Tenacious Faulker

Going to enjoy watching this kid Grow. I was big on the Ravens drafting Funchess who seems to be the next Kelvin Benjamin in Carolina. We'll see, but it's hard to deny a guys with the same skill set, experience, size, and quicker feet for mere 6th round pick. Perriman has all the pressure on him because his greatness is apparent. I hope he doesn't shy from that. Waller has no where to go but up, really. He just keeps doing what he does and he'll be a top target before too long. The pressure is off and the results show.

Figuratively. This isn;t the 60's anymore and protesting happens all over the web. Split hairs much?

This was a cute, little, fun diversion. Thanks.

That's good stuff. Could you imagine the Baltimore Buccanners? Nice ring to the name, no tie to the city's culture tho'. One Super Bowl and then a long time of neglect by the ownership. Steelers would've killed that team every season in this division. How about the Baltimore Cardinals? Another bird team, but again, no real tie to the city's culture. One Super Bowl appearance and a lot of "suck" in between. Wonder if Arians would've became the HC anyway if the Cards were in Bmore? The Baltimore Raiders? No ring to the name, no tie to the local culture, a crazy, egomaniac owner followed by his incompetent son. No name change would've been likely either if he accepted the offer. One SB appearance and a horrid string of losing seasons since. As a former Raiders fan from their golden age (long before the Ravens) let me just say, "No Thanks!". All in all the 12 years of NFL perdition for Baltimore worked out quite well in the end. It sucked during that "non-era" but look what we have now. Wouldn't change a thing.

I agree with you on Vick - don't want him, but won't protest him either. Let's back up on Suggs though. I have a friend in MD CPS whose office responded to that. Straight from her she said that bleach thing was more because of their tussle over holding the child in that moment while in the laundry room. I was told that she eventually admitted to the bleach being accidental and she used it to gain leverage in the moment. Once they explained what those accusations meant and that she wouldn't come out on top in this as she had thought she relented. Whether that was her making false accusations or just gaining perspective on how to save her relationship is anyone's guess. He ended up marrying her. That's the story I got from a pretty direct source. Now, back to Steelers Nation and Vick...

Flacco's definitely matured. Having a kids and a family will do that to you and show you what is real. He's certainly grown into his skin and the big expectations put on him and now seems more comfortable within himself. His new Pepsi commercial shows he's fine with acting like a goof much like Peyton Manning started doing 8 years ago. The so-called "quiet confidence" that the team said he possessed seems less a cover for his quiet demeanor now because he's now leading by example and "living it" not preaching it. Most importantly, his list of accolades speak for themselves and younger players and veterans alike are emulating his work ethic. Top QB's are not just hatched. They are carefully crafted and it takes years for any one to hits their stride. Even as a fan Joe makes me feel more at ease coming into this season than any other before.

Ah. Thanks. So what is the "huge" admission then?

This is a strange statement because the offense is still based on Kubiak's run-first offense. His comments then seem to insinuate that Trestman's version will also be a run-first. They had their best season ins 2014 with Kubiak's run-first offense. Why would Joe say he's going to be throwing first?

They need to bring back the banging head against a brick wall emoticon. OK. Officially bored. It's like the man said, "Some men you just can't reach...."

He sure did and Schefter tweeted yesterday that Tomlin wanted him 6 years ago just getting out of prison. Makes you wonder what he had in store with Ben so fully entrenched there. Steelers fans can be strange breed. I live among many in PA now and they have a very idealistic view of their team and an be blissfully unaware of their own issues. The hero worship is off the charts and expect nothing less of Godliness of their players. Then when one gets in trouble as Ben had did they pissed and ornery over it, but eventually a Pittsburgh reporter will defend some aspect of them (such as Ben's matters being settled out of court) and all is forgiven and they're free to call Ray Lewis a murder, Suggs a cheap shot artist and Rice a wife beating. One thing that changes their attitude is finally seeing the player in Black and Yellow. Then all is forgiven...even if they end up signing Ray Rice. And I'm sure that the poor Steelers fan will end up watching Steelers games and will end up eventually changing his dog's name to "Vick" if he has to play and keeps them winning.

The Suggs hate is sick. The haters are forgoing the NFL's official stance saying it was legal and going right to Suggs' intent was to hurt rather than make a football play. Some are refuting NFL that is was a read-option play. Even I it was play-action Bradford was not in a throwing position, but a running position. In 14 years how many dirty hits has Suggs delivered? Legarette Blount? Arguable at best. Before then, what? There's no pattern...unlike a player like Hine Ward or even modern day players like Suh. Stink hit it on the head - The game is played at full speed and how does anyone know what Sugs was actually thinking? People are stupid.

v2.0 doesn't mean another incarnation of Torrey. I've said he's an upgrade over Torrey in terms of a more complete receiver out of the box. I've watched both their college highlites and he's better almost all around. But they shared inconsistent hands and focus drops. Perriman tracks the ball better and gets back to it in traffic, but has lost some gimmees. The comparison really begins an ends with the fact they come to the Ravens becoming immediate starters and their lack of polish. Perriman has yet to play a down, and I expect big things from him. But I'm expecting he'll have some work to do in preseason to hit the ground running.

You seem to contradict yourself - "It doesn't build moment, BUT you build a nice rhythm? Well, what if you rhythm was disrupted in all 3 phases of the game the way it was Saturday night? I'd say that it does affect moral, rhythm, momentum and several other factors. Harbaugh is 19-9 in preseason. Why spend so much time trying to pointless games? Winning is an attitude, not something to turn off and on. He won't put in Flacco in the 4th a preseason win, but he will do everything possible to keep the winning spirit going all 4 quarters. That's momentum. A staggering loss can shake a team if not managed right and you can tell that Philly game left a bad taste in their mouths. All I'm saying is that the right response is a dominating performance to re-establish that swagger. God teams beat good team - they destroy bad teams.

How did it work out for Jared Gaither? Backs are tricky and unless you've suffered with a back injury you just don't know how debilitating they can be. Just because K.O. is "ok" now doesn't me that his long term prognosis is good and the chance for a recurrence is higher. I'm not saying that he's finished - not by a long shot, but your stridency seems to me that you think I'm advocating getting rid of him. All I'm saying is given my choice (i.e. he wants to be the highest paid LG in the system) I'm turning to Yanda at that point. I'll take the guy with shoulder issue over the one with back issue at any age who wants the giant paycheck. I'm not sure why Suggs factors in here. Suggs was not himself when he returned and it will cause him to decline and retire earlier. But why not bring up Ray Lewis' triceps? He said himself he can't go thru another rehab, then retired at the end of the season. Healing can seem miraculous. But the price is longevity. A young man's body can take a lot, but gets old quick in the NFL. There's some truth to that and my issue has been misdiagnosed several times. So I have every reason to be skeptical of doctors, but I manage it. When mine happened I still competed and I still work out today though modified. However, major back injuries rarely go away fully - just enough to get functional. Then they'll will haunt you 2, 5, 10 years later after you go back to heavy lifting, contact, torqueing, etc. It's not just my personal experience. You see the same guys in the doctor's office and you get to know their issues are your issues. But I've been around a while. Back issues are one of those things that unless you experience them for yourself you just can't understand it. Coaches/GMs rely on doctors to tell them if their players are ready because a competitor will always tell you he's ready even if they aren't. EVERY PART OF YOUR BODY is connected thru your back. As I said, KO did fine last year, but an expensive, long-term contract (which is what he wants) will be sketchy.

If we're going to have a game like this I'm glad its now and not when it counts. Harbs WILL make sure that the defense learns from this and WILL make sure that its burnt into everyone's memory. Flacco will not make these same mistakes twice. The Eagles will be a good football team in 2015 and the Ravens sat 6 O-Linemen among others making due with guards for tackles at the end. Things will get better and I'll expect a dominant performance fro them against Washington.

Z looks like one to watch. I hope he can stay healthy and keep up that level of production through the year. They're need him.

That's a good point. I hope Wagner is back week 1. He won't be needed in the preseason anymore anyway. Mathis is still available and is holding out for the right situation. If we lose Hurst for an extended period he'd work if he doesn't break the bank. He knows the ZBS and it wouldn't take long for him to get acclimated. ...and I don't hold a grudge on him either...

What I want to see is what they learned on how to stop the read option from their week 2 FAIL. Washington also runs a similar offense although not as effectively. Gruden will have taken notice to what happened in Philly (mostly the tempo) and try to reproduce that, I'm sure. Since Washington is looking like a top-5 draft pick candidate so far, I want to see the Ravens absolutely obliterate them from the 1's thru the 4's even if Gruden doesn't experiment with any of Kelly's schemes. Preseason is not just about trying out new players and plays. Its also about building momentum going into the season. "Winning" is a contagious thing. There's a reason that Harbaugh has only 2-3 losses in preseason. Anything less than a dominant performance in Week 3 might not earn back enough player confidence for the Broncos Week 1.

Re: Smith Sr. - if he retires a Ravens that would be somewhat of an indictment on the Panther organization (conversely is a glowing statement on the Ravens organization). Retiring with a team that you spent only 13% of your career with is just not done to my knowledge. if it was, I'm sure it was for similar reasons. Smith would risk alienating a whole section of voters for any HOF bid he might get. However, i agree with others here - a SB ring could change that. Re: Ngata I hope he does prove the Ravens "wrong" although I really don't think they will miss his production even if he makes the Pro Bowl this year. They have a plan that needed cap space and he didn't budge on restructuring his contract. I don't have an issue with either his or the teams stance. It was what it was and I wish him an MVP caliber season. Re: Buck Allen - I hope he's ready. I'm getting close to slapping the fragile label on Taliaferro. I will reserve judgment on that until the end of the season though. I hope I'm wrong. Prove me wrong, LT! Re: Renner vs Schaub - Last time I say this...Schaub will be the b/u in 2014. Renner's success has come against the dregs of both teams. Schaub's mistakes came against the 1's and 2's so far. He is the missing link to Kubiak's system which Joe and Trestman are still learning. He'll earn the back up role for that as much as performance - even if its more like 2013 than 2012. Renner might be an option for 2016, but as of now he reminds me of a young Tyrod Taylor.

Flacco is going to play as long as he thinks it will take to get the stink of that Philadelphia out of his system. BUT he won;t be so stupid as to take a chance on being hurt for nothing. I think that Harbs will agree.

Says the blind leading the sighted...glad you're not in the Ravens F.O.

WHY is there even an issue? They new what they got in Perriman. He's Torrey Smith v2.0. He's got tons of potential and freakish traits that can't be taught. I could care less about fluidity if he's leaving Cortez Allen, Joe Hayden, Reggie Nelson, Aquib Talib, and Devin McCourty in the dust. He's a straight line speedster like Torrey, but one that can actually reach for the ball, take it from defenders, grip it and power to break free for chunks of yardage. Who else would you have wanted in the draft after him? He's a rookie and he's going to take time to hit his stride. All the thing I'm reading are teachable but he already brings the unteachable. It could be worse - what if we have Kevin White? Everyone needs to stop comparing Perriman to we don't have and just start enjoying the potential he brings. All that noise just sounds plain spoiled. When he's healed and playing I think the naysayers will be singing a different tune.

Schaub WILL have the b/u job. Renner WILL be on the PS or another team. Why? Schaub wasn't brought in to ONLY be back up to a QB that's on a great streak of starts, but because he's the missing link to Kubiak's offense that Joe did so well in last year. They're paying him for what's in his head and Trestman and Joe are learning from him. Besides, he's a serviceable passer behind a top ranked OL (not the #2's). Yes, his confidence is shot, but I think that was more from the toxic environment of that Houston locker room that caused that team to implode in 2013 and the crazy Houston fans to form a mob around his house after some bad losses. No team fires a coach like Kubiak after one bad season after so many good ones without some in-fighting involved (Wade Phillips). That would rattle anyone. His confidence will return if called for. The Ravens no how recycle players. And don't even get me started on Kendrick Lewis...

I'd say it makes me more an "expert" than you. I have at least my own perspective (that of a competitive athlete no less) and about 12 years of dealing with back injuries. One thing all spinal specialists will say about spines after surgical procedures to them is that you're never the same. My assessment stand: IF it comes to paying Yanda or K.O. in order to keep them, I'd take Yanda. It's not carved in stone, but its based in reality. And at least this way the Ravens gain a higher comp pick for him even if he goes on to be a Pro Bowler elsewhere.

What I don't get is how Suggs knew it was a legal hit and none of the refs and most of the outspoken Eagles players didn't? Just like how Brady said the Ravens need to go back and read the rule book on those hokey formations with ineligible receivers too when Harbs had to take a penalty to get the refs attention long enough to protest. The Ravens are a smart football team, and it amazes me that the NFL officiating is so illiterate to their own jobs. It also shows me too how ignorant the Eagles players are about even their own play schemes. Kelly's got them all doing what he wants, but they don't really understand it. That will backfire one day.