Harper making an impact on the scout team
Even though he is on the practice squad, Justin Harper is making an impact with the Ravens.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Harper has mimicked opposing wide receivers Randy Moss (6-4, 210), Brandon Marshall (6-4, 230) and Chad Ochocino (6-1, 192) as a member of the scout team. As helpful as the looks have been for the defense, the experience has been just as enlightening for Harper.
"It’s a great look because it’s preparation," said Harper, who impersonated Browns wide receiver Joshua Cribbs (6-1, 215) this week. "To watch Chad get out of his breaks, to watch how Marshall uses his body, that’s a blessing to me. I just try to repeat those things."
Comments
Now if he could only catch like those guys....or anybody else
Posted by: David | November 14, 2009 2:03 PM
The coaches never truly gave Harper a legitamate chance of getting on the field this year. Look at the facts, yes he played in the preseason and drops happened but the biggest drop of the year is by an inconsistent 1st round bust Mark Clayton. Why not give Harper a shot, he would be another big target for Flacco over the middle and if we had bigger receivers like San Diego we could really blow teams up. Look at the best receivers in the game right now, they are at least 6' 1" and about 210lbs. This is significant because the average starting corner is about 5' 10" and 180lbs. Bigger receivers have an advantage at being physical with corners because corners are not allowed to do anything past five yards but when you got guys like mason and clayton who cant beat the press then they slow the whole play. Why do you think Kelly Washington is having so much success? Washington is 6'3" 220lbs so he can out muscle the corner and get to the first down marker. The ravens need to let clayton go after the year, keep mason just for his productivity and team mentality, great competitor and great person but the Ravens need to get with the times and get bigger on the perimeter both on defense and offense.
Why did they draft that bum Kruger over Sean Smith of the dolphins, Smith is a shut down corner who plays with a mean streak. Kruger can't play football, Harbs needs to get some tough guys who are rough around the edges so to speak.
Posted by: Matthew | November 14, 2009 7:11 PM
To paraphrase Earl Weaver's line about an aging - and complaining - Mike Cuellar, I gave Justin Harper more chances than I gave my first wife!
Harper spent much of the pre-season playing and spent much of that same pre-season dropping footballs. They did everything but hand him a starting job, but he couldn't make it work.
Does that mean he's done forever? Probably not. His second chance probably won't be here because K. Washington took his job. But he is on the practice squad so he might get picked up by another team, perhaps even based upon this article.
Should that happen, hopefully he will learn that he is going to get hit either way, so he may as well catch the football. But it is up to him at this point and he has nobody to blame but himself if he cannot get it done.
Posted by: Fang Guy | November 15, 2009 11:52 AM
I don't mind Harper's drops in the pre season (and there were many) as much as I mind the alligator arms on passes over the middle. That type of thing doesn't change.
Posted by: rvnmaniak | November 15, 2009 5:00 PM
I am a virginia tech fan as well as a Ravens and harper was very good at virginia tech so he will be a good WR for the ravens just give him a chance. I also watched alot of Rutgers games when Ray Rice was there and I aways said it would be great if we would draft a back like him ,when we did I was so happy because we haven't seen eveything Ray is capable of just wait this guy is going to be a super star
Posted by: van | November 15, 2009 7:59 PM