RavensReck27

If you asked me two weeks ago if I thought Jeremy Butler would make the team, with the already deep WR core that we have, I would say that I didn't even consider it. Now, these reports are making sound like he's the best young WR on the team at the moment. I wish it was a 58 roster limit rather than a 53 lol. Our brass will get it right, though.

I think a realistic goal for our secondary would be to rank in the top 10. Personally, I think if they can be AT LEAST a middle of the pack secondary, or even top 20, then that's all we need them to be. With the team we have right now, all we need them to be is reliable. However, being reliable is more of an expectation for this secondary, rather than a goal. I think IF this secondary stays healthy, with our pass rush they will be a top 10 secondary.

This is like an Aaron Ross type move.

"It didn't send him running to the gym. He was already there."

What a fantastic and encouraging article.

The offense will be very good but the defense with a weak secondary and the lose of great run stopper spells trouble. Losing Ngata will be like the lose of Corey Graham last season.

Except we actually have a proven, high draft pick, player to come in to replace Ngata.  Plus, we drafted one of the best lineman in the draft in Carl Davis.  Ozzie thought Chykie Brown, an unproven low draft pick, was going to fill Corey Grahams shoes. The plan to replace Ngata this year shouldn't even be in the same sentence as the plan to replace Corey Graham last year.

Ngata in his prime was irreplaceable, and this article made me miss him slightly, but then I remembered the facts. Ngata is 31 years old. He is on the decline, and his cap hit was huge. We know what kind of player we have in Brandon Williams, who lit it up last year as a sophomore, and I think he can only get better this season. Jernigan should have been a first round pick, and he was rated as such. Jernigan has transferred his game to the NFL well, and I think he will do fantastic in his second year. Carl Davis is a giant, who, in my opinion, is not in the best shape. Brandon Williams was the same way his rookie year, and by his sophomore year he said the workouts our coaches had him doing completely changed his physique, and that he was a different player. Davis might not have the incredible arm strength of B. Williams, but he is bigger. I expect the same thing to happen to him in training camp, and through workouts over the season. I think Davis will be a nice role player this season, but I think his 2nd and 3rd seasons are when he is going to shine. Letting Ngata go, and putting our cards on two young surging studs was the better move.

I don't think this is a punishment to kickers at all. I think this rule just made the kicking position more valuable. Does it make it harder for them? Obviously. But it gives them an opportunity to have a bigger role and make more money. Stop looking at all of the negatives about this rule. This rule takes nothing away from the game, and only give something to it. I have always wanted the ability of the defense to take back an extra point for two points if it is blocked or fumbled.

I am 100% on board with this rule change. It makes the extra point more interesting, without taking away anything from the game. I think that this rule makes every point scored more valuable, and it increases the role of the kicker in the NFL. Unfortunately, this will now raise the price of resigning Tucker. I definitely think we will still extend him at some point, but now his agent has more weight to bargain with. I think that is why Ozzie was frustrated about the slow progress of extending some of our guys, because he knew that this rule was going to be passed. Overall, this rule makes having an elite kicker an even bigger advantage. Tucker NEVER misses kicks under 40 yards.

The doctors say he already is 100% healthy, but as long as he's on the field, the hip injuries will always be a concern, and by that, I mean there will always be a better chance of him breaking it again than if it had never been broken. That reality is never going to go away. It's his decision if he wants to take that risk, and I don't think anyone on these boards knows what's best for Pitta more than Pitta himself.

Yeah that is why I am uncomfortable with him playing again. I am going to cringe every time he gets hit, and I have seen other comments today from other fans saying the same thing.  Obviously he knows best for himself, we all are just giving our opinions  on here of what we think is best.  However, my intakes have focused on what is best for the TEAM rather than what is best for him; since it is not my decision to make.

Last year, we were a pass first team(about 55%-45% in favor of pass). In the playoffs, we were even more pass heavy, and the offense was better. And that was despite the fact that we couldn't run 2 TE sets with 2 receiving TEs, even though they are a big part of Kubiak's system. This year, we have more weapons at WR and TE, and we'll be running the same system, but with an OC who has historically been more pass heavy than Kubiak. I think it's important to the FO and coaching staff to have 2 receiving TEs, and I can almost guarantee we will be a pass first team this year. That doesn't mean that they don't care about the TEs being able to block, nor does it mean we will be forgetting about the run game, but with 2 receiving TEs, we will be more versatile and more dangerous.

We may have had more passing snaps last year, but the scheme we ran, and I expect us still to run, is the line up like we are running on every play to make the defense play close, and either hand it off, drop straight back, or do play action.  The point is, our TE's are lined up ready to block on almost every play, and thats when they either continue blocking or fade out into a route.  It keeps the defense guessing, because those TE's can do both (Gilmore, Boyle). I completely see your point that having Pitta and Williams on the field at the same time running routes sounds appealing, but I think Gilmore showed us he can be a pretty solid #2 receiving TE.  I just think with what we have in those 3 young TE's, makes the kind of money we are paying Pitta not worth it, especially with his injury risk factor on every play.  My biggest concern, is that if we keep 4 TE's that probably means that we will keep one less WR.  Not saying that is a guarantee, but either way, we are going to have a tight receiving race this summer, and that spot will be vital. So I agree that having Pitta would be nice, but I just think the negatives of keeping him outweigh the negatives. 

Problem is?  He's under contract and his $$ fall under the cap.  That being said, I'm sure he's getting medical advice.  Just think if there were something in your life that you absolutely LOVED and you were great at it.  Now imagine folks telling you you'll never be able to do that again, or we don't need you because now we have these guys.... You have to accept that and let go in your own time.  Let the guy make his decision independently of any persuasion.   

No I completely understand his situation. I see why he wants to play, for many reasons. I am saying from my personal opinion that Pitta makes me uncomfortable because he is so fragile, and we are paying him a lot of money when he has not contributed much, and we have a potential franchise TE in Maxx Williams, plus two solid guys in Boyle and Gilmore; all under cheap rookie contracts.  I am saying from a GM's viewpoint, Pitta retiring is definitely an appealing option. 

people keep harping on how bad our secondary was last year cuz we lost two 14 point leads. Well in order for us to have those two 14 point leads the Patriots secondary must have been as bad and they didn't have all the injuries. We have a lot of good players to choose from. I think we'll be ok even if we don't add more players.

We ran all over them, and Steve Smith actually outplayed Darrelle Revis.  Plus Flacco pretty much played lights out, other than the two interceptions that Torrey could have prevented. Our D line dominated the Pats.  They had less than 20 yards rushing.  We made them one dimensional on offense, and we still could not stop them. That is why our secondary has taken so much criticism.  We knew they were going to pass, and we still could not prevent it.  Can't get much more painful than that. With all of the pieces coming together right now, if J. Smith can stay somewhat healthy our secondary will be good to go this season.

If he can comeback 100% healthy, and the hip injuries are no concern, and he is looking good on the field, THEN I would be open minded about having 4 TE's on the roster. Until all of those factors are shown, I will stick to my idea that going with Williams, Gilmore and Boyle is the better option.

We are a run first team. Having two solid blocking TE's (Gilmore, Boyle) is more important than having two receiving TE's (Willams, Pitta). Williams can carry the load at the receiving TE position, while Gilmore and Boyle will be tough blockers who can also slip under the secondary and catch passes when we do two-Tight End sets. We really don't need Pitta, and he is more of a luxury at this point. I just don't like the idea of having 4 TE's on our roster when we are so deep in other positions that could use that extra roster spot.

Reck, do u mean Wagner has another year under his belt? Hurst didn't really play at all last year did he?

Wagner does have another year under his belt, and I hope he can get back to his old form quickly.  He said he was going to be ready to play when training camp starts, but I don't know where he will be with his form after sustaining a big time injury.  I think by the time the season starts he will be good to go, but if that injury slows him down at the beginning of training camp is yet to be seen.  He seems like a tough guy, though, and he really looks up to Yanda to model himself after, which is ideal.  As for Hurst, he did play a lot last year, unfortunately.  He started for us at RT in both playoff games, after Wagner went down, and he started for us at LT for 3 games, when Monroe went down.  That is why he is actually a pretty important piece for us.

I am watching some of these rookie mini camp videos, and one thing that sticks out to me is Darren Waller. Some of the things he is saying has got me feeling really good about him. I really do have high hopes for that kid.

Out of Will Hill, Tucker, Yanda, Upshaw, and Osemele, I think we realistically keep 3. I would say Yanda and Tucker have the highest percentile to return, but the other three depends on the situation. If Will Hill has a good year, he will be very expensive to bring back, sadly, and if Terrence Brooks comes back after week 6 and shows signs of starting ability, Ozzie might just put his faith in him. Personally, I love Terrence Brooks and I really hope he comes back at some point this season. Osemele is probably going to have the best year of his career this year, and will likely go for market price in F/A. Upshaw is a very under-looked trench player. What Upshaw does for our defense is critical because he opens up big plays for other players. For this reason, I think we have a decent shot at keeping him, because that kind of trench work does not show up on stats, and stats are what attract money. I know he is going to try to get more sacks this year, and I hope he does, but I hope he stays under the radar enough to not attract big money. We do have a long line of history of farming OLB's for other teams to overpay, but Upshaw is different because he was our #1 pick in the 2012 draft, and he is from Alabama. Ozzie normally tries to keep those guys. I think Osemele has the lowest percentage chance to stay, unless he just loves the Ravens and wants to stay, and I think he will attract the most money out of all of these guys. I think Will Hill is the most situational player out of all of these guys, as in if he stays or not will entirely depend on the situation at that time. Yanda will get extended, and Tucker will be signed because even market kickers do not have that big of a cap hit. Upshaw is a wait and see. The good news is that we will be in a lot better situation with cap room next offseason. So we will be in a good spot to fight for these guys. Go Ravens.

I am not going to lie, I kind of just want him to retire. I know he is Joe's boy, and he has been great in the past, but he is just so fragile. I am going to cringe every time I see him get hit. Also, he is a big cap hit, for a player who has not been able to contribute much in the past two seasons. My biggest reason though, is that we have 3 young stud TE's to run the show. If we keep 4 TE's that most likely means we will keep 1 less receiver, and in a really tight receiver battle this year, that will be a big factor. I think Pitta just wants to play so he can make as much money from his contract as he can so he can live comfortably for the rest of his life, which I completely understand.

Our offensive line is all under the age of 30, and it only makes sense that they should be better this year. One thing that is important to note, Hurst now has a year under his belt, and after the type of challenges he was thrown into face last year, he should be working hard this offseason. He went up against some of the best pass rushers in the NFL, as an un-drafted rookie. He knows what level he needs to get to. I think he still needs one more year to be completely ready, but I still think he will be a lot better this year. I mention this because our starting Tackles went down a few times during the season, and Hurst' role as our backup tackle is actually pretty important. We do have a solid backup guard in Urschel, though.

This is the first piece of bad news for us in awhile.

I said in another comment section but it bears repeating, I am amazed at how New England fans view the Ravens as a major rival. As a Baltimore fan there is the natural, division driven rivalries we experience here, mostly with the Steelers but the Bengals as well and then the Browns fans hate us because we were them and now we are us. I do concur that I dislike the Patriots but for a team we may not even play every year (like this year) I couldn't really consider them a rival. But if you look at it from the Patriots perspective, who else but the Ravens drive them crazy because they know at any time we can beat them. I don't think the Patriots fear any other team in the league but us. We have been a thorn in their side and as much as Brady likes to play down the Ravens, you at least know the fans won't deflate the importance of the rivalry and then lie about it. Oops, did I really say that. Hahahaha

Even though they are not in our division, I still consider them a rival.  I honestly get more joy out of beating the Patriots than I do when we beat the Bengals/Browns. We are the mighty Patriots kryptonite, and for that reason, it is a rivalry. 

Why would Ryan call us the enemy? Although I love Ryan as a staff writer for us, he keeps it honest. I just don't like the team I love and will always ride with be called "enemy".

Because he is talking from Kyle Arrington's view of leaving the Patriots and joining the Ravens, who in fact, are the Patriots enemy.  The Patriots are easily our biggest non-division rival.

Cool. It's May for me. I'm, at a minimum, 4-5 months away from even having an opinion about whether we are a SB contender or a mediocre team.

 

Potential is a great thing, especially when its realized. But the main concept of potential is that its generally long-term, which is how I think Ravens fans should be looking at this team.

I am not saying we are a Super Bowl team, I am just saying I personally believe that we are finally out of rebuilding mode for the first time since our SB team.  Obviously we are always trying to build, but we finally have stability and depth at every position.  We still need to figure out our situation at PR/KR, but we have all summer to take care of that.  I just think as of now, on paper, we are a top contender in the AFC.

I have always thought Ozzie was great, but honestly, what he has done in the past two offseason's has AMAZED ME. Like as of right now, look where we are. We are sitting almost perfect with what we have had to deal with. I seriously think as good as he has been, Ozzie has gotten even better recently. We are officially out of rebuilding mode, and ready to strike. We have a hard schedule, but that just means more exciting games to watch. I can't wait.