149 replies to this topic

[dhstandard]

So apparently the majority of people on this forums don't actually read the post but just respond to the title.

I never said we were giving up this season per say. I simply stated that Ozzie has decreased our chances of winning in the next 2 years in order to give young guys an early head start and free up cap space for the future.

I'm done.

Edited by dhstandard, 13 March 2013 - 07:02 PM.

[horus13corvineus]

i just think we're re-tooling

[melvinmelon123]

Trust me, no player on this team is going to give up. I fully expect our streak of playoff appearances to continue, the Ravens lose players every offseason and people freak out. This year we are just losing a bit more because of Ray's retirement.

[arnie_uk]

We aren't giving up Per se, but we are definitely ripping the band aid off in one full swoosh...

[redrum52]

I think its getting young guys reps and preparing to resign guys for the future as well. Torreys contract is almost up, Oher done next year, McPhee and Pitta just to name a few. On a good note I thinksl Suggs contract is over in 15 or 16 which takes a lot of money off the books. Rice and Ngatas contract should also significantly lower by then as well.

[T3hRaven]

Maybe we'll be in good position to get a real LT next year, or maybe we'll make the playoffs again. I don't know, but I didn't expect us to repeat anyways. This franchise needs a rebranding now that Ray Lewis has left, it's going to take some time to make this fully Joe's team.

[RavensFanInCA]

We've been boosting up with Offense to be able to carry the Defense and now it's time for that to happen while we hopefully start building up the Defense again.

[INRavensgirl]

Haven't even played a game yet and you're already asking if the organization is giving up?? *rolling eyes*

The organization has their reasons and they have plans, even if WE can not see or it seems to us that there's no plan in place. I TRUST IMPLICITLY that the organization has learned from the mistakes made after our last Lombardi. I'm as shocked as anyone else about Pollard and Boldin's departures but I still believe whether anyone else does or not.

[Ravenseconbeast]

Things didn't fall in place as our FO expected.

Right from the start of this season:

we were trying to give flacco 16mill p.year avg offer - didn't happen
we were trying to have Anquan shave 2mill off - didn't happen
we were trying to get Ellerbe back - didn't happen

so now, our FO's are adjusting day to day on what fits our need to keep the train moving forward. So no, 'giving up next season' plan was not in place. Also this mutineer b.s. that mike preston is rambling about is ridiculous.

We were tight on the cap and we had a small window of opportunity to fit things in place. It just didn't happen.

This FA market is not over for us. Our FO will set a plan and get it right.

Edited by Ravenseconbeast, 13 March 2013 - 06:42 PM.

[theFRANCHISE]

False.

No one enters a season with the expectation of losing intentionally. Also, consider that this is merely the first real week of the offseason in which transactions can occur -- in other words, there's a long way to go until the games are played.

This happens every year. You can point to as many big names as you want, but at the end of the day, that's just our emotion talking -- the Ravens lose players in the offseason all the time, only to reload every single year.

[Ravens<3]

Not even 2 days into the new league year.

No we're not giving up, that's crazy.

[SecretAgentMan]

I was waiting for a thread like this.... And I think the negs, and angry mob of logical board members will speak for themselves..

We have young players who have done one thing that most young teams have not done. Win a SB.

We'll be playoff contenders. Watch Ozzie pull off an amazing trade. I think he trades into the top 15 to go get a LT, or FS.

Upshaw, Smith, Thomphson, Pierce, Ngata, Suggs, Flacco, Rice, Pitta, Torrey

is a sold core. With additions to be added still.

Let me say it like this.

We signed a criminally underrated Dlinemen in Canty to play the Ngata position to put Ngata at NT. Filling a major need.

Our Dline is a great mix of young talent, Star power, and veteran experience.

Oh, and Ngata at NT permanently could be lethal.

Upshaw is an up and coming LB. He stops the run really well, and is getting better as a pass rusher.

McClain, is an average MLB. Which is ok. Nothing wrong with average.

Suggs if he returns to full form is the best OLB in the NFL.

Oh, and we are also persuing James Harrison, who if we get.... Could be an amazing pass rush.


Webb is established as one of the five best DBs in the NFL. He's fine
Corey is a great slot corner.
Chykie is a good CB in general

Jimmy is a wild card. We are going to need him to become the player we thought he was.... He has a chance to be better than Webb. If he becomes shutdown, look out.


Reed is a tough loss. We will give Thomphson a chance. Hell, maybe Omar Brown.

SS is a huge need.
As is MLB.....


Yeah, I think we'll be fine

[black blood purple passion]

Even Jacksonville thinks they have a shot at the superbowl. So why wouldn't we?

[PuRock]

Not even 2 days into the new league year.

No we're not giving up, that's crazy.

Exactly. We aren't giving up. Let's wait a bit and play some games. We have yet to get into Ozzie's time of free agency, or draft, or who knows what.

We just signed Flacco and Rice to long deals and they are in their prime. We have Torrey. Let's not forget Suggs, Webb, Ngata, Jacoby, Yanda, Leach, etc.

The season is young and we are only beginning. Cutting the fat (by not overpaying them). Just more of the same.

[EnVy_CaLiBeR]

Give up?

We have a great QB, an elite RB, young weapons on offense with Jones, Smith, Pitta, and Dickson. Even on defense, we still have Suggs, Ngata, Webb, Upshaw, Graham, McPhee, Jones, and now Canty which is a great nucleus to build around. We were still an average defense last year even with all those guys that we lost. Retooling around that young group is the way to go. Not to mention, you think that they're cutting all of these guys with no plan to improve? Give it some more time.

[da vegas raven]

I think by our standards YES...I feel like Ozzie always tried to put together a superbowl team every single year and if we failed we failed but he always feels when he says the team is done that it is superbowl ready I think this year we will have a compete type of team where we aren't the browns or some thing but not the favorites to win the division...pretty much I feel Ozzie will look at this team when done and say ok y'all should be able to compete for the division at worst a wildcard as where before it was ok y'all should compete for superbowl and we just "failed" and earned a wild card... I don't however feel its a who cares let Ed go alone with everyone else and end up in the top 5 or 10 in the draft type thing Ozzie is not dumb he knows what he is doing

[INRavensgirl]

Things didn't fall in place as our FO expected.

Right from the start of this season:

we were trying to give flacco 16mill p.year avg offer - didn't happen
we were trying to have Anquan shave 2mill off - didn't happen
we were trying to get Ellerbe back - didn't happen

so now, our FO's are adjusting day to day on what fits our need to keep the train moving forward. So no, 'giving up next season' plan was not in place. Also this mutineer b.s. that mike preston is rambling about is ridiculous.

We were tight on the cap and we had a small window of opportunity to get things fit in place. It just didn't happen.

This FA time imo is not over for us. Our FO will set a plan and get it right.

For once.....I agree with something you say! Has heck frozen over?

[nextgen_RavensFan]

Bare with me on this. I think Ozzie and Co. expected us not to return to the Super Bowl this season. A lot of our guys left and we have some pretty big cap issues ahead. It really explains the release of Boldin and Pollard. While we may not save much this year by losing them, we do save in the long run and in 2014 (mainly from Pollard).

If Ozzie didn't expect to resign Pollard we would be starting younger guys anyways. So by releasing them a year early we won't need to struggle with cap in 2014 AND the most important part, the young guys get a year head start.

Boldin and Pollard probably had 2 years left with the team at most. If Ozzie didn't expect us to return to the Super Bowl, it makes sense that we would give guys like Christian Thompson, Omar Brown, and Ighedibo a chance to get some regular season time. That way after this season (which we probably expected to be one and done) we wouldn't have cap issues and the young guys would already have gotten experience.

I don't mean Drown for Clowney. But it seems like we rushed the youth movement in order to limit our major cap hits in the coming years, and get a jump start on teaching the youngsters.

I would not say we are sacrificing the season as it will only get worse the next 2 seasons. I do think Oz Man has something brewing and it will astound us all. He has to doesn't he ? I think at this point he should also drop Cody, D. Reid and Dixon. Since Polard is gone which was just a little over 1 mill on the cap why not drop the mill in pounds that is the waste of space we call Cody and the guys that cannot hold onto the ball in Dixon and Reid.

[wademan2636]

i dont think we're "giving up." however, i think the whole point of doing this is to get younger, faster, and more energetic so we can compete much better. we're trying to create a new era of ravens football.

[Ravenseconbeast]

For once.....I agree with something you say! Has heck frozen over?

at least that's a start