C Gino Gradkowski needs to be benched

[SecretAgentMan]

You want proof? Look at the Cowboys.

That offense has been considerably better with a new center.

[The Raven]

Gino is the main reason the offense has been anemic.

For those who don't understand


Center is the captain of the oline. Most important position in that department

He's not only responsible for keeping the biggest defender on the field honest, but he calls the shots.

When the center falters, the oline as a whole falters.

When the oline falters, the RB won't play well.

If the running game doesn't get going it becomes a lot harder to pass the ball.

That's a recipe for a bad offense.

 

Really re-inventing the wheel there SAM. Brilliant discovery! :P

[SecretAgentMan]

Really re-inventing the wheel there SAM. Brilliant discovery! :P

Haha, just letting the uninformed become informed

[T3hRaven]

Haha, just letting the uninformed become informed

 

Good luck with that.

[SecretAgentMan]

Good luck with that.

If they replied then it's working

[mrwideout]

I believe Jensen is being groomed to replace Jah Reid.

 

I don`t get the negativity towards AQ Shipley. He had better run block and pass blocking grades in preseason then Gino, and he has more experience. He had 2 penalties, Gino had 1. How is that penalty issues? He only played half of last season, but he graded out higher then Matt Birk on PFF. That all seems like reasons to be optimistic about turning to Shipley as a starter, yet both here and on the other board, you get piled on and threads get locked if that is suggested. Like it`s somehow blasphemous to talk about benching Gino. Or if you`re gonna talk about replacing Gino, it better be we a homegrown talent like Jensen, even though I`m not sure if he`s even had pads on as a Raven.

[runamuk]

Gino is the main reason the offense has been anemic.

For those who don't understand


Center is the captain of the oline. Most important position in that department

He's not only responsible for keeping the biggest defender on the field honest, but he calls the shots.

When the center falters, the oline as a whole falters.

When the oline falters, the RB won't play well.

If the running game doesn't get going it becomes a lot harder to pass the ball.

That's a recipe for a bad offense.

I think most fans do understand that there are allot of football fans on this forum that are very intelligent informed fans . gino is struggling there is no doubt . but for all intents and purposes he is a rookie he started one game last year and if memory serves cincy game where btw he didn't stuggle like he is now .he needs time to grow and learn his job .also running inside zone blocking every single play when it obviously is not working, and also letting the defense know ahead of time every single play what your doing is not helping. i'm not for benching a new young player. which by the way these forums were screaming for this team to get younger I think the problem here is not so much gino  trying to adjust to his job its fans expecting young players to play like hall of famers . and forgive me turning this into a rant but these bench rookie threads have worn very thin .

 

the coaching staff needs to put these young players in a position to succeed and right now they aren't . and gino needs to learn there is improvement its not physical its mental .

[mrwideout]

I think most fans do understand that there are allot of football fans on this forum that are very intelligent informed fans . gino is struggling there is no doubt . but for all intents and purposes he is a rookie he started one game last year and if memory serves cincy game where btw he didn't stuggle like he is now .he needs time to grow and learn his job .also running inside zone blocking every single play when it obviously is not working, and also letting the defense know ahead of time every single play what your doing is not helping. i'm not for benching a new young player. which by the way these forums were screaming for this team to get younger I think the problem here is not so much gino  trying to adjust to his job its fans expecting young players to play like hall of famers . and forgive me turning this into a rant but these bench rookie threads have worn very thin .

 

I`m not willing to toss the season, simply because ONE player needs to learn on the job. If he was struggling, yet we were still getting by, it`s one thing. But our whole offense is struggling and if he`s not the main reason, he`s still a big contributer. If Shipley is better right now, then play him.

[runamuk]

I`m not willing to toss the season, simply because ONE player needs to learn on the job. If he was struggling, yet we were still getting by, it`s one thing. But our whole offense is struggling and if he`s not the main reason, he`s still a big contributer. If Shipley is better right now, then play him.

on his very first snap Shipley got a penalty then he proceeded to snap the ball high twice , then more penalities.....the reason gino is in the game is because he beat shilpey out for the job . I posted previously in the thread available free agents there is none worth paying. I am all for trying whatever works if Shipley is inserted into the line and it works then all good .I don't think its that easy esp. when the defense knows what your doing before you do.

[redravenfan]

Haha, just letting the uninformed become informed

being condensending and sarcastic is not a teaching tool . and everyone is entitled to there opinion just like you are whether you agree or not

[redravenfan]

I`m not willing to toss the season, simply because ONE player needs to learn on the job. If he was struggling, yet we were still getting by, it`s one thing. But our whole offense is struggling and if he`s not the main reason, he`s still a big contributer. If Shipley is better right now, then play him.

they talked about this on the fan last night there are no good free agent centers on the market  so for better or worse gino is our guy. hate to use the term stuck with but it is what it is

[redravenfan]

I believe Jensen is being groomed to replace Jah Reid.

 

I don`t get the negativity towards AQ Shipley. He had better run block and pass blocking grades in preseason then Gino, and he has more experience. He had 2 penalties, Gino had 1. How is that penalty issues? He only played half of last season, but he graded out higher then Matt Birk on PFF. That all seems like reasons to be optimistic about turning to Shipley as a starter, yet both here and on the other board, you get piled on and threads get locked if that is suggested. Like it`s somehow blasphemous to talk about benching Gino. Or if you`re gonna talk about replacing Gino, it better be we a homegrown talent like Jensen, even though I`m not sure if he`s even had pads on as a Raven.

Jensen is from colorado

[Ravenskid52752]

This is all the things that was said about gino when he came out of the draft!

Strengths: Smart, assignment sound blocker with good awareness, keeping his head on a swivel. Professional makeup and coachable with the desire to be the best and doesn't cheat his ability. Tough and gritty, playing with a chip on his shoulder. Versatile with playing experience at all three interior line spots. Heady with high football IQ and very good bloodlines. Prides himself on fundamentals and plays to his strengths, understanding what he's best at and where he needs to improve. Tough-minded with natural leadership qualities. Works hard to hone his craft and plays with a competitive drive and blue collar mentality.

 

Weaknesses: Only average size and length. Lacks overpowering strength to dominate defenders on brute power alone. Has stiff hips and lacks the fluidity or ankle flexion to quickly redirect his momentum. Not a natural knee bender and needs to be more consistent dropping his hips and anchoring at the point of attack. Tends to get grabby and rely on his upper body strength when beat, latching on and stopping his feet. Played at a lower level of competition and didn't face top defensive linemen week-in and week-out.

[DocMartin]

Gino is the main reason the offense has been anemic.

For those who don't understand


Center is the captain of the oline. Most important position in that department

He's not only responsible for keeping the biggest defender on the field honest, but he calls the shots.

When the center falters, the oline as a whole falters.

That's a recipe for a bad offense.

Agreed 100%. Regardless of being a 2nd year player, Center has to diagnose the plays and be vocal about it. In order for O-LINE TO WORK RIGHT, THEY HAVE TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE. OURS IS CLEARLY NOT.
A.J.Hawk 3 Sacks? 1 UP THE MIDDLE UNTOUCHED ON DELAY? WHERE WAS GINO?
Gino has played himself out of starting job into a backup role.
Shipley has played well and has enough experience to start in next game vs. Steelers. Jensen is also in the mix, but may not be ready to take majority of the snaps.

[jdynamite]

Gino needs to hit the weight room if he wants to be a starting NFL Center.

I see nothing at this point to believe he's nothing better then a backup lineman.

He has to do that and much more. He has to get his technique down also because can't overpower everyone sometimes technique and leverage is necessary. Also some plays I wonder if he knows his assignment because I've seen him not a lay hand on guys in both run and pass protection.

[jdynamite]

Agreed 100%. Regardless of being a 2nd year player, Center has to diagnose the plays and be vocal about it. In order for O-LINE TO WORK RIGHT, THEY HAVE TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE. OURS IS CLEARLY NOT.
A.J.Hawk 3 Sacks? 1 UP THE MIDDLE UNTOUCHED ON DELAY? WHERE WAS GINO?
Gino has played himself out of starting job into a backup role.
Shipley has played well and has enough experience to start in next game vs. Steelers. Jensen is also in the mix, but may not be ready to take majority of the snaps.

I agree with you, about Center being accountable for so much with an Oline communication is key. Also it looks like guys are having to compensate for him as well, helping him block at times while delayed blitzes or their own guy slips through

[PurpleCityLights]

Gino shouldn't of been drafted.....well not by us,

[The Raven]

Gino shouldn't of been drafted.....well not by us,

 

Funny you say that, because it's been reported that several teams, including the Patriots and 49ers, would have drafted him if we didn't. I've read a report that the Patriots rated him the best center coming out of college.

[tolucaraven]

Gino shouldn't of been drafted.....well not by us,

It was rumored the Steelers were interested in him also. That is not a good indictment for Gino, the Steelers aren't exactly shrewd in assessing offensive lineman.

[izvoodoo]

It was rumored the Steelers were interested in him also. That is not a good indictment for Gino, the Steelers aren't exactly shrewd in assessing offensive lineman.

There was a bunch of interest in him.  There was also a lot of interest in Jah Reid.  It's just the pre draft hype, it happens.

[Jokerraven]

you can start Shipley, or Jensen , or Birk or (insert name of a center here), and things will not change until we stop with the same play calls always running up the middle on first  down and not letting Joe call his own plays and being more creative. every defensive coordinator knows our plays before the first snap. Gino is part of the problem just not the whole problem. its not that simple.

[Jokerraven]

You want proof? Look at the Cowboys.

That offense has been considerably better with a new center.

agree with this post and the one prior, the one where your trying to educate all the fans.. the cowboys also don't have a predictable offensive play caller, they pass allot more then the ravens. maybe its time to allow the pass to set up the run. Let Joe call the plays , he's very good at it and not conservative. I pretty much agree with both sides its not just gino its gino coaching and execution. once all that is fixed then we will have a functioning offense.

[omar586]

It's hard to argue this these days. I rewatched some of the game today and it was scary how many blocks the OL is outright missing. Flacco didn't get sacked 5 times yesterday solely because Gino was getting blown up, though that was a factor a bit too. But Yanda and KO were missing blocks too. And NONE of them are getting any real push forward on the LOS. Everytime Rice or Pearce got to the line, there was hardly an offensive lineman even in front of them. As much as I am unhappy with Rice's play too, there are no real holes or lanes opening up for him either.

thats what im saying, all of the sudden the Oline forgot how to block, come on

[izvoodoo]

thats what im saying, all of the sudden the Oline forgot how to block, come on

I think KO and Yanda are playing hurt.  They just aren't playing with the strength we're used to.

[BloodRaven]

Funny you say that, because it's been reported that several teams, including the Patriots and 49ers, would have drafted him if we didn't. I've read a report that the Patriots rated him the best center coming out of college.

 

He hustles I'll give him that, and it would have shown on tape but it's still small school tape.

[frozen joe flacco fan]

The sooner he is benched the better off we'll be. His hiking seems fine. His pass and run blocking seem woefully inadequate. There were five sacks of Flacco on Sunday and zero running game. His play is terrible. I agree that he needs to hit the weight room because he's not playing like a big man. He's being pushed around.

[Stephenjr]

I think most fans do understand that there are allot of football fans on this forum that are very intelligent informed fans . gino is struggling there is no doubt . but for all intents and purposes he is a rookie he started one game last year and if memory serves cincy game where btw he didn't stuggle like he is now .he needs time to grow and learn his job .also running inside zone blocking every single play when it obviously is not working, and also letting the defense know ahead of time every single play what your doing is not helping. i'm not for benching a new young player. which by the way these forums were screaming for this team to get younger I think the problem here is not so much gino  trying to adjust to his job its fans expecting young players to play like hall of famers . and forgive me turning this into a rant but these bench rookie threads have worn very thin .

 

the coaching staff needs to put these young players in a position to succeed and right now they aren't . and gino needs to learn there is improvement its not physical its mental .

I tell you what, when Gino gets Flacco put in the hospital because he is such a liability, I want you to come back on here and tell everyone that because he is young that he can't be put on the bench! Sometimes people make no sense! Practice is were he should be learning and getting better, it's not like he is a rookie.

[Alexir]

On the one Hawk sack, Gino and Yanda just stood there watching Flacco get drilled. Miscommunication is the issue, not his size

[runamuk]

I tell you what, when Gino gets Flacco put in the hospital because he is such a liability, I want you to come back on here and tell everyone that because he is young that he can't be put on the bench! Sometimes people make no sense! Practice is were he should be learning and getting better, it's not like he is a rookie.

 agree some people don't make any sense why respond to a post and never read it . people aren't stupid because they don't agree with you there just sane .

[PurpleCityLights]

There was a bunch of interest in him. There was also a lot of interest in Jah Reid. It's just the pre draft hype, it happens.

^^^^This