EdTheMythicalOne

Will "The Thrill" belonged to another, rather obscure Baltimore player, but not in the world of baseball player named Will Clark. Do not besmirch the name of that man.

Bio, I know he had three failed tests in three yrs. with the Giants, so this one would make #4, perhaps there are some special circumstances operating here that we aren't aware of or perhaps something dealing with the time parameters of the offense. I know everybody is wondering so I actually looked up the NFL Substance Abuse Policy and I found out something rather interesting. We know this is Hill's 4th offense but lookie what I found. Firs of all, Hill's first offense was for Adderral which is a substance of abuse but could also qualify as a PED as a stimulant. That's not the interesting part, what follows is: "Stage Three Stage Three, like the other two stages, involves complying with a treatment plan and submitting to unannounced drug tests. The consequences for violations during Stage Three are much more severe: The player faces a year-long ban from the NFL. If the first violation in Stage Three is for marijuana, the player receives a 10-game suspension instead of a year-long ban." So we can assume this is Hill's first violation in stage three for smoking weed. There is also a precedent for 10 game suspensions for alcohol related infractions, but since we don't have any information about a DWI or DUI....I think we can safely assume it was pot....which is where Hill's career has just gone to. A shame.

Here we go, just as some thought here, Jeff Zriebec is putting it out there in this tweet: https://twitter.com/jeffzrebiecsun/status/710208049248649216 Apparently Hill is facing some discipline from the league. This would be his 4th strike and it would be a LONG suspension if it happens to be substance abuse again.

Hill was fast and he does get interceptions. I don't get this move at all There are a lot of things Will Hill is, but fast isn't exactly one of them. In two years with the Ravens Will Hill has exactly two interceptions and actually forced no fumbles. I would say I am a little surprised by the move, but I understand it. Hill was one dimensional. Team wants to get more athletic and get more turnovers. They want better coverage and the combo of Weddle and Webb does that in their opinion. Sure there is a Webb's health...but I have to think the team has a pretty good idea where that stands or they would not have made this move. Judging from what is left I think Lewis is the next cut. They'll give 1st round pick Elam one last shot in his last year of his contract, Brooks is also young and cheap, although injury prone, and Levine is versatile enough to play corner and is in on special teams.

I guess you don't remember when Webb was playing lights out defense at corner before Jimmy Smith had "arrived?" Webb is not terrible, he is a man coming off a lot of injuries and a move to safety might be just the thing. We have to remember that Will Hill is one mistake away from being out of the NFL for a year.

Take a look at our safeties last year. This is like saying I got the best of the rotten tomatoes. It is still a rotten tomato. Hill was a bit of a liability in coverage and while he did make the big play from time to time, he was just as common for him to miss a play. Solid player but not great. If Webb is healthy I think he can be a great safety and I just have to hope I am not wrong on Weddle who I think perhaps is entering his lose a step stage. Even the greatest players in the game with all of their knowledge, preparation, and game planning can't make up for that lost step. I've got to believe this.

If we're looking at this outside of Purple Sunglasses this is our off season: Ravens sign OLD TE to patch up beat up squad. Ravens sign retread speed burner who's lost a step and has questionable hands. Ravens sign dynamic playmaker safety, but is it a year too late? Now, Ben Watson is a steady if unspectacular player. I think we needed him with Pitta being done, Gillmore banged up and questionable, Maxx Williams also got beat up last year, and Boyle....yeesh. Wallace I think is a solid pick up, but I think we overpaid him. I don't really know if the ROI is there. I'm a little worried about this move. Initially I thought Weddle would be a mistake. I just hope last season's drop off really was due to injury and he's got a few more good seasons in him.

Was there some "smoke" over the Hill? I am a bit surprised that Hill was the cut here, but in a lot of ways it makes sense. He had the biggest contract the Ravens could cut, Hill is more of an old school hitter, and the Ravens clearly want to get faster and create more turnovers. The Ravens in the past have let sledgehammers go that seemed to turn in pretty good performances; Landry, Pollard, Ihedigbo, and now Hill. There is still a crowd at safety from my count behind Webb and Weddle you still have: Matt Elam, Terrence Brooks, Kendrick Lewis, and Anthony Levine. They aren't keeping 6 safeties on the roster, maybe 5 at most. Levine is versatile and can play corner and special teams. Brooks has been banged up every year he's been here. Elam I think gets one last crack before the Ravens give up on him....bye bye Kendrick? So was this just odd man out, or is there there a little more behind it given Hill's checkered past. I was hoping he got sorted out so I hope that's not the case. He will not be out of work for very long as long as he's clean.

You were posting this at the same time I made mine and we make the same point. I'd also agree that IF there is a player we deem as a sure-fire franchise LT at our pick we take him. If Monroe is healthy our new pick can start out at LG just like Ogden did in his first season. If Wagner looks shaky again he could play RT for a season.

I know the measurables may look very impressive with Jack, but something bothers me about taking him so high. This is a #6 overall pick. Everyone around Baltimore is saying this is a "make or break" draft for Ozzie since we've got a top 10 pick. Do you really want to spend that high of a pick on a guy coming off a surgically repaired knee? Especially a guy who has more of a finesse to his game and mobility is his trademark? I don't really care how fast he moves in a straight line, I'd like to see how he moves laterally and in the agility drills. I am sure somebody must have some tape of him prior to knee surgery and they can compare it to how he moves now. If somebody takes him higher, let them. If he's still on the board at our pick...I'd pass on him. We need a sure thing and I don't think you can take a guy that high in the draft with a surgically repaired knee.

This draft is so deep in Linebackers. I don't remember a draft with so many inside backers Running 4.6 and less. I wouldn't be surprised if 4 go in the first round alone. And look at all the solid MLB out there as FA and no one is touching them because teams know this draft is deep. It certainly would intrigue me to try upshaw inside. Moving Upshaw to inside would be a completely horrible idea. The problem we have over the middle right now is that we can't cover routes over the middle. Upshaw isn't the answer to that problem. Jarrett Johnson played the same role as Upshaw, but at least Jarrett got to the QB rather often. Upshaw doesn't. We've got other players waiting in the wings to play his spot and I won't cry over losing Upshaw.

Jimmy Smith in case you were not aware suffered a Lis Franc fracture in 2014 and played through the injury all of 2015 and it was clear he wasn't 100%. In case you don't know what that injury is, it is one of the bones in the top of your foot where it meets the front of the ankle. In case you didn't know, feet are pretty important to defensive backs. Also, in case you didn't know, Lis Franc injuries have ended the careers of many players. I think Ozzie has been drafting pretty well. People want to knock him on his failures but seem to forget his hits. Kelechi Osemele, Rick Wagner, Crockett Gillmore, Maxx Williams, Kyle Jusczyzck, C.J. Mosley, Brandon Williams. He also supplements well in FA with the understated moves picking up solid players like Lawrence Guy and Shareece Wright. There will be more moves like that coming soon I am sure. I agree that we need a couple of homeruns in the top two picks we have in this draft. Let's see what happens before we burn effigies of Ozzie.

The Ravens still have Eugene Monroe at LT and while he may not be the best in the league, he's good when he's healthy, but that is a big question mark coming off of last season. He's been pretty banged up the last couple of seasons and I agree this is an area of concern. I completely disagree with you at RT as Rick Wagner has been a very strong contributor to the O-Line. At linebacker we have C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs, and Elvis Dumervil. The health and age questions are there with Suggs, but he's proven that he's a very good player when healthy. I agree they need to find a partner for Mosley in the middle that can cover and at the end of the season it looked like that guy was Zach Orr. We still have Arthur Brown who I believe is on his last legs here. If he was going to show he has anything to offer, now would be a great time. So yeah, they need to get younger at OLB and find some new production there. More worrying to me is that the ends on this team don't seem to do much. I think part of that is solved with Lawrence Guy. He didn't light up any radars but was one of the more productive guys along the D-line and if you don't believe me take a look at his numbers. Brandon Williams is a beast, but we need to get something out of the other end slot whether that is Carl Davis or Timmy Jernigan or somebody else. Jernigan has got to stop it with the idiotic penalties. The secondary was experiencing a lot of injuries last year. Jimmy Smith and Webb were not healthy at all and the rotation at safety due to injuries also didn't help things. Weddle and Will Hill should be solid players that should play a majority of the snaps all season. Webb most likely lines up on third down or passing situations as a 3rd corner or safety. The problem on offense last season clearly was production at WR.

I think Weddle's best football is behind him and why are we interested in adding a slow, non playmaker like him in the deepest part of the secondary. Isn't the problem that we don't have players like that already? So to add another on doesn't make any sense to me, especially when you'll have to pay top dollar for him.

Apparently you didn't see this past season when a virtual no-name at WR turned into almost a 1,000 yard receiver in Kamar Aiken. Then factor in he didn't have ANY of his starting wideouts on offense this year, had a second year TE and two rookies playing there all season...and you make this comment?

Alright, I came out EARLY last off season to state how Schaub didn't have it anymore and with the hope we would never have to see him on the field. I caught a ton of flak for it and one fan in particular told me how wrong I was. Unfortunately Flacco got hurt and we had to witness what Matt Schaub had become and not what many hoped he wasn't. I am a man of my word and I had said that if Schaub got the opportunity and proved my words false that I would come on here and admit it. Unfortunately as well for the Ravens that scenario didn't take place. I have to say that witnessing him in action was like watching something in a movie, a possible nightmare a QB would have. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before. The propensity for this man to throw an interception and have it returned for points repeatedly was truly amazing in a horrible way. Schaub lost his job to Clausen who then made way for Mallet. Schaub says he's not done and still wants to play. After his last few seasons in the league though, I don't know of many teams that would want him to play for them. He may be able to hang on for another season somewhere as a back up.

What this report and Suggs' statement does not mention is the reason why the police were involved in the first place. It isn't like he was walking down the street and the police arrested him. Only the official statement from his representative contains the detail about the accident. He apparently was involved in a single car accident and the report I heard is that he was initially picked up for "fleeing the scene of an accident." That last part is enough to land you in some hot water, but it probably didn't help that he was driving on a suspended license; which again is enough to land you in hot water. It would make sense that he was fleeing the scene because he obviously knew he was driving when he shouldn't have been...and then there is the speculation of why he was in a single car accident. Was he speeding again? Was he under the influence of something? I just don't understand how people with the means to avoid these situations put themselves in these situations.

The main thing I will be watching for is if the Ravens will use an opt out "Clause"n at QB. I didn't think Schaub would play this week after seeing him dizzied from the one hit which looked like he got a concussion and then for sure on the last hit he took in which he grabbed his collarbone area. I'd be shocked if I didn't hear he broke it. I think he was really trying to make an effort to play through the pain and I give Schaub a lot of credit for that. At this point though, what's the point of playing him? Our post season chances are slim to none at best, Schaub is showing he's what he was the last couple of seasons, and he's got no future here in Baltimore. Play Clausen and/or Rynner, take the high draft pick, and come back next year strong. The Ravens will be the Phoenix next year. Rising strong and better than ever from the burnt out ashes of 2015. Nowhere to go but up. I am confident in this front office that they will get the key players in the draft and in free agency and with that and the return of our starting lineup all healthy again to be one of the best teams in the NFL sooner rather than later. This is why I am proud to be a Ravens fan. This team rarely stays down for long.

Ravens aren't going to pay Upshaw. He's been a bust here. I never thought he was the opposite side pass rusher they were seeking when they drafted him. I saw him more of a Jarrett Johnson type, but Jarrett was better. I don't know how many times I see Upshaw failing to set an edge and he never seems to get home for a sack. He's always a few steps too late. Even if he were to take a team friendly contract, I just think the Ravens will move on. They got other people in the wings that could take his slot.

Then have fun being cut and trying to find some other team to pay him what he's currently getting from the Ravens. He's clearly not the same guy he was a couple seasons ago which is unfortuante. I thought he was really becoming one of the better corners in the league. The constant injuries to his knees and back have slowed him down. So yeah, the team can tell him what to do, he's under contract. If you want to get on the field for the Ravens, it will be as a safety. Have fun riding the bench and not making a market for yourself when you hit free agency.

If there is a franchise LT available in the draft in the first round the Ravens should take him. Monroe won't be here forever and there is a chance the Ravens can't re-sign Osemele, and Wagner is a free agent after next season. So the new guy can slot in at LG to get him on the field just like HOF'er Ogden did for us years ago in his first year as a pro. Monroe has actually been a decent LT for us. The drop off in play when Hurst is in the game is very apparent, but to Hurst's credit he's not exactly been given regular work.

The Ravens are moving Webb to safety which is actually the position he played in college. He might look undersized for the position but while he might be a little too slow for a corner now after his numerous leg issues, he's still quick for a safety. He's a very good tackler and he has pretty good hands. I think he'd be a great CF roamer type and hopefully playing back from the line of scrimmage helps him stay healthy. So if there is a stud, sure fire CB available in the first round I say we take him. You can't count on Smith being healthy and Webb also has had health issues. The rest of the guys on the team aren't very promising.

I made a post in another thread about a Guy not getting any love. I knew he was under the radar but didn't know our own fans wouldn't notice him. Part of the reason why Carl Davis and Kapron Lewis-Moore can't get on the field is because of the play of Lawrence Guy. Guy is second on the D-line in tackles, very close behind Williams, and he's tied for second on the team with 3.5 sacks. Canty has been playing decently in bursts. It will be nice to have Urban back if he's healthy and to get a look at what he can do in game time, but this guy has missed two full seasons of pre season football and practice time. I hope he's not another Kapron Lewis-Moore. He was hyped like mad, kept getting hurt, and now that he's finally healthy after three seasons he might not ever be the talent he was supposed to be due to all the injuries. At this point we don't NEED to have Urban. If he's not completely healthy just sit him down and get him ready for next season. As for Carl Davis I noticed something. In the very first game he played he was in against starters and he never even had his name mentioned. It wasn't until later when the back ups were playing that he started to make plays. To me that means that the physical tools are probably there, but he needs to learn a bit better technique. I look for him to make a bigger impact next year. Jernigan has just really disappeared too. These guys are going to get some snaps along with Zadarius Smith next season because I don't think the Ravens will bring back Canty or Upshaw.

This season was supposed to be the year Matt Elam was in make or break mode...then he tore his pectoral. I hope he is spending the time digesting the play book and doing as much working out as he can to come into camp next season in his best shape ever because I think the Ravens will give him one last look. But, just like they did this season, they should look for a steady veteran to bring in just for insurance. Brooks would be getting a longer look if he could stay healthy. The fact that Webb is getting snaps at safety now is pretty telling. If the Ravens can get two good corners (a healthy Jimmy Smith), and a free agent or top draft pick, then maybe this secondary will start playing well again. As for Jimmy Smith he had a Lis Fran fracture. I never knew what that was until I saw it popping up all the time in a Madden game I was playing years ago. The Lis Franc is the portion of bone in the top portion of your foot right where your foot meets your ankle. For many players it was a career ending injury. The fact that Jimmy is back and playing within a year is encouraging but you can tell he's just not healthy. He still has some straight line speed, but he can't plant, cut, or turn like he used to. Speed is helpful at corner, but you have to be really athletic and agile so you can change your directions in almost an instant. Hopefully he will be fully recovered for next season.

How soon can we get him in a Ravens uniform? We might need him to suit up right from the delivery room with how injuries have been hitting us. Maybe Justin has been missing some kicks because he's been "Tuckered" out making an addition to his family roster? Congratulations to the Tucker family.