How large is our window

[Oldfaithful]

So I've been reflecting on the offseason a lot lately. Here's my overall take on it so far.

1. I LOVE the signing of Tony Jefferson. He was an underrated and unheralded player in Arizona who was a borderline-elite safety. Pairing him with Weddle gives us an elite tandem, and it would not surprise me if he starts making pro bowls/all pro teams here. I was calling for us to get him back in November, and I'm glad this came true. Not only this, but he helps give the defense an identity again. We are going to punch you in the mouth. Overall. This was great.
2. Ozzie messed up in certain facets though. I still think giving Brandon Williams all of that money was ridiculous. He plays 80% of the snaps, and he's a damn fine player but that money should have been used elsewhere. I hate the fact that outside of Danny Woodhead, we more or less ignored the offensive side of the ball. I would have taken the money we gave to Williams and have given it to a Larry Warford type. We could have still drafted Siragusa and put him at C. But nonetheless. The Williams deal is going to come back and bite us in the ass. Speaking of, the Timmy Jernigan trade was still a fireable offense imo. We essentially traded Timmy Jernigan for Chris Wormley.. Which I'm sorry to say, is shitty. I think Wormley is going to be Lawerence Guy at his very best. Timmy, for all of his inconsistencies, was a total beast when he was on his A game. I would have also preferred to keep our best interior pass rusher. If/when Ozzie gets canned in the offseason look for the Jernigan trade to be one of the top reasons why. I would have picked Timmy over Brandon every day of the week.
3. This said. It's clear to everyone what the plan is if Ozzie does stay(Which I doubt. I think he's fired towards the end of the season). He puposed a two year plan. Which honestly. Isn't terrible. Let's look at it this way. This years draft was loaded on defensive talent. And Ozzie capitalized which I don't blame him for. Although I would have gone in a different direction, the Humphrey pick makes a lot of sense. He fits our scheme like a glove and has a lot of problems that can be coached out of him(I personally would have taken Allen, whom imo was the best player on the board by far). Bowser will likely be better than Orr by season's end, Wormley is a day 1 starter.. Albiet a very average one(again. Lawerence Guy 2.0. Not worth a 3rd round pick). And Tim Williams, even if he is a bench player, will be a stud pass rusher who is going to kill QBs.

As concerned as I am for the offense, the offensive class next year is so much more talented.. Before we factor in QBs, 4 in which(Darnold, Rosen, Jackson, and Allen) I fully expect to be first round picks. There are guys like Quinten Nelson, Saquon Barkley, Calvin Ridley, Nick Chubb, James Washington. I think next year is the year to pounce there.


All in all. The offseason was okay in my book. But if there is one positive, Ozzie took our rapidly closing window, and shot it with a bazooka imo. The defense is young, and very talented and has potential to be in the top 5 for the next several years. Guys like Mosely, Kaufausi, Young, Judon, Humphrey, Bowser, Pierce, Henry, Williams, really excite me. I think that's a great young group of guys with a lot of potential to build around. If we can field a good offensive line(for what it's worth. I do like 3/5 starters on the oline with Alex Lewis being a massive question mark) and stock up on offensive talent for the 2018-2019 season. I think we could have a new window for super bowl contention.

Until then though, I could see us going anywhere from 6-10(which is fine. GIVE ME SAQUON BARKLEY), or 10-6.

 

[K-Dog]

I have been hearing this window analogy for some time. "Our window is closing fast" people would say.

Maybe it is just a numbers game and I don't put all my stock in numbers. I don't think for the Ravens or to be absolutely technical for anyone this window ever really "closes".
So many variables go into every W and every L.

We are on a huge talent up swing that I don't think has hit its apex quite yet.

Window open wide? Window closing?
Lets just bust the door down.

 

[The Raven]

So I've been reflecting on the offseason a lot lately. Here's my overall take on it so far.

1. I LOVE the signing of Tony Jefferson. He was an underrated and unheralded player in Arizona who was a borderline-elite safety. Pairing him with Weddle gives us an elite tandem, and it would not surprise me if he starts making pro bowls/all pro teams here. I was calling for us to get him back in November, and I'm glad this came true. Not only this, but he helps give the defense an identity again. We are going to punch you in the mouth. Overall. This was great.
2. Ozzie messed up in certain facets though. I still think giving Brandon Williams all of that money was ridiculous. He plays 80% of the snaps, and he's a damn fine player but that money should have been used elsewhere. I hate the fact that outside of Danny Woodhead, we more or less ignored the offensive side of the ball. I would have taken the money we gave to Williams and have given it to a Larry Warford type. We could have still drafted Siragusa and put him at C. But nonetheless. The Williams deal is going to come back and bite us in the ass. Speaking of, the Timmy Jernigan trade was still a fireable offense imo. We essentially traded Timmy Jernigan for Chris Wormley.. Which I'm sorry to say, is shitty. I think Wormley is going to be Lawerence Guy at his very best. Timmy, for all of his inconsistencies, was a total beast when he was on his A game. I would have also preferred to keep our best interior pass rusher. If/when Ozzie gets canned in the offseason look for the Jernigan trade to be one of the top reasons why. I would have picked Timmy over Brandon every day of the week.
3. This said. It's clear to everyone what the plan is if Ozzie does stay(Which I doubt. I think he's fired towards the end of the season). He puposed a two year plan. Which honestly. Isn't terrible. Let's look at it this way. This years draft was loaded on defensive talent. And Ozzie capitalized which I don't blame him for. Although I would have gone in a different direction, the Humphrey pick makes a lot of sense. He fits our scheme like a glove and has a lot of problems that can be coached out of him(I personally would have taken Allen, whom imo was the best player on the board by far). Bowser will likely be better than Orr by season's end, Wormley is a day 1 starter.. Albiet a very average one(again. Lawerence Guy 2.0. Not worth a 3rd round pick). And Tim Williams, even if he is a bench player, will be a stud pass rusher who is going to kill QBs.

As concerned as I am for the offense, the offensive class next year is so much more talented.. Before we factor in QBs, 4 in which(Darnold, Rosen, Jackson, and Allen) I fully expect to be first round picks. There are guys like Quinten Nelson, Saquon Barkley, Calvin Ridley, Nick Chubb, James Washington. I think next year is the year to pounce there.


All in all. The offseason was okay in my book. But if there is one positive, Ozzie took our rapidly closing window, and shot it with a bazooka imo. The defense is young, and very talented and has potential to be in the top 5 for the next several years. Guys like Mosely, Kaufausi, Young, Judon, Humphrey, Bowser, Pierce, Henry, Williams, really excite me. I think that's a great young group of guys with a lot of potential to build around. If we can field a good offensive line(for what it's worth. I do like 3/5 starters on the oline with Alex Lewis being a massive question mark) and stock up on offensive talent for the 2018-2019 season. I think we could have a new window for super bowl contention.

Until then though, I could see us going anywhere from 6-10(which is fine. GIVE ME SAQUON BARKLEY), or 10-6.

Actually, Brandon Williams plays fewer than 80 percent of the snaps. More like 60 I think.

We totally ignored offense.

Trading Jernigan, in a contract year, for Wormley is actually okay by me, because Wormley on an average day will be better than Jernigan on his many bad days. When he was a beast, he was a beast, but when he was bad, oh lord he was bad. Jernigan was a liability in the run game at times. I don't think Wormley will be. I think Wormley actually has a bit more potential than Guy. His run stuffing will be an improvement over Guy, and I also think Wormley is a stronger guy physically. I watched more of him Sunday and I'm starting to see why the FO is high on him.

As for the "window"... I see us going 10-6 this year, but our window isn't quite open yet. I see a pretty wide open window from 2018-2021, depending on various QB-related factors. Beyond 2018 depends on whether Joe stays or not.

 

[Sami84]

The brandon wllliams move was poor. We could have not only signed Wagner, we could have also have gone for pryor.

You don't pay a guy who cant rush the passer to save his life that much money and obviously can only play 60% of the snaps.
You keep a v.good tackle like wagner and get a really good WR like Pryor.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

Another poster who freaking loves saquon Barkley.

 

[RavensMania]

Wa

The brandon wllliams move was poor. We could have not only signed Wagner, we could have also have gone for pryor.

You don't pay a guy who cant rush the passer to save his life that much money and obviously can only play 60% of the snaps.
You keep a v.good tackle like wagner and get a really good WR like Pryor.

wagner was not a fit for a power scheme, which is one of the reasons we let him walk. Williams is a very important player for our defense. The way he keeps players off our linebackers is huge. Prices of Lineman is going up. Even Hankins received 10m per year.
[doublepost=1495551595,1495550992][/doublepost]@Lost_In_Translation There is no way Ozzie gets fired. What he has done with this franchise by keeping it one of the top franchises for 20 yrs and one of the most respected ones at that is rare. Yes, he's had some off years, but we are on an uptick.
I also believe we received good value for the Jernigan trade. Jernigan as @The Raven ravem said was really bad when he was bad and he was bad more often than he was good. Why not jump 25 spots in round 3, which is essentially receiving a good draft pick. Jernigan wouldn't have netted us more than a 4th in 2019 and more likely a 5th. I see him as a day one starter. Someone who consistently plays to the whistle and is always good against the run. He will be used to his strength in our base 34 as well.

Our window isn't closing. I agree with the Raven that our window is only starting to open again.

 

[Oldfaithful]

Wa

wagner was not a fit for a power scheme, which is one of the reasons we let him walk. Williams is a very important player for our defense. The way he keeps players off our linebackers is huge. Prices of Lineman is going up. Even Hankins received 10m per year.
[doublepost=1495551595,1495550992][/doublepost]@Lost_In_Translation There is no way Ozzie gets fired. What he has done with this franchise by keeping it one of the top franchises for 20 yrs and one of the most respected ones at that is rare. Yes, he's had some off years, but we are on an uptick.
I also believe we received good value for the Jernigan trade. Jernigan as @The Raven ravem said was really bad when he was bad and he was bad more often than he was good. Why not jump 25 spots in round 3, which is essentially receiving a good draft pick. Jernigan wouldn't have netted us more than a 4th in 2019 and more likely a 5th. I see him as a day one starter. Someone who consistently plays to the whistle and is always good against the run. He will be used to his strength in our base 34 as well.

Our window isn't closing. I agree with the Raven that our window is only starting to open again.

I have to disagree with that. I think that Wormley as a whole is a significant downgrade. A safe pick? Yeah. Probably the second best defensive linemen in the class(which isn't saying much). But not the right one to make. He's inconsistent but I believe that if we also had other pass rushers in place around him(like a Tim Williams for example) he would thrive. I would not be surprised if he gets 8+ Sacks in Philly and then the trade looks even worse.

And yes, I think Ozzie is done for. He's had a hell of a career. But I think he's gone. After completely ignoring the offensive side of the ball, I think there's a large chance that it's totally anemic. I would not be surprised if we went 6-10. Making us miss the playoffs of the last 4/5 years. Harbaugh would be gone, and Ozzie would certainly be gone. That's not to take away from a spectacular career(if he could enter the hall of fame a second time he easily would), but the past few years, a big reason why we're in this situation is because of him. Crappy picks like Upshaw, Elam, Brown, Brooks, and being unable to retain guys like Osemele is a big reason we are in this offensive mess.

Someone at some point has to give Flacco something to work with. We gave him an $120 million contract. And we haven't helped him a damn bit. Sure, 2015 we draft Perriman, and Maxx, and last year we drafted Stanley, but we still haven't found a center for him, a true workhorse RB, and he needs other WRs.

I would not surprise me in the slightest if Ozzie is fired, unless this is part of a two year plan. Because frankly, if we can fix things on the offensive side of the ball next offseason, we are right back in contending mode. But honestly, come the 2018 draft I would not be surprised if we took another damn defensive player in the first round.

 

[RavensMania]

The one thing I agree with in your post @Lost_In_Translation is that Timmy Jernigan may have a good year this year, although he will always be inconsistent. The 9 wide could be a very good fit for him, we shall see though.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

I think wormley is gonna be less impactful than Jernigan but far more consistent. He often gets a Lawrence guy comp but how is that a bad thing? Guy was a key player for us.

And I see wormley very much in the mold of Cory Redding, remember that guy? Clean technique, big strong and long, high iq, and surprises you with his burst and closing speed at times.

 

[Sami84]

i dunno man

this team is a whole bunch of ifs.
Would it shock me if we made the playoffs?
No
Would it shock me if we went 5-11
No

it's about us unearthing talents. We have had a drought of that that..by talents im not talking about solid ''nice surprises'' ala tavon young..i mean all pro-pro bowl difference makers.

 

[RavensMania]

There was defin

i dunno man

this team is a whole bunch of ifs.
Would it shock me if we made the playoffs?
No
Would it shock me if we went 5-11
No

it's about us unearthing talents. We have had a drought of that that..by talents im not talking about solid ''nice surprises'' ala tavon young..i mean all pro-pro bowl difference makers.

There was definitely a drought from 2010-13 in our overall drafting. Some due to bad picks, some due to bad luck and some due to lack of talent in the draft. These reasons caused us to have to dive into free agency more than we would have liked.

Due to this drought, the Ravens have had a lack of players hitting their prime. This looks like it is about to turn. The last two drafts looks pretty good on paper. Last years class looks tremendous. Perriman has a chance to really shine from two yrs ago as well. Let's hope Maxx steps up this year also.

 

[K-Dog]

I don't think Ozzie *ignored* the offense as much as I think he just put all his eggs in one basket.
I think this is going to be one of those " if you can't score, you can't win. " teams.
Have an offense just good enough to stay ahead ( we definitely have that ) ( see Justin Tuckrt )
Betcha' next off season offence gets an equally huge upgrade.

 

[Adreme]

I'll say to the idea that ozzy is getting fired that you are insane. If sonehow the Ravens finish 0-16 and dont look competitive at all ozzy will still have a job next year. You dont get rid of good. Just as you wouldnt cut Yanda for it you dont get rid of your elite personel be they on the field or in management and expect to get better. That is the logic bad teams use and part of the reason they will remain bad.

As for the trade i would take 4 years of Wormley over 1 year of Timmy. I like Timmy i do but he isnt being resigned so the question is 4 years of Wormley or 1 year of Timmy and regardless of how it eorks out im happy eith that deal.

 

[RavensMania]

I'll say to the idea that ozzy is getting fired that you are insane. If sonehow the Ravens finish 0-16 and dont look competitive at all ozzy will still have a job next year. You dont get rid of good. Just as you wouldnt cut Yanda for it you dont get rid of your elite personel be they on the field or in management and expect to get better. That is the logic bad teams use and part of the reason they will remain bad.

As for the trade i would take 4 years of Wormley over 1 year of Timmy. I like Timmy i do but he isnt being resigned so the question is 4 years of Wormley or 1 year of Timmy and regardless of how it works out im happy with that deal.

Total agreement. Sorry @Lost_In_Translation, as much as we are in agreement, I feel you may have "lost" it with that statement.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

LiT was Lit af when he wrote that

 

[allblackraven]

I'm not too optimistic for 2017 but if we manage to improve on offense (O line, another back, couple WR) AND have success finding replacements for Weddle, Webb, Carr, maybe #22, who will all be 30+ - and here I hope Sizzle's replacement is in the house, we should be better from 2018/2019. With a lot of young talent in the house, window should be wide open from '18 for quite some time.

 

[K-Dog]

Ozzie will retire ( by what ever definition) before he gets fired.

 

[Oldfaithful]

LiT was Lit af when he wrote that

Guilty. Damn pain meds lol

 

[jdynamite]

So I've been reflecting on the offseason a lot lately. Here's my overall take on it so far.

1. I LOVE the signing of Tony Jefferson. He was an underrated and unheralded player in Arizona who was a borderline-elite safety. Pairing him with Weddle gives us an elite tandem, and it would not surprise me if he starts making pro bowls/all pro teams here. I was calling for us to get him back in November, and I'm glad this came true. Not only this, but he helps give the defense an identity again. We are going to punch you in the mouth. Overall. This was great.
2. Ozzie messed up in certain facets though. I still think giving Brandon Williams all of that money was ridiculous. He plays 80% of the snaps, and he's a damn fine player but that money should have been used elsewhere. I hate the fact that outside of Danny Woodhead, we more or less ignored the offensive side of the ball. I would have taken the money we gave to Williams and have given it to a Larry Warford type. We could have still drafted Siragusa and put him at C. But nonetheless. The Williams deal is going to come back and bite us in the ass. Speaking of, the Timmy Jernigan trade was still a fireable offense imo. We essentially traded Timmy Jernigan for Chris Wormley.. Which I'm sorry to say, is shitty. I think Wormley is going to be Lawerence Guy at his very best. Timmy, for all of his inconsistencies, was a total beast when he was on his A game. I would have also preferred to keep our best interior pass rusher. If/when Ozzie gets canned in the offseason look for the Jernigan trade to be one of the top reasons why. I would have picked Timmy over Brandon every day of the week.
3. This said. It's clear to everyone what the plan is if Ozzie does stay(Which I doubt. I think he's fired towards the end of the season). He puposed a two year plan. Which honestly. Isn't terrible. Let's look at it this way. This years draft was loaded on defensive talent. And Ozzie capitalized which I don't blame him for. Although I would have gone in a different direction, the Humphrey pick makes a lot of sense. He fits our scheme like a glove and has a lot of problems that can be coached out of him(I personally would have taken Allen, whom imo was the best player on the board by far). Bowser will likely be better than Orr by season's end, Wormley is a day 1 starter.. Albiet a very average one(again. Lawerence Guy 2.0. Not worth a 3rd round pick). And Tim Williams, even if he is a bench player, will be a stud pass rusher who is going to kill QBs.

As concerned as I am for the offense, the offensive class next year is so much more talented.. Before we factor in QBs, 4 in which(Darnold, Rosen, Jackson, and Allen) I fully expect to be first round picks. There are guys like Quinten Nelson, Saquon Barkley, Calvin Ridley, Nick Chubb, James Washington. I think next year is the year to pounce there.


All in all. The offseason was okay in my book. But if there is one positive, Ozzie took our rapidly closing window, and shot it with a bazooka imo. The defense is young, and very talented and has potential to be in the top 5 for the next several years. Guys like Mosely, Kaufausi, Young, Judon, Humphrey, Bowser, Pierce, Henry, Williams, really excite me. I think that's a great young group of guys with a lot of potential to build around. If we can field a good offensive line(for what it's worth. I do like 3/5 starters on the oline with Alex Lewis being a massive question mark) and stock up on offensive talent for the 2018-2019 season. I think we could have a new window for super bowl contention.

Until then though, I could see us going anywhere from 6-10(which is fine. GIVE ME SAQUON BARKLEY), or 10-6.

Yeah I've always said I like Brandon Williams but man that's a lot for him, I could understand if this was a young Ngata on the field all the time.

Understood the Jernigan didn't care for it, if we had managed to get an extra pick or at least kept pick #99 then that's fine. But for now we traded Jernigan & Rasul Douglas (Pick #99) for Chris Wormley. So it's not as simple as we swapped out a Jernigan one year contract for Wormley rookie deal. If Jernigan has a career year and Douglas becomes their starting CB then I'd say they won they that trade.

On the Ozzie subject, I really don't see him getting fired unless the Ravens finish with the worst record in the league.
If that were to occur I think Biscotti would view it as the time to overhaul it all. I mean new GM, new HC too, would the team opt to trade a number 1 overall pick to acquire tons of picks and build around Flacco or would they draft the Future QB and sit him behind Flacco for a year or 2 while waiting to cut or trade flacco before 2020 season.

 

[BloodRaven]

Our window is maybe 3-5 years, thats how long I think Flacco will go until he retires.

As for Williams, as we are now theres going to be a two man combination of Urban, Kaufusi, Wormley or Henry lining up outside of him. Thats two first time starters. Pair them with Pierce we've got the greenest front in the league.