oldno82

From the Sun's CJ Doon on the Ravens' first draft pick: "14. Ravens: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson The Ravens already seem to be planning for a future without star defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike after re-signing Travis Jones and John Jenkins. Woods didn’t meet high expectations in 2025, but he has the talent to be a standout pass rusher and run defender in the middle of the defense." Frankly, this is the kind of guy I don't want us to draft; a guy who had a downer season in 2025 compared to his year before. It's all too familiar that we would draft a guy who really has uneven production and then he never pans out for us. To me, this could be a wasted pick.

They pretty much have to fix the line completely anyway, don't they? I'm not sure how much Lamar has left in the tank as a running-quarterback-too many hits over too many years-but I think he is right on the verge of becoming a very good pocket quarterback provided he is amenable to the right kind of coaching.

If Lamar really wants to commit to staying here and is willing to do a revised contract before free agency, I'd keep him. But if he doesn't or is only lukewarm about it, then I'd rather have the picks and Mendoza. I was disappointed in Lamar this past season but then almost all the Ravens, players and coaches, were disappointing.

Joe Brady being called back for a second interview by Ravens.

Ah, interesting. I guess that squares with the 3 week estimate DeCosta was talking about. I wonder if they're waiting on Kubiak and/or somebody else.

Really. Sounds like if they want Kubiak, or Denver's DC, we might not know until after the SB or can they commit during the bye week before it?

BTW, there has been some speculation based on DeCosta's comments at the presser, that last week would see the Ravens finish their initial list and hand over their final five or six to Bisciotti by the end of this week, but wouldn't that rule out any of the assistants with the Super Bowl teams? They can't be offered a job until after the Super Bowl? They also can't be interviewed in person either, only by video until after the big game?

i don't know if the Buffalo franchise can dole out the same $100mil with roster control offer NYG has made. I don't think they're as rich as the New York City club. Besides, didn't Harbs actually sign the contract with the Giants?

Very interesting!

That would work out nicely too.

I too would like to see McDaniel as OC not HC. He's got a great offensive mind. I think a great combo would be Flores as HC and McD as his OC. Unfortunately, I think Schwartz will stay in Cleveland in some capacity. I don't yet have a favorite as DC other than Schwartz.

I like Minter too. In fact, I'm pretty impressed about the majority of the guys they've been interviewing.

I'm trying to just get a handle what the board group here thinks the best selections would be for head coach. I kind of like several of the possibilities with Kubiak, Flores, and Vance Joseph leading the pack. I also like Shula as a dark horse.

Any predictions as to who the final 5 will be? And, if you have a preference, who as head coach?

Well, all I can say is, I can't see the group of 3 conspiring to stack the deck. Especially when Ozzie is a part of the group. I think they'll whittle down the list to a manageable number and give it to Steve, who with their input, will shoot for a consensus or if that doesn't please him, he has the power to just make the pick. I have a lot of confidence in Bisciotti to make a good decision. None of us at this point know who is going to emerge as the new coach so all bets are off until we see (if we see) a list of the final 5. At this point, I remain hopeful especially with the list of interviews they've conducted so far.

He’s interviewing the finalists. His team of EDC, Sashi, and Oz are combing through the others to give him a manageable list which he, with those trusted lieutenants will reach a consensus on. If no consensus evolves, Steve will have the ultimate say. Again, this is how it’s done at many high level organizations.

They're not making the final choice of a head coach, they are conducting the first interviews and winnowing down the list from the 15-20 possibilities to eventually 5 from which it will be Bisciotti's decision after a full day interview with their input. Any medium to large scale organization would handle the process the same way. And lets not forget that Ozzie is part of the search team as well.

LOL!

Do you have any evidence of that being the case?

I hope they do too. Now that Pittsburgh's job is open, I'm hoping that doesn't delay our getting a new HC as well...an additional good opening may mean a delay?

I detected very little or no BS during the press conference. Steve answered all the questions thrown at him. (If only our politicians would do the same!) I also liked how he called the press by their first name. There was no phoniness about the guy. Seems like a regular guy with good instincts and the ability to think things through without going off half-cocked. He is right on the coaching being the problem. For example, the O-line, with maybe one exception, had a new coach who couldn't match DiAllesandris' abilities in doing the job. While i don't understand completely how void years work, it seems like the team can take the hit of Lamar's $75 million without becoming excessively cash strapped if it gets to that point. It was interesting that he wants Lamar to have more money via a new contract.

For the first time in years, the owner and GM will be giving a presser Tuesday at 2 pm. Glad to see Steve stepping in. There's a real need to hear from him and EDC right now.

True. We have for the first time in franchise history been able to draft some wide receivers with a lot of talent and production. Flowers is probably a perennial pro bowler. Bateman is competent and we have another good receiver in Walker. We also have signed Henry. But the offensive line is a mess so Lamar seldom has enough time to find them. The defensive line has shown it cannot put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and so we have to blitz more which leaves gaps in the secondary. There is a real absence of depth on the D-line. I just want us to stop taking flyers on injured college guys whose best days are over before they even play here. Maybe EDC can correct this. Maybe not. We shall soon see.

Flores could revitalize the D in one season if he hires the right DC and we draft and/or do free agency successfully. Not that big an 'if' since his forte is defense.

Man, I sure hope so. I'm so sick of drafting injured college players with 'great potential' who need 1 year to rehab before they even hit the field and then turn out to be duds instead of the studs the Ravens promised the fans they'd see. Unfortunately, I guess (may be wrong here) that this was really EDC's modus operandi and he's still here. I give Eric one last year to put some real immediate talent on the field. If he doesn't succeed, we're screwed.