Are we in trouble at TE?

[GrimCoconut]

1 minute ago, frozen joe flacco fan said:

This is an interesting observation but I must respectfully disagree. If Ben wasn't brought in for his blocking and pass catching abilities, it was a wasted investment even before his Achilles injury. However, in view of the uncertainty we had at the TE position before we signed him, Ben's signing was a great FA pickup. Of the available active TEs, he would have been more than adequate as a blocker and a big reliable receiver target for Joe. He was the wide-bodied TE we needed to replace the void created by Dennis. I doubt seriously the organization spent the money to sign him for his great locker room presence and general intelligence. To be honest, they desperately needed to sign a bona fide TE as an insurance policy in case Pitta either retired or did not make a successful comeback. It was a no brainer. As it is, we have to hope the young guys can step up and take advantage of the opportunities they've been given. That's what makes the PED violation by Boyle so dumb and Waller's suspension equally dumb. Due to their selfish behavior, we're no longer deep at a position which looked to be a strength during the off-season. Of course, Dennis is the wild card. If he is able to make a successful comeback, our depth chart at TE would be OK w/o Ben. I wish him the best but I have serious doubts about his ability to take some of the vicious hits any TE has to endure during the course of the season. I think he will used sparingly and mainly in passing situations on 3rd downs to sustain a drive. I wish Ben a speedy recovery from his surgery and hope to see his locker room presence before this season's end.

You had me confused for a moment--I wondered when I said that comment. Gotta love the quoting system. 

[Tank 92]

4 hours ago, frozen joe flacco fan said:

This is an interesting observation but I must respectfully disagree. If Ben wasn't brought in for his blocking and pass catching abilities, it was a wasted investment even before his Achilles injury. However, in view of the uncertainty we had at the TE position before we signed him, Ben's signing was a great FA pickup. Of the available active TEs, he would have been more than adequate as a blocker and a big reliable receiver target for Joe. He was the wide-bodied TE we needed to replace the void created by Dennis. I doubt seriously the organization spent the money to sign him for his great locker room presence and general intelligence. To be honest, they desperately needed to sign a bona fide TE as an insurance policy in case Pitta either retired or did not make a successful comeback. It was a no brainer. As it is, we have to hope the young guys can step up and take advantage of the opportunities they've been given. That's what makes the PED violation by Boyle so dumb and Waller's suspension equally dumb. Due to their selfish behavior, we're no longer deep at a position which looked to be a strength during the off-season. Of course, Dennis is the wild card. If he is able to make a successful comeback, our depth chart at TE would be OK w/o Ben. I wish him the best but I have serious doubts about his ability to take some of the vicious hits any TE has to endure during the course of the season. I think he will used sparingly and mainly in passing situations on 3rd downs to sustain a drive. I wish Ben a speedy recovery from his surgery and hope to see his locker room presence before this season's end.

Not sure what happened, but this was my comment, not Grim's.  lol

i think you misinterpreted what I said. Grim was kind of saying that he thought we payed too much for an aging TE that had one good year. My point was that his intelligence and leadership skills ALSO would be invaluable in mentoring the young group we had at TE. Added value, if you will.  Pretty much a given that his blocking and catching skills were adequate insurance to fill a possible void and we wouldn't have signed him unless he were capable.