By Zach Wilt, on April 27th, 2012  From what I hear, the NFL Draft continued tonight.
The above statement is based on what I’ve read on Twitter though. After three rounds and two days of coverage, I’m seen a grand total of 00:00 seconds of the draft.
But fear not, I have been catching up on what I missed while I was in freezing out at Camden Yards and I noticed that Ozzie Newsome and company traded up to snag Temple running back Bernard Pierce. After hearing for the last 24 hours how much the Ravens value each and every pick, I found it interesting that they would give up their 91st and 164th picks to the Falcons for the 84th to select Pierce.
They must really think he’s a righteous dude.
The Ravens tweeted that Newsome “wanted to ensure they got him” and he called Pierce “a one-cut runner with some size.”
Through some more research, I learned tonight that Pierce was the centerpiece of Temple’s offense and he ran for a total of 3,570 yards and 53 touchdown in his three years in college. He appears to be a back that, at least for the time being, will help the Ravens in the red zone and in short yardage situations.
But what about as a replacement for Ray Rice?
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By Zach Wilt, on April 27th, 2012  On Thursday, Ozzie Newsome traded the Baltimore Ravens first round pick for the third time in franchise history. Baltimore traded back in 2004 and in 2010 and selected Oregon State defensive tackle Dwan Edwards and Texas linebacker Sergio Kindle with their second round picks.
Edwards now plays in Buffalo and Kindle is slowly working his way back after an NFL career defined by off the field setbacks.
But the local media is optimistic about the Ravens options with some strong targets still available. Wisconsin center Peter Konz, Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw and Georgia guard Cordy Glenn are still on the board when the second round begins tonight.
After the Ravens announced their trade with the Vikings, wide receiver Torrey Smith tweeted that he had a hunch Newsome would hold out until the second round. ”I knew we were gonna trade out of the second round….I thought we were gonna get that backer from bama..as soon as he got picked trade haha,” Smith posted on Twitter.
I think he meant “trade back to” not “trade out of,” but you get it.
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By Zach Wilt, on April 27th, 2012  I didn’t watch a second of the NFL Draft and it turns out I didn’t miss a thing. When the 29th pick rolled around and it was the Ravens turn to draft, they traded down and the Vikings rook first round pick for a second and fourth rounder.
Hopefully you got the watch both Community and the Orioles sweeping the Blue Jays tonight.
Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome called the move “good business” in his post-non-draft-pick press conference. ”There were a couple players where we thought we could trade up, but it can get expensive,” Newsome said. ”We felt better about going back.
As Jason Butt at CBS Sports points out, with the 35th overall pick the Ravens could still select Wisconsin C Peter Konz, Alabama OLB Courtney Upshaw, Georgia OG Cordy Glenn, Georgia Tech WR Stephen Hill or Stanford OT Jonathan Martin.
The best news of all?
If you haven’t listened to this week’s BSR Podcast with our NFL Draft preview, it’s still relevant.
By Zach Wilt, on April 24th, 2012  If you’re interested in donating to the Baltimore Ravens, please make your checks payable to Ravens Salary Cap Relief Fund and send them to:
1 Winning Drive
Owings Mills, MD 21117
I don’t know if fan donations can help cure salary cap quandaries, but the Ravens could use just about anything they can get right now.
Aaron Wilson tweeted on Monday that the Ravens are just $1.653 million under the 2012 salary cap which is obviously making their long-term negotiations with Joe Flacco and Ray Rice difficult. Of course, Rice isn’t making it any easier. He still hasn’t signed his $7.7 million franchise tender.
We’ve heard that negotiations with Flacco were going rather swimmingly, while Rice was frustrated with the negotiations process.
By Zach Wilt, on March 23rd, 2012  The Ravens finally made a move outside of re-signing Matt Birk.
Special teams player Corey Graham has signed with the Baltimore Ravens on a two-year contract according to a tweet from Aaron Wilson at the Carroll County Times.
Graham was a Pro Bowler in 2012 who joins former Bears special teamer Brendon Ayanbadejo. Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune predicts that he will be given a chance to contribute more on Baltimore’s defense than he did in Chicago.
“I believe it’s a better situation for me and a better opportunity with a fresh start,” Graham told Biggs.
At 26-years-old, Graham enters his sixth year in the league. He recorded three interceptions and forced a fumble last season.
By Zach Wilt, on March 21st, 2012  While the Ravens have lost Cory Redding, Tom Zbikowski, Jarrett Johnson, Haruki Nakamura and Ben Grubbs this offseason, their biggest signing has been center Matt Birk.
On Tuesday the Ravens hosted free agent defensive end Mark Anderson before he signed with the Buffalo Bills. Anderson spent 2011 with the New England Patriots and racked up 12 1/2 sacks in 19 games. The 28-year-old pass rusher appeared to be a good fit to replace Redding and support Terrell Suggs in putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
For whatever reason, the Ravens let Anderson leave the Castle without a contract and he signed a deal with Buffalo. Tony Lombardi of Ravens24x7.com wondered if Ozzie Newsome low balled Anderson.
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By Dave Gilmore, on March 20th, 2012  The NFL is benevolent socialism in a vacuum. Most people understand this, but few fans encourage their teams to act on it. Perhaps the fact that our country fought a 50-year Cold War against socialism that many fans still remember makes it hard to embrace this reality. It’s a shame really, because exploiting the cheapest labor possible at every position under the salary cap is exactly how you weather a system that knocks everybody down to the middle eventually.
As the first wave of free agency transactions have come and gone, the Ravens find themselves poached of some of their (previously) most efficient talent. Fans are upset, naturally, at the loss of integral pieces to the puzzle such as Jarret Johnson and Cory Redding. But the way the NFL is structured, losing players to the free market can often help a team more than it hurts.
I appreciate Johnson, Redding, Ben Grubbs, Tom Zbikowski, and the other players lost and leaving for their contributions. As newly signed free agents, they are all likely overpaid. Good for them, and good for the Ravens for not entering bidding wars to maintain the status quo.
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By Justin Ford, on March 19th, 2012 The Ravens have always employed the ‘best player available’ philosophy in the NFL Draft and there is no reason to believe they will waiver from that strategy this year. Over the next month and a half I will be posting about players I believe the Ravens are or should be targeting in the draft. Now, Boston College’s Luke Kuechly.
Luke Keuchly
POSITION – Inside Linebacker
COLLEGE – Boston College
HEIGHT – 6’3
WEIGHT – 237
- Kuechly is a technician. He Diagnoses plays extremely quickly and then takes decisive angles at the ball carrier.
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By Justin Ford, on March 15th, 2012  The Ravens have always employed the ‘best player available’ philosophy in the NFL Draft and there is no reason to believe they will waiver from that strategy this year. Over the next month and a half I will be posting about players I believe the Ravens are or should be targeting in the draft. First up, Georgia Tech’s Stephen Hill.
Stephen Hill
Position: Wide Receiver
College: Georgia Tech
Height: 6′ 4″
Weight: 215
- Ozzie Newsome said it himself at the “State of the Ravens” address: he will look to improve the team at wide receiver this off-season. The Ravens have their possession wideout in Anquan Boldin and their deep guy in Torrey Smith, but what they are missing is their ‘big’ receiver. Stephen Hill stands 6′ 4″ and weighed in officially, at 214 pounds.
- His game tape shows exceptional hands. He often makes plays above the head of the defensive back, which is referred to as ‘going up the ladder’. He makes all his catches with his hands and away from his body, as opposed to trying to trap the ball against his chest.
- Hill’s speed is a questionable area. He blazed at the combine, running a 4.31 forty, which was best among all wide receivers, but his game tape does not suggest he plays at that speed. He has more build up speed, he gains momentum as he continues to run, as opposed to just blow you off the line speed like Mike Wallace possesses.
- Hill played in the triple option offense at Georgia Tech so he could have some issues translating to an NFL playbook early. While I don’t share the concern that he will have problem learning the route tree, I think Hill will struggle more with “on the fly” or “option” reads. Contrary to what the Madden video game would have you believe, there are very few NFL passing games that have routes set in stone. Wide receivers need to read the defense, see the same thing the quarterback sees and adjust accordingly. This will be Hill’s biggest obstacle in his rookie season.
Outlook: Stephen Hill is a talented wideout with all the physical tools to succeed in the NFL. He will struggle with certain aspects of the NFL game, but what rookie doesn’t? The Ravens would be lucky to find Stephen Hill still on the board come pick 29.
Justin Ford lives in Carroll County, MD. He has been playing and coaching football for 13 years. Follow him on Twitter- @JRFord0
By Zach Wilt, on March 8th, 2012  Ozzie Newsome must not be on Twitter.
The Ravens general manager was asked at the NFL Combine if he would consider Peyton manning when he became available and according to Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com, “Newsome just laughed.”
Much like I did when I saw Ravens fan’s reactions on Twitter.
“Joe’s under contract for a year and we’ve already gone on record to say Joe Flacco will be our quarterback. If he does get hurt then we like Tyrod Taylor,” Newsome told Downing.
As Matt Lund and I mentioned on the BSR Podcast, just about every GM in the NFL will certainly pick up the phone and find out what it will take to bring Manning to their city. I would even expect Newsome to do so, but he knows the answer and the Ravens are confident in the direction of their team with Joe Flacco under center.
Sorry Coleman.
By Zach Wilt, on February 27th, 2012  Last week I wrote that the Ravens should part ways with failed draft pick Sergio Kindle. You know Kindle’s story; he was the Ravens first pick in the 2009 NFL draft, but didn’t play a game until 2011 after he fractured his skull from a fall down two flights of stairs.
Just a few weeks ago, John Harbaugh told the media that Kindle struggled to learn the Ravens defense, which kept him off the field for the majority of 2011.
Admittedly, I don’t think the Ravens will ever get any production from Kindle, but their general manager doesn’t agree. “We’re looking forward to Serg being part of the offseason program,” Newsome said Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine according to Ryan Mink at BaltimoreRavens.com. “It starts from Day One, being part of the offseason program, go through the OTAs and the minicamp.”
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By Zach Wilt, on February 21st, 2012  The Ravens have rarely been a team that addresses their needs via a big free agent acquisition. Ozzie Newsome isn’t the type to overpay for that missing piece.
With some big names available this offseason, it’s hard to ignore the possibility of Newsome making some moves to improve the Ravens offensive line, wide receivers and pass rush.
Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network told Ryan Mink at BaltimoreRavens.com that he doesn’t expect the Ravens to make any “huge splashes in free agency.”
La Canfora did have some bargains at wide receiver that he could see Baltimore pursuing.
But when it comes to centers and pass rushers, he doesn’t see a good fit.
At center, there are some big names such as San Diego’s Nick Hardwick, Houston’s Chris Myers and Green Bay’s Scott Wells. They might command more than Baltimore’s willing to spend.
“I see them probably drafting a center,” La Canfora said. “I don’t know that there’s going to be someone out there that makes more sense than going that route.”
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By Zach Wilt, on February 21st, 2012  By far the Ravens biggest concern this offseason is re-signing Ray Rice. I’m a Flacco fan, I was impressed with his play during the postseason and think he deserves an extension — not top five QB money — but Rice is the heartbeat of this team.
Right now, Rice sits atop the league as one of the top three running backs. At 25 years old, it’s hard to imagine a day in which defenses will begin to slow him down.
But it is going to happen. The harsh reality is that the Ravens probably have maybe three solid seasons left with Rice before we start to say a decline in his performance. Rice has rushed for over 1,200 yards in three straight seasons and is a pivotal part in the Ravens pass attack. He’s a different type of back.
But like Jamison Hensley at ESPN.com, I wouldn’t give him the seven-year, $100 million deal that the Minnesota Vikings gave Adrian Peterson. I tend to side with Tony Lombardi of Ravens24x7.com and think that Ozzie Newsome should use the franchise tag on Rice for not only 2012, but also in 2013.
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By Zach Wilt, on February 3rd, 2012  Well the Ravens have their man. The team announced on Thursday afternoon that Don Martindale will be Baltimore’s new linebackers coach. Martindale replaces Dean Pees who was promoted to defensive coordinator after Chuck Pagano left to coach the Colts.
We all should have known that Jack Del Rio wouldn’t reunite with the Ravens. I cited “different eras” as my reasoning when first discussing candidates to replace Pagano. Del Rio came from the Brian Billick era Ravens, a team and method that the front office and ownership have decided to put behind them.
Martindale comes to Baltimore with 18 years of coaching experience in both the NFL and at the college level. Not surprisingly, he was on Jack Harbaugh’s coaching staff at Western Kentucky.
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By Zach Wilt, on February 2nd, 2012  The Ravens were one play away from playing this Sunday in Indianapolis. All Lee Evans has to do is fall down with the ball and it’s a Super Bowl 35 not a Super Bowl 42 rematch.
But Evans dropped the ball and Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal that killed the Ravens chances of sending the AFC Championship to overtime. It still stings just typing it.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti met with the media for his annual State of the Ravens press conference and even he acknowledged the painful loss. ”I’m not over it,” he said. ”Hold onto a ball. I mean that’s where it was this year.”
After reading the quotes and watching the press conference I’ve come to the conclusion that Bisciotti and the Ravens front office really believe that this is a championship caliber team. Bisciotti is content with this coaching staff and the talent on the field. He believes in Cam Cameron and thinks Joe Flacco will win multiple rings.
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