RavenousBG

Ooooh, that's still a sore spot with me Cravn. But you're right. That may be the best Ravens team that didn't get to a SB. The 2012 team that lost to the Pats in the AFCN was up there too, may have been better. But 06 is a tough yr.

Hideous. The Ravens don't need any changes. It's just right right now.

Then we should overpay to get J Byrd because we have a huge hole at safety . We should overpay for a WR also because we could use one. It's not that I'm against paying a little extra but you try to limit it. And I might be wrong but this guy seems to think he's a 10 mil guy. Really? You were on the Jags!! And he's a good player but for 9 or 10 mill a year I want someone who makes a serious difference, moves the scale by 2 or 3 wins. I just don't see that here. We could get JO at 26 yrs old and next season we'd have 4 more wins. Easy. He's a 10 mil + guy. We get Monroe and there's still a lot of work to do. A lot. I think you're overpaying him at 8.5 mil a yr but I'm okay with that. I would be a little disappointed if he got 9 and pissed if he got 9.5 or more.

I disagree I this case Cravn. In a yr or two there's going to be a guy that's worth it and if we are stuck with a guy we massively overpaid it won't feel good. It's the agents job to take us for what they can. It's the FO's job to limit that. So we can get better players in other positions. Monroe is the best of a weak group is what's said. But let's not pay him like he's great.

I think you guys see where I'm coming from. Top ten offense isn't that important. If you can get hot then that's good enough if you have a good defense or strong defense and good special teams you can win a SB. We do need to get Joe weapons but top ten offense isn't some magic number for success.

7.5 mil is MY number and it would be around my starting point. It's how I would negotiate to keep from going too high. I think his true value is 7.5 but if a guy hits the market you have to pay a little more. If Ozzie could get him for 8 or 8.5 then it would be overpaying to me but I wouldn't be upset. 9 and up would really bother me because he's just not on that level to me. But 7.5 is my assessment. At this point he's probably going to test the market and you're right , we won't get him for 7.5 per. But 8.5 is reasonable overpay to me.

Top ten isn't important. The last 2 Super Bowl winners weren't top ten. It's about being the best when it counts most. Really good defense and a solid offense still wins you championships. Don't get me wrong, I want us to have some bite on the offensive side of the ball and I hope we work to becoming ore efficient but we've never won a Super Bowl with a top ten offense, so why are we wanting one so badly. If we are top 10 in red zone efficiency and dominate on D and special teams, we will be fine. I think it's important to be able to stop the high octane offenses of today and have great red zone efficiency. I do mean scoring a high high percentage of TDs. Hensley makes points but since the Pats started scoring a ton of points, how many SBs have they won? Peyton Manning won his SB when his D got better, not when the O produced more. Falcons? No SBs but top ten Offenses before last yr. I say keep your eye on the prize and not glamour and glitter.

The Castillo angle really could be something if he proves it. I read that last year and also while he was in Philly. And I agree that if we are going to drop big money, I would rather it be for a skill position. If Monroe was looking to break the bank with a deal of more tha 9 mil a year average then he needs to go find it elsewhere. We would pay for doing something that irrational later. I think he's a 7.5 mil a yr LT. Very good, not great. So 5 yrs 38 mil and figure a 16 mil SB. If the a team goes more than that then good for them and Monroe. Hate losing the 4th and 5th rounders but we can't be more shortsighted and overpay because of it.

The Castillo angle really could be something if he proves it. I read that last year and also while he was in Philly. And I agree that if we are going to drop big money, I would rather it be for a skill position. If Monroe was looking to break the bank with a deal of more tha 9 mil a year average then he needs to go find it elsewhere. We would pay for doing something that irrational later. I think he's a 7.5 mil a yr LT. Very good, not great. So 5 yrs 38 mil and figure a 16 mil SB. If the a team goes more than that then good for them and Monroe. Hate losing the 4th and 5th rounders but we can't be more shortsighted and overpay because of it.

. Totally agree here.

Well if we have new LT and RT then the coaching staff has to earn it's money. It's been said that Castillo works better with young lineman. I hope that's true and that zone blocking done right can hide some shortcomings.

What's Monroe worth per year? 8 mil 9 mil? Hensley has him in that range but I offer no more than an average of 7.5 mil because he isn't top 5 good and barely top 10. He is only 26 but is he ever going to get top five good? I doubt it. I kind of agree that someone is going to overpay. I think he's gone. Think Ozzie is losing his touch Cravn? I don't but still may have been a misstep here.

John has the steady hand. Slow and steady wins the race. Jim is great but I think John will be in Bmore for a long time because of his approach and maturity.

RavenMad, did you used to be Raven Madman on ESPN?

I think Ozzie is confident that we can retain Monroe. The question is what if the Dolphins or some unknown team wants to offer him 6 yrs 60 mil or something. How do you think that impacts what we do moving forward? I think we sign Oher at a workable number and draft an LT. But that also means our plans at WR change also. Hakeem Nicks may be the answer because I don't think any FA WRs are going to get huge money. We still have 8 days to sign Monroe so I'm jumping the gun a little but it could happen. Monroe is our ideal answer at LT.

Cravn I am an FSU guy and I had been waiting for him to break out. But I try not to get too excited about him. But I really believe he's the perfect compliment for Joe to go with Torrey. We will have a chance to get him but we all know Ozzie, he's not going to take a guy too high. To go first round, you might see is trade back a little bit to take KB. It's not a bad idea to get more picks but we also might need an LT or RT depending on what goes down with Monroe and Oher. But we have an opportunity to reshape this offense quickly. I'm excited to see what Oz and crew do here

As far as wideouts go, I'm with keeping Jacoby and drafting one. Jones is a fire starter on the field. I like Benjamin in the second round if he falls far enough or J. rice's nephew from Vandy. That's the conservative move

2 games sounds about right. I do wonder how he's going to rehabilitate himself and his image. If he doesn't, he may never be the same again.

LOL Cravn! I'm cool with the deal. It's for Joe really and he didn't break the bank with the cap going up so much over the next few years. This opens the door to keep Monroe.

What's up Cravn? The Army has had me on the run. I couldn't even talk to you all during the incredible run last yr. It's good to be able to chat with you again. I hope this thing isn't as bad as it looks for Ray. You can't defend it if he actually knocked her unconscious like it's suspected.

I was Ozzie. But if you were to ask me who I thought I might have identified with and I could pick any Raven ever, I would've said Peter Bouleware.

I was Ozzie. But if you were to ask me who I thought I might have identified with and I could pick any Raven ever, I would've said Peter Bouleware.