Ravenous_Ravens

Well signing Weedle was a bit of a shock but not by that much. Just means for sure that there is now a game of musical chairs at the safety position. Time for young-er blood Brooks and Elam to step up, least they find themselves without a roster spot. All I hope is that Weedle's deal is team friendly in that if his performance is not there or degrades as e ages they can part ways without a ton of dead-money on the books. Still wondering if Webb will be restructuring his deal for market value safety pay vs CB?

Horrible audible suggestion. Sure the mayor is trying to promote OCMD, however to be useful an audible has to be clearly heard amongst staggering crowd noise levels. That's why Omaha "O MA HA" was used, clearly defining. Even Alaska "A LAS KA" has a definite unique sound. Ocean City would be horrible, as too many soft sounds would be likely to be muffled out when things are on the line. How about the mayor sticks to mayoring and let Joe stick to quaterbacking.

Yes that was the point of clearing up cap space to spend it all immediately on aging players. Don't worry about singing the up and comers to long term deals like B.Williams or J.Tucker or addressing needs once the roster is taking shape. Knee jerk reactions almost never pan out, best to always have a plan and stick to it.

IMHO I'm fairly certain K.O. was just mentioning the "not appreciated" in terms of The Ravens not willing to pay what the Raiders were. K.O.has been and will continue to be a solid above average player, but outside of a team having excessive amounts of cap space, it was never realistic to get that kind of contract otherwise. I doubt there is really much more to it than that. He also needs to now adjust to being apart of a different organization. No love lost. Can still appreciate his contributions as a Raven. Three comp draft picks is great. I really can't see trading back in the first round. Second round yes, to maybe accrue a 3rd round pick. They also could use their 4th rounder (not comp) and some later pick(s) to try and get into the 3rd round. It's more to do with who is on the board when they are up. I would not be so quick to assume they do not trade up and secure their "guy". Moving up within 5 spots would not cost the farm. So far this is shaping up to be one of the more unique drafts for Ravens in a while. There are many more practical routes they could go based on current roster than most years.

Yes, completely agree. Wattson is a solid signing to ensure there will be no issues at TE this year, evidenced by an "aggressive" signing. He is also another solid character in a young locker room to help set the tone and expectations of being a professional.

Please DO NOT sign Mike Wallace. The Steelers let him walk because he had more love for money vs. football, essentially (reading through the lines a bit). Same thing happened with the Vikings. Why would anyone expect that to suddenly change. Habits are habits and until he comes back to reality there is little upside if any to signing him. That cap room can be better spent reaching long term deals with Tucker and/or B.Williams. Or even wait until teams start making cuts. The idea of getting Wallace at the right price certainly implies that they would look at him, if he was still available closer/after camp. Basically let reality sink, performance dictates pay, not self-worth. IMHO I would pass, pass, pass, just not to Wallace as a Raven.

I agree with this too. I love Joe, and he can definitely get the ball downfield, but he's not terribly accurate. That miracle throw to Jacoby in Denver was a serious underthrow, for example. So was Jacoby's touchdown in the super bowl. I feel like the last time I saw him hit a fast receiver in stride was like the second game of Torrey Smith's rookie year. Funny you said something a lot of fans don't seem to understand. There is a difference between having the ability and actually performing. That's why Torrey Smith is no longer on the team. The Ravens FO couldn't determine how good their WR is they let him go instead of taking the risk of resigning Torrey Smith. We need a possession catcher for the future since their is no spectacular catch big body outside of maybe big maybe on Laquon Treadwell. Flacco needs that type of WR to compensate for his lack of accuracy. My fear is that Permian will out run Flacco and appear to be a bust. This is not true at all. Flacco is very accurate downfield. What you and a lot of other fans don't understand is that the league average for comp % on deep throws is very low, and complaining that a ball that traveled 55 yds in the air, especially when he couldn't even fully step into his throw, was a little underthrown is pretty ridiculous. Torrey set career lows across the board in his only year without Flacco, so Joe isn't the reason we let Torrey go, but he is the reason Torrey got such a big contract. EVERY NFL qb is going to miss on most of his deep passes, but for Flacco, getting it downfield with accuracy is a major strength, and defenses show their respect for it when we have someone who can stretch the field, even though Flacco's never had anything close to a speedy #1. Flacco is actually fairly accurate overall. You need to consider balls that look inaccurate are not always the case. Receiver can be out of position for the route/play, they can be rerouted due to contact, dealing with pressure while delivering the ball. To be honest Torrey Smith was a great WR to have around, his biggest knock was maybe his straight line speed. When Joe threw deep to him, you could see Joe needing to hold the ball just a bit longer. That aside keeping smith would have been a good idea if not for the cap situation at that time. Things have been/were tight enough without another big contract. Ravens generally keep all the good players they can, it just happens there is not always enough pie to go around so they go to eat someone else's pie.

Stop buying into the FA hype and thinking the Ravens need to go and spend all that new cap money. Ozzie is simply loading up so he can jump on opportunities as needed. If that money is not available when needed, it doesn't matter if you can find it later, the player you want will most likely be gone. I really don't see any more FA signings coming. Wattson was more a security pick of sorts to ensure TE is not an issue this season. Of all the positions rich with talent in this years draft, TE is near the bottom of that stack, meaning less chance to hit, for all teams, making TE a stronger need for teams needing one or more. Draft and develop players in house is the way to go or else you end up overpaying, especially this time of year.

There is nothing wrong with freeing up cap space and pushing the cap hit down the line. Realistically you only do this with players that you believe will be good down the road, as the typical outcome is usually an extension being worked out to flatten the cap hit. Ravens are not the only team to use this tactic, but as I said you only really see this move with 'safe' players, who's value will still be there down the road.

Nothing too surprising. No sense overpaying these players. Ozzie is aware of their current market value and is giving them the chance to increase their value. Most likely their will be retained, if not they can be replaced during the draft. ST is the key to making a roster as a new recruit.

Arrington may not the a shutdown CB but he is still more consistent that a lot fo lesser talents. Makes sense to retain him especially without a clear replacement lined up. Wonder when/if Webb's contract get's renegotiated. Safeties generally do not earn CB money, which is what Webb is currently earning. Yanda still amazes me with his hard worth ethic and commitment to winning and being a team player. Thanks for helping out the team (and yourself). Only question I have now is which of the seemingly endless possibilities at safety are going to stand up and take the starting job? Stop looking around wondering who it's going to be and take the job. I sense a small purge at safety after camp.

Only sense I can make of the Watson signing is that TE is going to be a position of need this year period. The draft at TE is ok, not great and basically the same scenario in free agency so far. The chances of signing dependable depth at TE was low, so Ozzie didn't take chances. Not exactly my favorite pick but it positions the team well before heading into the draft. Leadership and stability should go a long ways for you the younger TE's as well. Smart signing to avoid issues down the road.

I really fail to see how Wallace is all of sudden going to make this offense 'that much better'. The Ravens have enough smaller receivers, who are a bit more injury prone. Perriman is a the deep threat and offers speed Wallace just cannot match. Even SSR and Aiken can play the deep ball if needed, although they are best in the short-intermediate routes. The Ravens desperately need some 3rd down chain mover WR's, a.k.a. players that can shake and bake for 10yards reliably. Still believe Sterling Sheppard is the best receiver, fit and skill wise for the Ravens and he is much tougher/stronger than a lot of similarly sized WR/CB's. Most of the hyped WR's this year are deep threats that will need time to learn the rest of their route trees. You can't throw long all the time or you run the risk of pass rush getting home and turning the ball over. Look at Brady's stats last season and you'll notice the majority of his passes are the shorter 5-12 yr variety with a good mix of intermediate and deep balls. Why? Well besides lack of running attack, short passes are high completion percentage. Second 1st downs keep you on the field, helping your defense out. Third, short pass game helps out run game by forcing defense to stay honest, no pinning their ears back to giving it to your QB. If the Ravens offense is going to be formidable this season it will start with being able to consistently pick up first downs and staying on the field. Should really be aiming for a min of 3 first downs per possession minimum. Anything less than that and your exhausting your defense and placing extra pressure on them. Good offenses simply score and put up points. Great offenses score and put up points too, but also control the pace and tempo of the game. Time to shoot for Great not Good.

There will be many better options in the second round over Ragland. Ragland is not a 3rd down option, run stopper sure(1st and 2nd). He is pretty much as close to Upshaw as you could get, with a bit more upside but still not a cover LB. Also LT is not a NEED all of a sudden because of K.O. Yes the Ravens will need to add depth and they will, just not #6 overall, there will be a better impact player available and taken.

Pass on this crop of "pass rushers". There is better quality talent to be had in the draft.

Stop with the Ronnie Stanley bandwagon. he has the physical traits of a #6 pick but not the skill level you want to see. Sure you can coach him along and he will develop some but for a #6 pick you don't pick players that are going to need time adjusting. You look for an immediate contributor, which just means they can become a valuable piece of the puzzle from day 1. That does not necessarily mean instant starter status. Drafting Stanley would likely mean he sits behind Monroe anyways so I really fail to see how using the #6 pick is advantageous, when there is solid LT's available later int he draft.

nope we still have monroe Finally someone who understands. So many people going into panic mode on the forums. Ozzie had a flexible plan in place. why else would he up K.O.'s apparent value. Either K.O. was going to cash in big elsewhere and give the Ravens another pick next season or the Ravens would keep him at a reasonable market value. Keeping K.O. would have been the only way Monroe was let go. Monroe is now effectively playing for his future in the league. If he is not able to play a healthy season this year, you can bet he's probably on his way out, at least of Baltimore. Whatever happens after that will basically ride on what he does as a player this year.

Where's the kool-aid? Character is good and appreciated in the Ravens organization. The guy will help provide depth, but at 35, he will not be the lead dog unless due to injury/recovery. In all honesty, he will likely be gone next season, unless Boyle decides to fail another drug test. The TE position, is actually quite good. Now they need to get healthy and mind the details of testing, but those growing pains will pass. Pitta can still come back, and would probably be a welcome sight IF is happens. He won't cost anything else above what he's already due, has high character and rapport with Joe. I don't want to see him get injured again, but I'm hoping he comes back and is actually fully healed and then some.

You say they cannot afford the top tier players and they cannot afford the cheap players? This is contradicting in itself. I trust you are aware that it is impossible to have top tier talent at every position on the field, at least since salary cap era. Also, both Webb and J.Smith have played very well, despite dealing with a rash of injuries. Maybe not 100% but they were not 100% either. The "hero or zero" rating system is flawed especially in the real world. All teams deal with draft picks that do not turn out they way they though for a variety of reasons. Trey Walker was a gamble of sorts when they drafted the kid. He came from a small school and played well and had size (height). Expecting him to be even close to ready to start come his second year is "best case scenario". Support your perspective with facts, especially if your going to go judging people in a negative capacity.

After witnessing the youth movement since the SB year, I don't like the idea of bringing in aging players to patch those holes. Truth is the draft has a lot of talent this year and at a cheaper price than UFA's. True a vet might help out for a year or two but you gamble on when their decline becomes noticeable. Patch work only works well when by and large your roster is more or less complete, something that is still a season or two away from being a realty. IMHO Ozzie & Decosta don't sign any UFA's until after the draft at the earliest. Plus they like to generally keep some extra cap on hand as cuts are made towards the beginning of the season and for emergency slush fund. Really hoping the injury bug is going elsewhere this year. It's been festering for too long now.

No. A grown man that does not understand acceptable public/workplace behavior has little excuse IHMO. If you can't trust someone to do the small things right, why would you pay them to do things that matter? I'm sure the fact he's looking for work also means he's a solid player worth keeping around too.

I share in your rationalization that there are other things to consider when choosing a team but year after year I am proven wrong. The players only chase the most money. I cant blame them but those of us that think team matters are fooling ourselves. They always follow the highest bid. Thats typically all they care about. This is their lottery ticket and they need to cash in for all they can. Team does matter, just more so to players that have gone done the money road, usually later int heir careers. Money matters too, cause your not guaranteed anything, how long you'll play, if you'll be inury free or injury plagued, whether you'll win games or not. Look at former Browns C Mack. He can essentially command his price being one of the better C's in the league but you see him talk about Winning matters and how a team prepares and what they do to make it happen. Here's a smart guy, those Sundays are long when your not having success on the field and a big pile of money doesn't take away the frustration it only serves to compound the effect, because now you can't complain or people say your ungrateful. If Raiders or Vikings or whoever want to vastly overpay K.O. Then that's their choice but also a choice with a bad track record for helping a team realize results. Only thing that is different here is K.O. has a superbowl to his name already and enjoyed a great deal of success in Baltimore. That will factor in and may make taking a big pay day elsewhere a worthwhile compromise. More picks for next season and the draft genius continues.

i actually don't think Urschel graded out too well by PFF. I don't have it in front of me but I remember him getting a lot of negative scores. Jensen on the other hand steadily improved over the last few games and I think in one of them he actually had the highest grade on offense. Maybe true but Center is 10x more engaging than any other position along the line. That's why the Brains get put where they belong. I'm fairly certain after having Matt Birk for some time, Harbs wanted a similar Center and then they found the human football calculator. Jensen will be LG starter and Urschel will remain at backup center at least one more season. Zuttah will probably be let go in another year so Urschel can step up.

Ronnie Stanley has the physical traits you want in a LT but he does not measure up in many other skill areas. He's a better day 1 starter than others, but he is closer to his proverbial ceiling than others as well. Physical traits do not guarantee anything other than size. See the difference compared to someone like Ogden was that he had size and skill. That makes for a top 10 draft pick. Stop with the Ronnie Stanley is a lock mentality.

First off, Jensen is the front runner of the two players mentioned. A) Jensen proved can handle LG duties and excel. B) Urschel while a good player in his own (capable of playing LG), is a reserve center and likely to be the next starter when Zuttah is no longer the starter (maybe sooner than later). You don't use your backup center at other positions. Only so many players can play center and if they get injured playing another position, what would you do then? Look like an imbecile going from 1st string player to 3rd/4th string player. That would be such great idea, create more issues by failing to deal with the first issue! (sarcasm intended) Ravens will draft another body for LG depth and LT starter/depth. While the Ravens don't necessarily often draft a QB prospects with the hope of hitting on one, they do draft lots of depth along the line on both sides of the ball. They don't always pan out but when you draft them mid-late your not always counting on them as a guarantee either. At this point i see the Ravens rolling with Monroe as starter for this upcoming season. Monroe has to respect the fact that if he doesn't play and produce this season it not just about being released potentially, but about any team wanting to sign him moving forward and the price they will even offer him. I honestly do not think he is a bad player or does not prepare physically to prevent injuries. He has more than anything just been the recipient of some bad situations that did not go his way, but nothing lasts forever. Only way I'd release Monroe at this point is IF it was very obvious he was not mentally in the game anymore. Monroe should be as motivated as ever to ensure he has not just a good season but a great one as it may be his last chance to showcase his value.