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OPPOSITION TERRITORY: Baltimore Ravens · The Philadelphia Sports Table | Philly Sports News & Views

0:00
Speaker 1: What's going on, everybody, It's Jeff here. I wanted to
0:02
Speaker 1: let you know. This Opposition Territory podcast was recorded on Wednesday,
0:05
Speaker 1: August twenty first, twenty twenty four. By the time you
0:08
Speaker 1: hear this, some things may have changed here or there,
0:10
Speaker 1: but we hope you enjoy the show. Welcome to Opposition
0:30
Speaker 1: Territory here at the Philadelphia Sports Table podcast show, the
0:32
Speaker 1: longest running weekly Philly sports podcast show in the world,
0:35
Speaker 1: that's right over eleven years strong. Got a great discussion
0:38
Speaker 1: coming your way. We're gonna be diving into a team
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Speaker 1: this week that we have not talked about too too much,
0:43
Speaker 1: not only on Opposition Territory over the past eight months,
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Speaker 1: but in general, and that's the Baltimore Ravens, a team
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Speaker 1: that does have expectations to go further into the playoffs
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Speaker 1: this year. They have a fantastic quarterback in Lamar Jackson.
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Speaker 1: But what's gonna happen with the trenches. The trenches are
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Speaker 1: so important with this team and what type of success
1:01
Speaker 1: they may see this year. We got a great discussion
1:04
Speaker 1: coming your way. We got a great guest. Let's get
1:05
Speaker 1: right to it, and it's great to have back on
1:07
Speaker 1: the podcast to talk about this Baltimore Ravens team. You
1:11
Speaker 1: can find him on the Twitter slash x at josh
1:14
Speaker 1: Reed nine oh seven. He is a great, great follow
1:17
Speaker 1: and he does again great work over at Baltimore beatdown
1:21
Speaker 1: dot Com great SB Nation site. We've got Joshua Reed.
1:24
Speaker 2: How you doing, Joshua doing great, Jeff than having me?
1:27
Speaker 1: You got it, buddy. It's great to see you again.
1:30
Speaker 1: You've been doing some great work out there. Your sports
1:32
Speaker 1: reporting is really cool. You live up in Alaska, buddy,
1:35
Speaker 1: and I know you do some work up there with
1:37
Speaker 1: some sports or I should say covering some sports up there,
1:41
Speaker 1: and you were doing some coverage recently of some guys
1:44
Speaker 1: from Alaska that have been playing football and you've been
1:47
Speaker 1: covering them.
1:49
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, So I worked for Angers Daily News full
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Speaker 2: time up here at Ingers in Alaska's the biggest publication
1:53
Speaker 2: in the biggest state in the country. And yeah, we
1:56
Speaker 2: actually have some guys from Alaska that are in the
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Speaker 2: NFL right now. There's there's Brandon Peeley, on drafted free
2:01
Speaker 2: agent last year for the Miami Dolphins, just had a
2:03
Speaker 2: great game against the Commanders this past this past weekend.
2:07
Speaker 2: There's at the final of the Full Show. He was
2:08
Speaker 2: a he's a rooking fifth round pick for the Buffalo
2:11
Speaker 2: Bills this year. There's actually Gonna Ravens who he plays for,
2:14
Speaker 2: who's his name is Masla Amilulu and he's a lineman
2:18
Speaker 2: fighting for a starting job this year. He was six
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Speaker 2: round pick last year. And then there's a lot of
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Speaker 2: people don't know this, but Tyri Wilson, the first round
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Speaker 2: pick from the Las Vegas Raiders last year. He was
2:27
Speaker 2: actually born in Alaska, so his mom was a big
2:29
Speaker 2: time His mom was a big time track star up
2:31
Speaker 2: here back in the back in the nineties and he
2:33
Speaker 2: lived here for his first two years of living. He
2:35
Speaker 2: mainly grew up in Texas, but he still claim that
2:37
Speaker 2: he's from Alaska. So every time he does something cool,
2:40
Speaker 2: make sure to mention him. In two I just did
2:42
Speaker 2: a big story on on on Brand. I tried to
2:44
Speaker 2: get it, trying to get something all of them together,
2:46
Speaker 2: but you know, it's so busy this time of year.
2:48
Speaker 2: I wanted to do a series, but I was only
2:50
Speaker 2: able to get one guy. I got Brandon, which he
2:52
Speaker 2: kind of has the most compelling story, just given that
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Speaker 2: he's undrafted for agent and he's playing Reegson. Last year
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Speaker 2: kind of helped him make the team last year, and
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Speaker 2: he's doing the same thing again this right, So it's
3:02
Speaker 2: all those.
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Speaker 1: Guys awesome, awesome. Well, hey man, want to get into
3:04
Speaker 1: this Baltimore Ravens team with you as you do a
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Speaker 1: lot of great coverage again over at Baltimore Beatdown dot Com,
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Speaker 1: and I'd really like for us to get a discussion
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Speaker 1: going about what's happening in the trenches with with regard
3:16
Speaker 1: to the Ravens specifically. Let's start off with the offensive line,
3:19
Speaker 1: because there were some questions, I think coming into training
3:21
Speaker 1: camp initially about what this offensive line was really going
3:24
Speaker 1: to look like this coming season. Coaching staff they've been
3:26
Speaker 1: trying to figure out three starting spots, and it seems
3:29
Speaker 1: like we may know who those three spots are going
3:32
Speaker 1: to be on the line at this point, but I
3:33
Speaker 1: think there's still questions about how they're gonna perform protecting
3:38
Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson and opening up those gaps and holes for
3:41
Speaker 1: Derek Henry during the course of this season. Here, So,
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Speaker 1: what are your thoughts on where this offensive line is
3:45
Speaker 1: at as camp's going to be wrapping up here, what
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Speaker 1: are your thoughts?
3:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, So, the Ravens and John Harbord just said it
3:51
Speaker 2: earlier this week on Monday, that you know, they are
3:53
Speaker 2: kind of closing in on who there, who they're starting
3:55
Speaker 2: lineup is gonna be yep, you know coming into there.
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Speaker 2: It's definitely a youth movement. You know, for a long
4:01
Speaker 2: you know, for the past few years they've had a
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Speaker 2: more veteran offensive line with star warts like Morgan Moses
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Speaker 2: at right tackle, Kevin Zeitler at at right guard, and
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Speaker 2: then you know, they kind of they've had a kind
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Speaker 2: of a rotating, rotating like rolling door at left guard
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Speaker 2: for for a while. It seems like they have like
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Speaker 2: a new starter just about every other every year, if
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Speaker 2: not every other year, every year since they they had
4:20
Speaker 2: been Powers and then they had uh with those Tyrie
4:24
Speaker 2: Tyree Phillips, then Ben Powers, then uh, then they had
4:27
Speaker 2: John Simpson last year, and now they're gonna have a
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Speaker 2: new starter left starting left guard for like the the
4:32
Speaker 2: third or fourth year in a row. So that's kind
4:33
Speaker 2: of been a door left guard. But they've always been
4:36
Speaker 2: able to kind of like you know, make chicken sellad
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Speaker 2: out of chicken, you know what at that at that
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Speaker 2: at that spot. So but really, yeah, they're they're definitely
4:44
Speaker 2: going the youth movement. Youth movement at at those spots.
4:46
Speaker 2: You know, whenever you whenever you lose, whenever you like
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Speaker 2: let three starters from the previous year out of a
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Speaker 2: pretty decent offensive line walk either walking, free agency or
4:54
Speaker 2: trade in the case of Morgan Moses, you know, it's
4:56
Speaker 2: definitely gonna raise some red flags, right and but you know,
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Speaker 2: the raven I believe deserve the kind of the benefit
5:01
Speaker 2: of the doubt, because you know, what are you drafting
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Speaker 2: all these young offensive linemen for if you're not gonna
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Speaker 2: give him a chance to start. You know, it's usually
5:07
Speaker 2: it's like they all give an office lineman a chance
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Speaker 2: to start at one spot, and now this time they're
5:11
Speaker 2: kind of doing in at three. But you know when
5:13
Speaker 2: you say you when you pay your quarterback to Big
5:15
Speaker 2: Bucks and you got other guys, you got to pay
5:16
Speaker 2: a def inside of the ball and other places like that,
5:19
Speaker 2: you know you kind of have to make some concession.
5:20
Speaker 2: So at some places, now, if you had a more statuette,
5:23
Speaker 2: you know, quarterback, you know who's not really mobile as
5:27
Speaker 2: Lamar Jackson, then that that could be a big thing.
5:29
Speaker 2: When you have a guy like Lamar Jackson, it's kind
5:31
Speaker 2: of like a force multi party and even even last
5:33
Speaker 2: year there were times where down the stretch on office
5:36
Speaker 2: off of the line started getting banged up and the
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Speaker 2: guys are rotating at right tackle and and at and
5:40
Speaker 2: that guard you know, the I mean right tackle and
5:42
Speaker 2: out left tackle. You know, there was it was this
5:44
Speaker 2: kind of thing where you know, like, oh man, what
5:46
Speaker 2: are we just gonna do? But you got Lamar Jackson
5:48
Speaker 2: got out there. He's he's the magic man, right, So
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Speaker 2: it's okay to it's fact in this instance, it's with
5:54
Speaker 2: this kind of quarterback, it's okay to go a little
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Speaker 2: bit younger, and this okay because he's gonna kind of
5:58
Speaker 2: make up for some of those growing pains of those mistakes.
6:01
Speaker 2: So you got guys at our right tackles. It's a
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Speaker 2: kind of a battle between veteran utility guy Patrick mcerrey
6:06
Speaker 2: and then rookie second round picked U Roger Rosenguarden and
6:10
Speaker 2: Rose and Guard has been running with the first team
6:11
Speaker 2: for the past like two or three weeks now, and
6:13
Speaker 2: he's been He got like eighteen snaps his first preseason
6:15
Speaker 2: game and then jumped up like forty two this past weekend,
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Speaker 2: and he's been looking pretty good at least at least
6:20
Speaker 2: in pass for a run, walking still some left, some
6:23
Speaker 2: left to be desired. And then at at left guard,
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Speaker 2: guy Andrew Voorhees. Most people remember him as the guy
6:28
Speaker 2: at Toys ACL and the combine last year, but then
6:31
Speaker 2: but then came back and rerapped out the most reps
6:33
Speaker 2: on the bench press. So he's a guy that pretty
6:35
Speaker 2: much red shared his entire rookie season. Ravens traded actually
6:38
Speaker 2: traded back into the draft with with the Cleveland Browns
6:41
Speaker 2: last year the seventh round be able to pick up
6:42
Speaker 2: Andrew Vourhees. So now he's going to be starting against
6:44
Speaker 2: the Browns for hopefully the next three to four years. Yeah,
6:48
Speaker 2: he's the guy that's been He's been running with the
6:49
Speaker 2: ones all training camp at left guard, so he's pretty
6:53
Speaker 2: much cemented at that spot. You know, they haven't declared
6:55
Speaker 2: anything yet, but he's pretty much got that, got that
6:58
Speaker 2: in the bag. And then our right guard is kind
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Speaker 2: of or the question mark, not question markets as far
7:02
Speaker 2: as who's not gonna who's gonna be their question mark
7:04
Speaker 2: as far as how they're going to perform in in
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Speaker 2: relation to how because Kevin Zeitler was kind of like
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Speaker 2: their stalwart at that position for the past three years,
7:12
Speaker 2: and then now you're going with either it's gonna be
7:14
Speaker 2: either third year pro Daniel File, who was a career
7:18
Speaker 2: whose career right tackle, never played guard prior to being
7:21
Speaker 2: you know, switching positions coming into this training camp. Is
7:24
Speaker 2: either going to be him or fourth year pro ben
7:26
Speaker 2: In Cleveland who's been cross training at center this this
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Speaker 2: this training camp, but also like has a strong background
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Speaker 2: playing guard and has played well, really well in spot
7:33
Speaker 2: duty for for Zeitler another in other places on at
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Speaker 2: guard his first three years in the league. Especially Black
7:40
Speaker 2: he started last two last last two games of the
7:42
Speaker 2: season for Kevin Zeitler while he was dealing with a
7:44
Speaker 2: low minor injury and played really exceptionally well against the
7:47
Speaker 2: Dolphins and the Steelers. So he's the guy who I
7:49
Speaker 2: thought was going to be the leader in the clubhouse
7:51
Speaker 2: to replace Zayler coming in. But you know, I said,
7:53
Speaker 2: they've they've really been wanting to get all those reps,
7:56
Speaker 2: well not all those reps, with the both of those reps, right.
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Speaker 2: I think Cleveland got in some of those reps earlier
8:01
Speaker 2: this week. But he's a guy that that said they're
8:03
Speaker 2: experimenting with him. I mean, if he wins the starting job,
8:07
Speaker 2: he'd b the lily the biggest offensive guard I think
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Speaker 2: in Anthol history at six eight and three nine in
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Speaker 2: three eight. Wow.
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Speaker 1: Wow, he's a huge guy, huge guy for sure. But look,
8:17
Speaker 1: the trenches are so important, not just not just in
8:19
Speaker 1: football in general, always been important for the Baltimore Ravens
8:23
Speaker 1: on both sides of the ball. So we're just talking
8:25
Speaker 1: about the offensive trenches. Let's move over to the defensive
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Speaker 1: line here, Josh, because some some within Ravens Nation have
8:32
Speaker 1: indicated that they're, you know, they're concerned with this defensive
8:36
Speaker 1: line grouping after losing Jadevian Clowney and I think he
8:39
Speaker 1: had something like nine and a half sacks, it was
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Speaker 1: nine and a half or an eleven and a half
8:42
Speaker 1: sacks last year. I think it was nine and a
8:45
Speaker 1: half sacks last year. You know, a couple injuries with
8:49
Speaker 1: this group. The group seems to be perhaps a little thin,
8:52
Speaker 1: maybe a little bit unproven in terms of the defensive line.
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Speaker 1: Do you share those concerns and what are your thoughts
8:58
Speaker 1: about the overall d line and the pressure they're really
9:01
Speaker 1: going to be able to get on opposing quarterbacks this season?
9:04
Speaker 2: So so most of their concerns are kind of circling
9:07
Speaker 2: around the edge. You know, we're talking about outside linebackers
9:10
Speaker 2: and stuff like that, because they're sorry interior if it's fine,
9:12
Speaker 2: They've literally ran it back. They brought everybody back, all
9:15
Speaker 2: six guys that were that were in the rocation last year.
9:18
Speaker 2: Everybody brought back. So you got guys like second team
9:20
Speaker 2: All Pro Justin Matta Biker who led the team in
9:22
Speaker 2: sacks with thirteen last year. He's coming back, and then
9:25
Speaker 2: you got Michael Pierce coming back and he's healthier this year.
9:28
Speaker 2: You got a guy like Travis Jones, who will talk
9:30
Speaker 2: about a little later in one of the other segments.
9:32
Speaker 2: He's the guys could really step up for them this year.
9:35
Speaker 2: And Brent Urban Roger Washington and covered everybody.
9:40
Speaker 1: I think he did. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's
9:42
Speaker 1: mainly like the edge, the pass rush basically, and the
9:45
Speaker 1: unknowns there. I should have been more specific there with
9:47
Speaker 1: my question.
9:48
Speaker 2: Well, that's sound good because you know, because it's it's
9:51
Speaker 2: fine because people wi ump those kind of in together.
9:54
Speaker 2: But I feel like the majority of the Ravens pass
9:56
Speaker 2: rusts this year will come from the interior, and that's
9:59
Speaker 2: gonna be like really strength of their pass for us,
10:01
Speaker 2: although I still expect some guys on the edge, Like, so,
10:03
Speaker 2: there are two guys on the edge right now, are
10:05
Speaker 2: going to be Kyle Vano is going into year eleven
10:08
Speaker 2: coming off his best season, and then Adolf Alway twenty
10:11
Speaker 2: twenty one first round pick, who's coming off a strong
10:14
Speaker 2: season as well. And and then so, yeah, it's mainly
10:17
Speaker 2: gonna be those guys on the edge as far as
10:20
Speaker 2: your top two guys. And then you're kind of really
10:22
Speaker 2: relying on a lot of youngsters to provide that death.
10:25
Speaker 2: Second year pro Tavius Robinson, who's going to be like
10:27
Speaker 2: a primary early down run defender, guy who got a
10:29
Speaker 2: lot of playing time early on as a as a
10:31
Speaker 2: rookie last year through the first few games of the
10:33
Speaker 2: season and played really played, played really well, especially especially
10:38
Speaker 2: on those early downs, setting the edge and defending the run.
10:41
Speaker 2: And then you got some some youngsters, yeah said, some
10:43
Speaker 2: unproven guys, some guys, rookie, rookie, third round pick. Of
10:47
Speaker 2: these Isaac he's kind of been battling these soft tissue injuries,
10:50
Speaker 2: but he made his NFL debut this past weekend, looked really,
10:53
Speaker 2: really good. And then you got a guy like David
10:55
Speaker 2: Ajabo heading to his third season, he's really battle injuries.
10:58
Speaker 2: You know, the first two years of his career. You know,
11:00
Speaker 2: his rookie season was delayed back elect ten or eleven
11:02
Speaker 2: games because he tore his achilles at Michigan's pro day,
11:06
Speaker 2: but still ended up getting drafted in the second round.
11:08
Speaker 2: He I mean, prior to that, he was projected to
11:09
Speaker 2: be a top fifteen pick, and then he then he
11:11
Speaker 2: got hurt and then slid all the way to the
11:13
Speaker 2: second round, and then you got it and then you
11:15
Speaker 2: got who's yeah. And then last year he had suffered
11:19
Speaker 2: a partially torn a cl It started as like an
11:22
Speaker 2: ankle injury, and then he had some swelling on his
11:24
Speaker 2: knee and then so he could have played through it,
11:26
Speaker 2: but they decided for the long, long term, you know,
11:28
Speaker 2: viability of his career, what was best for his career
11:31
Speaker 2: was to go ahead and have that have that repair surgery,
11:33
Speaker 2: and you know, just kind of another red shirt year.
11:36
Speaker 2: But this year, this year, he came off. He debuted
11:39
Speaker 2: this past week against the Falcons, too, looked really, really good.
11:42
Speaker 2: So he's one hundred percent now he's talking about he's
11:43
Speaker 2: feeling better. He thought he was at the podium yesterday
11:46
Speaker 2: talking about how good he feels and how blessed he
11:48
Speaker 2: is and how he's cherished in every moment. He's a
11:50
Speaker 2: guy that I said, yes, unproven, but not without talent.
11:53
Speaker 2: So yeah, on the edge of the Ravens are are
11:55
Speaker 2: are they're thin on experience, but they're not They're not
11:58
Speaker 2: lacking of talent on the edge, Yeah, I believe they're
12:00
Speaker 2: really good. They're really good, uh good pass rush unit
12:03
Speaker 2: and that the beauty of the Ravens pass rures. I mean,
12:06
Speaker 2: like the last year, you know, so many guys had
12:09
Speaker 2: career years, you know, like CALVINOI had most saxy ever
12:11
Speaker 2: had in his career, Genevan Clowney had the most saxy
12:14
Speaker 2: ever had in his career. So many guys had career
12:16
Speaker 2: years working in unison. So whereas they may not have
12:19
Speaker 2: a particular guy who's like, you know, dominating on the
12:22
Speaker 2: edge and racking up ten plus sacks, you know, they
12:24
Speaker 2: have that dominant interior edge rush interior rusher ands Medaik
12:29
Speaker 2: who actually plays little edge plays you know, some interior
12:32
Speaker 2: move they move all over the front. So the Ravens
12:34
Speaker 2: have a really good have a really historically good track
12:36
Speaker 2: record of being able to have more versatile players can
12:39
Speaker 2: do a lot of things.
12:40
Speaker 1: All right, very good. We probably shouldn't be that worried
12:43
Speaker 1: about the defensive line after that conversation. But as we're
12:46
Speaker 1: moving along with the conversation here, Josh, I want to
12:49
Speaker 1: do a brief exercise. I love doing it every now
12:51
Speaker 1: and again on our Opposition Territory podcasts. Here, I'm gonna
12:54
Speaker 1: give you a few categories, and I'd like for you
12:56
Speaker 1: to give me the player that you're thinking of and
12:58
Speaker 1: just a brief explanation as to why you picked that
13:01
Speaker 1: player in terms of what we're gonna be looking forward
13:03
Speaker 1: to this season with that bro upt player. So, the
13:05
Speaker 1: breakout guy this year on the Baltimore Ravens, who do
13:08
Speaker 1: you think the breakout guy is gonna be?
13:11
Speaker 2: I got we were just talking about the position group.
13:13
Speaker 2: But I feel like my guy Ada always is gonna
13:16
Speaker 2: is gonna be on that breakout guy. Who have been
13:18
Speaker 2: saying that for a couple of years now, But I
13:20
Speaker 2: feel like this is the year he finally does put
13:21
Speaker 2: it together. You know, he was he was the pressure
13:24
Speaker 2: machine last year, only played and only played in fourteen
13:26
Speaker 2: games and still tied his career high in sacks. With five,
13:29
Speaker 2: and he had like a streak there he first got
13:31
Speaker 2: back and he had like three sacks in his first
13:33
Speaker 2: four games back from his ankle injury. But he's where
13:36
Speaker 2: he's where his bread and butter was last year was
13:38
Speaker 2: consistently generating pressure. And if you ask the Ravens they
13:41
Speaker 2: much more rather valued pressure more than sacks because you know,
13:44
Speaker 2: pressure can set up others for sacks as well as
13:46
Speaker 2: lead the turnovers. So and then, but what happens with
13:49
Speaker 2: that is sometimes you'll finally get a season with a
13:52
Speaker 2: guy puts it all together and he starts getting not
13:54
Speaker 2: only does he generate a high volume of pressures, but
13:56
Speaker 2: he also starts getting the sacks. And I feel like
13:58
Speaker 2: that could be a Dolpha way this year and especially
14:00
Speaker 2: like the Ravens secret weapon on on as far as
14:03
Speaker 2: the pass rush goes. Both in Tier an edge is
14:06
Speaker 2: outside linebackers, outside linebackers, pass rus specialist coach Chuck Smith,
14:10
Speaker 2: Who's he's a he's one of the past rush grew
14:12
Speaker 2: and a lot of coaching circles and and he's a
14:14
Speaker 2: guy that the Ravens brought in last year. And you know,
14:17
Speaker 2: to to no one's no one's surprised had a bunch
14:19
Speaker 2: of pass rushers have career years, and he's a guy
14:21
Speaker 2: who's worked with some of the best in the business,
14:23
Speaker 2: Aaron Donald, von Miller, all those guys. He was a
14:25
Speaker 2: regular attendee at the Pass Rush Summit and so the
14:27
Speaker 2: Ravens brought him in as a full time position coach.
14:29
Speaker 2: But he doesn't just work with the outside linebackers. He
14:31
Speaker 2: works with guy the Justin Madapik, who had all defensive
14:33
Speaker 2: interior defensive linemen in the sacks this year last year, and
14:37
Speaker 2: both probably could do so again this year. But a
14:39
Speaker 2: guy like Adopie Alway, I feel like, second year and
14:42
Speaker 2: under Chuck Smith and he's finally fully healthy and rearing
14:45
Speaker 2: a go. I feel like he's a guy that could
14:47
Speaker 2: really turn some heads this year.
14:48
Speaker 1: All right, very good, let's move up. Moving along to
14:50
Speaker 1: the next category here, the comeback kid on the Baltimore Ravens.
14:54
Speaker 1: Who do you think is going to be named the
14:55
Speaker 1: comeback kid when it's when it's all said and done
14:58
Speaker 1: this year?
14:59
Speaker 2: Man, this one, it was kind of hard for me
15:00
Speaker 2: to like like pick pick just one. So I kind
15:02
Speaker 2: of like a like a two fer so on defensive side,
15:07
Speaker 2: it's gonna be Marlon Humphrey. He's a guy that you know,
15:10
Speaker 2: like the two time All Pro, you know, three time
15:13
Speaker 2: three time Pro bowler. I feel like, you know, big
15:15
Speaker 2: people people really kind of been disrespecting him this offseason.
15:18
Speaker 2: I'm not just talking about bleacher Report, but just another
15:20
Speaker 2: another I've listened to other forms of NFL national media,
15:23
Speaker 2: and he's kind of guy's been kind of dragged and
15:25
Speaker 2: it's like, this is the guy who didn't give a
15:26
Speaker 2: single touchdown, just like in twenty twenty two, which was
15:29
Speaker 2: last you know, like two years ago, and last year
15:31
Speaker 2: he really struggled with injuries that you know, he was
15:33
Speaker 2: poised to have another strong season and then he had
15:35
Speaker 2: to have had foot surgery during training camp. So I
15:38
Speaker 2: don't know how many people familiar with playing defensive back,
15:40
Speaker 2: but you need good feet to play defensive back, and
15:42
Speaker 2: so like, you know, he missed the first four or
15:44
Speaker 2: five games of the twenty twenty three season, and then
15:47
Speaker 2: when he came back, you know, he just he wasn't
15:49
Speaker 2: still all the way back right, And people remember that
15:52
Speaker 2: touchdown the game when he touched out he gave to
15:53
Speaker 2: George Pickens. Well was his first game back, and they
15:55
Speaker 2: left him on iol coverage against the fully healthy young receivers,
15:58
Speaker 2: so you know, were really in his favor and that's
16:01
Speaker 2: that pick the situation. But that was only touchout to
16:03
Speaker 2: give ball all season, Jeff. So it's like, you know,
16:06
Speaker 2: people are making it seem like, oh, Marlon humphreyessa washed
16:08
Speaker 2: Paul Humpfrees, dude, because every time he got every time
16:11
Speaker 2: he got healthy, he that was another setback when he
16:13
Speaker 2: when he finally healed from his foot, he had a hamstring,
16:15
Speaker 2: and then he had then he had a calf, and
16:17
Speaker 2: then the calf flared up again and made a miss
16:19
Speaker 2: the first playoff game. So he's he's fully healthy coming
16:22
Speaker 2: into this season and he's itching. He's he's really itching,
16:25
Speaker 2: chopping out the bit to show people he's still that
16:27
Speaker 2: all pro Marlow that we remember. And then on the
16:30
Speaker 2: offensive side, guy like Mark Andrews, you know who was
16:33
Speaker 2: on pace for he was on pace for a career
16:35
Speaker 2: year prior to being coming in the poster trial for
16:37
Speaker 2: the him drop to tackle rule against the against the
16:40
Speaker 2: Bengals on Thursday night and eleven. But he's the guy that,
16:43
Speaker 2: like I said, I feel like people were kind of
16:46
Speaker 2: forgot about him too, Like you know, like even though
16:48
Speaker 2: he got he played the majority of the season. I said,
16:50
Speaker 2: like ten or eleven games, and then you know he
16:53
Speaker 2: doesn't even make it the NFL Top one hundred. You know,
16:54
Speaker 2: he played ten games in four hundred and sixty seven
16:57
Speaker 2: steps to Aaron Rodgers won and four snaps on offense,
16:59
Speaker 2: and he Aaron still made the top one hundred. So
17:01
Speaker 2: how does a guy like Mark Andrews not make the
17:04
Speaker 2: top one hundred is beyond me. But he's a guy
17:07
Speaker 2: I feel like he's gonna remind people just just how
17:09
Speaker 2: he is the top three tight end and he may
17:11
Speaker 2: not be one or two or three.
17:13
Speaker 1: What about the guy who's flying under the radar for
17:15
Speaker 1: the Baltimore Ravens. Who is that guy? Do you know?
17:18
Speaker 1: You know, you get a good feeling about who's going
17:19
Speaker 1: to be flying under the radar this year?
17:21
Speaker 2: Man, the Ravens flock got quite a few guys this year.
17:25
Speaker 2: You know, I'm just gonna hit on three real quick,
17:28
Speaker 2: you know. The defense tackle Travis Jones, like I mentioned
17:30
Speaker 2: a little bailer heading heading into his third season, he's
17:33
Speaker 2: the strongest player on the team. I mean, like like
17:35
Speaker 2: people like they'll say this, you know, like other guys
17:37
Speaker 2: have been on the record back up here saying, you know,
17:39
Speaker 2: he's the strongest player on the team and he's led
17:41
Speaker 2: to start a defensive end for them. He can play
17:42
Speaker 2: all three positions along as front, he can play no,
17:44
Speaker 2: he can play three technique, five technique defensive end, and
17:47
Speaker 2: he even took some edgebush snaps last year and looked
17:50
Speaker 2: good against the forty nine ers. So he's a guy
17:52
Speaker 2: to keep an eye on. And then people talking about
17:54
Speaker 2: now but could be towards the more season gets underway
17:57
Speaker 2: and then twenty one first round tape. Risht Babmen and
18:00
Speaker 2: other guys. Struggled with injuries through the first few years
18:03
Speaker 2: of his career, and the Ravens rewarded him with the
18:05
Speaker 2: extension it's offseason because they believe how much of in
18:08
Speaker 2: fact he could have this year and even last season.
18:10
Speaker 2: So in twenty twenty two he was on the way
18:13
Speaker 2: onest way to break it out, and then he had
18:14
Speaker 2: the list Frank foot injury, and then it's kind of
18:16
Speaker 2: like people don't really know how like hard the injuries
18:19
Speaker 2: to come back from, and he still kind of struggling
18:20
Speaker 2: with it. It kind of kept him out of most
18:22
Speaker 2: of the training camp last year and he was kind
18:24
Speaker 2: of slow playing it to uh, you know, the startup
18:26
Speaker 2: last season and then he's kind of started overtaking OBJ
18:29
Speaker 2: down the stretch Older Beckham Junior for those who are
18:31
Speaker 2: familiar down the stretch, and I started out snapping him.
18:36
Speaker 2: And only only problem was he didn't really have that
18:38
Speaker 2: chemistry with Lamar Jackson because you know, he didn't practice
18:40
Speaker 2: all off season. But now he's been practicing the off seaon.
18:42
Speaker 2: He's been healthy off season, and he's a guy so
18:44
Speaker 2: like it's really gonna be plying the radar at first,
18:46
Speaker 2: but then could be start making a name for himself
18:48
Speaker 2: and really earning that new money that he got. And
18:50
Speaker 2: then third, the defensive back Eddie Jackson, a former two
18:55
Speaker 2: time Pro Bowler and first time first team All Pro
18:57
Speaker 2: with with the Bears, came over, came over to the Ravens.
19:00
Speaker 2: He was a late training camp edition, that training campetition,
19:02
Speaker 2: but late you know, offseason edition assigned them at the
19:04
Speaker 2: onset of training camp. But he's a guy who's gonna
19:07
Speaker 2: be slotted into that Geno Stone roll. And for those
19:09
Speaker 2: who aren't familiar with Geno Stone, he led the AFC
19:11
Speaker 2: and interceptions last year, playing in a part time role
19:13
Speaker 2: with through the Ravens. Ravens loved to play in those
19:15
Speaker 2: three safety packages, and he's a guy that is a
19:18
Speaker 2: natural fit to replace Geno stone Ballhawk himself, you know,
19:21
Speaker 2: led the league in picks on one year and they
19:23
Speaker 2: say said renown in Bahawks. So I felt he's a
19:25
Speaker 2: guy to go come in and allow a guy who
19:27
Speaker 2: are gonna be talking to in the next segment here,
19:30
Speaker 2: who's to really to really do his thing very good?
19:32
Speaker 1: All right? Last say a last a category I should
19:36
Speaker 1: say here with this particular exercise, the dark horse m
19:39
Speaker 1: VP of this team. Who do you think that's gonna
19:42
Speaker 1: be this season for the Ravens.
19:44
Speaker 2: I mean, it's kind of hard to call what the
19:46
Speaker 2: first team All Pro dark word for the m v P.
19:48
Speaker 2: But Kyle Hamilton, man, this guy the Swiss Army Knife.
19:52
Speaker 2: I mean, I can't even count one hand how many
19:54
Speaker 2: people this offseason have called him an He's ben called
19:57
Speaker 2: a unicorn, one of one, all types of all types
20:01
Speaker 2: of descriptions, adctives, and idioms, but this guy is really
20:04
Speaker 2: one of one. I mean, there's nobody in the NFL
20:06
Speaker 2: is quite liking to you as the wingspin of a condor,
20:08
Speaker 2: but athleticism of a nickel because he plays he plays
20:11
Speaker 2: a hybrid nickel safety role and he really plays all
20:14
Speaker 2: over all over the field for the Ravens. And I
20:16
Speaker 2: feel like, you know, he's kind of even though he
20:18
Speaker 2: broke out last year, he's the kind of guy I
20:20
Speaker 2: feel I could be in a defensive Player of the
20:21
Speaker 2: Year conversation this year and it's really gonna be like,
20:24
Speaker 2: you know, that guy for the Ravens on defense for
20:26
Speaker 2: the second year.
20:27
Speaker 1: Absolutely, I right again, folks, talking to Josh Reed from
20:30
Speaker 1: Baltimore beatdown dot Com. Check out everything they're doing over there. Great,
20:34
Speaker 1: great content with regard to the Baltimore Ravens and just
20:37
Speaker 1: the the NFL league in general too. So their final
20:41
Speaker 1: topics that I wanted to get into with you, Josh,
20:44
Speaker 1: it's the standout and stepped on segment here. So I'd
20:48
Speaker 1: like for you to give me two players you think
20:50
Speaker 1: will be a standout this coming season on this Ravens roster.
20:54
Speaker 1: Then we'll get to steped on. But who are the
20:56
Speaker 1: standout players going to be this year for the Ravens?
21:00
Speaker 2: For me, it got two offensive players for two pass catchers.
21:03
Speaker 2: The first one is Za Flowers, last year's first round pick,
21:06
Speaker 2: heading into his second season in the league. Broke all
21:08
Speaker 2: types of franchise records last year, and it took him
21:10
Speaker 2: like one game to establish himself as a number one
21:12
Speaker 2: receiver for the Ravens, like like that Texans game Week
21:15
Speaker 2: one and it gave like twelve something target something crazy
21:17
Speaker 2: like that. He's a guy that Ravens wanted to get
21:19
Speaker 2: the ball too early and often throughout his rookie year
21:21
Speaker 2: and broke every record Ravens receiving rookie record last year.
21:25
Speaker 2: I felt he can do that for all the franchise
21:27
Speaker 2: records this year as far as single season goes. He's
21:29
Speaker 2: a guy who almost had a thousand yards as a rookie,
21:32
Speaker 2: and and he's really coming on a strong down and
21:33
Speaker 2: stretch last year and into the playoffs and and you know,
21:36
Speaker 2: everybody remembers that fumble he had. He had it at
21:38
Speaker 2: the at the goal line in the as a championship.
21:40
Speaker 2: But prior to that, he was killing the Chiefs. I mean,
21:43
Speaker 2: he like he got a personal foul for you know,
21:45
Speaker 2: doing a little shoulder shrugg thing over Jerry Sneak, but
21:48
Speaker 2: he was taking the jerious sneath to the woodshed in
21:49
Speaker 2: that game. Yeah, and you know, I'll give the Jerry
21:52
Speaker 2: Steeds props. He made that that great play at the
21:54
Speaker 2: goal line. But let's not act like Jay Fires was
21:57
Speaker 2: eating his lunch before that, right, So he's he's a
21:59
Speaker 2: guy that you the Ravens. He's the glaring is clear
22:01
Speaker 2: cut number one wide receiver coming for this season. I
22:03
Speaker 2: feel like he could take even another step be the
22:05
Speaker 2: ravens first thousand plus yard wide receiver since Hollywood Brown
22:09
Speaker 2: and twenty twenty one.
22:11
Speaker 1: All right, yeah, do you have another standout for this
22:14
Speaker 1: particular topic.
22:15
Speaker 2: Yeah? And the second one Yeah, And the second one
22:17
Speaker 2: is a third year tight end, Isaiah Likely. He's a
22:19
Speaker 2: guy that filled up more than believe for Mark Andrews
22:22
Speaker 2: down the stretch last year. They really looked like they
22:24
Speaker 2: didn't even miss a beat with Mark out of the
22:25
Speaker 2: lineup because Isaiah Lockley stepped up and and and balled out.
22:29
Speaker 2: And he's a guy that the Ravens I feel like
22:31
Speaker 2: they don't even treat as a tight end anymore. They
22:33
Speaker 2: they talked about the offseas and how they see their
22:34
Speaker 2: view the tight ends as positionless players because they want
22:37
Speaker 2: to line them all up when you lose a guy
22:39
Speaker 2: like Obj in the off in the off season, same
22:41
Speaker 2: with Devon Dubernet, and people are like, oh, what the
22:43
Speaker 2: Ravens is gonna do a wide receiver. Only only additions
22:45
Speaker 2: they made was it was the walks walker and the
22:48
Speaker 2: fourth on rookie in the NFL draft. Well, it's because
22:51
Speaker 2: they want to. They're going to be leaning more on
22:52
Speaker 2: the tight ends in the passing game this off this
22:55
Speaker 2: upcoming season. The guy Isaiah Likely, he's really asitionless player.
22:58
Speaker 2: He didn't describe Hussef as a tight end. He's I'm
23:00
Speaker 2: I'm more of a chess piece because he's a guy
23:02
Speaker 2: that can play outside. He can play in the slot.
23:04
Speaker 2: You could do Travis Kelcey and his and his heyday.
23:08
Speaker 2: He's a guy for the Ravens. I feel like, you know,
23:10
Speaker 2: he's gonna play like that hybrid tight end slash receiver role.
23:13
Speaker 2: He's improved in this blocking but really he sold t
23:16
Speaker 2: shot last season. He can be quite the playmaker in
23:18
Speaker 2: the passing game, and I feel like he's gonna take
23:19
Speaker 2: it to another level this upcoming season. People are always wondering,
23:22
Speaker 2: oh man, all the time, I was there a likely ball,
23:24
Speaker 2: and I was when Mark Andrews got hurt. How are
23:25
Speaker 2: they going to be able to give them both on
23:26
Speaker 2: the field, well, you know how you get them both
23:28
Speaker 2: on the veil besides twelve personnel one one of them
23:30
Speaker 2: up a wide receiver because he can do that to
23:33
Speaker 2: be doing this year, I can't wait till because he's
23:35
Speaker 2: the chemistry with Lamark Jackson this offense that has been great.
23:37
Speaker 2: I mean it feels like every day there's a training
23:39
Speaker 2: game highlight of them to connecting and reporters are just
23:42
Speaker 2: raving about the connection that they have and I feel
23:44
Speaker 2: like it's going to go to another level this year.
23:45
Speaker 1: Very good. On the flip side of that coin, though, uh,
23:48
Speaker 1: you know, we're just talking about the standout players. Who
23:51
Speaker 1: are two players you think might get stepped on throughout
23:55
Speaker 1: the course of this upcoming season here may not have
23:57
Speaker 1: a great year. Who are those two individuals for you?
24:01
Speaker 2: Okay, So as far as far as that goes, I
24:03
Speaker 2: feel like a right guard Daniel Fole, you know, the
24:06
Speaker 2: guy we talked about a little earlier being the biggest
24:08
Speaker 2: potentially the biggest guard in the NFL. Now he's a
24:10
Speaker 2: guy who you know, struggle with consistency and confidence at times.
24:14
Speaker 2: And yah, but you're taking over for a guy and
24:16
Speaker 2: Kevin Zilder who's like the model of dependability and durability.
24:19
Speaker 2: And I'm not questioning Daniel's their their ability as far
24:22
Speaker 2: as dependability on a step a snap basis, You're not
24:25
Speaker 2: gonna bet a guy who's going who's going from playing
24:27
Speaker 2: career tackle to to UH to moving on the interior.
24:31
Speaker 2: And some people don't don't believe that, you know, he
24:33
Speaker 2: has what it takes to make it through a game,
24:35
Speaker 2: let alone make it through a full season at at
24:37
Speaker 2: that at that spot. So he's a guy that might
24:38
Speaker 2: have some struggles you know, here and there, might have
24:41
Speaker 2: some highlights here and there. He's a guy that you know,
24:43
Speaker 2: like when he's when he struggles, people are definitely gonna
24:45
Speaker 2: you know, point it out. And and he's he's a
24:48
Speaker 2: guy that could get dragged a little bit this year.
24:49
Speaker 2: And then second guy is Kyle Vanoy, who I feel like,
24:53
Speaker 2: not gonna don't not because I don't think he's gonna
24:55
Speaker 2: have a step back, but because he's a thirty three
24:57
Speaker 2: year old pass rusher. Right Yeah, And people are gonna
24:59
Speaker 2: mention all time. Even if the Ravens defensive balling out,
25:01
Speaker 2: they're gonna be like, this team has got thirty three
25:03
Speaker 2: year old Kyle vin Oi winding up for them on
25:06
Speaker 2: the edge. This is a great job by defensive cording
25:08
Speaker 2: in exact or well, people forget about coylevin Oi is
25:11
Speaker 2: like throughout his career, he's always been that you know,
25:14
Speaker 2: versatile defender who plays off the ball, on the ball,
25:16
Speaker 2: he does pretty much whatever it even needs him to do.
25:18
Speaker 2: From his time with Detroit, who's time with the Patriots,
25:21
Speaker 2: that's time with the Dolphins, and even in even the Chargers.
25:24
Speaker 2: But now he with the Ravens, he has a chance
25:25
Speaker 2: to finally just focus on his pass fresh and that's
25:28
Speaker 2: what you've been talking about all off season. And he's
25:30
Speaker 2: a guy that had nine and had nine sacks last
25:32
Speaker 2: year fresh off the couch. This guy didn't sound with
25:34
Speaker 2: the team until until late September and played fourteen games
25:38
Speaker 2: and almost had double legit sacks. So he's a guy
25:40
Speaker 2: who may get dragged just because of his age and
25:42
Speaker 2: you know his pedigree. He's a guy that can still
25:44
Speaker 2: ball off for the Ravens. So he not stepped out
25:46
Speaker 2: in the sense stepped on in the sense that you
25:49
Speaker 2: know he's gonna play bad, but stepped on the sense
25:51
Speaker 2: that even if he does play good, he's still gonna
25:53
Speaker 2: get brought up as like a negative like this team has.
25:55
Speaker 2: His lead is leading who had in sacks by a
25:57
Speaker 2: thirty three year old pass Rushern Vanni.
26:01
Speaker 1: Folks, he's Joshua Reid from baltimorebeatdown dot com. Make sure
26:05
Speaker 1: you're following him on the Twitter slash x at josh
26:08
Speaker 1: Reed nine zero seven. Great, great discussion, my friend. I
26:12
Speaker 1: love talking to you always. Whenever I'm able to have
26:14
Speaker 1: you on the show. Come back and join us down
26:16
Speaker 1: the road. We'll get into some more Ravens talk.
26:18
Speaker 2: Yes, sounds great man. Thanks for having me.
26:20
Speaker 1: That's gonna do it for us here on Opposition Territory
26:23
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