rmcjacket23

Doesn't sound very good to me... its essentially the same WR core that couldn't get open on third down that we had for half of last season.

Sure, but its not like JJ had very much success in a Kubiak led system. JJ is coming back to this team as a ST player and a very rare WR. If we bring in even just one WR, via the draft or FA, Jacoby becomes like the 5th option in the passing game, which is a position that figures to see very, very little playing time on the offense.

Agreed. To me, all this signing means is he have an expensive kick returner who needs to earn his money, otherwise, he's essentially one a one year deal. This signing changes absolutely nothing about our need for at least one more quality pass catcher on this team. In an ideal world, we would see a whole lot less of Jacoby on offense in 2014.

1. Re-signing Graham would free up cap space, not cost them it. 2. Byrd is interesting, because while a lot of the safeties are flying off the market, their prices are significantly lower than expected. Byrd was said to be seeking $10m per year, but frankly, its looking like maybe $7-8m per season may be a much more realistic option. He's certainly not getting top dollar from teams like New Orleans. I didn't consider Byrd a realistic option, but if a week or two goes by and the market price comes down, the Ravens could conceivably be an option.

Too early to tell. We don't know the exact contract details for Monroe. I'd set aside $3-5m for draft picks, so we are probably somewhere in the $15-20m range to spend after the Monroe deal.

I'd rank that about 5th or 6th on the priority list... and that might be a bit high on my part.

It also didn't hurt that the three other teams on the market who were even interested in a LT had already come to "wink wink" contract agreements with the other three players available. He was the last to sign his deal, so he essentially had to take whatever we offered him, or risk going to a dry market and getting far less. It was a gamble that Ozzie made, and the gamble paid off.

... we just signed the #1 LT on the market at a price less than the #2 LT on the market (Albert) and less than the #4 LT on the market (Saffold). Enough said.

Agreed... here's how I hope it plays out.. 1. Sign veteran center for competition 2. Maybe consider a veteran receiver for competition 3. Target Clinton Dix or Pryor with 1st round pick (may have to move up slightly to do this) 4. Draft WR in second round and another in later round 5. Use a third round pick on a tackle-sized lineman and let him compete with Wagner for starting RT job. The only monkey wrench I see is if we fail to sign Daryl Smith and add a MLB in FA, a guy like CJ Mosley may become too good to pass up in the first round.

Try again...

Slot-type, not slot. Theres plenty of soft slot-receivers, so the argument isn't about the slot. The argument is about physicality.

Like I said... in two months, we will know. And Boldin did develop that reputation in his rookie year... he caught 101 balls for close to 1400 yards and 8 TDs in his rookie year.

So if he's the heir-apparent to Boldin, why did the FO specifically address the need to find such a player this offseason? Do you typically discuss needing to find somebody who is already on your roster? I suppose they could publicly say one thing and then do another, but then why do fans want us to draft Ebron or another WR that is a similar type player? My answer to these questions is... because the FO doesn't view Brown as the heir-apparent to Boldin. All of this is just speculation so far, but in about 2 months, we will know for sure what the FO thinks about Brown. If they go WR/TE early, or if they end up with multiple pass catchers throughout this offseason, it would be hard for anybody to sit there and say "Brown is the heir-apparent to Boldin". While I may be selling him a bit short, I think a lot of you are equally selling him a bit long. I think there's people that believe he's a 900-1,000 yard receiver next season, and I think Madden is a very realistic place for that. For the 20th time, my views currently have essentially been echoed by the words of the FO thus far.

That's great... now go look at the distributions of who he threw to... it was spread out to everybody. Heck, Kevin Walter was the #2 WR in that offense for years, and he never averaged more than 56 yards per game. And Jacoby, their #3 or #4 target (which is exactly would Brown would be), never eclipsed 40 yards per game in any of those 4,000 yard Schaub offenses.

1. If you like PFF rankings (which I do, because they are the most well respected in the business), he was very average compared to his peers, and for multiple seasons. The pro bowl, all pro center that he WAS was never the person he WAS as a Raven. 2. The reason so many fans think Birk was great was because they just watched Gradkowski play, and are simply comparing Birk to Gradkowski. When you go from average to bad, anything that is average will look great. That's the problem.

I did give him a break. But again, all indications from the FO is that they ARE NOT giving him a break. I would advise all fans to temper your expectations.

Umm no, you are looking at it all wrong. Lets analyze a couple things... 1. In 2013, we couldn't run the ball, and we stopped trying to run the ball late in the season. 2. Marlon Brown faced very little-to-no competition for his spot on the roster, considering Pitta missed half the season and the people he was competing with were Jacoby Jones and a bunch of mostly talentless players. 3.. So, in an offense that threw the ball a ton and was unsuccessful running the ball, and in an offense where he faced essentially no competition for targets, Marlon Brown was a 3-4 catch, 38 yard per game guy, who's 7 TDs were reflective of a player who is a red zone target (as I've said 20 times already) Yet, according to you, when we bring in a new OC who likes to run the ball and use TEs more, and we bring in competition for Marlon Brown's position, he's going to perform better? Ummmm... no. We will likely throw the ball far less than last season, and Brown will likely face stiff competition for snaps from the likes of a draft pick, FA signing, or even an Aaron Mellette (unlikely in my opinion)... all of that just to be the #3 option in an offense that will likely run the ball at least 50% of the time and doesn't utilize 3 WR packages that often. Bottom line... I don't see it. If he produces at the exact same numbers he produced at in 2013, I'd consider that a pretty impressive feat.

I think people need to get off the Mellette train... and for one main reason that I don't think anybody is considering... Are you people aware that there is only one football? As the depth chart is currently assembled, Torrey Smith, Dennis Pitta, and Marlon Brown would be the top 3 options in the passing game. Thus, Mellette is the #4 option in the passing game, and the #3 WR. In a Kubiak offense, where TEs are utilized more and we run the ball a lot, what kind of value does the #4 receiver in an offense have? And remember... that's assuming we add NO WRs in the draft, which seems unlikely. I'd expect Aaron Mellette to spend the entire 2014 season on the practice squad.

True, but the Browns have essentially already acknowledged that they are willing to pay Mack $10m for this season, as thats the cost of their transition tag at the moment. So that money is already earmarked, and they are still considering Revis, Whitner, Dansby, etc., even knowing they are paying that. I'd expect to have to pay Mack Monroe type money in order to get him, and I don't think thats a very good use of our cap space. I think its a classic overreaction by our fans. We don't need the best center in the league. Matt Birk was an average center in this league when he was a Raven. We just need a better one, not the best one.

Yes, but any receiver we get is coming in as a slot type WR to make tough. Think of it this way... they want to find a younger Boldin. So if Boldin was on the team in 2013, what percentage of the time do you think Marlon Brown would have been on the field? Its entirely conceivable that he would have been a gameday inactive for the majority of the season. I agree that everybody plays a role, which is why I identified Brown as a "role player". His role will be situational, and in particular, probably as a depth player with upside in the red zone. That's not the kind of description you give to a #2 WR. That's the kind of description you give to a #3 or 4 WR.

Yes, I was able to do this in Madden also. Where it belongs.

If hes released, he's owed nothing from any other team outside of what they negotiate with him. His guaranteed money is paid by Carolina if he's released.

Perhaps, but it also appears to be in line with what the FO is thinking (or at least what they have said publicly). I mean if you think about it logically... if the FO felt great about Brown and Mellette, why would we need another WR? Why tell the public you need one, when fans think we don't? It would appear that Ozzie sees something fans don't, which should be surprising to almost nobody.

From what I've seen, Brown is a #3... at best. He didn't really show me much last season. He's basically non-existent between the 20s, and is better as a situational red zone target. Think of it this way... he was the #2 option in a passing game that couldn't move the ball yet threw it a ton, and he basically put up #3 or #4 type numbers. Sure, he could get better, but the bottom line is... the FO doesn't seem to think he's a solid long-term option. They've got Torrey and Pitta, and they want another WR badly. That puts Brown as the #4 option in the passing game at best, and thats about a 30-40% of the snaps per game kind of guy. And keep in mind... thats assuming we still can't run the ball. Kubiak offenses don't usually go 4 wide. If they bring in a WR in FA or early in the draft (which they will), I'd expect to see a little less of Brown next season.

1. Doss and Thompson contribute on ST, which any way you look at it, a #3 or #4 WR on a team (which is what Mellette would be) needs to be able to do. Mellette missed essentially all of his first season due to injury, so the jury is obviously still out on him. 2. My point is very easy... if the FO thought that guys like Brown and Mellette were the future stars of this offense, why would the FO come out to the public and verbally acknowledge that we need another pass catcher? And even better... why would we bring Jacoby back? Nothing the FO has said or done in the last year suggests that they are comfortable with Mellette and Brown as the #2 and #3 WRs on this team in the future, and I agree with them. If the Ravens were to use a high draft pick on a WR or pick up a FA WR worth something, I'd expect a guy like Mellette to spend the entire season on the practice squad or as a gameday inactive.