UPDATE: This is a quick update regarding question #3. The Ravens have officially sent LB Jameel McClain to the PUP list, along with sending DE Kapron Lewis-Moore to non-football injury list. This has been done to reduce roster from 77 players down to 75, which was necessary by today at 4:00 p.m. EST. For more information on this story, click here.
Happy Tuesday, Ravens Nation! I hope you all are having a fantastic day. This will be the final edition of Tuesday's Mailbag for the month of August. Unfortunately, for the month finale, we only have a few questions. Even though there aren't very many questions, I will still answer all of them to the best of my ability! Let's get started, shall we?
Q1: Everyone is saying that Michael Huff is a lock to be a starter this season, but is it possible that Matt Elam and James Ihedigbo could be the starters? - @realWillThrill
From all of the reports that I have seen, it seems as if Michael Huff will be the starter at the FS position. Now it looks like it is down to the competition for the SS position, in which Matt Elam and James Ihedigbo are playing for. At the moment, Elam is the favorite to come off of the bench this season, as Ihedigbo is a veteran and looked well in preseason.
Matt Elam has looked the best among the safeties in the preseason, but he is a rookie and the other two guys have the advantage over him for the time being.
Q2: Could every wide receiver on the roster make the team? - @realWillThrill
It's possible, but I highly doubt it.
There is no way possible that I can see Aaron Mellette, LaQuan Williams, Tandon Doss, Deonte Thompson, Jacoby Jones, Brandon Stokley, Torrey Smith, and Marlon Brown all making the roster. I do not see the need for all of these guys, nor do I think Ozzie will want to keep all eight.
My only thing is that they could keep six on the roster, Thompson gets IR'd, and another one goes on the practice squad. This would make all of them still be involved in the Ravens in some way.
Q3: What other IR or PUP candidates are there? - @realWillThrill
Here is a list of a few guys that could be on these two lists, according to Jason Butt of Baltimore Beatdown:
IR:
- TE Dennis Pitta
- WR Deonte Thompson
- G/C Ryan Jensen
PUP:
- ILB Jameel McClain
- DT Kapron Lewis-Moore
All of these moves would make sense, since all five of these players have injuries that will limit them for a while, or for the remainder of the season. Dennis Pitta, if he were to go on Injured Reserve, will probably be hit with the designation to return, just as Ray Lewis was last season.
Q4: Did the release of Shiancoe show the Ravens' trust in Ed Dickson coming back or the progress of Furstenburg? - @realWillThrill
Truthfully, I believe it was a little bit of both.
According to
BaltimoreRavens.com, Ed Dickson says that he could play today if necessary. He looks to be on track for Week One, and without Pitta overshadowing him, he should have one heck-of-a-season if he can stay healthy. The Ravens have a million different reasons to have faith in him, and the main reason is because of what he's done for them in the past.
As for Furstenburg, he has been playing very well. He is looking like a tight end that the Ravens could easily keep on the final 53-man roster. So far in the preseason, Furstenburg has four receptions for 54 yards.
Q5: How do you feel about Bryan Hall being cut? - Terrin Wilson
I honestly was not happy about it when I saw the tweets on Sunday that said the Ravens had cut him. This is a guy that lost fifty pounds in the offseason so he could transition from a defensive lineman to a linebacker.
Hall's work ethic and determination were outstanding. He obviously worked hard to shed fifty pounds, but in the end, it still didn't work out for him. I believe Hall, 24, has a lot of talent and will play well for a team in the NFL. I think that the Ravens cutting Hall helped show that we do have a lot of depth at linebacker, which is a great thing.
Q6: Do you think Marlon Brown makes the final roster before Aaron Mellette? - Terrin Wilson
Yes, yes I do. I think that Marlon Brown is a special WR, and with the way he played on Thursday, it brought him one step closer to making the final roster. Aaron Mellette and Marlon Brown should both end up making the final 53-man roster, but if one of them had to go, I could see it being Mellette.
Brown seems to have a better relationship with Joe Flacco, while Mellette seems to have a better relationship with Tyrod Taylor. A receiver that has chemistry with Flacco is the main need for the Ravens, so I believe it would be Brown over Mellette, if they had to make the choice.
Q7: What are you expecting out of the last preseason game? - Terrin Wilson
Basically, not much at all.
Joe Flacco and most of the starters will play very little, if at all. The fourth preseason game is mainly for the young, on the bubble guys to show what they can do, and show whether or not they can be on an NFL roster.
Look for the receiver competition, the center competition, and the safety competition to heat up during the fourth preseason game.
Q8: Did you want the Baltimore Ravens to be on Hard Knocks this year? - Terrin Wilson
Not really.
Hard Knocks seems like a large distraction, especially for a team that already has many distractions as it is. Being
Super Bowl Champions, losing future Hall-of-Famers, losing so many guys, having many new guys, etc. are all a part of the distractions that the Ravens have this offseason.
When the
Cincinnati Bengals were chosen to be a part of Hard Knocks, I was actually excited. I was hoping that this may create a distraction for the Bengals with their young team, and it is very possible that it could still happen.
Overall, I am super happy that the Ravens didn't get chosen for the HBO show.
Q9: What games are you attending this year, if any? - Terrin Wilson
Unfortunately, I live in North Carolina. I go to Baltimore once a year, and I've already went to see the Orioles play the Mariners a few weeks ago.
I would love to go to a Ravens game at M&T Bank Stadium, since it is the best stadium and city in the country, but I can't. The main reason is because of the ticket prices that jumped up high after we won the Super Bowl last year. The only way I will be going to a game this year is if I get tickets for free as a gift, by winning them, etc.
Well, that seems to be the end of this week's edition of Tuesday's Mailbag! Remember to send in questions to Victorgrayh10@gmail.com OR tweet them to me @Frezeal33 OR leave them in the comments below! I hope you all continue to have good days! I'll see you next time, Ravens Nation, two days before the season opener!