Left Guard

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

So Stanley is a virtual lock for the LT position right? I expect the rookie year to have some ups and downs, but honestly... There's no way in hell he is worse than James Hurst. So as long as he can stay healthy I am okay with this. Who lines up at guard? I don't like Urschel, I think Jensen is unproven, and I'd honestly rather have Lewis at backup LT and have us cut Mr. James "I hate Joe Flacco" Hurst. Should we try and trade for someone? Honestly, I don't think the line is in terrible shape, but we need a LG. Badly.

[ALPHA]

I like what I've seen from Urschel and Jensen but would give the edge to Jensen.

[rmw10]

It'll likely be Urschel or Jensen.  A veteran addition at some point could make a push.  As much as I'd hate it, I wouldn't overlook Ducasse either.

[ludy51]

Jenson has apparently been a monster so far

[allblackraven]

I reckon Jensen will be LG, Urschel backup at LG and C.

I wouldn't mind bringing in Jahri Evans on a vet minimum deal, either.

[VeiledPsychosis]

Jensen never lost his job. There was never any indication other than fan assertions that Stanley would be playing LG at any point.

[K-Dog]

If Stanley was stinking it up at OTA's and minicamps this thread would not exist.
Monroe is gone in part because Stanley proved it was okay for him to move on. 

[JoeyFlex5]

I thought jensen has looked darn good in limited time, starting caliber for sure, and I think he's looked a good bit better than urschel who I think is grade a depth. 

 

I haven't seen Lewis yet, but he strikes me as a swing guy and the rare swing guy who may be better off at RT. Thats his advantage over the rest. 

 

Really though I think it's jensens job to lose and he runs away with it and never looks back. I think he's underrated.

[Cillmatic]

21 minutes ago, K-Dog said:

If Stanley was stinking it up at OTA's and minicamps this thread would not exist.
Monroe is gone in part because Stanley proved it was okay for him to move on. 

How good can you look without pads on? I'm not saying the Stanman isn't good but at this point we have no idea how he'll play.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Cillmatic

[Cillmatic]

2 minutes ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

I thought jensen has looked darn good in limited time, starting caliber for sure, and I think he's looked a good bit better than urschel who I think is grade a depth. 

 

I haven't seen Lewis yet, but he strikes me as a swing guy and the rare swing guy who may be better off at RT. Thats his advantage over the rest. 

 

Really though I think it's jensens job to lose and he runs away with it and never looks back. I think he's underrated.

I liked him too, if I remember correctly he had a injury problem too though, didn't he?

[JoeyFlex5]

2 minutes ago, Cillmatic said:

I liked him too, if I remember correctly he had a injury problem too though, didn't he?

I know he did early on but i feel like he's been healthy for a relatively good streak now.  I could be wrong though.

[rmw10]

16 minutes ago, Cillmatic said:

I liked him too, if I remember correctly he had a injury problem too though, didn't he?

Broke his foot year 1 and then had a sleep apnea issue in year 2.  It sounds like the latter has been taken care of, though.

[JoeyFlex5]

3 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

Broke his foot year 1 and then had a sleep apnea issue in year 2.  It sounds like the latter has been taken care of, though.

I would think the former as well

[757RavensFan]

They say Alex Lewis has impressed the coaches. So he's another possibility at LG.

Not keen on having 2 rookies next to each other on Joe's blind side though. 

Edited June 16, 2016 by 757RavensFan

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

2 hours ago, K-Dog said:

If Stanley was stinking it up at OTA's and minicamps this thread would not exist.
Monroe is gone in part because Stanley proved it was okay for him to move on. 

Idk. Monroes gone bc he's gone. That decision was clearly made a while ago. 

I haven't heard any rave reviews on Stanley. Expectations yes, but no ones pointed out in particular that he's excelling. 

And even if he was, making a personnel decision like releasing Monroe based purely on how a rookie looked without pass on or actual NFL pass rushers (he's going against mainly rookies). 

Monroe was gone regardless of how Stanley looked. 

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

Well Ducasse and Herremans I see as guys that are here purely in case one of the expected guys doesn't grab the position and make it theirs. 

I think Jensens got the early lead even though he and Urschel are likely close - I think they'd rather Jensen as they see Urschel as the eventual starter at center. 

I personally like Jensen bc he brings some of that nasty KO had. He's a gritty, dirty kind of blocker. We need that to get this run game going again. Then again I've never seen Lewis so he might have that too.

Lewis will put up a fight. I see it being between Jensen and Lewis. May the best man win. 

[K-Dog]

2 hours ago, Cillmatic said:

How good can you look without pads on? I'm not saying the Stanman isn't good but at this point we have no idea how he'll play.

I have a hunch the coaches and what not know what specifically to look for and what does and does not transfer over to game time situations.  They are looking at this stuff far more than you and I do, and they know a heck of a lot more about what it takes to make it in a live NFL game. 

[K-Dog]

I think if Monroe was the best we had things would be different. 

[Halshayeji]

6 hours ago, VeiledPsychosis said:

Jensen never lost his job. There was never any indication other than fan assertions that Stanley would be playing LG at any point.

I don't think Jensen ever secured the job. KO was the starter and Urschel was first off the bench. Jensen only played when KO moved to LT to cover for Monroe and Urschel to C because of Zuttahs injury. 

[Winchester]

Ravens most dominant line-up was Jensen at left guard, Urschel at center and Yanda at rg. Harbs loved how physical the play was. Agressive maulers on the oline give the defensive lineman something to think about aside from making the tackle/sack

[757RavensFan]

3 hours ago, Winchester said:

Ravens most dominant line-up was Jensen at left guard, Urschel at center and Yanda at rg. Harbs loved how physical the play was. Agressive maulers on the oline give the defensive lineman something to think about aside from making the tackle/sack

"IF" this was the case, why is Zuttah presently getting all of the 1st team reps at center during OTAs and mini camp?

[JoeyFlex5]

Regarding Stanley not getting a lot of reports... Good. The sign of a great LT is silence. If you're hearing your LTs make called its a bad thing. 

 

AND look at how incredibly wrong team reporters are when they start hype trains based on OTAs and training camp.. I don't know if they've EVER hyped a player up in the off-season and had their hype come to fruition...

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

12 minutes ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

Regarding Stanley not getting a lot of reports... Good. The sign of a great LT is silence. If you're hearing your LTs make called its a bad thing. 

 

AND look at how incredibly wrong team reporters are when they start hype trains based on OTAs and training camp.. I don't know if they've EVER hyped a player up in the off-season and had their hype come to fruition...

In fairness though, we typically only perceive it as hype when its a player we dont really know or expect to do anything... and that type of player standing out doesnt necessarily win them a starting job, but maybe puts them into the conversation for a roster spot. Like Deandre Carter for example... he got hyped, and didnt make the team. I dont think that necessarily means the hype was misguided - it was just he had an incredibly up-hill battle to make the team anyways. The fact that he got incredibly close to making it, justifies the hype imo.

When they hype guys like SSS was coming in, or Weddle is now - we dont really look at that as "hype" bc we expect that type of guy to be making plays and standing out. We know the SSS hype was legit, and im betting Weddle will prove the same.

And you're right about the LT position - you dont want to hear their name called. But, i think thats moreso on game day. In the offseason though, especially when its a rookie, when the coaches are at the podium or the media is reporting what they saw I'd think if Stanley was killing it that would be mentioned or get noticed.

So far, the only real mention he's received has been Harbs saying he's the #6 pick and expected to start. He needs to win the job.... not he's out there winning the job or validating that #6 selection. Just - he NEEDS to. Which i almost took that as a challenge from Harbs. Step your game up now, and prove you're worth it... and prove our faith in you by letting Monroe walk is justified.

I could be reading that completely wrong but that was my first impression. Not to say he's not doing well, but with Suggs/Doom out and mainly rookies and former UDFA/PS type guys as the primary rushers, id expect Stanley to be shutting down the left side already. But, maybe he is and they just dont want to hype him and make him think hes already arrived.

[RaineV1]

I think it's Jensen's job to lose at this point. He'd have to really under perform for someone to take it from him. Jensen isn't much of downgrade from KO, and would be a starter for several teams in the NFL. Only reason he was a backup here is because of KO's insane amount of raw strength and athletic ability.

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

4 minutes ago, RaineV1 said:

I think it's Jensen's job to lose at this point. He'd have to really under perform for someone to take it from him. Jensen isn't much of downgrade from KO, and would be a starter for several teams in the NFL. Only reason he was a backup here is because of KO's insane amount of raw strength and athletic ability.

Idk... he played well in limited action, but i think Urschel was viewed as the primary backup. If we hadnt lost both Monroe and Zuttah, to where KO had to slide out to LT and Urschel had to play center, idk that Jensen would have received much time.

But i do agree at this point that its his job to lose, because i think they want Urschel to focus on center. Alex Lewis will be the primary competition for starter at LG. Ducasse or Herremans will make the team if Lewis doesnt show enough to be a reliable backup in case either Jensen or Zuttah goes down.

[elemento]

Jensen

 

He is the mauler we need @ LG. 

[Edgar]

Urschel's best position was right guard. I feel pretty good about him there should something happen to Yanda.

Lewis looks like a guard to me and I think he could be great with a season under his belt. I do think he was brought in as a potential RT replacement however.

I feel pretty good about Jensen at LG.

[JoeyFlex5]

I think urschel was the primary backup guard until jensen actually got playing time and played better. 

 

Also, urschel may never be a center. Some people just can't orchestrate, snap, and translate to blocking all at once, it's overwhelming. Personally I like ethan pocic a lot in the draft next year if we have a decent season, until then zuttah is our only real option it seems.

[Jaybirds]

It would be nice if we could move Yanda or Wagner over to the left side; stagger the newer guys with the vets. 

I feel like Jensen became our super-utility player on the line.  He was good enough to cover any of the spots, at least temporarily.  I'm hoping Alex Lewis shows enough that we can use him in that role.  Guard or tackle, I'd rather Jensen started mastering one role before we turn him into Eric Fisher.  If I had to guess, I'd say it'll be Stanley at LT and Jensen at LG.  For some reason I'm already comfortable with that. 

[Filmstudy]

I think the team needs another starting guard or backup interior lineman.

 

Despite some of the coach speak and some moments for Jensen in 2015, he didn't play well in a 6-game trial.  He was frequently penalized and had fall-off-the-table games versus St Louis and Seattle.  I like his physicality, but he's not a good pass blocker.

Here is my game-by-game grading for the OL for last season: http://russellstreetreport.com/filmstudy-ravens-offensive-line-grades-by-game-2015/

Urschel was also a big disappointment at center in 7 games of extended play for Zuttah.

Week-by-week OL commentary with explanations of these grades and the scoring method is available Here: http://russellstreetreport.com/author/filmstudy/

I'm hopeful both players can take a step forward, but the offensive success of this team depends on the Ravens finding a player who can be the starter at LG.  It's possible that could be Jensen or Urschel, but the fact the Ravens have tried out 33-year-old Todd Herremans should tell you where the Ravens believe they are thin.