*The Return Of* Seven Things with SAM

[rmw10]

He's not on the injury report, however, so how much are his injuries impacting him if he is injured? Not being sarcastic nor rhetorical. 

 

^This too.  If I remember correctly, we took on a pretty sizable fine by not putting Reed on the injury report last year.  If Rice is truly hurt, I think he'd be on the injury report.

[GrimCoconut]

Review session today boys and girls....



 

O1. I'm not sure what to think about Ray Rice. I want to jump on this bandwagon that he's done. I've seesawed on this subject so much I feel like I'm John Kerry going back and forth flip-flopping. I'm not sure if Rice has lost a step or if he's lost confidence in the OL. I feel he has struggled with balance (a complaint I've had for two years now) but these issues he has are highlighted by a poor OL. I'm not ready to give up on Rice and I think he could improve next year. If he doesn't improve next year, he's done. But we need a contingency plan and I feel we need to draft a RB. 

 

O2 & O3. I'm not impressed by Shipley and I feel he's the weak link on the OL and not Gino. I still feel Gino is improving each game. I'd like to give someone else a shot at LG. I'd be all for moving Oher there, but I'm not sure we can do it. I'd really like to get Wagner some experience on the OL in some way. Put him at LG if we need to do it. Those inside blitzes are killing us because RBs aren't blocking guys, too. That's an issue we have right now. 

 

O4. Ed Dickson is as inconsistent as a slot machine. You might as well call him Magic 8 Ball because anything could happen. I'd probably re-sign him if it was a cheap 1-year deal, a la David Reed, but I wouldn't spend money on him at all. 

 

O5. Agreed.

 

O6. We need a #2 WR. Brown, Doss, Thompson aren't #2 options at this point from what I've seen and Mellette is a complete question mark. We must get a #2 who's explosive that can take advantage of Torrey's coverage. This is a paramount issue on our offense and team. 

 

O7. Can't wait for Pitta, but you were stretching to find seven good things to say about this offense, huh? Lol.

 

D1. Secondary played great. Smith's a beast. 

 

D2. I'm not mad at Smith but I am disappointed and I know that's a play he wants back. 

 

D3. I love what I'm seeing from Brown and I hope to see much more of it. It's getting his confidence up. He's reminding me of Ray Lewis with those blitzes up the middle. 

 

D4. Maaaaaaaaaannnnnnnn....Jimm-may!!! He's looking great. I really want to re-sign this guy. It's impressive that Marvin Jones and Sanu were held in check--especially Jones. 

 

D5. Webb played very well today from what I saw. He looks like he's returning to form. Not yet there but he's getting close. 

 

D6. KPL? Who's this? 

 

D7. I loved Elvis but I'm really getting tired of his penalties. They're really stupid and inopportune. They need to stop now. Like, right now. 

[Inqui]

I hate to say it, but I wonder if Ray might be in a closer situation to Arian Foster atm. At the start of the year I suspected his body was wearing down too. Sure enough, he's done for the year. It really sounds like his back's in a bit of trouble atm.

 

Then again, if you look at the rushing numbers for Peterson, Rice and Foster:

Arian Foster (picked 2009): 650 college, 1010 NFL, total 1660.

Ray Rice (2008): 910 college, 1216 NFL, total 2126.

Adrian Peterson (2007): 747 college, 1907 NFL, total 2654.

 

I have no idea if things like technique have had an impact on these guys, but it seems interesting that the guy with the fewest carries seems to be in the worst state this year. Maybe Peterson's just a freak.

 

Either way, I wouldn't be opposed to picking up an RB in the draft, provided it's not at the expense of a top-shelf WR and/or TE. We know Ozzie can hit on that position too.

 

Exactly.  It sounds crazy to think that a RB may be done at 26, but it's true.  He's been run into the ground for years now.  I could see usage beginning to play a huge part in draft stock.

Nick Saban dislikes this. He might have a hard time arguing it though.

[Poes Crows]

I don't believe Ray Rice is through, but the point really is moot.

 

He should be given a weeks rest though. There's no need to start him next week. Play Pierce. The problem is Pierce isn't tearing it up either. It's the Line.

 

Its time for a "Collective Line Agreement".........as a unit they can make no more than the veteran minimum unless they get their average run per play up over 3.5 yards.

 

Why not? They limit what players can make all the time in this league.

[jazz1988]

He's not on the injury report, however, so how much are his injuries impacting him if he is injured? Not being sarcastic nor rhetorical. 

 

I remember Ed Reed not being on the injury list before when he was injuried well that eventually changed once he open up his mouth saying he was dealing with a shoulder injury for the past weeks . The ravens were eventually fined because  they didn't report Ed Reed injury like they should; I think this may be the case with Ray Rice but  hey I could be wrong .

[SecretAgentMan]

O1. I'm not sure what to think about Ray Rice. I want to jump on this bandwagon that he's done. I've seesawed on this subject so much I feel like I'm John Kerry going back and forth flip-flopping. I'm not sure if Rice has lost a step or if he's lost confidence in the OL. I feel he has struggled with balance (a complaint I've had for two years now) but these issues he has are highlighted by a poor OL. I'm not ready to give up on Rice and I think he could improve next year. If he doesn't improve next year, he's done. But we need a contingency plan and I feel we need to draft a RB. 

 

O2 & O3. I'm not impressed by Shipley and I feel he's the weak link on the OL and not Gino. I still feel Gino is improving each game. I'd like to give someone else a shot at LG. I'd be all for moving Oher there, but I'm not sure we can do it. I'd really like to get Wagner some experience on the OL in some way. Put him at LG if we need to do it. Those inside blitzes are killing us because RBs aren't blocking guys, too. That's an issue we have right now. 

 

O4. Ed Dickson is as inconsistent as a slot machine. You might as well call him Magic 8 Ball because anything could happen. I'd probably re-sign him if it was a cheap 1-year deal, a la David Reed, but I wouldn't spend money on him at all. 

 

O5. Agreed.

 

O6. We need a #2 WR. Brown, Doss, Thompson aren't #2 options at this point from what I've seen and Mellette is a complete question mark. We must get a #2 who's explosive that can take advantage of Torrey's coverage. This is a paramount issue on our offense and team. 

 

O7. Can't wait for Pitta, but you were stretching to find seven good things to say about this offense, huh? Lol.

 

D1. Secondary played great. Smith's a beast. 

 

D2. I'm not mad at Smith but I am disappointed and I know that's a play he wants back. 

 

D3. I love what I'm seeing from Brown and I hope to see much more of it. It's getting his confidence up. He's reminding me of Ray Lewis with those blitzes up the middle. 

 

D4. Maaaaaaaaaannnnnnnn....Jimm-may!!! He's looking great. I really want to re-sign this guy. It's impressive that Marvin Jones and Sanu were held in check--especially Jones. 

 

D5. Webb played very well today from what I saw. He looks like he's returning to form. Not yet there but he's getting close. 

 

D6. KPL? Who's this? 

 

D7. I loved Elvis but I'm really getting tired of his penalties. They're really stupid and inopportune. They need to stop now. Like, right now. 

I meant to type in KLM.

 

Lewis-Moore who would've been taken a lot higher if not for injury.

[jazz1988]

^This too.  If I remember correctly, we took on a pretty sizable fine by not putting Reed on the injury report last year.  If Rice is truly hurt, I think he'd be on the injury report.

 

We only receive the fine because Ed Reed opened his mouth about the injury if he didn't say anything then the ravens wouldn't have been fined

[CalvinSmoke]

For once Pierce looked better on the ground today, so for that reason I would start giving Pierce more carries. Defense was lights out, pass rush really put it together this week. Shout out to Pees.

 

Our offense was SO creative in the first half, I was grinning ear to ear, and then we went into Cam Cameron mode in the 2nd half. I don't know if Jim spilled coffee on his playbook and it stained all of the play action passes or what but o well. 

[Ravenskid2085]

I disagree about the whole Ray Rice being done thing. I believe the problem is that Gino isn't ready to be a starter and we have no left guard. If the problem is Ray Rice, then why isn't Bernard Pierce carrying the load? Oh yeah, because he's averaging 2.8 yards per carry himself. You're not going to run the ball effectively without a strong line, it all starts up front. 

 

While I don't believe Ray is done, I don't think he should carry the load much longer. I believe Bernard Pierce will emerge as the starter with Ray Rice getting less carries, saving his legs to be more of a complimentary/x-factor back. I still believe Ray Rice has some "Hey Diddle Diddle" moments left in him, we just need to save his legs for those moments. Bernard Pierce will be an excellent starter in this league.

 

But to get that scenario above, you need a solid line. 

[GrimCoconut]

I remember Ed Reed not being on the injury list before when he was injuried well that eventually changed once he open up his mouth saying he was dealing with a shoulder injury for the past weeks . The ravens were eventually fined because  they didn't report Ed Reed injury like they should; I think this may be the case with Ray Rice but  hey I could be wrong .

Yeah, but we caught serious trouble for that and as you said, were fined. I don't think we would do that again. I think if Rice was injured then he would be on there. You know what I'm saying?

[GrimCoconut]

I meant to type in KLM.

 

Lewis-Moore who would've been taken a lot higher if not for injury.

He didn't play, though, right? I'm not sure if I misunderstood your post or not. It sounded like he played when I read your post, lol. 

[SecretAgentMan]

He didn't play, though, right? I'm not sure if I misunderstood your post or not. It sounded like he played when I read your post, lol. 

He won't play for awhile but he should be a serviceable dlinemen in his career if he's healthy.

[GrimCoconut]

I disagree about the whole Ray Rice being done thing. I believe the problem is that Gino isn't ready to be a starter and we have no left guard. If the problem is Ray Rice, then why isn't Bernard Pierce carrying the load? Oh yeah, because he's averaging 2.8 yards per carry himself. You're not going to run the ball effectively without a strong line, it all starts up front. 

 

While I don't believe Ray is done, I don't think he should carry the load much longer. I believe Bernard Pierce will emerge as the starter with Ray Rice getting less carries, saving his legs to be more of a complimentary/x-factor back. I still believe Ray Rice has some "Hey Diddle Diddle" moments left in him, we just need to save his legs for those moments. Bernard Pierce will be an excellent starter in this league.

 

But to get that scenario above, you need a solid line. 

Bernard Pierce averaged 3.8 yards per carry and Rice averaged 1.6 behind the same OL. Granted, Rice ran 18 times to Bernard's 8, but you can make that argument go either way. 

[Raving_Heathen]

The amazing thing about AD is that he runs like a classic power back. He tries to run people over and fights through every tackle, so potentially every carry he got/gets did/does a lot more damage to his body compared to a scat/all-purpose back like Rice. So I don't know if I buy that Rice is "done" at 26. Rice hasn't had a huge injury or a big hit that I can remember either, and the Ravens never rode him into the ground in any season like they did with Jamal Lewis.

 

In the other thread, people mentioned him bulking up over the last 2 years as a possible reason for his decline, and I'm beginning to agree with that camp.

[Ravenskid2085]

Bernard Pierce averaged 3.8 yards per carry and Rice averaged 1.6 behind the same OL. Granted, Rice ran 18 times to Bernard's 8, but you can make that argument go either way. 

 

True, but 3.8 yards per carry still isn't anything spectacular. Bottom line is anyway you slice it, our running game isn't going anywhere behind this line. We've seen the same story week in and week out.

 

I do think Pierce should get the majority of the carries, but I don't think Ray is done.

[Radinho84]

I agree on almost every point. I am not sure what to think about ray rice. One thing that always comes to my mind is the fact that he never really was a very good running back. He was a monster catching the ball out of the backfield and create big things out of nothing when given a little space.

Hi pure running skills never really impressed. He had very good years where he was by far our best weapon. this somehow seems to be over. I don´t know what it is - I don´t have the stats but maybe he needs more touches to come into a rhythm.

 

When he had his monster year he was targeted a lot. right now he is not really a factor in the passing game and teams can focus on him running the ball. he clearly lost a step even he his only 26. seems like he is running into the back of his own OLine on every play. I really like ray rice but if he does´t turn things around this could be a very strategical decision in the off season.

 

I still believe he could bring it but something is just wrong right now.. the press celebrating a 80 yard running performance coming from 4 different people says it all about that part of our game...

[Guest Mr. Nobody]

True, but 3.8 yards per carry still isn't anything spectacular. Bottom line is anyway you slice it, our running game isn't going anywhere behind this line. We've seen the same story week in and week out.

I do think Pierce should get the majority of the carries, but I don't think Ray is done.

as bad as the Oline is at this moment, 2nd and 6 with Pierce power running is much better than 2nd and 9 we had lately with Rice straight in the block

i actually think that benching Ray might actually be better for him, could be a wake up call a la Doss

[jazz1988]

But you're looking at a couple of the best RB's that have played, and all of which that have a completely different skill set than Rice.  Rice's value comes in his ability to get in the open field, make people miss, and explode.  If he doesn't have that, he has nothing.  That's the first thing to go Guys like AP, Jackson, etc. that you mentioned were/are all great players in their prime, but they have longevity because their skill set isn't 100% reliant on speed and such.  All of those guys have power that still keeps them going.

 

The other running back that comes to mind that is similar to ray rice is kevin faulk  whom was use a lot in  college. Faulk wasn't 1,000 rushing yard running back like rice but the guy was  a solid running back for the patriots for a very long time .Overall we just have to see how rice situation pans out but I just don't think  he's done yet

[mdrsharon]

bottom line...

 so much of football is mental.

SOMETHING is up with Ray Rice - don't know what, but he needs to get it in gear. Maybe he is still hurt, or afraid of getting hurt worse? He is having a different year than any in the past.

The O line is a mess.

Flacco needs time to get it the play, and other teams know that and blitz accordingly.