Reality: A few Ravens players have decided to get off Twitter.
Perception: As I said in my last Perception is Reality, Steve Smith Sr. has signed off Twitter. Some disagreed, saying he moved to a new twitter name, but that is not the case.
As Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com explains:
He still has an open account, but he hasn’t tweeted since Oct. 6 when he announced that he was signing off for good. Now he only plans to use Twitter as a marketing tool, and as a medium to spread news about his foundation work.
Downing also says Torrey Smith has also deleted the Twitter app from his phone. He’ll stay off at least during the season, to limit his off field distractions.
I am a huge fan of Twitter and I love being able to interact with athletes on it, but I totally understand why players might want to get off it. Twitter is full of haters and trolls… people who are only on there to be mean and cause headaches for others. If I was a public figure, it would be hard to read any @ mentions as they would be full of negative comments. So I have no problem with players deciding to take a break.
Reality: Smith Sr. is having a career year.
Perception: Smith Sr. has now gone over 100 yards receiving in four games this season, which ties two other players for most in Ravens single-season history.
Smith has 35 catches this year for 573 yards, which equals 16.4 yards per reception. Smith Sr. leads the Ravens in receptions, yards, yards per catch, and touchdowns. He is averaging 95.5 yards per game. At his current pace, he’ll have more than 1,500 yards receiving, which would be 35 yards shy of his career high, which was in 2005.
Smith has been exactly what the Ravens needed him to be this year. He has taken over the role that was lost when Anquan Boldin was traded away. Smith could turn out to be what the Ravens team needed to get back to the AFC Championship.
Reality: Jacoby Jones has six dropped passes this season.
Perception: Jones has six drops, and only has four receptions this year. At this point, I think I demote Jones to strictly returning punts and kick-offs, and give Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown every opportunity to prove they deserve to be on this team.
It’s not like the Ravens don’t have options, so at this point, Jones has worked himself out of the lineup. The team doesn’t owe him any more chances. They have Aiken, Brown, Michael Campanaro, and even Kyle Juszczyk and Crockett Gillmore who are showing more promise than Jones has.
As long as Jones continues to hold on to the ball in the return game, then he should have “receiver” taken off his job description. It should solely read “return specialist”.
Reality: Justin Forsett is having a career year.
Perception: Is there a better story in the NFL this season than Forsett? Last Sunday, Forsett gained more than 100 yards rushing for the third time in his career. He leads the Ravens in carries (64), yards rushing (408), and rushing touchdowns (3).
In his 7th season with his 5th team, Forsett has finally found a home. His yards per carry average is the highest of his career, and at his current pace, he should pass his career high in single-season rushing yards next week! It truly is impressive what Forsett is doing with the opportunity given to him this season. And it couldn’t have happened to a better teammate.
