Ravens sign Justin Houston

[NewEra]

Just now, John from Riverside said:

There is a chance Addison doesnt even make this team

I hope we do cut him……but as I’ve said in the past, it’s my belief that’s Beane and Addison (or his agent) came to an agreement that he’d take less money as long as he had a roster spot.  

 

If they do cut Addison, even more reason to have signed Houston.  One year…..that’s all we need him for.  Paying a consistent 9 sack DE 4M for one year…..a year in which its Lombardi or bust, is a a low risk high reward move.  It’s a move that championship teams make imo.  

Some acquisitions are made to help win for one season.  Considering how good our team is, I’m kind of surprised that we didn’t make more moves that focus on winning this season.  
 

i saw big holes and expected solid additions at DE, CB, TE, DT, OG.  
 

DE was addressed.  Obada, Rousseau and Basham (plus the development of Epenesa) works for me but not one of them have proven to be effective pass rushers in the nfl. I was hoping that we’d release Addison and replace him with a one year proven vet to give us someone proven. 

 

CB was addressed with a 6th rd pick counting on the development of last years 7th rd pick and incumbent starter.  No free agents of value (unless you consider Wallace’s 1..75M contract).  Aj Bouye signed 2 yr 7M with 1M dead cap of cut after the season.  King, Rhodes, breeland, nelson, Hayward, Troy hill, Malcom butler, Witherspoon all signed from 2.5-5M.  All can be one year deals with little dead cap. 
It’s a passing league and based on last season play, our cb2 is very underwhelming imo.  🙏🏻 That one of these guys steps up and becomes a good #2.

 

TE-  it was a decent free agent TE class.  Some were too expensive but some affordable:  Jared cook  4M, everett 6M, Rudolph 6M.  Solid one year additions to help us win the SB this year.  We went after Gronk, so they were interested in upgrading the position.  I really like the hollister addition. It made a lot of sense considering they didn’t want to spend $ or draft picks on one.  
 

DT-  we did nothing except have Star return and have butler take a small pay cut.  Rankins, Jarran Reed, daquan Jones, Malik jackson, Sheldon Richardson, Dj Jones maybe Jonathan Hankins all signed for 3.5 to 6M on essentially one year contracts.  Let’s hope that Ed improves and plays 75% of the snaps, phillips is better than ever and Star can make a difference.

 

OG-  McB liked what they had last year and decided that continuity on the OL is our best bet.  I’m fine with it as long as we can protect Josh and actually open holes in the run game for our pedestrian RBs.  If our run game doesn’t improve, I think our pass game is vulnerable vs the elite DCs and defenses.  
 

I’m happy with our offseason because I trust McB, but i also realize that they have made mistakes in the past and may have been better off doing things a little different.  I think we may have done enough in the personnel department to bring us our first title….. as long as our coaching has learned from their mistakes and continue to create new wrinkles to get us over the top

45 minutes ago, SWATeam said:

Addison has more sacks over the last 5 years than Houston, just saying.

Addison sucks.  Houston does not.  Just saying…..

[billsbackto81]

1 hour ago, NewEra said:

Think whatever you like.  He is an effective pass rusher, smart football player qnd good locker room presence that could’ve helped our young kids. He would’ve led our team in sacks the last 4 years. He’s twice the player Addison is
 

Last 4 years -

9.5 sacks

9.0 sacks

11 sacks

8 sacks

 

 

 

 

Doesn't have the Carolina connection which is paramount when dealing with older FA's.

[billsbackto81]

1 hour ago, NewEra said:

I hope we do cut him……but as I’ve said in the past, it’s my belief that’s Beane and Addison (or his agent) came to an agreement that he’d take less money as long as he had a roster spot.  

 

If they do cut Addison, even more reason to have signed Houston.  One year…..that’s all we need him for.  Paying a consistent 9 sack DE 4M for one year…..a year in which its Lombardi or bust, is a a low risk high reward move.  It’s a move that championship teams make imo.  

Some acquisitions are made to help win for one season.  Considering how good our team is, I’m kind of surprised that we didn’t make more moves that focus on winning this season.  
 

i saw big holes and expected solid additions at DE, CB, TE, DT, OG.  
 

DE was addressed.  Obada, Rousseau and Basham (plus the development of Epenesa) works for me but not one of them have proven to be effective pass rushers in the nfl. I was hoping that we’d release Addison and replace him with a one year proven vet to give us someone proven. 

 

CB was addressed with a 6th rd pick counting on the development of last years 7th rd pick and incumbent starter.  No free agents of value (unless you consider Wallace’s 1..75M contract).  Aj Bouye signed 2 yr 7M with 1M dead cap of cut after the season.  King, Rhodes, breeland, nelson, Hayward, Troy hill, Malcom butler, Witherspoon all signed from 2.5-5M.  All can be one year deals with little dead cap. 
It’s a passing league and based on last season play, our cb2 is very underwhelming imo.  🙏🏻 That one of these guys steps up and becomes a good #2.

 

TE-  it was a decent free agent TE class.  Some were too expensive but some affordable:  Jared cook  4M, everett 6M, Rudolph 6M.  Solid one year additions to help us win the SB this year.  We went after Gronk, so they were interested in upgrading the position.  I really like the hollister addition. It made a lot of sense considering they didn’t want to spend $ or draft picks on one.  
 

DT-  we did nothing except have Star return and have butler take a small pay cut.  Rankins, Jarran Reed, daquan Jones, Malik jackson, Sheldon Richardson, Dj Jones maybe Jonathan Hankins all signed for 3.5 to 6M on essentially one year contracts.  Let’s hope that Ed improves and plays 75% of the snaps, phillips is better than ever and Star can make a difference.

 

OG-  McB liked what they had last year and decided that continuity on the OL is our best bet.  I’m fine with it as long as we can protect Josh and actually open holes in the run game for our pedestrian RBs.  If our run game doesn’t improve, I think our pass game is vulnerable vs the elite DCs and defenses.  
 

I’m happy with our offseason because I trust McB, but i also realize that they have made mistakes in the past and may have been better off doing things a little different.  I think we may have done enough in the personnel department to bring us our first title….. as long as our coaching has learned from their mistakes and continue to create new wrinkles to get us over the top

Addison sucks.  Houston does not.  Just saying…..

I've been banging the table for a quality upgrade at CB2 the last 2 seasons.  I like Levi but he's nothing but depth on what we want to consider a championship aspiring team. We acquire a WR, TE and RB on what was an already Top 3 offense but go into the season with Wallace and Jackson competing for the #2 spot across Tre. Levi stated in a interview recently that he doesn't feel "overlooked'  He's right! Opposing QBs are always looking in his direction.😒

Edited July 31, 2021 by billsbackto81

[GoBills808]

Just now, billsbackto81 said:

I've been banging the table for a quality upgrade at CB2. I like Levi but he's nothing but depth on what we want to consider a championship aspiring team. We acquire a WR, TE and RB on what was an already Top 3 offense but go into the season with Wallace and Jackson competing for the #2 spot across Tre. Levi stated in a interview recently that he doesn't feel "overlooked'  He's right! Opposing QBs are always looking in his direction.😒

That often what happens when you have an All Pro corner on the other side.

[Weatherman]

21 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Yeah he does.  That doesn’t mean he doesn’t make mistakes.  How’s Addison turn out?  How’d butler turn out?  Why did we have the most expensive defensive line in the nfl last season and have a backup LB tie for the team lead in sacks?  That’s called

making mistakes. 

Sounds like you need to update your resume, champ. 

[billsbackto81]

11 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

That often what happens when you have an All Pro corner on the other side.

True, but I'm not asking for another All Pro. Here's a list of the 2021 FA CBs. How many would you take over Wallace? Personally, I see a lot.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/cornerback/

[billsfan89]

Solid signing by the Ravens, Houston had 8 sacks last year and 11 the year before both on solid Indy defenses. He is 32 and that's not too old for a pass rusher either and has been fairly healthy the past two seasons. This isn't a dramatic shift but this is a player that can help them. May not move the needle too much but even 6 sacks is solid production for the money they gave him. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

3 hours ago, co_springs_billsfan said:

Is this the final domino to fall for Ertz be traded to Bills?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

did someone say Ertz? 
 

[GoBills808]

3 minutes ago, billsbackto81 said:

True, but I'm not asking for another All Pro. Here's a list of the 2021 FA CBs. How many would you take over Wallace? Personally, I see a lot.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/cornerback/

Honestly, not a ton for me…Wallace is good value at a spot that the FO seems content with. The pass defense has been a top unit since he came on board in 2018. His replacement in Jackson seems to be progressing nicely. CB2 is kind of a luxury position, I mean even when Seattle had the LOB going Byron Maxwell always got picked on.

[NewEra]

10 minutes ago, Weatherman said:

Sounds like you need to update your resume, champ. 

another stellar post on your part. 

[billsbackto81]

14 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

Honestly, not a ton for me…Wallace is good value at a spot that the FO seems content with. The pass defense has been a top unit since he came on board in 2018. His replacement in Jackson seems to be progressing nicely. CB2 is kind of a luxury position, I mean even when Seattle had the LOB going Byron Maxwell always got picked on.

You make a valid point but I'm sure you would agree he is the weak link in the secondary. Also, if Tre went down how confident are you with Wallace and Jackson keeping the ship afloat? 

[RyanC883]

huge miss by Bean, IMO.  The strategy here is "hope."  Houston is a proven pass rusher who has outperformed everyone on our roster the past couple of seasons.  

[thurst44]

2 hours ago, NewEra said:

Think whatever you like.  He is an effective pass rusher, smart football player qnd good locker room presence that could’ve helped our young kids. He would’ve led our team in sacks the last 4 years. He’s twice the player Addison is
 

Last 4 years -

9.5 sacks

9.0 sacks

11 sacks

8 sacks

 

 

 

 

Mario Addison's last 4 years before he got to Buffalo:

9 sacks

9.5 sacks

11.0 sacks

9.5 sacks

 

I'm not saying Addison is on the same level, but those stats might not be the best way to prove Houston is better. I'd be fine with Addison either staying or going (last year could be fluke, leadership), but at this point I'd prefer to see Hughes, Epenesa, Rousseau, Basham, Obada.

[Turk71]

4 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

Just so glad we addressed this in our draft.....we know exactly who our pass rusher's are going to be for the forseeable future......all on cost controlled contracts.

Are you being facetious? I can't tell.   You do realize that not all draft picks become 'starters for the foreseeable future' ? Right? These guys were considered projects by the analysts and not particularly skilled as outside rushers. In fact both of them did a lot of their rush work from the inside.

  So if you're not being facetious, assuming these guys will be the answer on the outside for years to come is just ridiculous imo.

[Sherlock Holmes]

3 hours ago, BillsShredder83 said:

Pretty sure he was a 2nd rder the Marcel year. Man what an amazing draft class, and we managed to be one of the few teams to walk out without a stud. Thank God those years are gone

JJ WATT

[GoBills808]

32 minutes ago, billsbackto81 said:

You make a valid point but I'm sure you would agree he is the weak link in the secondary. Also, if Tre went down how confident are you with Wallace and Jackson keeping the ship afloat? 

For sure Wallace is the weak link but I don’t consider him a liability, necessarily. And I’m pretty sure they were actually both (White and Wallace) out for the Titans last year and we got scorched so I would not be confident at all 😂😂

 

But any team losing their CB1 is going to be almost impossible to overcome. 

[NewEra]

16 minutes ago, thurst44 said:

Mario Addison's last 4 years before he got to Buffalo:

9 sacks

9.5 sacks

11.0 sacks

9.5 sacks

 

I'm not saying Addison is on the same level, but those stats might not be the best way to prove Houston is better. I'd be fine with Addison either staying or going (last year could be fluke, leadership), but at this point I'd prefer to see Hughes, Epenesa, Rousseau, Basham, Obada.

How would you like me to prove that he’s better?  Bust out Adobe and edit film?  People that know football know that Houston has always been a superior player to Addison.  I don’t have to “prove” who is better. It’s known

[thurst44]

2 minutes ago, NewEra said:

How would you like me to prove that he’s better?  Bust out Adobe and edit film?  People that know football know that Houston has always been a superior player to Addison.  I don’t have to “prove” who is better. It’s known

You used stats to attempt to show Addison was better than Houston (there's no other way to read your post) and neglected to put Addison's next to them--maybe you knew they were similar, maybe you didn't. But don't lash out at me when I called you on it.

 

I'd agree that Houston is the better player overall, and definitely so in his prime. At this point in their career, not quite as much. I'm not lobbying for either player on this team (as I said in my post). It's just that we have a tendency to go after whipping boys in a dishonest manner and it gets tiring eventually. Mario was mediocre last year. You're not going to get any argument from me, and I'm fine if they cut him. I don't want Houston at this point in his career either based on cost/benefit. Just don't use bogus "facts" that are easily countered as proof of how much better one player is than the other. 

 

If you want to go by stats from the last 4 years, as you did, well, then the 4 years of Addison before we signed him are close to the same as Houston--Addison had more sacks, Houston more tackles. I did not realize we were going by the measurable "People that know football know..."

[John from Riverside]

31 minutes ago, Turk71 said:

Are you being facetious? I can't tell.   You do realize that not all draft picks become 'starters for the foreseeable future' ? Right? These guys were considered projects by the analysts and not particularly skilled as outside rushers. In fact both of them did a lot of their rush work from the inside.

  So if you're not being facetious, assuming these guys will be the answer on the outside for years to come is just ridiculous imo.

You’re right we should build a team around aging vets who are due to hit the wall any year now rather than injecting life into defense of line using the draft with high draft picks

Edited July 31, 2021 by John from Riverside

[thurst44]

1 hour ago, NewEra said:

Yeah he does.  That doesn’t mean he doesn’t make mistakes.  How’s Addison turn out?  How’d butler turn out?  Why did we have the most expensive defensive line in the nfl last season and have a backup LB tie for the team lead in sacks?  That’s called

making mistakes. 

Oh, now I see... you're on a quest against Beane. You're not necessarily wrong about the DL, but maybe we should not completely judge based on the weirdest season in NFL history. I say this as someone who never liked the Butler signing particularly, was meh about Addison (seemed safe and consistent enough) and thought Jefferson was intriguing (he was the one who showed up least on rewatches.