RAVENS 2018 SEASON THREAD

I agree, great catch and good concentration, but to me, he is a first round pick and he was being guarded by a guy who will be pumping gas in a few weeks. He got zero separation and was blanketed by a 3rd or 4th string guy. I am more impressed with the throw. Right on the Money

 

Thus far, from what I've seen, these are my opinions

- First off, it's just pre-season.
- Flacco looks good. He looked like he was in playoff form. It was very limited time, but I don't remember the last time he's looked that good and all training camp news about him has been fantastic
- Crabtree is going to prove to be a great pick up
- The defense looks promising as always, but will they maintain that when the games matter.
- Tim William's is looking like the player who received tons of hype before his draft.
- Correa looks good also. Either it finally clicked or playing his natural position helped tremendously
- Kaufusi is showing better than last year (or the one before that
- Zeus Jr is going to be a good starting RT. Still gotta see how he does against speed guys.
- The backup o-line is trash.
- Chris Moore has looked much improved. He likely could have saved us the need for John Brown.
- Perriman looks good against future car salesmen and grocery store clerks.
- RG3 might play himself into a contract somewhere. He has looked great.
- And now, Lamar. His first quarter in this game was a huge improvement over the HoF game. His second quarter was mostly bad with some good moments. Still, he improved his spiral and his patience in the pocket. He still has a ways to go, but the improvement was there.

 

Perriman gave himself a little hope to make the roster IF he can show he can do this against the 1's. Otherwise he needs to go....to the CFL.

 

I was impressed a bit with LJ's passing development this game though I thought that the Rams defense was going to be much better than it looked last night. They were dominant last year if memory serves. The pass to Moore was particularly good tho' credit due on Moore who's also looked very Stephon Diggs-esque. LJ did give up a pair of sacks but that was more on the OL and can't fault the rookie much. Joe looked crisp and efficient. RG3 looks like a franchise QB again. Going to be tough to call at the end of pre-season whether to keep 2 or 3 QBs especially with the WRs we drafted and have to balance our talent to retain vs needs. Maybe keep RG on roster hoping to get a trade for draft pick if LJ continues to show improvement, then resign someone we dropped/placed on PS.

Loved the INT by Canady. That's what you want your 6-1 CBs to do! However, I didn't see Marlon Humphrey play last night. Did anyone else? He was struggling in training camp a couple weeks ago and wonder if he's not healthy.

Correa was quiet, but Tim Williams took a turn as the shining defensive player. He was all over field during training camp. (I'll look out for him when I go this Sunday again.

Still loving me some Alex Collins! Gus Edwards looked good too and was noticeable in TC as well. Doubt he makes the roster, maybe PS, but he should play in this league somewhere. Patrick Ricard showed off on offense again. Love that guy! Grant has been a gem for us so far, though he's going to have to wait to see the field as a receiver if they take him as a KR/PR man. Again, the decisions for QBs on roster are going to dictate if he stays with this team.

 

I'm taking yesterdays game with a grain of salt since the Rams didn't play any of their starters.

Joe looked great. Even against the 2nd team defense, he looked confident and healthy.
Crabtree, Snead, Brown, & Hayden Hurst are going to make a huge difference this year.
The running game looks even better than last year. Buck Allen could steal some snaps. Like that Gus Edwards. Could be another UDFA steal especially if Dixon can't stay healthy.
Defense is much improved and that's without Tony Jefferson so far. A more simplified playbook and allowing the players to play to their strengths makes a huge difference. Urban looks like he's back to full strength.
Tim Williams looks improved, but I'm still holding any excitement until i see him against a first string offense.
Correa could be a monster this year. He's seems to be in on or near every play. Getting back to his true position as well as a more simplified playbook have helped.
Zeus Jr is a good RT and will get better as his technique improves. Want to see him against speed rushers and 1st team defense.
Love, love, love Janarion Grant. Same with Chris Moore.
RG III should be kept as the 2nd QB, at least at the start of the season.
Lamar is getting better, but his happy feet remind me too much of Boller right now. I realize it's for a different reason (Lamar wants to run on every play while Boller just had a case of happy feet)
Jordan Lasley = Breshad Perriman with a better route tree but the same drop issues. Not impressed with him at all.
Not impressed with Jaleel Scott either. Good speed and better hands than Lasley, but no separation.
Kenny Young could be starting by game 8.
Zach Seiler is S-T-R-O-N-G!
3rd team OL looks bad except for Siragusa and Bozeman. Saw both get some good pushes, no penalties, and good protection. Bozeman needs to work on his lateral movement a bit. Eluemenor still looks like trash. All the others are either practice squad material or will hopefully find jobs on other teams.

 

I took some heat for ranking him as high as I did in his class* but he had all the markers of a starting DB in my system going into that draft. Really interested to see what he could do this season if he can stay healthy.

*2016 CB rankings top 10:

1. Vernon Hargreaves
2. Artie Burns
3. William Jackson
4. Eli Apple
5. James Bradberry
6. Jalen Mills
7. Kendall Fuller
8. Maurice Canady
9. Mackensie Alexander
10. Eric Murray

 

You had Artie Burned that high?

 

At one point in time throughout the process he was my top rated CB on the board.

I think the highest I noticed him ranked anywhere else was 5th overall. I'd have to dig back, but I think he was typically ranked at 6th or 7th. He's shown me enough so far that I believe he is going to justify my ranking on him sometime this season.

Jalen Mills was another one that I had ranked higher than any other site. The highest I remember him anywhere else was 9th.

I'll give you a name to watch out for this upcoming draft at CB - Blace Brown.

I had him ranked in my top 10 last year before he returned to school (#7 CB) and the highest I found him ranked anywhere else was 22 (I believe that was drafttek). I expect him to crack most board's top 10 at CB by the end of this season.

 

I will give u another name....Levonta Taylor

 

He's not exactly a sleeper...

He will enter the season in the top 5 on most lists that include underclassmen.

 

Do you work for the Steelers Tim? It seems like you’re in their draft room.

 

lol

I wouldn't mind getting Kevin Colbert's money...

There are a couple different teams that have coincidentally drafted similar to how I suggested/projected over the years and they typically have gone a combination of BPA and position of need.

 

Notes from 8/12 Training Camp:

Well TC is over. The team is going to ride out the pre-season now and start making decisions on who to keep. The projected salary for the top 51 now sits at $11,834,922.

QBs:
Flacco is looking better than every. maybe it's the competition, maybe he's now 100%, maybe it's maturity, or all three. He's moving around in the pocket and making throws on roll outs very well. He has a rhythm with Brown that is going to stretch the field. He is in sync with Crabs who hasn't dropped a catchable pass and is big in the redzone. Snead is going to be a absolutely filthy in the pocket, but I've seen him line up outside from time to time as well. He has his Pitta replacement already in Hurst and is going to be another chain mover and redzone target. He could have his best season yet. RG3 could have similar success if he was starting. He is throwing tight spirals down field with ease and accurate darts. He's also in sync with these same key targets. LJ is vastly improved. he still has some accuracy and throwing mechanic issues but he seems like he's developing enough to be a change of pace and back up. He is more comfortable with the 2s and 3s and Moore looks like his favorite target, but that can change.

WRs:
Crabs - already mentioned above. I've seen a lot of routes over the middle. He is going to fill Steve Smith's shoes though probably a tad more quietly.
Brown - Homerun threat every play. EVERY play! He's been catching balls in stride over the shoulder in practice.
Snead - Absolute beast in the slot. Ellusive. Great on the catch and run.
Moore - Moore is doing his best ODB in practice catching one handed. he has great body control and adjusts to the ball with great focus. He's a jack of all trades receiver.
Tim White - He's a scrappy guy. Runs tight routes and is quick off the line. he's looking decent on PRs. His hands are good but can be better. I've seen him blow his route a couple times which isn't the worst thing for a 2nd year undrafted recevier.
Janarion Grant - Can become our KR. He is looking good on slant routes showing he's hard to bring down after the catch.
Jordan Lasley - Has not looked that great. He is fast, but is having trouble staying on routes and his hands are still suspect.
Jaleel Scott - The first thing you notice is how big he is (6-6/215). He has not really distinguished himself yet, but you can't teach what he has physically.
The rest...meh.
Quincy Adebeyo - He could be Marlon Brown like. Scott has more to offer in s similar frame and as hard as he plays/works he may be out of a job. Pity.
Lavrone and Posey - Not seeing enough from these two. overall.

RB:
Collins - Be ready for a repeat season, but a full one.
Allen - Nothing he does looks awesome, but everything he does he looks good. Run, catch, block. He's a change of pace and short yardage guy.
Dixon - Looks recovered from his hammy, but he isn't as fearless at the LoS in punching through. He has looked good catching the ball tho.
Ricard - Plays both ways and fills the FB. He runs, catches and blocks and is listed at over 300lbs. What more do we want?
Mark Thompson - Looking very good for a UDFA, but it looks like he may start the season on the PS.
Gus Edwards - Looks like Buck Allen out there at times. He's going to get cut, but not for a lack of talent.

TE:
Hurst - Looking as good as Pitta already and says himself he's not satisfied. He'd have a long way to go to be better than Todd Heap, but he has the potential.
Boyle - 3yrs ago if you said I'd be a fan of Boyle, I'd have laughed. He's a hard nosed player that will throw shoulders into defenders after the catch. He has a penchant for grabbing high passes and looks harder to bring down.
Williams - Looks solid, not exceptional. Injuries have taken their toll early and while he can catch, he is not breaking any tackles down field or out running LBs.
Andrews - The kid is looking like another great pick. He is catching balls everywhere and is a smooth moving big body. Like Boyle he love to make jumping grabs.
Mayle - He could be a 3rd TE on this team if not for the other talent. He could be a #2 easily on another team. Good routes, hands and jumping ability.
Waller and Keizer - Waller was looking pretty good in practice, but it was the first I've seen him in 4 visits. He's as good as gone having no room at TE or WR. Keizer is a nice, baby-faced kid that playes tough. He doesn't have the size, but is a good pass catcher.

OL: Overall Assement
It's a solid unit but unproven. Stanley and Zeus will make great bookends for 9-10 seasons or Zeus can take over for Stanley if he gets hurt. Skura should start at Center, but Bozeman could get teh spot at some point this season even without injury. Skura just plays with a nastier edge right now. The right guard situation is 2-way dog fight it seems. Goose is making a case for himself, but Lewis has been solid in holding the line and making holes for the backs. Back ups at Tackle should be Hurst and Donnal. Back ups at G should be Lewis (if I predict Goose staring correctly) and Skakir. Elumenor does not look like he's opening lanes and holding the line.

DL: Overall assessment
Williams, Pierce, Henry start. Davis didn't stand out and Zach Sieler was taking on double teams (and winning) and looks to me to be the better option. However we know they don't often drop players like Davis coming into the last season of his rookie year. They may look to trade him. I think they keep all their main DEs Kafusi, Wormley and Urban. Urban has looked very good but injury is always our biggest concern.

LB:
Suggs - Looking strong as ever and has been getting by the left tackles pretty consistently. Hope he stays healthy.
Bowser - Looks improved. Is setting the edge on the run and getting push and penetration at the line.
Matt Judon - He is in beast mode right now. He's always near the ball or ball carrier. Saw him chase down receivers in space and is getting behinf the LoS a lot. His motor is high.
Tim Williams - pass rush is improved, and on pass plays he's harried RG3 and LJ. He's still not great on diagnosing the run, but has shown some improvement there.
Z. Smith - Not seeing anything knew from Z so far. He's made stops in practice, but nothing has not stood out.
McClellan - He is what he is; S/T and back up ILB/OLB.
Kenny Young - Ravens might have struck gold here again. He has shown a high motor and pursuit of the ball carrier. He needs more reps, but that'll come. I could envision him and Mosely guarding the middle like Lewis and Bart Scott.
Correa - As bad as he has seemed, he now looks consistent. The game is slowing down for him, but he's always going to be better at OLB. Look s a little like Jarret Johnson.
Bam Bradley - Bradley was having a good rookie campaign until he tore his ACL week 2. He should resume this and his play on field in TC shows it.
Onwuasor - He's proven, but he's being overshadowed right now. His lack of size doesn't help either. He may end up off the team.
Humphey, Jones and Board are getting cut but are looking good enough for 2 of them to get signed to the PS.

DBs:
Jimmy - Looking healthy again. Let's hope it lasts a season.
Humphrey - His play picked up the last day I was there. He flashed what he looked like last year.
Carr - He average in every way except his durability.
Weddle - Weddle is Weddle. He's very vocal, but we all know he's made some bone head decisions that cost turn overs last year. Not seeing it, but those mistakes usually show up in real games.
Jefferson - He had a pick against a bad LJ throw that he took back to the house. He'll be the same.
Canady - Continues to shine. He's showing he can minimize mismatches getting up in the jump ball situation and getting hands on the ball. He jumped a route against Joe early in practice and came up with another INT.
Tavon Young - Is looking much improved and we should see him in the slot more.
Levine - See my notes on McClellan. S/T player.
Jaylen Hill - He hasn't stood out, but he showed promise last year. Could end up on the PS.
Bennett Jackson - He proven he's got some game against the 2's and 3's.
DeShone Elliott - He's been around the ball and has a couple pass defenses to his credit. He could end up sneaking in as a b/u and S/T.
Chuck Clark - I have flashes of Omar Brown who I really liked. However, he couldn't crack the line up. Clark could end up on the PS.
The rest aren't worth mentioning.

 

Thanks Faulk, I appreciate all the time and effort it took to take the notes and write up your assessment.

 

Moore is turning into Ol’ Dirty Bastard? Wut?

 

Who is ODB?

 

hahahah......that is awesome. It is so funny because I hear people do that all the time. Say ODB when they meant OBJ. I have done it myself and my son looks at me like I have 5 heads. He has no idea who ODB is or Wu Tang....Not his generation. He is 11 so it stands to reason......

 

36 Chambers!