Peej

This "formula" that crashed and burned was not what you implied: What last year's formula really included: No running game (reshuffled OL and injured or ineffective RBs) No Pitta - a chain mover in the middle of the field who could make 7 - 15 yard catches in traffic No Boldin - a chain mover deeper down the middle and at the edges who also made 15 - 20 yard catches in traffic Injured Jacoby Jones for more than 1/3 of the season Little help for Torrey Smith (Who still was a 1,000 yard receiver last year) Retread TE Retread Slot WR Brand spankin' new receivers (Brown) And yet this "crashed and burned" team was within 2 quarters of making their sixth straight playoff appearance. What do they have this year? Improved OL with only one question mark Motivated RBs (though I believe we will see competition before long) Pitta (Enough said) Boldin replace by Smith (Yes, 35 years old, but a consummate professional and chain mover) Daniels (Still effective after all these years - just ask the Falcons about Tony Gonzalez) Torrey Smith (Does anyone want to bet he will not be a 1000 yard receiver again?) Jacoby Jones (Good receiver, but great return weapon) Marlon Brown (An UDFA that led the team in TD passes and grew a lot as the season progressed) Looks like Flacco is not exactly crying in his soup now, does it?

What you are missing is our (the fans') core group of contrarians...if the Ravens did exactly as these wet blankets wanted, they would just move onto the next gripe in their lists. Look at where we are in terms of what the Ravens "still don't have" (at least according to the aforementioned wet blankets).... OL - The Ravens have only one (repeat ONE) real question mark: at Right Tackle. The team has two second year players in Wagner and Jensen as well as Jah Reid. That seems to me to be a good pool from which a starter can emerge. If not, FA will most likely yield another veteran for a short-term solution. TE - Pitta and Daniels are both chain movers and good intermediate threats...and neither is exactly tottering around using walkers. Daniels may only be a one-to-two year solution, but for this season, he is OUR solution to complement Pitta. WR - With Smith (squared), Jones, Brown, Mellette, the Ravens have a mix of young and veteran players all of whom can really fly. Now let's look at what they DO have - and all high-character guys including: LB - They drafted an impact player and leader who will compete for playing time but also who can ease into his role learning from a savvy veteran (Smith). This group has always been the Ravens' strength - and it got stronger! DL - They drafted another beast (Some of our wet blankets say Cody, I say Kelly Gregg) from a championship program. Not exactly a replacement for Arthur Jones, but that group has a lot of young "next man up" types, and the Ravens added one more good one to the mix. This one moreover, has a chip on his shoulder from his fall from the first round...motivated? FS - They drafted a center fielder from a championship program. This guy, from the film I saw, is fast, has good ball hawking skills, is well coached and will most likely be the next FS starter! My opinion of the "bottom line" for this draft so far is that the Ravens will not get high marks from the NFL network dweebs for sexiness, but have another solid draft class that will add to an already elite organization and team.

Not sure I agree with your assessment...getting more competition on the DLine and LB corps might just ensure that the player who wins the job is better for the competition. The other thing I noticed is that both players came from National Championship programs so they know how to win!

Available? Or did they just throw the number away? Now it will be our pleasure to watch another "old" WR (Mason, Boldin, Smith) who will be another tough-as-nails 30-something!

OK, defense...who's going to guard Smith? er....Smith? er...Jones? Oh nuts, never mind just try not to get embarrassed by those guys.

Exactly the same thing that was said about Mason...that worked out well for the Ravens. Everyone but you knows that the Ravens have a lot of players "...of the future..." but not a mentor. Now they do.

Where are the center and RT??? Gee whiz! It is only the FIRST day of free agency so give our FO the chance to make the moves I truly believe they will make before or after the draft. As for JJ, he is more than a return specialist...he is a speedy WR and can be counted on for 3 to 4 catches per game...check the history. However, as a return specialist, he has been one of the best in the NFL...not just TDs, but the 30 - 40 yard "field flipper" that he has done so many times. Who said 3.5 Million is too much?

Jacoby caught 37 passes in only 11 or 12 games last season. All reports I have read talk about how hard he worked on his catching! That and his good humor and attitude made him an enjoyable Raven to follow.

One reason the Ravens are the outstanding organization we all love is that we WON'T hear any word leaked...we'll know when a deal is announced.

Notice that a key component of Monroe's description is "...high-character guy..."? It tells me that there are players around who have the physical, mental and character tools to help the Ravens succeed. We just happened to have one in-house already! Great job to both sides!