salamander

I remember from an article last year that Momma Gilmore wanted Crockett's TD football as a memento. Of course, Crocket was so fired up after the TD that he chucked or spiked the ball, never to be seen again. Let's just hope there are many more TDs to come and that Momma Gilmore ends up with a shelf full of TD footballs. I anticipate great things from this guy.

Rehab is about a lot more than not drinking or drugging. Rehab would also try to get through about a different, more constructive means of dealing with stress or adversity. This is not a good omen for Johnny in the way he handled this 1 of a thousand incidents to come. Johnny is a public figure and if he doesn't learn to buffer his reactions asap, Johnny will be on his way to either relapse or will be shown the NFL exit door. Not a fan of Manziel but I was hoping for him to get it together and at least give him a chance to see what he can do clean and sober. So far, these outbursts are not looking boding well for Johnny's future.

Justin's fun loving spirit is infectious. Justin would be a natural to do more singing or nutty commercials for any number of companies. A person would have to be a total bore to not love the personality of Justin Tucker. Love the fact that Justin IS a Raven. Hope to God he STAYS a Raven. Let's get that contract done.

Glad we are finally getting some respect from the likes of Peter King but I am actually more comfortable with the Ravens being the underdog with a huge chip on their shoulders. Feels downright weird to have anyone in the media notice, care or give any well deserved props to the Ravens. King seems to be paying attention. Baltimore is quietly but surely building one of the most exciting and dominant teams in the league.

Exactly MT. Those photos are great....macho dudes being loving is a powerful image....hope more athletes and other superstars recognize and use their popularity as role models to do a lot for domestic violence as well. It's not just about keeping their teammates out of trouble. There are millions of young men, kids and teenagers out there with few or no strong male role models they can look up to, living sometimes in a culture which is violent or demeaning to women. I bet there would be a lot of NFL vets, loving husbands and great dads who would gladly seize the opportunity to donate some time to use their popularity to help with domestic violence TV ads, programs for high schools or colleges etc.. Many of these vet players grew up the hard way themselves and know full well the impact they could have. I'd love to see the NFL expand its efforts even if and when the spotlight dims on the number of player incidents .

Good commercial Joey....a few ads with a bit of humor may get the message across as well as the serious ads. You are probably right that the article video wasn't even watched by those who had to chime in immediately with negative comments, the tone seemed to be complaining that this article was even on the website. Any efforts to help us to be better people in this crazy, entitled and sometimes mean spirited world is Ok in my book. Man or woman, black or white, all avenues of life. The NFL has the power to reach and imprint the lives of millions. Domestic violence is a big problem in the NFL (and everywhere). I applaud the Ravens and the NFL for trying to do something positive with the negative.

Frankly, I am a little surprised and confused about the reaction to this article. Between a couple of pretty negative comments which have been removed and the negs given to existing comments, I truly do not understand how any efforts to make even the slightest dent in domestic violence against women or attempts to mold guys to become better men can be met with hostility from any Ravens or football fan anywhere. Even from a purely self serving and preemptive disciplinary standpoint, anything that can reduce the chances of 1 of our players from being suspended is worth the effort. From a PR standpoint, the Ravens team specifically took a brutal PR hit with the Ray Rice situation which drew monumental scorn to not just Ray but to the entire Ravens organization. But beyond these valid agendas to protect both the organization and the player from serious consequences, I do not understand how making some effort to raise the awareness and expectation to become better men could possibly warrant a Ravens fan to be hostile towards the efforts of either the Ravens or the NFL. Ok, maybe some of the efforts are politically motivated in reaction to prior backlash but so what? At worst, the message will be lost on some players regardless....but others may just hear and heed the message. Domestic violence in the NFL continues to grab headlines and divert attention away from the game and the positive things so many players and teams are involved in off the field. I have no problem whatsoever that the Ravens and/or the NFL use their tremendous exposure and influence to at least try to make some headway with domestic violence and by guiding our young players to become better men, better human beings.

Good video. Gave your comment and link a (+) but computer said there was a problem storing the vote, whatever that means. NFL has the potential to reach so many young men in ways that no other media or sport can come close to. It's great to see some of these popular heroes speak up about what it really means to be a man as opposed to a stereotype or macho fool. At least the young men have a chance of listening with open ears so the NFL making a gesture to move this topic along is all fine with me. Nothing to lose by the effort.

Ok...so maybe some of this domestic violence awareness push by the NFL is motivated by wanting to project a socially aware and politically correct image. Even if that is the case, some young men could benefit from these efforts. Maybe even make the difference for some guy between holding an impulse in check or cutting loose with rage where the consequences could be life altering for themselves or the victim. Who really knows but I have no problem with the NFL using its very masculine image and powerful influence on young men to deter domestic violence.

Sounds like a pretty smooth transition so far. No major upheavals to the schemes, conditions seem ripe to progress and tweak the finer points. SSS will be invaluable to help this young group of receivers not only get up to speed in this particular offense but we also need SSS to help the newbies quickly sharpen their WR skill sets in general. If these things are already happening, couldn't ask for a better start with this talented group of players.

LOL Mom but this was a gross typo......I can handle the image of a red flag hanging off of Jimmy's WAIST....it's the image of a red flag hanging off of his WASTE (material) that's getting to me.

The visual image of a red jersey hanging from Jimmy Smith's waste is not a pretty sight. Yipes

Joe has surely been at a disadvantage every year with the rotating receivers, OCs etc.. Every year Joe is chill and finds a way to succeed despite the disadvantages. So, what QB in the league is better prepared than Joe to take on such a large new group of young receivers with yet another new OC? Nobody is more up to this task than Joe

Hard to believe SSS has been with us for only a year. Agree that I wish he had spent his whole career in Baltimore. SSS is just a perfect fit and he immediately took on the leadership role of a life long Raven vet. Going to miss SSS big time when he decides to hang up the cleats. Hope he leaves his deep imprint of fire and passion on this young group of WRs in the time he has left with the Ravens.

Congrats Justin on making the top 100. Amazing success story of perseverance. You deserve every ounce of recognition by your peers. I am proud you are a Raven but you are also admired by fans and players alike across the nation. Wishing you another successful season to come.

Trestman should be able to reinforce his mystique as the QB Whisperer this season. Joe and crew have plenty of talent for Trestman to guide, creating a truly explosive and dangerous offense that Baltimore has craved to see on the field for decades. This is the year to make it happen.

Maybe there could be an upside for Camp having so many tall receiver teammates who will likely be matched up with the opposition's taller or primo CB's. Camp has an incredible vertical for his size and I envision him out leaping anybody even near his height. Remember the tremendous height he had over multiple defenders on that TD last season? Plus he seems like a pit bull once he gets his hands on the ball and will fight like crazy to make the completion. I don't want to underestimate how this mix at WR position could play out in a positive way for Camp if the opposition underestimates or overlooks him.

I didn't know Rodgers got a boob job.... or is that a just a great typo?

Somebody put negs down almost a whole page last week. Did somebody do that again and you tried to fix it? Or what? Annoying if that happened again

Tucker is surely having fun jabbering about his ping pong conquests. Toot toot. Seems like what Tucker enjoys most is the chance to try to rile Joe up......patience, Joe....patience...Maybe Joe will be do his own self-toot interview after his payback victory. Can't figure out whether Tucker is trying to provoke like an irritating little brother or giving us his best Richard Sherman imitation. Either way, love the smack talk Justin. Make him pay for it Joe.

Trying not to be overly optimistic but I can't help but anticipate great things from the offense this year. Always love a tough defense here in Baltimore but to add a dominant offense would blow my mind with excitement. I know we have a lot of young players but I also think we have the talent and potential to achieve at a very high level.

Perhaps Jerry Jones just wants to cast another remake of "The Longest Yard"?

So true Sami. Such a shame for a coach to have cut players he has grown so fond of..... players who have all the personal qualities a coach could look for, admire and wish he could clone to the whole team. Players who would do anything and everything the coach's ask of them only to have to cut them loose. You are right Sami, I think that would be the toughest part of the job. Contrast those players to a few of the behaviorally challenged but physically gifted freaks of nature who have been treated like royalty and feel overly enamored with their own greatness that they make little to no effort to change their problematic behavior. So yeah, as a coach or GM, it would be so hard to look in the eyes of the talented player with enough gratitude to work his butt off for the opportunity to make the team and have to cut him.....then have to pray that the talented but possibly uncoachable clueless player or immature doofus he kept instead will get it together rather than end up a total waste of the time and money the team invested in him

Good point Stix. In college, some of the conduct issues can be swept under the rug or kept out of the national limelight by coaches and others who scramble to cover up, spin or misdirect blame to protect the player. It's easy for a young player to feel invincible, untouchable and intoxicated with the adulation and hero worship of being an elite athlete. Although some college incidents come to light and bring red flags which may hurt their draft status, the sense of entitlement to do as they please without prior significant deterrents or consequences can be their undoing in the real world of the NFL. The national media microscope scrutinizing every incident in the NFL is leap years apart from the college reality for those who drag the same old habitual attitudes and bad behaviors with them, clueless and deaf to the warnings from the teams. I agree Stix, Ray Lewis is 1 of the few who actually took a bad situation and was able to salvage his career....Ray Lewis seized his opportunity to become a changed man and helped steer our young players down the right path from the get go. Every team needs some serious role model leadership like that in the locker room. Lewis was the best we could have ever imagined or hoped for in that regard.

Exactly. Even a popular veteran player like Ray Rice, with a great personal reputation, lost everything in a night of heavy drinking. After years of doing so much good in the community and being a positive role model, Ray saw his career destroyed by his outrageous, out of character conduct that was fueled by alcohol. Half of a fifth of hard liquor is surely enough to disengage the brain's ability to act rationally. If Ray's career can be shattered in 1 moment, these young players need to understand real quick that fame and fortune will not insulate them from potentially career ending consequences.