oldno82

You know you've had a really crappy passing offense when settling for mediocrity is a definite plus. Now is the problem the receivers, schemes, or Lamar?

This was a 'must do' action by the Ravens. If Stanley comes back healthy, the line will be plenty good enough now with a lot of potential.

No Center or OT drafted or signed in FA. The line doesn't look good to me. And they really didn't address with any certainty the edge rusher and DL depth they need. We rolled the dice on the first two picks. They can either show that they can play right away or kiss them goodbye. My grade for the Ravens draft is a C-. I sure hope I'm wrong but this draft left me feeling empty.

Yay! Me too.

All these mock drafts are fun but nearly all turn out wrong. The Ravens will take the best player available unless there's a need 'best' within 2-3 spots. Who it will be at this point is anybody's guess and I yield to Decosta and crew who have access to much more data than me. As usual though, whatever the Ravens do should be entertaining whether they move up or back or neither with either first round pick.

Maybe, but realistically speaking, how much more? TBH, I would've rather had Brown than Stanley but Stanley's contract kills that idea.

I like the trade...gives them 2 first rounders and they can use them to trade up or back along with the other ammo. Probably trade the 31st into the 2nd for a pick there and maybe get another 3rd. I wouldn't draft an OT in the first round.

Another thing is that if you trade down and out, your first pick won't have that fifth option year on his rookie contract.

If I remember right, the last time we traded down out of the first into the second round we wound up with Sergio Kindle and Terrance Cody.

Yeah I can agree with that.

I like #9. Don't like the position numbering changes. The rest, I agree: meh.

This is a classic case of which came first, the chicken or the egg? Is Lamar's passing ability holding us back or Roman's system? Or is it, shudder, both?

Possible trades with pros and cons: https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-orlando-brown-trade-teams-20210211-ukai7xok3zcpffbhfsalvjkuqu-story.html

Brown is good, no doubt about it. And he plays like a Raven. But you can't expect him to take RT money when he can play LT so well. If we can get a #1, it shouldn't be too difficult to find a ready-to-start RT at first round in the draft. Beats nothing in a year any way.

I'd take a #1 for him, albeit reluctantly. I wanted him to stay here and bookend Stanley, but he wants to go. If they get a #1 for him, it would be worth it. Anybody know what weak teams are desperate for a stud LT who's young?

I think this game proved that you live and die with the quality of the O-line. Eric, are you listening? I think some of the worst coaching I've ever seen was the Chiefs calling time outs at the end of the first half with 40-some seconds to go, the Bucs had the ball around midfield with 3 time outs remaining and Brady has the ball. I mean WTF??

I was thinking the same thing the whole game.

I don't understand why anyone would want Cullen based on his showing here.

I wouldn't be surprised if Watson doesn't turn up in New England. Bellicheck has got a ton of cap space and is quarterback needy.

I just can't say it any better than you did, Dee. A party of jellyfish.

Well, it's too bad, but I think G'ro has to improve more than Lamar. His teams always hit a brick wall on their development because he just can't (or won't) seem to change to make his offenses better. The same thing happened at SFO and Buffalo. A few years of success and then poof he was gone. I think that's what is keeping him from getting an HC job. Perhaps, he's inflexible after he has success and I think it shows up in interviews for higher position. The NFL game is all about adaptation. Like Max, I have seen Lamar kill an offense when he has decent time to pass. It also allows our receivers to get open. The O-line was a train wreck this year what with Stanley's injury, Yanda's retirement, and the implosion of the Center position. Before I hang G'ro out to dry, therefore, I would really get some offensive line help. Then we'll know for sure what direction more, if any, we have to take.

When does the new cap number for next season get announced? I know it will be lower but we're kind of playing in the dark here. AND, BTW, has anybody else been having problems with their login not sticking from session to session on the board?

And then there's this by Mikey: https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/analysis/preston/bs-sp-ravens-lamar-jackson-contract-preston-20210126-annrutedkjchpdd4gpnokiimky-story.html#nt=pf-double chain~ravens-main-chain~feed-driven flex feature~automated~ravens-2~ANNRUTEDKJCHPDD4GPNOKIIMKY~1~1~2~6~art yes I've been cogitating so much over that one my head is currently empty.

Agree on keeping Wolf and Bowser. Hill has to go...hasn't shown much in the years he's been here. Really want to keep O. Brown. They can build a good O-line if he and Stanley are playing. Ngakoue has shown very little and will likely be expensive. Judon , damn! Hate to lose him but it's looking like we can't afford him. Snead should go---good player but would like to see Duvernay in the slot.

When I cogitate too much I get brain nausea! Anyway I agree with much of what has been said. No, Lamar doesn't have Mahomes-like weapons on the receiving side. Not sure an 'aggressive' mode of 'teaching him more' will work. I think Lamar is close to being a finished product. Currently he's good enough with the talent he has to challenge for the AFC North title every year. A bit more receiving help and a lot more O-line help would probably be enough to compete realistically for the Conference title. The Super Bowl is a crap shoot...so many talented teams you can't really predict the next few years. I'll be honest here, though I may regret it. I am not a fan of running quarterbacks. Never have been even since the days of Fran Tarkenton with the Vikings. Too much potential for injury and ends up in a lack of an offensive cohesion. That said, I think Lamar is the best one of that type I have ever seen. But I would still prefer a pocket passer. I dunno, things just look more organized and orderly with a pocket passer. Having said that, I will say Lamar plays one hell of an exciting brand of football. When Flacco was here, the games were usually so boring. Lamar has been a shot in the arm for me excitement and interest wise. He gives his all in every game. He's a strong leader. And he's a wicked runner. Things happen during a game that Lamar plays in. And Max is right. Its nearly impossible with the cap and the era of parity to have a totally dominant team. We're about to start losing the nucleus of the team we have now. I will hate it if we lose Orlando Brown, Marquise Brown, and a bunch of others. But you can't keep everybody. That's why drafting is so damned important. You've got to keep the pipeline flowing with playmakers and DeCosta has been able to do that so far. But it's a never ending requirement. Well, that's enough of my cogitating, for now. Brain nausea is setting in and I hate it when I spew brain cells out my ears.