BmoreBird22

One does have to wonder whether or not Ray Rice is done. He frequently showed no burst and was hesitant to hit holes. He showed limited vision, and when he was able to find a hole or cutback lane, he was often brought down by arm tackles. The offensive line surely didn't help, but one has to wonder whether this was just an off year or a sign of things to come. I guess we'll see.

This is still a board where discussion is supposed to flow, so I think it's okay if their is discussion or speculation. Moderator 3 hasn't said otherwise yet.

In all honesty, I think most of what people post as "fact and myth" is subjective and left up for debate/speculation. That's just part of sports as it is. I mean, I posted what I believe to be true, but someone may disagree. For example. Myth: Dennis Pitta is a top 10 tight end. Fact: Dennis Pitta is the fourth best tight end in his own division.

How much is this really saying given the state of our receiving corp?

I realize it's all subjective and I have no control over negotiations, but it's fun to speculate on

Did not mean to neg you (not that it's important), but I do agree. People get really hyped over Dennis Pitta and I don't see why. His lack not blocking skills automatically drops his value by a fair amount, but his receiving is vastly overrated. He doesn't put up double digit touchdowns or taken over the game like some people make it seem. I wouldn't say he's a top ten tight end at all.His 2012 numbers are misleading. People forget he scored two touchdowns and racked up a lot of yards in garbage time against the Denver Broncos, who shut him down when it mattered the most. Take that game away and we see that Pitta has almost under 500 yards and 5 touchdowns. Is that worthy of these ridiculous contracts of over $5 million that some people are talking about? Factor in that he is coming off of a major hip injury and I think we could very well see a deal around 3 years, $10 million. I think if he walks, he could easily be replaced and upgraded.

Positions like quarterback and left tackle usually go first and often, but we have seen that teams do put a high emphasis on a good pass rusher and receiver, so it is not unheard of to see a DE/OLB go first or a wide receiver go top five. Heck, even a op flight cornerback can go top 10, and one has even gone first overall. Positions you will not see drafted too high, for the most part, are linebacker (inside), guard, defensive tackle, running back. A tight end would also have to be very gifted. Of course there are examples that go against those, such as Star Lotulelei, Jonathan Cooper and Chance Warmack, Luke Kuechly, and Vernon Davis, but those are more of an exception than a consistency. Just about anything can happen on draft day.

Myth: the zone blocking scheme is new to the Ravens. Fact: I see many people acting as if the ZBS is new for the Ravens or as if they had never seen it, but the truth is when Leach for here, the Ravens went hybrid. I blame Castillo for the failures. He changed the language (why?), tried to move exclusively to the ZBS, and was unwilling to change the scheme. It took the players coming out and voicing their displeasure for it to change. I heard it was Ozzie trying to brush him under the rug. Not sure how true that is. I just cannot understand why you would try to change the language of the lineman when they already had something in place that worked, especially when you have a new, young center. Why not let him keep up with what he knew? I realize a lot has to do with personnel, but with the way the offensive line looked so lost at times with no explanation, mich of that comes back to the coaching. Castillo must go.

Look, I don't think that this group of receivers is great, nor do I think they cut it (I used to think of Torrey as a number one, but I no longer do). I cannot understand why people think of Jones and Brown and number twos. They are threes at best. The receiving talent needs a jolt in the draft.However, I'd be willing to debate against none or ten of those names, most in the AFC

Franchise tag is only $6.6 million? That's lower than I thought. That makes it even more ridiculous that people think he can get $7 million. $4-$5 million is fair to me.

You'll want to check that stats. The Patriots have historically had a great running game, ranking ahead of the Ravens three times since Flacco stepped into the league. Their only ranking outside the top 15 game in 2011, but they made up for it by being ranked in the top 3 in touchdowns scored. They've ranked as high as sixth overall and ranked in the top ten three times, I believe. The huge misconception is that the Patriots don't have a running game, but they do. They just don't have a superstar back, but trust me, their running game is always right about where it needs to be. Tom Brady has an awesome supporting cast in that respect. http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&offensiveStatisticCategory=RUSHING&conference=ALL&role=TM&season=2013&seasonType=REG&d-447263-s=RUSHING_YARDS_PER_GAME_AVG&d-447263-o=2&d-447263-n=1 Play around with that for a little bit.

As it stands, the Patriots definitely have the better rushing attack and are usually right there with us.I do agree that Pitta isn't asked to be the super star and he dies quite well as a reliable third down option, which is what the Ravens need the most.

I think they have faith in Ricky Wagner, honestly. I think they let him try to win the job. I'm not keen on ever taking a center in the first, but you have to remember that a rookie center doesn't have a lot of the line calls or blitz recognitions down yet, so it's likely to slow him down. If we were to get one, I'd want Swanson in the third. I'm still pulling for TE or WR first

There's a reason Dickson is the starter over Pitta. He doesn't block much. He graded out positively on three blocking snaps. He isn't going to be an online tight end, and I think the lack of blocking could drop it.I agree with around $5 million per year.

I don't agree with them having better quarterbacks (I think Joe is just as capable if that were the Ravens offensive philosophy), but I do agree that the builds and physical attributes are different. However, with Pitta offering so little as a blocker, he would need to put up the big receiving numbers to receive the massive contract that some fans believe he'll get.

I mean, obviously not everyone thought he would, but some people thought he'd get a Gonzalez or Gates type deal.

I'm honestly a little torn on the stats. Yes, he is clearly the favorite target, but he has not yet shown to be an elite pass catcher like a Graham or Gronk.