It’s really tough to gauge the progress of players during training camp. More times than not the players are in shorts and shells and contact is limited. There’s no way of really knowing if a running play was successful. Broken tackles are imaginary as are tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Strip sacks are frowned upon as oncoming pass rushers simply glide by the quarterback, knowing that they could have dropped their teammate for a sack. Yet plays continue.
Adding to the mirage that is training camp, is the varying speeds at which players play. UDFA’s and castoff veterans will go all out and play as if their hair is on fire – all part of an effort to catch the attention of the coaching staff and show up on film in a flattering way.
Veterans will oftentimes play at speeds less than 100%. They are looking to get their work in while trying to avoid a season ending injury that could place their future earning power and team goals in jeopardy.
When you mix in the unaccomplished players looking to make their mark with established stars who are coasting, relatively speaking, it can give any observer the false illusion that those who are out to impress are better than they are. That’s why camp stars will emerge, sometimes relative unknowns, who are later discarded. It leaves the casual, uninformed onlookers confused, even bewildered.
Why didn’t HE make the team?
Each season it happens and this season will be no exception.
FADE TO WHITE
Wide Receiver Tim White has done pretty much everything the Ravens have asked. He regularly makes big plays as a WR and so far, he looks like the best return man on the 90 players currently on the roster. Yet questions remain about his ability to survive the cut down to the 53-man squad.
Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead are your starters. Chris Moore’s special teams play makes him a lock. Jaleel Scott and Jordan Lasley look like solid bets to make the team unless one has a bad nightmare, falls out of bed and suffers a season ending injury.
And that leaves White and Breshad Perriman.
If you didn’t know going into practice which of the two was the first-round pick, judging from practice, you wouldn’t hesitate to guess, “White!” He is productive and noticeable while Perriman looks lost and oftentimes is.
But politics could play a role in the Ravens decision making. No team wants to cut a first-round pick after just 3 seasons. It’s a blemish on the organizational resume, just as Matt Elam was in 2013. Yet he hung around for a fourth season.
So don’t be shocked if White flashes during preseason while Perriman continues to wrestle away the “Hands of Stone” nickname from Roberto Duran.
Here’s the scouting report on White coming out of Arizona State in 2017 and the accompanying video highlights:
White is a slot wide receiver with the vertical speed and ball skills to occasionally push out wide and challenge down the field. He could use more play strength and will almost assuredly get challenged by a more physical brand of cornerback than he saw in at Arizona State. While his return ability gives his draft stock a bump, his tape also shows a measure of natural talent as a receiver who can create some separation. If he finds the right team fit, White could carve out a role as a fourth or fifth receiver and return man. – Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
ANOTHER, SWING-AND-A-MISS
Perriman isn’t the only high-end draft pick that appears lost. 2016 second-round pick Kamalei Correa looks like a player without purpose. Drafted as an edge-rusher in a 3-4 base defense, Correa was moved inside as a rookie and never properly adjusted. Now he’s back on the outside where he was once compared to Clay Matthews.
But Correa lacks the awareness and instincts of Matthews and given his play so far, you’d also have to question his preparedness. In the end, he could be one of those tweener guys who gets lost in the shuffle and never really amounts to anything more than a special teams player. And that’s hardly what you’d expect from the 42nd overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
FANS AT CAMP
I had a conversation with a member of the Ravens PR Staff at camp recently and we discussed the fans in attendance during training camp. The way the Ravens have distributed access to the practices is by parking space.
So for example, let’s assume the Ravens distribute 450 parking passes to fans. If each car includes four passengers, that would bring the total number of fans to 1,800 which when eyeballing, looks like the seating capacity. But some fans may come alone while others may arrive in a full minivan, hence the variance from day-to-day attendance.
