fusuymada

I don't totally disagree with you but I do know that a Bengals reporter from the Bengals team website stated that about 75% of the Bengals fanbase didn't want Mixon either, but if he is instrumental in them winning a playoff game, he will be the most popular person in Cincinnatti. Unfortunately, Ravens fans would be the same way if we drafted him and he helped us win regardless of his background, they would embrace him. People can say no they wouldn't, but they know they would.

I have to say I chuckled to read your comment. I think Bisciotti is happy with mediocrity and I don't think any of our coaches are on the hot seat regardless of what the pundits and fans say.

Lets go out and grab some WR's after teams cut down to 53 like we did with TJ Whosyourmama and Lee Evans, oh, thats right, one cost us a shot at a championship game and the other cost us a shot at a super bowl. Yep, not addressing your needs in free agency or the draft means you get someone that no one else wanted (and they are not wanted for a reason). But, that seems to be our MO here recently, take people no one else wants, draft poorly and expect a super bowl. Such a strategy leads to missing the playoffs 3 of the last 4 years. Too funny...

Exactly. I'm not sure why this Boldin pipe dream keeps gaining more momentum. The Boldin pipe dream comes from the fact that very few people believe our WR's will surprise anyone, and that based on who is out there, he is the best remaining (unless you want to take a chance on an oft injured Victor Cruz). It isn't so much a love affair as a last resort. I am in the group that thinks that we have seen the best of Perriman, Wallace is streaky, Chris Moore has shown nothing, Campanaro can't stay on the field, and neither can the majority of our tight ends who constitute the walking injured as far as I am concerned. Every TE has missed an entire year or multiple games, every single one, either injured or suspended. Other than Wallace, I don't see a reliable every down receiver on this team. Just my opinion.

I do not believe that going all defense in free agency and the draft(except for a couple late round O lineman) and is not consistent with how the rules of the game have changed and how other successful teams are handling free agency and the draft. However, I will say basically that it seems Bisciotti is happy with mediocrity. He will say pretty much he doesn't know much about the football stuff and he leaves it to those who know, however, I would hope he is smart enough to realize his offense was 24th in the league and has done virtually nothing in free agency, when quality players were out there and the draft is suspect this year regardless of the high grades we received. Let remember, after drafting Elam and Brown we got an A+ grade from most of the pundits and how did that turn out. Draft grades mean nothing for three years and everyone will tell you that. Hopefully I am wrong but I don't think I am but I will be silent and spew no more negativity till we see how some of these guys turn out. Later folks.

At this point in time I am done listening to the Ravens press conferences, reading the web site, etc... when it comes to the draft because many years into this escapade, they do nothing but lie. Why waste one second listening to what they say because what they say and what they do have not meshed in 15 years. Maybe they are fooling people, but most teams arent fooled as I can think of about 30 teams who drafted better than we did and only Chicago was more of a laughing stock in articles after the draft than the Ravens. Don't shoot the messenger but everyone not listed in LFW, which pulled out the more favorable reviews, their grade was anywhere from a C- to an F. "In Ozzie we Bust"

Have to agree with you. Listening to the press conference when Jerry Coleman asked Ozzie if he though Humphrey was a pro-bowler as O.J. Howard, who was still on the board certainly would be (that was Colemans assumption not mine), Ozzie responded with "he will come in and compete with the other 3 guys." When do you draft this early in the first round for someone who isn't good enough to start from day 1, straight up and has to compete. I just don't get it. Harbaugh says we are building a great defensive team. Hey John, the 1990's called and want their strategy back. The rules have changed to favor strong offenses and punish strong, hard-hitting defenses. I used to be a hard core Ozzie and Harbaugh defender but they are making it harder and harder every single draft to do so. Guess that explains missing the playoffs 3 of the last 4 years and the only reason we went in 2004 was because Kubiak was able to provide a STRONG offense. (See how that works guys). Wouldn't it be sweet if we could coax Kubiak out of retirement, that was the last time we had a taste of a good offense.

I have to believe we didn't grab Reuben Foster because with Ozzie's connections he had inside info we don't have but O.J. Howard was a huge miss. After just signing Carr this was the last first round pick I thought we could make. Granted with the Bengals grabbing Ross to go with A.J Green and Martavius Bryant back along side of Brown, we definitely need corners. To me this says volumes about the feelings the Ravens have about Jimmy Smith's durability and if we had to draft a CB to cover for him then why did we give him all that money. I know there are more picks left but round 2 and 3 have been Ozzies weakest in recent drafts by far. I have heard more negative talk regarding Ozzie in the last 2 years than in the 15 before. Is "In Oz we Trust" more drinking the purple Kool-Aid than being realistic anymore. When the curtain falls and the Wizard of Oz is exposed in the movie as being less than the grand image displayed, everyone is shocked. I think in real life we need to be less shocked now that the curtain has fallen and our downward draft spiral continues to be exposed.

There will be effective offensive linemen to trip over when teams cut down to 53 and their need at right tackle could be filled by a veteran left tackle who is cut for younger talent and can be gotten cheaply. I still think that Nick Mangold will drop his asking price and will sign with the Ravens as it seems that there is little or no interest. If not I think they plan on Ryan Jensen filling in. The Ravens can grab a center later in the draft and if he doesnt work out there is always Mangold. I do agree the offensive line is important, but its not like we can find another Mike Williams or Corey Davis walking the street like we will be able to find a good O lineman. Ravens need a playmaker on offense to kickstart this streaky offense. We need someone who can move the chains. We have speed on the outside but we need a receiver who will fight for the ball or a top rated running back to fill that spot left by Ray Rice that we have yet to fill at that talent level.

And the same story is written about every franchise every year. If the biggest knock on our schedule this year is that we have to play the Steelers AT HOME after a London game, you're pretty much acknowledging that our schedule is favorable. And obviously we CAN afford to lose a game to a division rival. We do it every year, including years where we won the SB and were SB contenders. The idea of any team in our division going 6-0 frankly seems kind of silly at this point, and I would expect fans to know better by now. 5-1 is even a stretch in the last decade or so. When was the last time another franchise started the season with 5 away games. The only other team was the Ravens... Yes I think when you finish out of the running your season is going to be easier because you will face teams consistent with your last season. We also have our bye week right after a Sunday game following a Thursday so we will have two weeks off after just having 12 days off. Yes every team can complain about their schedule, but I pointed out items that other teams didn't have to contend with and your snarky comment doesn't address the points I put forward, it was simply meant to be condescending but noting your other comments, you seem to believe you are smarter than everyone else and the expert here based on your personal assessment of yourself.

I would have preferred the bye in week 4 or a non-divisional game rather than playing the Steelers at home. That means it will be a short week for the Ravens, tons of travel, AND a home game against the Steelers which could decide who gets the division crown because we can't afford to lose either game to a division rival, home or away. Since it is obvious the away game would be tougher to win than the home game, even the away game would have been preferable to being beat down before one of the most important games of the season at home. I guess that was the NFL's way of saying if you want input into the schedule then we are going to get you one way or the other. If not starting the season with 5 away games, or getting a ridiculous bye, the NFL has had it out for the Ravens with the schedule since game 1 in Baltimore. Year after year, season after season, the NFL sticks it to the Ravens. I'm sure there is a story just writing about how many times the NFL shafted us with the schedule.

I would like to think they will grab a top receiver in the draft but the mere fact it is printed in huge letters on the top of a Ravens website article makes me think there is no plan to draft a wide receiver early and this is just a little subterfuge. I believe Mel Kiper or Gil Brandt just did a mock that didn't have the Ravens selecting a WR at all in this draft. I think that is the more likely scenario. If this was actually their plan, they wouldn't advertise it on their team website. I don't think Ozzie will trade down based on the comments of Eric DeCosta regarding how talent has dropped off in later rounds because other teams are getting better at drafting as well. Trading down under that scenario would make no sense. Where we have done great on first rounders (excluding Elam), our 2nd and 3rd rounders are hit and miss and more on the miss.

I guess it is hard for people to grasp who does what job in the Ravens hierarchy. I guess I can envision twenty or thirty interviews where Ozzie clearly states that he gets input from everyone, including Harbaugh but ultimately, all decision reside with him. The Ravens failure under Harbaugh has more to do with how we draft and the players that Harbaugh has, than from the coach drafting, kicking out or signing players. Ever since the "revolt" of 2012, people have been on this Harbaugh kick out "type A" players kick, which Steve Smith Sr has proven is just garbage. (Not to mention Harbaughs wanting to reacquire Boldin, which he would not do if he had a problem with him.) An article on this site a week or so ago really states my point where Eisenberg did an interview with Eric DeCosta and Eric was clear in the explanation that just 5 years ago, the Ravens could count on getting great players late in the draft, because other teams were just bad at drafting players. Routinely, DeCosta stated, that at the end of their draft, several of their top 100 players hadn't even been drafted, BUT, here recently, as teams have improved their drafting abilities, no longer are there great players overlooked late in the draft, they are all gone. It is clear, with that explanation, as to just why the Ravens and their drafts have been less than stellar as compared to Ozzie's drafts earlier in the Ravens existence. Its not that the Ravens have gotten bad at the draft or that Harbaugh just wants robots, it is that the other teams have gotten better, putting pressure on the Ravens to find new ways to get better than everyone else. I believe Ozzie has determined recently that 12 draft picks don't do you any good if 8 of those you have to cut so Ozzie has concentrated more on free agents and moving in the draft to get players and not picks. I will never convince the Harbaugh naysayers who are banging the drum of getting rid of him that their arguments don't hold water and are just based on personal bias, but they will continue to follow their hearts instead of their heads. If someone believes the world is flat, you just have to shake your head and laugh. I think this upcoming draft will prove my point even more.

The days of trading back and accumulating picks has passed for the new era of playmakers who get drafted in the first and second round of the draft. The Browns accumulated a bazillion picks last year and how did they do. Same with the Ravens in the season they were 5-11. The article that Eisenberg wrote earlier this week regarding how DeCosta was talking about how the Ravens used to be really good at the draft and other teams would notoriously make bad picks making it so the Ravens could grab a lot of skilled players late in the draft with all those draft picks gets right to the point. According to DeCosta, now teams are much better at the draft and all those great picks that used to be there late that the Ravens used to get ARE NO LONGER THERE. Therefore, accumulating picks in the later rounds of the draft to get players that both Eisenberg and DeCosta said wouldn't be there is not only stupid, it is a decision that should get you fired. Clearly if Ozzie trades back he is at odds with what DeCosta said and is showing he is outdated and is not adjusting to the new NFL. I don't believe that and therefore I don't believe that Ozzie will trade back BUT if he does for the reasons listed above, he needs replaced. When you start cutting players you draft in the 5th round like we did with "Snacks" Myers, then we are clearly showing we no longer hold any edge in the draft and to get that edge back, Ozzie needs to change how he is doing things. That change needs to be that we are moving up to get playmakers not moving back to get picks that end up getting cut before the season starts.

With regard to Joe's "greedy contracts", remember that his Super Bowl-winning contract was back-loaded, and as such Flacco had the following "cap hits" during these seasons: 2013 -- $6.8M (5.32% of team cap, lower than Suggs $13M, Ngata $11.5M, and Yanda $7.45M); 2014 -- $14.8 mil (11.85% of cap; also on team - Ngata $14M, Yanda $8.45M, Suggs $7.8M, Webb $7.5M); 2015 -- $14,55M (10.30% of cap; also on team - Webb $9.25M, Monroe $7.7M, Dumervil $7.375M, Yanda $6.98M, Pitta $6.2M). Flacco's cap hit was supposed to be $28.55M in 2016, $31.15M in 2017, and $24.75M in 2018; with his restructured deal, the new cap hits are $22,55M in 2016 (also on team - Webb $9.5M, Suggs $7.45M, Dumervil $7.375M), $24.55M in 2017 (also on team - J. Smith $12.6M, Yanda 9.125M, Wallace $8M, and Suggs $6.95M), and $24.75M in 2018 (also $26.5M in 2019, $28.25M in 2020, and $24.25M in 2021). Compare Flacco's cap hits to Matt Ryan, drafted #3 in the same 2008 draft: 2011 -- Ryan $13.25M cap hit (10.45% of team cap), Flacco $5.725M (4.81%); 2012 -- Ryan $13.5M hit (10.63%), Flacco $8M (6.03%); 2013 -- Ryan $9.6M hit (7.86%), Flacco $6.8M (5.32%); 2014 -- $17.5M hit (13.16%), Flacco $14.8M (11.85%); 2015 -- Ryan $19.5M hit (14.31%); 2016 -- Ryan $23.75M hit (15.3%), Flacco $22.55M (14.94%); 2017 -- Ryan $23.75M (13.96%), Flacco $24.55M (14.48%). [numbers courtesy of sportrac.com] Flacco definitely needs to step up his game, but who has had more postseason success, he or Ryan? Before this year's trip to the Super Bowl (a legendary loss with a big 2nd half lead helped by someone taking a big sack...), the Falcons had missed the playoffs the previous three seasons and had gone 1-4 in the playoffs since 2008, this despite the presence of receivers Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez, and Roddy White... Problem is with fans is that they live in the past. What Flacco did 2 or 3 years ago means nothing to me and means nothing to people who analyze players in the NFL. It TRULY is a what have you done for me lately league. Rarely do players skill sets drop off in any given year and then they come back the next 3 or 4 years and are pro bowlers. Recent history with a player is a GREAT indication of how they will play in the future. The only slack I give Flacco is that he was coming off an ACL tear which you could clearly see caused him mobility issues and even when he was better, by lugging around that knee brace, he was quite inhibited. However, Flacco has never been an accurate passer, thus his ratings are always in the bottom half of the league. Add to it his injuries and we had a QB that wouldn't start on most teams in the league. My opinion on Flaccos Cap hit is that he sees what it is doing to the team, he knows he isn't producing at that level but Joe is a Joe guy and thats his money and he has every right to it. However, a team player like Brady, Manning, Brees etc... were in that position and they volunteered to take pay cuts to bring in the talent they needed to win. I don't think Joe even cares enough about winning to care about the talent around him. If I had just raked in 100 million and 50 mil after taxes, and I had invested the money properly, I wouldn't need to keep soaking my team and putting them at a competitive disadvantage. Granted, he signed a contract that was given to him but thats on the front office. What Dak Prescott has taught me, the same thing that Flacco taught me in his first three years, your QB if given time can be a stud. Dallas put Prescott and Elliott behind the best line in the league and it showed. The Ravens put Flacco behind one of the worst lines in the league and IT showed. An average QB with a great O-line will get you to the playoffs every time. So Ozzie should have invested in KO, kept Tyrod Taylor, Let Joe walk, and our team would have been considerably better. Not because of Tyrod, but because we would have had the money to get a good O-Line like when Joe first started and didn't eat up the salary cap allowing the team to put studs around Taylor.

With Ozzie declaring another free agent will be signed before the draft, PFT believes it is Lardarius Webb returning as a more likely candidate for that signing than Mangold.

PFT had an article that said the Ravens are close to a deal to bring Lardarius Webb back in some capacity. Not sure how I feel about that where I love Webb I just don't know that there is much there to help us. However, if he can be gotten for a vet minimum, his ability to field punts might just be worth that.

My thought on anything free agent or draft related is that you absolutely ignore anything said coming from Winning Drive. Fans want to know the plan but so does every other team and putting out "information" for the fans is basically just bs. So, go with your gut feeling. To me, there is just too much WR talk meaning that we probably will be disappointed again and we will end up picking up someone's leftovers after they cut down to 53. After all, look how well TJ Whosyourmama and Lee Evans turned out so that has to be a great tactic. They both only cost us a shot at a super bowl. However, in all fairness, I was on board with both signings when they happened and if they sign Boldin at the last minute, I will probably be on board with that too. I know, In Oz I trust, too bad he isn't perfect.

Mangold came and went. Typically, once they leave, they don't sign.

Agreed. Look at Correa's performance last year and when you have a second rounder, you expect someone who is going to spend a lot of time on the field if not injured and he wasnt injured. Once again, in the second and third rounds, the ravens FO and scouts have failed us again (and again and again). The old trade back to get more picks so we can get extra people with those picks that we eventually have to cut is just a poor strategy. You can only keep 52 and I would rather trade up and have a few really really good players than 15 of which 14 don't ever see the field. The old philosophy of being successful in the draft by getting more picks and accumulating comp picks is no longer an effective strategy. How many picks did Cleveland have last year, like 20, and they were like 1-15 or 0-16. All those draft picks did them absolutely no good like all those draft picks we get do us no good. Hopefully, soon we will learn.

With all those tight ends one would think we would try to trade one of those for an offensive lineman or wide receiver. However, other than Pitta, none of them really amounted to much last year, Watson had one great year but has just been good outside his break out year with the Saints two years ago, Williams was another wasted high round draft pick, Like someone else commented, maybe Waller is that big guy who can be "Boldin-Like" at wide receiver and as Harbaugh said, Boyle could be utilized as a fullback. Move Waller to WR, ditch Williams and Pitta, Watson, Boyle and Gilmore could all make the team taking into consideration that PItta can still be fragile, Watson is recovering from an achilles tear, Gilmore has never been reliable and hopefully Boyle stays away from PEDs. Because of all those TEs with their own personal issues, you almost have to keep all four and maybe even Williams too.

Its hard to get a team to agree to trading a wide receiver for a defensive lineman of the same value straight up because the positions are not equally valued as is represented by the franchise tag cost of the different positions. Jernigan is considered a defensive Tackle not a Defensive end like Suggs who would be considered an end because of being in a 3-4. To take into consideration the value of Jernigan to get a receiver that another team would be willing to trade, wouldn't be of sufficient value to the Ravens. To trade Jernigan would get a player along the lines of a Kamar Aiken, which to the Ravens would not be a good trade. That is why player trades come in the form of draft picks because every GM thinks they can find a diamond in the rough who they can lock into a 5 year low cost contract as a draft pick.

There certainly are a number of holes on the offense, at least 4 I can count. Center, right tackle, fullback and #1 reciever. Where you are correct we need some swag at wide reciever, we also need some aggressiveness from our front office. We need to go get the players in the draft we want instead of the typical mentallity of we will sit still and see what falls to us and if it's not good enough we will trade back for more picks where the quality of player just keeps dropping. For every 6th round Tom Brady there are 50 Johnny Manziels, Vince Youngs and JaMarcus Russels. Go get a top ranked player. When we have picked early we have always done well. Let's stop this wide reciever merry go round of failure and jump up and grab a superstar. We need Ozzie to be as aggressive as the WR you propose we need.

To shore up the pass rush we might want to re-acquire Arthur Jones who was released by the Colts but who had done exceptionally well in the system here in Baltimore. Baltimore wanted to keep Jones initially but couldn't match the numbers the Colts offered him. Now may be the time to get him at a cost close to the vet minimum (due to his suspension), since there appears to be limited interest in him. You know, he did quite well in the Ravens system and since Pees is still running it, would probably do just as well. The Colts tried to get Jones to play every down and the Ravens never expects that of any of their D linemen knowing that having a rotation is the best way to keep them fresh and help avoid injuries. For a little more than a vet minimum, he may be just the answer to the outside pass rush off the D line that we have been unable to get with the guys we have placed there. Also with the loss of Lawrence Guy, here is the man who had the job before we had to go get Guy and he did a darn good job of it.

I said for four years while Pitta was out that we had a great talent in Juszczyk and we totally underutilized him. Aiken didn't make it on several teams and in his entire career he had one season where he had almost 1000 yard season and the best he can ever hope for is a 3rd or 4th receiver. Juszxzyk however, was another Danny Woodhead but better. He can run as well, is a better pass receiver, and he can also block when necessary which Woodhead can not do. I am not a person to call for the coaches head, but the decisions to hire the OC's we have has been horrible except for the one where Ozzie told John he was hiring Kubiak and that was the best coach that Harbaugh ever hired but Harbaugh never hired him. I am seeing this team turn into a dumpster fire and if we don't have a playoff season this year, it is time to move on from Harbaugh as he has lost complete focus, or never had it, on what was important.