tsylvester

Eh, Mekari should be enough until the rook is ready

The line is still a work in progress, but this is normal camp stuff. Some guys goung harder than others

On Simpson As a rookie, Baltimore Ravens’ inside linebacker Trenton Simpson did not have a starting or even prominent role on either side of the ball. This was unfamiliar territory for the 2023 third-round pick out of Clemson. He played as a true freshman in college and declared for the NFL Draft following his junior season. Simpson was one of the Tigers’ most dynamic and disruptive players during his three years there. While it wasn’t what he had imagined, Simpson was ultimately grateful for the year he spent learning from Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen. Smith and Queen were arguably the best off-ball linebacker tandem in the league last year and both players earned Pro Bowl and All Pro honors. With Smith under contract through the 2027 season, the Ravens opted to let Queen walk in free agency despite his breakout 2023 campaign because of their investment and belief in Simpson. They will now have to face Queen twice a year for the foreseeable future after he signed a three-year deal worth $41 million with the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Just to see him and learn from him my rookie year ... I mean, [Queen] had a great year,” Simpson said Wednesday. “[With] the way he played, he got [the contract] he deserved, and I learned a lot from him. [I’ve been] just watching how he moves, his pre-snap alignments and things like that. I did a lot of studying of him this year.” Heading into his second season as a projected full-time starter, Simpson isn’t trying to be the next Queen. Instead, he wants to be the best version of himself and uphold the franchise’s rich defensive traditions with his play on the field. “Just playing fast, physical, man, just playing relentless, playing like a Raven is my goal,” Simpson said. “[I’m] just going out there and sending a message, just playing as hard as I can and matching Roquan energy every day.” https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2024/8/4/24210763/playing-like-a-raven-is-my-goal-lb-trenton-simpson-shares-expectations-for-2024-roquan-smith-patrick

Here is some encouraging news https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/40702007/baltimore-defense-training-camp-marlon-humphrey-trenton-simpson-odafe-oweh OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- It didn't take long for Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh to fear for the safety of his quarterbacks in training camp. So, after Odafe Oweh disrupted another player in the backfield, Harbaugh pulled his outside linebacker off to the side. "I had to pull the reins in on him a little bit," Harbaugh said. Last season, the Ravens defense made history when it became the first team to lead the league in fewest points allowed (16.5), most sacks (60) and most takeaways (31) in a single season. This year, under new defensive coordinator Zach Orr, the Baltimore defense has made life miserable for the Ravens' offense, creating havoc this summer. In the first week, the Ravens recorded 17 interceptions, including pick-sixes by Eddie Jackson and Marcus Williams. The defense has not backed down from physical running back Derrick Henry, who was dropped to the ground by new starting inside linebacker Trenton Simpson. Even quarterback Lamar Jackson stepped into the defensive huddle to tell the players to slow it down. "Those guys look like the throwback Ravens defense," Jackson said. "[It's] bloodshed, a lot of smack talk and a lot of big hits. We're seeing it all from our defense. Guys are actually tackling out there -- I don't think we should be -- but we're looking good. I'm loving it." The Ravens return nine starters from a defense that shut out Patrick Mahomes and the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in the second half of the AFC Championship Game. Baltimore's major departures were pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, Pro Bowl inside linebacker Patrick Queen and AFC interceptions leader Geno Stone. But the biggest hit to the defense occurred to the coaching staff: Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was hired as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and two other assistants (Anthony Weaver and Dennard Wilson) left to become defensive coordinators. All-Pro middle linebacker Roquan Smith prefers to focus on what the Ravens bring back instead of what they lost. "I think we can be better, honestly, and I know we can," Smith said. "But I have a great deal of respect for the guys that were here before. Good luck to those guys in the places that they are. But I love the pieces that we have here, and we'll be able to show that to the world soon enough. Maybe we'll come back to this conversation at the end of the year, and we'll be like, 'Wow, can we be better than that?'"

At worst it is ribs, easy peasey, least, just some rib cartilage

From today, oh-oh Jeff Zrebiec @jeffzrebiec Ravens practice just ended. Rashod Bateman delivered offensive play of the day, elevating over two DBs in corner of EZ to catch TD pass from Lamar Jackson. However, Bateman, who was having a nice practice, stayed down for a while. Got up and appeared to be holding ribs/midsection

A little on Bateman and Lamar connections yesterday, good to hear The connection between Rashod Bateman and Lamar Jackson was scorching hot Saturday, much like the weather. When Bateman caught Jackson's first pass of practice, scooping up a low 10-yard hitch pass for a first down, it was a sign of things to come. Bateman caught four passes from Jackson during the afternoon, including two deep crossing patterns that both gained more than 20 yards. Bateman got huge separation on his first long catch over the middle and presented an easy target for Jackson. Then on his final catch, Bateman never broke stride and ran hard through the ball to make the reception in heavy traffic over the middle. Despite missing some practice time earlier in the week, Bateman didn't miss a beat on Saturday. It was an encouraging sign that the chemistry between Jackson and Bateman is building as the season moves closer. "It was great to see, building a rapport with him and Lamar and the other receivers," Wide Receivers Coach Greg Lewis said. "I think the sky's the limit for him in this offense with the guys that we have here. "Change of direction, getting in and out of breaks, having him out there being able to do that. I watched him in college, you see all these spectacular moves he can do. He's showing up, and he's done a great job throughout this whole camp. We just want to continue to build off that." https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/rashod-bateman-sparkles-connection-lamar-jackson-derrick-henry-ravens-practice-report

Nice, tough catch by Wallace. He made these often in college, hoping he is coming into his own now https://www.baltimoreravens.com/video/tylan-wallace-sandwiched-touchdown-baltimore-ravens-training-camp-top-play-2024

First look at an early depth chart https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/lists/baltimore-ravens-depth-chart-analysis-details-andrew-vorhees-roger-rosengarten-nate-wiggins/

Hill got rewarded, jeepers, 90 more mil in guarantees, no years added. His cap hit is going to be crazy next year and beyond

Lamar has done it before, in spirts. Maybe 2 out of 8 deep passes, in college, even in the pros. Remember his games against the Dolphins with Brown? The problem is his consistency. My dad used to say that once you develop the "eye" it just takes consistent practice to get it back. Now in the past, how many times did they work on deep passing in live action? Or were they just running crossimg routes? How many times has he worked with his receivers on deep passes? 5 passes a day, 10 every week? Who knows. We do know, based on the way he played last year, that he wants ro become a complete passer, a pocket passer who can run. He did well last year, MVP well, now we shall see if he takes it up another step and gets those deep passes like the orher qbs in his class are doing. If he can do that, he will be one of the greatest, ever

It's where he struggles the most, not just with timing deep, but ball placement as well. Where that deep ball is placed is equally as important as is it in stride. Now, we can't see that throw to Bateman to know if it was instrumental or not. I read a report the other day that said Lamar dodged a rusher, threw side arm just flicking the ball 20 yards down field a perfect pass to Andrews for a big gain. However, then a photo of the play is shown and Andrews is diving, fully extended to make an incredible catch. So if Andrews has to lay out, how exactly is it a perfect pass? This is where our site here was so great back in the day. Back then fans could video tape, and Dee and I did, every play, all camp long and post the videos to prove what we said in our reports was true. We also were able to show how many of the local reporters were completely wrong in their assessment of a day at camp. Sadly today, the Ravens don't allow pictures, let alone video. Even if they did, I'm not sure anyone would go to the lengths we did, 100's of videos.... So, as long as they are working on it, maybe Lamar will develop his eye and touch, maybe

Hamm out for the year, acl, Mullins, shoulder, out a few weeks. Bateman, back to practice the past 2 days..

https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens-news-practice-report-training-camp-2024 After four straight days of padded practices and with a 99-degree heat index in Owings Mills, the Ravens turned down the tempo of practice but turned up the heat from the defense. The Ravens practiced third-down situations and against blitzes for much of Wednesday. Despite that, Lamar Jackson thrived, having perhaps his best day of training camp QB Lamar Jackson Shawn Hubbard/Baltimore Ravens Photos QB Lamar Jackson After four straight days of padded practices and with a 99-degree heat index in Owings Mills, the Ravens turned down the tempo of practice but turned up the heat from the defense. The Ravens practiced third-down situations and against blitzes for much of Wednesday. Despite that, Lamar Jackson thrived, having perhaps his best day of training camp yet. You are unable to interact with this content due to your Cookie Consent choices, you can enable cookies in the footer by selecting Cookie Settings. Ravens practice just wrapped. A lot of half-speed team drills, which kept things bland throughout. But Lamar Jackson was locked in. In competitive 7-on-7 work, he went 7-for-8 unofficially. In competitive 11-on-11 work, he went 7-for-7. A lot of Big Boy Throws, too. — Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) July 31, 2024 The most impressive play was when the defense showed a pre-snap blitz with Roquan Smith coming up to the line of scrimmage. Jackson made an adjustment, either changing protection or the play entirely. Jackson seemed to know there was a free safety blitzer coming, and delivered a deep strike to Zay Flowers, who was one-on-one against Kyle Hamilton. The Ravens have talked a lot this summer about Jackson taking even more command of pre-snap checks, and it was a perfect example of him getting Baltimore's offense into the right play to take advantage of the defense.

I understand safety, but the alignment is crazy and I think going forward we will see injuries to returners & kickers as time goes on. Just kick off as normal, give a team 1 pt for a kicker kicking it through the uprights...

Wow, they sure know how to ruin a part of the game. Yes, I was desperate for football and turned on the Hall of Fame game tonight. Yes, I know most, including those linked with the league, will love the new kickoffs, but I hate em. Carry on

With Ham going to IR for the season, the Ravens brought in journeymen Roche. Played for the Giants, Steelers, ...

Precautionary after getting leg locked with a player who will be serving burgers at The Landing Strip in a few weeks. Kid is finally healthy, game has slowed down for him, remember his 1st year when it was every catch was for a 1st down? Yeah, more of that, much, much more of that, 800+ yards, 7 tds

A little from yesterday

Lamar back at practice today, full practice too boot...

As I was saying https://abcnews.go.com/wellness/story/teflon-flu-amid-rise-cases-us/?id=112306317 A recent record number of cases of polymer fume fever, also known as "Teflon flu," are putting a spotlight on one of the most common causes of the condition, the use of nonstick pans. Over 265 suspected cases of polymer fume fever were reported in 2023, the highest number of cases since the year 2000, according to America's Poison Centers, which represents the nation's 55 poison centers in partnership with the United States government. The condition is caused by overheating pans coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which releases fumes into the air. Breathing in those fumes can cause flu-like symptoms. Symptoms of polymer fume fever include chest tightness, coughing, difficulty breathing and headaches. The symptoms tend to go away within two to three days but the long-term effects of the condition remain unknown, according ABC News medical contributor Dr. Darien Sutton, an emergency medicine physician. "We don't yet know the long-term effects, but we do know that these chemicals, these PFAS, are associated with health conditions like thyroid abnormalities, certain cancers, like kidney cancer, as well as certain problems with infertility," Sutton said Friday on "Good Morning America." "So it's important to be safe with these products."

Jordan Love next man up Jordan Love reached an agreement with the Packers on a four-year, $220M contract extension, which makes him the highest-paid quarterback in the league’s history, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Love’s new deal includes a $75m signing bonus and $155m in new guarantees. The lucrative deal averages out to $55M per year, tying him with Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, who signed in June. His deal matched Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow.

For comparison, Tua signs https://www.nfl.com/news/tua-tagovailoa-dolphins-agree-to-four-year-212-million-extension The Miami Dolphins are in the Tua business long-term. The 'Fins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension with $167.1 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on Friday, per sources informed of the deal. The $53.1 million-per-year new-money extension is the largest four-year agreement in NFL history, coming in a shade over Jared Goff's $53 million pact and just behind the $55 million per over five years on Joe Burrow's and Trevor Lawrence's contracts. Tagovailoa partially participated in the first couple of days of training camp but was full-bore during Friday's session.

In league history apparently

A stomach virus, per Shefty