ALPHA

Thanks man!

Lets say if I wanted to block a certain user so I didn't have to see their responses, is that possible on this board?

16 minutes ago, 757RavensFan said:

And what a player chooses to do during his free time is his business. 

Who are you to say when he should or shouldn't go to school?  

Well it's a little off topic but lets say a key player chooses to get fat and out of shape during the offseason, then it becomes a performance issue and one that affects the team, I'll point to Eddie Lacy as the most recent example. Now the NFL is not a dream factory for bettering lives, it's a business that boils down to performance in a contact sport.

Look I'm a nobody with a username just like anyone here, I don't get to tell anyone anything but this is a discussion board so I'm here to throw my opinion in the mix. Anyway I said what was on my mind so to avoid talking in circles this is my last comment on the issue, thanks for the debate :).

3 minutes ago, The Mom Gene said:

The guy is a stud on the field.  His intellect at this point gives him the ability to absorb the material much quicker than the "average Joe".  Discounting this guy because you believe "he needs to spend more time getting ready for next season" is pointless in this case.  A crap ton of players attend universities, do internships, and actually do other things in the offseason to better their lives.  I'm with others here that believe this is pointless in this situation.

I liked his rookie season he has a rare build and played well, last season when he filled in I thought he was serviceable but a downgrade from Zuttah, it's understandable he had some miscues in a new position but thats all the more reason to put in more work.

I can't be hypocritical and pretend like I'm worried about players bettering their lives when thousands have their dreams crushed unceremoniously every year (and nobody cares enough to write articles) and the one whos do have careers leave with broken down bodies and brain damage. 

1 hour ago, The Mom Gene said:

You do realize that sometimes you really don't "have all the time in the world for a PhD after your career ends".  Just sayin...  Holy cow.  Dog a guy for bettering a brilliant mind.

I have nothing against that but how does being the leagues smartest mathematician help his performance? how does it help the team? this is why scouts questioned his commitment to football. I'm being painted as the bad guy here but really, bottom line is these guys are compensated an obscene amount of money to produce on the field. 

2 hours ago, 757RavensFan said:

Did you actually stop to think that his future after football is more important to him and his family than football?  Being a math genius obviously hasn't prevented him from making it to the NFL.  People need to realize that football is just a game and eventually he has to quit/retire and move on to life after football. Stop being concerned about that man pursuing his goals and dreams. 

If his studies were more important then he should have just stayed in college, as I mentioned earlier nothing is stopping him from studying when his career is over. Employers don't pay a premium to their one percenters for them to treat it like a part time hobby. 

3 hours ago, RaRaRavens said:

Off topic a bit, but does anyone else hate this new look of the comment section?! I often visited other teams pages to see what their fans were saying and our comment section was WAY above anyone else's. Simple, easy to read and follow, clear. +/- system was good. And now it's the same kind of rubbish like everyone else's.

I hope they change it fast, it drives me nuts! This is what happens when you try to fix something that isn't broken.

I've only been here a few months and it seems harder to navigate, I wonder if the previous one was bugged.

NFL needs a D league

1 hour ago, riseNConquer81 said:

This article isnt about Lequon Treadwell or draft prospects in particular, and the answers to your questions are very googleable. Minus the 40 time, if you search for his name you'll get all that info right on the results page. dont even have to click a link. 

His questions are probably examples of details that he thinks should be included in the article, presumably for more context.

I can't be mad at Ngata for his comments, he's got a year or two to make as much money as he can before he hits the real world.

I'm more concerned with urschel not focusing on his craft, I understand education is important but he has all the time int the world for a PhD after his career ends. Right now with his rookie contract he is being paid many times more than a full time college professor with a PhD. This reminds me of when Matt Elam spent his first offseason selling shoes at footlocker and came in ill prepared for his terrible sophomore season.

8 hours ago, PurpleCity5 said:

Both of them are currently injured to begin with, Jack's injury is less concerning however, I don't know for sure if he can take part in the combine. I disagree however with Jack doing everything better. I think Smith is just as good in coverage as Jack, I've actually seen him cover slot WRs. I think against the run he's better, he just attacks ball carriers and just seems to diagnose the plays perfectly. I'm also well convinced he's the far better pass rusher and can actually have a future as a 3-4 OLB because of his quickness and burst off the edge, he actually has a nice first step. I don't think that is where he'll be here but it wouldn't shock me if he tried to make that transition. With that said, they're both great players but I really think Smith is just a bit better. 

Smith is versatile no doubt, but OLB is a completely different skillset and his size would put him on the very smallest end of that scale. I do like him though, a fast ILB who can cover is worth the 6th overall pick I'm just not convinced Smith can be a difference maker in coverage.

1 hour ago, PurpleCity5 said:

I'v seen reports out there that says hes 240. I just think that if you want him to gain weight, you would hope he doesn't lose that speed and quickness that is what partly makes him so great. IMO I really like Jack, but Smith is just a bit above him in almost everything, his coverage skills are on par and his pass rushing and run stopping is better. I just think Smith is so talented honestly. My biggest and only problem is that we missed a year with 1st round rookie WR Breshad Perriman, will Ozzie and the F.O have that same patience with a guy who tore his ACL who he will contemplate picking top 10? I can easily see him being a Raven if we weren't picking this high.

The only thing that makes me favor Smith over Jack is the injury, if we go pre-injury Smith is bigger sure but IMO Jack does everything better.

2 hours ago, ellicottraven said:

Any ideas on which Senior Bowl players the Ravens will watch closely? And where would you get more info on Senior Bowl practices and evaluations?

As mentioned Joe Cullen is a 4 front specialist so maybe a penetrator like Aldophus Washington

Room for another fan?

He hasn't lost his touch, luck plays a bigger part in a good or bad draft and every draft has been great value out of the gate. You can't blame a GM for a players lack of progression.

One thing I've noticed with a lot of pure speed ends is that if it doesn't translate to the next level then they have nothing, Dion Jordan, Barkevious Mingo etc. With a power base end if the speed-to-power ratio doesn't translate outside then they still have the strength and size base to anchor and contribute.

We need to upgrade the talent on all levels, penetrators/rotation on the line, a dominant rushbacker or two, a 3rd down MLB to groom and a secondary that can cover and set the tone.

As long as he puts on good quality weight and can carry it well.

I'm glad he's confident and hungry but the bottom line is he needs to produce.

I think it's worth mentioning that an elite pass rush is an ideal that very few teams actually have, it's not exactly something that a GM can make happen overnight.

The Panthers and Broncos are well balanced teams you can't just put an overemphasis on pass rush, back when Jared Allen put up 22 sacks the Vikings still came last in pass defense. We need to improve in all three levels of the defense.

Luthor is incredible because it's not an arbitrary 22 episode procedural, they write the script then decide how many episodes it will take based on the story, a little like True Detective. So five episodes of Luther feels a lot longer because of the quality

In every year I can remember, the GM with the #1 pick has always put said pick up for sale (except for Ernie Accorsi in the John Elway draft...). It's usually just the GM keeping their options open, so personally I wouldn't read too much into it.

Or hoping the Redskins will trade 3 first round picks.

There are a lot of power-to-speed ends in this class.

Lets say he fully recovers to his previous level, do you think his coverage ability translates to the next level? because if it does then he's worth the 6th overall pick.