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Position: Safety Analysis: Six time Pro Bowler. AP Defensive Player of the Year (2004). USA Today All-Decade Team member. 13 career defensive touchdowns. What can you say about Ed Reed to a Ravens fan that they don’t already know? The future hall of fame safety has earned his nickname, the ball hawk, in his 9 seasons in the National Football League. READ MORE >>> Position: Cornerback Analysis: Chris Carr was signed by the Baltimore Ravens prior to the 2009 season to add depth in the secondary and to be the primary punt returner, a role he excelled in during his time with the Tennessee Titans. Carr performance with the Ravens in 2009 was a disappointment. Early in the season he was tentative in the return game and soft in coverage. As the season progressed Carr was more decisive returning kicks, but contributed few big plays. Carr also saw more time at corner as the season wore on. Injuries to Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb ultimately forced Carr into the starting line-up on defense. Carr turned in his best defensive performance in the play-off win at New England, but he left fans craving for better play after an up and down year. READ MORE >>> Position: Safety Analysis: In 2009, Dawan Landry made a strong comeback from the spinal cord contusion that sidelined him for all but 2 games of the 2008 season. Landry did take a few weeks to knock the rust off, but by the end of ’09 his level of play had risen to match his early career. Landry was tied for the team lead in picks last year with four and passes defended with eleven. He also was 2nd on the team in tackles with 82. Landry is most valuable as a run stuffing safety. He is a physical presence who likes to hit. Landry’s range in pass coverage is average, but he is an intelligent, disciplined player who is rarely out of position. READ MORE >>> Position: Running Back Analysis: Ray Rice is a small, but strong running back that took over the starting job from Willis McGahee in 2009. Rice was second in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage last season, gaining 2,041, over 1,300 of which were on the ground. He’s certainly been used in every offensive situation in his short career to this point. Rice will continue to his strength and quickness to excel on offense. Position: Strong Safety Analysis: Toughness is what comes to most people’s minds when thinking about Tom Zbikowski. He is a fighter. He plays all out to the point of being borderline reckless. He’s the man. He also plays behind the great Ed Reed. At times, it is easy to wonder if there is a great talent wasting away on the bench. READ MORE >>> Position: Cornerback When it comes to Fabian Washington, it’s hard to say if it is disappointment in him or disappointment in the front office. It’s not that he is a bad player, it’s probably more that he isn’t a shutdown corner. 2009 was a season where Fabian was exposed for the first half of the season. It seemed like he was getting beat all over the place. It was so bad in Minnesota that he was actually benched in favor of Frank Walker. Seriously. Frank Walker. READ MORE >>> Position: Cornerback Analysis: It is beginning to look like the Ravens scored a significant coup when they signed Cary Williams late in the 2009, after he was released by the Tennessee Titans. Williams looks to be developing into a player that can be a factor in the Ravens secondary. Williams is definitely the biggest corner the Ravens have. Williams’ size allows him to cover both slot receivers as well as receivers lined up on the outside of formations. Williams displays a knack for special teams play and is improving at being a physical man-to man corner. READ MORE >>> Position: Running Back Analysis: Matt Lawrence is one of thos scrappy players that know how to work had and be valuable. Although, he is listed as a running back, Lawrence provided the Ravens with heads up play in special teams last season. He did contribute on a few plays from scrimmage but it was mostly in mop-up duty. READ MORE >>> Position: Fullback Analysis: The two-time Pro Bowler took a big step back statistically in 2009 after rushing for a career-high 902 yards on 232 carries and 10 touchdowns in 2008. This was mostly due to the fact that he reverted back to being a full-time fullback instead of a running back, which resulted in him only carrying the ball 46 times for just 180 yards. READ MORE >>> Position: Cornerback Analysis: Doug Dutch was a WR turned CB coming out Michigan. After being highly recruited in high school, his play Michigan left many fans wondering what might have been. Dutch still found a way into the Redskins Training Camp in 2009, but ended up being a roster casualty. READ MORE >>> Position: Running Back Analysis: Running back Jalen Parmele is returning for his third professional season, second full season with Baltimore. In 2009, he finished the season with seven special teams tackles and served as the Ravens kick off returner on several occasions. READ MORE >>> Position: Defensive Back Analysis: Rookie defensive back Brad Jones was signed by the Ravens on August 14 after the club waived long snapper Matt Katula. Jones tried out for the Cleveland Browns in the spring and was signed by Baltimore after participating in minicamp in a tryout. Position: Cornerback Analysis: Hawkins was signed by the Ravens just a few weeks ago after being cut loose by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was not drafted coming out of LSU. He adds another body to look at in the secondary, as the cornerback position has been universally hailed as the team’s weak spot. He has made five tackles, defensed one pass and downed one punt on special teams in two preseason games. Position: Fullback Analysis: Rookie fullback Mike McLaughlin was signed by the Ravens immediately after the 2010 draft. He was scouted by several other NFL teams, but Baltimore had a clear interest in the free agent rookie linebacker and was immediately converted to play fullback. READ MORE >>> Position: Safety Anlaysis: K.J. is entering into his second season with the Ravens, yet there is still not much information to draw from. Gerard made the practice squad coming out of camp and spent the 1st half of the season on it. He was finally placed on the active roster sometime in November and was primarily a special teams player. READ MORE >>> |
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