Need To Start Playing Young Players Sooner

**PurpleRulz** · 03-02-2007, 05:20 PM

In the past two seasons, we have lost players such as Kemo, Rabach, and now we lose Pashos and Ovie and soon to come JJ. While these are not major losses, it exposes a small problem I have with the Ravens.

We need to stop waiting until the final year of these players contract to see if they can play. Pashos, for instance, sits on the bench for three seasons and then is thrust into the starting RT job..in his final season. Pashos then becomes too expensive to re-sign. Had we started Pashos a little sooner and found out he could play, we could have re-signed Pashos before he hit the market.

I am glad we are playing Jason Brown and Chris Chester now. This way, we can extend these guys before their contract years.

My point is that when we draft these guys come 2007 and even 2008, play them. They don't have to start, but they should see the field before their final season.

Play PJ Daniels now and see what he can do. If he is a potential solid starter, extend him for 3 years. If not, cut him sooner and stop wasting the cap space.

I have a feeling the same will happen with Darling; Darling will get some decent time on the field and play well and leave after the 2007 season. This is wasted time and cap space.

My hope is that we do draft guys that can step right in and contribute in some way. Let's not draft "projects" that must sit around, perform in that last season and leave a la Ovie, Kemo, Pashos and Rabach.

While these are not major losses, it is such as waste of depth.

(I am typing this while in a rush, so this may come across as being all over the place. Once I get settled at home tonight, I'll expound in a more concise matter).

**jonboy79** · 03-02-2007, 05:28 PM

I agree, though last year we played a LOT of young guys. Brown, Chester, Ngata, Landry, DWIL and Clayton all showed last year they are worth extending.

Pj needs to get at least 50 carries or so, I have NO IDEA what we have in him... I'd like to see. Pittman needs to see the field. Besides that, we are doing better at this. We will see hwo we do with this draft class.

**bassgtrst** · 03-02-2007, 05:28 PM

Kemo did not preform in his final year.

He was a backup until injuries forced us to start him. If he wasnt 6'5'' 250 he would have never even be looked at by Carolina.

His "break-out" year yielded 1 sack and 40 tackles. Not terrible, but not phonemanal.

After a huge contract he put up no sacks and 34 tackles with a new team.

**jonboy79** · 03-02-2007, 05:32 PM

Stats do nothing to show what a player like that does for his team. The idea is that he can't sack the QB, or even tackle the ball carrier. Kemo is not the man you want touching the ballcarrier. IN Baltimore it was Ray Lewis, in Carolina i's Dan Morgan. Big DT's job is to occupy blockers that's it. The only stat that would really matter for guys like Ngata and Kemo is percentage of snaps double-teamed.

**Gwaihir** · 03-02-2007, 05:32 PM

I made the same point briefly in another thread. I agree 100%, we need to find out about our young talent BEFORE the last year of their contract so we don't find out they can play and let some idiots overpay for them!

**PurpleRulz** · 03-02-2007, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by jonboy79

I agree, though last year we played a LOT of young guys. Brown, Chester, Ngata, Landry, DWIL and Clayton all showed last year they are worth extending.

Pj needs to get at least 50 carries or so, I have NO IDEA what we have in him... I'd like to see. Pittman needs to see the field. Besides that, we are doing better at this. We will see hwo we do with this draft class.

Exactly. It works the same the other way. Let's stop wasting time with Moore and Darling. Cut our losses with both. Moore has SHOWN he can't play, yet he's still here wasting cap space. Darling, I have a feeling, will be the next to show some impact in this final year of his contract and then walk away with an inflated deal.

Guys like Brown, Chester, Clayton, Williams, Landry and Ngata should never get to their final year of their rookie deal. They all should be extended prior to that point or it's adios muchachos. Same for anyone drafted this year. It is important to find out who will be here post 2008.

**bassgtrst** · 03-02-2007, 05:41 PM

Your right but its not like the Panther's LB corps scares anyone anymore.

Dan Morgan was hurt last year, he only got 2 tackles.

**jonboy79** · 03-02-2007, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by PurpleRulz

Exactly. It works the same the other way. Let's stop wasting time with Moore and Darling. Cut our losses with both. Moore has SHOWN he can't play, yet he's still here wasting cap space. Darling, I have a feeling, will be the next to show some impact in this final year of his contract and then walk away with an inflated deal.

Guys like Brown, Chester, Clayton, Williams, Landry and Ngata should never get to their final year of their rookie deal. They all should be extended prior to that point or it's adios muchachos. Same for anyone drafted this year. It is important to find out who will be here post 2008.

On point A, I agree and disagree. I see the point, but I also don't see the point in creating needs. We have enough needs that it's better we don't create them. I'd like to trade mason after this year and rebuild the depth and go with Clayton and DWiLL next year.

Suggs too, as he's in his final contract ye4ar already. We should have re-signed Suggs since the playoffs, before FA. That should be the model for future contract expiration, extend right before final year of contract.

**ExiledRaven** · 03-02-2007, 05:52 PM

I think the front office agrees as well, you heard them saying you'd be looking for players who can start playing right away.

As you are seeing, those projects start to be quality starters players right when they reach the end of that 1st year contract and given the new FA market, solid young players will get money.

Ovie comes out of nowhere and does pretty well one year. Boom, 6 years 18 million.

I think you'll start seeing drafts aiming for more players like Landry who can come in and play by, at latest, their second year in the league.

**duffybr** · 03-02-2007, 06:10 PM

Seeing how much kemo mughelli pashos and dozens of others got as free agents, why would a player or his agent want to sign long term? Where would the money come from since we are very close to the salary cap limit now, even after cutting J lewis?
Maybe ozz knows that its good to sign young players earlier , but knew that our cap space was so limited that this year had to be handled just about the way it was. I dont see how oz is supposed to look at kemo, a backup, mughelli, a guy who had 1/2 of a good season, and pashos, who had one good season, 2 years ago and predict that they would be valuable players. he does not have 20-20 hindsight. When ray and ogden are off the books we wil be signing our players and some fa players. the cap dictates our moves more than anything

**festivus** · 03-02-2007, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by PurpleRulz

We need to stop waiting until the final year of these players contract to see if they can play.

Fans must remember that game day is the tip of the iceberg. We see some rookies, some ride the pine. Just because we fans don't see them, does not mean the *coaching staff* does not see them. Remember, they train both physically and mentally with the coaching staff through the whole week. Then on game day they participate for roughly 30 minutes of game time, sitting with or near the coaches the other 2 1/2 hours of the three hour game.

Some guys we see young, some we don't. We may not *know* the reason, but 90% of that iceberg is below the surface of the water.

:2c: