The Random Thought Thread

[redrum52]

it's funny that those guys don't "expect" it to be jimmy
but in hindsight it could really only have been him... the ravens were the only defence that consistently caused the pats any sort of problems while edelman was there, and jimmy was the difference in that defence

but because he never made a pro bowl or an all-pro, mostly due to injuries ending his seasons, he's this unknown to those who weren't closely paying attention to mid-2010s ravens football (and tbf why would anyone not a ravens or pats or AFC North follower pay any attention to the mid-2010s ravens)

I've said since 2015 we were a Jimmy Smith away from a potential 3rd SB. If Jimmy is there I have no doubt we at least make Bowl if everything else goes as it should.

 

[redrum52]

Jimmy without a single injury would’ve been a hall of famer and I’ll die on that hill, he’s the single most unheralded player in franchise history. God damn shame what happened to him, he was as talented, as physical, as smart, and skilled a corner as any in this league the past decade, he just couldn’t stay on the field. And the way he kept returning to great form after awful injuries was awesome. Ravens might have 2 rings in 3 years if Jimmy is healthy in the 2014 playoffs.

Jimmy and Webb never get seriously hurt, our defense looks a lot different from 2011 on. Two great players who never reached their true potential because of their bodies failing them.

 

[drjohnnyfever]

Jimmy without a single injury would’ve been a hall of famer and I’ll die on that hill, he’s the single most unheralded player in franchise history. God damn shame what happened to him, he was as talented, as physical, as smart, and skilled a corner as any in this league the past decade, he just couldn’t stay on the field. And the way he kept returning to great form after awful injuries was awesome. Ravens might have 2 rings in 3 years if Jimmy is healthy in the 2014 playoffs.

Jimmy and Webb never get seriously hurt, our defense looks a lot different from 2011 on. Two great players who never reached their true potential because of their bodies failing them.

Webb was a steal and Jimmy performed to his draft pick. I also wish we had seen him w/o injury. But you're right he was fantastic. We converted Webb, didn't we? From Safety.

edit: I met Webb once at Nacho Mamas in Canton. Hilarious. The bartenders knew him, but he was not recognized by anyone but me. I went up to him and said how much I enjoy watching him play. He came over and stood behind my then fiance and I and we talked for a bit while he waited for his order. Don't have many run ins with celebs, but that was cool. He wouldn't accept a beer.

 

[rossihunter2]

Jimmy without a single injury would’ve been a hall of famer and I’ll die on that hill, he’s the single most unheralded player in franchise history. God damn shame what happened to him, he was as talented, as physical, as smart, and skilled a corner as any in this league the past decade, he just couldn’t stay on the field. And the way he kept returning to great form after awful injuries was awesome. Ravens might have 2 rings in 3 years if Jimmy is healthy in the 2014 playoffs.

that 2014 offence was about as balanced as any i'd seen in this pre-hyper-mobile QB era
could kill you in basically whatever way it wanted to as long as joe didnt throw it to the other team too much

and that defence was destructive, and when jimmy was around on the backend we could dominate with that front and roll help to the other corner

we all know that with jimmy on the field, the pats don't overcome those 2 14 point deficits

and we'd have dominated that colts team in the championship game - not convinced we would have beaten that seahawks team in the superbowl if we made it but i have no doubts we'd have been in the superbowl if we beat the pats in the divisional round

 

[ndub]

There wasn't much in that article.

“It was something that Coach [John] Harbaugh wanted us to improve on, and us as an offense, as players and coaches, wanted to improve on, so it’s been an emphasis,” Ravens wide receivers coach Tee Martin said during minicamp. “We’ve been pushing the ball down the field more in individual drills, before we even get to seven-on-seven and things of that nature, and just really seeing what we are. It’s hard to correct something if you don’t know what the issues are, and so we’ve been making that more of an emphasis and getting more reps at that, and we’ve been seeing improvement.”

Part of the problem was Jackson’s frayed connection with Brown, his favorite deep threat. Only seven wide receivers were targeted downfield as often or more often than Brown in 2021, yet 18 wide receivers had more receptions of 20-plus air yards than Brown. Drops were a problem; Brown finished with four over his 28 targets. Jackson misfired often, too.

By the time an ankle injury ended Jackson’s season in mid-December, his early-season rhythm with Brown had all but disappeared. Backup Tyler Huntley, with his limited arm strength, couldn’t resuscitate Brown’s downfield production, either. On deep shots last year, Brown’s expected points added per target — a measure of efficiency that accounts for situational factors such as down, distance and field position — was minus-0.30, according to SIS. The EPA per carry of Ravens running back Le’Veon Bell, who was cut after five games: minus-0.13.

It’s unclear whether Brown’s departure will amount to addition by subtraction in coordinator Greg Roman’s passing scheme. Brown, who finished last season with a career-high 1,008 yards and six touchdown catches despite the offense’s injury struggles, helped soften up secondaries for the Ravens’ short-range passing game with the attention he attracted on downfield routes.

In Mark Andrews, the Ravens do have one proven field-stretching threat. The All-Pro tied with the Atlanta Falcons’ Kyle Pitts last season for the most deep catches by a tight end (eight) and led all players at the position in deep targets (19). But if defenses sell out to stop the Ravens’ ground game this season, regularly committing a safety to their run defense, Jackson will need an outside presence as well.

Rashod Bateman could not only replace Brown there but also represent an upgrade. As a sophomore at Minnesota, he was among college football’s most explosive receivers, averaging more than one deep catch per game. As a rookie in Baltimore, the first-round pick had four catches of 20-plus air yards — just two fewer than Brown despite seeing 20 fewer passes. Bateman’s EPA per deep target was an elite 0.98, ahead of even Cincinnati Bengals Ja’Marr Chase’s efficiency on such throws (0.94).

In Bateman’s relatively small sample size, there was little waste. His four downfield grabs came on five “catchable” passes, according to SIS, compared to Brown’s 6-for-12 mark. Asked at minicamp whether his downfield ability is overlooked, Bateman shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “We’ll see,” he said.

Devin Duvernay has elite speed, and his 10 deep catches for Texas in 2019 tied for second in the Big 12 Conference, behind only eventual first-round pick CeeDee Lamb. But he’s been targeted downfield just four times over his two years in Baltimore, catching one pass.
Elsewhere, production remains a question mark for the Ravens’ wide receivers, even if pedigree does not. Devin Duvernay has elite speed, and his 10 deep catches for Texas in 2019 tied for second in the Big 12 Conference, behind only eventual first-round pick CeeDee Lamb. But he’s been targeted downfield just four times over his two years in Baltimore, catching one pass.

James Proche II, a frequent downfield target at Southern Methodist, has one career catch and two targets of 20-plus air yards. Tylan Wallace, who impressed with his contested-catch ability as a deep threat at Oklahoma State, was targeted just once on a pass of longer than 10 yards as a rookie.

No one will face more pressure to perform, however, than Jackson. This offseason could mark an important stage in his downfield development, just as the 2021 offseason seemed to mark a turning point in his proficiency with sideline throws. After Roman said opposing defenses would have to cover “all 53 yards” of the field’s width, Jackson’s accuracy on unpressured throws outside the numbers improved from 64.8% to 73.5% last season, sixth best in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 40 such attempts.


“Look, I’ve been around long enough to know that you get what you emphasize,” Ravens quarterbacks coach James Urban said at minicamp. “So you emphasize it, and you emphasize the techniques, or the route running, and all of that, and then the timing aspect of it. So you get what you emphasize, and we’re going to emphasize it.”

Thank you for this. It was excellent analysis reading this @cdp

 

[rmcjacket23]

Jimmy without a single injury would’ve been a hall of famer and I’ll die on that hill, he’s the single most unheralded player in franchise history. God damn shame what happened to him, he was as talented, as physical, as smart, and skilled a corner as any in this league the past decade, he just couldn’t stay on the field. And the way he kept returning to great form after awful injuries was awesome. Ravens might have 2 rings in 3 years if Jimmy is healthy in the 2014 playoffs.

Was never a high turnover player. That's why he wouldn't have made it in the HOF regardless.

 

[purplepittabread88]

Jimmy without a single injury would’ve been a hall of famer and I’ll die on that hill, he’s the single most unheralded player in franchise history. God damn shame what happened to him, he was as talented, as physical, as smart, and skilled a corner as any in this league the past decade, he just couldn’t stay on the field. And the way he kept returning to great form after awful injuries was awesome. Ravens might have 2 rings in 3 years if Jimmy is healthy in the 2014 playoffs.

If I recall correctly it was even more unlucky as his best seasons were 13 and 15, where the team let him down while he was certified elite

 

[Ellicottraven]

Jimmy without a single injury would’ve been a hall of famer and I’ll die on that hill, he’s the single most unheralded player in franchise history. God damn shame what happened to him, he was as talented, as physical, as smart, and skilled a corner as any in this league the past decade, he just couldn’t stay on the field. And the way he kept returning to great form after awful injuries was awesome. Ravens might have 2 rings in 3 years if Jimmy is healthy in the 2014 playoffs.

Amen! I'll send somebody I don't know, to die with you on that hill my friend!

 

[Ellicottraven]

some info jeff's heard regarding wolfe settlement

if this is true then they compromised right down the middle on the guaranteed money... they get the roster spot and some cap space they might not have got, he gets the security of the 1m he didnt "deserve" and doesnt have to go to arbitration and doesn't have to pretend to rehab to get it

Dang! I wanted him to get 25% at most. I guess both parties didn't care about the extra time and effort it might have taken. Well, Wolfe made good bank and we saved a roster spot and saved a million. All good I guess.

 

[RavensMania]

Was never a high turnover player. That's why he wouldn't have made it in the HOF regardless.

as much as I liked Jimmy, I do agree with this statement. The lack of turnovers would have kept him out of the game, but he was a very good player regardless and so fundamentally sound.

 

[redrum52]

Jordy Nelson also shouted out Jimmy as one of the tougher dbs. Apparently was the white wr baba yaga.

 

[purplepittabread88]

I can't confirm how small this club might be, but Jimmy Smith has to be in a very exclusive club of having picked off Aardon Rodgers, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady. Add Big Ben into the mix too. Pretty incredible list there, espically considering he wasn't a ball hawk.

 

[airconteka]

Anyone got the win % with and without Jimmy because I'm sure we used to win every game he was out?

 

[rmcjacket23]

Anyone got the win % with and without Jimmy because I'm sure we used to win every game he was out?

lol, no. Pre Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy was the most important player on our defense for a good 5-6 years at least.

 

[airconteka]

lol, no. Pre Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy was the most important player on our defense for a good 5-6 years at least.

Yeah I meant as a starter from like 2013-18. Just realised I typed the first post wrong, I meant lose every game he was out

 

[rossihunter2]

Yeah I meant as a starter from like 2013-18. Just realised I typed the first post wrong, I meant lose every game he was out

haha - i was wondering lol...

 

[RavensMania]

lol, no. Pre Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy was the most important player on our defense for a good 5-6 years at least.

yep. When he went down and chance of winning dropped drastically.

 

[RavensMania]

Anyone got the win % with and without Jimmy because I'm sure we used to win every game he was out?

I'd like to know AJ Green with and without Jimmy. Hard to accurately measure because Jimmy wasn't always on the same side as AJ Green.

 

[rmcjacket23]

I'd like to know AJ Green with and without Jimmy. Hard to accurately measure because Jimmy wasn't always on the same side as AJ Green.

It didn't seem to matter...


I was at this game. Fast forward to the 12:15 mark. Bengals moved Green all over the field. He lined up closer to the slot on this play, and since Jimmy doesn't go into the slot, our answer was to flex Kendrick Lewis, a Safety, down, to cover one-one-one. It went exactly how it should have gone...

Jimmy played the entirety of this game. Even had a red zone INT when he was covering Green.
Steve Smith went 13/186/2 in this game, and he was the second best receiver on the field.
The best was Green, who went 10/227/2 on 13 targets.

This was 2015. Basically right in the middle of Jimmy's "prime". Also right about the time we lacked solid Corner play elsewhere, and right around the time the league decided it was pretty easy to beat our secondary if you just moved guys inside, because Jimmy wouldn't follow. Not a coincidence we drafted Marlon shortly thereafter.

 

[RavensMania]

It didn't seem to matter...


I was at this game. Fast forward to the 12:15 mark. Bengals moved Green all over the field. He lined up closer to the slot on this play, and since Jimmy doesn't go into the slot, our answer was to flex Kendrick Lewis, a Safety, down, to cover one-one-one. It went exactly how it should have gone...

Jimmy played the entirety of this game. Even had a red zone INT when he was covering Green.
Steve Smith went 13/186/2 in this game, and he was the second best receiver on the field.
The best was Green, who went 10/227/2 on 13 targets.

This was 2015. Basically right in the middle of Jimmy's "prime". Also right about the time we lacked solid Corner play elsewhere, and right around the time the league decided it was pretty easy to beat our secondary if you just moved guys inside, because Jimmy wouldn't follow. Not a coincidence we drafted Marlon shortly thereafter.

yes, this game was 9/27/2015. I was at this game. What a tough loss.

This was the first Ravens game I went to live.