[News] Ravens Evaluating Free-Agent Pass Rushers

[Ravensfansince03]

Everyone was saying how deep and talented we were at wide out, then wk1 comes, Joe doesn't even have time to blink let alone complete a pass, and now everyones saying how bad we need receivers. Let the offense and line get in rhythm, protect Joe and watch this Offense br stout. Hard to judge the offense when your QB can barely get the ball out quick enough.

 

Exactly, when we first got Kubiak and he converted the offense to the run block scheme, people were  furious as our offense first struggled. Later down the road people said "the best thing to ever happen to our offense" when mentioning him.

 

I feel its the same with Trestman, down the road this offense should get in Rhythm. Denver has a pretty darn good defense but I see this offense growing from that. It was an excellent first test if you ask me.

[reed20fence]

John Abraham is 37 years old, Lord have mercy!

He's so old the Bible refers to him as "that other Abraham."

Anyways, lame jokes aside, I think the bigger team need right now is deep threat speed at the wideout position and KR/PR. We need to trust Upshaw and crew to hold down the fort for now and use Suggs' vacated spot on offense.

I'll be honest I kinda rolled my eyes when some guys threw out Cordarell Patterson' s name a week ago, but watching the Vikes tonight, they're struggling on O and special teams and still, Patterson is nowhere to be seen. (I mean I can't even spot the guy on the sideline). He may be a young guy locked in a cheap rookie contract, but clearly they don't value his talents right now. Zimmer is a big "doghouse" guy so it may be the right time to strike a deal for a 4th and/or 5th. Yeah he sucks on the route tree but maybe a change of scenery will be healthy for all sides?

Edit: ofcourse 2 mins after posting that, guess who's on KR duty?

Edited September 15, 2015 by reed20fence

[Ravensfansince03]

Funny that Za'darius Smith is listed as 275lbs. But Suggs is listed at 260lbs lol That can't be right

[runcontrol]

Jarrett Johnson is in Baltimore right now, and he was coaching intern over the summer so he knows what the defense will be doing this season. Let's see if they can convince him to come out of retirement.

[ravens4life86]

As far as Sizzle replacement, void filler. Im perfectly fine with a Upshaw/Zdarius Smith combo.

However this team needs explosive WR immediately!! I just looked at remaining free agents, you have a couple vets who have burner ability. Donnie Avery 31 yrs young, 36 yr old Santana Moss. Or make a trade mid to late round pick for a vet WR like a James Jones type who they should have signed and now will ball out for my other team the Pack.

[RaRaRavens]

Other than Trestman looking like Cam Cameron 2.0 with his play calling, losing Suggs was the worst part about the first game. That being said, I actually think that losing his leadership, player depth, and game changing factor that opposing offenses must game plan against hurts us more than his actual every-down playing ability.

 

What I mean by that is he was out of shape this off-season and he probably hadn't shaken off all this rust yet + he's in the latter years of his career and said it himself that he's not Suggs the DPOY anymore. So his injury might actually be a blessing in disguise for this defense going forward.

 

Sure, the opposing O-lines will now focus solely on Dumervil, so he can probably forget about setting the sack record. But that will give younger guys like Smith, Upshaw and maybe someone else, maybe a FA pickup, a lot more opportunities to make their mark and get valuable reps.

 

Remember when Lewis got injured on his last season? He looked old and slow against the run that season, and could not cover most TE-s anymore. Then he went down and seemingly out of nowhere came this depth player called Ellerbe who proved to be an upgrade over Lewis at MLB, at least from every-down standpoint.

 

Of course this doesn't mean we'll have the same success at pass rush like we did last year and we will definitely miss Suggs and his leadership a great deal, just that it might not be as bad as it seems at first glance. However, rest of the D-line must find a way to stay healthy. Especially Jernigan.

Edited September 15, 2015 by RaRaRavens

[stampedehero]

ZZZZZ can do it.  Just like McPhee and Mosley excelled so can the Zman. 

[OrganisedChaos2]

No idea how much cap we have but grab Freeney and a deep threat if possible, we can't go several weeks waiting for Perriman, we still don't even know if he's good as well.

[stampedehero]

Other than Trestman looking like Cam Cameron 2.0 with his play calling, losing Suggs was the worst part about the first game. That being said, I actually think that losing his leadership, player depth, and game changing factor that opposing offenses must game plan against hurts us more than his actual every-down playing ability.

 

What I mean by that is he was out of shape this off-season and he probably hadn't shaken off all this rust yet + he's in the latter years of his career and said it himself that he's not Suggs the DPOY anymore. So his injury might actually be a blessing in disguise for this defense going forward.

 

Sure, the opposing O-lines will now focus solely on Dumervil, so he can probably forget about setting the sack record. But that will give younger guys like Smith, Upshaw and maybe someone else, maybe a FA pickup, a lot more opportunities to make their mark and get valuable reps.

 

Remember when Lewis got injured on his last season? He looked old and slow against the run that season, and could not cover most TE-s anymore. Then he went down and seemingly out of nowhere came this depth player called Ellerbe who proved to be an upgrade over Lewis at MLB, at least from every-down standpoint.

 

Of course this doesn't mean we'll have the same success at pass rush like we did last year and we will definitely miss Suggs and his leadership a great deal, just that it might not be as bad as it seems at first glance. However, rest of the D-line must find a way to stay healthy. Especially Jernigan.

Suggs had the leadership and desire to propel himself against any offensive player.  Saying the situation may not be bad should be a cautious one at least until this road trip is over. I agree with you that if any more D players go down then we would have a massive problem. However, we all should stay positive as 15 more games are on the horizon.  

[TheSim]

Seems obvious. Thats why I still say that the question is not whether and with whom we can "replace" him, but whether and how Pees can adjust the D to minimalize the adverse effects of Sizzle's loss. I like Pees much better than most Ravens-fans, so I'm confident he will find a way to make Sizzle's absence hurt as little as possible... For it's gonna hurt us, no doubt about that. But I beleive Pees can do what can possibly be done.

 

Seems obvious, and yet Mike "I don't know how I got this job either" Preston has a whole article about how Suggs is basically overrated and totally replaceable.  Sigh.

[stampedehero]

No idea how much cap we have but grab Freeney and a deep threat if possible, we can't go several weeks waiting for Perriman, we still don't even know if he's good as well.

Perriman has a mystery injury.    None of us has been informed.  Since 7/30, his status is shrouded in secrecy.

[stampedehero]

Seems obvious, and yet Mike "I don't know how I got this job either" Preston has a whole article about how Suggs is basically overrated and totally replaceable.  Sigh.

Preston writes non fiction for the food channel.  He is not a football player.  IMO I think he has no valid opinion

[rmcjacket23]

Jarrett Johnson is in Baltimore right now, and he was coaching intern over the summer so he knows what the defense will be doing this season. Let's see if they can convince him to come out of retirement.

To do something he was never good at doing to begin with?

[Ravens_Flock]

Bringing in aging veterans who are washed up is not the answer. You simply cannot replace what a healthy Suggs brought to the table. There's a reason he was a 6 time pro bowler and one of the best OLBs in the league, arguably THE most well-rounded against both the run and the pass. Upshaw is going to get his chance to play more against the pass now, and Smith will be activated to take on a "McPhee" type role. I also think that using Albert McClellan as an OLB again this season, which was his original position, is a good call. He's a solid ILB backup, but I think he showed that he can rush the passer, and he's already proven to be decent against the run. We don't need any outside personell. Activate poor Arthur Brown and have him take McClellan's backup ILB spot, and play special teams. And if you want to fill Suggs' roster spot? Get Asa back on the active roster and let him return kicks. We could always use the depth at CB, whether some people like him or not, and he was the best, most explosive return option we had. Yes, he needs to not fumble, but he also has shown an ability to break off some great runs. I'd rather have a guy that trips up and gets us at their 10 yd. line, than to get a 36 year old man who fair catches it and is supposed to be our "number one WR" doing it.

[DENNYK]

We don't need to panic. We have talent that can step up. As for Mike Preston being such a naysayer, he is a reporter and we all know they are full of themselves and opinions. Read his articles and take them at face value. Preston has always been quick to judge and his weekly report card grades are actually humorous to me. We have to take it one game at a time and allow the guys to meld as a unit. I am more concerned with the O-line then any other aspect of the team at this point. We should be looking for some help in that area of free agency Then again, that is just my opinion. I am sure that Ozzie and Eric are deep into that area already.

[RaRaRavens]

Suggs had the leadership and desire to propel himself against any offensive player.  Saying the situation may not be bad should be a cautious one at least until this road trip is over. I agree with you that if any more D players go down then we would have a massive problem. However, we all should stay positive as 15 more games are on the horizon.  

That's what was my point. I've seen comments with the mindset that this season is now lost, because our D is worthless without Suggs and we might as well tank the season. After ONE GAME! The over dramatic fans in this place sometimes make me laugh. 

Sure, Suggs might have had another season of the ages, at the same time, we might find a true superstar gem in the dirt because of his injury, a star for the future. 

It sucks to lose Suggs, but I for one am not losing hope. We'll live and see, how this turn out.

[ReginaldColeman1]

Got to start seeing the positive and introducing the future.

[FastEddie]

I was really disappointed at first, but than reality set in. Suggs was already talking retirement coming sooner than later and I don't think we have his replacement on the team yet...but will be thrilled if I'm wrong and can see Upshaw/Z.Smith fill the void.

 

At least with Suggs going down, we get the chance to see what life will be like without him..

 

May need to hit this position early in the draft next year if things dont pan out.

[The Greek]

sign the best available free agent pass rusher because there could be more injuries and we do not want to be stuck with the worst available free agent

[stixfix69]

Can we sign the best available LT?

[ReginaldColeman1]

My question is I've seen Rodgers rifle the ball to Nelson, but Joe rarely has that play in his book. Marlon is good on the over the shoulder sideline pass. Why not more of those? Which brings up the level of success of the EZ attempts. When I see highlights of Bryant in the EZ it's usually one on one. Not three on one. And Smith had the unenviable position of being a few feet below the line of sight with a hand in his face. Highly predictable outcomes. Where's the play with a move that throws the safety or corner in the wrong direction? I'll take Wagner and Yanda anytime. Not so sure about KO and Monroe against the best. Blame the injuries but they're not at the same level.

[runcontrol]

To do something he was never good at doing to begin with?

A. it was a joke

B. I think he was better than what people give him credit for,  Watch some of Suggs sacks, There were a lot of them that he was like half a footstep behind him, So he is probably better than Upshaw

[Dorota]

The one positive thing is, that management will have time to evaluate whether Upshaw is a player that we need to keep or whether to get started early on the OLB scouting. That's better than if Upshaw becomes too expensive, but we don't know how important he is to us, or on the other hand, if we invest in him, only to find out that he cannot take up Suggs position on the same level.

[RavenManiac#7]

If they are so impressed with Zadarius Smith, why didn't he dress Sunday? We need more help than that. I think Smith will be a very good linebacker one day, but it will take a while. We need to find someone with experience, success as a pass rusher, and some gas left in the tank. Bring in the right guy, Ozzie. And all these people on here Now asking for a wr; a couple of thoughts. Perriman Will play this year and he Will help. Some of us have been calling for a TRUE NFL #1 for a Very long time. And, finally, the way our OL played Sunday I'm not so sure Any wr would have helped all that much. Joe had NO time to throw. Yet he Still nearly pulled it out, if SSS had caught the ball that hit his hands and helmet. I realize that the defender did get his hand up high enough to obscure his vision momentarily, but a #1 makes that catch, which would have won the game. Even Steve said he should have caught it. I'm not saying it wouldn't have been a good catch, it would have, but #1s make that catch. SSS is Our #1 receiver but he's not an NFL caliber #1 receiver at this point of his career. It's admirable that SSS admitted that he should have caught it, but he wasn't being full of class only. He really should have caught that pass. The other receivers just can't consistently gain separation, never could, accept for Camp, and he doesn't get on the field very much. Not sure why. I think he's better than Aiken, and Brown.

[RavenManiac#7]

D played great, the O-Line failed us, i truly believe we need to move Urschel to LG and move KO to LT....

Honestly, I don't know if this is the answer, but it is Definitely worth, at the very least, looking at it in practice. I don't think that it's a big secret that Monroe has not been as advertised. When we got him, I thought we were getting, maybe not a beast, but a good, serviceable LT. I don't really think I've seen that. If this idea makes our OL better, great,. And it may even help with the problem we're going to have after this season signing both Yanda and KO. Ozzie won't want to spend what it would take to keep them both at the guard position, but if KO proves himself to be a serious upgrade at LT, we're looking at a totally different negotiation. Heck, at least see what it looks like in practice, huh?

[Moderator 3]

Can we sign the best available LT?

If the available LTs were better than what we have, they would have been signed. Good LTs don't wait around for jobs.

[steelcityraven]

Trade a draft pick to the Dolphins for Jared Odrick.... Or with Urschel on board does that make KO trade bait (we probably will not beable to sign both him and Yanda at the end of the year and if we don't we just lose him) but if we trade him now... Urschel can step in and play at a high level and we solve 2 problems. 1. Freeing up money next year to sign Yanda and 2. bringing in a quality pass rusher? I love KO but this may be a real option that helps the team now and next year!

[Puntit]

I don't think the old timers listed in this article are better than Doom, Mcleland, Upshaw and Smith each just getting more playing time. If we do pick up another OLB, maybe we should raid someone's practice squad as there's a decent chance Suggs, a 33 yo coming off an injury, may not ever be a Starter going forward. grooming another potential replacement behind Doom and Upshaw wouldn't be such a bad idea.

[cobrajet]

No idea how much cap we have but grab Freeney and a deep threat if possible, we can't go several weeks waiting for Perriman, we still don't even know if he's good as well.

I am not sure there is a decent FA deep threat WR on the market and teams willing to trade at this point in time will want a higher draft pick than the player is probably worth. Dallas is bringing in a whole slew of WR's including Nicks today since Dez is out for an estimated 10-12 weeks. They also may be looking at trades.

Edited September 15, 2015 by cobrajet

[cobrajet]

If the available LTs were better than what we have, they would have been signed. Good LTs don't wait around for jobs.

They are certainly high priority because they get signed just as quick as shutdown corners.