EdTheMythicalOne

30 minutes ago, terrynjulia03 said:

I still find it funny when the mod said "We, as in the Ravens front office". Somehow I seriously doubt the Biscuit and Oz and Harbaugh and Co are paying attention to if the message board stays open or not at this time of year. I'm guessing it's prob some pencil pusher that prob isn't even a fan that works in some IT office with a pocket protector and is in charge of line item reviews and scratched this one out so he/she can get a better quarter bonus. Sorry just the thought that popped in my head when nothing else makes sense. 

Did Paul Tagliabue make this decision? Maybe we should go build a message board museum?

29 minutes ago, Purple Nurple said:

Extra month I believe.....

You're right. For some reason I am skipping April.

I wonder how much money is saved and how much he can earn back with incentives again. Pitta is a reliable if not spectacular target. He can get open in zone coverage and most often will catch anything near him. We can't say that about a lot of our receiving targets. I don't think the Ravens plan on him being the #1 tight end moving forward, but is just like he was last season. A security blanket behind Maxx Williams.

6 minutes ago, hn68wb4 said:

The Saints want a first rounder, so that's off the table entirely

We're still interested in Morris Claiborne, otherwise I bet we'll hang on to what we've got for draft picks and/or cap casualties later on

I was just about to mention the same name, Morris Claiborne.

There will most likely be other salary cap cuts coming soon so having the money saved up to make moves to improve the roster is never a bad thing. I think they will look to see if there is a solid veteran possession guy that gets cut and will ink him, no matter if they intend to draft a WR or not.

1 hour ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

Most likely bc they're still trying to do pay cuts or restructures. Even if not if they aren't signing someone imminently they might as well keep them. 

Bc if we don't necessarily need the extra space it won't hurt to have 2 experienced and formerly productive vets at TE.

 

I sometimes agree with the idea that u don't want vets blocking the path of promising younger players... but ultimately if the younger players are better there's no one in their way. 

If Pitta didn't restructure he would have been cut and I doubt he would have that strong of a market. Other teams saw the same things we did from him last season. I think because he redid his deal that Ben Watson is now gone. That still leaves us with Pitta, Williams, Gillmore, Boyle, and Waller. Perhaps one of them becomes some sort of hybrid FB and takes Juice's spot on the roster.

I think he's probably going to get more snaps in the next coming seasons, especially in passing situations since Tony Jefferson is not exactly amazing in pass coverage. Good guy and team player and like most Ravens, always liked what he contributes. I wasn't so sure they'd keep him but that means we still have some veteran, quality depth on the roster. Now we need to get some more.

1 hour ago, trevorsteadman said:

How do you not think Thomas-Bitonio-Tretter-Zeitler-Coleman is a good O-line? 

The Browns were at top 10 o-line last year whether you want to believe it or not. They just added to that o-line today and have a few promising rookies as well.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-ranking-all-32-nfl-offensive-lines-entering-week-11/

 

Also so what does it matter how Flacco got the starting job? The Ravens would rather start a veteran over a rookie. Especially when they knew ahead of time they had 5 years or less of a window to win a championship. They had pieces around him that helped him succeed in his career. The Browns are better off fixing those other needs other than quarterback instead of wasting cap space on the most expensive piece on a roster and wasting their career trying to find 20 other players to play around him.

To answer your first question and to address your cherry-picking of line rankings:

1) Results. Whether they rated out well on some rankings individually might be all fine and good. It is what they do collectively that really matters in the end. What to the results tell you? I will provide the actual stats for you so that you don't use a certain week's ranking to make your points.

Total Offense Yards: 30th

Rushing Yards: 19th

Passing Yards: 28th.

Then there is PFF's actual FULL YEAR of 2016 rankings which rates the line as 16th overall. That's right smack dab in the middle of the pack which means they're okay, not great. Again I will bring up my point that in your plan of taking several years to rebuild, some of those veteran guys will be gone, especially their best piece Joe Thomas.

I'm also curious as to what you think of the Ravens offensive line for 2016? I am sure many fans would think they didn't do a terrific job because Flacco was constantly pressured and hit and the ground game wasn't spectacular. According to PFF though, they were ranked 9th overall for the entire season. Really? The Ravens actually had a top 10 OL? Just to put those rankings into some sort of perspective.

Your second part:

Not really sure what the part of this comment is. The Ravens didn't just hand the reigns over to a rookie QB thinking he was the franchise guy. Of course they were hoping he would be but it wasn't the plan to start him year one. Troy Smith isn't exactly an established veteran QB anyway and never amounted to much at all. The roster already had some quality players on offense to help Flacco and once he showed what he could to with it, the Ravens kept trying to add. That only makes sense. It was essentially the same offense that Kyle Boller had to work with and he couldn't get the job done. So that just goes to show you that yes, you need a good QB to turn a team around. You can have great players around him, but without a captain for your ship it will crash.

How is it wasting your money if you get yourself your franchise QB? I would think you'd be wasting even more money spending tons of cash on elite playmakers only to have nobody to get them the ball. Oh, and last time I checked the offense only has 11 guys on it, so that would be 10 guys playing around him.

At this point it is clear we're not going to agree on this issue and this thread about the Ravens and their apparently now not really rebuilding off season but more of a restocking. I suggest we move on to that if you have anything to say about it. I don't really care as much about what the Browns are or are not doing.

48 minutes ago, terrynjulia03 said:

Releasing Pitta or Watson, one of which is gone anyway to be able to sign Pryor seems like a no brainer. They must have ALOT more faith in BP than anyone else. 

Ever think it might have more to do with a lack of faith in Pryor?

Ravens have extended DB Anthony Levine to a 3 year deal.

16 minutes ago, PurpleCity5 said:

I don't think the Ravens made the right decision. They need a TE who can get vertical and Pitta is just not that type of guy at the moment. His weakness are too big to overcome. 

Ben Watson isn't a vertical buy, Nick Boyle isn't a vertical guy, Crockett Gillmore isn't a vertical guy. Maxx Williams might be, and Darren Waller possibly could be if his hands were better. So what was the right decision? Getting rid of the best tight end you currently have with the best hands on the team?

2 hours ago, Admin 3 said:

BOARD CLOSURE DATE CHANGE

Thank you to everyone who has shared feedback on this thread. We wanted to ensure we provided ample notice to the community of the shutdown and originally felt that 3+ weeks was suitable. Also, with the NFL calendar now spanning 12 months, we realize that there is no "best" time to sunset the boards. However, with the amount of chatter that occurs during the free agency period and draft, we understand that March 31 may not be the ideal time to close the discussion.

With that in mind, we have decided to leave the message boards up and running through the draft. The new shutdown day will be Friday, May 5 -- one week following the NFL Draft. We realize that many will still be upset that the board is closing, but we hope this provides members an opportunity to continue the ongoing dialogue during this busy time of year.

See that posters? All of our feedback has gained us an extra week. Maybe if we keep it up we can keep extending the time the boards stay up and running and convince them that NO time is a good time to "sunset" the boards.

4 hours ago, arnie_uk said:

"However, we look to utilize our time and resources to focus on how we can best connect with our fans across an array of digital/social outlets."

That's not an acceptable reason to closing the boards.

And apparently their idea of a best was is to close down a place where a lot of the real fans actually try to follow their team. Seems like shooting yourself in the foot to me.

3 hours ago, Willbacker said:

Bet you that area code starts off 555 lol

867-5309, I got your number. This is "Jenny," right?

4 hours ago, Admin 3 said:

"We" being the Ravens front office. And we have reviewed, will continue to review and appreciate every comment posted here. However, the plan is still to sunset the boards.

Then let's move the board to Alaska where the sun never really sets.

Do they not remember last season when the team went out and signed Mike Wallace, Ben Watson, and Eric Weddle? That's not exactly a quiet off season.

1 minute ago, Tank 92 said:

Yeah, me too. His size and athleticism make him a potential game changer.

I'm excited to see every new Ravens player on the field and seeing what they got. The knock on Kaufusi is that he was weak and not very flexible in the legs. Hopefully he's worked on that this entire off season and I am looking forward to it, but...people were scratching their heads with the pick. People have been complaining about it. You just haven't seen the posts about it. I am not around here a whole lot and even I have seen them.

7 minutes ago, Tank 92 said:

Don't think the ship has sailed on Guy.  Has it? 

I doubt they will pony up whatever Washington and/or New England will pay him and we have options behind Guy. I liked Lawrence Guy and I think he's a decent player, but we can find replacement value for sure.

16 minutes ago, ellicottraven said:

They should've asked him to take a pay cut and kept him as a back up imho. Cut Pitta! Why are they dancing around the Pitta situation? Asking him for a pay cut instead of designating him a post June 1st cut and getting rid of him?

Because they will cut Ben Watson who is older than Methuzela at this point, Crockett Gillmore isn't exactly the epitome of healthy trying to come back from everything he had going on last season, Waller can't catch, Maxx Williams has been injury prone, and Nick Boyle is one more suspension away from being out of the league and even when he is clean he's a glorified blocking TE.

I am certain the idea is to have Maxx as the #1 if healthy and then Pitta is your motion #2 TE. Pitta arguably has the best hands on the roster right now.

CB: Prince Amakumura signed with the Bears, so he's no longer in consideration if he ever was.

Haven't heard any progress on Claiborne yet and I haven't heard anything about the Ravens being interested in Pryor.

11 minutes ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

What was the setting of the video referenced on AL.com? Was this a TMZ type video that was trying to catch him in an informal setting.... possibly being a little invasive, or was this a set up and agreed to interview? Makes a big difference. I dont know which it was, but am not assuming anything without those details.

I dont know what's wrong with the second quote. Seems like you're inferring something or placing some sort of connotation around him using verbiage like "chilling with my people." He's just saying he's trying to stay out of the spot light. Laying low to let it blow over. And then confirms with confidence that when he gets his chance to prove that this was all nothing -- he's going to. If that's his focus, and all his focus, good. It should be.

And he said teammates were with him. Not which teammates, or that all could. I know DL and LB's were the same day, which means Ryan Anderson and Dalvin Tomlinson could have also been present and maybe who he was referring to. 

Plus, with the negative press this situation was getting -  i doubt 2 highly touted prospects are going to want to put their own name out there and make light of the situation or blame the hospital worker, because of how it might effect the perception of them.... regardless of what they actually saw or heard.

 

Bottom line - not making excuses for the kid, but he is a kid. One that some team is going to make a big investment in for sure, but i dont think this is really that big a red flag. We dont know the story -- ive heard several accounts that the hospital worker was equally, if not more, out of line. 

He has taken ownership of the situation, and the people that matter (scouts, GM's, FO personnel) know the facts and have dealt with Foster much more than any of us. And certainly know a lot more than you can glean from reading into a couple of press snippets without context.

 

I have no problem taking him at #16. There's nothing that would even give me pause. Ive seen him play. And if Oz and Co take him, im excited bc i know they did their due diligence and arent worried either. Thats more than enough for me. And it shouldnt give anyone pause if they do draft him. Because again, they know more than you and have all the facts.

Watch the video if you want to see the setting of it. It was a relaxed setting, not an ambush.

I am not inferring anything other than an intelligence level if you read all of his quotes.

When you are over 20 years old you are no longer a "kid." When a kid makes a mistake it isn't like yelling at hospital workers, getting up in their faces, and putting their hands on somebody. That is the act of an immature person. He doesn't get his way and he acts up. I think this is a red flag because out of everyone else going through the same process, he's the only one to act like this. So is it the hospital worker...or him?

There is plenty of context to those quotes, all you have to do is watch the video on the link.

What the heck does "taking ownership" of the situation even mean? Wow, he issued an apology through his agent. "I'm sorry, please give me millions of dollars." It isn't just Rueben Foster's apology, but it is like all the apologies that have come before him and will come after him.

I'm also pretty sure if his teammates know for certain that he was innocent they would have vouched for him. They didn't even say things that teammates typically say of a player they know and like. You know like, "I've been around him for years and we're friends, he's a really good guy, this doesn't sound like him." Nope, they all said essentially, "I didn't see nothing."

I am sure people do know a lot more than me and that's why I am simply reiterating that the Ravens need to make sure they are comfortable with all of this, especially if you are taking him in the first round and are expecting big things from him. He may have millions of dollars of talent but it really matters little if you have a 10 cent head.

Some people in the NFL that do know more than you are being cautious and I am sure there are others that will say it was no big deal. It isn't my money, but if it was I wouldn't spend it on a guy in the first round with a character question mark.

2 minutes ago, LosT_in_TranSlatioN said:

Jefferson is the kind of guy to put the defense over the top if we can get a pass rusher in the draft. He's a heat seeking missile who's good vs. the run, good in coverage, and if you send him in on blitzes he's deadly. He was one of the most underrated players in the league at Arizona and frankly.. I'm super glad we got him.

 

But the offense still worries me. That being said. The night is still young and there's still a few people we could go get. I like Woodhead. If healthy, he's an excellent weapon to have.   But we still need another receiver and olinemen. 

Definitely more work to be done.

41 minutes ago, Admin 3 said:

To clarify again, we do not view Facebook or Twitter as a "replacement" for these boards. They are just other social communities that we are encouraging people to engage with after the boards no longer exist. We completely understand how they are very different platforms and communication tools than this one.

I thought this was coming from the people above the moderators? So who is the "we" you are referring to?

As I understand it this decision is coming from the higher ups and the statement to begin this thread is essentially their press release. If that is not the case then you need to clarify it for all of us.

Seems to me the message from the statement is that this board is closing because the Ravens believe the fans can and are conversing more on other social media outlets for which the statement provides some links for. If that is not a strong suggestion/endorsement then I am not really sure why it was worth including them.

So since "we" understand that they are completely different platforms and tools then "we" should understand why this message board is so much better than those other outlets and a very strong reason as to why they should not be closed down. Are "we" paying attention to all of the backlash this announcement is getting? Are "we" starting to think this may not be a good idea?

A very good player until injuries slowed him down and a player I had a high opinion of. I kind of knew the Jefferson deal meant he was gone and he could not have restructured his deal enough to be an affordable back up player.

Somebody else will probably give him a roster spot and depending on his market maybe he comes back to B-more.

2 hours ago, 808Blackbirds said:

How come people only cry about the correa pick? what if correa was injured last season and we didnt know about it? i dont see poeple crying about the Kaufusi pick. People need to chill out on correa and just give him a chance to learn. Judge him when he gets on the field and plays.  It was his rookie season learning a new position. Orr been playing ILB of course he was going to win the starting job. 

If you don't know that people are complaining about the Kaufusi pick then you aren't looking hard enough. I didn't like the pick in the first place, he's an old rookie and will be one year older before he even gets to step on the field.

Orr hardly played any ILB before last season, so don't really come with that argument. He was simply a better player than Correa. Correa had a whole season to learn and he was on the field. I don't need to chill out on him, I am simply calling it like it is right now.

2 hours ago, trevorsteadman said:

You need a decent starting QB to make it to the super bowl. You don't need one to get the franchise running in the right direction. People act like they need a quarterback THIS YEAR and nobody believes even with a quality quarterback that the Browns can win now. They are looking over the next 5 years and you can tell by the moves they are making.

They lost Mack but they still have an incredible o-line after they just signed a few people. They haven't had luck with past draft picks but that also has to do with the position they put some of those players in. Are you really already giving grades to their draft of last year it has only been one season.

Hue Jackson will likely stay for another two or three years. They are best off to keep getting draft picks until they find their franchise guy either that is cut/traded or via draft. I reallydon't think Garropolo should be an option. In my mind you draft these next two drafts to fill in players around the quarterback so a guy can come in and make an immediate impact.

The Ravens did that with Flacco and went to an AFC Championship the year he was drafted. The Broncos did that while getting Peyton Manning and went to the super bowl his second year there, but ultimately lost. The Seahawks did that with Wilson and in his 2nd year they won a superbowl.

So you are saying that the most important position on the field is not a big deal and you can win and turn a franchise around with a poor QB, not even a decent one? That's what you're saying. Of course you need a decent QB to turn a franchise around. You at least need a game manager that won't hurt your team and gives you a chance to win. Then once you get your team in the right direction you get that franchise guy. But you can't keep relying on career journeymen backups and injury prone has been starters to try to turn it around.

Their line is not all that incredible. They got nothing going on the ground and they got every starting QB for the team hurt last year...or don't you remember that?

Hue Jackson will only stay for as long as the front office lets him. If the Browns are smart they will not pull the plug too early.

Let me remind you of the history of Joe Flacco and how he came to be the starter.

1) Kyle Boller got injured.

2) Troy Smith was supposed to be the starter and essentially had the job handed to him. He got a severe tonsil infection and missed most of training camp and almost all of pre season.

3) Joe Flacco was the only healthy body on the roster. It was not the plan for him to be the starter. He got the job by default. We just lucked out in that Joe is actually a pretty good Qb and in the right system with the right players he can be special.