Normally we’d start off with a “Happy Friday, Raven Flock!,” but this time around that just doesn’t feel appropriate. To say that it’s been a long week would be the understatement of the century. Still reeling off the heels of last Sunday’s miserable loss to the New York Giants, the last five days have been filled with ominous player tweets, the fanbase coming after the family of front office personnel on Twitter (check out Darin McCann’s well written article from yesterday on that), and more of an overall feeling of discontent than we’ve seen this year…which is really saying something.
Nonetheless, we’ve still got a football game this weekend, and an important one inside the division at that.
So, before the Cleveland Browns come to town, let’s once again take a final look at the last minute news and notes heading into Sunday.
Purple on black and we're back at the Bank❗️ pic.twitter.com/MWFhO8OYqh
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 20, 2022
Fans will be happy to see that the Ravens are once again going with a winning uniform combination this week, purple jerseys and black pants to be exact. It’s an interesting concept really, on paper something as small as game day threads should have zero impact on the team’s performance, but when looking at the Ravens’ record by uniform it’s undeniable that they just perform better in certain combinations than others. Look good, play good I suppose?
This is 🗣️GREAT news.
Per Purple Pantsalytics™️ black and purple in any combination is undefeated with @Lj_era8 as the starter. #purplepants #RavensFlock https://t.co/7cQWXaydcs pic.twitter.com/pyOXpGcJ3H
— P͓̽U͓̽R͓̽P͓̽L͓̽E͓̽ ͓̽P͓̽A͓̽N͓̽T͓̽S͓̽ 😈 (@wearpurplepants) October 20, 2022
Ravens TE Mark Andrews (knee) and RB J.K. Dobbins missed their second straight practices
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) October 20, 2022
Now, to some less exciting news. The Ravens were once again without Mark Andrews and J.K. Dobbins at practice on Thursday, their second straight day of being on the shelf in both cases. Obviously Dobbins didn’t see much work at MetLife Stadium last week, and John Harbaugh mentioned his knee tightening up as the reason why. Andrews’ injury seems to be a new one though, and hopefully one that will just require a few extra days of rest with no time missed on Sunday.
"Even though you have this disease, you can follow your dreams."@Mandrews_81 doesn’t let his journey with diabetes hinder him from playing the game he loves.#NFLFilmsPresents | @Ravens pic.twitter.com/bYNjLzNePx
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) October 20, 2022
Speaking of Andrews, yesterday NFL films released a piece detailing his lifelong struggle with diabetes from the age of 9, along with his entire football career to this point. This short interview/documentary even more clearly paints the picture of just how much Andrews has overcome to get to the point he’s at today. It’s harrowing to hear things like how the experience impacted Mark’s parents, but also inspiring in seeing how that struggle propelled him throughout his high school, college, and NFL career. Definitely worth the 10 minutes if you have time!
.@SteveSmithSr89 on Lamar Jackson wanting $250M from the Ravens:
“The Ravens want to re-sign Lamar and I believe Lamar wants to re-sign as well…But if you’re going to pay that price, the Ravens need to have a better offense that’s creative.” pic.twitter.com/ccviMLX37x
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) October 19, 2022
Steve Smith Sr had some interesting comments on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast this week about Lamar Jackson’s contract situation, along with the Ravens offense as a whole. Smith always seems to bring a fresh and interesting take to situations like these and should be listened to, mostly because he’s going to say how he really feels and doesn’t just regurgitate the same old talking points you see from people like Chris Russo on a daily basis. Whether you agree with his take or not, it’s definitely a conversation starter and something to chew on as we try to figure out what the Ravens can do to put together more complete offensive performances.
“Some guys don’t understand what it takes to play at this level. Yanno? How much film, how much extra time you have to put in.
That’s everybody’s job on the team. Coaches. Players. To get them to understand that. We’re working through that.”
-Joel Bitonio full quote. #Browns
— Nick Pedone (@NickPedone12) October 20, 2022
Luckily for the Ravens, their opponents on Sunday have been just a bit more inconsistent than they have this season. Questions about the Browns players’ work ethic are clearly prevalent amongst the locker room if a leader like Joel Bitonio felt compelled to release a quote like this. Add that to their dumpster fire of a quarterback situation, and you have all the makings of a game that the Ravens should win handily, divisional matchup or not. An angry Ravens team should absolutely come out with a convincing win on Sunday, and if they don’t, the morale of this team and the locker room could reach a low that none of us expected this early in the season.
Jets WR Elijah Moore is reportedly "frustrated with his role" and has requested a trade, per @RapSheet pic.twitter.com/1jiJ21xTFS
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) October 20, 2022
New York Jets second-year wide receiver Elijah Moore requested a trade yesterday after not being targeted once in the team’s win against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday. With that news came a flurry of tweets from the flock about the possibility of the Ravens making a move for him. Moore is one of the more underrated receivers in the league at the moment, and has still managed to have a few shining moments despite consistently mediocre quarterback play through his first year and change. Given the Ravens notorious lack of focus on the position when it comes to established players (instead attempting to build via the draft), it’s probably unlikely that they’d pony enough compensation to make a deal happen, but we can dream right?
My home office what do you think @Ravens @DeCostaLacie #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/L5wdwp6PDH
— David Beach (@KingDavid0005) October 20, 2022
Lastly, let’s end this thing on a high note. For this week’s Ravens photo(s) of the week we go to Flock member David Beach’s purple and black man cave. I don’t know about all of you, but I wouldn’t mind cracking open a cold drink and kicking back to watch the Ravens blow a 4th quarter lead in this setup…what? I’M KIDDING, but great work regardless David!
2 Responses
Agree 100% with Smith’s assessment! However, until they determine what they want from Lamar, the issue remains in doubt! You can’t design an offense to accommodate a QB like Lamar’s unique skill sets if you insist on his being a pocket passer! And, if they’re confused about his role, imagine how Jackson feels! All of which are coaching issues……
YEP. That is why it’s a complex situation. The fans are divided-pro and con. Many think Lamar should run more, he shouldn’t turn the ball over, etc. The coaching seems to be confused or non-existent, that’s why I think Lamar went outside to get help this last off season. EDC keeps bringing in players but most are not quality players because he is cash strapped. There is definitely an identity crisis. We can remember the great defense and power running game teams of the past but what is this team known for now. Great defense? We had a very good run defense and a blitzing team under Wink then the injuries totally obliterated the team last year and Wink left. Power running game? We had the power running game in the past. We got Lamar and brought in Roman to make the offense more exciting. Now we have a confused offensive identity. So now we are a confused team looking for an identity. That is why I seriously believe that Lamar will assess the situation after season, look around, take the franchise tag(if offered) and move on if things continue. It’s nice to be kind and friendly but it is also a business and we measure success by winning. So we keep being nice and friendly, predictable and lacking, and next thing we know, we are looking up. We need to keep up with the times and change when necessary. I hope Lamar stays but there has to be changes to make the team a legit contender.