[News] Eisenberg: 5 Outside-The-Box Questions For Ravens

[AvianBrain]

The last thing I want to see is Pitta sprawled out on the turf in M&T with one leg pointing to DC and the other to Philly. Image if his hip breaks again as he is being hit. You know there will be a target painted on his hip and it will be tested by everyone on defense. No one will talk about taking a player out, but that is how some play the game. I wish the best for Pitta, but this is a violent sport and high speed impacts can do damage.

[Ravens559]

The last thing I want to see is Pitta sprawled out on the turf in M&T with one leg pointing to DC and the other to Philly. Image if his hip breaks again as he is being hit. You know there will be a target painted on his hip and it will be tested by everyone on defense. No one will talk about taking a player out, but that is how some play the game. I wish the best for Pitta, but this is a violent sport and high speed impacts can do damage.

that's so wrong but true... i honestly think he should retire..two major hip injuries and your still walking? forget that running? smh

[Ravenous_Ravens]

The last thing I want to see is Pitta sprawled out on the turf in M&T with one leg pointing to DC and the other to Philly. Image if his hip breaks again as he is being hit. You know there will be a target painted on his hip and it will be tested by everyone on defense. No one will talk about taking a player out, but that is how some play the game. I wish the best for Pitta, but this is a violent sport and high speed impacts can do damage.

In reality he broke his hip the first time and the second break (non contact) was the result of not being fully healed up. Given the length of recovery he has had vs the first recovery period, IMHO he should be fully healed up at this point. I'm not expecting him to come back and make Pro Bowls, but I would expect he is able to be a contributing factor and take significant reps.

[Ravens559]

  24 minutes ago, AvianBrain said:

The last thing I want to see is Pitta sprawled out on the turf in M&T with one leg pointing to DC and the other to Philly. Image if his hip breaks again as he is being hit. You know there will be a target painted on his hip and it will be tested by everyone on defense. No one will talk about taking a player out, but that is how some play the game. I wish the best for Pitta, but this is a violent sport and high speed impacts can do damage.

In reality he broke his hip the first time and the second break (non contact) was the result of not being fully healed up. Given the length of recovery he has had vs the first recovery period, IMHO he should be fully healed up at this point. I'm not expecting him to come back and make Pro Bowls, but I would expect he is able to be a contributing factor and take significant reps.

IDK...that seems very foolish to play with fire....he has a ring...has a probowl or two... what else does he need to do or prove? he's going to realize that once our other TE's flourish...which is this year i believe

[eze17]

  2 hours ago, Raven_Don said:

I see this being a defense heavy draft... I don't see us taking an offensive player until we get to comp picks... way to much talent on the defensive side of the ball not to select some insurance for the future in this draft...

That's what I was thinking as well. Especially when we start talking about trading back, it makes a lot of sense.

If we don't trade back, expect heavy deffense early on, but if we do than I could see us mixing a bit with a 2nd round receiver...only immediate spot I think we really need to upgrade besides LT.

Personally hoping Tunsil or Ramsey falls to us. If not than I would vote on trading back even if Jack is there.

We would scoop up Tunsil or Ramsey in a heartbeat. Bosa might be to good to turn down also, and I personally have been getting higher on Hargreaves, although you might be able to drop back a few spots and still get him. I know the FO says " best player available " but you have to figure we need CB, ILB and pass rush help, and with seven picks in the first four rounds you figure these needs will be addressed. Sure, there will be some surprises, but CB is almost desperately thin, and we need some pressure on opposing QBs.

[ravens4life86]

9 days left to THE DRAFT..Its the Final Countdown.

The Answer to all Eisenbergs Questions are THE DRAFT.
Daryl Smith Replacement, draft.. whether it be at no.6 with Myles Jack, or early 2nd round with maybe Raglund Sliding, or Sua Cravens, Darren Lee,Dion Jones, round 3 Scooby Wright, etc etc

As far as taking Zeke Elliott... Ravens win Rings with franchise RBs...(Jamal Lewis,Ray Rice) so if Bosa,Jack,Ramsey,etc are gone..definitely take the "SPECIAL" RB.
If Pitta plays..Bonus..

If Older players fall off.. not going there.

[merryjman]

I don't agree that Z Smith was an under-the-radar success. I think a better way to look at it is: when Dumervil is pulling double teams on one side of the line, then whoever's on the other side is going to look way better than they are. AKA the "Paul Kruger gets $40M" effect. When Doom and Sizz were both healthy, they almost set a season record in total sacks, because you can't double them both.

[Ravens559]

9 days left to THE DRAFT..Its the Final Countdown.

The Answer to all Eisenbergs Questions are THE DRAFT.
Daryl Smith Replacement, draft.. whether it be at no.6 with Myles Jack, or early 2nd round with maybe Raglund Sliding, or Sua Cravens, Darren Lee,Dion Jones, round 3 Scooby Wright, etc etc

As far as taking Zeke Elliott... Ravens win Rings with franchise RBs...(Jamal Lewis,Ray Rice) so if Bosa,Jack,Ramsey,etc are gone..definitely take the "SPECIAL" RB.
If Pitta plays..Bonus..

If Older players fall off.. not going there.

this guy gets it...honestly if we get E.elliot i wont be mad but i won't be that happy.. D. Henry is better trust me...

[Maryland]

I don't agree that Z Smith was an under-the-radar success. I think a better way to look at it is: when Dumervil is pulling double teams on one side of the line, then whoever's on the other side is going to look way better than they are. AKA the "Paul Kruger gets $40M" effect. When Doom and Sizz were both healthy, they almost set a season record in total sacks, because you can't double them both.

Agreed, Z.Smith wasn't really a success. He may have gotten some opportunistic sacks where he didn't really beat his man off the snap in any way, but he didn't really flash as a good pass-rusher. Plus he was a huge liability vs the run all season. I mean, I hope a 2nd year brings a big improvement, but we'll have to wait and see.

To say that they let Upshaw go because of Z.Smith's success as the author here suggests is totally wrong. Upshaw was such a liability in coverage and as a pass-rusher that he just didn't fit what Pees seemed to want out of his strong-side LB.

[steelcityraven]

@steelcityraven l actually like your second list way better than the first one. The first list is not exciting that much. ?

I really like the 2nd much better also but it all depends on who falls to us in Rd. 1 (Tunsil or Ramsey or neither)??? If neither fall then we have an entirely different looking draft bc it will all be predicated on the fact that we will be trading back and accumulating picks... I would love to land Tunsil but I also think we need more then 1 quality CB and I believe we will be very pass rush oriented (DE, OLB) bc Mr. Biscotti said so! You know Ozzie will always have some big surprise in there however!

[EdTheMythicalOne]

3 hours ago, steelcityraven said:

I think that Arthur Brown is ready to step in and play beside CJ... he is the athletic type who can cover the field and play the pass. The knock on him is he needed to add bulk and be more stout at the point of attack (v RUN)... he has begun to grow into his frame and looks different then he did when he came into this league.... plus now we are asking him to play a different role (as CJ is now doing what we drafted Arthur to do)...His athleticism beside CJ will be fun to watch... (and Z Orr can be our sub on run downs or goal line beside CJ)!

Arthur "I am the God of Misfire" Brown isn't ready to do anything other than be on the kickoff coverage team. What has he shown in any of the past three years to prove he's ready now. An undrafted free agent in Orr got the nod over him to play the same spot you are saying he's going to play now? It is Orr's job to lose and I only see him losing out to a draft pick or a free agent that is just simply better. He doesn't lose the job to Brown. The whole reason for Orr being out on the field is because he was better in coverage than D. Smith was because he'd finally lost that step.

Edited April 19, 2016 by EdTheMythicalOne

[EdTheMythicalOne]

Here is the reply to these outside the box questions:

1) Dennis Pitta:
I hope he is healthy and it will be a miracle if the guy can suit up again and play at anything close to what he's done in the past. If he can I don't see this as being a problem. Ben Watson and Pitta can be the starting two TE's. Gillmore is returning from shoulder surgery and still has a torn labrum in the other one, so he can go 3rd TE and be the blocker and get himself healed up for next year. Maxx Williams can go in and learn behind two vets and also get significant snaps. Boyle is suspended for 10 games and he'll get cut when he comes back. Waller is a developmental project at TE. I seriously doubt Pitta will play again.

2) Ezekiel Elliott:
Yeah, the Ravens could draft him and it would piss off a lot of fans. It makes sense to some degree, but if he's the only guy left when we pick I think we trade down at that point. I wouldn't be upset with the pick unless it was over somebody like Tunsil that was still sitting there at our pick.

3) Vets not coming back to par:
It is to be expected that aging veterans will hit the wall at some point and just not have anything left in the tank. This is why you augment with youthful depth. The Ravens bolstered their receiving corps and will build up depth at OLB through the draft and FA so that we don't need to rely on these guys as heavily. That being said, I think Suggs and Smith have a lot left in the tank. This is S. Smith's last year I am sure and he wants to go out like a pro.

4) IF they take a CB at 36, does he start?
You're hoping that anyone you select in the first two rounds will be starters in this league for years to come. So yeah, I would say anyone they pick at 36 would hopefully be starting unless they are a bust or the guy standing in front of him on the depth chart is simply better right now. Shareece Wright played well last season but he's no lock. So the 36th pick could be the slot/nickel corner to start his career...if it is a CB.

5)Replacing Daryl Smith:
Easy, the same way they did to begin with. They'll look for a cap casualty cut, call the guy up, offer him a decent contract and milk the last 2-3 good years out of him or until they draft a replacement. D. Smith was about as excellent of a move as you could have made. Get him for a good price, get the best of what he's got left, and when he finally hits the wall he's on his way out the door.

[billiejean]

3 hours ago, Ravens559 said:

not in my book...stats tell stories... the story i see is yeldon helps jags qb blake blortles play at his fullest with yeldon as his bell cow last year..leaving hurns and robinson as a possible top 5 WR tandem this year....as for E. Lacy when he first arrived he drastically had an impact with a balanced run and pass game as A. Rodgers made the defense play honest and A. Rod capitilzed on it with RB Eddie Lacy selected as the 2013 Offensive Rookie of The Year, the first Packer chosen for the award since RB John Brockington in 1971.... That same year i begged for ozzie to get lacy or even L. Murray ( rated 6th round) drafted by raiders who had great season of !,000 yard season last year and jumpstarted D. Carr for their fist win against th K.C.defense rated #1 with no rushing TD's on a primetime thursday night with a 93 yard tdburst from L. Murray (4.37 40yd dash) ... murray had another td for 20 yd or more...didn't draft him... last but not least Leveon Bell.... wow i wanted him the most and he ended up as a second round who had the best RB year 2014 and was the one i wanted the most ....all 2013 RB's ...regardless if we needed them with ray rice there before the mishaps we need to grab this best player and that means making moves to get em... Who did we grab in the first round and move up in the second to get? Matt elam and A. brown ....smh

none of those stats have anything to do with Henry.  Yea Henry put up some stats at Alabama but every back from Alabama puts up stats especially behind that offensive line they have. Henrys stats in particular are inflated because the guy got handed the ball a whopping 400 times.  There is just no way that there is any way to justify calling Henry the best player in the draft.  Yea stats tell stories but if stats told the whole story there would be no reason for a scout to ever look at tape.  The tape tells the complete story and if you watched tape on Henry you would see he only gets what is given to him by his blockers.  He is not going to extend runs into the secondary, his pass blocking is suspect, and he doesn't have great hands.

[robbie29]

Maybe it would be wiser to emphasize "prepare for the worst case scenario" rather than "hope for the best". Reality is that guys in their mid 30s hwo are coming off serious injuries (Smith Sr, Suggs) likely will not play at the high level they played at prior to being injured. It looks like good moves have been made to make sure Joe has targets (retaining Aiken, signing Wallace & Watson), in the event Smith Sr. has lost a step or two when he returns. Now, a bona fide pass rusher needs to acquired- likely through the draft since the Ravens aren't exactly swimming in extra cash. Still holding my breath to see what happens with the LT situation (and I really, really hope the actual plan isn't to stand pat with Monroe).

[mearzunkies]

  5 hours ago, Ravenous_Ravens said:

  5 hours ago, AvianBrain said:

The last thing I want to see is Pitta sprawled out on the turf in M&T with one leg pointing to DC and the other to Philly. Image if his hip breaks again as he is being hit. You know there will be a target painted on his hip and it will be tested by everyone on defense. No one will talk about taking a player out, but that is how some play the game. I wish the best for Pitta, but this is a violent sport and high speed impacts can do damage.

In reality he broke his hip the first time and the second break (non contact) was the result of not being fully healed up. Given the length of recovery he has had vs the first recovery period, IMHO he should be fully healed up at this point. I'm not expecting him to come back and make Pro Bowls, but I would expect he is able to be a contributing factor and take significant reps.

IDK...that seems very foolish to play with fire....he has a ring...has a probowl or two... what else does he need to do or prove? he's going to realize that once our other TE's flourish...which is this year i believe

Pitta has a Pro Bowl?

[Fastynart]

1. Pitta SHOULD NOT play, period. He is risking being able to walk for the rest of his life. Does anyone forget that his second injury occurred when no one laid a finger on him.
2. If the Ravens draft a running back, Ozzie Newsome should be fired.
5. Ozzie should have a replacement already on board for Smith. The fact that he doesn't and wasted first round picks on Elam and Perriman speaks volumes.

[Ravens8383]

1. Pitta SHOULD NOT play, period. He is risking being able to walk for the rest of his life. Does anyone forget that his second injury occurred when no one laid a finger on him.
2. If the Ravens draft a running back, Ozzie Newsome should be fired.
5. Ozzie should have a replacement already on board for Smith. The fact that he doesn't and wasted first round picks on Elam and Perriman speaks volumes.

Only way Ozzie takes a RB if that player is the best player on the board. It's not a position of need but if he were to end up a Raven and he played like monster would we really be upset?

[J.O.14]

1. Pitta SHOULD NOT play, period. He is risking being able to walk for the rest of his life. Does anyone forget that his second injury occurred when no one laid a finger on him.
2. If the Ravens draft a running back, Ozzie Newsome should be fired.
5. Ozzie should have a replacement already on board for Smith. The fact that he doesn't and wasted first round picks on Elam and Perriman speaks volumes.

1. It's up to Pitta if he wants to play again or not. Not you, the Ravens, doctors, or whoever, it's up to Pitta. He knows the risk he is taking, and if he wants to risk it, then so be it. It's his life, he can live it how he wants.
2. I don't think we will take a RB with the first pick, but Elliot would be a game changer and really help our offense. He could be Ray Rice 2.0 and possibly better. Would I be happy? No. Very unhappy, but I understand the move.
3. How is it a wasted pick on Perriman when he hasn't played yet? Yeah go ahead and say well he hasn't played yet, but injuries happen and you don't give up on a player who hasn't had a chance to display what he can do.

[sticks999]

1. Pitta SHOULD NOT play, period. He is risking being able to walk for the rest of his life. Does anyone forget that his second injury occurred when no one laid a finger on him.
2. If the Ravens draft a running back, Ozzie Newsome should be fired.
5. Ozzie should have a replacement already on board for Smith. The fact that he doesn't and wasted first round picks on Elam and Perriman speaks volumes.

I love how so many people get in Pitta's business. Go mother someone else and leave an adult alone.

[sticks999]

If Pitta can play, I see him as a situational guy, sorta receiver, sorta TE. I don't think they will expect him to do as much as he did. But since he has great hands, this could work I believe.

[cbrook1862]

I'm really tired of people downing Pitta, it's his career, life, family, health, and his decision. When you don't play for nearly 2 seasons due to 2 hip injuries, you do a lot of thinking, a lot of talking to doctors and family/friends...whoever... and it seems as though he has come to the decision that he feels comfortable playing football while maintaining his health. If u don't want him to play.. don't cheer when he scores a TD!

[EddiOK]

Clutch situational player, and a great mentor to all the young TE's on the team. Since the position is a complex one, and players typically need 3-4 years to mature in the role, he would be critical to instruct and coach the players from the field perspective.