Baltimore Ravens: Retaining Free Agents Key to 2012 Off-Season

Thanks..great writeup

by Evan Skev on Feb 14, 2012 9:41 PM EST via mobile reply actions

That was a great article

Much appreciated.

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 14, 2012 10:39 PM EST reply actions

There are a bunch of “would likes” in the article, which basically reasserts the point that we are going to be losing a few good players.

Not sure I agree with this comment though.

In addition to Rice and the interior line, linebackers Jarrett Johnson and Jameel McClain played extremely well, and the Ravens probably want to resign Johnson first.

I am aware that JJ is one of the better OLB in the league, but Jameel is a rising star at ILB in my opinion and could very well take over for Ray Lewis once he retires. If we lose Jameel, we would be hurting BIG TIME at ILB. The more and more I look into our ILB situation, the more I see it as our biggest need that needs to be addressed in the next few months.

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 14, 2012 10:45 PM EST reply actions

agreed

by Rayisyourdaddy on Feb 20, 2012 5:10 PM EST up reply actions

Ed Reed… Will he make a stink If they ask him for a discount?

by Evan Skev on Feb 14, 2012 11:13 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Evan

not a discount- a restructure, maybe a restructure extension?

by Rayisyourdaddy on Feb 20, 2012 5:10 PM EST up reply actions

Good article.

Joe Flacco was graded out by PFF at 8th for QBs. Seems high, but okay. Lee Evans had the 12th highest cap number at WR?! Yep, he needs to take a pay cut.

daytime commentator. night time ninja.

by El.Dude on Feb 15, 2012 9:06 AM EST reply actions

I would prefer

that we restructure Lee than cut him and sign someone else. I think it is important for WR to know the system so they are ready to contribute from day 1.

by Rayisyourdaddy on Feb 20, 2012 5:12 PM EST up reply actions

This proves that

we need to sign Ngata to a long term deal to bring his cap number down this year too.

It irks me that while Foxworth was on IR all season as well as last season, he continued to get his roughly $7/year salary.

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Feb 15, 2012 9:15 AM EST reply actions

Do you mean that we “needed” to?

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 15, 2012 9:21 AM EST up reply actions

yea bruce has mentioned ngata multiple times recently …

"And, don’t get me started on Joe Flacco," Simms continued. "Did the experts watch the game? Joe didn’t miss a throw, not one. I watched every play. Every time he had the opportunity, he hit the guy. And, he made some moves so he could complete other throws. Are these people watching? What was Joe supposed to do with Texans in his face? Throw it up and hope? Sometimes a sack is a good thing. The object is to win the game. You did."

by jackmca on Feb 15, 2012 10:00 AM EST via Android app up reply actions

Guess Bruce missed this

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 15, 2012 10:40 AM EST up reply actions

I think Bruce knows that Haloti signed a new contract a few years ago, but he is suggesting they renogiate it to soften the blow of the $10M Option bonus this year. If they if its possible to covert it to a signing bonus, they could get relief this year. If that’s an option, it may have been Newsome’s intent all along.

by Shaner021 on Feb 15, 2012 1:15 PM EST up reply actions

Bruce has said stuff like needing to sign him to a “long term deal”…. ummmm he is

"And, don’t get me started on Joe Flacco," Simms continued. "Did the experts watch the game? Joe didn’t miss a throw, not one. I watched every play. Every time he had the opportunity, he hit the guy. And, he made some moves so he could complete other throws. Are these people watching? What was Joe supposed to do with Texans in his face? Throw it up and hope? Sometimes a sack is a good thing. The object is to win the game. You did."

by jackmca on Feb 15, 2012 2:35 PM EST via Android app up reply actions

Okay, okay

But now we all know that it should be “re-structured” to bring that cap # down. Can we agree on that?

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Feb 15, 2012 4:55 PM EST up reply actions

Wait, did you not know that Ngata was signed long term?

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 15, 2012 4:59 PM EST up reply actions

Haha, he's back tracking

Bruce, you definitely said something about Ngata being franchised recently. No way his contract gets restructured after only 1 year.

by YeahDonnie on Feb 15, 2012 5:00 PM EST up reply actions

Not advocating…but Ngata would be prime for a restructure as he is very likely to play out his contract

What pitt fans don’t seem.to grasp is that restructuring vet players is like shooting yourself.in the face… They aren’t likely to play out their contracts…so….once they’re cut, their contracts become dead money…. and that kills a team

by Evan Skev on Feb 15, 2012 6:24 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Not 1 year into his deal

I agree with what jackmca said

by YeahDonnie on Feb 15, 2012 7:12 PM EST up reply actions

I respect that but what’s your reasoning

by Evan Skev on Feb 15, 2012 7:48 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

It just seems like a slap in the face to me. Asking someone to restructure only 1 year into their deal. More often than not, restructures are for players who got a big deal and are underperforming, and they usually push the money around in a way that means the player ends up losing some money in the end.

by YeahDonnie on Feb 15, 2012 8:34 PM EST up reply actions

The restructure is music to any player’s ears… It means they get more guaranteed money, more quickly. It doesn’t mean they take a pay cut… thats another aminal

by Evan Skev on Feb 15, 2012 8:47 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I just don't think the Ngata contract is even on Ozzie's mind

there are plenty of ways to free up space without messing with that deal. We have very few holes to fill, and some contracts like Foxworth and Carr that should be coming off the books, that it shouldn’t be a problem.

by YeahDonnie on Feb 15, 2012 8:56 PM EST up reply actions

I just dont think it sends a good message to players to restructure a year after signing. it suggests that you dont keep promises I think.

We should be okay, but restructuring just puts off the day of reconing right?

plus theres this rollover cap space

"And, don’t get me started on Joe Flacco," Simms continued. "Did the experts watch the game? Joe didn’t miss a throw, not one. I watched every play. Every time he had the opportunity, he hit the guy. And, he made some moves so he could complete other throws. Are these people watching? What was Joe supposed to do with Texans in his face? Throw it up and hope? Sometimes a sack is a good thing. The object is to win the game. You did."

by jackmca on Feb 15, 2012 5:09 PM EST via Android app up reply actions

Foxworth and Carr are gone. Time to coach up Gorrer and Brown.

by Raven_all_day on Feb 15, 2012 1:06 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Got no problem with that.

"Picture Me Rollin"

by Mr MaLoR on Feb 15, 2012 1:14 PM EST up reply actions

I think that would be best. Foxworth is 100% gone and Carr was a healthy scratch during the texans playoff game, so I think he is done as well. Gorrer far outplayed Carr and then we just need to work on developing Brown some more, but he’s fine for the 5th CB.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Feb 15, 2012 1:35 PM EST up reply actions

Foxworth should have been cut before the season

so he didn’t get his entire salary while sitting at home.

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Feb 15, 2012 4:55 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, I don't understand why they did that

there’s no way he’s back next year…maybe they just weren’t too sure about the guys we had on the roster and wanted to keep him just in case, but he should have been cut.

by YeahDonnie on Feb 15, 2012 5:02 PM EST up reply actions

The most important free agents to keep are Redding, McClain, Grubbs, Rice, and Zbi.

by Raven_all_day on Feb 15, 2012 1:15 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs

in this order:

McClain, Grubbs, JJ, Redding, Zbi.

I put Jj before redding because DLine is amazingly deep this year, do not be surprised if we draft multiple players there.

"And, don’t get me started on Joe Flacco," Simms continued. "Did the experts watch the game? Joe didn’t miss a throw, not one. I watched every play. Every time he had the opportunity, he hit the guy. And, he made some moves so he could complete other throws. Are these people watching? What was Joe supposed to do with Texans in his face? Throw it up and hope? Sometimes a sack is a good thing. The object is to win the game. You did."

by jackmca on Feb 15, 2012 2:36 PM EST via Android app up reply actions

I absolutely agree with your order

except I’d put Ruki there instead of Zbi. He is more versatile and helps the defense disguise some things, and seems like a better special teamer as well. Zbi is replaceable.

by YeahDonnie on Feb 15, 2012 4:22 PM EST up reply actions

Grubbs

not gonna be back. There are enough solid G on the market that it won’t be worth it for us to match the offers he is going to get. I am more concerned about whether Oher can improve at RT and if Gurode is going to be our C or we are going to rely on a rookie. I think we resign Gurode to a 2 year deal, and draft a mid rounder.

by Rayisyourdaddy on Feb 20, 2012 5:15 PM EST up reply actions

I think Foxworth and Carr are gone, which is fine considering we have guys like Gorrer and Chykie waiting in the wings. I’m on the fence about Evans. I realize he dropped the most crucial pass of the season, but he’s been a very talented receiver during his career. We traded for him late into the summer, and he suffered some injuries that cost him a lot of playing time. Having said all of that, when healthy and with a full offseason to get acclimated with Joe and the offense, Evans could be a nice player of us. In a way, I hope we bring him back — he’s only signed for one more year. As for Grubbs, if he leaves the interior of our offensive line might become the most pressing need to address. We usually don’t let productive first rounders simply walk after their rookie deals are up, but with Rice and Joe needing extensions, I can’t see us bringing Grubbs back, which is a shame.

by JoshuaStein on Feb 15, 2012 3:55 PM EST reply actions

Thanks Ravens fans!

I am really about the discussion here. Couple questions: Was the article an easy read for you as a fan? Did the stats overwhelm the article?

Thanks for the feedback on “they would like.” Ill try to limit those kinds of statements in future articles or at least assign a priority on who they are most likely to sign. Plan on doing all 32 teams this offseason! Eagles are next!

by Shaner021 on Feb 15, 2012 9:12 PM EST reply actions