On Ray Rice, And About The Wr's On The Ravens.

[kassaiscool]

I don't think the ravens should have selected Ray rice, He is good and all but I don't think he is a need. He is pretty much the same type of running back Willis is and he doesn't change the tempo of the game. Someone like Jamal Charles that actually has break away speed, and won't need the ball every down would have been a better pick, but the ravens passed on him and got Rice. I can see in a year or two, people talking about how the ravens don't have any weapons for Joe flacco. The ravens just don't have that WR that can change the outcome of a game, Williams has good upside, As for Mark clayton I haven't seen anything special from him since he has been here, but I will give him chance because nobody has been successful in a billick offense. Ravens should do whatever it takes to get Michael Crabtree in next years draft, and Da'Quan Bowers in the year after that. HOPEFUL WISHING

[PuppyPuncher]

Michael Crabtree is extremely overrated. This year is very similar to last year's draft class in that there are no good looking WRs. I'd rather pick at 32 and select Howard-Bey than be at like 5 and reach for Crabtree.

[bossman419]

heyward-bey is amazing... but, cam camron favors a big reciver in his offense

[Corvus]

I don't think the ravens should have selected Ray rice, He is good and all but I don't think he is a need. He is pretty much the same type of running back Willis is and he doesn't change the tempo of the game. Someone like Jamal Charles that actually has break away speed, and won't need the ball every down would have been a better pick, but the ravens passed on him and got Rice. I can see in a year or two, people talking about how the ravens don't have any weapons for Joe flacco. The ravens just don't have that WR that can change the outcome of a game, Williams has good upside, As for Mark clayton I haven't seen anything special from him since he has been here, but I will give him chance because nobody has been successful in a billick offense. Ravens should do whatever it takes to get Michael Crabtree in next years draft, and Da'Quan Bowers in the year after that. HOPEFUL WISHING

Ozzie does not draft anywhere near 100% based on needs. They felt Ray Rice was the best player on the board obviously and picked him. We needed a solid no. 2 running back anyway, with Musa gone and Cory Ross very limited in playing time (1 game as a RB) and PJ with NO playing time at all. The Ray Rice pick was one of my favorites of this draft. I would much rather have a well rounded backs like McGahee and Rice as opposed to a guy who just runs to the outside and hits full throttle, pretty 1 dimensional if you ask me. Both McGahee and Rice will be able to run inside, run outside, elude and do everything. Outright breakaway speed is not neccessary, both of these guys are fast enough in the open field.

Secondly, the fact that you say our quarterback (not neccessarily Flacco) will not have any weapons in a few years is kind of ridiculous. Todd Heap is nowhere near old, he still has a good 4-5 years minimum left in him. He was already one of the best tight ends in the league and now under Cam's offense (which did wonders for Antonio Gates) he should only become an even better weapon.

We have a lot of young wideouts who haven't had the proper situations to develop in. Keep in mind that Clayton is only going into his 5th year, Williams in his 4th year and Figurs into his 2nd (not to mention Figurs was barely used a s awideout last year, he could wind up being a great slot receiver if given the chance). Not to mention we have a good variety of receivers right now: small burners like Clayton and Figurs, big tall guys like Justin Harper and Ernie Wheelright (if he makes the roster) and guys who have a good balance of those qualities like Williams and Marcus Smith. Plus with Mason's veteran leadership for at least another year, these guys are only gonna develop more.

I think we're perfectly fine right now as far as receivers go, you don't have to have a T.O. or Moss or Chad Johnson to win games.

[Black&Purple]

I do agree with Corvus, saying we have no offensive weapons backing our QB is just ridiculous, what is McGahee HIMSELF? He WAS our offense this past season... and as Corvus stated, Todd Heap will do great in Cam's offense.

[neepo13]

Ozzie does not draft anywhere near 100% based on needs. They felt Ray Rice was the best player on the board obviously and picked him. We needed a solid no. 2 running back anyway, with Musa gone and Cory Ross very limited in playing time (1 game as a RB) and PJ with NO playing time at all. The Ray Rice pick was one of my favorites of this draft. I would much rather have a well rounded backs like McGahee and Rice as opposed to a guy who just runs to the outside and hits full throttle, pretty 1 dimensional if you ask me. Both McGahee and Rice will be able to run inside, run outside, elude and do everything. Outright breakaway speed is not neccessary, both of these guys are fast enough in the open field.

Secondly, the fact that you say our quarterback (not neccessarily Flacco) will not have any weapons in a few years is kind of ridiculous. Todd Heap is nowhere near old, he still has a good 4-5 years minimum left in him. He was already one of the best tight ends in the league and now under Cam's offense (which did wonders for Antonio Gates) he should only become an even better weapon.

We have a lot of young wideouts who haven't had the proper situations to develop in. Keep in mind that Clayton is only going into his 5th year, Williams in his 4th year and Figurs into his 2nd (not to mention Figurs was barely used a s awideout last year, he could wind up being a great slot receiver if given the chance). Not to mention we have a good variety of receivers right now: small burners like Clayton and Figurs, big tall guys like Justin Harper and Ernie Wheelright (if he makes the roster) and guys who have a good balance of those qualities like Williams and Marcus Smith. Plus with Mason's veteran leadership for at least another year, these guys are only gonna develop more.

I think we're perfectly fine right now as far as receivers go, you don't have to have a T.O. or Moss or Chad Johnson to win games.

I agree with all of this. Our offense has plenty of weapons as long as the main two- Heap and McGahee, stay healthy. They open up things for everyone else and they are both still fairly young for their position. We've got some questions marks on offense, as do every team at this stage in the off season, but the talent is certainly there. We probably wont blow people away on offense but it will certainly be better then in previous years.

[MIZZO89]

Ozzie does not draft anywhere near 100% based on needs. They felt Ray Rice was the best player on the board obviously and picked him. We needed a solid no. 2 running back anyway, with Musa gone and Cory Ross very limited in playing time (1 game as a RB) and PJ with NO playing time at all. The Ray Rice pick was one of my favorites of this draft. I would much rather have a well rounded backs like McGahee and Rice as opposed to a guy who just runs to the outside and hits full throttle, pretty 1 dimensional if you ask me. Both McGahee and Rice will be able to run inside, run outside, elude and do everything. Outright breakaway speed is not neccessary, both of these guys are fast enough in the open field.

Secondly, the fact that you say our quarterback (not neccessarily Flacco) will not have any weapons in a few years is kind of ridiculous. Todd Heap is nowhere near old, he still has a good 4-5 years minimum left in him. He was already one of the best tight ends in the league and now under Cam's offense (which did wonders for Antonio Gates) he should only become an even better weapon.

We have a lot of young wideouts who haven't had the proper situations to develop in. Keep in mind that Clayton is only going into his 5th year, Williams in his 4th year and Figurs into his 2nd (not to mention Figurs was barely used a s awideout last year, he could wind up being a great slot receiver if given the chance). Not to mention we have a good variety of receivers right now: small burners like Clayton and Figurs, big tall guys like Justin Harper and Ernie Wheelright (if he makes the roster) and guys who have a good balance of those qualities like Williams and Marcus Smith. Plus with Mason's veteran leadership for at least another year, these guys are only gonna develop more.

I think we're perfectly fine right now as far as receivers go, you don't have to have a T.O. or Moss or Chad Johnson to win games.

Just one thing you got wrong, Clayton's going into his 4th and Demetrius his 3rd.

[Corvus]

Just one thing you got wrong, Clayton's going into his 4th and Demetrius his 3rd.

I guess I'm a year ahead of time or something, sorry. But that just furthers my point, these guys only have more upside, not downside.

[Ravensfan23]

The Ravens have a solid offense with some special weapons. I hear a lot of people bashing M. Clayton(not in this thread) but it seems forget that his first 2 season were pretty good, especially considering who's offense he was playing in. Close to 50 catches and about 500 his first season, and 60+ catches 900+ yards the next season. He was slowed by injury and had a bad year. DWill showed promise his frist season but was slowed by injury his next. This year our WR core will step up and prove to people that they are playmakers. It's hard to show your playmaking ability when u are running 4 yard routes, but in Cam's offense it will be much different.

Cam's offense is designed to attack the Defense. That doesn't mean going deep all the time, but attacking one area of the field with more then one opiton. I have watched a few games in the last couple of months of teams that have systems similar to Cam's. Cle, SD, Mia all run some form of it, of course Mia and SD are as close as it gets, and Cle seems to pass more then Cam's teams did. What i have noticed about this offense is that it doesn't take special players to succeed in it. You always hear of how talented the SD team is, but they don't have a great WR core. Heap and McGahee will be our 2 main work horses, do to play action and bracket covers on Heap, the WR will have lots of single coverage. You will start to see our wideouts catch the ball in stride towards the endzone instead of always facing the QB. Lots of crossing patterns, slants, post and corner and seams routes. That will allow the wideouts to catch the ball on the run and make a move to shake free. You will see a lot more creativity, like WR screens to Figurs or Clayton. No matter what happens with the record i think the ravens offense will be fun to watch this season.

As far as the QB positon goes. None of the teams that run the system like Cam's have great Quarterbacks. I mean just look at the names and think about their situations. Brees didn't become a really good Qb until his final year in Cam's offense. Rivers only had to pass the ball about 15 times his first year starting in SD, because LT ran over the league. DA in Cle couldn't even beat out Frye in training camp but came on to have great success this season. If anyone gets the chance to watch a Browns, Dolphins, or Chargers game on NFL Replay, watch how often the QB throw the ball to a wide open WR. It not that the WR are so great for these teams, it's the system that forces the defense to move and the offense slides someone into the vacant space. I believe the all 3 QB on our roster are capable of performing well in this offense.

I got excited about this season just from writting this post. I think the offense will do some special things this season. I'll leave all of you with this. Over the last 6 or 7 seasons the Ravens defense have giving up on average about 15 points per game. If any form of a real offense, Baltimore may have been the east coast city housed a dynasty. The last thing any team in the AFC North wants to see is the baltimore Ravens get a offense that can average about 24-27 ppg. that can go along with this Defense.

[samtheman20]

Secondly, if Cam utilizes all the offensive players like it looks like he is going to it will add more unpredictability to the offense, which is one of the biggest things we lacked under Billicks offence.

Ray Rice is a great addition, as it will keep mcgahee refreshed and more likely to pull off a big run in a vital situation. And hopefully Rice will become like Jones-Drew is for the Jags. No he wasnt a need pick, but ozzie obviously thought he was the best player available at that pick, and hopefully he will turn out to be great. Also it will make ,whichever QB is playing, job easier if we have the abiity to run over defenses.

Also with a 3WR set, it will give the QB more options, and hopefully he will be able to get the ball off before being sacked, like what happened last year

[Reed_4_President]

Michael Crabtree is extremely overrated. This year is very similar to last year's draft class in that there are no good looking WRs. I'd rather pick at 32 and select Howard-Bey than be at like 5 and reach for Crabtree.

Anyone with the last name CRABTREE isn't a good choice

[Reed_4_President]

Ozzie does not draft anywhere near 100% based on needs. They felt Ray Rice was the best player on the board obviously and picked him. We needed a solid no. 2 running back anyway, with Musa gone and Cory Ross very limited in playing time (1 game as a RB) and PJ with NO playing time at all. The Ray Rice pick was one of my favorites of this draft. I would much rather have a well rounded backs like McGahee and Rice as opposed to a guy who just runs to the outside and hits full throttle, pretty 1 dimensional if you ask me. Both McGahee and Rice will be able to run inside, run outside, elude and do everything. Outright breakaway speed is not neccessary, both of these guys are fast enough in the open field.

Secondly, the fact that you say our quarterback (not neccessarily Flacco) will not have any weapons in a few years is kind of ridiculous. Todd Heap is nowhere near old, he still has a good 4-5 years minimum left in him. He was already one of the best tight ends in the league and now under Cam's offense (which did wonders for Antonio Gates) he should only become an even better weapon.

We have a lot of young wideouts who haven't had the proper situations to develop in. Keep in mind that Clayton is only going into his 5th year, Williams in his 4th year and Figurs into his 2nd (not to mention Figurs was barely used a s awideout last year, he could wind up being a great slot receiver if given the chance). Not to mention we have a good variety of receivers right now: small burners like Clayton and Figurs, big tall guys like Justin Harper and Ernie Wheelright (if he makes the roster) and guys who have a good balance of those qualities like Williams and Marcus Smith. Plus with Mason's veteran leadership for at least another year, these guys are only gonna develop more.

I think we're perfectly fine right now as far as receivers go, you don't have to have a T.O. or Moss or Chad Johnson to win games.

I have taken a HUGE BREAK from coming on the FORUMS and watching NFL NETWORK. What happened with Musa? and who do we have left as our RB's? besides my man Willis?.. please dont tell me Cory Ross! that guy is way to SMALL and HORRIBLE!

[Reed_4_President]

I agree with all of this. Our offense has plenty of weapons as long as the main two- Heap and McGahee, stay healthy. They open up things for everyone else and they are both still fairly young for their position. We've got some questions marks on offense, as do every team at this stage in the off season, but the talent is certainly there. We probably wont blow people away on offense but it will certainly be better then in previous years.

HEY why does everyone FORGET ABOUT DERRICK MASON!?.. he is OUR BEST OFFENSIVE WEAPON. He is so UNDERRATED I CANNOT STAND IT!!. HE has always been OUR HUGE PLAY MAKER when we need a FIRST DOWN MASON is the go to guy who usually picks it up with also a lot of YARDAGE!!. What we dont have is a TD RECEIVER.... MASON GAINS US OUR HUGE YARDS AND Clayton is also a lot like Mason with picking up yardage and first downs.. and other then them 2 we really do not have any other go to receivers.... in my opinion Todd Heap is our ONLY TD man and hes our freaking TE. We need to pick up a VETERAN receiver who will be our TD RECEIVER!! like T.O is to Dallas.. Would have been nice if we could have picked up Bernard Berrian (however you spell is name). The Vikings are going to do VERY WELL this year signing him and Peterson is only going to get better i can see them going to the playoffs this year.

BTW since we need a decent SOLID #2 RB we could always GET CHESTER TAYLOR back he WANTS OUT of MINNESOTA!!

[Corvus]

I have taken a HUGE BREAK from coming on the FORUMS and watching NFL NETWORK. What happened with Musa? and who do we have left as our RB's? besides my man Willis?.. please dont tell me Cory Ross! that guy is way to SMALL and HORRIBLE!

HEY why does everyone FORGET ABOUT DERRICK MASON!?.. he is OUR BEST OFFENSIVE WEAPON. He is so UNDERRATED I CANNOT STAND IT!!. HE has always been OUR HUGE PLAY MAKER when we need a FIRST DOWN MASON is the go to guy who usually picks it up with also a lot of YARDAGE!!. What we dont have is a TD RECEIVER.... MASON GAINS US OUR HUGE YARDS AND Clayton is also a lot like Mason with picking up yardage and first downs.. and other then them 2 we really do not have any other go to receivers.... in my opinion Todd Heap is our ONLY TD man and hes our freaking TE. We need to pick up a VETERAN receiver who will be our TD RECEIVER!! like T.O is to Dallas.. Would have been nice if we could have picked up Bernard Berrian (however you spell is name). The Vikings are going to do VERY WELL this year signing him and Peterson is only going to get better i can see them going to the playoffs this year.

BTW since we need a decent SOLID #2 RB we could always GET CHESTER TAYLOR back he WANTS OUT of MINNESOTA!!

Musa is still a free agent, he was not resigned by us and has not signed with anyone else.

We drafted Ray Rice from Rutgers in the 2nd round and he will most likely be our number 2 man, in my opinion he reminds me of McGahee a bit, but a lot smaller and maybe a little faster.

I'm not too sure how you can say Cory Ross is "HORRIBLE" when all of the action he has seen on the field was on special teams and in our finale vs Pittsburgh last year in his first time as a running back (and he looked pretty good to me there, even if it was against 2nd string Squeelers).

I never forgot about Derrick Mason, he is certainly the best possession receiver we have and really became our go to guy with Heap out most of the year. He put up great numbers for us and I love the guy, but keep in mind Derrick is 34, he won't be playing for more than another year or maybe 2 which is why maybe some people do tend to write him off a bit.

I've already mentioned this in other recent threads, but I'm not a big fan of picking up huge name guys like T.O. for us. As Ravensfan23 said, Cam's offense excels at taking "average" players and letting them do their job easier, so someone like a T.O. or Randy Moss is not neccessary. Our wideouts will be more than fine this year.

...I wouldn't have minded seeing Bernard Berrian as a Raven though, the Bears are idiots for not resigning their best YOUNG wide receiver.

EDIT: Just posted another topic but Musa is no longer a UFA, apparently he signed with the Jets today

[neepo13]

No he wasnt a need pick, but ozzie obviously thought he was the best player available at that pick, and hopefully he will turn out to be great.

I disagree. I think RB was a need. We had cut Anderson and didnt resign Musa Smith. The only guys that we had behind McGahee were an injury prone unproven P.J. Danials and an unproven fumble prone Cory Ross, although he's getting better at taking care of the ball. Rice isnt proven but I feel a lot more confident going into the season with him backing McGahee then I would have with Danials and Ross. We saw how a lack of depth killed us at CB last year, Ozzie solved the RB depth issue before it even became an issue.

[neepo13]

HEY why does everyone FORGET ABOUT DERRICK MASON!?.. he is OUR BEST OFFENSIVE WEAPON. He is so UNDERRATED I CANNOT STAND IT!!. HE has always been OUR HUGE PLAY MAKER when we need a FIRST DOWN MASON is the go to guy who usually picks it up with also a lot of YARDAGE!!. What we dont have is a TD RECEIVER.... MASON GAINS US OUR HUGE YARDS AND Clayton is also a lot like Mason with picking up yardage and first downs.. and other then them 2 we really do not have any other go to receivers.... in my opinion Todd Heap is our ONLY TD man and hes our freaking TE. We need to pick up a VETERAN receiver who will be our TD RECEIVER!! like T.O is to Dallas.. Would have been nice if we could have picked up Bernard Berrian (however you spell is name). The Vikings are going to do VERY WELL this year signing him and Peterson is only going to get better i can see them going to the playoffs this year.

BTW since we need a decent SOLID #2 RB we could always GET CHESTER TAYLOR back he WANTS OUT of MINNESOTA!!

I think most people are looking toward the long term future. Mason is 35 or 36, in the no so distant future we will be saying good bye to him.

[FerrariFan87]

I must disagree, Rice is a play-maker and he turned a whole football program around virtually by himself and it was against top competition... the teams he faced loaded the box every down and it didn't matter as he still rushed for 2,000 yards! I love the pick and I suspect you will regret this post come Week 1

[Borris]

I don't think the ravens should have selected Ray rice, He is good and all but I don't think he is a need. He is pretty much the same type of running back Willis is and he doesn't change the tempo of the game. Someone like Jamal Charles that actually has break away speed, and won't need the ball every down would have been a better pick, but the ravens passed on him and got Rice. I can see in a year or two, people talking about how the ravens don't have any weapons for Joe flacco. The ravens just don't have that WR that can change the outcome of a game, Williams has good upside, As for Mark clayton I haven't seen anything special from him since he has been here, but I will give him chance because nobody has been successful in a billick offense. Ravens should do whatever it takes to get Michael Crabtree in next years draft, and Da'Quan Bowers in the year after that. HOPEFUL WISHING

I'm sorry, but I can not agree with anything you just said. First off, if by the same back, you mean an all purpose back then yes they are the same type of back. If you mean running style, I would have to disagree. McGahee is more likely to elude tacklers, while Ray Rice relies more on power when running up the middle. Unlike Ray Rice, Jamal Charles can only be used as a situational back as he can't take it between the tackles very well.

Second, I would like to refute your view on the receiving core. If your point is that Mason is our only receiver, I would have to disagree. Let's take a quick analyst of our current receivers. Mason, as we all know, is a clutch possession receiver, who with his veteran knowledge and skill is able to get open for short yardage gains. Mark Clayton, who unlike the popular view, really isn't the same receiver as Mason. Clayton is fast and has great excelleration out of his cut, allowing him to get open downfield, as well as great timing and reactions that allow him to catch anything near him on the run. (How many times has he caught passes that were deflected by another player and turned it into a gain; come on now.) Williams has increadable range with his arms and a great vertical for jump balls, corner routes, and square outs. Unfortunately, the skills of Clayton and Williams become useless in Billick's offense where 80% of their routes were 10 yard hooks or screens.

Beyond just the receivers, we have great tight ends. It isn't just Todd Heap who can catch the ball out there. I know he is injured this year, but Quinn Sip will be around for years to come and his ability is very close to Heap's.

Third, I have to disagree with your draft views. As it has been stated, Crabtree is overrated. Also, it would be impossible to draft Da'Quan Bowers two years from now. By then he will have not even be a Junior yet and is therefore ineligable for the NFL draft.

[Reed_4_President]

I disagree. I think RB was a need. We had cut Anderson and didnt resign Musa Smith. The only guys that we had behind McGahee were an injury prone unproven P.J. Danials and an unproven fumble prone Cory Ross, although he's getting better at taking care of the ball. Rice isnt proven but I feel a lot more confident going into the season with him backing McGahee then I would have with Danials and Ross. We saw how a lack of depth killed us at CB last year, Ozzie solved the RB depth issue before it even became an issue.

I am very very nervous about this up coming year in my opinion knowing we have NO good RB's to come in when McGahee needs a break.. and if he gets HURT great.... just great we have noone to fill his shoes Cory Ross fumlbes way to much he makes me nervous when i watch the guy i basically need to turn my head till the play is over with him. We went from having SO SO many GREAT #2 RBs that could EASILY HAVE STARTED for another team for many many years to basically noone good at all at RB besides McGahee.. We should try and pull the Priest out of retirement

[Reed_4_President]

I think most people are looking toward the long term future. Mason is 35 or 36, in the no so distant future we will be saying good bye to him.

I am saying EVEN when he was a TITAN no one ever really heard much about Derrick Mason.. when he came to Baltimore he was younger and still he was UNDERRATED the guy is a top 5 receiver in all of the NFL in my opinion. I guess he doesn't get recognized because he doesn't dump popcorn down his face mask or act stupid in the end zone....

[neepo13]

I am very very nervous about this up coming year in my opinion knowing we have NO good RB's to come in when McGahee needs a break.. and if he gets HURT great.... just great we have noone to fill his shoes Cory Ross fumlbes way to much he makes me nervous when i watch the guy i basically need to turn my head till the play is over with him. We went from having SO SO many GREAT #2 RBs that could EASILY HAVE STARTED for another team for many many years to basically noone good at all at RB besides McGahee.. We should try and pull the Priest out of retirement

That in lies the reason they drafted Ray Rice. Lets be real, unless your willing to crank out 10 million a year to carry two starting quality RB's, most times your going to have a drop off in porduction when your main guy isnt in there. Thats just how it works. But that doesnt mean it has to be a big drop off. When McGahee sat out against the Steelers in week 17, Cory Ross and Musa Smith came in and picked up the slack rather well. It may take more then one guy to keep the drop off to a minimum but it can be done. In my opinion its to early to be nervous about depth at any position because we simply dont know. Cory Ross has been getting better at protecting the ball and he showed promise. We still dont know what P.J. Danials and Alan Patrick can do. They all have some sort of talent otherwise they wouldnt be on our roster.

[Corvus]

I am very very nervous about this up coming year in my opinion knowing we have NO good RB's to come in when McGahee needs a break.. and if he gets HURT great.... just great we have noone to fill his shoes Cory Ross fumlbes way to much he makes me nervous when i watch the guy i basically need to turn my head till the play is over with him. We went from having SO SO many GREAT #2 RBs that could EASILY HAVE STARTED for another team for many many years to basically noone good at all at RB besides McGahee.. We should try and pull the Priest out of retirement

I'm sorry man, but I think you are totally wrong. Ray Rice is gonna be a great number 2 for us. In my opinion he has all of the qualities you look for in a solid, quality running back and he WILL develop into that role very well I think. Ross and Daniels are both very young guys too who have been very limited in playing time (especially Daniels who has had very bad luck with injuries). But watching Daniels' interview, I've got to believe both of these guys are going to be giving 110% this year and will come through for us if they are called on. I think we have what can potentially be one of the best running back cores in the league. Let's not forget Allen Patrick either who came in his senior year and did a more than adequate job carrying Oklahoma's running offense after the huge void Peterson left.

And McClain is a hard running fullback who can pick up tough yards, and more importantly will become an even better run blocker for all of our backs this year.

Providing McGahee can stay healthy all year (he's obviously the key), our guys combined will accumulate enough yards on the ground to make us a top 5 rushing offense this year.

EDIT: Priest Holmes? come on really? You would rather have him than a young, talented Ray Rice with tons of potential?