OZZIE drafted for depth

**AirFlacco** · 12-08-2014, 04:31 AM

In the trenches and on offense.

A lot of fans didn't like Ozzie drafting so much defense this year in the first 3 rounds but where would we be now w/o it especially with Ngata suspended and, we have Jernigan.

He's not the bull rusher as Ngata but He has been getting doubled teamed all year filling in for Ngata as a rookie. He got some good penetration today. On Suggs sack with 12:42 left in the 2d qtr, Jernigan pushed his blocker straight back into T-Hill who didn't even see Suggs coming from his right side. He kept looking straight ahead at two guys coming at him - one backwards and he moved around him to keep from getting hit by his own man.

Then Suggs grabbed him for the sack but Suggs owed it to Jernigan who is just rookie. He will come on strong like so many others on the d in a couple of years but he's making some plays now.

Then Ray retires, we get the next Ray in Mosley who had a sack today and is the front runner for DROY and even possible pro bowler. Last year Ozzie drafts Brandon Williams who's doing great in the middle even w/o Ngata today. He really put the pressure on up the middle pushing two blockers back and even getting around them.

This article says Mosley is a lock for DROY and was written in October. He has greatly padded these stats including
his big sack today, his second of the year. He came all thr way around from the right side and hit the QB in the back as he was moving up. He was so fast, like with Suggs, T-Hill never saw him coming.

With 2 sacks for a rookie and a ton of tackles and a forced fumble and recovery, Mosley should get both DROY
and PRO BOWL.

http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2014/1...e-of-the-year/

T-Hill couldn't take the pressure being boxed in.Then Ravens let Leach go and draft KJ last year and he's starting. He had a catch today. He's made some other big catches and sprung Forsett for a TD standing up in NO. Ravens don't sign Oher and insert Wagner whom they drafted last year and was backup last year. PFF has rated him as the best RT in the game and said Ravens right side of the line is best in NFL with Yanda and Wagner.

More reserves. When the secondary was deleted starting with Webbie's injury in camp this year and then Jimmy's injury during the season Ozzie signed backups like Gorrer and Levine who have greatly contributed and when both went down today, a concussion for Levine and a knee injury for Gorrer, Ravens still win with backups.

You wanted offense in the draft? Ozzie finally drafted some late in the draft in Taliaferro this year who combined with Pierce today for 85 yards on 10 carries between them allowing Forsett to take a rest. Taliaferro also caught the ball out of the back field for a big gain. What a back up.

Want more offense in the draft? Ozzie got CAMPY at the bottom of the draft who has contributed before getting injured both catching the ball an as a return guy. So many in this draft have contributed this year including Gilmore the rookie TE. He made a block that sprung Forsett for a TD last week and made a big catch last week that was brought back because of a penalty which really hurt the drive. Kubes was the one who wanted him and said I need more blocking.

We needed receivers you say? Ozzie gets Kamar Aiken who has a career-high 6 receptions today for 65 ards and a touchdown. Former practice squad receiver coming up big today. He tells Torrey Smith, with bad knee) in the presser that I have your back.

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/video...0-0f66972c9af0

You still want more receivers. How about this: Eight different players with catches for the Ravens, none named Torrey Smith who had bad knee. O-Line giving Flacco time to find open man according to the Sun.

Talk about depth? Then there is S U P E R N A W. Is that a cool name or what. He had a big catch for 29 yards.

Where would Ravens be w/o these backups, some from last years draft, some from this years draft and some Oz signed after the season started.

It's all about depth as we all panicked just a week ago, Ravens now have 8 wins, same as Cinci and Piss in the division and have a shot at 3 more with Jags and Cleve coming up at home, they both lost today, and Houston on the road.

Count it all to depth. Like pitching in baseball, you can never have too much of it.

http://bleacherrepor...y-is-paying-off

**JoeCool5** · 12-08-2014, 05:25 AM

But, he's losing his touch.

**AirFlacco** · 12-08-2014, 05:26 AM

The game has passed him by.

**lobachevsky** · 12-08-2014, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by AirFlacco

The game has passed him by.

Totally O/T, but...you remind me of an old, old story involving Earl Weaver & long-time Chisox southpaw Wilbur Wood when Earl was managing at Rochester & Wood was pitching against the Red Wings.

The Wings were behind in the late innings but had a couple of men on, the home plate ump had been blowing ball&strike calls all day & after a particularly egregious miscarriage of justice against one of his batters, Earl called time & proceeded deliberately toward home plate. The ump braced himself for Weaver's traditional thermonuclear detonation...

...but instead, Earl hung his head & circled him slowly, occasionally pausing to look up at him & then shake his head slowly. Finally Weaver stopped & with a look of terrifying sadness in his eye walked up to the ump & said,

Oh, little man, how the game has passed you by.

And the Man in Black--lost it. Just lost it. Screaming his head off, gesticulating wildly, he ejected Weaver, & then shouted to Wood to throw the next pitch as the batter took his place in the box.

The pitcher looked around & saw that the facedown at home plate had gone on for so long that most of his fielders were out of position goofing around, & he shouted back that he couldn't pitch until the team was set. The ump, still fulminating, screamed that if he didn't throw a pitch right now he'd be ejected as well.

Wood pitched, the batter hit a sharp grounder that under normal circumstances would have been turned into a double play but instead rolled all the way to the wall, both runners scored, & Rochester went on to win.

(Wood told this story to a reporter once upon a time when the Chisox came into Baltimore for a series, & the journo wrote it up for the Blight-For-All where I read it. Said it was the most amazing application of psychology he'd ever witnessed.)

...Anyway I thought y'all might enjoy it as a break from the customary nebulous vociferocity...:p

**Tucker: M&T Sec 527** · 12-08-2014, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by JoeCool5

But, he's losing his touch.

OP was silent on the gaping wound of the 2014 defense: the secondary.

Granted, you can't plan for Jimmy Smith's injury, and we get only so many picks, especially off the top shelves, but Webb's injury record, Jackson's Adderall prescription, the loss of Corey Graham, and the promise of Chykie Brown were all known quantities at draft time. We barely have collectively one NFL CB out there at the moment. The irreplaceable Ed Reed has yet to be even remotely substituted for, we lost the relatively serviceable Ihegdibo (sorry if I never learned to spell your name, dude), and the depth provided to date by Elam and Brooks has only been Deep Doo-Doo. The pass rush bailed us out in Miami. It just might could do the same vs. the law firm of Bortles, Fitzpatrick, & Hoyer. But playoff QBs are going to slice & dice this secondary.

**Ghoulahoo** · 12-08-2014, 02:47 PM

If Ozzie addressed the secondary during the draft this year, which draft pick(s) would have been replaced by other players and would the team have more than 8 wins right now?

**LC_Ravens_87** · 12-08-2014, 02:53 PM

In the salary cap league, it's about having a balanced team though w/o a gaping hole that's going to keep you from competing for a spot in the tournament.

2013 -- that O Line was atrocious and the Ravens couldn't overcome it...granted K.O. got hurt but it was still bad. Props to Ozzie and Co for drafting Wagner, getting Monroe and resigning him, trading for Zuttah and letting Oher (a mediocre 1st rounder) go. Add in the fact that Gino was an Ozzie small school reach in an admittedly weak Center draft class as a very big factor in that 2013 debacle. So basically 60-75% rebuild of the O-Line from 2013 to 14. All good, plus Hurst and Urschel look like good depth guys and potential future starters.

2014 -- 31st / 32nd ranked against the pass this year. And this is a season in which the Raven's out of division competition is probably the worst it's ever been. They've played the 2 worst Divisions in the NFL this year and they are still ranked almost dead last. Injuries, blah blah. But the lack of secondary depth and talent has been talked about since day 1.

I know you can't address every need, but you can't leave yourself so thin at one position group that it's going to torpedo the season...Which I hope won't be the case in 2014!!

Maybe Oz over-corrected and invested too much in the O-line after 2013 at the expense of the secondary in 2014.

Maybe they should also stop giving big contract extension to guys who have been IR'd with season ending injuries.

I'll also subscribe to the notion that no RB in the NFL is worth a big deal after their rookie contract anymore. Hard to find any routinely competitive team who pays their rb big bucks (unless they also have their QB on a rookie deal).

He still hits more than he misses though I wouldn't mind seeing DeCosta take the reins though

**AirFlacco** · 12-08-2014, 03:13 PM

My second post about the game passing Ozzie by was sarcasm. I didn't think I needed post the icon.

**AirFlacco** · 12-08-2014, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by LC_Ravens_87

In the salary cap league, it's about having a balanced team though w/o a gaping hole that's going to keep you from competing for a spot in the tournament.

2013 -- that O Line was atrocious and the Ravens couldn't overcome it...granted K.O. got hurt but it was still bad. Props to Ozzie and Co for drafting Wagner, getting Monroe and resigning him, trading for Zuttah and letting Oher (a mediocre 1st rounder) go. Add in the fact that Gino was an Ozzie small school reach in an admittedly weak Center draft class as a very big factor in that 2013 debacle. So basically 60-75% rebuild of the O-Line from 2013 to 14. All good, plus Hurst and Urschel look like good depth guys and potential future starters.

2014 -- 31st / 32nd ranked against the pass this year. And this is a season in which the Raven's out of division competition is probably the worst it's ever been. They've played the 2 worst Divisions in the NFL this year and they are still ranked almost dead last. Injuries, blah blah. But the lack of secondary depth and talent has been talked about since day 1.

And they still have a winning record, same wins as Cinci and Piss, only 1 less than
Denver and Indy. Squeelers went to and won the SB with an easy schedule. It happens and Ravens still have a shot now. You can't go to POs every year but Ozzie went 5 years in a row and won the SB. No other team went to the POs that many times during that stretch.

I know you can't address every need, but you can't leave yourself so thin at one position group that it's going to torpedo the season...Which I hope won't be the case in 2014!!

Maybe Oz over-corrected and invested too much in the O-line after 2013 at the expense of the secondary in 2014.

Maybe he didn't. The secondary was set when camp started with Webbie and Jimmy. Joe got killed last year getting sacked over 40 times. He had to fix the line and it's much better. The right side has been called the best in football. That was Zuttah's big ass Joe followed into the end zone yesterday while T-Hill was getting sacked 1/2 dozen times. Maybe you'd like his line. T-Hill would kill for ours. Also look how the run game improved with Forsett getting over
1,000 yds and the backups getting 85 yds on 10 carries yesterday.

Maybe they should also stop giving big contract extension to guys who have been IR'd with season ending injuries.

Then you'd be screaming when they don't

I'll also subscribe to the notion that no RB in the NFL is worth a big deal after their rookie contract anymore. Hard to find any routinely competitive team who pays their rb big bucks (unless they also have their QB on a rookie deal).

If it wasnt for the incident Rice would still be playing somewhere.

He still hits more than he misses though I wouldn't mind seeing DeCosta take the reins though

DeCosta scares the shit out of me. Every one of Ozzie's assistants have been fired as GMs including the most recent one in KC now in Atlanta as an assist and his pal the Shack was
fired in JAX after Ozzie fleeced him for those picks in the Flacco draft.

Savage was fired in Cleve and Kokinis was fired even faster as GM there.

**JustaslowZ06** · 12-08-2014, 03:39 PM

I've already retracted my adversity to the Jerrigan pick. Could we and would we be better with say Landry at WR with that pick? Certainly. But it's not a whole fail and given Ngata I'm glad we have Jerrigan. Seems Brooks was the wasted one when we should've nabbed a CB or a WR. Call it what it is.

All in all he still does satisfactory. However thinking he's still in the top 5 of the league is a fallacy. He's just not anymore. It'd well documented and proven that lately he's been out of touch a bit. Add in he's never drafted a 1 WR. And his bread and butter lately he's failed in. LBs. The exception being Mosley. But everyone saw that coming.

Bottom line. He's no longer the wizard of Oz like we're used to in the past. But he's still better than half the league.

**AirFlacco** · 12-08-2014, 03:47 PM

A year ago Ravens were the SB champs and Ozzie put them on the field. How is that slipping?

He still has a winning team with all the names I posted above. He did it drafting for depth.

His #1 pick this year will be the DROY and possibly a pro bowler and his #2 pick greatly
contributed as a starter yesterday and will be a star. His #3 pick has played at times and will be good in the future. Casserly called him the steal of the draft.

He drafted guys at the bottom of the draft two years in a row that are contributing.

If Ozzie were fired, 31 teams would be lined up at his door with open check books.
Just write in the amount.

IN OZ WE TRUST!

**Ghoulahoo** · 12-08-2014, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by JustaslowZ06

I've already retracted my adversity to the Jerrigan pick. Could we and would we be better with say Landry at WR with that pick? Certainly. But it's not a whole fail and given Ngata I'm glad we have Jerrigan. Seems Brooks was the wasted one when we should've nabbed a CB or a WR. Call it what it is.

All in all he still does satisfactory. However thinking he's still in the top 5 of the league is a fallacy. He's just not anymore. It'd well documented and proven that lately he's been out of touch a bit. Add in he's never drafted a 1 WR. And his bread and butter lately he's failed in. LBs. The exception being Mosley. But everyone saw that coming.

Bottom line. He's no longer the wizard of Oz like we're used to in the past. But he's still better than half the league.

Who are 5 that are better than him?