Pre-Season Game 1 vs Saints- The Good and the Not so good,

[757RavensFan]

I was impressed with Quinton Pointer.  He played well considering where he is on the depth chart.

[gabrielgrissom]

finally someone else pointed it out! i feel like so many are just saying "he couldnt set the edge he didnt play very well blabla" 

 

well, setting the edge is a very refined skill, i doubt any rookie will know how to do it in their very first preseason game. 

 

and not getting the sack doesnt explain his night, i thought i saw tons of potential from him and i think he is going to be very special, as in a perennial double digit sack guy by year 3, unless his development gets completely stonewalled right here(practically impossible) then i dont know how you can frown on his performance just because he didnt fully capitalize.

all i saw was every ... about seven out of ten times he rushed the qb andrus peat would stand him up clean ... he is  arookie and will get better though and did show flashes ... but i think were blowing him up too much

[JoeyFlex5]

all i saw was every ... about seven out of ten times he rushed the qb andrus peat would stand him up clean ... he is  arookie and will get better though and did show flashes ... but i think were blowing him up too much

andrus peat was also in the mix for best OT in the draft. 

 

and like you said, hes a rookie, and i never said he played lights out or anything, i said he showed some serious potential and needs work to reach that potential. hes not there yet, but with the right coaching he could be special, and even with a very inconsistent night you could see that his potential is real if you paid attention. 

 

also, even suggs and dumervil get stonewalled on probably more than 50% of rush attempts, its the nature of the position, sacks arent easy to come by

[GrimCoconut]

So here are my thoughts after watching a replay:

KLM played bad for the most part. I didn't get to watch him closely in the game, and while he had some good plays, most of it was bad. This is his first real game ever, though, but I don't think he should make the team after what I saw. I think he'll stick around a little longer though.

Smith was okay. He got pressure but never finished. It's hard to compare him to McPhee because they're playing different positions atm compared to the same point in their careers. I'll give him time.

Williams looked like a rookie playing with an unrefined QB. He wasn't spectacular but was okay. He had his good and bad moments.

Arthur Brown played great albeit against backup backups. Lol

Zach Orr is like a translucent paper towel--he barely covers and when he does he mostly loses. McClellan and Orr both had their moments, good and bad.

Allen looked like a rookie RB and people should give him a break. He pass protected well. Lorenzo played awesome though. He looked really good.

I liked what I saw from Juszczyk. He should have a big role on offense. I guess a FB is useful on this team, huh?

Flacco and the starting OL looked solid. I liked Monroe quite a bit. He played well and I think his struggles were injury related last year. The backups were good, too. Jensen and Reid both impressed.

The WR corps is okay. It's a mixed bag. I hope Perriman plays next week.

Oh and Schaub looks fine!

[GrimCoconut]

I also am concerned about the pass rush. I'm hoping Means is okay. We didn't have Jimmy, Webb or Jernigan in there and those guys are all starters, so I won't hit the panic button yet. We had second string CB in there outside of Arrington.

Pointer, Walker and Melvin all had their moments.

[The Mom Gene]

I also am concerned about the pass rush. I'm hoping Means is okay. We didn't have Jimmy, Webb or Jernigan in there and those guys are all starters, so I won't hit the panic button yet. We had second string CB in there outside of Arrington.

Pointer, Walker and Melvin all had their moments.

Once we get Suggs and Dumervil in there, you'll see pass rush...  We need the Center of that line firmed up too.  But remember Grim, it was Preseason Game 1.

[sflegend89]

When they showed the dropped Maxx Williams TD from the endzone angle there was no way he was getting two feet down even if he hung on to the ball, all of his momentum was carrying him out of bounds and there were 2 saints players in the area for an easy force out if he tried to stall at the peak of the catch to tap his second foot down.

[Static]

Tray Walker was great. He played quite a bit but you'd never know it because his name wasn't called and as a Corner that is a GREAT THING.

[GrimCoconut]

Once we get Suggs and Dumervil in there, you'll see pass rush... We need the Center of that line firmed up too. But remember Grim, it was Preseason Game 1.

I thought they both were on the field? I know Smith played a ton of snaps, especially when Means went down. I am not concerned about the pass rushers but more of the depth of our pass rushers. I implied that but I forgot to specify lol. My bad. I've fiber that a lot lately.

I don't put much stock into little or no sacks in preseason. There is no scheming, so it's somewhat expected

Edited August 14, 2015 by GrimCoconut

[Static]

I thought they both were on the field? I know Smith played a ton of snaps, especially when Means went down. I am not concerned about the pass rushers but more of the depth of our pass rushers. I implied that but I forgot to specify lol. My bad. I've fiber that a lot lately.

 

I know for a fact Dumervil played

[sflegend89]

Tom Nelson. For being a converted safety, he looks like a polished receiver. I know we are log jammed at wideout, but I'd like to see him get some 1st team reps

 

Would definitely be interesting to see him face some better competition. Will probably get some burn with Schaub and the 2's in the next preseason game and face some better corners. I thought his body control was good and he does have some natural WR movement to him, definitely a long long shot to make the team with our current group but it certainly can't hurt to get him on the field earlier and see if he can replicate any of that success against better competition. 

[Static]

I'd like to see Tom Nelson in the returner competition 

[The Mom Gene]

I thought they both were on the field? I know Smith played a ton of snaps, especially when Means went down. I am not concerned about the pass rushers but more of the depth of our pass rushers. I implied that but I forgot to specify lol. My bad. I've fiber that a lot lately.

I don't put much stock into little or no sacks in preseason. There is no scheming, so it's somewhat expected

 

I know for a fact Dumervil played

They were.... but not very long.  I just don't see them putting it all out there yet. 

[rmw10]

Here's my full rundown.  I'll avoid most starters in the recap.

 

QB:

Schaub looked pretty good, and I'm more than happy with that type of performance from the backup.  The INT was on him to an extent, but also on Butler.  Renner did great to come back and get the W for us, but he's not going to be much more than a camp body/PS candidate.  It wasn't a terrible performance, but you could see a clear lack of accuracy and arm strength on multiple occasions.  I know he didn't have the best OL in front of him, but his mechanics under pressure were dreadful.

 

RB:

Taliaferro looks like the perfect guy for the #2 role.  He looks much slimmer, but much more ripped.  He's running much lower than he did last year.  Allen was a mixed bag.  He struggled at the start with poor vision, but started to turn it around.  His pass blocking ability is what stood out to me.  He hung tough on one play with allowed Schaub to go through his progressions.  Toussaint and Magee didn't get to show much behind the 3rd team OL.

 

WR:

Aiken didn't show much, but it seems he's locked into the #2/3 role, depending on Perriman.  Campanaro again showed what he can do as long as he stays healthy.  Waller was a bit up and down.  He showed that teams have to account for him.  He pulled the S across the field, opening up Camp for his TD.  However, he also got stifled at the line a few times on press coverage.  Butler was a disappointment.  He didn't do anything of note.  Carter looked pretty good in limited touches.  Nelson looked crisp in his routes, but he's clearly down the depth chart.  Robinson, D. Brown, and Steelman hardly played.

 

TE:

Gillmore looks to be dependable.  He won't be a YAC guy, but he looks solid over the middle as a mismatch.  Maxx was up and down.  The big play in the 4th Q is what will stand out, but he missed a potential TD catch and still has some work to be done on blocking.  That's to be expected from such a young guy, though.  Boyle looks like he could play a big part.  Like Gillmore, he's not a YAC guy, but he's tough and dependable over the middle.

 

OL:

Jensen was my standout.  He plays with such a nasty streak.  He was beat a couple of times, but overall, I was impressed.  Reid also looked good out there.  He had a few times where he was beat, but he looks much more comfortable at T rather than G, dating back to last preseason as well.  Hurst didn't do much, but didn't really mess up either.  K. Johnson, M. Jones, Wesley, Clausell, Baldwin, Easton, and L. Brown didn't inspire much confidence.

 

DL:

Davis was the obvious standout here.  He came on a little slow, but really blew up with more reps.  KLM was a disappointment to me, but it was also his first game back in a couple of years.  I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for that, but he seemed to get manhandled off the snap.  Guy looks to be another solid rotational piece.  Bilukidi also got eaten up on occasion.  He really struggled moving laterally across the line.  Once he was engaged, he was out of the play.

 

ILB:
Orr and McClellan were both a mixed bag.  Both were killed in coverage before the half, leading to a lot of points.  I like both as downhill guys, but the coverage aspect was very suspect.  They settled in a bit after the half.  Brown showed us a bit of why he was drafted highly.  His play to hit the gap and get to the ball carrier in the backfield is what we all thought we were getting.  With that great play came a few issues though.  He picked the wrong gap a couple of times.  He seemed solid enough, and I'd like to see him get more time with the 2s next week.  I'm not counting him out yet.  I saw more positive than negative.

 

OLB:

Smith was up and down.  His edge setting left a lot to be desired, and there were times he engaged and couldn't get off of blocks. There were encouraging signs though, and he was able to get some pressure on multiple occasions.  Beyer was the only guy with edge setting capabilities.  He really impressed me, but his downfall is that he just doesn't match up athletically.  He's a slow, prodding OLB.  Means didn't get much time due to injuries, but what I saw was positive.  He lost a few battles, but put a very nice swim move on Strief at one time, but Evans slid back to help.  He got some pressure and showed he has an idea about setting the edge in his limited time.

 

CB:

Ew.  Pointer was up and down.  He looked good with the first team, but he got drawn inside way too often, leaving the edge to be exploited.  As a slot CB, he can't bite inside that easily.  Vaughn looked awful.  I was not impressed by anything he did.  Melvin looked to be solid, but didn't get too much time.  He looks safe.  Jackson continues to struggle and get beat.  Walker was the surprise for me.  For as raw as he is, I thought he did a lot of things vet CBs still don't do.  He didn't shy away from contact.  The biggest standout was on the overthrow to Snead on 3rd down.  Walker played off coverage, played back to the first down line, and broke once the ball was released.  That's exactly what you teach.  Jacobs played well in limited snaps.  Greenwood did not play well in limited snaps.

 

S:

It was pretty ugly, to be honest.  Arrington wasn't bad, but you can tell he's still learning the position.  Levine didn't play well at all.  He will not like the film room today.  Trawick missed a big tackle and got the obvious stupid taunting penalty.  I did like the way we moved him all around the field, though.  Perry looked pretty good in limited snaps.

[The Mom Gene]

The end of that game last night when Renner ran that in for the Game was really heartwarming.  What a great play for that kid.  He had to feel awesome last night.  #gameball

[sflegend89]

I'd like to see Tom Nelson in the returner competition 

 

That's not really his skill set. He's not a ball skills type of player.. if you aren't putting a returner back there who can make people miss or return it to the house what's the point. I think Campanaro is our guy, especially at PR.

[Tru11]

That's not really his skill set. He's not a ball skills type of player.. if you aren't putting a returner back there who can make people miss or return it to the house what's the point. I think Campanaro is our guy, especially at PR.

 

yup for PR you need a special player or just save a roster spot and let webb/smity fair catch it.

[GrimCoconut]

I think PR is now far more vital than KR anyway. With the amount of touch backs, I see the relevance of KR diminishing. Not that I'm saying you don't need one, but a reserved role is clearly something of the past.

[ravensfan160]

If our starting safeties can stay healthy we'll be okay but if not we are in some serious trouble. Our backup safeties were horrible last night.

[balfan23]

On Maxx ...

 

The "Not-so-good": he's clearly a work in progress and we should not expect a lot out of him early on.

The "Good": once he ramps up to the speed of the NFL game and gets a little more physically mature, he's going to be dangerous.

[rmw10]

If our starting safeties can stay healthy we'll be okay but if not we are in some serious trouble. Our backup safeties were horrible last night.

 

Biggest concern for me right now, especially with how much poor safety play affected us last year.  I really hope Brooks can get healthy and ready for week 1.  If not, it's something I think we have to address.

[ravensfan160]

On Maxx ...

 

The "Not-so-good": he's clearly a work in progress and we should not expect a lot out of him early on.

The "Good": once he ramps up to the speed of the NFL game and gets a little more physically mature, he's going to be dangerous.

I wouldn't be surprised if Maxx is the #3 TE a lot this year especially if Trestman keeps up with his desire to run the football. Boyle looks like a much better blocker than Maxx at this point.

 

Maxx will be a good player but he probably needs a year not unlike Gillmore last year.

[sflegend89]

I think PR is now far more vital than KR anyway. With the amount of touch backs, I see the relevance of KR diminishing. Not that I'm saying you don't need one, but a reserved role is clearly something of the past.

 

Definitely true. KR is a diminishing role with all the touch backs since they moved up the kickoff spot a few years ago. PR is where it counts now in terms of chances to get a splash play or even just give your team better field position. You definitely want a guy in that role with speed and ball skills. To be honest I never even thought Jacoby had that great of ball skills, but he was so dang fast in a straight line and he had good enough vision to be a premiere return guy.

 

I think the guy on our roster that fits the ideal PR'er mold the best is Campanaro.. Fast, reliable hands, good ball skills, isn't a guy who is deemed too valuable to the offense to do the job like Forsett or SSS. Camp also returned punts in college so he has some experience and level of comfort doing it.

[ravensfan2430]

That's not really his skill set. He's not a ball skills type of player.. if you aren't putting a returner back there who can make people miss or return it to the house what's the point. I think Campanaro is our guy, especially at PR.

Agreed. My prediction is that Camp is 4th on the team in receptions this year. SSS, Forsett, Gilmore, Camp, Bresh, Aiken.

[sflegend89]

Biggest concern for me right now, especially with how much poor safety play affected us last year.  I really hope Brooks can get healthy and ready for week 1.  If not, it's something I think we have to address.

 

Agreed, to me the secondary depth is still concerning, primarily at safety. If Hill or Lewis had to miss any time I wouldn't feel good about any of our backups besides Brooks who's still inexperienced himself. Hopefully Ozzie is already 2 steps ahead of us looking at potential safeties since back when Elam went down. Even if we had to give up a 5th or 6th round pick for respectable safety so be it, that's a price I'm willing to pay for peace of mind at that position.

Edited August 14, 2015 by sflegend89

[TXRavensFan]

Here are the offense's PFF ratings for the game, for those of you who are interested in them:

 

[TXRavensFan]

...and the defense:

 

[Runnin Raven]

Pretty clear from the PFF rankings that Yanda is totally bringing the offense down

 

Seriously though, Tray Walker is the small school guy I am going to follow closely, as I did with Lardarius when he came into the league.  Just one game, his first anywhere near this level, but I really like what I saw out there.

[January J]

My favorite part is grunt of approval at :54 lol.

[Ravenseconbeast]

Tom Nelson. For being a converted safety, he looks like a polished receiver. I know we are log jammed at wideout, but I'd like to see him get some 1st team reps

I think he deserves a bump over aldrick Robinson and Butler.