Training Camp 2013 Thread

[Random Thoughts]

If Deonte Thompson were the Union general at Antietam, he would have followed up on the win and smashed the Confederates as they tried to cross the Potomac.

Fortunately David Reed's generalship at Vicksburg put the South on the defensive which they never recovered from. Of course LaQuan Williams' laying waste of the Shenandoah valley was icing on the cake. Steeler fans had a long and bitter winter that year.

Hilarious as SHITLESS.... good one, my friend.

[iggyman555]

was looking through pictures, and noticed this quote "Linebacker Jameel McClain walks into the building for training camp. He's opening camp on the Physical Unable to Perform list because of a spinal cord injury that is healing slower than expected." ...
i thought everything was going fine or did the ravens say something about McClain healing slower than expected?

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/photo...7-8d25c2f7b9d8

[AirFlacco]

If Deonte Thompson were the Union general at Antietam, he would have followed up on the win and smashed the Confederates as they tried to cross the Potomac.

Fortunately David Reed's generalship at Vicksburg put the South on the defensive which they never recovered from. Of course LaQuan Williams' laying waste of the Shenandoah valley was icing on the cake. Steeler fans had a long and bitter winter that year.

LOL - Good one.

If Billick was the Union General at Antietam he would have gone for the tie on the
road too and brought in Stover for the FG down on the river.

If Lombardi was the Union General he would have gone for Lee's balls and cut them off.
Lincoln would have loved him for saying winning is everything.

:)

[The Excellector]

Alright, I think there's something that we need to get clear here. Not everyone is meant to slim down and some are only meant to do so, but so much. No, you don't want Upshaw at 290, but based on his style of play 265-270 is a good range for him. His style is that of heavy handed power, leverage and technique, not speed rushing. That's not even what he was drafted to do.

Ngata slimmed down last year and it didn't stop him from dealing with injuries. Terrance Cody slimmed down, at the coaching staff's request no less, and look what it did to him. Boldin never did much slimming down that I can remember, but he would be a good example of a guy who was never meant to look like Jacoby Jones.

[bmorebirds_24]

With practice being cancelled, don't think they ran any conditioning tests today. He'll run it tomorrow, Harbaugh expects he'll pass, but says it's up to Jacoby.

I'm guessing he can take it early then be ready for practice? I miss the days when they would release a schedule of their practices. Don't they know we are information junkies out here?

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[saintmatthew]

Lee was stopped dead in his tracks in MD and PA - some of the bloodiest fighting in American History. More than twice the Americans died at Antietam deaths than Normandy on D-Day.

Admittedly, when comparing casualty statistics to the civil war, things are skewed by the fact that both sides were Americans.

[JAB1985]

Alright, I think there's something that we need to get clear here. Not everyone is meant to slim down and some are only meant to do so, but so much. No, you don't want Upshaw at 290, but based on his style of play 265-270 is a good range for him. His style is that of heavy handed power, leverage and technique, not speed rushing. That's not even what he was drafted to do.

Ngata slimmed down last year and it didn't stop him from dealing with injuries. Terrance Cody slimmed down, at the coaching staff's request no less, and look what it did to him. Boldin never did much slimming down that I can remember, but he would be a good example of a guy who was never meant to look like Jacoby Jones.

thats fine and dandy if you dont want him to progress and be anything else than what he is currently. Right now he really hasnt shown that much as a pass rusher in the pros. the only thing hes proven is that hes good against the run and setting the edge. if thats all he or the team ever wants from him, id agree 100% that being at a lower weight isnt necessary. I think he and the team would both like him to be more than 2 down run stuffing LB. Im not sure its even possible at a lower weight, but it would theoretically help him be better at coverage and quicker in the pass rush.

EDIT: for clarity "quicker" should be faster, as in chasing down not burst.

[Ravens44]

thats fine and dandy if you dont want him to progress and be anything else than what he is currently. Right now he really hasnt shown that much as a pass rusher in the pros. the only thing hes proven is that hes good against the run and setting the edge. if thats all he or the team ever wants from him, id agree 100% that being at a lower weight isnt necessary. I think he and the team would both like him to be more than 2 down run stuffing LB. Im not sure its even possible at a lower weight, but it would theoretically help him be better at coverage and quicker in the pass rush.

What I like about Upshaw, is that he has a motor to go along with that huge body of his. If he misses a tackle or gets knocked off his feet, he gets right back up and pursues...and sometimes still makes the tackle, like in the super bowl (causing a fumble).
It is apparent he is still learning his trade in everyway possible.
He is a youngster. The very best thing for him; he is seeing Suggs transform his body.
He is seeing what the vets do.
How they eat, how they train, how they work, and from Suggs and now Doom, he will learn so much more about getting after the passer.
Upshaw set the edge better than anyone on this team last season.
That is a great thing and he needs to build on that.
I still see Upshaw as a raw Woodley...but he has coaches, Suggs and Doom to help teach him, first hand.
Let's see how much he learns and how fast.
And I will mention Simon in here, because I think he is built in the same kind of mold as Upshaw, except he is a workout warrior.
I would imagine they both can set the edge....which is going to be extremely important when they cross paths with these young running/throwing QBs like RGIII, etc.

[B-more Ravor]

As expected, Jacoby has now passed his conditioning test!

Aaron Wilson ‏@RavensInsider 10m Jacoby Jones has passed Ravens mandatory conditioning test, removed from non-football injury list and activated to practice today

[Dirt1]

And I will mention Simon in here, because I think he is built in the same kind of mold as Upshaw, except he is a workout warrior.
I would imagine they both can set the edge....which is going to be extremely important when they cross paths with these young running/throwing QBs like RGIII, etc.

Do you think they are going to try and make Simon into an ILB? I think it is his best shot of becoming a starter for the Ravens over the next 3 years.

[bt12483]

As expected, Jacoby has now passed his conditioning test!

If Deonte wins the #2/3 spot, and Jacoby also wins a #2/3, our 3 WR set will be speed overload between Smith, Jacoby and Thompson. We will have ol' reliable in Pitta for the underneath stuff, and even Dickson presents some speed advantage at the other TE spot.

Depending on how it shakes out, 4/5 of our primary pass catchers (not including Rice) would be very speed oriented. But all with less than stellar hands.

The only hands I really trust right now are Pitta's. And Rice. Torrey is close but not quite there. I still don't trust Jacoby's hands. Nor Dickson's. And the other WRs are unknowns.

[The Excellector]

thats fine and dandy if you dont want him to progress and be anything else than what he is currently. Right now he really hasnt shown that much as a pass rusher in the pros. the only thing hes proven is that hes good against the run and setting the edge. if thats all he or the team ever wants from him, id agree 100% that being at a lower weight isnt necessary. I think he and the team would both like him to be more than 2 down run stuffing LB. Im not sure its even possible at a lower weight, but it would theoretically help him be better at coverage and quicker in the pass rush.

EDIT: for clarity "quicker" should be faster, as in chasing down not burst.

But he doesn't have to be successful at rushing the passer, as a speed rusher. That's not his game. Sometimes you just have to accept what's in a guy's DNA, and the Ravens did that when they drafted him. That's how he was in college and that's how he is here. For the record, he was Bama's best pass rusher with that style of his. You can't just up and suddenly tell the guy to drop to a less comfortable weight and darn near completely change his style of play. There are, and have been successful pass rushers who aren't considered speed rushers. To say that he didn't show it during his rookie season is a bit off to me, because he's still learning the pro game.

Terrell Suggs himself wasn't a speed rusher coming out of college and has always been a heavier OLB. Over time, he learned how to set the edge, within the framework of his style of play and weight. Upshaw already showed that he could do that at the college level. It'll just take time, but he can certainly do that at 265.