balfan23

Branden Albert deal 'almost' done with Miami, according to Wilson. Of course, this can't be made official until 4 PM tomorrow, but let's assume it is true ...

Then that's one less suitor for Monroe and it was the suitor that was rumored to have the most interested in Monroe. It makes you wonder why Miami, who had openly expressed a desire to go after him, went in a different direction. They may have started to get the sense that he would be staying put, while Albert was going to hit the market without question.

The saga continues ...

To be fair, you could probably find two irritable fat guys in Dundalk that could replace Oher and Gino's production.

OMG that's awesome

... but honestly, if I'd pick 2 guys to be replaced by those irritable fat guys (to be found drunk and hanging out at Merritt Park) I would have picked Shipley and Gino. 

If you read the Aaron Wilson article:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-sources-ravens-maintaining-dialogue-with-eugene-monroe-still-hopeful-deal-could-be-reached-20140309,0,3032756.story

The key line there is really just "... there is increased hope from both sides that something can be worked out.".

After the negativity swirling just 2 days ago, I'll take it. 

You can always count on Aaron Wilson. 

I generally consider him a solid source, but this type of thing is beyond anyone's ability to get a true read on. For example, from Aaron Wilson on Mar 7th ... just 2 days ago:

With the divide contractually and the money that other NFL teams are expected to pay for Eugene Monroe, unlikely he returns at this point

So, I was getting close to writing him off ... now this report. I just don't know how I can feel anything but that this thing could go either way.

The tag is above $11M.  It sounds like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, if we can lock him up to deal, the tag doesn't really matter.  The key is keeping him off the open market and the tag may be the only option.

Thanks for the correction ... I've seen some conflicting info on it, but I see that just about $11M is right. No doubt, if we have to use it, we'll be very motivated to complete the deal, since that full number hits our 2014 cap and a long term deal can be structured more advantageously. 

And as you say, we have to keep him off the market. Especially with the Dolphins publicly stating they're set to come after him. That's a franchise that has been bloodied - especially on the O line and are going to be hungry to make up for their losses. They've got a ton of cap space and are going to be ready to spend it. 

just tag him

It is odd that so many don't think he's worth the tag cost. If I'm correct, that cost is just below 10M. He is most certainly getting in that neighborhood on a long term deal, so I don't know why that is they way some are thinking,

I do believe we want to sign him long term before we have to use the tag, but I also think if we can't come to terms by then, we will use the tag. I think given the uncertainty around tagging Pitta and the whole TE vs. WR debate, that we'd lean toward using it for Monroe. 

 

 

Except Monroe won't get that. Peters is a six time Pro-Bowler and a five time All-Pro. Monroe is neither. Monroe is great, easily top 10 and arguably top 7, but Jason Peters is one of the best, if not the best, left tackles in the league. How did he go undrafted?

 

Good point - while Monroe has age on his side, Peter's has achievements that Monroe can't match. But I think teams are going to be willing to pay for his future potential and are going to look at Monroe as someone who has the obvious physical gifts and that we've yet to see his best. He'll be viewed as having been buried on a perennial loser like JAX and then was on a seriously dysfunctional unit last year, so given the right situation, he could flourish. 

So, perhaps I was wrong in saying that he would likely want more ... this contract definitely is going to set a mark that teams in the bidding for his services are likely going to have to, if not match, at least approach. 

If the information I found is accurate, the tag for an O line is just under 10M. As far as I can tell, there is only one tag for the entire O line and is not broken down by position - so LT gets the same as a RG ... which is crazy ... especially in light of all the TE vs. WR talk with regard to Pitta. 

I have to think the tag is cheaper than his asking price ... although I realize that there is the issue of having the entire tagged amount hitting your cap in year 1 (when long term contracts reduce current year hit and back load). Still, not beyond the realm of possibility that we use the tag for Monroe and not Pitta (especially given the potential positional controversy). 

Plenty of people are out here talking about the deal Jason Peter's got ... I"m sort of surprised there wasn't a br.com article about it, as it is a significant development in our own negotiations. 

You have to think that Monroe, based on his age, is going to be asking for more. 

If the FO had a number in mind when they brought him in, I'm not sure how that will have changed based on his play. He has proven to be solid, but didn't perform at a superstar level. Now granted the general dysfunction on the O line likely had something to do with his level of play, but still I just don't know how his performance has priced him into the top tier of LTs.

Rumor has it that they aren't going to tag him - and if that's the case, that usually means that the cap cost is much higher than we're willing to pay in a set contract. So with the tag cost on an O lineman being $11M I can't magine our FO giving him $10M per year on a long term contract. 

Jeff fisher believes in developing lineman there's no way they take an OT waste of their pick not to mention a RT is a need, not LT. They have holes at S, WR, and LB. I expect Jake Long to be healthy at seasons start. Honestly how many mock drafts are accurate these so called "experts" guess maybe 4 or 5 picks correct the rest are always wrong. I wouldn't mind retaining Monroe but if he wants elite LT money he's not worth it. PFF graded him out as the 12th best LT. His run blocking isn't great and he does get beat in pass blocking. I'd pay him just not the elite money that he may want

Never mind the mocks and who will pick whom. If we both agree that it will be best to retain Monroe at a reasonable price and use our #1 to get a shot at a rare offensive weapon, then we agree... although we then may disagree on what we believe that reasonable price would be. While he may not be worth elite LT money, I think he's worth paying in that tier just below elite money.

PFF grading is not the end all be all evaluation - I have to think our scouts have opinions that differ from theirs. If you go by their grading, Yanda was probably far from elite and graded around the same place ... do you think he's less than top 10 guard? Our O line was so dysfunctional last year, I think Monroe did quite well to grade out in the positive numbers. We may be fortunate in that our O line was so bad, that it could have actually weakened the market for Monroe. 

If you stuck to the position that we should pick O line in the 1st round no matter who is taken in front of us, you wouldn't be alone - there are analysts predicting that Robinson, Matthews and Lewan will be gone and we'll still take Martin or Kouandjio. I just don't agree with them. 

This isn't last years draft class. This class is loaded with talent. The top teams are going to take players that will make immediate impact on their teams. Gamechangers who can come in and vastly improve their teams. The way I look at it only three teams above us need a LT the Giants, Steelers, and Falcons, but they have other pressing issues they have to fix. We have a really good chance at landing one of the offensive tackles.

You did leave out at least one team in St Louis who not only have 1 but 2 picks ahead of us. Every single mock I've seen has them taking an OT at either 2 or 13. But I'm not sure that is really the point. The point is - and may be solidified by exactly what you are saying - that this draft has some real potential at the top. 

Personally, my preference would be to retain Monroe (as long as his price isn't prohibitive) and get one of those other players you mention who will have immediate impact at a position like WR or TE for our #1 rather than a new LT. As it stands, I'd trust a guy like Monroe, who has league experience and has time on this team, but who is still young, to protect the blind side than a rookie.

You can ease in a new WR (or TE .. as long as we retain Pitta) to some degree, that is, you don't have to count on him on every down through the early part of the season and can let him get his legs under him, get accustom to the NFL level of play before counting on him to be an every down player. LT is out there on every snap from game 1. Counting on a rookie to fill that is just a risky proposition, in my mind.

I'd be fine with Taylor Lewan at LT. He may have had a bad year but coaching will fix his issues. I honestly believe that Greg Robinson has a chance to fall to us because of all of the talent in this draft

Robinson is grading at the #1 or #2 LT in the draft. We're 16th - there is virtually no way he is falling that far ... only if something really negative occurs between now and draft day. 

On counting on Lewan being our LT ... If Monroe walks, we let a solid 2 months pass by in the FA period without making a move, then we have to hope that Lewan doesn't go ahead of us (actually, it is quite possible and a lot of mocks have him going before 16). Even if he's still there, we're hoping a rookie comes in and picks up our NFL offense and is ready to start game 1.

Oooh - that's a major roll of the dice. 

I agree with those who say that Monroe is the lynch pin of the off season. What happens with him will drive all else that follows, but it starts with him. 

It is as simple as this: If he walks, LT is a very difficult slot to fill and we are talking about a team whose #1 item to fix is the O line. To start the off season with a huge step backwards in an area of priority would be a challenge to put it mildly. 

Of course, it is a delicate balance - because we can't  go with the philosophy of "just pay the man", because we have other areas to address. If Monroe eats all available space, we have other issues that won't be able to be dealt with and those issues are shoring up the rest of the O line and hopefully getting Pitta to return. 

Given that is the case, I'm anxious to see us get down to business with negotiations and seeing where this is heading pretty quickly. 

How much sense does this make? He was an offensive line coach and most known for his work with the ZBS. Why are we letting Kyle Shanahan slip away?

Unless you're advocating he gets the OC job over Kubiak, I don't know if you can say we're letting him slip away. It just comes down to whether he wants that OC slot now with the Browns or later with us. 

Ian Rapoport said it's doubtful Shanahan joins. Adam Schefter said Dennison is QB coach.

That's a shame - If this is true, I would have hoped that Shanahan would prefer to come here and take the OC slot after the virtual inevitable happens ... Kubiak gets promoted to HC after this season. One year wait for the same slot with a solid organization is likely better than an immediate job with the most diseased team in the league. 

Sounds like Kubiak is pretty much official, Dennison is likely and Shanahan is still up in the air... All three would be sweet (especially if Kubiak gets a HC position next year)

That's how it would appear. Breathing a sigh of relief that we didn't just promote Hostler and then have to go hunt for a RB and WR coach. 

With this info, I'm just going to check back at 3 for the official announcement, which should include all of the moves made, not just the HC. 

"Could we see Kubiak as OC, and Dennison as RB coach and Shanahan as QB Coach?"

I'd assume that's the breakdown we're shooting for. 

Rumblings seem to have Dennison included with this move, but how or if Shanahan fits into this is less certain.

Wow - at one point Hostler is a favorite to be promoted and now the offensive unit is potentially being flooded with coaches. What a turn of events.

If we could get Shanahan on the staff, that would be great. If we do, it would give us the ability to promote him to OC when our offense soars like an eagle in 2014 and Kubiak is hired as an HC somewhere else in the league for 2015.

I have to think it is going to be hard to nail down Shanahan as a "fill in the blank title" offensive coach. My guess is that he's been eyeing our OC position as his 1st choice, but if that fall through, that he'd be looking at other OC opportunities. I'm not sure what else is available ... I know the Browns still have an OC slot (which he may avoid .. like the plague) .. are there any others?

My only concern in duration of this process is that Shanahan is going to get disenchanted and grab another available slot - we then somehow whiff on Kubiak and are left holding the bag ... with no other option than to promote Hostler. 

As they say way down south .... Git er done! 

i guess. i still say it wont matter until something happens with the actual roster. Even Gary Kasparov cant win a game of chess with two rows of pawns.

Obviously. We're seeking a new OC, not a magician. We have personnel issues and they need to be addressed.

But I am pretty sure that in our interviews, we are attempting to lure potential OCs with the notion that we are going to expend the majority of our available resources, both in FA and in the draft, on the offensive side of the ball and we want "you" (the prospective candidate) to guide us in the process of transforming this unit into a top 10 offense. 

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Harbaugh had an interview with an unidentified person for the job today. Maybe neither one of them gets the job.

OMG you can't be serious. eeeeeeeee nough already! 

According to PFT, tomorrow is the big day. We find out who the OC is as the Ravens are ready to announce the OC.

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/26/report-ravens-expected-to-choose-offensive-coordinator-on-monday/

Yeah, the suspense is killing me ...

I like that this article mentions that it will be interesting to see Shanahan operate outside of the shadow of his father. I think it will do him well to get out on his own and get to work on a team that has a lot of potential and is clearly set to spend significant capital in upgrading the talent on that side of the ball. 

It should be exciting for Shanahan, for the organization and for the fans ... now all that has to happen is that decision needs to be made.