RavensNation14

yeah, I mean Torrey will probably never be as good as AJ, but when you consider the salaries, AJs age and the other intangibles, it is a bad trade I think

Very lopsided. It would be completely different if we sent a draft pick for him, but even then I doubt we would do that. We've used quite a few picks already in next year's draft and we all know how Ozzie love's his draft picks. Wouldn't make Steve Smith happy either and I don't want to see an angry Steve Smith in the Ravens locker room. 

I wonder who he might possibly be traded too though. Has to be a team that has some cap space and is a playoff caliber team. 

He's been pretty healthy as of late. It's not ideal to have older WRs, but I will take the talent over youth any day of the week.

I just don't want to take that chance. Both of our guys would be old and you have to think how much chemistry Joe already has with Torrey. There's a lot more than that has to be taken into account then just shipping Torrey for Andre or trying to pursue Andre and not resigning Smith. 

At this point in time I'd take Torrey over Andre any day because Torrey has remained healthy and he's such a good guy in the community. He's definitely one of my favorite players and I think a lot of fans would be upset if we traded or didn't resign him. Major slap in the face to Torrey and I don't want to be the organization that does things like that. It just isn't professional and fair to the players. 

It doesn't mean he is declining.

Torrey is also a FA with no guarantee he'll be back next year.

Not really a fan of having our #1 and #2 being 32 and 35. Those guys are declining faster than we know it and Andre has dealt with nagging hamstring injuries his entire career. 

I'd be interested in trying to get Andre Johnson, but we need that extra money to sign a veteran during camp incase a major injury happens. If Jimmy Smith or Ladarius Webb go down were not looking good at all in our secondary. I like Brooks and Elam, but both those guys are young and inexperienced. Our next CB up is Asa/Chykie and that is not something I want to deal with. 

Not to mention if one of our other players go down. We just signed Steve Smith for 3 years and were committed to him and the group we have now. Don't see it happening honestly. 

7-8 ranked D isn't good enough for me. Still pretty jaded after over a decade of awesomeness

It's going to be hard to replace that ever. That was a once in a franchise defense. I'm fine with being top 7-8 because if our offense can actually move the ball this year we will win a lot of games. We have the best kicker in the NFL and Sam Koch is one of the better punters in the league even though he has been off recently. 

Do you guys see john urschel as a guard or could he be our future center? I kind of like the idea of a super genius calling the adjustment checks.

I want to see how he plays out as OG first. If he's dominant there, there's no reason to move in to play C especially since we just signed Zuttah to a long term deal. 

Now if Zuttah isn't playing up to expectations, I wouldn't mind putting him there but we also have Gino as our backup. That's not appealing at all, but were super thing at OG and Urschel is a better fit for OG imo. 

I'm curious to see how the battle between A. Brown and Mosely plays out. 

I'm thinking Mosley wins it. I love Brown, but Mosley is a better compliment to Smith in the middle. I could see them both getting a fair share of time though throughout the season. All of them have some injury history though so wouldn't surprise me to see them all getting time this season. 

Guess I'm the only person that likes this draft. We made out like bandits and it seems like the popular sports outlets noticed too. We have very grades on all sites which is rare for us.

 

It seems the main complaint on this forum is that we went defense high. I believe this is a good thing that Ozzie has faith in our offense. Also that we didn't really draft big names , I understand that you guys touted on espn went to other teams but these guys were scouted by our FO and they go really indepth. Character , leadership , etc. Are all very important to Ozzie. If you search any of our prospect all of them share two things ; they work hard and have character. 

 

How dare anybody doubt Ozzie. He has forgotten more about football then any of us will ever know. 

 

Also lets see who we grab undrafted. If you remember , last year , our leading receiver in TDs was undrafted. 

Pfft, you kidding me? I'm a defensive guy and LOVE what we did in this draft. The people who wanted offense for our team are offensive minded and wanted either an explosive receiver or running back. the only problem was, the offensive line had to be addressed and people forgot how terrible the Ravens were at protecting Joe.

That being said, they did well and the o-line is much improved from last year. The thought of A.Q shippley and Gino Gradkowski as our lineman for another year makes me shudder..

I'm right there with you guys. Ozzie filled every need that he said he was going to fill. Players may have not been selected where people predicted, but Ozzie took BPA based on need. I don't understand why people are surprised when Ozzie does the same thing year after year lol. We passed on those players for a reason and it goes a lot further than just watching some Youtube highlights and some film. Were only given so much to judge these prospects off of when it's a lot more in depth than anyone actually realizes. 

Our O-line will be much improved from last year and a guy like Urschel could potentially come in and win that spot if we move KO to RT. Gino/Urschel could battle it out for that role because Osemele should be moved back outside. As much as I like him as an OG, we need another experienced OT. Taliaferro I think could have a rookie of the year season. If our run game gets going and Kubiak does what he usually does he could primed for a lot of carries. Pierce has some nagging injuries, Forsett is a change of pace guy, and who knows about Ray Rice. 

I don't see us making another opportunity to get him at all. We were doing him a favor by giving him a workout to see if he had it in him to play again. Obviously he doesn't because something this huge in your life you won't just show up completely gased and not even do the drills. Not to mention you show up late to potentially the last shot you will ever have to play in the NFL. That's pathetic. McClain knows what kind of shape he should be in and he's too lazy to care. 

Okay. I'll research this and bring back some hard facts and we'll see. I'm not buying it but I could be wrong. That deal is super cheap. I don't see it counting against our compensatory picks when deals similar to that haven't in the past.

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Darian-Stewart-Could-Start-At-Free-Safety/e9dfbbe3-d7f6-40f6-a9c2-2be14fda6017

Read the 7th paragraph down. Many people believe since he was an unrestricted free agent he will affect our comp picks. 

What about Jim leonhard as a vet minimum one year signing. He was always one of my favorite underrated players when he was here. This will be his last year but he actually played well last year in limited time. He could be a strong veteran presence our DBs are missing. Also very solid on special teams.

Doubt we sign another safety at this point unless a veteran gets cut that we think can be our guy. Ozzie burned a comp pick on Stewart so that shows how much they like him. He is reunited with Steve Spags who coached Stewart for 2 years so Spags knows what he is doing with him. 

Our interior could be a serious issue over the next few years, Gino is the worst centre in football, Yanda is 30 and is starting to slow down and there's absolutely no guarantee that KO will get back to where he was.

That's why taking Zach Martin at 17 makes the most sense at this point. It gives us a guy that is similar to Yanda and has less tread on his tires. 

Ozzie says they want a bigger RB.....

How about laggarrette Blount?? 6-1 245lbs big enough?

I think he's came a long way since his college trouble. He had a pretty impressive season last season with the patriots! Avg 5.0 yards a carry and I think he had 4 td's in the playoffs against the colts. He's been sitting on that FA list for a while so I'd think he'd could come be a raven for a good deal??

He's going to be looking for a starting job or at least the majority of carries. The Ravens want a goaline guy and Blount will want to be paid as a starter. 

I've had the same feeling, too; however, at the moment, I'm convinced that IF Zack Martin falls to the Ravens, Baltimore will draft him, as the Dolphins (who are drafting 2 spots after Baltimore) are the other team that is deeply in need for an o-lineman. Otherwise, I would be all for the Ravens trading-down with a NFC team (like the Cardinals, Eagles or Saints), just to accumulate more picks.

Yea I could see us taking Martin at 17, a WR/FS in the 2nd, and if we feel we need to address CB that badly I think we should take one in the 3rd or 4th. Stanley-Jeap Baptiste, Louchiez Purifoy, or Bashaud Breeland are some guys we consider

But, I just question if the Ravens even have enough picks to get a CB at some point in the draft. Right now, they've got their 1st (17th), 2nd (48th), 3rd and 6th round picks, in addition to, most likely, 2 4ths (Kruger and Ellerbe), a 5th (Williams) and either a 6th or 7th (Reed).

 

And, I only question this because I've a got feeling that the Ravens will probably draft an top tier o-line, early, and another offensive lineman as a project, latter in the draft. I also envision them selecting a WR and TE, in some round, as well.

 

That, right there, leaves the Ravens with 4 picks. Any of those I guess can go to a RB, DE/DT, ILB, or FS; and, that's not to say they might double-dip with any of the previous positions I already mentioned (sans the offensive line, obviously).

 

I can see Chykie Brown stepping-up, without-a-problem, as he's already gotten playing time at cornerback in the regular season. It's just that Asa Jackson is such a wildcard, at the moment, that he can technically break the amount of depth the Ravens have at cornerback, in multiple ways. He hasn't seen time at CB, I believe, in the regular season; and, more importantly, he's on his last strike.

 

I'm not really saying has to sign a free agent cornerback, right now. He can wait it out and sign someone who gets released, later on, or even someone who went unsigned. But, I think the CB position is getting overlooked, to be honest. People keep mentioning tight end, defensive line, etc. as areas that seem to be lacking depth, where, in actuality, cornberback seems pretty tine, for now.

 

But, we'll just have to wait-and-see, I guess!

Yea now that you put in perspective like that you are right, but I think we will be fine. I could see us signing a veteran maybe after the draft or in training camp. We did the same when we signed Chris Johnson (not the RB). Especially how Jimmy and Webb have had their fair share of injuries, we could definitely use a veteran guy to solidify our lineup. 

All the previous poster said was that he's "surprised" that we haven't pursued De La Puente yet and haven't heard anything about our interest in him. He didn't say we should know everything that the FO is doing and they should tell us about it. However, you just simply find out when a team is really interested in a player ... sort of like we knew about our significant interest in Smith even before he was released. 

 

Given center is our most glaring need and given there are very few viable options, I also expected that we'd have been making to make that move more quickly to fill that position. Not saying we're screwing up or asleep at the wheel or anything... just saying that I expected that hole to be plugged very early in FA. 

You have to think though there is ALOT of time between now and the draft. Guys will be cut that you did not expect to be cut and the guys that are still there now in FA will be there for some time. I'd rather us take a risk like we usually do and just sit on our hands and wait. Why decide who is our starting center now when we don't need to for months and look for better options. 

I stand corrected; this is the result of someone (like myself) who doesn't really keep-up with college football, enough, and relies on dated scouting reports... haha!

 

Anyways, besides Jimmy Smith, Webb, Chykie Brown and Asa Jackson, do you think the Ravens should potentially sign a cornerback, once the free agency period cools off? Baltimore doesn't have enough picks to draft one (high), with all the positions that are still in need of depth. So, what's going to happen?

 

Brown might be ready to replace Corey Graham as the nickel. But, Jackson has one more strike, left, before he has to sit-out a year. And, can we even trust a non-drafted rookie to provide emergency depth (or even play the dime, if something were to happen to Jackson)?

 

How about a reunion with Josh Wilson?

Ehhh I see what you mean by us getting another guy in there, but I think the Ravens look to the draft for a CB. If you look at the contracts they are getting right now it's insane. Ozzie doesn't want to dish that money out when we have guys like Chykie and Asa who have been waiting for their time to shine. I know they might not be the best, but we drafted them for a reason to step up and take over. I see us getting a CB in the late rounds just to develop and have some depth. 

The longer Champ stays on the market the better bargain we could possibly get. His man coverage skills have deteriorated which makes him a liability at cb but I think a move to FS fits his skill set better at this point in his career. With the knowledge he has of route trees and coverage concepts I think he could be a really solid FS. Instead of chasing wr's all over the field he can sit back in almost exclusively zone and jump routes. 

 

Not a fan of the Clark rumors, we need someone who excels in coverage like Champ back there. Clark can still lay a lick on people but he's suspect in coverage and a penalty machine with the way the NFL is calling "defenseless receiver" and "unnecessary roughness". Wouldn't have to worry about that with Champ.

Not really a fan of having Champ converted to being our FS. I'd rather us take a chance on a guy like Decoud or Clemons who can stay for a little instead of a one year stop gap guy. He has gotten torched over the past couple of years and I'd rather have a younger guy va the draft or FA that can improve and not just be a one year player. 

Since we have a different tight end coach we could see a different Dickson. 

Agreed and I wouldn't mind bringing Dickson back on a one or two year deal. I could see us drafting a TE during or after round 4 and grooming them behind Dickson until they are ready. Dickson wasn't the best TE, but if he comes cheap and is familiar with Joe and everyone why not. He isn't always reliable, but I just feel the pressure of him being our #1 TE last year was too much. He is more of a #2 guy 

Definitely want us to either get a guy via FA or in the draft in rounds 3-4. We need another guy to have some depth and allow Ngata to have some reps off. Plus we don't know much Tyson, Kapron, and Williams can step up for us. 

I would be all about signing Jeremy Zuttah for 3-4 years. With that signing we can have Monroe, Osemele, and Zuttah for years to come. Zuttah may not be flashy, but he is an upgrade over Gino and I think Gino can be a quality backup for now and potentially a starter in a few years. 

Any reasonable NTs, 3-4 DEs we could sign? I don't trust Ngata's health, and with Art gone, our abysmal run defense may even get worse. The only guy I see that we have currently with huge upside is Brandon Williams, and maybe KLM. We have literally no one else besides Canty.

Pat Sims who played for the Raiders is a pretty good DT. Kevin Williams used to play for the Vikings hasn't had anyone contact him and I think we could give him a cheap one year deal. He was a 6 time pro bowler. 

Hope a deal gets done with Steve Smith today. One of my favorite players and brings an attitude we need on offense. We haven't had that big scrappy guy since Boldin left and I think hurt us big time last year. Smith can play outside and inside for us while providing veteran leadership on/off the field. All around good guy and I think he has completely turned his life around since he got in fights when he was younger. If you don't believe me watch the E60 segment on him and you can see why in his most recent incident where he got in a fight, what provoked him. 

I almost wonder if it shouldn't be addressed in the draft? Clinton Dix, Calvin Pryor and Jimmie Ward seem very capable

I agree with you that it should be addressed in the draft. Out of those three I personally like Clinton-Dix the best. Pryor delivers big hits, but if you watch his tape he just lunges at players and doesn't seem to wrap up too much. Clinton-Dix is also from Alabama so that's a + for Ozzie. He fits the bill of a "rangy safety" and has excellent closing speed on the ball. I hope he makes it to us at pick 17 because I don't see another option at this point for us at FS other than maybe Chris Clemons, but we have yet to even talk to him. 

Very shocked and disappointed to find out that the Ravens didn't even offer any type of deal to Art Jones. He stated he wanted to remain a Ravens but they never offered any type of contract.

Because they needed to sign Monroe first and we have other pressing needs. He knows that and respects that and he wanted to be paid for his production. Even if Baltimore offered him a deal it would of been a slap in the face compared to the deal he got from Indy.