JoeyFlex5

what are the odds we make a move back into the first to get jimmy ward? maybe our 3rd and a 2nd next year for a 29-32 range pick?

I was expecting a free safety,but history says Ozzie knows what he's doing.If Ozzie didn't trade down the pick then chances are this guys a football player.

he was trying to trade back, you really think he sat and contemplated that pick for 7 minutes? no he was fielding offers and couldn't find a deal without moving too far back and risk losing any chance at taking a player high enough on his board

ozzie must be going senile, I have never doubted ozzie until now. im even madder then I was when we passed on hakeem nicks for Michael oher. ive vocally been against drafting HHCD, but jesus the guy was expected to go at 13 AT THE LATEST, and he slides all the way to 17, clearly the BPA, better value than mosley, and fills the biggest glaring need on our roster, there is literally no bigger hole on our roster than FS, on the other hand, we traded up in the 2nd for Arthur brown just a year ago, signed daryl smith to a long term contract, and ILB is practically locked up. I am LIVID about this pick right now. worst pick since kyle boller, and this is only the 2nd time since I started following the draft in 06 that I have been mad about any of our picks, I generally believe every pick ozzie makes is a smart one in some way, whether or not it is the player I "like", but this seems like a completely idiotic pick to me. neg away.

breaking bad, was my first TV drama i really got into, and now the bar is set so high im afraid no show will satisfy me, everything i try just falls wayyyyy short. though i still have to try the wire and sopranos and dexter

Ozzie's offseason is giving me the most optimism I've felt for the team since right before Suggs went down in 2012.I still believe that Hakeem Nicks was a better option than Steve Smith but with a strong draft we should still be good enough to make a playoff run in the AFC with the squad we have.

it isnt just hype about nicks, the guy is a walking(or limping) injury. plus the thing i like the most about the smitty signing because of his toughness and attitude, he intimidates DB's that are twice his size just by running his mouth, always liked steve smith for that, and if we draft the right receiver in one of the first 2 rounds, then we have someone who can take them under his wing.

we went from a ford taurus to a ford fusion at center. its definitely better, but thats not saying much. 

 

still like the move alot though, probably comes real cheap, and with a healthy yanda and KO on each side of him, all we need is someone who can grasp the mental concepts of playing center, which is where gino struggled the most.

as for center, maybe the reason we havent brought in BDLP or spoke to him at all, is because he wasnt cut? ozzie seems to be REAL strict about the comp pick formula, though i think signing him would be a no brainer to us, he will come cheap and allow us to focus on taking advantage of the deep WR class, instead of taking a interior lineman in the 2nd, we could be taking a jordan matthews or brandin cooks or allen robinson, because we know there wont be any first round talent at center in the first, we could go BPA in the first and get a absolute steal at WR in the 2nd. 

 

this being said, i honestly feel that gino deserves one more shot, and if he shows no improvement a few games into the season, well then he blew it, but im not quite ready to write him off yet, i just have a feeling about him. 

 

but back to my original statement, sign BDLP, and we have a ton of flexibility in all round of the draft, we could find that gem 3rd-4th round FS that surprises everyone, we could find that BIG BOY tight end in the 2nd or 3rd to come in and be joes jumpball guy like ASJ or fiedorowicz or niklas, we could find that 3-4 DE that will make us forget about art jones, we could find the surprise pass rusher that sizzle grooms to be his replacement one day. \

 

every draft we take "swing" guys and project lineman, who was a tackle in college, has the size/str to play guard in the nfl, but doesnt have the footwork or mental capacity and needs training and bla bla bla, we ALWAYS take one or 2 of these guys, and they rarely pan out, signing a center will FINALLY let us avoid wasting a pick on those kinds of guys, and let us take the guys who have real potential in the mid rounds

Since we have a different tight end coach we could see a different Dickson. 

i dont think a coach can fix stone hands. it sucks because dickson has so much incredible potential but he will never put it together because he cant consistently hold on to the ball everytime its thrown his way. hes got the TO curse, he drops the easy balls but then when its time to make a mind blowing catch, he makes it look effortless.

Nobody has said he is our "answer", just an exciting addition.  Also, I do think Lee is worth a 1st round pick, but I doubt he makes it that far.  I'd rather spend 1st on something else and pick Allen Robinson in the 2nd.  That may just me being a homer since I go to Penn State but the guy is a beast.

allen robinson just makes me go "mehh". but then again im a huge Jordan Matthews bandwagon jumper and many others say the same about him.

 

if were taking one in the second id be torn between Matthews and cooks.

my exact thoughts after reading that ridiculous post about marqise lee

To be fair, he hasn't done a good job in the draft since 2008.

jimmy and torrey?

Signing a player like Steve Smith allows us to add production without having to sacrifice future draft picks. Free agents that have been released then signed, aren't equated into the compensatory draft pick formula that determines which rounds you would be compensated in if deemed eligible for losing contributing players in free agency. For example: If we are awarded a 3rd round compensatory pick for losing Arthur Jones to the Colts, signing an unrestricted free agent like Eric Decker negates that pick. It's the equivalent of trading a 3rd round pick for the rights to pay him $8.5 Million a year. 

 

Instead, signing a very good veteran WR like Steve Smith, who can contribute and offer significant production for a cheaper price + retaining that 3rd or 4th round compensatory draft pick, is by far the more sensible and affordable long-term investment. However, just because you sign him, doesn't mean you cant also draft a 1st round WR to take over as his heir apparent in the pending years. He's 34, if we could get 1 or 2 productive seasons out of him it's worth pursuing. 

again, i was misunderstood. i never said signing steve smith was a bad idea, im fully on board with it. but ive read from quite a few people on these boards for weeks that we need to sign a WR in FA that way we can address our other issues in the draft, and that specifically doesnt make sense to me when our other holes are weak positions in the draft, and WR is weak in FA, while our other holes are strong in FA, while WR is strong in the draft, so why would we ignore WR in this draft of all positions just because we may have found a FA WR.. not saying steve smith would be a bad pickup, id be ecstatic, but not at the cost of not getting a good WR in the draft that can give us a weapon for years to come

whats wrong with a stop gap? the most seasoned vet in our WR corps is JJ, we need a good mature vet to teach the guys we have and whoever we draft presumably in the first or second round. Most rookies arent ready to start anyway unless they are AJ Green or Calvin Johnson caliber, and usually those guys are gone by the time we pick. Guys like Lee and Beckham are very similar to Smith, so his knowledge could be super valuable to them.

keenan allen was available to us at various times in last years draft and we passed him up. he was robbed of OROTY by eddie lacy. its a myth that all WR's arent going to produce as rookies unless theyre 6'5" vertical monsters. if you can run a full route tree, you will be able to most likely produce as a rookie, theres plenty of them in this draft, marqise lee, jordan matthews, brandin cooks, allen robinson, and they will all be available to us

Steve Smith is an exciting signing because he great player who will come cheap.  The more weapons the better and we need weapons.  These "plugs" are what make teams good.  Sometimes you can't just get the best at every position and lock them up for 5 years.  You need proven vets or young guys to fill those holes.

 

Even if we grab Steve Smith I don't think we would just skip over a top receiver.  The truth is, the best receivers worth taking in the first will most likely be gone by the time we pick.

you dont think marqise lee is worth a 17th pick? you dont think brandin cooks is worth our 2nd rounder? i sure do. but thats just me. and im obviously misunderstood because this is my 2nd time explaining this, im totally on board with signing steve smith, and i understand everyones excitement, but he is not our "answer" at WR, we cant keep bringing in 1-2 year receivers and having this constant turnover every other season. we need a young guy, who is going to contribute, not another 6th round project whos a long shot to even make the roster. we need a guy who can come in, compete from day 1, and at the very least contribute on the field. we need continuity with a reliable WR, not just speedy weapons and a sort of undersized TE who has great chemisry with our qb.

We're going to draft a guy, but Ravens fans will love the energy and intensity of how he plays. He's still effective and plays with a GIANT chip on his shoulder that's only going to be larger this year. 

im not saying im not with signing smith, im totaly on board, but so many of the fans look at a steve smith signing as a legit reason to ignore WR in the draft. i would be happy about signing smith, as long as we ALSO find our future #1 in this draft

We need depth because we only have these guys on our team.

 

WR Corps:

Torrey Smith

Marlon Brown

Jacoby Jones

Aaron Mellette

Free Agent

2014 Draftee

 

On the Bubble:

Deonte Thompson

i feel like this is sarcasm lol. amirite?

Are we reading the same board? From what I see most people are content with Steve Smith signing plus 2nd round WR in a draft.

i see some people saying that, but i see so much of people saying "we can sign steve smith and then we dont have to worry about drafting a WR, we can just draft to fill our other holes at safety and center and ILB etc." 

 

i dont see as much of a hole at ILB as others see(IF we can resign smith) and safety and center are just weak positions, clinton dix and pryor are just not impressive, the only reason theyre regarded so widely as first rounders is because the rest of the class is so weak. so with everyone saying lets get a safety in the first, im just scratching my head like... why? when instead we could sign a safety and stick to the original draft plan and take advantage of this amazing WR class.

This is such a deep and good draft for WR we can afford to wait until the 2nd round to draft one. I personally hope we get Smith so we can trade back and get more picks.

thats what i hope too. i really like marqise lee but id also like to see us double dip at WR and get matthews + cooks or just get lee and a 2nd round TE.

why is this entire board SO PRESSED on signing a old WR, or a average at best WR in FA, because that will somehow make it a smart move for us to ignore WR in the draft? this is the best WR draft there has been in years, there is a ton of talent in the first 2 rounds, why ignore that to draft an incredibly weak position like safety, when safety is clearly the smarter position to address in free agency? i dont see the logic, at all, steve smith in no way, shape or form, would make us "set" at WR, he is a 1-2 year stop gap and we need a reliable, well rounded WR of the future instead of all these short term plugs and roleplaying "weapons" we have. im all for signing smith, but i dont want to sign the guy because that makes ozzie say "ok now lets ignore the best position in this entire draft to fill our other holes" . if we get a stop gap free agent, obviuously safety and center would be the positions, not WR.

I never "didn't" want steve smith, but I would welcome the signing. and as its picking up steam im starting to like the idea more and more. I just have a general fear about signing old WR's because we do it so often and it so rarely works out. if he comes here and feels like he is the missing piece for his first super bowl ring, then maybe he comes and plays harder than he ever has and is a superstar. he can still fly and he gets open, maybe he is a perfect piece for joe.

 

Im just waiting to see it "ex Panther Steve Smith in Ravens facilities, finalizing terms of contract"

I agree with you there, but we should definitely take a guy high up in the draft unless we think Omar Brown is a capable backup but I'm not sold. Someone in the 3rd or 4th would be nice.

problem there is.. i just dont see anyone in the draft i like at safety. maybe its just me personally but me, being a bama fan, oddly, would HATE to see us get clinton dix in the first, i consider him a mid 2nd rounder and more of a SS than a FS, and calvin pryor just doesnt stand out much more, 25-30 pick in my eyes. just not impressed at all by this safety class, and i dont see any better "value" picks in rounds 2 or 3 either

I had been focused on De La Puente, because I thought Mack was a pipedream. Perhaps he isn't ... but the question will be, will we be better off with Mack, or De La Puente, Owen Daniels and Steve Smith? 

 

Now, obviously, I don't know that signing Mack will prevent those two other signings, I just threw them out there as general examples, but you get my drift. Mack over De La Puente will cost us more and will therefore cost us a guy or two that we otherwise may get. 

 

But again - I think our approach is signaling that the FO isn't aligned with Birk's sentiment (that Gino is the guy for the future). 

with the re-signings we'll have to make next offseason, id much rather have de la puente. he is a solid starter, with an all pro guard and a potential all pro guard on the other side, then we dont need a stalwart all pro center, we will do more than fine with a far above average center. 

 

if we signed mack, id still be happy as all hell, but we have a future to think about with the smith brothers big payday's coming in a year. daryl smith, de la puente, and chris clemons, with any WR/TE draft combo of marqise lee/jordan matthews/brandin cooks and ASJ/friedorowicz/niklas would make this a perfect and ideal offseason in my eyes. 

Na they gave him a 5 year 25 million dollar contract. you don't pay someone that money and not have them start from day 1. Many players go in for visits because teams have interest, but I highly doubt the steelers sign him.

true, didn't know the contract details. still think we need to pull the trigger on clemons because i think he is hands down our best option, stop waiting around and make it happen

I don't know about that. If we sign Steve Smith, we have Jones, Smith, Smith, Marlon, and Mallette. If we do draft a WR, I doubt it would be high. He would be the 6th receiver on the depth chart. I would like to see us focus on our other needs, other then WR in FA.

so explain to me what makes it a better move to address our other holes in the draft, when those positions are all very weak in this draft? and no, a WR drafted in the first 2 rounds would not be the 6th on the depth chart, what gives you that idea? mellette has literally shown nothing besides a few 2nd half catches in the preseason, we have no idea if marlin brown continues to develop, he could very easily hit a sophomore slump, and jacoby jones has proven time and time again he is a excellent 4th option, and a viable 3rd option, but nothing more than that outside of a return man. even with steve smith, a 1st or 2nd rounder at WR in this draft is almost a lock to be at the very least the 4th option, and by the regular season, if we draft a pro ready guy like marquise lee or jordan matthews, they're probably our 3rd WR by the start of the season.

i understand us ravens fans like torrey and marlon brown and have high hopes for mellette, but to go into this season expecting them to be a top notch well rounded group, is just irresponsible on our FO's part. and with all the awesome talent at WR in this draft, why would we ever just ignore that position completely because we have "other needs"? especially when those needs are not as dire as WR. center is a big need, FS is a big need, but with a LT and a 120million$ QB with only 1 sure handed target, we need to give the guy some weapons, and not people that drop the balls and can only run posts and streaks.

FS, and C can all be addressed in FA, resign daryl smith, let rolando come back and give him a good look to see if he's ready to play again, draft late for depth, and double dip at a weapon for joe in rounds 1-3 getting a WR and big body TE.

I'm acutally alright with Smith, Brown & Jacoby as the top 3. I'm tired of bringing in vets that are pretty much done who always let us down and don't play their contract worth.

this. we aren't done with WR's and if we bring in steve smith, it might be a nice veteran presence to have and he brings a attitude to our WR corps, but we aren't going to settle with that. ozzie is gonna draft a WR, its all but certain. theres too wide a variety of talent in the draft at WR.