2016 free agency

[Winchester]

Right? We've got 2 SB's since 2000. There are several franchises who don't even have a playoff win in that span.

And to those who say Ozzie has slipped recently... Then why are we among the top 3-4 winningest franchises since 2008, aka recently?

Recently we've been one of the models of success and consistency in a league built to not allow it, yet recently Ozzie hasn't been doing a good job.

Fans who think that would be miserable as a fan of every single team in every sport. This is football... It's not a science. The best at what they do aren't even close to perfect.

A SB and only 2-3 seasons where you're not competing for one every 10 years is absolutely incredible. INCREDIBLE. Especially for a relatively new expansion team.

I'm disappointed in this season but that's because I'm a fan and want to win. But I also recognize that the grass isn't greener practically anywhere. I can accept a down year as long as we're competing for a title again in the next 2-3 years and this current FO and formula has done exactly that over a span of 20 years.

There is NO ONE better for the job than Oz. And if you think otherwise, even in recent drafts/FA please show me the GMs with a better record, accounting for draft position and the cap space they had to deal with.

I'll wait.

Bengals,packers,patriots,jaguars,seahawks,steelers,Vikings,raiders,cowboys,cardinals to name some teams that have drafted far better than the ravens recently. Some of these teams the young talent has not yet translated to playoffs yet. Like the raiders and jags. But give them time the talent is there and gaining confidence. Their young talent is playing better and better while ravens fans are making excuses for young players such as fat maxx. As for the cap situation, that is Ozzie's hot mess!! And draft position is no excuse!! There is talent available at pick#21-26. And if Ozzie truly trusted his scouting skills and there was a player he liked, he could always traded up several spots to 17-20 spot. It does not take much to move up 6 spots in the draft. If Ozzie thought a round4 pick was more significant than a player he and his scouts liked and believed could be an elite player then that is on him!! It only costed a round3 pick to trade up 6 spots or so to select Joe Cool. And he did not want to do that. Biscotti had to order that move!! If Joe Cool would have been picked already, Ozzie was content picking the next QBs name out of the hat. Some good players fell to the ravens but they lost out on far more players like Dez, GRONK,Hopkins,Harrison Smith,Agholor by waiting for the hat to get to the ravens. Because Ozzie does not pursue players he and scouting believe in. He conservatively treats it like pick a name left in the hat. He does not have the brilliance to adjust his strategy accordingly to a draft board and free agent market. The bad drafting and bad signings is the reason they are 1-5 with needs at both olb spots,ilb,FS, 2 WRs,corner and left tackle. And center,guard a question mark entering free agency. Edited October 24, 2015 by Winchester

[-Truth-]

Didn't realize that playing well was an excuse.

[Winchester]

Didn't realize that playing well was an excuse.

Actually fat maxx did have an OK game. What I meant is he is not an elite TE and does not have the skill set to be Gronk,Gates or Graham like everybody is saying he does. He does not have speed or an extra gear to strike fear in defenses. He will be serviceable but not elite. I am harsh on fat maxx because he does have some athleticism working for him. If he reshaped his flabby bod he would gain a step of speed and perhaps even find that extra gear and be far stronger. He needs to lose about 15-20 lbs of fat and put on 15-20 lbs of muscle. He is leaving speed and athleticism on the table!! If he adopted Gronks work ethic in the training room and on the practice field he could potentially be a pro bowler. But be showed up with bad eating habits and bad work habits. And was culture shocked at the muscularity, speed and power of NFL players as opposed to that joke of a conference he played in college. He needs to be like Gronk. First on the practice field!! And a strict training and nutrition program. He acknowledged he needed to change his eating habits when he showed up at rookie camp. He could be a 1000 yard 10 td guy if he seriously dedicated himself to his craft and getting in shape.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Winchester

[FlackAttack]

Bengals,packers,patriots,jaguars,seahawks,steelers,Vikings,raiders,cowboys,cardinals to name some teams that have drafted far better than the ravens recently. Some of these teams the young talent has not yet translated to playoffs yet. Like the raiders and jags. But give them time the talent is there and gaining confidence. Their young talent is playing better and better while ravens fans are making excuses for young players such as fat maxx.

 maxx is looking pudgy out there on the field

[PurpleCity5]

I think the chances of us signing a pass rusher is very likely. This upcoming draft has a weak edge-rusher class, so I think that will heavily influence our decision in signing an OLB. I also see us signing more than one as well. 

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

For the love of Ray Lewis. Stop calling him fat Maxx. He's probably in better shape than you. Just saying. He's in shape. His game has never been speed. He's always been physical, had sure hands, and has a knack for getting open. And he's a good blocker. That's irony. You're correct. He does posses great athletic ability. But that always doesn't equate to pure speed.

Jee, that sounds very familiar in the NFL. A certain superstar and possible future HOF TE named.... IDK JASON WITTEN.

That's not to say(again, like Witten) he's slow. He's not. He's quicker than fast which can be a good thing, but he doesn't posses great long speed. But very few TEs do.

And no. He does not need to be like Gronk. Witten for many years was an elite TE. He's still great now. His game ages well. And Witten has a knack for doing all the right things.

But stop calling him fat Maxx. It's pointless because.

1. HE'S NOT FAT.

2. He's probably in better shape than literally any poster here(not a knock on us either. These NFL players are in insane shape and have high stamina).

3..... HE'S NOT FAT.

[Inqui]

Winchester....you remind me of a former poster named Pirate88 and he had some off the wall predictions and trade ideas like colt lyreia, josh Gordon and Justin Blackmon and also didn't know how to use paragraphs.... Just thought I'll say that

I'm pretty sure it is Pirate88 - that's one distinctive avatar and I'll just say that Winchester wasn't the first to use it, haha.

[Moderator 3]

I'm pretty sure it is Pirate88 - that's one distinctive avatar and I'll just say that Winchester wasn't the first to use it, haha.

Looks like a "name change". Pirate88 has left us and has been replaced by Winchester.

[rmcjacket23]

I think the method can still work because if you have a series of mediocre drafts than your young players aren't earning top second contracts from you and tying up your cap so you no longer have to just bargain shop.

At that point you can spend on proven FA's to carry you a couple years until you hit again and have a solid young core.

And that's the beauty of what he does.

But that implies that you'd be willing to offer a player who didn't perform up to his draft status a second contract.

 

If you do offer them a second contract, you turn into a team like the Dolphins. You can from being a team that drafted well to a team that was average in the draft, thus paying average players average contracts, and having to shop at the top of the market in order to avoid being an average team.

 

And eventually, you begin to believe that this is sustainable, which it obviously isn't.

Edited October 24, 2015 by rmcjacket23

[bMore Heathen]

Actually fat maxx did have an OK game. What I meant is he is not an elite TE and does not have the skill set to be Gronk,Gates or Graham like everybody is saying he does. He does not have speed or an extra gear to strike fear in defenses. He will be serviceable but not elite. I am harsh on fat maxx because he does have some athleticism working for him. If he reshaped his flabby bod he would gain a step of speed and perhaps even find that extra gear and be far stronger. He needs to lose about 15-20 lbs of fat and put on 15-20 lbs of muscle. He is leaving speed and athleticism on the table!! If he adopted Gronks work ethic in the training room and on the practice field he could potentially be a pro bowler. But be showed up with bad eating habits and bad work habits. And was culture shocked at the muscularity, speed and power of NFL players as opposed to that joke of a conference he played in college. He needs to be like Gronk. First on the practice field!! And a strict training and nutrition program. He acknowledged he needed to change his eating habits when he showed up at rookie camp. He could be a 1000 yard 10 td guy if he seriously dedicated himself to his craft and getting in shape.

He played at Minnesota, which is in the Big 10. I wouldn't call that a joke of a confrence.

[BSHU_Miami]

I'm pretty sure it is Pirate88 - that's one distinctive avatar and I'll just say that Winchester wasn't the first to use it, haha.

yep, he refused to change it lmao.

[52520Andrew]

Winchester....you remind me of a former poster named Pirate88 and he had some off the wall predictions and trade ideas like colt lyreia, josh Gordon and Justin Blackmon and also didn't know how to use paragraphs.... Just thought I'll say that

I was thinking the same thing last night, his profile is still there though as well, very curious

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

Bengals,packers,patriots,jaguars,seahawks,steelers,Vikings,raiders,cowboys,cardinals to name some teams that have drafted far better than the ravens recently. Some of these teams the young talent has not yet translated to playoffs yet. Like the raiders and jags. But give them time the talent is there and gaining confidence. Their young talent is playing better and better while ravens fans are making excuses for young players such as fat maxx. As for the cap situation, that is Ozzie's hot mess!! And draft position is no excuse!! There is talent available at pick#21-26. And if Ozzie truly trusted his scouting skills and there was a player he liked, he could always traded up several spots to 17-20 spot. It does not take much to move up 6 spots in the draft. If Ozzie thought a round4 pick was more significant than a player he and his scouts liked and believed could be an elite player then that is on him!! It only costed a round3 pick to trade up 6 spots or so to select Joe Cool. And he did not want to do that. Biscotti had to order that move!! If Joe Cool would have been picked already, Ozzie was content picking the next QBs name out of the hat. Some good players fell to the ravens but they lost out on far more players like Dez, GRONK,Hopkins,Harrison Smith,Agholor by waiting for the hat to get to the ravens. Because Ozzie does not pursue players he and scouting believe in. He conservatively treats it like pick a name left in the hat. He does not have the brilliance to adjust his strategy accordingly to a draft board and free agent market. The bad drafting and bad signings is the reason they are 1-5 with needs at both olb spots,ilb,FS, 2 WRs,corner and left tackle. And center,guard a question mark entering free agency.

If drafting "better" doesn't equate to winning, how exactly is it better?

And yes, the Bengals, Pats, And GB draft well. On par with us.

The Seahawks drafted well for a few years and built a championship core, but what meaningful players have they drafted since and before that short span??

Don't just rattle off teams, tell me which drafts and the picks that are better than what we've done. Then we can compare to our drafts.

But based on how you (over)value players I think that's an exercise in futility.

[Winchester]

For the love of Ray Lewis. Stop calling him fat Maxx. He's probably in better shape than you. Just saying. He's in shape. His game has never been speed. He's always been physical, had sure hands, and has a knack for getting open. And he's a good blocker. That's irony. You're correct. He does posses great athletic ability. But that always doesn't equate to pure speed.

Jee, that sounds very familiar in the NFL. A certain superstar and possible future HOF TE named.... IDK JASON WITTEN.

That's not to say(again, like Witten) he's slow. He's not. He's quicker than fast which can be a good thing, but he doesn't posses great long speed. But very few TEs do.

And no. He does not need to be like Gronk. Witten for many years was an elite TE. He's still great now. His game ages well. And Witten has a knack for doing all the right things.

But stop calling him fat Maxx. It's pointless because.

1. HE'S NOT FAT.

2. He's probably in better shape than literally any poster here(not a knock on us either. These NFL players are in insane shape and have high stamina).

3..... HE'S NOT FAT.

For an NFL TE he is fat. Witten was actually far faster than he looked. He to could have actually been more dangerous down the seam had he got in better shape. But MAX(notice I left fat out) looks like he is running in sand out there!! He is not quick or sudden. He may have been at his joke of a college division, but not the NFL. Do you think Gronk would be as fast and dangerous if he looked like MAX?? NEVER!! Gronk has been clocked at 19.99 mph this year. He is actually faster at 270 lbs than he was in college at 255. Because of his work ethic!! And MAX would be more sudden in his routes if he was not carrying around all that flab!! He would be tougher to bring down if he put on some quality muscle. I saw a Corner tackle him like he was a ragdoll couple games back. Gronk follows a strict training and nutrition program and is out to the practice field before Brady is. And the goal is a championship right?? Then he does have to be like Gronk. The ravens traded up for a dangerous playmaking TE!! Not A pudgy TE catching 5 yard glorified handoffs. I do know He showed up to camp with bad eating,workout and practice habits. He acknowledged he needed to train and practice more seriously and change his poor eating habits. He angered some coaches and rubbed them the wrong way because he was not already doing these things. Pitta has a great work ethic. Before his injury he looked like a WR running routes. MAX is nowhere near Pitta right now. But he could be if he got his pudgy body in shape!!

[OldToby]

Bengals,packers,patriots,jaguars,seahawks,steelers,Vikings,raiders,cowboys,cardinals to name some teams that have drafted far better than the ravens recently. Some of these teams the young talent has not yet translated to playoffs yet. Like the raiders and jags. But give them time the talent is there and gaining confidence. Their young talent is playing better and better while ravens fans are making excuses for young players such as fat maxx. As for the cap situation, that is Ozzie's hot mess!! And draft position is no excuse!! There is talent available at pick#21-26. And if Ozzie truly trusted his scouting skills and there was a player he liked, he could always traded up several spots to 17-20 spot. It does not take much to move up 6 spots in the draft. If Ozzie thought a round4 pick was more significant than a player he and his scouts liked and believed could be an elite player then that is on him!! It only costed a round3 pick to trade up 6 spots or so to select Joe Cool. And he did not want to do that. Biscotti had to order that move!! If Joe Cool would have been picked already, Ozzie was content picking the next QBs name out of the hat. Some good players fell to the ravens but they lost out on far more players like Dez, GRONK,Hopkins,Harrison Smith,Agholor by waiting for the hat to get to the ravens. Because Ozzie does not pursue players he and scouting believe in. He conservatively treats it like pick a name left in the hat. He does not have the brilliance to adjust his strategy accordingly to a draft board and free agent market. The bad drafting and bad signings is the reason they are 1-5 with needs at both olb spots,ilb,FS, 2 WRs,corner and left tackle. And center,guard a question mark entering free agency.

Forgive me if i have made a mistake. Posted this info in the ozzie topic, but saw that the people were discussing the front offices choices in this topic. Heres a list i put together of potential players that the Raven's fromt office could have drafted with our draft selections in the 2013 and 2014 drafts. Edited October 24, 2015 by OldToby

[OldToby]

2013 draft possibilities

1st Rd:matt elam(32)BAD

Darius slay (CB, Lions) (37)

Tank carradine (DE, 49ers) (40)

Robert woods (WR, Bills) (41)

Kiko alonso (OLB, eagles) (46)

Margus hunt (END, bengals) (53)

2nd Rd:arthur brown(56)BAD

Aaron dobson (WR, patriots) (59)

Eddie lacy (RB, Packers) (61)

Larry warford (G, lions) (65)

Tyrann mathieu (S, Cardinals) (69)

Keenan allen (WR, Chargers) (76)

3rd Rd: brandon williams(94) GOOD

4th rd: kyle juszczyk (130) GOOD

5th rd: ryan wagner (168) GOOD

6th rd ryan jenson (203) Depth

7th rd aaron mellette (233) Depth

[OldToby]

2014 draft possibilities

1st Rd: CJ Mosley (17) STAR*

Haha Clinton Dix (S, Packers) (21)

Jason verrett (CB, Chargers) (25)

Kelvin Benjamin (WR, panthers) (28)

Bradley Roby (CB, Broncos) (31)

Austin sefarian-jenkins (TE, Buccaneers) (38)

Jordan Matthews (WR, Eagles) (42)

Stephon Tuitt (End, Steelers) (46)

2nd Rd: Timmy jernigan(48) DECENT

Davantae adams (WR, Packers) (53)

Jeremy Hill (RB, bengals) (55)

Carlos Hyde (RB, 49ers) (57)

Allen Robinson (WR, Jaguars) (61)

3rd Rd: terrence brooks (79) DEPTH

Donte Moncrief (WR, Colts) (90)

John brown (WR, Cardinals) (91)

Jerick Mckinnon (RB, vikings) (96)

3rd Rd: Crocket Gilmore (99) GOOD*

Martavis Bryant (Wr, Steelers) (118)

Tre boston (S, Rams) (128)

Kevin pierre-louis(Olb, Seahawks) (132)

4th Rd: brent urban(134) Depth

4th Rd:Lorenzo taliaferro(138)Depth

Bene benwikere (Cb, Panthers) (148)

Aaron lynch (OLB, 49ers) (150)

Corey linsley (C, Packers) (161)

5th Rd: john Urschel (175) DECENT

Alfred blue (RB, texans) (181)

Anton Exum (S) (182)

7th Rd: Michael Campnaro 218 DECENT

[Winchester]

Looks like a "name change". Pirate88 has left us and has been replaced by Winchester.

Yes, I could not remember the numbers I used. I got busy with work and more work, spring arrived so I hit the gym more often and gf's family went through a political situation and i was to busy to post. I put that avy up there so somebody could remember.

[Tru11]

I'm pretty sure it is Pirate88 - that's one distinctive avatar and I'll just say that Winchester wasn't the first to use it, haha.

 

i was thinking that avatar was familiar but could not remember who it was.

 

good catch lol

[Tru11]

if maxx works on his run blocking he could very well end up having a similar career like witten or heath miller.

 

he looks and plays pretty similar like them.

 

id sign up for that.

[Tru11]

For an NFL TE he is fat. Witten was actually far faster than he looked. He to could have actually been more dangerous down the seam had he got in better shape. But MAX(notice I left fat out) looks like he is running in sand out there!! He is not quick or sudden. He may have been at his joke of a college division, but not the NFL. Do you think Gronk would be as fast and dangerous if he looked like MAX?? NEVER!! Gronk has been clocked at 19.99 mph this year. He is actually faster at 270 lbs than he was in college at 255. Because of his work ethic!! And MAX would be more sudden in his routes if he was not carrying around all that flab!! He would be tougher to bring down if he put on some quality muscle. I saw a Corner tackle him like he was a ragdoll couple games back. Gronk follows a strict training and nutrition program and is out to the practice field before Brady is. And the goal is a championship right?? Then he does have to be like Gronk. The ravens traded up for a dangerous playmaking TE!! Not A pudgy TE catching 5 yard glorified handoffs. I do know He showed up to camp with bad eating,workout and practice habits. He acknowledged he needed to train and practice more seriously and change his poor eating habits. He angered some coaches and rubbed them the wrong way because he was not already doing these things. Pitta has a great work ethic. Before his injury he looked like a WR running routes. MAX is nowhere near Pitta right now. But he could be if he got his pudgy body in shape!!

 

maxx just 21 years though.

 

he got enough time to do what seems best.

 

im pretty sure the coaches will recommend the best playing weight and give him any guidance he needs....

[balfan23]

Also, keep in mind that cutting guys like Webb and Pitta create significant dead money, and cutting basically anybody creates dead money.

 

Cutting Webb and Pitta alone, pre-June 1, creates $12.6M in dead money from those two players alone. Sure, you could cut post-June 1, but all you're doing is kicking the can down the road. I doubt the FO is interested in carrying an over $4M dead money cap hit to 2017 for a guy like PItta who basically hadn't played football in 2.5 years by that point. Besides, if he retires, I don't believe the Ravens have that option anyway.

 

We probably won't have as much dead money as we do this season (nearly $22M), but I'd still guarantee we will be north of $10M in dead money when its all said and done, and probably closer to $15M. Cutting those two guys alone will probably make $20M a realistic number.

I know a lot of people seem encouraged by how much dead money will go off our books after this year. What they are forgetting is what new dead money is likely to be thrown right back on our books when we try to form our 2016 squad. 

 

Pitta and Webb are a major issues, as it just doesn't appear that either can perform to the level of their contracts. Any decision on Pitta may be out of our hands, given he could still decide to retire. Webb is a tougher call, simply because of how desperate our needs are at CB.

 

I know cutting these guys would create a lot of dead money, but if they can't play with any regularity, their salaries are effectively even larger dead money, not to mention dead roster spots. 

 

Thankfully, the escalators on most of our vets aside from Flacco don't involve big jumps in 2016. Doom, Jimmy and Monroe all had their big jumps occur this past year. But no matter how you slice it, I think we're going to have cap issues due to dead money or money tied up in players who do not bring that value on the field for at least another year or two. 

[Winchester]

if maxx works on his run blocking he could very well end up having a similar career like witten or heath miller.

 

he looks and plays pretty similar like them.

 

id sign up for that.

Nope!! The goal is a prolific offense. And they want a TE that defenses fear for the scheme they wish to run. I want him to be comparable to Gronk!! Or at least Travis Kelce or Olsen or Cameron. My friends in the new England area laugh and rub it in how belicheat stole Gronk from Ozzie the wizard. I play like it does not bother me but it gets under my skin a little. He is actually not nearly as fast as a young witten. Witten was surprisingly fast. And I doubt he will ever be the blocker Heath Miller was. Miller was mediocre as a receiver actually. A little above average at best but did not strike fear in defenses. Max better really hit the weight room to block like Miller!!lol, I would prefer him tough and reliable over the middle, good after the catch and the speed and skill to make nfl defenses respect his deep speed and athleticism. And a functional blocker is fine. Much like Todd Heap. If he followed a strict training\nutrition program he could be much like Heap or Pitta. Like I said he does have some athleticism and savvy working. If he practiced his craft more diligently, dropped 15-20 lbs of flab and put on 15-20 lbs of muscle he would find that extra gear and be a top4 TE.

[Tru11]

Nope!! The goal is a prolific offense. And they want a TE that defenses fear for the scheme they wish to run. I want him to be comparable to Gronk!! Or at least Travis Kelce or Olsen or Cameron. My friends in the new England area laugh and rub it in how belicheat stole Gronk from Ozzie the wizard. I play like it does not bother me but it gets under my skin a little. He is actually not nearly as fast as a young witten. Witten was surprisingly fast. And I doubt he will ever be the blocker Heath Miller was. Miller was mediocre as a receiver actually. A little above average at best but did not strike fear in defenses. Max better really hit the weight room to block like Miller!!lol, I would prefer him tough and reliable over the middle, good after the catch and the speed and skill to make nfl defenses respect his deep speed and athleticism. And a functional blocker is fine. Much like Todd Heap. If he followed a strict training\nutrition program he could be much like Heap or Pitta. Like I said he does have some athleticism and savvy working. If he practiced his craft more diligently, dropped 15-20 lbs of flab and put on 15-20 lbs of muscle he would find that extra gear and be a top4 TE.

 

who goal is that?

[Winchester]

who goal is that?

The ravens organization. They want a juggernaut offense. Did they not use early round picks on WR and a TE?? Which is my point with Ozzie. Why didn't he trade up when much better prospects were available and actually BPA's?? He is not playing drafts strengths and is late and a step behind everything he does. He waits until WR is a desperate need and decides to pull whatever name is left in the hat in Perriman.

[Tru11]

The ravens organization. They want a juggernaut offense. Did they not use early round picks on WR and a TE?? Which is my point with Ozzie. Why didn't he trade up when much better prospects were available and actually BPA's?? He is not playing drafts strengths and is late and a step behind everything he does. He waits until WR is a desperate need and decides to pull whatever name is left in the hat in Perriman.

 

never heard them say thats the goal lol

[Purple_ICE 81]

Too much, too old

Too much yes, but dudes only 30 and plays lights out.

[rmcjacket23]

Forgive me if i have made a mistake. Posted this info in the ozzie topic, but saw that the people were discussing the front offices choices in this topic. Heres a list i put together of potential players that the Raven's fromt office could have drafted with our draft selections in the 2013 and 2014 drafts.

OK, but what exactly does this accomplish?

 

Explain to me how complete hind-sight analysis, done ONLY after you have all possible future information, is beneficial to any person, ever?

[rmcjacket23]

The ravens organization. They want a juggernaut offense. Did they not use early round picks on WR and a TE?? Which is my point with Ozzie. Why didn't he trade up when much better prospects were available and actually BPA's?? He is not playing drafts strengths and is late and a step behind everything he does. He waits until WR is a desperate need and decides to pull whatever name is left in the hat in Perriman.

Who says who the BPA is? You? Only after you see what happens AFTER the draft pick is made?

 

The entire BPA concept is based 100% on the perception of the person who is drafting them.

 

I'm asking a really simple question at this point... who is the person who's job it is to determine who they THINK is the BPA at the time of the selection? Not who the BPA 2-3 years later AFTER they have more information. I'm asking who the BPA is AT THAT TIME, when the selection is actually made.

 

Its obviously easy to say who the BPA is AFTER you already know how the players perform. But that's also irrelevant until the moment that GM's gain access to time machines.

[-Truth-]

Actually fat maxx did have an OK game. What I meant is he is not an elite TE and does not have the skill set to be Gronk,Gates or Graham like everybody is saying he does. He does not have speed or an extra gear to strike fear in defenses. He will be serviceable but not elite. I am harsh on fat maxx because he does have some athleticism working for him. If he reshaped his flabby bod he would gain a step of speed and perhaps even find that extra gear and be far stronger. He needs to lose about 15-20 lbs of fat and put on 15-20 lbs of muscle. He is leaving speed and athleticism on the table!! If he adopted Gronks work ethic in the training room and on the practice field he could potentially be a pro bowler. But be showed up with bad eating habits and bad work habits. And was culture shocked at the muscularity, speed and power of NFL players as opposed to that joke of a conference he played in college. He needs to be like Gronk. First on the practice field!! And a strict training and nutrition program. He acknowledged he needed to change his eating habits when he showed up at rookie camp. He could be a 1000 yard 10 td guy if he seriously dedicated himself to his craft and getting in shape.

 

Who specifically have you seen proclaim Williams to be the next Rob Gronkowski? I'm interested in hearing which members the comment is geared towards. Of course Williams isn't an elite TE. There hasn't been a rookie TE in recent memory who was viewed among the absolute best within the first few weeks of the season. I'd personally prefer to believe that a 2nd round selection isn't assessed via the pass/fail method based on whether he carves his name alongside of three of the best mismatch-creating TEs of their era when in their prime. Twenty pounds would drop him into the 220s, which is a bit preposterous. He could stand to be leaner, yes. He's always lacked an extra gear and there's a significant chance that he never develops one. But your assessments of his physique are crassly exaggerated. He's likely one of the younger players in the entire league and you're continuously berating him for not establishing property dietary planning despite the fact that few players at his age have the matter entirely figured out. There's a significant difference between being hard on a player and having hilariously unreasonable expectations. I feel that a theme alert should be required on the latter.

 

As adamant as you were about judging a specific player by how he fares on the field, you've shown a willful disregard in this scenario in lieu of several photographs and an article dating several months back. Based on your comments of perpetual disappointment, it begs to wonder whether you've observed much of him at all through the first several weeks. I posted a minor breakdown of his performance some time last week with over a half-dozen .gifs that illustrated his effectiveness. I then posted another brief yet favorable assessment of how he's fared in other games as well as a detailed evaluation of our somewhat unconventional TE usage, which has been partly responsible for the fact that we've targeted our trio just combined 10 times on 10+ yard throws. He's shown well as a blocker. He's also found separation in the passing game despite an alleged utter lack of athletic tools. I'd wager that I could point to several examples of Williams finding creases or separating in most games thus far. I recall two from the San Francisco game alone which could've resulted in either a score or a big play, despite the fact that he played a mere 19 snaps in that contest. PFF currently has Maxx Williams pegged as the 4th highest graded TE, with positive grades in literally every facet. Is he currently the 4th best TE in the NFL? Heavens no. He's yet to win the starting job, let alone do enough to compete with the likes of Gronkowski, Tyler Eifert, Travis Kelce, Jimmy Graham for a spot in the upper echelon. But it at least corroborates the notion that he's shown well thus far.