The Preseason has ended for the Baltimore Ravens, and we’re now in final countdown mode until the opener September 11th in The Meadowlands vs. the New York Jets.
Some general thoughts on the Ravens offense as we wait for this 2022 season to officially kickoff.
1) There will (or there won’t) be resolution to the Lamar Jackson extension in these last days before the season starts. How’s that for definitive? If you are like me, you’ve likely checked out on this discussion at-least to a point. Yes, the guaranteed dollars DeShawn Watson got from Cleveland changed things some. Yes, Jackson working without an Agent is different. Ultimately there is just a lot of largely unnecessary noise. We’re talking about a former MVP QB, who’s currently 25. The Ravens want to extend him. Jackson by all accounts wants to stay. My expectation is that a deal will be found before the self-imposed negotiating deadline of the start of this season. Jackson doesn’t strike me as a guy that needs additional motivation, but if I’m wrong about a deal being found now, then there are worse things then having your highly talented, highly competitive QB going to the season feeling like he has something further to prove to ‘everyone’.
2) Once the contract drama is done, we can get back to everyone’s favorite game of critiquing Jackson’s every play in a way that no-other elite QB is evaluated. Did you catch the comments from Hall-of-Fame QB turned ESPN Analyst Steve Young? The Ravens are holding Jackson back? Ridiculous. The Ravens need to build a more sophisticated passing game to be Championship caliber? Good grief. It doesn’t matter if the passing game concepts are simplistic. It doesn’t matter if the Ravens are a ground-based offense in a pass happy league. I’m not sure these narratives go away even if the Ravens have a strong regular season and win multiple playoff games. It might take a Super Bowl title. I’m of the opinion there are multiple ways to build teams, and you don’t put square pegs into round holes. The best coaching is built upon putting your talent in the best position to utilize their skill sets. The Ravens have done that with Jackson. All that should matter is winning. And winning is what the Ravens have done with Jackson under center. If you agree with Young and don’t believe the Ravens can win it all playing like this, okay. If you don’t believe the Ravens can win it all with Jackson at QB, okay – we’ll see. My take is if the Ravens end the year holding the Lombardi Trophy, the primary reason will be #8.
3) One last point with Jackson. The next time someone says Jackson can’t throw, just refer them to this Twitter thread from Warren Sharp.
4) Ronnie Stanley passed his physical and was removed from the PUP list last Friday. He’s played 7 total games the last two years. It’s hard to imagine any scenario where the Ravens reach their ceiling if Stanley can’t stay in the line up and perform like a Pro Bowler.
5) I’m not broken up over trading Hollywood Brown; but there will be times he’s missed. Yeah, he only averaged 11.1 YPC last year (that number dropped precipitously after Jackson was lost to injury), but he did have 91 receptions. The Ravens can make up for those catches and his 1,008 yards – but not having his speed to scare teams will be felt sometimes.
6) The talk about the Ravens pass-catchers (WR’s & TE’s) being underwhelming is overblown. Mark Andrews is obviously one of the best TE’s in the game. Rashod Bateman is poised for a huge year, and will be better than Hollywood when Jackson needs to move the chains. Every Ravens (and Fantasy) fan is already well acquainted with Rookie TE Isaiah Likely. While it’s too early to anoint Likely as the savior, I feel good with expecting Likely to add to the passing game. Hayden Hurst had 30 grabs for the Ravens in ’19 opposite of Andrews. I’m thinking Likely matches Hurst’s ’19 production at the minimum. Devin Duvernay, James Proche, Demarcus Robinson, Tylan Wallace. Opportunities await.
7) Losing JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards to injury last year was so deflating. While the Ravens did get some usable production from Devonta Freeman, and Latavious Murray; it was two older backs who didn’t scare anyone. The Ravens kept both on a pitch count, and there was just only so much there. If Dobbins has his explosion back; this offense can really take off. Edwards will miss at-least the first 4 games, and we will see where he is then. He’s averaged 5.2 ypc as a pro. Those 238 lbs pounding through the center of the line and running down hill was missed last year. Mike Davis gives the Ravens another vet they can something from. I’ve got Tyler Badie making the roster. If he does, will be interesting to see if he’s active on game days and gets some early touches. If he doesn’t make the roster, presumably the Ravens will have decided to go with Justice Hill who had a strong Special Teams year in ’20.
8) If Stanley can stay in the lineup and anchor LT, I feel like the O-Line has a chance to be somewhere between above-average and very good. If Stanley is in and out of the lineup, it will more of the mix and match we saw last year. Tyler Linderbaum at Center is an upgrade over ’21, even with whatever Rookie adjustments Linderbaum faces this year. Kevin Zeitler was very solid at RG last year. He’s not prime Marshal Yanda, but he’s an above average RG. Morgan Moses should be an upgrade over Villanueva. LG has multiple good options in Ben Powers, and Ben Cleveland. I’m not high on Tyre Phillips, but maybe inside he’s better? I also like having Patrick Mekari and his usable versatility around. I’ve heard a lot of Ravens talk about being happy to have Ja’Wuan James around as depth for Stanley. Yes, there is some talent, size, and experience; but he hasn’t played a game since 2018. He’s also been a RT. If the Ravens get forced to use James with regularity at LT, that seems fairly scary to me. If he’s healthy and ready to play and can give you some fill-in snaps at both tackles, that would definitely be significant.
9) Greg Roman is entering Year 4 as the Ravens Offensive Coordinator. The Coordinators are everyone’s favorite whipping boys in Game Threads. Second guessing their play calling drives message board posts, and talk show calls. I’m not immune to that second guessing. I’m still scratching my head at the Divisional Game loss to the Titans after the ’19 season, and wondering how the Ravens threw the ball 59 times, vs. 9 carries from the RB’s… but I digress. My general take is that for the offense the Ravens want to run, Roman is the right guy. I like being the team that does things differently.
10) Speaking of liking being the team does things differently; I’m hoping to see plenty of Nick Boyle this year. Limited to 14 games over the last two years, I’m hoping we can take things back to ’19, with a lot of 3 TE sets, and Boyle making a difference with his blocking. Patrick Ricard is a guy I find Ravens fans want to get off the field in theory. “Get rid of the FB, get your weapons out there and spread the field.” Give me more Ricard. Heck, bring out the extra-lineman and run the JUMBO sets. Bully people, and run the ball down their throat.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.