The silver lining to playing all these rookies and 2nd-year guys....

**4G63** · 10-02-2015, 08:54 PM

...is they're getting meaningful game experience early in their careers!

Just from this last draft, we've seen TE's Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle, "Buck" Allen, Carl Davis, Za'Darius Smith, and Darren Waller all get meaningful snaps in an NFL game. Second year guys Mosley, Jernigan, Gillmore, Taliaferro, Urschel, and Campanaro have all contributed. Obviously some of these guys are getting more snaps than others but the important thing is they're seeing the field, reacting, learning from the good and bad things they do. When they make mistakes, I think most are learning from those mistakes.

You can't practice and get that gameday intensity and pressure. Regardless of how this team finishes this year, I feel like we've got a solid, young group of guys that are gonna be really good in the next few months, if not for the next several years. If Perriman can get healthy and be anything like a Dez Bryant or AJ Green, the sky's the limit for this team and Flacco!

Keep your heads up boys and girls, this team has a great future in store for us fans!!

**lovefootball** · 10-02-2015, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by 4G63

...is they're getting meaningful game experience early in their careers!

Just from this last draft, we've seen TE's Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle, "Buck" Allen, Carl Davis, Za'Darius Smith, and Darren Waller all get meaningful snaps in an NFL game. Second year guys Mosley, Jernigan, Gillmore, Taliaferro, Urschel, and Campanaro have all contributed. Obviously some of these guys are getting more snaps than others but the important thing is they're seeing the field, reacting, learning from the good and bad things they do. When they make mistakes, I think most are learning from those mistakes.

You can't practice and get that gameday intensity and pressure. Regardless of how this team finishes this year, I feel like we've got a solid, young group of guys that are gonna be really good in the next few months, if not for the next several years. If Perriman can get healthy and be anything like a Dez Bryant or AJ Green, the sky's the limit for this team and Flacco!

Keep your heads up boys and girls, this team has a great future in store for us fans!!

Good point, but losing has always sucked. That will never change for Raven Fans.

**Ravenalytics** · 10-02-2015, 09:01 PM

I mean, it's good if the players are good. But right now it's hard to tell who's going to turn into a Jimmy Smith and who's going to be a Matt Elam

**wickedsolo** · 10-02-2015, 09:02 PM

Great point. Can't practice game time experience.

There should be a really nice core of young guys for several years.

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**4G63** · 10-02-2015, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by Ravenalytics

I mean, it's good if the players are good. But right now it's hard to tell who's going to turn into a Jimmy Smith and who's going to be a Matt Elam

Thats my point though. Ozzie & Co. are seeing the fruits of their labor and these guys are, for better or worse, showing what they can do on the field. The fact that we have 3 solid TE's this early in their career getting game experience is fantastic. Gillmore learned from his failure to bring in the TD against Denver. Maxx learned from not catching that pass from Flacco at the end of the Bengals game. You can't teach that in game room or on the practice field.

Maybe I've got purple glasses on but I think you learn a lot about yourself and your team through adversity.

**lobachevsky** · 10-02-2015, 09:18 PM

--And this is one reason they're reluctant to IR Perriman until it's absolutely necessary. Even if he can't manage more than light duty in the last few weeks, it will stand him in good stead for next year. Harbs & Oz like to play the long game.

**mmi16** · 10-02-2015, 09:20 PM

Pre-season, Season and Post Season are 3 different forms of competition based on the same rules.

**saintmatthew** · 10-02-2015, 10:08 PM

I like that the young guys got blooded in the Ravens/Steelers rivalry. It's the type of experience that gets you ready for the next level - post season and championship level football. When you see a guy like SSSr get sidelined it's got to be a gut check to go out there in his place.

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**Jsmoove** · 10-02-2015, 10:16 PM

Awesome point OP! You can't be nothing like in game real time experience, I wohld have liked to have seen it a year earlier though but no time like the present.

**Purpleguy** · 10-02-2015, 10:33 PM

I agree, but if they show nothing then they need to cut their losses. We can't have fans waiting years for someone to show their "potential". We have been down this road with Tandon Doss, David Reed, Clarence Moore, Demetrius Williams, Devard Darling, Patrick Johnson, Mark Clayton, etc., etc., etc. Marlon Brown has already shown me he's nothing more than a #5 receiver. If these guys don't pan out this year then they need to reload next season.

**lovefootball** · 10-02-2015, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by Purpleguy

I agree, but if they show nothing then they need to cut their losses. We can't have fans waiting years for someone to show their "potential". We have been down this road with Tandon Doss, David Reed, Clarence Moore, Demetrius Williams, Devard Darling, Patrick Johnson, Mark Clayton, etc., etc., etc. Marlon Brown has already shown me he's nothing more than a #5 receiver. If these guys don't pan out this year then they need to reload next season.

Yes, I agree, making Flacco throw to average receivers, hoping for the best, is wrong. Build the receiving group with talent, not wishful thinking that they'll develop eventually.

**Rxdoxx** · 10-02-2015, 11:01 PM

We had experience happen last year also with rookies, some you mention as current second year guys
Add in Brooks, Orr, Hurst, who have been in all 4 games... Melvin started 2 games last year (3 total for his first year game experience but has only seen 1 game this year), and Jensen (finally got on the field for a game last year and has been in 3 of the 4 this year)
We came in to this year with some nice experience for prior year rookies, not a surprise that new class would be getting some, but yes it is unusual for one like Boyle to get meaningful snaps this early