The Offseason Starts Now
By Joe Barnes
First off, let me warn you that this post is disorganized, has a lot jam-packed and may give you a craving for a Red Lobster value meal. Or something like that. Enjoy.
In the NFL, the season really never ends. Only the football games. Sadly, the Ravens’ football games ended badly for the second year in a row, losing in the playoffs to an archirival and wasting many chances in the game. After a mostly frustrating season, the win against the Patriots inspired the fans, and the players, to be pumped up for a huge matchup against the evil Indianapolis Colts. From the start, the game was doomed. Letting Peyton Manning stay on the field for eight years every drive, turning over two interceptions from the same guy on the same series, and getting beat repeatedly in the redzone by receivers for touchdowns. Yeah, not a good way to win a game there. And it wasn’t all the defense. Joe Flacco couldn’t find an open receiver for the life of him and the offensive line opened almost no holes in the running game. Basically, the game sucked. Big time. Pretty much the story of the season. Beat the bad teams in the regular season to get in, step up huge one week against the best playoff quarterback in history, and then lay down against your rivals in a more important game committing penalties galore and playing to about 1/10 of your potential. Nice job.
Anyways, the moment after the game ended, the offseason started. After the game, we learned Ed Reed may retire and Derrick Mason may actually retire this time. Mason says he’s 60-40, and if he retires, we may lose three receivers this offseason. My take on Reed is that he’ll do the Favre or Mason and announce his retirement. Then July comes and he’ll have the “itch” to get back out there. I do think however, that Mason may hang it up for real this time. With that said, a receiver is needed. The draft has an OK class this season, as highlighted by Tripp’s recent post, but the big thing to look out for is the trade market. It now looks like Anquan Boldin is staying with the Cardinals, but the Broncos will be actively shopping Brandon Marshall. Plus those two options, there’s many talented potential free agents out there. Here’s a list:
- Miles Austin, Dallas (restricted)
- Jason Avant, Philly (restricted)
- Steve Breaston, Arizona (restricted)
- Antonio Bryant, Tampa Bay
- Chris Chambers, San Diego
- Vincent Jackson, San Diego (restricted)
- Terrell Owens, Buffalo (anybody?)
Keep in mind, those guys are only restricted if there is no new collective bargaining agreement. So all in all, a good offseason for receiver options. It’s a must for the Ravens, whether it’s a draft pick or an expensive free agent. My next post will look at options at another need position, cornerback. In addition, a mock draft will be posted sometime this week.