Kyle Boller – Couch Rider Report

Are your favorite Fantasy TEs already off the board? Here’s a gift for you.

I look at the amount of attention given to Rob Gronkowski even in his retirement and see the amount of disrespect given to the active Fantasy TEs in this game. Rob, we appreciate the love you have shown the game and the off-field antics of wrestling peers in nightclubs after getting jacked up on energy drinks. Oh, let us not forget about that pornstar who you hung out with on the regular. See, there I go focusing on Gronk. Focus Jermaine, focus!

Yes, a Boomer Sooner…

There are still exciting Fantasy TEs in this game even if they’re not body-slamming their friends off the field. There are different tiers of TEs, and while the Kelce/Kittle tier is extremely exciting, and they are likely to be the next beasts in the game, let me focus on a sleeper. This former Sooner should be considered in fantasy as well as the game in general. That sleeper is Mark Andrews.

All that glitter ain’t gold…

“Sure, Jermaine you’re such a homer!” First of all, watch your mouth! Second of all, hear me out. There are Fantasy TEs like Zach Ertz and Evan Engram who currently look very appealing when it comes to the position. Engram because the G-Men are going through a “Murphy’s Law” type of season, where everything can go wrong will. And Ertz because he put up over 1000-yards and 8-TDs last season. Anyone getting 156 looks a season will most certainly raise eyebrows considering future production. BUTTTTTT!!!!!! Yes, a big “but.” DeSean Jackson is about to eat into Engram’s workload in the 2019 season being that he is back in Philly. Not to mention “BDN” Nick Foles has taken his services to Jacksonville, so we have no idea who is going to be the main target in Philly under Carson Wentz again.

Now, back to the lecture at hand…

Let me get back to Andrews. We saw last season when Lamar Jackson was truly on his game, it was either Willie Snead he was targeting or Mark Andrews. Mark had 34-receptions with over 552-yards and 3-TDs. Before week 9, the rookie TE was averaging 27 yards a game. But when Lamar took over, he managed to get an uptick of 44-yards per game. While these numbers are not Kittle type numbers, in the fantasy world, adding a TD every other game with an uptick in receptions to those numbers could mean the difference between being in the playoffs or looking from the outside in. Even the Athletic’s top Ravens writer Jeff Zrebiec had this to say about the 6-4 254-pounder.

“With the Ravens not having a whole lot at receiver, Andrews could realistically see 70-plus targets after getting 50 in 2018.”

From my perspective of watching football, the QBs not named Tom Brady, who tend to struggle early in their careers in the passing game tend to lean heavily on their TEs as more of their security blanket. Take Cam Newton for instance. We know Cam’s arm motion is not natural and even Kelvin Benjamin (as bitter as he was about life) spoke some truth about the Panthers’ signal-caller and his arm talent.

Former #Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin not holding back on organization, Cam, when talking to the @TheAthletic https://t.co/pa2sMo0VXm pic.twitter.com/7TcUP5zpsO

— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) August 4, 2018

This inaccuracy is why he threw to big targets like Benjamin and Greg Olsen. Another example of a great TE with a terrible signal-caller is Todd Heap and Kyle Boller. Heap set TE receiving records (5496-yds and 41-TDs) in Baltimore, and he did it with not one but two mediocre QBs in Kyle and Joe Flacco.

It’s not just Baltimore with this problem, look at Bernie Kosar outside of his 1988 season. Tony Romo rode Jason Witten his entire career. I’m sure Cowboy Nation just got all tight about me saying that but oh well. TEs help up and coming QBs or even the ones that can’t seem to make the leap to (and I hate to say this word) elite status.

When you’re looking at your fantasy draft boards in the upcoming weeks and see the flashy Fantasy TEs pop off the board, have confidence that there is a sleeper who will produce big in the 2019 season and recognize that I’ve already said: “you’re welcome.”

Ravens Nation Split over QB Debate

Never have I wasted so much time and energy on a Facebook page. You people exhausted every piece of my energy fighting you about Joe Flacco vs Lamar Jackson. Where we are both wrong is that it is not our decision. Every Baltimore Ravens’ fan page on the book has people throwing shade at Joe and Lamar concerning who should start.

Team Joe

On one side of the argument are the people stuck in 2012 and who believe Joe Flacco is the truth and he will bring this team to another super bowl if he can just get to January to become this miraculous uni-brow-powered “January Joe”. There is only one problem. The team is 4-4, and it’s partially because of his poor performances. Flacco Lovers everywhere are living on the glory season of post season 2012 and 2014 when Joe-Cool was at his best.

Team-Flacco has in instilled in their minds that it will never be better than what Flacco has brought to Baltimore. They fear the dark years of Kyle Boller will return with the entry of a new signal caller without the #5 on his back. Joe had a September to remember, as he faced minimal competition on defense outside of the Cincinnati Bengals. Once team Joe saw this explosion of offense, they began to go even crazier in Flacco nation, stating that Jackson is a bust and will never see the light of day. Oh but enter October.

Level of competition went up

October was not such a fruitful month as he only scored four times and had four interceptions. I get that there are receivers on the other end of the ball dropping passes and a defense labeled as top-tier that has been getting roasted on the back end. However, when it comes to keeping pace with the opponent, Joe Flacco has a job to do, and he has not done it. According to NFL.com, the 11-year vet has gone 37 games without a game-winning drive. There is even the excuse that is the go-to of the O-line not helping Flacco out that the average Waccko for Flacco fan will break the glass for emergency and pull out to debate.

The good news about Flacco is when his feet have been close to the fire, he has come out and produced big. I believe all jobs are safe Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of this fact.

Team Lamar

On the other side of the house, there are the Lamar Jackson fans who have been watching Flacco for years and are just plain tired of the mediocrity. They’ve heard all off-season of how this is going to be Joe’s best year ever and how Lamar can’t throw (supposedly), and how he needs to sit back and learn for a year. I can tell you as a Lamar Jackson fan I am annoyed.

We believe that Steve Bisciotti banged the table for Jackson for a reason and that reason is Joe Flacco is not the future of this team. Had Joe produced the last season against top tier teams, I wouldn’t even be writing this article because Lamar would be starting for the Miami Dolphins or playing for the New Orleans Saints right about now.

Lamar has shown flashes and trash displays in his early moments of this rookie season for him. One could argue he had a terrible preseason start but progressed as the weeks went by. Other haters will mention that he cannot throw and base it off of an errant pass to Willie Snead on third-and-one last Sunday. However, there was a beautiful pass across the middle in the fourth quarter where the rook connected with another fellow rookie first-round pick, Hayden Hurst for six. Yes, the game was over, but the message was clear. Jackson has abilities that some fans are interested in seeing more of in the very near future.

Fans can be rude at times, but that freedom of speech is something we all cherish and exercise. Both sides took to Facebook for a battle of piss, vinegar, and text about their thoughts. Fans started even printing out shirts that had this on it.

Many comments were racist and just plain mean about the young talent, who depending on the outcome of Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh just might be starting against Cincinnati coming up after the Bye-Week.

LJ8 has all of the intangibles to be a great QB in this league. Sure there is a learning curve that he will have to go through but Baltimore may for the first time in a while have exciting offensive football to watch on Sundays.

We could sit back and argue stats vs. Lamar’s maturity all day. The point is we have no control, and we’re just stating our opinions. There are no fake fans vs true fans. There are only fans with opinions. Baltimore is going to do what’s best for Baltimore, and I hope when the smoke clears and the civil war is over, that RavensNation stands tall together supporting whatever decision the team goes with at signal caller for the future. CAW! CAW!

Jermaine Lockett is a Writer and CEO for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.