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Thread: Breaking Tradition
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01-09-2013, 09:57 AM #1Regular 1st Stringer
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Breaking Tradition
The fo traditionally doesn't redo contracts, could this be the year they have to do it? With so few under contract, and so many needing contracts I just don't see how that can't?
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Re: Breaking Tradition
Last year they restructured Yanda's contact to get a little more cap space since Rice's franchise tag really put a stranglehold on. If they end up tagging Flacco then I could see them doing the same thing with Ngata and Rice this year. The only way it works is if you absolutely know that the player isn't going anywhere for years and it's not someone on their rookie deal. That really narrows down the list to only a few.
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01-09-2013, 10:30 AM #3
Re: Breaking Tradition
Ngata would be my first guess at restructuring and possibly Terrell Suggs. Suggs is due 6.4mill in 2013, and 7.8mill in 2014.
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/2237/terrell-suggs
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01-09-2013, 10:34 AM #4Hall Of Fame Poster
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Re: Breaking Tradition
If by breaking tradition you mean restructuring more contracts I wouldn't do it. Besides we already have a tradition of restructuring contracts, we just don't do it as often as other teams do. Caps savings from Ray's retirement and signing Joe to a cap friendly contract will give us more wiggle room. Inevitable we will lose some players. It's a fact of life. Can't sign everyone. Ellerbee and Kruger should be our top priority after Joe but I think Kruger just got expensive.
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01-09-2013, 12:53 PM #5Regular 1st Stringer
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01-09-2013, 01:02 PM #6
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Re: Breaking Tradition
We do typically restructure deals, it involves trading current salary for a bonus which is spread over a longer period. Player gets their money now, but we have the life of the contract to pay it out.
What is different about us vs other teams can be see with the Steelers. They have restructured contracts for a lot of aged veterans in the past few years. The problem with this is, those veterans will likely not last through their deal. So when they choose to retire, those last few years of bonus money get accelerated into one lump payment to "pay off the loan" so to speak. This is why, two years ago, we chose cutting Mason, Gregg, Heap, McGahee, over restructuring. These 4 were guys on borrowed time with the Ravens. We could've restructured them to keep them around for 2010 at the expense of 2011, 2012, 2013 caps.
So, a guy like Ngata or Suggs, for instance, makes sense, because they are guys who are not expecting to retire or cut in the next few years. Ray Lewis, had he chosen not to retire this year, would've been a tough call. Ray was basically "year to year" on his retirement outlook, so had we decided to reduce his 2013 salary into a bonus, and then he retired in 2014, our 2014 cap would've been awful.
B-more Ravor, our resident cap expert, put this out before Ray Lewis retired:
http://russellstreetreport.com/raven...dbye-for-some/
So, Ray Lewis, for all intents and purposes is "cut", but you can see some of the other moves to be made. I think Bobbie Williams being cut is a no brainer, but doesn't buy you too much. Find it hard to imagine Birk is here next year either, which is another 2 Mil or so. McClain will be a tough call, he had a somewhat disappointing year, but you probably don't cut him with Ray retiring, and restructure doesn't make much sense with just one year extra on the deal. Vonta Leach, I shudder the thought of cutting him, but I wonder if he's a luxury we might not be able to keep. Anquan in my mind was a porbable cut, possible re-signing at lower salary, but after his monster game vs Colts, could be a tougher prospect.Last edited by RavenScallywag; 01-09-2013 at 01:08 PM.
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“When I think of a Baltimore Raven - we go in there, we take your lunch box, we take your sandwich, we take your juice box, we take your applesauce, and we take your spork and we break it. And we leave you with an empty lunch. That’s the Baltimore Raven way.” - Steve Smith Sr.
Call me a Special Teams coach again. I dare you! I double dare you, MFer!
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Re: Breaking Tradition
The problem is that if we restructure more contracts to 2014, it's going to kill us even further. In 2014, we are already facing massive salary cap increases from Rice, Ngata, Webb, and likely Flacco under his 2nd year of his new contract.
The 2013 roster will look quite a bit different, but the core talent will remain the same.
Operating under the assumption that we re-sign Flacco, we have only four key players who are pending UFAS (C. Williams, Ellerbe, Kruger, Reed). McKinnie is a 5th, but I wouldn't call him key. Of guys who are cut/retiring, that list includes Bobbie Williams for sure and more than likely Birk as well. The possible cuts list includes Jacoby, Boldin, McClain, and possibly Leach. If we were going to lose all four UFAs + Boldin/Leach/Jacoby/McClain/Birk, we'd be in trouble. However, after finding money to re-sign Joe, we should still have enough room to keep/re-sign at least 3, possibly 4 or 5, out of that list.
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Re: Breaking Tradition
A ton of teams are going to throw big money at Kruger. Pass rushers always get paid. I don't see the Ravens keeping him. Ellerbe though is going to be available at a reasonable price. The market for middle linebackers last year was very team friendly. A ton of good players had to settle for small contracts. That position had be completely devalued. Unless you are Patrick Willis you're not going to see big money.
I could still see them restructuring 1 or maybe 2 contracts to get some space. It's going to be real tough this offseason unless they can get Flacco signed to a deal that opens up space in year 1.
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01-09-2013, 01:54 PM #9
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Re: Breaking Tradition
I think the thought process was, regardless if Joe gets the tag or a deal, we won't be spenders in FA. I think one of Kruger or Ellerbee is gone, most likely Kruger. Can't see McKinnie coming back here, from EITHER side. Cary Williams would be the biggest shock to return, he won in his decision not to take the smaller offer we gave early in the year, outplayed that offer.
Our biggest gap is going to be on the OL, in my opinion. We need a LT, and it won't be Oher. I see Oher/KO at RT with KO/Reid at LG. Gradkowski becomes our C, and we'll probably grab a dirt cheap nobody as a vet backup there. We usually go BPA, but this is one case I just can't see Ozzie sticking by that in the draft, we HAVE to invest in the LT spot. Might not be a 1st or 2nd rounder, but we'll get one at some spot..
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“When I think of a Baltimore Raven - we go in there, we take your lunch box, we take your sandwich, we take your juice box, we take your applesauce, and we take your spork and we break it. And we leave you with an empty lunch. That’s the Baltimore Raven way.” - Steve Smith Sr.
Call me a Special Teams coach again. I dare you! I double dare you, MFer!
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01-09-2013, 01:55 PM #10
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Re: Breaking Tradition
the team will look alot different next year, Ravens will be in rebuild mode. It will take a year or two for this team to be back where it was.
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01-09-2013, 02:12 PM #11Regular 1st Stringer
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01-09-2013, 02:22 PM #12Regular 1st Stringer
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Re: Breaking Tradition
Nope. Rebuilding is a constant proces at least for our franshise.
This year our OL have had four players.. two rookies and Reid and Harewood without GT, who now have more experience, not very helpfull this season.. hopefully it helps us already next year. And then you add Tucker, Pierce, Upshaw more GT to Arthur Jones, McPhee, Chykie Brown..I believe (hope) our offense continue its development, while our defense transforms and probably will struggle, still we have some nice building blocks in Ngata, Suggs and Webb.. And if Cody and Jimmy will have a breakout year like Kruger had this year.. then next year could be interesting.
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