What Would You Do if You Were Ozzie?

[Edgar]

In Bowser's case, I completely blame Pees. He showed to be good in space and relying on his instincts to make plays, so instead Pees rushes him while we get carved up by short passes to TEs and RBs.

That's the other piece. Once they are drafted they are effectively out of ozzies hands and it's up to coaches to maximise what they've been given.
I understand it's fashionable to bash on Perriman and to do so bears some merit. But how does a guy go from 500 receiving yards a year ago all the way down to 77 yards this season?

Is what he does well being brought to the forefront?

 

[The Greek]

For the limited number of snaps Wormley was on the field he made an impact. Bowser the same. Correa, Perriman and Williams are most likely busts, but atleast we are getting decent blocking out of Williams and an occasional catch. Not what you want from your 2nd round pick. I'm hoping another year removed from injury will help him. Still have to draft another TE this year, especially in this class.

dont get me wrong i would love to see these guys become reliable contributors and we definitely need a te.

 

[rossihunter2]

i get that but it is ozzie that has final say. if decosta has been the one making these picks the past few years than i dont trust either of them anymore especially if bowser, williams, correia, perriman kafusi, max williams, wormley do not take it to the next level next season. too many early picks that have not contributed. jmo

I think kaufusi is done, I have a slim hope that Correa could become an ok depth piece but that’s about it and obviously perriman was a bad pick but maxx has been frustrated by injuries but if you watch the film he’s been a crucial reason why our running game has been working he’s the best blocking tight end on our team by a country mile and while you want more from a 2nd rounder it’s not like he’s a bad player

And it’s a little early to judge this 2017 draft but we’ve seen flashes of potential at times from bowser, wormley, Williams and Clark and don’t forget pat Ricard and jaylen Hill as udfas - now if we never get more than what we’ve seen this year from them then it’ll be disappointing but it would be a little ridiculous to expect every single one of them to not improve at all especially given their low usage (hell even Marlon was underused until jimmy’s injury and he looks like an absolute stud)

And you can’t criticise them for missing on 2nd and 3rd rounders and ignore the incredible work they do on day 3 and udfa: tavon, Alex Lewis, Willie Henry, Judon, canady, peanut, davis, pierce, Dixon, Boyle etc.

We’ll see this year coming up because of all the injuries but 2016 could turn out to be an historic draft class despite missing on both the 2nd and 3rd round picks

 

[rossihunter2]

dont get me wrong i would love to see these guys become reliable contributors and we definitely need a te.

In which case I’d hold off on criticising the drafting for one more year just because we had so many players (including recent draft picks and udfas) injured or underused - if the 2016 draft class doesn’t re raise this team and the 2017 class continues to not get on the field then I’d feel like your criticism is more legitimate

 

[rossihunter2]

I would surround Joe with as many weapons as possible. It worked in 2012. I’d be ballsy and go for Jimmy Graham as well as Jarvis Landry. Just pull some cap space out of my ass.

I don’t know that we need to go huge and kill our future cap in free agency but I’d be ok with an all offence mostly skill position draft strategy - like clusterbombing - we’ll have to hit something

 

[Oldfaithful]

I don’t know that we need to go huge and kill our future cap in free agency but I’d be ok with an all offence mostly skill position draft strategy - like clusterbombing - we’ll have to hit something

It's the best route to take to be honest. Build the oline through the draft and get a few skill position dudes there. Getting a WR and a TE in FA would go a long way.

We also have to factor in the fact that a few guys might be released this offseason. There has been some speculation that Dez Bryant is gone due to a high cap hit this offseason and same for Demaryius Thomas. I'd be okay with either.

 

[redrum52]

It's the best route to take to be honest. Build the oline through the draft and get a few skill position dudes there. Getting a WR and a TE in FA would go a long way.

We also have to factor in the fact that a few guys might be released this offseason. There has been some speculation that Dez Bryant is gone due to a high cap hit this offseason and same for Demaryius Thomas. I'd be okay with either.

Don't like either of those wrs.

 

[rossihunter2]

It's the best route to take to be honest. Build the oline through the draft and get a few skill position dudes there. Getting a WR and a TE in FA would go a long way.

We also have to factor in the fact that a few guys might be released this offseason. There has been some speculation that Dez Bryant is gone due to a high cap hit this offseason and same for Demaryius Thomas. I'd be okay with either.

For me I’m thinking of free agency as a bonus this year because I like the way this draft class maps out so far that I’m ok with us going in virtually any direction with the 16th pick because there’s a clear cutoff around the 20th player where there’s a big drop off in talent - I think we have a legitimate shot at at least 1 of my 4 favourite non-qb prospects at 16: Fitzpatrick, Nelson, Ridley, mcglinchey - they may also all be gone but there are still other good players who will be available

But as a general rule we’d better come out of the first 2 days with 2 skill position guys (don’t care about the makeup) especially given that early on all indications are that the offensive skill positions is where the strength of the draft lies

That being said I’d look to target a receiver like Taylor Gabriel who may get overlooked by teams because of the higher than usual level of free agency wr talent

As long as the rehab of all our injuries goes according to plan I feel good about the potential of this offseason to infuse us with talent where I wasn’t so confident 2 offseasons ago

 

[Edgar]

I think kaufusi is done, I have a slim hope that Correa could become an ok depth piece but that’s about it and obviously perriman was a bad pick but maxx has been frustrated by injuries but if you watch the film he’s been a crucial reason why our running game has been working he’s the best blocking tight end on our team by a country mile and while you want more from a 2nd rounder it’s not like he’s a bad player

And it’s a little early to judge this 2017 draft but we’ve seen flashes of potential at times from bowser, wormley, Williams and Clark and don’t forget pat Ricard and jaylen Hill as udfas - now if we never get more than what we’ve seen this year from them then it’ll be disappointing but it would be a little ridiculous to expect every single one of them to not improve at all especially given their low usage (hell even Marlon was underused until jimmy’s injury and he looks like an absolute stud)

And you can’t criticise them for missing on 2nd and 3rd rounders and ignore the incredible work they do on day 3 and udfa: tavon, Alex Lewis, Willie Henry, Judon, canady, peanut, davis, pierce, Dixon, Boyle etc.

We’ll see this year coming up because of all the injuries but 2016 could turn out to be an historic draft class despite missing on both the 2nd and 3rd round picks

Acknowledging some success in later rounds has little bearing on whether or not rounds two or three ought be criticized. Both can be addressed on their own merits

 

[rossihunter2]

Acknowledging some success in later rounds has little bearing on whether or not rounds two or three ought be criticized. Both can be addressed on their own merits

That of course is true but to say they’ve been bad at drafting as a grand sweeping statement I think you have to consider both sides

And also take into account the first rounders too (which people rarely talk about unless it’s perriman)

 

[The Raven]

This. His reputation could go down the shitter very handily. Get out now ozz

I'm honestly not sure whether it's Ozzie's fault ,the coaching staff's fault, or a mixture. For years, the two sides have been out of sync. Promising players ride the bench and don't get developed (Kruger, John Simon, Jensen, Jah Reid). Round players get put in square holes (Gino, Bowser, Elam, Jernigan).

I think it's more on the coaches, because Ozzie's still snagging 2-4 starters/role players every draft. What makes Ozzie looks bad is hacks like Perriman and Maxx Williams always being hurt and underperforming, and should-be-starters like Brent Urban, Tavon Young, Alex Lewis, and Nico Siragusa always being hurt.

We had very strong drafts in 2014 and 2016, and I'll call 2017 good so far -- but the players we got, as good as they are, were all hurt this year. Still, that doesn't excuse the disasters that were 2012 and 2015. 2011 was a great draft but we failed to develop potential starters like Jah Reid, who turned out to be solid, and we failed to retain young up and comers like Pernell McPhee, instead opting to rely on hacks like Courtney Upshaw.

Regardless of whose fault it is, Ozzie's legacy is on the line and he keeps looking worse every year.

 

[redrum52]

I'm not going to knock Ozzie. Won't always hit and you can't always luck up like the Saints did this draft. Our last draft was incredible and this one might prove to be great with a new DC. I refuse to believe that Tim can't make an impact and this team has shown for whatever reason, they don't like playing guys if they don't fit the "Ravens" mold. Play people out of position, misuse them and have an obvious problem developing wideouts. The best route, to me, would be use the 2nd pick to trade for a wr and use the 1st on OL or BPA. Also, wouldn't mind trading up for Nelson, depending on which pick he's still available at.

It's time to stop playing scared in the draft. With all the extra picks we had years prior, should have had no problem moving up for talent.

 

[TheCity5]

I would surround Joe with as many weapons as possible. It worked in 2012. I’d be ballsy and go for Jimmy Graham as well as Jarvis Landry. Just pull some cap space out of my ass.

I just don't even care who the defense has at some point. I feel like someway somehow they're going to blow it when it matters most. I'm really just over it at this point. If Joe can look as good as he did week13-17 with that pedestrian group of players around him, then I think he can look even better with guys like Allen Robinson and Christian Kirk at WR.

I think we're going to be in the mix for a trade in regards for a TE because the market is dry and drafting one might not be in the cards.

 

[TheCity5]

I'm honestly not sure whether it's Ozzie's fault ,the coaching staff's fault, or a mixture. For years, the two sides have been out of sync. Promising players ride the bench and don't get developed (Kruger, John Simon, Jensen, Jah Reid). Round players get put in square holes (Gino, Bowser, Elam, Jernigan).

I think it's more on the coaches, because Ozzie's still snagging 2-4 starters/role players every draft. What makes Ozzie looks bad is hacks like Perriman and Maxx Williams always being hurt and underperforming, and should-be-starters like Brent Urban, Tavon Young, Alex Lewis, and Nico Siragusa always being hurt.

We had very strong drafts in 2014 and 2016, and I'll call 2017 good so far -- but the players we got, as good as they are, were all hurt this year. Still, that doesn't excuse the disasters that were 2012 and 2015. 2011 was a great draft but we failed to develop potential starters like Jah Reid, who turned out to be solid, and we failed to retain young up and comers like Pernell McPhee, instead opting to rely on hacks like Courtney Upshaw.

Regardless of whose fault it is, Ozzie's legacy is on the line and he keeps looking worse every year.

I think he really blew it this year because he rolled the dice on Perriman. People forget that prior to having Maclin we had Wallace and Perriman as our #1 and #2, everyone knew at that time that it was a risk and after that we gambled on a guy who was universally known as an injury prone player in Maclin. I think hindsight applies here and while we did jump on the bandwagon, many of us including those in the media criticized Ozzie for his draft/FA approach in regards to the offense and it looks like it was somewhat warranted.

Of course you can't prepare for losing your starters guards and their back ups. That said in terms of the receivers he did not do a good job and in the end it's the unit that cost us our season.

 

[Edgar]

That of course is true but to say they’ve been bad at drafting as a grand sweeping statement I think you have to consider both sides

And also take into account the first rounders too (which people rarely talk about unless it’s perriman)

Well, the second and third rounds tend to carry more weight in terms of expectations and they have been underwhelming.
I can't give them a pass for these rounds because a UDFA pans out or because they luck out in selecting Judon.

The Correa pick, specifically is hard to let go. The FO promoted the idea that we would get "two first rounders" in that draft and we passed on at least two.

 

[rossihunter2]

I can't give them a pass for these rounds because a UDFA pans out or because they luck out in selecting Judon.

a bit harsh to call drafting judon "lucky"

 

[Edgar]

a bit harsh to call drafting judon "lucky"

They were pleasantly surprised at their good fortune. Which is a nice way of saying that their evaluation of him was off and if they had even an inkling, there is no way they pass on him five times....in the fourth round.

 

[Sledge Hammer]

a bit harsh to call drafting judon "lucky"

It was a little lucky. He shouldn't have been available round5. And ravens were looking almost exclusively for sleeper edge rushers in later rounds. If Judon takes next step he is the new Adalius Thomas. Judon did have 8 sacks but far to often totally erased to be called an uncovered gen.

 

[BloodRaven]

Start by adding some power to the oline and speed to the dline. We also need a youth movement

 

[The Raven]

Start by adding some power to the oline and speed to the dline. We also need a youth movement

Yes, yes, and yes. I feel like we say youth movement every year, lol.

I think power is here and on it's way. James Hurst and Urschel were the last remnants of the pure zone days. Alex Lewis and Nico Siragusa and Jermaine Eluemunor clearly signify a desire to get more power.

Speed on the dline (and the edge) is necessary -- and it could be on its way. Draft picks like Brent Urban, Bronso Kaufusi, and Willie Henry again show a clear desire to get more athletic on the interior. Two were hurt last year, and the healthy guy surpassed expectations. Only time will tell whether Ozzie relapses and drafts another Terrence Cody. Boy does Ozzie love big and slow. But there's a reason our interior pass rush has always been so bad. There's little athleticism there.