Ravens Still Don't Get it it at WR

[The Excellector]

This fanbase literally has stockholm syndrome at WR.

This post is far from a casual's crazy ramblings about a tired subject. This was actually a well thought out post from somebody who studies the game closely and if you read my posts clearly has a rational view point and grasp of the game at a moderately-high level for a fan.

This team might have realistically lost out on a Lombardi last year because Lamar Jackson was trying to mount a comeback with Seth Roberts/Miles Boykin as his secondary options at WR and people still want to act like the same situation can't easily play out again where they are in a hole in the playoffs and the running game is forced to take a back seat. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. They didn't lose in the playoffs because the defense couldn't stop Derrick Henry, they lost because their record setting offense isn't built to come back from anything more than a one possession deficit.

And with a MVP at QB, that shouldn’t be. However, since Lamar has made such huge strides in a short time, it is without question an indictment of the WRs.

Think about it. You have an MVP at QB, but in a home playoff game if you go down by 10 you are at a complete loss. How does that happen? You know how and I know how.

[The Excellector]

Do we even have confirmation that he tried to get Lamb? All I heard was that he tried to get Hopkins. The speculation by Michael Silver was that the Ravens didn’t want to meet the asking price. If it weren’t the Ravens, I’d be skeptical of that part. Even still, I’ll give them enough of a benefit of the doubt that they were probably given a higher price since they are an AFC playoff team. That’s the best I can do.

[The Excellector]

That 2000 Super Bowl was twenty years ago? Are we going to keep holding on to that to justify this approach?

While we’re at it, the Steelers should just reinvent the Steel Curtain. They’ve won two Super Bowls since, but that’s nothing compared to four.

[JimZipCode]

This post is far from a casual's crazy ramblings about a tired subject.

No, it precisely is crazy rambling about a tired subject.

This team might have realistically lost out on a Lombardi last year ... because their record setting offense isn't built to come back from anything more than a one possession deficit.

Turnovers, drops, spec-team penalties, and 4th-&-1s.

Also, the youngest MVP since Jim Brown had his worst game as a pro, from the standpoint of poise & decision-making. Hurried his process & rushed his decisions.

But go ahead.

[sflegend89]

Is Ex sick?!? SfLegend is filling in for him??

Great work, SF! Next Man Up!

Ex – get well soon, brother!

Again, I'm a super rational poster and follow the meta and inner minutia of the game very closely. The idea that anybody would write this off as a crazy post is absolutely asinine, the last time this team played Lamar Jackson threw the ball 59 fucking times and apparently his passing weapons just aren't that important.

You guys are actually unreal. The passing game has been terrible for the last 7 years give or take, in that span we have made the playoffs 3/7 years and in 2018 it was literally just Lamar Jackson dragging an entire team on his back into wildcard weekend. To act like we have had this sustained dominance without investing much at WR is patently false and the definition of recency bias.

I think this team is great as it is currently constructed, this isn't a "sky is falling" post this is a "Lets get over the hump" post

[QtR Nevermore]

I still think this team finds excuse after excuse not to properly address the position for the modern NFL. .

I agree they could have done more in the draft.

I don't mind the Queen pick but waiting till 15 receivers were off the board before taking one was a mistake.
I keep hearing about how the Ravens have such a great roster but we had one of the weaker wide reciever groups in the league and we didn't address that until pick 92.

Even if Dobbins is great, Ray Rice 2.0, I still think we should have taken Mims at 55. Even if he doesn't work out, it would have been the right decision.
Upgrading the receiving options should have been the next step for Lamar and the Ravens offense.

Sadly, the undefendable offense talk was a smokescreen for a defense-first off season. I don't think the run-game and defense model the Ravens are following is a bad idea but I can't help wishing we'd tried a little harder to build a team that can run, defend and pass equally well.

[JimZipCode]

2. That's great that he led the league in passing TD's. They also had the lowest WR receiving yds in the entire NFL. Those TD numbers don't reflect a strong passing game, they reflect an efficient one...

???

Pretty sure the only strong passing game is an efficient one. We had volume passing attacks under Trestman and Marty M. If you think that was better, I dunno what to tell you.

[usmccharles]

1. What happens to run dominant teams when they are in a deficit? Hmm go ask us against Tennessee or Tennessee against KC

2. That's great that he led the league in passing TD's. They also had the lowest WR receiving yds in the entire NFL. Those TD numbers don't reflect a strong passing game, they reflect an efficient one in small doses

3. Veteran cut... like Crabtree and Maclin? Nobody is cutting high end WR's, that SSS stuff happens once in a blue moon

4. I'm a super rational poster, sometimes the truth hurts, Eric already tried to get Lamb/Hopkins so clearly the best GM in football sees what I see as well

The titans game was just a massive all around fuck up. Dropped passes, not converting 4th downs, and we ran the ball 11 times or something stupid low. Kc game we abandoned the run...

Yes we do need to upgrade the Wr position but just because we didn't grab juedy and Pittman and traded for Hopkins doesn't mean we won't improve.

Our offense is a run heavy with a focus on tight ends. I get your not happy and we are all entitled to feel our own way.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[Ravenswintitle]

Run the veer till the cows come home

[one eyed bird]

Dude wake up and smell the coffee, 1st and 3rd round receivers just last year

I have been banging on this drum since 2013, since the old Ravens boards, and to this day I still think this team finds excuse after excuse not to properly address the position for the modern NFL. They choose to not be aggressive in finding answers, they choose to wait for things to fall in their lap at WR instead of actively make things happen and incur some degree of risk to do so. Whether it's in the draft, it's in the trade market, it's in free agency... we hear story after story of almost.

"Well they almost picked ____. they thought he would fall to them there"

"Well they almost picked ____, but he went right before our pick and we didn't want to trade up and lose that draft capital"

"Well they almost had the trade for ____, but they just wanted too much"

"Well we almost signed ____, but his asking price was a little rich for our taste"

I understand that you can't make every deal, that sometimes the best thing you can say is "No thanks" to a risky trade offer or contract. But at a certain point after all these years almost stops being a coincidence and starts being a direct reflection of how much you value the position and your absolute risk-averse approach to finding high end talent there. Drafting Hollywood and Perriman in the 1st are the only times I truly felt they attempted to address the situation in a major way and even though Perriman didn't pan out for us, I commend them for actually attempting to give a shit and find a WR1 who had big upside.

We all heard that they tried to trade for Hopkins/Lamb, that is great. That is the type of moves that the WR room desperately needs. It's just my hope that EDC sinks his teeth into WR1 like a pitbull before the season starts and pounds the pavement until he comes back with an answer. Enough is enough, give your MVP high end talent there, the small additions they made in the draft are a start but it's frankly just putting a band-aid on a gun shot. I sure would hate to fall behind by so much as 10 points against a team like KC in the playoffs, they are waiting for Tennessee 2.0 to happen again this year by playing from behind early with not enough high end weapons.

[JimZipCode]

Again, I'm a super rational poster .... The idea that anybody would write this off as a crazy post is absolutely asinine... this isn't a "sky is falling" post ...

Yeah: when you have to keep saying it, well....

[Sarcasticfury]

I agree they could have done more in the draft.

Even if Dobbins is great, Ray Rice 2.0, I still think we should have taken Mims at 55. Even if he doesn't work out, it would have been the right decision.
Upgrading the receiving options should have been the next step for Lamar and the Ravens offense.

You can't seriously believe this.