polynesian15

It's nice to win, but I honestly feel really underwhelmed. Between losing Sr and Zuttah and the Lions not looking likely to do us a favour and win any time soon, even a win feels bittersweet.

 

This season just sucks.

We should easily draft top 5, if not top 3. Do we really need that very first pick?

Hell yeah, I just blindly think he will do the same for the ravens as he does for the patsies!! SS was supposed to be done. What did he have 500 yards in 2013?? Brandon Lafell wanted out of the panthers!! He in so many words said Cam Newton is overrated. He said Tom Brady allowed him to play fast, hit his breaks at full speed and Tom is going to find him running full speed in stride if he is open. He angered a lot of peeps in Carolina with his statements. But all he said is it is nice to have a rythym QB that allows him to play at full speed and find him in stride if he is open. He did kinda add insult when he praised Jimmy Garappolo's skill to do the same. And remember he could produce far more numbers than he did. However Brady already played 5 yrs with his other guys. Peeps in patsie country are really seriously impressed with Brandons play speed. He outplays his computer numbers and has blown by 4.3 defenders deep. And he is physical and very coordinated adjusting to throws. I see no reason Brandon would not at the very least produce the same or exceed that production with the ravens.

Aside from the fact that Brady just seems to click with whatever's at his disposal - the same can't really be said of Joe.

Either way, kind of a moot point to be discussing a FA signing from a couple years back. Why don't we look ahead and see how we can battle proof this squad for next season - a few tweaks here and there and we should be right back in it.

Lafell is very tough and fierce after the catch and a terrific blocker I was suggesting sign both. Lafell was cheap

Has anyone ever told you should be an NFL GM? You certainly have the ability to be one. Lafell is playing for the Pats (offense), which always seems to work tremendously well. You can't compare that situation to what he would have been able to do in Baltimore.  

(As fans) Let's just take this awful season right on the chin. The worse the record the better at this point imo.

I imagine a lot of people are getting more and more frustrated by the day, especially Bisciotti.

Thus I think this season will bring forth change that has been needed for some time - defensive coaching etc.

On top of that we'll get to draft at the very top of the draft, which should be an exciting, novel experience.

Rant over 

Dez Bryant just came back before this guy.

If JPP takes a snap before Perriman I'm gonna lose it.

I hear you, I'm also desperate to see him on the field... even if he's not ready and it means he'll snap ALL his *stuff* up.

Toughen up kid, get that macho facade on!

2010/2011 playoffs, Ravens @ Steelers.

My roommate at the time was a Steelers fan and he suggested we watch the game. Up until then football meant nothing to me, "too many stops" was one of my main arguments for disliking the sport.
But I gave it a shot and for some reason I decided to root against my mate and the Steelers. He explained me basic rules, notable players etc., and I slowly started getting into the game.
I remember Ray and Ed bouncing off the screen - passion, heart, presence sprinkled with great plays.

That's when I got into football AND the Ravens, have followed them closely ever since. This season has been tough so far though, I'm beginning to realize how blessed we've been for the past 5+ years. I prefer a nasty, hard nosed, impenetrable defense any day over a touchdown circus. Let's get back to the roots this coming offseason.

Go Ravens!

We're going to have the 4th place schedule for opponents next year so we'll be right back in it. As long as we make the right moves and fire the right coaches and draft properly next year we can be absolved. We might have a few compensatory picks from tyrod and McPhee. If a trade needs to be done by all means get it done. We have a lot of pics and a lot of cap if it raises... Ozzie and the scouting department needs to hit a home run this offseason. They have no excuses.

Good point, hadn't thought of that. Let's retool, regroup and strike back next year.

This year I'll focus all my energy on rooting against the Pats.

Gilmore i see as a playmaker, he turns nothing into something.   I see Aiken as a "take whats there but nothing else guy."  But i meant air it out as a deep throw...

 

And just becaues Joe needs a supporting cast doesnt mean his SB run was a fluke.  Boldin, Torrey, Jacoby, Rice, Pitta.....Every single one of those guys is a playmaker.  SSR is like Boldin in the sense of reliabilty.  We dont have anything like Torrey, on the field anyways.  Nothing Like Jacoby.  Forset isnt the playmaker Rice was but forsett is very usefull.  Gilmore isnt up there with Pitta yet, but he has a chance. 

 

Aiken, Brown, Givens, Waller are not starting caliber WRs, definitely not a #2.  Joe isnt Tom Brady, him and Rodgers are in their own Tier, Joe needs a good cast around him.  Think Jordan would of won with out the Kerrs, Pippen, Paxson, Bj, Grant...etc....The year we actually had a good supporting cast around Joe, guess what, we won a SB

 

Edit* Aiken is on pace for 720 yards and 5 TDs, i guess thats ok #2 numbers? 

Aiken is definitely on pace for some decent numbers if he can continue (to be "allowed") to contribute. I think he's a solid possesion guy who's shown that he can also make splash plays (Oakland + Cleveland games). And like you said, Gillmore can make things happen. Joe has targets, he just seems to get stuck on Smitty at times imo. 

You're right, Joe isn't Tom or Aaron. Hopefully he realizes the organization's need for cap room to be able to support him with a good supporting cast. Not being able to produce epic numbers with no name WR's is one thing, consistently throwing eye sore INTs like he's currently doing is unacceptable for a 120 million dollar man.

So he should be the top paid QB? You really think this?

think he is sarcastic.

 

at least i hope he is.

Like Tru said, my comment was marinated in irony and served on a bed of sarcasm. I generally like Joe though, I was just venting in the aftershock of Sunday evening. Football is not much fun this season 

He has no one to air it out to....

Gillmore and Aiken have been solid when given a shot, Juice also seems to "capitalize" when he's involved.

Joe heavily favors Smith and when he can't find him open he starts doubting himself and procrastinates.

Not sure what happened with Joe during the Super Bowl run (possibly supporting cast which we can't afford with his current contract), but it's becoming obvious that it was sort of a fluke. He needs a good ground game and good receivers to avoid messing up. Thus the reason why I think he should be willing to take a cut.

I like him but he's an enigma - plays special at times during January but absolutely tanks during the regular season... 

Give Flacco a raise, he's very deservant of it.

That injury bug bit HARD this year. Good grief.

As did it last year. I can't remember it ever being this bad, football is no fun when your squad is demolished 5 games into the season.

Don't worry about it Ozzie will be gone after this year as will Trestman and Pees. If we are 1 an 7 at the bye as I am predicting Trestman will be gone then.

C'mon man, be real here. Oz has established himself plenty, that he won't get booted over 1 bad season - use common sense instead of this 'sensationalistic' garbage.

Trestman should also be safe, the offense hasn't lost us any games imo except maybe against Denver. We're around the 10th mark in points and yards, and that's in the first year of yet another new offense - "without ANY playmakers" as all the haters like to point out. On top of that the O-line has been dissapointing - so offense is not too shabby all things considered.

Pees however needs to go, imo we need a fresh approach on the defensive side. We should really focus on pass rush + secondary in the top of the draft/FA, along with a coaching revolution.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Well, the defense IS broken, so mix things up - try new things.

Rant over, go Ravens.

Tanking is stupid. To those who actually suggest it: Where is your integrity? Do you have any self-respect or pride? Honestly.

To be fair, football is entertainment - part of a capitalistic business if you will. It's not like they're saving lives, ending war or addressing world hunger out there on the field.

Let's keep it in perspective. 

The way they (defense especially) have been playing so far I'd say you can already bring buzz words such self respect, pride and integrity into question. They look flat and unmotivated out there, when they miss assignments etc. they don't cuss each other out - just hang their head and shrug their shoulders. More importantly it seems like there are never any defensive adjustments... Things look grim already, I (IMO) would like to at least get good draft position out of this abomination of a season thus far.

Other than Hill and Smith, our secondary is trash. Our receivers outside of SSS and occasionally Aiken are trash. Our O Line has been pretty bad, and injuries have killed us. I am looking forward to a top 10 pick for the first time in years so thats a plus. We need to start moving veterans around who are needed by legit teams and get whatever we can for them. 

Like other have mentioned, Jimmy has been pretty dissapointing in this season thus far. Giving up big plays left and right (to rookies, though our awful FS has to shoulder some of that as well.

Hopefully it's just a post-injury confidence thing that he'll get through, otherwise we've paid yet another massive contract to a bum CB *cough* Webb *sneeze*.

My hope for signing Eric Weddle still hasn't changed, whatever we do, I feel that we have to sign a rangy FS who can play some coverage. I feel that we're asking Will Hill to do too much at times. He's basically playing SS and FS due to Lewis lack of coverage capabilities as isn't playing as a true SS, a guy who can play coverage and has range would be perfect for this team. 

Sort of like how Elam has been mis-utilized for most of his time here. It seems Harbs/the FO isn't willing to admit the need for a coaching change, hopefully this is because the season is all but over at this point.

If they finish with 4-5 wins and the defense keeps playing soft/giving up leads, I sincerely hope Pees and secondary coaches are let go.

Purely based on highlight tape (which is what it is), I see Zeke more as a Jack of all trades master of none where Henry might be a bit more of a bust/boom situation - but what a BOOM if everything works out for him.

Elam's a tragic case

True, but he might also have been grossly misused? His lack of tackling ability has been a head scratcher though.

I think Ozzie is at his best when he's building a balanced team with money to spend in all areas...

The fact is that since Flacco signed his deal...regardless of how much the cap hit was for that year..Ozzie has had to be cognitive of not overspending due to future salary cap implications. Ozzie is now facing the problem that many GMs face...how to build around a QB making alot of money..

I know Flacco played at a terrific level during the SB run, but I sincerely hope he takes a cut this offseason. It should be obvious to him by now that his huge hit is constricting this team somewhat, and hopefully he hates losing like they've been doing so far this season. That might be the impetus for him to take a cut, we'll see I guess.

I want to say tank, but damn it, SSS can't go out like that. There's nothing he can or should do now. Just have to let the dumpster fire burn.

True, this is a very sad situation. Maybe he'll reconsider coming back for the last year of his contract, if next season some way somehow looks more promising.

 

The topic of "tanking" is going to be a prevailing sentiment among fans, but I couldn't disagree more and it is going to be a common theme in my posts from here on out. Tanking for a high draft pick is not a good approach. Teaching young players how to give up and lose cannot be a part of the lesson plan. 

 

You play to win the game ... period. Nothing less than 100% effort must be demanded next week or in week 17. Clean up this self-destructive, undisciplined play NOW. Sit anyone that isn't performing, no matter what their salary is and play guys that play like they want to win. 

 

If we do those things - and lose ... fine. Then we get the draft pick we get.

 

To me it looks like the defense is already doing just that.

It's a sad day to be a Ravens fan, but hopefully it will spur (drastic) change for the better.

We lack leadership on this team- trading away Ngata and Torrey Smith hurt- believe it or not. Everyone respected Ngata, and he was always good for getting a couple of passes batted away each game- but Ozzie wanted to cheap out and not give these two a contract. I'm not by no means saying Torrey was a number 1, but he did stretch the field, led the league in PI calls last year, and opened up passes for the intermediate routes- that's why our scrubs (e.g. Marlon Brown, Aiken) looked decent last year- and Ozzie incorrectly thought they'd be okay with our third stringers as WR this year. There's not one bad thing you can say about Torrey- he was clutch when we needed him - we don't have these play makers anymore. Oz?

Aiken has produced at a good rate when targeted this year, if he continues he could end up with about 50 recs for 7-800 yards. Not exactly scrub numbers.

We need turnover on the defensive side of the ball, coaching as well as player personnel.

New DC and a new secondary coach would probably be a good start.
Cutting Webb seems about time, he's regressed and he can't stay healthy. 
Top 3 draft needs imo: Edge rush, CB/FS, O-line. Seek WR (Tate/Garcon perhaps) + additional rush/secondary through FA. 

I'm kinda regretting spending money on gamepass this year, gamedays are pretty depressing.

I wonder if perhaps Elam is not completely to blame for his bustishness. Perhaps Pees pays not enough attention to accentuating a players strong suit.

Good point, we've been living a lie which has been offset by legends such as 52 and 20.

If you want to keep Pees then get his butt down on the field. Our backs are the most confuse backs I have seen this year in the NFL. No leadership at all. jim Schwartz would fit in my opinion.

Church! He just sits in his box looking tired/unenthusiastic/uninspired/uninvolved etc. (many more un- words where that came from).

I feel like pass rush and (left) tackle are huge needs, after that we seriously need help in the secondary- likely a ball hawk safety who has a clue.
We're severely lacking a defensive difference maker up front, and if Joe doesn't get more time to read through his options then it (almost) doesn't matter who he's throwing to.

Things look pretty gloomy atm, I hope the FO finally feel the urgency to make drastic changes.

Agree 40's are not dispositive.  Waller ran a faster NFL Combine 40 than Jacoby Jones.

 

Waller's speed is late speed however. The longer he runs the greater he is going to separate. I truly believe he can best Givens in a 50 yard dash and is a better deep threat.

 

Put a hand in Aiken's chest and he can't separate either. Same is true of Marlon Brown. You know who a defender could not put a hand in his chest on?....Jacoby Jones.......he was never there for that.

 

I hope Givens provides the Step Up we are looking for, but I won't bet on it.

 

The Stepper Upper to my eye has to be Darren Waller.  He's the guy that can elevate us.  The timing is right where I'd thought it would be. He's gonna be number 3 on the chart and he's the one that I believe will begin to make the difference in this game. 

 

We come home after 10 days rest.  We get Monroe back. We have the resurgence of our running game. Cleveland is not tops vs the run. Our defense played well last game.  I took us as my fantasy defense.  I'm all in on this one.

That may or may not be true, point is it would have to be on an empty practice field. 'Game speed' entails 'game conditions' and all that comes with that (defensive obstacles, mental pressure, catching the pass etc.)

At this point Givens has more experience, and has proven his deep threat ability against great defenders such as Richard Sherman.

I just want another WIN plz, go Ravens!

Givens was 5 hundredths of a second faster than Waller at his Combine and that was a few years back.  I am really not certain that Givens can even best Waller in a 50 yard dash.  Until Perriman gets back healthy, Waller may be our fastest WR.

 

 

Givens has had the least amount of time with the playbook, consequently I am not favoring him as the "Stepper Upper".  I do think he'll handle kick returns fine and am hopeful he gets off a nice one.

 

 

Aiken had a couple nice plays vs Pittsburgh.

 

Agree and as a result it will depend upon who Joe selects.  Let's just hope Joe reads the field and doesn't decide to pre determine his throw, which he can fall into.  Or conversely, hold the ball too long waiting to see a guy so open theres no risk. That's Joe sometimes too.

 

 

Agree.  Waller has been open for scores though and the communication was not there.

Imo the 40 yard dash is as much about technique as it is about speed, not to mention actual play speed on the field. Perriman ran 4.24 at his pro day, but it's obvious that number slows down when you involve routes, defensive opposition etc. Also, people here have brought Waller's ability to get off the line into question. 

The 40 yard dash timer starts as soon as the athlete moves. If you have shoddy technique and roll out of the gate, you easily lose some time on the field. I don't think it is representative at all of actual game speed. Having watched Givens' highlights, I definitely think he looks more quick/swift than Waller. 

Givens finishes the day with 4 rec/83 yards/1 TD - one can hope and pray right