[News] Baltimore Ravens Rumor Mill

[Ravens4Liife]

[quote name='riseNConquer81' timestamp='1332385830' post='1030738']
Lions have been to no one's superbowl in recent history, they just had their first winning season in forever.
The Saints have won ONE superbowl in franchise history (finally) and have since been knocked out by the 7-9 Seahawlks, blown out by the browns and rams, and most recently kicked out the divisional by Alex Smith and the 9ers.
Steelers are not devoid of Free Agents, Clark was a former Redskin, Harrison was with us for a while, i promise there are more.

Winning a superbowl is hard no matter how you add players to your team, to dismiss Free Agents as ineffective simply because their acquisition didnt lead directly to a Superbowl is a little hyperbolic. We fielded a lot of rookies and homegrown products this year and didnt get any closer than we have been either



Houston picked up Jonathon Joseph, Danieal Manning, and Wade Phillips and finally got over the hump for their first Playoff berth.
Couple of defensive plamakers made all the difference for them.


This i agree with.
[/quote]
I agree with everything you said, I can't deny any of that's for sure. What I'm saying is MOST aren't contenders even with the additions. Steelers got some players, most were extremely young, they still had to develop them, it's not like they got a bunch of veterans and right away were contenders. They still didn't make a "big splash" in free agency if you will. Most of the teams made small name players into big time play makers, which is why I have no rush for them to sign anyone. Had Schaub not gotten injured Texans probably would have been better. I'm trying to find the best way to get my point out but I've been in a rush and not able to get my thoughts together so if I make confusing or contradicting points I apologize.

The main thing I'm trying to say is so many fans are getting mad at the FO for not signing players, saying they are being cheap when that's not the case, they just don't have the money to spend like other teams. Not when we still got players to secure like Rice and Flacco. Some teams that sign players were already contenders, so FA doesn't really effect them too much. Ravens are contenders every year, it's always our players missing a play or two that ends it for us. Whether we make a splash in FA or not, we will have the right personnel to get to where we want to be, just gotta make those plays happen.

[Postapocalypse Raven]

[quote name='PsychoRavenMad' timestamp='1332369817' post='1030529']
Last time I checked this was the Baltimore Ravens web site. Who cares about the trader Pagano and the worthless Colts.
[/quote]
What you need to CHECK is your spelling. Clearly you don't care about THAT.

[BloodyKnuckles27]

i wounder what grubbs is thinking about his move now that all this is going on with the saints.

[RavensBlitz72]

You think Grubbs even cares? He's still getting a fat check.....and last time I checked that's all he cares about

[newrorayfan]

I'd rather see Jones and McPhee get to push each other for performance and get the best out of each. And boy I was hoping that Sergio Kindle's status and health were right.

[jrs034]

who ever gets Carr gets a solid contributor and a true professional

[clarify]

I have an idea about the hole at LG; resign Andre Gurode, and switch Matt Birk to LG. Now, this is assuming three things: 1)Gurode can still play center at a great level. 2)Gurode can't play LG well, just like when Bill Parcells tried that in Dallas. And 3)Birk can play LG. This is a solution ONLY if those three points are met. If point 2 is incorrect, then just put Gurode at LG. If only 2 is true, then this can't work. If 1 and 2 are correct, but not 3, then we shouldn't spend money to get him back at all. I still trust in Ozzie, but if I was in his shoes, I would try to give this a shot (then again, he knows more than I ever will).

[clarify]

@BloodyKnuckles27 Unfortunately, all Grubbs cares about is money. He couldn't care less if there's a better chance of winning back in Baltimore or if the Saints organization is going through harsh times. He's the type of player that too many in NFL history are: they accept more money from horrible/risky teams that will just rot while his team can't win. A great example of this is Albert Haynesworth; Haynesworth gets signed to Washington for over $100 million and leaves Tennessee, who were very close to becoming a great team. Now, I don't think Grubbs would just take the money and run (unlike Haynesworth), but he wouldn't have gone to a better team for less money.

[ravsd]

Draft a guard. There's some good ones in this years draft. One of the 3 best will fall to us. DeCastro, Glenn, Zeitler. Any one of these 3 should adequately replace Grubbs.

[WeBallSoHard]

As long as Cary Williams is healthy we won't need to make a play for Carr.

[Mystigo_Dragon]

Slow news day in "Ball So Hard" Nation,.... no worries!

BTW, what's out CAP picture look like with the recent departures?

[RAVENS2192]

who cares about carr he really did nothing for us last year and i was glad to see him go

[clarify]

We really need to sign Ray Rice to a long-term deal. If we sign a deal with him where he takes about $2 million his first year, then the deal increases after each year, we would free up $5.7 million in our cap. The danger about franchise tagging is that the tag hurts our cap room badly. If we can resign Ray Rice, we could have enough money to get back Webb, McClain, and Cary Williams.

[bioLarzen]

[quote name='Mystigo_Dragon' timestamp='1332451704' post='1031438']
BTW, what's out CAP picture look like with the recent departures?
[/quote]

Hi, the recent departures didn't affect our cap space, since they were all free agents, meaning they no longer had a contract with the Ravens for next season - and the cap is the collection for the money our players get for the next season.

Only players leaving by retiring (Williams), being cut (Foxwoth, Carr, Evans) or traded (none yet) affect the cap space.

bio

[purple_koolaid]

I believe the free agents that left helped the cap space. You didn't resign them, hence you've got a ton of cap space to work with. What exactly that is, I don't know, but the argument that the Ravens don't have cap space is flawed.

[purple_koolaid]

[quote name='clarify' timestamp='1332446340' post='1031311']
@BloodyKnuckles27 Unfortunately, all Grubbs cares about is money. He couldn't care less if there's a better chance of winning back in Baltimore or if the Saints organization is going through harsh times. He's the type of player that too many in NFL history are: they accept more money from horrible/risky teams that will just rot while his team can't win. A great example of this is Albert Haynesworth; Haynesworth gets signed to Washington for over $100 million and leaves Tennessee, who were very close to becoming a great team. Now, I don't think Grubbs would just take the money and run (unlike Haynesworth), but he wouldn't have gone to a better team for less money.
[/quote]

Grubbs had been under a rookie contract. This is his first crack at getting paid. The players that need to get a pay cut are Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, as well as players who got blockbuster deals like Ngata and Suggs.

[birdland blitz]

no matter what happens, we're better off than the Steelers. At least we didn't have to cut all our veterans and leave or best receiver hanging for any team with a bad first round pick to snag. Ginn would've been great, and I thought he would've been affordable. But what happens happens and we'll be back in the playoffs again next year.

[GeeWallee]

[quote name='clarify' timestamp='1332455011' post='1031491']
We really need to sign Ray Rice to a long-term deal. If we sign a deal with him where he takes about $2 million his first year, then the deal increases after each year, we would free up $5.7 million in our cap. The danger about franchise tagging is that the tag hurts our cap room badly. If we can resign Ray Rice, we could have enough money to get back Webb, McClain, and Cary Williams.
[/quote]

You do understand that Rice, Webb, Danelle Ellerbe and Cary Williams........will all be under Contract, when they sign their Tenders?
Rice's $7.7M is already included in the Cap.....just as the Tender Values for Webb, Ellerbe and Williams are included in the Cap.
We also have a QB whom the Front Office , is ready to offer a Long Term Contract to.

This is why we shouldn't expect any "high profile" signings, as we will be lucky....... to sign 1 or 2 more of our Own FAs.

[e_rodz8]

really wanted Ginn to be our RS, oh well...
Looks like we're just gonna focus on re-signing our players and the draft

[purple_koolaid]

The problem with the Ravens free agency is that the Ravens don't understand how to prioritize. If the Colts part ways with Peyton Manning, is beyond me how the Ravens don't part ways with Ed Reed, or even Ray Lewis, or both. Those two retire and it becomes that much easier to keep to resign younger guys who are inline for a contract.

[CapoRocky]

Wright can return kicks, but so can Doss. Hill is the only receiver that I'd spend a first round pick on.

[GeeWallee]

[quote name='purple_koolaid' timestamp='1332463295' post='1031658']
The problem with the Ravens free agency is that the Ravens don't understand how to prioritize. If the Colts part ways with Peyton Manning, is beyond me how the Ravens don't part ways with Ed Reed, or even Ray Lewis, or both. Those two retire and it becomes that much easier to keep to resign younger guys who are inline for a contract.
[/quote]

Well, neither Ray's or Ed's contracts would equal out, to a combined $28M this year....as Peyton's contract did.

Jim Irsay realized that after Manning sat out last Season and his team stunk.....he had no other choice than to rebuild. His funds were tapped out paying Manning and the other 4 or 5 guys those high contracts. He wasn't sure that the 4 Neck procedures that Manning had......was worth another $28m. You can't blame him for that either.
He didn't let Manning go because he didn't trust him or believe in him. He let him go beause it was no longer feasible to keep him with an older team with huge salaries. Manning still counts $16M on this year's cap for Indy.......so he saved $12M by cutting the cord now.

Ray and Ed are still viable players, whose contracts are just about over with. We will do better, Drafting young players and keeping the young one's we already have now. It's looking like Matt Birk , may be the only FA we had in their 30's (35) that we will re-sign. We may possibly bring back Brendon Ayanbadejo, too..... who is 35.
Ray and Ed are still top notch performers.

[birdland blitz]

[quote name='purple_koolaid' timestamp='1332463295' post='1031658']
The problem with the Ravens free agency is that the Ravens don't understand how to prioritize. If the Colts part ways with Peyton Manning, is beyond me how the Ravens don't part ways with Ed Reed, or even Ray Lewis, or both. Those two retire and it becomes that much easier to keep to resign younger guys who are inline for a contract.
[/quote]
I get what you're saying, but I couldn't disagree more. Reed and Lewis are old, and they're raking it in. But who is going to start at safety if Ed Reed isn't there? You also have to consider, once Ed Reed is gone every QB in the NFL is going to take advantage of being able to risk throwing deep over the middle against the Ravens for the first time in a decade. Reed may not be the threat that he used to be, but he's got that big play ability ever time out. Remember how we got the ball back for that last drive in the AFC title game? Brady threw to Hernandez right on the first down marker, but Reed saw it coming and knocked the ball out at the last second. The offense didn't capitalize, but Reed did everything right. We would've seen a ton of replays of that play had we won. As for Lewis, we almost made it with him last year, and it certainly wasn't his fault that we lost. He's got 1 year left and he's the greatest Raven ever. If anyone in the NFL deserves to not be cut, it's Lewis.

[feartheflock]

@purple_koolaid If you were our GM we'd be doomed every year.

[RavensWin09]

@caporocky including Floyd????

[Postapocalypse Raven]

@GeeWallee
Out of the two I would say that Ray is more of a "top notch performer" than Reed. While Ed does have big playmaker abilities, he also makes A LOT of business decisions on the field(avoiding hits, and tackles). Ray goes hard almost EVERY snap, the same cannot be said for Reed, as we all witnessed last year. The best thing that the FO could do, would be to get both Ray, and ED a first, and second round draft pick to take under their wing before they decide not to return.

[the deepster]

Well with the lack of activity especially with not signing Ginn I guess we 1)love David Reed and 2)will not lose Webb as we can match any offer on him. I guess that's good since we all love Webby but the bad news is that we will have only one first round pick. I don't see us signing Jameel which is why they tendered Ellerbee a 2.

[wrm#1]

So Ginn comes here has dinner on the Ravens,then heads back home and before they shut the engines down resigns with the 49'er,sound familiar. Maybe the Ravens should start charging for dinner! @the deepster, I don't think it's point of loving and/or disliking Reed,but as of now he has little value to us,he needs a fresh start,but who will have him hasn't anybody been breaking down the door for him,so what can we do with him and/or what can we get for him?

[mettro79]

Must not have been meant to be.

[Postapocalypse Raven]

[quote name='feartheflock' timestamp='1332466193' post='1031731']
@purple_koolaid If you were our GM we'd be doomed every year.
[/quote]
I know thats right! Maybe the Orioles have been taking his advice all these years.