thundercleetz

I agree with Max. Real shame on Jones. Here is a guy who has all the talent needed to be a playmaking receiver and he was looking to put it all together. Not only did we lose a receiver, we lost an elite returner who won us games last season. Thompson hopefully will be ready soon, we need a return man now.

I do not see Thursday night as a sign of things to come by any means. We played a great first half and believe it or not, there were some really encouraging signs. In my opinion, Thursday night was not lost on talent, it was lost on poor decisions in planning the active roster. Looking back it probably was not smart only having four corners and four wide receivers active. This is not smart on multiple levels. Take Lardarius Webb for example. The guy is just coming off of ACL surgery and due to depth and short offensive possessions Webb is out there playing 50+ snaps. Marlon Brown is similar, although at receiver we ran him on longer routes requiring less sudden movement. Either way the chances of injury go up significantly when players aren't given proper rest. Then there is the matter of effectiveness. I think Brandon Stokley will be a good receiver for us. At his age with his skill set he is not an every down player. Stokley is most effective working out of the slot in short-to-intermediate passing situations and that is where he should stay. Once Jacoby went down Stokley became an every down player. The lack of receivers then leads to Dallas Clark having to be on the field more, which turned out to be a disaster. I think we saw when playing a fast paced passing team like Denver five WRs and five CBs are necessary. Your fourth or fifth depth guy does not have to be great, but just being able to spell a starter to keep him fresh is worth it's weight alone in an active roster spot. Now the good: - Marlon Brown looks to be a stud. He runs routes, has good hands, and is a willing blocker. He should some surprising speed for a guy his size on the crossing pattern. He has long strides that eat up ground. Brown is only got to get better as the year goes on as he continues to learn the pro game and his knee gets stronger from ACL surgery. Brown is a complete receiver who is going to start immediately with Jacoby out. Joe has never had a target at WR this big. Brown could be a red zone threat for us. - I feel terrible for Jacoby. He was looking really good before going down. He ran a few crisp routes and made some tough snags. Of course his speed was a threat. Maybe Jacoby was on his way to finally putting it all together as a WR. Real shame... - The offensive line looked great before Oher went down. Wagner played admirable, but we were required to shuffle guys away from their best positions were caused problems for us. If Oher is back, or with a week of preparation without Oher, we should be better. I was really impressed with Gino. He has a nonstop motor and finished off a lot of blocks. The encouraging: - We played a great offensive line this week with a QB who gets rid of the ball quickly. Any other offensive line is going to have fits with our front four. The good news is we will not even need to blitz to generate pressure. Cleveland is in for problems next week. - I am not worried about CB. Webb played solid, and while Graham and Smith were picked on in the second half, they held up great in the first half. Safety play did not help our corners at all and our top three CBs were completely gassed by the third quarter. We do not play Manning every week we will be just fine. The bad: - Safety play as mentioned. This was one week so I am willing to give Huff a few more chances. However, I believe we will see Elam a lot more this week. - Tight end was terrible, absolutely miserable. The drops killed drives and left points on the board. We have to give Dickson more chances as his speed is going to keep him open as a big play threat. Clark on the other hand we can not afford to have a guy out there who is supposed to be a steady target. Please call up Matt Furstenburg. He cannot be any worse than Clark. - WR depth: we need five bodies active. Smith and Brown are the starters. Stokley needs to be a part time player to keep his efficiency. So we need to more guys active to be safe. With Jacoby out we better hope Thompson is back soon to return kicks and be WR depth. Mellette will surely be active. We could use a possession receiver like Mellette. Maybe we bring Doss back as a guy who can provide decent depth and play ST? What does everyone else think?

Activate Mellette and bring back Doss. Unless you want to sign another ex-Colt in Collie, too late in the year to expect a vet to come in learn the offense and make an impact. As far as I'm concerned T. Smith and Marlon Brown are the starters, Stokley is the slot and Mellette is the next guy. With that said, we absolutely cannot afford to have only four receivers active. If someone goes down we are screwed. Doss has to be the guy brought back because he is a good gunner on ST. Hopefully Deonte Thompson will be back soon. Not only are we down a receiver, we are also down a game changing return man. That has not been stated enough.

http://www.nytimes.com/video/2013/09/05/multimedia/100000002421671/syrian-rebels-execute-7-soldiers.html?ref=middleeast&smid=tw-nytimes Are we sure we want to pick sides here?

Crav, Denver's starting RB is rookie second round pick Monte Ball out of Wisconsin. He is a big and physical runner.

We are still very much in this. We got a big win yesterday and are only two back from the Rays for the final Wild Card spot. The Rays are ice cold. We have been getting solid pitching from Tillman, Feldman, and Bud. Hopefully Michael Morse provides us a nice boost this final month. I am not giving up yet!

I think you are asking the right questions in your first paragraph. And honestly, that is the scary part: we don't know anything about our enemy or our goal. I am sure most Congressmen and women are asking the same questions. The question I want to know is what good can we do here? If we weaken Assad, is there anyone else but Al Qaeda that could benefit? At least with Assad there is a small hope for diplomacy, if Al Qaeda takes over that is out the window. Sounds like we are playing with fire to me. DC no response may be damning but this situation is a lot more complex than the president is letting on. Syria's two closest allies are Russia and Iran. Russia has already moved its warships into the area. I don't think Iran would make a move but they are certainly keeping a close eye on the situation. All while China is probably wishing we go to war and continue to drive our currency into the ground (side topic: how would a new war fit with the sequester?). Is intervening because a thousand people got gassed worth worsening our foreign relations? Russian relations have been terrible during the Obama administration but that's another matter. My point, that's a lot of trouble for something that poses no national security to threat. In fact, we may be creating a new threat by pissing off Russia. A couple of more complexities to ponder: there are two million Kurds in Syria. Kurds are already fighting Al Qaeda. What happens to the Kurds if Al Qaeda overthrows Assad? We know what's going on with the Kurds in Iraq. I don't mean to go conspiracy theorist here but I am very curious where this "evidence" came from that it was the Syrian government who used the chemical weapons. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the evidence came from Erdogan with Turkey trying to coax us to do their dirty work. We know Erdogan hates Assad and Turkey's "concerns" about Kurdish welfare are well documented. Turkey would love for us to get rid of two birds with one stone. Get rid of Assad then Turkey can force out all their Kurds to a Syria in chaos. All while we belittle Russia and Iran asserting Turkish influence in the Eurasian area. You said "our failure to act in the past should not mean failure to act now. New precedent can be established." I would agree with you, but as a country have our leaders learned anything the past two wars about the complex culture and mindset of the Middle East? I am still not confident we know what we are doing as we are blatantly ignoring are these different factors involved. Are you confident that getting involved in Syria to help those currently in trouble won't create problems for other groups of people if Assad falls? That is certainly the case today in Afghanistan and Iraq. The fact that Great Britain and France are not getting involved tells me no one is sure of anything in that region.

How about Darfur? We are unsure who used chemical weapons in Syria but we are ready to act. There is hard evidence of genocide by a government in Darfur and we turn a blind eye. That is a good intentioned quote but we become hypocritical when we pick and choose when to live by that line of thought. As it relates to Syria, every action has reactions that might not be intended. I am certainly not defending Assad, but at least Assad has had religious tolerance of some sort. My grandparents from my father's side are from Syria, so I may be more sympathetic to the potential consequences here than others. The Aleppo area in Syria served as the final stop of Armenians for death matches in the desert by Ottoman Turks during WWI. Syria took in a few hundred thousand Armenian Christian refugees after WWI and they have lived there relatively in peace since. In addition to nearly 200,000 Armenian Christians, there are over 2.3 million other Christians (650,000 of which are Catholic) that reside in Syria. The native Arab Christians have inhabited the Damascus area for thousands of years. Now history tells that Al Qaeda displays no religious tolerance. Here is my point: we make a move against Assad and Al Qaeda seizes control of the government, the 2.5 million Christians in that area are instantly at risk. We will see deportations, restriction of religious and cultural practices, and possibly murder. There have already been tens of thousands Armenian-Syrian refugees thanks to Syrian rebels. Bottom line, we attack the Syrian government for using chemical weapons on a thousand or so Al Qaeda sympathizers, millions of other people could become in danger. I am not minimizing anyone's unfortunate death but when our national security is not at risk who are we to decide who lives and who dies?

When looking at the key differences between this year's game and last year's game, here's what I see: 1. Ravens red-zone defense 2. No Von Miller With the addition of Welker to the already dangerous Denver offense it's a given Peyton will get his yards between the twenties. Do not forget the Broncos were playing with a third strong RB against us last season. With Monte Ball they have a tough, talented runner. While the Ravens defense is younger, faster, has more depth, and overall vastly improved, the Ravens red-zone defense last season was outstanding. The collective Football Intelligence (FBI) of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis cannot be understated in the red-zone. With play calling options limited against a short field, Lewis and Reed could pretty much call out the offensive play. If we cannot keep those 7's as 3's we'll lose. We caught a major break with Von Miller being out. Combined with the loss of Dumervil, the Denver defense starts and stops with Miller. Especially with Flacco being without his top two targets from last year, Boldin and Pitta, not having to worry about Miller gives us some room for error. We probably cannot expect the Ravens offense to come out firing on all syllables with the changes at receiver, but no Von Miller takes a lot of pressure off of Flacco and the offensive line. Miller's absence also opens up opportunities in the run game.

Yeah another good point. Hymes hands were a suspect. I still believe Hymes could have been a good player for us before his injury. We were very weak that season at WR, there was definite opportunity for playing time. Hymes had good leaping ability, strong for his position to fight off the press, strong and elusive runner with the ball in his hands, redzone threat. Anyways, that's in the past... Depressing list; the worst part is nearly each of those guys would have a game where they would wow you with something. A common trait with all of these guys is none of them have that Boldin killer instinct. Taylor, Moore, Figurs, Johnson, DD, Williams, were all soft. Clayton had great potential, but he was just an inch too short and a tenth of a second too slow IMO.

I still say Randy Hymes would have been a solid receiver for us had he not tore his ACL on a preseason kick off play. He was not very fast to begin with and when he came back his speed never fully returned. Brown has more speed than Hymes had. Big difference between Brown and Hymes is Brown played at an SEC school and Hymes was from an FCS HSBC. Remember Brown was an elite athlete, five star prospect coming out of high school.

So what does everyone think? I have my opinions but I am curious to hear what other people think.

I think Laquan is a lock to make the team. Harbaugh values football IQ, leadership, discipline and special teams versatility. Laquan has all of that. I am really excited about Marlon Brown. He's surprisingly quick in-and-out of his cuts for a big guy. Not to mention a big guy coming off of an ACL tear. Flacco was clearly looking his way consistently. One thing I learned this preseason is its obvious who Flacco is comfortable throwing to. Torrey, Stokely and Jacoby to a lesser extent Flacco is comfortable. Mellette, Doss, and Thompson that comfort is not there. When Brown got in there it was instant chemistry. Flacco has never had a big target like Brown. If Flacco is comfortable throwing to Brown, Brown will force his way into the lineup. I feel like there's a good chance Brown could be our #2 receiver at the end of the year.

Jones by his own admission is a return specialist. He is way too valuable as a returner for us to cut him. Our special teams took off last season after Jones became the full time return man. Jones is really our #2/4 receiver. He is not going to be on the field some possessions to keep him fresh for returns. Here are my final six: 1. Torrey Smith - obvious #1 2. Jacoby Jones - full time return guy, on the field as a receiver because his speed keeps defenses honest 3. Brandon Stokley - no doubt Stokley is already our slot guy and Joe is already comfortable throwing to him. Stokley is quick in and out of his cuts and will be a huge third down asset. 4. Marlon Brown - Brown looked like an NFL receiver on Thursday. He showed a good awareness for finding holes in the zone, came back to the ball, and uses his hands. Brown gives us a potential redzone target we do not have with Boldin and Pitta gone. Brown has an elite skill set (was the top WR recruit out of HS) and will continue to improve as his knee recovers. Baring a set back with his knee and us stashing him on IR, Brown would NOT make it to the practice squad. Do not under estimate the SEC coaching he got. Certainly puts him further ahead of other rookies in understanding how to read defenses. 5. Laquan Williams - not flashy but Laquan is too valuable on special teams to let him go. He is not a big play threat but you can put him on the field confident he will make a catch if thrown to and will not have a mental lapse. On a team with young receivers, you need a guy who will not make a mental mistake. Laquan also provides great leadership to guys on both side of the ball due to his special teams involvement. 6. Deonte Thompson - will NOT make it to the practice squad. A team will see his 4.2 speed, his tape returning the ball last year, and potential as a WR, and pick him up to be their immediate return man. GUARANTEED I think we can stash Mellette on the practice squad. The guy has talent but just isn't ready. He doesn't fully understand getting open versus a zone and has to adjust fighting off the press from physical NFL corners. A year in an NFL weight and film room and he will be a completely different player next season. Doss... The guy is just too passive in my opinion. He has a skill set comparable to Boldin but Boldin's best attribute is his pitbull-like aggressiveness. Doss does not have that demeanor. I mentioned Laquan will make this team because he is smart, well Doss is probably going to be cut due to constant mental lapses.

I knew this topic was trouble before even opening it...

I read somewhere that when Baltimore was creating an expansion bid in 1994 the potential ownership group tried to buy the Colts colors and history from the elder Irsay but were denied. Maybe Bisciotti would have more success with the younger Irsay? Or at the very least maybe we could keep the Baltimore Colts history in Baltimore and have it as a separate franchise as both the Colts and Ravens.

At the very least Stokely is a solid slot receiver. He knows how to get open and will be a good outlet for Joe on third down while Doss or Thompson figure out how to work effectively from the slot.

I heard an interview with Bisciotti on Sirius XM NFL Radio. The host Jim Miller referred to Donovan as a Raven, Bisciotti didn't even blink an eye and acknowledged him as one of our own.

Haha how'd I forget. We are stacked

The difference between 2013 and 2008 is we have SPEED to burn at WR. Our 2008 receiving core was slow, could not get separation and was no threat for the big play. 2013 we have Torrey, Deonte, Jacoby, Dickson, and Streeter all with great to elite speed. Our problem will be the intermediate passing game. Joe has grown leaps and bounds since 2008. The passing game will be nowhere near as anemic. We will have the big play potential every play and that should open up advantages for Caldwell and Joe to expose the defense.

This D reminds me of 2006 when we had Suggs, AD, Pryce, and Scott as pass rushers with Ngata and Greg upfront. I think that team had the most sacks in Ravens history and IMO was the second best Ravens D ever. This year is similar. We are absolutely STACKED. Ngata, Jones, Canty, Spears, Brandon Williams and Cody on the inside. We were so stacked inside that McPhee slimmed down and moved outside. Backing up Suggs and Dumervil we have Simon, McPhee, Adrian Hamilton and McClellan. LOTS of competition! Do not forget we have two UDFA's that are playing great along the defensive line.

Before this last offseason I would guarantee we would sign Suggs to an extension to push out his cap number. But after the Boldin situation I have no idea what will happen with Suggs. Yes his cap number is huge. If he has a monster year he will have some leverage against us. In that situation we would probably try and work out a long term deal. If he has a so-so year, we will be looking at a paycut situation and from there who knows.

I actually have high expectations for this season, moreso than last season when I saw us as a 9-7 team. I could see some early growing pains with the influx of young players on defense and the departure of Boldin on offense. However I expect the run game to be near unstoppable this season with a full offseason of gameplanning to use both Rice and Pierce, and consistency across the offensive line with everyone at their best position. Do not forget Caldwell as the full time OC is going to be huge for us. All in all this will be a very well coached team who will have a very solid gameplan every week. Not many coaches get their team better prepared than Harbaugh, and with minds like Caldwell, Hostler, Pees, Stagnola, Castillo, we are going to outcoach our opponent more often than not. This team is now young, talented and FAST. If we stay healthy I could honestly see a 11-13 win team.

It is an interesting scenario. Who knows what would have happened? Ray had definitely lost a step, but head up in the hole he can still tackle as well as anyone. That could have been a historic play in where the young superstar meets the exiting Hall of Famer. I do not fault Kap for being confident. Bottom line, even if Kap scored it wouldn't have mattered since Joe would have marched down there with two minutes and two TO's and won the game for us. The Niners D could not stop Joe. No one talks about that.

Great sweep. We got three great starts in a row and played awesome defense. This means a lot more to our team than three wins in a row. Texas has been a thorn in our side for years. Their run differential against us last year was estonishing. Sweeping them on the road makes the series win that much more impressive. Tampa and Boston keep winining. Tampa's pitching is incredible. I want to think their bats will come back down to earth eventually, but with their staff they are here to stay. Boston's lineup has been incredibly balanced and productive. I also want to believe they are playing over their heads but they keep coming up in the clutch. This division will come down to the wire. IMO it will come down to us and Tampa as Boston will fall off a little bit, but who really knows. The only thing for certain is WE NEED to come up big in our head-to-head matchups against Tampa and Boston if we want to win this thing.