*****Official Baltimore Ravens Thread***** (1 Viewer)

[Uruk-Hai]

I hear ya on the Flacco hype, GB. You having nightmares involving the numbers 14/42, 185, 1/4 too?

Brandon Williams is what Mount Cody was SUPPOSED to be.

Was talking to someone the other day about how different the roster is from the one that won the SB less than 2 years ago.

These are the guys I can think of who start and were on both teams:

Monroe, Yanda, Osemele, Flacco, Torrey, Ngata, Suggs, Webb, Koch, Tucker. Jimmy Smith & Pitta would be playing if they weren't hurt. That's 12 out of 24 (including 2 on IR and the kickers); 8 out of 22, leaving the specialists and injured guys out. EIGHT.

Does anyone flip a roster while remaining competitive better than Ozzie & DeCosta?

 

[James Daulton]

I'm getting more and more nervous about this game. The addition of Gronk, the Pats souped up secondary, and our swiss cheese secondary leave me with too many area where things will have to break the Ravens way. Unless the d-line puts consistent and constant pressure on Brady, I think we lose pretty handily.

With that said, given all the turmoil during the season and our secondary injuries I think the season will have been pretty successful.

 

[JIslander]

If they come out with the same intensity they did at Pittsburgh, it won't get away from them. I felt worse about Steelers matchup than I do this one -- more concerns with secondary there with legit WR, especially on deep throws. vs NE, it's always about disrupting schemes/finesse and getting in Brady's face. That said, somebody else other than Smith Sr and Torrey will have to get separation so Joe isn't forcing the ball.

 

[The_Man]

Starting to have a bad feeling about this one, based on the match-ups. Ravens WRs disappear against press coverage, which NE will certainly bring. Running game has been non-existent in recent weeks, since the Tackles got hurt. Brady will neutralize the pass rush with quick, accurate throws.

The saving grace of the Ravens' D has been strong red zone performance, but I believe in the Pats' ability to exploit even tiny holes in coverage.

Starting to feel like a 31-13 kind of thing to me.

Just hoping that it's really cold and the Ravens deliver a few body blows early to set the tone, then see how the Patriots react.

 

[James Daulton]

Starting to have a bad feeling about this one, based on the match-ups. Ravens WRs disappear against press coverage, which NE will certainly bring. Running game has been non-existent in recent weeks, since the Tackles got hurt. Brady will neutralize the pass rush with quick, accurate throws.

The saving grace of the Ravens' D has been strong red zone performance, but I believe in the Pats' ability to exploit even tiny holes in coverage.

Starting to feel like a 31-13 kind of thing to me.

Just hoping that it's really cold and the Ravens deliver a few body blows early to set the tone, then see how the Patriots react.

I'm getting this same feeling. Two areas I think could surprise is the Raven's inside pressure with Ngata and Jernigan being back helps a lot. I also have faith that Kubiak will draw up an offensive scheme to exploit whatever weaknesses the Pats have (TEs I hope). If the Pats O line plays well, we're sunk, if the Pats O line lets interior pressure get to Brady, it's anybody's game (as long as Flacco continues to take care of the ball).

 

[JIslander]

me too -- defense isn't as good all around as compared to the last playoffs here -- and Joe just needs a stronger wide-out. Also, Daniels played well in Pitts, but having Pita would make me feel a little better.

 

[The_Man]

Yanda was named Pro Football Focus's Offensive Lineman of the Year.

I might have mentioned it before, but I think he and Suggs took big steps forward in the Hall of Fame conversation this year. At this point, I think Suggs has a better than 50-50 shot. Yanda will need to be a consensus All-Pro for the next 3 or 4 years - tough for a Guard to get in the HOF. Will Shields is on the finalist list this year and I doubt very much he makes it; at this point, Yanda hasn't had the career or received the recognition that Shields did.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I think Suggs is getting pretty close, but I'm a Ravens fan who watches him most every week. He does a lot more than sack the QB. It almost never gets talked about, but he is exceptional for a rush end at defending the run. He might not make the tackle but he's as good as I've seen at making the runner go where he doesn't want to (into the teeth of the tacklers) by shedding blocks.

But, as I said, I see him all of the time and I wonder what his perception is nationally besides being loud. Who are his contemporaries? James Harrison is one, I guess. Has he had the career JH has? Harrison has more rings and plays for a team with a much higher national profile.

I'm drawing a blank on anyone else who is as accomplished and has had a career roughly paralleling Suggs'.

 

[lsutigers]

Ware?

I would think Suggs' ROY and DPOY awards as well as tied for 3rd in playoff sacks would put him ahead of him though?

 

[The_Man]

I agree that Suggs is a dominant run-stuffer (though about once a game he crashes inside when he should be setting the edge and gives up a big run when he loses contain). Against Pittsburgh, he stood Heath Miller up with one hand while setting the edge, then tackled the RB for no gain with the other. He is immensely strong and huge. Not to mention he sealed the game by dropping back into coverage and getting the INT. He is way more than just an edge pass rusher.

To focus on the all-around nature of Suggs' game, I pulled career stats for sacks, tackles, and pass defended/INTs for the top active sack leaders. Turns out Suggs is a HOFer, and so are Jared Allen, and especially Julius Peppers. That guy's numbers are really something. Abraham and Ware are both in the Hall of Excellent, don't know about HOF, and Freeney - who I always thought was so great - really doesn't have very impressive numbers. I guess the fact that he was the only guy I ever saw torment Ogden led me to over-value him.

Sacks

Jared Allen 134

John Abraham 133.5

DeMarcus Ware 127

Julius Peppers 126

Dwight Freeney 111.5

Robert Mathis 110

Suggs 106.5

Mario Williams 91

Tackles (Assists)

Suggs 508 (223)
Allen 479 (131)
Peppers 477 (122)
Ware 476 (139)
Abraham 446 (101)
Mathis 367 (120)
Williams 293 (74)
Freeney 266 (45)

Passes defended (interceptions)

Peppers 75 (11 int)
Allen 55 (5 int)
Suggs 49 (7 ints)
Abraham 29 (1 int)
Ware 25 (3 int)
Williams 21 (0 int)
Mathis 19 (1 int)
Freeney 16 (0 int)

The thing that really stood out for Peppers where those 11 INTs. So just for fun, I pulled the list of career INTs for guys with 100+ sacks. Suggs is #7 on that list, and it is a very good list to be on:

Career Sacks/INTs

Peppers 126/11

Lawrence Taylor 132.5/9

Chris Doleman 150.5/8

Jason Taylor 139.5/8

Richard Dent 137.5/8

Rickey Jackson 128/8

Suggs 106.5/7

A couple more decent years, and Suggs will be in the Top 20 for all-time sacks. That really is impressive when you realize he doesn't rush the QB every play, and is probably a better run stopper than pass rusher. I think HOF for sure. Don't think Ngata gets there but it's still pretty amazing to realize that the Ravens played most of the 2000s with 3 legit HOFers on their defense.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

A couple more decent years, and Suggs will be in the Top 20 for all-time sacks. That really is impressive when you realize he doesn't rush the QB every play, and is probably a better run stopper than pass rusher.

And yet, my perception is that most football fans think of him ONLY as a pass rusher. TV always flashes his sack #s, almost never T/A or PD. I guess sacks are easier to understand and Suggs certainly has a passel of 'em.

There was a play in the Steelers game last week where Brandon Williams had the C & both Gs (or a G and a FB - can't recall) engaged. I think that was on one of the sack plays. It was like a group hug or that Williams was trying to breast feed those three. He didn't get any upfield movement, but tied up THREE big dudes and allowed others to make a play.

What do you guys think CJ Mosely's ceiling is? Daryl Smith or London Fletcher (that would be a home run in my book)? Better? Worse? He looks lost sometimes on the trickier plays or when he has to drop into coverage, but I think he's got "it".

 

[monessen]

I am starting to become very uncomfortable with the whole "Joe Flacco - Playoff God" storyline. There's no question he's been phenomenal in his last 3 post-seasons - the question is why, and is it sustainable?

It's usually right about the time that the media fastens on to these trends that they suddenly regress to the mean, and something happens to totally counter the storyline they've been peddling. In this case, I can see Flacco's historic steak of playoff play vanish in a 3-turnover puff of smoke.

Not to mention the other emerging storyline that Flacco has outduelled Brady in recent playoff meetings. If Brady had gotten to go up vs. some of those lousy Pats' Defenses, while Flacco had to face the Ravens, those numbers would have been very different. This year - especially with the Ravens' secondary - the roles are kind of reversed, and Brady for once gets to face a cream puff D.

On the positive side, I really like what I'm seeing from Baltimore's D line right now. They are big, strong and deep. Canty has given Brady previous post-season nightmares, and he's starting to play really well. Brandon Williams is making the leap right before our eyes - he's becoming a mini-Wilfork. Ngata looks extremely fresh and motivated. McPhee is a tough match-up and even D'Angelo Tyson is playing well. Would love to see Jernigan come back, but I don't know if he'll be ready.

Against Pittsburgh, the Ravens basically dared the Steelers to run every down and - without Bell - they couldn't do it. The play where Suggs made the Thigh Interception was a third and four where the Ravens basically had 5 or 6 LBs/DBs standing at the line to blitz, with 0 or 1 D lineman, and Pittsburgh still wouldn't run. New England will run more and better than the Steelers, but I think the Ravens can still effectively stop them while playing 2 safeties deep. Every time the Pats run the ball for less than 6 or 7 yards, I count that as a win for Baltimore. I would rather see a bunch of 5-yard runs than see Brady throwing the ball vs. this crew.

I still think Brady will carve up our mediocre pass defense with a bunch of quick, accurate passes that negate our pass rush. Baltimore's #1-ranked red zone D will have to hold an opponent to FGs again, and count on Flacco to continue his playoff magic.

You expressed expertly what many are thinking. Good analysis! An error was talking up Flacco just before a matchup on the road vs Brady-Belicheck.

Ravens' offense has speed, savvy, and toughness. The weapons are divese and generally healthy. If Forsett finds holes to prevent 2nd and long, Kubiak may have a lot of play-action for Flacco to unleash. Am a Steelers fan, but all Steelers fans know the Ravens' capacity to score in a variety of ways. Underrated talent on defense and special teams.

The Pats will dink and dunk and have everyone on offense stay fresh by using a cast of thousands from Bolden to Wright. Ravens D got to get off the field after 3rd down and not let Brady's ball control stuff keep Flacco on the sidelines.

Good luck to your guys. I'd take Tucker over Gostowski in a tight contest.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Feliz gameday, y'all!

 

[monessen]

My hat's off to the Ravens. Could have gone their way today. Terrific tussle and they made the Pats one-dimensional. It's a tough dimension, though. Still, Baltimore likely was the AFC North's best, and the schedule looks juicy next season. They'll make the right adjustments in the off-season.

 

[JIslander]

My hat's off to the Ravens. Could have gone their way today. Terrific tussle and they made the Pats one-dimensional. It's a tough dimension, though. Still, Baltimore likely was the AFC North's best, and the schedule looks juicy next season. They'll make the right adjustments in the off-season.

agreed. that's not James Island, Charleston SC is it?

 

[monessen]

My hat's off to the Ravens. Could have gone their way today. Terrific tussle and they made the Pats one-dimensional. It's a tough dimension, though. Still, Baltimore likely was the AFC North's best, and the schedule looks juicy next season. They'll make the right adjustments in the off-season.

agreed. that's not James Island, Charleston SC is it?

Yes sir. Right off Harborview Road and its construction project. And I've used your moniker for my fantasy teams from time to time.

 

[James Daulton]

I'm sure Joe wishes he had that last throw back. Even if the Ravens get a TD, there's way too much time left on the clock for Brady. Could not get pressure on Brady in the second half.

Regardless, I consider the season mostly a success and if the team shores up the defense and adds a weapon or two on offense, they'll be better next year.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I thought Flacco was magnificent yesterday. The defense just needed to make one play and NE wouldn't let them.

 

[James Daulton]

I thought Flacco was magnificent yesterday. The defense just needed to make one play and NE wouldn't let them.

That's kind of how we figured it would go. The D was just too crushed by injuries. I think the Ravens are going to be good next year. I'd love to get Pita back healthy.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I think Pitta may be snake-bit.

This ain't news, but they need OL and DB help. The rest is fine. I'd also - salary cap idiot alert! - like to see them make a play for Larry Fitzgerald.

 

[monessen]

Fitzgerald AND Steve Smith to go with the other receivers?

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Fitzgerald AND Steve Smith to go with the other receivers?

I don't know Smith's contract implications. I'd be ok just bringing him back with what they have. Just dreaming over here.

 

[dutch]

Kubiak is staying. This is good news for Flacco and the rest of the offense. I like the way Kubiak calls a game; he mixes run and pass very well and keeps defenses guessing. Add that to the fact that Flacco had his best season and that he really seemed to click with Kubiack and this is great news for Ravens fans.

 

[James Daulton]

I have high hopes for next year. A healthy Jimmy Smith will be huge.

Is there any way the Ravens can make a play for Demerius Thomas?

We also need to draft a young edge rusher to replace Suggs in a year or two.

 

[The_Man]

Every time the Pats run the ball for less than 6 or 7 yards, I count that as a win for Baltimore. I would rather see a bunch of 5-yard runs than see Brady throwing the ball vs. this crew.I still think Brady will carve up our mediocre pass defense with a bunch of quick, accurate passes that negate our pass rush. Baltimore's #1-ranked red zone D will have to hold an opponent to FGs again, and count on Flacco to continue his playoff magic.

I guess Belichick agreed with me that every Pats run would be a win for the Ravens. Never thought I'd see a team call zero handoffs in a half of NFL football, and it was pretty friggin genius.

Only disappointment was how bad the pass rush performed. They were crunching Brady early but disappeared. Suggs and especially Dumervil didn't get it done. I was disgusted by the play of Elam, but I expect that by now and so wasn't disappointed when it happened. And I just felt bad for Melvin. He was in a walking nightmare - didn't belong on the field in an AFC Divisional game vs. Brady, and was forced into a situation where he had no chance of success. Credit the Pats for never letting him off the mat.

Bye, McPhee, someone will overpay you like Ellerbe and Art Jones. Also goodbye - I think - to Torrey Smith. Great guy, decent player, but not worth what it will cost to sign him. Put me in the camp of the people who thought he should have made a play on the ball - it was certainly no more over his head than the ball Dez went up to get vs. the Packers. He is the anti-Steve Smith - so nice, so lacking in killer instinct.

Nice job, Flacco. Great job Offensive Line. They could be a force next year. I have a dream that Urschel can play Center. He was outstanding this year - Zuttah was fine but a little light in the seat. Urschel is big, mean, fast and smart. Put him between Osemele and Yanda and that is a dominant interior O line.

 

[The_Man]

Just looked up Urschel - he was drafted out of Penn State as a Guard/Center. Now I'm legit excited. If they give him a chance to start at Center next year, the interior O line could be outstanding, especially in Kubiak's system. Yanda and Osemele might already be the best Guard combo in the NFL

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

Every time the Pats run the ball for less than 6 or 7 yards, I count that as a win for Baltimore. I would rather see a bunch of 5-yard runs than see Brady throwing the ball vs. this crew.I still think Brady will carve up our mediocre pass defense with a bunch of quick, accurate passes that negate our pass rush. Baltimore's #1-ranked red zone D will have to hold an opponent to FGs again, and count on Flacco to continue his playoff magic.

I guess Belichick agreed with me that every Pats run would be a win for the Ravens. Never thought I'd see a team call zero handoffs in a half of NFL football, and it was pretty friggin genius.

yeah, while it might not be exactly the same, it's pretty similar to how they've played tough run d in the past -- like minny's williams wall in 2006

minny might've even been favored in that one, but I can't remember

I think you guys will be in the hunt for the next decade if you keep that management and coaching staff together

balt's one of the pro'est teams in the league, maybe just a neck behind the pats

 

[Uruk-Hai]

What are the chances they just cut Elam? He can't cover OR tackle.

 

[dutch]

What are the chances they just cut Elam? He can't cover OR tackle.

100%. He's a bust plain and simple and unlike Jimmy Smith I don't see any promise of Elam turning it around. Cut bait on him and start over in the draft/fa.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Ok, so let's talk DBs.

Smith & Webb start at corner (assuming both can actually get on the field healthy at the same time - a phenomenom I don't think we've ever seen). Need nickle & dime corners from somewhere else, right? They've cycled through so many I can't remember if any of the 56 they put on IR were any good besides Smith.

I'm guessing they'll have Brooks (who didn't leave a lasting impression on me but he's young) & Hill(?) at S. Who else? Go off-roster again for both starters and depth?

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Front 7, besides McPhee, who's gone?

 

[The_Man]

Canty might retire. Asa Jackson is a good nickel CB.Hill is very good, Brooks could be ok. They really can draft for quality and not position. Maybe a WR to replace Torrey?

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Crap. Looks like Kubiak is gone. Best of luck to him in his dream job.

Who's on tap for OC? I saw K Shanahan mentioned.

 

[James Daulton]

Crap. Looks like Kubiak is gone. Best of luck to him in his dream job.

Who's on tap for OC? I saw K Shanahan mentioned.

I'd prefer they get someone who keeps the same west coast/zone blocking system. While I'm not happy to see him go, I always figured Kubes would only last a season or two if the Ravens had success.

 

[msommer]

Trestman?

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Dunno. Trestman seems to have a completely different style than Kubiak and I don't know if the Ravens have the pieces for it.

 

[higgins]

Without knowing much about Trestman (or the styles of his offenses) there do seem to be at least 3 things to take away that appear to be positives with Trestman going to the Ravens:

- The guy has extensive experience in being an OC or as a QBC (coached Steve Young), and at least has the rep of a great OC.

- While 2014 certainly wasn't a glowing example of what his teams can do, the 2013 Bears had a pretty decent offense in his offense being run by the backup QB.

- Trestman was the Cleveland Browns OC during the twilight of Ozzie's career. As respected as Ozzie is in leading this organization, I would think we could definitely trust his judgement when he brings in a guy he has known for a long time and played for.

 

[lsutigers]

2015 Free Agents:

Player (30)
Pos.
Age
From
To
2014 Cap Hit
Status
Darian Stewart S 26 BAL TBD $1,300,000 UFA Torrey Smith WR 26 BAL TBD $1,078,392 UFA Owen Daniels TE 32 BAL TBD $1,000,000 UFA Morgan Cox LS 28 BAL TBD $855,000 UFA Jah Reid G 26 BAL TBD $785,810 UFA Pernell McPhee OLB 26 BAL TBD $681,140 UFA Tyrod Taylor QB 25 BAL TBD $671,327 UFA Jeromy Miles S 27 BAL TBD $635,000 UFA Justin Tucker K 25 BAL TBD $570,000 RFA Justin Forsett RB 29 BAL TBD $570,000 UFA Aaron Ross CB 32 BAL TBD $570,000 UFA Will Rackley G 25 BAL TBD $570,000 UFA Brynden Trawick S 25 BAL TBD $495,000 ERFA Kamar Aiken WR 25 BAL TBD $495,000 RFA Anthony Levine S 27 BAL TBD $495,000 RFA Lawrence Guy DE 24 BAL TBD $469,411 RFA Christo Bilukidi DT 25 BAL TBD $383,333 RFA Will Hill S 24 BAL TBD $368,824 RFA Kevin McDermott LS 25 BAL TBD $233,294 ERFA Rashaan Melvin CB 25 BAL TBD $232,941 ERFA Danny Gorrer CB 28 BAL TBD $226,412 UFA Tramain Jacobs CB 22 BAL TBD $170,118 ERFA Antoine Cason CB 28 BAL TBD $100,588 UFA Phillip Supernaw TE 25 BAL TBD $98,823 ERFA Fitz Toussaint RB 24 BAL TBD $74,117 ERFA Chris Greenwood CB 25 BAL TBD $67,058 UFA Casey Walker DT 25 BAL TBD $49,411 ERFA Patrick Scales LS 27 BAL TBD $49,411 ERFA Chester Stewart QB 26 BAL TBD - RFA Addison Lawrence G 26 BAL TBD - RFA Cap Situation - Currently 24th out of 32 in Cap - $3,055,999

Draft Picks (Compensatory projections)

1 (28), 2 (58), 3 (90), 4, 6, 7

4 - Arthur Jones, 5 - Oher, 6 - Graham

Great article on secondary - http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Eisenberg-4-Ways-Ravens-Can-Fix-The-Secondary/8e28cc4d-a360-45ed-9b47-1bcace28cf82

My thoughts:

1) Rework Ngata, Jimmy Smith, Yanda and Webb to extend and/or free up cap space

2) Resign Reid, Miles, Tucker, Hill (at least)

3) Pass on resigning Stewart, Torrey, Daniels, McPhee, Jacoby and Forsett unless hometown discounts

4) Pitta status to be determined?

5) Find a FA Safety, backup QB to challenge Wenning, DE to replace Canty (retirement?) at least

6) Draft heavy on offense (WR, Running Back, TE); stay away from CB's and safeties, really been burned lately and take too long to develop, need immediate depth/impact

 

[pizzatyme]

Why would they let Forsett walk considering what he just did for them?

 

[lsutigers]

If it's a good deal, sure. no smart team over pays for running backs anymore, especially not Baltimore. He's a zone rb. Is that a good fit for new OC? Dunno

 

[pizzatyme]

If it's a good deal, sure. no smart team over pays for running backs anymore, especially not Baltimore. He's a zone rb. Is that a good fit for new OC? Dunno

Seattle is offering Lynch $10MM. Some teams do pay. And Forsett would be a bargain. Look at what Trestman did with Forte.

 

[lsutigers]

If it's a good deal, sure. no smart team over pays for running backs anymore, especially not Baltimore. He's a zone rb. Is that a good fit for new OC? Dunno

Seattle is offering Lynch $10MM. Some teams do pay. And Forsett would be a bargain. Look at what Trestman did with Forte.

Ok, agree to disagree. I said no smart team over pays for RB's. There is a big difference between Lynch and Forsett's body of work. Again, if he's a good fit for the system and it's a good deal, sure. Around 5 mil a year, absolutely. Over 6 mil in 2014 were ADP, McCoy, Foster, Forte, Lynch, Jonathon Stewart (!), Charles and Gore. And Carolina doesn't fit the smart team criteria apparently.

 

[pizzatyme]

If it's a good deal, sure. no smart team over pays for running backs anymore, especially not Baltimore. He's a zone rb. Is that a good fit for new OC? Dunno

Seattle is offering Lynch $10MM. Some teams do pay. And Forsett would be a bargain. Look at what Trestman did with Forte.

Ok, agree to disagree. I said no smart team over pays for RB's. There is a big difference between Lynch and Forsett's body of work. Again, if he's a good fit for the system and it's a good deal, sure. Around 5 mil a year, absolutely. Over 6 mil in 2014 were ADP, McCoy, Foster, Forte, Lynch, Jonathon Stewart (!), Charles and Gore. And Carolina doesn't fit the smart team criteria apparently.

We're in agreement here. You just so NO smart team pays, and I showed you one smart team that is paying. Of course Forsett gets nothing more than $5MM and I think even that is way too high.

 

[lsutigers]

My thoughts:

1) Rework Ngata, Jimmy Smith, Yanda and Webb to extend and/or free up cap space

2) Resign Reid, Miles, Tucker, Hill (at least)

3) Pass on resigning Stewart, Torrey, Daniels, McPhee, Jacoby and Forsett unless hometown discounts

4) Pitta status to be determined?

5) Find a FA Safety, backup QB to challenge Wenning, DE to replace Canty (retirement?) at least

6) Draft heavy on offense (WR, Running Back, TE); stay away from CB's and safeties, really been burned lately and take too long to develop, need immediate depth/impact

Well on 2, Miles was resigned.

On 3, Jacoby is gone, McPhee is almost certainly gone, and Torrey is most likely gone if you read between the lines of that press conference. McPhee and Torrey would likely net some nice comp picks in 2016.

Also, Cody cut loose and Aldrick Robinson (Washington) was signed to a futures contract.

I always liked Robinson's potential as a slot WR. Not a burner but fast enough. Good hands. Will go across the middle of the field without hesitation.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

McPhee leaving was obviously no shock. We've seen it often with Ravens DL/LB recently - get big money thrown at them by other teams, more than the Ravens want to (or can) pay. Most of those don't work out for the other team, but at least the player got a nice payday. McPhee is really good, but I thought Ed Hartwell, Adalius Thomas, Bart Scott, Paul Kruger, and Ellerbe were too.

I was hoping against hope Torrey would be retained somehow. Not at 5/$40 ($22 g'd), though.

Some fellow Ravens fans are complaining that Flacco's contract hindered the Ravens from keeping both players, but I don't think they'd have paid those rates even if they had $80m in cap space.

Like the Ngata trade, considering everything.

 

[James Daulton]

Of course Flacco's contract is impacting the cap, but would folks rather have a QB like Cutler, Dalton or Kaepernick? And the cap has gone up fairly significantly since Flacco signed so his contract isn't as big a piece of the cap as when he originally signed.

I'm fine with all the losses so far. I'd really like to see them keep Forset (but not break the bank). The Ravens two lines are good and deep, their LBs are pretty good, just get some help on the backend and get a couple of receivers in and the Ravens will be ready to roll (assuming Trestman's offense is compatible with Flacco and the o-line).

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Of course Flacco's contract is impacting the cap,

My point is that, even without Flacco's impact on the cap, I doubt the Ravens would have paid either player in these two cases what they got from the other teams.

 

[James Daulton]

Of course Flacco's contract is impacting the cap,

My point is that, even without Flacco's impact on the cap, I doubt the Ravens would have paid either player in these two cases what they got from the other teams.

Ah, yes I agree. I can't believe T Smith got $8M per season, that's just nuts. He can only seem to get open on downfield routes.

 

[lsutigers]

The move for SF makes a ton of sense. A pure route runner like Crabtree was useless with Kaep. Might as well go get some deep speed to take advantage of his pocket movement and hope coverage breaks down. 8 mil is crazy though.

Ngata is tough but the decline is coming and that's a pretty good end of career ROI. Hell of a player, hope Timmy can keep it going.

Daniels gone, Suggs restructured. Hope they bring back Cason, Forsett and Stewart at good prices out of remaining FA's.

 

[lsutigers]

My thoughts:

1) Rework Ngata, Jimmy Smith, Yanda and Webb to extend and/or free up cap space

2) Resign Reid, Miles, Tucker, Hill (at least)

3) Pass on resigning Stewart, Torrey, Daniels, McPhee, Jacoby and Forsett unless hometown discounts

4) Pitta status to be determined?

5) Find a FA Safety, backup QB to challenge Wenning, DE to replace Canty (retirement?) at least

6) Draft heavy on offense (WR, Running Back, TE); stay away from CB's and safeties, really been burned lately and take too long to develop, need immediate depth/impact

1) Traded Ngata, reworked Webb

2) Resigned Miles

3) Resigned Forsett at a good deal (3 mil per year), passed on Stewart, Torrey, Daniels, McPhee and Jacoby (HELLO 2016 comp picks)

5) Resigned Canty

Also cut Cody loose and picked up Aldrick Robinson.

Cut Pierce (stretch to make the team anyway with Forsett, Taliferio and likely rookie)

Signed Lawrence Guy and resigned Morgan Cox

Signed Kendrick Lewis to subplant/push Elam

Where are the big holes?

1) WR

2) TE

3) CB

4) RB

5) O-line depth as Hurst (limited action) and Gino are terrible

He's not a WR1 but I wouldn't mind them kicking the tires on Crabtree. He's a precise route runner (read: slow) with great hands and wouldn't break the bank.