gekaap

Everyone saying that the Ravens should have hired Reed is deluding themselves. It is precisely Reed's history with the team that makes him a poor choice. Reed was constantly butting heads with coaches, routinely ignored what he was told to do something else he thought was better, and was opposed to Harbaugh's hiring. Granted, his assertive personality was a key part of what made him the greatest FS of all time, and what made him a great leader among the players. It was all part of what made him invaluable as a Raven. But that's not the kind of history you want with a team you're now coaching. Reed and Rex always were very tight nit. It makes infinitely more sense that Reed is part of Rex's staff than him being part of the Ravens' staff. For ALL parties involved.

Best outcome would be if we can manage to draft Ronnie Stanley. Monroe can't stay healthy. There's more dead money in keeping him than there is in cutting him. And a rookie contract is cheaper than re-signing KO will be. Not to mention Stanley probably will emerge as a better quality LT than both of those guys.

Regarding the three options on Flacco's contract, the second one is the most important. As explained, cutting or trading Flacco just isn't going to happen. And THAT is the only fact that really matters. Because it's the only option that gives the Ravens any scintilla of leverage. But there's absolutely no way that the Ravens will pull that trigger. Thus, they have zero leverage. The other two options are 100% at the mercy of Flacco, though he apparently defers all such matters to his agent. Neither Flacco nor his agent Linta have any incentive whatsoever to renegotiate. Linta especially doesn't care one iota about the Ravens' cap problems. Why would he? His job is to make the most money he can, and he does that by getting the biggest payday possible for his clients. The ONLY way the Ravens can gain any leverage to entice Flacco to renegotiate is to get serious and to be willing to get rid of him. If he were to hit the open market he gets far less money. So, until the Ravens are willing to cut Flacco, they are stuck with Flacco, and his big contract. This should be a lesson to everyone. When you sign an agreement you're going to be held to that agreement.

Wait a second....so it's a "negotiating ploy" for Ozzie to publicly claim that the other side can tell him to stuff off and they'll be fine? That makes no sense. That doesn't do anything to maneuver your own self into a better power position. Quite the opposite, it gives the other side increased power to press upon you. If Ozzie wanted to maneuver for negotiating purposes, he would be talking about an ability to put together a football team without Flacco, and being able to deal with potential dead money. That's the only way you gain leverage in this situation. When Flacco got his contract all this fanboi cult worshipers said "Oh, it'll be renegotiated, it will HAVE to be. Everyone knows it." So the question was asked: What if Flacco doesn't agree to a renegotiation? And everyone said that he HAS to renegotiate, because everyone KNOWS the cap figure makes things impossible. Well now, it seems that both sides agree that no re-negotiation may be happening. And just like I and others said back then....Why SHOULD Flacco renegotiate and take less money? When the Ravens organization clearly (even if erroneously) acts like Flacco is a one man team football messiah, there is absolutely no reason in the world for Flacco to pass on his contractually obligated pay. But if this is what people think of as "negotiating" then I would really, REALLY love to negotiate a business deal with you.

Eh, we have the cap space. While I agree that bringing back KO is unlikely, I don't see it as a question of lacking cap space so much as simply having other options that make more sense. It's going to simply be a strategic decision, though it may not be a simple decision. Our O line needs some major improvement. Has for years. Monroe has proven to be a mistake. Cutting him in favor of KO makes plenty of sense. KO will provide better contributions, and would partially pay for itself. At least, if we were looking at it in a vacuum that would be the case. But perhaps an even better alternative is to look to use that 6th overall draft pick. Ronnie Stanley is a very strong contender to be the Ravens' pick. And while I know everyone talks about the secondary being the top priority, the fact of the matter is that our problems this past year are the same as the year before, namely the fact that someone, somewhere in the Ravens organization is failing to keep the players healthy. we have a great CB in Jimmy Smith, and Webb remains a great talent who should end up being very solid at FS. Our remaining CBs are perfectly adequate to perform their support roles. A #2 CB is the only real need. So, Ozzie will have to decide whether to resign KO based on what he expects to happen in the draft, and what he thinks is the comparative value of different avenues. Do the Ravens have a chance as picking up Jalen Ramsey? Can we really justify using a 6th overall to draft to fill a #2 spot on the roster when chances are we could use a 2nd round pick and for a strong CB in a draft that has several talented CBs available? I don't see that as being the Ozzie way.

Tough blow for the Ravens. Congratulations and best of luck to you, sir.

I laugh at all the people belly aching about this. I think Webb always saw safety as more of his home base position than CB. I even remember the team experimentally lining him up at safety a few times in his rookie year. I think he always saw himself migrating back to safety at some point in his career. Webb is a very good player. Yes, he has durability problems. But cut him? No way! Take dead money to end up with less total talent in the secondary? What would be the point? This is a very good move for both Webb and the team. Webb will perform better there. And he'll perform better than any alternatives we have. What does anyone here care how much he's being paid? We're out from under the Ray Rice dead money death sentence, so this won't create a cap issue. So unless you're name is Steve Biscotti, there's no reason to give a hoot about Webb's paycheck.

Purple pants are the obvious and logical choice. Where does grey factor in at all? Seems like it was just an attempt to come up with something in the absence of any other option that would actually be possible to coordinate. Two additional points worth mentioning. First, it seems to me that the "default" image of the Ravens uniform ought to be black pans paired with purple jersey having black sleeves. It imitates the actual look of a raven. Second: If the organization really is so interested in jazzing up the uniforms they're probably better off exploring alternate jersey styles or maybe tweaking the purple a bit darker as opposed to trying to add foreign colors to the uniform scheme as dominant colors. It just ends up not making a whole lot of sense.

Erm, Ray Lewis wasn't a top 10 pick. Derp, derp. In any event, let's hope we can end up chalking this past season up to an investment in talent. CB seems to be the obvious area of interest, but maybe the OL should get some consideration too.

It's funny how you say this and yet your words don't sink in. Our team is a disaster with all the things you mention. All the turnover is because nothing has been working. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again we try new personnel, new ideas, new schemes, new coaches, and none of it works out. None of it produces results. So what gives? Harbs had success when he had a team full of grade A talent. Well gee, who wouldn't under those circumstances? For years the Ravens were constantly the most talented lineup in the league. But now that's not the case. And the results since have been abysmal. The blame can't be heaped all on Harbs. It's bigger than him. It's a fundamental flaw in the overall thinking and methodology of the organization. And this is where Flacco comes in. After years and years of desperately struggling on offense the organization became far too enamored with the idea of a QB being the solution to all their problems. When they acquired Flacco they fell in love with the idea of an all-star QB. And every since then, they've been so in love that the entire organization has been corrupted. All winning was because of Flacco. All losing was because of everyone else failing Flacco. The whole organization has been so wrapped up for so long on the idea that Flacco is the team's savior, they've neglected building the team properly for years now. People even credit Flacco for the SB win, which is absolutely ridiculous because it was his receivers who did the real offensive work. The organization will continue to make the same mistakes because with mindless fans continuing to sell out games no matter what the money will still roll in. Organizations who "get it" will busy themselves with building franchises who can win games and have a shot at the playoffs. It's gonna be another three years at least before our beloved organization gets it through their thick skulls.

This is a bad idea. Steve, you're done, and you're running on stubbornness now, nothing more. Don't be another Ed Reed or Emmit Smith. Know when it's time to hang it up.

This just goes to show how pathetic Browns fans are. You griped and complained about losing your team, you demanded a new one, you made and continue to make so much fuss about how much you were supposedly victimized....and this is how you support your team? The Ravens made ONE HELL OF A PLAY right there, and your reaction is to trash your own team in light of it? Your kicker has been perfect all year long, and on his first miss you have a meltdown? I know it's a heartbreaking loss. But it's not anywhere near as heartbreaking as Wilson's interception on the 1 yard line in the Superbowl. Do you see Seahawks fans shredding jerseys and posting videos on the internet declaring how much they hate their team? No team can be great without a fanbase supporting them. In fact, look at the teams that have the strongest traditions of being great teams. Packer, Steelers, Ravens, Patriots, Broncos, Cowboys. What's the one thing they have in common? They have some of the most dedicated and devout fans in all of sports, who stick with them no matter what, no matter what lows they encounter, period. Browns fans, you guys are a joke. If the NFL is going to move someone to LA it should be your team. Again.

The same place he throws the ball to every night. The opposing defense!

I believe what you meant to say was: "We have come out throwing the past few regular seasons, and have gotten more losses, missed or just barely made the playoffs, and are currently on pace to match our franchise-worst 1st season's W/L record.

Yeah, because his job is to spend 24/7 at work. Get real.

Wait, we need more playmakers on offense? I thought Messiah Joe was the only playmaker we needed. Torrey Smith is leading SF in rec. yards and average yards per reception (18.7). I hear he's what they call a "deep threat." Wouldn't it be nice to have something like that right about now? Especially when you have a QB like Flacco who is far sighted and can't see the 40 yards of the field directly in front of him. Man, it would sure be nice to have a guy like Torrey Smith on our team. Too bad he plays for San Francisco. I wonder if the Ravens ever had a chance to try to make him part of our team. I wonder what that would be like. Torrey Smith in a Ravens uniform? Wouldn't that be something special.

Sure, the secondary has a "chance" to prove themselves. But I don't think they're actually up to the task. I just don't see much strength in our secondary this year. It's disappointing. We seem to be scarcely better off than we were last year. Of course, a major reason for that is that we still seem to be severely injury prone. The best upgrade we could have made this offseason would have been in training staff. I really hope we start taking the health of our players seriously. Even the greatest players in the world are useless on the sidelines.

Good. Then don't play like an idiot. We have the mother loving [on paper] talent to go 14-2 this year. As long as Flacco avoids being stupid, it just might happen.

Agree completely. I kinda feel sorry for the Browns sometimes. If they were in a different division people would look at them alot differently, because they'd end up being in the playoffs alot more often. They can be at the bottom of the division but still be better than half the teams in the league. Which seems to be the source of alot of misguided criticisms when we occassionally lose to them. The AFC North is stacked like an Egyptian pyramid. Makes me wish the pro bowl would be converted into an all star series where each division assembles a star pro-team from amongst its four teams, who then proceed on a single elimination pro-bowl tourney. The AFC North team would slaughter everyone year after year.

This. Pollard is a great player, and I'm still bummed that he's no longer a Raven. But the simple fact is that the team parted ways with him because he was a huge disruptive presence in the locker room. That kind of thing is far too damaging to a team's chemistry and cohesiveness. The #1 job of management (in this case, the team's front office) is to keep their staff (in this case, the players) at maximum motivation and engagement. Employees whose negativity can't be mitigated must be let go. Whether it's a personality trait on the employee's part, or whether it's simply misaligned chemistry between the two sides, the sum total environment is always the most important priority. Pollard is a great player, but we were exchanging raw talent for overall cohesiveness. We can achieve the same level of ability with lesser positional talent and more team wide engagement/motivation.

This assessment of Flacco is 100% accurate. Why can't Flacco fanatics see that the ONLY people in the world who think Flacco is hot stuff are the very people who are vested with extreme bias? Ravens fans who say Flacco is an elite, or even a "great" QB, sound exactly like Panthers fans who praise Newton on high. That is, they sound like blathering fools.

Glad to hear some sanity for a change. The run game is the most important part of the game. Flacco brushed 4000 yards in an 8-8 season. When the run is going well, we actually perform. And for your QB boinkers, the pass game does not make the run work. The run game is what allows passing to be meaningful.

You people saying that the man is not a thief obviously don't know what you are talking about, not to mention are of questionable character. Regardless of the fact that she filed an insurance claim, the ring lawfully belong to her. Filing an insurance claim does not constitute a surrender of ownership, anymore than would be the case if you file a claim after a car accident. Lawfully, individuals have an obligation to return valuable property to their legal owner, either by returning them directly to the owner or by surrendering them to police. If you cannot find the owner, you must surrender the property to police, who will attempt to locate the owner. After a fixed time, if the owner cannot be identified, or if the discovered owner does not attempt to recover the property, the finder has a legal right to claim the property. The ring had the woman's name on it. The man could have easily made arrangements to return the ring, or could have turned it in to police. He chose not to do so. It was his own decision to wait for several months and then attempt to sell/barter the ring for a profit. He chose to break the law, plain and simple.

I could really care less what some hater says about our uniforms. Especially someone stupid enough to grade the Steelers #1 due to, of all insane things, the bumblebee uniform. Because the Steelers don't use black in their uniforms at all. *rolls eyes* As for Flacco's stats under pressure.....DUH!! Joe "Cool" is nothing of the sort, and never has been, and anyone who isn't an idiot, or a pathetically obtuse apologist, has always known that. Give the man so much as a menacing look, and he crumbles like cheap feta. And it's a big reason why he will never be any better than a par for the course QB.

People swoon over QBs like bad poker players swoon over all the wrong hands. In poker, a player must learn to separate his emotional memories from effecting his perception of his odds at winning a hand. It's easy to remember the time you took a big gamble with A/10 and scored a mega pot when you rivered a flush. The excitement, the adrenaline, the pats on the back for making a gutsy all-in pre-flop call. Many players spend the rest of their lives remembering those emotions, and when they see A/10 in the future they evaluate it based on the emotions of the one or two times it turned out great. The memories of all the times that hand failed don't persist, because those instances didn't carry the as strong of emotions. Their emotions are deciding the quality they perceive. Quarterbacks, and especially QBs like Flacco, are much the same. Alot of people have artificially inflated ideas in their head because they can't separate their emotions from their evaluation of quality. They remember the deep passes that were made, because that's exciting. They forget all the times Flacco stupidly made horrible decisions to throw a deep ball that ended up incomplete, because those things don't invoke as strong of an emotional response.