PerpetuallyBored74

This. We've improved our depth and our recent draft picks and FA signings look very promising but we can't seem to stay/get healthy. And we still have Pees, so we still can't disguise a blitz to fool anyone. If we were closer to full strength though, we'd be a legit contender. We have talent, it's just that much of it is constantly in the trainer's room and not on the field.

Za'darius Smith and Matt Judon on defense. Ronnie Stanley and West/Dixon on offense. They looked like potential Pro Bowlers to me--if not this season, then maybe in the future. Granted it's just one preseason game, but they played very well. And Mosely looks like he may have a strong bounceback season with the improved Orr alongside him. Don't forget that a lot of our best players did not even play--Yanda, Suggs, BWill, Jimmy, Dumervil, SSS, Pitta, Wallace, Gillmore, Aiken, Jernigan, Watson, Forsett and of course, Joe. There's a couple of potential Pro Bowlers in that group. Granted, age and injury may prevent some of them from playing at that level (or even at all.) but they do have that type of talent when healthy. The main thing is that our depth is noticeably better from last year's. And with the coaches coming up with a customized offense, and emphasizing getting pressure on the QB and forcing turnovers on defense, we might have a shot at the playoffs this year after all. Still enough question marks (mainly due to injuries) that we're more likely to be around .500 but we're definitely trending upward.

He'll be better than Hurst. So instant upgrade.

If we lose too many O-linemen, we'd use B-Will for the interior and Urban at tackle. Lose too many D-lineman, then it's Jensen and Lewis because of their physicality. If we lose all of our RBs and FBs, we'll just pass on almost every play, with Reynolds at RB. If he's hurt too, then it's either Kamar or SSS in the backfield with Joe because of their blocking. Lose all our WRs (again) and it's 4 TE sets plus Dixon or 3 TEs with Juice and Dixon. If we only have 2 TEs then it's probably Young in at WR because of his hands and ball skills. Lose all of our TEs, then it's Juice the rest of the game. Lose him too, it's whichever backup linebacker they think can block, so maybe Correa or A. Brown, or Ochi if he's on the active roster.

Pitta is 31, coming off of 2 season ending hip dislocations and fractures while Watson is 35, turning 36 towards the end of the season. Neither one is "hindering" either Gillmore (24, turning 25 in Nov.) or Williams (who just turned 22 in April) for more than one season, if even that. And if anybody gets hurt or old all of a sudden, there goes the logjam. I'm glad Watson is on the team. Having two strong blockers who are also decent pass catchers in Watson and Gillmore will be beneficial to both the run and pass in 2 TE sets.

At this point the government is just being pig headed about dropping its absolute prohibition of marijuana. I'm straight edge like you, but since I deal with chronic pain caused by a legal medication, I'd love to see more research into marijuana based pain relievers. I don't even care about the "high", just want something relatively harmless but effective at easing my pain, since NSAID's don't do anything for tendon or nerve pain. And I won't touch any opiate based meds because I've seen firsthand what they do to people. While it was frustrating having Monroe miss so many games, I never blamed him for being hurt constantly. It's an unfortunate part of the game. And I applaud his efforts now to try and force our stubborn powers that be, who often have their own self serving reasons for resisting policy changes, to reconsider their stances. Because there's certainly no harm in doing more research.

Here's one of my favorites. Love where Ray tells the crowd "Shhhh..."

Going back even further... Among our first round draft picks, Travis Taylor, while not a complete bust still failed to live up to his #10 overall status. Patrick Johnson, a 2nd round WR, was even less productive. Jay Graham in the 3rd round was probably our biggest bust at RB. And finally 3rd rounder Chris Redman got hyped as our future starting QB. If he'd panned out, even as just an average starter, we probably wouldn't have drafted Boller.

Even Cowboys' owner 'Jerruh' doesn't want him anymore. (probably)

Campanaro is just a wasted roster spot. I'd rather have another player at any other position as long as that player is decent enough, even as a backup/ST, and doesn't have an injury history like Camp's. Only reason to keep him is if there is an open spot which I doubt there will be. At least I hope we've improved our depth that there won't be an open spot. Shame, because I actually like Camp, a lot. Wish he could stay healthy.

2013: I never said KLM and Anthony were busts, I said they were "late round flyers who did not pan out" 2012: If Upshaw was solid, they would've re-signed him as he was cheap to keep. He was decent at setting the edge, not great at it. And was below average at everything else: pass rushing, tackles for losses, coverage, etc. He is JAG, an OK starter, but nothing really special. Basically replacement level. 2011: So...you agree with me on Jimmy and Pernell? Since you pretty much elaborated on what I said about them. My point with Pernell being that after showing such promise as a rookie, he was underused until his 4th and final year here. You can't expect to build a decent defense when you only get one good and one great year from one of the scant few good healthy players you draft on defense before that good player leaves. And I didn't say I expected Chykie to ever be anything other than a nickel or dime CB, at best. What I said was he was a "project they invested too much time in" meaning that once it became clear he'd reached his ceiling after showing no improvement after 2 seasons, it was time to move on and try to develop someone else. Instead, they kept him for another two years. 2009: So how come when he shed the weight and switched back to OLB, Kruger became productive? You wouldn't want that productivity for 3 or 4 years, you're willing to settle for one year because it happened to be the year we won the SB? And what if Kruger had been just as productive in 2011 or 2010, maybe...we would've won another SB or two? And where did I say anything about overpaying him like the Browns did. 2008: I acknowledged that Zibby and Haruki were excellent backup and ST guys. And yes, it would be nice if we did nab a Pro Bowler in the 4h or 5th round every once in awhile. That's not an unrealistic expectation. In fact, the better teams in the NFL do just that (and we actually have with guys like Arthur Jones and McPhee, so I don't even know why you're raising this point.) 2007: Yeah, he was. For San Diego who we traded Barnes to for a 7th round pick. He was only a Raven for 3 years where we got 5 sacks from him. With San Diego, he had 11 sacks in just one year. You really want to argue that we got the better end of that deal? 2006: So, we're just going to ignore what I said about Ngata, Landry and Martin. Likewise, we're going to dismiss what I said later about the 2006 draft being one of our defensive cornerstone drafts. My overall point is that many of these have been good players, even a few great ones, but either they kept (or keep) getting hurt or we misuse or underuse them until they've got one foot out the door. And that's why when Ray, Ed & Haloti were gone and Suggs started showing his age, our defense fell back into mediocrity. Hopefully, though these last 2 drafts will begin to turn that back around.

Weddle is the new leader, at least until Mosely and/or someone else grows into the role. That's what happens when you draft as poorly as we have on defense for nearly a decade, up until 2014 (who's draft class looks promising Same with 2015). 2013 - Elam, A. Brown & J. Simon all busts. KLM and M. Anthony were late round flyers who didn't pan out either. Only B. Williams has been a bona fide hit. 2012 - Upshaw was JAG and is now gone. C. Thompson and Asa Jackson, both had off-field issues that hampered their development. Only D. Tyson, a backup DE, is still on the team. 2011 - J. Smith is a stud who can't stay healthy. McPhee wasn't used much until towards the end of his time here ala Kruger, now he's gone. Chykie like Asa was a project they invested too much time in, that was time wasted. 2010 - Kindle and T. Cody, ugghhh... the less said, the better. Only A. Jones developed into a decent player, but he's gone too. 2009 - Wasted Kruger on a foolish attempt to have him bulk up and play DE instead of OLB. When he slimmed down and went back to OLB, he was very good--but only for his last season before leaving as a FA. Webb was a top 3 CB briefly before injuries derailed him. Now he's trying to salvage his career switching to FS. J. Phillips, does anyone even remember him? 2008 - T. Gooden never panned out. Zbikowski and Nakamura were solid backup DBs and ST aces, but nothing more. 2007 - Barnes & Burgess did very little here as backups. 2006 - Ngata was at one time the best DT in the league and top 2 or 3 for many years. D. Landry was a thumper at SS who complemented Ed Reed's ballhawkery. But Pittman did nothing.(literally) while D. Martin carved out a nice career as a ST'er and backup CB. 2005 - The other Cody, the one who could never be healthy plus Mike Smith. Yeah... 2004 - D. Edwards, much like Kruger and McPhee wasn't used much until his final year or 2, then cashed in as a FA elsewhere. We also drafted R. Green for some reason. 2003 - Suggs and JJ. We also drafted A. Franklin who did more once he left as a FA. G. Sapp was an OK backup DB and STer. In the 7th we drafted a guy who never even made it out of camp. Still, who cares when you get Suggs and JJ (best edge setter in the league) in one draft. 2002 - Ed Reed. Also Weaver was a solid starter at DE and C. Williams was a decent backup and STer. Brightful was drafted to return kicks, not play defense. The 2002, 2003 and 2006 drafts where when we drafted the cornerstones of our defense to join with Ray as part of that nucleus. After that though, it's been guys who were great but were misused/underused or who couldn't stay healthy. Along with a lot of busts, with more recently many of those busts coming in the first 2 rounds. So for the most part, we've been drafting defense like we draft WR.

Buck shouldn't have been benched. That fumble could've happened to any RB. He better play next week. Now's not the time (or season) to deny our best young players any opportunity to play and gain valuable real game experience.

You forgot that this season still wasn't over, lol.

Gold does not go with purple. At all.

Daniel Brown had a bad game. Not only did he drop a long pass, but he also fell down on the pick six, causing that interception. Harbaugh also lost his mind with the fake punt and benching Buck because of one fumble.

Garcon is either at his ceiling or on the downswing, while Aiken is on the upswing. Aiken this season has had the following numbers in 7 of the 13 games we've played: Catches - Yards 5 - 89 5 - 77 4 - 78 6 - 62 7 - 73 6 - 80 5 - 90 In his final year with the Ravens, Torrey also had 7 such games that season: Catches - Yards 3 - 81 4 - 63 5 - 75 5 - 98 6 - 65 5 - 59 4 - 83 Granted, Torrey's speed helps him to rack up TDs when he has a QB with the arm to take advantage, and he can be a PI magnet. But Aiken has already proven to be at least as steady week in, week out as Torrey, if not a bit more. And Torrey's numbers this year with the 49ers have been awful, for the most part.

If you're OK with Garcon as a #2, then you should be OK with Aiken in that role. I think we sign somebody to compete with Perriman and a draft pick as our other starter, though I hope it isn't Nate Washington who as a smaller WR at 33 probably won't be an improvement over Butler at that point. But why do you think Aiken is nothing but a JAG?

Why do you think they signed DJax? Because Garcon's yards per reception of 11.9 that year preclude him from being a true #1 WR. He was the #1 WR that year, purely by default, just like Aiken now is. You can disagree all you want, I'm telling you, the numbers and the tape both point to Aiken being very similar to Garcon. That's who he reminds me of.

Then, why don't you do it. Garcon caught 113 passes, but on 181 targets. That's why he's never duplicated those numbers, before or since, because he's never duplicated those targets. However, 181 targets is roughly double the 94 targets Aiken currently has. So, if we double Aiken's targets, double his receptions and double his yards, we get these numbers. 188 targets, 108 passes, 1348 yards. Numbers which are very similar to what Garcon produced in the only season where he had that many targets. Because that's about what Aiken would produce if he ever had that many targets in any season. Because Aiken is now that type of WR: not much of a deep threat, but a tough, reliable chain mover who can be productive over the short/intermediate/middle of the field. And you can't sleep on him entirely, because he can get behind you and beat you deep if he sets you up for it first. He got open deep a few times this year, but Joe underthrew him, and now that Givens is here, that's his role, not Aiken's.

We can't count on Perriman or SSS at the moment. So, we need to either sign or draft another potential starter to play alongside Aiken, who will be the other starter by default because: he's earned it, he's the best option, and he and Flacco have already started to build a rapport that hopefully they can continue to improve upon. Forget about having a, for sure, bona fide #1 WR. Unless he comes cheap because of baggage (Josh Gordon), age (Roddy White) or injury (SSS?). We don't have the cap space for anyone better and we can't be certain that we already have one or that we can draft one who will play at that #1WR level immediately as a rookie. But if we can get 2 starters, with our TEs and RBs along with complimentary WRs who are productive in that role like Butler and D. Brown seem to be (maybe Camp too if he finally gets healthy) we should be solid with our passing game. Just need Trestman to continue to help scheme these guys open, and play to their strengths, which he's shown a willingness and capability to do. It isn't ideal, but as long as it's good enough to compliment a strong running game--which Trestman will have to use more of--then it should be enough. As for who I think we should draft, I haven't looked at any film on draftbreakdown yet, nor watched much college ball. And until we see how our cap shakes out, and who gets cut. it's impossible to list any potential FA signings. We're not getting Alshon, that much I do know.

What does the past have to do with the present or near-future? If we're talking the past or career, then yes, Garcon's has been better. But then, his has been longer, so naturally it would be better. Clearly, he has the edge in experience. However, Garcon will be 30 next year, the age when WRs often start to decline (see Jacoby Jones). Aiken will be 27, which is typically when WRs reach their physical, athletic peak. Garcon himself had his best season, by far, at age 27. How can you be so confident that Aiken won't do the same? Especially when this season, he's already shown that he may have developed to Garcon's level, since again for this season their production has been very comparable. Btw, Garcon never had a season like his age 27 one prior or since. So, it's a complete outlier. His typical season throughout his career matches up with the season Aiken is currently having.

There are exceptions, but in general, once a screw up always a screw up. Good thing none of the money is guaranteed.

Gillmore compares to Heath Miller Nobody compares to Gronk.

Garcon - Age 29 - 6th Rd. Draft Pick 6' 0'' - 216 ibs. - 4.48 (40 time) 59 catches - 91 targets 614 yds - 3 TDs 10.4 yds per catch - 4.5 catches per game - 47.2 yds per game Aiken - Age 26 - UDFA 6' 2' - 215 lbs. - 4.45 (40 time) 54 catches - 94 targets 674 yds - 4TDs 12.5 yds per catch - 4.2 catches per game - 51.8 yds per game Seems fairly even to me. But why let facts get in the way of our biases?