I think Ross is just trying to get used to the speed of the game. At each level of football, the game gets faster and faster. As he gains his footing and gets comfortable, he will also continue to get faster and faster. True, with the pads on, he's not going to run 4.22 on the field. He's still going to be able to blow past DBs and win foot races to the end zone. He'll get there. While his quotes aren't the best, I think it's a kid trying to get used to the speed of the game. Once the game slows down for him, it'll be incredible.

I also think he did a good job of talking up his teammates. Everyone has been saying how Ross is the speed we need and he keeps complimenting Green and Core on their speed. I think that's being a good teammate and talking them up as opposed to being humble and putting himself down.

I felt Core had the speed we were looking for, but his is long speed. Ross has long speed and that quick first step. Lining Green, Core, and Ross up together seems like a nightmare for opposing Ds.

(08-25-2017, 05:58 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: I'm just saying, if you draft a kicker who is supposed to be the most accurate kicker in the NFL, and he says he'll never be that accurate on the field, that's NOT a good thing. If you draft an OL who is supposed to be able to out-muscle any DL on the field and he says he'll never be that strong on the field, that's not a good thing.

I'm not saying Ross is going to be a bust or anything, but it's certainly not a good sign if he's already hedging expectations when he hasn't even played a snap of football yet.

Ross is just being humble man, he isn't hedging expectations, he is talking up his teammates while being realistic.

This is a sign of greatness to me, not a sign of weakness.

I am expecting huge things from this guy as a rookie. I think your bias cause you didn't like the pick in the first place is
showing here. Ross has a lot more muscle than his listed 180 pounds to boot, he is just as big as Antonio Brown but even
faster, his knees are fine, his shoulder must be fine if he is playing Sunday and this article says he is.

Really hoping this guy proves both you and Weezy wrong. He is not just speed, that is all he is saying and this is what the
tape shows. He has an extensive route tree and the coaches are going to use him all over the place.

I still stand by what i said that this guy is exactly the type of player this Offense needed to add to open it up.

(08-26-2017, 08:48 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: I will add "coachable".  One of the things the Bengals initially liked about Core was that he immediately took to their coaching at the Senior Bowl and improved his release.  He didn't think, or act, as though he already knew everything and couldn't be taught anything.

BTW, all of you that are worried about his top speed, etc, after reading this:  Antonio Brown didn't have a very fast 40 yard dash but what makes him special is his explosiveness off the line and in and out of his cuts.  He is also an inch shorter than Ross, and a few pounds lighter.

I found this (puke) while looking up some stuff:




I don't think that is true when the Bengals have Green, Core, and Ross on the field.  Plus, like those steeler teams, the Bengals have a TE and a RB that a big-time players.  

So Core has hit 23, AJ like 22.8 and Ross has yet to go all out?

Damn.

(08-26-2017, 09:38 AM)Synric Wrote: And Brown has proven he can take an NFL beating. That by no means proves Ross will. I sincerely hope he can...

I mean, Ross tore his ACL in 2015. He hasn't missed a game before or since.

And he tore his ACL in camp that year.

When it comes to his shoulder, he injured it twice but played through it. Dude had a torn labrum and played. He put off surgery so he could perform at the Combine and do Pro Day workouts.

I never understood why people thought he was so injury prone.

(08-26-2017, 02:28 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: I mean, Ross tore his ACL in 2015. He hasn't missed a game before or since.

And he tore his ACL in camp that year.

When it comes to his shoulder, he injured it twice but played through it. Dude had a torn labrum and played. He put off surgery so he could perform at the Combine and do Pro Day workouts.

I never understood why people thought he was so injury prone.

Because they have decided ahead of time not to like him and have to have some kind of reason for it, whether it is accurate or not.

(08-26-2017, 02:28 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: I mean, Ross tore his ACL in 2015. He hasn't missed a game before or since.

And he tore his ACL in camp that year.

When it comes to his shoulder, he injured it twice but played through it. Dude had a torn labrum and played. He put off surgery so he could perform at the Combine and do Pro Day workouts.

I never understood why people thought he was so injury prone.

Kid is tough no doubt Wolf, great post.

(08-26-2017, 03:05 PM)McC Wrote: Because they have decided ahead of time not to like him and have to have some kind of reason for it, whether it is accurate or not.

Yeah, just look at the guys dogging on him in this thread, they were the guys who didn't like the pick in the first place.

Benton didn't like the pick but he played it cool here though.

(08-26-2017, 02:28 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: I mean, Ross tore his ACL in 2015. He hasn't missed a game before or since.

And he tore his ACL in camp that year.

When it comes to his shoulder, he injured it twice but played through it. Dude had a torn labrum and played. He put off surgery so he could perform at the Combine and do Pro Day workouts.

I never understood why people thought he was so injury prone.

I'm not taking past injuries into account at all. If the doctors say he's good to go that's fine with me. I'm just always worried about smaller guys taking the NFL beating which is alot worse than college ball. Lol I was worried about Hawkins until he took a huge hit from Polamalu and popped back up.

I have a hunch Malone is going to turn out to be the big playmaker of the bunch..
That aside we once had a pretty good receiver who wasn't that large of a player by the name of Johnson later to be known as Ochocinco.. I seem to remember him taking some hard licks and jumping right back up..   

(08-26-2017, 08:52 PM)grampahol Wrote: I have a hunch Malone is going to turn out to be the big playmaker of the bunch..
That aside we once had a pretty good receiver who wasn't that large of a player by the name of Johnson later to be known as Ochocinco.. I seem to remember him taking some hard licks and jumping right back up..   

Still not sure why he fell so much; indeed, he doesn't contest as much as other WRs, but I watched a ton of Tennessee this year and he was a stud.

(08-26-2017, 09:30 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: He's bigger than Antonio Brown, and I think people don't realize that...

(08-26-2017, 09:38 AM)Synric Wrote: And Brown has proven he can take an NFL beating. That by no means proves Ross will. I sincerely hope he can...

OBJ, DJax, Brown and many other smaller WRs have proven they can take the "NFL beating" at that size. The point is that size is irrelevant. Big players can wind up being fragile. Small players can wind up being iron men. So stop bringing up the size as if it's a problem. He's not even small really...just smaller than what we're used to seeing with the Bengals.

(08-26-2017, 02:28 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: I never understood why people thought he was so injury prone.

(08-26-2017, 03:05 PM)McC Wrote: Because they have decided ahead of time not to like him and have to have some kind of reason for it, whether it is accurate or not.

Agreed. People made up their minds the moment he was drafted and had to justify their dislike somehow. We've seen it with other picks before. It's likely that most of the people who are constantly bashing his size and health history are just mad we didn't take their favorite prospect.

Granted, Ross' injuries did happen, but attributing them to his size is kinda silly, and the track record and seriousness has been exaggerated a bit (saying he has 2 balky knees, ignoring that he played through the shoulder). 

I liked the pick...a lot. But I'm keeping an open mind. The injuries are a concern, but not a reason to freak out before he's even touched the field. Judge him on what happens going forward.

To the OP, I don't see any issue with what Ross said. If you take it at face value, it could seem a little discouraging, but IMO he sounds like a guy who wants to earn the respect of his teammates and not look like Mr. Hotshot 4.22 rolling into town. He might be growing tired of being known by his 40 time too. The guy is human.

(08-26-2017, 02:28 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: I mean, Ross tore his ACL in 2015. He hasn't missed a game before or since.

And he tore his ACL in camp that year.

When it comes to his shoulder, he injured it twice but played through it. Dude had a torn labrum and played. He put off surgery so he could perform at the Combine and do Pro Day workouts.

I never understood why people thought he was so injury prone.

Excellent point, and people also forget he injured his shoulder going from his normal position of WR to play CB because Marcus Peters was suspended.  


And just how has the health been of the two WRs taken ahead of Ross thus far? 

(08-27-2017, 02:37 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: OBJ, DJax, Brown and many other smaller WRs have proven they can take the "NFL beating" at that size. The point is that size is irrelevant. Big players can wind up being fragile. Small players can wind up being iron men. So stop bringing up the size as if it's a problem. He's not even small really...just smaller than what we're used to seeing with the Bengals.



Agreed. People made up their minds the moment he was drafted and had to justify their dislike somehow. We've seen it with other picks before. It's likely that most of the people who are constantly bashing his size and health history are just mad we didn't take their favorite prospect.

Let's take a different angle at this. A vehicle is about to mashed by a full size truck. Which would take less damage a full size truck or a small car? A truck because the vehicle is heavier and has a thicker frame. Same principles.

Larger running backs are more likely to take more of a consistent beating than smaller running backs...

In one of my posts I mentioned that Pacman would be a good gym buddy for Ross cuz they are similar size and Pacman has had relatively healthy career.

Edit: I do like the pick. Ross was the most refined receiver in the draft and has the speed the Bengals were missing last season. And if you check out my Mock I had them taking Shelton Gibson who is a similar player but needed alot more coaching.

(08-27-2017, 08:54 AM)Synric Wrote: Let's take a different angle at this. A vehicle is about to mashed by a full size truck. Which would take less damage a full size truck or a small car? A truck because the vehicle is heavier and has a thicker frame. Same principles.

Larger running backs are more likely to take more of a consistent beating than smaller running backs...

In one of my posts I mentioned that Pacman would be a good gym buddy for Ross cuz they are similar size and Pacman has had relatively healthy career.

Edit: I do like the pick. Ross was the most refined receiver in the draft and has the speed the Bengals were missing last season. And if you check out my Mock I had them taking Shelton Gibson who is a similar player but needed alot more coaching.

Using your analogy, let's say the big truck has a rusted frame full of holes, while the smaller vehicle has a sturdy frame made of titanium. Now which truck is more likely to withstand a beating? 

Barry Sanders was a very small RB. Ki-Jana Carter was built like a tank. Andy Dalton is much smaller than Big Ben, who obviously gets hurt a lot more. OBJ and Antonio Brown  are just as small - if not smaller - than Ross. Tyler Eifert, Gronk and Sammy Watkins are bigger. Size matters to an extent, but does not automatically make a player more fragile. Just as a big player isn't automatically more durable.

You use Pacman as an analogy, but seem to imply that he's the exception and Ross should learn from his methods. There are hundreds upon hundreds of examples of players with similar size that led relatively healthy careers. It's quite common, actually.

(08-27-2017, 01:58 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Using your analogy, let's say the big truck has a rusted frame full of holes, while the smaller truck has a sturdy frame made of titanium. Now which truck is more likely to withstand a beating? 

Barry Sanders was a very small RB. Ki-Jana Carter was built like a tank. Andy Dalton is much smaller than Big Ben, who obviously gets hurt a lot more. OBJ and Antonio Brown  are just as small - if not smaller - than Ross. Tyler Eifert, Gronk and Sammy Watkins are bigger. Size matters to an extent, but does not automatically make a player more fragile. Just as a big player isn't automatically more durable.

You use Pacman as an analogy, but seem to imply that he's the exception and Ross should learn from his methods. There are hundreds upon hundreds of examples of players with similar size that led relatively healthy careers. It's quite common, actually.

Lol saying the vehicles are rusted defeats the purpose of the analogy. Heavier frame and more weight can handle more force than a smaller frame with less weight that's basic physics. Ill try a different one. It's easier to break a 2 by 4 than a 4 by 4 Why? because it's thinner and lighter.

I brought up Pacman because his work in the gym has helped contribute to his healthier career so yes it's not a stretch that smaller guys can be healthy but that doesn't change the fact smaller guys are more likely to be injured over someone 40 lbs heavier.

(08-27-2017, 02:21 PM)Synric Wrote: Lol saying the vehicles are rusted defeats the purpose of the analogy. Heavier frame and more weight can handle more force than a smaller frame with less weight that's basic physics. Ill try a different one. It's easier to break a 2 by 4 than a 4 by 4 Why? because it's thinner and lighter.

I brought up Pacman because his work in the gym has helped contribute to his healthier career so yes it's not a stretch that smaller guys can be healthy but that doesn't change the fact smaller guys are more likely to be injured over someone 40 lbs heavier.

Your correct. Small players do have an advantage of size because sometimes they are tougher to tackle vs. a bigger player who's hard to miss. 

(08-27-2017, 02:27 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Your correct. Small players do have an advantage of size because sometimes they are tougher to tackle vs. a bigger player who's hard to miss. 

That's adding mathematics into it lol. If your punching a guy in the head how many more punches can a thick skull take when hit everytime to a thinner skull guy that only gets hit 1 in 3.

Came here to read up on a football topic, wound up getting a lesson in physics

Honestly though, some great analogies here.

(08-27-2017, 02:21 PM)Synric Wrote: Lol saying the vehicles are rusted defeats the purpose of the analogy. Heavier frame and more weight can handle more force than a smaller frame with less weight that's basic physics. Ill try a different one. It's easier to break a 2 by 4 than a 4 by 4 Why? because it's thinner and lighter.

I brought up Pacman because his work in the gym has helped contribute to his healthier career so yes it's not a stretch that smaller guys can be healthy but that doesn't change the fact smaller guys are more likely to be injured over someone 40 lbs heavier.

I brought up a rusted truck because many of these bigger players are flawed internally. They're injury prone for whatever reason.

If size was everything you make it to be, guys like Gronk and Eifert wouldn't be missing games by the truckload (to keep with your truck analogy) while "little" guys like OBJ, Anotonio Brown and dozens of top receivers of similar size wouldn't be so durable.

(08-27-2017, 02:44 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I brought up a rusted truck because many of these bigger players are flawed internally. They're injury prone for whatever reason.

If size was everything you make it to be, guys like Gronk and Eifert wouldn't be missing games by the truckload (to keep with your truck analogy) while "little" guys like OBJ, Anotonio Brown and dozens of top receivers of similar size wouldn't be so durable.

And you're right about players that already have issues like Gronks back. I'm speaking on average.

.....the titanium frame part though reminded me of Wolverine and adamantium skeleton lol.

Edit: speaking of brown DJax and OBJ....you know which smaller receiver that gets no love Emmanuel Sanders.

(08-27-2017, 02:49 PM)Synric Wrote: And you're right about players that already have issues like Gronks back. I'm speaking on average.

.....the titanium frame part though reminded me of Wolverine and adamantium skeleton lol.

Wolverines would be a better analogy. Dude was 5'3" and was great with injuries. 

To me, there is no "on average" here. Either a player is prone toinjuries or he's not. Size has less to do with it than you think.