Ravens release then re-sign FB Vonta Leach

[Ravenseconbeast]

I under stand where you coming  from  but honestly nobody has seen KJ play full back yet at the nfl leve( hasnt even been much talk about him in otas) . I know he was a good fullback  in college  but thats nothing like the nfl .  Some people say the fullback postion is a dying breed well that may be true but they still are very important to have  especially if they good at what they do. The release of leach( which is not offical by the way)  sucks  and overall I hope KJ can handle his own especially gets solid defenses

yep

 

he has a big shoe to fill.   plenty of high draft FB's past few years that's done nothing for their team.   FB position might be a bit dimished in today's game, but it still requires skills.   

 

Juice is from harvard...hardly a competitive outlet to evaluate his true skill.  he needs to develop and fast to contribute and step in @ 2013

[mgridda]

True. I feel with Leach and Boldin we lost a lot of physicality on offense. I think we won most games in the post-season last season because we were more physical. I think Juice will be good, but I am saddened.

We won games because Flacco passed all over their defense and our offensive line blocked well. Without Flacco, we'd be 1-15. Without everyone else, we'd still probably make the playoffs. 

[LordRavens]

We won games because Flacco passed all over their defense and our offensive line blocked well. Without Flacco, we'd be 1-15. Without everyone else, we'd still probably make the playoffs. 

Flacco and Ray Rice 

[AsianRice]

I saw it coming from miles away; good luck Leach and thanks for your 2 great years of hard hitting service......

[ghost1986]

We won games because Flacco passed all over their defense and our offensive line blocked well. Without Flacco, we'd be 1-15. Without everyone else, we'd still probably make the playoffs. 

I'm not saying Flacco wasn't part of it or even that he wasn't the reason we got there. I'm just saying he and the rest of the team were more physical than other teams. When he'd take a hit, he didn't whine about it like Brady. But Boldin and Leach were two of the most physical offensive players. I'm gonna miss Leach's love of trucking LB's. I feel like Juice can get the job done and is going to be a nightmare for O coordinators around the league, but Leach will be missed. His Thanksgiving game against the 9ers was so awesome. He manhandled Willis most of the game.

[Ravenseconbeast]

We won games because Flacco passed all over their defense and our offensive line blocked well. Without Flacco, we'd be 1-15. Without everyone else, we'd still probably make the playoffs. 

stupid statement.

 

we won b/c of the whole team.   every starter to depth in every position had their fingerprint to win games and the SB for us.

[Jitamon]

This is the first move that my gut instinct says is bad.. I do not agree with releasing Leach. This is all about the $$$$ and I hope this does not bite the team in the A$$.. I hope n pray he stays. 

[dhstandard]

The only way I would accept this if the coaches came out and said they were impressed with Juszczyk enough that they felt they could move on from Leach without missing a beat. 

 

Can anyone figure out how cutting Leach wasn't thought of in the first place when we couldn't get Boldin to restructure? 

 

I think it's obvious?  Juice can be used in the passing game more than Leach and it's what the league is geared towards now.  If this was 10 years ago I'm sure he wouldn't have been cut.

 

I like Leach, but even with how good he was at his position, it's not as important in today's league which sucks because he embodies toughness.  

[dhstandard]

This is the first move that my gut instinct says is bad.. I do not agree with releasing Leach. This is all about the $$$$ and I hope this does not bite the team in the [profanity deleted].. I hope n pray he stays. 

 

He's a fullback dude.  It won't make or break the team.  Rice may suffer a little, but Juice opens up the passing game more out of the I-Formation which will help our passing and run game.

 

I loved Leach because of how tough he was and his big hits, but as far as importance to the team position-wise (not counting leadership etc.) this move was a no-brainer.  

[Jitamon]

He's a fullback dude.  It won't make or break the team.  Rice may suffer a little, but Juice opens up the passing game more out of the I-Formation which will help our passing and run game.

 

I loved Leach because of how tough he was and his big hits, but as far as importance to the team position-wise (not counting leadership etc.) this move was a no-brainer.  

I know he is a fullback. I know he does make or break this team. I just felt in my gut this was the wrong guy to give up. I know we need the $$, I am aware of our cap issues. I just really feel we need that toughness.

[RobFuseRaven]

I under stand where you coming  from  but honestly nobody has seen KJ play full back yet at the nfl leve( hasnt even been much talk about him in otas) . I know he was a good fullback  in college  but thats nothing like the nfl .  Some people say the fullback postion is a dying breed well that may be true but they still are very important to have  especially if they good at what they do. The release of leach( which is not offical by the way)  sucks  and overall I hope KJ can handle his own especially gets solid defenses

 

Maybe the Ravens liked what they saw enough in OTAs to be comfortable releasing Leach. Furstenburg is a good blocker too.

[SeaHawk]

I got to thinking about some things last night, and here are two of my conclusions.

 

1) Different offensive coordinators = different philosophies= different personnel. Cam was conservative (and bad at it, but still he was more conservative than Caldwell), whereas Caldwell has a spread it out mindset. Leach is a mauler, Juice is more of a spread guy. Juice fits the Caldwell philosophy better, and is much younger, which also fits what we've been doing all offseason, getting younger. Also, the Colts hardly ever used a fullback, and many times, they used a DT as a fullback on the goal line/short yardage plays. Anyone remember Klecko??

 

2) Rice is better at spread plays than power plays, so this also maximizes his potential in that regard, knowing that we have a FB who can spread the D out with his versatility. I see him doing just as well as before.

[Rav'n Maniac]

I'm curious to see what the terms of the offer was. Has anyone heard anything? Either way Leach was a Raven and will remain forever linked to us. Sorry to see him go and wish all the best...We roll on!

[Gordo52]

It didn't bother me the first time I saw it, but how come the jersey doesn't say "O B A M A" on the back???

Mr. President? Weak. Very weak.

I heard somewhere it was a sign of respect?

[plesiosaur]

I think the writing was on the wall when this happened.

 

 

There just aren't enough 44's to go around.

 

I don't think our president will be quite as effective at fullback as Leach.  He does come with secret service protection tho so as long as he stays near Flacco...

[jdynamite]

I knew there was a slim chance that we would carry 2 FBs all season, but I became hopeful that Leach and Ravens would workout a restructure because IMO Leach and Yanda bring the toughness to the Offense.

[izvoodoo]

I knew there was a slim chance that we would carry 2 FBs all season, but I became hopeful that Leach and Ravens would workout a restructure because IMO Leach and Yanda bring the toughness to the Offense.

Our offense took off when we spread it out, and ran behind our guards.  It helped match Boldin up with linebackers and safeties, which is what propelled the offense.

[izvoodoo]

I don't think our president will be quite as effective at fullback as Leach.  He does come with secret service protection tho so as long as he stays near Flacco...

You know I just realized they gave him 44 because he's our 44th president...

[Ravensfan23]

Our offense took off when we spread it out, and ran behind our guards.  It helped match Boldin up with linebackers and safeties, which is what propelled the offense.

 

This is what Flacco has been begging for the last 3 seasons and Caldwell finally allowed him to do it. I can't see this changing any. This offense will be spread out and aggressive. They are gonna rival offenses like the Pats, Packer and Saints. The only difference imo will be that the Ravens will be much more balanced and a strong defense for support.

[Guest Mr. Nobody]

now Nicks just reported to the Giants' camp - all of a sudden - wouldn't that be nice for him to be there for a trade?!

[DMH_in_WA]

$4.3million for a FB in today's NFL, I don't see it.    I loved his hard hitting and fierceness, but not at that price.  I just wonder if he really thinks he's going to get anywhere near that from another team.  Will be interesting to see if anyone bites.   Especially considering all but something like 2 FB's in the NFL make less than $1.5million in 2013.

 

Thinking about it, both Miami and Cleveland have a ton of money left on the cap ... I could see either giving him a stupidly large contract.  They've shown they have no problem being ridiculous with the salaries.

[SecretAgentMan]

now Nicks just reported to the Giants' camp - all of a sudden - wouldn't that be nice for him to be there for a trade?!

I would LMAO if we managed to pull off such a trade

[Guest Mr. Nobody]

I would LMAO if we managed to pull off such a trade

 

a 2nd, 5th and Leach should do it... and we'll get that 5th back as compensatory

[display name]

I think we need blockers more than pass catchers. I hope Juice can do that too. I'll miss Leach and his style. It would be nice to know the details of the contract negotiations, so we know whether or not Leach was being greedy.

I really want this team to keep the physicality. I am confident about our backfield even after Leach left. I must admit that he was expendable. But this lets you know that the game is changing. I hope the old-school Ravens do their best to resist that change.

[display name]

$4.3million for a FB in today's NFL, I don't see it.    I loved his hard hitting and fierceness, but not at that price.  I just wonder if he really thinks he's going to get anywhere near that from another team.  Will be interesting to see if anyone bites.   Especially considering all but something like 2 FB's in the NFL make less than $1.5million in 2013.

 

Thinking about it, both Miami and Cleveland have a ton of money left on the cap ... I could see either giving him a stupidly large contract.  They've shown they have no problem being ridiculous with the salaries.

And ridiculous salary teams usually don't win. I just hate when players leave because they think somebody else will give them something more. Watch. Leach will get the same amount of money that the Ravens WOULD HAVE given to him, and he will probably end up with a less successful team. smh

[CalvinSmoke]

Bernard Pierce will miss him the most he was really good at reading Vonte 's block, planting his foot and bursting through the whole. Hopefully he'll be fine in single back formations.

[Ed_Reed20]

Bernard Pierce will miss him the most he was really good at reading Vonte 's block, planting his foot and bursting through the whole. Hopefully he'll be fine in single back formations.

 

Pierce will be fine. He runs a lot like Arian Foser and we saw the latter thriving in single-back sets even when Leach was blocking for him in Houston. 

[codizzle]

You know I just realized they gave him 44 because he's our 44th president...

Nothing gets past u huh?

[Ed_Reed20]

Nothing gets past u huh?

 

Nothing gets past you either, huh?

[bMore Heathen]

The FB position was vital to Cam's offense. I remember a couple of years ago when LeRon McClain went down, we couldn't do anything...

Caldwell uses a lot more 3 WR and 2 TE sets, so the FB is not essential. The only way this is a terrible move is if we waste the roster spot on a 3rd QB or something. As long as it makes room to keep a good player, I'm on board!!!