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Next Up: Indianapolis
- Thread starter Oldfaithful
- Start date
Cake walk or not, we don't buy that in Baltimore. The ravens will play this game 100%. West is more than capable of carrying the load. He's not some pick up from the street. And he'll be extra motivated to prove his worth.
i just wonder where the buck stops if you give collins a rest - do you also give CJ Mosley a rest? what about sizzle? what about weddle? what about joe? it sets a bad precedent especially as collins didnt even appear on the injury report this week... if he was slightly hobbled or limited in practice or hadnt practiced all week then you can make an argument but we havent sealed a spot in the playoffs so there's no taking it for granted - maybe west is activated as well but i wouldnt expect him to get more than 2/3 carries in relief if someone gets hobbled in game...
west is his own worst enemy in this situation because he could quite easily be active but he doesnt offer anything on special teams - buck has him beat as a runner, as a receiver, as a blocker and as a special teamer...
even if we were to rest collins i'd rather just have him sit active on the bench (just in case) and have buck be the workhorse
and is even worse with rashaad melvin out too... quincy wilson their rookie corner has struggled at times this year too
allblackraven
Hall of Famer
This might end up even easier win than vs Browns, given the state of the Colts. On top of not playing well and not being a good team, they have lot of injuries as well.
They will not be competitive against the Ravens.
Agreed on the lack of concern of giving Collins and Alex the full dose of touches. And I personally don't see Donnell adding much as well. In any case, we use our 2nd and 3rd TEs very sparingly in the passing game. Williams has by no means been a general liability in that facet in my eyes, and I feel that he's performed his role well. But there just isn't much that you're going to do on 62 passing game snaps. That's an average of 4.4 snaps per game, which makes his 13 receptions on 15 targets somewhat unsurprising with the added context.
i know maxx is much maligned in this forum but going through the browns game with a bit of a finer comb i really liked what i saw from him in the run game, especially when pulling across the formation - he's been one of the key facets of our running game success which naturally goes a little under the radar - he gets a lot of stick but he's been a very useful part of our offence - he also ran a really nice route on his target late in the 4th quarter and it was a nice throw it was just defended really well by the db which was the only thing preventing maxx from making a huge play towards the end of the game
Agreed on all accounts. Kindred was right on his hip. He's been a capable blocker since his rookie year. I remember pulling up several plays to show of him taking on Lawrence Timmons and outright handling him on a number of plays. For whatever reason, this plays sticks in my mind when it comes to pulling across successfully (Link). I remember seeing it at the game and calling out the block as soon as it happened. Nothing otherworldly, but he takes a straight angle and cuts Zach Cunningham, who's been very good against the run, on his inside leg. It's also worth noting that he hasn't given up a single pressure, QB hit or sack in pass protection, albeit on a limited amount of work.
balfan23
MVP
Maxx's criticism comes from his draft position and his production. Being solid in the run game is all well and good but we didn't trade up in the 2nd round for him to become Billy Bajema. In an offense lacking weapons, a guy like Maxx is expected to emerge. Nice to hear he shouldn't be given up on, but he really needs to start producing
Partly fair, but it's a similar adage. How do you produce on 4 snaps per game? You can get open more often, perhaps light up practices to earn more playing time, all possible. But when you're 13 of 15 and you're almost never on the field in passing situations, it's tough to disregard the lack of opportunities and put the onus entirely on the player. At worst, it appears to be a combination of both.
balfan23
MVP
In the end, all we can do is trust our staff to use guys based on what they see (which is 1000x more than what we see) and if someone isn't giving them reasons to trust putting them out there, then that player isn't performing.
A big part of his limited use has to be rooted in his inability to stay healthy for a long enough stretch. Aside from when he is out with injury, when you're constantly recovering from injury, you can't put your foot on the gas at practice to prove yourself. The team is always having to ease the guy back in and so he just isn't getting the reps in practice and isn't going to be as involved at game time.
So - I suppose the key here is hoping he can stop showing up on the injury report and can start getting more reps and more live action. God knows we're going to need him to step it up next year when Watson is no longer with us. I certainly don't want to see us spending another draft pick on a TE ... so we're going to need him to be who we picked him to be - or at least close.
balfan23
MVP
I hear you ... you always have to be careful not to look at stats and records and declare a winner. I was impressed with their effort in the snow game vs Buffalo - that is actually a game they should have (and I wish they would have) won.
Last week though, they looked kinda done. Who knows what this week will bring ... but I think it is key in these kinds of games to start fast. They are playing for pride - we're playing for our playoff lives. There is a difference. Jump on them fast and crush their will. Do not let them think they are in it.
The way we're playing - the fact we're at home - I really think this should be a game we win without much drama, but of course ... who knows.
My prediction: 27-13
I don't know that I could disagree more with this notion. It innately requires blind faith by virtue of its basis since it automatically presumes that each decision made by our staff is always accurate. We hold our offensive and defensive staff responsible when needed, our FO. The same goes for the players. Far more is said and seen about our schemes on the inside. Our play-calling against our scout team could be working to perfection. Each draft evaluation has more content than we could hope to attain. Perhaps any questionable selections look significantly more reasonable with the full information on hand. But we don't dispell any issues by stating that all we can do is trust the staff. It would make discussions about issues obsolete. Willfully dismissing the idea that a potential mistake or oversight, or even misfortune, can even occur is objectively silly. I do agree in that multiple factors go into the equation, including the injury history. But he's also played an average of over 30 snaps per game over a handful of weeks, so he hasn't been on the field sparingly. It could very well be that he hasn't impressed enough, at least to a degree. Either way, in my opinion, it is entirely fair to at least wonder whether he has seen enough looks in the passing game. It looks like we may have to agree to disagree.
Tru11
Practice Squad
Watson is just the more reliable veteran player which is why he gets more looks in passing situations.
Really no point in putting maxx in just because of draft position lol.
At least that is how i see it to.
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I didn't insinuate that he should be getting looks purely because of where he was drafted. Just not overly upset at the lack of production due to lack of opportunities. He's done well in his role. It'd be fair to say that he could arguably stand to be somewhat more involved than 4 routes per game.
Tru11
Practice Squad
That's my mistake then. Righto.
Oldfaithful
Hall of Famer
So if we lose we can blame you then? Come on man.