bMore Heathen

It is kinda sweet to see West doing well

Pettine or Peas? Who would you guys rather have at DC?

Bring Pettine back!!! Sounds good to me

Now Mosley?!? God, can this season just be over already?

Watching Tebow throw behind and at WRs feet is not fun

We need a back up QB, not a back up FB. I would actually stop watching our games if we sign and played Tebow. I really can't stand that guy.

but we dont HAVE to start monroe. if he gets beat out by a rookie, then it is what it is, we cant protect feelings here, these are adults getting paid millions and if monroe gets hurt far too often, then he will be giving up his job to a younger, healthier, and likely superior rookie. tunsil and stanley are both tackles, tunsil could play guard as a rookie for sure, but you have to field your best guys and if tunsil came here and outperformed monroe at LT then he needs to be on the field, idc what monroes contract looks like.

I get what you're saying, but it would be foolish to just bench Monroe imo, especially since he has been pretty good when healthy. Problem is he can't stay healthy. Is it realalistic to think either of those rookies would beat him out in TC when he's fully healthy for the LT spot? It doesn't hurt to have a quality back up, but when we're talking about a top 5 pick...

This is how I feel. I'm just not impressed by this draft class at the top. I have questions about every single one of them, more so than in the past. The only one I really feel confident that won't bust is Hargreaves. Bosa is a guy I like but I don't see a major drop-off from him to a guy like Ogbah, who looks terrific as a pass rusher. Granted, Bosa is a better prospect, but I see a lot of qualities in Ogbah that may me say the drop-off is minimal comparatively speaking. Ramsey is a guy I love and I've called for a FS for years; however, he plays with a bad attitude at times and this could be a problem as a pro. He could be a penalty magnet and I'm not sure he has the range to be an Earl Thomas FS we expect of him; however, I do think he could be a Harrison Smith, who may actually be better than Thomas, so I have no problems with him. The thing is it's a deeper safety class than CB.

Tunsil and Stanley are two guys I like, but both have areas that concern me. Stanley needs lower body strength and even upper body strength to maintain his skill at the next level, and there's no telling if he can stay as good after adding on weight. Furthermore, Tunsil is a great prospect but he isn't as refined as Stanley in pass protection but he's a better run blocker and has a higher ceiling. Both LTs are subject to bust concerns since there hasn't been an elite, safe LT in literally years.

I hate this draft. I almost wish this happened last year or the year before so we could have Mack or Cooper.

I haven't really payed attention to Tunsil or Stanley, but do you think Tunsil or Stanley could project inside to G for a year or 2 until we can get out from Monroe's contract? I wouldn't be thrilled with taking a G in the top 5, but if he's the best prospect and there's no trade back options... I don't really think Monroe would project inside favorably, but we will most likely have a hole there, and it could be the biggest hole on the team.

Why not?!? When the next receiver gets cut or IRed, bring him up.

I think with the reduced practice time (especially padded practices) allowed under the CBA, this increase in injuries will be the new norm. Many injuries are caused by poor technique. As the vets "age out" and are replaced by younger players who came up under this CBA, technique will continue to decline, along with the quality of games, and injuries will increase.

Agreed 100%

Claiming Quinton Coples off waivers costs a fully GTD $534,840 this year & includes taking his $7.751M 2016 option year GTD for injury now.

From the over the cap boy on twitter

Got it, thanks

If someone claims him off waivers youre on the hook for 7 ish mil 5th yr option next year. So he will likely clear waivers, and become a free agent, at which point I'd be all over him on a 2/3 yr deal

I'm not positive, but I thought if a player is waived or traded, they aren't eligible for the 5th year option, unless the original team signs him. Could be wrong though.

The problem with FA is Rex. Claiming him may be the only option to get him.

This is one I hope we jump on. We need someone, anyone who could improve our pass rush. I know he's still on his rookie deal, anybody know his cap hit for the rest of the year should we claim him?

true.

only karma would be nagata messing up rg3 knee.... and maybe ray lewis breaking mike vick leg pre-season game against atlanta.

I'm pretty sure that was Adalius, not Ray...

Just watched the play, him pop up and run towards the sideline, then turn around and head back into the huddle...and his post game in the locker room. What a beast!

Yeah, gotta give it to him, he is one tuff guy. I was watching it with a couple of my buddies and we were in awe that he stayed in and got us in position WITH A TORN ACL!!!! Not many would attempt that, if he takes another shot on that thing, it's literally game over for him. It was risky, but amazing. Reminiscent of Leftwich against Akron in 02, well, maybe not but he gets props!!

Damn, a bad season gets worse. Flacco and Forsett in the same game. This sucks

EXACTLY. Folks who have been Ravens fans since 96 arent freaking out.

Its only the people who have jumped on in the past ten years or so that are singing the blues.

Right, those of us who saw Tony Banks and Boller know that it has been worse, and we always rebound. We will be fine, although I don't think I've seen our defense be this bad, other than 96 maybe. Yeah, it sucks, but we will have a completely different team next year, and that's before the draft. We just have SO many players on IR right now.

We have De'Ondre Wesley as well.

Forgot about him, at least Jensen can play multiple positions.

Boy, we can't catch a break... So does that leave Jensen and Hurst as our only active backup OL? That doesn't seem like a great idea. Maybe someone was trying to poach West off the PS.

Kind of expected it. The guy hasn't even been on the practice field since July. It's unrealistic to think that he would be able to come back and contribute this year, being out this long. Probably for the best.

I don't mind it. Lewis is just bad, plain and simple. I would have waited to the offseason though. I would have tried Arrington there, since he hasn't been playing corner and there were talks in TC about him playing some safety. He would give us a little bit more speed back there anyway. I just don't think we have enough guys capable of playing outside, and while not ideal, Webb was doing a pretty good job out there.

Either way, we have to do something....

Well that's a relief, isn't it? I don't really see a benefit to releasing that kind of information. I mean, are they going to give us a win instead of a loss? No? Well then, thanks.

Never said that it doesn't make sense for the league to grow its product by making it more appealing to a wider audience. I think the point of the thread is to state what we personally think about the changes in sport - and that is how I answered.

Happens all the time ... how many bands sold out over time to a wider audience, only to leave their original followers at least a little disappointed?

Great post, and great point. Being an athlete in my youth as well as a musician I know this all too well.

No, it was dying, and frankly, it still might be.

In a roundabout way, you are sort of correct that money changed it, but that also had a lot more to do with players who had already retired.

Just out of curiosity... in the "game you used to watch", how often were the words/phrases "concussion", "permanent brain damage" and "early death" used to describe the game you were watching? And in particular, how often did you hear players talking about it?

That's what changed the game. All of the rule changes and adaptations of it are just a byproduct/reaction to those words, and they were formulated because professional athletes started to figure out that their sports career is short and their pain and suffering can be significantly longer.

That trickles down to parents who make the initial choice as to whether or not their sons play football, and when that decline starts, the entire sport declines.

Yeah, defiantly. Concussion were not talked about when I was younger other than "he really got his bell rung on that one", or "he's seeing stars". I had multiple concussions when playing sports as a youth. It wasn't seen as a big deal, just sit down for a minute.

I'm not saying that's ok. And I was lucky that a knee injury stopped me from playing, rather than a head injury. But again, it goes back to money and those lawsuits the NFL got over concussions. I really think the NFL is more concerned with that, rather than the safety of the sport.

But my point was more about the popularity of the sport over the last decade or so, and the exploitation it has got since then. Thursday night football is the result. It was fun on thanksgiving and the weeks after when playoffs were on the line, but I'm not interested in a couple of 2-6 teams playing on Thursday. Maybe some people are, I don't know or really care, frankly. Like I said, watered down, but it's here to stay I guess.

Yes, that game is dead. And it should be, because the game you grew up watching being played like that wouldn't be around 25-30 years from now.

So the game either evolves so that it can survive, or it dies.

Money is what changes things. The game I watched and played wasn't in danger of dying, money just made it softer, more exploited, and watered down.

It's defiantly a different game than the game I played and watched growing up. The rules changes every year, and there are disparities not only between games with officials, but in the same game, fouls aren't called evenly. And this isn't about the Ravens, the were 3 spots in the Seatle game in a row that were HORRIBLE. How can these guys not see it on the field? Requiring them to stop the game and check the spot.

So many games where the clock is miss managed upstairs, sideline communication coming and going at will, review after review slowing down the game. It's just different, and it's getting watered down. Thursday night football every week, red zone, an entire network dedicated to the game where they discuss the same few plays form the week before for 5 days straight. Every idiot in the world tweeting comments and opinions all the time. Draft talk in Febuary on all the major sports networks...

Add to that the shortened training camp and practice schedule and the product on the field just isn't as good. It's just not the same game I loved growing up. I guess I'm old.

I thought it was a troll myself lol. The retirement section he has does look a lil legit tho for obvious reasons. But then again I dont persoanlly think any of them will retire, even if one or two should.

I mean, harbs taking over as OC?!? Where would something like that even come from?