During the broadcast of the Ravens at Cardinals preseason game on Sunday night, FOX insider Jay Glazer reported that the Ravens have offered Lamar Jackson a contract that is bigger than that recently agreed to between Kyler Murray and Arizona. Interesting…
The Ravens aren’t talking about the long-awaited contract. Lamar represents himself and he isn’t talking about the contract. So you have to wonder where and from whom, Glazer collected his intel. Typically such things are leaked to try and get the court of public opinion to apply pressure.
Glazer’s sources, like most insiders, are agents who can play the reporters to trigger a desired response. Since there’s no agent involved, that possibility would appear to be out of play. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta has a great relationship with Adam Schefter. So if the team was to start trolling the public, it seems fitting that Schefter would be the reporter to leak the info to propel movement in discussions. But Lamar is a different kind of cat. Such efforts would probably fall on deaf ears.
All that said, I think the apparent stalemate isn’t such a bad thing. The Ravens want Lamar to lead them well into the future. Lamar wants the same. If the Ravens and Lamar go deep into the playoffs during the 2022, you pay the man. He will have then, removed any doubt. If there’s more of the same in the postseason and the blame falls at the feet of Lamar, then there needs to be some concession at the bargaining table.
Time is on the Ravens side. Use it.
Demarcus Robinson
This week the Ravens made it official, signing wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. Robinson was a 4th-round pick, the No. 126 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. This was the scouting summary on Robinson prior to the 2016 draft, as submitted by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:
Immensely talented with elite combination of straight-line speed and quick-twitch athleticism. Robinson flashes game-breaking potential as a deep ball threat and after the catch, but was suspended by two different coaches over a three-year period. While Robinson is likely to test off the charts and has the talent to be a top four receiver in this draft, it is hard to imagine his draft slot equaling his talent due to his character concerns.
The NFL Comparison at that time was none other than former Raven/Steeler Mike Wallace.
Preseason Observations
Preseason is a lie. It just is. You have players fighting for their careers competing against others who are simply looking to get in their work, get their bodies calloused – aka getting into football shape, and most importantly, trying to avoid injury. That’s why each preseason, there are “stars” that emerge, only to later get cut much to the dismay of fans, or simply fade into regular season oblivion with obligatory special teams snaps and time on the scout team mimicking upcoming opponents.
In other words, take the results of the fake games with a grain of salt, or Old Bay, whichever floats your boat. But that said, here are a few of my camp/preseason observations:
The Good
Tyler Huntley: Most believed that Huntley would build on his experiences in 2021 but early during camp, he regressed. Some shoulder tendinitis seems to be the culprit because throughout the preseason games thus far, he’s been superb. He’ll be a restricted free agent in 2023 and it will be interesting to see what EDC does with Huntley who is likely to command attention from QB-needy teams next offseason.
Tyler Badie: The rookie 6th-round pick has shown good vision between the tackles and when an opening presents itself, he sticks his foot in the dirt and explodes to daylight. His skillset is a very solid fit for the Ravens offense. If he demonstrates good ball security, Badie will get his fair share of snaps later in September.
Isaiah Likely: Everything that you heard and read about Likely is true. He creates mismatches, has very good ball skills and possesses an uncanny awareness of how to find the soft spots in coverage as evidenced by his 8 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown while taking only 15 snaps.
Ravens rookie tight end Isaiah Likely has caught all 12 of his targets through two weeks of the preseason, generating a league-leading +12.9 EPA when targeted.
Likely's production has been driven by his ability to create after the catch (+50 YACOE).
🧵 | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/lJHpquPyLw
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) August 24, 2022
Josh Ross: The UDFA from Michigan is a technically sound LB with little wasted motion, who judging from this video clip from @ColeJacksonFB (a recommended follow on Twitter), also possesses very good instincts. Don’t be surprised if Ross is this year’s surprise UDFA. Under the tutelage of LB coach Zach Orr combined with his knowledge of Mike Macdonald’s scheme, he could be a contributor sooner than later.
The Bad
Brandon Stephens is going to be an outstanding football player. But he’s missed a lot of time this summer and consequently he’s playing a little catch up. He had a frustrating game against the Cardinals, beginning with a senseless tackle out of bounds which was also out of character. He was responsible for over 50 penalty yards, including a DPI. In his defense, he wasn’t far removed from making a terrific play on the deep throw from former Raven Trace McSorley. I’m not worried, just observing what we’ve seen so far. Looking for a bounce-back effort from Stephens v. Washington.
Kyle Hamilton: The Ravens first, 1st-round pick in 2022 has looked very good in coverage while demonstrating solid instincts. And while he was regarded as a good tackler at the collegiate level, his technique and tackling angles have been rather shoddy in the preseason. As the last line of defense, particularly against explosive offenses like the AFC Champion Bengals, that must change.
Tyre Phillips: It has become painfully obvious that Phillips lacks the skillset to even be a serviceable tackle in the NFL. But I’ve always thought that he could be an above average guard. We’ve seen some flashes of that during the preseason but you have to question the focus and attention to detail of a player who was flagged three times in the same preseason game. Phillips has been a disappointment.
Inside Access
Speaking of disappointments, I get plenty of feedback, good and bad, about my criticisms of Inside Access on 105.7 The Fan. I’d say the majority agree with my takes on the program, particularly those directed at Jason LaCanfora who has seemingly made it his mission to smear the reputation of the Ravens organization. It’s interesting how LaCanfora’s views of the team have changed over the years and it begs the question, “Why?”:
So Facebook memories provided an interesting reminder of an interview I did with @jasonlacanfora back in 2013. He didn’t always hate on the #Ravens. I wonder what changed? 🤔
Link: https://t.co/V0bEjpqVsc pic.twitter.com/bW2Pq0WIMJ
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) August 25, 2022
Those who agree with my takes on JLC and Inside Access regularly send me more evidence of LaCanfora’s bad takes, bad insider info, from years past. Here’s another that I found amusing:
For the record, Fields was selected with the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Also for the record, there is no evidence of LaCanfora shotgunning a jar of mayonnaise.
At the end of the day, I just want a local sports talk show that we can all enjoy and appreciate. Inside Access isn’t it. It’s nothing more than Troll Radio. But until the day arrives when we can tune into worthy programming from 2-6P on The Fan – there’s always beer. Cold beer. That outta help…
— Spence (@SpenceNice103) August 25, 2022
