Cousins amongst first cut

[Shas]

Justin Boren is better than Cousins and he was a UDFA.

Just saying...

I'd like to see Boren get reps against better competition, but it won't happen. I had written that Boren was pretty slick looking in the fourth quarter -- a big factor I'm sure in getting the nod over Bartholomew. They'll aim to get him and Barnes on the practice squad. Don't know if Murphy sticks. Mattison has been pretty good, and unlike Boren and Barnes, he's faced NFL starters for three weeks now. I'm happy for Bryan, who had to hear taunts of nepotism from know-nothing fans for a couple years -- if he was listening at all?

[Iscull]

Yes and no. I mostly think that DeCosta is better than Savage was.

And I don't think the coaches have much say in shopping for the groceries. But I will say this...they have a hand in making the shopping list.

What I mean is this. The coaches evaluate the talent they have and identify where it's lacking. And mostly, they define the type of team they want to build.

Billick came in with an idea of what he wanted the team to be. And he built around the talent they had with some good veterans Ozzie found for him. But after the SuperBowl, I feel like the team floundered a bit. Particularly on offense Billick didn't stick to a "profile." First he wanted to be a mauling running team with a game-manager QB. Then he wanted the big arm that Grbac represented. And he dumped the shifty receivers (Quadry, Jermaine, Stokely) for tall, slow, jump-ball receivers. And then replaced a solid line by asking for more athletic, rangy players (Terry, Brown). Then dumping the big-armed Boller and back to West Coast receivers (ie, Mason) and the QB to match (McNair).

Billick out-thought himself in desperation to fix the offense. I feel as though he kept sending the player personnel guys back to the store with different shopping lists. That, and they didn't fine him great players in the Savage era.

Harbaugh is a much more simple guy. He trusts his coordinators to make-up the recipes and he's kept some consistency in the approach. He is more concerned with getting tough, old-school football players and less concerned with tinkering. He's allowed Cam to feel his way through a Coryell-style offense, with players drafted to fit the style. And he's allowed Pagano to dictate the style of big, bump and run corners, penetrating linemen, blitzing safeties...etc.

Whereas Billick put up with a lot of crap from players (and Rex), Harbaugh is no nonsense. Whereas Billick was all finesse, and dense vocabulary, and smoke and mirrors, Harbaugh is straight ahead. You know exactly what he expects and where he draws the line.

That means Harbaugh had a short leash for players like Gaither or McAlister. And I think he had a big say in McGahee, Mason and Heap's exit .. they were not his type of hard working, dyed-in-the-wool football players. Right or wrong, Billick would not have the guts to cut those guys loose.

For all the criticism of Harbaugh's doghouse, I disagree with those like Preston who say it needs to go. Preston listens to the players too much. That doghouse could have saved Billick's job. I like the fact that Ellerbe is going to learn to play Harbaugh's style of football or find a job elsewhere. When I look up and down the roster, I don't think I can find a malcontent anymore...and I think the type of players they brought in fit the team perfectly in terms of talent and temperment.

That's a long way of saying that the Harbaugh is much better than Billick in managing his roster and setting the tone. Because of it, the front office and coaching staff are much more on the same page now than the Billick era and it helps them go into drafts and free agency with more confidence. In fact, I think the lack of communication and lack of internal agreement that existed at the end of Brian's tenure not only led to poorer drafts...it led to him getting shitcanned by Bisciotti. Bisciotti said as much.

Oh, and, Kicker, very funny!

Thanks for the analysis Shas. As always very insightful. Also, is it just me or does everyone else love the "Old School, No Nonsense" style coaching and mindset that Harbaugh has brought. I must say I am a pretty big fan of it and like to see that we don't have any problems with guys not trying. That's probably my biggest pet peeve.

[Iscull]

Justin Boren is better than Cousins and he was a UDFA.

Just saying...

Well, he is from THE Ohio State University.

Just saying...

[alien bird]

Well, he is from THE Ohio State University.

Just saying...

Did he get any free tattoos while there?

Just sayin' . . .

[Shas]

is it just me or does everyone else love the "Old School, No Nonsense" style coaching and mindset that Harbaugh has brought.

I like it, but I know there are plenty who don't. I've heard people complain that he's boring and his rah-rah, college-style coaching mentality will wear off fast with players. But if he succeeds in bringing in players who are good, and who are dyed-in-the-wool, old-school players, then you have a team that reflects the coach, and that can last.

Billick had a team that reflected him in their swagger/ego. I think one of his problems was that this trait is, at its core, divisive. All those egos on the same bus are difficult to make gel. It's hard to make a team out of a bunch of "me's."

No way guys like Jamal, AD, Goose, Sam Adams, McAlister, Zeus, Jeff Blake, McNair, Deion, Chester Taylor, Ed Hartwell, Bart Scott, Ericht Rhett, or Larry Webster play for Coach Harbaugh. It's remarkable, really, how systematically Harbaugh has weeded out a certain team-personality that made the Billick Ravens so disliked nationally. We've been so close to it that it seems like a subtle change, but it's really quite dramatic.

Well, he is from THE Ohio State University.

Just saying...

Did he get any free tattoos while there?

Just sayin' . . .

LOL. I went to OSU and can say for sure I never ever once accepted an improper benefit. There was plenty of improper, but little benefit in those days.

[ravensnhokies]

The Ravens typically cut vets that have been with the team, earlier in the process so they can have more time to hook up with another team. Like Gary Stills in the past... Obviously this year it is Cousins & Harper. With that in mind, can you maybe assume that the vet guys on the bubble like Gooden, Marcus Smith, Parmele, Zibby, Fox, or Ayanbadejo are gonna make the team?

[Irish Raven]

When is the next cut deadline?

[The Excellector]

I actually think that Harbaugh is beginning to take much of the 'Rah-Rah' out of his approach. He seems to be more blunt and down to business these days.

Billick's approach only works in two cases. When you can get those egos focused on the opposition and when you are winning. Once he couldn't play his "Us against the world" angle, since the defense began pointing the finger at the offense, it was all over.

[Iscull]

Did he get any free tattoos while there?

Just sayin' . . .

Well said my friend.