balfan23

I'm not sure that WR was really priority #1, it just so happened that a special WR hit the market that was not expected to be there and we moved on it. There is no way that I believe that we'll sit still and let the center position be determined by a battle between Gino and Jensen. I will be stunned if we don't end up with a vet coming in this year ... it is just who and at what cost. When I heard we expressed interest in Mack, I thought that was a sign that we had no faith in Gino in the future. Now, I'm not so sure where that rumor came from and it may just be noise. We may not ultimately be as high on BDLP as I thought we would be and may still have hope for Gino. If that's the case, we may just wait and pick up an available cut, which will not cost us in the draft and will cost less on our cap.

I understand... there is no reason to make that decision now. Our FO is definitely doing the right thing and appear to be playing the market right. All I was saying is that I'm surprised it worked out this way. As long as we ultimately get someone of value to play the center position, this will be to our benefit. We'll likely spend less to get that same guy, and can use that extra cash to fill another hole or get a quality reserve player. If not, there will be some second guessing, since the O line (and in particular, the middle of the O line) was stated as priority #1. It is indicative of our FO. If one thing that can be said about them is they never, ever panic. They don't panic in the draft and reach, they don't panic in FA and reach, they let the market come to them. It doesn't always work, but it is the best approach.

All the previous poster said was that he's "surprised" that we haven't pursued De La Puente yet and haven't heard anything about our interest in him. He didn't say we should know everything that the FO is doing and they should tell us about it. However, you just simply find out when a team is really interested in a player ... sort of like we knew about our significant interest in Smith even before he was released. Given center is our most glaring need and given there are very few viable options, I also expected that we'd have been making to make that move more quickly to fill that position. Not saying we're screwing up or asleep at the wheel or anything... just saying that I expected that hole to be plugged very early in FA.

Yeah, I get it. The ink isn't dry on their contract with Steve and I'm clamoring for us to get moving on a new center! Nonetheless, that's the next move I'm looking forward to hearing about.

My concern is that, even if we are serious about going after Mack, the Browns are just going to match the offer - especially with it being a division opponent going after him. BDLP is the best option left and from the start has been the guy I have felt we'd target. I just haven't heard us express any interest. The Giants have, but I don't know that they've scheduled a visit yet.

So now that I've been told for "the millionth time" (I only see 2 posts about this, but who's counting ...) that Dietrich-Smith is off the market, it is definitely time to get busy and in my mind get real about who we should be targeting. Time to just set the sights on De La Puente and make that happen. I really don't see any other desirable options outside of Mack and I think that if we go for him, we'll end up empty handed. Imagine, if we target Mack, he's got a number of other suitors ... it will take some time to get an offer in front of him. Then Browns have 5 days to match the offer - which I expect they will do ... on day 5. During that time, if another team wanting a center lands De La Puente (the Giants are set to pursue him), then we are left holding the bag. Sorry Mom ... I know this probably should go on the "what FA we want on offense" thread, but .. oh well

Geez ... sorry .. he signed with them about 2 hours ago, so my deepest apologies for not knowing this ...

Newsflash Mr. Walter Football, I'm really not that interested in his speed anyway. We've got T. Smith and Jacoby ... we don't need speed, we need toughness (as you said). And when you are looking for a guy that can make those key catches, I am not going to judge value based on yardage stats. I'm not concerned about his value on your fantasy team, Mr. Walter, I'm interested in his value getting my REAL team wins.

With that contract size, he'll cost us probably around 2M on the cap. Should still have room for some moves. Mack would likely consume almost all of that (and Cleveland would probably match it). I still think De La Puente or Dietrich-Smith are the more realistic options. Perhaps the front runner is Dietrich-Smith ... because of his last name (it is at least 1/2 a "Smith") :-)

Who are we to trust, Walter football, or our front office? Hmmm ... some self important self anointed dweeb experts or guys who are sporting SuperBowl rings? Yeah, kind of a no-brainer there ...

Wow - obviously we were very motivated to get him - not letting him get out of the building without a signed contract. I think the fact that he signed without any other visits and signed for under 4M per year speaks to the fact that he really likes the idea of being a Raven. I am rather surprised (pleasantly so). I didn't expect to hear this news until tomorrow.

Smith is keeping his options open ... we're doing the same by maintaining interest in Edelman.

We won't expect him to ... Like the vast majority of NFL players, he will likely not see that last year of his contract ... unless he goes London Fletcher for us.

Yeah, you might be right - dang ... it is expensive to trade up ... even just a couple slots in the 1st round. I just consulted the trade chart ... we'd need to give up a 3rd rounder just to jump to 13. That's crazy ... yeah, we're not doing that.

Well, one will be there, it is just whether it is one they will want to draft at #15 overall, when they also need WR help. Martin is generally projected to be the best left at that spot. One could also claim that we need O line help badly as well, I just don't know if they will be able to pass up a big time playmaker like that for meat and potatoes.

Also - on the point of the potential for a trade up ... this is where losing the coin flip could hurt. If we wanted to jump the Steelers to get Evans in front of them and it required trading with the Bears, the Bears and the Cowboys are both considered to have DT specifically as their biggest need. Bears may be reluctant to fall back, fearing the Cowboys will take their guy.

I don't think he'll be around at #17, but that isn't the same thing as not having the opportunity to draft him. He could fall as far as the early teens, in which case, we wouldn't have to break the bank to pick him up. The Steelers have a need for a WR and I could envision him still being on the board when they select. If he's still there in the 11, 12 range, I'd love to see us move up a few slots and get him over the Steelers. That will really suck if they get him. The problem I see - the perfect trading partner would be the Bears, who are one ahead of the Steelers and are going to focus on defense. So what's the problem? The freaking Bears burned us on an attempt to trade in the draft and I don't know how much love or trust there is between the 2 organizations. But a trade with them may be our best opportunity to grab Evans and keep him out of Pittsburgh.

I agree - I don't think getting Smith prevents us from taking a WR in the 1st round. It just prevents us from being virtually compelled to take a WR in the 1st round. The moves we're making - retaining Monroe and signing Smith, gives us flexibility in the draft.

Yeah - this isn't in the bag yet. Evan Mathis and Malcom Floyd ... but the difference there was it became clear those guys were just using us to jack up their price as both ended up staying with their current teams and it was where they wanted to stay all along. That's not the case for Smith. Others may be considering him as a possibility, but I think we're going to be putting an offer on the table. It feels like we're going to get him.

Absolutely ... that's the perfect scenario. Smith for his immediate productivity and for leadership and Evans for the future. To get Evans , I think you're right ... it will require a trade up. He just looked too darn good in the combine. Now how far up will we have to go? I just don't see the FO going 9 slots up or something in the first round ... that's super expensive and it is just not something we normally do. Now if he's still around and we only have to jump a few slots ... that's a possibility.

You didn't call it an epic fail ... just "a dumb move". All I'm doing is expressing my opinion, as well. We know he isn't a long term player, but I think in the short term an effective one and a guy who I think could set the tone for a young receiving corps. I don't know that Brown's growth is going to be stunted by his presence ... possibly to the contrary. We need that kind of veteran leadership that has the right amount of edge to them.

Well, if you really feel like bringing Smith in is going to be an epic failure, it is not RavensManiac you need to yell at to wake up, you need to do it to the FO, because it seems like they are aggressively pursing this signing. Please - you are really bringing up Stokley as a comparison? I really think Smith has something left in the tank and he plays like a Raven. We need a guy who is willing to float across the middle, get blasted in the chops, hold onto the ball and say, thank you sir, may I have another. He's a bridge to the future and we're a good enough team to warrant having a guy that adds that much needed toughness and experience to this group. He's not going to put up jaw dropping numbers, but he's going to contribute in a significant positive way.... that is, of course, if we land him. Which is apparently something we're very interested in doing.

No doubt, Evans is the guy I think we would want, but his combine performance was just too darn good. I really don't expect he'll be around at #17. This is a deep receiver class, but deep with a lot of shifty speedsters and kind of short on big bodied strong possession receivers. Kelvin Benjamin is the closest thing to Evans and possibly even Allen Robinson could be an option. The problem is - neither of those guys are going to be around when we select in round 2. They are probably late 1st round guys, so too far for us to trade up on our second pick to get. We could trade back and get them later and add picks, but I don't know that the FO is going to fixate on WR as a must and, if there is a playmaker at whatever position available when we pick, they'll go that route.

I think the organization still has high hopes for Brandon Williams, although I was disappointed by how little he saw the field in 2013. Unless someone that we're high on really falls, I'm not anticipating us taking an NT in the first 3 rounds. Do we know yet what our comp picks are?

It is true that he may cost more than we're willing to pay ... but I'm not sure we'd view him as a "reserve" TE. That implies that he's only there if to give Pitta a breather, or (God forbid) he gets hurt again. Think back to our original plan when we drafted Pitta and Dickson - that was to have the ability to run a 2 TE offense. We set that in motion the same time NE did - but they are the ones known for it because they invested higher picks in that concept and had a QB better equipped to exploit it. If we think he could be an additional weapon that could cause mismatch problems, we may still be willing to go there - especially if Kubiak really feels he's going to fit with what we're trying to do.. But no doubt, it he does command a solid salary - and if we do make good on the rumors that Smith will be coming to the Ravens - then we'll look for cheaper options.