It’s been a good week for Ravens fans since I last checked in, and the memes across Twitter are starting to reflect that:
Being a Ravens fan this time last week Vs
Being a Ravens fan this week pic.twitter.com/ktXVVUvFKv— Chris (@ChrisJustJoking) May 2, 2023
Without a doubt, just a month back things were looking pretty bleak in Baltimore. Ultimately, however, those who had faith in GM Eric DeCosta were rewarded. It’s hard to know what to start with.
So, I’ll start with the oldest news, which just happens to also be the biggest. Lamar Jackson, the Ravens’ franchise QB and a perennial MVP candidate, reached a five-year extension last Thursday. If this video doesn’t fire you up about it, I don’t know what will:
It's a whole lot of Flock going on 😈 pic.twitter.com/4ePcGRRoko
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 2, 2023
It’s a lot of money, but in my book, it’s well deserved.
Just after Jackson’s new deal was official, though, the Ravens followed themselves up with an exciting First Round Pick in WR Zay Flowers. As a former BC Eagle myself, I’ve seen plenty of Flowers.
He’s explosive, he’s got great hands, and he seems to get open with ease. Don’t take my word for it, take Louis Riddick’s:
ESPN Broadcaster Louis Riddick:
“The smartest decision made in this draft, was by the Baltimore Ravens when they decided to select Zay Flowers 22nd overall.” pic.twitter.com/wYF99PlckD
— Ravens Nation LIVE (@LIVERavenNation) May 2, 2023
That’s high praise, and all of a sudden, next to Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham, Baltimore’s WR room could be scary. Coach Harbaugh seems to like the sound of it:
John Harbaugh knows that he finally has his guy. 🥹💯 pic.twitter.com/wGeXnxQCil
— Ravens Nation LIVE (@LIVERavenNation) May 2, 2023
In just the last month, this offense has undergone serious change for the good. Looking back at the end of the 2022 season, the unit really struggled. Now, here’s how it’ll look to start the next season:
IT’S BEAUTIFUL. pic.twitter.com/NKm2aVFvrn
— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) May 2, 2023
As a result of all those moves, Emmanuel Acho has Baltimore as the winner of the NFL offseason:
Top 5 winners of the @NFL offseason:
5: Eagles
4: Dolphins
3: Texans
2: Jets
1: RavensReply with your list, or retweet if I got it right! ✍🏾👇🏾
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) May 1, 2023
Despite how tough things were going for 75% of the offseason, it’s hard to argue with Acho here. Even outside the moves I’ve highlighted so far, the Ravens also brought in a new Offensive Coordinator, which could be one of the most underrated improvements.
Patrick Ricard gives his thoughts on Todd Monken here:
.@PRic508 on Todd Monken offense: “He makes a scheme based on players…I do see a role for myself in this offense. I’m excited for it, it may not be as much as with Greg Roman, but I’m OK with that. As long as we’re winning games, I do my part. That’s all I care about.” #Ravens
— Glenn Clark (@GlennClarkRadio) May 2, 2023
Ricard will likely see his role decrease this season, but he clearly appears confident it’ll be for the team’s improvement. He’s handling it professionally, and his words give me hope that Monken has made a strong impression.
Despite all these positives, Las Vegas doesn’t seem entirely sure they will translate to a better season for the Ravens in 2023:
Here are the over/under win totals for the 2023 NFL season:
11.5 – Chiefs
11.5 – Bengals
11.5 – 49ers
10.5 – Bills
10.5 – Eagles
9.5 – Jets
9.5 – Ravens
9.5 – Chargers
9.5 – Dolphins
9.5 – Browns
9.5 – Jaguars
9.5 – Cowboys
9.5 – Lions
9.5 – Saints
8.5 – Steelers
8.5 – Broncos…— Tom Courts (@RamsBeat) May 1, 2023
If there’s any reason other than a tough AFC North, I would say it’d be the uncertainty at CB, which is the one glaring hole that remains. For now, it looks like the best options are Marcus Peters and Rock Ya-Sin, but as Pedro Rhormes notes, the secondary still has a ton of versatility:
Versatility seems to be they keyword into Ravens secondary, as some of their pieces really have a lot of value on multiple spots.
Some snap counts:
– Kyle Hamilton: 36 pass rush, 106 box, 92 FS, 354 nickel, 12 CB
– Geno Stone: 44 pass rush, 108 box, 444 FS, 67 nickel, 6 CB
-…— Pedro H. Rhormes (@rhormes_) May 2, 2023
The other thing the secondary will have is a ball-hawk safety in Marcus Williams, who should be back and fully healthy. Here’s a reminder of what he’ll provide:
— Ramey (@HoodieRamey) May 2, 2023
If I were a betting man, I’d take over 9.5 Ravens wins.
2 Responses
I don’t expect much from Flowers. So if he stays healthy and gets on the field I’ll be satisfied with the pick. But making it on to the field doesn’t mean he’s productive either. In college he succeeded but this ain’t college. Everyone here is bigger fast and stronger and they all have college trophies to tell you about. Zay has an uphill battle imo. That being said, we’ll see what the kid can do. But if he winds up taking the Bateman route, constantly injured, I’ll just say I told so. As far as the comparisons to SSR he needs to produce something on the field to get that kind of comparison. SSR spoke highly of Zay Flowers too, we yeah he gets paid to do that. Hope the kid works out and lights it. But this franchise us notorious for not being able to select a WR. Lamar already got his money, so I doubt we get anywhere near another Superbowl. After Joe Flacco did it once to the organization, now they went and lined up for round 2 with Lamar. Since he doesn’t have to win anything to get that money, I doubt he has much incentive to do anymore than he’s already done (1 playoff win in 5 seasons). So if this was a business decision, it’s just bad business. We saw the same thing in Dallas with Dak Prescott and how many trophies has he hoisted up? In a few years when we’re in cap he’ll we recap all of this again, hide and watch.
The reason Vegas doesn’t believe all of these great moves is because we are in the AFC north and question marks about a CB……you are joking right. The same question marks still haven’t been answered. Can Lamar finish a season healthy, can Lamar improve his field awareness and accuracy. Will OBJ and Bateman stay healthy the entire season. I get it there are a lot of the flock happy and relieved that Lamar came to his senses and signed the deal but it is still the same Lamar he is just 260 million richer and hasn’t made it past the second round in the playoffs.