Khyber53

Rotational? Honestly, he's been not a disappointment but more of a "meh" player. Maybe he comes alive in the new scheme, maybe he doesn't. I think we kept a lot of bubble players because Rhule thought they either fit his culture or were just about ready to drink his Kool-Ade. Still, in YGM's case, he hasn't been that expensive and he has been uninjured and available... if you're that kind of guy and get lucky, you can have a decent NFL career. There are 10 year vets that rarely touch a starting lineup but they hang on because they are okay, healthy, quiet and inexpensive.

Brown, draft Mazi Smith in 2nd as NT, retain Matt Ioannidis Burns, Shaq, Luvu, Barno

I'm betting Shaq has a career best season. Pro bowl. Just watch.

Well, I was completely caught off guard with the news. So there it is. Let's go and let's get it right. A few years ago we put all our eggs in a moron's basket. Let's hope that we've been smarter this time and that the Reich Regime knows what it is doing.

In a fantasy world where we could just snag every newly released free agent with a name you remember, plus could trade up and guaranteed nail down the next TomBrady/Manning/Montana/Newton and no one had to worry about the salary cap.... Sheesh. A lot of players are going to be heading into free agency in the near future. We can't afford almost all of them. We really don't need many of them. Many of them aren't worth the money and a fair portion of them won't be able to go a full season, if even half a season before they break down. Gosh, we can be such marks here during the off season.

Sorry, but he didn't leave much of a mark here. Good luck to him, though.

I don't know. I hope he will and gets a shot in the new system. There's a lot of leadership we will lose with him. Of course, sometimes that's what they want to lose in a massive changeover.

I sure hope so and Shaq Thompson, too. Both men suffered greatly in the Snowjob we were stuck with. Pro players stuck in a 1972 SEC defensive scheme.

Crazy how many different things we hear during this part of the off season when there's no real news. I think he's just riffing here and pulling stuff out of thin air to talk about. Lombardi is often good, but sometimes he's as bad as the rest of them.

That man held the defense together throughout the Rhule/Snow disaster. That first season he spent most of his time trying to get people lined up in the right positions. On any other team, he'd be a fan favorite and semi-regular pro bowler. There's a lot more to football than sacks and INTs.

Didn't we see this a decade or so ago... Green Bay QB to the Jets. Ended up kinda badly, some pics sent or something or another. Does history repeat itself? Guess we will find out.

Digital beanie babies. Same marketplace, same people falling for it, same end value.

Good teams desperately need someone who can evaluate without emotion, someone who can be the accountant and read the real numbers. Hopefully with Rhule out of the way Suleiman can go back to doing his job like that, both in drafts, FA and contracts. There's no way Suleiman didn't have a fit and get overr(h)uled on the Robbie Anderson and Ian Thomas contracts.

By not having an agent, he also doesn't have someone whispering in his ear, "You are mortal, take this offer and get your ring... this is a fantastic team, great coach, excellent organization, loyal fanbase... you won't find that elsewhere."

This ^ more than anything. And the QB market has been a buyer's one rather than a seller's this year. Carr, Jones, Garropolo, Rodgers, Smith were out there in play at the beginning with four popular draft QBs in the waiting, too. Some of those things are settling into place as we speak, a few others are out there as more affordable options. Lamar is also his own agent and that can be problematic, too. He may be a great QB, but he may not be a deal maker or much of a salesman. He might be saving 10% of his contract wages by doing so, but he may have also driven down his market value by more than that by representing himself.

In the end, Lamar has been holding his team hostage for a while on this. Not a lot of teams are willing to risk running into that wall someday themselves.

The Ravens are known for smart moves. They will come out ahead on this. I just think that sometimes the smart move at the table is to let the other guys play out the hand when you don't know what all the cards are.

I just want to say that from everything I've seen, Lamar has been not just an outstanding QB but also a really positive part of the Baltimore community. I mean, the guy has publicly and on the field been everything an organization wants out of a franchise QB. So, back to my statement, why won't the Ravens give him what should be an expensive but reasonable (considering the state of the NFL pay levels) contract? Is there something healthwise that we don't know about? Are they looking at that long-term 100% guaranteed part and thinking there is no way he'll still be on the field at the end, when they are still forced to be paying him? That's a good team with an excellent front office and they are saying that the cost is too high for them...

Man, that photo sure is a whole world of future regret.

If he was worth what he is asking and is worth the long term risk, everything says the Ravens would have taken the deal Lamar was offering. It's as simple as that. Their entire offense build and coaching is designed around getting Lamar under center and dictating the game that will be played. They cannot replicate that with anyone else in the league taking that spot. Why would the Ravens balk at paying a price that other teams might very well be willing to pony up for the opportunity to build their own teams around the guy? First, look at the teams that are supposedly chomping at the bit to get him. That's not exactly a murderer's row of playoff contenders there. That's a bunch of teams that perpetually overpay the wrong guy and draft players that don't pan out. You know, like we've been for a while now. Let's take note of not just who the suitors are, but who the suitors aren't... New England and Pittsburgh could have or could now use a better QB option. Neither one are even mentioned at going after him. Seattle had a chance to upgrade but chose to spend their money on Geno Smith instead (after one good to decent season). Why don't we just let this little carousel play itself out and just watch and see if someone over reaches for the brass ring and face plants in the sawdust?

Spitting truth and fire here. Nice first post! Bold, man.

Sooner or later, that Voodoun Mambo is going to come back and get her pound of flesh for the magic she did to get the Saints to that one Super Bowl. The swamp, it always claims back its own...

This ^ 100%. I still think we grab Robinson if he's available at #9. That guy's a weapon that we could really use. Hooker and one of the excellent tight end prospects in the second. Trading back in the first is also not off the table.

Not sure how they have the money to do that, they were mortgaged to the hilt. He's a good QB but man, the cupboards are bare there. That team is going to be living a post-Mardi Gras hangover for the next few seasons.

I just keep looking at the costs of moving up and thinking there's no way we mortgage our future for such a gamble. Look at how historically those moves have gone in the last 15 years or so... Jared Goff is the best of those picked and well, that's just disappointing. And I don't think we're just a QB away, we need TE, DE, LB, S and probably a replacement for Taylor Moton down the road (he will someday be a cap casualty -- tackles are just sooo expensive to retain). We need future first round picks for the savings and that four year rookie contract with the fifth year options for long term survivability.