Can You Pinpoint A Weak Area On The Team?

[arnie_uk]

[quote name='awholelottahaloti' timestamp='1332895314' post='1036193']


Maybe I'm being naive, but I think Callahan's presence is going to make Cam shine.

There's always hope. [size=2]Right?[/size]
[/quote]
whos Callahan?

[Gtown Purple]

Does he mean Caldwell?

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1332953788' post='1036569'] whos Callahan?[/quote]

[arnie_uk]

[quote name='Gtown Purple' timestamp='1332953982' post='1036574']
Does he mean Caldwell?
[/quote]
i think so, i hope so lol

[EdReedFTW]

For a second I was hoping we got an assistant OC. Who can boot out our regular OC if he starts messing up. But yea I think he means our qb coach Caldwell

[CapoRocky]

[quote name='awholelottahaloti' timestamp='1332895314' post='1036193']


Maybe I'm being naive, but I think Callahan's presence is going to make Cam shine.

There's always hope. [size=2]Right?[/size]
[/quote]

Do you mean Bill Callahan ex-Raiders coach?

[da#1ravensfan]

Depth on the team is gone and the oline is the weakness of the team.

[baltravens]

[quote name='Ravensfan23' timestamp='1332810263' post='1035337']
That's not as easy as it sounds. Stop-gap options are usually your last resort. Very rarely can you lose quality-top of the line guys and quickly replace them. We've tried to replace JO, but its not that easy. The Ravens draft Gaither and Oher, both had first round talent. Gaither didn't have JO's work ethic and Oher doesn't have his natural talent. So where forced to bring in a stop-gap like McKinnie and hope he can give us 2-3 years. Why? Because top LTs usually go before the mid 20s where the Ravens normally pick.

Jason Brown was a pretty good Center, but thought he was worth more then we could offer. We saw him as a pretty good Center, the Rams saw him as one of the best. 3 full seasons later he was cut because of salary. Can't fault Ozzie for not matching that ridiculous contract. So we're forced to bring in a stop-gap like Birk.

We probably would have liked to have Birk replaced by now, but Chester wasn't the answer. We brought in a young guy last year who was pretty good in Ryan Bartholamew, but backup Centers don't usually make the final roster unless they are pretty good guards. We tried to stash him and the Cardinals snatched him up. I think he's starting for them now.

Grubbs is the next guy who we are forced to let go. The draft is pretty deep at G so well probably be able to land a starter and a decent backup as a UDFA.

So the Ravens have tried, the problem is, the oline is much like dominate pass rushers, teams just don't let the good ones hit the market. Then when quality guys do hit you gotta usually over pay and we know Ozzie doesn't do that much.
[/quote]
Good breakdown of our near past of the offensive line. You said, "The Ravens have tried... ." My point is we have not tried hard enough and should do a better job or have more of an emphasis on building/developing a powerful offensive line. This is the pros and IMO that will make us better than anyone in the AFC North for years to come and hopefully put us in a Super Bowl. Draft these sure-fire OL prospects early instead of in the 4th round and beyond.

[K-Dog]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1332953788' post='1036569']
whos Callahan?
[/quote]


I think he is selling hot dogs in section 525.
He has big plans for this season.

[BloodRaven]

Offensive line is by far the biggest problem area.

[cursona pirate]

[quote name='BloodRaven' timestamp='1332980073' post='1037169']
Offensive line is by far the biggest problem area.
[/quote]
yeah agree with you there, one day we have time to pass others we don't.

[wizard1]

Can anyone tell me in what universe does it make any sense to let Ben Grubbs walk over 3 mil. A player that we drafted in the first round and is one of the premier offensive lineman in the NFL. Also what kind of team are we that would let a player like Jarret Johnson go. He was the definition of what playing like a Raven is all about. No matter what we do we can never replace what he brought to the table. Our problem is placing too much faith in the decisions of the front office. Lets see I don't want to forget that we kept Cam Cameron at least we got him. sheesh are you freakin serious right now. fuggettaboutit!

[RivenHale]

[quote name='wizard1' timestamp='1332986250' post='1037246'] Also what kind of team are we that would let a player like Jarret Johnson go. He was the definition of what playing like a Raven is all about.
[/quote]

A team that recognizes when a player has given us all he could and it would make no sense to keep him. It was JJ's time; he knew it and everyone in the world knew it, if they were paying attention. He was fantastic, but not irreplaceable. Don't panic about JJ.

[The Raven]

[quote name='wizard1' timestamp='1332986250' post='1037246']
Can anyone tell me in what universe does it make any sense to let Ben Grubbs walk over 3 mil. A player that we drafted in the first round and is one of the premier offensive lineman in the NFL. Also what kind of team are we that would let a player like Jarret Johnson go. He was the definition of what playing like a Raven is all about. No matter what we do we can never replace what he brought to the table. Our problem is placing too much faith in the decisions of the front office. Lets see I don't want to forget that we kept Cam Cameron at least we got him. sheesh are you freakin serious right now. fuggettaboutit!
[/quote]

Because we have less than 4.6 mil in cap, and at the time didn't have ANY ILB depth

And, yes. JJ personified being a Raven. But is he really worth the contract he got? Again, cap room, and he's really not that good.

You really don't know how the cap works, do you?

Our problem is putting too much faith in the FO?

LOL What a freakin joke!

[wizard1]

If things were working as they are supposed to-we would already signed Rice and Flacco and freed up the space we needed. Why let them dangle out there? It's hurting the team-we need continuity - not this shuffling of the cards every year. I understand players come and go but some players should be untouchable i.e. ray lewis and ed reed and ngata et al. letting JJ go was a huge mistake and it just doesn't make any sense to draft players in the first round groom them to become all pros and let them go. The FO dropped the ball again. Its our weak spot. Can anyone tell me who is in charge here?

[ravensdfan]

[quote name='wizard1' timestamp='1332988018' post='1037261']
If things were working as they are supposed to-we would already signed Rice and Flacco and freed up the space we needed. Why let them dangle out there? It's hurting the team-we need continuity - not this shuffling of the cards every year. I understand players come and go but some players should be untouchable i.e. ray lewis and ed reed and ngata et al. letting JJ go was a huge mistake and it just doesn't make any sense to draft players in the first round groom them to become all pros and let them go. The FO dropped the ball again. Its our weak spot. Can anyone tell me who is in charge here?
[/quote]

The FO is in charge here, like always. What did you want them to do? They can't sit Flacco/Rice down and force them to sign whatever they offer. It is a negotiation and as such, takes time. A back and forth until both sides finally meet. I wish we'd get these 2 deals done as well, but can recognize that unless they want to pay Rice AP money (which his agent already said he wanted) and Flacco $15 mil a year (again, his agent's number) and be done, there is little they can do other than continue to talk. So what did you want them to do with JJ? We had no cap space to play with and IMO while I like him and feel he was a true Raven, he is not irrecplaceable.

[IMissMattStover]

We already know what the needs are, and we cant do anything anyway, so why worry about it. Let Ozzy handle it.[img]http://content.boards.baltimoreravens.com//public/style_emoticons/default/deadhorse.gif[/img]

[Ravenslifer]

[quote name='baltravens' timestamp='1332805964' post='1035250']
Yes sir!
Cease this stop-gap crap and finally establish a powerful line that we could finally ride by the legs of Rice and the arm of Flacco to the Super Bowl.
[/quote]

It's not easy. We thought we were getting a steal and potential long-term left tackle in Oher, but I think it's clear after this season that will never happen - he'll be a right tackle at best. We drafted 2 good guards, but unfortunately could only afford to pay one of them what he wanted. I agree we need to have a long-term solution at left tackle, but there's a reason that the two positions that historically bust the most are QB and left tackle - they're two of the hardest positions to evaluate in the draft. And left tackles don't hit the market that often - I guarantee that if the Vikings miss out on Matt Kalil they'll regret letting McKinnie go. I think the line will be much better next season than this season, but again that all depends on whether the players we draft pan out. I.E. if the FO drafts Mike Adams or Peter Konz in the first, and they bust, we've taken a step back. But we all know the front office will do it's very best - just remember last year Ozzie said he wanted to improve the run game - Rice had his best season as a pro this year, and it would have been better had Cam not taken the ball away from him in 4 games. This year Ozzie said offensive line was the number 1 need, and I think it will get taken care of.

[jdynamite]

For me a glaring need is at Kick Returner/ Punt Returner.... With David Reed recovering from injury and him having consistency issues this past season, I find the return game to be an issue.
- I want a returner that can handle both the Kick and Punt returns in the same way that Jermaine Lewis and BJ Sams once handled both returns for us.

Also I believe adding depth to various positions for development is key. OL, LB, S, DL. I believe that Arthur and McPhee will rotate and play great on the DL. I'm not concerned with Kruger playing the outside either ( is he JJ? No but I'm confident that the coaches and Ray will put him in position to succeed. ). I'm hoping that Kindle can also contribute this year, since he will know the playbook...

I've read a lot about Jah Reid possibly taking over LG, but before signing Mckinnie last season there was a chance that Reid would have been our starting RT opposite of Oher, so I'm thinking the OL should make a shift by moving Oher to LG and Reid to tackle. Oher's quickness could be utilized with pulling plays etc. playing inside would limit his false starts because he wouldn't have to worry about getting the jump on outside rushers.

[Tank 92]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1332953788' post='1036569']
whos Callahan?
[/quote]
[quote name='Gtown Purple' timestamp='1332953982' post='1036574']
Does he mean Caldwell?
[/quote]
[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1332954346' post='1036575']
i think so, i hope so lol
[/quote]


Sorry. Yes, I meant Caldwell.

[darklight1216]

I'll tell you the weak area: the fans!

We can't let the Black Hole win.

[url="http://www.nfl.com/features/bracketology/alltimeteams?round=6"]http://www.nfl.com/f...meteams?round=6[/url]

If you haven't voted, shame on you, but it's not too late to make up for it. We are currently trailing 55-45, but there's plenty of time (no, not enough that you can put off voting until later)

If you have voted: click the link, vote again, refresh.


On a more serious note: the Ravens ST tied a franchise record for most tds allowed this year didn't they? The offensive line obviously needs improvement as well.