Deonte Thompson straight from coach Harbaugh

[Alexir]

Great to hear that from Joe. Even if it's just PR speak, it comforts me a bit.

Absolutely. He hand picked Doss and he knows more about these guys than anyone else.

Plus, no one worth noting is a FA. We drafted these guys, we paid these guys, and we stashed these guys on PS and IR because we like their potential.

I think it's between DT and TD. Streeter is out IMO and Reed hasn't really been mentioned much.

[hawkprey]

Personally I dont see any point in David Reed either. In no facet can he be a regular contributor. 

 

On special teams, we have multiple return aces now in Thompson and Jones so at best he is in a match with 2 others

 

He wont be breaking the WR depth chart any time soon

 

Coming off an acl. 

 

He really to me is just another body. 

Reed is a better returner than Thompson. He caught 5 of 6 passes intended for him this year. He came off an ACL last year and is fine now. He's not just another body, he might be our best slot receiver this year.

[Tyler]

I don't know how you make statements either way. There's just not enough tape on any of these guys to make an argument either way. It's unknown whether these guys will turn into consistent contributors with the lack of playing time and inexperience, but to just throw these guys to the wolves off of so little experience, it's ridiculous. Everyone wants to label busts before guys even have the chance to get quality reps. See Paul Kruger. People are forgetting that our best tight end had 1 reception for 1 yard his rookie year. And now you all are buying his Jerseys and saying how clutch he is. Give these players time to adapt for crying out loud.

[Militant X 1]

I don't really want someone to"fill boldins role". We can have a much more potent offense with a starting wideout with size as well as speed and can make more dynamic plays. Hicks/Cruz or Harrison/Wayne come to mind. Plus that suits the strength of our qb anyway. Rice and pitta can work underneath. They will actually be more effective win more defenders cleared out trying to defend Thompson and smith.

 

agreed!  Boldin's "role" imo was merely being a sure-handed and strong go-to receiver underneath in crossing routes, out routes, a few deep balls and mostly in clutch moments.  Pitta has the body and the hands to do that imo.  I want us to have these tall, speedy WR's that will compliment and take pressure off of Torrey and Jacoby that can also blow the top off the defenses and yet, catch that rock and make plays in clutch moments!

 

~Mili

[ravensdan]

Yea? maybe its me and the circle of people I watch and/or talk games with. I feel that he's been more of a detriment than a benefit. With his drops at inopportune times, his constant injury woes holding a roster spot, etc just aren't enough to overcome the infrequent good plays he may produce

Actually David reed has 0 career drops attributed to him.

2012...caught 5/6 targets for 66 yards. In 2 games played
2011...0/2 targets in 2 games played
2010...0/1 target in one game played

As far as a receiver reed obviously hasn't been on the field enough to prove anything one way or another. But he hasn't had the opportunity to have any key drops yet.

[CapoRocky]

All we need is for one fringe receiver to step up and take over the number 2 receiver spot to take some of the pressure off of Smith.  Jones can help with the returns, but it might be too much to ask him to be an everyday #2.  I love the idea of using Pitta in the slot more often, too.  Hopefully, Streeter can be that red zone presence that we've been hoping for since we signed him.  Maybe we don't need to worry about signing anyone else.  We have the right stuff already.  All they need is the chance.

[cobrajet]

This was my pick as well, he showed some flashes last year in training camp and in the preseason games he played.

 

courtesy of ESPN, AFC North blog, Jamison Hensley ,,sorry the quote is from ESPN, the article is from Bmore Sun

Me too, and he really caught some tough balls. The kid was money and if Harbaugh is saying he is even better now, wow, I think I will have to root for him also.

[Clayton Bigsby]

David Reed has proven he can play in the league. He led the league in kick-off return average and is an excellent STs gunner.  He had one bad game. Torrey has. Ray Rice has. Joseph has. Stop being hung up over one game. It's not like it was even a game that ended our season or our playoff hopes :P

[cobrajet]

I have a gut feeling some of the David Reed bashing might have something to do with the fact that he had previously hurt the team with the marijuana arrest and suspension. I know I was pretty upset with him about it. I honestly think the "off the field problems" helped compound things, especially after the Seahawks game. I know there are days when a player can have a bad game, but a player that has a bad game of that magnitude who you think disgraced the organization and should have been cut is a different story. Unfortunately, we are all human and sometimes there are other factors that prejudice us. I am slowly learning to drop it and hope that he learned a valuable lesson, put it behind him, can be a good citizen, can be a good teammate, and can do great things on the field to help our team rack up the wins.

[Andrew Glass]

So why are personal attacks being thrown in here? I haven't insulted you in any way. Not sure how this has anything to do with David Reed. Seems like you injecting insult for the sake of diminishing my argument, which seems unnecessary to me.

David Reed hasn't had an impact on offense. You're correct in that regard, outside of a few reverses, if I recall correctly. People use the excuse that Anquan Boldin was hampered by Cam Cameron, but what about other players? It's not fair to use the argument for one and not the other. Cam didn't use a lot of 3WR sets, and if he did, it included big guys or those proven veteran possession wide receivers who can hopefully stretch the field but couldn't.

You can't diminish the talents of a player due to the player not receiving the chances to play as an indication the player cannot. That's simply unfair, and would possibly indicate a player like Paul Kruger is as worthless as you claim David Reed is. Paul was widely seen as a bust before 2011 and then 2012. David Reed is in his third year and he has been marred by injuries.

I'm not a fan of David Reed, but I can't honestly discredit his impact, re-signing, or capabilities based off of the evidence that he hasn't yet contributed. That would be irrational of me.
 

David reed was drafted in 2010 and is in his 4th year. I'm sure these players get a fair enough looks in the preseason and camp. They keep them around for a reason I'm sure but I'm also sure there is a reason some of these players don't get all the chances either. Injuries are part of what you get with certian players and sometimes help make them "busts", Look at people like dan cody, Is he not a bust because he was hurt which didnt allow him a fair shake? I wish the best of david but I dont think i would be surprised if he isnt on the roster come week 1.

 

 

Yes, he's butterfingers and so is Ray Rice for fumbling all those times in the playoffs. Let's cut him as well, or trade him away. 

 

How do you feel about Jacoby "Drops 'Em" Jones, who has had his fair share of scares back there as well last year? Let's not kid or delude ourselves here by acting like David Reed is some worthless bum without talent. If you want to say some fumbles are reason enough for him to be gone, what about Joe Flacco, who has fumbled his fair share? How about Ed Dickson, who has let the ball bounce off of his hands? 

 

I'm sick of this senseless David Reed bashing. 

 

I don't think we can put david reed in the same ballpark or compare anything ray rice has/will do to david reed in my opinion. If there wasn't concern with jacoby jones he would have the #2 spot locked up already. He is explosives and makes plays but you also get his drops sometimes. He's also a pro bowler. Dickson drops to many, whats our other options at TE? Joe flacco is a quarterback.. he fumbles to much yes but having people hitting you in the pocket and blind side and fumbling is slightly different then fumbling as a ball carrier bracing for impact.

[T3hRaven]

David reed was drafted in 2010 and is in his 4th year. I'm sure these players get a fair enough looks in the preseason and camp. They keep them around for a reason I'm sure but I'm also sure there is a reason some of these players don't get all the chances either. Injuries are part of what you get with certian players and sometimes help make them "busts", Look at people like dan cody, Is he not a bust because he was hurt which didnt allow him a fair shake? I wish the best of david but I dont think i would be surprised if he isnt on the roster come week 1.

 

He's done nothing to merit that additional contract that he got, so I wouldn't be surprised if we're stuck with him for the next ten years.  Harbaugh is protecting him for some reason.

[GrimCoconut]

David reed was drafted in 2010 and is in his 4th year. I'm sure these players get a fair enough looks in the preseason and camp. They keep them around for a reason I'm sure but I'm also sure there is a reason some of these players don't get all the chances either. Injuries are part of what you get with certian players and sometimes help make them "busts", Look at people like dan cody, Is he not a bust because he was hurt which didnt allow him a fair shake? I wish the best of david but I dont think i would be surprised if he isnt on the roster come week 1.

 

I don't think we can put david reed in the same ballpark or compare anything ray rice has/will do to david reed in my opinion. If there wasn't concern with jacoby jones he would have the #2 spot locked up already. He is explosives and makes plays but you also get his drops sometimes. He's also a pro bowler. Dickson drops to many, whats our other options at TE? Joe flacco is a quarterback.. he fumbles to much yes but having people hitting you in the pocket and blind side and fumbling is slightly different then fumbling as a ball carrier bracing for impact.

I don't know if David Reed makes the team. I don't care, either. I'm just sick of the senseless bashing the guy gets around here. It's a bit unnecessary now. I'm not his biggest fan. He's not my favorite player. I can absolutely see him not making the team because the contract he got is ridiculously cheap with a laughable amount guaranteed. With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if he does make the team, either. I thought he was gone last year when he was on the PUP. I figured he would be released because he hasn't done a lot since he's been here. Obviously he was retained. He actually looked pretty good on ST. 

 

I think he gets a bad bashing. That's all.

 

Just because he's been around since 2010 doesn't mean anything, either. It's not easy to develop as a WR. Some guys take forever to turn it on and some don't. You have no idea what he's capable of doing and neither do I. Cam Cameron constantly held a lot of players back, IMO. David Reed could be one of them. The comparisons with Rice, Jacoby, Dickson & Flacco were made as a result of people constantly bashing his two mistakes yet ignoring how well he performed on ST. It's not like he's some completely unproductive bum. He looked really, really good as a returner before the fumbles & injuries. 

[ghost1986]

I agree with Grim. I haven't been too easy on the guy myself, but he has shown flashes in the receiving game. I told my one friend who's an LSU fan to prepare to have his offense held back cause I heard Cam Cameron went there. I really think our offense could be amazing. We didn't even have Caldwell for a full season and up until now, it was mostly Boldin, Smith and Jacoby getting all the targets wide receiver wise. I think it'll be interesting to see which one of these guys steps up.  Fortunately, I'll be in school for the summer, so pre-season should come fast.

[GrimCoconut]

I agree with Grim. I haven't been too easy on the guy myself, but he has shown flashes in the receiving game. I told my one friend who's an LSU fan to prepare to have his offense held back cause I heard Cam Cameron went there. I really think our offense could be amazing. We didn't even have Caldwell for a full season and up until now, it was mostly Boldin, Smith and Jacoby getting all the targets wide receiver wise. I think it'll be interesting to see which one of these guys steps up. Fortunately, I'll be in school for the summer, so pre-season should come fast.

Not to go too far off topic here but I think the college environment is perfect for Cameron. He shouldn't hold anyone back because they won't be there that long. He's also very good at developing players but not letting go. No offense to anyone here but he's like an over-protective mother.

[Token]

I remember how much Reed love there was after his return against the Texans, it all went downhill for him from there on this forum.

[cobrajet]

Yeah I agree, a new season is starting and someone is going to have to step up in the wide receiver spot. Maybe Jacoby is that guy and if so, maybe Reed will go back to returning the ball so Jones can stay healthy. We are also going to need some gunners on special teams. If David Reed continues to excel in that department then we keep him around.

 

I think we are going to have to wait to see what guys step it up in camp and preseason before we get too excited about anyone just yet. Laquan really shined two preseasons ago and Deonte was a beast last preseason but what will they do this year? I would like to see Deonte pick up where he left off last preseason and I would like to see Jacoby continue to improve on his impressive receiving, but I think the competition will be open for everyone. The best receivers, return guys, and special teamers will make the roster.

[sflegend89]

I feel like I'll never forgive David Reed for that Seahawks game lol. Not even that the game was super important or anything but it was the first time I've seen a returner basically single handily lose a game for a team. That was an extremely winnable game and David Reed had an epic mental collapse. 2 fumbles on 2 consecutive KR's. One fumble is understandable, you gotta protect the rock when your returning kicks but they happen every once in a while. But what does he do? He runs out at full speed swinging the ball in one arm, AGAIN. Gift wraps 2 possessions to the Seahawks from within our own 40 in the 2nd half. A potential 28 point swing (-2 potential TD's for us, +2 potential TD's for them). That's a recipe to lose right there.

 

Ever since then I haven't trusted Reed, he would have to do extremely well for me to ever really give him a serious look at starting at wr. I think Deonte Thompson is a much better option already, I think it's really between Thompson and Doss. Streeter is still a work in progress but he's definitely getting better, Reed will get a shot but I just can't see him impressing like Thompson/Doss will in camp.

[Token]

Deonte must be doing even better than we thought, he was mentioned on NFLAM this morning when Torrey was there.

[Token]

 

If there's one WR that LOOKS like Anquan Boldin, it's rookie Aaron Mellette. He had a few nice, tough catches today.

 

 

https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/340526949866811392

 

Some nice praise for Mellette.

[rmw10]

https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/340526949866811392

 

Some nice praise for Mellette.

 

Good to hear.  Still think he has a tough time making the roster this year.

[The Raven]

Really great to read that. I think Mellette could be a nice surprise, maybe not though. He has Boldin's skill set but I don't know if Mellette has speed and/or quick breaks. At least he's making tough catches.

[hawkprey]

Really great to read that. I think Mellette could be a nice surprise, maybe not though. He has Boldin's skill set but I don't know if Mellette has speed and/or quick breaks. At least he's making tough catches.

Now break his legs so we can stash him on IR.

[izvoodoo]

Now break his legs so we can stash him on IR.

WOAH WOAH WOAH.  Woah.  WOah.

Woah

 

He just has to stub his toe and we can stash him on IR.

[gabefergy]

WOAH WOAH WOAH. Woah. WOah.
Woah

He just has to stub his toe and we can stash him on IR.

"Turf Toe"

[GrimCoconut]

https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/340526949866811392

Some nice praise for Mellette.

I've been a big fan of Mellette and I'm pretty happy to read this. Not sure if he makes the cut but it definitely makes the decision tougher.

[rmw10]

It really seems like that last spot will come down to Streeter and Mellette.  Do we go with the guy who could be a solid player, but not likely to be a superstar in Mellette?  Or do we go with a boom or bust guy in Streeter?

[GrimCoconut]

It really seems like that last spot will come down to Streeter and Mellette. Do we go with the guy who could be a solid player, but not likely to be a superstar in Mellette? Or do we go with a boom or bust guy in Streeter?

I think it's between Mellette and Reed to be honest. Streeter offers something very different than the other guys. I think he'll make it because of that.

[rmw10]

I think it's between Mellette and Reed to be honest. Streeter offers something very different than the other guys. I think he'll make it because of that.

 

I think one of Reed or Williams will make based on ST abilities alone.  Both of those guys played as gunners last year so I'm assuming they'd want at least one back.  I really do think Mellette is simply the odd man out.

[GrimCoconut]

I think one of Reed or Williams will make based on ST abilities alone. Both of those guys played as gunners last year so I'm assuming they'd want at least one back. I really do think Mellette is simply the odd man out.

I don't disagree. I think Mellette may very well be. I even predicted that happening [Mellette being the odd man out]. With that said, you never know when it comes to ST. Really that gunner job could go to anyone. We also have many returners.

We let go of Marcus Smith who was a damn fine gunner.

[rmw10]

I don't disagree. I think Mellette may very well be. I even predicted that happening [Mellette being the odd man out]. With that said, you never know when it comes to ST. Really that gunner job could go to anyone. We also have many returners.

We let go of Marcus Smith who was a damn fine gunner.

 

Yeah it's completely possible that our gunners could be guys like Asa Jackson and Chykie Brown.  However, I think David Reed offers too many different things (slot receiver, gunner, returner) to let him go in favor of a guy like Mellette who would receive minimal, if any playing time.  I agree on Streeter in that he's a guy that you can't let go of without giving him a chance, though.  The top 4 seem to be fully established in Smith, Jones, Doss, and Thompson.