/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/19268715/20130121_mjr_su5_074.0.jpg)
That very name makes some Baltimore Ravens fans flash back to the dark times of Demetrius "Full of Potential" Williams and Mark "This is his Year" Clayton the way some war veterans flash back to ’Nam.
And that player will once again don the purple-and-black. Doss was cut during the final stages of training camp in favor of rookie wide receivers Aaron Mellette and Marlon Brown.
Doss, entering his third year, was supposedly hand picked by Joe Flacco in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Doss quickly earned respect for his sticky hands and precise route running in practice. In practice. Nowhere else. Doss, time and time again, failed to make an impact in regular and preseason games.
But any Ravens fan that has watched the preseason games knows this. And nearly every one of those fans is wondering why, out of all the players on the free agent market, we brought back "Too Soft" Doss.
Well, the answer goes deeper than just "Jacoby Jones got hurt." The Ravens had six wide receivers against the Denver Broncos. Aaron Mellette was inactive due to his inexperience. Deonte Thompson was inactive due to his injured ankle. Jacoby Jones was injured early in the game, leaving Joe Flacco to work with Torrey Smith, Marlon Brown, and Brandon Stokely… three wide recievers. One of which is an undrafted rookie. One of which is 37 years old.
Yeah, the Ravens need help.
But where the Ravens really need help, however, is in the return game. Jacoby Jones was the starting returner, but he got hurt. The second returner was David Reed, but he was traded away for nothing. The third returner was Bobby Rainey, but he was released. The fourth was Lardarius Webb, fresh of his second ACL surgery. The fifth, and final returner against the Broncos, was Bernard Pierce. Oh, and did I mention that Pierce is the second of two running backs on the Ravens’ roster.
The Ravens need a returner. In fact, they are desperate. That is why Tandon Doss is back. Love him or hate him, Doss is familiar with our system and fits our current needs.
Just kidding, none of you love Tandon Doss.