CTFan

IMO, we should have kept Renner as our backup QB coming out of camp, and eaten Shuab's contract, which was a bad signing to begin with. If ever a player earned a spot based on performance, it was Renner. He showed that he understood the position and that the game wasn't too big for him.

I don't have a problem with Schaub, but how often do you get a rookie QB who shows that much poise? Of course, the answer is, Not Very Often. So when you do, I think it makes sense to take a chance. The money paid to Schaub should not be a factor. Renner has what appears to be a nice upside. If, God forbid, Joe goes down, Schaub is not to going to get us a trophy. Renner may not either, but if he plays really well, he could bring us a high draft pick. Remember Matt Cassel?

Just thought it would appropriate to give his acquittal as much prominence on here as the charges were. Thanks

If I recall correctly, Oher played pretty well in his rookie year, then his play seemed to go downhill. I never understood that.

I enjoyed John Eisenberg's column about Flacco's contract, but I'm confused as to how much we can realistically lower his cap hit next year? He's going to want more money per year on a new contract, and eventually we have to pay for the low cap numbers we've had from him for three years. The only thing that will help offset this is that the Team Cap Limit will increase a bit each year, but that alone doesn't seem to be enough and league wide salaries at other positions also increase each year. Can someone provide a logical scenario as to how we do this?

I hope you're a Raven for life, Kalechi.

I'm confused. Are these long term contracts not really intended to be in place for their full term? Are teams using the extra years simply as a way to defer cap hits?

I realize we've got 20m dead money, but we've got a 20M QB that's only been producing cap hits of far less for the past three years. At some point, the loans come due, right?

Couple of thoughts: Really impressed with the dedication and improvement we've seen from so many players during this off-season. There seems to have been an across-the-board effort. Has anyone ever played a 3-TE set?

Ever wonder what Usrchel's career path will look like when his playing days are over; especially if he decides to stay in football?

I'm not qualified to put a grade on these picks, but I just didn't get very excited about our haul. Maybe after we hear Ozzie and staff talk about today's selections I'll feel more pumped. Anyone else feel this way?

Wow, I just learned something that I'll remember forever.

I don't think the Ravens want to waste cap space on a veteran backup. Flacco has been exceptionally durable, and God forbid he gets hurt, our season is screwed anyway.

This has to be one of the most difficult determinations to make, because you've got teams that are paying big bucks to QBs and some who aren't; teams that have won recently and one who hasn't; rosters at different stages of maturation, etc. Then, there's the question of who is being lost, which must be viewed along with the successors who may be in place.This is a real apples-oranges question -- interesting, but not really fair.

I can accept growing pains with respect to coverage, but his horrible tackling to this point is completely unacceptable. If he doesn't make tackles, he's as good as gone, IMO.

I know it wasn't much of an audition, but Campanaro didn't impress me much on returns. I love him in the slot, but on returns he just didn't seem to have the acceleration or something. I could be wrong, of course.

I'm glad the rule has been modified. This doesn't say the Patriots cheated, but it does say that what they did should not have been permitted. In a sense it validates Harbaughs beef. I guess finding "loopholes" makes you either a cheater, or a genius; depends on whether it was your coach or the opposing coach who did it. Too bad sportsmanship and fair play didn't outweigh finding a loophole.

We only got him because he never played for Kubiak. Otherwise, he'd be going to Denver.

He brings some leadership skills too.

My only concern about our running game is that we no longer have a speedy WR to help spread the defense. I think we'll get one, but our running game will suffer some if we don't.

There's many good reason why the past severn SB winners fared so poorly the next year. Their roster gets overvalued, too many players want a raise, and too many teams create an inflated market for their FA's. Then, there's the psychological part.

This may be only the tip of the iceburg. I can't imagine keeping Leach or Reed based on what just happened. Also, Kruger and Ellerbee are going to be overvalued as a result of the Super Bowl win. Also, it makes sense for CLE to buy players from a division rival whenever possible. The fact we're Baltimore makes it more certain they will try to strip us of talent. This off-season will be a huge challenge for the Ravens FO. Letting Q go was not just Oz's decision, Harbs and Caldwell gave their blessing too. We just moved to a top tier QB-based payroll and it requires a whole different way of managing the cap. The real question, is do we want to be a rally good offense, and slowly rebuild on defense, or are we going to aim for immediate balance?