Poes Crows

Sticking with the same "contrarian" theme,

Oz has excelled as greatly these past 2 years as he did the previous 17.  He's a "lifer" and has done no wrong.  They'll carry him out before the reigns are passed!!! And even then they'll deify him like a catholic saint with his own sarcophagus right there in the G.M.'s box at M & T Bank Stadium.

Personally, I'm a little miffed that Ozzie hasn't held a press conference to apologize to the fans, ownership, and the future generations of fans and ownership he's done wrong with this draft. It's obvious that this was a colossal failure as evidenced by every expert making it clear Oz doesn't know what he's doing. It would be one thing if the guy had an irrefutable track record building winning football teams, but c'mon this is Ozzie Newsome we're talking about, not some legend of the game both on and off the field.

As the saying goes, "Defense doesn't win championships, rookie WRs and RBs do." Followed closely by, "Please consult forum posters for draft advice. The higher the post count, the better the mock." So please Ozzie (and Eric you take notes), it's time to do us all a favor and hang up this little short term "NFL" experiment you've been testing for the past 36 years. It's just not working out.

We paid 120 million for a 19 TD, 22 INT quarterback.

For comparison Tom Brady with no receivers early in the year threw 25 TD's and 11 INT. 

Granting that Joe Flacco is not Tom Brady, he was still overvalued by Oz.

Contrary to what many believe on this board, Oz is in hot water and primarily it pertains to the Flacco contract.

Flacco has limitations. He is a "System Guy" and that's another reality that slipped by Oz these last couple years.

Flacco has won a Championship and can win others if the Raven's surround him with the proper personnel.  This is another reality that is clearly lost upon Oz because he has not taken the actions to "protect" his Flacco investment.

Flacco can get the job done with the right tools. Oz on the other hand just doesn't get it any more and clearly is heading the wrong direction again with the offense.

Hopefully this is the last year we have to endure the missteps.

I lost some respect when Ray said he could see himself as a Cowboy or something like that. Ray was also on 2nd contract though and Reed was obviously at the twilight of his career. There was no fall back or escape plan if Flacco didn't resign, unless we thought TT could be our RG3. There is also the fact we were picking at 32 with no good qbs coming out. Even if there was, the amount to move up would've crippled us.

I hope I am wrong I truly do, but I honestly believe that ozzie was fooled by the tide again.....

 

 

Remember Cody........

Still have hope Cody will have a healthy productive year and give his best.

Didn't think we needed Mosley. He'll be useful, but we had glaring needs and Oz pretty much ignored them. 

With Mosley we certainly did not draft a young Ray Lewis, so it's hard to figure what Oz was doing. 

San Francisco continues to kick our butt.  First they get the best safety in the draft in 2013 by wisely trading up....then they get our best receiver because Oz gets brain freeze....then this year they get Jimmy Ward the best ball hawk in the draft and Carlos Hyde.

We have to trade Oz for whoever is making the calls over in Frisco.

I should be shocked, but I'm not.  Our selection is par for the course in regard to Oz's recent draft decisions.  You gotta be kidding us right?  Mosley is not going to make anyone forget Ray Lewis.  Maybe you can't get an impact player at 17 anymore? (Though Ray went at 26!) 

Does anyone really believe this Mosley with his slight upper body and history of missing games is a bona fide impact player?  Did Oz watch the tapes?  

This, once again is Incredulous. 

Can Oz at least take his "Board" and take a private seat away from the action for the rest of this draft.........

Please

ozzie must be going senile, I have never doubted ozzie until now. im even madder then I was when we passed on hakeem nicks for Michael oher. ive vocally been against drafting HHCD, but jesus the guy was expected to go at 13 AT THE LATEST, and he slides all the way to 17, clearly the BPA, better value than mosley, and fills the biggest glaring need on our roster, there is literally no bigger hole on our roster than FS, on the other hand, we traded up in the 2nd for Arthur brown just a year ago, signed daryl smith to a long term contract, and ILB is practically locked up. I am LIVID about this pick right now. worst pick since kyle boller, and this is only the 2nd time since I started following the draft in 06 that I have been mad about any of our picks, I generally believe every pick ozzie makes is a smart one in some way, whether or not it is the player I "like", but this seems like a completely idiotic pick to me. neg away.

Agreed

I think everybody is severely underestimating how good Mosley is.

 

Go watch some tape. Ravens wanted an impact player at 17; well they just got one.

What tapes were you watching?  For crying out loud!

lol....this is the first hig IQ player we have picked in a while.

 

I was horrified by the elam pick last year

 

IM actualy pretty happy with this pick. The guy is a football player. Dare i say it, he reminds me of a young Daryl smith in college.

 

We took BPA

 

I have him higher then HA HA and Pryor.

 

Just Get a saftey in the 2nd. Maybe trade up for ward. A DE and WR in the 3rd. RB and TE in 4th.

 

Call it a day

BPA.....really?...............All the more proof that this game has passed Ozzie by.

3 sacks.

2 in that horrendus weather game vs bears and 1 in his debut

Hes a very good left tackle

I have a much higher sacks allowed total on Monroe.

Don't like him, never have.  The record is clear.

so you are saying we should have gone after Veldheer and risk turning Monroe off to a deal with us completely, only to potentially not land Veldheer?  knowing what we know now about how the market unfolded, I suppose MAYBE that works, but still not smart all in all

The only risk with Veldheer is injury. He missed 11 games last year. For what he is about to become, the risk was more than worth the same price paid for Mediocre Monroe.  We will let the Sack totals and busted run plays in 2014 speak again for themselves.

Monroe is better than veldheer. Nuff said

Not even close, thats why Oz needs replaced.

I'm not sure anyone will ever take you seriously when you hate on Monroe, but heap praise on Oher

We could have had Veldheer

Have a low opinion of Monroe, but will not say any more until the season. Will point out every sack he is instrumental in allowing. PFF won't agree but they haven't a clue.

He can't run block either. Have no idea what Oz was thinking.

Disappointed to see Oher go.

He was sound as a brass bell.  He had weaknesses but he was a heckuva run blocker and if we have a prayer of getting back to the Championship Game it had to be running the ball. 

So we need a right tackle. We have an extremely overrated left tackle. Our center is questionable and our Left guard has a back.

Not sure anything else will really make an impact with those holes.

6-10........said it early and believe it now

I want to hug Ozzie.

It really was an Anti-Oz signing wasn't it?

He takes a 35 year old receiver. (Read not confirmed) And pays him pretty dang good money with the signing bonus.  Really Un-Oz like.  But he's clearly feelin the heat from what precipitated this.

What do we get?

We get a veteran that knows the game. Knows the Hot Reads...Knows his routes.

We get a athlete who really keeps himself in shape.

We get a veteran to impart the smarts to the young guys like Mellette, Brown and even Torrey Smith.

We get an attitude that we seemed to have lost last year.

We get a lot.

We get hope.

Make no mistake he is not Anquan Boldin, but he may bring intangibles to the table that make him even more valuable than would initially appear.

I'll give Oz kudos on this one.  He broke the recent mold and Raven fans have to love the gamble.

I disagree. Steve smith has dominated with less talent then boldin has throughout his career. the eye test tells anyone that steve smith was the epitome of big time while boldin has always been just very very good

Its all about matchups.....its not just Steve Smith vs Anquan Boldin Sami............its about the entire package. That's something that fantasy football players will never be able to wrap their head around.  That is no aspersion towards you.  Frankly its something Oz can't understand either.

Ice Up Son....Ice Up!!!

Glad to have him.

steve smith was the best reciever in the league for a couple of years..something neither boldin or mason were. He is also a fitness freak. Great signing but I feel a center is NOW the biggest priority

Have always liked Steve Smith, but you can't make that comparison.  He doesn't have the strength or rebound ability that Boldin had. Granting he's quicker and like Boldin he runs reliable routes.  He fits Oz's bill....He can catch the ball at 7 to 8 yards and has good Yards After Catch ability. 

All that said, in no way does he make up for the loss of Boldin. He's too small and although a tremendous athlete he can't dominate a corner like Boldin could. Don't kid yourself.

Not counting Lewis and Birk(retired). Who that we lost last year is a guy you would have wanted us to pay? Boldin? Smith will get half what he Is getting paid. Underperformed while he was here. Ellerbee and Kruger? Nice B players paid like all pros. Pollard? We wanted to go with a different type of safety. Ed reed? As much as I love him. It's clear he was no longer worth what Houston paid him.

Wow is that a Defense Argument for Oz.  If he's reading he's loving this post. 

Would like to point out that without Boldin last year, we were a giant sloth caught in a tar pit. We moved slow and were stuck in goo. 

Predicted here that before Boldin's 2013 season in San Francisco the 49er front office would not be as foolish as the Raven Crew to allow Boldin to sign elsewhere.  They extended him, paying his salary and are all the better for it, while we look for a difference maker at receiver that is nowhere within our grasp. Great move Oz, take a bow, you deserve it.

Not gonna bother with the safety analysis, will allow the results to speak for themselves. But will continue with the megaphone until its abundantly clear to all here that Elam was evidence of Oz's deteriorating skills and powers of perception.  He's goners.

San Fran signed Eric Reid. What can one say.

Why not? He's a fantastic KR and this team has always counted on very good ST players. If Marqise Lee falls to us, we need to pick him up imho, because he has the potential to be a true #1 WR:

 

1. Lee

2. Torrey

3. Steve

4. Marlon

5. Jacoby

 

If we end up drafting a Mike Evans, who is still a bit raw, the addition of Smith would give us the time to develop him as a player and ease him into a increasingly bigger role on offense, which would be another way this signing could help us.

THE LAST GUY we need to take is Marquise Lee........Do Not Go There....Do Not Do it.....Do Not Destroy our potential diversity.

Evans is the guy if we can get him.  We have so many needs trading up would be a concession. If we can't get Evans we'll just have to spend the pick on the Lines and play another year without a true possession receiver.  But the death knell would be selecting that Lee.  We have Torrey Smith, don't need a clone.

No Clones allowed, especially clones with issues.

I don't think Ozzie is reading this forum, dude. Atleast I hope not.

 

Based on the last 2 years of decisions, if Oz wants to keep his job in 2015 he better start reading this forum.

Well dip me in poop and roll me in corn meal!  Yesssssssssss!!!!!!!!! The Dragonfly returns!

 

Now on to Daryl Smith.

Excellent

Noted some of the fans here are recognizing that Jacoby was catching the ball with his hands more.  The view here in regard to receiving skills is that he is still improving.

But the key to resigning Dragonfly was that if the Raven's hope to get anywhere close to their playoff level two years ago, Jacoby is an essential element in that pursuit.  We must have the diversified Receiver Corps we had in 2012 to have the slightest prayer to be in position for a playoff spot at the end of the year.  If we can get in, it is very likely to come down to one game and one big play.  Jacoby is uniquely qualified to be that difference maker. The Raven's have very few players that can win that must have game on their own. 

Eugene Monroe certainly can't win that game and to this eye signing Jacoby offsets the mistake of signing Monroe instead of Veldheer, who was there for us. Mistake, but the Ozmobile has generally been losing horsepower for a number of years now. The signing of Jacoby at least closes that barn door to keep one of the big horses.

Lets face it, Flacco didn't have a running game to use the play action pass and he didn't have time to let them rip downfield as effectively as 2012.  Monroe was a part of that problem. At least with Jacoby we retain the ability to pull a game out we have no right of winning. Maybe a game Monroe plays like the 3rd rater he is.

From this perspective it brings back memories of crafty old Dallas Cowboy acquisitions.

The Cowboys drafted Roger Staubach out of Navy knowing he had a service commitment and could not play for about 4 years.  It was a gamble that paid off.

They did similar with Hershel Walker, selecting him in later rounds even knowing he was off to the USFL.

The signing of McClain could pay off even though he sat out a year.  If it does it will go a long way to restoring some of the luster that's clean worn off the old Ozmobile.

Well using "facts" would also lead you to the conclusion that if we lose Monroe and go out and sign a FA T, we get no compensatory pick. So we do in fact lose 2 picks and make the team worse in the process.

we'll you'd be correct if we lost only Monroe and acquired only Veldheer......but the aggregate is calculated.....unless we sign a slew of free agents we'll make out and lose only one of the original picks traded for Monroe

The boldin makes me laugh every single time.

 me too

Good teams don't trade 2 picks on a guy (in the deepest draft in years) and let him walk on the hopes that they sign an average T away from a team with 65 million in cap space.

If you think Veldheer is the key piece to fix all of our oline woes, then I don't know what to tell you other then your greatly mistaken...

Arming oneself with the facts is a better way to go about it than accusing another of being mistaken.

We gave up a 4th and 5th rounder for Monroe.  Losing Monroe to Free Agency gets us a consolation pick back, making it a 1 pick loss.  There's talk that consolation pick could be a 3rd rounder which would more than wash the value of the surrendered picks away. Though dubious of that, this fan thinks it will be a 4th rounder.

Edited....though consolation picks apparently come at the end of the round and are less valuable.

Monroe does not pass this fan's Lock Up Left Tackle test. Not even close. But if one thinks letting Monroe walk would be a mistake, all this fan can say is that Oz has made a ton of mistakes the past two years and it's one reason we are languishing. That said, letting Monroe walk wont be a mistake to count against Oz. It would help demonstrate he's got his wits back about him.

Oakland isn't letting him go.  They have $70M in cap space.

65 million? 

But they have so many needs.  They may not want to pay him.

He's the key to turn us around. If we got Veldheer, he covers for a recovering Osemele and all we need is a center.  Convinced now that Gino is a no go.

You are wrong in your assessment of Monroe. He is easily a top 10 LT and he is closer to #5 than #15

Well, if we don't sign him that means Oz continues the slide right?

Hit the road Jack and don't ya come back no more, no more, no more, no more

Hit the road Jack and don't ya come back no more!!!

This is the first positive development in two years.  Two freakin years.

 

 

You think Jared Valdheer is great, but Monroe is a midling? Interesting.

 

But if this is true, you really think the Ravens can compete with the Raiders and their $70 million in cap space?

 

Yeah, this fan believes Veldheer will fit like a warm comfy mitten!

If Osemele is fortunate to come back sound we may only need a center. Then again if Osemele is sound they may be considering him at Left Tackle.....Would much prefer Veldheer, but the Raiders did not Tag him and he's the guy to pay if you're going to pay for one.

He would be a significant downgrade, doesn't fit the system, and would be nearly as much as Monroe. It would be a terrible move IMO.

What?

lmao

We can only hope Oz finds a way to make the Dutchman a Raven

Well, it is the Jags that we are talking about....but your point still rings true.

I think he is a very good OT, but at this point in his career, he likely has plateaued. Absolutely nothing wrong with being among the top 10ish at your position, but I certainly wouldn't break the bank for this guy when we have so many other needs.

 

Say his value is $10m annually.

 

Would we rather give a solid LT like himself that money, or give $6M of it to a guy like Mack, who is arguably the best player in the league at his position, and still have $4M left over to go out and grab a guy like D'Qwell Jackson who can help us out elsewhere on the team, or use that money to bring back Jacoby and / or Daryl Smith? Simple economics....with a limited amount of cash, would we rather fill one position, or 2 - 3 positions, with that $10M? Especially easy to answer when we consider that Mack is a better player, and fills an equally huge need for us.

 

I understand that LTs are hard to come by. Fortunately for us, this years' draft has a ton of quality at OT that will be available in the first two rounds

Agree with you.

The view here is Monroe is a middlin LT.  Not the 10th best.........not at the bottom of the barrel either, middlin.

The Raiders did not Tag Veldheer...........Let the Fun Begin!!!

Also noticed those dumb Niners gave Boldin his 6 million for two more years.........LMAO....what do they not understand!!!

IDK man, a LT is a much tougher find than C. Monroe is top 10, young and healthy. I think we need to pay him.

One has to acknowledge durability. At least in that regard he has been solid.

Never underestimate the value of soundness a player brings to a team.

Where do you get this stuff from man lol. I know you can't be serious 

Serious

Let's say you don't have all the Raven's game Tivo'd and can't review Monroe's games.

Then try this one on...

The Jacksonville Jaguars draft Eugene Monroe 8th overall in 2009.

Concerns like "PFF" rate Monroe as the 3rd, 10th and 10th best LT's in the League in his first 3 years.

Then in 2013 The Jaguars use the overall 2nd pick to draft?  You guessed it another LT, Luke Joeckel. 

Shortly thereafter the Jags trade Monroe to Baltimore and insert the draftee into his LT spot. Unfortunately for them Joeckel goes down with an injury.

Joeckel did not come cheap but ask yourselves this.....What kind of thought processing has a team draft their LT of the future and 4 years later draft another LT of the future? 

Obviously Oz rated Monroe high in 2009, but then so did the Jags.

All doubt is removed if you study the films.