By Zach Wilt, on July 27th, 2011 After saving the NFL season, Domonique Foxworth could be sent packing by the Baltimore Ravens. Thus far, Ozzie Newsome and the gang have cut Derrick Mason, Todd Heap, Willis McGahee and Kelly Gregg. The speculation is running rampant online that Baltimore may cut cornerback Domonique Foxworth next to free up $4.4 million.
Surely the Ravens will need to bring Foxworth back, but at a cheaper price. Do you think the Ravens will cut Foxworth?
By Zach Wilt, on May 2nd, 2011  The NFL Draft is over and the experts will spend the next few months analyzing and grading the league’s 32 teams before kickoff in September. Many are have graded the Ravens highly for their picks this year and the organization has been outspoken about about their confidence in their picks.
Ravens Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta told Mike Duffy of BaltimoreRavens.com that the draft fell “the right way” for the team. ”We had some positions that we felt we needed to address to make ourselves a better team, and really good players fell down to us – players that we really felt could help this team,” DeCosta said.
 DeCosta’s quote confirms a theory that I have had about the Ravens war room in recent years, it’s my belief that Ozzie Newsome and company have shifted their draft strategy from best player available to find good players that fill their needs.
With their first pick this season, Baltimore attempted to trade down, but after a snag in the trade with the Bears, the team elected to instead draft Colorado Cornerback Jimmy Smith. What does this say about how much the Ravens really wanted Smith? If the team was trying to trade down, how excited were they really to draft him? If Baltimore’s intentions were to take Smith, not only are they taking another player with a number of red flags in college, but are drafting for need. One of the Ravens weakest parts of their team in recent seasons has been has been their secondary, especially after Domonique Foxworth was sidelined for all of 2010 with a torn ACL.
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By BSR Staff, on February 17th, 2011 Ravens cornerback Dominique Foxworth discussed the NFL labor dispute with NationalFootballPost.com on Wednesday. Among the topics discussed was the possibility of expanding the season to 18 games.
“I hate the idea,” Foxworth said. “Basically, it’s the owners saying, ‘We can make more money by having them play more games.’ But we’re the ones who are out there on the field taking risks. We’re out there running into each other at full speed and sacrificing our bodies. There are other ways to make more money without endangering players’ safety.”
Do you agree with Foxworth about expanding the NFL season?
By Tracy Smith, on February 5th, 2010 For a great part of the season past, mention of the Ravens secondary would draw scorn, derision and many a curse word. Because the defense was a work in progress for much of the season, many of those sentiments seemed deserved at the time. Yet as the play of the defensive unit improved, so did the performance of the defensive backfield, peaking with a great performance against the New England Patriots in the wild card round (if you thought the peak was the home game against the Chicago Bears, remember-Jay Cutler at that time was a pick waiting to happen). That said, here’s the positional review of the Ravens cornerbacks and safeties. READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on January 18th, 2010 Unfortunately the Ravens season has come to an end. Here are my thoughts on Baltimore’s 20-3 loss to Indianapolis in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
- Don’t ask what went wrong in Indy – Instead ask what went right in New England. At the end of the day Baltimore performed like an average team against a far better team. Their weaknesses were exposed and they were defeated head on. With that said, fans shouldn’t wonder why the Ravens played so poorly against the Colts. Instead they should be impressed with the punishment they put on the Patriots the previous week.
- Good game plan, bad game plan - Indianapolis knew that Baltimore was going to stop the big play, so they beat Baltimore in the middle of the field. Domonique Foxworth looked like the Domonique Foxworth from earlier in the season. He got torched left and right. Worst of all their offensive game plan (run, run, run) was nothing short of poor.
- I was wrong about Bart, Jim, and Rex – I guess this bullet point has more to do with the Jets 17-14 defeat over San Diego than Baltimore’s loss on Saturday, but I’ll run with it. Maybe the Ravens should have given Bart Scott Ray Lewis‘ deal, given Jim Leonhard some of Domonique Foxworth’s money, or maybe even given Rex Ryan the head coaching job. Maybe the last one is a stretch. But I think Baltimore misses these three guys more than we imagined.
- This team will look fundamentally different in 2010 – Ed Reed announced he’s 50-50 on returning next season, Derrick Mason is 60-40, and Baltimore has a whole slew of free agents including every wide receiver, Le’Ron McClain, and vital parts of the defense.
- It hurts seeing Stover in blue and white - Matt drained a 44 yarder and was 2 for 2. It hurts watching Stover win with Indy.
By Zach Wilt, on January 11th, 2010 I don’t think any other Ravens blogger experienced Baltimore’s 33-14 beat down on the New England Patriots. While the actual game was taking place, I was sitting in the Towson Center with a few thousand of my closet friends preparing to graduate.
Knowing that I couldn’t ignore the biggest game of the year, I was receiving text messages from everyone, watching the ESPN Scorecenter on my iPhone, and of course tapping that guy in front of me with the earbud in his ear about what was taking place. READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on December 29th, 2009 If I were a gambling man, I would say that Ed Reed won’t be wearing the purple and black in 2010. Why, you ask, would a future hall of fame safety not return to the Ravens? A couple reason actually.
- We all know that Ed Reed takes chances to make big plays and he’s sometimes been known to leave the Ravens secondary high and dry. Have you noticed that with Tom Zbikowski playing free safety in place of Ed Reed that Domonique Foxworth suddenly looks like a stud? The guy has three interceptions in his past two games. Could John Harbaugh cut Reed loose?
- Ed has suffered from nagging injuries. He’s had neck issues and most recently an ailing neck issue. It wouldn’t surprise me if Reed retired at the end of this season.
What do you think? Is Ed Reed back next week?
By Zach Wilt, on November 30th, 2009 Phew! The Ravens squeaked out a 20-17 victory over Ben Roethlisberger Dennis Dixon and the Steelers. Here are my thoughts on the game.
- Foxworth IS a bust – Despite what the media tells you, Domonique Foxworth is a huge bust for the Ravens. $28 million gets you a guy that is so scared of allowing the big play that he gives wide receivers a five yard cushion. He tackles guys around the the shoulders and continuously allows 10-15 yard catches. He’s a bust.
- Well balanced attack – Division games are tough. The teams know each other so well. I liked Baltimore’s attack against the Steelers. They knew that Pittsburgh knew that it was the Derrick Mason/Ray Rice show in Baltimore. But, on Sunday night they changed things up. It started on the opening drive with catches from Mark Clayton and Kelley Washington and rushes from Willis McGahee.
- The monkey is off their back – In the John Harbaugh/Joe Flacco/Ray Rice Ravens era the Ravens were 0-3 against their biggest rival. Even though the Steelers had Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu were out it was nice to get that win and move on. With that being said, December 27th is going to be a game for the ages.
- Billy the kid – Though Billy Cundiff missed the 56 yard game winner at the end of regulation, I think he’s got what it takes. Cundiff said his range was 53 and under and he kicked it dead on, but was short by about three yards on an extremely rushed attempt. Glad to see it.
- Big plays – If John Harbaugh and the Ravens didn’t convert on 4th and 5 they would never hear the end of it from myself and the rest of Ravens nation. They did, hats off to them. Also, it was great to see Paul Kruger get the pick to set up the game winning field goal. I know Dixon was due, it was good to see the kid get the job done.
- Where do we go from here? – It took me a while to write my quick hits because I’m torn. This was an awful game, but the Ravens got the “W”. I feel like this team could definitely go 10-6, but at the same time it wouldn’t shock me to see them drop the game in Lambeau against the Packers or on the west coast against the Raiders. I’m in a state of indecision.
By Zach Wilt, on November 10th, 2009 There are clearly parts of the Ravens roster that just aren’t getting the job done.
Do you give up on them? Do you let them grow since the season is likely a wash anyway? Do you put the pressure on them?
It all depends on the player.
Frank Walker - Bye bye. Walker shouldn’t have made the team to begin with. Anyone that followed training camp knew right away what Walker was about. Lots of talk, little coverage. He’s quite possibly the worst part of the Ravens terrible secondary and was so bad that he was benched against the Bengals. He’s taking up a roster spot, which is one of the reasons Baltimore cut Matt Stover. Good riddance Frank.
Domonique Foxworth – Threaten. Two weeks ago I told you that Foxworth was a $28 million bust and I stand by it. He is the Ravens biggest flop since Willis McGahee. Too big of a contract for too little performance. Foxworth is the best of the bad secondary, but for the contract was given he’s not shutting down number one wide receivers.
Fabian Washington – Threaten/bench. Washington covers receivers by grabbing them. I’m convinced his method is to get penalized as many times as possible and it shows.
Trevor Pryce – Cut after season. Pryce has had a great run with the Ravens and an outstanding career, but he’s no longer getting the job done. He gets pressure one time per drive, he’s getting beat in single coverage and gives good quarterbacks too much time.
Kelly Gregg – Cut after season. It would have been a good story is Buddy Lee came back after the knee surgery and stepped up. That hasn’t been the case. He fits into the same category as Pryce, only worse. Gregg is hardly ever putting pressure on QBs and he can no longer stuff the run. He’s part of an aging defense.
Ed Reed – One more big loss and I’d shut him down. Ed might say he’s playing healthy, but come on. He’s undoubtedly playing hurt and if Baltimore wants to hold on to him for future years they need him to get healthy. Whether that requires surgery or just time to recover, Baltimore needs to do what they’ve got to do.
READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on November 8th, 2009 The Baltimore Ravens. A team that on defense can’t stop the run or pressure a QB, has a kicker that can’t make a clutch field goals, and an offense that is stuck making up for all of their holes.
Two weeks ago on our podcast, Aaron Wilson said that he thinks the Ravens are an 8-8 team without a playoff chance. After their win over the Broncos I thought he was wrong. Now I’m back to questioning how good this Baltimore team is.
Here are my thoughts from the Ravens 17-7 loss to the Bengals.
- Secondary woes yet again – Different week, same weakness. Domonique Foxworth might be the best cornerback on the team, but he gives too much room to good wide receivers and can’t tackle. Fabian Washington missed an interception in the first quarter and he was called for pass interference on a crucial 4th and 2. Dawan Landry was called for pass interference on a play that overturned a fumble in the first quarter. Ed Reed missed a couple tackles as well.
- No pressure up front - I knew it would be a long day without Haloti Ngata, but Trevor Pryce, Kelly Gregg, and Terrell Suggs were virtually non-existent in this week’s loss. Carson Palmer was far too comfortable in the pocket. He was practically camping out during his first touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell. Let’s not forget that Cedric Benson rushed for 117 yards, his second 100+ yard game against the Ravens this season.
- Defense killed Offense - Or something like that. In the first quarter the Ravens offense was on the field just 4 minutes 11 seconds. In the first half that total was just 8:26 compared the Bengals 21:34. It evened out a little more by the end of the game, but all day the Ravens offense was trying to make up for the D being on the field too long. They used 2 timeouts in the first quarter, and Joe Flacco forced two interceptions (could have been at least 2 more) while trying to make big plays. Flacco has thrown seven picks this season, two have been caught by the Bengals’ Johnathan Josesph. Baltimore’s offense converted one of their ten third downs.
- Hauschka chokes again - Now listen. I’m in no way saying that the kicker blew the game. What I’m saying is that he’s had two pressure kicks and he’s missed both of them. You can’t miss a 38 yard field goal when you’re team is trying to drive back from a deficit. It’s alarming to me that Steve Hauschka missed a 44 yarder inside against the Vikings and now a 38 yarder in 50 degree weather against the Bengals.
- Webb continues to impress – Lardarius Webb broke a return for 33 yards, but his role on defense was particularly important. He threw a big hit on Cedric Benson in the 2nd quarter, broke up a pass to Laveranues Coles, and played receivers close when Washington went down. While Chris Carr looked shaky, Webb looked solid in the secondary.
- Ray Rice is a playmaker - He didn’t have enough time to show it today, but Ray Rice is the real deal. He scored the Ravens only touchdown and never gave up all day.
This isn’t a playoff team. In fact, I don’t see how they can win many more games at all if they play like this. The Ravens need to show up big next week, thankfully they play the Browns.
By Zach Wilt, on November 4th, 2009 Chad Ochocinco never stops talking. The invention of Twitter is a perfect outlet for a guy that loves to hear the sound of his own voice.
This week the Ravens trash talk has begun. Here are a few of his tweets.
Domonique Foxworth: “@Foxworth24 Vivica Fox–worth, welcome to Planet Chad Sunday, I am wearing special child please shoes Sunday just for you!!!”
Lardarius Webb: “@LWebb21 I don’t know why you wear #21, you couldn’t cover in a phone booth with the door closed!!! Don’t bother showing up next week”
Terrell Suggs: “@untouchablejay4 hey I’m gonna hit you in your face when your helmet is off!!! Want some get some, purple is for pansies!!!!”
@BmoreDavy shut the front door, purple rain my taco!!! I’m going after the head(Ray Lewis)then the body(rest of team) will follow going down
Fabian Washington: @FABEWASH31 congrats on the win today,,you know what time it is next week, bring an extra set of cleats,you’ll need a pit stop when I’m done
Please Baltimore, shut this guy up.
By Zach Wilt, on November 1st, 2009 After dropping three straight, Baltimore is back in the win column and starting their November off right.
Here are my quick thoughts about the Ravens 30-7 victory over the Broncos.
- Total Domination - Offense, defense, and special teams; the Ravens controlled all aspects of this game against a good, 6-0, Denver team. Our defense held the Broncos to just 7 points, while Baltimore reached the end zone three times.
- Webb is a playmaker - As predicted, Lardarius Webb is exactly the guy the Ravens want returning kicks. He took one for a 95-yard TD to start the second half and in my eyes he should always be back there.
- Well balanced offense – Even though they were held to just six points in the first half, the offense put together a good plan in my opinion. Ray Rice had 23 touches while Joe Flacco spread the ball to Kelley Washington four times, Derrick Mason four times, Mark Clayton three times, and Todd Heap three times.
- Pass Rush = Better Secondary – Don’t think for a second that Domonique Foxworth and company figured things out. The Ravens rattled Kyle Orton, an over rated QB in my book, up front all day long. Particularly, Jarrett Johnson had a huge game by constantly hurrying Orton and sacking him once.
- I’m still not sold on Steve - I’m glad to see Steve Hauschka drain three field goals today, but he was never put in a pressure situation. I think the kid has what it takes, but is still far too unproven for me to feel comfortable.
- BS Calls – I’m in no way buying into the conspiracy theory, but a few calls/missed calls stuck out in my memory. Derrick Mason was clearly held on a critical third down, Michael Oher was called for a bogus unsportsmanlike conduct, and flags were being tossed in five seconds after plays. It in no way costed the Ravens or the Broncos the game, but it was frustrating the watch. This crew should go work baseball.
By Zach Wilt, on October 20th, 2009 Lots of hype today surrounding the Patriots’ release of veteran wide receiver Joey Galloway. At 37 years old, his better days are certainly behind him, but many are asking if he would fit in here in Baltimore.
My answer is a question: “can the guy play cornerback?”
If the answer to that is “no” then I’m not interested. Last time I checked the Ravens offense wasn’t the problem. They put up 31 points last week, while the 28 million dollar man, Domonique Foxworth, and Frank Walker allowed Brett Favre to embarrass the Ravens defense.
I’m assuming that Galloway won’t make the switch.
“Pass.”
By Zach Wilt, on October 19th, 2009 A good quarterback/receiver combo is the Baltimore defense’s krptonite. Brady and the Pats, Palmer and the Bengals, and Favre and the Vikings (still feels weird saying that last one).
This off season, the Ravens spent a lot of money to shut down those combinations. They’ve always had good coverage from Chris McAlister and decent stuff from Samari Rolle, McAlister is out of football and Rolle likely will not return due to health issues.
The Ravens’ answer? Domonique Foxworth. Baltimore brought to University of Maryland native back to Charm City from the Atlanta Falcons. All they had to do was drop $28 million bucks.
I was skeptical when the Ravens dropped $28 million on a guy that no one else seemed to go after. Sure, it was a good story, but I couldn’t figure out why they were so interested since he really didn’t do too much in Atlanta and Denver.
So far their four year investment hasn’t quite paid off. Foxworth is getting torched by wide receivers that are 3-4 inches taller than him. His speed isn’t as bad as Frank Walker‘s, but he’s not making tackles after he gives up catches and he just hasn’t stepped up as the number one guy. Kind of reminds me of #23′s contract.
This year Foxworth has 13 tackles and a pick. New England, Cincinnati, and Minnesota have picked on him as he’s averaged just two tackles in those three games. Sidney Rice has six catches for 176 yards, Chad Ochocinco had 7 receptions for 94 yards, and Randy Moss had three catches and a TD.
The high paid cornerback can’t shut down the high paid wide receiver. Unacceptable.
By Zach Wilt, on October 18th, 2009 The Ravens have an extra week to reflect upon their third heartbreaking loss in a row. Baltimore should have won this game, but don’t be fooled there was nothing good about the way they went down in this 33-31 loss.
- Kick the ball in the end zone - I figured I would start with Steve Hauschka, just in a different way than everyone else. Hauschka was not only brought in to make that 44-yard game winning field goal, but to kick the ball into the end zone. His kick offs in a dome were lackluster and the Vikings had way better field position than they should.
- Our secondary can’t tackle – What does $28 million get you? About 15 missed tackles around the neck by Domonique Foxworth. It’s bad enough that these guys can’t cover anyone, but at least after you get burned make a tackle. None of them did it today, the linebackers had to come down field to clean up after their junk.
- Joe was getting clocked - Flacco had a big hit laid on him just about every drive. His ankles were stepped on twice by Minnesota’s big men up front and he rarely made a throw without getting knocked down. I was impressed with Michael Oher’s performance, despite two false start calls.
- Ray Lewis/Ed Reed were every where - Ed spent the whole day cleaning up after Foxworth and Washington. Ray made some crucial tackles including a nasty sack on Brett Favre deep in Vikings’ territory late in the fourth quarter.
- Ladarius Webb should be returning – Webb returns punts and kicks north to south, he hits seams hard, and I feel like he’s got a chance to break here soon. I never felt that with Chris Carr, so let’s give Webb the job and keep some consistency.
- Clayton/Rice for MVP – Obviously Ray Rice had a hell of game. 2 TD’s, a few nasty stiff arms, you can’t bring that guy down. But, Mark Clayton stepped up this week with three crucial catches and a great leaping snag for a TD.
- Make the kick Steve - Baltimore gave up on the 3rd most accurate kicker in the NFL, Matt Stover, who made a huge field goal in the playoffs just last season, to bring in a kicker who could do exactly what Steve didn’t do today. Granted, you shouldn’t back yourself into that situation, but it will happen. 44 yards is unacceptable to miss, especially given the circumstances.
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