tsylvester Posted May 22, 2023 Posted May 22, 2023 While this is voluntary, it should be interesting to see who doesn't show up, given a new offensive system is being put in place. Not too mention a few new faces. Quote
oldno82 Posted May 22, 2023 Posted May 22, 2023 Lamar better show up for this one if he really cares about showing he's a team leader and a winner. Quote
dapetes Posted May 22, 2023 Posted May 22, 2023 Lamar I’m afraid is gonna be a cancer for this team. Underachieving rookies waiting for the big contract. Oweh had already been effected. I hope the heck I’m wrong but I haven’t seen any on the field play that suggests otherwise either. Quote
tsylvester Posted May 22, 2023 Author Posted May 22, 2023 I agree on Oweh, this is a make or break year for him. I have my doubts about him, if he doesn't produce, healthy or not, boot him. Lamar no show today, but there is always tomorrow, we love ya tomorrow, tomorrow makes a dream come true.... Quote
oldno82 Posted May 23, 2023 Posted May 23, 2023 Very unhappy about Lamar not being there. No way to learn a new offense and be a leader. Quote
GrubberRaven Posted May 23, 2023 Posted May 23, 2023 Sarah Ellison reported he will be there, so maybe he will? Quote
oldno82 Posted May 23, 2023 Posted May 23, 2023 I guess better a day late than not at all. I wonder if any of his teammates got after him. Quote
tsylvester Posted May 23, 2023 Author Posted May 23, 2023 Ack, he likely had too much gluten and was on the potty all day yesterday Quote
tsylvester Posted May 24, 2023 Author Posted May 24, 2023 First injury of the year, wide out hopeful Mike Thomas, torn labrum, surgery needed... Quote
tsylvester Posted May 25, 2023 Author Posted May 25, 2023 A nice read, Lamar Jackson's first impression of the Baltimore Ravens' new offense: more freedom and less reliance on his legs. After his first practice with new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Jackson said he was extremely pleased with the direction of the new scheme and believes a philosophy change was needed to be successful going forward. "Less running and more throwing," Jackson said when asked what this offense will allow him to showcase. Jackson is the most prolific running quarterback in NFL history. His 4,437 career rushing yards are the most by any quarterback in their first five seasons -- 1,230 yards more than Cam Newton, who ranks second. Baltimore is 16-1 when Jackson runs for 90 or more yards, but the quarterback has also taken an NFL-high 877 hits over the past five seasons. Jackson flashed a big smile when asked if his rushing attempts will be scaled back this year. "Absolutely, absolutely," Jackson said. "Especially with the receivers we have." The Ravens revamped a group that ranked last in the NFL last season in receiving yards. Baltimore signed Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor in free agency and then drafted Zay Flowers in the first round. Jackson indicated the improved supporting cast will change the focus of the offense. In four seasons under former offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Ravens ranked first in rushing attempts (2,194) and second to last in passing attempts (1,945). "Running can only take you so far," Jackson said. "And I feel like with this new era of teams and offenses in the league, I feel like we need that. Coach Todd Monken, what I'm seeing in his offense so far, is looking tremendous." Wednesday's practice was Jackson's first since he became the NFL's highest-paid player at $52 million per season. He missed the last two weeks of voluntary on-field workouts and skipped the first organized team activity on Monday before reporting Tuesday. The Ravens held out Jackson from team drills, but coach John Harbaugh said the team will "ramp him up" moving forward. "I'm excited that he's here, of course," Harbaugh said. "He was into the meetings. He was locked in the last two days, been completely locked in. So it's a good thing." In addition to a five-year, $260 million contract, the Ravens are giving Jackson more leeway at the line of scrimmage. He pointed out that Monken is "basically just giving us the keys to the offense, really." "You can change things when you want to," Jackson said. "You see the defense, and it's not looking right to you. You see some guy blitzing, you might want your receiver to do something different. Coach is giving you the free will to do whatever you want to." https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/37722923/ravens-lamar-jackson-expects-less-running-more-throwing Quote
tsylvester Posted May 25, 2023 Author Posted May 25, 2023 And another QB Lamar jackson Talking about Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken's system, Lamar Jackson sounds like someone who loves a new car after taking a test drive. After arriving at the Under Armour Performance Center Tuesday to begin working with coaches, Jackson took the field at Ravens OTAs Wednesday for his first practice in Monken's offense. "The new offense is smooth," Jackson said. "I'm loving it so far. Coach is basically just giving us the keys to the offense." Jackson said there's more verbiage in Monken's offense. There's also more verbiage coming from his coordinator's mouth. Monken is very energetic on the field, and Jackson said that's also the case in the classroom. "Coach is very active," Jackson said. "He's talkative and you're enjoying it – the learning process of what he's saying [when he's] teaching us the new offense. It's fun." Playing in a different system with new weapons Odell Beckham Jr., Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor, Jackson clearly believes Baltimore's offense will be more versatile and explosive. The Ravens have run the ball more often than any NFL team since Jackson became the starting quarterback in 2018, and much of that running has been done by Jackson. However, the NFL's 2019 Most Valuable Player is clearly looking forward to having more opportunities to move Baltimore's offense through the air. "Running can only take you so far," Jackson said. "I feel like, with this new era of teams and offenses in the league, I feel like we need that. And Coach Todd Monken, what I'm seeing in his offense so far is looking tremendous." Jackson also believes he'll have more freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage, and that the offense will have a faster pace between plays. Getting to the line of scrimmage faster would also give Jackson more time to audible. "You can change whenever you want to," Jackson said. "You see the defense and it's not looking right to you, you see a guy blitzing, [or] you might want your receiver to do something different. Coach is giving you the freedom to do whatever you want to." Jackson said the new offense is one reason he decided to arrive at voluntary OTAs this week rather than waiting longer. Being at the Under Armour Performance Center gives Jackson a chance to spend extra time face-to-face with Monken and Quarterbacks Coach Tee Martin. "I'm studying, being in the meeting rooms, staying after," Jackson said. "When everybody is leaving the building, I'm still here with Coach Tee and Coach 'Monk' and going over things. Mental preparation is a large part of what Jackson is doing at this point. Jackson threw during the early portion of practice, but Josh Johnson, Anthony Brown and Tyler Huntley handled the 11-on-11 reps on Wednesday while Jackson watched and took mental notes. Head Coach John Harbaugh said they'll "ramp up" Jackson with his conditioning and learning the offense. Jackson said he planned to participate throughout the remainder of OTAs, which will give him even more reps to familiarize himself with Monken's system. While he has quipped about "throwing for 6,000 yards" in the new offense, Jackson emphasized that winning will always be his primary concern, and he is embracing the challenge of doing that in a new system. "I'm not really worried about the (throwing) yards," Jackson said. "It's about us winning." https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/lamar-jackson-todd-monken-offense-loves-keys-audibles-less-running Quote
oldno82 Posted May 25, 2023 Posted May 25, 2023 Well all of that is music to my ears. Looks like things are getting off to a good foundation. Quote
tsylvester Posted May 25, 2023 Author Posted May 25, 2023 Yeah, it is nice to hear that Lamar is staying late, diving into this new playback. I also love how Todd is teaching proper routes, spacing, and the why, it is important. He has always been a great teacher Quote
oldno82 Posted May 25, 2023 Posted May 25, 2023 Agree with all that. Maybe Lamar is growing up as he gets a bit older and under Monken's tutelage. Quote
oldno82 Posted May 25, 2023 Posted May 25, 2023 Some more upbeat news: https://theathletic.com/4551138/2023/05/25/baltimore-ravens-organized-team-activities/ Quote
tsylvester Posted May 26, 2023 Author Posted May 26, 2023 A little more coverage Very excited about Monk,” inside linebacker Roquan Smith, a former Bulldogs star, said after practice. He tuned in for plenty of their wins during last year’s national championship season. “Obviously, watching the Dawgs — even though they made it look easy a lot of the times — just how he utilizes everyone in their position, a lot of eye candy and things like that, I’m like, ‘Man, if some of this stuff was brought to the league, it’s going to create some problems.’ Because I know it made me think a little bit.” Monken’s building blocks already look different from Roman’s. He has not waited long to port over elements of his Georgia offenses to Baltimore. The hallmarks of those powerhouse Bulldogs attacks — a mix of shotgun and under-center formations, a diverse screen game, a quicker tempo between plays, run-pass-option plays, presnap motion that can change the offense’s entire look or probe the defense for one particular clue — have been evident through three weeks of workouts in Owings Mills. Notes It was a good day for new faces. Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, signed this month, had a pass defense on a throw to wide receiver Tarik Black. Flowers, the team’s first-round pick, was active as a runner and receiver. Wide receiver Nelson Agholor, signed in March, also had a handful of catches. https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2023/5/26/23737310/ravens-news-5-26-otas-report-roquan-smith-patrick-queen-morgan-moses-ronnie-stanley-lamar-jackson Quote
oldno82 Posted May 27, 2023 Posted May 27, 2023 With Monken running the offense, I'm ready to get excited again. Quote
tsylvester Posted May 27, 2023 Author Posted May 27, 2023 A snippet of good news from the latest Ravens website Rashod Bateman's health is particularly encouraging. The fact that he's doing individual drills, not at full speed but not half speed either, seems to indicate he should be full-go by the time the season starts. All eggs aren't in the Bateman basket like last year, but there's still a lot Quote
oldno82 Posted May 27, 2023 Posted May 27, 2023 I have my concerns about Bateman. Those damned LIsfranc injuries can take 2 years to recover. I wish him well and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Is he playing with a plate and screws in his foot or were they able to remove them for the upcoming season? Quote
tsylvester Posted May 27, 2023 Author Posted May 27, 2023 He's going to be ready really soon to run full speed," Head Coach John Harbaugh said Thursday. "He's going to have a great offseason. He's going to be up and running." Harbaugh said his understanding is that the screws in Bateman's surgically-repaired foot can come out, but that they don't have to. https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/rashod-bateman-foot-injury-surgery-health-update-john-harbaugh-screws Quote
oldno82 Posted May 27, 2023 Posted May 27, 2023 Good catch. Well...we'll see, I guess. I know Marquise Brown said he couldn't run as fast until they came out. Hopefully, this'll get sorted in the OTA's so that if they do have to come out he can still be ready by training camp in July. Quote
oldno82 Posted May 28, 2023 Posted May 28, 2023 Another small but positive sign about Lamar: https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/2023/05/26/ravens-qb-lamar-jackson-ready-to-be-more-of-a-vocal-leader/ Quote
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