[News] Late For Work 8/7: Why Ravens Are Envy Of So Many NFL Teams

[hen826957]

I wouldn't mind Ozzie sign Benard Pollard honestly. Yeah he could probably let less yellow flags but gives us more physically on the backend of our defense plus I would love to see Pollard and Will Hill at the same time on the field during run situations. I would love to see those two hard hitting safeties at the same time crushing players. :-)

[StrongSideRavens]

I'm not sure how I feel about Pollard coming back, he was a liability in coverage but definitely HIT like a Raven. However, it's obvious Harbs had everything to do with his release especially after losing Ed Reed that offseason.. why get rid of our other starting safety? Pollard might have more cons than pros for this football team I'm pretty content with Will Hill at SS. He made the most out of his second chance and he's still young.

[bioLarzen]

So do special teams players count as starters? If so Koch and Tucker should be on that list.

 

Edit: Pitta was a starter as well.

 

OK, I just checked:

 

Starters at the Super Bowl - players who were actually on the field for the first play (highlighted: still on the Ravens roster today):

 

DEFENSE

Suggs

Ngata

Kemoeatu

Art Jones

Upshaw

Ellerbe

Ray Lewis

Reed

Pollard

Cary Williams

Corey Graham

 

Here's a screenshot - only Graham is missing:

 

OFFENSE:

 

Flacco

McKinney

Oher

KO

Birk

Yanda

Leech

Rice

Jacoby Jones

Torrey Smith

Boldin

 

Here's the screenshot. Jacoby and Rice are ath the bottom, Torrey at the top left. Ed Dickson was designated as the starting TE (according to the graphics), but you can see him at the sideline, in the top right corner of the screenshot:

 

So, in fact we had no TE on the field for our first O-snap.

 

Fun fact: if we also consider the ST as starters, Jimmy Smith was, indeed, a starter, as he was in the coverage team for Tucker's kickoff:

 

KICKOFF TEAM:

 

Tucker (Behind McLellan, running backwards for the kickoff)

Jimmy Smith

David Reed (between Jimmy and Bynes)

Bynes (56)

Considine (37)

McLellan (50)

Ayenbadejo (51)

Ihedigbo

Anthony Allen (35)

Upshaw

Chykie Brown

 

Screenshot:

[bioLarzen]

If Pollard was worth bringing back, Ozzie would have already signed him.

 

Not necessarily. Pollard's market was nonexistent so far, so it seems unlikely he'd be off the market any time soon. And we have depth at safety, we just don't yet know how trustable it is - so, why not wait and see how the depth works in the pre-season games...  If needed, Pollard will probably still be around when the pre-season ends and the roster cuts start.

 

... which is also the time when suddenly a lot of players become available - with quite a few safeties among them presumably...

[ravensrock007]

The Watercooler bit was hilarious! And yes Joe, please, please, don't say anything about playing time.

[Minionhunter]

I hope all the injured Ravens heal quickly with no long term problems.

[Crusader]

"Why Ravens Are Envy Of So Many NFL Teams" I first read that I thought why would Ravens be envy of anyone?You forgot the "the". Why Ravens Are The Envy Of So Many NFL Teams

[bostonraven]

We know that there is a strong likelihood that we play the PATS again this year in the post-season. We also know how much Pollard likes them. Please oh please, bring him back.

[omar586]

that urschel clip is hilarious. lol

[EdTheMythicalOne]

Right now you have Pollard whom is pretty much a known quantity. Rupturing his Achilles tendon; despite how well he's recovered from it, didn't do him any favors. He's also been known to rub teams the wrong way a bit. The demand for him really isn't very high in the market and since we already have younger guys on the roster who could provide the same level of production I think it would be silly to go after him right now. You know roster cuts will be coming throughout the pre-season and I bet you dollars to donuts that Ozzie already has every team's bubble players highlighted that he's interested in and will see if they are cut. There's usually a guy or two Ozzie grabs like this. These younger guys might offer a bit more upside than Pollard. There is also the notion that he should be sharing time with Will Hill and not starting along side him. That would possibly be one of the worst pass coverage tandems in the league. I'm also not really feeling warm and fuzzy with the whole, "Coach and I will have to have a man to man talk first..." Pollard's price might be right, but I don't know if he's the right player.

[law215]

We need safety depth with Elam out. Make the Move OZ.

[FloridalovesRavens]

I don't see any reason not to get Pollard. He helped us win the SB and knows our defense. He may not be the nicest guy but who cares if he contributes. We just may need him who knows.

[runcontrol]

I don't see any reason not to get Pollard. He helped us win the SB and knows our defense. He may not be the nicest guy but who cares if he contributes. We just may need him who knows.

You can make the argument that he helped the team get to the Super Bowl, but he is the reason they almost lost that game against San Fran. The 49ers were able to recognize Pollard's lack of coverage skills and used that to march up and down the field.

[FloridalovesRavens]

We won though didn't we. No one person wins or loses a game my friend.

[mearzunkies]

CAW CAW CAW

[MiamiRaven55]

I wouldn't mind seeing Pollard back, I liked and loved the nastiness he brought on the field. Unfortunately I believe the locker room uprising and the comments he made post Ravens are too much for the Front Office to forget. But this is a personal opinion, and sometimes you put business 1st over what your personal feelings are.

Edited August 7, 2015 by MiamiRaven55

[tygRrr]

I bet the media here in Baltimore wouldn't mind having Pollard back either, remember when he won the "Media Good Guy" award? http://www.scout.com/nfl/ravens/story/1146669-ravens-updateBut I actually think right now we're better suited to sign a hungry, young safety who can take the back-up role behind Lewis and Hill, if we were to sign a safety at all at this point

[RavenzOz]

We know that there is a strong likelihood that we play the PATS again this year in the post-season. We also know how much Pollard likes them. Please oh please, bring him back.

 

Damn that brought a wicked grin to my face :->  

I'd be happy for Pollard to come back, so long as their are no locker room issues, maybe just make him locker buddies with SSS (which seems to be my solution for everything lately)

 

 

Hello, special teamers are people to...

 

cue Ralph Wiggam quote ... and yeah our wolfpack is one of the best in the league at their business

[MYTH420]

Who's Not Hot. Asa Jackson and Arthur Brown, that's not surprising. Personally, I don't have either of them making this year's team. I have Orr as our 4th ILB, and Vaughn as our 6th CB.

[RAVENSNAYSHUN]

The Ravens are not known for dating their exes. Pollard to me is the epitome of how to "play like a Raven", however, if we made the decision to cut him 2 yrs ago directly after a year in which he contributed greatly which ended with a Super Bowl win, I don't see us signing him 2 years later. There was obviously something behind that decision that had nothing to do with production. He led the team in tackles that season and if fans can remember, the Ravens had signed him to a 3-yr extension several months before we let him go so he and Harbs or he and the FO evidently bumped heads along the way. I remember the same conversation had about bringing McAlister, Reed, and a few others back...and despite the need, the Ravens never looked back to the past. Harbs has filtered out every outspoken player throughout the years who don't completely buy in no matter their production(all except Ray who eventually did buy in and retired on his own merits and Reed who decided to leave)... similar to what Chip Kelly is doing now but w/o the racial epithets. That could be because Harbs seems to relate a lot better with his team and former Ravens players than Chip does.

Edited August 8, 2015 by RAVENSNAYSHUN

[PaleoRaven]

The Redskin fans that I know are so die-hard loyal!  Every year they say, "This is our year."  And every year, by week six, they're saying, "Next year's our year!"  I feel bad for them; but considering how many of them are former Colts fans who jumped ship in the 80s, I don't feel too bad for them.    Still, a Ravens/Redskins Superbowl would be a lot of fun, especially before PC Police make them change their name.

I don't know about that; it seems like every single year the "Hear it from Fans" section of the WYTS preview of the Redskins includes at least 1 comment about how Redskins fans are jumping ship for the Ravens

[b93333]

Without Elam Pollard seems like a good fit... he and Harbs would have to hash out a few things first but nothing that's not doable.

[stampedehero]

Pollard was an all time favorite of mine.  However, the NFL would penalize him and send our D team down the field because of his great aggresive play.  I miss those days and Pollard was a prime example  of a safety who could tackle and punish.