ravensdfan

I feel that too!  While I like the fact that Ozzie and company want to stay true to our defensive roots, I also feel that at some point (in the drafts, trades and FA) the focus needs to be on building a potent offense to "compliment" a very stout, stingy and stifling defense.  I hate seeing that one-sided affect in Baltimore all of these years!

 

#Mili

Well I guess the upside is - Marlon should get to keep his spot in the rotation. With S.Smith here he'll lose some playing time but he should still get a lot.

We can only hope that these unproven players everyone is relying on for the O line pan out. It all starts there.

Personally, I'm a little miffed that Ozzie hasn't held a press conference to apologize to the fans, ownership, and the future generations of fans and ownership he's done wrong with this draft. It's obvious that this was a colossal failure as evidenced by every expert making it clear Oz doesn't know what he's doing. It would be one thing if the guy had an irrefutable track record building winning football teams, but c'mon this is Ozzie Newsome we're talking about, not some legend of the game both on and off the field.

As the saying goes, "Defense doesn't win championships, rookie WRs and RBs do." Followed closely by, "Please consult forum posters for draft advice. The higher the post count, the better the mock." So please Ozzie (and Eric you take notes), it's time to do us all a favor and hang up this little short term "NFL" experiment you've been testing for the past 36 years. It's just not working out.

I got my email this morning. Didn't you get yours?

There have been losing seasons as well. Did someone else draft those years? Mistakes happen. We all make them. Some are more avoidable than others.

I'm really just coming into my own opinion that they are kind of scared of using high draft picks on offense. They just don't seem to be as successful overall as they are on defense.

They had Rice & Flacco. Took Torrey in the 2nd and while he's been good, has not really hit expected potential.

They had Oher - didn't hit expected potential.

Clayton - smh. Pitta wasn't selected until the 4th round.

Dickson came before him and well, that didn't work out.

Boller. ugh.

Hmm...perhaps they're a bit gun shy. Just speculating here.

People still use fax machines??

Some people are resistant to new tech. Or just cheap.

To be fair, my phone ring on day one. But I am committed to my flag football team as WR1 and couldn't get out of the contract.

Sheesh - you couldn't do a restructure and then break your fax machine?

Thats my mistake then. I thought the numbers were MUCH closer. And qb is different from other positions.

We let Ray Lewis test FA for less. Lucky for us he came home.

Okay. Not sure how else to explain average to above average defense in 3 quarters and then collapses almost each and every game. TOP can be misleading as well, but that's another topic by itself.

To be fair - the actual 4th quarter meltdowns were not every game either. It just seemed that way at the time. Believe me I thought it was every game. Then when I went to do the TOP stats - and looked at scoring and such - it was more like 6 games total. Two of those we wound up winning.

Yeah but Flacco's making $120 million, so...

Exactly!

Because the Oz that does not make draft pick mistakes for some reason overpaid Flacco.

it is illogical.

The failure to extend drives and eat up time most certainly played a part in the defense fading in the 4th.

Somewhere are all the TOP stats for our losses. I posted them to prove this theory incorrect. In all of our losses, save one, TOP was pretty evenly split right up until our defense allowed a final scoring drive. The one game it heavily favored our opponent was the Steelers' game where the defense forced one punt on the Steelers opening drive, had an INT the next drive and then never stopped them again the entire game.

"Harbaugh dismissed the notion that the defense was tired at the end of games. 

"I don’t know that I saw signs of our defense wearing down," he said. "I’d have to probably look at that. I haven’t looked at it from that perspective. I didn’t think of it in those terms. I thought our defense was pretty stout right to the end."

Well yeah I know. I even argued with TOP proof.

Still - that is what I was told by the forum gods. It is all the offense's fault.

I'll be happy if our defense doesn't choke every 4th quarter again. 

That was all the offenses fault though. That is what everyone said. I still have a few stones left over when I even hinted that the defense's 4th quarter fails were part of the reason we missed the playoffs.

Well let me assist. Maybe the FO isn't putting the tools around the guy because they feel the playoff run was more of an anomaly than it is the norm. Maybe the reason our OCs and GM don't fully trust the guy is because of what we consistently see which is his inconsistencies. Combine that with the fact most times you put a top offense against a top defense, guess how it usually plays out. Most teams can't over come their #1 wr going down to begin with. Build a balanced offense, which we have and a top defense, and more times than not, that team will succeed.

It could also be Ozzie is afraid to draft wrs that early cause of past failures.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! You have been buzzed for trying to make this a Flacco thread.

You don't pay $120M to a guy you don't trust, especially if you thought the recent SB win was an anomaly. You start looking for his replacement. Don't think we did that this draft.Or the last one.

While there are quite a few questions regarding S Smith, Brown and Daniels, our QB (and team of course) won a SB with less at those positions.

 

If those guys play like they have shown they can in the past, especially S Smith, then as long as the OL doesnt suck as bad as it did last year, there is absolutely no reason why Kubiak and Flacco should not take us deep into the playoffs. If my assumptions above are not unreasonable,then I agree, Flacco and Kubiak should be lynched if we miss the playoffs again.

Not to mention a more favorable schedule.

But then - what about the year after that? When the stop gaps begin to run out.

It was why we needed a WR this draft. They aren't usually plug n play.

It will probably be by you 

Nah I'll be too busy watching the defense for the massive improvement.

Stick to your guns girl! No points for being right or wrong; everyone who can form their own (reasonable) opinion is alright in my book

Just wait for the first crack on the offense this season.

We lost Boldin too, not fair to say that. 

We still don't have Boldin. Just to be clear.

We have S. Smith & Daniels. Who have not taken a snap for us. But they're the answer.

We just used top draft picks on two positions that we used top draft picks on last season.

But we're ok relying on 7th rounders, UDFAs and the like to fill our needs on offense.

Just so I'm clear what I'm reading.

I believe he criticized the fact, that the Ravens never provided him with a true go-to-receiver, that most top QBs have and when Boldin became that, they promptly traded him away. He has a point. Joe is heading into his 7th season and is half way through his NFL carreer and that's if we are lucky. Quite frankly, I've been waiting for far too long for Torrey to become that guy. A WR shouldn't take so long to develope.

It does say something about your WR corps when you lose one TE for the season and your offense tanks.

Stone her for her blasphemies!

Yes - I thought I had enough with the ones already thrown but I'm a few short for my wishing well project.

To Flacco, Torrey, Monroe, yes. To practically anyone else, no.

What about to Zuttah? Yanda? Pitta?

I have more faith and trust in a stacked D than an stacked O. We made enough movements in FA to have an average offense, but we have the potential again to have a dominant defense.

As a Raven fan (and being used to that), I'll take the dominant D all day long. Just dont trust some of the offensive pieces to truly capitalize.

Well naturally. Ravens have never had a stacked O.

One injury to that average offense and it's back to abysmal.

5 of 8 players drafted were O

All top picks went to defense. After that it is developmental players & ST guys.

Just happy you aren't a Browns fan. Ravens have been one of the best teams in the NFL for years, I'd hate to see you as a fan of a true losing franchise with the way you make the Ravens sound. Remember, Ozzie is getting the big bucks and we aren't for a reason. It too easy to criticize the person in power. I like to see the results if any of us took over for GM...

Ozzie is a man who is good at his job. Great even. That does not mean he is infallible. Shoot - we've seen the busts - we saw the FA mistakes last season. He makes mistakes like everyone else.

So we don't have to bow down to the Great Oz if we disagree with his choice to go defense with the high draft picks. Nor does that mean we don't know football or don't like the Ravens or are heretics. Which is how everyone around here is acting if you disagree with the way this draft went.

You like Brooks. He's your guy. That's fine. Doesn't mean if someone disagrees with you they're an idiot.

Another likes Jerrigan. Another likes Mosely. Another likes Gilmore. It's all fine. Everyone has "their" guy they wanted and liked and are pleased as punch we drafted.

Doesn't make anyone who doesn't stupid.

I made one post last draft about ignoring offense. The fall out was ridiculous.

Everyone said - we'll be fine. Oz will fix it in FA.

Then remind me what happened? Oh yeah - injuries and we had no depth to cover.

Oz is not a wizard. He's a man. He makes mistakes.

Until you realized it was going to prevent them from addressing the WR position in a real and long term way?

Yeah honestly - I saw it for the stop gap it was - something to take the pressure off a WR pick. Wouldn't have to be "that" guy off the bat.

I really didn't think they would so totally abandon the offense this draft.

like marlon brown?

Really? Dude - c'mon - he is not anywhere near being a #1 receiver.

I love Marlon - but he has work to do before he's in that discussion.

Mark Clayton... didn't work out

Do you realize that was in 2005? Nine years ago?

And we don't shortchange the offense.

Not saying they all work out and usually - we aren't even in the same zip code to snag a guy who has even shown that potential. This draft though - well we were and we didn't.