Anquan Boldin's sophomore season was terrible compared to his rookie season. Justin Blackmon started out strong, then drugs and such derailed his career. Eddie Royal had a very good statistical rookie season and then in his 2nd season, dropped off a cliff. Keenan Allen dropped 30 places in ranks in his sophomore year. Titus Young ended up going crazy during his sophomore year and is no where to be found now. Anthony Armstrong had a strong first year, terrible 2nd. Amari Cooper had a strong rookie year, 2nd year not nearly as good. Ju ju has talent but he has never really faced rolling coverage or even having to contend with anyone other than slot cb's, sometimes lb and SS usually. If AB goes down for any length of time, I think he will struggle to fill the void.
I asked you for examples of ... "Rookie's have had some pretty good seasons before and dropped off the deep end in that sophomore season." Amari Cooper sophomore season: 83 - 1153 - 5 Anquan Boldin missed 6 games to injury and proved himself to be a #1 WR - a step above the criteria you set for Juju. Titus Young and Justin Blackmon do not belong in this conversation for obvious reasons unless you think Juju is going to follow their off-the-field path. Keenan Allen sophomore season: 77 - 783 - 4 missing two games. Keenan is very clearly a #1 WR in this league. Anthony Armstrong was an arena league WR that took 5 years to get to the NFL. Come on. Eddie Royal is a good example. I'll give you that although they are two totally different kinds of guys. Eddie was a smurph. Juju eats LBs for lunch. Juju was not just a slot WR. He overtook Bryant's starting spot opposite AB. Moreover, playing in the slot does not preclude someone from becoming a #1 WR (not to mention your threshhold was #2). Some of the best WRs in the league (AB, Odell, Fitzgerald, Green) spend a significant amount of time in the slot because it becomes harder to double them. 10 Quarters w/o Antonio Brown 19 rec, 302 yards, 2 TDs 64 Quarters in an NFL season = 121 rec, 1933 yards, 13 TDs
https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2...o-have-a-career-year-lamar-jackson-alex-smith An interesting read on a prediction for Flacco.
As a fervent Ravens fan who doesn't wear the purple glasses, I find a lot to agree with in this post. The receivers haven't caught a pass yet; they have to prove themselves. IF either Hayden Hurst or Mark Andrews pans out, it's a plus. Hopefully, the depth at WR improves with all of the newcomers, holdovers and draftees, but we'll see. Moore is the only returnee with significant game action. Tim White, back from injury, is supposed to have some talent, Adaboyejo showed promise last year but spent most of the season on the practice squad. They drafted some guys with potential and have signed a bunch, so it seems like a wide open competition. But they have a lot to prove yet. With Dixon returning, the RB corps is stronger. but as goes the O line, so goes the running game. The O line is where I do take some exception, but, as always, there are caveats. IF Yanda comes back healthy and IF Lewis comes back healthy and IF everyone stays healthy and Orlando Brown is as advertised....oh, and IF Matt Skura performs at center (He did well at guard late in the year) this will be a better than average O line. With Siragusa having surgery recently, he's out for a while, that leaves G/T James Hurst and G/T Eluemunor as the only real experienced players in reserve. If any of the first stringers goes down, the O line could be in trouble. You can't stop age and one day it will catch up to everyone. Hopefully, not this year. Do the Steelers have any older players? I hope ILB is not the problem you think it is, but that's yet to be determined. Onwasur, in his 2nd year from a small college, had 66 tackles and 32 assists, with one forced fumble. I see him improving in his third year. And Albert McLellan is back from injury. If he's healthy, we're a better defense. There are also players returning on the D who, if they can stay healthy, will make this a better defense. Brent Urban and Tavon Young are examples. And that group will be better against starting QB's And speaking of starting QB's the Steelers saw their share of backup QB's, don't forget that. You got a Christmas gift last year when you went up against TJ Yates and the Texans; And there was Brent Hundley replacing Aaron Rogers against Green Bay, which the Steelers won (in Pittsburgh) by a FG. And against the Bears, early in the season you went against Matt Glennon, who was eventually replaced by their 1st round draft choice, Mitch Trubiski, who the Ravens lost to. A lot can happen during a season to alter a team's course. My personal opinion is that Flacco will be more motivated this year than in year's past. Unless he just flat-out doesn't care because he feels he already has enough money to support Mrs Flacco and their umpteen kids, he'll want to show whichever team might want to trade for him, or sign him (if he's released) that the Ravens are making a mistake. Don't underestimate his competitiveness or his desire. He's hasn't had a great deal to work with the last few years but was fairly competent when he had enough pieces and a good plan. And I shudder to think of the overall quality of play in the NFL when you consider that, as boring as they were in 2017, the Ravens were 9th in PPG and 6th in points against. That might bode well for the future if they have improved. Because late leads don't evaporate when your defense isn't tired from being on the field a majority of the time. So, my rational opinion is that I think the Ravens are better, but like every year, there are a lot of variables that makes the season take crazy turns. Injuries, suspensions, bad luck. A lot can happen. And despite the fact it causes unbearable pain in my cranial cavity, it's my opinion that the Steeler's are, understandably, AFCN favorites going into the season. That's why they play the games.
