View: https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1186756582295638016
They don't have an open roster spot currently.
They don't have an open roster spot currently.
Goodbye Jordan Richards?View: https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1186756582295638016
They don't have an open roster spot currently.
Love this move for 3 reasonsView: https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1186756582295638016
They don't have an open roster spot currently.
How will the Ravens fandom take the coach saying a player was cut for non-performance, non-disciplinaryreasons? How will the players' association handle it?Baltimore Sun:
The Ravens signed Bethel to a two-year, $4 million deal this offseason, but with former Ravens defensive end Brent Urban’s release Saturday by the Tennessee Titans, the team was expected to lose a compensatory 2020 NFL draft pick. By releasing Bethel before Week 10, the Ravens will get back their projected fourth-round pick.
“Judgment has to be made for the future as well,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who called the compensatory system “funky,” said at his weekly news conference Monday. “That’s tough for us because, I told him, I think he’s the best special teams player in the NFL, and he’s playing that way. So that’s going to be a blow, and we’re going to have to find a way to overcome that.”
Bethel, 29, has six tackles and a fumble recovery in seven games this season while playing a team-high 81.07% of the Ravens’ special teams snaps.
Right? Something doesn't add up here.2 years of the best special teams player in the league isn't worth a 4th round comp pick?
Any hint of shady history? DV, drugs, gambling, whatever?Right? Something doesn't add up here.
I like the Sanu deal, but wrt Richards/Bethel exchange, that really is a huge upgrade. We often see BB churning spots or positions on the roster, just looking for incremental improvement. This is way beyond that. Later this season there will be a play by Bethel that a lesser ST wouldn't have made that swings field position or the like and the rest of the league will just shake their heads at how BB gets his hands on players like that.Forget Sanu, replacing Fuckhead with arguably the best Special Teams player in the league? Good golly, Miss Jolly.
General sentiment at Russellstreet report.com is that cutting Bethel was a cold blooded move that had to be done. Most posters don’t mention his special teams prowess. But then, when his signing w Pats is announced, there’s more outrage the Ravens didn’t wait until the other side of the Week 9 matchup to make the moveis there a Sons of Deer Antler Spray board where I can go watch actual Ravens fans go crazy over this? It seems unfathomable to me that you would dump a player of his pedigree for a late 4th that you don't get until next year.
Who's Johnson?Harbough saying they were “required” by comp rules to release Johnson is just bullshit spin. They chose a late fourth over him. It’s fine but call it what it is.
Putting Johnson on the market is catnip for Belichick. I mean, who in the league would he grab faster? Hekker. Maybe. Ed Reed is retired.
If you wanted to infiltrate the Patriots with a Manchurian candidate this would be the way to do it if you’re Harbaugh. Brady better have someone watch his sports drinks to make sure Johnson isn’t sneaking something in there.
Suffering? Bethel Johnson was awesome. That return in Indy in 2003. Catch on his finger tips against Titans. Loved him.Still suffering from Bethel Johnson flashbacks?
Thanks @Mugsy's Jock I agree that place is fairly well put together and seems reasonably well moderated. Quick note it's odd for me to see how they refer to Eric Da Costa. Their reverence for him is at odds with how I remember him from college but I suppose we all change and add gravitas as we age.General sentiment at Russellstreet report.com is that cutting Bethel was a cold blooded move that had to be done. Most posters don’t mention his special teams prowess. But then, when his signing w Pats is announced, there’s more outrage the Ravens didn’t wait until the other side of the Week 9 matchup to make the move
https://forum.russellstreetreport.com/showthread.php?184237-Justin-Bethel-ReleasedI should add, much as I detest the Ravens, this board seems like a fairly level-headed and useful place. Chiefsplanet.com just lowered the bar beyond all recognition — makes theganggreen.com look like politico.
Who's Johnson?
Fuck I’m getting old. All Bethels are the same to me.Still suffering from Bethel Johnson flashbacks?
I would prefer it if he were to make big plays on February 2nd.Please let this guy make a big play on November 3.
I would prefer it if he were to make big plays on February 2nd.
Someone in the Sanu thread suggested that the gaggle of big receivers can "make up" for a shaky OL, (paraphrasing) because there's no time to throw long anyway.This is amazing. The Patriots already have outstanding special teams play and it just got better.
You have to read FO's methodologies carefully because they are inconsistent about whether they describe what happened or try to predict the future. The Patriots get no credit for their blocked punts this year because "blocked kicks are so rare as to be statistically insignificant as predictors for future performance and are thus ignored."FO rates our ST as average, 14th, +0.3% after being 21st last week. Positive on punt and punt return, a little positive on kick and a little negative on kick return, and WAY negative (28th) on FG/XP, which frankly matches our eyes.
Bethel's major impact is on kick coverage, with lots of FG blocks and kickoff/punt coverage plays like the above. If anything, he's going to make an existing strength (Between Slater / Jones) into a bigger strength. But I'm not sure he's going to turn around our biggest ST weakness, the way Nugent could.
Circumstances matter, but FWIW Gost was 18-23 this year and Nugent is 15-17 so far. And one of Nugent's misses was quite clearly an awful hold. His other miss was his first kick.This move helps the Pats a bit and so I'm glad they made it. It was really a no-brainer.
However, I see the Pats as having just improved a defensive ST that was already excellent. Their punt coverage (which is important) will be fantastic. Their kickoff coverage (much less important due to touchbacks, unless BB starts trying to pin the other team back the way the Pats did last year) will also be fantastic.
The offensive ST, though, is pretty mediocre. Bolden returning kickoffs? I mean, I like the guy but that's just not his forte. He's not a burner that can see a crease and fly. Gunner returning punts? He might be OK, but you don't have a lot of hopes that he's going to break very many. The big thing is you hope he doesn't muff any, and the jury is still out on that (he's muffed just the one so far). And we all know that Nugent was taken off the scrap heap. Maybe he's OK, maybe not; we don't know yet. In any case we'll all be praying when he's lining up a key 48-yarder sometime in January. Those three key positions -- KO returner, punt returner and kicker -- are where the Pats most need an upgrade.
Think you see why KR is not a huge priority for them this year in your two statements. Agree on the other two, PR and K are still highly important especially when your defense is not letting punters pin you at the 5 and there is some room to return.This move helps the Pats a bit and so I'm glad they made it. It was really a no-brainer.
Snip Their kickoff coverage (much less important due to touchbacks, unless BB starts trying to pin the other team back the way the Pats did last year) will also be fantastic.
The offensive ST, though, is pretty mediocre. Bolden returning kickoffs? I mean, I like the guy but that's just not his forte. He's not a burner that can see a crease and fly. Snip
They'll "protect" him like this all year. I doubt he will line up for a kick longer than 45 yards all year unless it is an end of half / end of game situation. In the playoffs when it is cold they probably won't even send him out there for a 45 yarder. They'll just go for it or have Brady pooch punt. Given how good the D is, pinning opposing offenses inside the 10 can easily lead to points.Yeah, Nugent is a scrap-heap replacement for a guy whom I've been increasingly less sure about. So far Nugent looks good on PATs, which was becoming an issue for Gost.
So far, so good on Nugent's FGs, but we don't really know yet. BB seems to "shield" him a bit from difficult FG attempts, choosing to punt from close in rather than attempting 45- to 50-yarders. Those were largely determined by game circumstances, of course -- no need to kick a FG when you're up 33 in the 4th, and maybe he wants to give Bailey practice with the coffin corner. We'll see what happens in close games when the Pats have 4th and 8 from the opponent's 35.
I'm hoping Nugent is a great replacement, but I'm far from sold. I figure there's a good reason he was out of a job in September.
I think it's pretty apparent that Ghost's issues in kicking this year were a result of his hip injury, which eventually became surgery-worthy. I'm not sure I'd say PATs were "becoming an issue for Ghost". In the 3 previous seasons since the PAT distance change, he was 46/49, 45/47, and 49/50 last year.Yeah, Nugent is a scrap-heap replacement for a guy whom I've been increasingly less sure about. So far Nugent looks good on PATs, which was becoming an issue for Gost.
That could also be related to why they tried to amp up the punt coverage team.Yeah, Nugent is a scrap-heap replacement for a guy whom I've been increasingly less sure about. So far Nugent looks good on PATs, which was becoming an issue for Gost.
So far, so good on Nugent's FGs, but we don't really know yet. BB seems to "shield" him a bit from difficult FG attempts, choosing to punt from close in rather than attempting 45- to 50-yarders. Those were largely determined by game circumstances, of course -- no need to kick a FG when you're up 33 in the 4th, and maybe he wants to give Bailey practice with the coffin corner. We'll see what happens in close games when the Pats have 4th and 8 from the opponent's 35.
I'm hoping Nugent is a great replacement, but I'm far from sold. I figure there's a good reason he was out of a job in September.
Thanks for the stats. I would've thought he'd missed more -- probaby because of recency bias (he missed 4 of 15 PATs this season, though his hip injury was likely a factor, as you pointed out) and because of huge playoff misses, such as in the Atlanta SB and the Denver AFCCG. I like seeing Nugent sail them right down the middle.In the 3 previous seasons since the PAT distance change, he was 46/49, 45/47, and 49/50 last year.
Can't believe you didn't include both misses in the Eagles SB. Those were really costly.Thanks for the stats. I would've thought he'd missed more -- probaby because of recency bias (he missed 4 of 15 PATs this season, though his hip injury was likely a factor, as you pointed out) and because of huge playoff misses, such as in the Atlanta SB and the Denver AFCCG. I like seeing Nugent sail them right down the middle.
PTSD wiped those memories away. Thanks for bringing them back.Can't believe you didn't include both misses in the Eagles SB. Those were really costly.
Are kickers included in this or do they get their own statistic?Ravens currently rank #3 in ST DVOA per FO. Will be interesting to track that the rest of the year.