Ravenous_Ravens

Just a thought, maybe the content they release actually needs to be approved in order to not tip the hat for the competition. Also does the combine coverage actually matter vs getting results in the way of solid players that will play for a long time. I mean if your just after combine coverage than check out other sources like the official NFL sources, because multiple sources then to give you better idea of the reality. I am fairly certain all sources are reporting softly in the sense they are putting together stories and reports that say some but nothing conclusive, all opinion based. Imagine being a reporter and accidentally giving away your teams draft strategy accidentally.

I agree about WR being a bit top heavy, but also remember the Ravens are more in need of a go to chain mover for 3rd downs to play mostly out of the slot maybe outside sometimes. Most of the top WR's are deep threats with little experience running more than slants, go routes and posts. I have faith that Perriman will be as advertised. I personally like a WR like OSU's Sterling Shepard. I just feel he would be a better fit with the current roster of players.

I think that this offer to KO is definitely connected to the Flacco negotiations. They're essentially telling Linta that he's being held to his comment in 2013 that Flacco's was essentially a 3-year contract, because if KO accepts their offer they will not be able to pay Flacco at his current cap hit. Which is smart, because Flacco is not worth a $29M cap hit. So it's a way to insert some leverage into a place where they had very little - the only leverage they really had before is that Joe's injury status is a big question mark. And it makes Ozzie's remark (that they're going to make moves regardless of Flacco's status) truthful; i.e. Ozzie is putting his money where his mouth is. Plus, if the Flacco negotiations fail, it would be better to know that before the draft. It's not like Ozzie would be afraid of losing Flacco - he won a super bowl with Dilfer, after all. Besides which, KO is a monster and the Ravens would be fools to let him go without at least an offer. And I think what Harbaugh said about it is good: the Ravens have a certain atmosphere and mentality that KO is a part of and buys into, and if he's willing to stay in that environment for a little less money - like Yanda did - that's a win. IMHO you nailed it! There are no clear moves, but many smaller conditional moves available. Going about negotiations like this just means the Ravens aren't backed into a corner with no leverage/options. It will ultimately come down to where the players involved sit. I'm hoping K.O. realizes there have not been too many ex Ravens players to leave via FA and enjoy the same level of success. Just saying, that would matter to me.

Good summary - but there's one mistake here IMHO: if KO decdes to walk, he'll probably be signed by his new team on the first day of free agency - but surely no later than the first 3-4 days. So, by the time the draft comes, he'll probably no longer be a Raven, or will hgave his new Ravens contract signed. Either way, Ozzie probably won't have the chance to decide to let KO walk after he picks an OT in the draft. The most likely scenarios IMHO are: 1.) even with our best effort, Ozzie's offer will be easily outbidded by another organization, so KO walks in the first couple of days of free agency; Ozzie drafts Ronnie Stanely at #6. 2.) KO walks, Ozzie doesn't pick a starting caliber OT, trusts Jensen or Urschel to do a good enough job as a replacement. The three very unlikely scenarios include: 3.) Somehow Ozzie pulls off the miracle that the Mile High Miracle pales in comparison with, and manages to keep KO in Baltimore. 4.) KO walks, Ozzie signs another starting caliber OT in free agency. 5.) KO walks, Ozzie tries to replace him with a mid-round pick. I think your "most likely scenarios #2" is a bit unrealistic. Jensen showed he's not the solution at LT. He is absolutely solid at LG however and that's where he will most likely start this season. Urschel is the back up C and as such doesn't have all the tools for the position. That's ok he's a solid brains guy for the brains role on the line. Plus another wildcard situation is if they decide Urschel is ready to be a starter, and perhaps let Zuttah go. I have not heard anything about this but another veteran cut potential along the lines of guys like D.Smith, Arrington, Canty etc.

Nailed it! Upshaw's overall value is just not that of a superstar. He is a very solid dependable player for what he brings. My guess is he will ultimately come back. Most players that left elsewhere for bigger pay days didn't enjoy the same kind of success after the fact. Personally I do want to see him back. He's like the anti-terrible towel for Pittsburgh games. Ben knows.

It's a win win situation bringing Richardson in. Worst case scenario he's not able to make the grade and is let go without signing a huge contract. Ravens can most likely bring him in on a conditional contract should he make the roster. This adds instant competition for guys who thought they were safe' and if Richardson has any drive left to be playing that competition could really turn up the heat. Biggest question is probably determining where he is at physically and mentally. Ravens do this move a lot, as its only ever a camp body your on the line for unless they show promise then a working out a contract doesn't bother you.

When comparing other teams offers vs the Ravens contract offer keep in mind others will try to outbid but not necessarily offer all the other intangibles that make with being a part of the Ravens organization. IMHO the situation is as important as the dollars and cents. Either way K.O. your a beast do what you feel is best for you.

I agree with your assessment. I would also imagine because both of these guys do this on a regular basis, negotiating contracts, they are also being firm on their initial positions, to really judge who has more leverage. One think I do know for sure is Joe wants to win now. My guess is he comes in late after the inital offers have been heard and says I'd like (this) middle ground. Then Linta and Ozzie shake on it and pen it. Just keep it to max of $20 mil cap hit per season, pref less.

This doesn't mean there are no WR's to be had this draft. All it means is the ceiling is by comparison lower than other positions. I'm not sure Ravens would draft a WR in round in back to back years even if the talent was there, maybe.

Completely agree. I do also think that the Ravens media guys were coaching them to not tip their hand one way or another either. Knowing if and when certain players are expected back changes how teams prepare during the week. All I really know about B Perriman for sure is, when healthy the guy moooooves and has good hands. Think he just needed a strong armed QB to toss him the rock. I'm optimistic that this year any play Perrriman is on the field is a potential touchdown due to his ability to stretch the field and Joe's willingness and ability to get the ball deep. Can't wait to see.

Flacco's contract was by design back loaded. Both sides knew they would be back here at the negotiating table. This time around there is a larger body of work for Ozzie to negotiate with. And for Flacco there have been more Qb's to sign contracts. Always a good measuring stick of fair market value when negotiating. Linta may play hardball but that's his job. Joe ultimately makes the decision to sign or not, Linta does not have that authority. Joe said he wants to win now, so trust Joe to be Joe cool and make it happen.

The whole Pitta story maybe be a bit of a smokescreen I think. Either way it keeps other teams guessing as they try to rebuilt and prepare for a new season. MY guess is Pitta and the Ravens have a strong idea of what will be the strategy moving forward but are not divulging the details until things pan out for certain.

If no deal gets done, I think it will be due to the inability to retain certain key players, even should a restructured contract to be had. Ozzie must surely be aware of the benefit to keep Joe's contract as is, where there becomes more pressure to perform towards the end of the contract. That should result in a better Joe Flacco, hopefully above average. Restructuring a new contract would diminish this pressure to some degree. I also think it's more likely at this point that a lot of faces will be leaving this offseason and the draft used to get younger and working with the little cap room available.

Are we watching the players? They both played Michigan State this year. Watch their game film on youtube. Bosa was causing nightmares for the QB, and Michigan State never ran at him. Buckner was a non factor in the MSU game, and was getting pushed around. MSU is a great gauge of talent because they have an NFL caliber O-Line. Bosa doesn't not cheat technique, or his responsibility, and he is incredible powerful. His motor does not stop, and he beats Tackles and Guards on a regular basis off the edge and against the run. Bosa is much quicker and has more moves in his arsenal than Buckner. Buckner honestly does not get off of blocks and win at the line of scrimmage enough for me. I don't think Buckner has developed the ability to play with good leverage, and I do not think he is worthy a top 10 pick. Buckner played against subpar talent in a pass happy conference. Bosa played against some of the best linemen in the country and might have had the sack record if he played in the Pac 12. Bosa is Suggs 2.0 Yea Buckner doesn't get as much pressure because he is playing at 3-4 DE while Bosa plays 4-3 DE. When I say explosive I mean quick twitch muscles (suddenness). And yes Buckner is much more explosive than Bosa and if you don't take my word for it, I googled Joe Bosa scouting report, and these were the first seven scouting reports on Bosa. CBS sports - "Not a quick-twitch rusher and doesn't play with consistent explosion" musiccitymiracles.com - "Inconsistent explosion off of the line of scrimmage. Lacks some quickness, quick-twitch ability." NFL.com - "Not as twitchy and sudden as expected. Feet are a little heavy and it takes just a second to accelerate up to speed" Bleacherreport - "but on base sets as an edge defender, he's going to win with strength, breaking down the will of the right tackle or tight end slowly, not explosive speed" todayspigskin - Bosa lacks the explosive first step that most of the dominant pass rushers seem to have" nflmocks.com - "My immediate issue with Bosa is that he’s slow off the line. He knows it too because he over compensates it and gets called off sides multiple times a game." nflbreakdowns.com - "Above average speed, but not the quick-twitch athlete you want to see from a top-tier prospect. Due to lack of quick-twitch muscles, he doesn’t (and rarely attempted) covert speed-to-power." Again I didn't cherry pick these. His lack of explosion really shows up on tape. This doesn't mean he's going to be a bad player, its just that Buckner is much more explosive. That being said Buckner is very raw and can't hold a candle to Bosa's hand placement and technique. I'm not disagreeing with you over the fact that Bosa is the better prospect, I'm just pointing out that his explosion, suddenness, quick twitch does not match Buckners. Yup. Nailed it. Bosa is a bull rush style pass rusher, He's not got the many moves or quick twitch to juke guys out of their pants. Drafting Bosa would be like a replacement for Upshaw if things go that way. Buckner has moves but not really a bull rush. He is also much more raw and will require some time to get the best he has to offer. Bosa if you want a quick plug and play, or Buckner if you can afford a season of learning before letting things fly. Given the fact Ravens still have Suggs and Dummervil, Buckner makes more sense giving two solid mentors a chance to bring him up to speed. Also I personally think the Ravens coaches are great at developing talent.

He's not going to divulge the exact methods he will use to implement the changes. That would be foolish. He's just talking generally to not tip any hats.

I look at it this way, now that the safety position is even more crowded we should see the competition ramped up even more than before. There is only so many reps to go around, so lets see who really wants them. Hopefully they are learning from past mistakes.

I disagree. He had his best year as a pro in 2014 (under Kubiak). He did regress IMO this past season. Well he is not the Elite QB that warrants that kind of paycheck. Is he a good QB? Yes. Does he have a strong arm? Yes. Can he read Defenses? Questionable. Don't get me wrong I like Joe Flacco but I have expected more from him and gotten so much less especially last year before getting injured. Yes he did have a good year under Kubiak but still blew it in the playoff game with New England. We had a little time and we didn't need to go for it all on that pass to Torrey. Again famous over throw/under throws and considering what we do pay him I personally don't think he has lived up to it. You ability to gauge the situation is curious. Joe up until this upcoming season hasn't hurt the team as a result of his contract, and really has been underpaid until now, by design based on the way they put his contract together (willingly). Now its a matter of Joe getting paid the windfall of what was really earned. As for last season yes there were a lot things that did not go well. Doesn't matter who the QB is if you don't consistently have open "enough" receivers/tight ends etc to throw to your not going to get much rhythm going. To be fair the whole team grew a lot throughout the season and it will show up this next season. Can't expect perfection from young players in a single professional season, no matter how skilled. It seems as though you seem to think franchise QB's just magically appear when needed. What about Matt Ryan's 2014 season? Is he overpaid? What about Eli Mannings 2015 season is he overpaid? I guess suddenly when someone experiences hardship they over-hyped or over something automatically. How many lop sided games decided by more than a single score did they lose last season? And no one except for the QB contributed to making mistakes? Right, I don't drink your kool-aid.

Von Miller lines up on the offense's right side btw. :)

The reality is there are simply not as many special players in this years draft, talking about the 1% of players that are distinctly at another level compared to their peers. The nice thing is after the first round, most of the other rounds will still feature good value players to be had. This is where Ozzie and DeCosta will make their draft happen. Also do not be surprised to see a trade back in the first for another few picks, all situational of course. At this point I would prefer DeForest Buckner over Joey Bosa as Buckner is a better overall player and still brings a good pass rush. Bosa does not quite have the coverage ability you would want to see for such a high pick. I'd also take Jalen Ramsey over Hargreaves III. Hargreaves plays well enough, but IMHO gators secondary never learn to properly tackle. They can make a big hit, but they sure do not wrap up soundly consistently enough. A concern for sure when you look at his size and the fact wr/te's keep getting bigger and a big hit is not going to bring them down very often. Elam has experienced similar issues in his play. Aside from that aspect I would stay away from gators secondary players period.

While not a given, it's due to Ozzie wanting to see what options he has first. Why renegotiate if you don't need to. I mean he liked the contract when they wrote it up and signed it. Also never a bad idea to first understand the amounts you would need a new contract to fall under before you start negotiating either.

jennsen performed much better at LG than Urschel did Yes, Urschel will be the starting center, maybe sooner than we think too. If KO goes, I am calling a LT drafted #1 overall for the eventual replacement of Monroe. Jesen can play LG not LT and played it well.

Well if the Ravens had that much cap space you'd probably be in the boat of they need to spend that money on some talent. Nothing wrong spending close to the cap, i mean that really is the goal, utilize whatever you have to work with to the fullest this year and the next, etc. If not for an unforeseen circumstance involving Rice, the dead money this past season would have been much more reasonable and a mute point.

Don't bite on the media garbage (ESPN adn WNST). Remember the networks who pay the writers to write this garbage are also telling them what their witting opinions will be before they even start. These people don't like the Ravens cus they don't fold when told to do so and keep fighting through all obstacles. At all costs mainstream media only cares to express the opinions they pick out for you. Best to not listen to people who don't even care about facts. Don't be spoon fed.

Really people the season is over. Stop living in the past and looking for the root of the blame for last season. It was not due to one single issue, not to mention the team being further transitioned from a team with HoF'ers to a new younger core. Ever hear of growing pains? They happened and a brash of injuries. Don't look any further into it. Next season your going to see a lot of maturity from all the players that saw the field much more than they otherwise would have and it will pay dividends.

Safe bet to make, coming up a contract year and whether he wants to remain a Raven of not, he needs to show more than he has to date for any teams to offer a contract when the time comes. Hopefully the fire is already lit.