frozen joe flacco fan

6 hours ago, 52520Andrew said:

Dude, you aren't confident in the offense at all, you are just setting the framework so you can complain about Flacco the second things go wrong. It is pretty obvious and is the whole reason I have been calling you out.

And you really are bad at reading, this is 3 times now where I am saying judging each play individually as opposed to taking a game or season into account is stupid. It is called sample size, it is a pretty basic thing to know. If a guy is getting pressured all the time, I would expect them to hurry things up with the expectation of being pressured. Even if he isn't, if the line is doing bad enough that the expectation of being pressured is there, then that is a problem with the line. Kinda funny how with Kubiak he had a good line right? Kinda funny how in 2012 when he had the best line he has ever had for those 4 games he went on that great run? And now that the line has regressed since Kubiak left, funny how Flacco has regressed as well? Maybe because Flacco actually trusted those lines to give him time and doesn't with the lines the past couple years. Maybe because those were good lines and having to deal with the lines of 2013 and the injured mess that was 2015(which was far more injured than the defense but of course you were blaming the offense for everything even though they were all injured) messed up his mechanics? But no, I am sure those were great lines and Flacco ended up injured both those years by tripping over his own feet. 

And here comes the contract talk. I get that but at the same time if you expect him to perform like Rodgers then you haven't been paying attention. We pay him what we pay because we have no other option if we want to stay competitive. Maybe you want organized chaos back but we only won 1 super bowl with it and it was an all time great defense that certainly hasn't been here for years. We aren't getting rid of Flacco and the contract ain't changing so either get used to it or pop in some highlights from 2006 and watch us struggle with Boller or old McNair in the playoffs. 

As for the line, We have 3 positions filled. The others are question marks. Would you be fine with a 4th round rookie starting at CB? No, you'd be crying about how little help the defense has as per usual. You probably still will find ways to cry about that this year. No different at Guard but they are offense so I guess that is fine since it doesn't fit your narrative. And that 4th round rookie may be changing positions and may be raw so again, counting on a lot for him to actually perform well this year. If all these picks and FA signings this year were on offense, you'd be crying about how little help the defense got too which is what I find funny and what I have been calling you out on this whole time. You are no better than the people you are going after so much. But lets break down that 2014 defense at this point in the offseason just so you can realize just how hypocritical you are being.

We had a freaking stud in Ngata, we had a good starter in Canty. Sizzle, Doom, McPhee were deadly, Upshaw was good against the run. We had CJ and Daryl Smith. We had a first round pick in Elam, a good FA in Kendrick Lewis. Jimmy and Webb with a 5th round pick in Chykie Brown who had time to develop and another one in Asa Jackson. That is 4 CBs for 3 spots right? Honestly that might be a better group than this offense as it has a really good front 7. Of course we learned that CB was a mess with injuries and players not developing but that is just as likely to happen with the O-line this year is my point and people being concerned about it aren't "not giving the young guys a chance", they are looking at what we have and seeing a fairly high risk in the group doing bad. And you haven't even tried to hype up the receivers yet haha. But lets break down that O-line:

Stanley is good but already missed time last year, Yanda is getting older and we had good play from LT and RG in 2013. LG,C, and RT were just terrible that year. So it is very possible those guys stay healthy and Jensen/Urschel become the next Chykie Brown or Asa Jackson and that our rookies aren't ready for the big time yet(I mean San Diego State to the NFL is a big jump and our other guy was more of a developmental pick). Heck maybe Lewis regresses and does poorly at RT. That isn't even taking injury into account.

Right on! Your "buddies" on this blog site suffer from the three Ds --- that is denial, delusion and delirium. They are Joe Flacco doubters and detractors who relish in using him as cannon fodder. So, "The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz" has fixed the defense. Well, "Roll Tide!" What has he done to fix the offense and help Joe to "play better". The answer is Nada as in zero. His strategy to fix the offense is addition by subtraction, that is trying to do more with less. Eugene Monroe and Jeremy Zuttah were experiments that failed. Good riddance! Hurst "The Worst" doesn't deserve a roster spot. Our FB, Kyle Juscyk, got a huge check and so did our RT, Rick Wagner. Our best? RB is suspende for the 1st quarter of the season. Frankly, IDK who our #1 WR will be and perhaps we should have picked OJ Howard to give us at least one healthy TE. Aiken was another experiment that failed. He had ample chances to prove himself worthy of a starting job and he may finally get one this year --- with another team. On a team with solid WRs and rugged, wide-bodied TEs and an O-line that isn't as porous as swiss cheese, Joe would be the gunslinger he likes to be, not just a game-manager whose job is solely not to lose the game. Like him or not, January Joe Flacco is one of the best in the business regardless of which foot he throws from. Wake up and smell the roses, you giddy, defensive, Raven fanatics! Unless the Wizard pulls a "complementary WR" out of his ____________ sleeve, Justin Tucker will set an all-time record for FG attempts in the NFL and it will be another long and vapid season. AND you can take that to the M&T bank!              

7 hours ago, atomicfront said:

The injuries all the more reason to be concerned about him being our #2 next year.  Torrey was definitely the better player at this point in his career.  Torrey didn't drop as many balls as Perrian either.  Probably the reason that Flacco didn't throw to Perriman more. 

Bingo! Support begets support! Je has a tendency to throw to receivers who are dependable. That being said, I loved the way he threw a first down pass to Waller last year after Waller had just dropped a pass on the previous play. That tends to instill confidence in a young receiver.

13 hours ago, RayRayRaven said:

yah by ignorin the offens they get worse than fail respect the E grad  the point bout holdin flacco accountible as they sayed and not givin him more to work wiff rathar takin some peices away from him is a thang thar is  a word for. its like whatevah. maybe they thang the wrs and tes an oline an rbs they have givin joe is enuff to get the job done. that it is on joe and not on them at all.  that sur looks like their plan. put it on joe hes the elephant in the room anyways and if he fail they gonna ship him off when the contract is done anyways. maybe they can buy mor time to milk the clock for themselfs u kno. it looks like there comprehensuv plan is joe is the scapgoat. convince biscioti joe didna get er done. as far as the Defence draff u r generrous. humpf had a ton of team aroun him and had the chanc to make team effort plays agains far less talant. thars a vid of humpf tacklin fournet that folks like to talk bout. fournet had a gap and humpf was thar its humpfs hihlite tackel and he barely got a guy with no whar to go. he tackles like elam and its gonna get interestin with nflers in space and nflers with quicks. bad pic no comment on the rest of the draff and cant rate the hole d draff but humpf was a no draff tab

We'll just have to wait and see, I guess, but as my dad was fond of sayin "Wait broke the wagon down, son!" Thanks for the good feedback, RayRay! You're probably right that I was too generous for my grade on the defensive draft picks. I hope you're wrong about Humphry ' cause Matt Elam has been a bust. We need to get rid of him and Hurst the Worst. 

The only "surprise" of the offseason thus far is the failure to sign a possession receiver, though the offseason obviously isn't even close to being over yet.

Would point out that the FO has already stated publicly that they feel pretty good about internal options at RT and at ILB, and so fans need to start taking notice of this and understand that its simply not a realistic expectation to have 22 starting spots locked down in May.

Very easily may be August before we even know who is going to be starting at those positions, and those players may or may not even be on the roster at this point.

I also would point out something I've been telling you guys for months... don't expect wholesale changes in terms of acquisitions on the offensive side of the ball, mainly because its easily the youngest side of the ball.

We've got youth at WR, TE, RB, and in some ways OLine. In many ways, I think the FO's stance on the offense is simple... they've just got to play better. The defense had age issues at a lot of spots, and those seem to be addressed pretty well at this point.

You nailed it! The FO's stance on the offense is simple... they've just got to play better. That's so easy to say. I am sure OC Marty will be relieved to hear it. Let's see. He has Wallace, Waller, Moore, Perriman, Matthews, Campanero and now Woodhead. Of the entire bunch, only two have proven they are starters - Wallace and Woodhead. The others have some potential but that's the worse thing you can say about an athlete. I would like to see Q come back to Bmore for an encore but don't count on it after the way the FO treated him after the SB. Ask yourself why Waller is a WR and not a TE. Get Perriman to make the routine chain-moving catches a pro is supposed to make for his QB instead of an occasional circus catch. Keep Campanero healthy for a whole season. Good luck, Marty! If we go into the season with Wallace, Perriman and Moore as the top 3 WRs, you are in serious trouble unless you can get them to "just play better". But what the heck, it will give the Flacco doubters and detractors some more cannon fodder. Not drafting a WR in this draft is symptomatic of a FO in denial, delusion or delirium. That's what is simple. In fact, its so simple its offensive (pun intended).

31 minutes ago, Maryland said:

Overall, I'm giving the Ravens a B. They attacked two of their biggest weaknesses, EDGE and OL, by doubling-up at those positions, but they completely ignored the skill positions on offense, WR and TE, which were considerable needs. All of the picks had value somewhere in the "B" range, I thought; no big steals or reaches. The offense is going to be frustrating to watch for 2017, but the defense should at least make games winnable. Here's hoping Ozzie homers Calvin Ridley in the 2018 draft. 

You're very generous! Giving the FO the benefit of the doubt, I'd give them a C at best. The defense certainly needed to be revamped and the draft picks we chose should certainly help turn around the D. Having said that, giving the FO a grade higher than a C is questionable, considering the woeful O-line that Joe has to rely upon. It is absolutely unbelievable that James Worst (I mean Hurst is still on our roster). I'm glad Zuttah was sent packing but our O-line has had no continuity since way back in 2012. The run blocking is marginally adequate and the pass-blocking is woefully inadequate. It takes a great O-line to set up long deep pass patterns and Joe simply  does not have enough protection to throw a deep ball to a wide open receiver.

It is disingenuous and ludicrous for the FO to say that in order for the Ravens to be more successful Joe Flacco needs to play better and yet to have failed so miserably to draft anybody of any noteworthiness on the offensive side. Two lower round O-linemen, neither of whom is a center, just doesn't make it appear that the FO gives a hoot about giving Joe the weapons he needs to be successful. For those uninformed fans who think Ryan Mallett can run the offense better than Joe, think again. When Mallett beat the Steelers, that game was absolutely a gift from the Steelers. In the 2017 draft, four offensive players were drafted after our pick number 78 and before pick 85 and two or three were wide receivers. It is obvious that Ozzie had no intention of trying to help Joe "play better". This draft definitely exposed three things about our FO - its apparent tunnel vision, its lack of objectivity and a draconian change in philosophy. Its time for the Wizard to get in his hot air balloon and return to Kansas before he wears out his welcome in the City of Charm. With arguably the best defense of all time in the 2000 Super Bowl year, Trent Dilfer had more dependable weapons than Joe Flacco has. They were Shannon Sharpe, Brandon Stokely, Jamaal Lewis, among others, as well as a pretty good return specialist, named Jermaine Lewis. We also had some stellar coaching on both sides of the ball in Brian Billick and Marvin Lewis. 

Our only hope is that the FO knows something that we don't know when it comes to signing some more players who are in the twilight of their careers but still have some gas left in the tank. Its a bandaid approach at best but its the only chance we have to be a contender this year.

So, the grade for the FO should be as follows: 

Defense - A

Offense - E

Average - C

Finally the light bulb came on.  You can not build a team around "Jump Ball Joe" he is far too inaccurate and simple minded to carry a NFL team.  With this draft, I'm so happy, the Ravens are getting back to their hard-hitting defensive ways  and not a continuation of Flacco's inept dog and pony show . 

Your wisdom is surpassed only by your total lack of knowledge of football and your non-logical thought process.

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 9:46 AM, trevorsteadman said:

Yep! People seem to forget that the season begins in September, and that there is still several free agency moves and draft moves to go through.

But to be honest let's be real, the Ravens defense was #1 last year most the season until Jimmy Smith was injured. If I was the Ravens wanting a title I think the team is closer to an elite defense than an elite offense. The Ravens front office always neglects the offense, but in this case I agree with where they are going so far. 

If the team is going to compete with the best in the AFC, most AFC teams have a high-powered offense. With the free agents available, the front office did the right move to try to slow those AFC offenses down. Sure the Ravens offense sucks and won't be any better without Steve Smith, and they will need to find a replacement. But them not resigning Juice and signing Juice shows the team is likely going away from an offense that uses a fullback. I don't think the team lost much from Wagner as he was a good RT but from the scheme changes from what have been told so far he did not fit the mold the team was looking for.

In the end it will be 2-3 years at least for this offense to get on track. I think the best strategy for the Ravens front office to go was to improve their already good defense. It will hurt losing those low scoring games and easily blaming the offense. But I think the offense can find some contributors on offense in this draft. 

How ridiculous does this sound now???????????? The surest recipe for success is to score at least 20 ppg while holding your opposition to less than 20. The revamped defense should be able to do the latter. Will our depleted offense be able to score at least 20 ppg? Someone made a great point. We scored 10 last year against the Redskins at home. As you have stated so eloquently, it will hurt losing those low scoring games and easily blaming the offense. That will be a recipe for disaster and your quote will be prophetic because that is what will happen. Marty and his band of merry-making men will become the scapegoats once again.

5 hours ago, trevorsteadman said:

The NFL is definitely sleeping on the Ravens defense. It was #1 last season first 12 games of the season until Jimmywent down, and they just added a ton of talent via free agency and draft. 

And unless we score some points, the Ravens defense can be so good it holds all of its opponents to 3 points a game and we still lose each game by three points.  Who will score the points? Who are our best weapons? Who will be on the O-line when we open against the Bengals? We just lost our best receiver, our right tackle and said adios amigo to our center, remember? I think you and many others on this blog are in total denial. But wait, here's an even better scenario. We score three points a game and hold the opposition to zero points a game. The highly-touted elite defense that the NFL is sleeping on will pitch 16 consecutive shutouts. If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you in Arizona. 

What talent have we added to a sluggish offense via free agency and the draft. I really want to hear your honest opinion about the FO's abysmal failure to draft any weapons for Joe going forward and how they expect to protect our franchise QB with an O-line that has more holes in it than a slice of swiss cheese. I am sure your response will be edifying. The game of football has passed by Ozzie and he has lost his status as the Wizard. Both Joe Flacco and Mike Wallace say they don't need any more weapons. C'mon man! Do you honestly believe that company line? And, what would you expect two proud professionals to say?

Some genius in an earlier post stated that if this happens and that happens, we'll have a standout year. Well, if If's and Buts were candy and nuts, what a Merry Christmas it would be. Show me the beef on offense. I wanna believe but I think the FO just screwed the pooch so to speak!!!!

1 hour ago, xxhighriser said:

The board didn't work in our favor for offensive purposes this year.  It seemed every time we were on the clock an offensive player of need (with the exception of Howard) got taken.  So would you rather reach out of draft position, or take the what fell to us?  It's not like we stockpiled  dbs or positions we didn't need.  I like all the picks so far. Would it have been nice to get that offensive playmaker yea but like said we are a rebuilding team.  I believe we can still compete this year, truly contend next.  

1 hour ago, trevorsteadman said:

People seem to forget why the team last year didn't make the playoffs. It is because of Jimmy Smith not being available near the end. Think of how different the Giants and Steelers games alone would've changed with him out there. Now there is another healthy big explosive corner if Jimmy goes down and the secondary has added so many pieces to its already strong secondary and added new blood at linebacker and edge.

The Ravens defense is looking to be elite next season.

QUOTE 1) Hmmmmm? That's interesting! There were three WRs taken right after our 78th pick by Pick 84. An offensive lineman was taken with pick 85. Wake up and smell the roses. The FO clearly has a bias for drafting defensive players, preferably from Alabama for some unknown reason. Oh, that's right, it is Oz's alma mater. Maybe the FO has plans to start Keenan Reynolds at QB and convert Joe Flacco to a TE! Its a novel idea and who knows? It might just work! Marty will just need to devise a new game plan. Have the newly revamped defense hold our opponents to zero points like the first time we won the SB and allowed only 165 points in 16 games and then bring in Tucker to kick the game-winning FGs from 80 yards 'cause we will never get to the red zone without an offensive line and some reliable WRs and TEs. I do agree with your belief that we can field a competitive team this year and contend in 2018. We are in a serious rebuilding mode, no doubt 'bout it.

QUOTE 2) Everything you have stated is true. We were a much different team when Jimmy Smith was on the field. That being said, the loss of one key player should not have caused the meltdown that occurred when he was absent from the lineup. So, I get it. The Ravens have just invested a bunch on a hunch --- that is, the notion that offense sells tickets but defense wins games. Also, defensive draft picks are more likely to become immediate impact players because defense is a streetcar named desire. What is bothersome is your last statement. It would be indefensible (no pun intended) to argue that next season's defense could be as elite as the defense was in our first SB year. Even with that elite defense, our offense had more weapons than this team currently has and it still had trouble scoring points. Playmakers like Jamaal Lewis, Jermaine Lewis, Shannon Sharpe and Brandon Stokely come to mind, just to name a few. Your post speaks volumes in what you do not say about this year's draft - a conspicuous absence of any early round offensive draft picks. So far, the strategy of the FO,as it relates to offense, has been addition by subtraction, unless you think that the acquisition of Danny Woodhead is a panacea for our offensive woes. Frankly, I don't. We need a dominant center, a right tackle, a dependable deep threat WR, a complementary WR to replace SSS and a chain-moving & blocking TE. And, for goodness sake, get rid of James Hurst in keeping with the addition by subtraction philosophy. Yep, we are in a rebuilding mode and it will take awhile for this team to return to its former shade of purple glory.  

All seriousness aside, at this point it seems as though the top criteria for a draft pick should be a defensive player, preferably from Alabama for some reason. It almost seems that drafting a weapon to improve the offense is considered offensive by our FO. Didn't Forrest Gump play for the Crimson Tide in the movie by the same name. In deference to The Raven, stupid is as stupid does.

On ‎4‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 3:08 PM, The Raven said:

When will the cliches end

Your vapidness is showing! This sounds like deja vue all over again. Call, call, call seth The Raven!

2 hours ago, Wisdom said:

My advice would be .... draft a QB.

And you would do what with the QB? Unless you draft a QB who can be converted into a WR, I would not be inclined to follow your advice with all due respect for your sage-like wisdom. There is a precedent in the NFL for drafting QBs and converting them to receivers. I that's what you mean, I'm on board with that idea but something tells me you want to convert Joe Flacco into a WR. Which is it? BTW, didn't we draft a QB from Navy last year? 

16 hours ago, The Raven said:

I wouldn't say I'm oversensitive to cliches. I just find them annoyingly vapid. A prevalence of cliches usually indicates an absence of actual thought. "I can't bring anything meaningful to the conversation so let me just fall back on this stupid cliche I heard John Madden say once during a game."

LOL. That's interesting! I think your reply to my post is vapidly vague. If you're able to read between the lines, U would see that I agreed with your analysis in part. As far as the absence of actual thought is concerned, I thought (get it?) my observations about the Packers and the Redskins of old were pretty spot on.  I'll try to avoid the use of any clichés here because U obviously have an aversion to them and quoting one would just be like deja vue all over again. It would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

I find your treatise on over-valuing receptions vapid. I'm sure that many of Pitta's receptions were the result of Joe going through his progressions and finding nobody as in nada body open. He was the safety valve. It is gratifying that U can at least acknowledge that we may not be a better team w/o Dennis. After all, he did lead the team in receptions. Of all things a receiver is supposed to do, consistently catching the football is one of the most important things he does. One of the main problems we had last year was that the throws to Dennis were far too predictable because there were no decoys on the field other than SSS. I would agree that the total number of receptions a receiver has is not as important as the number of catches he makes for first downs and TD catches in or out of the red zone. In this area, Dennis did not excel but, then again, who did? I have seen too many would be TDs thrown by Joe Flacco only to be dropped by the likes of Waller, Gilmore, Lee Evans and Breshad Perriman to last a lifetime. BTW, its not a cliché that Raymond Berry only dropped three passes in his entire Balmer career, is it? That's 'cause its a documented fact! 

I have said tongue in cheek before that Justin Tucker is one of the best receivers we now have on the roster based on his performance in practice warming up for the Pro Bowl. However, its not too far fetched albeit Pittiful (pun intended). So, after Day 1 in the draft our offense has not been improved. What do you think we should do to improve it? Get rid of Pitta and replace him with a player to be named in the next draft? OR, maybe we should adopt a different strategy altogether for our game plans this year. How 'bout if we hold the opposition to Zero points with a revamped defense and rely on the NFL's best kicker and arguably our best receiver so far to win every game by the identical score of 3 to 0 since we clearly have no red zone threats yet. If nothing else, at least the games would be more rapid and vapid but I guess "vapid is as vapid does", huh?   

10 minutes ago, The Raven said:

Yeah, Harbaugh says that crap in part because fans eat it up. "Heart" always makes for a good quote. 

What did I dream up? Was I watching Rudy? Don't even know what you're talking about. All I know is I didn't need some coach to say the word "heart" for me to want to clobber someone.

If you think Dennis deserved comeback player of the year for leading the league in wide open catches followed by falling down immediately, then you should probably see a doctor.

Sounds like you're the one who needs the doctor, dude!

On ‎4‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 4:39 PM, redrum52 said:

You sure about this?

 

@The Raven  how could you be tired of the cliches?  We're returning to smash mouth football.  We could potentially, finally draft a #1 wr to pair with our elite qb.  Deep draft too, so we may be able to get a CB and OLB to help our defense return to organized chaos.  No more gutless play calling from passive Pees and his 3 man rushes.  Also, even though we lost Zack Orr, we still have the heart and soul of our defense in Mosley.... Miss anything?

No. My opinion was based upon watching Joe in all 16 games last year. I saw more dropped passes by some of our "elite" group of receivers than misreads by Joe. To be fair, some of his interceptions, and there were too many, were the result of balls that shoulda been caught or rushed throws he made due to some P-poor blocking by our "elite" group of blockers.

Be careful how you use the word heart around your buddy The Raven. He's overly sensitive to clichés.

I do agree with him on one thing though. Our myriad of problems last year had more to do with the talent thing and less to do with the play-calling. In an admittedly different era of the NFL, the Green Bay Packers won consistently with some pretty basic plays, which they executed to near perfection. The Washington Redskins also beat a Don Shula coached Miami team in a Super Bowl with a basic play that the Dolphins couldn't stop. To make a long story short, we need more playmakers on both sides of the ball. I'm glad we're returning to smash mouth football to use your words but it will all be for naught if Oz does not land at least a starting offensive lineman and an immediate impact wide receiver.  

On ‎4‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 2:44 PM, The Raven said:

Pitta only got separation on five yard curl routes and two yard flat routes that had no potential to convert third down. He found the literal dead zone where nobody was because it didn't ever matter if he went there.

He'd run short of sticks and fall down before even thinking about breaking a tackle for YAC.

But hey, at least he's open and catches every wide open pass.

And good god if I read one more mindless cliche like "heart of a lion" I will vomit. Do you guys watch Disney movies and Hallmark movies nonstop with all these cliches? Or do you just listen to aimless, hackneyed Ray Lewis speeches on repeat, for days at a time?

I swear I don't think any of the coaches I played for said "heart" more than once a year -- at the end of the year banquet, talking about the guy that never played a down but got the crap kicked out of him in practice.

Actually, the "heart of a lion" mindless cliché came right from Coach Harbaugh, but far be it for me to question the greatness of your coaches. At the risk of disagreeing with their innate wisdom and yours, I would call the guy that never played a down but got the crap kicked out of him in practice someone who should have tried out for the debate club. BTW, where did you dream up that one? Were you watching Rudy again for some inspiration? Let's see...... Of all our TEs, including Watson, Waller, Williams, Boyle and Happy Gilmore, Dennis performed better than all of them combined. Quit your complaining and find someone else other than Joe and Dennis to blame for the ineptness of our offense last year. I'm not sure why Dennis did not win the comeback player of the year award but he certainly deserved it.

To the OP:

The title of your post is Wide Reciever (sic) Depth. By way of clarification, the spelling rule is "I before E except after C or when sounding like A as in neighbor or weigh."

IMO, our problem is not that we lack WR depth. Rather, it is that we lack a marquee #1WR like Julio, Dez, Jordy, Odell, Antonio, A.J. or facsimile thereof. The same could be said for our TE group. There is plenty of depth but no premier standout like Dennis (pre-injuries), Todd Heap or Shannon Sharpe. I think the FO had pinned their hopes on Maxx Williams but that has been a big bust so far.  

17 hours ago, rmcjacket23 said:

This is the part of the game where you are challenged to provide specific plays (or even play) that "maximizes Pitta's talent" no a third and long play...

The easy part is saying "just draw up a play that maximizes talent". Saying it is the easy part. The part's that actually hard, and what separates coaches from fans, is figuring out exactly what that play is. Dennis Pitta isn't as talented as Gronk, and I'd have a hard time personally identifying what kind of play on a crucial third and long can be devised to play to Pitta' strengths. 

Best I could come up with is throwing him a jump ball over the middle in the seam, likely between two defenders. All that requires is an incredibly accurate throw, and the toughness to come down with the catch and likely get sandwiched while doing it. All while hanging your already somewhat fragile TE out to dry over the middle of the field.

Speed isn't his asset. Size isn't his asset. The ability to separate isn't his asset.

It seems like you're starting to realize the point that everybody is making... its a talent issue, not a playcalling issue. 

Talent issue or not, there's are reasons Joe threw to Dennis a lot in clutch situations. The two most obvious reasons are: 10 He was, next to Steve Smith, Sr. our most reliable "Go To" hands guy AND 2) he got separation by finding a dead spot in the zone coverages we faced a lot. I'd say they are both assets. More importantly, he has another asset that exceeds the other two, which is, he has the heart of a lion. They don't pay him to block or run deep patterns. They pay him to catch passes and he did that better than anyone else n the team. BUT, you got 1 out of 3 right. Speed is not his asset. His size, i.e., height, and his ability to get separation are assets. The very reason Joe had to dump off so many passes to his RBs and his FB was due to the inability of Aiken, Moore, Waller (a converted TE), Perriman and Wallace to get separation. You could count the number of open reads Joe missed during the season on one hand.

1) Hurst is the wurst OL in the NFL. Get rid of him & replace him with somebody, anybody, a warm body!

2) Insert Justin Tucker into the game as a WR. He's the best receiver we have.

3) Adjust your coaching style to match the special skill sets of the players rather than expecting them to adjust to your style; that includes the afore-mentioned zone blocking schemes which work well with certain offensive linemen but not others.

4) Find a center who can pull & block as well as hike the ball.

5) Find a way to use Keenan Reynolds in some running plays, e.g., the wildcat formation.

6) Ban John Harbaugh from making any 4th down calls. He is an excellent cheerleader but just an average, ego-centric coach who knows very little about offensive coordination.

7) If we get a sizeable lead, run the ball, run the ball and then run the ball. If that doesn't work, tell Sam Koch to punt the ball.

8) In the red zone, don't throw the ball into double, high low coverage near the goal line. Run the ball and if that doesn't work let the NFL's most accurate FG kicker & most-talented opera singer to kick the game-clinching FG.

9) Give Breshad Perriman his own personal juggs machine and require him to catch 100 balls a day after each practice while you distract him with a foam noodle.

10) Deploy a formation with Campanero, Wallace, Perriman and Woodhead as receivers with Boyle in the backfield as the blocking back/ 5th receiver all at the same time and dare a defensive backfield to cover it.

11) Go to Charm City to see The Wizard of Oz and ask him for a brain, a heart and some courage to coach the offense this year. You're gonna need it. So far, all The Wizard has done to help you is "addition by subtraction". Although I must admit, sometimes you need to get rid of the deadwood before you can bring in new lumber and getting rid of Zuttah was one step in the right direction. Hopefully, The Wizard of Oz can use some of his wizardry to draft a "Dream-Team" of draft picks.

Put more simply, just try to be a little bit more creative with your play-calling (no more vanilla ice-cream play-calling, thank you very much), leave your ego at home where it belongs and be a whole lot less predictable than you were last year. Otherwise, you and Coach Harbaugh will be job-searching again by season's end. Oh, and most of all, don't be like Kyle Shanahan and try to put your foot on your opponent's throat when you get a lead. Remember, your sole objective as a coordinator is to WIN, not to try to embarrass the other team. In other words, pigs get fat but hogs get slaughtered. Take what the defense will give you. Don't get greedy! Like some other bloggers have already stated, there's a reason why so many NFL QBs are throwing short passes that aren't long enough to get a first down w/o YAC. The defense is crowding that yardage marker with defenders.  

HINT: Obviously, some of the free advice offered above is sarcastic in nature although some of it is very subtle. I'll leave it to the local intelligencia to figure out which items are satirical and which ones are serious. 

On ‎3‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 0:44 PM, EdTheMythicalOne said:

This thread has certainly gotten more colorful lately

If this team was in blow it up mode I don't think they would have bothered picking up Wallace's option, signing Tony Jefferson, and bringing back Brandon Williams. They are getting rid of some older players like Webb and Dumervil and I think a few more are in the works. They say more FA moves are on the way. If they make a deal for Claiborne and Mangold that is further evidence that they are restocking the team and trying to make another run while we still have a window with Flacco at the helm.

I get the Flacco hate. He obviously isn't an Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady...but look around the league and tell me how many other guys are? But he has proven that when he's healthy, he has a decent ground game, and has some legitimate targets he can be something special. Let's not forget that it was this team's terrible 4th quarter collapses that cost us many games over the last couple seasons.

I think last year is an anomaly. He was in his first season back with a surgically repaired knee w/brace that he obviously didn't trust. He had a shoulder injury for a few games as well that he played through. His line was porous at times as well. I think he's better than that when healthy.

To rebuild or to reload; that is the question. I would like to think we are reloading rather than rebuilding but those Ravens fans naïve enough to think our team is one or two players away from being a legitimate SB contender are simply fooling themselves and sailing down the Denial River. Our O-line is as porous as swiss cheese, we still do not have a stud #1 WR, we enter the season with a big question mark when it comes to who will be our RB, we need an ILB to replace Zach Orr and an OLB now that Elvis has left the house and the TE position is up for grabs, we're not sure whether Reynolds can return a punt, our only proven pass rusher is Terrell Suggs and we have enough players recovering from injuries to fill a hospital ward. BUT, other than that, everything is hunky-dory. So, the pressure is really on the FO to hit a grand slam in the draft and also to steal a starting center and a WR thru FA in order to say we are reloading for another SB run and not rebuilding. After all, it has only taken us five years to resolve the secondary woes we had if this group can do what their predecessors since 2012 could not do. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its a duck. So, I'd say we are rebuilding.    

On ‎4‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 4:58 PM, rmcjacket23 said:

This post has nothing to do with WR depth. It has to do with you thinking the WR core isn't very good.

If we need actual DEPTH at WR, that means that you're looking to add a role player or a bench player to your roster. That's what depth is. 

So if you think that depth is actually the issue, then no, it makes no sense to use a first round pick on a player who is depth. You use a first round pick on a player to play a lot, probably start, and be a contributor.

So make up your mind. Do we need depth, or do we need another starting-caliber player?

Bingo! The premise of the OP is wrong. Everyone knows we have ZERO depth at WR. The real question is who will be our #1 WR, our #2 WR and our #3 WR. Obviously, we need another starting caliber WR and the draft will probably not fill that need. That being said, it is important that we draft a stud WR and obtain a veteran legitimate deep threat thru free agency. With all due respect to Wallace, there is nobody on our current roster who fills that role unless Perriman matures into the role.

Nobody but Todd and Jesus can feel Todd's pain or understand it, but we all share in his sorrow. May God comfort the entire Heap family at this time of unimaginable loss. Keep the faith, Todd!

Interesting points but not very astute. Have you ever heard of the Green Bay Packers? That organization listens to its fans. They own the team. Your post sounds like Dan Snyder who certainly does not give a rat's tail about what his fans think. I hope Steve Bisciotti does. If so, he would disagree with your non-astute opinion. Either fans count or they don't. AND, as far as your friends are concerned, how do you know how their loyalty rates versus those of us who are loyal bloggers? You must have extra-sensory perception.

If you've ever been to the new Cowboys stadium in Dallas, you would see a stadium that was built by someone who cares about the fans. It includes a mezzanine level where fans can purchase SRO tickets to view a football game. So, go on and spin your story to someone who does not know that this website exists. Do they not have a computer? How ridiculous can U be?

45 minutes ago, RayRayRaven said:

yah but u know 1 of 2 things happend either oz and decost got lucky in the 2002-2012 time fram or they both losin it now maybe both is possable.  when u have need u maintan ur draff positshon and fil em. u dont trade back for more pics unless u cant pic  the real life drama is that

I agree with what you said. I believe luck always plays a part in the draft and I believe that Oz and DeCosta have lost their edge when it comes to drafting immediate impact playmakers. Hoarding lower round draft picks is of limited value if they aren't filling the needs with the highest priorities for the team. For instance, drafting a QB right now because he is the "best player available" would be foolish if we could draft another player who might not be the BPA but who would be a starter on this year's team. 

I will not miss the trolls and the Flacco haters. What I will miss is the intellectual discourse among some very knowledgeable football fans. I would like to believe the Ravens FO and players read some of these posts and learn something but maybe that's wishful thinking on my part. When you're a billionaire owner or a multi-millionaire player, perhaps this blog isn't that important. I was surprised and disappointed to learn the blog will be closing but that's life in Charm City, I guess. As I have said before, there's no such thing as the status quo. An organization is either getting better or its getting worse. I have a distinct feeling the reason this blog is closing has less to do with the tenor of some of the posted comments and more to do with the criticism of the FO, players and coaching staff. Steve gets a pass here. If you can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen. When a team stops listening to its loyal fanbase, its not getting better IMHO. 

I also appreciate the work of the Mods who have had a thankless job trying to ride herd on this many cats. Kudos to each of you, ladies and gents, for your guidance, genius and constructive comments (for the most part)!