The Raven

I think our cap has been tied down with contracts of aging players who didn't produce as much as they were paid to. Suggs and Dumervil are KILLING us right now with that. So much of our cap is invested in them and they have a combined, what, two sacks? I think it's also because we struggle to develop some guys, too. Jah Reid comes to mind there.

The issue, I think, is an issue of retaining our draft picks that pan out, more so than drafting talent. Look back at the Super Bowl. Suggs, Ngata, Ray, Reed, Ray Rice, and Yanda, among others, who we drafted and retained. And look at all the young playmakers we had on that roster that we didn't retain. Kruger, Art Jones, Torrey Smith, Courtney Upshaw, etc... Hell, even Mike Oher wasn't super terrible, and he seems to have found a niche in Carolina. Webb and Jimmy have been retained but are chronically injured. As much as I was hard on Oher and Upshaw, they'd still be better than Hurst being at RT against the Giants and McClellan playing OLB against anyone. We all know I hate Torrey but he would have made a difference last year. This team looks very different if we were able to retain those guys. True, we haven't drafted all that well, in the early rounds. Elam is looking like a bust. I think it's fair to say that now. Terrence Cody and Courtney Upshaw set our front seven back by three years each. My complaint with Ozzie is that he's still stuck in 2000, dreaming of Sam Adams and Goose clogging the middle with Burnett, McCrary, and Boulware wrecking the edges. When he drafted Elam, he saw the old fashioned box safety like Polamalu. When he drafted Terrence Cody, he saw Kelly Gregg 2.0. When he drafted Courtney Upshaw, he saw Jarrett Johnson. Those are all good players, but they are obsolete and outdated models. His only forward thinking draft picks from 2009 to 2013 were Kindle and Kruger. We all know what happened to Kindle, and Kruger got jerked around by a defensive system that lacked an identity. What we're missing in my opinion is quality players in the 27-31 age range. Guys that are old enough to be solid players and make plays but still young enough to not be slow and chronically hurt. I feel like all of our good players are under 25 or over 30. That's not a good place to be.

Because they don't have the weight of a Super Bowl ring weighing them down. AYYYOOOOO

Yeah, that's dumb, especially since LT isn't the problem. Trade for a LG or a C if we trade for anyone. Those are the positions that are holding us back.

You have gone completely out of the way to miss the point. Alex Lewis is serviceable at LT. Ronnie Stanley is good at LT. John Urschel is terrible at LG. Jeremy Zuttah is terrible at center. LT is not the only position on the line, and it's probably one of our strongest positions. Now that I've put it into laymens terms, do you understand? Or did you watch The Blindside so many times that you think LT is the only position that matters on the line? Also, a good LT can't necessarily play LG, RG, C, or RT, but frequently, a good interior guy can play LG, C, RG, and/or RT. Left tackles are frequently the softest guys on the line with the worst run blocking ability. They are often finesse players that can't maul. If you don't want to bench Stanley, then why do something so stupid like trading a 2nd for a sure starter at LT? That lacks sound logic.

It is absolutely stupid to trade the future for today, especially when our LT will be back for our next game..... I'd sooner trade for a center or guard than left tackle. at least we have two capable guys to play there. LT hasn't been the issue, even with Lewis in.

Joe should pay it. He's overpaid. Take a paycut or be traded. We're losing and it's Joe's fault. All his fault. Too much money.

It is moronic to trade a high pick for a player that maybe won't be playing in 2-3 years. Completely moronic. Ideally, when you trade a pick, you're getting a guy that will have the same time of service to a team that the draft pick would have had. Second rounders usually get three years AT LEAST. Trading a pick that's potentially a multi-year starter for a two year rental is idiotic. We suck because we aren't drafting well. Mortgaging the future for the now is a stupid way to build a team.

He's also the guy that, year in and year out, gets great offensive production out of a Patriot roster that lacks any kind of serious talent at receiver or running back. Also, he deserves a second chance as HC. You realize he was just 34 when he was Broncos HC? People grow. And I'll tell you this much, he is one of the best young offensive minds in this sport, along with Kyle Shanahan.

I haven't seen a single person say they want Joe to fail, but I see multiple people who mysteriously only appear when Joe plays poorly. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If we trade a 2nd to a division rival for a 32 year old LT on the downswing I'll join the plebs calling for Ozzie to be fired.

Good god, are we in middle school? Have some cheese with your wine.

Do you have any sense of pride or dignity? Tanking is a weak thing to do. It's pathetic.

They need to focus on developing just a few. Last season I think they went overboard with development. I actually feel a little sick typing this out. Phew.

Idk dude I'm loving it. Disgusting and maybe over the top but damn it's good stuff.

Experience and discipline fix mental mistakes. Unfortunately, we have a lot of young players who lack experience and a lot of old players who lack discipline.

Poor technique is one of the biggest injury causes in football.

Not only that, but the bigger issue is the severe reduction in contact practices at the high school and college level. Linemen truly need those contact practices to refine their craft, and the loss of those is killing the Future Trench Workers of America.

There is no good oline depth. It doesn't exist anymore. In this era, Ryan Jensen and John Urschel are about as good as it gets when it comes to finding backups. The talent level at offensive line is at an all time low across the league. We can try and stockpile OL but it just won't work.

John Urschel and Jeremy Zuttah belong in the CFL. They're out of their depth in this league.

They don't get hit

Yeah, because he's on the field and playing pretty well at RG. He was straight fire at the end of last year, too. Had a rough game at LG but he's got it together now. I'd like Correa to get more snaps but he's far from ready. I know his fanboys will say strength is not the issue, but... Dude is weak as hell and can't do jack once a tackle touches him. I said that much when we drafted him. He's just not strong at the point of attack. He won't survive at OLB/DE in that case. Judon needs to figure out his technique and goddammit we have to get Zadarius in some kind of yoga class to get him to bend better

Going for it on 4th and 1 on the goalline is almost always the right call, according to a number of studies based on statistics and probability. I know logic and statistics make people uncomfortable, but..... http://www.advancedfootballanalytics.com/index.php/home/research/game-strategy/120-4th-down-study http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/62665328 http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/a-new-study-on-fourth-downs-go-for-it/ Men lie, women lie, numbers don't. And the numbers say go for it.

Idk about that. I'm usually pretty optimistic but our pass rush is anemic and our receivers are, well, not receiving enough. We need Judon/ZDS/Correa to ramp it up on the edge soon. We need receivers to make a damn play every once in a while. We need them to be relied on. I'm not seeing anything from our receivers that gives me any level of confidence in this team's ability to compete.

Oh! Wanted to point this out. I think we're completely moved on from the gap scheme and completely committed to zone again. Saw a lot of stretch today. Lot of inside zone. Not a lot of gap scheme, if any. I think Marty is more in touch with the players. It's that simple.