RavensBaltimore

So if we have Wallace on the other side of Perriman, the defense has to either play double high safeties and open up everything underneath, or leave one of them in a one-on-one matchup. We haven't had the skill players to create matchup problems in a long time(if ever), but it looks like defenses are going to have to pick their poison this year, especially since we have a qb that can make every throw.

I don't see any reason to believe that we're a year or two away from making the playoffs. Our offense is deeper and has more speed than ever before. Joe has a great blend of speed and possession targets to throw to. We have plenty of O-line depth, except at LT, and Stanley has looked great so far. Our offense was ranked 11th last year before Flacco got hurt, and that was with no speed whatsoever, James Hurst at LT, and Wagner coming off Lynsfrac surgery. Our defense was ranked 2nd in the second half of last season, and we'll add a healthy Suggs, healthier J Smith, Weddle, and CB depth. The only key player we lost was KO. We have never missed the playoffs with Flacco/Harbaugh when we weren't derailed by injuries, and I think this roster is as deep and talented as any we've had in a while.

If we keep 5 backs, 7 WRs, and we keep Waller, a 4th TE, when he's eligible to return, I don't see us using a roster spot on a 3rd qb. We have too many good players fighting for a roster spot to keep someone who has very little chance of ever seeing the field. As far as our offense goes, I think we can be lethal as well. My only concern right now is how Trestman is going to use everyone. There's only 1 ball to go around, and we have about 12 or 13 skill players that I think can make plays.

I think eliminating the preseason altogether would put players at a higher risk of getting injured once the season begins. Since the new CBA has reduced the amount of contact practices allowed, injuries have gone UP. It seems that players need some full contact, game speed reps to get ready for real games. Instead of eliminating the preseason, it would probably be best to just play 2 preseason games.

Why has there been nothing reported about Maxx Williams' "undisclosed" injury? We traded up in the second round for him, and he had a pretty good rookie season for a TE, despite being one of the youngest players in the league. He could end up being a major impact player this year or in the future, and we've heard nothing about him.

I'm pretty sure Pitta and Williams are projected to be back by week 1, and if Gilmore wasn't fully healed yet, he definitely wouldn't be playing in the preseason.

Even though there are a lot of questions heading into the season, the good thing is that we don't need everything to work out. Last year, Perriman was the only deep threat we had on offense, so when he went down, we simply didn't have any speed. Hopefully he can stay healthy and be what he was drafted to be, but if not, unlike last year, we have a couple of other options that can back the defense up. We could have one or two TEs and/or RBs go down and still have capable starters at both positions. We have plenty of quality depth in the middle of the line, too. The only place where it seems we'd have a really hard time if someone got injured(besides qb, which goes for every team) is LT.

We probably have 4 or 5 RBs that are capable of being solid NFL players, but I think Dixon is the only one who could be a game changing playmaker.

Pitta Can't go on PUP. The deadline for that has already passed.

If it wasn't for Lee Evans' drop, or our secondary being decimated by injuries in 2014, Flacco would probably have 3 SB rings, and he still would be on the team if we didn't win it in 2012. Even before the Mile High Miracle, he had still shattered a record by winning a playoff game in each of his first 5 seasons, after coming to a team that hadn't won a single playoff game in 7 years. He is not the 25th rated qb by pundits and peers. You got that from one guy who was wary of our "qb situation" because of his injury. As far as his qb rating, it's not poor considering the lack of talent he's had to work with, and despite that, he still has some of the best playoff stats of all time, and his arm is second to none. A qb that is anywhere close to "average" cannot accomplish all of the things Flacco has, nor can he come close.

Pitta's last injury was on a non-contact play, so it's actually a great sign that he's able to run and cut normally at full speed. It doesn't prove he can make it through a season, but it does show that his hip is at least stable enough to run and cut normally at full speed, and that's a very important step that was never a given. Even after the contact practices, we still won't know whether he can make it through a full season. After his first injury, he made it through 5 regular season games and all of training camp and preseason before going down just by making a cut. There are no guarantees with him, but the first hurdle after getting on the field was to show that he can still move like he used to, and he's cleared that.

I don't think there's any chance that we bring in Hester. We already have young, cheap players competing for the WR/KR spot, and if Camp stays healthy, we might end up having to cut a WR that we would like to keep. With all the young depth we have at the position, there's no point in bringing in an aging veteran who gives us nothing as a WR and is probably well past his prime as a returner.

We actually had 20 players on IR last season, and that doesn't include Pitta, and our top corner was a shell of himself because of the injury he sustained the previous year. The Steelers and Patriots had fewer total players and fewer starters out with injury than we did last year. By the end of the season, we literally didn't have a single starting WR, TE, QB, or RB that was healthy. That's all of our skill positions. The injuries the Pats and Steelers sustained were not comparable to that at all. When Gronk and Edelman had injury issues, the Pats were mediocre at best. Even back in 2014, the Pats were struggling until Gronk got healthy. I don't think their depth is better than ours. They just didn't have the majority of their top players out like we did.

"Best case scenario: He returns to being a great player." "Worst case scenario: He doesn't." Thanks for that info. I feel so much more enlightened now.

These are not updates. Most of this information is from a while ago.

I see what you mean, but Aiken is a sure chain mover and reliable, and u already know what Smith can do. It's going to be interesting to see who the two starting wr's will be. Cants wait for training camp! One thing we know that Smith and Aiken won't do is back the defense up, which opens up the middle of the field and the run game. Also, I don't know if Aiken is a sure chain mover. He was very inconsistent before SSS got hurt. I think his numbers after that were largely due to the high volume of targets he got after being the only WR left from the original roster. I definitely agree that it will be interesting to see not only who gets the most reps at WR and TE, but how Trestman uses everyone. There will be all kinds of different combinations/formations/skillsets to work with. Have you ever seen Aiken drop a pass? When Joe targeted him even when SSS was healthy, he was almost always there and made the play, he couldn't have been inconsistent, he obviously maximized his opportunities, because had he been inconsistent he wouldn't have became joe's favorite target. If he was inconsistent as a #2 receiver he would've definitely been inconsistent as a #1. Yes, I've seen him drop a pass. Before SSS's injury, his receiving yds by week went like this: -1,89,0,77,78,22,6. That's the definition of inconsistency. Steve Bisciotti said that if you told him that Aiken would have more than 900 yds, he would have told you that there must have been a lot of injuries. Maybe Aiken can build off of last season and become a sure chain mover, but I think his numbers last year had a lot to do with the fact that he was our only option. It's not like defenses were game planning for him or even double teaming him.

I don't know if inconsistent is the right word. Joe threw to SSS A LOT before he got hurt. That's not a knock on Aiken. SSS was Flacco's safety net. You really can't blame that on Aiken. Think about it from Joe's perspective. who are you going to throw it to more; a guy going to the HOF or a journeyman WR finally getting his chance as a starter. I'm going to throw to whoever is open. According to Harbaugh, the plan going into last year was to cut back on Smith's reps, but it seemed they weren't able to do that because no one else was stepping up. Flacco has not had problems throwing to his 2nd WR before, whether it be Torrey, Mason, or even Marlon Brown in 2013.

I see what you mean, but Aiken is a sure chain mover and reliable, and u already know what Smith can do. It's going to be interesting to see who the two starting wr's will be. Cants wait for training camp! One thing we know that Smith and Aiken won't do is back the defense up, which opens up the middle of the field and the run game. Also, I don't know if Aiken is a sure chain mover. He was very inconsistent before SSS got hurt. I think his numbers after that were largely due to the high volume of targets he got after being the only WR left from the original roster. I definitely agree that it will be interesting to see not only who gets the most reps at WR and TE, but how Trestman uses everyone. There will be all kinds of different combinations/formations/skillsets to work with.

there could be 2 or 3 starters depending what formation we start with. Who starts is really unimportant. Who finishes is. I think the "starting" WRs mostly refers to who will get most of the reps in 2 WR sets. In those situations, I think we should have someone with speed on the field as much as possible.

Funny how he worries about the concussive effects on his brain, but not the ones caused by the use of narcotics. I know...they all believe it will heal their brain rather than cause more damage. Speaking from experience, I wish I never found that drug 40+ years ago and used it as long as I did. I can blame some on old age, but the rest is surely due to the damage done in the 70's and 80's. I saw the irony there as well. I actually just read about a study that shows that long term pot smokers had more of a decline in cognitive abilities compared to people who don't smoke it, and I've seen other studies that have shown similar results. On the other hand, prescription pain killers have caused their share of issues as well.

I don't like the idea of Smith and Aiken starting. We need speed on the field as much as possible. If Perriman is healthy, I think he starts. Otherwise, I think it should be Wallace's job to lose.

Stopping the run is a "sneaky strength"? We've only been doing it for the last 16 years.

Its never going to be oodles. At best, he would make $5M a year, and the floor for him is probably $4M a year. They are haggling over less than $1M a year. Its mind blowing to me. I'm guessing it has more to do with the length of the contract and amount of guaranteed money than the amount per year.

The only way I see Aiken getting anywhere close to the type of numbers he put up last year is if we have injury issues again. Perriman and Wallace provide explosive playmaking ability and can back the defense up to make things easier for everyone else. SSS brings a physicality to the offense that no one else does, and we have the personnel to run multiple tight end sets to create matchup issues. Aiken is solid, but he doesn't create matchup issues for anyone, he doesn't draw double coverage, and he doesn't make the game easier for the rest of the offense. With the talent we have on offense this year, I just don't see how Aiken would get the opportunity to get that many catches again.

I think the pass rush is going to be the key to the season. Our offense was ranked 11th last year before Flacco went down, even though he was throwing to 3rd stringers and had no one to protect his blind side, so I'm very confident that the offense will be good, if not great this year. The secondary was very good in the second half of last season, and now they'll have a healthier Jimmy Smith and a bunch of additions. We always stop the run. The pass rush is a big unknown since we don't have any proven players in that area that aren't over 30 and we don't know if Suggs will regain his explosiveness at his age coming off an achilles tear. If the young guys can contribute and Suggs and Dumerville can return to form, we should have a great defense to match with an explosive offense, and we'll be right back to contending for a super bowl.