vmax

I agree....especially on the fan expectation part. One of the joys as a fan of the Ravens winning the Super Bowl in 2000 was that I knew how hard it is for a franchise to win one....that you can wait decades to experience a Super Bowl winning season. 14 franchises have never won one. To experience that in my lifetime was a huge bonus as a Ravens fan. Now it's happened twice. So, for me,....Joe's contract does not mean he will lead this team to the Promised Land regularly. I do think, that with Joe, the Ravens have a very good chance to win another one before he retires. We had no shot with Boller ect. Locking up Joe gives them the best chance to build another winner....and you can't win one without a very good QB. Joe is that. Secondly....as a fan I want a competative team. The Ravens defenses of the past guaranteed that. Now with Joe locked up, the string will continue. I want to wake up Sundays thinking that this team has a good chance to win. In this age of parity, having a solid playmaking QB almost guarantees that. I also love the Ravens organizations plan to field a team that can compete and make the playoffs every year. This organization will not mortgage the future. That means they will not win Super Bowls every year, but they will be in position,in some seasons, to make a serious run like this year....and maybe escape with the trophy. History shows the Ravens made the playoffs 5 times in the last 5 years and the 5th time was the charm. The losses hurt but that makes the win all the sweeter. Now I do have one expectation. Joe needs to earn his future money by being more consistent. No more clunkers or disappearing for a half. To do that the Ravens have to continue to give him the support he needs to succeed with a strong line and pas catchiung receivers.

Here's the best way to look at the deal...

It won't be fair until they pay those fans to watch.

They are all salary years (3-6), so if Joe tanks, then the Ravens are stuck with the prorated signing bonus over those 3 years. If he's great...who cares.

Here's the list... S/ST Sean Considine...welcome back at the right and lowest price. He had a good playoffs covering up Ayambadejo's no show. TE Ed Dickson (restricted)...Keep him. ILB Dannell Ellerbe...A must sign...but he's not the long term answer. He was a beast in the playoffs and that was playing while having leg injuries. I think his play making abilities slip without Ray cracking the whip. S/ST James Ihedigbo...I believe in this guy. He's a player who has that rare knack to be around the ball. DE Arthur Jones (restricted)...Keep Art. He'll only get better. NT Ma'ake Kemoeatu...let him go. He doesn't have it anymore. LB/DE Paul Kruger...give the best offer to keep him but do not break the bank. LT Bryant McKinnie...bring him back but only at the right price. He won't make it through 16 games despite his strong record of starting games. TE Dennis Pitta (restricted)...must sign. Lock him up now and help the cap. FS Ed Reed.....very interesting situation here. I think they can sign him. He wants to be here and he wants to coach after football. Raven for life? Just might nhappen. CB Cary Williams...love to have him back but it will cost too much and the Ravens will be OK without him.

With Joe's new deal, Ozzie might be able to keep all 3....might because there is Boldin, Leach and Dickson to consider. Kruger is an interesting case. He's a situational player...but the situations are critical. He does generate pressure on the QB and get 13 1/2 sacks. He did it well last season and was a difference maker in the playoffs. So...he's not an every down guy. Certainly there are teams out there who will want to over pay. We've seen this happen. Here's why Ozzie might do a full court press: They have nobody else besides Suggs who can pressure the QB and they spent a lot of time developing Kruger. He knows his role in this defense and plays it well. If the money is close then he'll stay. If not, then he's certainly gone because this is his one last shot to cash in. If Suggs comes back healthy and in shape, then it would be a tuff tandum for offensive lines to block. This would be a good beginning towards rebuilding the D.

Here's some more details leaking out....$52 mil signing bonus.... It's very cap friendly this year so Ozzie has 2 years to draft well and find less expensive starters to replenish the roster. That will be the key moving forward....drafting and developing players....as it always has been with this organization. The days of having a significant to medium amount of upper middle income players is over. Suggs, Ngata, Rice, Yanda, Joe and their contracts represent a huge amount of the salary cap. The rest of the team will have to be bargan basement deals or slightly above.

I went right for the morphine drip.

I never expected this....dynasty talk....

He gets $54,000 a day, every day, wether he works or not. What Joe makes in a day, I can't make in a year as a poster.

Another 8 and 8 season.

The restricted tag won't happen. This is burned in Ozzies mind...

Suggs is running his mouth everywhere. There's a big article on him saying 31 teams hate the Patriots, he pounds the NFL for "The Brady Rule", and says their rings are tainted. He needs to go undercover, rest then get in shape to back all his talk up.

Brady's deal has an effect. Rthlssxxsbrrrgrrrsss too....it's a domino effect....other QB's are going to restructure too and this could lower the exclusive rights tag for Joe down $3 million. Joe's losing money as these guys restructure. I think the tag him on the 4th and sign him by the 12th at the worst.

Ozzie might get this guy. He might be around at 32.

He also called himself a coach. He's looking ahead.

Here's more...he is being well paid...

Unreal...look at what Brady just signed for.... No way Joe comes close to giving up the kind of money Brady is. Yet maybe a message comes through: It's good to have a team to play with and win, rather than getting all the money and playing with the practice squad. Granted....Brady is getting older but wow!...what a break he gave the Pats! Unless.... Bellicheat found a way to get him under the table money.

I just saw this....from Ashley Fox who went all out to look stupid... The bigger the mouth, the harder the fall.

I heard Brirk on the radio today. He said Geno will be fine....that he has what it takes.

Somebody on the radio said it was a black man officially starting the Redneck New Year.

Jamal Lewis has one and he's broke....but it's only $50K before upgrades...that's cheap for a pro athelete. Some of these guys spend that on 1 party....no wonder they are broke.

Get the water vapor smokes....you exhale water vapor....doesn't hurt anybody.