AFC North Offseason
by Rayisyourdaddy on Mar 10, 2010 5:01 PM EST
167 comments
Ravens- Trade for Boldin, lock him up 4 yr 28 million
Bengels- Sign Antonio Bryant, 4 yr 28 million
Steelers- Resigned Clark, signed Will Allen(3yr 5 mil), Randle-El (3yr 7mil), and Arnaz Battle
Browns- Released DA, traded for Seneca Wallace, signed Scott Fujita 3 yr 14 million, Tony Pashos 3yr 10million, added Ben Watson at 3yr 12 million
Has the division as a whole grown alot? Who has improved the most? Has anyone taken a step back?
The only loss so far for the division was Justin Bannan. So I guess technically everyone has improved at this point.
My rankings:
1) Ravens- big ticket pickup
2) Browns- a four small, but solid moves= big improvement for them
3) Bengals- 1 big better than several tiny lateral moves
4) Steelers- quantity does not equal quality
The opinions posted here are those of the administrator of this blog and his loyal readers. They are in no way official comments from the team, and should not be misconstued as such, even though he thinks he could do just as well or even a better job!
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I grade Bryant in Cincinnati about the same as Boldin in Baltimore.
Boldin, IMHO, won’t be nearly as productive as he was in pass-happy, weapon-oozing Arizona.
Bryant, though, should benefit greatly from having a real quarterback for the second time in his career, and a gamebreaker lining up next to him.
Even if Boldin’s better, external factors leave the moves on the same level to me.
The off-season in the AFCN will of course be decided by who lands the treasures in the draft. The Steelers are the same team + distractions. The Ravens are slightly improved, but is Q worth 2 wins? The Bengals are slightly improved but face a tougher schedule after finishing first in the division. The Browns, even under Holmgren, aren’t there yet. If the season started today, I think it still goes Cincy, Baltimore, Pittsurgh, Cleveland
We don’t care if he doesn’t get 100+ catches, he probably won’t. But the way he will get 80 catches is what is going to impact us. I guarantee you Boldin has the same, if not better impact here as he did in Arizona. Stat’s don’t determine good and bad production. It is about what you do when you get your chance to make a play on this team.
Trying to make Bryant sound like a better pick up was comical.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I'll take Boldin-Mason over
85 and Bryant, and both our guys are MUCH better locker room guys, as the signing of Bryant is better than them signing TO, but he is still a bit of a locker room problem complainer.
Steelers kept their defensive secondary together and added better receivers/return guys in Antwaan and Arnez, probably saying buh-bye to Limas Sweed.
Cleveland made some moves, but will still be in the basement of the AFC North and Seneca will be real surprised to face THIS level of physicality compared to the NFC West.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 11, 2010 9:12 AM EST up reply actions
Have you seen the clip of Boldin going after whoever that coach was on the sidelines?
It’s not fair to say he’s completely innocent in terms of complaining. A lot of mud has been kicked around that topic.
Cleveland at least is trying to dig itself out of a ditch by shedding deadweight.
Pittsburgh didn’t change enough. If Polamalu is healthy, they’ll win 11 or 12 (assuming Ben Roethlisberger isn’t rotting away in some prison cafeteria). If Polamalu gets hurt, they’re an 8-8 team at best.
by Jake Liscow on Mar 11, 2010 12:24 PM EST up reply actions
Man, Boldin came out and said during his press conference that the confrontation with his coach on the sideline was something that happens allllll the time in the NFL, it just so happened to be caught on camera. It was during playoff season and frustrations grew. That is is what men do, they argue when not satisfied. Maybe you are not a man if you do not understand that.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I liked Boldin’s answer about still owing the Steelers. Bring it on. There’s nothing like a tough Steelers/Ravens match-up to get the blood boiling.
by Phantaskippy on Mar 11, 2010 4:34 PM EST up reply actions
and THAT was his answer
to MY question asked at the Press Conference!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 11, 2010 7:02 PM EST up reply actions
I see the Bengals and Ravens WR corps as as wash over all
The Raven’s lack some down field speed. I think our CBs can stay with them but they will get their yards. The Bengals need a TE who can cover the middle and stretch it a bit. The way I see it is that the QBs are the biggest question marks. Just because you may not like Chad don’t under estimate him. He could be the best or one of the best route runners in the league and he is still very quick out of his cuts and he is still pretty fast. Bryant had a very good year on 08 and was injured most of last year but is healed completely now.
Flacco had a great freshman year. From an outside perspective I think he just started thinking too much in 09 and only had one real go to guy. Now he has two and maybe Heap will pick it up this year. I expect Flacco to remedy his situation. If he does you will attack to go from OK to good. Flacco, IMO, is the biggest factor in improving your passing O which I am sure you guys as well realize needs to get better.
Carson is getting a lot of negative pub and some of it is well deserved and he will admit it. He lost most of the 08 season, got injured in the first 1/4 of the first PS game and his first real action for over a year was in the first game of the season. He also had only 1 go to guy and a surprisingly good OL that still needs to get better but should after a second year as a unit. He threw uncharacteristic ints trying to force the ball to Chad because, lets face it Coles sucked big time and Caldwell is still learning. He didn’t take as many sacks but that was mostly due to the running game and the run blocking strength of our Oline. I think Carson will regain form and with Bryant, Chad, Caldwell and and hopefully Chase Coffman coming in our attack should be more of an air game again.
I didn’t include any draft considerations as that is a totally unknown quantity for both teams and could be a difference maker but right now, as of today, I think the division could see the Ravens and Bengals as the two who duke it out for the division. Right now I give the Ravens the edge as I think they have the 3rd hardest schedule. But all of this could change as some top teams will fall and some will rise and change all of that. It should be an interesting season.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Oh my dear friend BungleJohn. When will you ever learn that everything Ravens is greater than everything Bengals.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Mar 11, 2010 2:04 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
No
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Geez, JJ
For such a long response, you ought to just put up a FanPost instead!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 11, 2010 7:03 PM EST up reply actions
How does it make sense for you to give 4 years $28 million to a guy who has had half the production as Boldin, and to be your #2 when we gave 4 years $28 million to a top 10 WR to be our #1. Sounds like desperation on your part.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Mar 10, 2010 6:11 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Anquan Boldin has been and will be very good at certain things.
Like I said, I grade the acquisitions equally, I’m not saying Bryant is the better pick up. For Baltimore, you get a legitimate WR that is extremely good at creating space in short and intermediate routes and fighting off press coverage. For his diminutive 6’1, 217 frame, Q is excellent at shedding and eluding tackles. He had a great rookie season with Jeff Blake at QB.Then, the Cardinals drafted Larry Fitzgerald and had legitimate WR threats in the slot for the rest of his time with the Cardinals. Kurt Warner came to town in Boldin’s 3rd year as a Cardinal. So for 5 of those years, one of the better QBs to ever play the game and one of the better WR to ever play the game (probably, we’ll see how Fitz’s career goes) were on the same field as Q taking pressure off him and/or throwing him the ball.
I’m not saying Boldin won’t be productive for Baltimore. But I don’t think he’s worth 2 wins over the players he is replacing either. I think the best case scenario for Boldin is going to be maybe one additional win if he stays healthy. He will help develop Flacco, no question, and your opinion on Bryant is well-founded. But the guy has calmed down by all accounts around the league and it’s not like Carson Palmer doesn’t know how to deal with “head cases”. He’s had a real, halfway decent quarterback in two (2) of his years in the NFL and has never really had the benefit of lining up opposite a Pro Bowl talent.
The dude can make some ridiculous catches and has the speed to stretch the field. He has not been consistently productive, and the contract may be a bit too high, but he has the opportunity to blossom in Cincinnati with Carson Palmer and Ochocinco. I don’t know how he’ll work out, but I’m optimistic. He surprised coaches with his football IQ during his visit to Cincinnati, and that sealed the deal on him. The more I read, the more optimistic I get – for example, when he got healthy at the end of the year, scouts said he got separation with ease. If he stays healthy, I think he’s going to be much more productive than Coles.
Boldin="Diminutive?"
6’1", 220 pounds is not diminutive as you state, but the complete opposite. Boldin is far from “diminutive” as he is a beast of a physical receiver, able to take big hits over the middle and not afraid to block in the run game with the best of them, yes, including the cheap shot smiling Hines Ward!
Diminutive comments reduces the rest of the credibility to zero, IMO.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 11, 2010 9:14 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I mean, that's pretty nit-picky Bruce.
He’s 6’1, 217. By comparison, Chad Ochocinco weighs 20 less pounds and Calvin Johnson 20 more. Diminutive may be the wrong word, but he’s not a huge guy. He’s decently large and sheds tackles like he’s a 250 pound running back at times. He plays bigger than he is. That’s my point.
I’m honestly shocked you’d be so nit-picky on this when I’m praising Boldin.
by Jake Liscow on Mar 11, 2010 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
diminutive is def the wrong word.
Chad Ochocinco is 6’1" and 192… so Boldin is 25 pounds more and the same height… that’s a big difference. Megatron is four inches taller and so it isn’t really a fair comparison when you are talking about weight. I think you are thinking these athletes are bigger than they are.
It’s not nit-picky… diminutive has a negative connotation to go along with it. It’s like calling a player that is above average speed but not a blazer “sluggish.”
It just doesn’t fit. How many pro bowls do he Bryant have by the way?
by ATXRaven on Mar 11, 2010 1:10 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I am to lazy to read this jsl guy’s comments. Boldin >>>>>> Bryant, there is no argument.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Look at Boldin's arms
or stand next to him, and you’ll see he is far from “diminutive!”
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 11, 2010 7:04 PM EST up reply actions
I heard Bryant can own Boldin at paper football. So there.
by Phantaskippy on Mar 12, 2010 2:03 AM EST up reply actions
JSL
Said like a true Bengals fan. Bryant does not hold a candle to Q.
Boldin career stats: 95 games, 586 rec, 7520 yds, 44 tds, 363 first downs
Bryant career stats: 106 games, 372 rec, 5685 yds, 30 tds, 257 first downs
Again, what are you smoking. Plus, Bryant is a bit of headcase, as evidenced by his just joining his 5th team in 9 years.
And you forget one convenient detail when you say that Boldin won’t be as productive as pass-happy Arizona; opponents didn’t have to bother with the run game against Arizona. With us, they will have 8 in the box many a time, and Boldin will burn them in the intermediate and long game. Plus he will leave Mason open on the sidelines. So get ready to get rocked by Q and Mase all season long. I know, you have the best corner tandem in the league! lol. So Rice will run you over…..
by Rayisyourdaddy on Mar 10, 2010 9:04 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The Bengals' defense is the least of my concerns.
Mike Zimmer is a great playcaller, and while we might see Boldin or Mason over the top once or twice in our matchups this year, I don’t expect our corners/defensive coordinator to get burned that frequently.
No, Arizona didn’t have a running game, but they consistently had one of the top passing games in the league anyway. I don’t contest that Boldin is a very good receiver in the running and play action games. I don’t contest that Boldin’s had a better career. But you’re being too harsh on Bryant. A lot of young receivers have maturity issues, and in his most recent season, he was upset that he was stuck playing with an anemic offense and a rookie quarterback in a contract year.
I think – and this is just an opinion, I look forward to seeing how Bryant actually fits in – that Bryant has many of the same skills as Ochocinco on the field in terms of agility, ability to make sensational catch, etc. I think Bryant is better than Ocho at using his body and timing his leaps for downfield catches and may actually be better at the out-and-up that bites so many secondaries for big gains. Ocho is a better route runner in terms of getting in and out of his breaks on slants, curls, out routes, etc.
I grade the acquisitions as ‘A’ for both teams. One factor that might also tip the scales for me is that the Bengals only had to pay Bryant; the Ravens had to give up a 3rd and 4th for a 5th and Anquan. This is a great value pick up, but your team is also out two middle-round picks.
Pay him no mind everyone
He has obviously gotten really good at justifying his team’s decision making after years of wearing paper bag hats and year of blackouts.
Ha.
Why do I bother?
The only two places I’ve seen negative reviews of the Bryant signing are in these comments and on the Steelers blog. Everyone else is cautiously optimistic, admitting bang-or-bust potential. But if he bangs, which I obviously will defend and hope for, it’s a bigger impact than Anquan.
by Jake Liscow on Mar 11, 2010 12:30 PM EST up reply actions
You're a tool.
Of course you are tooting your teams horn. No one said it was a bad move you defensive little child.
It’s just not a blockbuster move like acquiring a 3-time pro bowl WR vs an up and down roller coaster of a player. Obviously if he “bangs” AND Bolding “busts” you win. But you have to take into account variables… like the fact the Ravens have not had a legit threat at WR where other teams struggle to game plan against. You have that in 8-5 but not so much in Bryant.
Was it a good acquisition? Of course. Was it good for the money? Hell no. How are you going to pay a WR with a penchant for pulling his hamstring and disappear against mediocre defenses a great signing for 7 million a year?
Sorry bubba, you lose. Good signing, but not the level of Boldin.
AXT there is no reason to get personal.........
We come here for solid discussion and maybe a bit of contentious debate. I think I would rather have Bolden too in some ways but Bryant is in the same league. They are both good and have different strengths. If we traded them for each other today we could both still be making the same arguments. I actually think Bryant fits what we are trying to do a bit better than Bolden and Bolden fits what you are trying to do better than Bryant. We want field stretching playmaking to free up Chad and make the D play both sides of the field. It appears you are looking for solid dependable targets for Flacco and value downfield speed a bit less.
The thing for both of us on O is similar. You need Heap to regain form and we need Chase Coffman to come into his own at TE. We want a proven veteran QB to get his mojo back and you want Flacco to continue to mature.
Your only real concern on D is the effects of age on some great playmakers and our only real concern is getting our young players to mature. As of now, with the draft being unknown, if we took our teams on the field for 10 games it would probably end up 5 and 5.
No matter what the situation IMO, if you are treated with respectful argument is is only proper to respond in kind. If any Bengal fan comes here as a troll I will be the first one jump him. Your post made a lot of sense and would have been more credible without the “defensive little child” remark.
OK, let’s talk football. That is fun.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Alls I heard was Blah Blah Blah, I'm a dirty tramp.
Boldin>Bryant… That’s what the arguement was.
I said it was a good pick to you F-tard… just not as good as he wanted to come on to a Ravens forum for and start talking about how it makes sense to pay Bryant the same as Boldin and whatnot.
If you want to debate whose WR core is better… that’s fine, but he came out saying Boldin=Bryant which is retarded. Just like your little blog over there.
Shake my Bag.
You really are insulting personal things rather than arguing at this point.
I’ll just point out that that I said Boldin and Bryant acquisitions are a wash for each time, not that the players are of equal caliber. Maybe I said they’d both contribute a lot to their teams, but Baltimore had to give up a little more to get their guy.
I’m not gonna bother coming back though. At least on the Steelers blog there wasn’t unprovoked, childish (see wut i did there) name calling or nit-picky dismissal.
Yea, well this isn’t the Steelers blog. This is dirty Baltimore.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
No I didn't see WUT you did there.
What are you an eleven year old girl?
And calling the signings a wash in effect is saying both teams signed equal players… otherwise they couldn’t cancel each other out.
ATX
Lay off JJ, okay. He is a very good friend of The Beatdowna dn also the blogger over at the Bengal’s site, Cincy Jungle. He loves his team and drinks the tiger-kool-aid just like we do with the purple kool-aid. State facts and opinions, but not personal attacks nor plain mean comments.
Thanks for your passion and defense of the team though!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:03 AM EST up reply actions
I'm not hating on JJ
I’m hating on that jsl413 guy.
I see JungleJohn on here all the time and have no problem in here… aside from pretending that his academic background and career accomplishments are noteworthy on a sports blog. He comes in says his piece and I try to bring him down to a MaLor/ATX level… and it works to a degree. I can’t hate on someone for drinking the (enter team color here) kool-aid… I do it all the time.
What I won’t didn’t like was jsl coming in here and pretending like he knows more than everyone because he has a different opinion and was belittling the Beatdown members because for some crazy reason we weren’t drinking the orange Koolaid with him. JJ is cool with me because he talks about stuff on an adult level and I can respect that…. jsl however is coming on her ranting and just repeating his original points without having a football talk.
by ATXRaven on Mar 12, 2010 2:06 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Steelers: The Ryan Clark was a need signing, he’s a vet that knows our defense, his intangibles and intelligence are why LeBeau loves him. If we draft a young guy Clark can mentor the kid while he sits his first year. otherwise we have the defense intact, good not big signing.
Randle-El, a cheap WR pick up that I believe will pay quick rewards. first Ward Holmes Wallace and Randle-El will be a fearsome 4-WR set. He still has speed so we have three fast WR’s and Hines.
Battle and Allen are in for special teams help, something we really need, and the OT we signed provides depth at one of our shallowest positions.
Quantity doesn’t make quality, and while not one of these players is a big free agent acquisition I think they will all help, that and better health than last year and we are back fighting for the top spot.
Agreed if
the Ben “stuff” doesn’t prove to be a distraction and he stays on the field.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 11, 2010 9:16 AM EST up reply actions
Despite sporadic defensive woes...
The worst part of the Steelers team was the horrible ST play… so that is the most important thing to take care of in FA… and I begrudgingly give them kudos for filling those weaknesses.
At first I thought the Allen signing was going to result in bumping him up to starter rather than depth and ST and thought it was a terrible signing. Now that they were able to RE-SIGN Clark, it was a very solid move… unfortunately.
I like Randle-El but would be more worried at this point by your other three and not at all be threatened by him…. but he is definitely an upgrade over Sweed surprisingly.
Agree with you Bruce about Ben being the key to if the Steelers can compete. His immaturity off the field has not affected him too much up to this point, but at some point his decisions off the field are going to affect his performance. He was able to have a career year last year, but it’s hard to duck that bad luck spilling over into his game forever.
Allen would have been the starter
had Clark signed with the Dolphins. Miami low-balled both him and Antrel Rolle and had they signed Calrk to go with the Dansby signing,they would have definitely toughened up their weak defense. Now Allen goes to reserves and ST’s which helps the Steelers.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 11, 2010 11:00 AM EST up reply actions
I think Mundy would have beaten out Allen for the starter, but either way that’s not a pretty situation.
This whole Ben mess is just that, a mess. On one hand I say lets cut the bozo, but on the other hand if he goes to jail at all it won’t be long, and how many teams would love to have him as their QB. I like Dixon, but Ben is a top 5 caliber QB and those are the guys that win Super Bowls.
Flacco has some good weapons this year, will be interesting to see his development.
by Phantaskippy on Mar 11, 2010 3:59 PM EST up reply actions
“His immaturity off the field has not affected him too much up to this point, but at some point his decisions off the field are going to affect his performance.”
well, except for that whole motorcycle without a helmet thing…
Obviously didn't affect him too much...
Did he come back and play… and play well… and win championships?
The Boldin signing is light years past the Bryant signing. He has not shown to be as dominant of a WR as Boldin has been in his career. He had a few good games here and there and if not for that 2008 season, I still probably wouldn’t have known his name.
It still amazes me that these two WR got the same exact contract, and Bryant is getting paid to be your #2. Ravens win.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Of course you do MaLor. Too bad you don't get points for that.
If we signed Marshall and Jerry Rice in his prime you would be saying the same thing. I don’t think I have ever heard you admit you were wrong. Your responses are predictable. Whatever the Ravens do is totally great and whatever the Bengals do is crap. I get it. I understand team spirit and loyalty but Holy Homerism Batman! Can’t we just talk football without all of the virtiol? Bolden and Bryant are both good players. They have different strengths and weaknesses. Neither of them will determine the outcome of the season by a significant margin one over the other.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
If we signed Marshall and Jerry Rice in his prime you would be saying the same thing.
This is BS. If you guys would have gotten Marshall instead of Bryant, yes I would say that your WR are better than ours. I may be a homer at times, but I am a realist. This guy who posted this stuff is really trying to make it sound like Bryant is going to bring the same type of contributions to the Bengals as Boldin is for the Ravens. I would be impressed if Bryant gets 60 catches.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
MaLor, I do not answer for or agree with all Bengal fans who post here.
I would say that Carson needs to regain his form and Flacco needs to mature for any of this to make a real difference. Both of our teams played with only one legit WR. We won the division and though we beat you twice you went further in the playoffs by a game. That sounds pretty even to me.
I would say that Bolden is the more accomplished WR when you look at the numbers. Bryant had a very good 08 with a mediocre QB and was hampered last year with an injury and a terrible QB. Their best years are comparable with a bit of an edge to Bolden.
Yes you have the best WR you have had in along time and that bodes well for you if Flacco can raise his game a bit you can have a very balanced and powerful offense to go with a Defense that though it is aging is showing only a few indications of it and should, if that trend continues still be highly rated. Time will be catching up sooner or later, but probably not this year. BTW what is the situation with Reed?
We had only one legit WR as well. Coles was a big mistake and he is gone along with Chris Henry. Carson threw a lot of ints trying to force the ball to Chad because he didn’t trust Coles any more than Flacco trusted Washington. No, Bryant is not quite Bolden (we should have been a bit quicker on the trigger there) but he will also make the D play both sides of the field and will require a double team just like Chad. So yes he should help us a bunch. All in all I think Chad is a bit better than Mason and Bolden is a bit better than Bryant. Yea, I do think we overpaid by a million or so a year for Bryant but that is the price you pay when you let a guy like Bolden go to a rival in the division. He was the best option left as like your Ravens we felt that 45-50 mil and 1st round pick was too much to pay for Marshall. When you get into this spec about who will help who the most that is something that is way too subjective to be meaningful. We are so close that the draft could very well determine who comes into the season with the better team. Right now I think you are ever so slightly the better team. Lets see where the draft takes us.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Whatever
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
The only thing you have show me is a propensity for blog diarrhea.
Just becaue you write an 800 word post does not mean you A)know what you are talking about more than anyone B) better than anyone or C)any more right that anyone
Hate to tell you this
But when I write comments like that, I qualify for all those things.
: )
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
You qualify for that when you write anything
I love you.
You guys need to tone it down
and besides, until Joe proves otherwise, Cincy’s passing attack, with Bryant is better than ours, with Boldin. Hopefully, this season the tide will turn into our favor, but right now Carson Palmer is a better passer than Joe has been regardless of who they are throwing to.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:05 AM EST up reply actions
Not debating that.
Debating merits of Boldin vs Bryant. Not whose core is better right now. It’s March and none of us have any idea. I think the points being made that both pickups are essentially the same. That is a crazy statement…. do both improve the team, yes. But you are getting at best a number 2 in Cinncy where we got a number 1… doesn’t match up.
+1
I was listening to this conversation and wanted to jump but then thougth why? He wasn’t making any sense with the Boldin vs Bryant comparison. It’s Murphy who said “better to keep your closed and be thought a fool than open it and remove all doubt”.
Actually, Confuscious said that
Murphy is my English Bulldog Puppy.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 7:57 PM EST up reply actions
I do believe that he’s an engineer. Only an engineer could say so much without actually saying anything at all. I’m an engineer too… so I should shut up!
What kind of train do you run?
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Mar 11, 2010 5:19 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
+1
I used to run a print center for an international engineering firm. I’ve never dealt with people so unable to tell you exactly what they want without a huge production.
by Phantaskippy on Mar 12, 2010 2:05 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
But I thought Kinko's
never laid anyone off?
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:06 AM EST up reply actions
Hawk, if that is all you got you don't have M-U-C-H
I have 2 bachelors degerees from OSU in engineering. One in elrctrical engineering and one in mechanical engineering. I also have a masters degree from Antioch College. I won and have run a successful engineering and design company for over 23 years and have 23 employees dependent on on me paying attention to meaningful details. I am in the process of shutting it down, selling it and retiring. I just don’t find the spelling of B-O-L-D-I-N’s name to be meaningful. Thanks however pointing my error out to me. Now, go find a job.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Well I have 13 PhD's from UT, WVU, UPenn, and Harvard
Also, I have a 48 inche penis and a model wife.
by ATXRaven on Mar 11, 2010 3:44 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
You have a model wife. What's his name? It wouldn't be MaLor
It wouldn’t be MaLor bay any chance would it?
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Na, he lives in Texas. We do still keep in touch as Pen Pals though. Spraying eachother’s letters with Ralph Lauren cologne.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
At least you have a sense of humor MaLor
Plus you like the Beatles so you can’t be all bad. He lives in Texas huh? That explains a lot.
Do you know why they only sell button fly jeans in Texas?
Because those sheep can hear a zipper from a hundred yards away.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
I don’t even know what button fly jeans are. I don’t wear pants.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Way too much info there Malor.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
There aren't sheep in Austin... actually not even any livestock.
And actually it’s the one of the top three paying tech job cities with an average over 100k…
Austin is great… Cinncy not so much. Had to go there for HUD COS training a few years ago. Sucked my nuts.
Besides, you told the nice police officer
you were just helping the sheep over the fence!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:08 AM EST up reply actions
HEY! HEY YOU! SHEEP... SHEEP F****er!
Do you need assistance?
I have a high school diploma from Franklin High School and working towards my bachelors in Political Science. GET AT ME!
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
No wonder I like you Malor, what’s your focus?
by Phantaskippy on Mar 12, 2010 2:06 AM EST up reply actions
I’m a college dropout who can form logical arguments and not get mad when I’m not well received at a bad trolling attempt.
by Phantaskippy on Mar 12, 2010 2:07 AM EST up reply actions
Please
stand beyond arm’s length from me.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:09 AM EST up reply actions
Come on...
you gotta rub elbows with the common man, don’t tell me you are too high an mighty now that you are experiencing more and more success.
Ok, lets take a look at their 3 best seasons then.
Their best years are comparable with a bit of an edge to Bolden.
Boldin
1. 2005 – 14 games – 102 catches – 1,402 yards – 7 TD
2. 2003 – 16 games – 101 catches – 1,377 yards – 8 TD
3. 2006 – 12 games – 89 catches – 1,038 yards – 11 TD
Bryant
1. 2008 – 16 games – 83 catches – 1,248 yards – 7 TD
2. 2005 – 16 games – 69 catches – 1,009 yards – 4 TD
3. 2002 – 16 games – 44 catches – 733 yards – 6 TD
I really see no comparison what so ever. Oh, and if you want to say something about Boldin playing less games, Bryant has only had 1 more 16 game season than Boldin. Also, Boldin has 2 more seasons with 80+ catches and 1,000+ yards. I fail to see your logic according to your quote above. Slight edge? Be real now man.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Mar 11, 2010 3:42 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
No 800 word explanation for this BungleJohn? Anything? Kthnxbye!
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I guess we will have to wait for the season to unfold and settle this.
Onward and upward.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Once again, the receiver comparison won't work
because it’s all about the guy throwing the ball to them. In addition, te Ravens will continue to be a run-first offense and there is no way that Boldin has as good a year here than he did in Arizona. He has Mason and Rice with him now, as Flacco’s Favorites, and doesn’t have the great Kurt Warner throwing to him.
You guys are right, there is no comparison and we will have to wait to see.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:11 AM EST up reply actions
Kurt Warner threw to Boldin who threw to Bryant?????
I want Holyfield! You've seen what these guns can do in the Middle East. Now I'm gunna show you what they can do in the ring..
Well said. They are hoping for the same production because they paid Bryant as much as the Ravens paid Boldin. Boldin has had MUCH more success. Bryant has trash character and has been known as a locker room cancer. Boldin is a character guy, was a team captain on a Super Bowl team, led the league in touchdowns several times and made three Pro Bowls. They way overpaid in my opinion. Same old Bengals.
By the way, everyone is saying that Boldin isn’t a deep threat and Bryant is. Do you know what Boldin’s longest catch was? It was 79 yards. Guess what Bryant’s longest catch was… 78 yards.
by BAL_Hawk on Mar 11, 2010 3:29 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
What are guys in the 3rd grade?
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Zing!
Oh snap, oh no you di-in!
Now I’m goin’ have to find you and do dirty things to your dog while you watch!
I don't have a dog and I don't have sheep either
So – No Sex For You.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Man my wife will be pissed!
Now I have to turn my attention to her.
Don't worry
she’ll be thinking of the dog and sheep anyway.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:11 AM EST up reply actions
Neither of them will determine the outcome of the season by a significant margin one over the other.
And I think you are wrong on this one. The Boldin signing is the one move that this team needed to get over the hump. We have never had a WR as good as Boldin before and have been a team that consistently goes to the playoffs without having a stud WR. Boldin’s impact could very well be the difference between us winning and losing in the AFC Championship.
Name me one other team in the league that has 2 WR who are capable of putting up 100+ catches for over 1,000 yards and have a 1,200 yard RB in the backfield. And no, the Bengals are not one.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Oh MaLor, you must love Led Zeppelin . "The Song Remains the Same".
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Good answer to my question
But I am more of a CSNY, Beatles and Grateful Dead fan.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Well at least you have good taste in music
Not so big on the GD but big on the Beatles and CSNY who I saw in concert several times. Excellent show each time.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
He is not the only one. You should see the guys on the Steeler blogs.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Gotta add Pink Floyd to the list!
and the comparison can’t be receiver vs. receiver, it has to be the improvement of that team’s passing game. If it improves, then the argument is won by the team that improves more.
Also, look at it this way. Boldin will probably open the passing game up more for Mason and Heap a lot better than Bryant will for Chad and others. Agree with that?
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:14 AM EST up reply actions
Sorry, you will have to go to BAL Hawk for that.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Well they are a specail case. You gotta do what you gotta to keep them
You gotta do what you gotta do to keep a happy workforce. Anything to keep them making me money. Happy workers are productive workers. That is management 101.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
That's what I've been trying to tell my new job.
But for some reason they were balking at converting the coffee room into a stripper lounge.
Actually that is DJ Valentino
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOphGZZrE44
The night is darkest right before the dawn
by Baltimore Warrior on Mar 12, 2010 10:49 PM EST up reply actions
Name me one other team in the league that has 2 WR who are capable of putting up 100+ catches for over 1,000 yards and have a 1,200 yard RB in the backfield. And no, the Bengals are not one.
Very well done. I’m loving your logic here.
by BAL_Hawk on Mar 11, 2010 3:36 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Name me one other team in the league that has 2 WR who are capable of putting up 100+ catches for over 1,000 yards and have a 1,200 yard RB in the backfield.
Well, if Hines were a few years younger and our line could run block. . .
As for Bryant, he was overrated and didn’t get along with his teammates at Pitt, and has continued that trend throughout his career. On the Steelers he’d be our 3rd WR, on the Bengals he won’t even replace T.J.
by Phantaskippy on Mar 11, 2010 4:06 PM EST up reply actions
Oy vey
I should have put that the Steelers were not one either.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I’ll admit we aren’t. I don’t think the Ravens will pull it off, but they are one that could. Vikings if Favre returns could to.
by Phantaskippy on Mar 11, 2010 4:33 PM EST up reply actions
I don 't know if I'd take Bryant at your number 3.
I like Wallace too much. Jealous as hell that you hit on him.
Ben's pass to him
at the end of that GB game just sliced my heart in half!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:15 AM EST up reply actions
I was trying to be nice, I honestly wouldn’t want Bryant at all.
by Phantaskippy on Mar 12, 2010 10:05 AM EST up reply actions
Neither would I
I hate WR that you have no idea what you are going to get out of him. If not for the 2008 season, he probably wouldnt have gotten anywhere near the money he got with cinci.
And I agree about Wallace, so jealous you guys have him. He is going to be a pain in the ass for the next 6, 7 years.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Or the Ravens
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
You gotta love
that between the last time i was on this post (1:45 pm) and now (7:20 pm) there are 66 new posts! Hell yah!
!Go Ravens!
Yea, we had a really good discussion on why Boldin is god and Bryant is his slave. Good post you put up here. Keep’em coming!
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
What, you think I didn't notice that?
I check the sitemeter numbers every day and we are on a great pace this month and the draft isn’t until next month!
Hooray for the off season. Hooray for beer!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:16 AM EST up reply actions
I know
I read em all! Took a while, but loved it all. Waiting to get promoted to front page. Thought the Jared Gaither one was good enough to make it. The T.O. one too. Not sure why boring ones about Mike Vick get picked over mine.
by Rayisyourdaddy on Mar 11, 2010 10:02 PM EST reply actions
Hey now. These types of posts are just for some dirty arguments. Storys are for the front page, these are more of just conversation starters. Which is not a bad thing at all.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Gotta look more respectable on the front page.
Can’t talk about having sex with people’s dogs on front page stories. That would be in bad taste.
Besides, the Vick one didn't get "picked"
I don’t need to be “picked,” but keep up the good work and you will.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:17 AM EST up reply actions
Browns add Watson
for the bargain price of 3 yrs 12 million. Added the solid pick ups of Fujita at the same 3 yrs 12 million, pashos at 3 yrs 10 million, and seneca wallace for a conditional 6/7th rounder, I would venture to say that the Brown are in the top 5 overall this offseason.
Top 5 IMO
1) Lions- Vandenbosch, Burelson, Wade, Houston Jansen and some smaller parts
2) Bears- We all know who they got…Peppers, Taylor, Manamuela
3)Ravens- Boldin, bringing back Mason
4) Browns- Watson, Fujita, Wallace and Pashos
5) Jax/Cincy- doesn’t take more than 1 big signing this year so far. Kampman/Bryant
Detroit has so many more holes to fill
and while I give them credit, the money for Burelson seemed way too high, same for Peppers and Taylor seems like the wrong guy for them (I’d have taken back Thomas Jones if I was Chicago). Browns have done well, but there is still that QB issue. Sometimes what you don’t do is pretty good as well, and although I hate to say it, but the Steelers did well by only re-signing Clark and adding Allen and Randle-El and Battle. But sort of like Cleveland, although different, they also have a little QB problem.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 9:20 AM EST up reply actions
Not totally on board Ray
The Detroit Lions off-season moves are overrated. Both Burleson and KVB got paid becuase of past relationships. Buleson played for Linehan is Minny a few years back.. Burleson can’t hold a candle to Boldin and got more guaranteed G-jack 11 to 10 million. KVB is a declining player He had 3 sacks last year and yet he got elite player money. Jansen, I’d be surprised if he makes the team and this is a very good OL draft. He’s a Michigan guy and that’s why he’s on the roster. There’s a theme with the Lions and I don’t think it’s a good one.
The Peppers signing is significant. Guy’s that rush the passer SHOULD get paid because they potentially transform teams. This is somethng I think Peppers will do for the Bears.
My opinion.
1) Bears
2) Ravens
3) Browns
I think Bears still finish 3rd in that division. Peppers isn’t going to be catching passes for Cutler. His WR suck.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Da Bears
They won’t win many games. If they go 5-11 or 6-10 they had a successful season.
You can't
Penalize a team because they have alot of holes to fill and they only filled half of them so far. Pittsburgh made nice moves for ST, but haven’t addressed their biggest need, the OLine. Det added 2 starting CB with upside, a pass rusher, an offensive lineman, and a WR. They def overpaid for Burelson, but you need to do that sometimes when you are as bad as Det. I think they will be greatly improved this coming year if they don’t blow their draft picks, which it seems their management is improved.
Cleveland has many problems, so while they have addressed some of them, like veteran leadership, they are clearly not done when it comes to QB’s. They are working with a not so good QB market, so we will see what they will do in the end. I think Chi did well, although the price for a stud DE is high, he is one of the best out there and they felt that was necessary to win. Taylor is a great pickup, with less wear-and-tear than Jones.
Lions have made a lot of good moves to get better as a team. Could shock people and win 5 or 6 games which is still sad when your shocked if they win 5 or 6, but they are moving in the right direction. Still like our move of adding boldin the best because that will improve our offense tremendously and make it complete, whereas the bears still have some issues to address on the defensive side of the ball.
Yea, I am rooting for the Lions to have some success this year. Will they get 8 wins? Probably not. But they could definitely pull of 6 or 7 big wins against some fairly good teams. Their defense is better than people give them credit for and they have a QB and WR who can absolutely burn you if you are out of position. Put on top of that a very deep draft and high picks in each round for them, could be a good team down the road.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
The more wins the Lions get
the less that Minnesota, Chicago and Green Bay get. Those wins have to come from someone, most likely in division.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 12, 2010 8:00 PM EST up reply actions
From ESPN on the Bryant signing
Bengals bungling again
Yeah, the Cincinnati passing game desperately needed a veteran wide receiver to team with Chad Ochocinco, and for quarterback Carson Palmer to have another viable target. But in entertaining veterans Terrell Owens and Antonio Bryant last week, and then signing the latter to a four-year, $28 million contract, the Bengals again demonstrated that they can throw good money after suspect players, as they did a year ago with Laveranues Coles.
Bryant might not be as big a headache as Owens and is seven years younger, but he has a track record for not exactly being a character guy. And in seven seasons, Bryant has only two years with more than 44 receptions. Granted, several of those seasons came when Bryant played with some pretty suspect quarterbacks, but there’s also a reason (ask Bill Parcells) he totaled 13 starts over a three-year stretch. The Bengals rarely pay much attention to character issues and, in signing Bryant, they fell short again.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=4988804
So yah, that dude is alone in his delusions.
Steelers Have Done Way More Than You Think
S Will Allen and WR Arnaz Battle were signed not only to add depth at their positions but to fill holes on our special teams. They were both Special Teams aces on the Bucs and on the 49ers, respectively. Allen being a Captain on special teams. This was one of our main weaknesses. Resigning Clark allows us more flexibility in the draft. The addition of Randell El adds more depth to our already top notch WR core. Oh and we just signed Larry Foote to a 3 yr deal. Adds depth to LB position and experience. Farrior is old (35) And Foote at age 30 will bring some fresh legs.
The only thing the ravens have done is add Boldin and Stallworth. Dont get me wrong, Boldin is a great fit for the Black and Blue AFC North – But I would not rate their offseason higher than the Steelers
HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want Holyfield! You've seen what these guns can do in the Middle East. Now I'm gunna show you what they can do in the ring..
Foote
is your first major signing IMO. The thing is, you still haven’t addressed your biggest weakness, Oline! You guys didnt even manage the playoffs last year, so I hope for your sake you address it. Your ST def needed work, but you are overrating Battle and Allen in that adding a whole special teams worth of Aces won’t necessarily make your ST the best, since there are so many roles on each ST unit. This will help, but they are not game breakers. We lost our ace, 2 time pro bowler Ayenbedejyo, and our ST did not suffer. So while you need aces, 1 or 2 “ace” signings arent necessarily the important thing.
You saying “all” the ravens have done is signed boldin and stallworth is hilarious. We don’t have too many holes, we made the playoffs and won a game in a year we lost 2 out of our top 3 CB’s, our special team ace, and our backup safety (who was also an important STer) to season ending injuries, plus had our starting LT and our pro-bowl safety battling injuries the whole year. So yah, you missed Troy P hardcore, but you gotta adjust and adapt when you lose big names. We did that, you guys did not.
And dont forget the draft! our 2 teams are among the best in the business. I hope for your sake you use your top 3 picks on your OL, cuz you need it bad….
Actually
our O-line wasn’t all that bad last year. They did have a few games where they totally sacked but last year was certainly a step up from the year before. So theres no reason to think they won’t be even better this coming up season, afterall, they are still young.
I wouldn’t say the O-line is the biggest weakness, at least not based on last year. I, personally, would put defensive depth and special teams ahead of that. We’ve addressed both of those this offseason so far.
I’m not knocking the Ravens on anything here, I’m just saying the Steelers (who are always quiet in free agency) have actually been active, and only good can come from that.
Sometimes, you improve by
not doing anything and just keeping your team intact. I can’t blame the Steelers for thinking if healthy, they’re as good as pretty much anyone.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 16, 2010 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions
But when your best offensive lineman
wouldn’t start on most teams save for the Rams and Redskins, that is a problem. They are ok a pass protection (they let up a ton of sacks, many of which are on Ben) but they are horrible at run blocking. It is a testament to Mendy that he rushed for as many yards as he did, though he only had 3 100 yard games which is no bueno for a Steeler RB.
by ATXRaven on Mar 17, 2010 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
All Steeler fans are blinded by the glare off their 4 trophies from the 70’s which for some reason fans think is relevant today of how much success they have had.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I'm starting to see that
And to think this is the off-season. Must be a real treat to be around during the season.
hey hey hey
i wasn’t even alive in the 70s. I never use the six championships as a defense to my arguments.
Most of our lineman can start on another team. I dont know where that basis derived from. Sure they wouldn’t be anything special but they could start. Max Starks and Willie Colon are actually pretty good (look it up on pro football talk, Colon even got a few pro bowl votes by writers). Justin Hartwig was a starter at Carolina before he came here. Kemos inconsistent but he has stellar games sometimes. Essex, well hes a career back up…
To their credit they improved run blocking last year, I dont see why we cant assume it will get even better next season.
Because a polished turd is still a bloody turd!
They are playing at a level that is pretty much their peak right now. Not one of them is an elite player. Together their chemistry can only make them so good…. you reach a ceiling at some point… otherwise my men’s softball team would be all world right now since we have played together for like 8 years… talent can take you only so far, but the same can be said for chemistry.
let me respecfully disagree
They are still young and haven’t really reach that age where your peak is. Lineman can play for a long time. I’d expect them to keep getting better.
Blood in your stools?
Might want to get that checked out man.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Doc said it's the butt cancer.
Sigh.
When your ceiling is set at slightly above average across the line, you can’t expect them to be top 10 collectively. What you should want is to throw in one or two high draft picks that can grow with the young line to take them to the next level. In my opinion, what you have won’t be elite just by time played together… infuse that with one or two high picks and maybe.
O-line
allowed 50 sacks after allowing 46 the year before. those are both awful numbers, but i think in 2008 you had injuries on the line to blame. last year? not so much.
Ravens moves no big deal
Yahoo thinks it is the top move of the off-season. I think you are the only person who doesn’t think the Raven’s off-season so far is easily top 3 in the league.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-directsnap031610&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Who cares how we rank?
We improved our team where we needed to, and if another teams makes a ton of good moves, it’s only because they needed to fill so many holes.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Mar 16, 2010 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions
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