AlaskanRavensFan

I would like to see the Ravens go after Owen Daniels or Garret Graham at TE. At RT I wouldn't mind kicking the tires on Eric Winston and Ryan Harris. Sidney Rice, Kenny Britt, or Lance Moore would be good additions. They all have their own respective issues, but given some time to sit in free agency their prices may come down to a point that makes it worth signing them. Unfortunately the options at Guard and Center are really thin. I'm not sure there would be much improvement to be had with any of them other than Alex Mack who is under the transition player tag.

Myth: Harbaugh is the reason the defense has been more conservative since Rex left. Reality: Teams that blitz more often also risk more big plays and easy reads against them. Great defenses don't have to blitz and getting a pass rush with four is the best thing any defense could hope for. (the 2000 Ravens were able to stay in their base defense most of the time because they were so talented) Myth: Torrey Smith is not a true number one receiver. Reality: He led the Ravens this year in receiving and had over 1,000 yards. He's the Ravens best receiver and he like every other receiver struggled in certain games due to factors both in and out of his control. Myth: Ozzie Newsome can't draft good receivers Reality: Although Newsome has missed on some of the receivers he's drafted, so has every other GM in the league. Don't forget that the Lions drafted Roy Williams, Charles Rogers and Mike Williams in the first round before they hit on Calvin Johnson. Sheer volume helps your odds, but other teams also tend to give their young players more playing time and thus have developed their young talent. Myth: Flacco is overpaid Reality: Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, Tony Romo, Sam Bradford and Phillip Rivers all make about the same amount as Flacco and have yet to win a Superbowl. Some of them haven't even won or played in a playoff game. Wait until Kaepernick, Wilson, Dalton and Luck get their big pay days and it won't seem like such a big deal. Myth: The 2013 season was a disaster Reality: Despite losing two hall-of-famers, their leading receiver and their starting TE they managed to get within one game of the playoffs and two games of winning the division. This team has been in the post-season for the last 5 years and this year there was just a little too much for them to overcome. This was not a rebuilding year, it was a transition year. This team is still a contender and will be as long as Flacco is at QB. Myth: Harbaugh is the only coach who hires all of his buddies Reality: All head coaches hire coaches they know and have worked with, but Harbaugh happens to know nearly everyone in the coaching ranks either through his own experiences, his brother Jim's or his dad Jack. Most of Billick's hire's were people he knew as well. Many GM's hire a head coach and allow them to assemble their own staff. It is not unusual at all for a head coach to bring in people who have worked with him or people he knows. Don't forget that Harbaugh knew Rex as well, which is why Rex stayed at all after Billick was fired. Very rarely to coaches bring in someone they have no history with. The reality is that nearly all of the coaches in the league know each other and there's a John's circle of known commodities is even larger than most. Myth: The Ravens need to become a passing team Reality: The teams that are successful consistently usually have balance on offense. In order to be successful the offense must be able to do both reasonably well. Granted the rules are geared toward passing, but running the ball is still an important element to any offensive attack (screen passes are essentially long hand-offs and could be considered part of the running game)

Using Bolding is a poor example though, because he was only signed through this year. Not signing Ellerbe and Kruger would make more sense for your argument. Something to take into consideration. The FO may not have signed those players anyways since high profile FA's are almost always overvalued. Kruger and Ellerbe are perfect examples. Ellerbe was an undrafted FA that only saw starting time in two seasons, which were mostly due to injury. Kruger was considered a bust until last year when he had a solid late season and playoff run. (I liked both of them by the way, but don't think they were worth what they got paid)

I think the offense should be a power offense as well, but Harb's has been running a ZBS since he got here. Our O-line is smaller and athletic, which is what ZBS requires. If we wanted to run power, we'd have to change a lot of personnel up front to really have the ideal bodies there. (Think 2004 Ravens with JO, Bennie Anderson, Edwin Mulitalo, Orlando Brown) However since this change over looks likely, this might be just the time to do that. The drawback is that those road grater type of guys tend to not be as good at pass protection. Seeing as how that was terrible this year already, might not be too much of a risk. Kubiak would be good for the current personnel and would add some movement to an otherwise static philosophy at QB. Flacco would be running more bootlegs and using play action, which I think suits him quite well. (think about when he rolled out last year in the playoffs...he was money). I would also like seeing Hue Jackson back in bmore. He's got an intensity and attitude that carries down to the players. He already has relationship with Joe, since he was his QB coach and he's likely got a chip on his shoulder after losing the Oakland job. Another bonus with Hue is that he's been helping game plan against the AFC north in the recent past. I wouldn't mind Norv Turner either, since he likes to air it out deep (which is Flacco's best asset), but I think his scheme would be too similar to Cam's since they both come from the Air Coryell background.

I would love to have Reed back. He's a Raven and will always be as far as I'm concerned. I think Webb, Smith, Graham and especially Elam would benefit from having him around. It would also help provide a leader on defense, which we are apparently missing (sarcasm there for those who couldn't tell). With Huff's release, signing Reed makes even more sense. We brought Huff in to be a veteran presence in the secondary. We all know that Reed would provide that and much more if he were to return. My wife texted me that he was released and I was immediately excited about having him back on the Ravens. I was shouting while at my desk at work.

Thanks for the info, will most likely have a poncho over whatever I wear anyways judging by the weather report. I figure that the Seahawks are about the furthest thing from rivals with the Ravens too, since we only play them once every 4 years.

Oops, scratch that...section is in the 200's

I'll be going to the game, up from Vancouver, WA just north of Portland. Looking to meet up with some other Ravens so we can 1) bask in the glow of beating the squeelers for the second time this year, 2) find some people who can show me how to get to the game! It's my first NFL game and I'm wondering if I will get all kinds of crap for wearing a Ravens jersey? I'm not in the upper level, in fact I'm almost certain I'm sitting on the visitors side in the 300's. Advice?