Jump to content

Random Ravens Thoughts: New Forum Edition


drd23

Recommended Posts

Only real weakness on paper on offense now is at left guard. If Ben Cleveland can be the next to put together a Bradley Bozeman or Ben Powers-esque jump in development then we could be looking at an elite offensive line on top of the best set of weapons we've had in the Lamar era and arguably since 2012. Not even that we need him to be a star, we just need him not to be a liability. 

Would think Mekari will also get a chance to compete for the job at LG too. 

 

Edited by SalvadorsDeli
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, wackywabbit said:

I think Brandon Stephans* is underrated by the fan base for how he played the second half of last season. Players get better and he definitely has already from where he started (which . Now, I'm not saying he is or will get to good starter, but I'm not writing him off. He was also an project. We can hope he goes like Anthony Averrett where he was terrible early on, but he manages to be decent for a season on the outside his last year here.

*TIL his first name is actually "Timothy" according to wikipedia.

Also I wonder if the premium investments we have at safety and the scheme Macdonald runs (along with the trends to shell coverage) make it easier to justify a weaker link at corner on one side. In the days of Wink or Rex I have a hard time seeing us passing on a big corner in that first round.

I like Stephens* as depth but the team would be crazy to rely on him as CB2.

There are plenty of CBs available to sign, including Averett, Marcus Peters, Ya-Sin, etc.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, SalvadorsDeli said:

Only real weakness on paper on offense now is at left guard. If Ben Cleveland can be the next to put together a Bradley Bozeman or Ben Powers-esque jump in development then we could be looking at an elite offensive line on top of the best set of weapons we've had in the Lamar era and arguably since 2012. Not even that we need him to be a star, we just need him not to be a liability. 

Would think Mekari will also get a chance to compete for the job at LG too. 

 

I give the nod to John Simpson over Ben Cleveland. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, SalvadorsDeli said:

I'll be completely honest idk who that is 

He started at LG for the Raiders in 2021, started a couple games in 2022 before being benched and later cut. Ravens brought him in to the PS late last year.  

The Raiders were doing all sorts of weird shuffling with their O-line the past couple seasons. They don't know how to evaluate the position or develop players. 

He's a strong run blocker, a big powerful guy, more prototypical LG than Mekari. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, coordinator0 said:

 

I bet the Cardinals are disappointed. They probably had a deal tentatively done with the Ravens for Hopkins and the pick swap as mentioned previously, but the Ravens likely informed them at the time that it was contingent on Flowers being off the board… and he wasn’t.

Will be interesting to see if the Bills make a run at him and get a deal done by tonight’s day 2 of the draft.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, AngusMcFife said:

Lamar's new hair: yay or nay? 

Ultimately I don’t see it as a “new hairstyle.”

He just had his hair out, probably in between braids and just didn’t care enough to have his hair braided for the media day, it wouldn’t shock me if that’s how he rocks it at home most of the time. Less maintenance. I can see that he takes care of his hair though, he’s got some really nice curls.

Beyond that I personally prefer rocking an Afro taper fade over braids. Feels more free, is (unfortunately or not) a more professional look IMO, and requires less maintenance if the Afro isn’t too long. I liked shorter hair Lamar style wise more, but I also like those curls… best of both worlds, I say he rocks an Afro fade with the juicy curls, and calls it a day.

But again, I personally don’t really like braids on dudes; it’s cool on women. So I’m certainly not a partial observer.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Monken really might be the Prince who was Promised

As Lamar gets up to speed with the new offense I'd love to see what we could do with a no-huddle 2 TE set - would mean one of Bateman/OBJ/Flowers being on the sidelines (though that would be a good problem to have if that means all three are actually healthy lol) but you put something like Lamar, Dobbins, OBJ, Bateman, Andrews, and Likely on the field together and you can just as easily run the ball down their throats or spread them out to kill them with QB keepers + a short passing game. In more obvious passing situations you can also put Flowers in for Dobbins but run sets with Flowers coming out of the backfield to keep defenses honest. 

 There's just so much potential and variety with this offense if it's put in the right hands and I have a lot of faith Monken is gonna be that guy. 

Edited by SalvadorsDeli
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, SalvadorsDeli said:

There's just so much potential and variety with this offense if it's put in the right hands and I have a lot of faith Monken is gonna be that guy. 

I love that we have so many different players that can potentially take over a game. One week it could be Flowers and Andrews, the next it could be Bateman and Dobbins, and then you have the constant threat of Lamar and his playmaking ability. It's glorious. Add in an All-Pro returner in Duve, All-World Kicker in Tucker, and a strong OL.... no excuse not to see some dominant output from that side of the ball. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
10 hours ago, Ray Reed said:

We need Jordan Stout to up his game this year because it’s going to be really hard to consistently drive 85 yards on this defense. Has to start pinning balls inside the 20 this year 

No excuse for Stout to not be more successful this season. He showed the ability in college, and the analytics team + our STs scouts/coaches(who have traditionally been very successful) evaluated him as being worthy of a middle round draft pick. Just perform.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/19/2023 at 8:10 AM, Ray Reed said:

We need Jordan Stout to up his game this year because it’s going to be really hard to consistently drive 85 yards on this defense. Has to start pinning balls inside the 20 this year 

Counter-point: We make him the least used punter in the NFL this season by actually being a good/efficient offense, which renders him being an awful punter moot.

Edited by AFlaccoSeagulls
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...