ByTheBay

So are there more changes coming before the season starts to address the issue that fans are losing interest in the NFL? Are they going to be tweaks that Roger will decide and don't need to be voted on?

It's bad enough some fans think we were one play away from the playoffs but now BR.com writers seem to have forgotten that we still had to play and beat the Bengals in CIN. Something we haven't done in once in the last 7 games including games at M&T. I guess that's why Mink doesn't write very often. Haha

16 hours ago, ravens4life86 said:

The only other acceptable picks in the 1st round other then Pass Rusher would be Elite Offensive Playmaker.. Mike Williams, Dalvin Cook,

I would add OT to that list. Joe needs time to throw the ball. It's not sexy but Flacco could light up defenses with an average group of receivers and a stout oline

As athletic as he may be this guy has project written all over him. As someone else said, he is the player of all positions and master of none. You don't spend a first round pick on a guy like that. If we need a S then draft the best S you can. Not a guy that might turn into a great safety someday. A lot can happen in the NFL between now and someday. I want a day one starter and nothing less. 

48 minutes ago, RavensBaltimore said:

People say this all the time, and the facts continue to prove that it isn't remotely close to being true. If Flacco doesn't elevate the play of those around him, then how does Torrey Smith go from averaging over 800 yds and 7 tds to being virtually worthless in SF? Steve Smith was better at 35 and 36 with Joe than he was in his last couple years with CAR. Did he age backwards or did playing with Joe help him out? Mike Wallace's career was taking a nose dive until last year. Ed Dickson even had much better receiving numbers with Joe than he's had in CAR. We've never seen one receiver fail to be productive with Flacco and then light it up somewhere else. Never. Not even close. Meanwhile, whenever Brady gets hurt, his backup comes in and plays very well and wins games, but Brady gets credit for making others better and Flacco does not.

I do my fair share of Joe bashing but you know what, you make an excellent point. 

59 minutes ago, budman said:

Yep. Agree. And when he gets very little playing time in Indy, who's he going to blame then?

Yup, Aiken appears to just be one of those people we have all come across in out lives. You know the type of person that always blames others for why their life isn't want they want it to be. Wowes me, why not me, bla bla bla. People generally distance themselves from that sort of personality unless you also feel that way as well. Then its a pitty party. Cant stand it. Glad he is gone gone gone. It is more than likely that we will never hear his name again. Good riddance. 

Too bad they are not taking this seriously enough to make real changes. They are considering reducing overtime from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. Yea Roger, thats the problem. The couple of games per year that go into overtime, lets reduce it my 5 minutes. It couldn't possibly be that they are too greedy to even pause for a second before going to commercial. Or that they refuse to cut the commercials short like they used to and now bring back the game after the snap. Until they make changes that hurt their own self interests, revenue, they will continue to lose viewers. How are people at the top always so disconnected to reality?

3 minutes ago, RoamingRaven said:

Aiken's skill set was being sure handed on 3rd down and moving the chains, which he did when he played.
His peers: Perriman- deep threat with no hands
Wallace- deep threat who occasionally had no hands
Ironically, his best shot for playing time would've come with this years Ravens since, with the departure of SSS, he would have had the surest hands on the team aside from getting one of the top 3 WR in the draft.

I lack the time and desire to find supporting stats but for some reason I remember Aiken getting his looks in the beginning of last season but he kept dropping them so Joe lost trust in him. You can call me crazy, I won't hold it against you. 😀

Is it me or does the tone of Aiken and Juice feel like night and day? Juice sounds more appreciative while Aiken sounds bitter and whiney. 

4 minutes ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Yup... for multiple seasons, not just a one year stop gap on a team that's not likely to compete for a SB title.

Would also point out that the last time he was in Baltimore, where he had less competition for snaps and playing time, he wasn't that much of a red zone threat in the regular season either. Especially in his last two seasons.

People remember him being one in the playoffs, but he didn't display nearly as much of that from September-December.

Be that as it may, settling for FG was one of our Achilles heels last season. Since nothing has changed receiver wise it may be a problem this year as well. Sure signing a long term solution would be great if you can find one. If not I for one would welcome Boldin back as a one year stop gap. Beggers cant be choosers. 

17 hours ago, mendii said:

I'm curious to see what the price tag for this 1 year deal is. If he's going there on a bargain I'll be kind of upset that we didn't at least give him a competitive offer. I know the people who comment here aren't high on Aiken, but dude could play some ball. He would've definitely been useful this year as we transition away from SSS. Don't really understand why he's so undervalued, also don't understand why he signed with Indy over Seattle. Seahawks seemed like a better team and a better chance at consistently seeing the field.

Because he is a #4 receiver who complains all the time and bad mouths his team to the media. Would you hire an average employee who complained and bad mouthed his boss all the time. I am so glad he is out of out locker room. He is a poor me type of person and that is a miserable person to be around. Why is this so hard for people to understand?

23 hours ago, rmcjacket23 said:

It would be if it were a sustainable number, but you already know that it isn't.

That's an indication of a redzone specialist, not an efficient receiver.

We could definitely use a red zone specialist 

8 minutes ago, hen826957 said:

LOL here we go again. Ready to pounce huh. No, it's not. He probably would be even accept 5M a year.  

3 years 20 mil would put him in the top 7 highest paid ILB in the league. Even at 5 mil a year he would be in the top 11. Maybe he is worth it, I don't know, but I would be very careful not to create a situation where we can't resign Mosley next year. Would be even better if the fo can extend him this year to avoid the Fa all together 

20 minutes ago, ellicottraven said:

I can't see how you trade Zuttah to let Urschel or Skura take over. As for RT I think Nemot and Wesley have potential. I really think we need to bring back Doom at a reasonable salary and have him as a 3rd down pass rusher.

I'm with you. If it's possible I would love to bring back Doom and Webb as rotational and backup players.

10 minutes ago, Halshayeji said:

True that. It's never in your favor when you publicly complain. I'm surprised because he specifically complained about touches then goes to a team that most likely won't give him touches. He had other visits didn't he?

I believe he also visited SEA. Yea I don't get it either. Maybe he just wanted a fresh start. Who knows, if he works hard enough between now and September maybe he can beat out whoever is above him. I read somewhere that Indy needs a possession receiver. Ironically so do we. 

7 minutes ago, Halshayeji said:

I absolutely agree. It just wasn't meant to be. Aiken is a good guy but not our good guy anymore. I'm just surprised he signed for the Colts when he knows he's 4th on their depth chart.

Why are you surprised? No one else wanted him. You are what your value is in any given marketplace and the entire league has placed Aiken's skill at 4th on the depth chart. That's who he is no matter what he tells himself or others. Oh, and the way he publicly complained about the Ravens means he is not a very good guy. He was not a team first player. 

What was so wrong with how Aiken was treated? He failed to make plays when given the chance so he was pushed down the depth chart. One decent year among 4 non existent years doesnt qualify you for special treatment. In this life you have to earn your place and then continue performing to stay there. He has been signed by the colts to a one year deal as their #4 option. Seems they agree. I may be wrong and it wouldn't be the first time but didnt he have a bunch of drops in the beginning of last season and that was when Joe stopped looking his way?

1 minute ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Just FYI, what you are posting on right now isn't going away, so you'll probably still see me posting here quite often.

That's true and it is something but the fan lead forums seem to be where the most knowledgeable fans congregate. To be clear, while I do find you arrogant and judgmental there is no denying you are extremely knowledgeable about most things football, including cap and contract discussions. It's annoying to be constantly corrected but you do provide a rational voice in a topic that can be extremely subjective. Now go ahead, let me know why that is wrong.

7 minutes ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Could argue both sides of this.

Of course you can rmc, of course you can.

2 minutes ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Well its not really an insignificant detail, because it doesn't take into account our gameplan or what kind of team we are.

Whether or not Jimmy covers the #1 WR or not depends on whether we're even playing man coverage, whether that WR is an outside vs slot receiver, etc.

Take into account also the fact that Jimmy doesn't play full seasons that often, and Carr is going to have plenty of pressure on him.

Haha

You are too much rmc. I am going to miss your arrogance when the boards shut down. Hopefully you find a new home.

  1 hour ago, ByTheBay said:

There is much more to these signings than some of you realize. Lets start with why some cowboys fans were frustrated with Carr. He signed a 5 year 50 million dollar contract with 26 million guaranteed. You expect that player to be your #1 CB. Lucky for us he will be our #2 and Jimmy will cover the Antonio Browns of the world. He also signed with us for 4 years at 24 million with only 12 million guaranteed. Basically a prove it every year contract that is about as team friendly as you can get. So half the money and almost no risk. Unbelievable job by ozzie. It wasnt how carr played that upset cowboys fans. It was how he played when compared to their expectations. For those who are disappointed we didn't sign Claibourne, I understand. He has the potential to be a shut down corner but can you imagine if Jimmy and Claibourne were to both get injured at the same time. It would be a disaster and had a very good probability of happening at some point over the coming years. I am very excited to have Carr on our team and think he will give us some consistency. Something we have been lacking. 

Jimmy doesn't cover Brown that often. Brown lines up all over the formation, and when he's in the slot, Jimmy rarely follows.

In fact, I would bet that if you went back and watched film, the Ravens rarely go man-to-man on Brown, and probably have 2-3 guys playing bracket coverage most of the time.

Overall, Ravens have done a great job in the past of covering Brown, especially compared to how other teams have fared.

My god man! I try to make a point that the Carr signing is a good thing and you just zero in on one little insignificant example and you just pounce. I could have used any wr as an example. My point is that Jimmy will typically cover the #1 receiver so there is less pressure on Carr.

37 minutes ago, whobilly said:

1 hour ago, Bat-mite said:

I like this move. It takes the pressure off trying to lock up Claiborne. Are we keeping Webb around as a nickleback?

BTW, I think it is foolish of the web site admins to shut down these forums. They are very active. I don't do Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or anything of those things. So I will miss everyone's comments.

Agree. Shutting down the forums is a mistake.

It's a shame too because the people in charge of PR are probably the type of people that are absorbed by their phones and twitter, facebook, ect and think everyone else must be too. A large amount of fans on the forums here are from out of state and even out of country. They will be hurt the most from this. Local fans are engulfed in Ravens fandom. This whole area turns purple every fall. It's enough to make a steelers fan nervous just walking into a dunkin donuts! I hear the team say they want to expand ravens nation but this move may do the opposite. It's a shame.

I was half way ok when it was Claiborne but this is just silly.Brandon Marshall wouldve given us WAY more bang for our buck with that 5 mill a year.Marshall,Wallace,Perriman and Pitta wouldve won alot more games for us than Jimmy Smith,Carr,Weddle and Jefferson will.We had the 17th ranked offense in yards per game and 21st ranked offense in scoring WITH Wagner and Smitty.Why is the front office piling all of our resources into one side of the ball????

We will have to wait to see how the rest of FA and the draft shape up but this may be an indication that the FO has moved on from trying to create a high powered offense with Joe Flacco as the leader of this team. Back to what worked. Dominant defense with a game managing QB who has the potential to be great but needs a little help when he is not. Grinding out wins the old fashioned way. I am a little concerned by the lack of emphasis on the Oline though. If we somehow start the season with big maulers at C and RT and pick up a true starting RB it may confirm this shift. Bringing in Roman doesn't hurt either.

There is much more to these signings than some of you realize. Lets start with why some cowboys fans were frustrated with Carr. He signed a 5 year 50 million dollar contract with 26 million guaranteed. You expect that player to be your #1 CB. Lucky for us he will be our #2 and Jimmy will cover the Antonio Browns of the world. He also signed with us for 4 years at 24 million with only 12 million guaranteed. Basically a prove it every year contract that is about as team friendly as you can get. So half the money and almost no risk. Unbelievable job by ozzie. It wasnt how carr played that upset cowboys fans. It was how he played when compared to their expectations. For those who are disappointed we didn't sign Claibourne, I understand. He has the potential to be a shut down corner but can you imagine if Jimmy and Claibourne were to both get injured at the same time. It would be a disaster and had a very good probability of happening at some point over the coming years. I am very excited to have Carr on our team and think he will give us some consistency. Something we have been lacking. 

The only reason I come to this site is for an easy read while I wake up with a cup of coffee or to read the comments section. Typically news on here is lagging the rest of the internet which is sad because this should be the go to place for ravens news. Big no to facebook and twitter. Time theifs the both of them. Late for work is great but is really just combining all the news from the day before that we all already knew anyway. The comments are what intrest me. So bye Ravens.com it's been a good run but all good things must come to an end. Oh and don't let my low comment count fool you. I have had many user names over the years but often forget my password and have never once had a response from the mods to help me so I just create a new one. Yet another example of how this site is mismanaged. Thank you to all of the regular contributors. You have made the season and offseason that much more enjoyable for me. You are the true value of this website. Oh and I know ed is just throwing the fee concept out there but to suggest that a multi billion dollar corporation needs to charge to provide a place for fans to discuss said corporation, the same fans that make the corporation worth anything to begin with is sad.