Thoughts on the preseason? I know it's fairly meaningless in terms of making or breaking players, but it at least lets you get a glimpse of what our team will look like (granted we haven't shown our 'real' defense or 'real' offense).
McNair looks like he's completely lost the long-ball that made him famous. It's not that he can't throw it long distances anymore, he just can't throw it accurately. All in all, he seems decent, and is probably being hampered by Clayton's and Odgen's absences.
McGahee seems alright, and has bursts of brilliance. He's one player I can see having a good season, since the plays being run for him will look completely different come regular season.
Boller is.....well....Boller.
Oh, and Yamon Figurs looks to be a lot better than B.J Sams. Hell, he's already the fastest player in the NFL (heard that somewhere).
Anyhoo, overall thoughts?
Preseason Evaluation
Preseason Evaluation
-
miller31time
- Retired Mod
- Posts: 27,562
- And1: 2,125
- Joined: Jul 25, 2005
- Location: Baltimore, MD
-
-
UTMCretin
- Retired Mod
- Posts: 5,087
- And1: 1
- Joined: Dec 05, 2006
- Location: Look happy, it's the end of the world
McNair certainly seems worse from what I've seen so far (or maybe I just don't remember last season too well), his decision making is occasionally spotty and his arm strength and accuracy are average at best. Here's hoping he shakes off his rust for the regular season
On the plus side of the offense, the run game looks improved with McGahee at the helm and Anderson looking more than a decent backup. If our offense has any chance of improving, I expect it to come from the ground game.
Haven't picked up much else in the games I've been able to catch; rush defense looks dominant, pass defense looks weak by comparison and can't cover the deep ball, Suggs is awesome, etc. Hope you're right about Figurs, he's not going to be filling in anywhere else so this is the only way he can be worthy of his higher than expected draft spot (not sure if he's the fastest player in the NFL, but he was the fastest player at the combine)
On the plus side of the offense, the run game looks improved with McGahee at the helm and Anderson looking more than a decent backup. If our offense has any chance of improving, I expect it to come from the ground game.
Haven't picked up much else in the games I've been able to catch; rush defense looks dominant, pass defense looks weak by comparison and can't cover the deep ball, Suggs is awesome, etc. Hope you're right about Figurs, he's not going to be filling in anywhere else so this is the only way he can be worthy of his higher than expected draft spot (not sure if he's the fastest player in the NFL, but he was the fastest player at the combine)
-
miller31time
- Retired Mod
- Posts: 27,562
- And1: 2,125
- Joined: Jul 25, 2005
- Location: Baltimore, MD
-
UTMCretin wrote:Hope you're right about Figurs, he's not going to be filling in anywhere else so this is the only way he can be worthy of his higher than expected draft spot (not sure if he's the fastest player in the NFL, but he was the fastest player at the combine)
Yeah, you're right. It was combine he was fastest in. I'm pretty sure Devin Hester would have something to say about fastest in the NFL.
EDIT: Oh, and I really am looking at the positive side on McNair. He does look worse, but hey, loosing a 10-time pro-bowler offensive linemen and one of the better up-in-coming receivers (Clayton) might make you look worse than you really are and force passes you wouldn't normally throw.
-
UrbanLegendMD
- General Manager
- Posts: 8,716
- And1: 11
- Joined: Jul 30, 2004
- Location: Pilsen
Demetrius Williams looked like a serviceable possession receiver in the two games I saw.
First the federal government borrowed money; then gave the money to Bank of America; then I borrowed some of that money from Bank of America and gave it to the federal government; then the federal government gave the money back to Bank of America.
-
UTMCretin
- Retired Mod
- Posts: 5,087
- And1: 1
- Joined: Dec 05, 2006
- Location: Look happy, it's the end of the world
I think the most amazing story of the preseason --even more amazing than Leftwich getting whacked -- is that a man bigger than Jonathan Ogden is getting ready to be the heir to Ogden in Baltimore, and it could happen in September. Not that the Ravens are pushing Ogden out the door; they're not. But if he's not healthy enough to play a full season, the Ravens will likely use their fifth-round supplemental-draft pick, 6-9, 345-pound Jared Gaither at the crucial left tackle spot. The reason it's crucial is because Steve McNair has grown increasingly immobile late in his career, and Ogden always sealed that left side.
When I was in Ravens camp, Gaither was the talk of the place, and it seems he's the latest terrific young player brought into the pipeline by GM Ozzie Newsome and his strong personnel staff. The interesting thing, to me, is that here's a guy who was such a great, raw talent, and the Ravens were the only team to bring him in for a physical before the early July supplemental draft. If Gaither, a former basketball recruit at South Carolina, ends up being a solid NFL tackle, a lot of teams who passed on him through four rounds will look very stupid.
This was in Peter King's latest column, and its notable for two reasons: One, I never realized how huge Gaither was. 6-9, 345 pounds? That is ungodly size for anyone, not only in football, but for any major sport. Through sheer strength alone he should make a very good player. And Two, because it reveals what the generally reliable (an understatement) braintrust thinks about the potential of its latest acquisition. That pick could end up being a coup. Just something I found interesting