Halshayeji

So why not compare him to Magic then, who unquestionably is much more comparable for his type of game? Still confused as to why he is even compared to MJ, when there's another great player with much similar skill sets that is significantly more comparable?

Bingo!

Suggs is as soft on Brady as he is around his mid-section. When the Ravens asked him to take a pay cut to stay, take another to get under the salary cap, they had to realize that the effort Suggs put forward is equal to the amount of money he is getting paid. Personally, the sooner they get Upshaw and Za'Darius Smith up to speed with Kapron Lewis-Moore, Brent Urban and the rest, the better the Ravens will be. Suggs came in basically saying he was in year 13, he wasn't putting anymore effort in than he had to and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't end up "injured", missed a number of games and then retires. Football is clearly no longer a priority for him.

That's so damn rude to say! Suggs came back from an achilies injury faster than any other athlete I know. He played with torn biceps just to be a decoy and force defenses to double him. Hes regularly taken paycuts or restructured for the sake of the team. Took a home team discount in his prime! He's was one of the best all around linebackers according to PFF. The other outside linebackers that have played with him can all vouch that their best NFL year was because Suggs took all the double teams.

Your out of your mind for making such claims!

And whoever likes that comment is also out of his skull! I really like Z smith upshaw klm and the guys. But be real here. They are not even in the same class as Suggs! He's 32 not 52.

Dennis has been one of my favorite Ravens for basically his whole career. For the sake of his and his family's future, I hope that we've seen the last of him on the field. I don't like saying that because I really do think he was an exceptional player and I, personally, enjoyed watching him perform. But, there are more important things in life than football and your quality of life with your family is one of them. I thin I may have read, at some point, that for contractural (financial may be a better word) reasons it would benefit him more to wait to retire until next year. Something about guaranteed money. If that's the case, fine, Dennis, wait. But, please, stay off the field. To be honest, from the team's stand-point, I actually think the roster spot he would take up could be used more wisely for someone else. Yeah, I'll miss him, but, personally, I think it best for him to be on the IR this year unless that guaranteed money situation I mentioned wasn't accurate. If that's the case, then just bite the bullet, Dennis, and go home and enjoy your family. You're a good man and you don't have to prove anything to anybody. If I had to watch him go down again like the last time, without even any contact, that would pain me. Best wishes, Dennis. Do what's best for you and your family.

I agree with almost everything you said. Except how easy you guys make it seem for the guy to just walk away from his dream that he's been working on for years. I was a professional athlete and like pitta injuries crippled my athletic career. I was lucky enough to get an education at a well respected school and eventually accept the fact that my body just can't take that kind of a beating. It took me 4 years to accept the fact and move on. Today I still play semi pro games and I'm in a lot of pain for 2 or 3 days after each game. My mom calls me stupid at times but seriously..... I'm gonna break down at 40-45 regardless. I'd doesn't matter to me if i break down a few years earlier. But until then..... I'm gonna run until I fall. It keeps me alive. I'm sure pitta is going through similar deamons in his head but his inner voice is telling him no freakin way am I going to walk away.

God bless and good luck pitta. Take your time making your decision and whenever your made up your mind don't look back!

Suggs is still the most underrated player in the league. Ravens players never get their credit. Have you guys seen the top 100!? Always makes me laugh because some of these teams would actualy rather have Conner Barwin, jerry Huges, Khalil Mack, Tamba Hali, Peppers, Senderrick Marks, Jeremy Macklin?, etc. Thats why we are in the playoffs every yr because we know how to evaluate talent, we don't overpay for one dimentional players. We love our guys and Not just because Im a Ravens fan either but I would honestly take our ilb duo, our cb combo, Our olbs, our qb, our oline any day of the week. Thats why the sorry stay sorry for so long because they don't see what someone like Suggs for instance actually does for his team, top 5 in stopping the run and getting after the qb.

Suggs is the man! Doom gets all those sacks because Suggs demands all those double teams. And regularly beats them. He is arguably the most important player on our D along with a healthy J.smith. Sacks come and go but take a look at the guys who have lined up on the other side of our D. All have overachieved thanks to Suggs.

I hope J.smith takes his time. His injury is not as tough as an ACL tear but does tend to have more setbacks if not given enough time. I don't mind if he's limited in practice and minutes until the regular season

I didn't neg ur post but I will disagree with you on this one. Yes, it is frequent that our homegrown talent leave, but Brown's situation is a little different from recent FA departees. This is Brown's third year and his contract will expire in 2016 but so is Daryl's contract, so picking up Arthur's 5th year option and then re-signing him is a must even if his price tag is heftier after a breakout year. Mosley and Brown are the future of the LB corp even if it doesn't seem that way right now.

Guys loosen up a bit. He's just being a little sarcastic and ur all taking it literally. Brown was drafted in the second round so there's no 5th year option. If brown has a good year next year then he'll probably price himselfe out. It's not a shame because we'd get a high comp pick and a good year from the guy. As things stand we have nothing lol.

but isnt it so painfully obvious how this plays out? brown is once again benched for the full season, daryl smith gets hurt next year, brown plays better than cj mosley, and we cant afford to keep him after his rookie deal, he goes elsewhere for tons of money, and sucks.

That made me laugh. Liked!

Thats fine. Clearly it would benefit the Ravens to sign him to a reasonable one year deal.

But again, my entire point was... under what scenario is it beneficial for Mathis to agree to become a Raven? The only real possible "perk" is the chance to win a SB. That's it. The financial compensation would be equal or less than probably what somebody else would pay him (on both a short or long term deal), and the playing time would undoubtedly be exponentially smaller here. There's plenty of scenarios where he gets paid at least a couple million dollars to never play a single snap on this team.

If I'm Mathis, and I'm looking around at probably at least a half dozen or more competitive and SB caliber teams who could afford to sign him AND he would instantly become a top-end starter, why on Earth would I sign with the Ravens?

For starters, Mathis signed with the Eagles as a free agent and thus his backloaded contract haunted him. i think teams are interested but I don't think any GM is willing to commit top dollars to a declining injury prone guy at this point. Mathis is also owed a mil this year and a mil next by the Eagles. He can double dip and compete for a championship at an organization that treats veterans with nothing but class. Don't count is Ozzie out on Mathis if he's still on the market in a week

And I'd agree, except you'd be signing Mathis this season, having no intention of playing him, and then starting him next season at 34-35 years old?

No thanks.

There's also the other easy answer... why would Mathis agree to sign with a team where he realistically knows that he isn't in the running to start? As much as fans like to pretend that every player's #1 priority is to play on a SB contender, I have a suspicision that Mathis, who is coming off an All-Pro type season, isn't interested in riding the pine on any team at this stage in his career.

There's plenty of really good teams that could insert him as the best Olineman on their roster right now. Colts, Patriots, Seahawks, amongst others come to mind.

I'd be shocked if he signed here, just like I'd be shocked if the Ravens actively pursued him.

I agree. No thanks. Il take a healthy KO and Yanda all day any day!

With that being said I think the chances of Mathis actually signing for the Ravens is like 5-10 percent. but I really don't understand why we are all rushing into this situation. The Ravens benefit regardless of what happens. If a team signs Mathis to a multi year deal the he'll set the bar for the Yanda and KO negotiations. Perhaps it may add a sense of urgency. If this stalls and teams are not willing to commit to him, then I don't see why the Ravens wouldn't bring him in for a one year 3-4 mil. Keep in mind, we were one injury away from a disaster on the Oline. You can never have enough good linemen. Especially when you give up nothing but cap space that's already available

Mad respect to you KO. Keep doing what your doing and ul get her a mansion soon enough. Stay strong. Stay smart. Stay a raven for life.

1. Win now mode implies that there's long-term detriment from not winning this season, and that we will have to blow the team up. There is zero evidence that's the case, particularly when all indications from the last 2-3 years is a movement to get younger.

2. Can you honestly say, straight face and all, that the 2013 Baltimore Ravens team was assembled with the belief that they could win the SB? If so, what exactly are you basing that off of?

2013 was that year for us.

Win now to me means your best chance of wining it all is now. We have a great group of youngsters to compliment our vets. Sugge, doom, yanda, forsett, webb, flacco, d.smith, Monroe, could all be deep in their decline in 3 years. Maybe not even on the team. The youngsters around them are very talented.

By win now I can see the Ravens taking a few more risks in Free agency next year (like a revis pats deal, 1 year rental). I can also see the coordinator that doent end up in the top 10 fired. Even though Ozzie loves his picks I wouldn't expect 9 or 10 picks. If a playmaker is on the block, Ozzie should snatch.

The foundation is set. Now seal the deal!

PFF claims the Ravens have the third best roster, which basically means we have the best AFC roster. Lets not forget that we have the best Head Coach and Front office. Oh yeah and 20 mil coming of the books next year.

Rmc and others around here occasionally claim that we are NOT in a win now mode. Is this still a debate?

We are Ravens and are always in win now mode. We reload and don't rebuild. Lets hope for another epic season!

Dear Cleveland Cavs.......

That was weird, a bit under the belt, creative, effective, and quite frankly BRILLIANT!

I didn't see that coming but sure as hell made me laugh my butt off.

I like Kyle but have never been a huge fan of his. Especially after we lost Vonte who I believe was the best blocking FB in the NFL. With that said, I believe you guys are being a bit too harsh on the guy as hes been improving with every game. I don't know if hes ever going to catch 50 catches but if he can pickup blocks like he did last year and catch 2 balls a game just for the sake of keeping defenses guessing. I think we struck gold. Fumbling is a problem. But I believe that Kyle is just trying to do too much at times. Just keep both hands on the ball and lower your pads. If the tackler wants to wrap you up then you headbutt his chest and knock him back. Make him feel the contact. If a tackler wants to go low, then you lower your shoulders and make him eat dirt! or may I say turf in the modern NFL arenas. Don't fight too hard for yards. Do what a FB does best. Inflict pain and yards will come as a result.

Lets make this clear, our Secondary was bad becuase of injuries not talent or coaching. Our seconday along with our agressive front 7 will be the talk of the NFL. Watch.

I agree. Pees is on the clock. Our 7 best secondary guys missed significant playing time last year. Hill, Smith, Webb, Elam, Brooks, Jackson, Melvin. They are all back. The ones who couldn't keep up with the pace are all gone and we added a stud rookie and 2 proven vets. That's 10 guys that will fight for 5 starting spots. Last year we entered the season without hill and Webb. Elam was a starter and Brooks was a rookie. In other words, we are light years ahead of where we were a year ago.

This is very similar to our Oline 2 years ago compared to our Oline last year. We added a few pieces to an already solid foundation. And the youngsters who struggled were gone. The youngsters who showed potential became great depth. Very similar situations and that's why I'm very optimistic.

Pees is on the clock! It's on him if he can't field 4 quality guys in the secondary out of 10 talented guys.

I agree - so it has been hard for him to find consistency. However, the concept that we can just lock him into SS is gone. Barring injury to Hill, I don't know that he'll be able to do anything aside from get on where they can ... which means he'll be moved around. In the end, he's going to have to make an impact where ever they put him.

I for one don't believe Elam is a bust. Not yet..... But I'm really concerned about how the ravens continue to use him. He is a bulky 5'11 downhill tackling guy that doesn't have enough fluidity to play nickel. He's too small to mark TEs and too stiff to mark slot WRs. We should keep him close to the line and attack instead of react. Put him in situations that are ideal to his skillet instead of situations where he is likely to struggle. When he does that then add stuff to his plate. One at a time.

Even tho we did we'll without Ngata for a few games, I fear he will be missed. He was the most athletic 340 pounder in the NFL. Teams had to gameplan against him even when he was banged up. He always drew double teams and regularly beat them. And when teams disrespected his presence quarterbacks would literally get hurt. Examples are Eli manning, Big Ben, rg3 and the list goes on and on.

Timmy Jernigan is on the right track but he needs to stay healthy for starters and continue to elevate his game. Those are big shoes he needs to fill. I'm very optimistic about our young (B.williams Jernigan Davis) trio and the solid depth that we have. It's vital that both B.Williams and Jernigan continue to up their game and Carl Davis to earn Cantys spot by mid season for us to offset Ngata's loss

Is it September yet?!!

Mad respect to the guys for being honest about LT. He had a great rookie season when healthy but we all can agree that he runs way too high for a guy his size. He averaged 4.3 yards a carry which is not bad but we have to consider that Pierce averaged 4.0 yards behind the same line.

I'm a big fan of LT but he needs to run down hill much more than he did last year. If he can master 3rd and short then he will be a valuable asset to this team. Keep your feet moving and fall forward after contact.

Buck Allen will get a few chances early to prove that hes just as good as LT running behind our OLine. My ideal situation would be Forset running the ball 15 times a game and Allen 10 times.LT could come in for a few plays here and there and just dominate short yardage situations.

Doesn't really teach a player anything if you cut him and he's quickly signed by another team. Bernard Pierce probably improved his chance of starting by screwing up. And teams like Dallas are becoming today's punchline for the number of arrestees they have recently signed. Really doesn't help the NFL if there isn't a global rule in place. I guess this is mostly a PR move for the Ravens to cut these guys, so we don't get labeled as thugs, but I hope we don't box ourselves into a corner with this policy when an actual star screws up and we have to cut him or be a hypocrite.

So true. The Cowbows have made a habit of bringing in (troublesome guys) for cheaper prices because no one else is willing to take the risk. They got Mclain for dirt cheap. They got Hardy for nothing because no one else would touch him. Have you heard about his arrest. Its disgusting to say the least! They Drafted Gregory late in the second, and added a solid Lineman after the draft for free instead of him joining the second draft and lose another pick. They got Dez late in the first round because of off field issues. I mean seriously, Ray Rice made a stupid nut-headed mistake and everyone around him pays for it. On the other hand, "Americas Team" gets rewarded for picking up trash and claiming that they are helping them. If it goes wrong, people will just blame the player but never the Cowboys. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if the Cowboys pick up Rice and he posts Pro Bowl numbers behind that line.

It's amazing how fast things change in the NFL. 2 years ago, the Ravens had a RB (Ray Rice) in the prime of his career. We also had a solid backup in Pierce who we traded up in the 3rd to get. It bothers me that we invested a 2nd, 3rd, and a late round pick for these guys to count against our salary cap while someone else gets benefits from it. Other teams have players that have done worse but the media wouldn't dare to bring up those issues unless its beneficial to the team.

Correct, it wouldn't. Its certainly a better position than we are used to.

 

Though I'd caution that I still think that ranks us around 20th in the league right now in cap space, so while to us it seems like a gigantic sum where we could buy some significant players, there's plenty of teams ahead of us in that regard, and many of them are significantly ahead.

It doesn't matter where we rank. 20 mil in free cap is 20 mil. I for one am extremely excited. Seriously. We get to walk into an offseason with the option of keeping all of our starters. Then add a few rookies via draft. Then pickup 1 or 2 marque free agents just to ensure a title run. I'm sure ozzies is already licking his lips.

We still have over 7 mil in cap space. Awesome!

20 mil dead cap coming off the books next year. Awesome!

Keeping Yanda is a must.

KO is walking in the same footsteps as Yanda. Keeping him is also a must.

To me, loosing coach Kubiak was the biggest loss this off-season. It sucked at first but seriously..... Good luck to Kubiak landing his dream job. Coach Trestman is not too shabby of a replacement himself. His resume is impressive and shows that he really understands quarterbacks. Going back to the 2001-2003 Oakland Raiders days when he did his magic.

I watched the Bears a few times over the past 2 years and have one concern. Coach Trestman rarely commits to the run. Matt forte had his worst 2 bad years running the ball under Trestmans watch leaving so much pressure on the Quarterback game in and game out.

His mentality is the the opposite of Kubiak even tho they run similar schemes. Trestman relies on the pass to run the clock afterwards. Kubiak on the other hand relies on the run to open up play action and deep passing game. That was perfect Flacco so I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that Flacco and them get it together before mid season. Remember it took about 10-12 weeks for our offense to run at full efficiency last year.

On the bright side, Trestman doesn't just let the dogs loose and throws the ball all over the place. In fact, Forte had 100 catches last year and I hope that trend continues. Flacco had a lot of success early in his career using ray rice as a pass catcher. Buck Allen may be the best catching RB in the draft.

Lets just hope Flacco and Trestman work something out and play "efficient" football. Flacco is certainly capable, the Oline is surely capeable, and our Defense would be so stingy at giving up points if we don't turn the ball over.

Most the people hating on Upshaw are the same ones that praise JJ. I'm just saying. Dude hasn't been flashy, but he's been solid which is what we've asked of him. If he were struggling them OZ and John would "subtly" call him out as they have done with others. Namely, Matt Elam

Upshaw is a monster! Noone is hating on him were just expect a lot more from him as we see his potential on a weekly basis. When comparing him to JJ, I think hes a better version of JJ. Just a player that makes everyone around him better. 

When we first drafted Upshaw my hope was that he would become our version of Lamar Woodley.He does good job in run defense and dropping in coverage but I'm not impressed with what he has become because he doesn't have pass rush skills.When you use what was basically a first rounder you expect a well rounded player.I don't really want to call him a bust but he kind of was.

Don't call Upshaw a bust, not yet.....

Lets go back a few years when Upshaw was drafted.

Upshaw fell to the second round because hes was too big to play DE in a 4-3 system and too small to play DE in a 3-4 scheme. He was considered a bit too big and stiff in a 4-3 scheme and too big and chunky as an OLB in a 3-4 which the ravens prefer. In other words, he needed to bulk up for real or lose weight and work on pass rush technique to become a potential pro bowler. (Good at everything but not great at anything syndrome)

The Ravens on the other hand, have had 3 off-seasons to work with him.

1- First year we had Kruger waiting for a chance to explode and that's exactly what he did. Upshaw learned quickly how important it was to set the edge and do the hard work. Upshaw still played about half the defensive snaps and had some good plays in the postseason.

2- Second year, Kruger leaves and guess what.... DOOM shows up. Upshaw once again got demoted to the role of freeing up space and killing the run. He also had weight problems and the Ravens tried their best to make him loose weight to play off the line. Upshaw also played more than half the snaps and played fairly well in my opinion. 

3- Doom didn't go anywhere and had a monstrous season. The Ravens then ordered Upshaw to start gaining weight. More muscle to play on the Line. 

In the meantime, Kruger, McPhee, A.Jones, D.Smith and Doom all had the best years of their lives. In my opinion, all five of those guys should thank Upshaw for working the trenches and freeing up space for them. All of these guys got the stats to get them the huge dollars. Upshaw on the other hand, played a huuuuge part on our Run Defense over those 3 years. That should not go un noticed. The Ravens were among the best against the run and in the red zone. 

Upshaw and B.Williams are the 2 most underrated stallions on this D. They ocuppy so much space and if you disrespect them they will push you 3 yards back. Totally messing up a play and never getting credit for breaking up the play. 

I was sceptical at first as to why the patriots would let go of a CB. They lost browner and revis so it made me question. I hope this praise for Arrington is legit. Welcome to Baltimore. Play like a raven!