Baltimore Ravens Thread

mikemac1

The teams needs to get from 90 down to 75 by Tuesday evening. Well the team actually had 89 up to today

Ravens don't hang around when it comes to the cuts, they are usually one of the first teams to do it.

The list is out
http://russellstreetreport.com/ravens-cut-shiancoe-streeter-hall-others/

Shiancoe TE is cut after a lacklustre pre-season and the signing of Dallas Clark.

Damian Berry RB is talented but there is no room! We don't need backs and we don't need returners. Reminds me of Jalen Parmele who was the 3rd stringer a few years ago. Moved to the Jags to get playing time and fans wished him well. Berry isn't a bad player, there is just no room.

The Tommy Streeter WR experiment is over. I guess many were seduced by his awesome size & speed and overlooked his lack of talent!

David Mims OT & Jack Cornell OT the offensive linemen should make the practice squad. They have potential. Ricky Wagner from Wisconsion outplayed them and he'll get a spot on the 53

Ramon Harewood G has been around for 3 years and done nothing, so long. Won't be missed.

I don't know much about Sheppard or Carter the two WR's. Ravens have needs here so if they didn't distinguish themselves well at least they got a fair shot.

Perichak the DE is decent and will go to the practice squad.

Poor Bryan Hall. Lost 60lbs over the offseason to move from DE to ILB and he's been cut One of the hardest workers on the team. He'll go the practice squad and get promoted later or he may get snapped up by another team.

Moe Lee didn't do much and cornerback is not a need.

I know nothing about Meshak Williams but the team is loaded at OLB so he'll have to look to another team.

I remember Dayne Crist QB at Notre Dame, GO IRISH! Will be cut after the 4th pre-season game and go to the practice squad. He won't make the 53

Adrian Hamilton OLB gone to IR. He is very talented and will have a great shot at a roster spot next season! He was signed last year from the Cowboys practice squad and he's worth keeping around for sure.

Tristram

Read last night that it seems Arthur Brown won't be starting much early on in the season. From what I'd read of Brown I thought he would be one of the rookies with the best chance to claim a spot as a starter this season. Must be some great competition at LB.

mikemac1

Some players have been cut though there are more to go

Anthony Allen, RB, Georgia Tech
Marc Anthony, CB, California
Nigel Carr, LB, Alabama State
Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse
Brandon Copeland, LB, Pennsylvania
Dayne Crist, QB, Kansas
Jordan Devey, T, Memphis
Rogers Gaines, T, Tennessee State
Alex Silvestro, TE, Rutgers
Reggie Stephens, C, Iowa State
Caleb Hanie, QB, Colorado State

Our 7th round CB Marc Anthony is cut. No loss, he was awful during pre-season! You can't expect much from a late rounder but there are a few UDFA's who will at least make the team,

Main name on that list is Anthony Allen RB
6 ft 1 in 223 lbs he's a big back and already scored a goaline TD in the pre-season.

And a super special-teamer. Leaving aside the returners and the kicker/punter/long snapper he was possibly the best special teamer on the roster last year.

A team who signs him is getting a durable back. Can maybe go 3rd on the depth chart and will be an excellent special teamer

Delone Carter was obtained in a trade from the Colts and to nobodys suprised has been cut

Paully D

mikemac1 wrote: »

Some players have been cut though there are more to go

Our 7th round CB Marc Anthony is cut. No loss, he was awful during pre-season! You can't expect much from a late rounder but there are a few UDFA's who will at least make the team,

Main name on that list is Anthony Allen RB
6 ft 1 in 223 lbs he's a big back and already scored a goaline TD in the pre-season.

And a super special-teamer. Leaving aside the returners and the kicker/punter/long snapper he was possibly the best special teamer on the roster last year.

A team who signs him is getting a durable back. Can maybe go 3rd on the depth chart and will be an excellent special teamer

Delone Carter was obtained in a trade from the Colts and to nobodys suprised has been cut

I think Allen came unstuck because of us carrying two full backs this year in Leach and Juszczyk. He will be a big loss as he was the lead blocker for Jacoby. Bobbie Rainey to stay as the third running back.

We don't usually give up on draft picks so early, although Anthony was very poor, but it leaves us a bit light at the corner position with Jackson's suspension so I would expect us to bring someone in?

I see Harbaugh just said in his press conference that Gradkowski starts at center and Ihedigbo starts at safety but Elam will get lots of playing time.

mikemac1

The 53 is set

http://russellstreetreport.com/the-turk-arrives-ravens-roster-paired-down-to-53/

Main points I think is there are only two active Tight Ends in Dickson & Clark.
Pitta goes on IR but will be allowed to return later in the season like Ray Lewis did last year.
With the way the league is going to only have two TE's is bit unusual. Maybe Juszczyk is going to see snaps here. Listed a fullback but he'll play TE too.

Furstenburg didn't make it

Defensive line looks beastly!
Offensive line depth looks shaky though 5th round pick Ricky Wagner looks promising. If you're a lineman for Wisconsin Badgers you must be good!

Only 4 CB's on the roster! :eek:

Lardarius Webb; Jimmy Smith; Corey Graham; Chykie Brown;

And yet there are 5 safeties.

Michael Huff; Matt Elam; James Ihedigbo; Brynden Trawick; Anthony Levine;

Strange.....
With Pitta goes on IR as Paully says they will probably go out and sign a FA conerback.

I don't know much about Levine or Trawick. I would have liked to see Omar Brown get on the 53. For the second year in a row he's not made it.

And Tandon Doss 4th round pick from Indiana was given every chance to take over from Boldin and become the No.2 reciever. He's been beaten out by UDFA Marlon Brown.
Great to see an undrafted player seize their opportunity and make it! :cool:

matthew8

Huff can play CB at a push.

Paully D

Turns out Rainey was cut and has been claimed by the Browns. Solid signing for them to go with Richardson.

Paully D

America's Game is on tonight lads :cool:

2am our time on NFL Network and features Flacco, Lewis and Harbaugh.

It will be repeated a thousand times and up on YouTube no doubt tomorrow.

http://www.sbnation.com/2013/9/2/4677332/americas-game-baltimore-ravens-review

Some highlights include John Harbaugh briefly going through the firing of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron; Ray Lewis and Harbaugh both discussing whether or not he should do his pre-game dance; Flacco suggesting that he and his teammates break NFL rules at the end of the Super Bowl; and, of course, the blackout.

mikemac1

Billy Bajema resigned as the 3rd TE

He's a better blocker it seems then Dickson or Clark. Well I suppose Clark was never known for blocking and Dickson is horrible at it!

Maybe next year Furstenburg will make the 53

Still only 4 cornerbacks on the roster though!

matthew8

Here I was thinking the return of Webb, Suggs and Ngata to full health would make the defense good again. Where can they go from here? Because that was an absolute disaster.

Emperor1989

matthew8 wrote: »

Here I was thinking the return of Webb, Suggs and Ngata to full health would make the defense good again. Where can they go from here? Because that was an absolute disaster.

Just saw the highlights and the safety play by Ravens was brutal.

Matt Elam has to start now...

mikemac1

davyjose wrote: »

Will Dallas Clark see much playing time for you guys? You guys got a very solid, much-forgotten/underrated Tight end with him.

The way things are going with Fleener, and Dwayne Allen's injury, I'd have him back tomorrow.

Colts can have him back!

Son Of A Vidic

Just when I was thinking, that your secondary was looking as bad as my Pats secondary last night. I remembered that you guys were playing at 5,280 feet. By the third quarter the defense was totally banjaxed, so before you Ravens fans go ballistic on your defense. Remember it takes a minimum of 2 weeks acclimatization training, for a sportsman to adapt to playing at that altitude. And even then, they will not be able to reach their normal performance levels that they would have, if they were playing at sea level. A visiting defense will always have a massive disadvantage playing there, especially in the second half of a game.

matthew8

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Just when I was thinking, that your secondary was looking as bad as my Pats secondary last night. I remembered that you guys were playing at 5,280 feet. By the third quarter the defense was totally banjaxed, so before you Ravens fans go ballistic on your defense. Remember it takes a minimum of 2 weeks acclimatization training, for a sportsman to adapt to playing at that altitude. And even then, they will not be able to reach their normal performance levels that they would have, if they were playing at sea level. A visiting defense will always have a massive disadvantage playing there, especially in the second half of a game.

Hmm... They didn't seem so tired when they played there in the playoffs and iirc our defense had to spend the lions share of time on the field.

Son Of A Vidic

matthew8 wrote: »

Hmm... They didn't seem so tired when they played there in the playoffs and iirc our defense had to spend the lions share of time on the field.

Lions share on the field? Not accurate, in that game the Broncos had possession for 40.06 minutes. The Ravens had possession for 36.36 minutes. The Ravens defense spent more time on the field. The wind chill brought the temp as low as - 18 Celsius. So the very cold weather that day and the slower pace of the game, played a significant part in easing the pressure on the acclimatised visitors. Manning threw two Int's and his relatively poor playoff record continued. Flacco however, was totally ice in that game.

Corvus Maximus

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Flacco however, was totally ice in that game.

He was indeed. Now he's lukewarm again.
I have the Ravens Defense in fantasy
Still holding out hope going forward, I think we just ran into the best the Broncos could be last night. Haven't watched the game yet though.

mikemac1

Oh for a reliable Tight End who is clutch on third down

Pitta is going to get serious money next offseason $$$

matthew8

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Lions share on the field? Not accurate, in that game the Broncos had possession for 40.06 minutes. The Ravens had possession for 36.36 minutes. The Ravens defense spent more time on the field. The wind chill brought the temp as low as - 18 Celsius. So the very cold weather that day and the slower pace of the game, played a significant part in easing the pressure on the acclimatised visitors. Manning threw two Int's and his relatively poor playoff record continued. Flacco however, was totally ice in that game.

My memory was incorrect but it was still 40 minutes on the field because of the length of the game. Regardless, the secondary was poor from the beginning last night so it's hard to excuse the performance.

Son Of A Vidic

matthew8 wrote: »

Regardless, the secondary was poor from the beginning last night so it's hard to excuse the performance.

They were poor, but by the third quarter they were totally out on their feet. First game of the season, no bumps or bruises and at a time when teams should be totally energised. All too often people forget about the altitude factor when playing there and it is so significant.

poldebruin

Most teams arrive late in denver to combat the altitude. I think the d being tired was down to the number of plays run, 155 between the teams, the hurry up offense, first game of season and the 6 td passes... i.e. a bit demoralised. The ravens should be worried about last night... they did not look good.

Still it's only the first game of the season and we know how good the ravens can be.

HigginsJ

mikemac1 wrote: »

Oh for a reliable Tight End who is clutch on third down

Pitta is going to get serious money next offseason $$$

Serious issues for Flacco there alright. Clark & Dickson badly let him down on a few well thrown balls. The WR core is anaemic as well if Jones is gone for any period of time. Stokely & Clark really ought to be retired.

Watched the game in full there. There's a few problems, I agree with Corvus on the altitude problem as Webb was a shadow of himself after the half. That made the secondary struggle afterwards.
There's the obvious problem with the tight ends but I think Joe played well enough on his end with what he has to work with. Dumervil and Suggs looked great out there and Leach is a godsend offensively.
I'd say we should give Clarke a few more chances, I wouldn't be sharpening the pitchforks yet. If he creates a bit of chemistry with Flacco then the play will get better.

Paully D

There's no need to hit the panic button yet lads. Look at our schedule and the fact we face most of the better teams at home, and it becomes clear that the Broncos on the road, on paper, is our hardest game of the regular season. Factors such as opening night, the revenge factor, Mile High being the most difficult place for a road team to go and the Broncos being the best team in the conference add to that.

On a positive note, I actually thought we played well for most of the first half, and should have been 7 points up at half time only for Clark dropping that pass which we can't legislate for. The injuries to Jones and Oher hurt our offense as the Broncos were able to take Torrey Smith out of the game and Ricky Wagner got bullied by Shaun Phillips in what was a baptism of fire for him.

Jacoby is out until at least Halloween now with a sprained MCL, so I think Ozzie needs to hit free agency and pick up a receiver. Brandon Lloyd is obviously dressing room poison, but he could do a job and I'd like Harbaugh chances of keeping him on the straight and narrow for a year. Josh Cribbs would be also interesting considering he could fill in where Jones will be leaving off on special teams. Either way, we need to do something at the position.

There's still a very, very long way to go this season and our schedule eases up a bit now with the Browns and Texans at home followed by the Bills and Dolphins on the road. It's way too early to panic.

mikemac1

Tandon Doss is back

Desperation move

He knows the system alright but he's been there for three years and done nothing.

Need a returner though which he did in college.

Can't have Webb back there returning as he is too valuable. Best player on defense!

Pudsy33

Ah well hopefully between Smith, Brown and Does we will have enough to see us through until JJ is back. Any decent free agent's?

mikemac1

Brandon Llyod, that's about it

Anyone decent is already with a team

Onto the Browns!

mikemac1

Interesting article from Aaron Wilson, beat reporter

Ravens face cap hell in 2014 :eek:

Now what the Steelers tend to do is restructure contracts and just push the problem down the road.

Ozzie has zero hesitation about letting vets go, sure he cut Todd Heap, Derrick Mason and Kelly Gregg the second the CBA ended

The salary cap figures for defensive tackle Haloti Ngata ($16 million), quarterback Joe Flacco ($14.8 million), rush linebacker Terrell Suggs ($12.4 million), cornerback Lardarius Webb ($10.5 million), running back Ray Rice ($8.75 million) and guard Marshal Yanda ($8.45 million) account for a combined $70.9 million for the 2014 fiscal year

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-salary-cap-0904-20130904,0,7553805.story#ixzz2eWi65PNB

There are quite a few players looking for new contracts next year.
Corey Graham, Michael Oher, Dennis Pitta just the main examples

Not a hope they are all going to be kept

edit: Jacoby Jones is an expensive vet at 4.9 million this year. He won't be brought back in 2014

Paully D

Yep, 2014 is going to be a tough year where some of our better players will have to hit the road.

Huge season for Suggs coming up, he's the most likely to be a cap casualty.

We can also clear $3m off by getting rid of McKinnie which will help, Corey Graham is likely to not be back too IMO.

Tristram

Brown in at LB at the weekend?

mikemac1

Absolutely, he saw only 5 snaps in Mile High and he is ready to step up

Josh Bynes was awful!