BOLDnPurPnBlacK

This is why we need Clemons, he's shown to be more than capable in deep coverage which gives him the versatility to play both spots at a high level. Theres no prime Ed Reed out there so I'll take solid and unspectacular over getting torched.

I haven't seen Clemons play at a high level in both spots but maybe you've seen more than I have. The games I watched he does just enough to not be exposed in coverage. I agree that Decoud isn't consistent, but I think he has more upside. Clemons you know what of you're getting but I don't like the fact that a lot of his strengths overlap with Elam's. Both are better closer to the line of scrimmage and Clemons just feels like another ihedigbo situation.

I'm probably under valuing Clemons coverage ability a bit with the ihedigbo comparison, but he doesn't fit ozzies description of what he's looking for at the position. Decoud may not consistently fit the description but he's at least sheen the potential to do so.

I don't understand the Clemons love. He can go either way bc he can cover pretty well, but is better suited as a SS.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more love for Decoud (unless he got signed already and I missed it). He had a down year but is only 1 yr removed from a pro bowl nod and 8 INTs (maybe it was only 6?).

Either way he's closer to the rangy, center fielder with ball skills that Ozzie described. He'll likely be cheaper too. I think we're just waiting for someone else to set his market, which the longer it goes without developing - the cheaper he'll come.

He's certainly not a sure thing but he can compete with Omar Brown and brings pro bowl potential and play-making ability.

He also leaves us enough cap flexibility to aggressively pursue Alex Mack or de la puente should that fall through. We should also then have the money to make a few depth signings either at cb, d line, oline, wr or rb and truly go BPA in the draft.

Hakeem Nicks went to Indy for 1 yr, $3.5 mill - not sure what the guarantee is. Love the Steve Smith signing, but shoot I would have taken jumped on Nicks for that deal even if it is just a 1 year rental - not instead of Smith, but in addition to.

I'd still like to see us take a WR in the 1st 3 rounds. If mike Evans is sitting there at 17 I wouldn't pass him up. I think he's going to be an absolute stud. I don't think he's all that far behind Watkins and Evans has much more room to grow. He'll get by on sheer talent and physicality for a year or 2 and he can develop his route running skills and ability to read coverages he'll be an all-pro.

But that's for a different thread.

Torrey is a lock on the outside. I see Smith doing most of his work in the slot. Marlon Brown has the potential to take the next step but it may be just as likely that defenses now know him and he could regress a bit as he develops - so that's a question mark. Jacoby will give us some big plays but at this point he is what he is. We can't rely on him to be a consistent impact (not that he was even brought back to be). Behind that we have nothing but question marks. Drafting a guy in the 1st or 2nd could give us a great target, but it also could give us a player that needs to develop and for now another question.

With Pitta we know what we're getting but behind Torrey it's still largely unknown - but the good news is there's a lot of talent in a lot of unknowns. Chances are good that at least 2 will step up and become solid weapons. But I'd still like to add another cheap vet in FA with the upside of being a #1 even if the downside is cutting him.

I would love to bring either Kenny Britt, Holmes, Sidney Rice or even a Miles Austin. With each of them it's much more likely they do nothing but we now have the depth to be able to afford the risk. But each of them has the talent to be game changers and enough baggage to be had at or near the vet minimum with no guarantee.

Yes, it'd be another and even bigger question mark.... But by sheer numbers and talent it increases the likelihood that one of the questions gets answered in a big way. They each have been cast out and have played well when having something to prove - let them prove it here.

And Jimmy Smith

Wow how'd I forget that. Well there we go, 4 Ravens... Same last name. That's the formula for another Super Bowl.

don't count that out he still here as we speak NOW!

Eric Edholm ‏@Eric_Edholm 3 hrs

The #Ravens are running the four-corners offense, trying to keep Steve Smith in town and away from other teams. Still in Baltimore.

Hahaha was getting ready to call myself out on that one... Definitely spoke too soon. But this is one I'm happy to be wrong on.

Welcome Steve Smith!

We now have Steve Smith, Torrey Smith and Daryl Smith. I seem to remember another Ravens team having 3 players and a coach with the same last name (Lewis) and I think we all know how that turned out!

Lets lock up a vet center and get ready for the draft baby

Dude has played like a Raven for years. A very welcome addition but I'm interested to see the cap implication for this year to see if we can still make a run at Mack and potentially Clemons or another outside WR on the cheap with high upside like Britt or Holmes.

Doubting anything happens with Steve Smith today. With him saying things like hes looking forward to kicking back, relaxing and enjoying some coffee... and also looking forward to a few free dinners - tells me he's in no rush to sign and wants to enjoy his first experience being courted by other teams.

He may make up his mind today, but doubt he'd sign. Strikes me as a guy who likes the attention he's getting from the media, fans on twitter, and from teams. Plus he most likely does want to truly visit each interested team to check out the environment, hear their offer and make the best decision for his career and life after football.

Don't hold your breath, but then again who knows.

I am really thinking that we not only get Smith for the slot and 3rd/4th down and short passing downs, but we still end up picking up a wide receiver in the draft in one of the first 2 rounds.  The center position would be best solidified with a veteran but we may still find a decent center in the later rounds to come in and complete for Gino.  As for Mack, the only way we get him is that we (to quote my Sicilian ancestors) would need to "make him an offer he can't refuse."  That would give us stability on the OL with Monroe and Mack both inked for the next few years.  Unfortunately, this would just about eliminate the possibility of upgrading other areas of need through free agency (e.g. RT, FS, TE).  If that was the case, then we may just try to get Ebron in the first round.  Don't forget that we will still need to sign our draft picks, too.

The more the Browns continue to spend, the more likely it is we could get Mack for a more reasonable price. I think either way - in order to get him we'll have to overpay a bit - but to solidify our biggest weakness with a pro bowler in the prime of his career would be great. With Monroe, KO, Mack, Yanda, and player to be named later, the o-line would go from our biggest weakness to quite possibly our biggest strength.

With the Saints spending up their little cap space, de la Puente is a great 2nd option. I prefer Mack unless signing him would eliminate the possibility of resigning Daryl Smith. If we somehow could get Mack and Smith, I think we'll put ourselves right back in the super bowl hunt.

Smith, Smith and Mack and id consider our free agency an A+

This is my concern. If flacco messes up steve smith isnt the kind of guy flacco would want on the team because he will call him out. He would do so on the bench as well, where normaly flacco gazes into space when hes having a bad game. This is my concern for flacco. For me? I LOVE IT..flacco needs a kick up his backside if he isnt playing well and steve smith is the perfect guy to do it

I agree with you on the fact that steve smith will act that way, but I don't know that Flacco would dislike it. In fact, I think Flacco thrives on being called out and having to prove someone wrong.

2 years ago in the playoffs he was called out publicly by Ed Reed... he then went on to put the team on his back and shred the Patriots D to within a dropped pass and missed FG of going to his 1st super bowl.

Anquan was also never one to keep his mouth shut. I never got the impression that he and Joe had a bad relationship. That sort of fire was sorely missing on offense last year, and while steve smith may call people out hes also accountable and raises his level to match. It's one thing to call someone out and throw them under the bus as an excuse for your own poor play - its entirely different when you tell it like it is and then go to battle for that same guy come game day.

I think Smith and Joe would work very well together and their leadership styles would be the perfect balance. Smith will lead with fire, passion and accountability while Joe keeps everyone grounded and will reign that passion back in so the moment doesn't get too big.

Smith isn't the answer to our offensive woes, but if we can get the other pieces in place on the line I think he can be what puts us over the top. I'd still like to see us add either Kenny Britt or Holmes as cheap boom or bust signings, and draft a WR/TE in the first 2 rounds.

My question to you is, why do the Ravens consistently meddle with non drafted Wide receivers? Am I suppose to trust the likes Mellette, Brown, and Deonte Thompson? My thing is just get better skilled players to develop with Flacco, instead of trying to hit the jackpot on a college free agent Wr.

Because other teams consistently over value the position in the draft. If there's a player they value on the board when their turn to draft comes around im confident they'll take the player.

Their interest in several FA wr's shows that they don't trust the likes of Mellette, Brown or Thompson either. And now that they're looking into a proven vet like Steve Smith you knock it on the basis that it will take reps away from the young receivers that Joe needs to grow with? Seems like a contradiction unless I'm misunderstanding you.

And besides, it doesn't matter where the player was drafted (especially with WR's historically) as long as he can play. I'll take an undrafted Marlon Brown over 90% of the other receivers in his draft class. Besides, it looks to me like we're going to hit on a FS and WR/TE in the 1st 2 rounds of the draft. I think if Mike Evans is there at 17 we take him.

If not I think we'll trade back 5-8 spots and take our pick of Pryor, Clinton-Dix, Ebron, Benjamin, Cooks, Beckham, Lee or whoever else they may value. My gut says it would be Pryor or Clinton-Dix in the 1st if this scenario plays out because of how many talented receivers will still be on the board come the 2nd round where we could use the extra pick(s) to trade up in the 2nd if needed to land the guy they covet. It's very possible that 3-4 WR's will still be around in the 2nd round that in most classes would have 1st round grades.

And just as an added tidbit, our scouts aren't just looking at this year, they're always scouting for future as well. With that in mind, while WR was a position of need last year, it just wouldn't have been sound decision-making to reach on a WR last year early in the draft when you know the following year (this year) you can likely land a much better prospect with a lower draft pick.

See what people don't understand is, he is another stop gap player who will leave Joe Flacco in a year or two. I'm tired of the Ravens doing that. We need someone who will grow a develop along side Flacco, instead of getting rentals. I rather have Eldeman than Steve Smith at this point of their careers.

I think Edelman will require too much financial investment for a guy who we're not sure if his skill set translates to our offense. The reality is that Flacco's strength is not precision, timing passing on short to intermediate routes.

You're right about Steve Smith being a stop gap, but he can help our team for 2 years while which gives us the freedom to bring Brown and Mellette along slowly and also develop a high draft pick this year. We don't have to force a guy on the field if hes not ready.

And if he is ready you play him right away bc you haven't committed too much financially. Edelman you have to play right away and you're stuck with him for at least 2-3 years.

Id rather go the route of Steve Smith, another FA like Holmes or Britt and then a 1st or 2nd round draft pick.

I'm hoping he gets released soon, and then immediately after we get news that we've signed him to a 2 year,$8 million contract with 3-4 guaranteed. He plays like a Raven and at this stage in his career I think is a perfect fit for the slot. Great route runner, has lost some of his speed but still very quick, one of the strongest pound-for-pound receivers in the league and makes tough catches. He's also a fiery leader, which would be a great balance with Joe's leadership.

But I don't think we should stop there. I'd like to see us add 2-4 more receivers, at least 2 vets with red flags who can come cheap with high upside and another draft pick or 2. Instead of banking on 1 or 2 guys to work out I want us to grab a bunch bc odds are 1 or 2 will stick and play really well.

So lets get Steve Smith and then potentially add Kenny Britt, Santonio Holmes, or someone like a Danario Alexander depending on their price tags and then draft someone in the 1st 2 rounds and another raw prospect at the back of the draft.

We should be able to add at least 1 of those guys in addition to Steve Smith for the vet minimum or close to it.

Looking to me like were goin to try and address center, wr, and mlb in free agency in that order and then hit FS in the draft.

I'm seeing a trade back into the early to mid 20's and grabbing Pryor or Clinton-Dix and then taking a wr in the 2nd.

Daryl Smith and a center (either Mack or de la puente) are the 2 most important pieces right now. That would give us the flexibility to do whatever in the draft after hitting on FS in the 1st.

I'm feeling like us getting Steve smith is a foregone conclusion. I think he wants to be here and since he's due $3mill from Carolina he'll be cheap.

If we can't land Daryl and a center I'm going to be really worried headed into the season.

Rolando McClain and Omar brown are 2 players that are intriguing wild cards right now that I think have the potential to take positions I'm perceiving as a weakness right now and give us the freedom to spend and vastly upgrade the offense. Can't rely on it though.

Captain Munnerlyn isn't a bad CB he is a physical player? I wonder how much cap he would command?

Is Munnerlyn physical? I haven't watched enough to know but he didn't seem that way to me. Seemed to me like he relies more on ball skills than physicality. Pretty small guy too I think.

He makes a lot of huge plays that can swing a game, but from what I've seen he also can get exposed when trying to make a play. I see him as a nickel guy in the slot.

I think he's too similar to Webb. Good player with talent but a bit redundant in my opinion. I'd like to see us get a bigger corner who thrives on the outside.

Potential scenario I could see playing out - eagles make a play for Revis and if they land him they cut Cary Williams. In that hypothetical would anyone be interested in bringing him back for the right price?

Didn't think wed miss him but hate to say that we did. And with the emergence of jimmy would be a great 3rd cb who could let Webb slide into the slot in Nickel and sub packages.

My goodness if we sign Smith....

WR 1 Torrey Smith

WR 2 Steve Smith

TE Dennis Pitta

Slot Marlon Brown

Plus Rice and Pierce in the backfield... in Kubiak's system? Talk about fixing our offensive woes from last year.

I'm with you on being excited about Steve smith, think it would be a great signing, but not the line up you show.

Steve smith in the slot over marlon brown. He's said he wants to move into the slot. He's lost a bit on the outside but with his quickness, route running, strength, hands and ability after the catch he is going to be a beast in the slot.

And I think browns best spot will be on the outside as he learns to fight for the ball in the air and cleans up his route running.

But I just think you lose something from both players in the arrangement you give.

Plus his deal probably isn't what it looks like. His cap hit this year will probably only be like $1.8 mill and next year will be like $2.5 mill tops.

Then he gets cut. It's a good deal.

I hear those saying we could've got Holliday for the same thing but he offers nothing as a receiver and you don't know that he'd sign for the vet min. Plus Jacoby is well liked and respected in the locker room, and most importantly has experience in this offense.

I'm sure some will downplay the importance of that but continuity through this transition is going to be important. Continuity with Joe is going to be important. And having a receiver in the meeting room and on the training ground who knows what Kubiak is lookin for and knows how to translate it in language and terms the existing guys understand will be a big asset as we transition to this new offense.

It's a good deal, not a great one, but I don't buy for a second that Holliday and a late round pick would have been the better option. We're not done at receiver.

Melton? he's a 3 tech tackle coming off a knee reconstruction.

Which is why I think he'll potentially come cheap and has the potential to be dominant as hes shown flashes of in the past. He could play the 3 tech in our 4-3, and I think he could be successful as a sort of modified 0 tech in our 3-4 bc of the talent in our front 7 with Canty, ngata, suggs and doom coming off the edges.

He doesn't have prototypical size and may not be able to handle 2 gap assignments against the run, but there are plenty of teams now who have their 0 tech only responsible for 1 gap especially when they're quick, athletic and have especially high pass rushing prowess. Wade Phillips does this all the time.

He's only 27 and could come cheap and I like his upside. He'd give us versatility with our fronts, and would give us more pressure up the middle, something we've been missing lately. I think the lack of a threat to bring pressure up the middle is why our pas rush suffered so much at the end of the year. They keyed on doom and suggs and that was it. Ngata wasn't getting it done and Cody is nothing more than a blob, zero pass rushing ability.

Im all for bringing in players with talent and adapting scheme to fit them as opposed to saying hey hes not a traditional 0 tech, he doesn't fit what we do.

EDIT: the knee construction is a legitimate concern, but like I said, im only interested if its minimal financial commitment.

I'm starting to think we're looking at either Pryor or Clinton-Dix with our first pick in the draft. I think Pryor would be a great pick there.

Other than maybe Clemons I just don't see any FS left on the market who solidify the position for us.

I'm thinking we may also look at a NT/DT type of guy in FA... At the right price the guy from Chicago would be a great pick up and would allow ngata to go to DE.

Thinking about ideas for safety - I've got 2 possible ones. Sign a cheap vet and truly give Omar brown a shot...

Or similarly we could sign a corner and play Wevb at FS in the base package and slide him into the slot with Brown going to FS in nickel and sub packages.

Maybe look at a Cromartie or DRC since the Broncos signed Talib.

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Completely unrelated, what type of deal do you think Revis, Peppers, and Ware will attract? Ware might be overkill but if explore any opportunity to add that level of talent for a decent price whether he's declining or not.

And before the negative comments come rolling in I'm not thinking we have a shot at Peppers or Revis, I'm truly just interested in what their value will be in this market. I can't see them getting huge contracts with so many teams having filled their need and I don't see either wanting to go to any of the teams with money at this point in their careers.

Again I don't think we're a potential landing spot, but I don't think they'll cost as much as some might think. Thoughts on the type of contract they might get?

I'd be all for bringing in Owen Daniels so long as the money's right. He was due over $6 million this year, so idk if he'd be willing to accept something in the $1-2 million range, but if so its a no brainer. But coming off an injury I wouldn't commit long term or anything more than that.

The crazy thing about him, and I always forget this, is that he's still only 25 years old. I feel like he's been around forever, has now taken an entire year off, and still has so much of his football life ahead of him to continue to improve and develop.

I'm actually very optimistic that this is going to work out wonderfully for both the team and him. I just have a gut feeling that he's going to come back ready to roll and seize this opportunity. And if he is able to reach his potential, we've got a possibly dominant player on our hands.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Oakland wasn't a schematic fit for him. If he comes back for us, he's going to be on a much better team, that's fits his talents better, and hopefully now mature enough to realize the opportunity he has to be the best he can be. I'm really rooting for the kid.

Even if he only becomes a rotational player and is average, it's not going to be very hard for him to live up to the value of his current contract.

Michael Bush cut by the Bears. Might be an interesting guy to add to our backfield as a bigger, stronger back. Of course, depends on price.