Eric DeCosta Thread

[RavensMania]

Yep!!! He's mostly been good with the FAs/in season trades. The only bad ones I can recall are Earl Thomas and Yannick. It's been the draft and overall roster construction that have been the potential negative talking points.

2021 and 2022 is too soon to tell and mostly look pretty good, especially if PQ continues his rise.

2019
Marquise Browns was good and turned into a potentially top Center for the next decade.
Ben Powers is a starter and doing pretty well this year.

2020
Queen
JK Dobbins
Madubuike
Duvernay
also good role players in Broderick Washington and Malik Harrison who is improving and Geno Stone

2021
Bateman
Oweh
Cleveland is too soon to tell
This class is too soon to tell

2022
Hamilton
Linderbaum
Ojabo
Jones
Faalele
Likely
Stout
Pepe

Obviously this class is too soon to tell but I'd say his drafting is has been more than fine. I'd agree that the 2019 class was a bit lacking, but you can't hit on everything

 

[UPennChem]

2021 and 2022 is too soon to tell and mostly look pretty good, especially if PQ continues his rise.

2019
Marquise Browns was good and turned into a potentially top Center for the next decade.
Ben Powers is a starter and doing pretty well this year.

2020
Queen
JK Dobbins
Madubuike
Duvernay
also good role players in Broderick Washington and Malik Harrison who is improving and Geno Stone

2021
Bateman
Oweh
Cleveland is too soon to tell
This class is too soon to tell

2022
Hamilton
Linderbaum
Ojabo
Jones
Faalele
Likely
Stout
Pepe

Obviously this class is too soon to tell but I'd say his drafting is has been more than fine. I'd agree that the 2019 class was a bit lacking, but you can't hit on everything

Yeah 2019 and 2021 don't look great. 2020 and 2022 look pretty good. But it's not like 2021 is horrible.

 

[Simba]

2021 and 2022 is too soon to tell and mostly look pretty good, especially if PQ continues his rise.

2019
Marquise Browns was good and turned into a potentially top Center for the next decade.
Ben Powers is a starter and doing pretty well this year.

2020
Queen
JK Dobbins
Madubuike
Duvernay
also good role players in Broderick Washington and Malik Harrison who is improving and Geno Stone

2021
Bateman
Oweh
Cleveland is too soon to tell
This class is too soon to tell

2022
Hamilton
Linderbaum
Ojabo
Jones
Faalele
Likely
Stout
Pepe

Obviously this class is too soon to tell but I'd say his drafting is has been more than fine. I'd agree that the 2019 class was a bit lacking, but you can't hit on everything

2020 was actually a pretty damn good draft. Glad you mentioned Harrison and Washington in particular. They've both come on to be some solid rotational pieces along with some impact players. Hopefully the Queen we've seen the last 2 games is here to stay, and that could be a pretty damn good overall class.

 

[D1City55]

2020 was actually a pretty damn good draft. Glad you mentioned Harrison and Washington in particular. They've both come on to be some solid rotational pieces along with some impact players. Hopefully the Queen we've seen the last 2 games is here to stay, and that could be a pretty damn good overall class.

It's really turning into a fantastic class. He might've bombed 2019 but the last three drafts have been very impressive.

 

[Charm City]

I'm sure plenty of people are on the table. Will say Brady was pretty universally hated in Carolina when he was there.

To be fair Carolina has been a dumpster fire coaching-wise and had no QB. I'd be willing to give him a pass

 

[Shade_Raven]

Losing your top 2 WRs and not bringing in a single WR via the draft or FA then having your franchise QB on his 5th year option with a bottom barrel WR group and now your kicking tires on Djax and Tavon Austin, The "We like our Guys" Experiment has failed.

 

[ndub]

Losing your top 2 WRs and not bringing in a single WR via the draft or FA then having your franchise QB on his 5th year option with a bottom barrel WR group and now your kicking tires on Djax and Tavon Austin, The "We like our Guys" Experiment has failed.

Thank you! Nice having you here

 

[29BmoreBird22]

I think my issue with assessing the draft as a hit because they got average starters or role players is that the drafts have lacked star power or big impact players.

Like, yeah, your Ben Powers or your Geno Stone are totally fine, but if your team is all Powers or Stones, you're probably not going super far in the NFL.

Linderbaum looks like a slam dunk so far and an anchor for the next 10 years, but the Ravens can't rely on positional devaluation to stack picks like this. They've got to become more consistent and better at drafting.

 

[airconteka]

I think my issue with assessing the draft as a hit because they got average starters or role players is that the drafts have lacked star power or big impact players.

Like, yeah, your Ben Powers or your Geno Stone are totally fine, but if your team is all Powers or Stones, you're probably not going super far in the NFL.

Linderbaum looks like a slam dunk so far and an anchor for the next 10 years, but the Ravens can't rely on positional devaluation to stack picks like this. They've got to become more consistent and better at drafting.

If you picking up Powers and Stone in the 4th and 7th then happy days, if you are getting that quality in the first couple of rounds you have a problem.

 

[rmcjacket23]

Losing your top 2 WRs and not bringing in a single WR via the draft or FA then having your franchise QB on his 5th year option with a bottom barrel WR group and now your kicking tires on Djax and Tavon Austin, The "We like our Guys" Experiment has failed.

Top two? We lost one. Watkins isn't a loss.
Obviously not going to find good WRs in FA, because there aren't any good WRs in FA. Probably should have added a receiver in the draft, but it obviously wasn't going to be in the first round, since there weren't any available anyway. And once we draft WRs in the middle rounds, fans still complain anyway, so its a no-win situation.

 

[RavensMania]

Yeah 2019 and 2021 don't look great. 2020 and 2022 look pretty good. But it's not like 2021 is horrible.

really too soon to tell on 2021 and Bateman could be a true #1 and Oweh we need to give time. I believe Cleveland is going to be a good starter once he starts playing on the right side, which could be next season.

 

[Shade_Raven]

Top two? We lost one. Watkins isn't a loss.
Obviously not going to find good WRs in FA, because there aren't any good WRs in FA. Probably should have added a receiver in the draft, but it obviously wasn't going to be in the first round, since there weren't any available anyway. And once we draft WRs in the middle rounds, fans still complain anyway, so its a no-win situation.

Sammy Watkins is objectively better than Tylan Wallace, Proche, Djax, Andy Isabella, and Demarcus Robinson

 

[RavensMania]

Sammy Watkins is objectively better than Tylan Wallace, Proche, Djax, Andy Isabella, and Demarcus Robinson

but he's not better than Duvernay and currently our top two are Bateman and Duvernay

 

[Shade_Raven]

but he's not better than Duvernay and currently our top two are Bateman and Duvernay

I think Watkins is a better outside reciever than Duvernay. Duv is really good in space but he doesnt consistently win 1on1, regardless both were relative question marks heading into the season and considering Bateman is leading the league in drops and Duvernay cant seem to find the ball in this offense, Proche is getting outsnapped by Nick Boyle. Obviously this WR group was NOT in a good position when they said they liked their guys and bringing in guys cut from other teams and guys who were doing podcast is an admission of failure.

Its not about Sammy Watkins, or Hollywood or Robby Anderson etc. Its about continued negligence to the WR group and putting your QB, who is on his 5th year option, in a bad position with a bottom of the league WR group.

 

[RavensMania]

I think Watkins is a better outside reciever than Duvernay. Duv is really good in space but he doesnt consistently win 1on1, regardless both were relative question marks heading into the season and considering Bateman is leading the league in drops and Duvernay cant seem to find the ball in this offense, Proche is getting outsnapped by Nick Boyle. Obviously this WR group was NOT in a good position when they said they liked their guys and bringing in guys cut from other teams and guys who were doing podcast is an admission of failure.

Its not about Sammy Watkins, or Hollywood or Robby Anderson etc. Its about continued negligence to the WR group and putting your QB, who is on his 5th year option, in a bad position with a bottom of the league WR group.

Watkins may be a better outside receiver, when he is available. Watkins tends to miss half the season.

That being said, it's not like we didn't attempt to draft a wide receiver. That was our intention in the draft and early in the draft. Not a chance we could have traded for a WR in free agency with our cap space. Not a chance at all. I'm glad we didn't trade for Robbie Anderson. Didn't want him here at all.

 

[BoredMarine13]

I think the much more fair criticism of Harbs with respect to coordinators is picking bad ones. Trestman and Morninwheg, were all horrible. But they didn't last long at all.

Would love to be a fly on the wall when these decisions are made. Do you think its purely Harbs making those decisions.

 

[RavensMania]

Would love to be a fly on the wall when these decisions are made. Do you think its purely Harbs making those decisions.

yes, he picks his own coordinators, but I believe Morningwheg came over under Kubiak.

 

[Shade_Raven]

Watkins may be a better outside receiver, when he is available. Watkins tends to miss half the season.

That being said, it's not like we didn't attempt to draft a wide receiver. That was our intention in the draft and early in the draft. Not a chance we could have traded for a WR in free agency with our cap space. Not a chance at all. I'm glad we didn't trade for Robbie Anderson. Didn't want him here at all.

Personally, Im going to hold it against our GM when we have one of the worst position groups in the NFL, you may write it off, but I will not. You also havent addressed the "We like our guys" then not putting those guys on the field and bringing in cut guys and podcasts guys to replace them.

Our #3 WR was cut in the pre-season smh.

 

[RavensMania]

Personally, Im going to hold it against our GM when we have one of the worst position groups in the NFL, you may write it off, but I will not.

that is on him, without a doubt. I'm not letting him off the hook. We all knew we were light at WR coming into the season, but lets not forget our offense is TE friendly and Mark Andrews is our #1 pass catcher. You are comparing our offense to a team that uses WR as the #1 read.

 

[rmcjacket23]

Personally, Im going to hold it against our GM when we have one of the worst position groups in the NFL, you may write it off, but I will not. You also havent addressed the "We like our guys" then not putting those guys on the field and bringing in cut guys and podcasts guys to replace them.

Our #3 WR was cut in the pre-season smh.

I mean they've made a pretty huge investment in the WR position in the draft, though many of them haven't panned out.

My point is... Andrews is effectively a WR, and so you have Andrews and Bateman. It's one football, Lamar isn't the kind of QB who typically spreads it around to 4-5 different guys, and its still a run-heavy offense and should be, because that's literally everyone's strengths.

So like yeah, I want more WRs. But bringing in an "alpha" or some absurdly highly paid guy isn't going to move the needle for me, because there's going to be a lot of weeks where that guys just not going to do much. Same thing when Hollywood was here.

They need better depth, not necessarily better starters. And the only way to basically get WRs in this league anymore is to either draft them, or trade a bunch of picks and give up a bunch of cap space to somebody else for the WR they've already sucked all the value out of. Pretty clear the FO isn't doing the latter, and I can't blame them.

Guaranteed next offseason they'll take more swings at receiver. Me personally... lack of receivers wouldn't be in the top 3 reasons why this team is 4-3 right now.