Ravensfan23

Yea there has to be a cut off in terms of how high you're willing to go with these contracts. Neither Wagner or BWill are as versatile as some others who have gotten overpaid. Wagner is a RT only, so the chances of him being paid as a LT as some have mentioned are slim to none imo. NFL.com said he could get upward of 10M and I just don't see it. Even if he had some LT experience 7.5M would be the max and I don't think he gets close. BWill isn't much of a pass rusher but teams still place great value on stopping the run. I think he'll get big money but I don't think the Ravens will be far off from his market value and he chooses to stay over getting a extra Mil or two. As for Wallace, him running the slant route better than any other WR is great, but this offense needs more than that. I would love to see him stay but I see him more as a 3rd WR because of his limited route tree. In that same article guys like Britt and Woods were mentioned as well, so the Ravens certainly will have options and many of them are better long term fits than Wallace. Wallace outperformed his contract and that's great but I don't think moving forward he's a guy you want to rely on at the top of your WR group, especially in a offense that will ask guys to run strong routes and keep the chains moving.

I think Wallace will be asked to re-work his deal in some way. However, if you can land a Britt or a Marshall I'd have no issue parting ways with him. Honestly i think right now I'd go hard after Robert Woods who's only 25 and is cut from the same mold as Dmase, Boldin and Sr as a strong possession WR who can make big plays and also physical in the run game. I think he could be a bargain FA with a huge impact because he's entering his prime. So if the Ravens upgrade the WR position in FA, I would have no issue seeing Wallace walk. I don't worry about having a 30+ year old veteran at WR because Flacco is a veteran. But if that 30+ WR is needed, I'd bring back Q for one year and allow him to retire here. Not sure how much money will be saved, but the guys I see cut are Doom, Pitta, Watson, Zuttah, Arrington, Lewis and Wright. I think Webb will be asked to restructure, take a pay cut or be released. I think those guys combine would free up like 20Mil give or take a couple million. So if i'm making the decisions, which i'm clearly not lol, I would make those cuts and rely on younger guys to step up. I have faith in the 4 young TEs we have and the CB position needs to be upgraded anyway. So Pitta, Watson, Arrington, Lewis and Wright shouldn't be hard to replace imo. I had the Ravens taking Dalvin Cook at 16, but now I have Derek Barnett being selected and immediately taking over for Doom. I just think the Ravens will place value on continuing to build the offensive and defensive lines.

Yea I actually do. I didn't before but I do. I don't think Juice is a concern at all imo. Even if the Ravens make him the highest paid FB it won't be costly. With Wagner, I don't think the Ravens will have to break the bank with him. I'd love to hear what the initial offer was, assuming the info is correct as you mentioned. I honestly thought if the Ravens offered Wagner a fair deal that placed him in the top 5-7 salaries of RTs he'd re-sign before hitting the market so I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the 2 sides aren't too far apart. Maybe it's a 5th year or signing bonus, but I'd be surprised to see Wagner get much more than 7+ Mil a year and I think the Ravens will offer between 6.6-7Mil I don't think BWill will command the money many of us thought. I know earlier in the process I did, but I'm not so sure now. In the case of all three guys, I just get the feeling that they will be happy with the Ravens making competitive offers and not feel the need to be the highest paid at their positions. I think with Wagner and BWill there are big differences between them and Torrey or KO. I think the Ravens will be close to any offer they get on the open market and they'll return.

That's not surprising. The Ravens aren't gonna go above market value and Wagner's people are smart to hit the market and see how competitive the Ravens offer really is. I think Wagner, Juice and Williams all re-sign.

From the PFF article featured in today's LFW on the front page. https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-the-leagues-best-receivers-for-each-type-of-route/ I've said many times and will continue to say, I think Britt will be a perfect fit for what the Ravens want to do not only in 2017 but moving forward as well. With both price and fit, I think Britt should be a target for the Ravens. I think the crossing pattern will be a huge part of what the Ravens want to do, especially with play action off the run game and nobody ran that route better than Britt last year.

I hope i'm wrong, I just don't see it right now. I think he'll definitely move KC around, but i don't think his blitz packages nor the design of the front 4 pass rush is creative enough. Maybe it's not even him, maybe that's the job of the Dline coach to develop that scheme. But the pass rush under Pees has been pretty basic in terms of how pressure is generated. If guys can win 1 on 1 then the pass rush is decent but most of the guys who have been drafted under Pees aren't really great pass rushers. They are guys who get pressure with hustle and games, which is why the pass rush usually sucks without any either Suggs or Doom. Now Pees certainly has his moment when he's using games up front and usually it's successful, but I don't see it consistently.

Honestly that's probably the worse example you could give to support Pees in this area. Again i want to make it clear that i'm not bashing Pees. But there is no way he made Mcphee into anything and i'd go as far to say he may have stunted Mcphee's growth a bit. It was Chuck Pagano who moved Mcphee around so much as a rookie and was creative in using him to get pressure. It wasn't just moving Mcphee inside, it was the way Pagano got him matched up with 1on1 battles because of the movement of others. Whether it was twist, stunts, blitzing or whatever. Again no knock to Pees, but he's more of a basic 4 man pressure DC, so when he took over it wasn't many games up front to get guys free, so even when Mcphee was moved inside, he was overmatched because bigger guys were able to get there hands on him and basically take him out. That's why his sack totals went from like 6 down to 2. Then in 2014 his numbers went back up with Suggs and Doom pulling much of the attention. Again no knock to Pees but i'd have to greatly disagree that Pees made Mcphee a wrecking ball. Imo Pees just lacks the creativity to get the most out of a guy like KC. It's not about Matthews being better, I think everyone can see that. It's about putting KC in position to succeed much like the Packers did with Matthews. That doesn't make Pees a poor DC, it's just that KC isn't the type of guy who he'll get the most out of imo because he'll ask him to win 1on1 and that's not his game. I think he'll use him as a hybrid type, but It's not just moving him from inside to outside that will get the most out of him. It's the way you use him in blitz packages and how you can take up blockers and allow him to rush vs RBs or roam in coverage. Again watch any Clay Matthews highlight reel, if you see 5 good pass rush moves i'd be surprised. He's just not a pure pass rusher in the mold of a Suggs and the Packers don't ask him to be. He's just allowed to roam the defense to make plays and I'm not sure Pees would allow KC or any other player to do that. Now what I do agree with is the bold part. I think KC will have a really strong season as a ILB. I was impressed with his awareness in zone coverage and how he trusted his eyes. Even tough you could see him thinking a lot during plays which caused him to be a step slow in some cases, you could still see his smarts and quick reaction times. I think he'll be one of those guys who wow reporters with his reshaped body during OTAs because I think he'll work on his body a lot this offseason. I wouldn't be surprised to here that he's one of the guys who is at the Castle everyday getting work in.

It's official Marty is here to stay. The question now is what does this offense do to improve?

you and I both. My fingers are crossed as well. He definitely has to improve his play strength which i hope this offseason helps.

Again not saying KC is or will be the exact same player that Clay is. Clay Matthews is a All-Pro and I don't really like comparing players like that. My comparison comes from how Clay is used and how KC should be used. I agree that Clay plays with a lot more strength than KC does. I personally don't think that Boise cared much about him building strength as a collegiate athlete. I think what we have to realize about some of these rookies and the impact they do or don't have is that all college programs don't place a great emphasis on strength and conditioning. That's why that year 1 to year 2 transition is so crucial for most players because they are actually focusing on developing strength and conditioning for the position they are being asked to play. It'll be interesting to see how KC returns after the offseason. I'm not saying he'll be a stud, but I think he's gonna be a 2nd round pick that has really good to great production and will be one of those guys the Ravens keep around long term when it's all said and done.

Ok so i'm sure to change this mock before the actual draft but as if right now here are my picks of guys i'd like to see selected. rd1: Dalvin Cook RB: Obviously as a huge FSU fan i'd love this pick and while some may think it's a luxury pick at 16 or too high for Cook, I think fans will love this pick when all said and done. I really like what Dixon and West did as a 1-2 punch but they are basically the same backs. The Ravens need game changers on this offense and Dalvin is that in every sense of the word. Strong, great balance, elusive, decent hands out of the backfield and that 2nd gear to run away from people. Dalvin is not without flaws as his pass pro is awful at times and he puts the ball on the ground occasionally. However overall the Ravens need game changers and I think Cook is just that. rd2: Fabian Moreau CB: This year the Ravens are finally positioned to cash in on the run of CBs being selected. Moreau has great size, speed, physicality and patience as a CB. I wouldn't be surprised to see him shoot up into the 1st round with a strong combine/pro day but right now I have him as a 2nd rounder. However his level of play is right up there with the better CBs of this class and could very well be viewed as the top CB of this class 5 years from now. Rd3: Derek Rivers OLB: much like Moreau he's a guy who could shoot up draft boards after the combine but right now I have him going in the 3rd round. He has a really nice combination of speed and power coming off the edge. He's a pretty smart player and dominated his level of competition. Although that level of competition wasn't great, he showed he can performance against a higher level of competition at the Senior Bowl. The Ravens need more speed on this defense and Rivers has a great first step which allows him to geting into the OT quick and disrupt the timing of the QB. Outside of Suggs and assuming Doom is gone, Rivers might just be the talent at pass rusher on the roster from day 1. Rd3: Rayshawn Jenkins FS:. The Ravens need speed, physicality and playing making ability on the back end. While Jenkins isn't the cleanest FS prospect in this class, I think he's a really good fit for the Ravens. He can play down in the box or centerfield. He has pretty good ball skills and arrives to the ball carrier with nasty intentions. I like him learning behind Weddle and Webb while being used in sub packages his rookie year. Rd4: Danny Isidora OG: The Ravens said they want to get bigger and stronger up front and Isidora would help. He's a power guy that moves well enough to translate to a ZBS as well. He only played RG at the U, so I'm not sure if the Center position is an option but he'll definitely be a a top reserve at OG and has plug and play potential if Wagner isn't re-signed pushing Lewis to RT. Rd5: Darreus Rogers WR: The Ravens spoke about getting a complimentary WR who can keep the chains moving and make plays in big time situations. I think they attack that starting WR role in FA but will draft a guy like Rogers to develop. Rogers has good hands and is a pretty physical WR. He isn't the best route runner and doesn't have great speed, but he does well to get his body between the defender and the ball. I like him as a redzone option as well. I don't see Aiken returning and a guy like Rogers could step in to add a nice pair of reliable hands to this WR corp. Rd6: Jon Toth C: Toth might be selected higher, but I think his 6'5 frameat the center position might turn off a lot of teams. I think his height is a issue at times but with some NFL coaching I think he'll be pretty good. I think he's a Center only and I don't think people will view him as a Pro Bowl caliber one and for that reason I think he's available in the 6th round. Rd7: Fish Smithson S: The Ravens bring the hometown kid back to Baltimore and give him a chance to cut his teeth on ST. Smithson is undersized, lacks speed and doesn't have eye popping talent, but his awareness is pretty good and he has decent ball skills. I could see him as a ST guy who also serves as a reserve Safety. So there is it, now i'll let all you draft guru's rip it apart lol. But i'm almost positive my views will change after the combine.

Yea Pees is more of a 1 on 1 beat your man type of guy. Won't be many games and twist in the front 7. I'm not a bash Pees guy, but the way he uses the front 7 has always been a area of concern for me. The Ravens have never really drafted pure pass rushers, outside of Suggs, Kindle and maybe Dan Cody. Most of the guys they draft and pretty much everyone under Pees have been effort pass rusher. Guys who need to be moved around and run games to really find that success. If allowed to run twist and games, guys like Timmy, ZDS, BWill, Davis, Urban, Guy and Henry are guys who would greatly benefit from running twist and loops up front. I think Judon could be a consistent rusher outside while guys like Correa and CJ do a strong job of blitzing. Just don't think players are being allowed to maximize their talents up front. Correa has a lot of work to do to improve. Technique, strength as well as allowing the game to slow down. On the Ravens side, they have to put him in a position to succeed by allowing him to do what he does best and not put him in a box.

He was drafted to help provide speed on the outside pass rush, which he still can honestly, not sure why some many seem to think he's just worthless outside, but while that was part of the role they wanted him to fill, from day one they lined him up at ILB and asked him to learn every LB position on the team and I think it eventually became too much for him mentally. Going back to the pass rush aspect of things. Correa isn't a natural pass rusher and you knew that coming out of Bosie. He's an effort pass rusher and a guy who has a really good first step that allowed him to convert speed to power vs weaker OTs. However in the NFL he has to become much stronger, which he definitely can and he has to maintain that great motor. I said it before the Ravens drafted him and I'll say it now. He's almost Identical to Clay Matthews. If you look at Clay coming out of USC he wasn't and isn't a pure pass rusher like a Von Miller. The Packers moved him around and allowed him to blitz more so than just put his hands in the dirt or get in his bike stance and hunt. Clay has decent moves he can pull out every now and then but much of his production comes from effort and the fact that the Packers move him around to create favorable match-ups. The year they tried to make him a full time OLB, I think it was 11' he had probably his worse seasons because that's not his game. The same is true for Correa. When you draft a guy like that you must have a plan for him and I'm not sure Pees is the type of DC to have that type of plan. Not a bash Pees moment, just my opinion. The Ravens need to put KC in position where he's moving all over the defense and the offense doesn't know if he's dropping or blitzing. Just asking him to line up and rush vs OTs all game isn't gonna garner much success consistently. He's the type of guy you just allow to play like his hair is on fire, almost like a rover on defense. He's good enough against the run on the edge to play outside on early downs, but as a pass rusher he should be moved around but he doesn't possess pass rush moves that allow him to win consistently outside. Not saying he's Clay or even AD to give a hometown feel, but he has to be used like those guys or else it's just a waste. That's on the Ravens, not the player.

That small sample of production came on a total of 48 snaps. That's like a full game's worth of defensive snaps. Reports was he started to turn the corner in practice and earning the start in the NYJ game pretty such showed that. Than he got hurt the next week in practice and that basically derailed his season. He's gonna have to put in a lot of work this season, but I expect him to be the starting ILB and it'll actually help him because it'll force the coaches to keep him in one position so he can focus on perfecting his craft. I thought the Ravens asked him to do too much in learning the OLB and ILB positions last year. This will be a huge offseason for him.

I have both as late 2nd round picks that could easily drop into the 3rd, maybe even the 4th depending on how the runs of the draft go. I only have Mike Williams as a lock in the 1st round with guys like Davis, Ross and JuJu possibility sneaking in but more than likely they'll be selected in the top half to middle of the 2nd. That leaves players like Kupp, Jones, Darboh, Westbrook, Goodwin, Brown, Stewart and others that will be bunched together and it'll depend on what team falls in love with them that will determine where they're selected. Now both Kupp and Jones could very well go in the top 50 but I have their range between 60 through 100 so that'd put them anywhere from the bottom of the 2nd to the top of the 4th which is a 3rd round grade for me.

Both guys look really impressive and give the Ravens options near the bottom of the 2nd to mid 3rd round. I think they both fit what the Ravens are looking for in said "Complimentary WR". However I'd caution against getting too carried away from just the Senior Bowl. These two guys may be a pair of the top "seniors" in this draft class but there is a lot of 2nd and 3rd round talent at WR that teams will fall in love with. They did what they were supposed to do and that's shine when given the opportunity to.

I think the run and DBs and Pass rushers will push him and some other quality offensive players to the 2nd round. The thing we have to remember is that while he's beasting at the Senior Bowl, it's still a small sample size. He might be opening some eyes or reaffirming what others saw on tape against the top "seniors" but it's not necessarily the top talent available in the draft. I think Tre'Davious White is the only CB with a unanimous 1st round grade at the Senior Bowl. I haven't really looked into the draft class yet, but it seems it's much more defensive talent at the top of the draft and that will force the quality offensive guys into the 2nd and 3rd rounds. I think it's very possible that Mike Williams is the only WR taken in the first round and he'll probably drop just outside of the top 10. Surprisingly I see more RBs and TEs taken in the 1st round than WRs this year. But maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part that the Ravens can come away with a CB or Pass rusher in the 1st and a guy like Kupp in the 2nd. .

This is why i'm all aboard the Kupp train. With where the Ravens are going with this offense, they need guys who can get in and out of their routes quickly and make plays in tight places.The speed doesn't really matter as much in the WCO, the Ravens said they want a guy who can move the chains as well as make plays deep and I definitely see that with Kupp. I'm right there with Mayock. The more and more I watch Kupp the more impressed with him I am. The only knock on him I have is his age, but I don't think that is as big of an issue because he's so polished. I think he comes in day one making plays for whatever team drafts him.

There is no spitting images in the NFL and if you draft off of that than the vacancy will be in the job you just left. Again it's just my opinion as i'm sure many others love him. However I just don't think he runs routes well enough nor reads defenses well enough to get consistent separation against even above average DBs and as physical as he is, I just don't see him being able to consistently win vs upper level DBs. I certainly think he has a chance to be a solid NFL WR, but for what the Ravens need for this offense, I don't think he fits. I don't do player comp any more. I just think people get way to carried away with them. To use your example, Mike Williams is Michael Floyd and Smith is Boldin 2.0. That all sounds good but you can't measure what's inside of these players. By all accounts Michael Floyd was believed to be a stud coming out of ND and had a player comparisons to guys like Roddy White. But what does it all mean? Williams is going to get drafted have 2 successful years to start his career, regress midway through his 3rd season and get cut for off-field issues because he compares to Floyd? JuJu Smith will have 100+ catches in 2 of his first 3 seasons like Boldin? At the end of the day Mike Williams will be Mike Williams good or bad. He won't be the next anyone nor will anyone else. That's why a lot of these guys are at the Senior Bowl right now. A guy like Cooper Kupp has been labeled as a slot guy but at the Senior Bowl he's been almost unstoppable on the outside vs some really good cover guys. Player comp puts guys into a box imo and it never really works out that way.

Speed doesn't make you a stud #1 WR and if any team is foolish enough to pass on Williams because of it they'll be sorry. Now I'm not saying he's a sure fire stud but if speed is the only thing you'd use as a basis to pass on him I think it'd be a huge mistake. Guys like AJ Green, Deandre Hopkins, Dez Bryant Josh Gordon and I can continue to name some other up and coming studs in the NFL, don't win on speed but you can't deny they are studs. Williams is a guy that can win on every level and will cause defenses to game plan to stop him, that's about all you can ask for from any WR. Guys like Juilo, Calvin and Fitz are rare. Even if Kupp is viewed as a slot WR, which I think he can do well outside, the Ravens need WRs who can create separation quick and get RAC yards. Kupp would easily be the best route runner on the team, with a pair of consistent hands and probably the most polished WR the Ravens would have next season. It's not a matter of where guys line up, it's about how guys can produce for this offense. I personally wouldn't touch JuJu until the 3rd round. Not much about him really stands out to me personally. I'm sure a lot of people love him but he wouldn't be a target for me that high in the 2nd.

Really impressed with Cooper Kupp so far. His on field performance was excellent getting in and out of his breaks so clean, while winning at every level all while looking so smooth and polished. However it was his interview that I was most impressed with. He seems to really love the hard work required to be great and has the mindset that he'll never be good enough so keep working hard. Both on and off the field he sounds like a great fit for the Ravens.

Thank you. I couldn't stand going through 15 minutes of Redskins just to get a 5 minute piece on the Ravens. I won't pretend to act like I know enough about network deals to say what Mr. B should or shouldn't do, I just hope wherever RaveTV goes they have some knowledgeable guys giving insight on the Ravens

Cut blocking is legal, it's chop blocking with @The Raven described is illegal. So if he were to add that technique to the oline it'd be completely legal and welcomed by me . I like cut blocks on passing plays when designed right. In most cases(should be all) the cut block is taking place on a short drop and to the play side of the QB. So even if a block is missed, the QB can see it and deliver the ball quickly. It's a technique that needs to be taught but can be very effective slowing down pass rush. It'll be interesting to see how things play out. I think Zuttah is gone either way, I think the question at Center is do they feel a guy like Urschel can step up at that position or do they need to address it with a new addition.

Not sure exactly what type of system he'll install and I really don't care. All long as he can continue to develop Stanley and Lewis, while getting the most out of whomever the Center is. I think both Yanda and Wagner(i believe he stays) will speak for themselves. I won't act like I now enough about the guy to say what he'll do. But I did enjoying listening to his breakdown as a oline coach for the Bills. link The part about studying other teams to see how to get the most out of the screen game was very exciting. The Ravens have been so poor in the screen game for years and it seemed like they never had a interest in practicing it. For as good as Jaun is as a coach, he seems to really do well at developing younger guys but not really the line as a whole. So far the Ravens are allowing their actions to match their words. They want to have an improved focus on the running game, so hiring Roman and D'ALessadris seems like they are placing huge emphasis on improving the oline and TEs. I think retaining both Wagner and Juice is the next step. We'll see how things play out.

Yeah I agree about that Falcons offense. It just seems wide open. I didn't realize Coleman was that fast. I don't know if I just missed his speed coming out of Indiana or playing in that offense makes him look fast. Kind like the greatest show on turf, all those guys weren't blazers but that offense made them look untouchable in space. I think the Ravens would be wise to look at how that offense is built and run because we have a lot of the same weapons minus a Julio of course. I like the offense as well. I like it even more with Roman now in the mix. Having more balance will open up space for play action and we've seen what guys like Perriman, Dixon and Wallace can do in space. I'd love Britt to sign but the most important position is Center. I think Alex Mack helps that ATL offense so much. I don't know if it's draft, trade or Skura from the PS but the Ravens have to improve the Center. Improve there and I think LG takes care of itself with Stanley on the outside. If Lewis turns into a stud it's just a plus. Can't wait for the SB to be over so the draft and FA season can start. I think I like this time of year more than the season. How this team goes about improving will be interesting to me. Also looking going back to the falcons, I think a guy like Kenny Bell could battle his way onto this team and be a Gabriel or Robinson type deep threat. I really liked him in college and think a handful of snaps per game might be beneficial