Ellerbe

[bmorecareful]

I don't see that. It's OBVIOUS that the future is in Suggs on one side and Upshaw on the other. Kruger has proved he's not a every down OLB. He is another Barnes. period a obvious pass situation rush the passer, and sometimes he gets there.

ILB is much much different. McClain is nothing special. It's obvious we're gonna have to invest a high draft pick into the position. Ellerbe is needed to stick alongside whatever rookie we draft. McClain is there for depth along with Bynes and McClellan(although McClellan has shown he can provide depth at OLB also).

Sorry I just don't see the money vs value there. We can go draft a 4th or 5th rounder that can do what Kruger does. Thats a few hundred grand vs a couple mill.

Upshaw and Kruger aren't the same player.

Ozzie seems to highly value outside pass rush, especially from "tweeners" (guys like Bouleware and Suggs who played defensive end in college but are athletic enough to play OLB in the NFL). Kruger fits that bill. It won't surprise me if Newsome pays Kruger and lets Ellerbe walk if he's looking for too much money in Ozzie's opinion. What hurts Kruger's chances of staying here, imo, isn't Upshaw, but Suggs. Suggs is still (when not injured) a dominant player in the NFL, and he's in the role that Kruger best fills (as a starter). He's not an edge-setter. Upshaw is already better than Kruger against the run, imo. Upshaw is the heir to JJ, not Suggs.

Suggs isn't the future, at least not the long-term future. He is 31 years old with 10 years of experience, and after 149 games his body is falling apart. Boulware was done after 126 games, Jason Taylor was done (but kept playing) after right around the same mark, and on and on... sure, there are some guys like John Abraham who keep rushing the passer really well deep into their 30's, but they're the exception, not the rule, and the odds are REALLY against an older guy coming back 100% from the kind of injuries Suggs has had this season.

I think we've seen the end of Suggs as a potential All-Pro pass rusher. He's still got the good technique and ability to be a good player, but I doubt he'll be around more than a few more years. NOW is the time to look to the future for the next Ravens "premier" pass rusher. I'm not sure Kruger is definitely the way to do that, but he's an option and he's been an OUTSTANDING pass rusher this year. On a per-play basis, he's been among the very top players in the NFL, it's just that he doesn't do it every down every game.

[JustaslowZ06]

Upshaw and Kruger aren't the same player.

Ozzie seems to highly value outside pass rush, especially from "tweeners" (guys like Bouleware and Suggs who played defensive end in college but are athletic enough to play OLB in the NFL). Kruger fits that bill. It won't surprise me if Newsome pays Kruger and lets Ellerbe walk if he's looking for too much money in Ozzie's opinion. What hurts Kruger's chances of staying here, imo, isn't Upshaw, but Suggs. Suggs is still (when not injured) a dominant player in the NFL, and he's in the role that Kruger best fills (as a starter). He's not an edge-setter. Upshaw is already better than Kruger against the run, imo. Upshaw is the heir to JJ, not Suggs.

Very true. But for RIGHT now we still have Suggs and he's still playing at a high level. I'm betting they see what Hamilton can bring as far as pass rush, and maybe pick up anothr "tweener" in the middle rounds of the draft. Really depends on how the first couple rounds play out, AND how much stock they put in Jones and McPhee. It seemed obvious before that we needed a 3-4 end that could get to the QB and take pressure off Suggs and Ngata. But lately it's moved to more of a NT tackle need.

Really the bottom line is this, the teams that have a dominant DL usually make the playoffs, and go deep in them. Look at the Giants, the Colts of a few years ago(yes Manning had his part but it was their D that knocked us out of the playoffs), the Saints of a couple years ago, the Texans last year, etc.... not to mention OUR own line with Ngata ad Redding and before that well we all know what it looked like.