Are we entering a dark era?

[bMore Heathen]

I think with the reduced practice time (especially padded practices) allowed under the CBA, this increase in injuries will be the new norm. Many injuries are caused by poor technique. As the vets "age out" and are replaced by younger players who came up under this CBA, technique will continue to decline, along with the quality of games, and injuries will increase.

Agreed 100%

[stampedehero]

This season was a portal into what we face next season.   The number of IR players is absurd. Who ever is the conditioning coach should be looking over his/her shoulder.  If we finish 3-3,I would be surprised.  

[Mad Puppy]

Are we entering a dark era?

 

Not really, I think just a bad season. Injuries, the Cap restrictions have hurt, and the lack of offensive talent has hurt even more.

Consider the Ravens were in almost every game this year with chances to win late. But the lack of playmakers stifled those chances to win.

The games have been close. I think next year will be better

[PerpetuallyBored74]

Dark era, no.

Dark transition, yes.

 

We've got too many injury prone players who we've committed too much of our cap and roster to.

And we've had too many weak drafts & FA signings at certain positions that have left us too thin at those positions.

 

We don't need to purge, but we do need to prune.

Or we will waste Joe's prime like we essentially wasted Ray and Ed's.

[jazz1988]

Not trying to be condescending but on what evidence ? 

 

Looking at the line we are going to lose KO probably, WR Smith may very well retire, we have no idea what we have in BP, we know Camp will miss games at some point, RT is a mystery, No timetable for Flacco yet. 

 

Our defense has put together 2 or 3 solid games this year and that is it. 

 

ST which was the lone bright spot until last week is now iffy. 

 

That is without even bringing up coaches. 

 

I just dont see 8 wins much less 10, I could certainly be wrong but I dont see where this post comes from.

The Ravens most likely will lose K.O but I think Urschel may be able to fiil in for him quite well. Steve Smith may retire but there has been some reports saying  that he plans to play next season because he wants to end his career on his terms. The fact that he got surgery not too far away from the time he got injured tells me there's a good chance he will play next season.

 

We don't know alot about BP but he is The Ravens first round pick and the expectations for him should still be high. The Ravens may decide to sign a  veteran receiver during the off season but we shall see. I'm not sure if right tackle is a  mystery as much as you think. I think Wagner has played well so far for The Ravens but I could be wrong.

 

I have my dislikes of Dean Pees but with more talent on the defense his playing calling issues can be more tolerated.

[Winchester]

The ravens should not let KO walk!! It depletes the Oline and the potential brightest spot on the team. Left tackle has been terrible!! Monroe is marginal even when he plays. Urschel may be an upgrade at center because he plays more aggressive and is a little stronger. Wagner has been better. By week17 Urschel will be acclimated at center and he with Osemele and Yanda could very well be the most formidable interior Oline in the league. I do not think you want to disrupt that. Then there is the opportunity to draft Tunsil. That will be a very formidable Oline consisting of maulers across the line that can strike fear in a defense. When a defense is fearing the Oline it will not be focused on stopping the offense. Oline has a shot to be very special!!

[elemento]

No

 

There won't be such a thing in Baltimore as long as we have a franchise QB (like we do)

 

We're not the Browns. 

[Sami84]

The ravens should not let KO walk!! It depletes the Oline and the potential brightest spot on the team. Left tackle has been terrible!! Monroe is marginal even when he plays. Urschel may be an upgrade at center because he plays more aggressive and is a little stronger. Wagner has been better. By week17 Urschel will be acclimated at center and he with Osemele and Yanda could very well be the most formidable interior Oline in the league. I do not think you want to disrupt that. Then there is the opportunity to draft Tunsil. That will be a very formidable Oline consisting of maulers across the line that can strike fear in a defense. When a defense is fearing the Oline it will not be focused on stopping the offense. Oline has a shot to be very special!!

 

 

I'm starting to wonder if maybe the best thing to do would be to re-sign KO trade wagner....draft tunsil and move monroe to Right tackle

 

Tunsil, KO, Zuttah/Urschel,Yanda, Monroe

 

 

wagner has been pretty bad to say the least this year..maybe trade him?

 

we could easily trade back into the first round and grab Ogbah/nassib. We could then go to FA for a corner ..there are some good options.

 

i really think we won't be able to cover all holes..i don't think WR is  an option next year.I think our tight ends are going to be the key. Maxx will be awesome next year and crockett is already knocking on the door as a top 5 TE.

Edited November 27, 2015 by Sami84

[DomMcRaven]

I'm starting to wonder if maybe the best thing to do would be to re-sign KO trade wagner....draft tunsil and move monroe to Right tackle

 

Tunsil, KO, Zuttah/Urschel,Yanda, Monroe

 

 

wagner has been pretty bad to say the least this year..maybe trade him?

 

we could easily trade back into the first round and grab Ogbah/nassib. We could then go to FA for a corner ..there are some good options.

 

i really think we won't be able to cover all holes..i don't think WR is  an option next year.I think our tight ends are going to be the key. Maxx will be awesome next year and crockett is already knocking on the door as a top 5 TE.

I don't think we should trade Wagner nor do I think he's playing bad as of late. 

 

As for the TEs, don't forget about Boyle. Dude deserves some love too. If only Pitta was healthy with these three studs at TE. Man..................

[Winchester]

Wagner is slowly getting better again. His injury takes time. Monroe is useless. Terrible when he does play. I am gonna guess Urschel will be an upgrade at center once settled in. He is stronger and nastier than zuttah. Osemele,Urschel and Yanda are a physical mailing triad. Throw in Tunsil at left tackle and Wagner back to form and easily one of the best Olines in the NFL. Zuttah is solid but it would be cool to insert a center that takes it to defenses and creates a surge like Urschel or wiesnewski.

Maxx will be a stud if he follows through on his plan to build himself into an NFL TE. WR has to be an option. If decision makers draft Tunsil you don't wanna waste a stud Oline with garbage receivers. They need an offense to actually block for!! A receiver drafted in early round2 will be the value spot. Lot of WRs with late round1- round2 talent bunched together that will be available. However it is not pick a name from the hat like oz has been playing. These receivers may look similar but not all will be successful in the NFL. Ravens need to make a move for one the scouts are more confident will be successful in the NFL. Even if it means trading back into late round1. Now one of the receivers liked more will likely be available within first 36 picks but if there is one that really stands out to scouts then oz needs to be be aggressive and trade back into the top 27-33 picks and snag'em if necessary!! As opposed to having the attitude of drafting the best WR left on the board when the ravens are in the batters box. Like they did with perriman. Because often the difference in the #3 and #4 receiver is immense!! Decosta liked Agholor a lot and ozzie assumed he would be there but ended up settling for Pro day Perriman. I like Agholor as well. His skills could be wasted in philly with their erratic QBs. Matthews is actually being sparked a little by Sanchez.lol which shows how incompetent Bradford has been!! I would like to see ravens trade for Agholors slightly more skilled teammate Marqise. The jaguars are suddenly WR privileged!! With Depth even from Rashad Greene. Trading for Marqise is unlikely but not out of the question.

Edited November 27, 2015 by Winchester

[redrum52]

Winter is coming, so, yea.

[FlackAttack]

fire some of the defensive staff

 

make pass rushers, WR's and safeties our biggest priority in draft

 

pick up a solid corner and decent WR in free agency and cut webb

 

those 3 options already make our team 10000x better

[FlocksGottaFeed]

We (as a fanbase) might seem as though we are entering a dark era if you're refering to doubt and panic, but the franchise isn't. Not yet. This season has just been one of the 'freaky-ish' seasons for any team in NFL history. That happened.

 

The core of the team is sound enough that several insiders picked us to make it to the Super Bowl 50. That saids something.

[Guest Omerta]

The Ravens most likely will lose K.O but I think Urschel may be able to fiil in for him quite well. Steve Smith may retire but there has been some reports saying  that he plans to play next season because he wants to end his career on his terms. The fact that he got surgery not too far away from the time he got injured tells me there's a good chance he will play next season.

 

We don't know alot about BP but he is The Ravens first round pick and the expectations for him should still be high. The Ravens may decide to sign a  veteran receiver during the off season but we shall see. I'm not sure if right tackle is a  mystery as much as you think. I think Wagner has played well so far for The Ravens but I could be wrong.

 

I have my dislikes of Dean Pees but with more talent on the defense his playing calling issues can be more tolerated.

 

Thats what I am saying man, no offense intended, but none of that is evidence. It could be true and everything you say comes to fruition, or maybe losing KO hurts, The patters continue of Camp and Monroe going down, and BP has a learning curve. I am not saying the guy is a bust or anything but he has no playing time and it could take him a long time to get acclimated assuming he ever does. 

 

Just a lot of things we don't know. And if we don't know where does the basis for the optimism come from ? I am not saying we have just turned into the Browns or something but this could be a much longer process than people think,.

[jazz1988]

Wagner is slowly getting better again. His injury takes time. Monroe is useless. Terrible when he does play. I am gonna guess Urschel will be an upgrade at center once settled in. He is stronger and nastier than zuttah. Osemele,Urschel and Yanda are a physical mailing triad. Throw in Tunsil at left tackle and Wagner back to form and easily one of the best Olines in the NFL. Zuttah is solid but it would be cool to insert a center that takes it to defenses and creates a surge like Urschel or wiesnewski.

Maxx will be a stud if he follows through on his plan to build himself into an NFL TE. WR has to be an option. If decision makers draft Tunsil you don't wanna waste a stud Oline with garbage receivers. They need an offense to actually block for!! A receiver drafted in early round2 will be the value spot. Lot of WRs with late round1- round2 talent bunched together that will be available. However it is not pick a name from the hat like oz has been playing. These receivers may look similar but not all will be successful in the NFL. Ravens need to make a move for one the scouts are more confident will be successful in the NFL. Even if it means trading back into late round1. Now one of the receivers liked more will likely be available within first 36 picks but if there is one that really stands out to scouts then oz needs to be be aggressive and trade back into the top 27-33 picks and snag'em if necessary!! As opposed to having the attitude of drafting the best WR left on the board when the ravens are in the batters box. Like they did with perriman. Because often the difference in the #3 and #4 receiver is immense!! Decosta liked Agholor a lot and ozzie assumed he would be there but ended up settling for Pro day Perriman. I like Agholor as well. His skills could be wasted in philly with their erratic QBs. Matthews is actually being sparked a little by Sanchez.lol which shows how incompetent Bradford has been!! I would like to see ravens trade for Agholors slightly more skilled teammate Marqise. The jaguars are suddenly WR privileged!! With Depth even from Rashad Greene. Trading for Marqise is unlikely but not out of the question.

 

Actually Monroe is pretty good when he plays. The only issue with Monroe is health but for the most part when he plays the guy plays like a solid left tackle.We shall see about Urschel but   Zuttah was  ranked the  8th best center according to pro football focus before he went down with a injury.

 

 

I like Marqise lee but the guy can't stay healthy and hasn't done anything lately. The last thing The Ravens need is another receiver or player that can't stay healthy. Pro day Perriman was actually getting first round consideration way before his pro day and some believe he was the second best receiver in this year draft along with him having the upside of Julio Jones whom was another receiver that didn't play like his 40 time suggested.

[Sami84]

Thats what I am saying man, no offense intended, but none of that is evidence. It could be true and everything you say comes to fruition, or maybe losing KO hurts, The patters continue of Camp and Monroe going down, and BP has a learning curve. I am not saying the guy is a bust or anything but he has no playing time and it could take him a long time to get acclimated assuming he ever does. 

 

Just a lot of things we don't know. And if we don't know where does the basis for the optimism come from ? I am not saying we have just turned into the Browns or something but this could be a much longer process than people think,.

 

i agree. if you look at our situation compared to all teams bar the 49'ers i see a team thats in deep deep trouble..

[jazz1988]

fire some of the defensive staff

 

make pass rushers, WR's and safeties our biggest priority in draft

 

pick up a solid corner and decent WR in free agency and cut webb

 

those 3 options already make our team 10000x better

 

Don't think it's a good idea to cut Webb. He has only missed one game so far this season and have played quite well . He's the only cornerback on our team with ball skills and if anything I think The Ravens should try to see if he will be able to take a pay cut again. 

 

The Ravens in general just need another solid outside cornerback but Wright been playing well lately so maybe he can that guy.

[WarofTheWalshy]

Anyone still a bit pessimitic? Granted, I've always been a pessimist when it's come to the Ravens, even during Harbaugh's 5 years including the SB run, but today's brutal loss seems to hit pretty hard and amplifies my concerns. Enough reading of the boards and Twitter about how many holes we have (FS, CB, OLB, LT, WR, LG if Osemele leaves), not to mention the dire cap situation (releasing certain mediocre players like Monroe and Webb create more dead money than free up space, essentialy stuck with them for a year) we face this year from what I'm reading, can we really fix/reload it one off-season? We'd probably need to hit a home run on every draft pick we make, but draft can only do so much. Feels like certain contracts we gave, like to J. Smith or Monroe, haven't helped as they haven't performed up to expectations and it's restricting what we can do in the off-season. Granted, some contracts are just bad luck cause of injury (Webb and Pitta for example).

Edited December 14, 2015 by WarofTheWalshy

[usmccharles]

Anyone still a bit pessimitic? Granted, I've always been a pessimist when it's come to the Ravens, but today's brutal loss seems to hit pretty hard and amplifies my concerns. Enough reading of the boards and Twitter about how many holes we have (FS, CB, OLB, LT, WR, LG if Osemele leaves), not to mention the dire cap situation (releasing certain mediocre players like Monroe and Webb create more dead money than free up space, essentialy stuck with them for a year) we face this year from what I'm reading, can we really fix/reload it one off-season? We'd probably need to hit a home run on every draft pick we make, but draft can only do so much. Feels like certain contracts we gave, like ot Smith or Monroe, haven't helped as they haven't performed up to expectations and it's restricting what we can do in the off-season. Granted, some contracts are just bad luck cause of injury (Webb and Pitta for example).

We played a team that is prolly playing better than anyone else right now, they are absolutley on fire and this game didnt change any of my opinions on anything. Contracts are always hindsight Im confident in what we can do next year to be a contender again especially getting a top draft pick for the first time in 15 years it seems. We are not an organization who will panic and make drastic changes, you have to have patience. Its a rough year yea...but we have had literally everything possible go wrong. Even when we were 0-3 i was still confident but then the injuries were piling up. People forget we played some very good teams. We also beat the Browns if it wasnt for the flukiest catch i have ever seen in my entire life. This year we are getting the crap kicked out of us, but we will get up....

[Maryland]

For the 3rd game in a row, the Seahawks scored at least 35 points (and 5 games in a row with at least 29).

 

This loss doesn't give me pessimism for the future. In fact, if KO can play LT well enough to close out the season, I'll have optimism that we may have a possible Monroe replacement (if he's re-signed). 

[PurpleDoc]

You look at the situation with this roster..it's contracts and injuries..the lack of talent in skilled positions..the not so great cap situation..questionable coaches..

 

how do we get out of this mess? can we really rebound this year? or do we need a transition that might take 2-3 seasons ( with successful drafts which have become a rarity).

 

 

I'm very very worried for this teams future. Theres too many holes to fill. I feel we might become the new laughing stock of the AFC north for the next 2 seasons at least..

 

 

what on earth can the FO do to help us rebound?

It will be dark for several years if we don't get rid of pees.

[PurpleDoc]

Start with firing our conditioning coach and Chris Hewitt. Then we can talk about getting better.

Agree...and fire Pees as well.

[DenverRaven]

There will be changes in the months ahead. I doubt Pees survives this offseason. I have no idea who can replace him, but there has to be a few upgrades out there. I would expect other coaching changes as well. Harbaugh/Brooks are probably the safest of the group.

 

I don't think it's a dark era, but I do think there's a lot of gaps to fill.

[Moderator 3]

I definitely expect a new DB coach. Their continued lack of communication is stunning.

[Deflated Football]

Teryl Austin should have been our DC even if it was a one or two year rental. He's a defensive mastermind but Harbaugh just can't concede defeat with the guys that he picks as coordinators and it really hurts us. As long as Pees is here, we will remain a really bad defensive team.

[atomicfront]

Teryl Austin should have been our DC even if it was a one or two year rental. He's a defensive mastermind but Harbaugh just can't concede defeat with the guys that he picks as coordinators and it really hurts us. As long as Pees is here, we will remain a really bad defensive team.

 

It has nothing to do with the lack of talent on the defensive end?  

[izvoodoo]

Teryl Austin should have been our DC even if it was a one or two year rental. He's a defensive mastermind but Harbaugh just can't concede defeat with the guys that he picks as coordinators and it really hurts us. As long as Pees is here, we will remain a really bad defensive team.

Generally speaking DC's are not fired to promote position coaches.  If Pees were to be fired it would be because of defensive performance, like this year.  

[Purple_City39]

It has nothing to do with the lack of talent on the defensive end?  

Nope.  Apparently having no real pass rusher outside of Dumervil, LBs and safeties that can't cover, and players that commit stupid penalties while missing tackles is all Pees' fault.  According to some, changing DCs is what fixes things.  Some forget how Rex's defense looked when he had players named David Pittman, Corey Ivy, and Derrick Martin.  Sadly, nobody gives Pees credit for doing better last season with a crushed secondary than even Rex did in 07 with a crushed secondary

[DenverRaven]

Nope.  Apparently having no real pass rusher outside of Dumervil, LBs and safeties that can't cover, and players that commit stupid penalties while missing tackles is all Pees' fault.  According to some, changing DCs is what fixes things.  Some forget how Rex's defense looked when he had players named David Pittman, Corey Ivy, and Derrick Martin.  Sadly, nobody gives Pees credit for doing better last season with a crushed secondary than even Rex did in 07 with a crushed secondary

 

We've seen the same out of Pees since the day he came in the door. Bend don't break, which always breaks. It almost cost us a Super Bowl. It doesn't seem to matter the caliber of talent. He's had one solid year, 2013, and while injuries certainly don't help, and have caused a lot of problems... This defense needs identity. It has none. That is a coaching problem.

[Purple_City39]

We've seen the same out of Pees since the day he came in the door. Bend don't break, which always breaks. It almost cost us a Super Bowl. It doesn't seem to matter the caliber of talent. He's had one solid year, 2013, and while injuries certainly don't help, and have caused a lot of problems... This defense needs identity. It has none. That is a coaching problem.

Isn't it a nice "coincidence" that the one year of his you call "solid" is the year he had the least amount of injuries to deal with?