January J

^ I remember Mosley saying the same thing about an easy transition and he was right. Said it was basically the same minus the lingo

if you watch the video of harbaughs speech to the rookies he said that Mosley approached him and made a comment about how long and tough the season was. Harbaugh was like dude it's not even December yet! Lol these guys might not see it in rookie camp- but wait until the ball gets Rollin and they will see the difference. I'm sure college is tough but the nfl is no joke- it takes a toll on you. I'm thinking that Carl Davis will fit in extremely well here. I just like the vibe he puts off. Also thinkin that upshaw busts out this year and dominates.

Can't erase the feeling that Dennis Pitta is gambling with his health!

Only HE knows exactly how he feels and it's becoming apparent that he's trying everything he can TO GET BACK ON THE FIELD!

With a younger player, and; granted, he's not that old, we wouldn't give it a 2nd thought,... but, IMHO two unusual hip breaks is a WARNING!

all we can do is hope for the best! He knows his body better than we do- granted he may be blinded by his desire to see the feild again to continue living his dream- but can't blame him. Pittas a smart guy- I think he knows the risk he's taking. I've got faith in this guy- and even if he doesn't make it back to the feild he will still be remembered.

Hope perriman signs soon- rookies need to be careful out there practicing before they sign a contract. Fowler of the jaguars just tore his acl on the first day of rookie camp and hadnt signed his contract yet. Now I think there is a rule where teams are still obligated to negotiate with the player in good faith- but I'm sure it would have been much more beneficial to have already had an agreement.

I'd say no he shouldn't be if nothing links him to it. Won't expect our coach to be held accountable for a player choosing to take a ped and that seems to be the best comparison

one difference between PED use and this is while PED use is giving an athletic advantage to one player- deflating footballs possibly benefits the entire team. But generally it is somewhat similar.

You got that right- ESP after he's botched several incidents over the last few years and gets boo"d every time he makes a public appearance -you can bet he cares about public backlash. I agree that it pretty much should be in the same category as PED use- but like we were saying - you have to take into account the lying, and perhaps the fact that they are repeat offenders. I don't necessarily think bellechek should be punished- mainly bc there is nothing that directly ties him to any of this. But common sense tells me that with his great attention to detail and his extremely close relationship with Brady, that he was Atleast somewhat aware of what was going on. He seemed a lot more convincing than tom did In his press conference - so maybe he honestly didn't know- or maybe he's just a better liar. He's obviously smarter than Brady, and probably 75% of the ppl he's around. So he probably just wisely kept himself seperated from all of it. Ofcourse that's just speculation. But should he be accountable as the one who oversees the team is the question.

Wow, what a shame . The cornerback curse continues

So would I. The problem is... there's a similar list of past players who I respect just as much who have laughed this off, claimed its a common occurrence in the league, and even said it may have an adverse effect.

We know Aaron Rodgers doesn't like to throw low-deflated footballs and prefer his to be much harder. That's sort of the problem with the whole argument... players are different. Some players like handling deflated footballs, and others like handling much more inflated footballs.

Couple that with one of the only facts we actually do know, which is that Brady seemed to do quite a bit better with properly inflated footballs than he did at least for the half where he used illegal footballs, and you can see why simply taking a couple people's word for it might not be the best option.

In the end, that's what makes the topic so difficult to discuss, because determining actual impact is borderline impossible. Some might say the actual impact is irrelevant, though I'd suggest that the NFL almost universally bases its decisions on punishment on actual impact rather than things like what "might have been" or the lame "cheating is cheating" argument, which would make all punishments identical with no scaling.

The reason I don't get overly upset about it is mostly because I watched Brady play 6 quarters of football with legal footballs, and he looked pretty damn good doing it, which confirms what we all already knew... he's pretty good.

I don't know why ppl always bring up the Aaron Rodgers comment. Yes he likes his footballs on the high side of the Legal spectrum. The difference is this is within the rules. There are obviously set rules for a reason - or else teams would be going out there with a damn near flat football. Yes Brady played several quarters with the properly inflated footballs and performed very well. He's a spectacular quarterback. Which confirms nothing other than his stupidity bc it was absolutely unnecessary ! You say it's lame but cheating is cheating and I kind of wish these things would be lumped together -it would make the scaling a lot easier bc there are already set punishments. In my opinion sticky gloves - spraying uniforms with cooking oil- putting Vaseline on your arms - and deflated footballs are all generally the same type of violations and should warrant (generally) the same type of punishment. However The difference with Brady and the pats is this isn't really their first rodeo- they've been accused of cheating before. And also Brady evidentially lied his tail off during that press conference. So instead of just a small fine and slap on the wrist I think it now warrants a short suspension of Atleast a game or two. I also have a feeling that there will be a few more developments in this whole deflate gate thing in the upcoming week. We will see what happens.

Do not like this idea at all. Why subject your #1 draft pick to unneccessary hits?

don't like it either - esp with the concentration drops. But man can he fly!

Man, I can't believe how young we are now.

Perriman: 21yo (September 22yo)

Williams: 21yo (April '16 22yo)

Davis: 23yo (March '16 24yo)

Smith: unknown

Allen: 23yo (Aug 24yo)

Walker:

Boyle: 22yo (Feb '16 23yo)

Myers: 23yo (Dec 24yo)

Waller: 22yo (Sept 23yo)

That's pretty good. Granted, Walker and Smith are unknowns, but the rest are solid. Perriman will be 25-26 by the end of his deal, depending on if he gets his fifth year option. Williams will be 25 by the end of his. Davis, Waller, Allen and Myers will be 27 at the end of their deals.

getting younger is always a good thing . Ray Lewis preached about this last year.

How many on here are now glad we didn't sign Rob Housler. I know I am.

lol me too! Was a blessing in disguise

Highly debatable though, because there's several different viewpoints:

1. There's really no possible way to actually quantify, qualify, or even gauge what affect using deflated footballs had on the game. Even the NFL is guessing in that regards.

2. From the overall NFL product perspective, Rice/Peterson's situations are exponentially worse, because they affect the bottom line/perception of the league at an exponentially larger scale. As far as I know, I don't hear of any sponsors, activist groups, etc. who actually have influence on the NFL and their bottom line calling for harsh punishment for Brady and the Pats, because frankly, they don't care. Its a standard in-house punishment as far as they're concerned, much like the league would punish a player for PED use or any other football-related suspensions that would occur. Outside parties, namely sponsors/advertisers, who have the ability to alter the league's financial position in a big way, generally don't care about football-related incidents. They care about incidents that affects their consumers, and incidents occurring off the field (such as domestic violence) are far more important to them. And because of that, they are and should be more important to the NFL.

I have no doubt that the NFL is going to be much more cautious and much more thorough in determining the punishment, and I have no doubt they will give consideration to their perception of suspending Brady for an equal or perceived equal amount of time as Ray Rice. That doesn't exactly send a message that anybody is going to respect.

personally I would take the word of several NFL hall of famers that have stated what affect it plays on the game. I have heard Jerome bettis , cris carter, mark brunell , and several others ( some who were even Brady's past teammates) state that deflated footballs can be easier to throw, easier to catch, and easier to grip- making it harder to fumble. I don't know about you but id take the word of nfl veterans over hear-say and theories.

1. But the idea that "it doesn't matter if they won or how well they did" is purely theoretical, mostly because it does matter. Do you honestly believe that the public reaction and fake outrage is the exact same regarding this situation if the Patriots lost the football game? Is it the exact same if Brady throws 4 INTs while using deflated footballs? Of course not.

2. Whether or not anybody believes that its the first time its happened or not is by far the most irrelevant discussion of the process, because its impossible to know and impossible to punish. If you're going to attempt to prove that they did it more than once, you better make sure you've got at least some evidence regarding that. Simply saying "well obviously they didn't do it just once" isn't evidence... its theory.

I can guarantee that the NFL won't even remotely consider making the punishment "harsher" because of the theory that "well they must have done it a bunch of times". They're 100% interested in a single, isolated incident, because its the only thing they have evidence regarding.

. 1) your right- in the court of public opinion. But I don't really care about the publics reaction. I care about the integrity of the game- which he violated . Doesn't matter if he threw for 500 yards or threw 5 picks. And although we have a incompetent commissioner that has been on the chopping block lately and will probably Take public opinion into consideration doesn't mean that's right. Problem is nothing like this has ever really happened before so there's no general baseline to follow. However I think Vincent Jackson will look at this thing with open eyes and give a fair unbiased punishment- and my hope would be that "public opinion" plays no role in that. Bc that's how it should be. 2) it's not impossible to know when there are texts from earlier on in the year implicating him. If I'm not mistaken there were texts after a jets game earlier in the season on a rainy night in foxborough where Brady was complaining about the footballs. Sounds like evidence to me. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck it's a freakin duck.

Pitta doin his thing !!

There is only one thing I look out for during this time. Who survives with out injury. I'm sick of the Jamal Lewis and Dennis Pitta crushing blows. How about we keep our studs out?

it's tough bc I want them to go hard in practice but They also need to be careful. Jaguars just lost there number one pick donte fowler jr. For the season with an acl tear on the first day of camp. Talk about bad luck. That's one thing we don't need. Talk about a buzz kill.

I know none of us like the Patriots, but if you honestly don't think this deflate gate thing is stupid then come on bruh. The Pats still punished the Colts in that game. If it was a close game then yeah I could see why it would be a big deal, but the Pats completely out played them, and I think people forget that. The Pats vs Ravens was the REAL AFC Championship game. Sleazy as they may be, Belichick and Brady are great. We hate them because they win, and because the way they win isn't "honorable." Yeah I understand it was cheating, and they should be punished in someway, but anything more than a fine would be an overreaction. Do we really want Brady suspended? Thats like suspending Michael Jordan for posterizing you with a slightly deflated basketball. Plus, the Pats play the Steelers in week one. Do we really want the Steelers to get a Bradyless Pats team? Just fine the Pats and Brady, and let us all get over this blown out of proportion "scandal."

the outcome of the game and Brady's performance with or without regulated balls is completely irrelevant. If anything that just shows his stupidity bc it was absolutely unnecessary for him to cheat to perform at a high level. Cheating is cheating. And come on bro- do you honestly think that was the only game they did that ? Yeah they blew out the colts but what about the week before against the ravens when they only beat us by 4? Very possible it could have been done in that game- and that very well could have been the difference in those 4 points. Maybe if our balls were a little deflated that ball doesn't bounce off Owen Daniels hands in the back of the endzone ? There's endless possibilities - if it's not a level playing feild for each team it really hurts the integrity of the game. I'm not one of these crazy heads that think Brady needs to be suspended for 8 games - but a fairly harsh punishment is due. Now back to the greatest safety of all time !

I'm excited to see what the addition of Lewis will bring this year . I also think will hill takes that next step and becomes one of the top tier safety's. Just got that feelin. Not sure what to think about Elam- don't wanna count him out but I ain't gon sugarcoat it- sometimes a bust is a bust.

I thought he already signed weeks ago

Yeah optimism is good and all, but really Waller is going to have a tough time making the team. Unless Campanaro, Butler, and Robinson are all on the bubble this year.

you can bet their on the bubble. With the potential talent we have this year- these dudes are gonna have to scrap it out for a spot. Coaches are gonna have a heck of a time figurin out this depth chart.

One thing I think important to mention in regards to Perriman and his NFL pedigree - looking at his father coming out of college and how he progressed as a pro - he was a speedster, though much smaller than Breshad, and wasn't a polished route runner.

To stay productive and successful he became a pure technician with route running to make himself an available target on many plays. I think this bodes well for Breshad.

I think that's his biggest area for growth... If he can refine his route running and learn to not just rely on speed and strength to win 1on1 he can be darn near unstoppable.

And since his dad learned the finer points of the craft he should be just another resource to continue Breshads development in that area. That connection is invaluable and I don't think is being paid enough attention. That's a 24/7 365 teacher who mastered the skill Breshad needs the most work on.

Keep in mind, from what I understand Breshad didn't fully commit to football until highschool. So the position is still something he's learning and is relatively early in his development. That's not a bad thing though because if he can be productive early, that bodes well for the possibility that he can be dominant once he's fully developed.

I'm really confident we now have our AJ Green, Julio Jones, Dez type receiver. Add to that getting what I think will be a dominant pass catching TE and this offense is primed to take off like we've never seen before.

Were about to enter the Flacco era of the NFL where he, Luck and Wilson will fill the void left by Manning, Brady, Rodgers and Brees.

well said. This is gonna be a fun time for raven fans. I have a strong feeling these next few years are gonna be wild.

I have imaginings of Webby and Jimmy staying healthy, being our main two guys, with Tray coming in to play press coverage on three receiver sets allowing Webby to work the slot. Maybe I have a fanciful imagination but I'd love to see this.

Also watched La'el Collins slide and slide and then just not get drafted, made me wonder if there were character issues we aren't aware of or something? According to nfl.com he was slated to visit with us late March? Don't know what's going on with this guy. He looks pretty good though, wouldn't mind seeing him in purple and black.

nobody wants to touch him until he is completely cleared. They have stated he's not a suspect but that's still kind of up in the air. Teams just want to be sure after the whole Aaron Hernandez thing. I would love for us to sign him if everything checks out.

We got a predator at Wide Receiver, and a road warrior at TE. Sounds deadly lol.

that's hardcore right there

Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing and great job explaining your rationale! I think that was definitely the case, especially after I think about it more and more. It seems like the Ravens wanted Peters the most, and then wanted Dupree, but when he was gone, it left them with their final option in Perriman. With that said, it's also possible that the Ravens had Perriman as 13, Peters as 14, and Dupree as 15. When Peters was gone, it left them two guys, and then when Dupree was gone, it meant you had Perriman at 13 and another guy rated 28 (just an example). That's where I am not sure, and have a hard time definitively saying that what you proposed (and I initially believed to be true) to be reality.

that's definitely a possibility. Or the third guy might have been somebody that we didn't even think was on our radar. Who knows where they had certain guys rated. If we completely ruled out peters due to character concerns( which is possible) it could have been between perriman, Dupree , and agholer. Or Melvin Gordon? Can't remember exactly what pick he was taken- somewhere around 15. Who knows- either way I think it worked out for the best! Time will tell. I also have a hard time believing that Shane Ray wasn't on our radar givin how much harbaugh and them were praising the guy. Ofcourse that was before his incident. There is probably so much that goes on behind the scenes and so many diffrent factors that go into making a decision. Esp with your first pick. I would just love to be a part of the process in that war room.

Solid/competent are the equivalents of great? If your assessment off the tape is that he's a terrible blocker, then I question your competency and ability to break down tape. "Every NFL analyst," what an interesting choice of words.

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah stated that Williams was Todd Heap with better blocking ability when coming out of college. NFL.com's Charles Davis stated that Williams was Desmond Clark with better blocking ability. NFL.com's Curtis Conway commended Williams on his blocking. CBS Sports' Dane Brugler compared him to Jason Witten stating that he has the, "NFL pedigree and projects as a mismatch nightmare with the versatile traits to be equally effective as a pass-catcher and blocker." ESPN's Todd McShay states that, "He’s got the size -- 6-4, 250-ish -- averaged 16 yards a catch, good hands, adequate blocker, can improve in that area." Minnesota Vikings' GM Rick Spielman praised Williams for his improvement in blocking. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. stated that, "what impresses you about Maxx Williams is that he can be an in-line blocker, an in-line Tight End." NFL.com's Bucky Brooks states that Williams, "is a complete Tight End. He's a guy that blocks on the edge. He's gritty, he's tough, he'll battle you from snap to whistle." Greg Cosell compared Williams to Jason Witten stating that he has, "a complete skill-set to build around as a prospect." I wonder if those assessments are closer to terrible or closer to competent.

Throughout my entire process of scouting Williams, I came across a single article that labeled him solely as an F-TE because of his blocking and it came from BleacherReport. Common sense would indicate that the members in the aforementioned list prior to the last writer qualify as NFL analysts. Let's make matters a little easier and reverse the process. Which reputable NFL analysts labeled Williams as a terrible blocker? Please fill me in. I'll add on to Inqui's post with the following

(Begin at 3:38). I'll also return from work after some time after 5 PM and I'll be more than happy to break down some of his tape if needed be.

nail in the coffin

I think Perriman was the guy if Nelson was there. What I do wonder is where we had Perriman in comparison to Peters and Dupree. I actually think it's possible we had Perriman over Dupree, although I'm really not sure. I could see it go either way. I think Peters was ahead of him though. Anyone else have any thoughts?

the way I perceived it was peters was our first choice followed by Dupree. I think perriman was pretty much our last resort for the first- which isn't a bad thing, bc he very well could have been one of the highest receiver on our board- Ozzie just usually tends to go defense and a corner was (debateably) our highest need. Once I read that article that went inside the war room where it stated that Ozzie "grimaced" when bud Dupree was picked - that pretty much tells me he was the guy we wanted at that point. Although I'm glad it worked out the way it did, and I'm thinkin it will be a blessing in disguise. I was suprised the cheifs picked up peters when their receiving core last year did not catch ONE touchdown, but a good pick nonetheless. Maybe he wasn't on our board due to the character issues ? No way of knowing for sure unless we hear it from the brass themselves- but you can pretty much assume when they said that there were only 3 guys left on their board about halfway thru that it was peters, Dupree , and ofcourse perriman- and with the context given, it was probably in that order.

Does anybody think we would have picked Nelson agholer over perriman or think he was even on our board ?