Tight End - Who Stays And Who Goes?

[rmw10]

Here's one of the most competitive positions, but probably one of the least appealing since we're talking about the 3rd TE. Without further ado, here's your players.


Starters (Since they'll both see the field a ton):
Ed Dickson - Our playmaking TE. His hands can get suspect at times, but he has the big play ability out of our 2 TE's. Good complement to Pitta.

Dennis Pitta - Our reliable TE. He's a guy with great hands and 3rd down conversion ability, but not too much speed. Good complement to Dickson.



The Other Guys:
Billy Bajema - A vet signed after Pitta went down. He's known for being a blocking specialist and will likely compete for the 3rd TE spot with Davon Drew.

Davon Drew - A draft pick a couple of years ago that finally has his shot at the roster. His blocking has improved to the point where he could get the 3rd TE job.

Bruce Figgins - A UDFA that doubles as a TE and a FB. He is a great blocker and offers a bit in the passing game as well.

Matt Balasavage - Another UDFA that is pure blocker. He offers pretty much nothing in the passing game, but he's very good blocking TE.



3rd TE isn't all that important, but with all of them being asked to block, the competition is wide open. Do we go with the guy who is the best blocker, but the worst receiver, or do we go with 1 of the 2 guys that are good blockers and at least offer a little bit in the passing game?



Previous Positions:
Offensive Line - [url="http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/topic/47248-offensive-line-who-stays-and-who-goes/"]http://boards.baltim...s-and-who-goes/[/url]
Safety - [url="http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/topic/47280-safety-who-stays-and-who-goes/"]http://boards.baltim...s-and-who-goes/[/url]
Wide Receiver - [url="http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/topic/47152-merged-which-wrs-will-make-the-team/"]http://boards.baltim...-make-the-team/[/url]

[arnie_uk]

You should space these out a bit more. There about the only convo going on, no point killing it all in a matter of days lol

[rmw10]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1340570105' post='1092927']
You should space these out a bit more. There about the only convo going on, no point killing it all in a matter of days lol
[/quote]

That was my plan. Decided today to make it an every Sunday thing

[mhead66]

Truthfully, if we take a look at the crop of WRs we have:

Torrey Smith
Anquan Boldin
Jacoby Jones
Tandon Doss
David Reed
LaQuan Williams
Tommy Streeter
Deonte Thompson

Eight WRs with some level of talent... and we compare them with Davon Drew, Matt Balasavage and Bruce Figgins...

Let's consider what the 3rd TE will bring to the table: blocking ability. But would you rather have Davon Drew out on a pass pattern, or Tommy Streeter? Matt Balasavage, or David Reed?

If we keep 6 WRs, and 3 TEs, we might have to make that choice. I'd rather the Ravens pull a Guard on a run play, and have Tommy Streeter available, then to keep Davon Drew on the bench, to use as a 3rd TE.

It's the same principle we used last year, to keep only Flacco and Tyrod Taylor - to use the 3rd QB slot for another helmet at another position.

[Rav'n Maniac]

I would rather keep 7 WRs than keep 3 TEs. We don't need a 3rd blocking TE, something a lineman can do reporting as a TE. But, I feel the Ravens will keep 3 TEs because that's what they've always done and in that case Drew would be the choice. He has experience and has shown he can catch the ball.

[BloodRaven]

I don't care what nobody says, I don't like Dickson and I think he's a playoff choke waiting to happen.

[AsianRice]

[quote name='BloodRaven' timestamp='1340625189' post='1093024']
I don't care what nobody says, I don't like Dickson and I think he's a playoff choke waiting to happen.
[/quote]
Pitta overshadowed him last year, so Pitta should be #1 for passing down; however, our TEs are not great for running game....

[Ravensfan23]

[quote name='BloodRaven' timestamp='1340625189' post='1093024']
I don't care what nobody says, I don't like Dickson and I think he's a playoff choke waiting to happen.
[/quote]

I can understand where you are coming from as I too was frustrated by Dickson"s drops last season, but I would also caution you against writing him off completely.

Coming out of college Pitta was clearly the better pass catcher between the two. Much like Torrey and Doss imo. Pitta was a (older) guy who understood how to get open underneath and make himself a great option for his QB on third downs.

Dickson on the other hand is one of those passing catching TEs that will be a terror for LBs and Safeties down the middle of the field and even on the outside. He gets to the second and third level of the defense so quick that it's almost impossible to defend him, consistently.

He's a guy who imo needed that off-season practices last season, and the fact that he has it this year will only help to improve his development.

Ed Dickson had similar number to those of Jermaine Gresham, and Gresham made the Pro Bowl last season, so it's not all bad with Dickson. He just have to focus on putting it all together. Whether he's the starter or #2 TE I don't think it'll matter because both he and Pitta will have really strong seasons this year imo.

[BMORElegacy]

[quote name='AsianRice' timestamp='1340639999' post='1093099']
Pitta overshadowed him last year, so Pitta should be #1 for passing down; however, our TEs are not great for running game....
[/quote]Todd Heap wasn't very refined at run blocking either when he first came out of college but he developed that skill over the course of several seasons. I'm confident that if we are able to hold on to Pitta/Dickson for an extended period of time that they'll be able to develop those blocking abilities.

Obviously that doesn't help the situation for this season lol

[Ravenseconbeast]

Im satisfied with the few flashes we have seen with Pitta. Dickson in the other hand is just bad. Im not sure what Dickson is doing but he needs to step up. We'll be finding another TE soon if he has the same performance he had last year.

[Guest Mr. Nobody]

[size=6][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][sub]no way we're dropping Dickson so soon, he's only going into his third year and got upside to still develop[/sub][/font][/size]

[Militant X 1]

[font=trebuchet ms, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#4b0082]Dickson and Pitta both have tremendous upside however, imo Pitta should be the starter! but both of them need to work on their run blocking skills.[/color][/font]

[Bazooka Joe]

Dickson
Pitts
Balasavage

[RavensAllTheWay]

Dickson only averaged just less than 10 yards a catch last season, which is quite low for a TE of his athleticism and frame. Cam's got to utilize him better. Having said that, it's way too early to write him off.

[Ravensfan23]

I think Dickson will be a stud this year, he won't reach Ronk or Graham numbers, but he'll have a Veron Davis type season. Something like 65 catches 800yds 12.3 ypc and 7TDs.

I also see Pitta continuing to be one of Flacco's favorite targets, he just won't produce as many catches and yards as Dickson. I see about 50 catches 550 yards and 5 TDs.

I think with fans sometimes the negative tends to outweight the positives, but Dickson play fairly well last season, he just had some untimely drops, which was also the case with Torrey. The only difference was that Torrey got far more chances to make up for his drops with plays down field.

Looking at the positives, Dickson made some really tough catches last season, and he seemed to establish a connection with Joe on 3rd downs and redzone opportunities. I think he lead all TEs with 24 3rd down catches last season and 3 of his 5 TDs were in the redzone. So there are definitely some great things to build on for Dickson.

He just has to be more consistent with the seemingly easier catches. We definitely don't want to have him be the Travis Taylor of TEs.

[PeRK82]

[quote name='rmw10' timestamp='1340567290' post='1092924']
Here's one of the most competitive positions, but probably one of the least appealing since we're talking about the 3rd TE. Without further ado, here's your players.


Starters (Since they'll both see the field a ton):
Ed Dickson - Our playmaking TE. His hands can get suspect at times, but he has the big play ability out of our 2 TE's. Good complement to Pitta.

Dennis Pitta - Our reliable TE. He's a guy with great hands and 3rd down conversion ability, but not too much speed. Good complement to Dickson.



The Other Guys:
Davon Drew - A draft pick a couple of years ago that finally has his shot at the roster. His blocking has improved to the point where he could get the 3rd TE job.

Bruce Figgins - A UDFA that doubles as a TE and a FB. He is a great blocker and offers a bit in the passing game as well.

Matt Balasavage - Another UDFA that is pure blocker. He offers pretty much nothing in the passing game, but he's very good blocking TE.



3rd TE isn't all that important, but with all of them being asked to block, the competition is wide open. Do we go with the guy who is the best blocker, but the worst receiver, or do we go with 1 of the 2 guys that are good blockers and at least offer a little bit in the passing game?



Previous Positions:
Offensive Line - [url="http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/topic/47248-offensive-line-who-stays-and-who-goes/"]http://boards.baltim...s-and-who-goes/[/url]
Safety - [url="http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/topic/47280-safety-who-stays-and-who-goes/"]http://boards.baltim...s-and-who-goes/[/url]
Wide Receiver - [url="http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/topic/47152-merged-which-wrs-will-make-the-team/"]http://boards.baltim...-make-the-team/[/url]
[/quote]

Personally i don't care, as long as Dickerson and Pitta are here, also we need a bigger T.E that is more of Blocker than a receiver. I think we already have our Catching T.Ends that are more like WRers.

[cobrajet]

Well, I like the Geogia Bulldog Bruce Figgins, they are all 6'4" but Bruce is listed at 274 lbs. and even played a little fullback in college. His highlights at Geogia are decent, but we will see what he can do at camp. Hopefully he can impress.

[Bazooka Joe]

Jah Reid lined up occasionally as a TE. If none of the other TEs impress, I could see us just go with the two TEs and keep either a 10th OL or 7th WR.

Would be dangerous to do that though.

[GrimCoconut]

I think we only keep two TEs on the roster this year. Just my two cents.

[Ravensfan23]

[quote name='GrimCoconut' timestamp='1340934235' post='1094206']
I think we only keep two TEs on the roster this year. Just my two cents.
[/quote]

I thought about that to. Thinking that maybe guys like Streeter and Thompson force their way onto the 53. That would be 7 WRs 2 TEs.

I mean lets be honest, the NFL is moving to a much more pass oriented league and your 3rd TE is usually for run blocking. If the Ravens felt comfortable going with only 2 QB, I could definitely see us only carrying 2 TEs.

[Yoonkeem]

[quote name='Ravensfan23' timestamp='1340945595' post='1094230']
I thought about that to. Thinking that maybe guys like Streeter and Thompson force their way onto the 53. That would be 7 WRs 2 TEs.

I mean lets be honest, the NFL is moving to a much more pass oriented league and your 3rd TE is usually for run blocking. If the Ravens felt comfortable going with only 2 QB, I could definitely see us only carrying 2 TEs.
[/quote]

It's true the NFL is moving towards a pass oriented offence,
But here in Baltimore, we have the ancient offence of Cam Cameron. haha
I'm not saying theres anything wrong with it, as it got us to the playoffs every single year since Joe came,
But we've got the pieces to run the old styled offence
and since we are kinda used to the fact that Rice's performance usually determines the outcome of games,
I'd say we keep the 3rd TE position, and keep Balasavage.

[Rav'n Maniac]

[quote name='Yoonkeem' timestamp='1340946805' post='1094233']
It's true the NFL is moving towards a pass oriented offence,
But here in Baltimore, we have the ancient offence of Cam Cameron. haha
I'm not saying theres anything wrong with it, as it got us to the playoffs every single year since Joe came,
But we've got the pieces to run the old styled offence
and since we are kinda used to the fact that Rice's performance usually determines the outcome of games,
[b]I'd say we keep the 3rd TE position[/b], and keep Balasavage.
[/quote]

I agree only because that's what the Ravens have always done. Is it needed, not necessarily. A third TE, when on the field is primarily a blocking TE. The same thing can be accomplished with one of our backup linemen. That's why I would go with 2 TEs & 7 Wrs. Especially when the additional Wr has more game than the additional TE. jmo.

[FerrariFan87]

Dickson and Pitta have a chance to be great, but Dickson's penchant for drops is concerning. I think if Flacco's going to become "elite," his TEs are going to have to step up.

[Ravensfan23]

[quote name='Rav'n Maniac' timestamp='1340964619' post='1094257']
I agree only because that's what the Ravens have always done. Is it needed, not necessarily. A third TE, when on the field is primarily a blocking TE. The same thing can be accomplished with one of our backup linemen. That's why I would go with 2 TEs & 7 Wrs. Especially when the additional Wr has more game than the additional TE. jmo.
[/quote]

Yoonkeem, I agree with you as well as Rav'n, We'll probably keep a 3TE, just like we keep the FB position alive year after year. However I think the potential of a Streeter or Thompson to help out in more ways then just short yardage and goaline blocking will make it a tough decision for Harbs.

I don't want to put too much into Thompson because we really haven't seen anything from him. But if he plays as fast in pads as he did in OTA's he could be at the very lease a really strong Special Teams player. Maybe a Gunner and Returner, at that point anything he adds to the offense is a plus

Streeter with his size, speed and potential could be a huge asset in the redzone. You could even give him a few deep/jumpball type plays once or twice a game. If he can get you 8-10 catches on the season, but 3 go for TDs and the others are big plays, I think that'd be worth it, added to the rest of our offense.

So the decision Harbs would have to make is, is that 3rd TE going bring as much value to the team as a guy who could help you in more ways then just blocking.

Also it might not even be an extra WR, it could be an extra Olineman. I got, KO, Ried, Gino, Boren as the 4 backups right now. What if the Ravens wanna keep Wragge, as a veteran backup to Birk, who has dealt with injury the last 3 seasons. That would be 10 Olineman. KO, Reid, nor Gino are going on the PS, so do you risk trying to stash Boren on the PS?

Things like this is way I really enjoyed Hard Knocks, too bad the Ravens won't ever be on their again, or at least under Harbs.

[Ravensfan23]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' timestamp='1340976189' post='1094290']
Dickson and Pitta have a chance to be great, but Dickson's penchant for drops is concerning. I think if Flacco's going to become "elite," his TEs are going to have to step up.
[/quote]

I veiw Dickson and Torrey in the same light with the drops. They are both two guys that have a load of potential to be great, they just needed work on being consistent.

This year we are hearing how Torrey is improving on the little things and that's great. Last year, Dickson was robbed of the opportunity to work on the small details of his game that would have taken him to the next level.

I haven't heard too many reports on Dickson so far from camp, but I think he and Torrey will really take off this season.

[RavensAllTheWay]

Thought this would be an appropriate place to say....

Happy 27th Birthday, Dennis Pitta!!!

[The Raven]

I think it makes sense for us to keep 3 tight ends, due to the fact that we use a ton of two tight end sets. If one of our tight ends got hurt, our depth is shot. Our tight ends have a key role in the offense that Cam runs, so I'd like to have adequate depth there. Although, that tight end could always be brought up from the practice squad.

[Rav'n Maniac]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1341075561' post='1094497']
I think it makes sense for us to keep 3 tight ends, due to the fact that we use a ton of two tight end sets. If one of our tight ends got hurt, our depth is shot. Our tight ends have a key role in the offense that Cam runs, so I'd like to have adequate depth there. [b]Although, that tight end could always be brought up from the practice squad.[/b]
[/quote]

That's a great point and is something that I could see the team doing, especially with the amount of WRs that we are looking at. That right there would still give us depth at the position and could allow us to carry 6, possibly 7 WRs if the talent is there.

[Gordo52]

I guess Drew is staying fo'sho.

[Free Agent]

Veteran TE it is. [url="http://www.fantasysp.com/player/nfl/Billy_Bajema/2352031/ravens-sign-te-bajema"]Ravens just signed Billy Bajema[/url], formerly of the Rams. Not who I would have signed, of the vet TE options out there, but surely better than Drew/Figgins/Balasavage.