nevermorebmore

Its really impressive that somehow in your mind the Ravens manage to both not draft any good players but at the same time always seem to have huge pieces leave in free agency that they drafted. Being able to pull off both is just amazing. What are you talking about? We haven't had that many good players leave because we haven't gotten any good players. We've had lots of *good* players. I think the complaint is that we've had a pretty long drought of home grown superstars - guys whose jersey you want to buy. Yes, we've watched pro-bowlers walk, guys that we miss, real football players for sure. But as fans, it's hard to see our rivals load-up on those marquee franchise players while we've endured some major busts with scattered blue-chip pro-bowlers leaving in free agency. Oz and DeCosta are still among the best in the game at getting value from draft classes, but it hasn't been the most exciting few years to be a Ravens fan.

I'm psyched for the pick, but comps are the flip side of watching our young talent walk. Getting comp picks is huge - lets the team potentially stay young and cheap - but it's totally dependent on the team drafting more talent. It seems like we're stuck in some bad contracts with vets after letting young talent walk and missing on high round picks, leading to a vicious cycle of comp picks. Its hard to get too excited about this pick when the past few days worth of articles have been talking about cap space and probably watching Williams, Wagner, and Juice walk.

Agreed with the caveat that the price is right. It'd be nice to see the Ravens claim another team's young, high-ceiling, play maker, free agent. I feel like the Ravens are always on the other end of that equation, watching our young talent get priced out of Baltimore, while we sit on dead money from a handful of players that haven't panned out. (I don't want to discredit the generally great vets that we acquire later in their careers, just noting how we're never in the conversation for young free agents).

I'm not saying anything new here, but a team that consistently ranks ahead of the pack in compensatory picks is extremely vulnerable to draft busts. Volume of picks does not always translate to playmakers, only an increased probability for finding them. The team has been sliding toward this sort of trouble since the Kindle/Cody draft. I know there was the Super Bowl in there since then, but that draft started to set the dominos in motion for where the team is now. The Elam/Brown draft compounded the issue. Perriman might add to it. We have to keep in mind that every time there has been a miss in the top two/three rounds, the FO has to reach for free agents, commanding cap space the team needs to retain its own playmakers and key pieces. KO walking was a great example, as was Ben Grubbs. Imagine if we could have kept either of them while constantly developing and dealing with injured linemen. Add in Flacco's mega contract (which I see as a necessity), the dead money from Ray Rice over the years, and the injuries to playmakers and we're suddenly looking at a 'crucial' offseason.

Maybe we're facing a real PR conspiracy here. Perhaps, the NFL handed down this size of punishment so ESPN will cover this football story instead of spend hours analyzing the NFL's alleged tampering with the NIH brain trauma studies. There's only so much time and oxygen in the 24 hour sports news cycle, and this will certainly garner some debate during NFL talk time. Was the Ravens punishment fair? Was it not fair? Which player ratted them out? It's certainly a safer topic to banter about than the alleged tampering with the NFL's biggest shadow issue: player health. I'm more interested in getting to the bottom of the alleged tampering than trumped-up OTA punishments.

I'd like to see an injured reserve versus total salary cap analysis. I bet there is a distinct correlation between injured reserve cap money and underperforming preseason expectations. The Giants had 21, but that number should be taken in context of cap space. I bet the Ravens easily had the highest salary spending sitting on IR.

Not a fan of the new format - no sorting features to see up and down votes without going into the forums. It's an interesting choice to take a platform that ostensibly has inferior features to the prior version. Also, is anyone else getting messages that their information is being posted to Ticketmaster now? I can't make the warnings stop even if I accept. On a substantive note, that free agent list really turns into a mirage. While it's fun to dream about picking up some superstars, the Ravens front office is too disciplined to take the plunge. Just look at the Eagles of the past few years, Ndamdi Asomugha (spelling), Byron Maxwell, DeMarco Murray, the Bradford trade. Miami and Suh. Hunting the top free agents talent causes major issues elsewhere on the roster scales. Teams rarely live by free agency, but often die by it.

I wonder if any of the OC-to-HC trend is tied to national visibility and brand? While defense still wins championships, the national fan obsession with fantasy is won with offense. I'm not at all familiar with how advertising revenue, flex scheduling, and red zone channel profits are distributed, but I wonder if there's hidden economic dynamics tied to the continuing surge in fantasy sports and the offensive NFL. Defensive teams seem to struggle to inspire much loyalty/viewer interest beyond their own fan base. Is the tail wagging the dog in head coaching choices?

It'd be great if they could hang onto KO, and either work it out with Monroe or draft a stellar LT. It'd be great to see Urschel groomed to be Center, as he's got an incredible brain for the job. It's been fun getting to know Urschel through the press and twitter. I know that LT is perceived as the biggest need on any line, but it would be incredible to see KO, Urschel, and Yanda building a young, homegrown, power interior line. Whether that could happen with Monroe or a high draft pick at LT, I'm not sure. However, I think that CB is more of a position of dire need. As I've expressed before, absent injuries, this is essentially the same offense that went up two touchdowns (twice) on the patriots just one year ago in the playoffs. That's IF Perriman can step in for Torrey Smith. Last year at this time, we watched as Brady picked on Rashaan Melvin who (despite an admirable performance) showed what happens to a team with a lack of CB depth. A fortunate outcome to this dreadful season is that best player available and drafting for need tend to align higher in the draft. I think we'll be seeing a new face in the secondary in the first round.

I'm coming around to CB as the primary need.There's lots of moving parts at OL and WR. Think about the production the Ravens got from Kamar Aiken and a wounded WR corps. SSS is coming back. Perriman is complete X factor. I can't see WR in the first round with the mixed bag they've got in their hands. On OL, we need to look at Monroe as serviceable, the potential dead money on his contract, and whether they can get KO resigned. The Ravens have also had a pretty high rate of success turning later round linemen into serviceable players. Another mixed bag, there's value at this position scatter through the draft. CB and pass rusher are just not so easy to find. The Ravens arguably missed the Superbowl in the 2014 season because of CB. The offense was up by two touchdowns - TWICE - the same offense that has seen minimal turnover. The Patriots picked apart defense with trick plays and relentlessly going after Rashaan Melvin. Corner requires such a unique set of physical tools it's difficult (but not impossible) to train. Quality and depth at corner are essential to the current NFL. Mark me down for a playmaker in the secondary to compliment J Smith!

In regard to the talk on this board of trading back...I hope we don't trade back! In the time that we drafted Torrey Smith, the Bengals and the Steelers drafted SO many number one receivers. The Steelers parted with Mike Wallace to have Antonio Brown seamlessly step in, then Brown goes down and Martavius Bryant steps right in. It's maddening that we can't draft one receiver! Having a stout front 7 is of course important, but it really gets frustrating seeing our rivals succeed on a receiver driven formula. Perhaps Perriman is a No. 1, but there have been plenty of opportunities outside of the first round to draft receivers that other teams have turned into number ones in the past several years. I always trust our front office to get it done, so I'm definitely speaking as a lay-person fan right now in saying please go for playmakers with this years high draft picks! Don't trade back and stockpile unless it's for first round picks in ensuing years. The success ratio hasn't measured up to our rivals in the past four years or so, and it's starting to show on the field. Use the draft stock to grab some lock playmakers, please!

Burfict has demonstrated to us why Ozzie passed on him despite so many opportunities. It's been disappointing to see Burfict show so much fire and talent, but Saturday was the proof needed to show that the Ravens front office made the right call. The NFL should penalize the Bengals in addition to Burfict. Taking a high risk violent player should come with more than just game time risks (such as penalties or suspensions of the individual player). If the NFL is serious about safety, they should penalize the Bengals organization with draft picks or cap crunches. As an organization, the Bengals have capitalized off of scooping talented but high risk players to avoid high-price free agents while expanding their roster. Saturday was a perfect demonstration of the risk of that strategy when the wheels fell off. However, the risk could have paid off just as easily. Currently, the risk/reward structure for violence comes through fines to the individual, while the biggest risk to teams for individual violence is cap space for roster depth (like Ray Rice). A more foreseeable result such as a loss of a draft pick for egregious repeat offenders would make teams seriously rethink putting dangerous players on the field.

Somehow this season feels like a subjective success. Harbaugh and his staff were forced for really the first time in his tenure to lead against insurmountable odds. His early years built on a foundation of HoF veterans, leading to numerous years of success. As the saying goes, winning cures all locker room disfunction, and five years of playoffs highlight objective success. I don't want to discredit previous seasons, I'm just pointing out that it's easier to lead when your work is clearly paying off. The second half of this season was built on pure grit. The Steelers victory was the great triumph, but I feel like the last plays in the Bengals game told much more of the actual story. Harbaugh and the team fought until the last whistle, and made the Bengals take their victory. The players didn't quit. I think all the players and coaches really deserve recognition for succeeding in a way the franchise is unaccustomed to succeeding - playing for pride versus a ring. Thanks for keeping a cloudy season bright.

Is this season's team on track to have the smallest average point differential of a team in the history of the nfl? It seems like one of those nerd stats that's about to start getting thrown around. I think Cincinnati beat the browns by more than the entire point differential on the Ravens schedule so far. That said, I wanted to point out that this team may have flaws, but they are close - the sky is not falling. There is tons of young talent emerging through these games and the coaching staff is successfully dealing with adversity. It's not back to the drawing board like the aforementioned Browns. Look at the Panthers last year - flawed, losing record, pummeled by the AFC north, and look at where they are now. I think it's important for our fan base to keep an objective head, make appropriate comparisons, and look at the upsides of the bad situation.

I like Allen and West at the RB - great discovery. However, the RB position is the most volatile in the NFL, so I don't think it's that earth shattering of a revelation. I would stress the performance of these young guys behind a young O-line, which is a much harder commodity to find than good running backs IMO. I'd also point out the stellar performance of the special teams. Special teams tends to be a spot where young guys make a mark. The Ravens suddenly seem to have youth and depth, a trait the team has lacked even during it's most dominant years.