MERGED: General Reactions to the Reported Cuts

[ravensconvert]

Mason makes sense. The dude is 37, and we have no speed at WR.

Heap puzzles me a little because he's a bit younger and still producing. He just had a great season and his blocking skills are important. Heap always showed up against Pitt.

[Tyler]

[quote name='BaltimoreBean' timestamp='1311638318' post='713667']
You thought Joe was mad about Zorn, wait till they ask for his response to all of this.
[/quote]

Joe Really Wanted Tandon Doss. Now let's see him throw the ball to him. He's probably going to be the next Mason in terms of being Joe's Favorite target.

[darklight1216]

I'm in shock. This isn't quite the offensive version of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis being cut, but man....

[JO_75]

Now that I have calmed down a bit, I can now say my thoughts without being too mad.

On Heap: After seeing Franchise's post about Heap coming back on a cheaper salary I can certainly understand this move. Still would like to see a battle in Camp between Heap, Dickson and Pitta.

On Mason: If he can come back cheaper, great but if not I can see him retiring. Though Mason I can see us without if the Ravens are going to throw Torrey Smith and Tandon Doss right out there and let them see what they can do.

On Gregg: Well oddly enough, with the new Cuts Feature on Madden 12, I was going to cut Gregg on Madden so the Ravens just helped me out lol. Mt. Cody should be fine as long as he kept his weight in check and built some muscle.

[Ravensfan23]

Reports are if/when the cut are made it will free up 18.6 million in pay roll for the Ravens.

[RavensAllTheWay]

Cut Mason, that's fine. Cut Gregg, that's fine. But Heap? I can't think of any explanation for this one. Perphaps the injury history, but don't you think he more than makes up for it when he [i]is[/i] on the field? (i/e most of the time?). I thought he was somewhat underrated in 2009, and we just didn't incorporate him enough in the offense. 2010 came around and look what happened....he had what some are calling a career year, and a playoff game with 108 yards off of 10 catches.

I do not understand. While our young WRs are learning the offense and getting into groove, Flacco will have to have at least one [i]other[/i] reliable target besides Boldin...and I am not including Rice because the Steelers and other good defenses know what he can do out of the backfield. They should scheme him out, as they did last season.

I can honestly say I have little idea as to how we would move the ball through the air effectively without Heap week 1 against the Steelers.

[Token]

I really hope they re-sign for cheap.
If it means making some moves in free agency though.. I guess sacrifices must be made.

[MiselisM]

Saw some twitter posts that Ravens hope to possibly sign Heap/Mason to cheaper deals.. McGahee appears to be on his way out, possibly to the Broncos.

[PeRK82]

[quote name='Ravens<3' timestamp='1311636946' post='713568']
Mason did kinda slow us down last year
[/quote]


Im disturbed that you even wrote that, how can you say that. Mason is the Back bone of this team. He played with one arm half the season. Am i the only one who thinks Mason was just getting better yr after yr.

Put it this way if that ball was thrown to D. Mason instead of Housh against the Stealers, do you honestly think he would have dropped that ball. Id bet my whole net worth he would have caught it.

Im guessing we are going after a big name or were going to get
Steve Smith, which is good but im kinda depressed that Mason is gone after all he has done for us.

[izvoodoo]

Straight up, I'm sad.

I was proud to have Mason and heap on this team. Those were good guys, they deserved rings. But I suppose not all good things can happen.

Heap will probably not be back, as he is actually still pretty desirable,

[RavensAllTheWay]

If we cut Heap and sign him to a cheaper contract, I will be happy.

[MiselisM]

Heres the idiot post of the day from the cbssports nfl twitter account: "Ravens keep taking away help from Joe Flacco he's going to be more like their LeBron James than Michael Jordan."

[gabefergy]

[quote name='PeRK82' timestamp='1311639720' post='713764']
Im disturbed that you even wrote that, how can you say that. Mason is the Back bone of this team. He played with one arm half the season. [b]Am i the only one who thinks Mason was just getting better yr after yr[/b].

Put it this way if that ball was thrown to D. Mason instead of Housh against the Stealers, do you honestly think he would have dropped that ball. Id bet my whole net worth he would have caught it.

Im guessing we are going after a big name or were going to get
Steve Smith, which is good but im kinda depressed that Mason is gone after all he has done for us.
[/quote]
Yes, you are. Mason is 37 years old, he isnt getting better, but he is getting slower. He is a great route-runner but that can only take you so far in this league. I was hoping he would have a reduced role this season, but I guess the FO saw him as expendable. I think he could still be a great mentor to the young WRs but his production is very replacable.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='PeRK82' timestamp='1311639720' post='713764']
Im disturbed that you even wrote that, how can you say that. Mason is the Back bone of this team. He played with one arm half the season. Am i the only one who thinks Mason was just getting better yr after yr.

Put it this way if that ball was thrown to D. Mason instead of Housh against the Stealers, do you honestly think he would have dropped that ball. Id bet my whole net worth he would have caught it.

Im guessing we are going after a big name or were going to get
Steve Smith, which is good but im kinda depressed that Mason is gone after all he has done for us.
[/quote]

Do you realize Mason didn't catch a single pass against the Steelers despite leading the team in targets? He can still take advantage of average CBs, and occasionally good ones too. But the guy has been slowing down for a while.

[TheRavenouseD2008]

what if the cut is hoping he clears waivers and then resign him at a lower rate?

[gabefergy]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1311639981' post='713778']
Do you realize Mason didn't catch a single pass against the Steelers despite leading the team in targets? He can still take advantage of average CBs, and occasionally good ones too. But the guy has been slowing down for a while.
[/quote]
beat you to it ;P

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='gabefergy' timestamp='1311640069' post='713783']
beat you to it ;P
[/quote]

*shakes fist menacingly*

[Ravensfan23]

If anyone is watching the NFL Total Access, Jason LaCanfora pretty much summed our situation up perfectly.

Mason and Heap will "probably" definitely be re-signed and possibly Gregg as well.

McGahee wasn't in our 2011 plans. The Ravens are pretty much set with the idea that Landry, McClain, Chester and Gaither will be lost.

Right now our focus is on making sure we sign Ngata long term and Yanda doesn't go anywhere. After that we'll be in a better position to know where we stand cap wise.

That's when guys like Mason, Heap, and some other vet will be signed.

Oh and the fact that we had to make these moves just to ensure we could sign our top 2 guys, I think it pretty much rules out the Nnamdi to Baltimore talks, unless he's planning on taking a lot less money.

[JO_75]

[quote name='MiselisM' timestamp='1311639709' post='713762']
Saw some twitter posts that Ravens hope to possibly sign Heap/Mason to cheaper deals.. [b]McGahee appears to be on his way out, possibly to the Broncos.[/b]
[/quote]

I'm thinking Dolphins to compliment their Rookie RB they drafted.

Can some other team start making cuts please, I would feel much better about our cuts if other teams were doing the same.

[darklight1216]

[quote name='PeRK82' timestamp='1311639720' post='713764']
Im disturbed that you even wrote that, how can you say that. Mason is the Back bone of this team. He played with one arm half the season. Am i the only one who thinks Mason was just getting better yr after yr.

[b]Put it this way if that ball was thrown to D. Mason instead of Housh against the Stealers, do you honestly think he would have dropped that ball.[/b] Id bet my whole net worth he would have caught it.

Im guessing we are going after a big name or were going to get
Steve Smith, which is good but im kinda depressed that Mason is gone after all he has done for us.
[/quote]
I suspect that he might have. I believe that Mason dropped a touchdown pass when he was wide open in 2009 or perhaps 2008. Not to mention the fact that his playoff performance last year didn't exactly inspire confidence.

As far as him getting better year after year, I have to disagree with that too. This was not by any means his best season as a Raven and let's face it: only Ray Lewis is immortal.

Now I will say that I'm a bit taken aback by this considering the fact that Boldin is the only proven receiver on the squad (we all know TJ and Donte are not going to make the cut) and that the Ravens record of drafting receivers... isn't exactly the stuff legends are made of.

[Gordo52]

[quote name='PeRK82' timestamp='1311639720' post='713764']
Im disturbed that you even wrote that, how can you say that. Mason is the Back bone of this team. He played with one arm half the season. Am i the only one who thinks Mason was just getting better yr after yr.

Put it this way if that ball was thrown to D. Mason instead of Housh against the Stealers, do you honestly think he would have dropped that ball. Id bet my whole net worth he would have caught it.

Im guessing we are going after a big name or were going to get
Steve Smith, which is good but im kinda depressed that Mason is gone after all he has done for us.
[/quote]
Im depressed too, He is the best WR in Ravens history. I think last year Boldin would have had a monster year if Mason didnt complain to get more touches. Since the week he did it Boldins production dropped. And hes old. And we got youth. And a Steve Smith who wants to come here. Steve Smith! Remember how good he was when Jake Delohme or something didnt suck! He was a top 5 WR. Sure hes getting old but still. Also the Ravens are very young at WR.

[TheRavenouseD2008]

ok the problem with Willis and heap I know they been solid the past year but here is the problem , injuries do you pay the pony with a leg that you dont know if it will withstand a season? No , you find a healthier fit to the stable . the inevitablitlites of this game dealing with injuries the more prone you become the more people stick away from you

[Ravensfan23]

While we all love the guys who were cut(and probably re-signed) none of them were irreplaceable.

The thing that makes Mason so valuable to this team is that, if he leaves, Boldin would be the only prove guy we have at WR. If David Reed was able to pick up the offense early last year and/or didn't get hurt and he was able to show even a little bit of promise, Mason's presence wouldn't be as important.

I love Mason, and even though he wasn't drafted by us, he's a Raven in every sense of the word, however the Ravens will be more then fine without him. Whether it is actually this year, or he retires next year.

Losing Mason is like losing Stover. He's a fan favorite and the Organization loves him, so cutting him is hard to do, but once some young guy starts to make plays and get the job done just like Cundiff did, Mason won't be missed nearly as much.

[UMDan]

I really am not happy about losing Heap. It sucks that we have to cut so many great guys, I didn't want to see McGahee go either. I hope these big cuts = big rewards in terms of who we're going to get with the money.

[Runnin Raven]

I could kinda vomit right now, largely for Mase and Heap. Those guys took some shots and held onto the ball (mostly) for many years. If I'm completely honest with myself, I'd say I know Mase has lost a few steps and Joe sometimes looked for him a little too often. This could help Joe's growth as a QB, although I have a strong feeling he's gonna be kinda crushed by it in the short term. I think he's loyal that way, based on his reaction to Fassel being let go a while back.

Not sure our young tight ends are ready to fill Todd's shoes though. Gonna miss Willis' stiff-arm. We got young RBs though so this is an exciting time for all the young guys. Opportunity.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='darklight1216' timestamp='1311640297' post='713802']
I suspect that he might have. [b]I believe that Mason dropped a touchdown pass when he was wide open in 2009 or perhaps 2008.[/b] Not to mention the fact that his playoff performance last year didn't exactly inspire confidence.

As far as him getting better year after year, I have to disagree with that too. This was not by any means his best season as a Raven and let's face it: only Ray Lewis is immortal.

Now I will say that I'm a bit taken aback by this considering the fact that Boldin is the only proven receiver on the squad (we all know TJ and Donte are not going to make the cut) and that the Ravens record of drafting receivers... isn't exactly the stuff legends are made of.
[/quote]

It was '09. Perfect throw by Joe to the back half of the end zone.

[FerrariFan87]

We're making these big cuts for a reason... re-signing Yanda, McClain, and Gaither aside, we still need a big-play receiver (see: Sidney Rice and Santonio Holmes), a Defensive End/OLB (see: Charles Johnson, Ray Edwards, Matt Roth, etc.), and Defensive Back (see: Josh Wilson, Chris Carr, and yes, Nnamdi Asomugha). I believe in Ozzie and our Front Office. Get excited, people!

[PuRock]

I would be disappointed to lose Mason. He's always been reliable and is a great guy for the community as well. I wouldn't be surprised if we resigned him. But the bright side is it would force Cam to play some youth at WR.

[Ravensfan23]

[quote name='darklight1216' timestamp='1311640297' post='713802']
I suspect that he might have.[b] I believe that Mason dropped a touchdown pass when he was wide open in 2009 or perhaps 200[/b]8. Not to mention the fact that his playoff performance last year didn't exactly inspire confidence.

As far as him getting better year after year, I have to disagree with that too. This was not by any means his best season as a Raven and let's face it: only Ray Lewis is immortal.

Now I will say that I'm a bit taken aback by this considering the fact that Boldin is the only proven receiver on the squad (we all know TJ and Donte are not going to make the cut) and that the Ravens record of drafting receivers... isn't exactly the stuff legends are made of.
[/quote]

It was in 2009 in a game that the Ravens ended up losing by 3 points. He also dropped a potential 74 yard TD pass against the Texans last year that was a perfect pass by Flacco.

But the guy has caught way more then dropped so I can't beat him up too much.

[TheRavenouseD2008]

honestly I think we need to look at our baseball team and see what ozzie is doing , He wants to keep this a Winning ball club , that means no old horses unless we think they can pony up and deal the opposition some seriouse problems. Heap might get re-signed . gregg I am not sure willis is a out and out No . Mason , honestly maybe he might think of taking time to concider position coach.