TXRavensFan

I would like to see Yanda retire a Raven as much as anyone, but unfortunately, there's always the business aspect and cap in the background. Ozzie has shown in the past that he's not willing to overpay a veteran player simply for sentiment, if they're pricing themselves over what the team is willing to pay (Reed, Ngata, etc), and one could see the Ravens asking themsleves if its better to lock up Yanda for the next 3-4 years or K.O. for potentially the next 10 years.

Haha...I do that all the time

Agreed. Just watched that video segment with him, and he definitely has a likeable personality - I'm really pulling for him to succeed. As a side note, is anyone getting tired of all the Pernell McPhee comparisons? It's like no one can say anything about Smith without bringing up McPhee. I understand he was drafted in part to replace McPhee (and the physical resemblance), but enough is enough. Let the guy make his own name and carve his own legacy.

Kind of reminiscent of another Raven - one who recently retired.

True, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they had Dupree ranked higher, just that he went first. For all we know, they had Dupree as the 26th player on their board (Perriman was 14/15), and if they were both on the board when the Ravens picked, they still would've gone with Perriman - it just turned out that Perriman was the last one still on the board for the pick. Also don't forget that during Harbaugh's call with Perriman, he said they were sweating out him be available for about 10 picks - well before the Steelers took Dupree.

Thought I'd post this article, since it says in print just about exactly what everyone outside of New England is thinking: Patriots 'Deflator' explanation simply a big fat joke Also saw this in another article, which kind of goes to show what kind of man Br*dy is: "If Brady’s four-game suspension sticks, or even is cut to two games, it will be interesting to see how Belichick handles the training-camp reps between Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo this summer. Brady hates to give up any first-team reps in practice, but Belichick is going to have to get Garoppolo ready... As the Patriots were getting blown out in the fourth game last season in Kansas City, Belichick benched Brady in the fourth quarter. When Garoppolo came in and threw the first TD pass of his career, he received high fives on the sidelines from many of his teammates, but not from Brady."

I've probably mentioned this here before, but anyways...Born and raised in the Baltimore area - Hamilton, Finksburg (used to live a few doors down from the head trainer of the Colts in the late 70s/early 80s), Glen Burnie, Locust Point. Then I lived in New Orleans for about 7 years, before coming back to the Edgewood/Bel Air areas...and finally here near San Antonio.

Let me rephrase...the Halas Trophy is awarded to the winner of the NFC Championship game - since the Ravens are in the AFC, they have never, nor will they ever (barring drastic realignment) hoist the Halas Trophy. On the other hand, the Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl. The Ravens hoisted that trophy after the 2000 and 2012 seasons.

Then again, the media typically deems the teams that go out and spend the most money bringing in big name free agents as the "offseason winners", despite the fact they typcally (as you say) don't do nearly as well as they thought. What's interesting is that despite the above, the front offices they deem the best typically don't do that, which creates a sort of paradox: when was the last time a franchise like the Ravens or Steelers or even Patriots "won" the offseason in the media's eyes, despite their continued on the field success? That's why I think this discussion is an interesting one, specifically talking about the small moves and "under-the-radar" signings that demonstrate the front office's deftness in creating a complete and talented roster (albeit the draft isn't "small"), or bringing in a solid coach, to play the game on Sundays. Plus, it's always cool to give Ozzie & crew their propers.

I was just about to post the article about AJ Feely, since I hadn't seen it on this thread yet.

That's the Lombardi Trophy, Danny...The Halas Trophy is for the NFC champion (like the Lamar Hunt trophy in the AFC).

Sorry to hear someone forced you to read this thread. While the games on the field are won by the players and coaches, I find it interesting to talk about the moves that the front office makes in order to provide the team with those players. Winning in the offseason has a direct bearing on winning on the field.

Exactly. While the formations were not illegal by the letter of the rule, using legal formations in a deceptive manner is against the rules - it's the same reason the Manziel "substitution" play was called back. Unfortunately, the Patriots not only deceived the Ravens, but the refs as well.

I wonder if they're still looking to add a cb now

Yep, just got the alert from the app...good signing - excellent in the nickel/slot and a solid backup on the outside.

Holy receptions, Batman, you're right, they're almost identical - down to the db flying in from the other side of the field at the last second.

Certainly possible, but given the sheer number of pro-patriot commenters that flood any article about deflate-gate as soon as it appears, regardless of the site, I think the former is more probable in this case.

So happy he's retiring a Raven...just as it should be. Glad to have you back JJ and best of luck to your in your retirement! One could make a great case that he belongs in the Ring of Honor.

I found this interesting from the comments section of that article: I have a radical idea. Don’t cheat, don’t employ cheaters and just follow the rules. All of you everyone else does it sound like my kids when they get in trouble. It doesn’t matter until you get caught. Up Votes 64 Down Votes 125 __________________________________ How is it anyone could down vote this thought? It doesn’t say the Pats or Brady cheated, it only says “don’t cheat, don’t employ cheaters and just follow the rules”. The fact that 125 people and counting would suggest that as a bad idea just shows how the fan base in Boston think. A bunch of cheaters. At first I disagreed with the sentiment by some that Kraft should be forced to sell…but based on this, I am starting to agree that Boston is not a place that should have a NFL team. LA Patriots?

Don't want to sound like I'm making excuses, but the texts in the Wells Report indicate that the biggest "payday" for "the deflator" was a few days before that game, so it seems likely they would have used that tactic (especially considering how well the Ravens play them up there). I'm not sure what kind of actual effect a deflated ball has during actual game play, but I can't help but wonder if Daniels catches that TD rather than bouncing off his hands if the ball was underinflated. If that's the kind of effect it has, then it gave the Patsies a real advantage.

Funny, when I was reading the parts about the fanboys and media cartels, it reminded me of your post as well! I admit, I was reading all of the Globe's articles as well and liked the Ben Volin article too. It was good to see that at least some people in Boston are realistic and can accept what happened (even if they don't like it)

One of the catches that impressed me was the 90 yard TD he caught from Bortles...specifically when he cuts inside from the sideline. You can see a db running at top speed from the middle of the field, with an angle on Perriman, and when the db gets close, he turns it back to the goal line and hits the jets, leaving the db unable to close. Not many receivers could change direction and gear up that fast.

To this point, I found several articles by Dan Shaunessy in the Boston Globe pretty interesting. Some snippets: "There is Patriot world, where everything is awesome, Bob Kraft is Gandhi, Bill Belichick is a god, and Tom Brady would never do anything to disgrace the uniform or the game. And there is the rest of the free-thinking world. Where reality lives. In Patriot world, the NFL is out to get you. Everybody is out to get you. It’s a conspiracy. It’s a sting. The Wells Report is ridiculously flawed. There are factual errors. The league was OK playing half of the AFC Championship game with footballs that might have not been inflated properly. The other 31 franchises are insanely jealous of the Patriots’ success. A couple of New England’s adult ball boys maybe went off the reservation, but all the evidence against the Patriots is circumstantial. The league has nothing. In the rest of the free-thinking world, the Patriots are liars and cheaters. They were caught red-handed in Spygate in 2007 and now the league has got them again. The Patriots intentionally and systematically deflated footballs, below legal limits, to accommodate Brady. They did it because they believed it gave them a competitive advantage (more completions, less fumbling, better play in bad weather — all Patriot trademarks). Brady knew about it, lied about it, then withheld information from the Wells investigators. The Patriots have done nothing to inspire mercy from Goodell since the report was released Wednesday. They have done what they always do. They have obstructed the investigation while they denied everything. They have pointed fingers and demanded apologies. They have tried to position themselves as victims. Brady’s suddenly available flyweight agent has been crying foul to every media outlet. Meanwhile, the Patriots’ formidable media cartel has been working overtime, poking holes in the report and defending the franchise against enemy forces." (http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/05/09/reality-not-looking-good-for-tom-brady-and-patriots/IGT3myWkYdZagI4FCzkHKJ/story.html?p1=Article_Trending_Most_Viewed) And: "Right up until the sanctions were levied Monday, there was still a belief around New England that the Patriots might escape harsh punishment. Kraft’s formidable media cartel and a legion of fanboys attacked and mocked the report and insisted that the league had nothing on the Patriots. For New England boosters, the eternal fallback was the alliance of Kraft and commissioner Roger Goodell. There was considerable belief that Goodell would go easy on his friend’s franchise. It went the other way. After a year of scandals, Goodell elected to pacify 31 other franchises by spanking the Patriots. He punished the Patriots for breaking the rules of competition and made it clear the league frowned on New England’s failure to fully comply with the investigation. In the end, New England was not well-served by its time-tested strategy of denying everything and flipping off the authorities. This is bad, folks. Your football dynasty is no longer credible. The Patriots are a punch line across America. Try wearing your Tedy Bruschi jersey next time you fly out of town." (http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/05/11/this-will-stick-with-tom-brady-and-patriots-forever/aB5111261JRSONSz17nLUI/story.html?p1=Article_InThisSection_Bottom)

Some people are under the delusion that they're better talent evaluators than Ozzie and the rest of Ravens' scouts and coaches.

Haha...now that was prophetic.