Derrick Mason has fought through serious injuries during the past two seasons, and Anquan Boldin has a long history of failing to play 16 games in a season.  Houshmanzdeh has been healthy in recent years, but was altogether ineffective as a #1 option in Seattle last season.  Luckily for him, he won’t have to be one with this team, but another possession receiver on a team suddenly full of them.  But I will leave that one to my compatriots.

Mark Clayton, for my money, has never been utilized correctly by this team, but it wasn’t always the team’s fault.  The failure to find a legitimate deep option at the #2 receiver spot (often hoping that the recently departed Demetrius Williams would grow into that role) forced Clayton to play an outside receiver spot that he was woefully unprepared for, with a stature and shiftiness that fit the mold of a slot receiver but not a deep threat.  In doing so he was often overmatched by taller cornerbacks and unable to get that top gear of speed that a #2 receiver requires.  He is a more quick than fast player, but he never found his niche with the Ravens.  I honestly believe that if he had been given the right role he could have been indispensible to this team.  Unfortunately, roster needs elsewhere forced him to play out of position for his entire stay in Baltimore.

That isn’t to say that he was extraordinary even when he was able to move over the middle of the field.  He disappointed with untimely drops and never eclipsed the paltry 67 catches he accumulated in his second season. 

In St. Louis he will be a much-needed safety valve for Sam Bradford, and will probably evolve into their 3^rd down receiver, a desperate need for a young quarterback and a turnstile of an offensive line.  As far as compensation is concerned, Clayton netted the Ravens a “late-round pick,” though it is unclear how late that pick might be.  Would I rather have one year of T.J. Houshmanzadeh, another possession receiver, or Mark Clayton?  I am not sure.  I’m glad Houshmanzadeh is in the fold, but I don’t know if that was necessarily a position of need with Mason and Boldin already serving in that role.  That said, Clayton had never set the world on fire in his 5 seasons in Baltimore.  I just hope that after this season the Ravens try to inject some youth into their receiving corp.

Maryland’s defense has had plenty of time to prepare for this defense, but that still does not guarantee success. As much as Freidgen tries to simulate the offense, he does not have the staff to replicate the skills of Dobbs . The Terps do have a size and speed advantage, but against well orchestrated and timed blocks, it will have to be the discipline that keeps Navy from advancing the ball. The closest thing to the triple option that Maryland faced in 2009 was James Madison’s offense led by Drew Dudzick, and 1AA powerhouse moved the ball at will against them. This is a new year and hopefully the Terps will have more success.

In the end, Navy will score its points; however the game will be decided by the Terps’ offense against the Mids’ D. Jamarr Robinson will need to exploit the Navy defense. He has strong running backs and faster receivers, but he is also working with a young o-line. The Navy D boasts a small but tough d-line. The biggest weakness for the Mids is their linebacking corp, where they lost all starters from last season. The Terps offense will have to find the perfect balance of putting points on the board while also giving their defense a rest. If they don’t, they may never see the ball on offense.

I think this will be a competitive game. I fully expect Navy to win this game- 23-20. It’s a good rivalry for Maryland and I hope it continues into the future.

Troy Smith- As most readers know by now, I am a huge Michigan fan and was devastated when the Ravens signed Troy Smith and gradually got used to the idea of him possibly starting for the team after Joe Flacco was drafted.  Well, Smith came down with an odd case of tonsillitis and after that, it was Flacco’s team.  Smith gave the Ravens a running dimension that they don’t have with Flacco or Marc Bulger (Joe is capable of running, but his long looping strides don’t compare with Smith’s quick change of direction), but I think he made his bed when he demanded a trade that never came.  If the Ravens need another running QB they can find one down the line, it wasn’t like Smith was going to start for the Ravens anytime soon.

Williams out, David Reed in- The hype around rookie 5^th round choice David Reed is actually very similar to the hype that came around Demetrius Williams when he was selected in the 4^th round back in 2006.  Granted, the hope for Williams was that his physical gifts could translate into a more polished product whereas the hope for Reed is that his polished route-running will make him a reliable option in the future but that he lacks some of the burst of the upper echelon wideouts.  However, I think the Ravens made the call that they would rather take the receiver with greater upside, and Williams has had his chances.  It is a shame he was injured so much during his time with the Ravens, but I suppose the organization could wait another year for talent to turn into results.

Shayne Graham loses out to Billy Cundiff-  I understand that we are not privy to the goings on in training camp or how each kicker looked during practice, but I am having trouble believing that Graham is the worse option here.  Cundiff might have made 5% more than Graham in practices this summer, but he has been much worse during the season in his career. There is a reason why Cundiff is a journeyman kicker, and there is a reason Shayne Graham was with Cincinnati for all those years.  Billy Cundiff has a much more shaky track record than Graham does.  Perhaps at 33 he was losing something, as his percentage of kicks made dropped over the past 3 seasons, but even last season’s mark of 82.1% would have been better than what Cundiff did last season with the Ravens (70.2%).  Cundiff has only made 73% of his attempts for his career, and I have trouble trusting his track record when the game is on the line. 

Edgar Jones Stays, Antwan Barnes Traded to Eagles- Edgar Jones, the sometime tight end, sometime linebacker special teamer is never going to start for the Ravens, and while he is versatile and can be a great presence in practice, I didn’t think he would make the group of linebackers to stay on this roster.  Room was made for him when Antwaan Barnes, who has been off-and-on discussed as a possible starter alongside Ray Lewis, was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for an undisclosed pick.  I hope the pick is better than the 4^th round choice the Ravens used to select him, but I won’t be holding my breath.  To be honest, the move puzzles me.  For a 4^th or 5^th round pick (optimistic) it would be more advantageous to keep a potential starter on the roster and cut Edgar Jones.  With Daniel Ellerbe, Tavares Gooden, and probable starter Jameel McClain rounding out the middle linebackers it is unlikely that Jones will see much playing time, but I would rather have Barnes’ potential on the roster.

Graham was signed in the off-season and was thought to have the inside track on the kicking job over journeyman Billy Cundiff.  Throughout training camp it was evident that Cundiff had more life left in his leg and he won the job from Graham.  Williams, who entered camp as a long shot to make the team, seemed to be a safe bet to avoid being cut when Donte Stallworth broke his foot.  Ultimately, the Ravens saw more potential and less baggage in rookie WR David Reed, and they felt the need to keep WR Marcus Smith who can be a valuable contributor on special teams.

The Ravens also announced that offensive lineman Stefan Rodgers, David Hale and Ramon Harewood, and DT Kelly Talavou were placed on IR, ending their seasons.  I am sure the Ravens were happy to not have to expose Harewood to waivers as they were encouraged by his raw talent in camp.  The Ravens will face a few more roster decisions when Ed Reed and Stallworth are eligible to come off the reserve PUP list.  The status of 2ndround draft pick Sergio Kindle is still up in the air.  Kindle is reportedly eager to start playing, but little has been divulged about his clearance to resume football related activities.  Also, CB Cary Williams does not count against the 53 man roster while he is serving his 2 game suspension.  A move will have to be made should the club elect to keep Williams on the active roster.

Overall, I am excited about the make-up of the roster.  What changes would you make?  What surprised you most about the cuts today?

Another reason the Ravens may have pulled the trigger could be that they wanted to get something in return for Barnes, who was in the last year of his contract, before he walks at the end of the year.  If nothing else the club probably got a similar draft pick that they sent to Seattle to trade for Josh Wilson, so in essence they traded Barnes for Wilson.  Barnes’ name came up several times as possible trade fodder for a defensive back.  The move also frees up a roster spot for a player like Edgar Jones or Jason Phillips.  I don’t think either player is as talented as Barnes, but perhaps the club did not view Barnes as a significant contributor for 2010.