balfan23

If we cut Ngata, we save 8.5M off the cap If we extend him, we save something - but not as much as a cut. I'll just give the swag at 5M ... but also we're committing a significant amount of future money to him as well. So, given that we don't save as much via extension AND are committing future dollars on Ngata's contract, it could be viewed that the only chance we have to keep McPhee is to cut and not extend Ngata. If that is the case, what do you think is the best course of action? McPhee was great last year, but will that last? Ngata is a world class player, but how much is left in the tank? Personally, I'm torn.

The only dead money a team really concerns itself with is future dead money. That's what hurts (for example, Ray Rice's 9.5M+ in dead money for 2015). Dead money in the current year is just taken off of the players cap hit and what is left is used to determine the savings on your current year's cap. For Ngata, cutting him saves 8.5M, period ... dead money is already built into that figure.

Crickets chirping ...

It is going to come down to proof of wrong doing. If the league can't really pin anything definitive on them, then there will be no consequences and they'll just go on attempting to win at any cost. The rest of the fans of the league will hate them and view their accomplishments as tainted. The Pats don't care. Their fans don't care. They will just say it is all an attempt to smear them out of jealousy because of their success. I must say that I find the article written by the Globe prior to our game, about how 95% of America would be root for them and against us because we are "the most despicable organization in the NFL to be flat out laughable. Despite the fact that many view our team as thuggish, the hate for the Pats is stronger than for any other franchise in the league ... and despite what the Pats fans think - it is not all because of their success.

2 years running, we've tried to cover the FS position by looking for a bargain vet. Year 1 was a total bomb (Huff). Year 2 was barely passable (Stewart). I don't know that we can expect Brooks to be a starter next year, nor do I expect us to draft a starer ready safety ... so it would seem that we'll be shooting for that diamond in the rough for the 3rd straight year. Certainly Moore wouldn't fall into that category .. he's much more of a known commodity. I wouldn't doubt that he wants out of Denver. I mean, who would want to be subjected to the venom from the fan base that he's had to endure. But I really don't have a sense of what kind of money he'll command and I don't know if we'll pony up for him. I just don't think people appreciate how tight a cap situation we have.

Yeah - no way they are doing Post June 1 with Webb, for the reasons you stated. I think they have no choice, given his contract and their desperate lack of depth at the position, to ride Webb out for this season and pray he gives us reason to believe he can play somewhere in the general vicinity of his contract. I think Jones could be a different story. The amount isn't that prohibitive and it sets them up, not only to get a late player, but to give them the ability to spend right up to the cap during the FA period, instead of having to maintain enough room to sign their draft picks. I'm just not convinced either that they don't view him as being on the margins of the team's roster as it is. But true - as you say, it is a form of "kicking the can down the road", and as a general rule, we don't like to do it.

The team will look for immediate impact players in rounds 1 and 2, quality depth for key positions like secondary, RB, OL in the mid-rounds and steals at any position in the late rounds. I have a hard time seeing us investing much in a backup QB. To take a QB in the mid-rounds will hurt us in not getting that needed depth and will not help us if Joe goes down. If that happens, our season will be sunk regardless. I suppose if we feel that Wenning is absolutely not ready to step on the field and that we would want him back on the PS, we could look for a vet cheap, but they would have to be very cheap.

I think there is a good chance that we'll make him a post June 1st cut. He'll save decent money ($2.5M) if we wait until then. Of course, the downside of a post June 1st cut is that the cap space isn't freed until that date. Still, that's about the right amount of money that will still work for that time frame, as we can then be right up against the cap during the FA signing period and use that $2.5M for rookie signings and for any other minor pickups from other teams cuts later in the summer. Camp is a potential punt return replacement, but true, KO returner would be an open spot. It is a tough call, on one hand JJ's current salary is too much for a simple KO return guy, but on the other, it was only a few years ago when D. Reed got fumbleitis and we had Zibby and other sub-par return guys ... and we all just prayed for a touchback on every kick. That was painful.

I think the league sometimes expects too much from a HC, in terms of handling specific players. Chicago brought him in to get Cutler to realize his potential. Wrong job. You need a QB coach or maybe an OC to do that. An HC has a billion things to worry with and they are not in a position to micro-manage specific players. By all accounts, he is innovative, as you have stated, and is in the proper position to utilize that skill. Also, maybe, just maybe, he will be both successful and realize that being an OC is the job he is meant to do and sticks with it.

With so many OC positions currently open, I will be shocked if Trestman doesn't land one of them. I can't imagine he'd pass on an OC position anywhere to be QB coach here.

Well, I've said before that no one else in the league is angered by us losing Kubiak ... but actually, now that I think about it, there are potentially a number of teams that aren't happy about it and that would be the other teams currently trying to land an OC. Their competition just got real serious. Now, I've no idea whether or not we'll offer Gase a job, or if we do, whether he'll take it. But I know the fans in the Jags camp were very hopeful to be able to land Gase, but now the odds of that happening took a pretty decent sized hit.

I'm not going to pretend to know exactly what the positives are for any of these candidates. I just want a guy who has a philosophy that in general allows Flacco to do some of the things Kubiak had him doing this year. Getting on the move and getting the ball out of his hands in a fairly reasonable amount of time. Someone who has experience in play calling and has enough ingenuity to be creative in how he can get the most out of the guys we have on the roster. It would also be nice for them to be creative in how to expose an opponents weakness and how to make in-game changes as needed. Who is that? I've no idea, but I hope he's out there looking for work.

Did you see that he is actually interviewing tonight? Saw that we'd asked permission to interview and that Rapoport stated we plan to interview him "soon".

True, but I think Nixon would have still beaten McGovern, even if the Committee to Re-elect the President (aka goon squad) didn't break into the DNC to gather information to get an edge.

Yes - I said that.

All we heard this off-season was how Elam was thrust into a role he's not suited for (FS) in game 2 of his rookie year and understandably struggled. That was going to change in year 2 ... we went out and got a FS (well, sort of) in Stewart and that would allow Elam to play his natural SS position and all would be well. So this year gets going and where was Elam? He was getting rotated all over the place it seemed. The secondary was such a shambles, it was hard to evaluate. Nonetheless, tackling properly should be independent of your position on the field and his technique was troubling. I agree, they need to find him his spot and keep him there. If that fails, then raise the white flag.

Very disappointing up to this point, but you'll need to ask me next year at this time. If his 2015 looks anything like his 2014, the answer will be yes.

I created a thread called "Cap 2015 - Reality vs. Fantasy" This thread falls into the area of Fantasy. Please go read the numerous posts and links to information regarding our 2015 cap situation.

I really have a feeling that Jimmy is going to play through his contract year to re-prove himself and will not cut a deal during the off-season. I just think he's going to "gamble on himself".

Agree ... but really only one way to get them - draft. There aren't going to be any talented young FAs floating around and if there were, we'd never be able to afford them.

I get the sentiment, but I'd rather see us work to retain McPhee than to bring Redding or anyone else in. I believe any FAs we target are going to be mid-level at best and will likely be in the secondary. I haven't checked the numbers yet, but I have to feel like we're going to be up against the cap as usual and, outside of Ngata, we have virtually no way of freeing space.

I'm just making it out to seem that ESPN is out to sensationalize anything to whip their readers into a frenzy and we are their flavor of the year. They are, along with virtually every media outlet that exists in this day and age, virtual tabloid press. It is all about selling outrage to the masses.

Apparently, he (allegedly) tried to kiss a 34 year old on the neck and force her to inappropriately touch him. I know it isn't OK (if true), but I'm not sure this is a reason to "Stop the presses". I swear, any other franchise and this would not have made it out of the city's local paper. Since its the Ravens, its ESPN front page.

Initially, the first foot down was inadvertent, but the second one was clearly malicious. Personally, I think he should be heavily fined, but the move just didn't seem worthy of a playoff game suspension. Still, the bush league moves continue ...

I don't think the jury is out on Elam at this point. Many will point to the time required for Jimmy to come around, but I think even more difficult has been the fact that we've been shifting Elam all over the secondary. I would really love to see us put him in a traditional SS position and let him develop there. It seemed that was the plan coming into this season, but the secondary has been a relatively chaotic work in progress all season due to injuries and player limitations. It just seems like we've got no one who can range the field and cover the receiver that a corner back releases. We still need someone to be that guy. I'm not sure if Brooks will fill that role, but until we can really lock Elam into a spot where he can get some consistency, he'll continue to struggle at times.