[News] Asa Jackson Makes His Bid For Returner Job

[BR News]

The cornerback had a 103-yard kickoff return, but also fumbled a punt later in the game.

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[PalmBayRaven]

Nope, cut him. Time to move on. Get someone else. He had his chances and blew it.

[hen826957]

I really want Ozzie to boost our special teams Cordarrelle Patterson or Trindon Holiday in a trade or even release. :-)

[January J]

I think he made a bid to get cut. His defensive play was horrendous, and he is far from being a return " specialist" so he is not worth a roster spot IMO.

[fusuymada]

Knowing whether he should have fielded that punt is a rookie mistake. Jackson is a fourth year player but when you miss so much time, and your cornerback play is so bad, you risk your roster position. If a proven returner becomes available after final cuts we need to grab him and cut Jackson. I view Jackson as a last resort so let's wait to see who gets cut to see if we have to rely on the last resort or not.

[reed20fence]

Honestly my initial reaction wasnt to be upset about the muffed punt return. All week long our media guys were saying how Harbs and Rossburg couldnt understand why teams kept kicking touchbacks against us when one of the main unspoken themes of preseason is to deliberately kick returnable balls so bubble players on all sides could have a chance to make their case for making the roster on special teams.

It may be the case that Asa fealt pressure to make something out of nothing on the return just to have a chance to get something, anything, on tape for the punt team. I know Rossburg really chewed him out but you gotta give the kid some slack, he's been surrounded by at least 10-15 bubble guys desparate to showcase some form of tackling, blocking, wedge-setting and returning ability so they can squeeze by another week.

Edited August 30, 2015 by reed20fence

[law215]

Asa is simply the best returner on the roster (right now). There are more reasons to cut him and keep a Magee (who has out-played Buck Allen to this point) or Butler than to keep him. Bad CB, injury prone, poor tackler. I hope Ravens are looking at the waiver wire come Tuesday and someone becomes available. Injuries have challenged depth.

[Bohica5]

I agree that he's had his chance's.....he's a subpar corner....Cut him.......

[Flamengo1265]

If the defensive secondary, including Asa, doesn't improve, Asa and the kickoff return team will be on the field pretty often.

[letitgosometimes]

Preseason determines who gets to play on varsity - "The List" will be posted very soon. The List will include Fitzgerald Toussaint multipurpose running back, special teams, and most importantly the varsity kick-off and punt returner. The Ravens did the right thing testing out others in preseason, but when it counts: Toussaint is their man! Ravens are not fooling around during the regular season, they know Toussaint does it all.

[Shaky End of the Quarter]

Ohh another thing. Don't wait or sleep on Upshaw. Besides Darryl, CJ Mosley and Suggs nobody else can tackle on defense. Pay the man before he gets too expensive.

[Dorota]

That return looked good. From who we have on the roster right now, I'd keep the competition between Asa Jackson and Terrence Magee. Both have shown a spark, but both need improvement. Alternatively, search for a returner outside of what you have. Giving one of the returns to Magee, who seems to be shifty and I liked him as a RB too will give him a more solid case to stay on the roster with so many other RBs in the run.

[Purple Dawg 96]

Asa "Ace Boogie" Jackson is a playmaker! Can prolly throw him in on offense sometimes! A Lil jolt of electricity! This team loaded to the teeth with talent and this is just the beginning!

[bioLarzen]

"Asa Jackson Makes His Bid For Returner Job"

 

He had one very good return - and two ridiculous mistakes. I wouldn't call that an especially impressive bid.

 

Remeber guys: David Reed and Tandon Doss both had returns for TD - and in real games, not pre-seasoners. Did that make them good returners? No. As long as Asa will do anything good once per season, it's gonna be precious little.

 

I still think we should defiitely try and find a returner when the chopblocks start to work.

Edited August 30, 2015 by bioLarzen

[GENE2407]

This guy can't cover and that's a lot more important to me than running back a kick.

[Crusader]

know Jones had a bad year but releasing before you had someone was dumb.

[Jim Giampaoli]

We don't have a returner. Qadry said after Jackson was caught on the two yd. line "put on the afterburners, don't let him catch you." When you have five yds. on your defender, its in the house. Our red zone offense is still bad. Our running attack got bogged down. Allen was bad. Next Thursday, we may see what Toussaint can do.

Edited August 30, 2015 by Jim Giampaoli

[pcwag33]

He demonstrated the right aptitude and attitude for the job; ...the wisdom will come quickly.

[ellicottraven]

That one play may not be enough to assure Asa of a roster spot. He needs to play good defense as well but we all know he isn't.

[huntrgathrr]

He just won the returner job IMO. Campanaro is getting cut, being hurt ALL the time is a luxury we can't afford. No room for Carter either. This 53 man roster is the tightest I've seen it in years. Reid is gone too. So are Webb and Trawick. So is Zach Orr and maybe one of the following: Means/McClellan/Brown.

The roster is just too tight. Now that Taliaferro is injured we have to keep either Toussaint or McGhee to start the season. With Pitta on PUP/IR we have to keep Boyle as well. With Tyson and Jernigan sufferring some type of injury it wouldn't even surprise me if the kept Bikuldi. We only have Davis, Williams, Canty and Guy healthy on the defensive front right now and that won't cut it.

But Jackson will start as the returner. If he fumbles Steve Smith or Aiken/Butler will get the call.

With the depth we have this year guys that keep getting injured are going to be finally let loose: Camapanaro, Webb, and Reid being the most prominent. They will give Perriman a year but if he doesn't heal up and deliver he'll be a casualty next year as well.

[jravens13]

I am not sold on Asa doing kicks or punts. I thought he did a poor job communicating on short punts, not telling people to get out of the way, and he also had the fumble. I don't think he is a good corner either being undersized and a poor tackler. That doesn't sound like the best use of a roster spot to me. I wish we drafted a return specialist to replace Jacoby. The position is so vital to field position and not giving breaks to teams. There were some years where we rolled the dice previously that didn't turn out well. We shall see if any free agents become available when teams cut to 53.

[dirtybird66]

anyone who think's ASA JACKSON should be the returner oviously has a bolt lose,let's see, he got caught from behind with a 10 yard lead over the defender's,he fumbled once and seemed like he almost fumbled on every catch.also didn't call for a fair catch and also almost lost the ball and got creamed which would lead to injuring himself.if CAMPENARO wasn't such a great receiver i'd put him there,but they need to try someone else back there,anyone agree?

[Crusader]

Ravens have 1 interception compared to 6 of their opponents and that one was Suggs. Ravens are not going to win any turnover battles this year.

[RavensBaltimore]

He just won the returner job IMO. Campanaro is getting cut, being hurt ALL the time is a luxury we can't afford. No room for Carter either. This 53 man roster is the tightest I've seen it in years. Reid is gone too. So are Webb and Trawick. So is Zach Orr and maybe one of the following: Means/McClellan/Brown. The roster is just too tight. Now that Taliaferro is injured we have to keep either Toussaint or McGhee to start the season. With Pitta on PUP/IR we have to keep Boyle as well. With Tyson and Jernigan sufferring some type of injury it wouldn't even surprise me if the kept Bikuldi. We only have Davis, Williams, Canty and Guy healthy on the defensive front right now and that won't cut it. But Jackson will start as the returner. If he fumbles Steve Smith or Aiken/Butler will get the call. With the depth we have this year guys that keep getting injured are going to be finally let loose: Camapanaro, Webb, and Reid being the most prominent. They will give Perriman a year but if he doesn't heal up and deliver he'll be a casualty next year as well.

There are all kinds of things wrong with this post. First of all, our first round draft pick hasn't even missed a real game yet, and you're already talking about cutting him next year? That would cost the team more than keeping him, the Ravens don't give up on early draft picks that soon, and there is still a very good chance Perriman could be an impact player as early as this year. Barring a career ending injury or some type of Ray Rice situation, there is zero chance Perriman gets cut next year. Also, Webb is not getting cut. He's injured a lot, but cutting him doesn't save us much money, and we can't afford to cut any good, veteran corners. Webb was our top corner late last year and in the playoffs. You say Camp is getting cut like it's a fact, but I think there is a very small chance of that happening. He's too good when he's on the field, and none of the other receivers besides SSS have shown they can consistently get separation. If having a long injury history kept players off the team, Jackson wouldn't make it either. He has been missed most of his career because of injuries, and he has not shown that he can play corner well enough to keep him. If he does win the returner job, it will be by default, because as of right now, no one else has shown they can be our returner.

[Maryland]

I think he won the kick returner job (although no one is really challenging him). However, punt returner is a different story. For fair catches they will absolutely have Webb or SSS do it.

[stampedehero]

He proved he can play D and ST. A multiple asset.  Looks like he relishes the role.

[stampedehero]

I didn't throw away my worn out #27 jersey.

[RavenManiac#7]

Actually, Asa made Two mistakes on punt return opportunities. Before the one that he should have made the fair catch on, he totally muffed another one by letting it fall to the ground, after signaling a fair catch, and it rolled a considerable distance down the field deeper into our territory. That, of course, gave us a much worse place to start that drive from. He had all kinds of room to make that fair catch. No defender was near him. Yes, he had the long kickoff return, but I'm still not convinced that he's a good option as our returner. I think Ozzie should be watching very closely the cuts as teams whittle down to their 75, then 53 man rosters in the hopes of finding a better option than Asa. Of course, he does have one more preseason game to impress. Remember, most kickoffs will result in touchbacks, so it's the punt returns that will offer us the most and best chances for good field position and scores. And on those, Asa miffed twice. I don't know that one good kickoff return negates that fact. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm just not convinced that he's the right guy yet.

[ellicottraven]

Sorry folks, but I don't think Asa won a roster spot with one run attributable to great blocking and a thousand snaps of poor play.

[January J]

He just won the returner job IMO. Campanaro is getting cut, being hurt ALL the time is a luxury we can't afford. No room for Carter either. This 53 man roster is the tightest I've seen it in years. Reid is gone too. So are Webb and Trawick. So is Zach Orr and maybe one of the following: Means/McClellan/Brown.The roster is just too tight. Now that Taliaferro is injured we have to keep either Toussaint or McGhee to start the season. With Pitta on PUP/IR we have to keep Boyle as well. With Tyson and Jernigan sufferring some type of injury it wouldn't even surprise me if the kept Bikuldi. We only have Davis, Williams, Canty and Guy healthy on the defensive front right now and that won't cut it.But Jackson will start as the returner. If he fumbles Steve Smith or Aiken/Butler will get the call.With the depth we have this year guys that keep getting injured are going to be finally let loose: Camapanaro, Webb, and Reid being the most prominent. They will give Perriman a year but if he doesn't heal up and deliver he'll be a casualty next year as well.

camp and Webb getting cut?

Come on man your smarter than that.