Who'll Gain More Yards: Forsett Or Peterson?
It will be the battle of the 30 year olds.
Who will gain more yards in 2015: Ravens running back Justin Forsett or the Vikings' Adrian Peterson?
CSNBaltimore.com's Clifton Brown pondered that question after Minnesota announced it "mutually agreed" with Peterson to restructure the final three years of his contract after a rocky offseason.
The new deal is reportedly worth $44 million over three years, with $20 million guaranteed. His cap hit for this season is a massive $15.4 million.
With a payday like that, you'd think Peterson would be expected to blow Forsett's production out. of. the. water.
After all, Peterson is getting, on average, $11.67 million per year more than Forsett. Forsett signed a new three-year deal with the Ravens in March, reportedly worth $9 million, with only $3 million guaranteed and a 2015 cap hit of $1.6 million.
Those figures seem to reflect what the two have done in the past, but does it reflect what they can do in the future?
"Peterson has enjoyed a Hall of Fame worthy career, while Forsett was an NFL journeyman until last season," wrote Brown.
Yet, Forsett has a legitimate chance of rushing close to, or more* *than, Peterson in 2015.
You can't compare last year's production because Peterson was suspended for most of it while he dealt with legal issues related to charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. He only played one game.
Meanwhile, Forsett enjoyed a breakout season and a Pro Bowl bid after churning out 1,266 rushing yards, which coincidentally is the exact number that Peterson notched in 2013.
Peterson has a history of consistency, rushing for more than 1,200 yards in six of eight seasons (injury and suspension hurt the two off seasons). Forsett got his only real opportunity last season, so he has to prove he can repeat success like Peterson now that he won't be a surprise to defenses.
While they are about the same age, Forsett doesn't have as much tread on his legs, which may give him an advantage going forward.
"[W]hile last year was a nightmare for Peterson, Forsett had a career season, helping the Ravens make the playoffs and earning a new contract of his own," Brown wrote.
"Peterson turned 30 years old in March, while Forsett will turn 30 in October. Peterson is determined to prove he hasn't lost anything, while Forsett wants to show he wasn't a one-year wonder, running behind a Ravens offensive line that returns intact."
Mayor/Ravens Coach Honors U.S. Soccer Star Carli Lloyd
What does Ravens Kicking Consultant Randy Brown have to do with this amazingness?
What's more epic than Carli Lloyd's half-field wonderstrike? Carli Lloyd's half-field wonderstrike IN SPANISH. pic.twitter.com/PdQog7R9N6 — Zack Goldman (@ThatDamnYank) July 6, 2015
Well, Brown is also the mayor of Evesham, N.J., which is the hometown of U.S. soccer hero Carli Lloyd. As mayor, Brown honored Lloyd for her historic performance in the Women's World Cup championship.
(By the way, how cool must it be for Brown when he's asked what he does for work? "Oh, I'm a mayor and I also coach the most accurate kicker in NFL history.")
Lloyd led her team to victory over Japan with a hat trick that was polished off with the 55-yard strike you see in the video above. As such, Brown presented her with a key to the Blue Barn recreation center, where there's now a basketball court named after her.
Oh, and during the presentation, why not allow Lloyd to try on the Super Bowl XLVII ring?
Ravens Place Rookie Cam Worthy On PUP
Ravens rookies reported for training camp Wednesday, and the team officially placed undrafted rookie wide receiver Cam Worthy on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, according to the NFL transactions list.
The news was "no surprise" to The Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson considering Worthy's injury history.
Worthy was reportedly diagnosed this spring with a stress fracture in his foot after initially fracturing it in the Medal of Honor Bowl All-Star game. He wasn't healthy enough to work out for teams at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Worthy caught 74 passes for 1,311 yards and four touchdowns last season at East Carolina.
Hensley: Little Incentive To Pay Tucker Now
Many believe the deal Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski got earlier this month is a good blueprint for the Ravens and kicker Justin Tucker.
So if money is not the question (which I'm sure it still is), ESPN's Jamison Hensley believes that the timing of the deal is what mostly needs to be worked out.
"Tucker is [a] restricted free agent this season who is making $2.356 million, which is only the eighth-highest salary among kickers this year," wrote Hensley. "There isn't much incentive for the Ravens to pay Gostkowski money to Tucker right now.
"The first pivotal date is March 7. If no deal is in place by that time, the Ravens are expected to put the franchise tag on Tucker. And, just like Gostkowski and the Patriots, the Ravens and Tucker would have until next July to reach an agreement before he had to play under the tag."
While the Ravens would use the franchise tag to buy more time, it would be unlikely that Tucker actually plays on it. Hensley predicts the tag to be around $4.5 in 2016, and a long-term deal could make for a smaller cap number.
"One expected difference between the deals for Tucker and Gostkowski is the length. Given that Tucker is 25 (six years younger than Gostkowski), the Ravens might seek an additional year," Hensley wrote. "If that's the case, my projection for Tucker's new deal would be $21 million over five years, which would give him a comparable average per-year ($4.2 million) and include $10 million in guaranteed money and bonuses."
Perriman Making Better First Impression Than Strong
Many draft pundits projected the Ravens to select wide receiver Jaelen Strong in the first round, but Baltimore instead took Breshad Perriman. Strong fell to the third round and was finally selected by the Houston Texans.
Based on offseason conditioning, Perriman is so far proving to be the right choice. There's no question about his conditioning, and he showed his hands are stronger than his college reputation.
"Strong didn’t make a good first impression with Texans coach Bill O'Brien, who was not happy with Strong's conditioning at rookie camp," wrote Brown. "Strong gained about 20 pounds during the offseason, but Wednesday he wrote on Twitter that he was back in shape for training camp next week."
Went into Rookie camp 231. Currently 211. God is good. Time to eat #TheGods — Strizzy (@JaelenStrong) July 22, 2015
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