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2026 Offseason Thread

He won the Super Bowl with the legends he inherited, they were the real coaches, they led the team, not him. And he became this person as soon as those respected veteran voices got shipped outta town.
Think this perspective is interesting. If this is true then I think they should have won more super bowls before the legends retired. I don't think we can really name any head coach that didn't need players . Mike MacDonald just won a super bowl but truthfully you probably couldn't say he would have done the same with Geno Smith as his quarterback instead of Sam Darnold but it probably would be lame to discredited his accomplishments saying he wouldn't be this successful without Sam Darnold.
 
Think this perspective is interesting. If this is true then I think they should have won more super bowls before the legends retired. I don't think we can really name any head coach that didn't need players . Mike MacDonald just won a super bowl but truthfully you probably couldn't say he would have done the same with Geno Smith as his quarterback instead of Sam Darnold but it probably would be lame to discredited his accomplishments saying he wouldn't be this successful without Sam Darnold.
We weren’t winning rings prior to 2012 because Flacco just hadn’t been ready yet, the 2011 postseason is where Joe Flacco started showing that he could be that guy, prior to Harbaugh we had straight asshole at qb forever.

It’s telling to me that the veterans had a mutiny, eyes were opened and it altered the course of the season, namely with Harbaugh having to fire his buddy cam Cameron which is probably clear by now that he was gonna lose the locker room if he hadn’t made a shake up like this. We won it all, the veterans left, and the perpetual mediocrity began with Harbaugh having full authority. He didn’t have it prior to the Super Bowl, that was Ray and Ed’s team, 08-12 was the prime of our franchise and that was not due to Harbaugh. When it became his team, we began being a disappointing and inconsistent, mentally weak franchise.

In the post SB flacco era, the ravens had one good season, and we all know why, it’s because harbaughs coaching wasn’t needed due to our 1 year OC hire reinventing the team in his image and as soon as he left it was right back to the cellar under harbaughs misdirection.

I have 100% faith that giants will crash and burn in hideous fashion within 4 years under harbaugh
 
We weren’t winning rings prior to 2012 because Flacco just hadn’t been ready yet, the 2011 postseason is where Joe Flacco started showing that he could be that guy, prior to Harbaugh we had straight asshole at qb forever.

It’s telling to me that the veterans had a mutiny, eyes were opened and it altered the course of the season, namely with Harbaugh having to fire his buddy cam Cameron which is probably clear by now that he was gonna lose the locker room if he hadn’t made a shake up like this. We won it all, the veterans left, and the perpetual mediocrity began with Harbaugh having full authority. He didn’t have it prior to the Super Bowl, that was Ray and Ed’s team, 08-12 was the prime of our franchise and that was not due to Harbaugh. When it became his team, we began being a disappointing and inconsistent, mentally weak franchise.

In the post SB flacco era, the ravens had one good season, and we all know why, it’s because harbaughs coaching wasn’t needed due to our 1 year OC hire reinventing the team in his image and as soon as he left it was right back to the cellar under harbaughs misdirection.

I have 100% faith that giants will crash and burn in hideous fashion within 4 years under harbaugh

Doubt it will last 4 years tbh
 
We weren’t winning rings prior to 2012 because Flacco just hadn’t been ready yet, the 2011 postseason is where Joe Flacco started showing that he could be that guy, prior to Harbaugh we had straight asshole at qb forever.

It’s telling to me that the veterans had a mutiny, eyes were opened and it altered the course of the season, namely with Harbaugh having to fire his buddy cam Cameron which is probably clear by now that he was gonna lose the locker room if he hadn’t made a shake up like this. We won it all, the veterans left, and the perpetual mediocrity began with Harbaugh having full authority. He didn’t have it prior to the Super Bowl, that was Ray and Ed’s team, 08-12 was the prime of our franchise and that was not due to Harbaugh. When it became his team, we began being a disappointing and inconsistent, mentally weak franchise.

In the post SB flacco era, the ravens had one good season, and we all know why, it’s because harbaughs coaching wasn’t needed due to our 1 year OC hire reinventing the team in his image and as soon as he left it was right back to the cellar under harbaughs misdirection.

I have 100% faith that giants will crash and burn in hideous fashion within 4 years under harbaugh

Why wasn't Joe Flacco ready yet though? Honestly with the veterans players on the team being considered the real head coaches of the team then honestly shouldn't they have gotten Flacco ready sooner rather than later? I'm aware the ravens had bad quarterbacks before Flacco but they did win their first super bowl without a talent like Flacco as well . In regards to the mutiny it's takes a good leadership from a head coach to be humble and to open the floor to hear players out. Obviously the mutiny lead to the players and coaches to be on the same page. Theres no team that has won the super bowl without this important ingredient which is unity between the players and coaching staff.

Honestly when John Harbaugh fired Cam Cameron which wasn't right after the mutiny then promoted Jim Caldwell to be his offensive coordinator there is no way the ravens veteran leadership led to that decision especially when the most experience play caller on the team at that time was Jim Hostler. Caldwell had no prior play calling experience at the NFL level and only was somewhat of a passing game coordinator with his sugar huddle influence with the Ravens offense in 2012. Also the ravens got their butts whipped during Jim Caldwell first time calling plays against the broncos which could have led to Harbaugh losing the locker room even then but he didn't. That's example of good leadership if not great leadership.

In the post SB Joe Flacco era the ravens only had 1 good season because Flacco just didn't have it to continue to be the Ravens franchise quarterback. He didn't even performed well for the broncos after he was traded to them and played in the same offensive system as Gary Kubiak. Matter of fact he was better with the Ravens before hand but it was obviously telling that he just didn't have it any more.. He can still play now and be a solid back up quarterback though . In regards to John Harbaugh situation with the giants I wouldn't be surprised if it goes well if not really well. I hope he has great success and get recognition he deserves as a head coach. I think he still gets doubted cause he was a former special team coordinator but we shall see. I appreciate his 18 years here as the ravens head coach and I'm sure he will be in ring of honor someday for the Ravens.
 
Why wasn't Joe Flacco ready yet though? Honestly with the veterans players on the team being considered the real head coaches of the team then honestly shouldn't they have gotten Flacco ready sooner rather than later? I'm aware the ravens had bad quarterbacks before Flacco but they did win their first super bowl without a talent like Flacco as well . In regards to the mutiny it's takes a good leadership from a head coach to be humble and to open the floor to hear players out. Obviously the mutiny lead to the players and coaches to be on the same page. Theres no team that has won the super bowl without this important ingredient which is unity between the players and coaching staff.

Honestly when John Harbaugh fired Cam Cameron which wasn't right after the mutiny then promoted Jim Caldwell to be his offensive coordinator there is no way the ravens veteran leadership led to that decision especially when the most experience play caller on the team at that time was Jim Hostler. Caldwell had no prior play calling experience at the NFL level and only was somewhat of a passing game coordinator with his sugar huddle influence with the Ravens offense in 2012. Also the ravens got their butts whipped during Jim Caldwell first time calling plays against the broncos which could have led to Harbaugh losing the locker room even then but he didn't. That's example of good leadership if not great leadership.

In the post SB Joe Flacco era the ravens only had 1 good season because Flacco just didn't have it to continue to be the Ravens franchise quarterback. He didn't even performed well for the broncos after he was traded to them and played in the same offensive system as Gary Kubiak. Matter of fact he was better with the Ravens before hand but it was obviously telling that he just didn't have it any more.. He can still play now and be a solid back up quarterback though . In regards to John Harbaugh situation with the giants I wouldn't be surprised if it goes well if not really well. I hope he has great success and get recognition he deserves as a head coach. I think he still gets doubted cause he was a former special team coordinator but we shall see. I appreciate his 18 years here as the ravens head coach and I'm sure he will be in ring of honor someday for the Ravens.
I think the fanbase dramatically over-exaggerates this idea of "veteran player leadership running the team".
 
Doubt it will last 4 years tbh

4-5 years feels right to me. The Giants have been truly incompetent so any upward trajectory will keep him alive. A wild card berth or two, maybe a div title coming out of a middling division is certainly on the table. Siri, Quinn, Schotty jr isn't exactly a gauntlet of cutting edge brainiacs he can't manage and he's arguably sitting on the most young talent of the 4.
 
Feel like the reality of Harbaugh is somewhere in between. He was a very good coach for this team. Doesn't mean that he didn't get comfortable and stagnate. I'd go far from saying that he was riding coattails but I also wouldn't say that the early tenure Harbaugh is the guy we had in recent years.
 
Feel like the reality of Harbaugh is somewhere in between. He was a very good coach for this team. Doesn't mean that he didn't get comfortable and stagnate. I'd go far from saying that he was riding coattails but I also wouldn't say that the early tenure Harbaugh is the guy we had in recent years.
He's high floor, lower-than elite ceiling. Everybody has known this for at least a decade.
 
Feel like the reality of Harbaugh is somewhere in between. He was a very good coach for this team. Doesn't mean that he didn't get comfortable and stagnate. I'd go far from saying that he was riding coattails but I also wouldn't say that the early tenure Harbaugh is the guy we had in recent years.
He's high floor, lower-than elite ceiling. Everybody has known this for at least a decade.
Fair enough, I’m being facetious because I’m seeing these hires he’s making in NY and it’s like it’s uber confirming all the things we’ve suspected and in a way I’m pissed off that we’ve put up with it for 8 years of Lamar’s career
 
Alright, the what I'm hearing from my convo last night...

I will never say anything with certainty on anything Lamar, but the discussions have begun and they've been productive so far.

Linderbaum remains the next highest priority and they feel confident they can get there. Much like last year with a couple of things, I wouldn't be shocked if this drags out until they know whether a Lamar deal is realistic so they can structure appropriately. On the OL as a whole, I think you're likely looking at the draft to fill one of the G spots, but there might be a modest investment on a veteran backup/potential starter as well.

They like both Washington and Gilman at S and have some interest but aren't going to break the bank. They really want to keep Kyle as a chess piece though so expect S to remain a somewhat high priority.

They've approached Marlon about a pay cut. Unsure where it goes as of now, but it seems 50/50 and ultimately up to Marlon on whether he's back or not. Even if he is back, CB is going to be a much higher priority than some of y'all think.

They'd love to keep Kolar but it's trending toward him hitting the market to see what money is out there. My guy sees a world where they get aggressive closer to the start of FA to keep him off the market, but TBD.

Ricard could have possibly seen his last snap here. He hasn't had much interest on the FA market the last couple goes at it, but with Harbaugh and Monken both in new places, expect that interest to spike. They aren't getting into a bidding war for him. If he stays around the same price, I think they'd retain him, but there's a new offense in town too.

And finally, Edge is the most varied of options. They have interest in big names. They like Dre'Mont. They could also draft heavily there. They're going into that position with a completely open mind and want to see how things shake out.
 
Alright, the what I'm hearing from my convo last night...

I will never say anything with certainty on anything Lamar, but the discussions have begun and they've been productive so far.

Linderbaum remains the next highest priority and they feel confident they can get there. Much like last year with a couple of things, I wouldn't be shocked if this drags out until they know whether a Lamar deal is realistic so they can structure appropriately. On the OL as a whole, I think you're likely looking at the draft to fill one of the G spots, but there might be a modest investment on a veteran backup/potential starter as well.

They like both Washington and Gilman at S and have some interest but aren't going to break the bank. They really want to keep Kyle as a chess piece though so expect S to remain a somewhat high priority.

They've approached Marlon about a pay cut. Unsure where it goes as of now, but it seems 50/50 and ultimately up to Marlon on whether he's back or not. Even if he is back, CB is going to be a much higher priority than some of y'all think.

They'd love to keep Kolar but it's trending toward him hitting the market to see what money is out there. My guy sees a world where they get aggressive closer to the start of FA to keep him off the market, but TBD.

Ricard could have possibly seen his last snap here. He hasn't had much interest on the FA market the last couple goes at it, but with Harbaugh and Monken both in new places, expect that interest to spike. They aren't getting into a bidding war for him. If he stays around the same price, I think they'd retain him, but there's a new offense in town too.

And finally, Edge is the most varied of options. They have interest in big names. They like Dre'Mont. They could also draft heavily there. They're going into that position with a completely open mind and want to see how things shake out.
Corner is a bigger need than the Oline. That only changes if Linderbaum isn't here. 80% of your starting Oline for next year is on the roster already. They need a Guard and some depth, and they already like some of the depth.

If Marlon is cut, Corner is the weakest position on the entire team by a gigantic margin.
 
Alright, the what I'm hearing from my convo last night...

I will never say anything with certainty on anything Lamar, but the discussions have begun and they've been productive so far.

Linderbaum remains the next highest priority and they feel confident they can get there. Much like last year with a couple of things, I wouldn't be shocked if this drags out until they know whether a Lamar deal is realistic so they can structure appropriately. On the OL as a whole, I think you're likely looking at the draft to fill one of the G spots, but there might be a modest investment on a veteran backup/potential starter as well.

They like both Washington and Gilman at S and have some interest but aren't going to break the bank. They really want to keep Kyle as a chess piece though so expect S to remain a somewhat high priority.

They've approached Marlon about a pay cut. Unsure where it goes as of now, but it seems 50/50 and ultimately up to Marlon on whether he's back or not. Even if he is back, CB is going to be a much higher priority than some of y'all think.

They'd love to keep Kolar but it's trending toward him hitting the market to see what money is out there. My guy sees a world where they get aggressive closer to the start of FA to keep him off the market, but TBD.

Ricard could have possibly seen his last snap here. He hasn't had much interest on the FA market the last couple goes at it, but with Harbaugh and Monken both in new places, expect that interest to spike. They aren't getting into a bidding war for him. If he stays around the same price, I think they'd retain him, but there's a new offense in town too.

And finally, Edge is the most varied of options. They have interest in big names. They like Dre'Mont. They could also draft heavily there. They're going into that position with a completely open mind and want to see how things shake out.

tbh the fact that lamar's doing discussions is a positive no matter how productive they've been so far

this is looking like a phenomenal safety draft and i think there's a bunch of free agent options this year - i don't think it'll be too hard to fix but i think the mistake they made the last couple of years was only adding 1 guy and assuming that was enough and getting burnt when that 1 guy wasn't the player they thought he was

when you say 50/50 on marlo i'm assuming that's simply just marlo taking the paycut or them cutting him...

kolar becomes more important to me if ricard's walking - i think letting both go is tough (albeit ultimately doable)
 
tbh the fact that lamar's doing discussions is a positive no matter how productive they've been so far

this is looking like a phenomenal safety draft and i think there's a bunch of free agent options this year - i don't think it'll be too hard to fix but i think the mistake they made the last couple of years was only adding 1 guy and assuming that was enough and getting burnt when that 1 guy wasn't the player they thought he was

when you say 50/50 on marlo i'm assuming that's simply just marlo taking the paycut or them cutting him...

kolar becomes more important to me if ricard's walking - i think letting both go is tough (albeit ultimately doable)
Yeah basically that. I don't see a world where Marlon is back at his current number based on what I was told, so it's up to him if he's amenable to a cut or wants to go on the open market. I think they will be creative with void years if they need to but not sure Marlon is the one where they're willing to do that, but that's me guessing admittedly.

On Ricard, I get the sense they know the time is coming eventually. May be a year or two too early, but they aren't going to pay up for a fullback. I do know they like Nowakowski in the draft (doesn't mean we're getting him obviously) so it seems like they're at least pondering life after Pat if one of the former coaches here goes hard after him.
 
tbh the fact that lamar's doing discussions is a positive no matter how productive they've been so far

this is looking like a phenomenal safety draft and i think there's a bunch of free agent options this year - i don't think it'll be too hard to fix but i think the mistake they made the last couple of years was only adding 1 guy and assuming that was enough and getting burnt when that 1 guy wasn't the player they thought he was

when you say 50/50 on marlo i'm assuming that's simply just marlo taking the paycut or them cutting him...

kolar becomes more important to me if ricard's walking - i think letting both go is tough (albeit ultimately doable)

I'm done with the Ricard offense, ready to move on to a different mix at the "X factor". I do have a soft spot for Kolar, but there are plenty of cheap 3rd TE options out there.
 
As bad our Cb room might look we watched Minter work magic with 5th round cbs and 60 year old Jefferson last year. I'm not saying our room had world beaters, but if Marlon is kept we're fine... barring major injuries. OL needs to be the focus and there's very little that will convince me otherwise.
 
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