BmoreBird22

Here's to hoping for that hometown discount.

All I have to say is I'm glad I'm not making these decisions for the Ravens.

BTW Gronk makes 9M a year, not 6.9. He was given a 6 year 55 million dollar extension.

I'm looking at spotrac.com and they have him at $6.9 million. If it was an extension, and not an entirely new deal, I wonder if they're factoring in the entire rookie contract as a part of that. 

Edit: They're factoring in the last two years of his rookie contract.

Zach Miller may not be the red zone threat that Pitta is, but he is a superior blocker, by far. 

I still maintain that Martellus Bennett would be the best comparison. 

Jared Cook, in my opinion, got paid so much because he was basically a tight end, often splitting out wide and playing in the slot. I realize that Pitta lines up a lot in the slot, but he also lines up as a traditional tight end a fair amount. Now, if we were to start to classify Pitta as a receiver over a tight end, obviously his pay day goes up, but that would be a case for the NFLPA to decide, likely only to happen if the Ravens seek to use the franchise tag. 

He is also a piss poor blocker. Those two facts hurt him a lot.

I presented contracts for the top tight ends, ones he will not touch. Those are the upper $6 million and $7 million dollar contracts. Do we think he deserves as much as Antonio Gates, who is making $6.6 million? Probably not. Gates has a much better track record and is easily one of the best receiving tight ends in the NFL, putting up wide receiver like numbers consistently. That right there means his ceiling should be about $6 million. 

The next three down on the list are Heath Miller, Owen Daniels, and Martellus Bennett. Dennis Pitta puts up comparable receiving stats and is probably on the receiving level of all three, although he doesn't present the match-up problems that Bennett does. All three, though, are much better blockers, and have proven to be capable blockers. Pitta's value could lie in with theirs.

The next one's down are John Carlson, Brent Celek, Delanie Walker, and Greg Olsen. They're all making in the $4 million range, and this is where Pitta most likely fits. He fits right in with them as a receiver and is the safety valve for his quarterback, much like Greg Olsen is to Dennis Pitta. Not as good of a blocker as Celek, but probably close to Walker and Olsen.

That puts his value right in between the $4-$5 million range, but given that we only have one "good year" to bank on. 

The best guy to compare him to would be a Greg Olsen. A guy who can go out and catch 60-80 passes for 600-800 yards and 6-8 touchdowns a year, but not a reliable blocker. That would put Pitta right about $4.5 million. 

Better for you?

When looking at average contract value, Gronkowski doesn't even make $7 million. He makes $6.9 million. Jason Witten and Vernon Davis are sitting at $7.4 million and $7.1 million, respectively. 

Tell me, do you really think he deserves to be paid at the same level as those three? You're ridiculous if you do. He deserves a Martellus Bennett contract at best, which would put him right around $5 million. I personally say a Brent Celek type deal is more realistic, which would put him around $4.2 million per year.

Tell me, though, what reason would I have to not want him to get paid?

I realize that puts him with the likes of a Zach Miller or Heath Miller, but both those two do something that Pitta doesn't do very well at all: Block. They're also fairly capable receivers when called on to be one. 

In Pitta's "breakout season" he had like 670 yards and seven touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns and around 120 yards came in garbage time against the Denver Broncos when the game was well away in the fourth quarter. 

He's not a tight end who can takeover a game, be counted on to block, isn't a match-up nightmare, I mean, I don't see him getting this huge contract. I think people are being naive by saying all of this because they let their fandom get in the way. 

Wait and see.

I will, but we don't have much reason to believe he will unless it is a one year deal with virtually no guaranteed money

If he didn't come back I would agree with you, but he caught 20 passes in 4 games in a limited role. Health is clearly not an issue.

Pitta is not and never was a player who just dominated games and took over them. That hip injury isn't helping him any, even if he could play.

I think the Ravens will give him an offer, but he will likely test free agency and sign somewhere else for more than we can afford.

Those 20 passes are likely due to the fact that Joe loves to force feed the ball to Pitta. He had the most targets in that time frame.

I don't understand the hype around Pitta. I think he is a $3-$5 million dollars a year type guy, not this player who will make $7+million a year like so many are suggesting.

Myth: the defense was worn out in the 4th quarter because the offense couldn't stay on the field.

Fact: TOP was generally in our favor going into the 4th quarter and didn't shift until the defense gave up a long drive. Also fact: the overall TOP for the year was darn near even.

This is something I tried to preach all year long. In several games like Green Bay, Pittsburgh, etc. where the opposing team made this long drive to win the game because the defense couldn't get off the field, TOP was heavily favored by the Ravens before those final drives. I think it would be demoralize for the offense to not score, but that defense was not tired.

Myth: Ray Rice has "lost it".

Fact: no one did squat running the ball this year so we don't know if it's myth or fact.

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.

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.

And runs the best routes of any receiver.

  

Pitta has the surest hands on the Team. And he's a baller.  It would be foolish not to keep him as long as he is healthy.

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

Great points here, but there's nothing that defines the 'fact' as it relates to 'must sign' or not. It's all opinion with supportive facts to argue an opinion, but completely subjective overall. For example: Must sign could just be the relationships that he has on the team. For the FO and Flacco that may be the 'fact' that they believe will help the team. See what I mean? It's all subjective. Good thought though. This is one cool thread.

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

Myth: Dennis Pitta is a must sign, indispensable security blanket, outstanding TE.

 

Fact1: Dennis Pitta, along with the other Ravens of 2012, had a magical run to the Super Bowl and is a good friend of Joe Flacco.

 

Face2: Performance: in 2010 behind Todd Heap, 1 catch for 1 yard; in 2011, 40 catches for 405 yards and three touchdowns; in 2012, 61 catches, 669 yards, 7 TDs; 2013 IR (mostly).

 

Fact3: Dennis Pitta is an average TE, recovering from a serious injury and is replaceable.

 

Opinion: Ravens should make him a "fair" offer and move 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.

I have a question .it could be a myth not sure  if I posted in the wrong spot I will delete. is there a special draft order , like qb's go first , te's second, etc etc  or can you draft anyone in any order? or is draft order a myth

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.

Myth: Torrey Smith, Jacoby Jones, and Marlon Brown form an above average group of receivers.

 

Fact: I can name a receiver from every team who is better than Torrey. (Yes these names are debatable, I'm just trying to make a point)

 

AFCE: Mike Wallace, Jeremy Kerley, Stevie Johnson, Danny Amendola

AFCN: AJ Green, Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon

AFCS: Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, Nate Washington, Justin Blackmon

AFCW: Demarius Thomas, Dwayne Bowe, Denarius Moore

 

NFCE: Victor Cruz, Desean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Dez Bryant

NFCN: Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall

NFCS: Julio Jones, Marques Colston, Steve Smith, Vincent Jackson

NFCW: Golden Tate, Michael Crabtree, Larry Fitzgerald, Tavon Austin

 

I like our guys, but let's be honest. There's a LOT of overlooked talent on the other 31 teams. Tandon Doss did not make Green Bay's roster, and I think he's actually our 2nd best receiver. Add a true #1 WR to our group and THEN we have a nice cast.

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 6.6 million. Plus, Pitta and Joe are best freinds, i wouldnt worry about it. He probably gets about 5 million per on a longterm deal.

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.