EdTheMythicalOne

Waller's a sixth round rookie nobody knows about he's gonna be a reserve (And he ran a 4.45-ish idr he's not a vertical threat with speed as he is making contested catches down the sideline and the ravens use speed recievers as deep threats marc trestman can do both so we'll see waller makes the roster as the 4th-6th reciever just depends on how well he develops) Carter's not making the roster. Smith,Perriman,Brown,Waller,Aiken are locked into the top 5 spots and the 6th spot will probaly go to campanaro since they spent two draft picks on him (Including the trade)

I wish I could link up the post I made about a potential 53 man roster. I was curious to see just how many the Ravens could carry at any position and if the Ravens want to construct their roster the way I did, there is room to carry 7 wide outs. You can see who I picked:

1 QB1: Joe Flacco

2 QB2: Matt Schaub

3 HB1: Justin Forsett

4 HB2: Lorenzo Taliafero

5 HB3: Buck Allen

6 FB: Kyle Jusczyzck

7 WR1: Steve Smith

8 WR2: Breshad Perriman

9 WR3: Kamar Aiken

10 WR4: Marlon Brown

11 WR5: Jeremy Butler

12 WR6: Micheal Campanaro

13 TE1: Crockett Gilmore

14 TE2: Maxx Williams

15 TE3: Nick Boyle

16 LT: Eugene Monroe

17 LG: Kelechi Osemele

18 C: Jeremy Zuttah

19 RG: Marshal Yanda

20 RT: Ricky Wagner

21 OL: John Urschel

22 OL: James Hurst

23 LS: Morgan Cox

24 K: Justin Tucker

25 P: Sam Koch

26 DL1: Brandon Williams

27 DL2: Timmy Jernigan

28 DL3: Chris Canty

29 DL4: Carl Davis

30 DL5: Lawrence Guy

31 DL6: Steven Means/Kapron Lewis-Moore/Christo Bilukidi

32 OLB1: Terrell Suggs

33 OLB2: Elvis Dumervil

34 OLB3: Courtney Upshaw

35 OLB4: Za'Darius Smith

36 MLB1: Darryl Smith

37 MLB2: C.J. Mosley

38 MLB3: Zach Orr

39 MLB4: Albert McClellan

40 CB1: Jimmy Smith

41 CB2: Lardarius Webb

42 CB3: Kyle Arrington

43 CB4: Asa Jackson

44 CB5: Cassius Vaughn/Rashan Melvin/Tray Walker/Quinton Pointer

45 S1: Kendrick Lewis

46 S2: Will Hill

47 S3: Anthony Levine

48 S4: Brynden Trawick

49 OPEN SLOT  EXTRA DL? I think it goes to Bilukidi over Lewis-Moore as Bilukidi plays NT and KLM is an end

50 OPEN SLOT EXTRA DB? Lot of guys fighting for that 5th CB slot, I put Quinton Pointer here if they take 6.

51 OPEN SLOT EXTRA WR? Darren Waller

52 OPEN SLOT EXTRA OL? I am pretty certain the Ravens will keep at least 8 OL and I give it to Jensen as a C.

53 OPEN SLOT could be anything...but it goes to whomever actually shows up between Kapron Lewis-Moore (DL), Arthur Brown (MLB), Brennen Beyer (OLB), or Robert Myers (OG) or even Nick Perry (S).

Flacco isn't blazing fast, but some people might forget a 60 yard scramble he had in his rookie year in the pre season. Flacco himself said he could run more, but he makes it a conscious effort not to because he knows it is his arm that wins games and not his legs. It is also how a lot of QB's get injured and take more shots than they need to. Smart man.

No it doesn't sound crazy at all....

Brown looked prity good with the limited snaps he got in the 4th quarter. His tackling was good and also showed good instincts diagnosing plays. Hes super fast and can run with any TE or RB on passing plays. I don't know why he's fallen so far down the depth chart.

I hope this is a blessing in disguyse where the Ravens can sign him for cheap on a long term contract. But as things stand he's never gonna stay in Baltimore coz he's never gonna get a chance. I literally watched the forth quarter 3 times. One was just to see Brown. I was impressed and by the end of it I was asking myself..... What am I missing here?

I am not really sure which Arthur Brown you guys are talking about, but he looked pretty bad for most of the game. He was blowing coverage all night long and only looked good on the one running play where the offensive line forgot to block him. The guy has been a Raven for two years now (this is his third season), was a second round draft choice, and still isn't out of the dog house. I am not sure how he is going to be the best defensive Raven in two or three more years because his rookie contract will run out before that. Zach Orr is actually ahead in the depth chart and he's primarily a special teamer, but he had a better game than Brown did.

I was never concerned about the TE situation. In fact, I have made posts on here telling people they should be high on Crockett Gilmore as the starter because he isn't "...just a blocker." The guy is an all around athlete who is a much better receiver than anyone thinks. We expected Williams to be able to catch but perhaps not block so well. We expected Boyle to be able to block...but his catches were all impressive to me because they were all tough catches that a QB would need his go to guy to make for him. 5 yards may not look all that impressive unless you are 3rd and 4 with only a few minutes to go in a game when you're losing. We also can't forget we've got a secret weapon and 4th TE on the field with Kyle Jusczyzck. He was a TE in college and was a very good receiver. He also proved he is a darn good blocker. He isn't too fast either, but you can't sleep on him and the Ravens actually had plays designed with him to be the first option. The guy knows how to run routes.

Suggs razzing Schaub is actually a good thing I think. Schaub is going to hear a lot worse on the field from opponents. If Schaub can take it from Suggs and have success it will give him even more confidence. Schaub has a lot to prove IMO and he took a really good first step in his first pre season game as a Raven. I hope to see that continue. No offense to him, but I hope we never have to see him in a regular season game unless it is to get some snaps in late in the 4th quarter and we're up by 30.

 

Two things: first, he is credited with a 45 yard pass, so the yardage is actually more than what I stated; second, your original statement was about how far the ball traveled in the air, not how many yards downfield the throw was. I quoted you twice (this is the third time), and the fact is, regardless of you wishing not to acknowledge it and insisting on "moving the goalposts", the ball traveled 33 yards in the air. That is indisputable, and the only point I made.

 

 

 

Likewise, when someone continually changes the basis of discussion, there was never an honest conversation to begin with. You can bring up his other passes, overall performance, how much yardage with which he is credited, or what have you, but all of that is still irrelevant to the fact that the TD pass he threw to Camp traveled 33 yards in the air, not 20.

Wait, what? When did I move the goal posts?

I haven't changed the discussion at all. It was you who assumed I meant something that I didn't. When you calculate yards for football, you don't count the yards behind the line of scrimmage or the horizontal yards. If we did that then you are saying what was a 45 yard TD pass should have been +3 yards for behind the line of scrimmage and then another 11 from it going from the hash to the numbers. Schaub threw a 59 yard TD pass then and the NFL has it all wrong. You go ahead and put a feather in your own cap if you want to, but nobody else is going to buy your extra yardage.

So what is indisputable is the pass was about 50/50 Schaub's arm (24 yards through the air past the LOS and no, hashmark to numbers yards don't count. Only vertical yardage counts in the NFL) and Camp's legs (21 yards YAC). It was a broken coverage and it was only a TD because Camp made somebody miss him down field. It took vision from Schaub to see the broken coverage, the ability to deliver the ball to Camp and he did well on that. It also took good work from Camp. I am happy to see that Schaub can still capitalize on broken coverages and that his short to mid range game looks pretty good. That's what he's always been known for.

In the first quote you are using how many "yards in the air" the ball was thrown to support your argument that Schaub has lost arm strength. I simply pointed out that the ball traveled 33 yards in the air, not 20 as you claimed. The issue of many many yards he is credited for the completion was irrelevant to your argument and my response.

 

As far as the distance, on the replay he is clearly on the Ravens side of the 50 - I estimated at the Ravens 48. From this screen grab, one can see where he ended up after taking a couple of steps forward due to the momentum of the throw:

 

 

So, 50-21 = 29; 29+2 = 31. Accounting for the 11 yards from the hash to the numbers, the total distance "in the air", as I mentioned, was 33 yards (regardless of him being credited for a 45 yard completion).

Right, so you can toss out about 1/3 of the yardage you are using because the NFL doesn't measure yards behind the line of scrimmage or horizontal yards. Those aren't my rules, that's how the stats are kept. When you say a QB doesn't throw the ball more than 20 yards down the field...that is exactly what you mean. Vertically, down the field.

Whenever anyone says that a point I am making is irrelevant, I know the conversation is over. The points is, Schaub didn't throw a 45 yard bomb. It was a 20-25 yard pass and the rest was YAC. Just because he can complete a pass to a wide open WR in blown coverage doesn't mean he got the zip back on his arm...as I had mentioned the only really deep pass he tried to Butler down the sideline in another post. It looked like it hit some rain clouds along the way. He had a good night on moslty short to mid range passing. His biggest play came on a broken assignment from a linebacker in zone coverage to let Camp get wide open. An NFL QB should be able to hit a pass like that. Schaub did and he had a good game. Even the announcers said he is a Jekyl and Hyde performer. When he's on he's great, when he's off it is really bad....and these were our homer announcers saying this. Bottom line is, Schaub has A LOT to prove after his two pretty awful seasons. One good pre season game against backups isn't quite enough for me to feel confident in him. I hope he is good to go and has something in the tank just in case we need him. I'm a Ravens fan and I want my team to win.

Maybe, but not this year. In all likelihood the Ravens will carry 8 OL this year. Monroe, Yanda, Zuttah, Osemele, Wagner, Urschel, Hurst, and Myers. Myers is a draft pick so he's in. Urschel and Hurst are proven backups and capable starters. And by some miracle they do carry 9 OL, Reid will probably get that spot. The question is, is Jensen eligible for the Practice Squad. He was inactive for his Rookie season. The 2 extra spots on the Practice Squad, they implemented last year are allowed to have 3 seasons and still be eligible. We'll have to wait and see, but he won't make the 53, there's just no room.

I started to look at what the 53 man roster would look like just to figure out how many at each position the Ravens could potentially keep. I put down who I knew for sure would make it, then filled in the rest with who I thought would make it, and then had some spots left over for a question mark...that spot is up for grabs really. I wanted to look at it on paper to see just how many at each position could potentiall be on the roster. I'll list it and see what you guys think.

1 QB1: Joe Flacco

2 QB2: Matt Schaub

3 HB1: Justin Forsett

4 HB2: Lorenzo Taliafero

5 HB3: Buck Allen

6 FB: Kyle Jusczyzck

7 WR1: Steve Smith

8 WR2: Breshad Perriman

9 WR3: Kamar Aiken

10 WR4: Marlon Brown

11 WR5: Jeremy Butler

12 WR6: Micheal Campanaro

13 TE1: Crockett Gilmore

14 TE2: Maxx Williams

15 TE3: Nick Boyle

16 LT: Eugene Monroe

17 LG: Kelechi Osemele

18 C: Jeremy Zuttah

19 RG: Marshal Yanda

20 RT: Ricky Wagner

21 OL: John Urschel

22 OL: James Hurst

23 LS: Morgan Cox

24 K: Justin Tucker

25 P: Sam Koch

26 DL1: Brandon Williams

27 DL2: Timmy Jernigan

28 DL3: Chris Canty

29 DL4: Carl Davis

30 DL5: Lawrence Guy

31 DL6: Steven Means/Kapron Lewis-Moore/Christo Bilukidi

32 OLB1: Terrell Suggs

33 OLB2: Elvis Dumervil

34 OLB3: Courtney Upshaw

35 OLB4: Za'Darius Smith

36 MLB1: Darryl Smith

37 MLB2: C.J. Mosley

38 MLB3: Zach Orr

39 MLB4: Albert McClellan

40 CB1: Jimmy Smith

41 CB2: Lardarius Webb

42 CB3: Kyle Arrington

43 CB4: Asa Jackson

44 CB5: Cassius Vaughn/Rashan Melvin/Tray Walker/Quinton Pointer

45 S1: Kendrick Lewis

46 S2: Will Hill

47 S3: Anthony Levine

48 S4: Brynden Trawick

49 OPEN SLOT  EXTRA DL? I think it goes to Bilukidi over Lewis-Moore as Bilukidi plays NT and KLM is an end

50 OPEN SLOT EXTRA DB? Lot of guys fighting for that 5th CB slot, I put Quinton Pointer here if they take 6.

51 OPEN SLOT EXTRA WR? Darren Waller

52 OPEN SLOT EXTRA OL? I am pretty certain the Ravens will keep at least 8 OL and I give it to Jensen as a C.

53 OPEN SLOT could be anything...but it goes to whomever actually shows up between Kapron Lewis-Moore (DL), Arthur Brown (MLB), Brennen Beyer (OLB), or Robert Myers (OG) or even Nick Perry (S).

I think the team is getting sick of Jah Reid and he's a goner, he makes the team if one of the others ahead of him gets hurt. This also assumes all these guys are healthy to go for the season. Most teams go with 2 QB slots because the 3rd can stay on the roster as an emergency slot and not take up a roster spot. 3 HB is pretty standard. 1FB, 6 WR (7 potential), 3 TE, 8 OL (potential 9), 6 DL (potential 8), 4 OLB (potential 5), 4 MLB (potential 5), 5 CB (potential 6), 4 S (potential 5), 1K & 1P.

To give credit where credit is due, Schaub threw the ball from between midfield and the Ravens 45 (say the 48 to be conservative), and Camp caught it at the 21 - so that's 31 yards right there. He also threw it from the hash mark to the numbers, which is about 11 yards. Using a bit of math, the ball went about 33 yards in the air.

I watched the replay and the LOS was the 45. Schaub did a long drop back and then crow hopped back towards the LOS to around the 49/50 ish. If Camp catches it at the 21....how does 49-21= 31? To me, that is 28 yards. But in the NFL, you don't get credit for the yards the ball is in the air behind the LOS. Nor do you get credit for horizontal yards. So with actual football statistics he had 24 yards through the air (45 to the 21) and then there was 21 YAC by Camp.

It was a completely blown coverage by a line backer that really had no business being in coverage of Camp anyway. Schaub saw Camp get behind the backer and there was no over the top help. So I give credit to Schaub for seeing it and reacting to it properly and throwing a pass to a wide open receiver who then used his legs and a nifty cut move to get the TD.

I will be pulling for Schaub because he is a Raven, but I am not going to let that cloud my judgement. Yes, he was a pro bowl QB...but he wasn't one the last couple of years. He got benched in Houston and couldn't even get the #2 job in Oakland. The scoop on him was that he lost zip on his arm and would check down all the time rather than try to stretch the field. He became predictable and that's why he threw all those INT's and the pick sixes.

Like another poster said, it was only on pre season game against backups. That 45 yard TD pass was about maybe 20 yards in the air and 25 Campanaro's legs. Schaub only attempted one other deep pass which was a HUGE arcing rainbow that Butler had to dive for and it went out of bounds even if he had held onto it. That pass had nothing on it and looked like a punt or a grenade toss. Even so, it was a good try because it shows the defense that you are willing to throw deep. I am glad he had a great game and that has got to give him a lot of confidence. Confidence is very important and it can really make a big difference in how you perform. Somebody lacking confidence would second guess himself and maybe not throw the pass on time.

It was a good first step. He plays like this throughout the pre season and then I will be more confident in believing there is still a little magic left in the hat.

I don't want to be a downer here, but Carl Davis didn't actually show up until the Saints took their starters out of the game. He was disrupting the backfield against the Saints #2 and #3 linemen. I still have confidence that he will be a good player, but there is a reason why he dropped in the draft. His consistency/motor was questioned, the fact that he's built like a NT but plays more like an undersized lineman...like Jernigan he's not a block eater and guy that was known for consistently pushing the pile. His pass rushing skills were also questioned. Now, scouting reports aren't always right and the scouting report on Ngata said he got lazy and times and took plays off. But when you start seeing possible question marks...potentially lazy, takes plays off, doesn't play up to his size, might not be able to pass rush against better talented blockers, and the fact that it took him three years to get into the shape he's in now and is still working on it...that makes you an extremely risky 1st round pick or even second round. You draft a guy that high and they have to be at the very least starters.

The guy that I liked was Beyer. He was constantly showing up in plays. If he wasn't the one making the tackle, he was the one setting the edge for somebody else to tackle. Zach Orr had a pretty good game. Schaub had himself a nice game too. Just want to see if he can do that consistently.

It's a shame about Perriman and hoping he's not fragile like a toothpick? On the other hand I really like Waller and he seems to be durable so far but he wasn't the #1 pick. I really expected more from our #1 pick. Only CJ Mosley has lived up to draft status in the last 3 years. Elam has been a bust and Perriman had one practice, fell on his knee and hasn't been seen since. Here's hoping he returns soon because we need his speed. Not really happy about our choices for kick returns and punt returns. Where is the speed? Otherwise we look pretty good.

It is hard for a receiver to impress when he's getting interfered with on every pass in his direction. That alone is valuable and gave us a lot of yards. I would love to see him catch a pass and see him show off that speed, but you have to take what you can get. To me, those pass interferences came because that corner knew he couldn't hang with Waller's speed or size.

Other draft picks haven't lived up? Brandon Williams, Kyle Jusczyczk, Kelechi Osemele, Rick Wagner. I think this year we see Crockett Gilmore contribute a lot. Jimmy Smith and Ladarius Webb play well when they aren't hurt...but that has been the issue with them.

The speed is at RB with Forsett, WR with Perriman, Waller, and Campanaro has tricky speed. CB is Asa Jackson. When Perriman comes back it isn't like you are going to see him running back kicks. That's a job for at most your #3 WR and your 4th or 5th CB.

I think the Juszcyczk Machina is going to have a nice season catching the ball out of the back field this year. I thought he would get more looks last year, but it was pretty telling that he would sometimes split out and line up as a wide receiver on some plays. The guy was a pretty accomplished TE and if he was 6'4" he wouldn't be a FB. He's smart, he's a great blocker, and the guy knows how to run routes and has soft hands. He might not be the fastest guy on the field, but he's still a weapon. That is what I like about our offense this year. We can attack you in so many ways now. You can't sleep on anyone on the field. You have to respect the fact that Kyle will come out of the back field and catch a ball. Our running backs can all catch. We've got some good targets at TE and we still have Steve Smith. If Perriman is anything close to what is expected out of him that will be amazing....and then we have guys like Marlon Brown who can be a redzone weapon and over the middle/underneath guy, Camp if he can stay on the field can be a pesky 3rd or 4th and cause damage from the slot. Waller used his speed and size very well to get a lot of penalties called. I liked seeing that. I wasn't impressed with Butler and we didn't get to see a lot of Aiken. The safety turned WR Tom Nelson caught a pass.

I was very pleased with the TE group as a whole. Crokett missed a block or two, but made some tough over the middle catches. Maxx dropped that pass in the endzone, but came up with a big play late in the game on the game winning drive. Nick Boyle made some really tough catches, I think all of them were contested. Did we see some Maxximum Overdrive? I still thing Gilmore is going to be a beast and have a great season. He's a lot more of a receiver and athlete than he's letting on. 4 sport letter man in high school (Football, Wrestling, Basketball, Track), played WR & TE, played TE and DE in college. He's going to make a lot of tough catches and he'll be a redzone weapon. Maxx is going to do some serious damage in twin TE formations. It is a great 1-2 punch we have there. If Boyle keeps showing up as a receiver...man...that's a good bunch.

I liked Taliafero when we drafted him. I like him more now. I call him BLT because almost every time he runs the ball my inner John Madden comes out and I just say "Boom, Lorenzo Taliafero." B...L...T....it could also stand for; Baltimore Loves Taliafero.

The second string O-line was garbage. They didn't open any holes in the ground game at all. They did okay in pass protection. Right after the first or second play from scrimmage I saw Jah Reid huffing and puffing away in the huddle...he was the only one winded.

Back up defense looked very shaky. Horrible tackling, blown coverages. For some reason none of our back up middle linebackers can cover passes. Orr looked pretty good at times, Brown flashed but also flopped in coverage quite a bit. Didn't see much from Z. Smith. Carl Davis was quiet for like the first quarter and a half, then he came on strong later in the game...was that because backups were in for the Saints? Special Teams coverage needs some work. Kapron Lewis-Moore, the much hyped and oft injured end showed me nothing. He got free runs on the QB a couple of times and bit on stupid fakes and never made the play. I liked what I saw from Beyer. He was doing his best Jarret Johnson impression.

Schaub had a good game. I was impressed with what I saw. He did try to go down field and when he saw an open guy he was trying to hit them. He looked calm in the pocket save for one throw...not the one that was picked off. Blame Butler if you want for not coming back to the ball, but that was pretty tight coverage and I think that's a pass you don't try. He's not throwing to Steve Smith or Anquan Boldin.

Renner...well, he's about what I expected out of an undrafted rookie free agent. He was skittish, bad foot work when he senses pressure, missed some open guys, threw the pick. But, when it was all on the line he made some good plays and he made a great decision to run it in for the TD. Hopefully we never have to have that scenario play out in a regular season game because I want Joe Flacco in for all 16 the playoffs.

let me guess: he was horrible right....

Nope, he had a good game. His long TD pass came on a LB completely blowig his coverage assignment and then Campanaro made something happen after the catch. He should have had another legit TD pass to MaXX Williams that Maxx dropped. The pass that was intercepted that was blamed on Butler I also partially blame Schaub too. That was very tight coverage and he was clearly forcing that throw. That's one he should have eaten. The one telling play for me though was that deep bomb he threw to I think Butler down the sidelines. Butler had to dive for it and ultimately couldn't come down with it. That thing I think hit a few clouds on the way down the field and looked more like a grenade toss than a pass. Still, that's a nitpick on my part and I think he did very well. But, that was just one pre season game. I hope he keeps it up and proves me wrong. I don't hate the man, I just thought he was done is all.

How about Edwin Mulitalo?

The big guy! One of the best road graders in the game in his prime and he did have a long Ravens career. Most people don't think of him when they think of greats like Ogden. He deserves a nod.

I know they can't do it but I wish they could honor McCrary. Nobody played harder than him. Ha played like his life depended on it. I only saw him play in the 2000 playoff games DVD and one of the apposing coaches called him relentless.

I got to see McCrary's whole career and if you ever wanted to see the definition of what they mean by a "High motor" player, he was it. The guy was all out, every play, all the time. He along with Rob Burnett were some of the bright spots on a defense that was spotty at best in those days.

I think they're looking for players who people think of a Ravens-players. And, although Sharpe was a huge asset for two seasons and especially in the first Super Bowl run, people think of him as a Broncos-player...

 

Same thing with players like Rod Woodson, the Goose, Steve McNair or Steve Smith.

 

What I do find odd is that nobody is even mentioning Chris McAllister and Derrick Mason...

I mentioned them...and a couple of other guys I thought were deserving. I don't think guys that only spent a couple of years here and were known as other team lifers quailify. Like Dilfer, Sharpe, Woodson. Mason is the only one I consider because he spent 8 years with one team, and then six seasons with the Ravens and is our current all time receiving yards leader.

The fact that we can have these 10 players and still have room for some honorable mentions speaks a lot of the talent and kind of players we've had roll through or spend their careers in Baltimore. Here are some other names that come to mind:

CB: Chris McAlister: 3 time pro bowler and 1 time all pro. He has his bad moments, but when he was all in he was one of the best in the game.

LB: Adalius Thomas: 2 time pro bowler & 1 All Pro Team: Mr. Versatility, played OLB/MLB/DE/DT and even Safety.

DT: Kelly Gregg: Aka "Buddy Lee" at 6'0'' 310lbs he was built like a bowling ball and plugged up the middle as a NT before Ngata got here. He epitomized what it meant to play like a Raven.

WR: Derrick Mason: Though he split his career in half just about with the Titans and Ravens, he is still that all time Ravens leader in receiving yards and literally played a several games with the use of only one arm.

And how about some love for some staff members:

Head Coach: Brian Billick: He did take us to and win our first superbowl.

GM: Ozzie Newsome: Thanks to his great drafting and shrewd free agent moves the Ravens are a perpetually competitive team with a chance to go to the playoffs almost every season.

A few points here.

First, since the Ravens will be using a zone running scheme and a West Coast style passing attack, your shotgun formation is essentially replaced by the play action pass. Of course that relies on a good rushing attack and the adage of using the run to set up the pass.

Secondly, the shorter routes and getting the ball out of your QB's hands quicker helps in pass protection. You don't have to sustain blocks for very long while waiting for deep routes to open up. This serves several purposes. It keeps the time of possession clock ticking because at the same time your QB is completing a higher percentage of his passes. It also opens up the possibility of YAC (yards after the catch) which further adds on to time of possession. The great thing about having a QB like Flacco is that while he can do all of this, if the opposition gets completely fooled on something he has the cannon to unleash a deep bomb down the field.

Lastly, I don't need more shotgun, but I do desperately need more cowbell. I gotta have more cowbell. I got a fever, and the only prescription is.......more cowbell!

to get demoted he had to be a starter first ......

 

he was never the starter for the raiders.

 

its hard to see things your way when you are making stuff up....

 

if he really was done the ravens would not have signed him.

 

its hilarious how you try to portait yourself as a better evaluator then our FO.

 

he clearly has enough to offer for the ravens to sign him...

 

ow well 

Really....you have to be the starter first to get demoted? Well, he was the starter in Houston and he was demoted. Then he wasn't even good enough to be named the starter in Oakland...or to be named the backup. The Raiders had him under contract and they released him at the end of the season rather than keep him...that's why he became a free agent.

What exactly am I making up? I am not making up the statistics. I am not making up what happened to him in Oakland. I am not making up that he had an elbow issue in Oakland. I am not making up that the word around NFL scouts is that his arm is done, that he's lost the zip he once had. I am not making up that he's getting paid low end money for the Ravens.

The Ravens signed him to be a warm body. They'd rather have his experience and diminished arm strength sitting in the wings if needed than to hand the ball over to an undrafted rookie free agent QB or to pay Tyrod Taylor more money to do the same job as Schaub. Taylor will make $1.5 this season as a back up, but if he starts; which is a possibility because he's so far out played Manuel and he only has to do better than Cassell now, he can make around $3 million. So what's Ozzie's mantra? "Right player, right price." The cheap price tag on Schaub was right for the Ravens.

I've never claimed to know anything the Ravens don't. I'm sure the Ravens know what he is at this point of his career and I don't think it is a coincidence that having Marc Trestman as the OC and running a similar zone run offense that Schaub played in under Kubiak factored into the decision. By the way, did you know that the Ravens are still looking for a veteran backup and are contemplating releasing Schaub if one becomes available because they aren't exactly thrilled with his performance in camp? Harbaugh coming out and supporting Schaub was one of those dreaded "votes of confidence" and a good Head Coach trying to inject a gun shy, shot worn, pop gun armed veteran QB with some confidence that he's obvioously lost if you've watched him play at all within the past two seasons. 

Here's something you can watch for. The first pre season game is going to be played Thursday night and barring injuries, Schaub is supposed to play three quarters. Now I know pre season stats don't really mean much, but watch how Schaub plays. What are you looking for? When Schaub is in the pocket, watch his awareness and see if he rushes getting rid of the ball when he's really not in jeapordy of getting sacked. Also watch HOW he gets rid of it. The rub is that he checks down to the closest target horizontally next to him rather than trying something over the middle or down the field...which means he became predictable. Second, watch and see if he still is a "check down Charlie" and always seeks to hit his closest target instead of trying something down the field. The scoop on him and why he threw so many pick sixes is that teams scouting him realised he doesn't throw the ball more than 20 yards anymore so they can play the shallow routes and jump them. And lastly, the true sign of a guy that has lost it is when he can see the opening and can't pull the trigger...and like Scaub had in 2013, gets pummeled for sacks. Look for open receievers, Schaub seeing them, and either inexplicably holding onto the ball and/or pump faking, and then checking down to something closer and possibly into coverage. The reason being is that he hesitated too long and that time window to get the ball downfield has already passed and now he's trying to be "safe." Why am I telling you to look at all of this? How do I know what to tell you to look for? Well, I am not revealing all of my secrets just yet.

Now if he comes out guns blazing and throwing bombs down the field, then we know 2013 and the parts he did play of 2014 were outliers. Going on 34 and taking all the hits he had over his career, I just don't think there is much tread on the tires anymore. I could be wrong, have been before. We'll see. I'll be watching Schaub and the Ravens closely on Thursday and I hope you do as well. If he does indeed turn back the hands of time and plays lights out for the preseason I will come back in here and post to you that you were right. Got no problem doing that.

1 thumbs up doesn't give your comment justice. Very well said brother.

I personally hated losing Ngata but after it all sunk in I kind of like what we have. Williams was a first round talent but came from a small school and needed some polishing. This is year 3 for him and he should play like a first rounder for the next few years. Jernigan was a first round talent but fell to us because of off field issues. Year two could be his break out year and he could play like a first rounder sooner than later. Davis is also a first round talent but fell so far in the draft because this class was littered with D linemen. If he can get upto speed and beat out canty by mid season then we have a solid front 3. Canty is not gonna make a pro bowl but is a solid NFL starter when healthy. If he is beat out by the youngsters the im satisfied. That would also help preserve his legs for a playoff run. Bilukidi and Guy are not starter material but are solid 5 and 6 on the depth chart. Then KLM is the wildcard that I hope can find his way to help himself and the team. Another wildcard is Upshaw who I believe will get a chance to prove his worth on passing downs as a DE and specific packages.

No one on this roster can replace Ngata anytime soon but as a unit I think they are more than capable to offset his loss and free up the pass rushers outside. Let's just pray the guys stay healthy.

Thanks for that reply and to your point about Upshaw I posted in another thread that he could possibly see time at DE as well since the Ravens already have Suggs and Dumervil at OLB, plus they like Zadarius Smith who is supposedly putting on a clinic in camp. We'll see once he lines up on the field and plays in game time situations. I also think Steven Means will flip flop between DE/OLB and he's a guy you could carry as a back up because he could be a special teamer too. None of our other D-Linemen would be good special teams candidates. Something the Ravens have always loved are versatile players. Adalius Thomas was the king of that and lined up all over the place. DT/DE/ OLB/ MLB and he even played some snaps at safety.

There is that saying, "Deep Depth." We got that in our D-Line rotation for sure. I am hesitating to say that about the linebacking group because I don't see a lot at MLB behind Smith and Mosley. Arthur Brown has failed to step up. As long as they all stay healthy I like our depth at corner this year. Losing Matt Elam hurt the safety group but I think what we still have left is okay. Too bad we're not going to have Brooks as well. I like Anthony Levine and think he will be a good back up, after that I am not too sure about Trawick. The guy they brought in as an UDFA...Nick Perry I think his name is, is supposedly having a good camp.

If Carl Davis comes on as the Ravens think he can then we'll have a nice group to rotate out across the front 3 if they all stay healthy. Brandon Williams is probably the only true Nose Tackle we have. Despite how large Davis is, he doesn't play like a mauler and pile mover. He's more of a gasher like Jernigan is. That's not a bad thing. He could play DE for a few plays and then on pass rushing downs he could slide over to DT. You have Jernigan playing the LDT, and then veteran Chris Canty is probably going to get snaps at RE. Behind them you've got Carl Davis who can move into NT on pass rushing downs and share reps with Canty, Lawrence Guy who is probably a bit more like Canty at RE, Steven Means who is a "Tweener" as he's a bit too big for an OLB, but a bit too small for a DE, especially a 3-4 DE...and he's a pass rusher. There is Kapron Lewis-Moore and honestly I don't know what his style is because he's never been on the field for me to see him, but the Ravens love his potential. There's Christo Bilukidi who is probably most well suited to be the back up NT...and THEN we've still got DeAngelo Tyson who's shown some flashes. Then there are some camp body that has some beef Micajah Reynolds, and the long and lean DE Zach Thompson. There is no way all of these guys make the roster. I could see the Ravens carrying 6 DL. You know 3 of them are Canty, Williams, and Jernigan. Who are your next top three?

I've been having an ongoing conversation with another poster in a different thread about Schaub. Something to do with camp INT's don't mean anything. In that thread I've been pretty blunt about what I think about Schaub's abilities at this stage of his career. I think he's done. I hope he's not and that if we need him he can step up and do a very good job for us for however long we need him. He might be able to explain what was going on in camp. I can buy that he's probably forcing throws that he normally wouldn't in a game. But how do you explain all of 2013? He only had two games in which he threw more touchdowns than interceptions and those were the first two games of the season and the only two games the Texans won. Sure, Foster was out and the run attack was 20th in the league. But 20th is far away from 32nd and Case Keenum stepped up and posted better stats in his 8 starts; 9TD to 6INT compared to Schaub's 10TD to 14INT. Then Schaub gets traded to the Raiders and he's not even the 2nd string QB. The Raiders have been about as functional as a broken watch and I could understand them trying to go with the future and start Carr. But, Schaub wasn't even his backup. I don't know what Schaub is talking about off the field and whatever problems those were I hope his family is all healthy and whatever the issues were they are in the past. Apparently he was suffering from elbow tendinitis in Oakland per this report; but this report also says that his arm has lost whatever zip it had: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000479358/article/oakland-raiders-release-qb-matt-schaub

how many games did keenum win?

 

you do know kubiak got fired right?

he benched schaub to save his job and failed lol.

 

new coach comes in and decides to start over.

thats nothing new or special.

 

its another fact you forgot to mention.

its pretty normal for a new coach to cut ties with some of the older players to start over and get his own guys and shape the team to how he likes it...

 

As for the raiders.

if you draft a QB high you expect him to start sooner then later.

from the moment carr was drafted , it was his job to loose and he preformed pretty good.

its not a suprise really since he was seen as 1 of the most pro ready QBs in the draft.

you make it seem like carr is some terrible QB like manziel orso.....

 

give the kid credit.

he made the most of his chance and is on course to have a promising career.

 

seriously if schaub was really so bad as you try to make him out to be , the ravens would not have signed him to such a good deal.

 

you are free to provide me with your credentials that shows you are a better talent evaluator then our FO.

apparently they saw enough from 2013 and 2014 to sign him .

I think this is the last post I am going to make in reply to you. If you don't quite understand where I am coming from there is really little else I can tell you to make you see it. Let's clear up what the Ravens are paying him. They are paying him essentially $2 million dollars this season which is actually low end, veteran back up money. He can earn another million in incentives. For comparison the Raven's paid Marc Bulger $3.8 million with a chance to earn up to $5.3 million total with incentives in 2010. So it isn't like the Ravens are paying Schaub crazy money...in footbal terms anyway. To me, $2 million is a ton of cash.

Keenum didn't win any games, but apparently he wasn't the reason why they were losing games. Schaub won a whole 2 games. So...let's not act like Schaub was lighting it up and setting the world on fire. Schaube was horrible, Keenum was less horrible.

Yeah, Kubiak lost his job, became our offensive coordinator....and he's coaching again. Go figure. He benched Schaub after giving him a LONG leash because he finally realised Schaub was losing his team games and couldn't win any. He had nothing to lose by putting Keenum in there. Keenum might be the future and Schaub certainly wasn't.

Yeap, coaches clean house. The Texans knew they had a washed up QB that was costing them a lot of money, nearing the end of his contract, and he had no future there. The Raiders scooped him up hoping he could at least provide stability to the offense while Carr learned from the sidelines. Then camp happened. Carr played his way into the starting role and Schaub played his way to third on the depth chart. This has nothing to do with Carr and I am not and have not ripped on Carr. This has everything to do with Schaub.

The Ravens signed Schaub to a deal because they didn't want to re-up and pay Tyrod Taylor. They wanted somebody who might actually be able to do more than just be QB in name only and possibly manage a game in case Flacco goes down. Most teams employ a fairly well paid second stringer no matter who that is. Take a look around the league and see some of the scrubs making nice money to never play. The Ravens did it years ago with Bulger.

I don't need to provide you with any credentials. If you can't see the writing on the wall as I see it, then that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. He has a horrible 2013, he gets demoted to third string, not second string, but third string...ON THE RAIDERS. If that doesn't tell you where he's at in his career then I don't know what will. I think the fork is stuck in Schaub and he's done. Hopefully we'll never have to see him on the field in relief of Flacco.

You don't understand what a bone bruise is if you're making this statement.  Two weeks to heal sounds about right, and I think it's been about 11 days.  As long as he's back for preseason games 2-4 he'll still have plenty of time to get up to speed and make an impact early in the season.

 I had a bone bruise on my knee once and that wasn't fun. Essentially a bone bruise is about as much damage as you can do to a bone before you fracture it or break it. I was playing shortstop and running out for a fly ball while the centerfielder was charging in. I was calling it all the way so I never expected him to be there. Right as I planted on my leg he comes sliding in and clips my plant leg out from under me and smacks hard into my knee. One of the worst feelings ever. I thought I really ripped my knee up, but I got away with a bone bruise. That was 6 months for that one before I could actually run around on it again.