The Baltimore Ravens had their chance to sign another quarterback because they might not have Joe Flacco to start the season. They are now sitting behind the eight ball with a quarterback who is eating up all their money, a defense that is not as it was a few years ago, and an offense that could fall apart without Flacco. They will finish third behind the Bengals in the AFC North, and it will be because their cash has not been managed properly. They may need to blow this team up in a year or two to make sure they are ready to maximize the final years of Joe Flacco.
The offense is uneven
The offense in Baltimore has been uneven for a couple of years since they won their Super Bowl. They have fallen apart because of the Ray Rice situation, the loss of multiple players who have retired or been injured, and they are paying Joe Flacco all their money. His contract is an albatross around their neck that they cannot deny. They could sit down at every press conference to deny that the contract is bad, but they would be lying.
No Ray Lewis
Anyone could argue that Ray Lewis was the heart and soul of this franchise. They could argue that he is the best player in franchise history including when they were the Browns, and they no longer have Ed Reed or anyone else who was a large part of the team.
They are missing the people who made their franchise special, and Joe Flacco is not the person to fill in that role. He is good, he is good looking, but he is not the face of the franchise that is as emotionally charged as Ray Lewis.
What is Ozzie Newsome doing?
Ozzie Newsome is one of the best GMs in the league, and he has been lauded for years for the moves that he has made.
He drafted Joe Flacco because he saw something in him, but he has not paid Flacco properly. Flacco is being paid a large amount of the money that the Ravens could have used to fill out their roster. It is important to note that he may not give up any of his money to help the team get better. They need to get younger and cheaper, and they may need to do that by blowing up the roster.
They will lose more than we thought
The Ravens will begin losing in the 2017 season because they do not have enough pieces to combat other teams. They must work out their offense and defense before they improve, and that may require a whole new set of draft picks. They should have signed Colin Kaepernick to start the season for them, and they will be stuck with a few early losses that the Bengals and the Steelers will not have.
