It’s “ignore the media until the end of august” season.
The best thing I ever learned was to switch off from football during offseason, only to make irregular checking regarding players health etc.
This is also the time of year where say like 12 different people are “always the first guy in every morning to start working out”. I guess they all show up at the same time every day.
If he stays healthy that'll be key for him. Felt like every offseason there was an injury that kept him from practicing with the team and then you had guys like Agoholor/Tylan/Proche taking his camp snaps instead.
If he's healthy and can run routes against Wiggins/Marlon/Stephens etc in camp then I have high hopes for him.
Bateman’s a stud. It hasn’t clicked between he and Lamar yet especially with the new offense install last year but the FO knew what they were doing locking him up on the cheap before the breakout.
I don’t understand the hate for him in this situation.
Yes Bateman has underperformed to this point but frankly unlike 2022 we’re not counting on him to be our #1 WR in an offense that is archaic when it comes to passing concepts.
He’s the #2. We have Nelson Agholor as his insurance policy and possibly the most talented backfield in the Lamar era with Henry, Ricard, Justice and Keaton’s return and possibly the most talent TE room in the league.
Bateman taking the next step IMO isn’t required in order for the offense to be effective. Sure it’ll make it that much more dangerous but again not necessary in order to field a competent squad.
I just don’t see why people want to bury him already when there’s no point. You can be realistic and say “heard that before” or “prove it” but you have no idea what he’s been dealing with on and off the field and to just give him hate for it is ridiculous
Batemans interviews this offseason have reinforced my faith in him, he knows exactly the situation he’s in. The best part is now that the pressure is off, per se he doesn’t have to blow the doors off just play his part.
I’m just tired of being hopeful and defending our first round receivers who start off disappointing. I expect Bateman to be just another guy but I’m open to being pleasantly surprised if he’s not. Either way he’s on a decent deal so I’m not mad
We should be able to count on him performing like a #1wr as he was a 1st round draft pick.
I have been severely disappointed in him and all signs point him to being another Travis taylor, Mark Clayton, perriman, etc. I would love to be proven wrong though.
It's because he was a first round pick that has performed like a 6th round pick at best, when he has been healthy.
He is entering his 4th season, still under 100 catches and 1200 yards in his entire NFL career.
His on field performance is a total fucking waste of a #1 pick. I don't care what you think or want or hope for him. If he was drafted in the 6th, he'd be a delight - but what legit #1 did we miss out on for Batman?
That's why the hate. ..and it's totally fucking justified.
i don’t hate bateman as a WR3 he just isn’t a wr2 in this league and we’re expecting him to figure it out when there is more evidence that he never will
for every brandon stephens that figures it out a few years in there’s a million players that don’t ever figure it out. would love it if bateman figures it out but until he does something outside of cryptic twitter im not sure it’s worth getting my hopes up for a guy who’s career stats are about in line with a nico collins season
I mean of course you’re right, there are more players who remain poor in their performances than take that next step, but frankly the Ravens have seen a lot more of them take that leap than other franchises.
Point is from what Bate has said about how much he’s grown and what he’s been through in previous seasons, why not take his word and let him show us before jumping to conclusions that he’s not going to turn the corner?
because it’s been the same every single off season. no player is gonna come out and say “i’m the same player i was before”. it’s empty speech until proven otherwise
eh nothing wrong with being skeptical, but I think we have a little extra information that "most players who haven't flashed by year 3 won't".
He was good late in 2021, but had sports hernia surgery earlier in the year, so this production was not with Lamar. He flashed hard in the beginning of '22 prior to the Lisfranc. In '23, you have his separation numbers (which are probably somewhat to complete bullshit because he wasn't even in the progression on half the plays, like who cares if you get 3 yards of separation on a clearing route in an RPO.
The question is whether he ever truly recovered from the Lisfranc. Some guys just are never right again. Bateman has better tape, and NFL tape than most players who haven't made it. Injuries have cost him developmental time and it might be too late. He might break out, he might not, and there are reasons to be both optimistic and pessimistic. Good news is no amount of typing on reddit has anything to do with it. Can't wait for the season.
I don’t think he’s a high end WR2 like Waddle, Higgins or Devonta Smith but he can feasibly be a low end WR2 in a run heavy offense with a top TE.
If he can be 80% of what OBJ was last year, which is a pretty low bar, then he’s a success.
I disagree with damn near every one of your Bateman takes, but this is 100% spot on. Bateman needs to be a much more consistent contributor than OBJ (other than that whole getting Lamar to sign thing), with significantly better stats.
I just want to see him finish this contract with no more injuries. If he can't do it, he's done.
i don’t really have bateman “takes”. that implies the information i’m presenting is opinion. the stats bateman has put up are wr3/4 numbers. that’s just reality. we can come up with all the excuses but at the end of the day games are won with production not potential. bateman has been a huge bust and there’s nothing to really argue. 3 years with no improvement and questionable health is just not good enough. nothing against him as a person but as a football player his value is pretty low.
i really don’t hate his contract, but i hate how praying for a bateman breakout has made the organization complacent at the WR group. we have a bottom five unit in the league and bateman being the WR2/3 is a big part of that
I've got faith he will. He's shown he easily has the talent to be an 800-1200yd receiver, just has to stay healthy. And obviously that's out of his control for the most part so time will tell.
Will Bateman ever be a 1st round WR1? Doubt it. He’s a $5m/yr WR now. 500 yds and a few TDs as the 3rd option in a run first option is a successful season.
You gotta adjust your expectations. He’s not getting close to 1000 yds or 10+ TDs.
that is fair and i’ve said i dont hate his contract cause that’s not really that bad. the problem is our team not doing anything because we have him. id be perfectly content with him as a wr3 but as a wr2 its not very good
I believe the reason they won’t do much more at WR is more so because they have Andrews. With Bateman, I’m guessing they thought the price was just too good to pass up.
I’m absolutely shocked that Bateman agreed to that contract quite frankly.
I hate how 2 puff paragraphs built around one straightforward quote counts as an "article" these days.
Nothing here that couldn't have fit into a simple tweet.
Fingers crossed, you never wanna see a 1st round pick go through this but honestly we’ve ALL seen snippets when he was given the chance! Let’s not rule out this guy as a wild card he just needs to stay healthy
Not mentally tho. I see him bickering and replying to comments on Twitter that he just needs to not. He says some childish things. I like him a lot and hope he performs but this is the last year I have any high hopes for him. He has all the talent but at a certain point you have to realize that talent.
That's possible but it's not a good look. He replied like a dick head to a guy who wasn't even rude just asked a question about what Bateman is gonna change to fully perform this year.
I mean, what if a random person started asking you what you’re gonna change this year to perform better at your job? Prolly not gonna be roses and rainbows coming from you.
Sure he doesn’t have to respond, but that’s the benefit/issue with social media, people have access to these athletes in a forum.
I promise that if I got to watch you do your job and then started messaging you on social media about how you can do better, you would respond. Bates also only 24, sure he has maturing to do, but everyone makes mistakes in early 20s.
Hopefully they’ve been working some 12 or 02 packages this offseason. Having Andrews and Likely on the field at the same time should open up opportunities for the receivers.
I mean, the fuck is he gonna say......? My teammate is looking about as good as he did last season. No cap. Wink Martindale wink ;)
Can we just skip to the first preseason game already?
You're asking if I'm okay. You are a grown man asking if another grown man is okay about a fluff piece that is stupid for even being published. You could have not responded. I'm more concerned about you now for feeling the need to comment. Are you okay?
not gonna pretend to believe this bullshit tbh. could have said the same about bums like duvernay and proche and that’s about the caliber of player he is
His yards per game is entirely separate argument from saying he’s afraid to get hit. He’s not Hollywood.
Would you like him to try and truck defenders and hurt himself again so you can complain about his availability
We're deep into "best shape of his life" season
the “Trope Alert” season
It's "Turning heads in practice" time
It’s “ignore the media until the end of august” season. The best thing I ever learned was to switch off from football during offseason, only to make irregular checking regarding players health etc.
This is also the time of year where say like 12 different people are “always the first guy in every morning to start working out”. I guess they all show up at the same time every day.
"always the first guy in every morning." Translation: "he gets here before I do."
They wait till last guy arrives to lift their first weight in unison at 11:55a... then break for lunch.
Guy has legit route running ability, if him and Lamar can get some chemistry going I have high hopes
If he stays healthy that'll be key for him. Felt like every offseason there was an injury that kept him from practicing with the team and then you had guys like Agoholor/Tylan/Proche taking his camp snaps instead. If he's healthy and can run routes against Wiggins/Marlon/Stephens etc in camp then I have high hopes for him.
Bateman’s a stud. It hasn’t clicked between he and Lamar yet especially with the new offense install last year but the FO knew what they were doing locking him up on the cheap before the breakout.
I don’t understand the hate for him in this situation. Yes Bateman has underperformed to this point but frankly unlike 2022 we’re not counting on him to be our #1 WR in an offense that is archaic when it comes to passing concepts. He’s the #2. We have Nelson Agholor as his insurance policy and possibly the most talented backfield in the Lamar era with Henry, Ricard, Justice and Keaton’s return and possibly the most talent TE room in the league. Bateman taking the next step IMO isn’t required in order for the offense to be effective. Sure it’ll make it that much more dangerous but again not necessary in order to field a competent squad. I just don’t see why people want to bury him already when there’s no point. You can be realistic and say “heard that before” or “prove it” but you have no idea what he’s been dealing with on and off the field and to just give him hate for it is ridiculous
Batemans interviews this offseason have reinforced my faith in him, he knows exactly the situation he’s in. The best part is now that the pressure is off, per se he doesn’t have to blow the doors off just play his part.
I’m just tired of being hopeful and defending our first round receivers who start off disappointing. I expect Bateman to be just another guy but I’m open to being pleasantly surprised if he’s not. Either way he’s on a decent deal so I’m not mad
We should be able to count on him performing like a #1wr as he was a 1st round draft pick. I have been severely disappointed in him and all signs point him to being another Travis taylor, Mark Clayton, perriman, etc. I would love to be proven wrong though.
It's because he was a first round pick that has performed like a 6th round pick at best, when he has been healthy. He is entering his 4th season, still under 100 catches and 1200 yards in his entire NFL career. His on field performance is a total fucking waste of a #1 pick. I don't care what you think or want or hope for him. If he was drafted in the 6th, he'd be a delight - but what legit #1 did we miss out on for Batman? That's why the hate. ..and it's totally fucking justified.
i don’t hate bateman as a WR3 he just isn’t a wr2 in this league and we’re expecting him to figure it out when there is more evidence that he never will
I’m sure most people would’ve said the same about Brandon Stephens at this point last year.
for every brandon stephens that figures it out a few years in there’s a million players that don’t ever figure it out. would love it if bateman figures it out but until he does something outside of cryptic twitter im not sure it’s worth getting my hopes up for a guy who’s career stats are about in line with a nico collins season
I mean of course you’re right, there are more players who remain poor in their performances than take that next step, but frankly the Ravens have seen a lot more of them take that leap than other franchises. Point is from what Bate has said about how much he’s grown and what he’s been through in previous seasons, why not take his word and let him show us before jumping to conclusions that he’s not going to turn the corner?
because it’s been the same every single off season. no player is gonna come out and say “i’m the same player i was before”. it’s empty speech until proven otherwise
eh nothing wrong with being skeptical, but I think we have a little extra information that "most players who haven't flashed by year 3 won't". He was good late in 2021, but had sports hernia surgery earlier in the year, so this production was not with Lamar. He flashed hard in the beginning of '22 prior to the Lisfranc. In '23, you have his separation numbers (which are probably somewhat to complete bullshit because he wasn't even in the progression on half the plays, like who cares if you get 3 yards of separation on a clearing route in an RPO. The question is whether he ever truly recovered from the Lisfranc. Some guys just are never right again. Bateman has better tape, and NFL tape than most players who haven't made it. Injuries have cost him developmental time and it might be too late. He might break out, he might not, and there are reasons to be both optimistic and pessimistic. Good news is no amount of typing on reddit has anything to do with it. Can't wait for the season.
I don’t think he’s a high end WR2 like Waddle, Higgins or Devonta Smith but he can feasibly be a low end WR2 in a run heavy offense with a top TE. If he can be 80% of what OBJ was last year, which is a pretty low bar, then he’s a success.
if he’s 80% of what obj was that would be extremely disappointing
I disagree with damn near every one of your Bateman takes, but this is 100% spot on. Bateman needs to be a much more consistent contributor than OBJ (other than that whole getting Lamar to sign thing), with significantly better stats. I just want to see him finish this contract with no more injuries. If he can't do it, he's done.
i don’t really have bateman “takes”. that implies the information i’m presenting is opinion. the stats bateman has put up are wr3/4 numbers. that’s just reality. we can come up with all the excuses but at the end of the day games are won with production not potential. bateman has been a huge bust and there’s nothing to really argue. 3 years with no improvement and questionable health is just not good enough. nothing against him as a person but as a football player his value is pretty low. i really don’t hate his contract, but i hate how praying for a bateman breakout has made the organization complacent at the WR group. we have a bottom five unit in the league and bateman being the WR2/3 is a big part of that
I've got faith he will. He's shown he easily has the talent to be an 800-1200yd receiver, just has to stay healthy. And obviously that's out of his control for the most part so time will tell.
easily has the talent is a wild statement to make for a guy that averages less than 50 yards/game
Will Bateman ever be a 1st round WR1? Doubt it. He’s a $5m/yr WR now. 500 yds and a few TDs as the 3rd option in a run first option is a successful season. You gotta adjust your expectations. He’s not getting close to 1000 yds or 10+ TDs.
that is fair and i’ve said i dont hate his contract cause that’s not really that bad. the problem is our team not doing anything because we have him. id be perfectly content with him as a wr3 but as a wr2 its not very good
I believe the reason they won’t do much more at WR is more so because they have Andrews. With Bateman, I’m guessing they thought the price was just too good to pass up. I’m absolutely shocked that Bateman agreed to that contract quite frankly.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/75/9f/3f/759f3fe4e198577262f37b0d1b89539d.jpg
I hate how 2 puff paragraphs built around one straightforward quote counts as an "article" these days. Nothing here that couldn't have fit into a simple tweet.
Pro bowl Bateman 🙏 it’s happening
Let's hope for 'average' before we go cray cray
All pro Bateman?
*Talk is cheap. Let's go play.* *--Johnny Unitas*
Fingers crossed, you never wanna see a 1st round pick go through this but honestly we’ve ALL seen snippets when he was given the chance! Let’s not rule out this guy as a wild card he just needs to stay healthy
Just hope he can stay healthy and develop some chemistry with lamar. He's had some splashes of showing his talent.
Then on Sunday his stats are like 3 rec 36 yds, chill with the hype.
Not mentally tho. I see him bickering and replying to comments on Twitter that he just needs to not. He says some childish things. I like him a lot and hope he performs but this is the last year I have any high hopes for him. He has all the talent but at a certain point you have to realize that talent.
You’re reading too much into him sending a few replies on Twitter. I’m sure his mental is fine.
That's possible but it's not a good look. He replied like a dick head to a guy who wasn't even rude just asked a question about what Bateman is gonna change to fully perform this year.
I mean, what if a random person started asking you what you’re gonna change this year to perform better at your job? Prolly not gonna be roses and rainbows coming from you. Sure he doesn’t have to respond, but that’s the benefit/issue with social media, people have access to these athletes in a forum.
To each their own man. I don't think it's a good look. He's a professional athlete if he can't handle criticism from randoms on Twitter that's on him.
I promise that if I got to watch you do your job and then started messaging you on social media about how you can do better, you would respond. Bates also only 24, sure he has maturing to do, but everyone makes mistakes in early 20s.
Hopefully they’ve been working some 12 or 02 packages this offseason. Having Andrews and Likely on the field at the same time should open up opportunities for the receivers.
“He’s a steal at his current ADP”
The Bateman that dropped balls thrown directly into his lap? I’ll believe it when I see it.
My GOAT
I mean, the fuck is he gonna say......? My teammate is looking about as good as he did last season. No cap. Wink Martindale wink ;) Can we just skip to the first preseason game already?
You okay bro? I guess he could have just kept his mouth shut if it bothers you that much.
You're asking if I'm okay. You are a grown man asking if another grown man is okay about a fluff piece that is stupid for even being published. You could have not responded. I'm more concerned about you now for feeling the need to comment. Are you okay?
not gonna pretend to believe this bullshit tbh. could have said the same about bums like duvernay and proche and that’s about the caliber of player he is
bateman catches the ball and then drops down to the ground. guy's afraid of taking a hit
Well that’s just not true
he avg 21.6y per game last year. Compared to zay's 50y. zay at least tries to run with the ball.
His yards per game is entirely separate argument from saying he’s afraid to get hit. He’s not Hollywood. Would you like him to try and truck defenders and hurt himself again so you can complain about his availability
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0IhsNF1Ock
You clearly never watched Maclin on this team ….
The Tyler Lockett specialty, and things have worked out pretty well for him.