[News] Late For Work 7/24: Torrey Smith's Brilliant Response To Joe Flacco Elite Question

[BR News]

Ravens/Jags #EmojiWar. Yanda best o-lineman. Harvard: Browns playoff hopes > Ravens. Tomlin extended.

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[roamingcharges]

I don't quite know how to respond to that "Harvard Study". I guess there are small lies, big lies, and then Harvard Studies.

[RRRRRavens]

Harvard Study Says Browns Playoff Hopes Better Than Ravens

This study is making me re-think Harvard's reputation of academic excellence (unless this study proves me wrong come January).

 

Harvard's "reputation of academic excellence" has been overinflated for many years now in most areas of intellectual study.   In the area of football study it never existed.

Edited July 24, 2015 by RRRRRavens

[RavensInNC]

So wait, we have one of if not the best roster in the NFL but then the Harvard guy makes an ELO based on strength of the roster and then we fall to the bottom of the list. I don't care to look into this any deeper but the numbers seem WAY off.

 

I think I would rather go with something a little more realistic like Vegas' odds: http://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/odds/futures/

Edited July 24, 2015 by RavensInNC

[Dorota]

I do agree that Marshall Yanda is the best offensive lineman currently on any NFL roster. Beat that smarts or toughness or willingness to step up at tackle position when necessary also.

Sounds odd maybe, but I'm glad Tomlin resigned. Steelers are a "love to hate" team and I like them to stay that way. I'd hate to just hate them, if you know what I mean. For example if Belichick coached them, there is no fun in that, just gets me mad.

Hit me with a stick, but I'd argue Ed Reed to be the great of the greats! He was a game changer, shutdown, plenty of returns, willingness to do all, amazing smarts and vision and very much a team player, not afraid to lateral just to bring it to the house.

Edited July 24, 2015 by Dorota

[BallmoreAllDay]

The Browns have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Ravens!!??? The Browns haven't been in the playoffs since like 2002! The Redskins also have a better chance!!!?? HAAHAHAHAAAAA!! That's "Ludacrous" (in my Mike Tyson voice).

[#20=DA MAN!!]

So when John Urschel left harvard they just become clueless huh? John please go teach them something please!!! And Yanda is the best linemen in all of football, i just hope his agent doesnt know that because it could price him outta here. Although Ed is my all-time favorite raven, Ray is the Best of the Best. He was the heart and soul and heartbeat of this team. But i believe it could very well be 1A and 1B. Sugar Ray and Quick. Congrats to Tomlin...looking forward to ending your season for years to come...just stay off the sideline!!!

[FastEddie]

Woo Yanda..I guess that ends the question on who's getting the extension

[WNC-Raven]

That Harvard study was done by students. Not professors. You have to keep in mind that a typical Ivy League student has very little life experience as they have been academically focused their entire lives. Sheltered would be an understatement and therefor they have no real concept of real life variables. Just the fact that we have January Joe on our team is enough to expose how flawed any analytical study truly is. Throw in a few 4th and 29 Ray Rice runs and they may be able to understand why we all love sports so much. The games are won on the field and not in a library. Otherwise why would anyone watch. Someone needs to explain to them what any given Sunday means. Go Ravens

[Godfather A]

I looked at the Harvard study. The author states: "Then, using ESPN's NFL depth charts, I aggregated each team's per game approximate value of what I considered to be the "Ccore" makeup of an NFL team: QB, RB, 2 WR, TE, Top 2 OL, the Top-4  Front "Seven" defensive players, and the Top-2 players from the secondary." So I went to the ESPN site and found the following: "2015 NFL Depth Charts for Fantasy Football" Updated Monday, July 20, 2015.  These are fantasy specific depth charts and may not always match the "official NFL team depth charts." The charts are based upon last year's statistics. Thus what the Harvard study says is that the 13 positions evaluated had lousy fantasy figures last year or those positions (wide receiver, tight end and cornerback) are replaced this year with people who have no fantasy production from last year. Bottom line is that the study says we had lousy fantasy figures last year and have new players in some of the key positions with no fantasy track record from last year.

[berad]

The Harvard study was interesting but flawed because it relied on PFRs AV statistic which is determined on last years play/production, it is NOT a forecasting statistic.

 

So losing guys like Torrey, Haloti, and Owen and replacing them with unproven guys like Perriman/Aiken, Jernigan, and Gilmore/Williams resulted in a big AV drop.

 

Similar thing for players who sat out for part of the year with injury/suspension. Jimmy Smith, Will Hill, and Eugene Monroe had relatively lower AV ratings for what they have the capacity to do if they suited up for all 16 games.

 

Not sure why the researcher used the AV statistic in a league like the NFL with so much volatility in the roster and did not account for that. It'll be interesting to see how it actually works out.

[juice78]

New nickname for Yanda: Moses.

[bostonraven]

Garbage In, Garbage Out. That's why this 'Harvard study' is a preposterous simulation - the author used his Harvard credibility, but forget to validate the credibility of his input data. You want a good simulation - go no farther than our friends at Madden.

[Ravensfansince03]

Oh yea, lets see what torrey has to say.

[Minionhunter]

From the comments on the emoji app, it is not a keyboard or emoji icons, they are pictures and they don't work well at all. I would stop the bragging before someone realizes and really blasts you for it. I'm waiting until they are real Ravens emojis, which would be really nice.

[salamander]

Great response to settle the matter,Torrey. That Raven's purple poop looks dangerously close to a very edible pile of soft serve ice cream. Just sayin'

Edited July 24, 2015 by salamander

[berad]

From the comments on the emoji app, it is not a keyboard or emoji icons, they are pictures and they don't work well at all. I would stop the bragging before someone realizes and really blasts you for it. I'm waiting until they are real Ravens emojis, which would be really nice.

 

I had the same impression. Plus the whole 'needing your identity' thing? Eh...

[bioLarzen]

Woo Yanda..I guess that ends the question on who's getting the extension

 

I don't think there was too much of a question to begin with...

 

KO is great, too, and can become a Yanda 2.0 - but right now Yanda is the way. Barring injuries (and injuries can happen to KO, too...) he absolutely has AT LEAST 4-5 more good years in him - and i mean "Yanda good".

Edited July 24, 2015 by bioLarzen

[Ravens8383]

Flacco could go to the HOF and people would still be asking if he is elite. It's just one of those questions that will never go away.

[sami]

Both Harbaugh and Tomlin have won Super Bowls, both are players coaches, both are intense competitors who have a hard time beating each other...but Harbaugh is not a cheater

[January J]

New nickname for Yanda: Moses.

Clever. Splits the defensive line like the Red Sea. I like it.

[ibleedpurpleandblack]

Why yes Torrey, bears do!

[fusuymada]

The Harvard study is basically an evaluation based on 7 on 7 play. Last I looked there were 11 people on the field in football and they have a coach. To not consider the coach in the evaluation is an insult to John Harbaugh and his staff and the input they have into the game. They are assuming that coaches make no difference in the player output in a game. So the premise of the study is flawed and therefore so are the results. As another commenter put it, GIGO. Garbage in, Garbage out.

[Minionhunter]

I had the same impression. Plus the whole 'needing your identity' thing? Eh...

On android that can kind of be prevented with Xprivacy, but still, that is the most disturbing thing, tracking you all the time. We don't want to be chiped and tracked and traced.

 

The second thing is that how hard can it be to hire someone to actually develp emoji icons? Why screw up something this simple? I was all ready to go and install it, but I think I'll wait until it is fixed. Plus they didn't even put 89 in there (or apparently even let you string 8 and 9 together), so there is that. Come on, he made the offense last year and was giving out tickets to PSL owners this year.

 

I really hope that Ravens web people read this and get the problem fixed by the time the season starts.

Edited July 24, 2015 by Minionhunter

[edreed2o]

So when John Urschel left harvard they just become clueless huh? John please go teach them something please!!! And Yanda is the best linemen in all of football, i just hope his agent doesnt know that because it could price him outta here. Although Ed is my all-time favorite raven, Ray is the Best of the Best. He was the heart and soul and heartbeat of this team. But i believe it could very well be 1A and 1B. Sugar Ray and Quick. Congrats to Tomlin...looking forward to ending your season for years to come...just stay off the sideline!!!

John Urschel left Penn State. Juice is from Harvard.

[Bruce_Almty]

On android that can kind of be prevented with Xprivacy, but still, that is the most disturbing thing, tracking you all the time. We don't want to be chiped and tracked and traced.

 

The second thing is that how hard can it be to hire someone to actually develp emoji icons? Why screw up something this simple? I was all ready to go and install it, but I think I'll wait until it is fixed. Plus they didn't even put 89 in there (or apparently even let you string 8 and 9 together), so there is that. Come on, he made the offense last year and was giving out tickets to PSL owners this year.

 

I really hope that Ravens web people read this and get the problem fixed by the time the season starts.

I'm not messing with them until they replace these >>>         on this site.

[ibleedpurpleandblack]

So this guys argument or "knock" on Ray is that he needed bodies in front of him to block? Really, what linebacker doesn't need people in front of him to block in order to shoot gaps and follow the ball carrier?

[YYZ66]

Both Harbaugh and tomin have won Super Bowls, both are players coaches, both are intense competitors who have a hard time beating each other...but Harbaugh is not a cheater

 

Now that you mention it, I don't ever remember seeing Harbs step onto the field to try to trip up a punt returner......

[NCMan]

Why yes Torrey, bears do!

I'm guessing some of them prefer to use the locker room......at least on Game Day.

[TXRavensFan]

Now that you mention it, I don't ever remember seeing Harbs step onto the field to try to trip up a punt returner......

 

No wonder he got an extension - not only is he a decent coach, but he also helps out on special teams when needed!