Baltimore Ravens State Of Press Conference: What We Learned
From the Ravens state of the press conference, here is what we learned.
Questions, Questions, Answers, and more Questions.
That is what Steve Bisciotti, Dick Cass, Ozzie Newsome, and John Harbaugh did on Tuesday afternoon. The Ravens held their annual “state of the press conference” reflecting on the past season and looking forward to the next.
The 4 man panel sat in front of reporters and media, giving clarity and explaining their plans for the off-season and 2017.
2016 was filled with disappointments and the Ravens are looking to bounce back in the upcoming season. Here’s what we learned.
Steve Bisciotti staying loyal
As I stated before, I can respect the loyalty of Raven’s owner Steve Bisciotti. I might not necessarily agree with him, but he is the one who owns the team.
During the press conference Bisciotti defending the decision of keeping all three coordinators, especially Marty Mornhinweg. Bisciotti talked about the criticism of fans for not making changes and said “I didn’t get where I was by just firing people.”
Based on his track record as an owner, this should not surprise anyone. John Harbaugh and Ozzie Newsome will mostly likely go down as the best in their respective positions for the franchise. His bend but don’t break mentality is one that frustrates fans, especially when the team isn’t performing well. In the end the Ravens are lucky to not be in the same situation as the 49ers and Browns, where head coaches come and go each season.
If the Ravens have another mediocre season in 2017, Bisciotti will be facing even more criticism.
Ravens have needs
After last season, it is obvious that the Ravens have some glaring needs. Ozzie Newsome finally came out and addressed specific needs. He said that the Ravens are looking to add a complementary receiver, depth in the secondary, and strength on the offensive line.
Obviously we already knew these needs, but it was nice to hear it straight from the general manager himself. I found it interesting that he talked about bringing in a complementary receiver and did not rule out a veteran. The Ravens have done this before from the likes of Anquan Boldin and Steve Smith Sr. It seems like the team really believes Breshad Perriman can develop into the #1 option.
It is going to be busy off-season for the Ravens. They will have to make decisions on players like Brandon Williams in free agency.
Ticket Prices increasing
Team President Dick Cass did not speak much during the press conference, but talk about ticket prices. He told reporters that there would be $100-120 million in upgrades to the stadium, most notably to the upper-deck section. While that was great news to fans and PSL owners, Cass also had bad news. He announced that there would be a good chance the Ravens would be increasing their ticket price. Bisciotti immediately chimed in saying, “They ask you 1 question and you have to give the bad news.”
While Bisciotti’s comment stirred up laughter, the news definitely made some fans angry. The Ravens have ranked in the bottom half of NFL teams in ticket prices but with poor play recently, M&T Bank has been noticeably empty. For fans who go to 1-2 games a season, they might shy away from attending if the team isn’t performing well. It will be interesting to see if the increase will affect PSL numbers as well.
Joe Flacco Isn’t leaving
After another mediocre season, more criticism came on quarterback Joe Flacco. After coming off a major knee injury, he had a career year in attempts and passing yards. These numbers seem impressive, but they are very misleading.
The Ravens were a pass happy team all season and it did not help the team. Flacco’s mechanics looked awful and he constantly missed open receivers all season. At the age of 31, Flacco is still on a major deal that he signed in 2013.
Even with all the problems, the four man panel defended their million dollar quarterback. John Harhaugh said he has “no doubt” that Flacco is going to get better.
The coach also did not put all the blame on Flacco saying “to me, it falls on all of us.”
It is frustrating to watch the coaching staff and front office defend Joe Flacco, especially after his constant struggles. Don’t get me wrong, Joe has contributed so much to the organization, including a Super Bowl. Yes the offensive line was banged up and the offensive struggled to find an identity, but those can’t take all the blame. At some point the blame has to come back on Joe.
More from Ebony Bird