[News] Late For Work 8/17: Still Concerned About Young Ravens Tight Ends? You Shouldn't Be

[BR News]

Lewis' post-Katrina path. Flacco faster than you think. Tyrod update. Suggs not taking it easy on Schaub.

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[salamander]

Thrilled to see how well our TE's are adapting to the NFL level of play. It's a steep learning curve at the TE position so I am very pleased that all 3 are already out there competing at a fairly high level. Lots to learn yet but our future looks bright, if not brilliant, at the TE position.

[ryananth]

I've got a good feeling about Kendrick Lewis. He'll be the next great safety the Ravens have from New Orleans.

[stixfix69]

The thing about Crockett, and Boyle is they both came in knowing their first responsibility would be blocking, and catching would be a bonus if they could...Crockett showed he can do both well so far, and Boyle as well.....Maxx was brought in to be more of the receiving TE threat, and that is why he is probably behind with his blocking skills...And i guess you can say more raw at it than the other two....JMO.....

[NorthDakotaRaven]

Thought it was a 4th and 20? That looks like a New England pong ball haha

[Dorota]

Fans are comforted after TEs performance in preseason as well as in training camp. We have three guys that are able to do different things and Ravens can use in different situations and all of them are able to catch! I wouldn't worry about Maxx, he's young, he's straight out of college and Ravens' weight conditioning program will bulk him up some. And then fear the Big Boy!

 

Flacco is fast, but I appreciate that he downplays that. Two reasons. 1) We don't want defenses to expect him to scramble and be mobile and gain yards through his legs 2) If he doesn't pride in speed, he's less likely to get into situations that may get him injured recklessly. He has a solid OL, let him do his thing behind them

 

Good on Tyrod! Riding the bench for four years is a tough thing to do and I've never seen him complain, so I wish him the ability to seize on the opportunity and show what he learnt from Flacoo and show some continuous development and progress.

Edited August 17, 2015 by Dorota

[ellicottraven]

Sizz we love you but go easy on Schaub man! Don't be mean to Matt because he's done nothing to warrant meanness! Come on and be a great and welcoming leader!

[stixfix69]

I used to call Flacco Gumby, from all the hits he has taken, he always bounced back up....His durability is very underrated as well....And that 1-4 road warrior mark is stout, maybe someday the haters will pay attention to those stats....

[alexbayrobin]

I'm looking forward to a great year from Crockett and I think maybe eventually Max will be come first string and we will have two great tight ends. This guy Boyle may surprise everybody. Women referees? Great idea.

[alexbayrobin]

Oh, And I hope Tyrod does and great job playing for my Dad's team. Maybe Rex will make that team great again and they can beat New England every time.

Edited August 17, 2015 by alexbayrobin

[balfan23]

On Maxx - the dude is 20. He's still a big puppy to some degree. When his body fully matures as he continues to learn the game, he's going to be dangerous. Combine that with Gilmore, who is already physically ready, but who is still building his ability as a receiver and Boyle as a 3rd option ... that's a solid set of TEs.

[Dorota]

Thank you for the link to Jeff Zrebiec's article on Kendrick Lewis, it's a good one. Hope Lewis turns out to be everything he seems to be. Talented, respected and vocal, on the football field and off the football field in situations where he can make a difference. I'll be expecting some big plays from him and an altogether improved performance from the secondary this year. This of course won't be just Lewis' input, but he's part of the chemistry that should make them a better team this year.

[salamander]

Never tire of watching replays like this 1 of Max or any time a player shows the guts and determination to make a huge play with the game on the line, refusing to go down, imposing their will to win over the opponent. If Max and the Raven's play with this level of passion this season, we fans are in for 1 exciting ride.

Edited August 17, 2015 by salamander

[stixfix69]

I really hope the starters on both sides of the ball play at least a quarter, hard to guage them on a series or two...Anxious to see how the secondary plays....Eagles fast paced offense will test them....

[Ravensfansince03]

I don't know about fans being concerned over the TE position. Since day 1 I was saying we will have a beast TE group starting with Gilmore, and that was before the draft. Now we have Mad Max and Boyle behind him so it is sky's the limit for Flacco.

[Ravensfansince03]

NFL network made that Terrell Suggs on Shaub thing a headline smh.

[omar586]

i hope tyrod starts and plays well, so we can get nice draft pick.

[Ravensfansince03]

It is all love when Suggs says things like that. You guys must of forgot when he would constantly yell at Flacco during Flacco's iffy days, especially after they signed him to his big contract.

[MichaelJ34]

Seriously should a Raven Fan in the Ozzie Newsome GM era ever be concerned about our TEs? I think not .... Ozzie knows TE's better than anyone! He has the jacket to prove it.

[budman]

I just know that Perriman needs to get on the field very very soon. This is very valued time that he is missing with Flacco. Timing is everything and it just doesn't happen over night. Here's hoping it happens soon.

[DaRupp]

Harrison bugs me, lots of stuff I don't like about him. But on participation trophy, we absolutely agree. He said it perfectly.

[salamander]

Excellent message from James Harrison teaching his kids that they need to earn a trophy with accomplishments. I have put my Steelers prejudice aside for the moment and need to tip my hat to Harrison. A great lesson for his kids and a great message to the youth sports culture.

[reed20fence]

There's just a level of confidence in the 2015 version that's refreshing.

In the secondary, especially the safeties, you just feel safer with Kendrick Lewis and Will Hill patrolling back there rather than younger guys with serious coverage skill issues. Add Webby and Jimmy back healthy and you've got easily a top 10 secondary. You get a stout front 7 with all our LBs back and suddenly the defense is one people want to avoid playing.

On the other side, in spite of losing Torrey and OD, it somehow still feels like we got better. I mean we're a pretty formidable offense as it is, and then you remind people that one of the top 3 fastest guys in the league, Perriman, hasn't even suited up yet. Once you introduce that kid to this scheme, suddenly those 4-5-6 yard gains that the o-line wills turn into 15-20-25 yard tromps. Might as well call this offense "pick your poison" once Perriman is up and running.

Edited August 17, 2015 by reed20fence

[Amesr52]

The tightends look great but I was more impressed by Boyle in the 1st preseason game. He was catching everything thrown his way and his blocking was great too. Williams def has the best playmaking potential of all the TEs but you can def tell he's not as strong as the rest of these guys. He should def benefit from another year in the ravens weight room with Crockett. And of pitta miraculously gets cleared we will have best TE group in football.

[Bat-mite]

"What are we going to do?! We lost Sharpe!" Then along comes Heap. "What are we going to do?! We lost Heap!" Then along comes Pitta. "What are we going to do?! We lost Pitta!" Then along come Daniels. "What are we going to do?! We lost Daniels!" Then along comes.... Relax, worriers!

[RavensVAfan]

This participation trophy thing all depends on the age of the kids and what can motivate them. Younger need different forms of encouragement than older and every kid is different.

[GO_Ravens]

It may sound crazy but Arthur Brown will be one of the Ravens best defensive players in the next year or two just watch. That guy is smart and very instinctive he has just come on really slow but he is starting to really pick it up.

[Halshayeji]

Seriously should a Raven Fan in the Ozzie Newsome GM era ever be concerned about our TEs? I think not .... Ozzie knows TE's better than anyone! He has the jacket to prove it.

Perfectly said. He can pull productive TEs from an empty black hat all day every day. "Jacket to prove it" lol

[bioLarzen]

Are you planning to have this new layout with black background and grey text for long? Just asking, because it's pretty hard to read, and the segment titles are still in black, so now they are only visible if you highlight them...

Edited August 17, 2015 by bioLarzen

[stixfix69]

I agree bioLarzen, had to zoom up to 110% in order to read the stuff....