oldno82

Very cool video Max!

I don't think Joe has any guaranteed money past this season. Saw it somewhere but can't remember where. Anybody know? If he does well keeping him for one more year won't be a problem. Not so sure he's in this just for the money. After he got his first big contract he went to a McDonald's for a burger. Now, I think his pride has been pricked by drafting Lamar. That combined with what we all hope are better receivers has him up.

I've seen tape of Flacco and Jackson now. Flacco is way ahead of where Jackson is which is to be expected at this time. Jackson always throws a wobbly pass whereas nearly all of Flacco's are really beautiful spirals and really impressive to watch. FWIW I think Joe is really 'up' for this year. If he does well, what I can see happening is trading Joe to another team after the upcoming season provided he redeems himself, if only to get out of the cap hit. If he has an excellent season, trading him ought to be easy.

Andrews was practicing the next day.

Actually his whole article is spot on, https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/eisenberg-here-s-how-the-ravens-plan-to-improve-their-passing-game, but it was this comment that I thought was particularly exciting: "Crabtree is regarded as a red-zone expert and general big-play guy, but he also has a history of excelling at the nuts-and-bolts skill of moving the chains. Well over half of his career catches (348 of 579) have produced first downs."

Me too. I'm pumped!

The latest from Mikie: Ravens have created enough buzz, but wins must follow Mike Preston Ravens InsiderT he Ravens had one of their best offseasons in recent years, which has created some optimism in the city. Now it’s time to start winning.That’s always the bottom line.The first full training camp practice opens Thursday, and there is a buzz about this team despite the disappointing way the 2017 season ended in the last game against the Cincinnati Bengals.We all remember because the agony of that last-minute defeat won’t allow us to forget. The loss kept the Ravens out of the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.Combined with dwindling attendance, years of an unimaginative offense and the kneeling by the players for the national anthem, some bitterness carried over after last season.When owner Steve Bisciotti gave his “State of the Ravens” address in early February, he was defensive at times about his team. But there has been a shift because he apparently realized his organization had grown stale.The result has been a man-around-town tour by team president Dick Cass, who has said several times that the Ravens should have handled the kneeling situation differently. The Ravens have also engaged in conversations with thousands of permanent seat license holders, and allowed some to attend organized team activities and to meet players and team officials.The Ravens lowered concession prices and are expected to have nearly 2,000 fans at most training camp practices. In addition, yearly improvements have been made to the stadium, including new video boards, audio systems and Wi-Fi. Elevators and escalators will be opened in one end of the stadium in October, and eventually they will be located throughout the facility.And the Ravens got a bonus: The Orioles aren’t just bad, they are pathetic. They are a non-entity.Instead, it has been the Ravens who have done most of the heavy hitting on the field. They might have added some offensive playmakers by drafting tight ends South Carolina’s Hayden Hurst and Oklahoma’s Mark Andrews, as well as Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.A year ago, they had one of the worst receiving groups in the NFL, but they’ve added some new faces through free agency in Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead IV.There is no guarantee the passing offense will improve dramatically from last year, when it was ranked No. 29 in the NFL, but it’s worth getting excited about because the team has options.A two-tight end offense can cause multiple problems for defenses. Crabtree is a possession receiver and a good target inside the red zone, along with Andrews and Hurst. Starting quarterback Joe Flacco will be better than last season simply because of his professionalism and pride. The addition of Jackson, as well as veteran Robert Griffin III, has already made him better.Combined with the return of starting guards Marshal Yanda and Alex Lewis, who missed a total of 30 games last season because of injuries, the Ravens have enough talent to be a top 15 offense.On defense, the Ravens ranked No. 12 overall at the end of last season, allowing 225.1 yards per game. Overall, this group should be better. The Ravens have some outstanding young talent in the secondary with cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey, Tavon Young and Maurice Canady.The run defense was solid for most of last season but seemed to wear down in the final quarter of the year. However, young linemen such as Brent Urban, Willie Henry and Michael Pierce, who have played well at times, should be more consistent.There are still a lot of questions surrounding the Ravens going into 2018 season. There is no certainty that the passing game will click with so many new faces. Can running back Alex Collins duplicate last year’s success? Marty Mornhinweg has been a sound offensive coordinator but doesn’t exude great confidence.The Ravens still have to find pass rushers to complement Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, but are young players such as Tim Williams and Kamalei Correa ready? Players like new defensive coordinator Don Martindale, but he’s unproven after failing in the same capacity in Denver.The season will be interesting. Coach John Harbaugh’s job is on the line and general manager Ozzie Newsome will be replaced by Eric DeCosta when the season ends. During the past two seasons, the Ravens were only a few plays away from the postseason, but the 2018 schedule is much tougher than a year ago.Right now, though, Ravens have created a lot of excitement as a result of a strong offseason. That’s all you can ask for at this point.Now, they’ve got to win.mike.preston@baltsun.comtwitter.com/MikePrestonSun

What exactly does this buy for the Ravens? A roster spot?

Understand.

I'm a bit surprised, Dee, unless money was the issue. I was figuring years of interest would outweigh the poor results of the last 3 seasons.

Yup. We'll see if he got the message.

Well, that time of year has finally got here. Off another disappointing season and a long offseason, training camp 2018 starts when rookies and quarterbacks report Wednesday. There are so many questions to be answered but now gradually we'll be able to see if: this year's receivers are better than last year's, the offense has learned to make itself more of a threat with the passing game, whether the excitement level of the offense has improved, has the coaching got any better? While we won't know the complete answers until the season gets underway, we can begin to have some conversations at last about what is happening on the field instead of rehashing the pitiful place this team has been stuck in. I'm really interested to see how things start to pan out. And let's hope we can keep the injury bug to a minimum.

They don't get my money so for me it's pretty meaningless.

We don't even know our offensive line yet...and chemistry is important for that unit especially. It's going to very hard to predict the quality of the O-line at week 1 when there are so many unknowns about it. There's raw talent in abundance but there are significant linemen coming back from injury to say nothing of the fact that we don't have an experienced Center. I'm looking forward to the camp battles and preseason.

It's going to be difficult to make the playoffs this year if only for the schedule being so tough. It's hard for me to see them making it but if the offense is really going to have a renaissance it will be possible. All the stories about who's in and who's out and what the odds are, are premature. Training camp hasn't opened yet. The preseason hasn't started yet. Injuries haven't occurred yet.

Flacco is not a bum. Yet. We'll find out this year.

Agree with all of that.

This is what passes for news during the dead football days this time of year. Rookies and quarterbacks report to camp on 9 July,I believe. Soon there will be some more interesting news to come by.

Ed Reed was a one-of-a-kind. I miss seeing his play and am looking forward to when he goes to the HOF.

Yes. That's surprising to me too. I thought there would be more dead money.

I can't wait to see these guys in action in a month.

The value of team chemistry. And Flacco has to do some unofficial time with the new guys... https://ebonybird.com/2018/06/17/baltimore-ravens-chemistry-will-key-success/

It'll be interesting to see how all this plays out: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-minicamp-standouts-0617-story.html

Joe may indeed have his best season ever depending on injuries to him and his new targets. What I foresee at this time is more exciting play but a 7-9 record as that schedule is stacked with really good teams. If they're exciting to watch, I can live with that for this season. Really looking forward to the pre-season to see what Griffin and Jackson bring to the table. And Crabtree, Snead, and the others.