Nobody mentions two years ago when talking loss of Dennis Pitta and Anquan Boldin

[5aiah]

I like what someone earlier said.  We may struggle early on, but once the new receivers are settled in, our offense could get hot at the right time.  I'm not totally in the dumps about our passing game, but I'm not really seeing a 4,000 yard, 30+ TD season from Joe either, not with the inexperience around him.

 

What we need is for a few guys to step in and give us some production piece by piece.  It's asking too much for one wide receiver other than Torrey to duplicate Boldins production by himself.  Dickson might duplicate or come close to Pitta's production, but we then need a second TE to catch maybe 20-30 passes.

 

If Joe can give us another 20+ TD season with about 3,700 or so yards with an improved defense and continued emphasis on the running game, we'll be just fine.  And I think he can and will.

Defintely. One guy I am looking at is Aaron Mellette if he makes the team. Once this guy gets an NFL body he is going do be a quality receiver, I swear. He is too slow for a speed receiver and WAY too weak for a rugged possession receiver but once he bulks up a bit and gains back his confidence he is going to be a guy who might not even be WR2 on the depth chart but will be a productive guy. I was one of the ones saying that later in the year is when we will really get rolling because we will know what we have and these guys(DT and Mellette) need more time on the field. Also another guy who needs to hit the weight room and just work his butt off in practice all year is Furstenburg. He has the speed,agility, and natural route running ability to catch 20-30 passes you speak of. The good thing is that by playoff time he could be a legit threat that teams will have to account for. My thing is, we need durability at a time like this and then even more so going into the playoffs.

[Gordo52]

why does the OL scare you?...

Big Mac, Gino, Oher. Concern would be a better word

[Sami84]

Big Mac, Gino, Oher. Concern would be a better word

 

Oher is a very good right tackle.

Gino will be fine

Bmac is still better then most when fit

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

This pretty much sums it up. It is actually quite different in terms of who we are looking to replace these guys with. Boldin was pro bowler and record breaker. Then like you said the TE situation is different as well. That being said its not time to panic but to rethink expectations so people don't fly off the handle(and say crap like bring in tyrod) when things don't go all spectacular.

Boldin WAS a pro bowler but before he came here. He never put up 1,000 yards here - and Torrey's production the past 2 years is on par with what Boldin did while here... And at the time no one was high on Torrey bc he was dropping everything. It was Boldin with a bunch of unprovens behind him.

Now boldins left, and Torrey will replace his production plus some an it's a bunch of unprovens behind him, but more proven than Torrey was at the time.

Now with the TE's, yes we were high on pitta and Dickson then - and we're even higher on Dickson now. Is he pitta? No. Can Dickson + (enter name here) match what pitta+Dickson could have this year? No. But that's not the comparison. Back then just heap left and we needed 1 guy to step up. That year it was Dickson. Now pitta is lost and we have a group of TEs to replace him. Dickson will come close and shiancoe will add some catches.

Btw, I don't think there's any way furstenberg and mellette see any playing time this year unless we are out of playoff contention.

[The Raven]

Yes, Mason and Heap were indeed let go because of aging and cap concerns. But the fact remains that we STILL had to rely on unknown players like Pitta, Dickson, and Torrey to fill the void. Yeah, we know they were on their last legs. But, it's a bold move to release two starters for unproven players. We made out alright, and we might make out alright again

[5aiah]

Boldin WAS a pro bowler but before he came here. He never put up 1,000 yards here - and Torrey's production the past 2 years is on par with what Boldin did while here... And at the time no one was high on Torrey bc he was dropping everything. It was Boldin with a bunch of unprovens behind him.

Now boldins left, and Torrey will replace his production plus some an it's a bunch of unprovens behind him, but more proven than Torrey was at the time.

Now with the TE's, yes we were high on pitta and Dickson then - and we're even higher on Dickson now. Is he pitta? No. Can Dickson + (enter name here) match what pitta+Dickson could have this year? No. But that's not the comparison. Back then just heap left and we needed 1 guy to step up. That year it was Dickson. Now pitta is lost and we have a group of TEs to replace him. Dickson will come close and shiancoe will add some catches.

Btw, I don't think there's any way furstenberg and mellette see any playing time this year unless we are out of playoff contention.

It isn't about yards as much as it is the first downs and clutch plays. What people aren't seeing is that its about the posession game being in jeopardy. All this bickering over whether Mason was losing it or Heap wasn't a big loss is really besides the point. The point is Joe will have to play in a much more explosive,exciting, but riskier system that will demand much more of him than before. He won't have a true blanket like previous years, he won't have the "sure hands" to look forward to. He doesn't have the guy who knows hes coming down with it as soon as it comes his way. He has guys who are faster and quicker and much more dangerous than any other time he has been here. At the same time they are much less reliable and confident and will take quite some time to fully gel. They aren't as strong and not as durable as well. This is less about the weapons for me and more about Joe. When he throws the perfect in route to Doss and he drops it on 2nd down and now its 3rd and long, is Joe ready to make the big play right after? Can he get his guys ready for the next play and will he trust that same guy when he is open or will he lean towards throwing somewhere else? Will he be accurate enough throwing to guys who aren't as good high pointing the ball and really using their bodies to shield the ball from the defenders. With Furstenburg and Mellette it is more about them getting into top shape and refining themselves throughout the year so that come playoff time they might be able to contribute. Btw the guys in front of them aren't the most durable and its actually likely they get time if they do their job and work on themselves before they get called up. Dickson has a hamstring injury which can nag you all season and Doss and Reed while not injury prone aren't very durable either. Seems like we are spoiled by Boldin and Torrey being able to get out there week in and week out. Not everyone is like that. But yeah back to the point, this isn't even about who Flacco has lost and all that, it is about what he's lost and how it forces him to take the next step as a QB

[mgridda]

 This is less about the weapons for me and more about Joe. When he throws the perfect in route to Doss and he drops it on 2nd down and now its 3rd and long, is Joe ready to make the big play right after? Can he get his guys ready for the next play and will he trust that same guy when he is open or will he lean towards throwing somewhere else? 

Well then you're in luck. If it's just about Joe then you already have your answer. Joe has already proven to be the kind of guy who will throw to, let's say Torrey Smith for a big play on 2nd down, Torrey dropped it, against let's say, Pittsburgh, and Joe will go right back and throw it to him again.

He does it often, actually.

[JoeyFlex5]

Big Mac, Gino, Oher. Concern would be a better word

big mac is an elite LT, hes played a whole season for us when he wasnt in shape, he can play a whole season for us when he is in shape and playing for incentives, his "overweight" problem is overblown, he comes into camp 5 lbs overweight and people think hes over 400 or something, some people are just heavier than others naturally, not to mention, reportedly, some of the weight he gained was from muscle as well, he will be fine. oher is a pro bowl caliber right tackle, hes terrible at left because theres too much thinking to do over there and youre dealing with the absolute best, on the right side, when he can just maul at players freely, he is a totally different monster. and gino.. nothing i can say there besides the fact that ive been sold on gino for a while now, but thats just me