Releasing a few vets.

[ravensfan6463]

I have to ask this question on here since i think it would fix a lot of problems. Why wouldnt we release heap and mcgahee. I think the TE situation can be fixed for cheaper as it somewhat already has. Heap is owed 3.6 million this year and mcgahee a whopping 8.6. Also after june 1st if we could find a few DE to replace pryce and maybe gregg if he stills injured that saves 6.5 million. I know ill probably get bashed but i see no one on here talking about releasing heap and mcgahee or at least trading em. Thanks guys

[baltimore_hokie]

mcgahee's contract was written so that his cap number is actually bigger if he is cut. i remember last year it would've cost us about 11M to cut him. lj smith was picked up to add depth at TE, especially with all the multiple TE sets that cam likes running. cutting heap would eliminate that depth once again. trevor pryce is still pretty good at his age, and the pressure/run stopping combo he brings is valuable for us on the line. we will definitely be looking for a young DL (first round I think), but we aren't going to find better than him and Gregg in FA this year.

[festivus]

I know ill probably get bashed but i see no one on here talking about releasing heap and mcgahee or at least trading em. Thanks guys

Welcome to the board. I don't think you'll get "bashed," but your ideas - trading or releasing various veterans - are not as simple as they appear.

For a host of reasons trades don't normally work in the NFL. Releasing players does not always result in a saving, and even if it does, those players fill some role on the team that will have to be filled by someone else if they are gone.

There are times when players *can* be cut effectively - McAlister this year, Ray Lewis after year 3 of his new deal - because the cap implications are favorable to the team. There are rare times when a trade can be done effectively. I wouldn't expect McGahee or Heap to fall into either category.

[srobert96]

I have to ask this question on here since i think it would fix a lot of problems. Why wouldnt we release heap and mcgahee. I think the TE situation can be fixed for cheaper as it somewhat already has. Heap is owed 3.6 million this year and mcgahee a whopping 8.6. Also after june 1st if we could find a few DE to replace pryce and maybe gregg if he stills injured that saves 6.5 million. I know ill probably get bashed but i see no one on here talking about releasing heap and mcgahee or at least trading em. Thanks guys

Absolutely cannot get rid of McGahee for Cap Reasons. It would cost more against the cap. Heap stayed healthy all season and is a position in which the Ravens are razor thin. Jones was a DE before last season and was the third TE last season. In my non expert opinion I think both both McGahee and Heap could have great years next year. Assuming they stay healthy.

Finding a replacement for Trevor Pryce is another story. I don't thing there is anyone in the free agent market that would be better than Trevor. I would love to see Tyson Jackson fall to the ravens as he would be the ideal long term replacement to Pryce.

[12jg34]

This is slightly off topic.

McGahee has a decent amount to dislike about him, but I honestly think he is one of the better blocking RBs in the league. Several times during the Steelers game he picked up blitzes. He is very good in this area.

I do wish, however, his burst was more consistent. Some games he looks very quick, but others he's too sluggish to be a starting NFL RB. I hope that the conditioning program can fix this.

I think I read somewhere that after this season, McGahee's cap number becomes a little more cutting friendly. Before that happens, I hope the Ravens give the RB they picked up from the Dolphins practice squad a decent shot to earn a job.

[baltimore_hokie]

yeah, i like tyson jackson a lot. only doing 20 reps of 225 lbs at his pro day does worry me somewhat for a guy that tips the scale at nearly 300 pounds. the guy i really like right now is jarron gilbert, the same kind of DE/DT combo that tyson jackson is, but more explosive. i'll start a thread on him soon, but i know a lot of people are going to be knocking him because he went to san jose state. i'll get back on that later today, but either one of these versatile tweener DL guys would be awesome.

[StingerNLG]

Honestly, I don't understand the desire to cut Heap. His role last year of being a total blocking TE was not his call. He did what he had to do. And yes, he dropped a couple of balls. But he also made a couple of important catches as well. And there were 2-3 times that he ran a route and was all alone but Flacco didn't see him to throw the ball to him.

I'm against cutting Todd Heap. I think we need him.

[bmore4life]

what really concerns me about McGahee is the hit he took in the AFC championship. a lot of players don't come back from that kind of injury as the same player. every time he goes out to catch a pass, it will be in the back of his head. i not saying it will definitely happen, i'm just saying it COULD happen. i think we need to be thinking about another RB in the 4th-5th rounds for depth... just in case.

and we need to draft Chase Coffman from Mizzu, that way we can cut Heap after this year. he isn't the same player he was and now is scared. much in the same way i was just talking about McGahee. every time Heap gets a ball thrown his way, he gets KILLED. the guy just doesn't know how to take a hit. you never see guys like Gates or Gonzalez take hits like that. and it happens EVERY TIME Heap catches a pass.

[Bez513]

what really concerns me about McGahee is the hit he took in the AFC championship. a lot of players don't come back from that kind of injury as the same player. every time he goes out to catch a pass, it will be in the back of his head. i not saying it will definitely happen, i'm just saying it COULD happen. i think we need to be thinking about another RB in the 4th-5th rounds for depth... just in case.

and we need to draft Chase Coffman from Mizzu, that way we can cut Heap after this year. he isn't the same player he was and now is scared. much in the same way i was just talking about McGahee. every time Heap gets a ball thrown his way, he gets KILLED. the guy just doesn't know how to take a hit. you never see guys like Gates or Gonzalez take hits like that. and it happens EVERY TIME Heap catches a pass.

How do you base this statement? Scared? Heap has no problem going over the middle and make the tough catch. Yeah he's dropped some balls but he's not scared.

[bmore4life]

How do you base this statement? Scared? Heap has no problem going over the middle and make the tough catch. Yeah he's dropped some balls but he's not scared.

try reading the rest of the post.... he knows if he makes the catch, he will get rocked... he is scared of getting rocked. its obvious to anyone not drunk on the purple kool-aid...

[Jeremiah W]

Honestly, I don't understand the desire to cut Heap. His role last year of being a total blocking TE was not his call. He did what he had to do. And yes, he dropped a couple of balls. But he also made a couple of important catches as well. And there were 2-3 times that he ran a route and was all alone but Flacco didn't see him to throw the ball to him.

I'm against cutting Todd Heap. I think we need him.

I love Heap. My wife loves Heap. The guy can still play. There was one game last year he was all alone 2 plays in a row in the redzone and got no looks.

He was blocking DEs and DTs 1 on 1, and the backs were cutting back off blocks for long runs and TDs. He also held his own in pass pro vs guys like Harrison and Woodley, and got it done against guys like Wimbley.

We play a lot of 3-4 teams, and the TE has to block big athletic guys with no help vs that front. Heap did a great job last year, and played all 18 despite getting beat up every week in the trenches.

[awalt]

Cutting McGahee would COST us against the cap, and I quote one of Tony's articles:


If the Ravens jettison McGahee after the ’08 season, there is more than $11 million in dead cap money that they will have to account for going forward over the next season or two depending upon the timing of such a release.

So let's assume we are around 5 million under the cap right now after cutting Rolle and before signing Smith. We would have to cut players saving us $6 MM more in order to cut McGahee - that would destroy the team.

We can cut McGahee after this coming season for a $6MM dead money hit.

As for Heap, there is a savings of $3.6MM this year on the cap, although there would be I think around 2.5MM of dead money in 2010 and 2011 (also this year - we save his 6.1MM cap number but only get a benefit of 3.6MM as there is dead money this year too of 2.5MM). However, while I hope Heap is getting into the best shape of his life this offseason, Cameron really used him staying in to block a tremendous amount this past year. If the OL improves, WRs get open better, Flacco progresses in unloading faster etc., we may see Heap in routes more again this year. We know Cameron loves TEs in the middle of the field, look at what he did with Gates in SD.

That said, I have never seen Heap drop so many passes in 2008 - his hands used ot be glue. I am hoping that's rust, shaking off old injuries still, new system, thinknig too much, etc.

Keep in mind, the Ravens have about $13MM in dead money on their cap through 2010 - Jon Ogden (5.4), Steve McNair (4.9), Chris McAlister (2.9). Adding another 11, or even 6 to that number may not be palatable.

[B-more Ravor]

As for Heap, there is a savings of $3.6MM this year on the cap, although there would be I think around 2.5MM of dead money in 2010 and 2011 (also this year - we save his 6.1MM cap number but only get a benefit of 3.6MM as there is dead money this year too of 2.5MM).

Actually, there is no way to split the cap hit between 2009 and 2010 this year because of the "last capped year" rules. They have to take the entire hit this year.

Heap's cap number is $6.368M, with a base salary of $3.6M. If released, they don't have to pay the base salary, but the acceleration of unaccounted for bonus money accelerates to the tune of $5.304M in dead money against the cap, leaving them with a savings of only $1.064M.


Keep in mind, the Ravens have about $13MM in dead money on their cap through 2010 - Jon Ogden (5.4), Steve McNair (4.9), Chris McAlister (2.9). Adding another 11, or even 6 to that number may not be palatable.

Actually, I was looking at this total this AM, it's actually $16M when you also factor Griesen ($667K) and Rolle ($2.2M). It could go even higher if Anderson (or Heap) is let go.

[afcnchamps]

Yea and lets release Ed Reed too! Think of allll the money we could save!
:261695:

[Bez513]

try reading the rest of the post.... he knows if he makes the catch, he will get rocked... he is scared of getting rocked. its obvious to anyone not drunk on the purple kool-aid...

I don't need to read the rest of your post. You said he's scared....that fact alone is wrong. yeah I drink alot of cool-aid. :eyes:

[festivus]

what really concerns me about McGahee is the hit he took in the AFC championship. a lot of players don't come back from that kind of injury as the same player.

...

the guy just doesn't know how to take a hit. you never see guys like Gates or Gonzalez take hits like that. and it happens EVERY TIME Heap catches a pass.

I call bullshit on both those opinions-stated-as-fact. It's ok to be an armchair psychologist & not have to support your own arguments, but that's all you're doing.

[RAVENOUS52]

Yea and lets release Ed Reed too! Think of allll the money we could save!
:261695:

I get your point.

A lot of folks have gone overboard after the release of C-Mac and Rolle.:laugh:

[flraven]

Heap had to take those hits because the passes coming to him from Boller et. al. were jump-balls. I'm hoping Flacco can get the ball to him without him having to take a bone-jarring hit as he comes down with the ball.

No way to cutting Heap. With Q-Syp back and LJ on the team, we've got good depth at TE.

[Aces2Bluff]

For those who bash Heap and him being scared to take a hit...

We wouldnt have been in the AFC Championship game if Heap didnt catch that pass in the middle and he got hit damn hard doing that

I dont think Heap should be cut. The guy has restructed his contract pretty much year in year out to help the Ravens out and he still gets the job done. I agree with those who said he was blocking much more this year then in the past and I think next year he should be doing much better...

McGahee wont be cut because of salary, only chance he is not on the team is from a trade and no one is going to trade for him, RB's career down turns when they reach near that 30 (I believe he is 27) mark and most teams shy from it.