The new kid no one is talking about

[XenoMorph]

(05-05-2019, 03:08 PM)OSUfan Wrote: I have not seen much talk about our 7th round selection Jordan Brown. This was a selection I actually liked. Yes he is a small school kid but his size, speed, and length measurables are very good and he has been productive over his career. He got a Senior Bowl and combine invite and showed well at both.

He can play off coverage as well as man to man. 6'0" 201 and ran a solid 4.51 and actually came in under 4.5 at his pro day. Has shown good athleticism and did not look out of place at all in Mobile.

I think he could surprise some by making this roster. As I see it:

For sure:

William Jackson
Dre Kirkpatrick
Darqueze Dennard

After that it is a crapshoot of who makes the roster.

Darius Phillips (I think his speed and return ability get him a spot)
Davontae Harris (I think his speed and youth get him a spot)

After this who knows which is why I think with his size and athleticism he will beat out what we have left in McRae, Webb, and Russell.

they were talking about how he and our new QB were HS teammates. (he was a WR in HS)

[Forever Spinning Vinyl]

(05-06-2019, 10:34 AM)grampahol Wrote: Return guys were one of Marvin's biggest weaknesses. Once someone had a decent game it was like he was locked on for several seasons regardless of production as long as he didn't fumble game after game. I think lack of fumbles was Marvin's ONLY criteria for a return guy..  While definitely important it shouldn't be the only consideration and yet that's just the way it seemed over Marvin's tenure.. 

Marvin was too proud to admit that Jermaine Lewis had almost as much to do with the Ravens success as ML when he was there. Even with that crap offense they had, Jermaine Lewis could flip the field at any time. Why he never drafted a sure fire returner in his time here always puzzled me. It was always some 6th or 7th rounder that stood almost no chance of sticking on the roster and if they did stick around, it was rarely for more than a year or two.

[THE PISTONS]

(05-06-2019, 01:58 PM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: Marvin was too proud to admit that Jermaine Lewis had almost as much to do with the Ravens success as ML when he was there. Even with that crap offense they had, Jermaine Lewis could flip the field at any time. Why he never drafted a sure fire returner in his time here always puzzled me. It was always some 6th or 7th rounder that stood almost no chance of sticking on the roster and if they did stick around, it was rarely for more than a year or two.

The Ravens also had several HOF players on that defense. It was insanely loaded with talent.

As far as returners, it seems like the NFL is trying to phase out kick returns with the rule changes atleast some. Punt returns are still important.

[hoosierbengal]

Last season I wanted to see Phillips get a chance to return more. Hopefully he gets that chance this year.

[OSUfan]

(05-06-2019, 10:32 AM)mhbsavant Wrote: Has anyone taken the time to look at the return highlights on Brandon Wilson and Darrius Phillips...they are simply great...heres to hoping A new coach can see the abilities in the younger players and give them a CHANCE to make plays...and more than just ONE CHANCE to screw up!

Phillips was not a mystery. He is dynamic with the ball in his hands no doubt.

[LebanonFan]

The knock I’ve heard on him is he is disinterested in tackling. Which wouldn’t bode well for him to make the roster if he won’t suck it up to play special teams

[SnakeEyez925]

Phillips was forced into action at slot CB when Dennard was out with a shoulder injury last year. I think he was the slot/NB for weeks 6-8, and then he was back in a reserve role until the final 2-3 weeks. DreK was injured in the same stretch, so McRae also played boundary corner a lot in that same span. It was not a good stretch of games for the defense btw (KC, NO, TB - we allowed 45, 34, 51 pts)

Phillips was actually serviceable in his time as the slot CB... he showed some flashes of promise and proved to be a decent tackler when he was in the game. This gives me some hope that he can continue to develop into a solid 3rd or 4th CB to compliment his return skill.

McRae should not have played last year, nor be counted on to be a contributor this year. Finding guys like Jordan Brown to push our depth and possibly replace guys like him are important.... McRae is a typical player left over from ML's era, cheap guy's we pick up from the scrap heap to fill out our PS that always seem to be forced to play at some point because of injuries, but they are just a body out there. We've had too many LBs and CBs like that in recent memory.

Davonte Harris is another project pick... his physical stature and attributes may look great, but we need football players... 2-3 year projects are not what this team needs. Too many other teams get contributions early on from their young guys, we are going to need to see that here beginning this season for this team to improve. The old days of veterans always being pushed ahead of more talented younger players should be over.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(05-05-2019, 05:29 PM)Whatever Wrote: I think Webb is pretty much a lock given his contract status and the fact that he was one of the guys Anarumo brought over from the Giants.  WJIII and Kirk are also locks in my mind.  I think there's a small chance Dennard gets cut if Webb beats him out for the nickel CB role and the youngsters really impress, but he's probably safe.

Russell and McRae are both handicapped in the battle for the presumed final two spots simply due to only having 1 year left on their deals.  They have to outplay Harris, Russell, and Brown by a wide margin to justify beating them out, as those guys all have 3 or 4 years left.  

Good point about Webb, i just don't know anything about him and never watched him play.

Pretty much have just heard what Fred said about him, not a stellar write up.

[grampahol]

I think (or at least hope) every player from seasons past under the Marvin reign of terror get their chances to prove why they should stay on the team.. In my mind it's always a new season, but especially so whenever the coaching staff turns over from top to bottom. What guys may have done or didn't do under Marvin could change significantly under a new staff..  We shall see..  Some may respond completely differently with a new staff. None of them made it onto an NFL roster because they couldn't play football.. They all have certain skill sets.. 

[BoomerFan]

I'll say it again, I strongly support keeping 7 corners. It is a highly rotational spot and sometimes you're going to have plays with 5 DBs on the field. You can make this work by keeping 9 on the FL, 6 LBs and 4 Safeties. Or you can keep 10 DL and short the offense (2 QBs, 3 RBs and 3 TEs seem like they should be enough).

[XenoMorph]

(05-08-2019, 12:53 PM)BoomerFan Wrote: I'll say it again, I strongly support keeping 7 corners. It is a highly rotational spot and sometimes you're to have plays with 5 DBs on the field. You can make this work by keeping 9 on the FL, 6 LBs and 4 Safeties. Or you can keep 10 DL and short the offense (2 QBs, 3 RBs and 3 TEs seem like they should be enough).

Only worth keeping 7 corners if their is 7 corners worth keeping.    Usually  keep a guy that can play both and special teams.

[3wt]

(05-05-2019, 05:42 PM)PAjwPhilly Wrote: And with Greedy Williams falling so far down the list...

Shooting in the dark here, but I think this may have been one of the few recent drafts where position of need and the vision of the head coach for what type of team he wants to build factored in almost as much as best player available.

There's a thread that I did not look closely at asks what would have been the difference between Marvin and Zac's picks this year.

I think Marvin would have picked Polite or Greedy in the 2nd (and good selections there I think) and gone for Wesco at TE maybe in the 4th.

One of the really interesting things about ZT is the vision he has for the team he wants to build.   Seems very specific without losing track of the quality of the players he's selecting.  

I can't wait to see how it pans out.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(05-08-2019, 12:53 PM)BoomerFan Wrote: I'll say it again, I strongly support keeping 7 corners. It is a highly rotational spot and sometimes you're to have plays with 5 DBs on the field. You can make this work by keeping 9 on the FL, 6 LBs and 4 Safeties. Or you can keep 10 DL and short the offense (2 QBs, 3 RBs and 3 TEs seem like they should be enough).

Have to have a Corner that can play Safety if we keep that many.

Maybe Dennard can?

Too bad we moved on from Shaw, i was really surprised by this. He played well and could also play Safety.