Raven1995

No, I don't think upset over Receivers, the top 3 were gone by the time the Ravens picked. Also, 3 Quarterbacks were taken and OJ Howard fell to us. A great TE (Sharpe, Heap) and Running Game is also what the Ravens were known for besides a Great Defense. I mean that's great, but you also have a bunch of young TEs on the roster already, so do we just throw them away? There's what we WERE known for, and there's what we are NOW known for. They don't have to be the same thing. We didn't used to be a team that invested heavily in the QB position. Now we are, and so are all the consistent good teams in this league. Times change. Teams change. We have a bunch of Tight Ends that were on Injured Reserve last year, Ben Watson 37 in December, Williams and Gilmore. One who is more of a blocking tight end who has been suspended 2 times and one more will be out of the league. Pitta who is one of my favorites but he gets no YAC. Tight End is still very important in the NFL and its not one of the Ravens Strengths as so many people beleive.

No, I don't think upset over Receivers, the top 3 were gone by the time the Ravens picked. Also, 3 Quarterbacks were taken and OJ Howard fell to us. A great TE (Sharpe, Heap) and Running Game is also what the Ravens were known for besides a Great Defense.

I saw where he is gonna sign with the 49ers

Not completely. Jimmy Smith and Michael Campanaro missed a lot of the season. If we can get those 2 back for 16 games each it will be worth. But we have to wait till the end of the Season to evaluate.

With regard to Joe's "greedy contracts", remember that his Super Bowl-winning contract was back-loaded, and as such Flacco had the following "cap hits" during these seasons: 2013 -- $6.8M (5.32% of team cap, lower than Suggs $13M, Ngata $11.5M, and Yanda $7.45M); 2014 -- $14.8 mil (11.85% of cap; also on team - Ngata $14M, Yanda $8.45M, Suggs $7.8M, Webb $7.5M); 2015 -- $14,55M (10.30% of cap; also on team - Webb $9.25M, Monroe $7.7M, Dumervil $7.375M, Yanda $6.98M, Pitta $6.2M). Flacco's cap hit was supposed to be $28.55M in 2016, $31.15M in 2017, and $24.75M in 2018; with his restructured deal, the new cap hits are $22,55M in 2016 (also on team - Webb $9.5M, Suggs $7.45M, Dumervil $7.375M), $24.55M in 2017 (also on team - J. Smith $12.6M, Yanda 9.125M, Wallace $8M, and Suggs $6.95M), and $24.75M in 2018 (also $26.5M in 2019, $28.25M in 2020, and $24.25M in 2021). Compare Flacco's cap hits to Matt Ryan, drafted #3 in the same 2008 draft: 2011 -- Ryan $13.25M cap hit (10.45% of team cap), Flacco $5.725M (4.81%); 2012 -- Ryan $13.5M hit (10.63%), Flacco $8M (6.03%); 2013 -- Ryan $9.6M hit (7.86%), Flacco $6.8M (5.32%); 2014 -- $17.5M hit (13.16%), Flacco $14.8M (11.85%); 2015 -- Ryan $19.5M hit (14.31%); 2016 -- Ryan $23.75M hit (15.3%), Flacco $22.55M (14.94%); 2017 -- Ryan $23.75M (13.96%), Flacco $24.55M (14.48%). [numbers courtesy of sportrac.com] Flacco definitely needs to step up his game, but who has had more postseason success, he or Ryan? Before this year's trip to the Super Bowl (a legendary loss with a big 2nd half lead helped by someone taking a big sack...), the Falcons had missed the playoffs the previous three seasons and had gone 1-4 in the playoffs since 2008, this despite the presence of receivers Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez, and Roddy White... Well said.

What happened to your optimism?! If we draft like last year and address the Oline like we have addressed other positions this offseason then I'd say this team should be dangerous I'm very optimistic. I just hope Ozzie goes for Quality over Quantity. I would like to see us Move up in the first round and get a play-maker on offense or defense.

This makes me laugh...you might want to use two other teams as examples than the Raiders and the Chiefs. Granted the Raiders went 12-4 last year...but you do realize they missed the playoffs the previous 13 years! Of those 13 years, the Raiders lost 10 or more games 10 times, with two 8-8 seasons and a 7-9. The Chiefs? Well, they have been in the playoffs 3 of the last 4 seasons, but the Chiefs have won one (1!) playoff game since 1993 (the 2015 wild card game vs. the legendary Brian Hoyer-led Texans). In the 19 years since 1998 the Chiefs missed the playoffs 13 times, and 9 of those were with losing records. You making my point. The Raider got their act together because they CHANGED drafting every fast player from the combine in the first round to getting a solid coach like Del Rio and evaluating talent. The Raiders are trending up. They are doing a better job ' today' than the Ravens. It is going to catch up to them to them soon. They are going to have to Pay Khalil Mack and Derek Carr after next year and then Amari Cooper. They Overpayed for Kelechi Osemele Last year so their Big Salary Cap will dwindle Quickly.

Just curious. How did you feel about Joe when Lee Evans couldn't hang onto the ball in the endzone in the AFC Title Game against the Pats in 2011, when he lead them to great wins in the playoffs and the Ravens captured the ultimate prize, when the D could not hang onto a 14 point lead against the Pats in the playoffs, or when the D couldn't hang on vs the Steelers last year. Wow. That's what I call erosion. You must have loved Chris Redman, Elvis Grbak, and Kyle Boller. Flacco played on some truly stacked teams. That's why he made the Playoffs 6 times and won a SB. We have overpaid for his talent and now we sit in a position where we can't always retain the guys we need to and we can't add the talent we need to on both sides of the ball in Free Agency. January Joe is a better QB, but don't forget who we lost since 2012. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Ray Rice, Haloti Ngata, Boldin, Birk, KO, Pollard, Ellerbe, Corey Graham, Pernell McPhee, (Pitta's not the same), (Suggs is no longer in his prime). We need cap space to reload and stack the Roster. Flacco's greedy contracts take up too much Cap Space. The 2012 Defense was not stacked. They had the worst defense to win a Super in the last 7 years. If you're gonna blame someone for the contract you have to blame the front office not Flacco. If someone offered you 28.5 million a year are you going to say no?

So you would rather have TJ for one more year then let him leave and get nothing? got it. 25 spots in a draft is a lot.... 25 spots in a draft is a lot depending on where it happens. If we moved up 25 spots in the 7th round... not such a big deal.... that guy probably will still not make the team. If we move up 25 spots in the 1st round.... that is giant. (even the 2nd) but the further back you get the less it mean. with that said. We gave up a starter, a third round pick and a future third or fourth round pick to move up 25 spots in the middle of the draft. I feel like that was a lot for what we gained If we moved up 25 spots and got a 4th rounder to cover the future comp pick.... I get it. If we moved up 25 spots and even got a future 5th rounder now for a potential 3rd of 4th then...okay.. but to move up now... lose a player and a future player.... I don't feel like it was enough (and a 3rd or 4th rounder -should be a future player) I think Ozzie is going for Quality over Quantity.

Too soon for that. For starters, somebody you draft will only be on a rookie deal for 4 years, and Joe is very likely to be here that long, so the guy we drafted would likely be a starter on another team after his contract ends as opposed to us. That's also assuming the guy you get is any good, which is very difficult to find these days and even worse when you're talking mid-to-late rounds. Teams don't have to fall off a cliff when their long-term starters career ends. Guys like the Colts and Packers didn't fall off a cliff when Favre or Manning left. Have no idea what the QB situation will look like 4-5 years from now in the draft... could easily find a week 1 starter there. The Packers Lucked out getting Rodgers and he had 3 years to sit on the bench behind Favre. The Colts did fall off a cliff in 2011 when Peyton Manning was injured, that's how they got the number one pick in the 2012 draft Andrew Luck.

It would take along time to mention all the Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame Receivers those Quarterbacks had to throw to in their "Prime". Its very easy for Joe None. Steve Smith should be in the Hall of Fame in 5 years but he was 35 when he got Here. Also, Anquan Bolden 30 and Derrick Mason 31 when they got here.

The best way to finish the game is to Run the ball which they gave up on. It tires the other defense and keeps ours fresh.

7 times in four Years how would you know he can run better? He had one great run in the Pittsburgh game and that is it. Woodhead has rushed 503 times for 2182.

Well, it looks as if Ozzie drafted a bunch of All-Pro's last year. That was probably one of the most homerish posts I've ever seen. Lol. I thought it was pretty enlightening. Didn't pull any punches on Correa.

I don't think the Ravens would go for a Receiver in the first round again so soon. They Don't want to end up like the Detroit Lions did and Draft WR's every year in the first round and then turn into a Joke.

Crazy, but maybe like a fox.

Its the 5th time since 2007 that they have had 2 number ones in one Draft. I Know they got the second one this year from Philadelphia in the Carson Wentz trade.

Yes, he has 70 carries for 349 yards, 5 yard per carry average in his NFL Career, not bad.

Bigg, Expect that the Ravens will lose both Williams and Wagner. Looking at their history, the big ticket players more often than not (nearly always) find new homes. In recent years...Troy Smith, Bolden, Osemele, Ngata, J. Jones, Kruger, Dicksen, Scott, J. lewis...the list is long. This year you can add to it Williams and Wagner, and next year Jernigan until we can get out from under Flacco's contract. One can argue in many cases, the lackluster benefits to the teams that got these FAs; however, this is a cr@p shoot...one can never predict how a player will adapt to a new system i.e. Reed, J. Lewis, T. Smith, P. Kruger. The Ravens have seen this first hand. But the writing is already on the wall; Wagner already rejected the Ravens first offer. I am not expecting that either of these will remain; especially with the Ravens cap space among the lowest in the NFL (of note...the Patriots have among the highest cap spaces available in the NFL...go figure!!!). I think the biggest mistake is Aiken. He played remarkably well in 2015 when he was given the opportunity to play. This year, his time was severely limited as were his catches. But when you have a quarter back who measures his successes by how many times he throws to Pita, who can compete with that? Why is that Aiken's fault? In 2015. Aiken played with the same passion that we have seen in Steve Smith and it went unnoticed. His leaving the Ravens will come back to haunt us...I guarantee it. I did like Aiken in 2015. I think they should cut Pitta. I like the guy and what he has overcome but he is too much of a Crutch for Flacco. Joe needs to come out of his comfort zone and strecth the field. He has done it before with Bolden, Torrey and Steve Smith, and with Jacoby Jones.

Why? So we can be as "good" as Buffalo was last year? No thanks. Ed Reed was not the Secondary coach, he was basically an intern. Also, Greg Roman got fired by the Bills and we got him, you want to crap on that too?

The draft is a Crap shoot anyway you look at. If he is still their in the third round I'd say take him. As for Mckinnie, He did have that great run in the 2012 playoffs. As long as Banner performs that's all that counts.

I would be shocked because we don't need a TE we already have to many I wouldn't. Watson is too old and coming back from an Achilles Injury. Gilmore is great when not Injured but he has had 3 serious injuries in the last 2 years. Maxx Williams is coming back from serious Knee injury and who knows how he will play. Pitta does not get separation or can block. Boyle can Block but gets suspended allot. If the TE from Alabama is their in the 1st round Ozzie will take him.

because he gets hurt. You're right though. He should be our Welker or Hogan. In the game where Joe threw 5 touchdowns in the first quarter against the Bucs (remember that game, haters?), I think camp had 2 TDs. They need to use Camp more than 3 or 4 plays a game. The games he was in last year he was great. I'd keep him in the backfield to keep the defense honest and draw them to the line and open up plays for Wallace and Perriman.

The free agent market concerning the center position isn't really all that attractive. The best free agent center that will be available is JC Tretter who only has one season where he was healthy out of fours year he's been in The NFl and then there's Stefen Wisniewski who i'm not sure fit's what The Ravens are looking for since they said they want to get bigger on the offensive line. Overall it seems like they going to be stuck with finding a future starting center in the draft and even the draft isn't all that appealing at the center position to my understanding. In my opinion The Ravens are going to have to hope Jeremy Zuttah improves and maybe even get stronger by hitting the weight room. A rookie or maybe someone already on the roster maybe the answer to what they looking for but it's just not clear right now that will find a immediate upgrade over Zuttah. A smaller Center might be a fit for the Ravens, they had a great Center for 12 years by the name of Burke who was about the same size. Its about talent and maneuverability as a Center. Keeping Wagner and Jenson, adding Wisnieski if he can make the grade at center, and drafting a young G/C is actually a great move. The Team has already experienced what Zuttah can/cannot do for 2 years and its not worth exposing this O-line to a poor start to a possible Play-off season. Matt "Birk" played 10 years for Minnesota and 4 years for the Ravens. He was at the tail end of his career but his strength was in calling blocking schemes. When Gradkowski started in 2013 their was a big dropoff. Zuttah has been with the Ravens for 3 years. Zuttah will be in his 10th year, I don't think the weight room will Help.

Imagine that! 9th ranked Oline and all the "apologists" did was blame the Oline for Flacco's ineptitude. Many a QB could take a 9th ranked Oline deep into the playoffs I just get tired of hearing"Joe needs this, Joe needs that" I guess we need 10 starting first team pro bowl players on offense around Flacco to make the playoff. Its 9th ranked by PFF... who, while are very valuable for individual player ratings, seem to vary wildly on the OL ratings as a whole. Yes, #9 ranked, but we never ran the ball so their terrible run blocking didnt bring their grade down as much as it should have. And, i believe the #9 ranking is the rating of the 5 starters together - so Stanley, Lewis, Zuttah, Yanda, Wagner.... who played a sum total of 4 games together. 4 wins by the way. So, actually, yes. thanks for pointing it out - with a #9 ranked OL Flacco does win. It's when you have to put out 8 different starting OL combos in the other 12 games with guys like Hurst at tackle, they struggle. And not just Joe, the run game as well. New York Jets game was our Waterloo. The Jets were in the backfield on every play. We need to keep Wagner and Draft a center and another guard or Backup tackle. If Wagner or Stanley gets hurt, do we move Lewis around or bring in Hurst?