[News] Late For Work 6/25: Ravens Graded For Offseason Moves

[runcontrol]

Am I the only one who is surprised they haven't honored Bettis before now? I was going to joke and say he hasn't played for 10 years, but then I looked and saw that his last season in the NFL was 2005. TE

 

 

Maxx Williams: I' m not worried about a rookie player having troubles keeping up with the speed of the NFL. This will only be a concern if Pitta isn't able to play and Gillmore doesn't live up to the hype people are giving him this offseason.

 

 

CB Asa Jackson: This really isn't surprising. Last season he won the number 3 spot by default because Chykie Brown looked terrible. I thought he had a chance of making the roster by making plays on special teams, but that seems unlikely right now.

 

 

WR DeAndre Carter: I think if Camp is healthy Carter ends up on IR or on the PUP list, If Camp isn't healthy Carter is probably the 6th receiver and will only be active to help on special teams. There was a lot of hype around this guy last week, but if he doesn't live up to it he won't make the 53 man roster.

 

 

WR Marlon Brown: He's a big target that has a good hands so the Ravens will utilize him in the redzone, but considering he in his third season and he still isn't using his large frame to beat corners I think this could be his last season with the Ravens. But even that depends on what Waller, or another draft, can do next season.

 

 

ILB Arthur Brown: I don't think anyone is surprised to see his name on the list, but is it really fair? The only knock on him is last Thursday Orr was playing with the starters while he was playing with the second team. We have no idea if that is a knock on Brown or if the coaches wanted to see what Orr could do when playing with the first team. Brown looked decent during his rookie season but last season he was beat out by two very talent guys. Even if he has improved his understanding of the defense that doesn't mean he has improved his play on special teams(people forget how bad he was on special teams during his rookie season) and that is his way onto the 45 man starting roster on a weekly basis. So he will need to show he can block for Koch this season, because he couldn't get it done two years ago.

Edited June 25, 2015 by runcontrol

[roamingcharges]

Wow in 16 games the Ravens held the Bus to 60 yards a game and only 2 touchdowns! That's amazing I wouldn't have guess that

...and if I'm not mistaking that is 2 total TDs not 2 TDs a game. Please expand on said "memorable matchups" cos I think I'm gonna love most of em.

[RavensBaltimore]

I'm happy that there's finally an article with some analysis. I almost never see articles that have anything negative to say about any Ravens players ever. Or at worst they'll be like "Some scouts says Breshad Perriman has bad hands but he made great catches in training camp even though he dropped a few!"

I've never read any scouting reports saying Perriman has bad hands. They say he had focus drops, but they also say he makes difficult, contested catches and has a big catch radius. He dropped a few in the first half of one practice, then bounced right back like it never happened. Despite the fact that he had been catching everything besides that one half of a practice, they wrote an entire article about his drops. That seems plenty negative to me. They have also told us Schaub has been struggling, Suggs came back overweight, and Trey Walker was struggling to stay with Perriman in drills.

[MadStorkSociety]

All the other articles wrote about how great these guys were doing. Now suddenly, they need to improve?

[Ravenseconbeast]

Arthur Brown is a massive fail project. I mean...Zach Orr > Arthur Brown @ 3rd year. Its over.

[Bandit666]

The Ravens don't need to sign flashy players, Ozzie always finds "Football" players. Football is a "team" sport and the Ravens have players that play as a team, not individuals. As for these bubble players, get real. It's the first practice, lets wait till camp starts and a pre-season game or two before we talk bubble or cuts.

[cbrook1862]

C'mon Maxx!

[RavenzOz]

All the other articles wrote about how great these guys were doing. Now suddenly, they need to improve?

 

It's one of those glass half full/empty kind of things, if a CB makes a great pass break-up on a play, do the press report on how good that pass break-up was, or how poor the WR was for not bringing down the catch?  When Maxx isn't getting open is it because he is a rookie playing against a much revamped secondary and a couple of the best ILBs in the game? I am happy to wait until pre-season when we will have some apples to compare to the oranges.

[ALSKAN RAVEN FAN]

So week 4 that just gives our Ravens more incentive to beat the Steelers butts up and down thier home field.... Cant wait.   It's goona be ROCKING!!!

Edited June 26, 2015 by ALSKAN RAVEN FAN

[ravenwildman]

I would be more concerned if in training camp this stuff was observed about these players. Mini camp is a chance to acclimate back to football, not necessarily outcompete someone for a spot. I mean it is great to shine in minicamp, but I wouldn't start thinking bust if they don't. Still got training camp and 4 preseason games to stake their claims. GO RAVENS!

[Gorgee3]

Lol bengals signed Keith Wenning to practice squad

[Purplepowers88]

I've never read any scouting reports saying Perriman has bad hands. They say he had focus drops, but they also say he makes difficult, contested catches and has a big catch radius. He dropped a few in the first half of one practice, then bounced right back like it never happened. Despite the fact that he had been catching everything besides that one half of a practice, they wrote an entire article about his drops. That seems plenty negative to me. They have also told us Schaub has been struggling, Suggs came back overweight, and Trey Walker was struggling to stay with Perriman in drills.

Come on dude - you really think that they give an honest assessment about the team? Everything that's written is in the most homerific, purple-tinted glasses possible. They'll mention in passing something that is negative (they don't go as far as ignoring the facts) but then will inundate us with reasons not to worry. "Suggs is overweight but don't worry there still is PLENTY of time for him to get in shape for training camp. It's actually a positive that he's not working out because he'll have more energy for the season." They do stuff like this all the time. This site is devolving into a Ravens Propaganda forum and not offering real, unbiased views of the state of the team. John Eisenberg is one of the few writers that provides real analysis on this site.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Purplepowers88

[LNB]

The Ravens don't need to sign flashy players, Ozzie always finds "Football" players. Football is a "team" sport and the Ravens have players that play as a team, not individuals. As for these bubble players, get real. It's the first practice, lets wait till camp starts and a pre-season game or two before we talk bubble or cuts.

One of the more sensible posts I have read on this website.  I wish I could give you 10 "likes" but I did what I could!!!  Hello from a misplaced Raven in SC.

[huntrgathrr]

I disagree completely with this assessment of the off season moves by Ozzie. They did more to address their few weaknesses than any team in the NFl. Signing Arrington and Lewis was exactly what they needed in the secondary. They are set at LB but Z.Smith is a nice effort at replacing McPhee . Having KLM and Urban return from IR and drafting Davis gives them a deep, young and talented DL. This should be a great defense.

Offensively our problems were at WR and TE. Drafting Williams and Boyle to complement Gilmore (and maybe Pitta) was perfect. Perriman and Waller are also excellent additions to a pretty decent WR group. This looks like a very potent offense.

All in all,Ozzie added 6-7 players that will either start or see considerable time in rotations. He also greatly improved our depth and the quality of it.

I bet Harbaugh, Ozzie and Biscotti all feel that they hit a home run this off season. IMO this was an A .

[Dorota]

I don't mind if Steelers choose to honor one of their greats during a Raven game every year. You know why? Because in a way it's a sign of huge respect. You don't bother to flaunt the best you've had for teams you don't fear and respect and that you don't take dead serious.

[Drew P]

Lol bengals signed Keith Wenning to practice squad

 

Signed from the Ravens practice squad not to theirs

[January J]

I'll pick 5 that I want to see show improvement: 1. Matt Elam... I know that everyone is singing his praises this offseason and I hope that continues, but he is a 1st round draft pick and bc he has underachieved this year and last year, we had to go out and spend money at the position (Will Hill and K Lewis)if Matt played up to expectations that money could have been used in other places...nonetheless, I hope this is the season he steps up and shows why we drafted him # 1 2. Arthur Brown... A 2nd rounder.... going into his 3rd season. He needs to produce!There is nothing else to say... he needs to find his way onto the field for meaningful reps on Defense not just special teams! 3. Juice.... the FB/ H-Back was the mindset when we drafted him... Juice needs to become more of an offensive weapon moving forward..... he can be that wild card, that mismatch that gives defense fits... he showed some improvement last year... that growth needs to continue! 4. Eugene Monroe.... we made him our starting LT but he has been often injured and inconsistent there to this point. He has been billed as one of the top young talents at the positon... I love his attitude and work ethic... just want to see him take the next step and fulfill his potential! 5. Courtney Upshaw.... He has become an great run stopper and edge setter... I love his physicality and mentality (it is Ravenesque!) But when we took him in the 2nd round (our 1st pick) we envisioned more then a 1 dimensional player... He has the ability to be more.... would love to see him continue to show his growth and show a little more this year! (Bonus)... (Chris Canty and Michael Campanaro). Canty was expected to come in and make and immeadiate impact. HIs imposing size, speed,talent combination came with great expectations but injury and inconsistency have left production sporadic... would like to see more consistent play this year from Canty even if it means fewer reps! Campanaro... was drafted with visions of an athletic,playmaking slot WR... he hasn't been able to stay healthy long enough to show those attributes... He has the skillset to create mismatches and allow us to exploit defenses... but he cant use them if he cant stay healthy enough to get onto the field. Would love to see him prepare his body to stay healthy this year and have an impact (at least in the kicking game)!

the point of the article was to name 5 players that didnt show a lot in ota's or minicamp. not 5 players that need to show the most improvement overall this season. maybe you knew that and were just stating who you want to see do better, but some ppl obviously didnt understand. players like matt elam and jah reid need to improve overall- but they actually had a pretty good showing in ota's/ minicamp.

[RavensBaltimore]

Come on dude - you really think that they give an honest assessment about the team? Everything that's written is in the most homerific, purple-tinted glasses possible. They'll mention in passing something that is negative (they don't go as far as ignoring the facts) but then will inundate us with reasons not to worry. "Suggs is overweight but don't worry there still is PLENTY of time for him to get in shape for training camp. It's actually a positive that he's not working out because he'll have more energy for the season." They do stuff like this all the time. This site is devolving into a Ravens Propaganda forum and not offering real, unbiased views of the state of the team. John Eisenberg is one of the few writers that provides real analysis on this site.

Do you think we should worry about Suggs at this point? I think any objective outlet would agree that it's a little too early to start worrying about a 13 year veteran in June, and putting a positive spin on it, saying he is saving himself for the season, were actually Suggs' words. The writers were just telling us what he said.

 

Also, keep in mind that the writers on this site are employed by the Ravens, so they aren't going to start bashing the decisions that the organization makes, and they don't offer negative opinions very often, but it seems that they give us the facts pretty straight up, which is all that really matters to me. If someone throws a pick six or drops a pass, they tell us about it. However, they aren't going to say, "Ozzie made a mistake by signing him." or "Harbs shouldn't be playing him". I don't really care about those types of opinions from writers any way. I'm more interested in the facts, and I can form my own opinions.

 

Lastly, when your organization has won more games than just about anybody over the last 7 years, there's a lot more positive to write about than negative.

[TXRavensFan]

Do you think we should worry about Suggs at this point? I think any objective outlet would agree that it's a little too early to start worrying about a 13 year veteran in June, and putting a positive spin on it, saying he is saving himself for the season, were actually Suggs' words. The writers were just telling us what he said.

 

Also, keep in mind that the writers on this site are employed by the Ravens, so they aren't going to start bashing the decisions that the organization makes, and they don't offer negative opinions very often, but it seems that they give us the facts pretty straight up, which is all that really matters to me. If someone throws a pick six or drops a pass, they tell us about it. However, they aren't going to say, "Ozzie made a mistake by signing him." or "Harbs shouldn't be playing him". I don't really care about those types of opinions from writers any way. I'm more interested in the facts, and I can form my own opinions.

 

Lastly, when your organization has won more games than just about anybody over the last 7 years, there's a lot more positive to write about than negative.

 

Amen, brother!

[runcontrol]

That's true - but the fact that Brown has underachieved throughout his Ravens career so far and basically failed to make his case to secure a starting spot on the depth chart makes it seem painfully possible that he has, indeed, been kind of demoted. Brown is absolutely clearly not where he should be at this point of his career. He should be cemented in the starting lineup - but definitely not deeper than second on the depth chart, with a nice amount of  defensive snaps. He's nowhere near that. Consequently, if Harbaugh intends to really give him a legit chance to make his case, he would definitely put Brown with the starters. He was a first draft pick while Orr was an UDFA - of course Brown should get the practice reps. That he isn't should definitely indicate something - something that's not good news.

 

But hey, if Brown can really pull this off, I'd be happy to say I was wrong about him.

 

Nota bene, that was the very same thing I said about Jah Reid and Doss...

 

I was really hoping Tandon Doss was going to turn things around.  He seemed to struggle during practices but I don't remember him dropping too many passes during games. And even though i know it was technically wrong I liked the way he caught punts.  He would be building up speed when he caught the ball, while other kick returners would be at a complete stop, so it was a lot easier for him to beat the first guy. 

 

He had decent stats his last year with the team, but nothing good enough to keep him on the team. I know last season he got injured before he was able to play an actual game with Jacksonville, but I have no idea if he is still with the team. 

[Tenacious Faulker]

Take Note - Terrell Suggs is our last remaining Raven from our hay day. I'll really be praising him this season. Blessings for such a great career thus far.

Hayday?  Aren't we in a hayday now?  We're winning more now than when Suggs came into the league, 5 years since and he got his Super Bowl Ring in this era, not last.  Hayday?

[Ravensfansince03]

Hayday?  Aren't we in a hayday now?  We're winning more now than when Suggs came into the league, 5 years since and he got his Super Bowl Ring in this era, not last.  Hayday?

 

No, by hayday I mean the days when our defense was shut down and straight up dominating opposing offenses.

[Tenacious Faulker]

No, by hayday I mean the days when our defense was shut down and straight up dominating opposing offenses.

...and now our offense can score in the mid-30's regularly while the defense does just enough to keep the lead.  We're in a hayday now...and offensive one.  You can't have a successful Flacco with a '00 or '06 defense.  Seattle lucked into it and still has an average offense.  The Ravens weren't far from the SB in 2014 and had we beaten the cheating Pats that Sb would've been ours.  

 

It's all perspective.  Live for the olden days if you like.  I'll enjoy the team as it is now.   

[rmcjacket23]

...and now our offense can score in the mid-30's regularly while the defense does just enough to keep the lead.  We're in a hayday now...and offensive one.  You can't have a successful Flacco with a '00 or '06 defense.  Seattle lucked into it and still has an average offense.  The Ravens weren't far from the SB in 2014 and had we beaten the cheating Pats that Sb would've been ours.  

 

It's all perspective.  Live for the olden days if you like.  I'll enjoy the team as it is now.   

While I agree with the overall premise that this has becomes a much more offensive-minded team and franchise than most "old school" friends will admit, the regularly scoring mid-30s line is incredibly optimistic and largely unrealistic.

 

Without getting too technical, if we consider "mid 30s" to be in the 33-37 points range, the elite of the elite of the elite offenses in this league (which the Ravens haven't proven they are even in this discussion yet) are averaging 30 PPG, and even teams like the Packers and Broncos are scoring in the 33-37 point range in roughly 50% or less of games.

 

The Packers scored 30+ points in half of their games last season, and broke 33 points 6 times... and they were basically the best offense in the league.

 

The Ravens themselves, which pretty much had their best offense from a production standpoint in franchise history last season, scored 30+ points only 5 of 16 regular season games. Based on average PPG, mid 20s is a much more realistic expectation and estimate.

 

If anybody is expecting us to consistently score in the mid 30s, even as an extreme optimist, that's only going to end with extreme disappointment.

[January J]

While I agree with the overall premise that this has becomes a much more offensive-minded team and franchise than most "old school" friends will admit, the regularly scoring mid-30s line is incredibly optimistic and largely unrealistic.

Without getting too technical, if we consider "mid 30s" to be in the 33-37 points range, the elite of the elite of the elite offenses in this league (which the Ravens haven't proven they are even in this discussion yet) are averaging 30 PPG, and even teams like the Packers and Broncos are scoring in the 33-37 point range in roughly 50% or less of games.

The Packers scored 30+ points in half of their games last season, and broke 33 points 6 times... and they were basically the best offense in the league.

The Ravens themselves, which pretty much had their best offense from a production standpoint in franchise history last season, scored 30+ points only 5 of 16 regular season games. Based on average PPG, mid 20s is a much more realistic expectation and estimate.

If anybody is expecting us to consistently score in the mid 30s, even as an extreme optimist, that's only going to end with extreme disappointment.

I don't think when he made the comment about us scoring in the mid 30s regularly that he was really being literal or technical about that being an actual average -however you are correct.

[Tenacious Faulker]

While I agree with the overall premise that this has becomes a much more offensive-minded team and franchise than most "old school" friends will admit, the regularly scoring mid-30s line is incredibly optimistic and largely unrealistic.

 

Without getting too technical, if we consider "mid 30s" to be in the 33-37 points range, the elite of the elite of the elite offenses in this league (which the Ravens haven't proven they are even in this discussion yet) are averaging 30 PPG, and even teams like the Packers and Broncos are scoring in the 33-37 point range in roughly 50% or less of games.

 

The Packers scored 30+ points in half of their games last season, and broke 33 points 6 times... and they were basically the best offense in the league.

 

The Ravens themselves, which pretty much had their best offense from a production standpoint in franchise history last season, scored 30+ points only 5 of 16 regular season games. Based on average PPG, mid 20s is a much more realistic expectation and estimate.

 

If anybody is expecting us to consistently score in the mid 30s, even as an extreme optimist, that's only going to end with extreme disappointment.

I don't think when he made the comment about us scoring in the mid 30s regularly that he was really being literal or technical about that being an actual average -however you are correct.

Well, please forgive the hyperbole in that post.  The Ravens have actually averaged 25.5 ppg in 2014 which is pretty darn good league and great for this team.  Once they designated Joe as a franchise QB they had to pay him as such.  His contract (and no complaints from me on it) necessitates management to restock the team with value-based talent on other positions.  Since Joe is the future of the team and the league is rewarding offensive play more than defensive, our defense gets the value talent - journeymen, rookies, disgraced veterans, practice squad hopefuls, etc.  

 

Then its up to Pees and his staff to make it all work.  No Haloti?  Ngata problem!  Fill the void with cheaper journeymen talent and rotate them in until one distinguishes himself from the pack.  No Jimmy Smith?  Get a Rashaan Melvin to play over his head for 4 games.  He's not perfect, but who is?  He's better than anybody we can get right now.

[Ravensfansince03]

...and now our offense can score in the mid-30's regularly while the defense does just enough to keep the lead.  We're in a hayday now...and offensive one.  You can't have a successful Flacco with a '00 or '06 defense.  Seattle lucked into it and still has an average offense.  The Ravens weren't far from the SB in 2014 and had we beaten the cheating Pats that Sb would've been ours.  

 

It's all perspective.  Live for the olden days if you like.  I'll enjoy the team as it is now.   

Ill enjoy it once we perform on the field first