Ennjay

Since Denver made it as a division winner, it won't be Denver's slot. If the Broncos don't win the AFC West someone else will. It's either a wild card slot (think: Pittsburgh or Cinci or Balt steps down, and out of the playoffs) or winning the division outright. Pittsburgh looks like it's weakening but the Steelers always come up with something to stay good. I predict Baltimore will struggle because Flacco hasn't convinced me, but above all I have faith in Cinci to screw up. Dalton will fall off in his second year. I'm also optimistic about our chances in the AFC East, but predicting it . . . . I dunno. Feels like too much to swallow in May.

How do you figure? He never did sign (with the Bills), so how could he count as signed before the other draft choices his original year? That's what my original bad-memory question (since it was just lat year) was about: at least it used to be that the Bills signed their #1 pick last. I think the poster who said the OBD MO is to lock up the lesser guys (Rounds 4-7) first, then the top guys in order, may be on to something.

Thanks. Pardon my bad memory. With the new rookie cap there shouldn't be holdouts anymore, but I still expected #1's to sign last. Maybe that will be different too because whatever you use to sign one draft choice comes out of the pot for everyone else and a team won't want to be left short negotiating with a higher pick. I dunno . . . just making it up, but still really pleased with how well this offseason is going.

That's exactly what I meant.

For all I know it was last year, but seriously, anybody here recall?

As disrespectful threads go, I've seen much worse than this one. The OP was just being curious. Nothing wrong with that. I don't think people in this thread are wishing for Ralph's . . . jeez, now you have to be so careful what you call it. I'm old enough to remember when Ralph was too cheap before he brought in Saban the second time, and before he hired Chuck Knox, and before he hired Polian/Butler, and before he hired Donahoe (say what you want he spent $$$ in the Donahoe days). But he deserves thanks for keeping the team here.

Repeating/adding to what others have said: whether or not there's a succession plan in place, Ralph's estate has to go through probate. Nothing will happen too fast. His executor will have ultimate responsibility for managing his assets until they're distributed per his will. The deadline, if there is one, should be the due date for his estate taxes if there are any. I don't know when that would be. I don't know much about marital trusts and/or exclusions but I have to believe that the value of the team alone ($700MM? More?) is way beyond what he can shield. The short answer to your question is that it should take at least another year to do something with the team. And don't forget that there are contracts and leases in place that would continue on their own terms. And no team is going to move mid-season. This is the NFL, not the ABA.

Why does RavensInsider have this first?

When I think of the McGahee and Lynch trades I also think about addition by subtraction. These were guys who didn't want to be here and a lot of people here didn't want them around. Management -- especially Buddy and Chan -- put a lot into what kind of locker room they want. (Look at all the "character" reports on this year's draftees.) I also believe attitudes in a locker room are infectious. I had no problem at all sending them out of town. (I'm not talking about Evans here. He went because they didn't want/couldn't use him for this offense.) But that's why it's hard to evaluate a trade purely by comparing performance on another team (I know Lynch had a good year and McGahee has had his moments) with what we got out of the draft picks. Overall I think this is a better team now and next year with Fred + Spiller + Hairston than it would have been with Lynch + ?

What's the problem? List Mario as a back-up punter and give him the #9 he wore in college.

Just a few years ago (DJ's last year) I seriously wondered how they could find 22 guys just to line up with. And then there was adopting the no-huddle with that personnel . . . This team isn't a SB favorite (yet), but at least they're playing competitive professional football with real legitimate players now.

This I absolutely agree with. Wanny's D's in Chicago and Miami weren't bad either. I don't compare our O to anybody's yet. And while I agree Dallas had a huge O-line, today everybody does.

Wanny was head coach of the Bears 1993-98. But let's not let history get in the way of the fact that you're still wrong.

Generally agree and I love our draft, but I have two reservations: I'm wondering if Carder (yes, Carder) and Asper can really hold up athletically in the NFL. But they were #5b and #6 picks, so they get benefit of the doubt.

Sure I agree, but more to the point . . . I just love your avatar, man.

Y'know something . . . you're right. My question for today: are we in love with Williams (the CB) now? Is he that good?

Thanks. I hope you're right.

I thought they reduced it from 15 around the time they went to a 3-day draft, but I can't remember by how much. Couldn't find it on nfl.com so I thought I'd trust my friends on TSW to know. Um . . . yeah . . .

And then --?

Welcome and I agree. And here's one more thing I like about this site (seriously): if comments are stupid or snarky or obnoxious they're easy to ignore while you work your way back to the better posts. Here's what I would like about a Kuechly pick, assuming (1) the experts (esp. Mike Mayock) are right about him and (2) Anderson is what he looks like, Williams is what he looks like, and Merriman has something left in the tank: My point (2) is really about the pass rush. We could all be drooling on every third-and-long watching these guys go to work. But you don't get to third-and-long unless you can stop the run. You need good linebacker play to stuff the run if and when your D-line is engaged at the line of scrimmage; you can't put it all on your DT's and your undersized (compared to OT's) DE's. If our D-line can strip down or contain the run blocking and our LB's can fill holes to make no-gain and short-gain stops, here comes third-and-long. And second-and-long. So if Kuechly can do that, I'd be thrilled with the pick.

What does bold mean?

I'd like to see Tannehill on this list so I could vote against him. Notwithstanding the groundswell for him in some places on this site, he's a crap shoot who is NOT worth the #10 pick. He'll generate so much momentum -- a few guys do this every year -- that he'll definitely go in the first round. But I just don't see it. Every year there are guys that shoot up between the bowls and the draft because the "experts" talk them up so much. They improve incredibly without ever playing a game between January and April.

+1

But without the arm. Seriously. The one thing Losman had was arm strength.

There's a Phil Hansen remark in here somewhere.