balfan23

Exactly ... which is why I don't bother to look at any of it because I'm honest with myself in that I don't really know what to look for.

Fine. I was simply responding to a post that was discussing that specific play So - on your topic of looking forward. Look at the teams at the top of the league and tell me how many of them got there by using a "comprehensuv plane" that involved being horrific for years in order to get strong "pic" positions? Oakland is the closest thing, but I'd dare say they aren't significantly better than we are. Heck - tell me what teams have managed to do this over the course of history? You could mention a team like Indy, but it took 2 decades of suck to finally land that pick from another planet in Manning. Burning your franchise to the ground so that you can suck for 5 years or more is not a winning strategy.

Ugh ... I hate revisiting this play. But this is spot on and I remember Carter's comments the next day on Mike and Mike. Not only did he try to land on both feet, it looked like he wanted to turn up field. You are in the end zone ... where else do you need to go? A receiver that knows how to catch TDs envelops that ball and there is no chance for a defender to poke it away. So - semantics ... it was not a "drop", but it was a play that absolutely should have been made (not that there was a lot at stake ...)

Yes - it is sarcasm ... hence the LOL. I just feel like there are times when people will say they've looked at a player's "tape", when all they've done was look at their highlight reel ... which of course is laughable. Personally, I look for other people to give me their opinions on prospects, because I'm not going to pretend to be a talent evaluator. I do not seek out anyone's tape, because I wouldn't be able to say one thing or another about it anyway.

O line is one of many intriguing areas to address in this offseason. The biggest questions initially revolve around whether or not to retain Wagner. Of course, at this stage we don't know what kind of money it would take for us to prevent him from even testing the waters. I'm of the opinion (based on history) that if he gets to FA, he's gone. I just noted a mock that has us taking Cam Robinson in the first round, based on the prediction that both we don't resign Wagner, that he's not viewed as a top 15 OT and that Ozzie loves Bama. Personally, since OT appears rather weak this year - I suspect he'll be gone before we're on the board. I also think it is more likely that we move Lewis to RT if we lose on Wagner and will draft (2nd round or later) along with FA help for the interior line. HOWEVER .... if Robinson somehow falls to us at 16 and we let Wagner walk, do you think he just can't be passed up? It would be tempting.

There's a difference? LOL.

I think Mike Williams will be easily viewed as top 10 and perhaps could break the top 5. Trading up there to get him will take more than a king's ransom. Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to have him but I think the reality is he's just going to be one of those guys that we will covet in our dreams but won't have a real chance at being a reality.

.. and by "ASAP", I hope you realize that is leading up to the 2019 season . If you want to see some REAL "horror cap probs" - work out a trade for him for this offseason. smh.

I was just under the impression, based on what he was in college and what his draft analysis was, that he was going to be an edge rusher that we needed (and still need) to prepare for the inevitable issue we will have when Suggs and Doom are done. Then, we moved him inside during camp and then he lost his job to Orr. We tried to use him during preseason (second team) inside and he was basically invisible, so it unfortunately doesn't feel like he just got edged out of the ILB starting job. Sure - tough learning curve and no doubt he could step up in 2017 (I'm really hopeful he does), but I'm just saying he's still a bit of an unknown.

I think it is driven almost completely by the out of this world performance by Elliot this season. People see a player just blast onto the scene and suddenly they think their team should have one too. Of course, the foundation for his performance was laid by years of drafting a world-class O line. I've heard it said that Dixon is serviceable, but we need an explosive threat. Sounds great - but exactly what will we need to do to get that explosive back and will he be all that explosive if our O line performs the way it did this past year? So - I agree completely. I think Dixon should be our primary option in the backfield and we expend resources to get better up front. People sometimes forget we can't have it all and need to understand if we make getting a (potentially) more dynamic an RB, that will leave another issue unaddressed.

I still don't know what Correa is - I thought we drafted him to be an edge rusher, but then we tried first to using him inside and ultimately he didn't give any indication where he can play and be effective. We need Correa to step up in 2017 and contribute somewhere in a significant way. I don't want to hear that we need to draft for Orr's loss. We have too many other places that need to be addressed. Back fill ILB and draft secondary, edge rush and O line.

So true. There are people around Baltimore that don't like Ed Reed and wanted him gone years before SB.but the people in Baltimore can relate. Ed's knowledge of the QB's he faced is priceless. You don't have to like the man but you have to respect the man. Something a know-it-all will never get. Well - Ed is my all time favorite Raven and I'd LOVE to see him with the organization. However, there is no denying that players with off the charts skills rarely succeed in the coaching ranks. My favorite quote relating to this was when Curt Flood said how worthless it was to try and get hitting pointers from Stan Musial. He said it was like asking a bird how to chirp.

“... you have to realize that a lot of what we’ve been doing isn’t necessarily his offense." Understood. This is the main reason why I didn't freak when I learned that Marty was staying on. There is a ton of room for improvement in terms of having well designed plays that are tailored to suit the skill set of the players we have. I'm really hopeful that he can get this unit on track AND sticks around for more than a year or two.

Well - he was half right ... right player, wrong news. I liked his initial speculation better than the reality.

I can't imagine how hard it is for the player to make this decision. How hard these guys work to reach the level they are playing at is something we can hardly imagine - especially for a guy like Orr who had to scratch and claw his way from the ranks of the undrafted to being a starting player in the NFL. There must be real permanent injury concerns here if he's decided to hang them up. Best of luck to you in the future, Zack. Forever a Raven. Now, FO has another hole to fill.

I feel for Raiders fans. They are some of the most rabid fans out there and have been dealing with a crap team for a long time. They've been jerked around before and now, just as it looks they've got some solid young talent, they get yanked away again. Franchise moves are almost always a tragedy, especially when they involve long-time franchises.

I'll just wait for the alert on my phone ...

Yeah ... Juice would be probably the biggest name I'd anticipate. I just don't think it will be Wagner or Williams. Another possibility ... could it be an extension for someone? Anyone going into their last year of their contract that we might be giving a new contract? Perhaps Mosley?

Many (and not just those in Ravens Nation) thought he was a pro-bowl snub. But apparently he's worthless.

It could possibly mean that the player involved isn't major. I'd be surprised if we already signed of one of our more high valued FAs.

No need for the persecution complex ... this is a Non-Ravens talk thread and the topic is NFL ratings decline, which by definition is the business of television. Please, feel free to comment on that topic here

This article basically says to get the run game going we not only need to beef up the O line, but also get a break-away threat in the backfield. Given we clearly need help at WR as well, that leaves little resources left to address problems on defense. I like the sound of getting ourselves to be dominant up front and make the run game a threat again, as maybe, just maybe it will allow Flacco to return to his previous level of play and then we'll just have to hope that the defense can hold up enough to allow us to win games.

All the talk about what we lost after the super bowl season revolves around the obvious departures of Lewis, Reed and Boldin. Rarely do I ever hear anyone mention Matt Birk. That guy was a mainstay in the middle of our O line and was one of the best FA pickups we've ever had. Our run game has basically not been right since he left, with the disastrous promotion of Gino the following year and the up-and-down performances from Zuttah.

I don't think that's the case, but I don't want to bother going back and looking since it really doesn't matter.

It allows mods to prevent having the Flacco debate hijack other threads and puts all such comments into one nice, neat, steaming pile.