• Welcome to PurpleFlock! Sign up here so that you can chat with your fellow Ravens fans.

The Random Thought Thread

Man I’ve been off that train. Statistically you might not see a big variation between okay and great backs, but if that great back is paired with a franchise qb and an overall solid offense, that great rb can be the difference between a win and loss literally any week, and that will never show up in the stats.

Converting a 3rd and 1 when the conditions aren’t perfect is not quantified or measured right now, but god dammit it’s a huge deal.
Henry is one of those that are above "great back" category. Made it to HOF playing with Tannehill and other scrubs.
 
Henry is one of those that are above "great back" category. Made it to HOF playing with Tannehill and other scrubs.
This is true. The problem with RBs is there’s so many out there that would’ve been great if not for injury, so that parts really hard to gauge with draft value, total wild card
 
I really hate having to watch videos where Henry or Lamar etc are irritated with the media because the media ask such patently stupid questions. Some of these guys in particular are just so nice and its annoying to have to see that.

Firstly, stop asking bull shit. Secondly, if you do ask bullshit, stop repeating the same bullshit over and over again. I know ravens media isn't a profession requiring a PhD but I don't think it's crazy to expect a little better than what these clowns put out.
 
I’ve seen this guy in person and he’s got such an unfortunate head shape

1737084579150.jpeg
 
This is true. The problem with RBs is there’s so many out there that would’ve been great if not for injury, so that parts really hard to gauge with draft value, total wild card

one of the reasons its so hard to justify a 1st round pick on an RB

they might be generational but only last 3 seasons if they have 1 bad injury early in their career
 
one of the reasons its so hard to justify a 1st round pick on an RB

they might be generational but only last 3 seasons if they have 1 bad injury early in their career

They're mostly good for a team who's already contenders. Makes their offence strong
 
Is there some significance to Henry and Flowers cutting their hair? I don't give two shits that they did, just curious. Especially Henry.
 
How cool is this?
Jamal looks like he could go this weekend!

Former Ravens Ed Reed, Jamal Lewis team up again — this time as high school football dads


Kyle Goon
1/17/2025 8:30 a.m. EST

Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis (31) runs past Pittsburgh Steelers safety Mike Logan in the first quarter Sunday, Dec. 28, 2003, in Baltimore.
Former Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, shown against the Steelers in 2003, is a football dad with his son in Georgia. (Nick Wass/AP)

As a former NFL running back — a good one, at that — Jamal Lewis has a tough time choosing when to assert himself in his son’s football career. The most he can hope for, most of the time, is that his kid, freshman wide receiver Jazz Lewis, is in the hands of the right coaches.
Luckily, he knows Chamblee High’s incoming offensive coordinator well. The new hire is Ed Reed, the Hall of Fame safety who was Jamal Lewis’ Ravens teammate for five seasons.
“Sometimes you need to upgrade the coaching staff,” Lewis said this week, in a dramatic understatement. “He’s gonna really teach the culture rather than just winning games.”
Georgia is a haven for retired NFL players, and a flock of old Ravens have their kids at the same school. Chamblee’s roster this past fall included Jazz Lewis, Edward Reed III and Kyle Oglesby (son of cornerback Evan Oglesby).

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Head coach Bob Swank calls the arrangement organic. He counts himself fortunate that these football fathers have trusted him with their kids without trying to insert themselves too much into the program.
But a 2-9 season last fall left everybody itching for change. Enter Reed, who helped the program in an unofficial capacity in 2023 but told Swank after the season that his schedule was clearing and he could officially join the staff ahead of his son’s senior season. When the Bulldogs made the announcement, Swank’s phone was buzzing so much he thought it might spontaneously combust.

Read More​

Ravens vs. Bills: 5 things to watch, including a QB showdown, presnap motion and winter weather

Ravens vs. Bills: 5 things to watch in the playoffs’ best matchup

Jan 17, 2025
“It’s just been going constantly since that point in time,” Swank said. “I knew Ed was huge, but we didn’t expect this.”
ZUEXA6PPRJBEBHSGZJLZQOCPWU.jpg
Ravens legend Ed Reed takes selfies with fans before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles last month. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
It’s not a coincidence that Reed will be coaching the same side of the ball where his son plays — he called plays for Edward in youth football, too, Lewis said. Swank knows people have been wondering why one of the best defensive players ever would be coaching offense, but for everyone involved the fit just made sense.
“Ed was diagnosing offenses at the highest level of football,” Swank said. “He’s got a great background and just knowledge in that area. We could have shuffled things around and made him defensive coordinator, but we had an opening on offense and it just kind of worked out.”

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
One of the reasons Lewis sent his son to Chamblee was other NFL sons on the roster, he acknowledged, which paired well with the DeKalb County school’s academic profile. Jazz is young but a fast riser, leading Chamblee in receiving yards last season and earning an offer from Memphis.
Lewis said he trusts Reed, who seemed like a vet when he joined the Ravens two years after Lewis did, with his son’s career. But Reed’s son Edward has also been an important resource to help him adapt to the high school level — and Edward, too, knows what it’s like to learn from a dad with a storied pro career.
“I think collectively they’re happy with what’s going on and what we as dads bring to the table,” said Jamal Lewis, who grew up in Atlanta. “But they also want to be leaders, put in the work and really be the leads for the team.”
Lewis plays more of a background role for Chamblee on the team’s touchdown club, organizing visits to college campuses for players. Last year, those visits included Clemson, Georgia and his alma mater, Tennessee. Lewis hopes Reed’s coaching will help more kids on the team realize their college goals, especially with a young quarterback, Brayden Doss, whom the program is excited about. “Ed’s really getting in at the right time.”
Former Ravens running back Jamal Lewis (right), wide receiver Jazz Lewis (center), and quarterback Brayden Doss on a visit to Clemson.
Former Ravens running back Jamal Lewis (right), wide receiver Jazz Lewis (center) and quarterback Brayden Doss on a visit to Clemson. (Courtesy of Jamal Lewis)
Lewis visited Glen Burnie this week to promote Verizon’s Fanfest, which will take place Feb. 9 at M&T Bank Stadium. But of course Lewis, like the rest of the Ravens faithful, is hoping the team will be preparing in New Orleans for the Super Bowl that day.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Though Derrick Henry took over the franchise’s single-season touchdown record, Lewis’ 2,066-yard campaign in 2003 stands alone after Henry wound up with 1,921. But Lewis said he’s not protective about his records — he would have happily cheered Henry if he had broken it.
“I like watching him because this is the best time of the year, and he’s getting better as he goes,” Lewis said of Henry. “This is his time, and I know how he feels. I know exactly where he is right now. And, man, we’re gonna ride him. And it’s exciting to see. I’m happy he’s on my team.”
Once the NFL season is over, however, Lewis and the other Ravens dads will turn their attention to Chamblee’s upcoming season. If the reaction Swank has seen is anything to go by, the Class 5A Georgia program is expecting its 5,000-seat stadium to sell out next season. They hope Reed’s coaching brings a spark to a program that is looking to bounce back next fall.
“Ed is already looking at tape, putting [a] playbook together,” Swank said. “We get to line up with legends of the game supporting us — Super Bowl champions. I think the biggest thing is that we don’t take it for granted.”

Kyle Goon
[email protected]
 
Top