Now is our chance to grab a FA RB (merged)

[thieverycorporation]

Matt Forte will be released during the free agency period. Fact per his twitter account. Is he a viable candidate to land here and if so or not please give your opinion.

I'd say he would be a viable addition. I believe he and Trestman would form a formidable duo and the proposition of him coming is would be just what the doctor ordered.

He and Forsett would provide a great 1-2 punch. I don't think Taliafferro can be counted on to stay healthy ~. I think the Ravens could and should look towards acquiring him and he won't break the bank. With the saving from cuts and free agency, he seems like a great fit. He is a true dual purpose threat and with Forsett, West and Himself and any addition pick up via the draft. They rookies could be mentored by numerous successful players i.e. Steve Smith, Forsett, Forte, on the offensive side of the ball. Actually I'd call it a match made in ^.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000635912/article/which-teams-are-the-best-fit-for-matt-forte

[The Raven]

We have a plethora of quality backs. This is unnecessary. If we're adding bodies in the backfield, let's at least make it a young one.

[sflegend89]

How did I know somebody would make this thread lol. Absolutely 0% chance. Guys we go through this every year, we don't participate in free agency. Even with the caveat that he will be released Forte will be too pricey, in today's NFL star RB's are a luxury, not a necessity, if you have a good OL guys like Forsett can still be super productive.

 Our only signings will be lesser known guys like Kendrick Lewis from last year and Daniels/Forsett the year before. Get excited about the draft, that's where all our big additions will come, if you're excited about free agency you're going to be disappointed like a lot of Ravens fans are every year. 

Edited February 13, 2016 by sflegend89

[rmw10]

No. No sense in wasting what resources we do have on one of our deepest positions. 

[JoeyFlex5]

Nah. We will field a quality run game with cheaper backs. We already have 2 backs who are stellar on 3rd down which is where forte shines anyway. Plus he's got a lot of tread on the tires so he would be limited to a part time role in a team that already uses a 3 back committee system effectively

[Tru11]

depends on his price .

he is way better then all our backs combined.

 

[Wildabeast88]

The chances of this are between 0 and never I feel pretty good about our RB situation no need in adding a veteran back and to much money also

[Willbacker]

I'm sure this is being fueled by the Bears(Trestman) connection and the fact that he caught 102 passes in the last year. We'd have to wait for the price tag to come down(where somebody would sweep him up before us) and cut Forsett which creates dead money. Right player. Wrong time.

[rmcjacket23]

8 hours ago, sflegend89 said:

How did I know somebody would make this thread lol. Absolutely 0% chance. Guys we go through this every year, we don't participate in free agency. Even with the caveat that he will be released Forte will be too pricey, in today's NFL star RB's are a luxury, not a necessity, if you have a good OL guys like Forsett can still be super productive.

 Our only signings will be lesser known guys like Kendrick Lewis from last year and Daniels/Forsett the year before. Get excited about the draft, that's where all our big additions will come, if you're excited about free agency you're going to be disappointed like a lot of Ravens fans are every year. 

Welcome to the offseason...where every single FA and player who gets cut gets discussed as being a possible Raven, no matter how naive, unrealistic, or impossible it is.

It only gets worse from here.

My favorite is the "can't hurt to bring him in" arrgument....

[balfan23]

12 minutes ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Welcome to the offseason...where every single FA and player who gets cut gets discussed as being a possible Raven, no matter how naive, unrealistic, or impossible it is.

It only gets worse from here.

My favorite is the "can't hurt to bring him in" arrgument....

Well, true - it is the offseason ... so what is there to talk about other than FA and draft? I agree with the individual posting this thread, that he won't break the bank. I know it becomes tempting to think about, since Forte and Trestman have a history together. I don't know that bringing up Forte is naive, unrealistic or impossible, but no doubt the move wouldn't make sense. 

There is almost no sense in discussing any potential RB signing. Some are even suggesting we cut Forsett to free money for our most pressing needs, so I see no reason for us to bring in an RB. 

[ALSKAN RAVEN FAN]

I would not mind having Forte but I can think of at least 3-4 positions that the money would be better used for LT, DB, WR and a future pass rusher either OLB or DE.

[52520Andrew]

The first of what will be many threads to pop up here.

As for Fotre, I like him but we already have good depth at RB and Forte is 30. If we add RB, I would rather do it through the draft and I don't think we would want to spend all that much on RB with all the other areas we need to address.

[usmccharles]

He's going to new England.   I predicted that ever since Langford looked good for them 

[Ravensfan23]

The Ravens need speed and play making ability to the RB position. I like all the current RBs on the roster but none of those guys have that play making ability to help the offense go to the next level. I don't see Forte as that guy. 

[thieverycorporation]

16 hours ago, sflegend89 said:

How did I know somebody would make this thread lol. Absolutely 0% chance. Guys we go through this every year, we don't participate in free agency. Even with the caveat that he will be released Forte will be too pricey, in today's NFL star RB's are a luxury, not a necessity, if you have a good OL guys like Forsett can still be super productive.

 Our only signings will be lesser known guys like Kendrick Lewis from last year and Daniels/Forsett the year before. Get excited about the draft, that's where all our big additions will come, if you're excited about free agency you're going to be disappointed like a lot of Ravens fans are every year. 

 

[thieverycorporation]

8 hours ago, Willbacker said:

I'm sure this is being fueled by the Bears(Trestman) connection and the fact that he caught 102 passes in the last year. We'd have to wait for the price tag to come down(where somebody would sweep him up before us) and cut Forsett which creates dead money. Right player. Wrong time.

That's exactly why i said he'd be a welcomed addition. The money may be a little more then thee average but by no means bank busting. He'd fit right in with the scheme Trestman runs and he's has all intangibles to succeed here as he poses no negatives. He would be a backfield threat that has been vacated by Ray Rice. I'd take him in a New York minute.

[rmw10]

1 hour ago, Ravensfan23 said:

The Ravens need speed and play making ability to the RB position. I like all the current RBs on the roster but none of those guys have that play making ability to help the offense go to the next level. I don't see Forte as that guy. 

I agree.  We have a nice stable of guys, but none of them really seem to have that ability to break away at the next level.

[thieverycorporation]

8 hours ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Welcome to the offseason...where every single FA and player who gets cut gets discussed as being a possible Raven, no matter how naive, unrealistic, or impossible it is.

It only gets worse from here.

My favorite is the "can't hurt to bring him in" arrgument....

Nothing is impossible. Nothing is naive about it either. Your post reminds me of those whom discounts others and only lends itself to what they deem as thee only course of action. So to me your the only one thats naive or of a one track mind. No persuasive rebuttal, just rhetoric.  If the Patriots were to take him and he succeeded there you probably be the first to say. We should have grabbed him. lol 

Ridiculous……..

[Deflated Football]

Haven't paid much attention to Forte since I dabbled in fantasy football a few years ago, but his reception total over the life of his career is eye popping. Word is he'll get less than 4 mill/year and he was a beast in Trestman's offense. We know Joe likes his check downs and he could be another threat in the passing game. Buck Allen is a very poor man's version of Forte but I think he's destined to be a role player. A three headed monster of Forte, Justin and Buck could be enticing. I think he could be a realistic option, and so does a recent article from NFL.com

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000635912/article/which-teams-are-the-best-fit-for-matt-forte

 

 

[Daft Classic]

I wouldn't bother unless he comes for at most $2 mil/year. At worst, we could cut Forsett and replace him with Forte who would be a better fit in Trestman's system and better at showcasing to Buck and the other backs how to work in the system. We'd be doing Forsett pretty dirty though and that may hurt team image and chemistry 

 

[rmcjacket23]

1 hour ago, thieverycorporation said:

Nothing is impossible. Nothing is naive about it either. Your post reminds me of those whom discounts others and only lends itself to what they deem as thee only course of action. So to me your the only one thats naive or of a one track mind. No persuasive rebuttal, just rhetoric.  If the Patriots were to take him and he succeeded there you probably be the first to say. We should have grabbed him. lol 

Ridiculous……..

Lol, nice try.

1. This is the real world, not a fairy tale. Nothing is impossible or naive when it's a fairy tale...but this isn't a fairy tale. There are many, many things that are quite literally impossible.

2. Forte being a Raven certainly isn't impossible, but my post was never about Forte either. It was about the prevailing and impending concept that nearly 100% of potential or impending free agents will be discussed by multiple people as being viable and simultaneously laughable candidates to be a Raven this season. Heck, this very website posted an article about the likelihood of Von Miller being a Raven as if there was even a remote chance of it happening. 

What's disturbing the most is how easily some fans just talk about adding this player and adding that player while simultaneously giving zero consideration to things like the salary cap, team needs, historical likelihood of us signing similar players, etc.

3. As anybody who knows my post history will tell you, I'm one of the few people on here who doesn't spend their entire day second guessing the FO and coaches for their decisions. In fact, I rarely do it. So when Forte signs elsewhere and plays well, and even if our RBs stink, I won't be the one saying "told you so", because that requires the least amount of knowledge and intellect possible. In fact, it's a cop out and about as irrelevant a discussion anyone can have.

I expect Forte to play elsewhere because I don't see how signing Forte makes the Ravens better in the long term, nor am I certain he yields significantly more value than a Forsett or Allen does.

[Ravensfan23]

3 hours ago, rmw10 said:

I agree.  We have a nice stable of guys, but none of them really seem to have that ability to break away at the next level.

Yea I'd much rather keep who we have and add a guy like Ronnie Hillman if he's allowed to walk or draft a guy like Josh Furgerson. I think RB and TE will be two of the hardest fought position battles.

[thieverycorporation]

5 hours ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Lol, nice try.

1. This is the real world, not a fairy tale. Nothing is impossible or naive when it's a fairy tale...but this isn't a fairy tale. There are many, many things that are quite literally impossible.

2. Forte being a Raven certainly isn't impossible, but my post was never about Forte either. It was about the prevailing and impending concept that nearly 100% of potential or impending free agents will be discussed by multiple people as being viable and simultaneously laughable candidates to be a Raven this season. Heck, this very website posted an article about the likelihood of Von Miller being a Raven as if there was even a remote chance of it happening. 

What's disturbing the most is how easily some fans just talk about adding this player and adding that player while simultaneously giving zero consideration to things like the salary cap, team needs, historical likelihood of us signing similar players, etc.

3. As anybody who knows my post history will tell you, I'm one of the few people on here who doesn't spend their entire day second guessing the FO and coaches for their decisions. In fact, I rarely do it. So when Forte signs elsewhere and plays well, and even if our RBs stink, I won't be the one saying "told you so", because that requires the least amount of knowledge and intellect possible. In fact, it's a cop out and about as irrelevant a discussion anyone can have.

I expect Forte to play elsewhere because I don't see how signing Forte makes the Ravens better in the long term, nor am I certain he yields significantly more value than a Forsett or Allen does.

Time will tell. 

[ellicottraven]

Why? We have plenty on  hand already.

[Halshayeji]

9 hours ago, Daft Classic said:

I wouldn't bother unless he comes for at most $2 mil/year. At worst, we could cut Forsett and replace him with Forte who would be a better fit in Trestman's system and better at showcasing to Buck and the other backs how to work in the system. We'd be doing Forsett pretty dirty though and that may hurt team image and chemistry 

 

I really really really doubt that Forte's value drops to 2 mil a year. But for this discussion's purpose lets say something happened and he somehow becomes a Raven. 1- He would certainly be an upgrade to anyone we have on the roster for 2016 and your absolutely right. Forsett would probably be gone. 2- Our FO has always been classy when moving on from players.

I'm not wishing it comes down to this but if our FO feels the need to move on from Forsett then he should be traded not released. 1- The Ravens are on the hook for 700k this year and 700k next year. Regardless if hes traded or cut and signs another contract with someone else. 2- Forsett was a pro bowler just a year ago and would still add value to so many teams. Denver comes to mind. 3- To avoid burning bridges and doing him dirty, Ozzie needs to be completely transparent with him throughout the process. 4- The easiest thing to do here is to tell Justin something like "look your market value is a 5th rounder but well take a 6th rounder for you if that's the team you want to go to." Then just let him decide where he wants to go and give him a huge thank you hug on his way out. 

[harfordravenfan]

Our luck forte will go after a ring, sign a cheap deal with patriots or someone, and cause fans on here to question why we didn't go after him.

[rmcjacket23]

12 minutes ago, harfordravenfan said:

Our luck forte will go after a ring, sign a cheap deal with patriots or someone, and cause fans on here to question why we didn't go after him.

Also part of the problem. He's already on record as saying he wants to go someplace where he can win. At this point, it's hard to make a case that the Ravens qualify as that.

Plenty of teams who will be in contention who need RB help and have more money to spend than us.

The only real connection between Forte and the Ravens is Trestman, and I don't buy that's some sort of really strong connection that gets him here. More to me of fans digging for a reason to sign somebody vs it making sense from a long term perspective.

[harfordravenfan]

2 hours ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Also part of the problem. He's already on record as saying he wants to go someplace where he can win. At this point, it's hard to make a case that the Ravens qualify as that.

Plenty of teams who will be in contention who need RB help and have more money to spend than us.

The only real connection between Forte and the Ravens is Trestman, and I don't buy that's some sort of really strong connection that gets him here. More to me of fans digging for a reason to sign somebody vs it making sense from a long term perspective.

Agreed and we have youth at a few positions (te, DL, and potentially rb). I'd say if we can just stay healthy we have playoff potential next year. Just need to plug some holes, get good depth, and keep developing our young guys.

[cobrajet]

IMHO, our salary cap money will be best spent else where. We have a lot of holes to fill and upgrading to do, but have decent depth at RB. Since we rarely ever make splashes in free agency, I see Ozzie concentrating on talking to some agents of our own FA's that we may be interested in keeping, and concentrating on the up coming draft. I do not see us making a splash in FA, even for a WR, LT, or Pass Rusher, however March 15th is only a month away.

[thieverycorporation]

26 minutes ago, harfordravenfan said:

2 hours ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Also part of the problem. He's already on record as saying he wants to go someplace where he can win. At this point, it's hard to make a case that the Ravens qualify as that.

Plenty of teams who will be in contention who need RB help and have more money to spend than us.

The only real connection between Forte and the Ravens is Trestman, and I don't buy that's some sort of really strong connection that gets him here. More to me of fans digging for a reason to sign somebody vs it making sense from a long term perspective.

Agreed and we have youth at a few positions (te, DL, and potentially rb). I'd say if we can just stay healthy we have playoff potential next year. Just need to plug some holes, get good depth, and keep developing our young guys.

Your commentary falls short in the contender department. So you don't envision a resurgence in us winning again and soon ? What other relationship would you be looking for in terms of a good fit ? Money wise so approximately 4 mill a year is too pricey ? So all the money available should sunk into what Position need ?

When state that fans are digging. What do most people on this site discuss ? Most of your comment is a strong indictment of the passion and pride the fans have for their beloved team. I'll take that charge and my plea is guilty. 

Your assessment of the money factor is a bit off. Not all of the existing free agents will resign here. Money saved and no dead money. Runningback's have an inherent shorter self life. However I can remember people on website discounting Marshawn Lynch when he went to the SeaHawks. "Oh he's done" ! He doesn't fit the scheme. Look @ them now ! Went on to succeed for himself and his team. I also think the perfect world of football doesn't exist. I'm one that believes that veteran leadership is what is sorely missing from this squad is missing. So the more the better.  In Forte's case he can help to transition the players into Trestman schemes while using the nuances of Kubiack. Similiar to what occurred when Kub came here. I think he would aid greatly in the passing attack. The predictable running back either a bruiser or a slasher. There few combo in the league currently. I haven't seen a great deal of runners that offer the skill set he offers. We will agree to disagree. But I surely hope you don't think the draft will solve all our problems. The old saying rings true most of the time- You get what you pay for. Sometimes thrift shopping pays if you what to look for.