robbie29

A strong O line has such a ripple effect that investing a lot in Mack would have been worth the money IMO. That would have given us an All Pro Guard, All Pro Center, and 1st round draft pick at LT. Everyone keeps saying how awesome Joe is if he has time. The irony is that Joe's monstrous contract keeps us from getting the very guys who will allow him to perform better.

yes, especially that last paragraph. Agree. Not only has the Ravens' ability to identify & draft playmakers diminished in recent years, but so has their ability to hire (and retain) quality coaches.

I would love to see the Steelers and Patriots both spontaneously combust and cease to exist during today's game.

I'm not as worried about Orr's loss as I am about Steve Smith Sr. Ozzie does well drafting ILB but he stinks at drafting WRs (Torrey being the only exception). Normally we sign a solid veteran WR or two, but we don't have as much money as we normally have. It would help if Joe took a pay cut but unfortunately that ain't gonna happen. Hopefully guys like Perriman, Maxx Williams, and Dixon will all play lights out in 2017. It could happen...

Don't care who we pick in the first round, as long as it's not a WR. Ever again.

"Ozzie Newsome emphasized the importance of having two quality quarterbacks, and Ryan Mallett's contract is up." It would be nice to have even one quality QB.

Man, I hope we manage to land a veteran WR in the mold of Mason, Boldin, or SSS. Call me a pessimist, but if we start the season and our top 3 guys are Wallace, Perriman, and Aiken...it may be a looooong season. Especially if we have no run game again.

Not too sure about that one Mom. With a new HC coming in, it's not uncommon to see the whole staff scrapped, allowing McDermott to choose his own staff. Now if Reed had ties to McDermott or Frazier, I could see it as a possibility but, since he doesn't, I suspect he'll be left on the outside. Considering Buffalo's secondary was ranked 6th best in the NFL, I seriously doubt a new coach is going to get rid of Ed Reed. The big shame is that Ed Reed spent 11 of his 12 NFL seasons in Baltimore but he's choosing to coach in Buffalo instead. Now Rex Ryan is gone but he's still remains in Buffalo. I guess Ed really doesn't like Harbaugh.

i have blasted juan numerous times but as far as developing lineman he does a very good job. he is just not suited to run the offensive line as a whole. the o-line needs to get bigger and more physical. i think zuttahs time here is over with both oz and harbs saying they want a bigger and stronger line I agree af north aint for finesse guys I want a maller Completely disagree that Castillo has done a very good job developing linemen. Yanda was already great before Castillo got here, so IMO Juan doesn't really deserve any credit there. KO- the 3 years Castillo "developed" him, KO never played at an elite level. Then KO goes to Oakland, plays better than he ever has, and promptly gets selected as an All Pro. Zuttah, Monroe- neither of those guys improved under Castillo (Monroe got so bad he ended up retiring and advocating pot). I admire your optimism but I respectfully disagree about Castillo.

Pitta was on the field all year and did a great job where you been Pretty sure he was referring to all the TEs we've drafted since Pitta. All 3 have missed significant time either due to injury or idiotic PED use.

The #1 reason the Ravens didn't make the playoffs- they are simply not a playoff calibre team. The only stellar players are Tucker and Yanda. There's been a massive leadership void since Ray Lewis retired. The QB is below average and has zero playmakers. Injuries have devastated this team. And so on and so on...each season Since 2012 there have always been a combination of things holding this team back. One could argue that Kubiak had more to do with the 2014 playoff appearance than anything else. You are what your record says you are, and since 2012 the Ravens have barely managed to be a mediocre team. Unless youre the 2010 Seahawks or 2014 Panthers, mediocrity won't get you to the playoffs.

How many college athletes are tall, strong, and fast? Several. A good WR must have good hands- consistently (not Perriman), and must run routes well (not Perriman). OBJ is slower, shorter, and smaller than Perriman. But there isn't a Ravens fan living that would take Breshad over Odell. It's not about height, weight, and speed. It's about hands, agility, and focus.

Receivers can only realistically run routes that the OL gives them time to. You cannot reasonably expect any of our receivers to run double move or hitch routes when our OL was only giving Flacco 2 seconds. They run a 40yard dash for a reason - when your OC calls plays that are 30-40 yards it takes at least 4 seconds to develop; Flacco was never afforded a lot of time in the pocket this season. This is a typical Flacco-can-do-no-wrong response. Please stop blaming Flacco's lackluster performance on everything but Flacco. There were PLENTY of times where Flacco had a clean pocket but still made bad throws. He was throwing off his back foot all season and was the NFL's king of dumpoffs. Sure, he didn't have the best O Line but he also wasn't running for his life on every snap either. For a 9-year veteran, $120 million QB he left a whole lot to be desired, which has been the case since he signed his monster contract.

Personally, I had grave reservations about Perriman when the Ravens drafted him. The only thing I kept hearing was how fast he was, over and over again- and that was it. I would be far more satisfied if the Ravens drafted a WR who is well known for having great hands and great route-running ability. Perriman hasn't shown that he has either of those. He's just really, really fast. But what good is blazing speed if you can't get any separation or consistently catch passes?

I agree that nobody was duped by Flacco. However I disagree that he's not getting HoF money. He IS getting HOF money. His contract is comparable to Rodgers, Brees, and Brady- all of whom are definitely HOF calibre QBs. The difference is that they consistently play at a HOF level whereas Flacco only did it for 4 games in Jan/Feb 2013. Neither before nor since that postseason run has Joe played four straight games anywhere near that level. Especially since 2012, he has been below average. The widening disparity between his salary and his performance have fans growing more and more frustrated, and IMO we have a right to feel angry with him.

Look at Flacco's 2017 cap hit, compared to other NFL QB 2017 cap hits. It would be a tremendous gesture and show of team first mentality if Joe took a pay cut this off-season to free up money to sign quality players. For crying out loud, Brady's cap hit will be $10 million LESS than Flacco's next season. Nobody on earth can justify that.

Flacco needs to take a pay cut. There's no way he or anyone can justify his cap hit being 10 million MORE than Tom Brady's in 2017. Free up some money so your team can help get you a better O Lineman and receiver.

One thing that will help get Flacco better protection and better receivers- pay cut. Flacco can show that he is truly committed to team improvement by reducing his salary. For crying out loud- his cap hit will be 10 million MORE than Tom Brady's in 2017! There is no way Joe or his agent can justify getting that much. Imagine if we had an extra 10 million to spend this off-season. That's enough to sign a quality center plus a receiver that would be better than anyone left on the roster after SSS is gone. Joe simply isn't worth the $24 mil he's due to get in 2017. Guess we'll find out how much of a team player he is this off-season.

Since the roster overhaul following SB 47, the Ravens have gone 31-33. The numbers don't lie- this is simply an average football team. "Play like a Raven" hasn't carried the same meaning that it did when Ray Lewis was the face of this franchise.

Our best bet to make the postseason next year: 1) hope Pagano gets fired AND agrees to rejoin the Ravens as DC, then 2) Hope we can convince Kubiak to return as OC. Otherwise, I think next year won't be much different from this year. Sadly, I think it's highly unlikely that we'll see either Pagano or Kubiak with the Ravens again.

*only when he catches the ball

Well, over 250 days till the 2017 season starts. Next up- nearly 4 full months of mock drafts and speculation.

As great as that would be, I doubt it will happen. Kubiak's stepping down due to health concerns, which likely means he won't be coaching anywhere after he retires.

Since 2012, the Ravens have gone 31-33. They are what their record says they are: a mediocre team.

Since Ray Lewis retired, this team has had no identity. They have to stop drafting choir boys and get some players who are loud and get fired up. With Suggs and Yanda each past their prime, plus the loss of Steve Smith, I shudder to think what this team will look like next year.