Training camp position battles.

[757RavensFan]

With training camp scheduled to start in less than 3 weeks, what position battle(s) interest you the most?  For me, I'm excited to see what young guy(s) steps up on the D-Line.  With the return of Urban and KLM and the addition of Carl Davis and Zach Thomas, it's gonna get real interesting in the trenches.

[FastEddie]

Looking forward to the TE scenario playing out. I really think that Maxx Williams is going to be one of the leagues best and hope to see him get playing time this year. Plus I just got his jersey so theres that.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like Pitta on the team, but personally would rather not see the guy put himself back in a position to get hurt again. Last known sighitng of him playing for me was when he fell down out of the clear blue in pain...not pretty.

 

The way I see it playing out is Pitta hanging around with limited snaps Crockett getting majority and Maxx stepping in for the remainder. I see Maxx getting stronger as the year progresses and predict him getting a TD in this years SB.

[berad]

Obviously WR and TE just for the number of talented players at WR and the uncertainty around Pitta at TE.

 

DL is intriguing like you said. There's a lot of players at DB, as well.

 

If I had to choose, I'd say WR.

 

Smith, Perriman, Aiken, Brown, Campanaro, and Butler are the 6 I'd pencil in now but there's dark horses like Carter and Robinson. Will be fun to watch.

[ALSKAN RAVEN FAN]

WR competition is going to be fun and interesting to watch and follow.

[757RavensFan]

Looking forward to the TE scenario playing out. I really think that Maxx Williams is going to be one of the leagues best and hope to see him get playing time this year. Plus I just got his jersey so theres that.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like Pitta on the team, but personally would rather not see the guy put himself back in a position to get hurt again. Last known sighitng of him playing for me was when he fell down out of the clear blue in pain...not pretty.

 

The way I see it playing out is Pitta hanging around with limited snaps Crockett getting majority and Maxx stepping in for the remainder. I see Maxx getting stronger as the year progresses and predict him getting a TD in this years SB.

 

Can't leave Boyle out of the discussion. Reportedly, he was balling during rookie camp, mini-camp and OTAs.

[FastEddie]

Can't leave Boyle out of the discussion. Reportedly, he was balling during rookie camp, mini-camp and OTAs.

 

Very true, I don't anticipate seeing much playing time from him with so much talent and experience in front of him. I am looking forward to seeing the competition in TC

[redrum52]

WR, TE, backup rusher, D line rotation or or if Urban can earn a starting spot. Also, safety outside of Will Hill. Want to know if it's just talk, but want to see how Elam actually looks with pads on.

[Edgar]

Obviously WR and TE just for the number of talented players at WR and the uncertainty around Pitta at TE.

 

DL is intriguing like you said. There's a lot of players at DB, as well.

 

If I had to choose, I'd say WR.

 

Smith, Perriman, Aiken, Brown, Campanaro, and Butler are the 6 I'd pencil in now but there's dark horses like Carter and Robinson. Will be fun to watch.

You left out Waller? To me,Worthy is a WR to watch.

I'm curios to see if Urschel pushes Zutta for a starting center spot.

[hawkprey]

I'm heavily invested in the competition for backup QB. We need a cool, firm hand. Not some flake who'll start rattling the clipboard under pressure. Keep those notes steady!

[berad]

You left out Waller? To me,Worthy is a WR to watch.

I'm curios to see if Urschel pushes Zutta for a starting center spot.

 

Whoops, forgot them - more intrigue!

[itscbm5042]

For me its the receivers - we are going to carry 7 this year just no way we can narrow it down to 6 the question is who is #7

 

Right now its Smith, Perriman, Aiken, Brown, Camp, Waller, and Butler but if Camp is hurt that opens it up for Carter because we do need a return man.

 

Also looking forward to the saga of Dennis Pitta and whether or not he returns. If not, I think Gilmore is really turning it up and will outperform expectations.

 

Finally, just how good can this D Line be - it is chock full of high ceiling young guys who are all hitting years 2 or 3 and healthy so Jernigan, Williams, Davis, Urban, KLM, and company could be an extremely talented and deep position group.

Edited July 10, 2015 by itscbm5042

[BmoreBird22]

For me its the receivers - we are going to carry 7 this year just no way we can narrow it down to 6 the question is who is #7

 

Right now its Smith, Perriman, Aiken, Brown, Camp, Waller, and Butler but if Camp is hurt that opens it up for Carter because we do need a return man.

 

Also looking forward to the saga of Dennis Pitta and whether or not he returns. If not, I think Gilmore is really turning it up and will outperform expectations.

 

Finally, just how good can this D Line be - it is chock full of high ceiling young guys who are all hitting years 2 or 3 and healthy so Jernigan, Williams, Davis, Urban, KLM, and company could be an extremely talented and deep position group.

What position do you sacrifice to carry seven receivers....?

[beasy2487]

For me its the receivers - we are going to carry 7 this year just no way we can narrow it down to 6 the question is who is #7

 

Right now its Smith, Perriman, Aiken, Brown, Camp, Waller, and Butler but if Camp is hurt that opens it up for Carter because we do need a return man.

 

Also looking forward to the saga of Dennis Pitta and whether or not he returns. If not, I think Gilmore is really turning it up and will outperform expectations.

 

Finally, just how good can this D Line be - it is chock full of high ceiling young guys who are all hitting years 2 or 3 and healthy so Jernigan, Williams, Davis, Urban, KLM, and company could be an extremely talented and deep position group.

 

Yea similar to BmoreBird's post I just don't think we can afford to carry 7 Wides. If you're carrying 7 you're giving up either an OLB or a CB and those positions are more important than a 7th receiver. We're probably looking at IR for Waller, Worthy and/or Campanaro or, if all those guys stay healthy, a tough choice between Butler/Campanaro/Brown for which two make it. Worthy I think will be PS or IR. If Waller isn't IR'd I can't see us cutting him unless he shows no talent whatsoever. And if Camp goes to PS he's gone.

Edited July 10, 2015 by beasy2487

[GrimCoconut]

I want to see specific players not necessarily positions. I want to see Arthur Brown compete for a spot and win it. I'd like to see what happens with Brent Urban and whether he can push for serious playing time. I'm very interested in the position battle with Means and guys like Upshaw and Smith. Melvin, Walker and Jackson interest mean in who will win the final spot at CB.

Another area I'll be watching is OL and whether Jah Reid earns a spot. He never lived up to expectations.

Those probably excite me the most. I am excited to see WR and the competition there, but it's not as intense as my excitement for those mentioned above. I feel Smith Sr, Perriman, Waller, Aiken, and Brown as locks to make the team, which means it's between one to two other guys between Carter, Butler and Campanaro. TE isn't even worth mentioning. All the TE we drafted will make this team.

[RiversideRaven]

Looking forward to the wide receiver competition. Also seeing who steps up on the defensive line should be interesting 

[January J]

Yea similar to BmoreBird's post I just don't think we can afford to carry 7 Wides. If you're carrying 7 you're giving up either an OLB or a CB and those positions are more important than a 7th receiver. We're probably looking at IR for Waller, Worthy and/or Campanaro or, if all those guys stay healthy, a tough choice between Butler/Campanaro/Brown for which two make it. Worthy I think will be PS or IR. If Waller isn't IR'd I can't see us cutting him unless he shows no talent whatsoever. And if Camp goes to PS he's gone.

also a lot of it is about who they think will clear waivers... If we can get away with stashing a guy on the practice squad then we can keep 7 Wrs.... If there's an injury at say cornerback we can drop a wide receiver and pull up a corner from the practice squad. Or vice versa if we decide to keep an extra corner and less receivers. Just gotta keep the more talented guy regardless of position and if an injury occurs at another then you adjust accordingly. Just gotta be careful and play your cards right bc somebody could get snatched up. Guys like camp and Waller probably would get picked up.

[January J]

I'm interested in the backup RB battle between tali and buck.

[blitzking33]

I really want to see the competition at safety.

Wll Hill vs. Brooks vs Lewis... Hopefully Brooks is healthy enough to man that SS position so Hill can slide to FS.

[rmw10]

Biggest battles I see...

 

WR: Obvious.  Assuming Smith Sr., Perriman, Aiken, and Brown are safe (which they may not be), there's likely 2 spots for any of Campanaro, Butler, Waller, or Carter.

 

TE: Who wins the starting gig - Gillmore or Williams?  Is Boyle a deep sleeper?

 

DL: All 10 guys have a legitimate shot at the roster, so I expect some good battles here for the last 1-2 spots.  Guy, Tyson, KLM, Bilukidi, Walker?

 

ILB: Can Arthur Brown earn a spot this year, or has his time come and gone?  Has Orr elevated above him outside of ST play?

 

OLB: I want to see if the word on Means is legit, and whether he can push someone off with good ST play and situational rush ability.  It might not be a true "positional" battle, but you get the point.

 

CB: Who rounds out the group after the top 3?  Melvin, Jackson, Walker, Vaughn, Greenwood, Jacobs?

[sflegend89]

I really want to see the competition at safety.

Wll Hill vs. Brooks vs Lewis... Hopefully Brooks is healthy enough to man that SS position so Hill can slide to FS.

 

I think the plan is actually to have Hill at SS and insert Lewis at FS since he has more range and ball hawking ability. But the way we use our safeties I think Brooks will get on the field plenty this year and have a chance to show the coaching staff what he's capable of.

 

Brooks will certainly figure his way into our plans long term whether that happens via losing Will Hill in FA (hopefully we lock him up), out playing Kendrick Lewis at FS, or converting to more of a nickel role and taking over for Arrington.

[DomMcRaven]

For me, the training camp battle that I'm looking forward to the most (more so than the WR competition) is the battle for our return man. I've always enjoyed watching kickoffs and punts (sans touchbacks). The beauty about this battle is there's really no favorite to win it. It's all speculation....and I love it. 

[RaineV1]

For me the most interesting battle is at WR. I think the main locks are SSS, Perriman, and Aiken. Out of the rest I'm think it'll be: Brown, Butler, and Carter. In Carter's case, I think he'll win out since he can do everything Camp can do, but without getting injured constantly. Also, he might be a better returner.

[RayRocks]

I think the assumption that Carter can do everything Campanero can do is probably way overstated at this point.  Campanero, when healthy, came out of college with the tools to be an elite slot receiver.  Health was always his biggest question mark.

 

If Carter dominates training camp and pre season, then maybe we can start to think about his upside.  Otherwise, right now it's call coming from the hype of him playing well at OTA's.

[PurpleCity5]

Breshad Perriman vs Kamar Aiken looks like the biggest battle of camp to me. Pretty much many people at this point 

[Sami84]

you know..the wide receiver that least excites me is marlon brown.

 

i wouldn't be upset if the WRs were

 

Smith

Aiken

Butler

Perriman

Campanaro

Waller

 

 

i just don't see what brown has that these guys don't...

Edited July 14, 2015 by Sami84

[FastEddie]

you know..the wide receiver that least excites me is marlon brown.

 

i wouldn't be upset if the WRs were

 

Smith

Aiken

Butler

Perriman

Campanaro

Waller

 

 

i just don't see what brown has that these guys don't...

 

Agreed. Marlon Brown played way flat last year when asked to step up. I think he gets pushed down the roster if not off with the amount of talent we have now. Seems like everyone else is hungry except him.

[RayRocks]

Agreed. Marlon Brown played way flat last year when asked to step up. I think he gets pushed down the roster if not off with the amount of talent we have now. Seems like everyone else is hungry except him.

 

I can't really imagine Brown not making the roster unless he really just comes to camp playing very poorly.

 

Remember, Trestman LOVES big receivers, and he's really the only experienced one we have.  Also, a sophomore slump for wide receivers is fairly common... it's typically in their third year that they start to play well.  Given the way Harbaugh talked about Marlon earlier this offseason, and the fact that he is our second most experienced WR in camp, I'm fairly confident he'll make the team.

[rmw10]

you know..the wide receiver that least excites me is marlon brown.

 

i wouldn't be upset if the WRs were

 

Smith

Aiken

Butler

Perriman

Campanaro

Waller

 

 

i just don't see what brown has that these guys don't...

 

Experience.  It might sound crazy, but if you cut Brown, you have a grand total of 31 catches combined from your 2-6 WRs.  

[757RavensFan]

you know..the wide receiver that least excites me is marlon brown.

 

i wouldn't be upset if the WRs were

 

Smith

Aiken

Butler

Perriman

Campanaro

Waller

 

 

i just don't see what brown has that these guys don't...

 

So you just totally discredit what he did his rookie year when he was thrown into a starting role.  We've seen what Brown is capable of doing in a NFL game.  We have yet to see that from Butler, Perriman and Waller. 

[757RavensFan]

I can't really imagine Brown not making the roster unless he really just comes to camp playing very poorly.

 

Remember, Trestman LOVES big receivers, and he's really the only experienced one we have.  Also, a sophomore slump for wide receivers is fairly common... it's typically in their third year that they start to play well.  Given the way Harbaugh talked about Marlon earlier this offseason, and the fact that he is our second most experienced WR in camp, I'm fairly confident he'll make the team.

 

Not only will he make the team, but he has a very good chance of being the #2 WR when the season starts.