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  1. #1
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    What I'd like to see done

    Mods, feel free to merge this w one of the other million offseason threads, but I thought I'd toss my 2 cents into the ring.

    Ozzie once said something along the lines of, "I like going into the draft w/o needing to draft a guy to play right away."

    Obviously, that's not always possible, but I think it's ideal. It allows you to take BPA, and it allows you to break guys into their roles on merit.

    With that in mind this is what I'd like to see done:

    1) Obviously, the first order of business is signing Flacco.

    2) Then I'd cut Leach, and Birk if he doesn't retire. I love Leach, and I'd be open to bringing him back on the cheap, but he doesn't have much a role in where in this offense is headed. Birk's a great pro, and I wholly expect him to retire, but if he doesn't he ain't worth the scrill. His replacement is already on the roster; he's had a year to learn and prepare, and frankly, he looked alright in limited action this year. Furthermore, flanked by Yanda and KO, GG doesn't need to be a stud.

    3) Then I'd extend Boldin for a year if possible; two if he demands it.

    4) I say thanks for the memories to Kruger and Williams.

    5) I think of our FAs Darnell is the most important to retain. And I'd make that a priority.

    6) This might not be popular but I'd do what I could, and I think it'll happen, to retain Reed as well. I don't think he's going to cost big time money, and I think he's more than open to a "hometown discount." But I'd structure the contract so I could cut him after two years, if need be.

    The next two things are dependent on money:

    1) Resign McKinnie. All things equal I'd rather have him on the roster. That said, I wouldn't make much more of a financial commitment to him than we've made in the last two years. I don't trust him.

    2) I'd like to keep Jacoby. I'd extend him if necessary but he makes a lot of money, and I think he's a luxury. I think we could replace him in the draft but I'd prefer not to.


    So, if we did those things, including the last two I suggested, I think we would be under the cap, and I think we'd be in good shape going into the future cap-wise. I'm not going to break down the whole 53 but that leaves us w:

    Offense

    QB- Flacco

    RB- Rice and Pierce

    LT McKinnie
    LG KO
    C Gradowski
    RG Yanda
    RT Oher

    WR- Boldin, Smith, and Jones

    TE- Pitta and Dickson

    That offense can play tomorrow. If I can't sign McKinnie reasonably I stick Oher back at LT, and find a G or T in the draft. If I sign McKinnie then my tackle depth is on the roster w Oher, KO, and Jah, so I would take a developmental T in the draft, and sign a cheap vet for depth at G and C, in case GG can't cut it. We don't need any play makers.

    Defense

    DL- Ngata, Jones, Cody McPhee
    OLB- Suggs, Upshaw
    ILB- McLain, Darnell
    CB- Webb, Graham, Smith, Brown
    S- Pollard, Reed

    And this is where I spend my draft picks, particularly up the middle. I want a NG, MLB, and S in the draft. And I'd try to weasel an edge rusher too. But, like I said, none of him have to be impact or even start in September. They can be worked in- if they earn it.

    So in summation:

    1) Try to go into the draft w as few holes as possible. Duh.

    2) Focus on the middle of the defense in the draft. Duh. I wouldn't be opposed to trading out of RD 1 much as we did last year to gain another 3rd or 4th. And use my later picks to move around in those midrounds to target specific guys.

    I don't think any of this is rocket science or unreasonable, and I fully expect Ozzie do to something very similar to this.

    Thoughts??





  2. #2

    Re: What I'd like to see done

    No on using Oher at LT. Leave him at RT. Bring McKinnie back but whatever they do they should not move Oher or KO. That would weaken 2 or 3 spots if they move KO. If not McKinnie they should get another stop gap LT. With the other 4 spots strong they can make do with a stop gap. I would like to see them draft a future player at that spot.

    The Boldin wanting to retire a Raven may make it easier to extend is contract and reduce his number. I prefer that they do not bring back Leach. The offense was most effective when they they did not use a FB. I am guessing Caldwell wants to install an attack that utilizes a TE as a H-back. We saw some of that with Pitta. The running game was ineffective at the most important parts of the season. It is time that the offense was built around Joe. Which means the offense needs to have easier passes that replace some of the repetitive runs up the middle. Pierce seemed to run better in 1 back sets as well.

    Ellerbe is a priority resigning. He would make it much easier to fill our the other LB spot. If it saves any money I would release McLain.





  3. #3
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    Re: What I'd like to see done

    Quote Originally Posted by srobert96 View Post
    No on using Oher at LT. Leave him at RT. Bring McKinnie back but whatever they do they should not move Oher or KO. That would weaken 2 or 3 spots if they move KO. If not McKinnie they should get another stop gap LT. With the other 4 spots strong they can make do with a stop gap. I would like to see them draft a future player at that spot.
    I"d rather have Oher at LT than some cheap stopgap.

    He's not a great, or even good, LT, but he's competent. I'm not sure you can pick somebody essentially off the waiver wire that you can say that about.

    Even if you don't bring back McKinnie, you can still go Oher-KO-GG-Yanda-Reid/Draft pick if that's your best 5. That line is less impressive than the one we had in the postseason, but it isn't an abomination either.
    The Boldin wanting to retire a Raven may make it easier to extend is contract and reduce his number.
    At this point I think that's a given.

    I prefer that they do not bring back Leach. The offense was most effective when they they did not use a FB. I am guessing Caldwell wants to install an attack that utilizes a TE as a H-back. We saw some of that with Pitta. The running game was ineffective at the most important parts of the season. It is time that the offense was built around Joe. Which means the offense needs to have easier passes that replace some of the repetitive runs up the middle. Pierce seemed to run better in 1 back sets as well.
    This is exactly how I feel.
    Love Leach. Love him. But he doesn't have a future in this offense, and he's far too expensive.

    Ellerbe is a priority resigning. He would make it much easier to fill our the other LB spot.
    Yeah, I want Reed back badly, but Ellerbe is still the more important signing for me. In fact, of all our FAs, offensive and defensive, he's imo the most important.

    If it saves any money I would release McLain.
    I'm quite certain it saves money but that leaves you with NO MLB on the roster w NFL experience.

    We run a 3-4.

    That's what you call a recipe for disaster.

    McClain was dealing w injuries last year. I think we forget he was pretty good in 11; so good we resigned him, over guys like JJ and Redding. If he's healthy he's a capable starting MLBer imo.





  4. #4
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    Re: What I'd like to see done

    For me, the biggest question mark in this offseason is what to do at LT. Let's get some truths out of the way...

    1. Oher is not a LT. In a pinch, can he play there? Sure. But he should NOT be your 1st option at LT.
    2. McKinnie will be a decent enough LT, but obviously, he's not the future there
    3. If you look at the free agent class coming up, there are great LTs available, but none will come cheap. Ryan Clady, Jake Long, Brendan Albert all would command some high money in free agency. Sam Baker and Jermon Bushrod won't be as expensive, but probably still out of our price range. The rest are in the McKinnie class...Chad Clifton has been out of football for a year. Jammal Brown was injured all of 2012. Max Starks? I think you're getting the picture by now.

    So, given all that, here would be my plan...

    1. Determine a salary for LT that would fit with retaining Flacco, Reed/Ellerbe.
    2. Offer McKinnie a 1 or 2 year deal for that much
    3. If McKinnie turns it down, offer a smaller 1 year deal to a guy like Max Starks.
    4. In the draft, we HAVE to find someone who can be groomed at LT. Doubtful one would make sense at 32, but perhaps a guys like Lane Johnson, Justin Pugh, Brennan Williams...I don't follow college prospects well, so someone else can chime in there perhaps.
    .
    .
    “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!





  5. #5
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    Re: What I'd like to see done

    Quote Originally Posted by RavenScallywag View Post
    For me, the biggest question mark in this offseason is what to do at LT. Let's get some truths out of the way...

    1. Oher is not a LT. In a pinch, can he play there? Sure. But he should NOT be your 1st option at LT.
    2. McKinnie will be a decent enough LT, but obviously, he's not the future there
    3. If you look at the free agent class coming up, there are great LTs available, but none will come cheap. Ryan Clady, Jake Long, Brendan Albert all would command some high money in free agency. Sam Baker and Jermon Bushrod won't be as expensive, but probably still out of our price range. The rest are in the McKinnie class...Chad Clifton has been out of football for a year. Jammal Brown was injured all of 2012. Max Starks? I think you're getting the picture by now.

    So, given all that, here would be my plan...

    1. Determine a salary for LT that would fit with retaining Flacco, Reed/Ellerbe.
    2. Offer McKinnie a 1 or 2 year deal for that much
    3. If McKinnie turns it down, offer a smaller 1 year deal to a guy like Max Starks.
    4. In the draft, we HAVE to find someone who can be groomed at LT. Doubtful one would make sense at 32, but perhaps a guys like Lane Johnson, Justin Pugh, Brennan Williams...I don't follow college prospects well, so someone else can chime in there perhaps.
    I don't disagree vehemently w any of this but here's the thing:

    McKinnie walks then who do you play at LT?

    I think it's downright absurd to suggest Starks over Oher.

    Oher is admittedly not an ideal solution but he's better than the Starkses of the world. And it isn't particularly close imo.





  6. #6
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    Re: What I'd like to see done

    I'd let Filmstudy weigh in on that, but I agree, you are almost splitting hairs when it comes to Starks vs Oher (vs Jammal Brown/Chad Clifton/Khalif Barnes/etc).

    Personally, I think we should make a hard push to retain McKinnie. Given the dramatic shift in play from regular season to post season, and particularly looking at the differences between the home game vs Denver and the road playoff game vs Denver, you can see why getting Oher back to RT and someone more suited at LT is KEY to continuing Joe's progressions. I do trust Ozzie to determine if someone else in free agency would be a better LT option than Oher.

    I think it should be noted, Oher was a better option at RT than KO was.
    .
    .
    “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!





  7. #7
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    Re: What I'd like to see done

    Michael Oher at LT again would suck. Just being honest.





  8. #8
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    Re: What I'd like to see done

    Quote Originally Posted by leachisabeast View Post
    Michael Oher at LT again would suck. Just being honest.
    Suck worse than Starks or a rookie?

    I don't think so.





  9. #9
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    Re: What I'd like to see done

    Quote Originally Posted by leachisabeast View Post
    Michael Oher at LT again would suck. Just being honest.
    Remember that Oher played LT last season with a revolving door at LG. I wonder how much better he would've looked with the KO we saw at season's end beside him. Probably not better enough to be the long-term answer there, but we won't know until & unless it's tried.

    If you bring someone else in to play LT you risk losing Oher at season's end when a team with more cap space offers him a LT-level contract. If you play him at LT you run the same risk if he plays well enough that some team considers him an upgrade (or has cap space for two LT-size contracts); if he plays poorly, you risk the season, not to mention your $120M franchise QB.

    Whatever happens, at season's end I'd expect the Ravens to offer Michael a contract near the top of the range for a RT. How do you convince him (& Mama & Papa Tuohy, who I'm sure will be looking out for his best interests) that that's where he will best prosper? I sure dunno. But I would really hate to put Oz in the position of having to find top-level cap-friendly replacements for both starting OTs in the next two years. That's a tall order even for a Wizard.





  10. #10
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    Re: What I'd like to see done

    Quote Originally Posted by pickles View Post
    Suck worse than Starks or a rookie?

    I don't think so.
    I do. Under the proposed scenario Oher would be moved to LT from RT, KO from LG to RT and no McKinnie. That would weaken 3 spots along the line. If the only hole we have to worry about is LT, you can scheme to overcome that. Flacco's playoff run should convince them over at the Castle to quit playing musical chairs with the offensive line.





  11. #11
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    Re: What I'd like to see done

    Quote Originally Posted by Terpsfan82 View Post
    I do. Under the proposed scenario Oher would be moved to LT from RT, KO from LG to RT and no McKinnie. That would weaken 3 spots along the line. If the only hole we have to worry about is LT, you can scheme to overcome that. Flacco's playoff run should convince them over at the Castle to quit playing musical chairs with the offensive line.
    Right, so Oher/KO/GG/Yanda/Reid/draft pick is worse than Starks/equivalent/draft pick/Ko/GG/Yanda/Oher?

    I sure don't think so.

    The Castle isn't playing musical chairs w the O-line for sh--s and giggles; they're doing it cause of a thing called limited resources.





  12. #12
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    Re: What I'd like to see done

    Quote Originally Posted by pickles View Post
    Right, so Oher/KO/GG/Yanda/Reid/draft pick is worse than Starks/equivalent/draft pick/Ko/GG/Yanda/Oher?

    I sure don't think so.

    The Castle isn't playing musical chairs w the O-line for sh--s and giggles; they're doing it cause of a thing called limited resources.
    I think so. Ask Flacco what he would prefer. KO/Yanda would give us the best guard tandem in the league. You would need that with Gino starting at Center, at least for the first half of the season. Reid hasn't shown anything so far, except he's too stiff and too brittle.





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