Traing camp is near, pre season not far behind

[oldno82]

What I heard/read is that they've had trouble connecting more than Lamar ignoring him, but Jackson is having his usual difficulties hitting him deep. I hope they can turn that around.

 

Some info from Zrbreic:

'There has been plenty written and said about the need for Lamar Jackson to improve his deep ball accuracy this season. Thursday was not a great day in that regard for Jackson, but it wasn’t entirely on him. He did have a few overthrows, but he also made a very nice throw down the far sideline. However, the ball hit off the extended hands of Rashod Bateman, who was well covered by Brandon Stephens. On another deep shot, Jackson allowed tight end Mark Andrews to go up and make a play. Andrews had his hands on the ball, but it popped out as he hit the ground and landed in the lap of safety Kyle Hamilton for an interception.'

 

[tsylvester]

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

[oldno82]

Yeah, I was going to say that we'll see what's going on in the preseason games with Lamar but then I remembered that the starters won't even be playing until opening day.

I guess we just have to wait and see, but I expect we'll see the same problem again this year.

I hope I'm wrong.

[tsylvester]

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

[papasmurfbell]

Sure .  He wants to.   But if you have not expanded that area of your game early enough then you keep reverting back to old muscle memory habits.  
 

as for the mvp.  The media have made it into a qb award.  Last yr qb play was down across the league.  Hill should have won the award.  He made Miami work.

[tsylvester]

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

[papasmurfbell]

He didn’t get mvp so I guess the fo decided to hook him up.

[tsylvester]

First look at an early depth chart

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

[tsylvester]

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

[tsylvester]

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

[oldno82]

Yep the news has turned positive on the Bateman-Jackson connection and I'm glad to hear it. If Flowers, Bateman, Andrews and Likely stay relatively healthy and if Henry still has 'it' the offense should be a marvel this year. As long as we can come up with a decent offensive line.

The D has had an outstanding camp and it will be difficult for teams to move it against them if they can keep it up.

I feel like the season is a bit more promising that it looked just a week ago.

[tsylvester]

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

[oldno82]

Well my feelings of growing optimism just suffered a setback with that news.

I'm gonna take a SWAG on it and say it ain't serious.

Gulp!

[tsylvester]

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

[tsylvester]

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?'"

[tsylvester]

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

[papasmurfbell]

Is the OL playing badly?  Pulling in a backer bc you dont want your QB hurt seems like an unvocalized criticism of the blockers.

[tsylvester]

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

[papasmurfbell]

Im very worried about RT.

 

[tsylvester]

Eh, Mekari should be enough until the rook is ready

[oldno82]

Sounds like Zach Orr has got the defense smelling blood in the water plus I think Simpson is going to be as good as Queen. He played lights out in that last game of the regular season and Queen had nothing but praise for the guy. Looking forward to seeing him tee it up with Roquan this year.

RT has me worried too. Mekari can fill in but hopefully the Rook earns a starting role very quickly.

[tsylvester]

Boo for boo-boos

On Tuesday, Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh gave updates on several players dealing with injury. From the sounds of it, cornerback Arthur Maulet’s injury may be the most serious.

Arthur’s been dealing with a knee issue. We’ll see,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not going to be anything season-ending, but we’re looking at it right now. We’ve got to figure out what it is.”

While Maulet’s may be more severe, outside linebacker Odafe Oweh’s absence in practice was due to a sprained ankle, which Harbaugh quickly stated he’ll be fine.

Harbaugh also gave an update on wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who suffered an injury scoring a touchdown pass in Monday’s practice when he landed on the ground after the catch.

“Yeah, not serious,” Harbaugh said. “You saw him land on that after he made that catch and kind of hit the ground hard. So, nothing long term.”

https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2024/8/6/24214822/ravens-evaluating-cornerbacks-knee-injury-bateman-owehs-injuries-not-serious

[papasmurfbell]

It sounds like Ojabo is not right.

[oldno82]

Oweh and Batemen seem to be coming into thier own. Hoping they're not more seriously injured than currently believed.

[papasmurfbell]

My understanding is Oweh looked good in camp last yr.  He might just be one of those guys who cant perform when it counts.