How do you feel about our 2007 squad?

[theFRANCHISE]

Just like the title says, how do you feel about our 2007 squad as of right now?

Granted, this will probably change after this weekend's draft, but otherwise, what are your thoughts and feelings as of now?

In my opinion, I think we're in pretty good shape going into the 2007-2008 season.

This weekend looks as if we're drafting strictly for depth, but otherwise, the fact that we've been able to retain all but one defensive starter (Adalius Thomas), and managed to retain most of our offensive playmakers is a good sign.

As long as we remain healthy again, we should be able to put together another winning campaign and make a deeper playoff run.

[Ravenfire]

i am very pleased with where we are in regards of player personell. But we need to add depth in the draft. An injury could really hurt this team and depth will become very important as the season goes on. It will be interesting how last year's rookies respond in this upcomming year. And that is something interesting about this years team, there is no one who needs to be replaced immediately but will have the chance to compete for the role.

[Brandon]

I feel okay, but I still think it's too early to tell. I would like to wait and see after the draft and the UFA that we sign within the next week or two.

[Mista T]

Just like the title says, how do you feel about our 2007 squad as of right now?

Right now: after the free agency period and before the draft, there is one huge hole in the Defense and 40% of our OL is gone. Until we know how these holes will be plugged, I will feel anxious about our 2007 squad.

[FellsPointRaven]

Right now: after the free agency period and before the draft, there is one huge hole in the Defense and 40% of our OL is gone. Until we know how these holes will be plugged, I will feel anxious about our 2007 squad.

I'm not too anxious. In fact, with the announcement today that J.O. is coming back, I'm feeling pretty good about our squad and I'm sure Ozzie and the F.O. will address our depth in the draft tomorrow. Obviously AD's loss is big, but our defense is talented enough that the drop off should not be huge. Johnson is serviceable and should only improve, and hopefully Dan Cody will have an injury-free season to make himself a fixture on the D.

Right Tackle is my primary concern right now, followed by CB. We'll see how it pans out tomorrow.

[mason0085]

Has anyone heard that Mason might be leaving? I hope it's a nasty rumor......

[theFRANCHISE]

I doubt that Derrick Mason will be gone.

He's a valuable part of our offense in that he still gets double-covered at times, opening things up for our other offensive weapons. Defenses still respect his abilities and don't take him lightly. Also, he's extremely elusive when he gets his hands on the ball, and knows how to make clutch catches.

In addition, he's a great mentor to our young receiving corps, and Mark Clayton probably wouldn't have had his breakout year last season if it wasn't for Mason's locker room presence and expertise.

Granted, Mason could've gone elsewhere for more money in free agency (especially to the New England Patriots), but to be honest, Baltimore is the best place for him to be. He's almost guaranteed the starting job, which is a sign of respect extended to him for all his years of hard work, and the fact that fans want him to stay shows that he isn't as underappreciated as he thought at the end of last season.

[J-man]

2007 isn't gonna be as good as 2006. 06 was the year, the year

[berad]

Personally, I'm not sold on Jarrett Johnson

He's less athletic than AD, and not as good of a tackler

Hopefully, Rex Ryan can scheme it up to rely less him

Or Dan Cody can step up

But, who knows maybe AD was a product of Ryan's schemes.

His two breakout years, along with Bart Scotts', were Ryan's two years as Coordinator

[Cabinny_san]

Okay Y'all am new to this Forum and would like to say Hello to everyone on it right out.

As to the thread my feelings on this season coming are optimistic, I do not feel that we will repeat last seasons success during the regular season but I do feel we will in a better position to go further into the playoffs. As I am writing this the draft is over for the Ravens and the picks that have been selected are emboldening, we have depth and we have a few possible starters in there! I guess in short I am confident the Ravens will continue to look good this coming season and have a good chance to continue that success over the next few seasons beyond that.

[theFRANCHISE]

After this draft, I'm feeling just as optimistic now as I did before.

We are probably the most complete squad in the NFL not named the New England Patriots. However, the difference between our team and the Pats is that we have pre-existing chemistry. After all, we have 10 of 11 defensive starters returning from 2006, as well as 8 of 11 offensive starters. Of those four starting positions, two (RT and OLB) will likely be filled by guys who have been in our system for a couple of years now. Roughly 11 of our 22 total starters are relatively young guys, all capable of holding their own.

Fact of the matter is, top to bottom, we have an excellent roster with guys who are capable of winning games now, and guys who are ready to carry that torch into the future.

[MsMarvel73]

The draft is over and I'm pretty stoked. I think Ozzie and crew have given us players that will be around for a while.

And I'm feeling really excited and optimistic. Heck I'm chomping at the bit already and tis only the end of April (I think being in Boston has a little bit to do with that. No I chomp at the bit for football regardless of where I am).

I think the Purple and Black will have a good season. Will they be able to repeat the 13-3? Who knows. We'll have to wait and see.

[OutsiderJohnson]

Heck I'm chomping at the bit already and tis only the end of April

I was chomping at the bit the day after the Super Bowl. This stretch of time for me is so slow.

[theFRANCHISE]

I say, we should be less focused on trying to match 13-3, and more focused on making a deeper playoff run.

As long as the players remain focused on taking it one game at a time as they did last season, we should be fine...

[Reed_4_President]

Has anyone heard that Mason might be leaving? I hope it's a nasty rumor......

If he goes that will be the most dumb decission ever, not only because he is my favorite receiver but he can play no doubt In my opinion he is just as good if not better then T.O and up there with Ocho Cinco when the ball actually is thrown his way instead of alwats to Mark Clayton especially like they did in the playoff game against the Colts which I still to this day do not understand and I totally get why he was pissed afterwards about that.

[akacrow]

Great draft all around... love having a new ravens forum too.

[organizedchaos52]

I feel great, this off season has been wondeful. First off, we get willis mcgahee, then we get ben grubs, yamon figurs, then heisman winner troy smith, our offense is going to kick a**. Also, we have the comfort of knowing steve mcnair will have a full offseason with the team. This year will be great.

[Hotsauceonnit]

A.D. leaving will hurt a little bit, but not as much as some might think. What makes our D work so well is that opposing offenses are always guessing about what's coming next. . .we still have Bart Scott, Terrell Suggs, Kelly Gregg (IMHO probably the MOST underrated player on the defense as far as national media is concerned.), Ed Reed, . . .and, of course, #52, Ray Lewis. I anticipate another year of defensive dominance.

On the other side of the ball, well. . .we'll just have to see how well the coaching staff learned from last year and how they adapt to the changes made in the off-season. . .and , let's face facts, last year's 13-3 finish says that the offense had to be doing something right last year.

That being said, I really will be watching our 2007 series against the Steelers. Last year's efforts against Pittsburgh stand as stellar examples as how good we can be when everything is going right.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

Im looking at the starting lineup being...

QB- Steve McNair Im not a huge McNair fan, his arm leaves alot to be desired,but if we can get 10 or 11 wins with check downs then Ill be alright with it.

RB- Willis McGahee Im not a Willis fan at all, I think the Ravens made a big mistake gettin McGahee instead of Thomas Jones, and then throwing a boat load of money at McGahee.

FB-Le'Ron McClain I know we have Justin Green, but I am a huge McClain fan and I think he could go out there right now and be a contributor.

WR-Mark Clayton Mark will have a monster year if McNair can get the ball to him downfield.

WR-Derrick Mason It should be Demetrius Williams as our #2 instead of Mason IMO, Ive really soured on Mason since him running his mouth about not getting the ball.

TE- Todd Heap It should be Quinn Sypniewski.......just messin!! Heap if healthy will have another solid year.

LT- Jonathan Ogden We can enjoy what will probably be the last season by arguably the best offensive lineman in NFL history.

LG- Jason Brown This guy is a monster, can't wait to watch him continue to mature and become a great OG.

C- Chris Chester Mike Flynn's time is up, and it's Chester's time to shine!

RG- Ben Grubbs Lets see what the rookie is made of.

RT- Adam Terry This is the guy that really excites me on the OL, I think he is a future Pro Bowler and he'll go a number of times!

LE- Trevor Pryce Hopefully Trevor can have another great year, because he was a big surprise last year.

DT- Kelly Gregg Buddy Lee continues to be one of the most underrated defensive players in the NFL.

DT- Haloti Ngata This guy is our next defensive star, his athleticism at 340 lbs is unbelievable......PRO BOWLER!!

RE- Terrell Suggs Sizzle needs a contract extension soon please!!

OLB- Bart Scott Absolute MONSTER!!! Hitting machine, awesome!

MLB- Ray Lewis Greatest Of All Time!

OLB- Jarrett Johnson/Dan Cody/Antwan Barnes I see a situation where Jarrett will play 1st, and maybe 2nd down, and then on 3rd down you can put Cody or Barnes out there to rush the passer.

CB- Chris McAlister C Mac is awesome and he'll continue to lock down opposing WRs.

FS- Dawan Landry Hopefully no sophomore slump for D Wan cause he was great last year.

SS- Ed Reed The best safety in the NFL!

CB- Samari Rolle I like Samari, I know alot of people don't, but Im fine with him opposite C Mac.

NB- Corey Ivy/David Pittman Ivy played the Nickel great last year, but we drafted D Pitt for the sole purpose of him playing NB so hopefully he can actually be on the active roster for a game this year, and show us why the Ravens believe in him.

I like that starting lineup, I don't like our schedule I'm not expecting 13-3, and I'm not expecting 6-10, I'm expecting 8-10 wins this year, and maybe a playoff birth.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

If he goes that will be the most dumb decission ever, not only because he is my favorite receiver but he can play no doubt In my opinion he is just as good if not better then T.O and up there with Ocho Cinco when the ball actually is thrown his way instead of alwats to Mark Clayton especially like they did in the playoff game against the Colts which I still to this day do not understand and I totally get why he was pissed afterwards about that.

D Mase is in no way anywhere near Ocho Cinco or TO, Mase has lost a step, still has great hands, but he isn;t getting as open as he used to because his speed is starting to deminish(spelling?).

[Ravensfan23]

D Mase is in no way anywhere near Ocho Cinco or TO, Mase has lost a step, still has great hands, but he isn;t getting as open as he used to because his speed is starting to deminish(spelling?).

First off let me say it's great to finally have a forum on the Ravens site.

I have read that Mason is in Baltimore now working hard. He has spoken to Billick and the coaches about what happend. Said he was just frustrated in being the #1 Wr but being the 3 maybe 4th opition sometimes(of course i'm reading between the lines here). Said that last year is pass him and he is ready to have a much better season.

As far as this upcoming season. I beleive that before the draft we were capbale of fielding a competive team, but the addition of Grubbs will only help. I think we have a full back that is of equal if not better talent then ovie and we will be able to use him in the same way as we did Ovie last season. Figurs is a guy i'm really interested in seeing in the preseason. I think if he can be the type of PR that the Ravens invision that he will to wonders for an already dominate Defense. To be able to watch a explosive guy like figurs and be able to put the ball in the hands of McNair the defense will be amped like last season to get three and outs. I was really high on prescott burgess coming into the draft and was surprised to see him still there in the 6th round. I think he is a guy that is similar to Brat Scott. He and Barnes will contribute on ST and prove to be assests if given the opportunity on D. Like i said i beleived going into the darft that we could field a competive team, but after this weekend i see at least 4 of 7 draftee to have a impact this season.

Having guys like Grubbs, chester, and Brown on the field will allow us to run more screens, tosses, sweeps, counters, strecths, traps, and counter trays. This will open up our passing game even more. I expect McGahee to be around 1200-1500 yards, Heap Mason, and Clayton to produce at least 60 catches and 800 yards again. DWill will have a much better year being a deep threat, and figurs will see limited action and have few exciting plays a game with WR screen and resverse. As far as i'm final record i think getting off to a good start will be key. I think we have a schedule that could see of go 7-0 going into the bye week or at least 5-2. The second half of the season will be really tough as every game should have a direct effect on the playoff status for us and the opponent(not counting Cle). I believe the Ravens will learn from their failures of last season and have a 10-12 win season and go deeper into the playoffs.

Baltimore @ New England AFC Championship game.

[DeathOnWings]

our defense is still the #1 defense, even without Thomas(). it's just our offense, picking up McGahee was GREAT & will help out the passing game aswell this year. as for our line, we got Grubbs & thank God Ogden isn't retiring. haha last year i thought we had a great chance at the Super Bowl, i feel the same about this year, now that we have a stronger offense, which is the reason we lost to Indy.

[theFRANCHISE]

As long as we can keep averaging 20 points a game like we did last year, we should do fine. Our defense is expected to be our strength, like always, but our offense should be able to hold its own.

[DeathOnWings]

^forreal, we don't need an EXPLOSIVE offense, just a steady one, reliable one to rack up 20 points a game. because of defense on average allowed what? 12 points a game?

[theFRANCHISE]

Besides, if you think about it, we're 47-1 all-time when leading by 14 points. We posted at least 20 points in 11 of 16 games in 2006. Of those 11 games, we went 10-1, having lost only to the Panthers in a close game where McNair didn't even play the majority of it.

That goes to show you that posting 20 points almost guarantees us a victory. Or, in our case, 91% of the time, 20 points or more is enough to put an opponent away.

[discoverBaltimore.org]

I feel pretty good about them. I think we'll have a successful season this year. Another 13 win season will be difficult to achieve but we should still win the division. The Steelers have a new coach and chances are that it will take a year adjusting to the new system so they should be out of it. The Bengals should be improved from last year if they can keep out of trouble and regain some chemistry in the locker room. As for Cleveland they're still 2-3 seasons away from making the playoffs.

As for us, well I think the team's personnel has improved and we are a more balanced team I just hope that our aging veterans still have some gas in the tank. I don't expect to be the #1 defense this year but we should be able to get in the top 5. The improvement in offense and special teams should make up for losing Thomas and the versatility that he brought. However our schedule this year will be difficult. Beyond all of the other division winners we have to face, I'm more worried about all of the prime time games that are on our schedule.

Is it just me or does it seem like we've traditionally played poorly on nationally televised games. Maybe that's just a reflection of playing the best teams in those games or it just may be some bad luck or nerves of the players. I dunno. Does anyone know offhand what our record is for prime time games including the post season?

[Khaine]

Not all nationally televised games

[MsMarvel73]

Personally, I'm not sold on Jarrett Johnson

He's less athletic than AD, and not as good of a tackler

Hopefully, Rex Ryan can scheme it up to rely less him

Or Dan Cody can step up

But, who knows maybe AD was a product of Ryan's schemes.

His two breakout years, along with Bart Scotts', were Ryan's two years as Coordinator

There is only one Adalius Thomas, plain and simple, and yes losing him is a huge hole to fill.

But I have faith that Johnson and the rest of the D will step up.

And i really hope that Dan Cody can stay healthy this year.