Volume WR, Who is it Gonna Be?

[Sledge Hammer]

paying NTs 60mil isn't a league standard thing because a lot of teams fail to realize that you can't win without stopping the run, but for us, it's really not a bad move, wasn't my first choice but the reasoning is obvious. Stopping the run is and always will be priority one on any successful defense. But as long as we have a franchise qb under contract, we would have a very hard time getting a star wr under any contract but a rookie deal, look at what average WRs got on the market this year. We absolutely can't afford to make a splash FA/trade move for a wr who is already under a big deal or is coming up on a big deal.

Not to mention, one thing has been proven time and time again, all-universe superstar wide receivers are not that damn important. Look at every SB winning team in the modern era. I don't think there has been a massive star WR on a super bowl winning team since the colts with Harrison, and before that is was the rams with Isaac Bruce and Torrey holt. But defenses win, good OLs win, qbs win, WRs just don't. We are wise not to stray from our formula. There was no point in the draft where a wr was of value(oj Howard was value but a TE technically) and there is no wr that we could logically justify trading a second for right now given that we are always cap strapped.

If we want a stud wr, we either have to draft one, or find another veteran who still has a year or 2 left in the tank who will play for cheap.

That formula is failing recently. You have to be crazy optimistic to think an offense that already sucked is going to be any good losing key players. Some people have to actually see it before realizing it. Receivers underachieving with bad QBs can be a great strategy. Finding wash ups has held this offense back for so long now

 

[Sledge Hammer]

using the patriots as the example is never a good idea, considering they are literally the only team out of 32 that has managed to avoid the parity that the NFL is built on, not a single team can do what they do.

and if we traded watkins, sure id be excited, but id also have a whole lot of questions: 1) where is that cap space coming from? 2) he has been injured every season of his career, why would we allocate so many resources to a player who is always injured.

you literally just said giving a contract to a player on IR is reckless and then suggest we trade a second for a guy whos never played a healthy season and is coming up on a big pay day. its not about missing on the next correa or brown or jernigan, its about not blowing your wad on one player and allocating very limited resources wisely. the NFL is seriously not a cut and dry "sign all the best players at all costs" league, it is literally designed to prevent the one thing you are suggesting, that is why teams dont do it often. what dont you get about the fact that if you allocate all these resources to one player(aside from a franchise qb) then you run the risk of really screwing the franchise if the player gets an injury bug? look at all the resources we had tied up in pitta, rice, ngata, monroe, dumervil, suggs, and jimmy, and look at how often we have shelled out massive money to these guys as they sit on the trainers table, it has CRUSHED this franchise for years now and we are just now beginning to get these contracts off the books and moving on, and you suggest that we crush ourselves again, but even worse, by making the same mistake and losing early draft picks in the process.

you hate our recent second rounders, i get it, but you are suggesting ridiculous things that simply dont work in the NFL.

Saying things don't work in the NFL is retarded. Every situation is different. If we are a WR from the offense being good enough to hold up its end and be championship contenders. Are you suggesting it doesn't work? Seattle is contending every year and traded first rounders for needed players. Including a Super Bowl after trading a #1 for a WR

 

[Militant X 1]

I'm just wondering why has Ozzie and the gang been so horrible at picking stud receivers in the draft?

 

[Sledge Hammer]

I'm just wondering why has Ozzie and the gang been so horrible at picking stud receivers in the draft?

Because it ignores the position and attempts to skate by with wash ups. Until it gets strapped waits until is forced to draft a WR then reaches for whatever is there. The time we have to reach never seems to line up with value available at the time for the WR position

 

[Sami84]

Guys, when do the cuts start? May 9th?

 

[Sledge Hammer]

Guys, when do the cuts start? May 9th?

Here we go again. Will somebody put a quarter in the merry go round.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

Saying things don't work in the NFL is retarded. Every situation is different. If we are a WR from the offense being good enough to hold up its end and be championship contenders. Are you suggesting it doesn't work? Seattle is contending every year and traded first rounders for needed players. Including a Super Bowl after trading a #1 for a WR

No amount of wr help is gonna fix this offense unless the OL is fixed first. And again, there is NO FEASIBLE OPTION at wr unless you suggest we make a blockbuster move for a guy we can't fit under the cap. And Seattle is spiraling quickly. They had a great team consisting of late rounders who panned out, now they have a franchise qb under contract along with many other big contracts that were formerly cheap. They are losing players left and right and they squeeze by every year thanks to being in a garbage division. They ignore the OL and make blockbuster trades for skill positions and they are up against the cap every year and Russell Wilson is running for his life begging for some protection.

If Seattle wasn't trading away their assets for skill positions and instead focused on the OL then they would be much better off. Like you literally used the worst example to try to disprove my point. Not to mention they don't even have a star wr, they let theirs walk and then traded for a TE.

 

[Sledge Hammer]

No amount of wr help is gonna fix this offense unless the OL is fixed first. And again, there is NO FEASIBLE OPTION at wr unless you suggest we make a blockbuster move for a guy we can't fit under the cap. And Seattle is spiraling quickly. They had a great team consisting of late rounders who panned out, now they have a franchise qb under contract along with many other big contracts that were formerly cheap. They are losing players left and right and they squeeze by every year thanks to being in a garbage division. They ignore the OL and make blockbuster trades for skill positions and they are up against the cap every year and Russell Wilson is running for his life begging for some protection.

If Seattle wasn't trading away their assets for skill positions and instead focused on the OL then they would be much better off. Like you literally used the worst example to try to disprove my point. Not to mention they don't even have a star wr, they let theirs walk and then traded for a TE.

You used the worst example. Wilson is overrated. Flacco is far better. Jimmy Graham was a good idea to get offense contributing to the Cookie jar. However Graham's numbers dipped going from Bree's to Wilson. Somebody didn't consider that. What I'm suggesting is a young WR talented that is being held back by his QB, team and coach. That would flourish with Joe Flacco. Hurns, Lee, Watkins, Richardson(one of Wilsons own) Matthews, Agholor, Janis, one of jets WRsthat need a QB, Maclin. Landry. Do like Belichick see a wr in NFL for a hot minute and get a handle on his skills.

 

[HNL Raven]

If Michael Floyd doesn't sign with the Vikings i wouldn't mind him.
The Rb position is flimsy and Alfred Morris would be a solid pick up.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

You used the worst example. Wilson is overrated. Flacco is far better. Jimmy Graham was a good idea to get offense contributing to the Cookie jar. However Graham's numbers dipped going from Bree's to Wilson. Somebody didn't consider that. What I'm suggesting is a young WR talented that is being held back by his QB, team and coach. That would flourish with Joe Flacco. Hurns, Lee, Watkins, Richardson(one of Wilsons own) Matthews, Agholor, Janis, one of jets WRsthat need a QB, Maclin. Landry. Do like Belichick see a wr in NFL for a hot minute and get a handle on his skills.

matthews and Landry are the only ones talented enough to warrant a second, and you still have the upcoming payday to worry about with those guys.

It can only be explained so many ways. When you trade a draft pick for an established player who will demand a big contract, you are throwing out the chance to get a young talented player on a mega cheap deal for 4 years. A team with a franchise qb under contract can not afford to do that, period.

If you could just trade away your draft for proven and established players don't you think the trade block would be more exciting? But instead it's mostly depth guys being traded for 5th and 6th rounders, because trading high picks for guys under large contracts will ruin your team in the long run.

 

[HNL Raven]

matthews and Landry are the only ones talented enough to warrant a second, and you still have the upcoming payday to worry about with those guys.

It can only be explained so many ways. When you trade a draft pick for an established player who will demand a big contract, you are throwing out the chance to get a young talented player on a mega cheap deal for 4 years. A team with a franchise qb under contract can not afford to do that, period.

If you could just trade away your draft for proven and established players don't you think the trade block would be more exciting? But instead it's mostly depth guys being traded for 5th and 6th rounders, because trading high picks for guys under large contracts will ruin your team in the long run.

That's why it's always a good idea to sign a weapon with your young qb or have players already. flacco had Ray rice, he got paid when he had Ray rice. Then flacco got lucky with forsett and coach kub. Flacco needs a running game, he can't carry the offense even if he gets another wr. Solid running game and defense is the formula flacco works with, hell that's the formula for all latest super bowl champs.

 

[RavensPunkXVX]

That's why it's always a good idea to sign a weapon with your young qb or have players already. flacco had Ray rice, he got paid when he had Ray rice. Then flacco got lucky with forsett and coach kub. Flacco needs a running game, he can't carry the offense even if he gets another wr. Solid running game and defense is the formula flacco works with, hell that's the formula for all latest super bowl champs.

Bingo. I'd like to see the statistics when Flacco has a run game. He shouldn't be throwing the ball 40-50 times a game.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

That's why it's always a good idea to sign a weapon with your young qb or have players already. flacco had Ray rice, he got paid when he had Ray rice. Then flacco got lucky with forsett and coach kub. Flacco needs a running game, he can't carry the offense even if he gets another wr. Solid running game and defense is the formula flacco works with, hell that's the formula for all latest super bowl champs.

If you're talking RB, Ozzie singled out fournette as a guy he would've taken if he was available. But obviously that wasn't gonna happen. And a stud RB simply isn't as impactful as a great run blocking line, so I'd prefer getting the horses before the carriage.

I still don't support passing on OJ Howard, inexcusable to me, but I won't act like Humphrey wasn't probably the second best pick we could've made there.

 

[Sledge Hammer]

If you're talking RB, Ozzie singled out fournette as a guy he would've taken if he was available. But obviously that wasn't gonna happen. And a stud RB simply isn't as impactful as a great run blocking line, so I'd prefer getting the horses before the carriage.

I still don't support passing on OJ Howard, inexcusable to me, but I won't act like Humphrey wasn't probably the second best pick we could've made there.

You were doing so good until you said Humphrey was next best.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

You were doing so good until you said Humphrey was next best.

So who would you have taken there? Forrest lamp was the only other acceptable pick there imo

 

[rossihunter2]

So who would you have taken there? Forrest lamp was the only other acceptable pick there imo

what seems weird is people harp on ozzie's bama connections etc. and even criticise him for taking too many bama players yet when he has a choice of 4 bama players instantly assume he's picked the wrong one - there's no bias in this situation because all of the quote unquote better players were also bama guys

reuben foster he obviously thought was too much of a problem/injury issues
jonathan allen obviously he wasnt comfortable with the shoulder
cam robinson he obviously didnt think was worth a first rounder (which the rest of the league seems to agree on)
OJ Howard DeCosta has admitted was a hard guy to pass on but when guys blankly criticise picking BPA they always say well we have needs and we dont want logjams... anyone who criticises the ravens for picking humphrey because he's coming to a logjammed position (im looking at you jason lacanfora lol) who then pound the table for oj howard are hypocrites

i dont know who else we'd have picked at that spot - looking at the guys who the league thought were the next best guys: allen, adoree jackson (i dont think there's any debate that humphrey is a better pick than jackson), Howard, Bolles (who is a boom or bust left tackle prospect and we have a left tackle here already), Jarrad Davis (injury concerns), Charles harris (arguably not as good as tim williams who we got in the 3rd)...

the league deemed robinson, lamp, ramcyzk, watt as late 1st round/2nd round guys...

 

[RavensMania]

No, Boldin is 37 yrs old. He isn't changing the fortune of the offense. He is a year older than last year. He could be totally ineffective.

Boldin was still effective last year and I'm not saying he will be just as good as last year, but he's a smart player that runs smart routes and if he's willing to sign here at a reasonable contract this should be our target.

 

[Sledge Hammer]

what seems weird is people harp on ozzie's bama connections etc. and even criticise him for taking too many bama players yet when he has a choice of 4 bama players instantly assume he's picked the wrong one - there's no bias in this situation because all of the quote unquote better players were also bama guys

reuben foster he obviously thought was too much of a problem/injury issues
jonathan allen obviously he wasnt comfortable with the shoulder
cam robinson he obviously didnt think was worth a first rounder (which the rest of the league seems to agree on)
OJ Howard DeCosta has admitted was a hard guy to pass on but when guys blankly criticise picking BPA they always say well we have needs and we dont want logjams... anyone who criticises the ravens for picking humphrey because he's coming to a logjammed position (im looking at you jason lacanfora lol) who then pound the table for oj howard are hypocrites

i dont know who else we'd have picked at that spot - looking at the guys who the league thought were the next best guys: allen, adoree jackson (i dont think there's any debate that humphrey is a better pick than jackson), Howard, Bolles (who is a boom or bust left tackle prospect and we have a left tackle here already), Jarrad Davis (injury concerns), Charles harris (arguably not as good as tim williams who we got in the 3rd)...

the league deemed robinson, lamp, ramcyzk, watt as late 1st round/2nd round guys...

Humphrey has serious bust potential at cornerback. Did you see Sammy's clips of him getting roasted? The league could of saw Humphrey as second rounder. You are talking as if Humphrey is a clean prospect that is nearly bustproof. When a dozen players drafted between 17-40 outplay him all the excuses aren't going fly. Oz and Eric can not tell Biscotti well we saw them players as lesser than Humphrey for various reasons. Because it means he was wrong. And there will be no excuses if Humphrey doesn't play to his draft status. By that logic the league saw Tim Williams as a mid round talent. And not completely because of his character flaws.

 

[Sledge Hammer]

Boldin was still effective last year and I'm not saying he will be just as good as last year, but he's a smart player that runs smart routes and if he's willing to sign here at a reasonable contract this should be our target.

Boldin isn't changing the offenses fortunes. It's like fans know our style and convince themselves it is the best move

 

[RavensMania]

Boldin isn't changing the offenses fortunes. It's like fans know our style and convince themselves it is the best move

He gives us a good possession receiver. I'm not saying he brings us up to a top 5 offense, but we don't have to be a top 5 or even top 10 offense.

With our defense, I'd be happy with top 15. I certainly don't want to trade a 2nd round pick in exchange for a WR with a high contract. Not a chance. I'd rather draft one in next years draft.