Quote Originally Posted by wickedsolo View Post
Why?

Why are you guys so down on Pitta?

I'm all for a game changer, but the Ravens don't necessarily have an issue with a receiving TE so much as they have an issue with a TE who can block...as in they currently don't have one. When I see Williams, I see a guy who can block AND brings an added value as a decent receiver.

Listen, I'm not saying that Pitta can or will ever be Jimmy Graham or Gronk, but Pitta can easily be a 60-70 reception TE. No doubt about it.

I said it when he was in college and I'll say it again, I think Pitta could be a lot like Dallas Clark and I think that's how Caldwell is going to use him.
I'm not down on Pitta at all. I'm actually so high on Pitta that I think the team should try to extend him this offseason. I also see the Dallas Clark comparison and agree to a certain extent... bottom line, Pitta's going to be around a while. Drafting an athletic mismatch TE isn't incompatible with Pitta sticking around at all, though.

The thing is, the Ravens are in a state of transition right now when it comes to the offense. What do they want to be long-term? If Caldwell is going to run the system he used at Wake Forest and the system the Colts ran when he was there, it's not going to feature a fullback; it's going to be either base 2TE or 3WR. If they go 2TE a lot they already have a nice "move" TE in Pitta... he can move all around the formation, play H-Back, slot, out wide, etc. Remember what Pitta was when he was at BYU... he was primarily a slot receiver. That seems to be his comfort zone.

What the Ravens DON'T have is a guy who can play the traditional in-line TE role. Pitta is a bit small for that at 6'4 245, he doesn't block well, and he doesn't seem super comfortable getting jammed by LBs at the LOS. My personal opinion is that the Ravens drafted Dickson and Pitta, who were basically the same type of player in college ("tight ends" in name only, mostly slot receivers), and hoped that one of them would adjust to playing on the line. Neither of them did but they've kind of forced Dickson into the role to not much success. I think Ed's days in purple are numbered because of that... he's the same player Pitta is, but not as tough or sure-handed.

If the Ravens went out and got a Zach Ertz, Gavin Escobar, or Tyler Eifert, all of those guys played in-line TE in college. All of them are used to playing next to the offensive tackle although Eifert is the only one of the three who's a good blocker at this point in his development. I just think that kind of pick makes a ton of sense if you want to surround your franchise QB with deadly weapons without losing too much in the run game.

This is the formula the Patriots are using now with Hernandez and Gronkowski... we have our Hernandez but need our Gronkowski. Williams is a good blocker but he's no Gronkowski.