The Ravens can restructure salaries to make room

**leachisabeast** · 12-29-2012, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by Corey

My only fear is that the Ravens have really struggled to find that big time impact player, really since drafting Ray Rice. Webb if healthy could be one and Torry has show flashes but we really haven't been able to find that Ed Reed or Todd Heap, corner stone guys since 2008. It's not like they haven't been out there and it's not like they have all been unavailable when we picked.

We really need to hit one this year. Jimmy Smith was supposed to be one of them, but has totally under whelmed in his second season, after such a promising rookie year down the stretch.

**LukeDaniel** · 12-29-2012, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by Corey

My only fear is that the Ravens have really struggled to find that big time impact player, really since drafting Ray Rice. Webb if healthy could be one and Torry has show flashes but we really haven't been able to find that Ed Reed or Todd Heap, corner stone guys since 2008. It's not like they haven't been out there and it's not like they have all been unavailable when we picked.

Your points are valid. I would argue that the reason for this is we always seem to be trading back. The Ravens have traditionally drated extremely, but since the 2009 draft, they've seemed more focused on value than hitting that one big player. In 2009, Oher slid a bit until we picked him up. 2010 was the draft where we "stole" Kindle, a projected top 15 pick, somewhere in the the 30s and got Cody, a projected top 35 pick, in the late 50s. Those seemed like great values at the time, but I think that was based more on the strategic factor of where a player was drafted with respect to where you thought they'd be drafted. I think we should have looked at WHY they were sliding a little more closely. Our Front Office is so enchanted with these sliding value type players, that I think it's hurt us in terms of obtaining true star quality. Yes, we've hit pretty well in the mid-to-late rounds with guys who slide---- who we bring in and give us instant depth.

At some point, you need to draft a player and announce him to your fanbase as a future star. It's harder to do that when you trade down out of your first round spot to eventually get a player (Kindle, Upshaw) or draft a sliding player (Oher, Cody, Jimmy Smith). It's hard to point out a lot of flaws with our drafts, but that is it right there.

With that in mind, if we do indeed get a 1, 2, 3, 4, 4 or even a 1,2,3,3,4,4 +5 other picks from rounds 5-7....I'd rather package a few of them and move up and get a first rounder and 2 seconds or even a first rounder and 3 second rounders, which isn't out of the question at all when you calculate all that built up draft-day trade equity. Heck, maybe we could even get a team like Jacksonville to give us a 4th or 5th rounder for Cody and we can turn that pick into someone useful.

**LukeDaniel** · 12-29-2012, 03:34 PM

Also, one more thing...help me out here.

I know we have never been able to trade our 5th round compensatory picks. Does the same hold for any potential 3rd or 4th round compensatories this year?

**Ravenswintitle** · 12-29-2012, 03:36 PM

You can't trade comp picks

**B-more Ravor** · 12-29-2012, 08:48 PM

Originally Posted by BigRob

Bucs were able to do it now because they still had a huge amount of money under the cap for 2012. You have to have the room under the current cap year to do this. The Raven's do not.

Exactly. Normally a "restructure" create more present Cap space at the expense do future Cap space.

In this case, for the Bucs, they've actually done the opposite. They've taken money that was to be due next year and paid it as a Roster Bonus this year, thus making it all count in 2012 (Roster Bonuses are not prorated). By doing so, they've used up their excess 2012 Cap space.

The Ravens have only around $1M in Cap space presently, so they're not able to pull off a move like this.

**Rxdoxx** · 12-30-2012, 04:35 AM

Originally Posted by chicagoravensfan

The really fascinating issue, and the elephant in the room, is what happens to 52. All objective evidence and logic would lead to him getting cut but how do you cut the guy who's been the heart and soul of the franchise since day 1?

You gave the answer in the first part of what you said.

Click the ruby slippers together and say 3 times Heeeeep Heeeeep Heeeeeeep
And 52 leaves Oz and ends up in Kansas. It is business, sad....ugly...unpleasant....

I can't see him playing for the vet minimum plus incentives, but I can see Oz making team decisions... same basis you have for saying you see Boldin cut (as I also see)

**RavenScallywag** · 12-30-2012, 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by Rxdoxx

You gave the answer in the first part of what you said.

Click the ruby slippers together and say 3 times Heeeeep Heeeeep Heeeeeeep
And 52 leaves Oz and ends up in Kansas. It is business, sad....ugly...unpleasant....

I can't see him playing for the vet minimum plus incentives, but I can see Oz making team decisions... same basis you have for saying you see Boldin cut (as I also see)

Heap and 52 are nowhere near same situation. Heap was a beloved figure in Baltimore, but barely HALF the presence Ray Lewis is. This type of move is akin to the Orioles releasing Cal Ripken had he not decided to retire in 2001. Can you imagine the BACKLASH the Orioles would get for letting Cal Ripken play for another baseball team?

I hate to say this, because it could be a huge jinx, but...I think all of us are just hoping that Ray decides he's done after this year and kind've gives us the easy out from this whole situation. The "thinking with your head" move says to cut Ray and move on. The "thinking with your heart" move says to find ANY way to keep him on the Ravens. Neither are right or wrong.

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 12-30-2012, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by RavenScallywag

Heap and 52 are nowhere near same situation. Heap was a beloved figure in Baltimore, but barely HALF the presence Ray Lewis is. This type of move is akin to the Orioles releasing Cal Ripken had he not decided to retire in 2001. Can you imagine the BACKLASH the Orioles would get for letting Cal Ripken play for another baseball team?

I hate to say this, because it could be a huge jinx, but...I think all of us are just hoping that Ray decides he's done after this year and kind've gives us the easy out from this whole situation. The "thinking with your head" move says to cut Ray and move on. The "thinking with your heart" move says to find ANY way to keep him on the Ravens. Neither are right or wrong.

The Ravens shouldn't and I hope don't care about a backlash. And the Orioles never had any cap to deal with the Cal situation. I'm sure if Bisciotti could pay him what he wanted without a cap, Ray could be a member of this team forever.

They have to do what is best for the team. Period. And having a 38 year old Ray Lewis back with a $6-7+ million cap number (and having him out there on all 3 downs) is not what's best for the team anymore.

**Ravenalytics** · 12-30-2012, 11:04 AM

If Manning can be released, anyone can be released.

**RavenScallywag** · 12-30-2012, 11:08 AM

One can only hope we're releasing Ray Lewis because we have our replacement at MLB.

How dumb would the Colts look this year if Luck had absolutely TANKED. Meanwhile, Manning is pushing the Broncos to a first round bye, possibly even home field advantage!

**HoustonRaven** · 12-30-2012, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by Ravenalytics

If Manning can be released, anyone can be released.

Manning was going to cost the Colts $35 Million against the cap.

Apples to apples analogies don't apply.

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 12-30-2012, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by RavenScallywag

One can only hope we're releasing Ray Lewis because we have our replacement at MLB.

How dumb would the Colts look this year if Luck had absolutely TANKED. Meanwhile, Manning is pushing the Broncos to a first round bye, possibly even home field advantage!

I don't think they are comparable.

Manning was coming off a career threatening injury that forced him to miss an entire season and had people wondering if he would ever be the same physically. He was still playing at an elite too when he was healthy, but it was fair IMHO for them to move on considering the questions.

I don't want to turn this into a bash Ray post/thread, but he has been in a pretty significant decline for years now and frankly, I don't think his impact if he left...even with the guys we have now would be very big. At this point, he is great for getting other guys in position and is still sharp as a tack mentally, but he is a fish out of water in space now and even is missing tackles now that were easy for him before.

**Haloti92** · 12-30-2012, 11:43 AM

Manning's release was as much about the once-every-decade designation of Luck as it was about the salary cap hit and Maning's injury status. If that year's QB crop looked like 2013's or 2011's, etc, then I think there is a significant chance the Colts would have worked something out with Manning. But after they got the #1 pick in a draft that included Luck, they couldn't pass up taking the QB. There was a greater risk of reputation (for Irsay) in passing on Luck who then turns out to be one of the best ever than there was in taking Luck who thens becomes a bust. The latter, while obviously possible, would not be 'blamed' on Irsay like the former would be, because of the universal opinion of Luck coming out of college.