Combine Press Conference

[papasmurfbell]

Well we have no first round pick now.  Are we really a passrusher away from being upper echelon?  We can stop teams and our ol will make the offense fizzle.  Smart.

[oldno82]

My initial impressions of the Crosby deal are pretty negative. We gave up two first round picks for him when we are in dire need of offensive linemen and defensive tackles. Seems like more than a stretch...more like a leap off a cliff in the night.

 

[papasmurfbell]

Exactly 

[tsylvester]

Not sure I like this move, hate giving up that much plus the salary cap space.

Sure, the Rams have made their hay with no 1st round picks for the past few years, but they draft well.

The past few years this team has not drafted too well. Does this move mean Lamar is signing an extension? Has the front office changed their minds on building through the draft?

So many unrestricted free agents on this team, so many holes to fill, so little cap space.

[tsylvester]

The more I think about this the more I hate it. Hendrickson could have been had as a 2 year rental, maybe three. Sure he is older than Crosby, but just as productive.

He may have cost a bit more, a bidding war with another team, but at least you had 2 of your best draft positions.

This team has been notoriously bad at drafting in the 2nd. So now that defaults to their "best" draft position for the next 2 years.

Sure, they might be able to swing trades and move back up into the low first, but how likely is that and how much draft capital will it cost?

[papasmurfbell]

I’m definitely there. Fire Eric de caca.

[tsylvester]

Maxx Crosby | NFL Contracts & Salaries | Spotrac.com https://share.google/GXyH5xbPyNdujt6ZT

$30 mil cap hit this year, signed through the 29 season, potential out clause in 28, $29, $26, $27 mil base salaries after this season, bonuses-$690 thousand, then 3 years of $782 thousand in roster bonuses.

Yeah, restructuring is in need, lower that cap hit by converting his base salary into signing bonus, cap hit closer to vet min

[tsylvester]

By the way, the Raiders took on a $30 mil dead cap hit for trading him

[oldno82]

Yeah the more I think about it the more I hate it. We finally get a decent early-mid round pick and then poof it's gone along with next year's #1. Just like Tsyl says, we haven't drafted well in the 2nd round, not getting enough return on investment.

I'm pretty pissed.

[oldno82]

They should have gone with Hendrickson if they wanted to make a defensive splash.

[papasmurfbell]

25 minutes ago, oldno82 said:

Yeah the more I think about it the more I hate it. We finally get a decent early-mid round pick and then poof it's gone along with next year's #1. Just like Tsyl says, we haven't drafted well in the 2nd round, not getting enough return on investment.

I'm pretty pissed.

Hey we will have a top 10 in 27.   Doh.

[tsylvester]

2nd round picks

Recent Ravens 2nd Round Picks (2015-2025)
2025: Mike Green (LB/EDGE, Marshall) (jury still out)
2024: Roger Rosengarten (OT, Washington) (jury still out)
2023: No 2nd round pick (Traded for Roquan Smith)
2022: David Ojabo (LB, Michigan) (bust)
2021: Odafe Oweh (LB, Penn State) & Tylan Wallace (WR, Oklahoma State) (busts)
2020: J.K. Dobbins (RB, Ohio State) (bust)
2019: Jaylon Ferguson (LB, Louisiana Tech) (bust)
2018: Lamar Jackson (QB, Louisville) & Hayden Hurst (TE, South Carolina) (bust)
2017: Tyus Bowser (LB, Houston) (bust)
2016: Kamalei Correa (LB, Boise State) (bust)
2015: Maxx Williams (TE, Minnesota)  (bust)

Notable Earlier 2nd Round Picks 

2012: Courtney Upshaw (LB, Alabama) & Kelechi Osemele (G, Iowa State) (busts)
2011: Torrey Smith (WR, Maryland)
2009: Paul Kruger (DE, Utah) (bust)
2008: Ray Rice (RB, Rutgers)
2002: Anthony Weaver (DE, Notre Dame)
1997: Jamie Sharper (LB, Virginia) 
 

[oldno82]

I really can't understand how this deal could have happened given the Ravens previous philosophy of team management. Was Ozzie in the loop on this? For sure Bisciotti was, with the amount of money involved. Was EDC on an ultimatum to produce this year or be fired too? It just doesn't make sense to me.

However, the deal is getting a lot of love from pundits all over the place who claim it was a good deal for both teams. 

I don't think I've read one opinion piece yet that thinks this was a bad deal.

But giving up 2 first rounders for anybody is a bad deal in my book.

[papasmurfbell]

I think Ozzie has been iced out long ago.  He is a figure head.  Of course pundits like it.  It’s big and flashy.  The issues with this team are not flashy.  They are with the ugliest.

[tsylvester]

4 years, $52 mil for the Bills' center, $32 mil guaranteed 

[tsylvester]

2 years, $11 mil for Huntley to resign; R U serious!

[oldno82]

Huntley's got $5 mil for 2 years with another $6 mil in incentives. Depending on what the incentives are, maybe not so bad.

The killer is the Bills' center deal...we should have gotten him for a bit higher than that price. Of course, I have no fricken' idea what our current cap situations is until we know WTF Lamar is going to do, if anything.

I'm just pretty disgusted with the state of the team right now but after looking at other boards I'd say I am definitely in the minority. 

[papasmurfbell]

Ravens fans have gotten stupid and amazed by the sparkling parts the last several yrs.  Then reality walks in and they get upset.

[oldno82]

I think a lot of people have forgotten it's a 53 man team. Crosby will help but he is definitely not going to solve the offensive o-ine problems.

[tsylvester]

10 hours ago, oldno82 said:

Huntley's got $5 mil for 2 years with another $6 mil in incentives. Depending on what the incentives are, maybe not so bad.

The killer is the Bills' center deal...we should have gotten him for a bit higher than that price. Of course, I have no fricken' idea what our current cap situations is until we know WTF Lamar is going to do, if anything.

I'm just pretty disgusted with the state of the team right now but after looking at other boards I'd say I am definitely in the minority. 

Most fans on message boards either don't know whole lot about the game or, know just enough to think they know better than even the front offices and coaches. 

So you get two types; the ones who think the teams are the smartest best in history or, the teams make all the wrong moves.

Of course it is mingled with trolls who just want attention any way that they can get it.

Can't do much about the 1st 2, but Dee started this board to weed out the 3rd types 

[tsylvester]

3 minutes ago, oldno82 said:

I think a lot of people have forgotten it's a 53 man team. Crosby will help but he is definitely not going to solve the offensive o-ine problems.

Between the new coaches and the depth of offensive linemen in the draft, i am sure they will either teach them properly & or draft better quality.

Jones should take over at one guard, the other and depth may come from the draft. The biggest question now is center

[tsylvester]

Mads posted a work out video, still not definitive proof he will be back or how effective he will be, but it is a good sign.

Crosby will help the pass rush, mostly a 10 sack per year, 2 years above that, maybe with better schemes, he will get above that into the 15 range.

With a full season of experience now for the young players in the secondary plus some much better coaching & a better pass rush, this defense should be better.

So better offensive line due to better coaching, alone =a better offense than last year. Same for the defense. 

[oldno82]

I hope so Tsyl, but I have a lot of doubts. If Mads makes it back and comes back at the level he was at before, the defense will be set with Crosby providing 10-15 sacks/year. But the offense...that's a different story. I'm not sold on Jones yet. Haven't seen him play enough to tell. All told and excluding him, we need a center and two guards and a competent tackle to help out an aging Stanley. We could also use another receiver---maybe Dez finally gets an extended look there. Bateman is pretty good, I think. He just needs to be more involved in the offense. That's going to be up to Doyle to coax that out of him and Lamar.

And, speaking of Lamar, I want to hear in the next 2-3 days that he has signed an extension to give us cap relief.

So at the very least, we need several positions on the O-line and a functional wide receiver. Oh, almost forgot about TE. Have real doubts Andrews can play like he used to and currently there's nobody behind him.

 

[tsylvester]

Rumors on the you tube, believe or not, from former players, claim the deal with Lamar is just about done and will be announced this week.

I will believe it when the team announces it..

[papasmurfbell]

8 hours ago, tsylvester said:

Between the new coaches and the depth of offensive linemen in the draft, i am sure they will either teach them properly & or draft better quality.

Jones should take over at one guard, the other and depth may come from the draft. The biggest question now is center

on the holes part old I think is spot on.
 

 

5 hours ago, oldno82 said:

I hope so Tsyl, but I have a lot of doubts. If Mads makes it back and comes back at the level he was at before, the defense will be set with Crosby providing 10-15 sacks/year. But the offense...that's a different story. I'm not sold on Jones yet. Haven't seen him play enough to tell. All told and excluding him, we need a center and two guards and a competent tackle to help out an aging Stanley. We could also use another receiver---maybe Dez finally gets an extended look there. Bateman is pretty good, I think. He just needs to be more involved in the offense. That's going to be up to Doyle to coax that out of him and Lamar.

And, speaking of Lamar, I want to hear in the next 2-3 days that he has signed an extension to give us cap relief.

So at the very least, we need several positions on the O-line and a functional wide receiver. Oh, almost forgot about TE. Have real doubts Andrews can play like he used to and currently there's nobody behind him.

 

Where we part ways is giving Lamar new money.