 You know, one of the concepts that I never really agreed with was New Year's resolution because the calendar year flips and then when it's January 1st, so many people say, Oh, New Year, new me, I'm going to be making all these changes that I've been thinking about making for the longest. I'm going to become a new, better person. And I always thought, man, if if you really felt like you needed to change a lot of this stuff, then why didn't you just work on it in the present? Why did you have to wait to the new year? So with the Ravens offense, is it going to be New Year, new me? Or is it going to be a lot of the same old stuff that we felt the Raven should have been worked on in the past? What is going to be the Ravens offensive mindset heading into 2022? Well, to answer that question, we brought on a very, very special guest to help us break it all down. Team Keep It Clean, a very special guest in the building today. We got my boy, Yuri. Before we get into it, Yuri, let everybody know where they can find you at. You can find me on Twitter at Mr. Underscore, Underscore, Underscore, Gary. That's a lot of underscores. We'll have that link just in case you get confused by our underscores. We'll have that link in the description. And something that we're going to go over today is the Ravens actually underscoring. Because a lot of times in key moments, the offense, it was just a little bit rough. And we know a lot of that was due to injuries. Some of it was due to play calling, but the offensive mindset overall for the Ravens. How do you feel about that going into this season? Well, it's I'm a little nervous. I think Baz was on here the other day and he was talking about the reversion to 2019. And that's that's very worrisome to me. I understand the highs of 2019 and the MVP and the Lamar are going for like 3,600 yards, 30 touchdowns MVP, such and such. But the NFL is a it's like a pendulum. It's always evolving. It's always what can you do next? How can you evolve? And I feel like going into this season, we need to have an offense that has some sort of combination of I know while last year we were down 10 and that force are passing offense to work. I would like some sort of mix between 2021 and 2019, something like that. There just needs to be they can't just go back to 2019 and and see if it works. So I promise you it will not. Why don't you think it'll work if they try to go back to that? Because there's 17 games of film on how that 2019 offense runs. And there's also the same concepts that Greg Roman deployed in San Francisco. So teams and teams will go back to that film. Teams will go back to 2019 film. And they may work in the regular season, but I just don't think it's got the the right stuff for the postseason. OK, when you talk about the right stuff, what do you feel like the Ravens need to add to this current offense to just help them ascend to another level? Well, we've talked about it. Knowledge month seems like on Twitter about the wide receiver too. So obviously a decent wide receiver to someone along the lines of Robbie Anderson, Tyler Lockett. I understand that asking for alpha with this team to give up the first or second round pick is it's like, you know, wishing upon a star. But I can at least ask for a decent number two. But I just hope when we look at the games next year that there's some sort of continuity. There's, you know, they're the spacing. Obviously, the spacing has got to be fixed and a little more a little more structure, to be honest. Even if we run with the guys we got, there was the other day. Greg Romans 2014 playbook got basically dumped on Twitter. And, you know, there's they there's a lot of freedom for the wide receivers. And I think this year with the young guys keep a structure. That's a really, really good point, because I know that's been talked about a lot as far as Hollywood and with Mark Andrews. The fact that those guys with this offense, they just had so much freedom. But at the same time, those are also Lamar Jackson, his go to guys, the guys that had the most freedom. Of course, Hollywood, he would get a lot of targets. Mark Andrews, he would get a lot of targets as well. So do you feel like maybe structuring the offense? It could lead to Lamar Jackson really not having that necessarily go to guy or do you still think that he would have that same repertoire with a Mark Andrews and whoever else could step up as that wide receiver? Right. I I still think you can have in sort of sense of a number one or a go to guy with Mark. It's more the fact of the receivers were given freedom, like with option routes. And there was a play where there's two receivers on the right side and both of them are basically reading the defender. And that would determine how they would option. Both of them are comebacks. Both the read is, OK, if the defender is doing this, just let's say a defense playing a certain coverage, they would they would both read the defender and basically do double comebacks. And that's where you see like the Nazis facing. So I still think that you can have a someone like a go to guy, but still keep the offense, you know, kind of a little more strict instructor. OK, I feel you. So now with the offense, speaking of the past catches, you know, this is one of my favorite subjects. I always like to get everybody's viewpoint on the Ravens current group of wide receivers. Right now, guys who a lot of people assume are locks, including myself, will be Rashad, babe, and Devin Duvenay, Jane Frosier and Tyler Wallace. How do you feel about those group of young wide receivers for the Ravens? It's I would say it's like a love hate. Relationship, you know what I mean? There's a day where I wake up and I'm like remembering what Devin Duvenay was in Texas and going back and looking at what he did at college. It's like, wow, what? Where did the fall off the translation just didn't come? But then it's like, ah, he's gotten in game opportunities and maybe not made the best of them. But then you remember the like the one end around against. I think it was since he ran for a whole I think it was not since he there was some team where he ran like a forty five yard end around. You're like, wait, I know that. It might have been one of the two. But I like our guys. I like Devin Duvenay. I like James Roshay and I really like Tyler Wallace. I think he if we could like combine all three of them in like a cloning lab, I think we'd have a receiver we're looking for. But my thing is, if these guys are so good, why is there such a fear of just adding somebody else to the room? If just adding not even like a crazy trade target, like a Darius Layton jail and rager, it just seems like fans are like so hesitant to have some competition in the room. It's just if you can't if you can't have top end talent, get talent by competition. That's kind of my motto. OK, yeah, because that competition could really bring out the best in the current wide receivers. Now you brought up a Jalen Rager. You brought up a Darius Layton, both of those guys, the guys that can stretch the field. Is that the type of wide receiver that you think the Raven should add if you even feel like the Raven should add a wide receiver? Maybe not the exact players, obviously. I do like Darius Layton a lot. But I think they need somebody that can offer what we don't already have. I feel like they should they should definitely look for someone that can stretch the field. But if they can't just get somebody to get open, like that's all I'm asking for. Just get someone that can get open. OK, yeah, well, that's pretty straightforward. Now you talked about via trade, different trade scenarios. You brought up a Tyler Lockett, you brought up Slayton Rager. But as far as free agents, and I know it's it's tough pickings right now. Shout out to George, by the way, for the Steelers. But with with with the free agents that are out there right now, do you feel like any of them could really help push the Ravens forward? OK, I think you answered already with that. If you maybe if you close one eye and like look at them real closely and see like the past days. I think Odell, so if your goal is OK, let's see what these guys got and have a failsafe plan. Someone like Odell definitely intrigues me a lot. If you're looking for just a straight up mentor. Julio Jones is definitely another intriguing name. I remember last year during the all season leading the the brain to Baltimore charge. So I I could do it again. I mean, I could do it again. I'll I'll squint real closely at him and just see like the old 2016. Well, yeah, Julio, man. And Julio, that that that would be a very, very interesting one. I feel like I almost wish this was like mad or something because if it was me and Madden, I would just like sign all of those guys. I would sign a Julio. I would sign Odell Beckham, even if I wasn't getting back until later. I probably wouldn't sign T.Y. Hilton. I just I'm not a big T.Y. Hilton guy, but maybe that's just me. Now, what have you gotten a chance to look at any of the undrafted rookie free agents at wide receiver? Yeah, I looked at a few. I looked at Shamar, I've looked at Polk. Devon Williams and not really Slate Bolden a little bit. Maybe. And from from from the guys that you did look at, which one stood out to you and what stood out to you about them? Shamar Bridges definitely stood out a lot. I really liked his game. I like Mackay Polk a lot. Mackay Polk kind of reminds me of like Benjamin Victor reincarnated sort of as a you know, like a practice for a champion, so to say. But maybe one of these guys makes a roster spot, but I I'm just not counting on it. I I like their UDFAs for reasons. OK, let's see. So with the Ravens offensive mindset, the way that and we talked about them possibly going back to some things that they did in 2019. Right now, you have J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, both coming back Justice Hill, too, from Major Injuries. Nate McCrary, he's still there. They signed Mike Davis drafted Tyler Beatty. And I know they have an undrafted rookie free agent that running back as well. But who do you think how many running backs? Do you think make this Ravens roster and which ones do you think end up making the cut? I would go with Dan Reese does a really good job with like averages from 2019 till now on how many players at the spot from the roster and the Ravens. I think average were running back was like 3.6. So I think all four make it. I think Mike Davis, Beatty, OK, Dobbins and Gus make it. And I would assume that one of them start on some sort of weird IR up list that holds them out till week six or so. And then they move around. Oh, you know, you're not looking forward to or you're not thinking that J.K. or Gus are going to be ready, one of those two. I think one will be ready. And I think one will probably need more time. OK, OK, we'll see how it goes. Now, in order for running back to have success, whether it's J.K. Gus, Beatty or Mike Davis and whoever the running backs are going to be, in order for them to have true success, one of the best factors for them is the offensive line that's in front of them. How do you feel about Ravens offensive line right now? I'm feeling really good about it. I think it's a healthy competition left guard. Linderbaum is the center that apparently that's controversial on Twitter. Kevin Zeitler, you know, he was really good last year. Someone is going to be able to play right tackle, whether it's Mufari, Moses for Joanne James, but looking like it's going to be Moses. It's just Rodney Stanley is like, why are we doing this again? I wish the guy was out. Maybe not out of TAs, but there was it's just been, you know, there's not been a lot of reports about them. And so you kind of just you're speculating again at this point. So but overall, I feel really good about it. It's the top 15th group and it can be a top 10 group as if Stanley's healthy. Yeah, for sure. I think they they have so much potential there when you think about it. When you think about the starters, Ronnie Stanley, whether it's been Cleveland or Tyree Phillips at guard, Linderbaum, Zeitler and Morgan Moses, then you got guys that could possibly be backups like a Patrick McCary, Tyree Phillips. And just you have guys that you have a lot of depth. You got Daniel Philele and he's more of a developmental guy, but you have a lot of depth that that'll be ready. And then you mentioned Joanne James too. A lot of times I forget about him that he's still there, but that's a good thing. Cause the more offensive lineman and the more quality offensive lineman, the better, even though he hasn't played football in a little while, but he still does have that experience. And yeah, so much just depends on Ronnie Stanley. So much depends on the health of Ronnie Stanley and if he's gonna be back to being himself at left tackle because we remember last year when he did, he came back, but he wasn't looking good in that game against the Raiders. And then that was, yeah, that was the last time that we saw him. So we'll see what goes down with him. Now, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, what do you feel like he needs to do to take another step forward and to really make a jump forward as their guy? I hate talking about Lamar. He definitely needs to, I think while losing Hollywood sucks a lot. I'm not sure how much Hollywood wanting out was Lamar giving them all those targets. How did that correlate at all? Lamar's like, okay, maybe if I get him a whole bunch of targets, that'll make him happy, but. Something to think about. Yeah, I know that we, or at least me personally, I'm not giving the trust into our new receivers, or at least the guys we got, but he definitely needs to kind of spread the ball around a little bit more. Oh yeah, that would help. Definitely still feed mark. I'm not saying to take it away from him. I'm just saying that he's gonna have to build a lot of trust with these new receivers over the salt season. So that's definitely something I'm looking forward to. I think he needs to definitely continue practicing with the back shoulder throws. Oh, those would be nice. Yeah, because those, I feel like we haven't seen a lot of those. We've seen some over the shoulder throws, like the Marquise one against the Jets, but you just, I think what we saw last year was more so of the offensive line, not really giving him trust and confidence to be able to stand in the pocket and make throws. So it was just, I think with everything combined, new offensive line, hopefully a full off season of just a quiet August, no contract, anything. And the full practice repetition, I think we'll see a new and refined Lamar Jax in my opinion. I like that refined Lamar Jax. Because from 2019, he's definitely, it's weird because if you as a fan, if you just look at his numbers, obviously his numbers have continued to decline since 2019, but if you actually watch him, you can see a lot of improvements that he's made over the past couple of years. And especially last year, even though I personally felt like with the Ravens and just their passing game, it grew by force because they didn't have that running game to lean on like they normally do, but I wasn't mad about it. Of course it sucked that all those guys were hurt and that guys continued to be hurt, but I was appreciative of the steps and the strides that the passing game took just as a whole because it showed something that a lot of us already felt could happen, but it showed the world like, hey, oh, Ravens could pass the ball? Oh yeah, oh, they can pass the ball. Like, oh, Ravens, they can't come back from being down, being down multiple, oh no, Ravens can come back. So it showed the world that, so it's on full display. And that is probably one of the biggest reasons why I really wanted the Ravens to go out and go get that guy at wide receiver this offseason because I just felt like with Lamar, I felt like he just really hasn't had that guy at outside receiver throughout his career. Cause they've had guys like, there's Bryant, Seth Roberts, Lily Snead, and it's just, then of course you mix that in with the young guys, the rookies and whatnot, and then second, third year players too, but he's just been missing in my opinion, that guy. And I know a lot of people try to sprinkle in, oh wait, Mark Andrews, he's like a number one receiver. Well, yeah, he's a tight end though. He's not the number one wide receiver. He's a tight end. So I would just love if the Ravens will go get that guy at wide receiver, but that leads me to number seven. And I gotta remember that he's number seven too, cause a lot of times I forget. I'm so used to the 12, even though it had only been a year, Rashad Bateman. Rashad Bateman, he seems to get that confidence to him, that he wants to be that guy, wants to be a leader, wants to take over. How you feel about Rashad Bateman going into 2022? I'm very, very confident in what he can do. I think he's got all the tools in the toolbox, to be a number one wide receiver, to be an alpha. He's got the mentality. He's got, like there's everything that he does is lockstep with other number one receivers in the league in terms of like how he carries himself. I think the route running is like the biggest selling point for me, the fact that he just gets opened. Like that was something that really makes me believe in him. So I think it's his time to shine, to be honest. I think he can go out there and put up 1,200, 1,300 yards. I think that's definitely on the upcoming for him, so. Yeah, with Rashad Bateman, he's got all the potential in the world to put up some nice numbers. And I think one of the biggest things that will help him put up those numbers, something that you talked about earlier with Lamar Jackson. With Hollywood, we know he got a lot of targets throughout his career here, but it's understandable because that was one of two of Lamar's go-to guys. But now with him being gone, those targets, they're probably gonna get spread around. And with Rashad Bateman, most likely being that featured wide receiver for the Ravens this year, we figured that he's gonna get a lot of those targets, but something that's gonna help him when he has the ball in his hands, the yak. And that yak is something that the Ravens struggle with. And they've been struggling with for a while now too. But with Rashad Bateman, that route running is gonna go a long way. But I remember even last year, when he first stepped on the field, there was that like crazy stat where every catch that Rashad Bateman was having, it would go for a first down. And the crazy part about that too, was that they weren't all past the first down market. So this was Rashad Bateman getting yak. So if we can imagine a full seed, because we didn't get to have a full season with Lamar Jackson and Rashad Bateman, because Rashad missed those first five, six games with I think the groin injury, I forgot what it was. But then, so then he got to play a little bit with Lamar and he was like, okay, let's go. And then Lamar, he ended up going out. So they never really got to get it going consistently. So we never got to see the true potential of those wide receivers and Lamar Jackson from last year. But now with Lamar being back healthy, Rashad being back, it's exciting to think about when it comes to that. So when it comes to the offense and conclusion, what needs to be done in order for this Baltimore Ravens offense to help them reach the Super Bowl? So this is kind of the selling point for me. Mark Ingram said on Chris Simms podcast that they do 50 variations of run installs a week. They just got to prioritize the pass game. I think if the Ravens want to win a Super Bowl this year, they got to prioritize being able to throw the football. One of the things that helped us so much in that 2019 season was we would get up early by throwing the football and then that would allow the defense to just go out there and play dime, play nickel and just go out there and feast. I mean, teams couldn't catch up running the football against us. They had to go out there and throw and that's what allowed Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, even God rest his soul, Earl Thomas go out there and make plays for us. So I kind of think of it like this. When you're playing somebody in rock, paper, scissors shoot and they keep going to the scissors and you're like, well, the first couple of times it gets you, but then you're like, well, I'm just going to go to rock. So I think the way the Ravens can really do this this year is there's kind of this theory that you can take advantage of somebody without them knowing it. And I think that's something that they can definitely do this year with being able to throw the football efficiently. And even in high volume, in my opinion, I think that definitely needed to correlate some volume this year. So we'll see where the step goes, but I just think that they can't become predictable. There were so many times where like the end of 2020 where they could even throw the football, so they just started playing the teams like the Jags and Johnson, they were just running. So I don't think that's going to do them any good this year. I think that may win in the regular season, but once you get the postseason, they got a good old girl. Yeah, and something that you spoke about volume. I remember having this conversation with my guy Josh years ago and he talked about how with the Ravens, especially in the passing game, the lack of volume that they had throughout the regular season, it ended up biting them in the butt in the postseason because if you've been doing something or even not doing something all year, then when it comes time for you to actually do it, then it's going to be like, oh, especially if you haven't been doing it, then it's going to throw you off. It's going to throw you off your game. So yeah, hopefully the Ravens can put some more emphasis on that passing game, even with everybody back healthy, even with all their running bags back, all the 50 tight ends that they got on the squad with a healthy offensive line. Hopefully they still do put a lot of emphasis on continuing to develop that passing game. But Yuri, I appreciate you hopping on to talk about just the Ravens offensive mindset going into this upcoming season. One last time before we get out of here, let everybody know what they can find you with. Find me on Twitter at Mr. Underscore, Underscore, Underscore, Yuri. All right, so again, that'll be linked down in the description just in case you get a little confused about those Underscores, like I probably would. I love y'all team, keep it clean, appreciate y'all watching. Shout out to the Ravens.