Rookie Camp First Impressions

[wickedsolo]

I read that Arthur Brown was also very impressive and "looks the part of a Mike LB".

[wickedsolo]

Also read on BR.com that Mellette was pretty impressive.

I know many of us are doubting he'll impact right away - if at all - yet, maybe he does? We'll see when the real OTA's and Training Camp start, but maybe he'll put it together sooner than we think.

[TheSpiderWebb]

Tyson plays a different position than Cody.

Tyson is competing with Art Jones, Chris Canty, and Marcus Spears.

Doesn't matter, both of them will be competing with guys like Asa Jackson, Tommy Streeter and Bobby Rainey for spots at the end of the roster.

I'm almost positive Cody makes the 53-man though. I think they were only planning on moving Ngata inside because he was the only real option at NT. Now that we have Williams to either beat out Cody, or push him to get better, they can kick Ngata back out to DT. Now if I'm wrong and they do move Ngata to the nose for good, Cody is good as gone.

As for some other rookies, I heard a quote from Harbaugh talking about how Elam basically took over the huddle and was calling the plays and had all the terminology down from the get-go. It's possible he could end up with the green dot his rookie year, not sure if that's happened before.

I've been hearing a lot of praise for Jensen, but I don't think he beats out Gino. Most likely he backs up all 3 interior positions, then steps into LG next year when they kick KO out to one of the tackle positions. Speaking of O-line I've heard absolutely jack shit about Wagner. Probably not the best sign.

Count me among those who are surprised Melette looked decent. After how bad he looked at the Senior Bowl I didn't think he had much of a chance in the NFL, even if it was against all rookies. Furstenburg apparently looks pretty good, should have the best chance to make the roster of all our UDFAs.

Glad to see Juice being used creatively out there. Hope they find a way to get him a good bit of snaps at TE and H-back while being Leach's understudy this year.

As for the training camp battles I'm most interested in:
Wide receiver 2-6: Probably the one that will get the most attention. Early favorite has to be Doss, but he always looks good in practice, hopefully he can prove it in game situations.
Backup Tackle:Wagner vs. Gaines vs. Reid vs. Harewood(Dark horse: Jack Cornell). Most likely if one of our tackles go down we will end up going to our backup LG and Osemele moves outside, but I still am looking to forward to seeing if one of these guys steps up.
Nose tackle:Cody vs. Williams(Dark horse: Ngata) The important part here is where Ngata ends up. Either way I expect Williams to beat out Cody.
Insider linebacker: How this shakes out is anyones guess. The McClains and Brown have to be the favorites to start, but behind them, who knows. I am a huge Albert McClellan fan and think he has looked great in limited action, was really hoping he'd get a chance to prove himself this year. Bynes has also looked good when given the chance, but barring injury it's probably going to be another year on special teams for him. And don't count out Bryan Hall who is dropping weight to switch to ILB.

[wickedsolo]

Doesn't matter, both of them will be competing with guys like Asa Jackson, Tommy Streeter and Bobby Rainey for spots at the end of the roster.

I'm almost positive Cody makes the 53-man though. I think they were only planning on moving Ngata inside because he was the only real option at NT. Now that we have Williams to either beat out Cody, or push him to get better, they can kick Ngata back out to DT. Now if I'm wrong and they do move Ngata to the nose for good, Cody is good as gone.

I still think they'll keep Cody regardless. The reality is that he is inexpensive and he is still under his rookie contract. The Ravens are a patient organization as could be seen with Kyle Boller, Sergio Kindle, Dan Cody, Travis Taylor, Mark Clayton, and many others. They're not going to dump Cody. Even if he gets beat out by Brandon Williams, they're not going to cut him. What happens if Williams or Ngata get hurt? Cody has been a disappointment, but he knows the defense and that is something that needs to be accounted for.

My comments about DeAngelo Tyson are that he isn't necessarily competing against Cody for a roster spot or playing time. Based on his performance last year, I'd say he is a lock to make the team. He played well in the few opportunities he was given. If Art Jones continues his upward trend, it will be hard to keep him after this season. Meaning: Tyson could be a replacement for Art Jones in as little as 1 year.

As for some other rookies, I heard a quote from Harbaugh talking about how Elam basically took over the huddle and was calling the plays and had all the terminology down from the get-go. It's possible he could end up with the green dot his rookie year, not sure if that's happened before.

I can't recall. Ray has been the green dot for so long...maybe Ray got it his rookie year? Honestly, I don't even know if they had the green dot back then...

It does say a lot about Elam though. The guy is going to be a good player. I have a good feeling about him. If he can stay healthy, which durability doesn't seem to be an issue so far, he could be a good one.

I've been hearing a lot of praise for Jensen, but I don't think he beats out Gino. Most likely he backs up all 3 interior positions, then steps into LG next year when they kick KO out to one of the tackle positions. Speaking of O-line I've heard absolutely jack shit about Wagner. Probably not the best sign.

I wouldn't read too much into not hearing anything about Wagner. They barely spoke about Arthur Brown, does that mean he isn't doing well? It is probable that Ricky Wagner just isn't as interesting of a story as Elam, Williams, KJ (coming from Harvard) and Mellette (coming from Elam). Based on what I have seen of Wagner while in college, I think he translates to a nice RT/G prospect. As others have said, he could very well be Oher's replacement.

Count me among those who are surprised Melette looked decent. After how bad he looked at the Senior Bowl I didn't think he had much of a chance in the NFL, even if it was against all rookies. Furstenburg apparently looks pretty good, should have the best chance to make the roster of all our UDFAs.

Agreed. If Mellette can figure it out, he could be a gem. He has the talent and physical attributes you look for. The thing he'll have to work on is gaining the confidence that he can perform against NFL corners. And I love that Furstenburg is doing well. I think he can certainly make the team. Since Roger Gaines has had knee surgery, I think he'll be a candidate for IR. So, that opens up another opportunity for Furstenburg to stick with the 53.

Glad to see Juice being used creatively out there. Hope they find a way to get him a good bit of snaps at TE and H-back while being Leach's understudy this year.

Depending on what happens in free agency...as in, who is released from other teams...I could see Leach getting cut or being asked to take a major pay cut. Don't want to see the guy go, but he is expensive and KJ could prove to be good enough as a pass blocker. Additionally, I actually think an argument could be made that Rice and Pierce operate out of single-back sets better than traditional I/Offset-I formations.

As for the training camp battles I'm most interested in:
Wide receiver 2-6: Probably the one that will get the most attention. Early favorite has to be Doss, but he always looks good in practice, hopefully he can prove it in game situations.
Backup Tackle:Wagner vs. Gaines vs. Reid vs. Harewood(Dark horse: Jack Cornell). Most likely if one of our tackles go down we will end up going to our backup LG and Osemele moves outside, but I still am looking to forward to seeing if one of these guys steps up.
Nose tackle:Cody vs. Williams(Dark horse: Ngata) The important part here is where Ngata ends up. Either way I expect Williams to beat out Cody.
Insider linebacker: How this shakes out is anyones guess. The McClains and Brown have to be the favorites to start, but behind them, who knows. I am a huge Albert McClellan fan and think he has looked great in limited action, was really hoping he'd get a chance to prove himself this year. Bynes has also looked good when given the chance, but barring injury it's probably going to be another year on special teams for him. And don't count out Bryan Hall who is dropping weight to switch to ILB.

I think the #2 receiver spot is Doss' to lose. However, I could see Thompson challenging for it. There is also the possibility that they sign a vet (Early Doucet?). It'll be interesting to see who shakes loose from other teams.

Like I said above, Gaines had knee surgery recently, so I wouldn't be surprised if he "gets hurt" and goes on IR a-la McAdoo. I see Wagner, Cornell, Jah, and Jensen as the OL back-up players. Jensen can play C or G. Cornell, Jah, and Wagner can play G or RT and Wagner can also play LT. Not ideal if they have to start, but that's solid depth IMO.

I agree with you that ILB may be the most unique competition. I think Arthur Brown is a lock to start either at the Mike or Will LB position and his range makes him an ideal candidate to be a 3-down LB. I can't see him coming off the field in sub-packages. I think the interesting competition will be between Rolando, Bynes, Jameel, and McClellan at the Mike LB position. I wouldn't be surprised if Bynes beat them out. He's got decent wheels and I like the way he wraps up when he tackles. Rolando could make some noise if he pulls his head out of his ass, but who knows if that happens. I'm still not 100% convinced that Jameel is going to be able to rebound from his injury. I know reports are saying he has come along nicely, but spinal injuries are tricky and you never really know.

[Raveninwoodlawn]

I'm with you that he'll make the roster. However, he pretty much did suck in 2011, he was at the root of our run defense issues in the play offs, and Ray Lewis (who had a pretty awesome year in 2011) had to clean up so much mistakes up the middle. We're lucky Sizzle was so dominate that year. He had a good start to 2011, then I don't know what happened to him. I think the div 2 kid is going to be a stud, and I think he's an instant upgrade over Cody. He was very very good at the senior bowl and looked like the best pure nose tackle out there.

One of the issues Ngata's had IMO is having a below average NT next to him for the past two seasons, he looked more dominant with Kelly Gregg.

Let me back up to what I said in a previous post.

Cody played well for the first 2/3's of the season in 2011. Remember, our D the first half of the year was outstanding, and Haloti was having a DPOY type start to the year.

I think Cody wore down over the second half of the year and that is why the team wanted him to lose more weight.

But I think he had a solid to good chunk of a year in 2011 until he wore down.

And then when he lost weight, he lost a lot of the pure strength he relied on as he has never been a technician. And with his height, it's hard to get leverage if you don't have a ton of brute strength or use really good technique.

While I definitely like Williams, I am nowhere close to proclaim him ready to start as he as a ton to learn and isn't just a rookie, but a rookie coming from a D2 program. What I think he will do is give us depth, and someone that can rotate with him and perhaps keep Cody from wearing down.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[BcRaven]

Because he [Cody] is cheap, has upside, and provides depth?
He has been a disappointment to date, but he is entering his third year...

Actually, Cody is entering his 4th year. Drafted in 2nd round (#57 overall) in 2010 draft... Bc

[wickedsolo]

Actually, Cody is entering his 4th year. Drafted in 2nd round (#57 overall) in 2010 draft... Bc

I stand corrected.

He is entering his 4th season.

[Tolucaraven]

I think Furstenburg makes the team, very athletic-plus Maryland puts out TE's....stars or backups, but they usually stick.

Jensen is intriguing, very powerful and built. He is going to give Gino a run for his money, at the very least will make Gino a better player.

[Iscull]

Also read on BR.com that Mellette was pretty impressive.

I know many of us are doubting he'll impact right away - if at all - yet, maybe he does? We'll see when the real OTA's and Training Camp start, but maybe he'll put it together sooner than we think.

I think he is a dark horse to make the 53. Wouldn't surprise me given the lack of unproven players at WR. Should be a good battle to watch.

[BcRaven]

I think Furstenburg makes the team, very athletic-plus Maryland puts out TE's....stars or backups, but they usually stick.

Jensen is intriguing, very powerful and built. He is going to give Gino a run for his money, at the very least will make Gino a better player.

(1) Furstenberg has two advantages because both Pitta and Dickson are FAs in 2014, and the Ravens did not draft a TE.
(2) Several have posted that Jensen will compete with Gino, but IMO GG is much the better player and will fit into Birk's shoes rather nicely. GG had a season to sit behind a smart veteran Center, and a whole year to bulk up his physicality. Jensen played OT, and I think will back-up OG/C ... Bc

[Ravenswintitle]

I read that Arthur Brown was also very impressive and "looks the part of a Mike LB".

I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a lot of playing time. And Rich Gannon was talking about being a rookie in camp, all of the classroom studies and then just trying to figure out where to stand where to move.. it's a process.

[Ravenswintitle]

Sometimes Williams gets a little poop on him...

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100...e-poop-happens