required to be in camp, but that is not who Daryl Smith is. He is right where he belongs, at a Voluntary OTA, being the best linebacker he can be, and showing the younger players what it takes to make it at this level. He is being a leader in his own way. He is trying to be the best MLB he can be. And he is showing anybody who cares to watch who he is. I think Ozzie found the Ravens the best player he could have found us to play MLB after Ray Lewis said his goodbye. Thanks, Ozzie. And that you, even more, Daryl Smith.

I do believe it sounds like a good idea to try to lessen SSS's snaps a bit. It's a Huge understatement to say he is not your typical 36 year old but, still, it would be nice to have him as "fresh" as possible for a playoff & SB run, which we must Always plan on having. All this, of course, is subject to how the season is going and how our other, younger receivers are performing. Another thought is this; once again, depending on how our younger guys are doing, maybe SSS could return punts. Of course, the other receivers would have to be performing well, but if they are, then it might be worthwhile utilizing SSS's ability to do that. Maybe someone else on the final roster will prove himself fully capable and talented enough at returning punts to do so, but if SSS's snaps Have been able to be reduced, perhaps he could help us in that regard if no one else Has grabbed that opportunity and excelled at it. I know one thing, I wouldn't want to have to be the one to choose between these receivers for our final 53 man roster. There's, most likely, going to be some pretty decent talent let go. I don't see how we can keep them all, but they all seem to have something to offer. I think Ozzie's job is going to be tougher this year than normal. Remember when a lot of people said he couldn't judge wr talent? Well, he seems to have done pretty well this past draft and of late with UFAs.

Totally disagree with your belief that Campanaro would clear waivers to make the PS. I just can't see that happening. UNLESS, he comes back from his quad tear and suffers yet another injury. But, if he doesn't do that, if he, instead, comes back and continues to show the ability he Has shown when he Has been able to be on the field, well then all bets are off to me. We either keep him then, or he plays for someone else. He's just too good and too talented when he Is on the field.

Campanaro has impressed me Big time since the first time I saw him and I've been one of his biggest supporters. This kid is super quick, runs great routes, has velcro hands, consistently gains separation, moves the chains, can field punts especially well because of his glue-like hands, and seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. So, what's not to like? Well, obviously, it's the fact that he just can't seem to stay on the field. He, also, seems to be proving himself to be an injury waiting to happen. Man, I Really like this guy, but it's getting more and more difficult to lobby for keeping him with every day he spends on the sidelines. To me, the worst case scenario is for us to give up on him, cut him, and see him snatched up by some other team and watch while he somehow finds a way to shake this injury bug and put up a stellar career similar to a Wes Welker, who's game his so resembles. Maybe, just maybe, this is one of those rare cases where a stint on IR and a year with a different training regiment, focusing on his legs which seems to be his "achilles heel" would produce good results and get us a great slot receiver a year from now. And, who knows, maybe all this conjecture isn't even needed because he comes back from this latest set back, doesn't get hurt again, and plays like the extremely talented slot guy he seems to have the ability to be. With the competition we have this year, I think these are the only two scenarios he can hope for if he wants to be a Raven.

Amen, jacket! Well said! You could have added in the way to frequent three and outs to all those pathetically slow starts. Halves with No offense can be Very hard to overcome. This offense is so far from where it needs to be in regards to consistency that the consistency we're talking about is almost out of sight.

Mine is a later reply, with the benefit of having seen Camp suffer yet another injury. While admitting it is being reported as a minor quad muscle pull, it still can't help his chances. I can't imagine how this won't make the coaching staff a little less confident of his ability to stay healthy, thus stay on the field, and justify a roster spot. Listen, I'm one of Camp's Biggest supporters. He has impressed me Greatly with his talents. I believe that he can be a special slot receiver, But, only if he can stay on the field. With this newest set back, and us having signed DeAndre Carter, as much as I want us to keep Camp, I'm a bit concerned about his ability to hold onto his roster spot. Now, Carter will still have to show a similar skill set, and prove his Own ability to avoid injury, but if he does, then as much as I want Camp, it could very well be a difficult call. I have said numerous times how much Camp plays like a Wes Welker, and he does. What I actually said was that he plays like a Wes Welker Type of receiver. And, boy did I get hammered for that! But, really, I Never compared him to Wes Welker. I said Only, that he played like that kind of receiver. I can't see how anybody couldn't see the similarities in their games and skill sets. I really, Really like Camp, and think that if he could just find Some way to play tougher he could be So valuable to us. SSS isn't going to be around much longer. In Fact, this very well could be his last year even though I know he's signed through next year as well. When he Does go, Camp, on ability alone, could step right into a starting position as our slot guy and, I think, truly become a star in this league. But, that's all predicated on him finding a way to stop getting all these injuries. Were it not for his injury factor, I think his spot on this roster would be an absolute given, but now, I can't imagine that our coaching staff is not starting to have questions forming in their minds about whether or not Camp will ever have the durability to play at the NFL level. I sure hope he does, but I think that if he has even just One more injury, they just might let him go. He's shown too much in his limited time on the field for me to believe that he would clear waivers so that we could PS him, and even if he somehow did, at some point during the year when a team suffers an injury to one of their receivers I believe he would get snatched away from us. I know that several people on here have dismissed the IR idea as a bad one, but in this case it just might be a better option than losing him in an attempt to PS him. I'm just hoping against hope that this injury really is minor and that Camp can Finally stay healthy and continue to show his numerous skills once he has healed again. He just can't afford yet another injury. If that happens, I think his fate as a Raven would pretty much be sealed. Man, I'd hate to see that happen. I want this guy to succeed. And I just want to throw out there that I like Waller too. Well, I guess I should say I like his potential really. A 6' 6" red zone target would be awesome to have. Paired up with 6' 5" Brown and a good pass catching TE, which I believe we have, should improve our red zone success, which we need to do. I believe we have some tough decisions to make with our receivers and will find ourselves having to let some pretty good talent go. That's a pretty rare situation for us to be in considering years past.

I came back to this article just so that I could respond to you. There's no doubt in my mind that you realize how disappointed I am about Camp getting hurt again. I see real talent in that kid, but I couldn't agree with you more that all the talent in the world can't help you from the bench. To be honest, this really doesn't surprise me. Although I was hoping against hope that he could prove to be more durable, I won't deny that I had my doubts. Even with this slight set back, I still do not believe he will clear waivers so if we try to PS him I think we will lose him. I, also, agree with you that the coaching staff will be more reluctant to give him a roster spot, especially if Carter, himself, stays healthy, and shows them the same, or similar, set of skills. The thing is, though, that still has to happen. Although Camp's performance on the field has been brief, he has shown enough to convince them that they want his skills, if he could just stay the heck on the field. Carter still has to do that. But, if he does, and if he can avoid injury himself, then I agree with you that Camp's spot could very well be lost. If that happens, I would hope that we would put him on IR. rather than try to get him to the PS. That would give our training staff time to make sure that he is training properly and getting his body right because it seems a bit coincidental that Both injuries have been to his thighs; the "hammy", and the quad. Makes me wonder if a different and more leg strenuous training regiment could help. Just a thought.

Was Forsett on the Texans' roster when Foster had his troubles with all his injuries? And if he was, it very might be a good indication of how superior our OL was last year to what the Texans had then, because Forsett has certainly showed here with us that he should have had the ability to carry the load in their running game when Foster was ineffective due to injuries. As for Shaub, I feel more confident having a veteran with so much experience and considerable success as our backup QB than I did with Tyrod here. Shaub's skill set is Much more similar to Joe's than Tyrod's was as well. Add that with the fact that Shaub has a lot of experience with the offense Kubiak installed here, and is being reported as being retained for the most part with just some different quirks that Trestman is fond of and has had success with and I think the result is that we have upgraded our backup QB situation. With all that being said, I sure do hope that we never have to find out if that is, indeed, the case. Stay tough, Joe, and lets all pray for Joe's health as he prepares for his, what, 7th season? I'm a Huge Flacco fan. I'm not one of those guys that run out and buy a lot of jerseys, but I do have 3: #5, Joe Flacco; #20, Ed Reed; and, of corse, #52, the immortal Ray Lewis. I'm real happy with my small collection and think that I've been Very selective with my choices.

Easier said than done. Every player designated for assignment to a team's PS must clear waivers. That means that Every team in the league has the right to claim that player as long as it is willing to give him a spot on their regular season roster. Despite his early injuries at the beginning of his career, I believe Campanaro showed enough ability when he Was on the field that there will be more than one team that will be happy to carry him on their roster. I'd bet, if I were a betting man (which I'm not), that he would be claimed and we'd lose him. I think a better option is the IR.

This really pains me to say, but this latest injury to Campanaro has caused me to begin to have my doubts about him. It hurts because I've been one of his biggest supporters and I've been extremely impressed with his abilities. I see his consistent ability to get separation, his great hands, his good ability to gain yards after the catch, and I see how good he is as a third down receiver with a very consistent ability to move the chains. What's not to like? He's so quick, too. Well, the obvious answer has been his inability to avoid injuries and stay on the field. I didn't, and don't want to give up on him too soon, but we just Have to be able to depend on him to be durable enough to stay on the field. All that ability he possesses does us No good if he's constantly on the sideline due to injuries. And this year, with Carter, we may have someone who could possibly have the same type of abilities. Of course, the jury is still out on Carter. After all, he hasn't taken even one NFL snap, or even one major college snap. Just what are the rules on PS moves? If a player does not clear waivers, can he be pulled back and put on the regular roster, or is the player lost for good? I ask because, despite his early injuries, I do not believe that Camp would clear waivers if we tried to get him onto the PS. I'd really hate to lose him because, again despite the early injuries, with a better training regiment perhaps Camp could strengthen his thighs and shake off his trend to get these thigh injuries. First it was his hamstring, then his quad. Maybe with better conditioning he could still come around and fulfill his potential. Rather than the PS, I think I would be more inclined to place him on IR to protect our rights to him while we tried to work with him to see if there is Any chance that we could find a way to utilize his immense potential. Of course, this idea is all contingent on Carter proving himself at the NFL level, and Camp,also, showing that he just does not have the ability to shake off these two early injuries and, finally, put together enough injury free games to show that all this was just a rare case of early bad luck and not a harbinger of things to come. I know he hasn't been on the field much, but when he has been I think it has been pretty obvious that the kid is loaded with talent. Man, I would really hate to find ourselves in a "Dolphin kind of situation", where we would get rid of a guy (Wes Welker) only to see him put together a great career elsewhere. This could really be a sticky situation that has the possibility to come back and haunt us for years to come.