The 2020 Offseason Thread

[JoeyFlex5]

Anybody else think andrews looks slimmed down?

 

[UPennChem]

My question is this. It's 2 parts. I understand that our wide outs do not have exactly fixed positions, but for all intents and purposes we know generally where they're going to play with thr exception of maybe Hollywood who could play a lot of outside and slot.

Part 1: When Hollywood is playing outside, and we're in a 3 wr set, if Boykin is playing well that obviously takes care of who is on the other side. But if he's not, who on this team can take on that responsibility?

Part 2: When we are in a 3 wr set and Hollywood and player X is on the outside, is the slot job pretty much Willie's job to lose? Do we think Willie maintains a starting slot role for the whole season with Duv and Proche in the wings?

I think with Hollywood being a true outside threat and probably 3 capable receivers in addition to Hollywood who can play in the slot, our receivers should do really well. Especially considering the rushing attack will always prove a threat and the respect Mandrews has to be given by a defense. I'm really excited to see what we got and really hope Boykin can put it together because I'm not sure we really have anyone else to play that outside role.

 

[Simba]

My question is this. It's 2 parts. I understand that our wide outs do not have exactly fixed positions, but for all intents and purposes we know generally where they're going to play with thr exception of maybe Hollywood who could play a lot of outside and slot.

Part 1: When Hollywood is playing outside, and we're in a 3 wr set, if Boykin is playing well that obviously takes care of who is on the other side. But if he's not, who on this team can take on that responsibility?

Part 2: When we are in a 3 wr set and Hollywood and player X is on the outside, is the slot job pretty much Willie's job to lose? Do we think Willie maintains a starting slot role for the whole season with Duv and Proche in the wings?

I think with Hollywood being a true outside threat and probably 3 capable receivers in addition to Hollywood who can play in the slot, our receivers should do really well. Especially considering the rushing attack will always prove a threat and the respect Mandrews has to be given by a defense. I'm really excited to see what we got and really hope Boykin can put it together because I'm not sure we really have anyone else to play that outside role.

I think the Chiefs is about what you'd expect. Not as much pure speed as they have with Hill and Hardman, but we're seemingly building something similar to that. Boykin is your big body guy like Watkins - not an exact match of course but they play similar roles. I think you'll see a lot of Brown and Duvernay bouncing between the slot and the outside. Snead is your steady slot guy and I would be surprised if he doesn't start off the bat, but I'd fully expect him to lose time to Duvernay as the season goes on. That doesn't even include Proche who will likely line up inside and out as well.

In short, expect a mix. Guys have their "traditional" roles but I'd be surprised if you don't see a lot of variation on where guys line up.

 

[RL52TheGreatest]

Nobody else is though, which is the good news, Campbell is just a force of nature, too many folks have been overly cautious about the excitement around Campbell because “he’s old you’re not getting game wrecker Campbell anymore” as if he wasn’t a game wrecker just this last season.

He's a natural leader as well. I'm really liking how he's taking Madubuike (sp?) and some of the other young guys under his wing and teaching them how to do things the right way. Getting Campbell was highway robbery.

 

[UPennChem]

I think the Chiefs is about what you'd expect. Not as much pure speed as they have with Hill and Hardman, but we're seemingly building something similar to that. Boykin is your big body guy like Watkins - not an exact match of course but they play similar roles. I think you'll see a lot of Brown and Duvernay bouncing between the slot and the outside. Snead is your steady slot guy and I would be surprised if he doesn't start off the bat, but I'd fully expect him to lose time to Duvernay as the season goes on. That doesn't even include Proche who will likely line up inside and out as well.

In short, expect a mix. Guys have their "traditional" roles but I'd be surprised if you don't see a lot of variation on where guys line up.

I'd love for that to be true. It would mean 2 things. 1 these guys are showing utility at multiple positions and also that it will just be increasingly more difficult for defenses to know what we're doing

 

[rossihunter2]

Anybody else think andrews looks slimmed down?

yeah - looks leaner - reporters have suggested so too

it might be though just that he wasnt able to practice in the same way towards the end of last year because of the foot problem so his conditioning wasnt where it could have been whereas in a healthy offseason he's got into great shape - zrebiec was saying he's holding himself and looking like the probowler that he is and part of that is the leaner physique

same with earl thomas looking slimmer too

 

[rossihunter2]

My question is this. It's 2 parts. I understand that our wide outs do not have exactly fixed positions, but for all intents and purposes we know generally where they're going to play with thr exception of maybe Hollywood who could play a lot of outside and slot.

Part 1: When Hollywood is playing outside, and we're in a 3 wr set, if Boykin is playing well that obviously takes care of who is on the other side. But if he's not, who on this team can take on that responsibility?

Part 2: When we are in a 3 wr set and Hollywood and player X is on the outside, is the slot job pretty much Willie's job to lose? Do we think Willie maintains a starting slot role for the whole season with Duv and Proche in the wings?

I think with Hollywood being a true outside threat and probably 3 capable receivers in addition to Hollywood who can play in the slot, our receivers should do really well. Especially considering the rushing attack will always prove a threat and the respect Mandrews has to be given by a defense. I'm really excited to see what we got and really hope Boykin can put it together because I'm not sure we really have anyone else to play that outside role.

fixed positions are a thing of the past tbh - it's a matchup game not a position game and with the way the ravens use motion pre-snap it's easier to dictate those matchups

 

[UPennChem]

fixed positions are a thing of the past tbh - it's a matchup game not a position game and with the way the ravens use motion pre-snap it's easier to dictate those matchups

I agree. It's just I'm worried we don't have a great match up on the outside except for Hollywood.

 

[RavensMania]

ive been pretty excited about ravens drafts the last 3 years because we've picked guys ive loved in every single draft but honestly the last 2 years we've got guys that i have absolutely pounded the table for in a big way as guys who i thought absolutely had to become ravens and there's a reason why madubuike was THE GUY for me in this draft class that i wanted even before we drafted him and it was the same for hollywood the year before

there's a reason why in my first mock i picked him for the ravens with the 28th pick - in my view the ravens got 1st round talents with all 3 of their first picks

i know you and i nearly threw our toys out of the pram when we drafted a RB in round 2 but if you'd switched the order of the picks (madubuike and dobbins) id have been absolutely ecstatic the whole way through lol so maybe EDC really does know more than us...

i was heartbroken when we signed michael brockers because i thought it was a death sentence to my madubuike dreams

you had been hammering, not just pounding, the table for the Mad Bomber months prior to the draft! everyone else just fell in line.

 

[JAAM]

Man I can’t wait to see The First 48 when the season starts

 

[rossihunter2]

it's easy to forget based on the offseason talk and the chatter here that james proche played mostly on the outside at SMU and i think that experience will help him as a slot in the NFL - dealing with tighter coverage and spaces than typical in the NFL, the route running nuances to beat press etc. will only aid him

i think he's going to fight his way onto the field to earn those snaps and you know from his attitude that he sure as hell is gonna block the db across from him with fury

it might not be week 1 but i think that if proche gets himself on the field that lamar is going to learn to trust him very quickly

 

[cdp]

Things have really changed on offense. I remember when I was hoping that Tommy Streeter, Jeremy Butler or Tim White would be starting WRs.

 

[Simba]

 

[cdp]

As of now I assume: Brown, Boykin, Duvernay, Proche and Snead are locks. Moore and Wesley are injured so if Scott continues to show ST abilities he's going to make it.

 

[cdp]

Who are your guys?
Most excited about: Patrick Queen
Could Surprise: Deshon Elliott
Takes a Leap: Marquise Brown
Prove it year: Tyus Bowser

 

[Simba]

As of now I assume: Brown, Boykin, Duvernay, Proche and Snead are locks. Moore and Wesley are injured so if Scott continues to show ST abilities he's going to make it.

Yeah with that coming from Harbaugh directly, I'd say he's in a really good spot currently. Think it would have been tougher if Moore was healthy but with unlimited IR-returns (and you only have to be there 3 weeks), putting Moore there to start the year makes sense since his broken finger is a few week injury.

 

[RL52TheGreatest]

Things have really changed on offense. I remember when I was hoping that Tommy Streeter, Jeremy Butler or Tim White would be starting WRs.

 

[JAAM]

Who are your guys?
Most excited about: Patrick Queen
Could Surprise: Deshon Elliott
Takes a Leap: Marquise Brown
Prove it year: Tyus Bowser

I agree with all of these except I’m changing the “Could Surprise” to Ferg since the Joker is oft-injured.

 

[JAAM]

I guess Earl threw a punch at Chuck today because Chuck got mad at him for blowing a coverage. If it’s true, ET needs to get talked too

 

[Simba]

I guess Earl threw a punch at Chuck today because Chuck got mad at him for blowing a coverage. If it’s true, ET needs to get talked too

This is definitely an interesting case. Camp fights happen but for it to be 2 guys on the same side of the ball and the same position is slightly more concerning. I'd still think this will pass but it bears watching at the very least.

On the unsurprising note, *** (our favorite resident Baltimore reporter) is saying that Earl isn't a great fit in the locker room. Usually I doubt him but I don't find that surprising. He's definitely a different personality and I can see him clashing with the rest of the guys based on their personalities. Apparently they've criticized for his punctuality and dedication. Again, not something that's overly surprising if you know Earl even a little.

Not that Earl is a bad player by any means, but I do think we'll move on given the first opportunity and EDC will have some regrets about that deal.