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With all the analysis of the Pats' moves, and some of the critique of BB the GM vs. BB the coach, I thought this was a good read on the Ravens:
Baltimore Ravens are a shadow of their Super Bowl team - ESPN
Managing a team from year to year is extremely challenging in the era of the salary cap, free agency, and the 53 man roster. Guys get hurt, guys get old, and there's a fine balance between keeping a nucleus together and over-paying. A few wrong moves here and there can have enormous ramifications.
Ozzie Newsome is widely considered the "best in the business" by many, but the Ravens have some work to do to get back to being a serious contender, and a number of questionable moves/mistakes have been made:
- Overpaying for Joe Flacco
- Trading away Flacco's security blanket, Anquan Boldin. If you're going to spend $20M on a jump ball QB, why trade away his best jump ball receiving option
- Poor personnel evaluations / draft decisions on Sergio Kindle, Terrance Cody, and a few others
- Issues with the offensive line, resulting in poor protection for that $20M QB
I personally think the Ravens overpaid Terrell Suggs, Dennis Pitta and Eugene Monroe this year. They traded up in 2009 to draft Michael Oher as a "franchise LT", and he didn't make it to a second contract with the team.
Obviously, Ozzie is one of the better GMs in the league. The point is not to bash him - almost every team would take his track record in a heartbeat. But a few mistakes here and there can have profound implications on a team. BB has made his share of mistakes, but he's also done a masterful job of keeping the nucleus of the team intact, growing the talent base via the draft, and addressing some key needs in FA, all while not crippling the team for the long term. That's really hard to do.
Baltimore Ravens are a shadow of their Super Bowl team - ESPN
Managing a team from year to year is extremely challenging in the era of the salary cap, free agency, and the 53 man roster. Guys get hurt, guys get old, and there's a fine balance between keeping a nucleus together and over-paying. A few wrong moves here and there can have enormous ramifications.
Ozzie Newsome is widely considered the "best in the business" by many, but the Ravens have some work to do to get back to being a serious contender, and a number of questionable moves/mistakes have been made:
- Overpaying for Joe Flacco
- Trading away Flacco's security blanket, Anquan Boldin. If you're going to spend $20M on a jump ball QB, why trade away his best jump ball receiving option
- Poor personnel evaluations / draft decisions on Sergio Kindle, Terrance Cody, and a few others
- Issues with the offensive line, resulting in poor protection for that $20M QB
I personally think the Ravens overpaid Terrell Suggs, Dennis Pitta and Eugene Monroe this year. They traded up in 2009 to draft Michael Oher as a "franchise LT", and he didn't make it to a second contract with the team.
Obviously, Ozzie is one of the better GMs in the league. The point is not to bash him - almost every team would take his track record in a heartbeat. But a few mistakes here and there can have profound implications on a team. BB has made his share of mistakes, but he's also done a masterful job of keeping the nucleus of the team intact, growing the talent base via the draft, and addressing some key needs in FA, all while not crippling the team for the long term. That's really hard to do.