OTA Tidbits

**TheSpiderWebb** · 06-13-2013, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by ikethegreat

I heard on the radio this morning that Reid and Upshaw got into a fist fight yesterday. Anyone know what that was about?

I'm sure it was nothing. After going after each other play after play they probably just let their emotions get the best of them. Will happen plenty of more times during training camp with plenty more players.

**bmorecareful** · 06-13-2013, 09:50 AM

From the clip posted earlier re: WRs, I continue to think that Tandon Doss is kind of on the outside looking in. Hostler was careful to immediately qualify that Doss has guys that are ahead of him right now as well as younger guys behind him nipping at his heels. He didn't qualify any of his comments on the other guys in such a way.

Doss has looked good in practices, but he's always lit up unpadded/no-contact practices, just like Marcus Smith, Eron Riley, etc. etc... he needs a big camp to have a shot at the #3 job much less the number 2. I'm not trying to overanalyze one set of comments, but the general gist of things seems to be that Deonte Thompson has really been the young guy to watch so far, and that excites me. I would love to see DT bump Jacoby out of the #2 spot so JJ can do what he does best, return kicks and punts full-time.

**TheSpiderWebb** · 06-13-2013, 09:58 AM

Yeah you can even include padded training camp and the pre-season as areas where Doss looks good. It's just when the games actually count for something that he doesn't. Hopefully he turns things around, because he has the best chance of unseating Jacoby, who we all would rather see at 3rd WR and returner. I could be wrong but I feel like if anyone else ends up in our projected top 3, they will be 3rd and Jacoby 2nd.

**wickedsolo** · 06-13-2013, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by ikethegreat

I heard on the radio this morning that Reid and Upshaw got into a fist fight yesterday. Anyone know what that was about?

Last krispy kreme in the lunch line.

**wickedsolo** · 06-13-2013, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by bmorecareful

From the clip posted earlier re: WRs, I continue to think that Tandon Doss is kind of on the outside looking in. Hostler was careful to immediately qualify that Doss has guys that are ahead of him right now as well as younger guys behind him nipping at his heels. He didn't qualify any of his comments on the other guys in such a way.

Doss has looked good in practices, but he's always lit up unpadded/no-contact practices, just like Marcus Smith, Eron Riley, etc. etc... he needs a big camp to have a shot at the #3 job much less the number 2. I'm not trying to overanalyze one set of comments, but the general gist of things seems to be that Deonte Thompson has really been the young guy to watch so far, and that excites me. I would love to see DT bump Jacoby out of the #2 spot so JJ can do what he does best, return kicks and punts full-time.

At this point, I think the #2/#3 spot will be rotational between Jacoby and Deonte Thompson.

**wickedsolo** · 06-13-2013, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by TheSpiderWebb

Yeah you can even include padded training camp and the pre-season as areas where Doss looks good. It's just when the games actually count for something that he doesn't. Hopefully he turns things around, because he has the best chance of unseating Jacoby, who we all would rather see at 3rd WR and returner. I could be wrong but I feel like if anyone else ends up in our projected top 3, they will be 3rd and Jacoby 2nd.

I disagree that Tandon Doss has not looked good in games. He has made some nice plays, including a screen pass catch-and-run for a TD last season.

The guy can do it, he just needs to be consistent. However, to claim that he hasn't made plays during a game time situation isn't entirely accurate.

**TheSpiderWebb** · 06-13-2013, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

At this point, I think the #2/#3 spot will be rotational between Jacoby and Deonte Thompson.

Caldwell did something similar at number 3 last year, with Doss coming in when inside either 20, and Jacoby for the rest of the field. So I could certainly see it happening again.

**wickedsolo** · 06-13-2013, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by TheSpiderWebb

Caldwell did something similar at number 3 last year, with Doss coming in when inside either 20, and Jacoby for the rest of the field. So I could certainly see it happening again.

Definitely.

I am really hoping DT or Ed Dickson show up in a big way. Their combination of speed, size, and route running could be HUGE for this offense. And as much as I think Jacoby proved a lot of doubters wrong last year (including me) I am still not confident in the guy as a full-time #2 receiver.

**HKusp** · 06-13-2013, 10:24 AM

Deonte Thomapson baby! Just watch what happens with him.

**JAB1985** · 06-13-2013, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

I disagree that Tandon Doss has not looked good in games. He has made some nice plays, including a screen pass catch-and-run for a TD last season.

The guy can do it, he just needs to be consistent. However, to claim that he hasn't made plays during a game time situation isn't entirely accurate.

People use that Indy game against him more than anything. nobody said jack about Doss being bad during the season. He drops one and misses another potential TD pass back to back and everybody drums up past stats without context and/or writes him off completely. The guy has done plenty to impress the coaches and teammates. He just needs time to work on being consistent.

Personally I still think he wins the 3rd spot or at the very least earns significant playing time this year as Thompson/Jones/Doss more than likely split the 2 and 3 spots pretty evenly. I still think Jones ends up being a similar role as last year when its all said and done.

**TheSpiderWebb** · 06-13-2013, 10:56 AM

No one said anything about Doss being good either. Fact is that whenever he's been given the chance on the field, he failed to produce. Not that this tells the whole story, but in 21 career games he's had a PFF score as a receiver that wasn't negative only twice, and even in those his scores were 0.2 and 0.6

**bmorecareful** · 06-13-2013, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by JAB1985

People use that Indy game against him more than anything. nobody said jack about Doss being bad during the season. He drops one and misses another potential TD pass back to back and everybody drums up past stats without context and/or writes him off completely. The guy has done plenty to impress the coaches and teammates. He just needs time to work on being consistent.

Personally I still think he wins the 3rd spot or at the very least earns significant playing time this year as Thompson/Jones/Doss more than likely split the 2 and 3 spots pretty evenly. I still think Jones ends up being a similar role as last year when its all said and done.

Well, you look at the whole body of work that Doss has put forth, and there isn't much of it and what is there has been bad as often or more often than it's been good. You are talking about a guy whose 2 year stat line is 7 catches for 123 yards with 1 TD and, by my recollection, 4 or more drops. When he's been on the field, he plays soft, doesn't run crisp routes, and lacks explosion.

I understand he's been hurt a lot but that's another negative, not a positive. I liked Doss when we picked him, but I've soured on him some after seeing him rarely hit the field and not play well when he's been on it. Obviously you can always play the "we still haven't seen enough to say" card, and certainly the coaches are putting him out there for a reason, but everything is relative. Now Doss is fighting for his life against guys that are just as hungry.

You've got Deonte Thompson improving and catching the coaches' eyes, and he looked better than Doss when he played last year as a rookie UDFA. You've got Tommy Streeter improving, Aaron Mellette looking pretty sharp, and the possibility of a FA signing or trade on the horizon as well. I want Doss to succeed and the competition is going to be a good thing for everybody, but I don't think anything is going to be handed to him; far from it.

I do agree that Jacoby is best as a #3. I really do NOT like the idea of him being an every-down #2 WR and no matter what happens the Ravens need to prevent that. That's not me knocking Jacoby as a player, he has a role and needs to stick to it. Barring any acquisitions, I think the Ravens will open with Torrey and DT as starters, with Jacoby and Doss splitting #3 reps, David Reed as the ST only guy, and the last spot will be open to one of Streeter, Mellette, and the other guys. I think Mellette might be the dark horse here and if he catches on quick he could rise up.