FlackAttack

Your simplistic mindset here is just flat out wrong. There isn't a coach, player, or scout anywhere who will say confidence is not a factor. Have you ever played the game outside of backyard pickup games? I have, and it does make a difference.

 

 

Ding ding

 

 

I still don't know if I'd say he was "out of position." People say he's not a free because he can't play single high, but I only remember 3-4 plays where he got beat over top as the single high. He's athletic enough, to me, to play free. The question is whether he's mentally sharp enough. That could come, or it might not. Although the NFL is moving towards have two balanced safeties as opposed to a free and a strong or a rover, I do think the best way to salvage Elam's situation is to use him as the rover type. But let me emphasize that nine times out of ten, rover safeties are just undersized LBs that can't cover like a safety should.

lol might want to learn how to read and comprehend first before you blow your little fanny.. I stated you need confidence to play in the NFL, if you dont own confidence on the field you wont succeed in the NFL. The NFL isn't "pickup" games, its a billion dollar industry. Stating that Matt Elam "needs confidence" is stating he will not succeed in the NFL. Any NFL coach, especially Harbaugh who has stated this before, will confirm if you dont have confidence you will fail in this league.

Not sure why you and a very few people continue to beat a dead horse by sticking up for Elam, when the vast majority of fans and even the organization dont believe in his skill set. It simply shows on the field. Why do you think the only free agency move we've made so far is a safety? Smh, football 101 man, learn it.

We are beating an old topic to death. During the regular season we found no supporters for #26.  After the playoffs he still lost his parade.  Forget It. We are screwed with his rookie contract for one more year.  We need race horses in the secondary and he is one fit for the plow. YES he is a bust.  

/thread

I'd be fine with Jennings. Especially if we draft a receiver as well. It will set us up nicely for the next few years by not having to worry about a Receiver if/when Smith retires.

 

This Year: Jennings, Smith, (2015 2nd Round Pick), Aiken, Brown, Camp (Camp Acts as new return man)

Next year: Jennings, (2015 2nd Round Pick), Camp, FA Receiver, Aiken, Brown

...lol

If it was that easy there would be no draft busts. And if it's a professional business, why don't the people who draft and scout these guys get their share of the blame as well then?

If every office scouted, drafted and developed well, yiu wouldn't have a team like Detroit going 0-16 in season, but unfortunately, not every person drafted is a day 1 starter.

lol, this has absolutely nothing to do with what I posted. I responded to someone stating Elam needs a "confidence boost" in order to play better. If you need a confidence boost to play in the NFL, youre in the wrong business.

Of course there's going to be busts, Matt Elam is a bust..

I think a lot of Elam's issues are confidence related. Let's talk about this. He wasn't supposed to start his rookie year. He just wasn't. It was gonna be the Michael Huff and James Ihedigbo show. Well, Huff was horrible and we had little choice but to throw Elam in there. He wasn't ready to play, then he struggled, and he's still struggling. Sometimes he over-thinks the game, and sometimes he doesn't think enough. Safety is a tough place to play when your confidence is shook. When your confidence is shook, you over-think so much it looks like you're just not thinking. Some players practically forget how to tackle and just dive at ankles when they lose their swagger. 

 

Elam's an athlete-- there's no question about that. I've seen him make plays, and I've seen him make good, form tackles. I've seen him read plays well and I've seen him react quick. 

 

Now in that Lions game, he made the mistake (or was it?) of talking trash to Megatron. In that game, he had to back it up. That was probably the one game he played where he played with swagger. 

 

To me, he needs a confidence boost. I don't know how he'll get it or when, but I think swagger is the missing ingredient here.

Dude is a professional getting paid millions of dollars. I dont care who you are, if you get drafted into the NFL, you need to be able to start on day 1 if your number gets called. This is a professional business filled with the best of the best.

If you dont have enough confidence, or need a "confidence boost", then youre simply not fit for the job, just like any other career. Elam simply isnt fit to play safety in the NFL. Period. Cant cover, cant tackle, dude isnt even mediocre, hes just plain terrible.

lol of course everyone on here is going to vote ravens..

I don't even fault Ozzie for making the Elam pick. I watch film on a lot of draft prospects every year because for me it makes the draft a lot more enjoyable to be knowledgeable about who's available and what kind of potential each player offers. For instance last year I had ODB rated higher than Watkins and Evans so for the most part my intuition is fairly good.  I was impressed a lot by Elam, he was a very solid tackler and really flashed on film. Even when he was introduced the first thing Ozzie talked about was his tackling. 

 

I have absolutely no idea what happened to the Elam I saw on film and I'm sure Ozzie had a similar sentiment. I mean he went from a great open field tackler in college to a mediocre tackler in the NFL.. it's baffling. Personally I think Elam hasn't mentally devoted himself to reaching his potential, he works hard in the weight room but doesn't put in the time watching film and learning. I think the physical tools are there, he just needs to be mentally more engaged with his play, 

 

Elam's best game to date was the "Old Megaron" game. The magnifying glass was on him that whole week, he had to get his head all the way in the game or he was going to get embarrassed if he didn't perform. Matt looked like that player we saw at Florida knifing through the backfield and throwing Reggie Bush down for a loss.. he even got the game sealing pick to close out the game. Elam's problem on the field is all mental, he needs to be dialed in like that all the time and not just when the spotlight is on him.

how in the world do you know how much time he spends watching film and learning? do you know him personally? are you a member of the ravens coaching staff?

im not a fan of matt elam or anything but thats just a ridiculous statement to make, unless you know him personally. for all you know he could be in the film room 24-7.

Jimmy often flashed the talent to be great. Elam is just terrible.

this.. a fish called yonda made a silly post. you cant even compare the two even during jimmys "bad years"

Here's nice interception he made vs the Colts

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000443134/Wk-15-Can-t-Miss-Play-Not-a-Luck-y-duck

not very impressive. luck threw it right to him. easy interception, even announcer mentions it.

regardless, this is a decent pick up. anything better than elam.

I'm surprised Randall Cobb's name hasn't been brought up as much as it should. He's in my opinion the best overall talent in the WR free agency market at the moment for what he's worth. If we get rid of Torrey and make a couple more adjustments to free up cap space, Cobb would be a home run signing, even if he is high $$. On top of Torrey and already Jacoby, I'd be willing to drop Ngata and Forsett, draft a RB in the 1st round, and hit the next man up motto on the DL front. We didn't skip a beat without Ngata the last 4 games in the run defense last season.

Picking up Cobb, whos only 24, and taking advantage of the RB talent in this years draft, snatching a fresh RB in the 1st round (Gordon/ Gurley) will solidify a young offense with huge potential in the upcoming years with Aiken, Gillmore, Campanaro, Taliaferro, Juice, Flacco and a solid Oline. With Trestman behind the wheel, that's an offense to invest in.

Trent Cole? No way.. stay away from cheap out of prime veterans, we have enough of those. Focus free agency and money on young talent.

lol this dude is textbook definition of a bust. he was drafted apparently because of his "tackling skills" LOL. what a joke. dude couldn't even tackle danny amendola, who is what.. 5'8, 160 lbs? get rid of 'em ASAP.