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Current players that need to prove themselves this coming season
Doss
Jimmy Smith
Cody (maybe too far gone?)
List others you think.
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Re: Current players that need to prove themselves this coming season
RE: Jimmy Smith
Glad to see this:
“I’m really excited about Jimmy [Smith, CB],” Pees said. “I know there’s been some things written and said and I’m not in agreement with very many of them. I think this guy is going to be an outstanding player. He’s got the size, the speed, the range, he’s an intelligent football player. … I think those [Super Bowl] plays right there are gonna go an awful long way for him. I think he’s a tremendous talent. I’ve seen a difference in him already here in the offseason. This guy has been around here all winter.” [105.7 The Fan]
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03-29-2013, 10:05 AM #3
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03-29-2013, 10:05 AM #4Regular 1st Stringer
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Re: Current players that need to prove themselves this coming season
Gradkowski
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03-29-2013, 10:07 AM #5
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Re: Current players that need to prove themselves this coming season
WRs all over the place...Torrey is a good WR, but he needs to prove he can be a #1 target now. His contract is coming up in 2015, so we need to know if we can truly "afford" to pay him the type of money he'll be asking for.
Dickson. Dickson was a good role player in the SB season, but with his UFA status next year, he'll need to show he could contribute even more if he wants a good contract
Oher, KO, Gradkowski, at their respective positions. I think KO proved himself last year, but we need to make sure in Year 2 he continues developing into the big time talent we expect him to be. Gradkowski needs to show he can truly replace what Birk gave us. Oher seems to be a long term answer somewhere on the OL to the Front Office, but I think he needs to show clear results at ONE spot on the line consistently.
Cody...for him, it's a matter of show he can play in the NFL. At this rate, he may not even have a 2014 team at all, much less on a good contract.
Bynes and McClellan. Seems that the front office would rather play these guys at the "other ILB" spot (assuming McClain starts at the other spot, or a drafted rookie/Bynes/McClellan fight for two spots), so show us they can make it with an expanded role
Upshaw. We have Dumervil and Suggs, but you have a chance to make it so we have the luxury of possibly moving one of them next year or the year after.
Jimmy Smith for sure. And Webb to a lesser extent, simply because he needs to prove he can come back from the 2nd ACL.
Christian Thompson and Omar Brown. Enough said..
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“When I think of a Baltimore Raven - we go in there, we take your lunch box, we take your sandwich, we take your juice box, we take your applesauce, and we take your spork and we break it. And we leave you with an empty lunch. That’s the Baltimore Raven way.” - Steve Smith Sr.
Call me a Special Teams coach again. I dare you! I double dare you, MFer!
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03-29-2013, 10:11 AM #6
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03-29-2013, 10:12 AM #7
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Re: Current players that need to prove themselves this coming season
Jameel McClean, eh?
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“When I think of a Baltimore Raven - we go in there, we take your lunch box, we take your sandwich, we take your juice box, we take your applesauce, and we take your spork and we break it. And we leave you with an empty lunch. That’s the Baltimore Raven way.” - Steve Smith Sr.
Call me a Special Teams coach again. I dare you! I double dare you, MFer!
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Re: Current players that need to prove themselves this coming season
Here is a simplified way of looking at the Ravens roster in 2013:
Ascending players (24): Osemele, Gradkowski, Torrey, D.Thompson, Doss, Streeter, L. Williams, Pierce, Rainey, Bynes, McClellan, Upshaw, Christian Thompson, Omar Brown, Chykie Brown, Jimmy Smith, Tyson, Hall, McPhee, Jah Reid, Harewood, Tyrod Taylor, Art Jones, Asa Jackson
Descending players (5): Ayanbadejo, J. McClain, Ngata, Suggs, Canty. Note that Ngata and Suggs declining is likely from All-Pro status to mere Pro Bowl level. I think Canty might be slightly declining, but that doesn't mean he's still not effective at what he does, just more limited in scope of what he can do on the field....sorta like JJ his last two years in Bmore.
Possible declining player (3): Rice, Webb, Koch
About stationary (11): Yanda, Oher, Spears, Huff, David Reed, Ihedigbo, Dumervil, Pitta, Leach, Tucker, Cox
Hard to rate (4):
Flacco ---ascending over his regular season efforts, but no way he's ascending over his post-Caldwell playoff levels since they were legendary
Jacoby Jones---could see him going either way. Initially I thought he was more likely to descend than ascend, given how awesome he was down the stretch. However, given a bigger role from scrimmage, I could see him going up as well.
Corey Graham--hard to improve over last year, particularly as a lifetime role player, but I think there is room for ascension if he can show he can play that well over an entire season.
Ed Dickson---I think there is a chance he could go either way. He could catch 50 balls or drop into a guy that the Ravens shed no tears over parting with in 2014.
Who knows/Cares???? (1) Cody
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Re: Current players that need to prove themselves this coming season
Last year, I would estimate that the the ratio of players on the upward swing of their career versus a downward swing was far, far worse......
.....and we haven't even gotten to our draft yet.
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Re: Current players that need to prove themselves this coming season
Depends on what you mean by "prove themselves". Are we talking players on the fringe who need to show progress/good play or else they'll be out at the end of year? Or just players who may be new/young getting their first chances?
In that first category, I'd say Doss, Cody, and Dickson. J Smith needs to show improvement and become more consistent as well, but there is of course no way they part with him right now even if he struggles.
The second category is a much broader one and includes most of the young players who have already been named. Gino, Thompson, Brown, Bynes, etc.back on twitter
"Well that was an appropriate last ride for Pees. A Bengals WR streaking in for a game winning touchdown in the closing minutes is the man’s preferred medium to express his art." - GreenWave52
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03-29-2013, 11:34 AM #11Veteran Poster
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Re: Current players that need to prove themselves this coming season
Michael Oher. He's in a contract year, and he needs to show the team that he should be part of the future. Doss is certainly on this list, as is Jimmy Smith. Good post.
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Re: Current players that need to prove themselves this coming season
In my mind I was referring to players that people expected to be good but so far haven't really reached that level.
I don't think anyone here thought Bynes is going to turn into Ray Lewis.
But there were/are high hopes for Jimmy Smith (1st rd pick).
We heard over and over about Doss and his hands and him being a Boldin replacement. They gave him decent chances last year (when he wasn't injured) and he mostly flopped.
Cody was a 2nd rd. pick.
I am not talking about guys like Gradkowski because he hasn't even been given a shot yet.
I am talking more about guys that have been expected to perform and really haven't grasped the moment. Guys that could potentially be wearing out their welcome if they don't turn things around.
But any comments are welcome.
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