OTAs this week

[oldno82]

When camp and the pre-season get going, we'll have a better feel for how the O-line will hold up this year. Right now I do think last year's sucky coaching and Faalele were the biggest issues. Vega will really help the line play. Depth is an issue. Center might be, but I'm willing to give Pinter and last year's backup a chance.

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2 hours ago, tsylvester said:

Na, just refine the talent. Block this guy, watch that guy, pretty "simple", it is just a matter of order which the previous coach clearly could not teach

That’s assuming the trash heap center can standup.  Also assuming Stanley can stay healthy.  I think rose is where you are referring.  But if those 2 spots are where I expect them to be this ol is in bad shape.

[tsylvester]

Well, you are assuming Pinter won't pan out nor will Bullock when he gets healthy, nor will Gwyn nor Dawkins at center.

You also assume that Stanley won't stay healthy. Quite a lot of assumptions on your part partner.

I think the new line coach and his new assistants will be much, much better than the old man friend of Harbs brought in last year. Shoot, before the death of the original line coach, Faalele actually played pretty well, well enough that the offense was top 5.

So I think this new coach can do just fine with better talent.

[oldno82]

7 hours ago, tsylvester said:

Shoot, before the death of the original line coach, Faalele actually played pretty well, well enough that the offense was top 5.

 

And the whole line played well coordinated football. D'Allesandris was the coach back then and after they got his replacement, the line was never the same.

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17 hours ago, tsylvester said:

Well, you are assuming Pinter won't pan out nor will Bullock when he gets healthy, nor will Gwyn nor Dawkins at center.

You also assume that Stanley won't stay healthy. Quite a lot of assumptions on your part partner.

I think the new line coach and his new assistants will be much, much better than the old man friend of Harbs brought in last year. Shoot, before the death of the original line coach, Faalele actually played pretty well, well enough that the offense was top 5.

So I think this new coach can do just fine with better talent.

They bottom of the barreled center.  No confident.  Also this is the 3rd straight time they were not proactive at the spot so I’m not sure they can find a keeper like the past.

as for Stanley he is playing on borrowed time.  He was not very good last yr.  Keep playing Russian roulette with him.

[tsylvester]

The centers in the draft were not worth drafting high, even then, they targeted two and both were taken too high. I can fault them for that.

Also, last year, granted preseason, Bullock did very well, with a bad line coach. Sure, preseason but he did what good players should do, he dominated lesser talent.

I understand what you are saying, frankly I would hwve rather they went after a center instead of another tight end. But they have a lot of options at center, one, just by shear odds, will pan out.

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2 hours ago, tsylvester said:

The centers in the draft were not worth drafting high, even then, they targeted two and both were taken too high. I can fault them for that.

Also, last year, granted preseason, Bullock did very well, with a bad line coach. Sure, preseason but he did what good players should do, he dominated lesser talent.

I understand what you are saying, frankly I would hwve rather they went after a center instead of another tight end. But they have a lot of options at center, one, just by shear odds, will pan out.

I would like them to extend a center when they identify a good one.  This letting them shine and hit fa crap is bad business.  Be proactive.

[tsylvester]

He wanted too much money and was more of a finesse center who got bullied when facing big nose tackles. You want to pay what he got, in this division?

[oldno82]

There will always be a few teams that will overpay for any position. $25 to 28mil for a Center is almost as ridiculous as a half-billion for a quarterback who's best years are now behind him because of chilling effect on the rest of the roster as teams divvy up what's left of the cap for the other 52 players. I don't think Linderbaum is worth what he got even if he was considered the best Center in the league. And I don't think what Mahomes got leaves anywhere enough room for the rest of the team.

 

[oldno82]

I tell ya, I shudder to think what Lamar is going to think he's worth to the Ravens when negotiations really get rolling.

[tsylvester]

They have plenty of time to work things out, one way or another. Even should they wait out this year and try to negotiate next off season I might add.

That way, they see how rhe young players who are cheap, pan out.

They know they need either a left tackle next year or a right if Rose moves over. How do the guards, the center, the tight ends, the wideouts, etc look in the offense, in the league.

They would also get to see how Lamar does, "healthy", "motivated" with the new coaches. This may say, pay him or, cut bait and run. The qb class next year is supposed to be better, on paper, get one there at all costs.

[oldno82]

I like Lamar and I think he's a good quarterback. I just have a gut feeling he wants a record breaking, team roster busting contract. We'll see, but you are right...next year the Ravens have to determine if it's time to move on from him and pick the next franchise quarterback from a good class of candidates.

 

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23 hours ago, tsylvester said:

He wanted too much money and was more of a finesse center who got bullied when facing big nose tackles. You want to pay what he got, in this division?

If you start talks during 3rd season and ink as soon as the season is over then you get a team friendly deal.  Still they let boze and janson walk bc they would not get off their duff fast enough.

20 hours ago, oldno82 said:

There will always be a few teams that will overpay for any position. $25 to 28mil for a Center is almost as ridiculous as a half-billion for a quarterback who's best years are now behind him because of chilling effect on the rest of the roster as teams divvy up what's left of the cap for the other 52 players. I don't think Linderbaum is worth what he got even if he was considered the best Center in the league. And I don't think what Mahomes got leaves anywhere enough room for the rest of the team.

 

I never said he was worth it.  I knew he was gone when his 5th yr number came out.  But as I said above there was no reason to get there.

2 hours ago, tsylvester said:

They have plenty of time to work things out, one way or another. Even should they wait out this year and try to negotiate next off season I might add.

That way, they see how rhe young players who are cheap, pan out.

They know they need either a left tackle next year or a right if Rose moves over. How do the guards, the center, the tight ends, the wideouts, etc look in the offense, in the league.

They would also get to see how Lamar does, "healthy", "motivated" with the new coaches. This may say, pay him or, cut bait and run. The qb class next year is supposed to be better, on paper, get one there at all costs.

I expect cut bait.  I expect an even lower output by Lamar.

9 minutes ago, oldno82 said:

I like Lamar and I think he's a good quarterback. I just have a gut feeling he wants a record breaking, team roster busting contract. We'll see, but you are right...next year the Ravens have to determine if it's time to move on from him and pick the next franchise quarterback from a good class of candidates.

 

i would not expect us to be in line for an early qb.

[tsylvester]

Papa, you are assuming that said player who inks an early, team friendly deal, will not then come back a year or two later once someone at the same position gets much, much more, and wants to renegotiate, get an extension.

Then you are right back to releasing/trading said player who "deserves" to be paid as a top at said position.

So you draft well, replace the player, if not year one when he leaves, then year two.

[papasmurfbell]

We are not talking wr.  We are talking center.  It’s not the same thing.

[tsylvester]

Oh if this big fella can turn out, that would be, well, huge

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The Baltimore Ravens might have thought they had an intriguing prospect in 6-foot-6, 370-pound defensive lineman C.J. Okoye at some point in the recent past.

With a new head coach in 2026 with Jesse Minter and an entirely new coaching staff, Okoye is being re-evaluated after playing in 13 games in 2025 — his 1st NFL games — and patience could be running out, according to Ebony Bird’s Connor Burke.

“Ultimately, while Okoye is coming off a season where he saw a good number of reps along the defensive front, most, if not all of those, could disappear in 2026,” Burke wrote on June 20. “He needs to take some strides during training camp and preseason if he wants a realistic shot at making the practice squad. He’s still a fascinating project since he remains relatively new to the sport, but for a player turning 25 this year, that project label may be losing its luster.”

There’s 1 way of reasoning that shows us Minter may have already made up his mind that Okoye doesn’t fit with his defense.

Okoye spent the 1st 2 years of his NFL career with the Los Angeles Chargers, including 1 season in 2024 with Minter as the defensive coordinator — a season in which Minter never made a move to put Okoye on the regular-season roster.

The path to the NFL for Okoye has never been traditional. Born and raised in Nigeria, Okoye came to football via an NFL Africa Camp, which got him sent to the NFL International Combine in London, which got him into the NFL International Player Pathway Program, which got him to IMG Academy to train, which is where he became 1 of 8 international players allocated to NFL teams.

If we are going to identify 1 thing Okoye has going for him, it’s the uncertainty the Ravens have had on the interior defensive line for the last year.

Almost all of that uncertainty centers around $98 million NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2 of the 2025 regular season, and there is still no timetable set for his return.

One thing the Ravens have done to try to prepare themselves for another season without Madubuike is bring back 40-year-old defensive lineman Calais Campbell, whom they signed to a 1-year contract on April 30.

https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/baltimore-ravens/lose-patience-defensive-lineman-cj-okoye/

[oldno82]

No doubt we could use a big guy in the center of the line but it doesn't sound too promising that it will be Okoye.

[tsylvester]

Amazing he played so well, hurt. Looking forward to seeing him at full strength, with a pass rush to help him.

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Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins has set some big goals for his third NFL season.

During an appearance on The Journey, Wiggins listed All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections along with a Super Bowl title as his hopes for the 2026 campaign. Being at full strength would help his bid to reach any or all of those goals and Wiggins shared good news on that front as well.

Wiggins had undisclosed surgery earlier this offseason and said that he played the last two seasons at “about 60-70 percent” health. He said he feels that no one has seen “the full Nate” yet, but feels that’s coming now that he’s addressed his injury. 

“They’re going to see a big transition this year,” Wiggins said. “How I move, all that. . . . I’m just so happy going into this year. I know the coaches [are] happy. They say it every day. I know it’s going to be a big year for me and I just can’t wait.”

Wiggins did not miss any games last season and finished the year with 76 tackles and three interceptions in his 17 starts. 

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/ravens-cb-nate-wiggins-healthy-after-offseason-surgery-expects-to-be-the-full-nate-this-season

[oldno82]

As of right now you have to say the coaching staff has been on the mark with setting the right attitude for the players. They all seem hyped up from veterans to rookies.

But of course, the real tests are coming...training camp, preseason games, and then the regular season. It all could fall apart quickly if they have key injuries or don't play well when things are for real.

At this point, though, you couldn't ask for a better launch.

[tsylvester]

Saw a blurb about the Bills new stadium, how fans are, well, outraged at the prices for tickets, especially for the home opener. Oh and the tax payers paid the entire cost of stadium

Quote

 $660 to over $12,000, with the median price for the game hovering near $2,055.

[oldno82]

That's freaking unbelieveable! It's disgraceful they would charge that much for a publicly funded stadium. I can see why the fans are pissed.

 

[tsylvester]

Back to Ravens news, this is great to hear the motivation to be better from another young player.

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When Ravens safety Malaki Starks reflected on his rookie season in May, he said it was not up to the standard he set for himself.

Starks’s opinion of his work didn’t change over the last few weeks. The 2025 first-round pick told Jeff Zrebiec of TheAthletic.com that he “probably would go C-plus, B-minus” on a report card and he also shared what he plans to do in order to raise that grade for his second season.

Starks said he is integrating pilates into his offseason workouts and has added weight after playing at 202 pounds last year. Starks said he also plans to consult a Super Bowl-winning coach. 

“I’m going to get back with Jon Gruden,” Starks said. “I trained with him before the draft, so I’m going to get back with him and pick his brain a little bit. . . . It’s awesome. I trained with him for the draft. He prepped me for the draft and we’ve been really cool ever since. Just to learn from a guy like him and have him as a resource, I think it will be huge.”

The Ravens have a new head coach in Jesse Minter and Starks said that “everybody gets a new start” in that situation. A little time with Gruden is part of his plan to make the most of that fresh start. 

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/ravens-s-malaki-starks-plans-to-work-with-jon-gruden-ahead-of-training-camp

[tsylvester]

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been impressed by new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle this offseason and Jackson’s immersion into Doyle’s offense has impressed one of the quarterback’s longtime teammates.

Tight end Mark Andrews and Jackson as 2018 rookies in Baltimore, so he’s seen Jackson move through different offensive schemes while winning a pair of MVP awards. In an interview with CBSSports.com, Andrews said that Jackson has been “constantly evolving and getting better” over the years and that watching him do that over the last few months has revealed new depths to what Jackson is able to do.

“This is a different offense than we’ve been a part of since we got into the league — it’s totally different than anything we’ve done,” Andrews said. “I think [Jackson’s] going to make it his own, adapt to it and be the best that there is. That’s the type of person that he is and that’s the type of guys and coaches that we have. I think that’s a scary sight when you see Lamar Jackson adding new things to his repertoire.”

The offseason coaching changes have brought the most significant change to the Ravens’ operations since Jackson and Andrews arrived in Baltimore. If the on-field results match the offseason impressions, the new era in Baltimore will be off to a strong start.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/mark-andrews-lamar-jackson-is-evolving-and-getting-better-in-totally-different-offense