Ravens front office overtakes Steelers

[jfeust]

Originally Posted by Quackjack

2012 was a shitty draft for us :I

1 24 (24) DeCastro, David G
2 24 (56) Adams, Mike OT
3 23 (86) Spence, Sean LB
4 14 (109) Ta'amu, Alameda DT
5 24 (159) Rainey, Chris RB
7 24 (231) Clemons, Toney WR
7 33 (240) Paulson, David TE
7 39 (246) Frederick, Terrence CB
7 41 (248) Beachum, Kelvin T

Obviously still too early to tell, but..

Two starting OL's with a solid any position OL backup (beachum)
Two possible starters on D with Spence and Ta'amu.
And a Solid backup TE that might progress into a starter.

I'd say its way to early to call bust and in fact looks like it could be pretty good.

Personally I'm extremely excited to see what Spence brings when/if healthy.

[Kingmagyar]

The Steelers being salary cap strapped has really prevented them from the free agent game. Even mid level free agents. Ozzie Newsom has really done an excellent job in finding the right Free agents.

Vonta Leach FB
Anquan Boldin WR
Jacoby Jones WR/KR
Matt Birk C
Bryant McKinnie LT
Ma'ake Kemoeatu DT
Corey Graham CB
Bernard Pollard S

All have contributed big time to the season and the playoff run. Most importantly all have stayed healthy.

Hopefuly when the Steelers are a little less up against the cap they too can enjoy this kind of FA success.

I can't say the Ravens have drafted better then us though as none of their last 3 years number one picks have become regular starters
Courtney Upshaw
Jimmy Smith
Sergio Kindle

and before that Michael Oher has become a RT and not the LT they envisioned.

The Steelers in that time haven't lit it up but Decastro, Pouncey, and Hood are starters with more then likely two being perenial all pros and Cam Heyward is the heir to Keisel's starting spot.

[MasterOfPuppets]

we'll see how the ravens do when they have to write flacco's fat checks

With potential salary cap issues, who do you pay this offseason? Joe Flacco is one of a number of key players the Ravens will need to re-sign.


Joe Flacco is setting himself up to be a well-paid man. Flacco's contract has been a focal point of discussion for at least a year now, with the fifth-year quarterback trying to prove he's one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. With just two playoff games under his belt this postseason, he might have already proven his case. In wins over the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, Flacco has completed 52 percent of his passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception this postseason.

His agent said he's an "elite" quarterback, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun:

"I've been the one putting him on a pedestal saying, 'Joe's a top-five, elite quarterback, and he's proving it,' " agent Joe Linta said. "He's in the rarified air of having already won seven playoff games in his short career. He's really demonstrating that he's one of the top guys out there."

Flacco's rookie contract -- which was $29 million over five years -- is set to expire at the end of the postseason. If he wants a contract that's "elite" status, then he's due for a very nice pay raise.

New Orleans' Drew Brees is being paid $100 million over five years, which is the richest quarterback contract in the NFL on a per-year basis. Denver's Peyton Manning is just shy of that, checking in at $96 million over five years.

Here are some of the other price tags on quarterbacks throughout the league, according to Spotrac:

PHI Michael Vick -- 5 years/$80M ($16M per year)
NE Tom Brady -- 5 years/$78.5M ($15.7M per year)
NYG Eli Manning -- 7 years/$106.9M ($15.2M per year)
SD Philip Rivers -- 7 years/$98.25M ($14M per year)
HOU Matt Schaub -- 5 years/$66.15M ($13.2M per year)
STL Sam Bradford -- 6 years/$78M ($13M per year)

So where is Flacco going to fall? Well, that depends if he's coming back to Baltimore or if another team in need of a quarterback (Arizona? Kansas City? New York Jets?) gobbles him up, which is unlikely.

But here's the kicker: The Ravens have salary cap issues.

So where do you want your money spent?

Outside linebacker Paul Kruger, inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and cornerback Cary Williams are all unrestricted free agents who have helped solidify this defense in the absence of players like Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs. It would be hard to lose both Ellerbe and Kruger, considering Lewis will be playing his last game at some point over the next few weeks. But if Flacco is back on the roster for $13-$15M per season, signing both could be tight -- or impossible.

Oh, yeah. Who else is a free agent? A guy named Ed Reed. Another guy named Bryant McKinnie. And Dennis Pitta, too, just to throw that in there.

One bright spot is with Lewis retiring, that will free up approximately $5.4M in 2013, $5.8M in 2014 and $6.3M in 2015.

So, what do you do, Ravens fans? Re-sign Flacco and make some tough decisions on the defense, or do you even consider the possibility of Flacco walking? The latter is unlikely because the franchise tag is there if they need it.

[StainlessStill]

Same thing must have been said in 2000. We missed the playoffs, but returned the next season to beat Balty in the Divisional Round & off to the AFC Championship, setting up our dominance over the NORTH for years to come.

Trust me, I'd rather drive a bus through an orphanage than to see the Ravens win this, but on the other hand, it only strengthens our rivalry with them and will put pressure on us to make us better in the way we do things. Relax, Balty losing the 'Bowl would be satisfying

[TRH]

i'm not going to pit "front office against front office" - but lets give credit where its due. The Ravens have put a rock solid team together with many good "next man up's" as well. One thing i noticed last night is how strong they are across the board - not at just one or two positions.

[BlaZeQuietly]

wheres mach1 to bitch about this thread?: Stop telling the truth! you might get banned.

[BlaZeQuietly]

"this isnt twitter, don't post thoughts, only dreams" - mach1

[MACH1]

Originally Posted by BlaZeQuietly

wheres mach1 to bitch about this thread?: Stop telling the truth! you might get banned.

Your workin on it.

[BlaZeQuietly]

*you're"

[MACH1]