Ozzie Newsome (Merged)

[-Truth-]

Mosley covers pretty well ,hardly anything gets past him, he just had a bad game.

I'm not certain that I agree with this sentiment. He gave up 91 receptions last season, which was 9 more than any other LB in the league. Also gave up the most yards with 767. He's closer to the bottom of both caterogies this year as well. I don't believe that he's as poor in this facet as the numbers suggest but it's not his strongest area.

[Tenacious Faulker]

I'm reading some of the dumbest suggestions and opinions I've EVER read on this board. 

 

Bottom line:  If the players are not executing the buck stops at Ozzie's desk.  He is in charge of the coaches on down to the water boy.

 

How to solve it?  You can't.  At least not in one fell swoop.  It will take years for some of the contracts to get paid off.  Simply cutting dead weight is not usually simple with dead money to consider.  Even at 1-4 the Ravens are salary cap Super Bowl Champs every year.

 

Are there problems?  Yes, but Ozzie has served as an amazing GM up to this point and likely will continue to do so.  Part of the issue is injury which is out of his power.  When 14 of your 53-man roster (26%) out due to injury as it was going into OT against the Browns then you can't really lay all that on him. 

 

What needs to be looked at:

1) The experience and talent gap between starter and back up.

2) Joe's contract restructure after the season.

3) Harbaugh needs to get his players disciplined - too many penalties, blown assignments/coverage, and terrible 3rd down conversions.

4) Harbaugh needs to get his coordinators in line.  The offense pretty much the same as 2014 and Trestman is mismanaging them.  Pees' defense is dead in the water being very pass rush focused, but no longer has a pass rush without Dume and Suggs.  Does he have an alternative plan and can he coach to the player's strengths?

 

Tanking the season for a high draft pick is the dumbest fan wish alive.  There are no guarantees on a first round pick panning out even a high pick.  Only 30% of them actually are worth the pick.  It is almost better to trade the first for a prove commodity (if you can find a team that will take that deal).  Would you prefer Alshon Jeffery for a first or Breshad Perriman at this point?  Hopefull Perriman works out, but that's the risk they took in drafting him and why Ozzie has like to trade out of the first in many drafts.

[Dfence4champs2052]

I have always had a beef with Ozzie and the Front Office when it comes to WR talent and the offense in general. From 09-2015 we have had about 14 offensive draft picks from rounds 5, 6, 7 while the early rounds have been mostly defensive. That's why the Offensive talent has been subpar for years...we have not drafted guys that are expected to be starters. Therefore, they are always looking towards free agency for help. A team may hit in those late rounds one or two times, but to pick from there 14 times and expect a better return is laughable.

 

And then Ozzie (smartly but frustratingly)  waits until the third or fourth wave of FA to pick someone up. It's tough winning that way in the long run.

[Dfence4champs2052]

It's incredibly improbable that replacing Ozzie will result in a better quality team.  Period.  

I agree....but even with say...DeCosta?

[FlackAttack]

This is what I think needs to happen

 

1. We need to take a serious look at the wild card situation right now and consider tanking the rest of the season for a top draft pick based on the analyzes.

 

2. Its obvious this zone Defense strategy Pees is using has failed miserably we need to start shopping DC's and when the time is right make a move.

 

3.Ozzie really needs to consider passing the torch off to Decosta after this season. We all know the reason Eric has stuck around is because he believed the time would come when he would be the GM. The last couple years we have only done average at best in the draft along with the bone headed moves signing Pitta to a long term contract after a serious injury. On top of that Ray Rice was never a great contract move and most of us have known that since the signing (before his incident) how many running backs has New England paid an arm and a leg for? Don't give running backs huge long term contracts everyone has always known that. I can name plenty of other huge mistakes the front office made but why go on I am a huge Ozzie fan and simply think its time to move in a new direction.

 

4. Get rid of some of these useless veterans we have signed to anyone that will take some of the salary burden with them. Monroe and Webb just to name a few are not the future of this team and are not the caliber players we want on this team.

 

5. Use this excellent draft pick we will have as insurance if Joe will no restructure and maybe pick up a veteran to hold us over until he matures if needed. Not saying get rid of Joe but we all know we need to if he does not restructure. Manning has been able to carry his team when they were complete garbage but although I know Joe is an excellent QB hes not worth keeping if he will not restructure.

 

6 Trade Steve Smith off to a real team that can play. I think the Ravens are going to be no where near as desirable  for veteran free agents to come to after this horrible season. Make a good gesture move and show the players what kind of an organization we are when we suck this bad. That should keep them wanting to come here

 

All is not lost if we make some critical moves we can be back in the playoff race next year. I know the owner is going to make some of these moves I mentioned and I am banking on Ozzie retiring this year. I am going to miss him but I know its for the best

 

PS Fire Pees

 

 

1. you serious? lol @ wild card analysis. and we've already been tanking since week 1, so no need to "consider" tanking

 

2. i agree switching to man, but dont think it will be a consistent fix. we simply dont have the talent in our secondary for any scheme (which is why im not putting 100% of the blame on pees) and we have absolutely no pass rush.

 

3. yes, we all know decosta is next in line. but ozzie wont leave after this season. he may.. but i highly doubt it. i disagree with your opinion on ray rice. people seem to have quickly forgot how much of a playmaker he was on our offense up until 2013. and if he was still playing today without all the baggage he would most likely still be a contributor. the only reason he hasnt been signed to a new team is because of the baggage.

 

4. not sure what youre trying to get across here. but yes webb needs to go. trade him away this offseason.

 

5. umm again, not sure what youre saying with this one. are you suggesting we need to bench flacco until he matures? are you suggesting we need to get rid of flacco if he doesnt restructure? holy LOL @ number 5 if thats the case. this is my favorite one.

 

6. we will not get rid of SSS. and our record at the end of the season will not change free agents decisions to come here whatsoever. free agents go where the $$$ is. and are you saying we need to ship away veterans when the teams plays bad, because that will make veterans want to play for us when we're playing good? man theres a lot of grey area in your post.

[FlackAttack]

And then Ozzie (smartly but frustratingly)  waits until the third or fourth wave of FA to pick someone up. It's tough winning that way in the long run.

 

true.. but most top notch, consistent organizations do this. offseason champs usually have losing records come playoff time.

 

its actually a smart move when it comes to value and taking care of organizational players, unless the team REALLY needs to fix more than one position. problem is we had holes on all 3 phases of the game this past off-season, and basically rolled the dice in the draft to fix all the problems, which obviously didnt work out. as i mentioned earlier in this thread, ozzie has been rolling the dice and its finally caught up to him. hes been sitting at the same black jack table for far too long and his luck has run out. and it doesnt help that hes stubborn and wont make any radical changes to his management philosophy.

[FlackAttack]

Ozzie is a great GM, but he has been whiffing in the draft recently for whatever reason. One thing that gets under my skin during the draft is he sometimes sits on his hands too much. Its almost arrogant at times like he gets a high from a player dropping into his lap without him making a move. Example when we were one pick ahead of the broncos and they Jumped us to get D.Thomas. Another year we were one pick away from Dez Bryant and the Cowboys jumped us and got him. Ozzie jumps teams in the draft for players in the middle rounds instead of in the first round. That's part of the reason we don't have many impact players on our current roster that were drafted.

 

been saying this for years.. that we need to trade up in the first round. but looks like we wont have to next year

[usmccharles]

This is just another over reaction thread just like the Trestman one after week 1, week 1... seriously.  I know its hard to have patience when we are 1-4 and the season is basically lost, but its just the name of the game, injuries happen and i honestly believe we would not be in this situation if Suggs never goes down.   

 

While i disagree with some of or lack there of moves by Oz lately, he isnt considered one of if not the best in the bussiness for nothing.  Teams who over react and want instant change never succeed, building a championship team is a slow process and we have been there before and we will be back. 

 

Oz made some mistakes, clearly, but all gms do.  Seattle's GM has made some great moves and they had a good run, but look at them now, they are going to have some huge issues next year and so on.  It just blows my mind that some fans on here are grabbing their pitchforks right now.  Since Joe and John came here, we are one of if not the team with the most wins in the NFL, that says something, we finally have a QB to do something, Oz did however fail to give Joe weapons on a consistent basis. 

 

This season is tough to watch, no doubt, but just remember with this insane lack of talent, we are basically one play away each game from being 5-0.  The team has fight, just doesnt have the talent, but we will. 

[MDCop]

And then Ozzie (smartly but frustratingly)  waits until the third or fourth wave of FA to pick someone up. It's tough winning that way in the long run.

 

I agree 100%. I understand the salary cap is a huge handcuff and injuries the past couple years have been ridiculious.....but with a few years of subpair drafts and picking up the average at best free agents......what do you get.....an average to subpair team.

[Maryland]

I think some of the criticisms fall under hindsight. A lot of it is injuries.

 

Going into the season, Ozzie thought Hill would be better in coverage. He thought Elam, Lewis, or Brooks might step up to be a good 2nd safety. He thought Jimmy, Webb, Arrington, Melvin, and Walker would suffice at CB. I thought DB was a bit unproven, but I thought Oz did a reasonable job addressing it during the offseason. 

 

WR falls under hindsight a little bit too. No one knew Perriman would get hurt in TC. A WR corps with Perriman, SSS, Camp, and Aiken didn't look that bad on paper to me going in. Maybe it was a bit thin like CB, but good enough I thought. 3 of those guys are injured. 

 

And you can't really question Ozzie's drafting history. Maybe some people with an agenda will point out all of the bad picks, but the good outweigh the bad. So what is Ozzie really under fire for? For injuries happening? I don't think that's fair, but to each their own. 

[rmcjacket23]

I've heard enough about how "The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz" tried to fix the problem in the off-season. I don't give master auto mechanics or master plumbers or master electricians another job when they try to fix my car or my plumbing but fail. I give them an "A" for effort but an "F" for failing. Then I go looking for someone who will fix my plumbing leak and ,believe me, something is leaking here. Its time for a change but the solution is not to be found in Eric DeCosta or Vincent Newsome IMO. The most embarrassed person in the organization had to be Ozzie Newsome if it wasn't Steve Bischiotti. On a day when Lenny Moore, Gino Marchetti and Raymond Berry were in the house and were presented with their rings of fame, Ozzie's recruits gave up 505 yards to a journeyman QB and committed 12 stupid penalties giving up 98 more yards to the team for which he once played. In hindsight, he should have gone out on top and retired after the SB. Now, this wizard of old is becoming just a ROAD wizard, that is, Retired On Active Duty. Turn out the lights; the party's over, Oz!

I noticed you didn't provide a name for who the next GM should be... why is that?

[usmccharles]

I noticed you didn't provide a name for who the next GM should be... why is that?

Because all these people thinking Oz is done have no solution.  They need someone to blame so they point at him while in reality, the odds of a new GM doing a better job than Oz is drasticaly small. 

[January J]

Because all these people thinking Oz is done have no solution.  They need someone to blame so they point at him while in reality, the odds of a new GM doing a better job than Oz is drasticaly small.

they need to be careful what they wish for. Seasons like this could suddenly become routine instead of an anomaly.

[Tenacious Faulker]

izvoodoo, on 12 Oct 2015 - 1:26 PM, said:

It's incredibly improbable that replacing Ozzie will result in a better quality team.  Period.  

I agree....but even with say...DeCosta?

It's generally accepted that when Ozzie retires DeCosta will be his replacement.  While he's been courted by multiple teams already he chose to stay here because he will be in charge here one day.  I respect the fact that he letting his love of the oorgaanization be his guide rather than his own ambition.  He could've been a GM 3 or 4 times over by now.

[The Raven]

Criticizing Ozzie would have merit if the team was healthy and couldn't perform. Our defense right now is decimated. Only criticism I have for Ozzie is not finding another pass rusher in the draft. Zadarius is good  - I mean that, he's a good pass rusher - but the Suggs injury has left us depleted. Zadarius was legit getting doubled on Sunday when Doom was out.

[PurpleCity5]

Criticizing Ozzie would have merit if the team was healthy and couldn't perform. Our defense right now is decimated. Only criticism I have for Ozzie is not finding another pass rusher in the draft. Zadarius is good  - I mean that, he's a good pass rusher - but the Suggs injury has left us depleted. Zadarius was legit getting doubled on Sunday when Doom was out.

Yeah I don't know why Z gets a lot of heat. He's kinda hot and cold but he's coming along. Pass Rushers are developmental guys. To get a guy like Za'darius in the 4th is a great pick up IMO. He could be great in the future. I think Oz did great in the 2015 Draft.

[The Raven]

Yeah I don't know why Z gets a lot of heat. He's kinda hot and cold but he's coming along. Pass Rushers are developmental guys. To get a guy like Za'darius in the 4th is a great pick up IMO. He could be great in the future. I think Oz did great in the 2015 Draft.

 

It speaks volumes to me that they were legit double teaming him - on passing downs. He beat Joe Thomas on a few occasions. The guy can play. The problem to me is the lack of interior pass rush. I expect a little more from Timmy J.

[I AM LEGEND]

It speaks volumes to me that they were legit double teaming him - on passing downs. He beat Joe Thomas on a few occasions. The guy can play. The problem to me is the lack of interior pass rush. I expect a little more from Timmy J.

I'm honestly not overly impressed with any of the front 7.

They all have flaws. And I think Ozzie and Co would be stupid to not shake things up next year.

For one..it may be time to say bye to D.Smith ...he's played extremely well following Ray leaving. Thank you but goodbye.

CJ has got to get better covering. He's been an afterthought these last two games. To being kinda picked on against the browns.

F.O. would be fools to go into another season solely depending on Suggs and Doom for pass rushing..they are both getting older and injury prone.

Look to add veteran depth inside. Maybe Williams and Jernigan may be too young to hold the inside down.

[I AM LEGEND]

Actually the more I think about it..I'd be open to moving doom before the deadline. It frees up a pretty penny next year. And any team in the playoff hunt would love to have him rushing the QB.

[Tank 92]

 

izvoodoo, on 12 Oct 2015 - 1:26 PM, said:

It's generally accepted that when Ozzie retires DeCosta will be his replacement.  While he's been courted by multiple teams already he chose to stay here because he will be in charge here one day.  I respect the fact that he letting his love of the oorgaanization be his guide rather than his own ambition.  He could've been a GM 3 or 4 times over by now.

 

 

I'm sure Eric feels a sense of loyalty to the Ravens and Oz, but there's no doubt that Biscotti is paying two GM salaries to keep him here.

[FlackAttack]

 

1. you serious? lol @ wild card analysis. and we've already been tanking since week 1, so no need to "consider" tanking

Agree with you here

 

2. i agree switching to man, but dont think it will be a consistent fix. we simply dont have the talent in our secondary for any scheme (which is why im not putting 100% of the blame on pees) and we have absolutely no pass rush.

Agreed

 

3. yes, we all know decosta is next in line. but ozzie wont leave after this season. he may.. but i highly doubt it. i disagree with your opinion on ray rice. people seem to have quickly forgot how much of a playmaker he was on our offense up until 2013. and if he was still playing today without all the baggage he would most likely still be a contributor. the only reason he hasnt been signed to a new team is because of the baggage.

It is understandable for you and other emotional fans to think the Ray Rice signing was a good move at the time. It is not understandable for the front office to make that mistake though... come on now football 101 you NEVER sign running backs to huge long term contracts. We all know the offensive line is what dictates a lot of the running backs success. Was anyone actually surprised Rice's production dropped down to nothing after his big pay day? I think history already showed us that it was guarantied to happen... I still think Ozzie retires after this season but we will not know the outcome for a few more months.

 

4. not sure what youre trying to get across here. but yes webb needs to go. trade him away this offseason.

Get rid of these non productive bums the front office signed to huge long term contracts which I am specifically referring to Eugene Monroe before he becomes the highest paid bench warmer in the NFL. I'm sure we can find someone to assume some of their contracts and we can cut our losses before they become a 100% loss.

 

5. umm again, not sure what youre saying with this one. are you suggesting we need to bench flacco until he matures? are you suggesting we need to get rid of flacco if he doesnt restructure? holy LOL @ number 5 if thats the case. this is my favorite one.

How did you come up with me suggesting we bench Flacco until he matures? You must be reading multiple threads at the same time and confusing mine with one of them? We need Flacco to restructure and yes I am suggesting we part ways if he is not willing to work with us. I am pretty sure we can come up with a solution because he does not seem like the greedy type just like Brady has been willing to work with his salary to enable the Pats to make other critical signings. If Flacco wants to go down in history with a lot of Super Bowl wins he is going to do the same thing. If not we will draft another qb and pickup a veteran as insurance and use that extra money to build a top defense.

 

6. we will not get rid of SSS. and our record at the end of the season will not change free agents decisions to come here whatsoever. free agents go where the $$$ is. and are you saying we need to ship away veterans when the teams plays bad, because that will make veterans want to play for us when we're playing good? man theres a lot of grey area in your post.

Trading SSS to give him a shot at a SB is the right thing to do... I agree we probably won't do it though. I am sure you probably don't understand this but this is likely Steve's last year in the NFL and it would be a good gesture to allow him to be traded away to an actual winner his last season ever. I seriously doubt he wants to remember his last year playing with one of the worst teams in the NFL. I think the grey areas were a result of you confusing multiple posts from different users with mine.

 

 

1. of course you do

 

2. of course you do

 

3. the whole "you dont sign RB to long term contracts" is a new philosophy that just started within the past few seasons because the nfl is bending rules in favor of pass happy QBs to increase tv ratings. you must be a newer NFL fan. smart teams with solid RBs still take care of their RBs. look no further than the seahawks.

 

4. if we wait till his contract is up then get rid of him it wont be a 100% loss. if we get rid of him now its dead money.

 

5. you need to own what you write. you mentioned something about a QB being benched until he matures but didnt make it clear if you were talking about a second string or flacco himself. neither scenario makes sense considering flacco is entering his prime years.

 

6. wait, SSS is retiring after this year??? i had no idea!! yawn. and no, getting rid of SSS is not "the right thing to do".

[-Truth-]

I'm honestly not overly impressed with any of the front 7.

They all have flaws. And I think Ozzie and Co would be stupid to not shake things up next year.

For one..it may be time to say bye to D.Smith ...he's played extremely well following Ray leaving. Thank you but goodbye.

CJ has got to get better covering. He's been an afterthought these last two games. To being kinda picked on against the browns.

F.O. would be fools to go into another season solely depending on Suggs and Doom for pass rushing..they are both getting older and injury prone.

Look to add veteran depth inside. Maybe Williams and Jernigan may be too young to hold the inside down.

I understand your concerns with regards to the front seven in light if the rash of injuries, but I don't see how anyone would be unimpressed with Brandon Williams. He's played like an elite DT thus far and he's easily the best NT in the league at the moment.

[jazz1988]

 

izvoodoo, on 12 Oct 2015 - 1:26 PM, said:

It's generally accepted that when Ozzie retires DeCosta will be his replacement.  While he's been courted by multiple teams already he chose to stay here because he will be in charge here one day.  I respect the fact that he letting his love of the oorgaanization be his guide rather than his own ambition.  He could've been a GM 3 or 4 times over by now.

 

He also getting paid like general manage. DeCosta may not be a general manager but the fact that he's getting paid like one must say he has some strong influences when it comes to the draft or other off season moves.

Edited October 13, 2015 by jazz1988

[FlackAttack]

I'm honestly not overly impressed with any of the front 7.

They all have flaws. And I think Ozzie and Co would be stupid to not shake things up next year.

For one..it may be time to say bye to D.Smith ...he's played extremely well following Ray leaving. Thank you but goodbye.

CJ has got to get better covering. He's been an afterthought these last two games. To being kinda picked on against the browns.

F.O. would be fools to go into another season solely depending on Suggs and Doom for pass rushing..they are both getting older and injury prone.

Look to add veteran depth inside. Maybe Williams and Jernigan may be too young to hold the inside down.

 

our front 7 is actually good, probably the best part of the team (which isnt saying much). and we can still stop the run game for the most part. we just simply dont have any pass rushers. we need to focus more on the back 4 if anything. and draft pass rush early or hit a young FA. we will be looking for a suggs replacement no doubt.

[rmw10]

He also getting paid like general manage. DeCosta my not be a general manager but the fact that he's getting paid like one must say he has some strong influences when it comes to the draft or other off season moves.

He's pretty much co-GM at this point. I'd guess he has near the same amount of influence as Ozzie.

[52520Andrew]

Ozzie is a great GM, but he has been whiffing in the draft recently for whatever reason. One thing that gets under my skin during the draft is he sometimes sits on his hands too much. Its almost arrogant at times like he gets a high from a player dropping into his lap without him making a move. Example when we were one pick ahead of the broncos and they Jumped us to get D.Thomas. Another year we were one pick away from Dez Bryant and the Cowboys jumped us and got him. Ozzie jumps teams in the draft for players in the middle rounds instead of in the first round. That's part of the reason we don't have many impact players on our current roster that were drafted.

 

Dez and DT were the same draft I am fairly sure

[Ravens2343]

Actually the more I think about it..I'd be open to moving doom before the deadline. It frees up a pretty penny next year. And any team in the playoff hunt would love to have him rushing the QB.

 

He is still very productive and should be for a few more seasons.  No way we move him unless someone gives up a 1st or 2nd round pick

[FlackAttack]

He is still very productive and should be for a few more seasons.  No way we move him unless someone gives up a 1st or 2nd round pick

 

yup. dumervil aint going nowhere.

[jazz1988]

He's pretty much co-GM at this point. I'd guess he has near the same amount of influence as Ozzie.

 

Most definitely. I'm sure there are moment where him and Ozzie might disagree or overall Decosta might want to go in  a different direction than  Ozzie but at end of the day Ozzie is still the man.

[January J]

Actually the more I think about it..I'd be open to moving doom before the deadline. It frees up a pretty penny next year. And any team in the playoff hunt would love to have him rushing the QB.

I would consider it if the price is right. He may start to really decline next year.