oldno82

Well, I, for one, will hate it when Steve does leave. He created a mighty organization here for many years. Oz gets a lot of credit as well. EDC is a work in progress. This may be a make or break year for him.

I don't think Steve will hold out for much longer if the Ravens have another off-year season again this year, what with all the headaches involved with extending Lamar, a souring fan base, and decreased field success. He looked to me like he was getting a little tired of all the problems last year. Unfortunately, he's been a damned good owner and if he sells he will be missed. Also, I don't think Bmore has any potential local owners with that kind of money so the new owner would probably be an out-of-towner or even a foreign born owner. And, that of course means a potential franchise move.

Geez....the price of franchises is now in the stratosphere!

No doubt the big kid has a ton of potential. We'll see how that translates in camp. I think he's gonna be the real deal and I was glad we got to draft him. The line play of Stanley, Simpson, Bullock/Pinter, Vega, and Rosengarten will be the big factor on offense this year. Lamar needs time to throw and Henry needs holes to barrel through.

I dunno about your dunno...I think Aiyuk is a train wreck that has already happened. As you said before, I don't know who would want to sign such an obviously unstable player.

Yep I heard that too. He's supposed to be ready for camp.

I remember that song vividly! I told you I was old. Happy 4th!

I like Zrebiec and he usually has good information. But I too would like to see how the beginning of camp goes. Bradbury is already 29 years old and I don't know what the Bears would considerable reasonable in a trade. Besides Bullock, we've also got Pinter who deserves a good look.

A real tragedy...I don't know how you recover emotionally from that.

If he can't produce, I don't believe Minter and Doyle will play him.

There's a lot talent on the team. Question is how does creeping age affect Hendrickson, Henry, Andrews, Stanley, etc.? These guys have been defying Father Time and here''s to hoping they have one or two good seasons left. This year might be the last year a Super Bowl is attainable with the current group. Next year (this year?) Jackson could be in his last year with the team given the cap situation and that there is no extension so far this year. So it's hard to tell if the glass is half empty or half full. The front office, i.e., Decosta, has a lot of work to do between now and the end of camp. So 8 weeks to go for him to produce extensions for Flowers, Jackson, and to decide the Center position.

A new role coming for Simpson?:

Two positive evaluations for sure. The players have bought in to the new coaching.

That's freaking unbelieveable! It's disgraceful they would charge that much for a publicly funded stadium. I can see why the fans are pissed.

And the beat goes on: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49199010/brandon-aiyuk-blames-ex-agent-push-leaves-49ers-continues

As of right now you have to say the coaching staff has been on the mark with setting the right attitude for the players. They all seem hyped up from veterans to rookies. But of course, the real tests are coming...training camp, preseason games, and then the regular season. It all could fall apart quickly if they have key injuries or don't play well when things are for real. At this point, though, you couldn't ask for a better launch.

No doubt we could use a big guy in the center of the line but it doesn't sound too promising that it will be Okoye.

I like Lamar and I think he's a good quarterback. I just have a gut feeling he wants a record breaking, team roster busting contract. We'll see, but you are right...next year the Ravens have to determine if it's time to move on from him and pick the next franchise quarterback from a good class of candidates.

I tell ya, I shudder to think what Lamar is going to think he's worth to the Ravens when negotiations really get rolling.

There will always be a few teams that will overpay for any position. $25 to 28mil for a Center is almost as ridiculous as a half-billion for a quarterback who's best years are now behind him because of chilling effect on the rest of the roster as teams divvy up what's left of the cap for the other 52 players. I don't think Linderbaum is worth what he got even if he was considered the best Center in the league. And I don't think what Mahomes got leaves anywhere enough room for the rest of the team.

And the whole line played well coordinated football. D'Allesandris was the coach back then and after they got his replacement, the line was never the same.

When camp and the pre-season get going, we'll have a better feel for how the O-line will hold up this year. Right now I do think last year's sucky coaching and Faalele were the biggest issues. Vega will really help the line play. Depth is an issue. Center might be, but I'm willing to give Pinter and last year's backup a chance.

I'm confident that they'll know what to do. But not sure if they can execute it yet. Pre-season games and camp will be more important than usual this year.

Yeah I thought R's opinions were ludicrous. I have no fear of a Steeler team with an old, very old, Rodgers at quarterback and with Tomlin gone. Their team's window closed last year with a thud and this year's forecast for them is a dud. To me, Cincy has the best shot at having a successful season and that's only if Burrow can somehow stay healthy. The Ravens will still be in the mix as well.

or so says Rothelexxisburger: from the Ravens website: " Ben Roethlisberger Says Ravens Are 'Falling Apart, Window Has Closed' The Ravens are widely regarded by pundits as the team to beat in the AFC North and a Super Bowl contender, and the oddsmakers agree. One person who disagrees is former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. On his “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast, he didn't pull any punches about his belief that the Ravens are a team on the decline. "I think they're falling apart. I really … I don't think they're the same team," Roethlisberger said. "These feel different. They feel like their window closed. "To me, losing [John] Harbaugh … [Derrick] Henry's a year older, his body's taken a beating. You just feel like, 'What was going on with Lamar [Jackson] last year?' He just didn't seem like the Lamar that we've been used to seeing. Maybe he was injured. I think he took some shots last year that we didn't think about. So, maybe he'll have a bounce-back year and be great again." Roethlisberger did offer some hope. He predicted the Ravens and Steelers would split their meetings during the regular season. Ultimately, Roethlisberger had the Steelers going 12-5 and winning the division. He didn't predict final records for the other AFC North teams. As to Roethlisberger's suggestion that Henry could be slowing down, it's worth pointing out that the five-time Pro Bowl running back got stronger as the season went on last year. Henry had four consecutive 100-yard games – including a 216-yard output in Week 17 – to close out the season. In the season finale at Pittsburgh on Jan. 4 – Henry's 32nd birthday – he ran for 126 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. And, yes, Jackson was injured for much of last season."