I'm generally a pretty positive person, and I've let this statement roll off my shoulder for several months. But it seems like EVERY single time media talks about the Ravens, whether its on ESPN, NFL network, radio stations, internet articles, they all speak on how much we have lost and why we are a worse team because of it. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I have been a Ravens fan since their inception in 96, so I do know and understand the loss of Reed and Lewis. I wont go into details on everything great these two have brought to our organization... we all know them. I'm the type of fan that DVR's every game they play that I find on TV (I have 14 of the 16 games from last regular season, and all playoff games including the SB), and I watch them each... several times, just looking at players development, sometimes I watch an entire game just to watch one person's every play. In addition to that, I watch them live, I had season tickets from 2003-2009, and have gone to many games the last 3 years as well. That being said, I think we as Ravens fans (who I'm sure are a lot like me), realize what the players who we lost... were lacking. 

After free agency, and the draft, this is the first time in forever, prob since 06, that I feel REALLY good with how we've built this team this year, from a performance standpoint, and a financial one (cause that is the big picture). We all know Reed and Lewis cannot be replaced, when you look at overall what they bring to this team. However, from an athletic standpoint, I feel we upgraded everywhere, except WR. (Didn't want Q leaving, but I understand the move, especially with so much unproven talent that NEEDS to get on the field so we can see where our "investment" can go.

Lets be real here

Reed: although Reed is the playmaker that he is, he misses tackles, has gotten a step slower from his hip, his neck and shoulder has some serious issues, and he gambles, alot.. often times making his good plays a "wash", cause he gives up an equal number of plays by guessing. And on top of that, does anyone else hold their breath, EVERY time Reed gets his hands on the ball? And not because you think hes gonna break a big return for a TD like we've seen him do SO many times, but more because you think hes gonna lose the ball, or get tackled awkwardly? yea, that is a prob. Although some might not agree with this but (UPGRADE: HUFF, just for pure range and speed and athleticism)

Lewis: Again, we know what kinda player Ray has been for us, he has been Baltimore's champion, gave hope to men/women and children on and off the field. Not one of us will ever forget watching the greatest LB to ever play the game, and even when you talk about the best players to ever play the game.. his name will forever be mentioned. But lets be real again, he is a coverage liability because of him playing this late in his career. The way the game is evolving with passing, 2 athletic TE sets, he just can't keep up anymore. And on top of that, I've seen him getting pushed around more and more the last 2 years in the run game. Hes still a beast, but... for performance purposes/athleticism/speed .... (UPGRADE: BROWN)

Kruger: wont spend a lot of time on this.... (UPGRADE: Dumerville) 

Ellerbe: FO, coaches, players, media, fans... all loved Ellerbe, and saw him being a Raven for a long time. Welpppppp, the NFL struck, and at the end of the day, business is business, he didnt deserve the money he got... atleast not yet.  But one thing to note, outside of Ray Lewis , the Ravens do not put a lot of stock in the MLB position, plain and simple. usually UDFA's are groomed in our system to become great players, then go elsewhere to make more money ... i.e. Bart Scott, Ellerbe. We have talented youngsters waiting in the wing to be the next. (at this very moment, seems like a DOWNGRADE, especially if McClain is the one to replace him).

Williams: Cary made some plays for us here and there, he also gave up alot... and had a horrible attitude that rubbed me the wrong way and cost us plenty of PI's. (I think come mid season UPGRADE: Webb/Graham/Johnson/Asa/Anthony. 

D LINE: (UPGRADE: Canty, Spears, Williams, and guys like Mcphee who will be healthier and has a lot of upside, and Jones, who has been a force and is only getting better.

TE: we didn't lose anyone of importance, but felt this needed to be talked about also. (UPGRADE: "Frost, and Juice"). umm yea, Juice brings a WHOLE lot to the table, I'm really excited for the possibilities, and Matt's draft stock was hugely affected by the lack of QB play... he was a steal

Center: Birk has been a great center, but he was at the end of his career.  I look at it as an upgrade just from the youth factor, and Gino is talented, and played admirably against a really tough CIN D-line. As many plays as I looked at of Matt, alot were wow, that was perfectly executed, but almost an equal amount I said ... ouch, that was kinda ugly. (UPGRADE/UNDECIDED: Gino/Shipley).

WR: Man losing Q is tough, he is a man amongst boys at times. Every time you needed a play on 3rd down, it was Q extending the drive.. or Pitta/Rice. And in the playoffs/SB he was a monster. But realistically, Q only accounted for 4 TD's in the regular season, and he was set to make between 6-8 million?  Although I would prob pay 6-8 million to a receiver who had that kinda production in the playoffs, I think the Ravens are making a good "business" decision. We have many receivers that are young and talented, but HAVE to get on the field to see their "true" development. Practice only goes so far, players become great through repetition in LIVE games. We need to see 1: how Caldwell will run this offense 2. Reed, Doss, Williams, Streeter, and Mallete need to get on the field, and see who folds, and who flourishes.  We continue to keep guys like Reed around, well... its because the coaches really like him and see alot of potential and well because... he does have alot of potential, but needs to stay healthy so he can consistently have opportunities to make plays. Oh and was leading the league in return average before he was injured. Doss has ridiculous hands, but yet it seems when the time really counts, he drops the ball. Its clearly a confidence issue, and being in the spotlight. Well, the only way to fix that is through exposure, and putting him on the field for an extended period of time. (UNDECIDED).

 My point is this, we are the true fans, who know our Ravens better than most, who see them the most, who study them the most. I am sure I am not the only one that feels that we are better in the majority of positions. We were ranked in the bottom half of the league last year against the run, what do we do, upgrade the d-line greatly and our run defense. Stout bodied linemen who will keep the trenches clean for FASTER and MORE athletic playmakers to run around and make tackles against the run, or, get their hands on the play before they make it that far. Our pass rush is gonna be ridiculous this year, I cant wait. My look at this is, front seven collectively, better against the run. And with our upgrades on the dline and the depth we have, and our pass rushers, our secondary is improved as far as coverage, AND in playing the run. And all this while managing the salary cap, and locking up Joe for at the very very least 3 years. Are the only people who see how improved this team is, and how we will again contend for a SB trophy... are the people of Ravens Nation? The ones who actually see what we have needed, for a couple years? 

 
Deonte Thompson might have the early inside track to start at wide receiver opposite Torrey Smith. "[Thompson] could sneak in there, he looks different, is fast and catches everything," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said.

 

 

courtesy of ESPN, AFC North blog, Jamison Hensley ,,sorry the quote is from ESPN, the article is from Bmore Sun

Some of our draft picks, particulary John Simon could be in the rotation in year 1, yeah I know he's been labeled a special teams player in his first year, But this Ravens team is at a different point in our history. Usually maybe a rookie can come in and make an impact, this year is different. A few of these guys will play a big role in our team this year.

The main guys are Elam and Arthur Brown...but then there's Brandon Williams who I expect to replace Cody in the starting rotation and I expect he will be a force.

A little known guy like Marc Anthony could surprise, he was solid in college, his only knock I belive was his speed and maybe he lacked ball skills. Another guy Mellete who dominated at his level of college could be a sleeper as well. Diamonds in the rough fellas, the FO is the best in the biz at finding these late round picks and undrafted free agent. Another could be Matt Furstenburg? sp? ...his stock plummetted by bad QB play while at MD, we maybe got a steal right there, he could end up being one of the top TEs in the draft.

I'm excited, so many have written us off but there's a greater chance that we will be better in 2013 than we were in 2012...the best players will play, I love the fact that Harbs and the FO will go into training camp making our WRs fight for their spots and fight to play on gameday.

Even without those guys performing, which I think a few will...such as Doss and Deonte Thompson, perhaps even Streeter who I didn't care for at first, but coaches and even the man Steve Bisciotti pointed to the improvements he made all year and becoming a better pro. These guys can surprise some people. We may already have a Victor Cruz and a faster version of Boldin on the team, They just need reps and make a few plays to build up their confidence.

I can't wait....love this organization.

sorry I'm kind of giddy and feeling good so im talking to much....last one tonight i swear

http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121212aae.html

Note... I want to make this thread for the people that are new to the forum/fanbase and do not know much about the new players(or for some who are not as active).

So... I will be starting a series of one player a day with my personal input. I will give the background of each player(Combine results, draft pick they were, career stats{if any}).

I gave my grading scale on the "Pre Draft Grades" thread I made... Now, I want to see the scenarios for the new players.

By the end of all of this (all the rookie draft picks and FAs we got) I will then post the depth chart predictions.

So today I start off with new OLB/DE Elvis Dumervil.

I will catagorize them with the following stats

Name: Elvis Dumervil

Position: OLB/DE

Scheme: 3-4 OLB, 4-3 DE

Pro Bowls: 3

All Pros: One... 2009

One time NFL sack Leader

Height: 5'11

Weight: 260

Draft Status: Picked 126 (fourth round) in the 2006 NFL draft

College: Louisville

40 Time: 4.68

Coming out of college, there was one knock on Dumervil. Size. 

He is very small for a LB, both in terms of height and weight. But what made him a dominant pass rusher was his technique. Yes, Elvis does not rely on sheer athletic ability, rather he will beat you with his technique one on one. His short stature also allows him to use his low center of gravity to rush the passer. Because of his technique, his above average athletic ability, and his low center of gravity, he is able to beat NFL OT's with relative ease.

This is one of the steals in FA for a huge reason. He's perfect for the hybrid and is a damn good compliment to Suggs. 

Having played both 3-4 OLB and 4-3 DE, Dumervil has experience getting to the QB. And he is almost as good at it as Suggs is. 

If Suggs comes back healthy. Look for this tandem "Doom and Gloom" to be wrecking havoc on opposing QBs in the NFL. The LB corps got that much better with pass rush. Expect us to be one of the league leaders in sacks. 

Weaknesses:

While he was a very good pickup. He is not a perfect player. 

He has two major weaknesses that I see in him.

• He is a below average run Defender
• Has missed one year of football with an injury.  

While not a terrible run defender(like Kruger was/is), he is not very good. But this will be a huge reason why he will rotate with young Ravens OLB Courtney Upshaw. Upshaw not only excels at stopping the run, he also has some pass rush ability. This makes not only the starting corps good, but the rotation is damn good too. 

He did miss 2010 with a torn pectoral muscle.

Conclusion:

This pickup will make our Defense that much better. A stud pass rusher, and more importantly a smart one, now joins us here at the flock. Suggs now has a dominant pass rusher to work with him, and now the OLB rotation is deadly. The Ravens struck gold and upgraded at the OLB position.

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANKmNVUcBxg

Him vs Clevland 

Look, I don't think Flacco is top 5 yet. You can make an argument for Matt Ryan when it comes down to him VS Flacco. But putting Flacco below rookies who have spent one year in the league and below Kaepernick and Cam freaking Newton? What a joke of a list.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-former-baltimore-ravens-firstrounder-mark-clayton-retiring-20130515,0,1648936.story

He announced his retirement. Great guy, just not the player we drafted him to be, which is a shame. I always liked him as a guy. 

PS: Not sure if this belongs in RavensTalk or not. Feel free to move it if necessary. I figured since he was a Raven at one point & we drafted him, I would post it here.