ExtremeRavens Posted 12 hours ago Posted 12 hours ago The NFL has some spicy games this weekend — and it’s about time. The Los Angeles Rams host Seattle, Kansas City travels to Denver, Philadelphia hosts Detroit and Tampa Bay goes to Buffalo. The NFL season was starting to resemble the NBA, in which teams don’t play hard but then pick up the pace in a couple of months. There is proof. Did you tune in to that Broncos-Raiders game last Thursday night? How about the Eagles-Packers game, also on prime time, also ending with a 10-7 score? Yawn. These games could cure insomnia. The salary cap has created parity, even ugliness, when it comes to entertainment. There are no super teams in the NFL anymore. Both the Eagles and Chiefs have returned to normalcy, and all the teams mentioned above, except for the Raiders, are in contention. If you are a Ravens fan, there is room for optimism because of the soft schedule. They play the Cleveland Browns, the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals the next three weeks, and if the Ravens get hot and can get on a roll … Well, let’s not go crazy. There are other reasons the NFL appears average, variables that include the recent influx of young quarterbacks and the college football transfer portal’s impact. But it all starts with the salary cap, the X factor in maintaining parity. I prefer perfection, like the 1970s Steelers, who won four Super Bowls and had nine players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Years ago, star quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady took less money so their team could spend it elsewhere to provide a more balanced team. That’s no longer the case. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is making $60 million this season. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and Green Bay’s Jordan Love will each pocket about $55 million. If a team throws in a star receiver like the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase ($40 million) and a left tackle to protect the blind side, then that could be nearly $125 million per year. The problem is that we haven’t even gotten to the other side of the ball yet. Teams want a dominant pass rusher like Green Bay’s Micah Parsons or Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson, and that will cost another $45 million. And that’s not even including a top cornerback like Sauce Gardner ($30 million per year) or a Patrick Surtain II ($24 million). The cap figure for the 2025 season is $279.2 million, an increase of $23.8 million from a year ago, but that’s why teams have decided to skew younger and cheaper at other positions. It’s also why NFL games can become so unattractive at times. A couple of years ago, the AFC North was the best division in football because all four teams were built on strong running games and defenses. Instead, once Burrow led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021, the Ravens borrowed a page from their playbook and built the roster around quarterback Lamar Jackson. That hasn’t resulted in a Super Bowl appearance yet, but the defensive units in both Pittsburgh and Baltimore have fallen off, and while Cleveland’s remains strong, the Browns have no offense. The Bengals are defenseless. Talking to several former general managers and coaches, they also point out that six of the quarterbacks taken in the first round the past two years are starting — Chicago’s Caleb Williams, Washington’s Jayden Daniels, Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr., Denver’s Bo Nix, Tennessee’s Cam Ward and the New York Giants’ Jaxson Dart. That’s part of the chaos you might see on any given Sunday. In the past, young quarterbacks were given two to three years to learn from a veteran, but not anymore. It’s called on-the-job training. NFL owners lack patience, too. New England fired Jerod Mayo and the Raiders terminated Antonio Pierce after only one season, and Tennessee got rid of Brian Callahan six games into his second season. Rebuilding a team used to take three to four years, but not in the NFL, which means “Not For Long” for both players and coaches. And if a coach brings in a journeyman quarterback like Geno Smith or Tyrod Taylor, he might as well pack his bags. It’s done. Finished. Goodbye. Quarterback Dak Prescott, right, is eating up a large portion of the Cowboys' salary cap this season. (Jeffrey McWhorter/AP) A few years ago, a former Ravens defensive coordinator explained the impact of the college game. He talked about how teams were throwing the ball more in college, how NFL coaches had to teach offensive linemen to get into a three-point stance as opposed to a two-point, and how cornerbacks were no longer turning to find the ball. He even said that some quarterbacks had not even taken a direct snap from center because they always played in the shotgun formation. That’s unbelievable because it’s basic, fundamental football. It will get worse with all of these players transferring and getting NIL money from their respective colleges. Why leave when a player could make as much money in college? Why stay at a school if another is offering more money? Regardless, the NFL is still addictive. It’s fascinating to watch dynamic players like Jackson, Chase and receiver Zay Flowers perform on Sundays because they do things that others can’t. Players like Hutchinson, Parsons and Cleveland’s Myles Garrett have relentless motors, and they never stop playing hard. Teams like Baltimore and Pittsburgh remain competitive because they draft well. So does Kansas City, which will always be in contention as long as they have quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Despite their records, the Bills (6-3), Chiefs (5-4) and Ravens remain the top three teams in the AFC. But there is a difference between being competitive and winning a Super Bowl. The Ravens have won two in their 30-year history in Baltimore, but the last one came in 2012. Yet, they still have a shot at winning another this season. It’s called parity. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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