Tag You're It

The NFL offseason is not short on excitement every year. Unexpected player cuts, contract disputes, holdouts, franchise tags, coach firings and many more.

Let me just put it this way; 8 of 11 (72% for those keeping score at home) starting defenders for the 2013 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens did not return the following season. Most due to being cut or not re-signed. 

In other words they said, "Hey thanks for helping us accomplish one of the hardest feats in all of sports. Best of luck with the rest of your careers."

Cue door being shut. 

It's crazy to sum it up into one word.

One main cog that contributes to the madness of what is the NFL offseason is the allocating of the franchise tag. The franchise tag is something that can be applied only twice to a player. The tag is essentially a one year guarenteed deal and the salary is the average of the top five salaries at their respective positions. 

This can be a tricky endevor for teams and players. 

Players are looking for long term deals and front offices are looking to cut down on their salary cap numbers. So one would think that franchise tags wouldn't occur that much. 

Not so fast. 

Here are the top candidates to get the tag this year

Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints) - By far and away the best tight end in the league. But is he a tight end or wide receiver? Graham's party is demanding that he be paid as a wide receiver given the fact that he lined up in the receiver position 66% of the plays he was on the field. This would benefit Graham because if tagged, Graham would make almost double the money he would as a tight end. At the end of the day the Saints can't afford to let the guy who had 86 catches for 1,215 and 16 touchdowns, walk out the door. Franchise tag or long term extension, Graham will be back with the Saints in 2014.

Greg Hardy (Carolina Panthers) - The 25-year-old Hardy had one of his best seasons of his young career registering 15 sacks for the Panthers bringing his two season total to 26. Hardy has set himself up nicely for a payday but could very well be slapped with the franchise tag, which would net him around $12.5 million dollars over the next year. My guess is Hardy will receive the tag before the March 3 deadline, so that Panthers will be able to work out a long term deal.

Brian Orakpo (Washington Redskins) - Orakpo is coming into free agency right in the prime of his career which means lots of dollar signs for him. Orakpo is a highly productive pass-rushing defensive end, which is very valuable in the NFL, however that usually comes at a steep price. The Redskins have around $33 million in cap space as of right now, which is a lot but it would benefit them more if they locked up Orakpo longterm whereas tagging him to a large one year deal and maybe not signing him after next season. Orakpo has expressed his admiration for the Washington Redskins but he also has said that he knows what type of position he is in being a free agent while in the prime of his career aka "I'm gonna go get my money."It wouldn't shock me at all if Orakpo is wearing a different jersey next season.

Dennis Pitta (Baltimore Ravens) - Dennis Pitta finds himself in the same boat as Jimmy Graham. Due to an ugly hip injury in OTA's, Pitta was forced to miss three quarters of the season and returned to play the final four games. Pitta found some success but probably wasn't 100% healthy given the fact that most doctors didn't give him a chance to play at all during the 2013 season. Pitta and his group are making the argument that if the Ravens choose to franchise tag him, that he should be paid as a wide receiver, not a tight end. Pitta played 79% of his snaps in the slot. After signing Terrell Suggs to an extension, the Ravens top priority is most certainly getting Pitta squared away. There is little chance that the Ravens lose Pitta, it's just a matter of if he is playing under a long-term deal or is under the franchise tag. However if tagged, Pitta and his corner shouldn't be too down given the Ravens history of signing the players they tag.

The Wait is Over. Or is it?

If you're a sports fan then chances are you know the horrible agony of defeat. You know what it feels like to lose to a team that you desperately wanted to beat. You know the frustration in ending a horrible season wether it be in game 7 of the World Series or your team was the worst in the league.

All of these feelings are what you signed up for sports fans.

Trust me I know, I've had to suffer through losing seasons, agonizing defeats, and overall disappointment.

However there is one frustration that is unique when it comes to sports. It is mainly prevalent in baseball and that is the overall frustration due to an inept front office.

No team/fan knows this more than perhaps Baltimore Orioles fans. After suffering through over a decade of losing season after losing season.

Finally through some unnatural force, they surprised the country in making the playoffs in 2012.

Close game after close game was won and Orioles fans across the country couldn't get enough of it.

After suffering a heartbreaking defeat in Game 5 of the ALDS, the Orioles went into the offseason with high expectations for the next season given their recent success.

The highest of those expectations resided with the fans of the Baltimore Orioles.

With high expectations, disappointment usually follows, at least if you're on Orioles fan that is.

In the off-season following their miraculous season, the Orioles did exactly what many feared.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Do they not have the money to spend?

No.

Do they have a huge TV deal with MASN (Mid-Atlantic Sports Network) ?

Yes, yes they do.

Are they playing in one of the best divisions in sports?

Yes. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays are nothing to sneeze at.

This offseason had numerous Oriole fans up in arms do to the same approach, which was to sit on the couch and see where these talented free agents ended up playing.

Well recently, the Orioles made a "huge" move in signing Ubaldo Jimenez. The former Cleveland Indian had a very dominant second half for the Tribe and will certainly be near the top of the Orioles rotation come season start.

While I think this is a signing that needed to be done, I don't think the Orioles should wipe the sweat off their heads and say alright it's over now we can go in with what we got.

There is no competing with the Yankees, Red Sox or Rays this season without bringing in talent that isn't currently on the roster.

Look for the Orioles to go out and try to sign a guy like Ervin Santana or Kendrys Morales in order to bolster their bats and rotation.

Relief should have set in for Orioles fans when learning of the Jimenez signing but that is no reason to not expect the front office to continue to make signings similar to this one.

Best Defense Debate Put to Rest

In the wake of the dominant beat down that the Seattle Seahawks just bestowed upon the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 48, many have been dubbing the Seahawks of having the best defense of all-time.

I'm here to say, pump the brakes.

Actually just slam on the brakes.

People tend to be prisoners of the moment and tend to give an excess amount of credit where it really isn't deserved.

Filter out the media storm Richard Sherman created after the NFC Championship game. Filter out the fact that the Seahawks are pretty easy to root for. Filter out the 12th man that traveled all the way from Seattle to New Jersey. What it boils down to is a body of work over a complete season and the numbers do not lie.

Let me take you back for a minute. When Peyton Manning threw the Broncos first and only touchdown  to Demaryius Thomas, at the end of the third quarter, it was more points than the 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense allowed in Super Bowl 35, ALL GAME.

Need I say more?

Okay if you insist, I'll go on.

Along with giving up fewer points in the Super Bowl, the Ravens gave up fewer yards per game throughout the season, fewer points per game, forced more turnovers and gave up fewer yards in the Super Bowl.

Yes I am aware the Seahawks were playing Peyton Manning and one of the greatest offenses of all time but there is no arguing with the body of work the 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense put together.

The two defenses that are notoriously in the conversation of greatest of all-time are the '85 Chicago Bears and '00 Ravens. The graphic above clearly shows you that not only was Seattle not the best defense of all-time but they weren't even the second best either.

The point of a defense is preventing the other team from scoring points, something the '85 Bears and '00 Ravens did with more success than the '13 Seahawks.

You could make the argument that the Seahawks had one of the best defensive performances in Super Bowl history but as far overall best defense of all-time, I don't even think it is very close.

Ravens Land Kubiak

Earlier today the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, agreed to terms with former Houston Texan head coach Gary Kubiak to become the Ravens next offensive coordinator.

Kubiak will be filling the spot vacated by Jim Caldwell, who was hired as head coach of the Detroit Lions earlier this offseason.

Along with Kubiak comes Rick Dennison, who served as the offensive coordinator under Kubiak and was considered for other offensive coordinator positions. Dennison will serve as the quarterbacks coach, which bodes well for Joe Flacco because when Flacco has had a quarterbacks coach his numbers have been significantly better versus when he hasn't.

Dennison does not have any previous experience as a quarterback coach, however he did install the zone blocking scheme that the Texans successfully ran for many years.

There will be plenty of experience on the Ravens coaching staff come the start of the season as Kubiak has been the head coach for the Texans since 2006.

Before his time in Houston, Kubiak worked under Mike Shanahan in Denver as the offensive coordinator. During the ten year span that Kubiak was the offensive coordinator, the Broncos led the league in both touchdowns and yards gained. Kubiak brought a similar system to Houston, which became very successful and no one would be surprised if he brings it to Baltimore as well.

It is hard not to love this hiring if you are a Baltimore Ravens fan, but the bigger issue at hand is supplying Kubiak and Flacco the tools they need in order to succeed, most importantly the offensive line. The Texans were one of the most successful teams when it came to running the ball under Kubiak's tenure and one of the reasons for that was there zone blocking scheme and the fact that they had very talented and athletic linemen.

Three out of the five starting positions along the offensive line all have major questions surrounding them. Both starting tackles from last year, Eugene Monroe and Michael Oher, are unrestricted free agents, and first time starting center, Gino Gradkowski, was less then stellar to say the least.

The lack of a viable running game for the Ravens killed their offense and led to a very porous overall ranking. In order for the Ravens to get back to the effective balanced offense that led them to a Super Bowl, they are going to have to solidify the offensive line.

This will allow for weapons like Torrey Smith and Dennis Pitta to flourish and showcase their talents even more, something I am sure Gary Kubiak and all Ravens fans want to see.

What Lies Beneath

Joe Flacco - Having a rocket arm, a super bowl ring, and a pretty hefty paycheck are all things that people envy about Joe Flacco but his most envious possession is none of the above.

Being a Baltimore Ravens fan since I could walk, I have had the chance to watch Joe Flacco pretty closely and the most admirable trait I have noticed is his ability to not get too high or too low, for lack of a better term. In other words, it is hard to tell if Flacco has just thrown a touchdown or an interception just based off his calm demeanor. 

On the surface it may not seem like the most admirable characteristic but it is most certainly a valuable one when applied to everyday life. Life is full of peaks and valleys and what I have taken from Flacco is that not to get complacent when things are going my way and to stay humble without letting success go to your head, and when things aren't necessarily going your way, to stay focused and not get so down on yourself that it becomes almost self destructive.

My Favorites Explained

1. ESPN.com - ESPN covers numerous sports and in great detail. They are very timely with updating current content and putting a unique spin on current news. They have a bevy of writers so you can get a feel for them without getting tired of them and wanting a new spin on things. For example, ESPN employs different writers for each division in the NFL.






2. Pro-football-reference.com - If you want your statistics that delve deep past the box score, then pro football reference is the place to go. Debates over who's better can be pretty much decided when referring to this website.

3. Adam Schefter twitter feed (@AdamSchefter) - Adam Schefter is the man with all the connections for ESPN and is usually the one to break all of the major stories in pretty much all major sports.

4. Profootballtalk.com - Pro football talk is an extremely reliable website with very talented writers who have a very fresh spin on sports. Some of my favorite writers like Mike Florio and Peter King, I disagree with more times than not but still are very smart and intuitive.

5. Baltimoresun.com - This website specializes in providing information for my favorite teams (Baltimore Ravens/Orioles) and can provide information that certain analysts that are tasked with covering numerous teams. Writers are very plugged in to the organization and can give nitty gritty details that you will not find many other places.