NFL 2011 season

[katmai]

Edmonton Lips!

[Grey Fox]

Alberta Squires?

[Neil]

Derrick Mason a Jet?

It seems to me that the Ravens have failed free agency as badly as any team that isn't Miami.

[katmai]

That was the sentiment of one writer i saw, just in the amount of personnel they lost.

[CountDeMoney]

Can't keep 'em all.

[Neil]

Can't keep 'em all.

Or much of anyone, it seems.  WR seems pretty thin now, given that the only two guys back from last year are Boldin and Reed.

[CountDeMoney]

That was the sentiment of one writer i saw, just in the amount of personnel they lost.

Every year, the Ravens are one of the teams most consistently raided for their players.  And what happens?  Ozzie restocks and reloads.

Still one of the most consistently successful franchises in the NFL, courtesy of the front office.

[CountDeMoney]

Can't keep 'em all.

Or much of anyone, it seems.  WR seems pretty thin now, given that the only two guys back from last year are Boldin and Reed.

I wouldn't sweat it, Neil.  Besides the obvious strategic re-emphasis on the running game,  Ozzie and Harbaugh are beginning to jettison the usual squawkers.  Mason, for all his success as a pure possession reciever, just doesn't know when to shut up on the sidelines, in the huddle, in the locker room or on the radio.

McClain is gone.  McGahee is gone.  Mason is gone.   See the pattern here?  And it's not just guys with M in their names.  It's bad mouths and bad attitudes.

They've got a lot of youth to move up and get going;  Ozzie is dedicated on getting younger at the skill positions.  This team had too many thirtysomethings with big price tags and big mouths.

I wish Derek luck in NYJ, but just like so many other Ravens FAs over the years, he'll disappear with Dirty Sanchez.  And then the mouth will open, as per usual.

I'd have preferred if they made major attempts to keep Heap and Kelly Gregg, but alas, it's a bidness. 

Look at Malcom Floyd.  Turned down more money from the Ravens to stay with the Chargers.  Go fig.

[Neil]

See, I always thought that Gregg was the easiest of the three to understand.  They've got a lot of young talent on the D-line, and Gregg is turning 35 and doesn't have all that many seasons left.  A guy with that kind of technique is hard to replace, but it's the way of the future.

Mason might be a talker, but he's also a playmaker, at a position where the Ravens are thin.  Devard Darling and Clarence Moore were young and didn't run their mouths, and how did that work?

[katmai]

I'd choose San Diego over Baltimore too.

[Neil]

I'd choose San Diego over Baltimore too.

To live in?  Absolutely.  To play football in?  Who wants to get Norved?

[sbr]

I'd choose San Diego over Baltimore too.

To live in?  Absolutely.  To play football in?  Who wants to get Norved?

Phillips is a better QB than Flacco.  Phillips is an arrogant jackass and Flacco is improving every year, but if I was a WR I would stay in San Diego too.

[Neil]

I'd choose San Diego over Baltimore too.

To live in?  Absolutely.  To play football in?  Who wants to get Norved?

Phillips is a better QB than Flacco.  Phillips is an arrogant jackass and Flacco is improving every year, but if I was a WR I would stay in San Diego too.

I don't know.  Rivers might throw more balls, but Flacco's top options catch a lot of passes too.  Mason caught 214 passes for 2,867 yards since Flacco came to town.  That's not too shabby.  Flacco also has a better running game and a better defence.  Catching passes is nice, but if you want a ring, Baltimore is the better choice.

[CountDeMoney]

Hey Neil, some training camp updates for you--

DE Paul Kruger, crazy white boy, is now officially OLB Paul Kruger, crazy white boy.
Billy Cundiffe's leg has only gotten stronger, been booting 60 yard field goals in practice all weekend.
Sergio Kindle may have Alzheimer's and dementia in 30 years, but right now he's been blitzing the shit out of the redshirts on O.

Stat of the week:
Orioles attendance on Saturday night at Camden Yards: 18,770
Ravens attendance on Saturday's open workout at M&T Stadium: 24,078

[Neil]

Hey Neil, some training camp updates for you--

DE Paul Kruger, crazy white boy, is now officially OLB Paul Kruger, crazy white boy.
Billy Cundiffe's leg has only gotten stronger, been booting 60 yard field goals in practice all weekend.
Sergio Kindle may have Alzheimer's and dementia in 30 years, but right now he's been blitzing the shit out of the redshirts on O.

So it's Kruger vs. Double J to play opposite Suggs?  I'm sure that Kruger is a better LB in a 3-4 than he is a DE, so I can't complain about that.  How is he at the not rushing the passer part of the job?
You know, with kickers like Cundiff, they're going to eventually have to make some rule changes or something, because the kickoff is a lot less exciting when you get a touchback almost every time.
It's good to see they're going to get some value out of Kindle.  With all the talent they have now, I better see some pass rush this year.

Stat of the week:
Orioles attendance on Saturday night at Camden Yards: 18,770
Ravens attendance on Saturday's open workout at M&T Stadium: 24,078

Can you blame people?  Football:  good.  Baseball:  shitty.  Ravens:  good.  Orioles:  Should probably be playing AA ball.