ExtremeRavens Posted 14 hours ago Posted 14 hours ago Among the most direct disclosures of organizational thinking that emanated from Tuesday’s end-of-season news conference was Steve Bisciotti’s firm backing of general manager Eric DeCosta. “I think Eric is one of the best GMs in the league,” Bisciotti said. “I think he’s batting .800. I’m just making up a number for you, but I’m not going to look at Eric’s 200 whiffs. I’ll look at his 800 singles and doubles and home runs. To me, that’s fair. I’m very, very pleased with Eric.” DeCosta sat beside Bisciotti and let his owner do most of the talking. He wore a black sweater and firm demeanor, broken a few times by blushing cheeks or a toothy laugh. DeCosta called these past six months a “very disappointing season,” then picked apart a few ways the Ravens fell short. They were inconsistent from game to game, sometimes half to half. The pass rush didn’t put enough pressure on the quarterback. The offensive line didn’t jell in ways they expected. Everyone underachieved, DeCosta said, from the coaching staff to the scouting staff to the players. “I think it was across the board, and we have to own that, and I think we will,” DeCosta said. “We’re excited about it. We’ve been in this position before, many times over the last 30 years where we’ve had to rebuild and tweak and change and adjust and really look at ourselves and say, ‘What can we do better?’ I think it starts with me; it starts with the new coaching staff; and I think the players will be accountable as well.” There were, of course, factors out of Baltimore’s control. All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, the team’s sacks leader two seasons ago, suffered a season-ending injury that caused a ripple effect to the rest of the defensive front. Then Broderick Washington went down for the year and DeCosta traded away Odafe Oweh, who was sackless in five games as a Raven but hit double digits as a Charger between the regular season and playoffs. DeCosta traded for Dre’Mont Jones to inject juice but it wasn’t enough. By January, what was left of the Ravens’ pass rush ranked 30th in sacks, 28th in pass rush win rate and 29th in pressure to sack rate. DeCosta pointed out how better pressure could’ve alleviated some of the defense’s back-end issues that were a point of frustration down the stretch. “I think Madubuike is part of the reason why Kyle Van Noy went from [12 1/2] sacks to two,” Bisciotti chimed in. “I think it was a domino effect; I think it was a trickle effect. … And I think those offensive linemen didn’t improve. And so, when I said the coaches, that’s what I meant. I think that you can look at a lot of guys on our team that we had expected to take the next step that did not take that next step. And we’ve got to get to the bottom of that with coaching and scouting.” Outside of drafting third-round rookie Emery Jones Jr, who appeared in just five games, offensive line was one of DeCosta’s least addressed position groups. The team expected development for a front anchored by two Pro Bowl blockers (Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum) and a promising sophomore (Roger Rosengarten). That didn’t quite pan out. Lamar Jackson’s lack of mobility playing through injury only hurt their overall metrics. Baltimore’s front five finished the regular season 31st in pressure rate allowed, according to NFL analyst Sam Hoppen. Tuesday was the first time DeCosta answered questions about his club since August. It was Bisciotti’s first in that formal setting since 2018. They were candid about what went wrong and issued a plan for how to rebound. That starts with Jackson’s contract. Whether the Ravens can strike a deal in the next two months will determine what’s possible. They hope to avoid what is currently set to climb from $43.5 million to $74.5 million this offseason, a value that would account for roughly one-quarter of the team’s cap space. Bisciotti and DeCosta put the ball in Jackson’s court. “We want another window, and Lamar knows that,” Bisciotti said. “I think he is amenable to doing something that mirrors the last deal that he did, although the annual number will be a little higher. But I’m hoping that it’s plug in your number in the same contract he signed [in 2023] and move on.” Bisciotti doesn’t want to hit free agency, which opens on March 11, with that contract hanging over their heads. He made that very clear to Jackson. DeCosta admitted they’ve been more reserved in free agency the past few years. He promised they will participate this spring and “we will trade for players.” Urgency is at an all-time high in Owings Mills. That starts with the coaching hire(s), then sorting out Jackson’s contract, and if they reach a team-friendly deal, building out the rest of a Super Bowl worthy roster. “I know that Eric has been very, very introspective about his failures and how they contributed to our dear friend being shown the door,” Bisciotti said. “And so, nobody’s harder on himself than Eric.” DeCosta’s job is safe. And Bisciotti is leaning on him to alleviate the pressure of the next coach and guide the transition process. “I think I can leave him alone for a while,” Bisciotti said. That is, as long as he continues to hit singles, doubles and a few roster home runs. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. Ravens executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta, shown at Tuesday's news conference, says he'll use all avenues available to him to improve the roster ahead of next season. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) View the full article Quote
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