EdTheMythicalOne

Not curious at all and here are several reasons why: He was a 2nd round pick that never lived up to the level of being drafted that high. He isn't a complete player. He simply wasn't that good. He can't rush the passer and he can't cover anyone. He's a one trick pony and we needed to move on and replace him. If Suggs and Dumervil are healthy he would still be a rotational player. I think Za'Darius Smith could step in and give us the same production. Addition by subtraction.

Are you kidding? That would be the worst thing you could do. Upshaw has no speed and no covering ability. He'd make a horrible MLB.

He's never played significant snaps on defense. Big time flop.

That's right, Trent Dilfer got kicked to the curb after rescuing our season for us and managing the game to a Superbowl win. Vinny Testeverde had some very good seasons for us and he was the only QB to engineer a season in which the Ravens had two wideouts gain over 1,000 yards each. That dynamic duo was Micheal Jackson and Derrick Alexander. I really like Joe Flacco and think that if he has some people that can actually run a pattern and catch a pass when it hits them right in the hands that he will do very well. He does make some head scratching decisions from time to time and you have to wonder if that is him just getting frustrated and trying to make something happen, or if the receiver ran the wrong route, or a combination of both. Still, he's the best QB we've ever had and we should be grateful to have him. We had a QB shuffle that looked like Cleveland's until we drafted Joe.

If the Ravens don't draft somebody for the MLB position; which I think is highly unlikely because if Jack falls to us I think he's our pick unless the Ravens don't like that knee injury, then it is Zach Orr's job to lose and rightfully so. He looked pretty good out there last season and showed the athleticism in coverage that we so desperately need at that position. Everyone knew how to attack the Ravens defense last season. Right down the middle because they knew Smith couldn't cover anyone. We also don't really have any OLB that are good in pass coverage. I know in our defense our OLB are rushing the QB, but for schemes and disguised blitzes it might be nice to have somebody that can cover a bit.

I'm not so sure Hargreaves has the speed to keep up with most WR's in the NFL. Speed isn't everything I know, but at corner it certainly helps. If he gets burnt it will look bad. I read an article where it says that his yards per completion against was like 16.5 yards, that's pretty large. I don't like the idea of Wright/Arrington being our #2 with Smith being our #1, but I don't think Hargreaves is the guy. His 40 was 4.50? He's also only 5'10'' which doesn't help us with the whole large receiver thing. If he was 6'2'' then maybe we're talking. I ran a faster 40 than Hargreaves back in the day. 4.45. Too bad I was only 5'10'' and 175lbs. That and blowing out a knee doesn't help things.

The team had some glaring needs to address this year and the ability to trade comp picks might be nice, but they don't help us improve now. If the team was a little more solid and we didn't need to sign the guys we did, that's a different story.

Don't worry, Ravens are going Punter at #6. They've been totally quiet about this position and they've said nothing about Sam Koch.

I don't think we're in a "win now" mode either, but it is a game of semantics. I think we're in a perpetual state of trying to win every single year...legitimately. Had the team remained relatively healthy last year I think we would have been in the playoffs at the very least. The windows that are closing soon are: 1) The O-line: We've got a lot of guys with only a couple of years left on their contracts and probably won't be back. So far our backups haven't really shown they are potential starters in the league yet, that could change. 2) The edge rushers: Suggs is nearing the end of his career and Dumervil the end of his contract. Both guys are at or beyond the wrong side of 30. Again our youth behind these guys hasn't shown enough to be the answer going forward. 3) The secondary: Webb is injury prone and is now 30, Weddle's contract is essentially for 2 years and he's over 30, Matt Elam has been a bust so far, Brooks has the injury bug, and Lewis didn't impress. Jimmy Smith is hopefully healthy and after that is Shareece Wright as our #2 corner? I didn't see much of Kyle Arrington and the tragic loss of Tray Walker also hurts us on this level as well. 4) Wideout: Our #1 guy is going to be a soon to retire Steve Smith Sr. and the Ravens have never drafted well enough to replace him. After that is an over achieving Kamar Aiken, a total question mark in Perriman, and a guy hoping to regain some form in Wallace. I hope Perriman is the talent they think he is and he can stay healthy. Would also love to see Campanaro stay healthy.

I've said it in other threads and I will repeat it here. It really depends on how the first few picks pan out. If our guy(s) are gone before 6, we trade down, but only if we get a 1st round pick in return. I don't want to skip the first round entirely and get two second rounders. Secondly, if there is a trade we can do to that makes sense to go up and get Tunsil; providing the Ravens believe him to be the beast everyone thinks he will be, then so be it. This is a top heavy talent draft with everything else being in a "good" zone behind the top few picks. Hopefully the first few picks go as the Ravens brain trust wants and our guy is still there staring us in the face at the 6th pick.

Good call. I think Monroe is a good but not great LT. If he's healthy I would be perfectly fine with him starting. I was looking back over the comments that Harbaugh made and he just basically said it is an open competition which is what the Ravens always say about pretty much every position. It is fuel to people on the roster to say you can't rest on your laurels because we got other guys trying to take your job. If they look better than you, you're out.

If that guy is an absolute beast and the Ravens are convinced of that fact, I got no problem with them drafting him. A good ground game paves the way for a good passing attack.

We don't need a pro bowl running back, but we certainly need a legitimate ground attack to get the passing game going. A healthy Forsett can be just the thing we need and with some potential short yard bangers and goal line runners we'd be sitting pretty. This is why I don't mind the addition of Trent Richardson if he can get in shape. He's not going to be our starter, he's not going to cost us much, and we don't have to cut Taliafero or Allen to have him make the roster. I don't think West showed all that much and he's had conditioning issues as well. Richardson is worth a kick of the tires and we really have nothing to lose by bringing him into camp.

Reggie Nelson is still out there without a job and he doesn't seem to be getting a whole lot of serious interest. He's a turnover machine and even at age 33 I think he can make an impact. Depending on his asking price I would make the move to sign him and cut Kendrick Lewis in a heartbeat. With Nelson in the fold you could have him slot in at FS for Webb and Webb could then move in for nickel coverage. It is all about improving your team and I would have to say that Nelson is an upgrade over most of what we have. It'll be interesting to see how Matt Elam comes back, but I believe he's Weddle's back up at SS.

I second that. The Ravens are in a pretty slick position with their pick. They can wait and see how the first couple of picks go, trust their information and make an educated guess of when their actual target might go and trade up...or if the guys they want go before their pick they can trade back...or the guy they really want might just fall to them at their pick. It is a pretty great position to be in. What do you make of Harbaugh and Newsome basically being down on Monroe and then Biscotti giving him the vote of confidence in the same day pretty much? I personally would like for a healthy Monroe to be there. He was no world beater, but he was a very solid starter and got the job done most of the time. We currently really have nobody on the roster to take his place. Picking up Clady after he's cut might make sense depending on his market. One of those guys could play RT or move to G, or Monroe could be cut if we're convinced he's too banged up to stay on the field. I've got it. Ravens are picking a Punter with their first overall pick...no doubt about it. They've been cleverly silent abut their ingenious plan.

The more I think of it the more I like the idea of the Ravens trading down. I think all of the guys they would want at 6 will probably be gone before the 6th pick. If that's the case, do we really draft the second best tackle in the draft with some pretty significant question marks within the top 10? Or do we trade back down, get a different guy at the right pick and also pick up another pick or two? If we are in a sort of rebuild mode, I have to think trading down for more picks is the option...but you don't do it unless you get a 1st round pick in return.

I agree with you. If the price is right it makes a lot of sense. We don't need him to be a starter and we don't even need him to be how he was in his prime. We just need a legitimate threat that offenses have to account for when he's in the game. While we were without Suggs teams knew the only rush threat was Dumervil and they doubled him accordingly. Get Freeney and then draft a lower round project and have him learn from some of the best rushers in the game in Suggs, Dumervil, and Freeney.

Showing my age here as I remember when kickoffs used to be from the 30 yard line and we had an ace return man in Jermaine Lewis. Not sure if I like all this fiddling with the kickoffs, but I hope the new rule does result in more returns. The return is one of the most exciting plays in football. I was actually all for the Ravens drafting Gurley last year if he fell to us. With his blown out knee I didn't think he would go so high. As for drafting Elliot, it is interesting, but I don't think you can take him 6th overall unless you are convinced he is that once in a generation type player. The Ravens could always try to trade up if they want to, or possibly could trade down. It really depends on how the people pick ahead of us. I am not convinced Stanley is a franchise type LT, but I trust the Ravens know more about what they're doing than I do. I know for certain that we can't have another swing and a miss of our first two picks in the draft. We need playmakers and stars there. It doesn't hurt as much to swing and miss at the 3rd round and lower. The Ravens are going to look so much different in a couple more years. No more Suggs or Dumervil. Better start rebuilding now before it is too late and you're left playing catch up. As for the veteran free agents, I am sure more are coming. Freeny is probably at the top of the list as well as one of the better free agent guards left. I like the idea of adding another corner just for depth's sake and I really think they should actually get another safety. I don't like our depth behind Weddle and Webb. With Webb's injury history, you most likely will need a back up to step in for a few games. I just don't know if Matt Elam is the guy, after that I am sure the Ravens would like to see Brooks stay on the field, and I wasn't impressed with Kendrick Lewis and I could see him being cut as well.

Suggs is coming off an Achilles injury and isn't a spring chicken, Dumervil is also getting up there in age and to keep these guys fresh for the whole season you need to give them breathers. As you saw last year, nobody could even come close to replacing Suggs last season. We don't have the depth. While I am not sure what Freeney still has left at his age, gotta think in a rotational situation he's better than anything else we currently have at OLB...even if they bring Upshaw back..which I hope they don't. Move on, let somebody else play or draft his replacement.

Right, you basically repeated what I said. Chop block = cheap shot at a guys's knee, which let's face it, that's usually where guys always get hit on the "chop." The tag-teaming part means the defensive player is pretty much defenseless. To me this is just crazy that it has been allowed all this time. Cut block = 1 on 1 attempt to wipe out a guy's legs. Defensive player is not actively engaged so has a chance to avoid the block or at least protect himself from getting his knees wiped out. I got no problem with this play at all.

Buck was a better receiver out of the backfield than a runner, just take a look at the numbers. West didn't do much either. Taliafero hasn't stayed healthy enough to show what he can really do. I think if Richardson gets on the team it is West's job to lose. The Ravens didn't draft him.

The question comes down to how the Ravens value these players. Right now I have to think they have Williams ahead of Wagner. How easy is it to find a ground game wrecker like Brandon Williams. The Ravens have been fortunate to draft well with Ngata and Williams. Prior to that it was a free agency fest other than overachieving "Buddy Lee." Williams is a strong proven talent that should remain a Raven. Wagner's stock should be lower after a disappointing season last year. If he bounces back and has another good year then I would assume the Ravens will make him a competitive offer, but you don't break the bank at every position on the line. Remember that Zuttah won't be here forever either so there goes your Center.

Eugene Monroe just got the dreaded vote of confidence. In three days he'll be gone...just kidding. I hope for his sake and secondly for the team's sake that he is healthy and ready to go again. A healthy Monroe makes me feel like the left side of our line will hold up as long as somebody competent is playing LG.

"Defense wins championships?" I am not a fan of the chop block and I think it is a dirty play. You are intentionally going after a guy's knee and could potentially end his career. I don't buy the whole argument that it is necessary for the run game. Um, teach better technique then? They ruled out the chop block, but nothing says you can't cut block a guy.

why? DT's can just hold up the Ol and make no holes to run through. Not if the officials actually do their job and call defensive holding like they should in that instance. Send a memo to all the teams: "With the elimination of the chop block, defensive holding will now be something officials will be looking at strongly and strictly enforcing."