the forgotten guys

[JoeyFlex5]

with recent draft picks, we have forgotten about a few guys who could seriously compete for a starting job this year. the drafting of jernigan and the emergence of KLM in minicamps have drawn all the hype, but what about the guy who has steadily and quietly improved from a 7th rounder to a solid player? deangelo tyson is a guy i like a lot, but doesnt get much hype around here, and i think he very well could end up a starter this year, and a good one at that, if perhaps jernigan struggles with the learning curve or if canty is just not playing well enough. 

 

everyone is worried about our 3rd cb spot and whether or not chykie brown can hold it down, but asa jackson could become a solid nickel corner and shock some people, with some maturity, he could end up finding regular playing time and making a bit of an impact. 

 

crockett gilmore was a pick that had me scratching my head, but he is a beautiful fit for a kubiak system once you think about it, and i think owen daniels takes a backseat to gilmore at some point, because he is very similar to pitta, and while pitta is an offline TE, so is daniels, we will need that inline guy who can move with the OLB's in a ZBS and help seal off the lane, which daniels isnt built for, while gilmore also offers great hands and extreme size and physicality at TE to give us some diversity to our passing attack, so while we have that technician TE who excels at getting open and has great chemistry with our QB, we also would have the big boy who can make those 10 yard jump balls on 3rd and 8 and come down with it, we lacked both of those last year. 

 

any other players that you guys feel are forgotten but could come in and surprise some folks this year?

[52520Andrew]

I agree on Tyson, I see him being our starter at DE this year.

[PurplePassion824]

I think some people underestimate John Simon.  We are really deep at OLB but I feel that Simon could fight for some playing time.

[hn68wb4]

I certainly haven't been counting Asa out, I think he'll win that 3rd CB spot. I love what I've seen from him the past couple years and i think had he not been suspended twice he would be consensus #3 guy. I wanted him drafted back in 2012 (I'll be it 2 rounds earlier but oh well, we took my guy), he was my 2nd favorite player that year behind Mychal Kendricks.

 

I really think people are counting out Marlon Brown for some reason, fantastic rookie season but nobody talks about him possibly being a starter this year with Steve Smith lining up on the inside

[Ravensfan23]

I certainly haven't been counting Asa out, I think he'll win that 3rd CB spot. I love what I've seen from him the past couple years and i think had he not been suspended twice he would be consensus #3 guy. I wanted him drafted back in 2012 (I'll be it 2 rounds earlier but oh well, we took my guy), he was my 2nd favorite player that year behind Mychal Kendricks.

 

I really think people are counting out Marlon Brown for some reason, fantastic rookie season but nobody talks about him possibly being a starter this year with Steve Smith lining up on the inside

 

I agree with Ace. I think he'll really surprise a lot of people this year with his defensive play. Also he'll be a really good punt returner for us as well. Of course we still have Coby, but Ace can handle spot duties if need be.

 

I think Marlon is gonna have a much better season then people think as well. It's not like we have a 30 year old Steve Smith here, he's 35 and near the end of his career. The Ravens have a great opportunity to allow Brown to develop without the pressures of a sophomore slump, but they can't just keep him off the field. Among our current WRs Marlon probably fits this offense the best imo and I think Kubes will definitely use him.

 

I don't think Tyson has been forgotten at all. He's a really solid player and will definitely add to the rotation we are sure to have. He's one of the biggest reasons I didn't mind letting Art walk. Now combine him with Timmy and I can't wait to see the results. I'm very excited to see the entire front 7 this year.

[ravensnick]

I think some people underestimate John Simon.  We are really deep at OLB but I feel that Simon could fight for some playing time.

I heavily doubt it, considering we are rolling with Suggs, Dumervil, and Upshaw as our starter (dumervil/upshaw costart). Then we have Pernell Mcphee, who is a superb sack artist as our fourth guy. I doubt any other OLB gets significant PT outside those 4. Simon will be a ST with a chance to eventually emerge, but I doubt his rising will come in 2014.

[Ravenseconbeast]

Here's one:  John Simon...OLB 4th rounder last year.

[Tank 92]

Ryan Jensen. What the heck is the deal with Ryan Jensen?

[PerpetuallyBored74]

Arthur Brown took something of a backseat to Mosely when CJ was drafted.

With all the new receivers, Deonte's become more forgotten even than Marlon (except for when Thompson got arrested, then he was briefly remembered again).

[JoeyFlex5]

i am totally rooting for simon, love the guy, love everything i hear about him, but we have heard so very little on simon that i think he may be struggling to adapt to the nfl, or at least struggling with the learning curve. i think eventually he is gonna make the jump, but i dont think he is anywhere near that point yet. i honestly feel brent urban is more likely to have an immediate impact than simon.

[RobFuseRaven]

I feel like Omar Brown is a forgotten guy. Maybe it's just me giving into the hype of the whole Johnny On The Spot thing, but I know other people feel the same way. I remember Terrell Suggs mentioning him in an interview where he seemed confident in him. As a matter of fact, I found it:

 

On the mixture of veterans and young players on this year’s roster: “I like that mix. I think that definitely makes for a great team to have young and veteran guys and guys that can grow up and come into their own. And we’re just waiting to see what some of these guys can do – especially guys that have been waiting in the wings. I’m waiting to see Omar Brown get his opportunity, Asa Jackson as well – just to see when the bullets are live what they can do to help us win.”  (Article Link)

 

Heck, even Ed Reed gave him the title Baby Ed Reed. It's really crowded at safety, but if he does really well he will be hard to ignore. If he can find his niche on special teams that will help him infinitely.

[ravensnick]

I feel like Omar Brown is a forgotten guy. Maybe it's just me giving into the hype of the whole Johnny On The Spot thing, but I know other people feel the same way. I remember Terrell Suggs mentioning him in an interview where he seemed confident in him. As a matter of fact, I found it:

 

On the mixture of veterans and young players on this year’s roster: “I like that mix. I think that definitely makes for a great team to have young and veteran guys and guys that can grow up and come into their own. And we’re just waiting to see what some of these guys can do – especially guys that have been waiting in the wings. I’m waiting to see Omar Brown get his opportunity, Asa Jackson as well – just to see when the bullets are live what they can do to help us win.”  (Article Link)

 

Heck, even Ed Reed gave him the title Baby Ed Reed. It's really crowded at safety, but if he does really well he will be hard to ignore. If he can find his niche on special teams that will help him infinitely.

IDK, with Stewart and Brooks fighting for the starting job and guys like Miles who are professional STers, he's going to be hard press to even make the team, let alone make any sort of impact. 

[JoeyFlex5]

IDK, with Stewart and Brooks fighting for the starting job and guys like Miles who are professional STers, he's going to be hard press to even make the team, let alone make any sort of impact. 

thats how i feel, i think his ship may have sailed, on harbs teams you have a 3-4 year window to prove yourself, and if you start out as an unknown commodity, you wont prove yourself without spending at least a year on special teams. i feel omar brown may think that he is just going to skip special teams and go straight to starting on defense, just doesnt work like that with harbs. i think its unfortunate because good players may go unnoticed and never get a shot in this league because of it(like omar), but at the same time its their fault for thinking they are "above" special teams.

[I AM LEGEND]

I think they'll be lots of opportunities for "unproven" players this year...more so then years pass. I think John may start to see hitching his wagon to some of the older vets(suggs, Ngata) may not be the way to go.

[acranfor]

I think they'll be lots of opportunities for "unproven" players this year...more so then years pass. I think John may start to see hitching his wagon to some of the older vets(suggs, Ngata) may not be the way to go.

I agree. I did a little research and over the past 6-8 years we typically found about 2 key contributors per draft and 2 rotational players. I think the past 2 drafts and probably the next few, you will see these numbers increase since we are in a youth movement. There are no longer older players on our team occupying spots for the foreseeable future. There are a lot of openings and potential opportunities. I see the following being positions of most opportunity in the upcoming years:

 

RT - Is Wagner the long term answer?

RB - Rice only has a few years left, who will become the next franchise RB? Pierce? Lorenzo?

WR - Torrey is pretty entrenched as a WR for the Ravens, but who will come in and be the long term solution(s) across from him? Jacoby and Steve are stop gaps for now. Marlon? Butler? Camp? Future Draft Pick?

 

RUSH OLB/DE - Suggs and Elvis are on the back-end of their careers. Who will come in and become the next pass rusher? Upshaw is a solid run stopper/early down backer and is suited for the SAM. McPhee is a solid rotational player at RUSH, but not an every down OLB. Watch the draft in the coming years.

DE - Canty is stop gap. Will KLM, Tyson or Urban step up?

CB - Webb/Smith are solid, but we need a future here. Who will step up? Asa? Brown? Draft?

FS - Brooks is the planned future, but there is every opportunity here for others as he is not entrenched as the starter yet.

[JoeyFlex5]

I agree. I did a little research and over the past 6-8 years we typically found about 2 key contributors per draft and 2 rotational players. I think the past 2 drafts and probably the next few, you will see these numbers increase since we are in a youth movement. There are no longer older players on our team occupying spots for the foreseeable future. There are a lot of openings and potential opportunities. I see the following being positions of most opportunity in the upcoming years:

 

RT - Is Wagner the long term answer?

RB - Rice only has a few years left, who will become the next franchise RB? Pierce? Lorenzo?

WR - Torrey is pretty entrenched as a WR for the Ravens, but who will come in and be the long term solution(s) across from him? Jacoby and Steve are stop gaps for now. Marlon? Butler? Camp? Future Draft Pick?

 

RUSH OLB/DE - Suggs and Elvis are on the back-end of their careers. Who will come in and become the next pass rusher? Upshaw is a solid run stopper/early down backer and is suited for the SAM. McPhee is a solid rotational player at RUSH, but not an every down OLB. Watch the draft in the coming years.

DE - Canty is stop gap. Will KLM, Tyson or Urban step up?

CB - Webb/Smith are solid, but we need a future here. Who will step up? Asa? Brown? Draft?

FS - Brooks is the planned future, but there is every opportunity here for others as he is not entrenched as the starter yet.

gut feeling says wagner will do fine. another gut feeling is that talliaferro will be an excellent x factor to pair with juice in the future, 2 big bodied backs who can catch like  TE and knock some peoples blocks off, but both of these are unproven, i just have a good feeling about lorenzo and i like what i see from him. pierce, if he can stay healthy(thats a big if) could be straight up god-tier in a kubiak system, he is the top flight prototype for this ZBS, again, as long as hes healthy. 

 

torrey should be here a while, and he will probably be a consistent weapon for us and a leader among the WRs, but i dont see him as a #1, would be nice to see camp become that guy, and he has the potential, but we all thought doss would be that guy as well, ill keep my expectations low for him and hope he carves out a niche as a punt returner for now so he has a shot.  

 

i think our DL is set for years, i expect big things from urban, KLM, tyson, williams, and especially jernigan, i think we will have 2 pro bowlers from this group a few years.

 

i am concerned about our future at OLB, although i am sure ozzie will address this, i could see us spending the next 2 years stockpiling picks for the 2016 draft, and putting together a package to trade into the top 10 for an elite pass rusher. 

 

i think we will be fine at CB3 as we normally are, someone always steps up for us at that spot, either a special teams vet who outplays their contract, or a low draft pick who shocks us all. i think this position will be business as usual, and someone will be a gem at FS, either brooks lives up to our expectations, or stewart plays out of his mind, word from camp is hes looking good. 

 

i like how you addressed all major areas as question marks, i guess you can never be too comfortable with any one position, althought one thing i feel you missed was addressing WR, seems you are concerned about having a go to guy, well i will just say there is no reason to believe pitta wont be that guy, i see nothing preventing him from having a 65+ catch 800+ yard season on a regular basis, especially with kubiak calling the plays, pitta is kubiaks dream TE

[acranfor]

gut feeling says wagner will do fine. another gut feeling is that talliaferro will be an excellent x factor to pair with juice in the future, 2 big bodied backs who can catch like  TE and knock some peoples blocks off, but both of these are unproven, i just have a good feeling about lorenzo and i like what i see from him. pierce, if he can stay healthy(thats a big if) could be straight up god-tier in a kubiak system, he is the top flight prototype for this ZBS, again, as long as hes healthy. 

 

torrey should be here a while, and he will probably be a consistent weapon for us and a leader among the WRs, but i dont see him as a #1, would be nice to see camp become that guy, and he has the potential, but we all thought doss would be that guy as well, ill keep my expectations low for him and hope he carves out a niche as a punt returner for now so he has a shot.  

 

i think our DL is set for years, i expect big things from urban, KLM, tyson, williams, and especially jernigan, i think we will have 2 pro bowlers from this group a few years.

 

i am concerned about our future at OLB, although i am sure ozzie will address this, i could see us spending the next 2 years stockpiling picks for the 2016 draft, and putting together a package to trade into the top 10 for an elite pass rusher. 

 

i think we will be fine at CB3 as we normally are, someone always steps up for us at that spot, either a special teams vet who outplays their contract, or a low draft pick who shocks us all. i think this position will be business as usual, and someone will be a gem at FS, either brooks lives up to our expectations, or stewart plays out of his mind, word from camp is hes looking good. 

 

i like how you addressed all major areas as question marks, i guess you can never be too comfortable with any one position, althought one thing i feel you missed was addressing WR, seems you are concerned about having a go to guy, well i will just say there is no reason to believe pitta wont be that guy, i see nothing preventing him from having a 65+ catch 800+ yard season on a regular basis, especially with kubiak calling the plays, pitta is kubiaks dream TE

Agree with your thoughts on our pass catchers. I think the future is Torrey & Pitta (next 3 yrs) as the main receiving options, Gilmore as the more traditional TE and then another outside WR. I am just saying that there is opportunity for that other outside WR spot. We will hopefully always be a receiving core-by-committee team, as it is hard to get a true #1 WR unless you are consistently in the top of the draft (because you lose) or get lucky or mortgage your future (see Falcons and Julio).

 

I think our D-Line is set and is very young. We have some good players at Tackle, but think we need a proven pass rusher at the 5 tech DE spot and a future replacement at RUSH. I would like to see something like this:

 

SAM (7 tech setting the edge) - DE (5 tech Pass Rusher) - NT (0/1 Tech Run / Block Eater) - DT (3 Tech Run / Block Eater) - RUSH (5/7 Tech Pass Rusher)

 

This is a hybrid 3-4/4-3 front 5 or a 4-3 Under I believe. This is what the Texans will do with Watt as the DE delivering pass rush from the interior Mercilus as the edge setter at SAM, and Clowney as the RUSH delivering pass rush from the outside. I really like this scheme as it gives you more flexibility in the SAM backer. Now Upshaw can be the edge setting SAM (or drop into coverage), Jernigan & Williams can be the tackles eating up blocks and getting a hand full of pressure, Suggs still has a few years at RUSH, but who can be a JJ Watt-esque type player at the DE 5 tech spot. Is he on this team? KLM, Tyson or Urban have the potential; but can they be 8+ sack per year guys? I don't know.

 

CB I think we are fine, you make some good points there. We will always just find a diamond in the rough as the 3CB until Webb starts regressing.

[JoeyFlex5]

Agree with your thoughts on our pass catchers. I think the future is Torrey & Pitta (next 3 yrs) as the main receiving options, Gilmore as the more traditional TE and then another outside WR. I am just saying that there is opportunity for that other outside WR spot. We will hopefully always be a receiving core-by-committee team, as it is hard to get a true #1 WR unless you are consistently in the top of the draft (because you lose) or get lucky or mortgage your future (see Falcons and Julio).

 

I think our D-Line is set and is very young. We have some good players at Tackle, but think we need a proven pass rusher at the 5 tech DE spot and a future replacement at RUSH. I would like to see something like this:

 

SAM (7 tech setting the edge) - DE (5 tech Pass Rusher) - NT (0/1 Tech Run / Block Eater) - DT (3 Tech Run / Block Eater) - RUSH (5/7 Tech Pass Rusher)

 

This is a hybrid 3-4/4-3 front 5 or a 4-3 Under I believe. This is what the Texans will do with Watt as the DE delivering pass rush from the interior Mercilus as the edge setter at SAM, and Clowney as the RUSH delivering pass rush from the outside. I really like this scheme as it gives you more flexibility in the SAM backer. Now Upshaw can be the edge setting SAM (or drop into coverage), Jernigan & Williams can be the tackles eating up blocks and getting a hand full of pressure, Suggs still has a few years at RUSH, but who can be a JJ Watt-esque type player at the DE 5 tech spot. Is he on this team? KLM, Tyson or Urban have the potential; but can they be 8+ sack per year guys? I don't know.

 

CB I think we are fine, you make some good points there. We will always just find a diamond in the rough as the 3CB until Webb starts regressing.

i believe clowney is going to play DE on the 3 man line opposite watt, which i believe would be the best option anyway, as it allows a massive rushing machine at DE on each tackle, and mericlus and brooks reed following up right behind them, making those 2 average rush OLB's look elite, having clowney at rush OLB and watt at DE allows for easier scheming and they can be gameplanned around with simple pocket sliding adjustments, having them bookend the line could possibly allow for 4 players with double digit sacks. 

 

the ravens could do that in a "poor mans" fashion, assuming in the future KLM develops, he would be an excellent 3-4 rush DE, williams at NT, and jernigan or urban at the other DE spot, with sizzle and dumervil as the bookends, its sort of like we swap the focal points of houstons defense, instead of elite DE's and decent rush LB's, we have elite rush LB's and a pretty good 3 man front, althought that 3 man front has potential to be better than pretty good.

[acranfor]

Brooks Reed was switched to ILB next to Cushing. I believe it will be Mercilus - Cushing - Reed - Clowney. This is from all reports I have read.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Jadeveon-Clowneys-favorite-part-about-playing-OLB-/befe0410-4488-4c85-bb55-dd0b24d169b2

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Brooks-Reed-on-moving-to-ILB/d6b78ef0-5d14-4f51-a48f-815a60155537

 

Of course, things change in sub packages.

[YYZ66]

Ryan Jensen. What the heck is the deal with Ryan Jensen?

 

I read this in a Jerry Seinfeld voice....

 

Wasn't he on the active roster all of last season?  Yet didn't play because of a foot injury, correct?

They must see something in this guy.

[Tank 92]

I read this in a Jerry Seinfeld voice....

 

Wasn't he on the active roster all of last season?  Yet didn't play because of a foot injury, correct?

They must see something in this guy.

 

Good read!  

 

Yeah, he must have exceptional potential for them to be so patient. You just don't hear or read much about him.