My first laugh of the week....
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The Random Thought Thread
- Thread starter The Greek
- Start date
Dom McRaven
Hall of Famer
I have zero interest in him as well. But to be fair to him, he did say that he wasn't there mentally (or something to that effect).
SaltyDog
MVP
RIP Kookie, and my sympathies to you and your family.
They really do become an extension of your family. We had a golden retriever for 13 years. My kids grew up with him. He watched over them. He was a gentle soul until you messed with those kids, then he became a wolf. Lol.
Golden Retrievers are great dogs and for the most part very gentle. There was one in the neighborhood that would get down low so Kookie and Lila (also a shih tzu) could play with him. Thirteen years is definitely above average for a Golden as well.
Tank
Hall of Famer
Ouch! out like a light
Excerpt from Albert Breer article about Eric Weddle retiring but has some really interesting nuggets about the defensive rebuild and how we play defence differently to every other team in a way - also explains a little bit why the defence fell off with the loss of Weddle, CJ and Sizzle and why Chuck Clark is so important to this team now
and that quote (which we heard when he left but you never really believe it until you see it - the same way john brown said chris moore was the best wide receiver on our team lol) kind of explains the uptick when chuck came in - our defence relies so much on the players making decisions and calls on the field - its probably why the secondary is so important and having smart guys in the secondary (like marcus peters too) who communicate and manipulate so well is important
anyway here's the excerpt:
Eric Weddle isn’t hanging ’em up now because, after 13 seasons, the 35-year-old can’t play anymore. The Rams safety is doing it because it’s always been his goal to never let it get to that point. And last year, he got a little taste of what it might feel like to be there.
In his first game with the team, at Carolina in September, Weddle broke off cartilage in his knee—after going a dozen NFL seasons without a significant lower leg injury. He thought it might get better; it didn’t. By the end of the year, four pieces of cartilage the size of dimes were floating around in his knee. His meniscus, he says, was fine, which kept the problem from being worse. But it was hard to walk, and there was swelling. So he started thinking.
“It was a long season last year,” Weddle said from his home in San Diego last Friday. “To have the mental fortitude to get through every week, and be at my best, it took a lot out of me. There were times after wins, after losses, where I was by myself at my apartment, and it was tough.”
And that had Weddle thinking about his kids—he has a sixth-grader, a fourth-grader, a second-grader and a kindergartner—and his wife, Chanel. He’d moved them back to San Diego after the 2018 season, having made the decision that wherever he went, he’d go on his own so they could get re-established back where he’d spent most of his career. When the Rams came calling, it seemed perfect, about a two-and-a-half hour drive away (without traffic, at least).
But after the injury, all of it started to wear on him. If the Rams played at home on a Sunday afternoon, he’d go home Sunday night and return, via Uber or car service, on Tuesday night. Other weeks, when the Rams played at night or on the road, he’d be in the studio he rented five minutes from facility, with all the time in the world to think about all of his—and his knee adding an element to it he didn’t expect.
“I thought, ‘What’s one more year?’” Weddle said. “I know I can still play, and play at a high level, even with the knee. But thinking about going through a whole season, going through the pain, honestly, it made me sick to my stomach. And I realized if my heart’s not in it, my mind’s not in it, then it’s time to go. I always follow my gut and that’s what I’m feeling right now.”
So in a roundabout way, this is amazing news: Weddle gets to accomplish one of his most important goals, one that few NFL players reach, and leave the game on his own terms.
And he leaves quite a legacy behind. A late-bloomer picked in the second round, Weddle didn’t make his first Pro Bowl or All-Pro team until his fifth NFL season. But from there, came loads of accolades. He retires a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, and he served as a team captain for three different franchises.
That last one is central to his reputation going out, according to those who’ve coached him. Redskins coach Ron Rivera, who was with Weddle during his first four NFL seasons with the Chargers, has stories of his star safety playing mind games with Peyton Manning on Sunday Night Football (and winning them), and apologizing on the field for even the smallest slip-ups. But his most representative story came from the Pro Bowl.
By then, Rivera was Carolina and was coaching the game. During the week, all seven Panthers in the game accompanied Rivera to Salute to Service event, as did Weddle, who was still a Bolt.
“He made such an impression on our guys, they all kept saying to me—We should trade for that guy, or, If he’s a free agent, we should sign him,” Rivera said Saturday. “Every one of them, I mean, Greg Olsen, (Matt) Kalil, (Luke) Kuechly, Thomas Davis, all those guys kept saying, ‘Man, if that guy’s available, Coach, we gotta get that guy.’ That’s how much of an impression he made on our guys. And remember, it was 2013. We’d just won the division.”
A couple years after that, the Ravens saw the same thing those Panthers players did, signed Weddle. After one year with him, John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale agreed to overhaul their system around the veteran safety, Suggs and CJ Mosley. The idea was to put the power to adjust in the players’ hands with concepts they called AFCs (automatic front and coverage) and BTFs (blitz the formation), in an effort to play defense like other teams play offense.
It was different, and daring, and hinged largely on the knowhow of Weddle and the other two. “He knew it like a coach back there,” Martindale says now.
“He came from the AFC West like I did, and I always liked the way he played,” said Martindale. “And I knew through his career he’d been like a point guard back there. But for our defense, he was like Magic Johnson. He set up everyone up for success. There were times in two-minute, hurry-up, where I’d just let him call it. His experience was invaluable to everyone.”
And it was, again, in his final stop. As a guy who’s always looked to make others around him better (“The thing he’d have frustration with was guys who didn’t have the passion he did,” Martindale said), and was always working to bring young guys along, one of his final acts as a pro football player was fitting.
Weddle went over to Sean McVay’s house for the college football championship game on Jan. 13. McVay wanted to use his 35-year-old captain as a sounding board that night, and for hours the two went over ways the Rams could improve their program and McVay and his staff could improve as coaches. Weddle wasn’t 100 percent sure he was done then, but he knew he had something to give, and McVay had the humility to take the help from a player.
Three weeks later that Weddle called McVay to give him the news that he was retiring.
His plan, for now, is to take at least a year off and spend as much time as he can going to his kids’ games and driving them to school and doing all the things he hasn’t been able to. After that, he’ll consider getting into coaching (maybe, but not necessarily at the pro level) or media or team management. Maybe he’ll dive into something, maybe he won’t.
Figuring that part out, he thinks, will come naturally with some time. When we talked, he sounded pretty content and ready for whatever comes next.
“You try to do something as good as you can, and leave an imprint,” Weddle said. “I tell guys, try and stand for what you want your last name to stand for. For me, that was being accountable, a guy everyone could count on, who loved the game, respected the game, and would do anything for those around him.… I’m excited for what’s next, and I feel like I left the game better than I found it. You do that, and you can leave the game proud and happy.”
and that quote (which we heard when he left but you never really believe it until you see it - the same way john brown said chris moore was the best wide receiver on our team lol) kind of explains the uptick when chuck came in - our defence relies so much on the players making decisions and calls on the field - its probably why the secondary is so important and having smart guys in the secondary (like marcus peters too) who communicate and manipulate so well is important
anyway here's the excerpt:
Eric Weddle isn’t hanging ’em up now because, after 13 seasons, the 35-year-old can’t play anymore. The Rams safety is doing it because it’s always been his goal to never let it get to that point. And last year, he got a little taste of what it might feel like to be there.
In his first game with the team, at Carolina in September, Weddle broke off cartilage in his knee—after going a dozen NFL seasons without a significant lower leg injury. He thought it might get better; it didn’t. By the end of the year, four pieces of cartilage the size of dimes were floating around in his knee. His meniscus, he says, was fine, which kept the problem from being worse. But it was hard to walk, and there was swelling. So he started thinking.
“It was a long season last year,” Weddle said from his home in San Diego last Friday. “To have the mental fortitude to get through every week, and be at my best, it took a lot out of me. There were times after wins, after losses, where I was by myself at my apartment, and it was tough.”
And that had Weddle thinking about his kids—he has a sixth-grader, a fourth-grader, a second-grader and a kindergartner—and his wife, Chanel. He’d moved them back to San Diego after the 2018 season, having made the decision that wherever he went, he’d go on his own so they could get re-established back where he’d spent most of his career. When the Rams came calling, it seemed perfect, about a two-and-a-half hour drive away (without traffic, at least).
But after the injury, all of it started to wear on him. If the Rams played at home on a Sunday afternoon, he’d go home Sunday night and return, via Uber or car service, on Tuesday night. Other weeks, when the Rams played at night or on the road, he’d be in the studio he rented five minutes from facility, with all the time in the world to think about all of his—and his knee adding an element to it he didn’t expect.
“I thought, ‘What’s one more year?’” Weddle said. “I know I can still play, and play at a high level, even with the knee. But thinking about going through a whole season, going through the pain, honestly, it made me sick to my stomach. And I realized if my heart’s not in it, my mind’s not in it, then it’s time to go. I always follow my gut and that’s what I’m feeling right now.”
So in a roundabout way, this is amazing news: Weddle gets to accomplish one of his most important goals, one that few NFL players reach, and leave the game on his own terms.
And he leaves quite a legacy behind. A late-bloomer picked in the second round, Weddle didn’t make his first Pro Bowl or All-Pro team until his fifth NFL season. But from there, came loads of accolades. He retires a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, and he served as a team captain for three different franchises.
That last one is central to his reputation going out, according to those who’ve coached him. Redskins coach Ron Rivera, who was with Weddle during his first four NFL seasons with the Chargers, has stories of his star safety playing mind games with Peyton Manning on Sunday Night Football (and winning them), and apologizing on the field for even the smallest slip-ups. But his most representative story came from the Pro Bowl.
By then, Rivera was Carolina and was coaching the game. During the week, all seven Panthers in the game accompanied Rivera to Salute to Service event, as did Weddle, who was still a Bolt.
“He made such an impression on our guys, they all kept saying to me—We should trade for that guy, or, If he’s a free agent, we should sign him,” Rivera said Saturday. “Every one of them, I mean, Greg Olsen, (Matt) Kalil, (Luke) Kuechly, Thomas Davis, all those guys kept saying, ‘Man, if that guy’s available, Coach, we gotta get that guy.’ That’s how much of an impression he made on our guys. And remember, it was 2013. We’d just won the division.”
A couple years after that, the Ravens saw the same thing those Panthers players did, signed Weddle. After one year with him, John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale agreed to overhaul their system around the veteran safety, Suggs and CJ Mosley. The idea was to put the power to adjust in the players’ hands with concepts they called AFCs (automatic front and coverage) and BTFs (blitz the formation), in an effort to play defense like other teams play offense.
It was different, and daring, and hinged largely on the knowhow of Weddle and the other two. “He knew it like a coach back there,” Martindale says now.
“He came from the AFC West like I did, and I always liked the way he played,” said Martindale. “And I knew through his career he’d been like a point guard back there. But for our defense, he was like Magic Johnson. He set up everyone up for success. There were times in two-minute, hurry-up, where I’d just let him call it. His experience was invaluable to everyone.”
And it was, again, in his final stop. As a guy who’s always looked to make others around him better (“The thing he’d have frustration with was guys who didn’t have the passion he did,” Martindale said), and was always working to bring young guys along, one of his final acts as a pro football player was fitting.
Weddle went over to Sean McVay’s house for the college football championship game on Jan. 13. McVay wanted to use his 35-year-old captain as a sounding board that night, and for hours the two went over ways the Rams could improve their program and McVay and his staff could improve as coaches. Weddle wasn’t 100 percent sure he was done then, but he knew he had something to give, and McVay had the humility to take the help from a player.
Three weeks later that Weddle called McVay to give him the news that he was retiring.
His plan, for now, is to take at least a year off and spend as much time as he can going to his kids’ games and driving them to school and doing all the things he hasn’t been able to. After that, he’ll consider getting into coaching (maybe, but not necessarily at the pro level) or media or team management. Maybe he’ll dive into something, maybe he won’t.
Figuring that part out, he thinks, will come naturally with some time. When we talked, he sounded pretty content and ready for whatever comes next.
“You try to do something as good as you can, and leave an imprint,” Weddle said. “I tell guys, try and stand for what you want your last name to stand for. For me, that was being accountable, a guy everyone could count on, who loved the game, respected the game, and would do anything for those around him.… I’m excited for what’s next, and I feel like I left the game better than I found it. You do that, and you can leave the game proud and happy.”
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
I just want to formally and publicly apologize to not only chuck Clark, but also all of you fine people. At the end of the 2017 draft, I was in ocean city on an anniversary trip with my wife and I was hammered, I went on a ridiculous angry rant about how fucking stupid it was that we passed on Isaiah ford who obviously was a total steal in the 6th, for this no name piece of shit chuck Clark. Clark was another Ozzie/harbs special teams addition and special teams dont fucking matter and Ozzie and harbs and chuck Clark can get fucked because I dont want them and Clark will be out of the league in a year, as we bitterly watch Isaiah ford have a solid productive career. That was the shorthand of my rant.
yeah, sorry bout that guys.
yeah, sorry bout that guys.
i dont think i had a meltdown but i was in a similar position lol - i just didnt even know who chuck clark was in that draft class - i had over 150 players on my big board and hadnt even come across chuck clark lol
Dom McRaven
Hall of Famer
CAN'T WAIT FOR DRAFT NIGHT!
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
One thing is for certain, Isaiah ford was better
What would you prefer... we draft good players? Or my meltdowns?
oh hell who am I kidding, I’m gonna have a meltdown whether they’re good picks or not
interesting exercise - ive gone back to my board to find the highest remaining players left on my board when we picked chuck...
in order of ranking that i had them in on my board:
- isaiah ford - wr
- bucky hodges - te
- noah brown - wr
- tanzel smart - dt
- dj jones - dt
- keion adams - edge
to further my embarrassment i had hodges and ford as top 100 players
DJ jones has become a good player but that feels like i was throwing a million darts while blindfolded and happened to hit the board once
but lol you're so reliably going to meltdown no matter who we get - especially if they're good players - i feel like you melted down over all 3 of our top picks in the 2019 draft
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
Lmao I had a meltdown over Ferguson and Boykin, Hollywood I wasn’t necessarily happy about but I don’t recall it being a meltdown. Was concerned about the size and injuries for sure and based on the worthlessness of John brown I wasn’t big on getting small speedsters. Also the AB relation paired with the Hollywood nickname scared me, but I didn’t know it was because he was from Hollywood Florida lol
O
OriolesMagicPlease
Guest
@RavensMania I'm so sorry about Kookie. 
Thank you!@RavensMania I'm so sorry about Kookie.
Well this article is awesome:
https://theathletic.com/1603330/202...d-the-future-of-the-ravens-and-lamar-jackson/
Some of the cool notes:
- Weddle considers himself a raven despite only playing here 3 years - said at this point he'd be most likely to retire as a raven above the other 2 organisations he played for (which is wild)
Full Quote: As of right now, I would retire as a Raven before those other two teams. Until there’s new management with the Chargers, I’m not going to set foot in that place. That’s been said. It’s unfortunate how it happened, but I’m a guy who is very loyal and once you burn that bridge and do the things that they did, that’s just not going to happen. There’s no need to push that button quickly, but I’m a Raven. I loved my time with the Rams. I was all in, but those three years in Baltimore were as fun and enjoyable as I’ve ever had in my career.
- He spoke to EDC while he was still at the ravens about potentially working as a west coast scout on the side while he considers what to do next - but has indicated he wants to take at least a year and probably 2 before considering properly coaching or scouting opportunities
- When asked about the best teammate he ever had:
Wow. Guys are going to get mad. I would say Philip (Rivers) for sure. Then, the trio of (Zach Orr), Levine and T.J. We’ve had a group text message for the last two years. They’ve been by my side the entire way. Obviously, I’m probably closest to T.J. He lives by me and I see him more often, but I love all those guys to death, and I’d do anything for them.
- He was glowing in his praise for lamar but this comment stood out to me:
He doesn’t have to be a pure pocket passer, but when the time is needed, he has to consistently bring a team back. I think he can. Not many quarterbacks can win throwing 60 times a game. He shouldn’t be faulted for how that playoff game went.
- Zrebiec asked him: What do you think the Ravens have to do to take the next step to the Super Bowl?
his answer is interesting given the discussions on this board:
You don’t want to continue to lose edge rushers. A guy like (Matthew) Judon is homegrown and is turning into one of the premier guys, not just with his pass-rush ability but in playing the run. Not many people know this, but he dropped on like 30 percent of the pass drops. Just think if he’s rushing on those 30 percent, how much production you’d get out of him. I would try and retain him; I would eventually get to Ronnie and trying to figure that out. Marlon is in the distant future. There’s a lot of guys I’d try to retain, and draft well, and sign free agents that fit who you are as an organization.
https://theathletic.com/1603330/202...d-the-future-of-the-ravens-and-lamar-jackson/
Some of the cool notes:
- Weddle considers himself a raven despite only playing here 3 years - said at this point he'd be most likely to retire as a raven above the other 2 organisations he played for (which is wild)
Full Quote: As of right now, I would retire as a Raven before those other two teams. Until there’s new management with the Chargers, I’m not going to set foot in that place. That’s been said. It’s unfortunate how it happened, but I’m a guy who is very loyal and once you burn that bridge and do the things that they did, that’s just not going to happen. There’s no need to push that button quickly, but I’m a Raven. I loved my time with the Rams. I was all in, but those three years in Baltimore were as fun and enjoyable as I’ve ever had in my career.
- He spoke to EDC while he was still at the ravens about potentially working as a west coast scout on the side while he considers what to do next - but has indicated he wants to take at least a year and probably 2 before considering properly coaching or scouting opportunities
- When asked about the best teammate he ever had:
Wow. Guys are going to get mad. I would say Philip (Rivers) for sure. Then, the trio of (Zach Orr), Levine and T.J. We’ve had a group text message for the last two years. They’ve been by my side the entire way. Obviously, I’m probably closest to T.J. He lives by me and I see him more often, but I love all those guys to death, and I’d do anything for them.
- He was glowing in his praise for lamar but this comment stood out to me:
He doesn’t have to be a pure pocket passer, but when the time is needed, he has to consistently bring a team back. I think he can. Not many quarterbacks can win throwing 60 times a game. He shouldn’t be faulted for how that playoff game went.
- Zrebiec asked him: What do you think the Ravens have to do to take the next step to the Super Bowl?
his answer is interesting given the discussions on this board:
You don’t want to continue to lose edge rushers. A guy like (Matthew) Judon is homegrown and is turning into one of the premier guys, not just with his pass-rush ability but in playing the run. Not many people know this, but he dropped on like 30 percent of the pass drops. Just think if he’s rushing on those 30 percent, how much production you’d get out of him. I would try and retain him; I would eventually get to Ronnie and trying to figure that out. Marlon is in the distant future. There’s a lot of guys I’d try to retain, and draft well, and sign free agents that fit who you are as an organization.
Dom McRaven
Hall of Famer
The bolded part would make Lost smile with joy. FUCK SPANOS!
seeing that pull quote was the reason i went and read the article lol - i would love it if he retired a raven just like anquan did - they can play elsewhere for most of their careers but at the end of it they're coming home
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
It’s insane how many players either retire ravens or strongly consider themselves ravens despite playing longer elsewhere. Weddle, boldin, Derrick mason, Willis mcgahee, and I don’t believe steve smith officially retired a raven but he definitely has that connection to the franchise.
it’s awesome to be such a model organization