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 July 8th, 2009
By Zach Wilt, on March 17th, 2009 It’s real easy to fall behind on football news during the off season unless you really try to keep up with it. Have no fear BSR is here.
Yesterday the Ravens officially cut cornerback Samari Rolle. It was a move that was good for both Rolle and the Ravens. Rolle told reporters that he felt like he was not wanted in Baltimore anymore. He was plagued with injuries throughout his career, but was well respected in the locker room.
Last week wide receiver Derrick Mason asked the Ravens for a contract extension. The 35-year-old played hurt most of last season, but was Joe Flacco‘s number one target last year.
Today, the Ravens are expected to announce a deal with cornerback Chris Carr for 2-years and $5 million. Carr is a 25-year-old free agent from Tennessee and will most likely be the Ravens kick returner in 2009.
The Ravens also cut linebacker Nick Greisen three days ago. Without him the Ravens still have four inside linebackers. The move will save the team saves $716,000.
As a side note, the Rams released wide receiver Torry Holt. Many expect the Ravens to be a front runner for Holt, though I expect them to draft a wide receiver.
By Zach Wilt, on March 5th, 2009 The Ravens have had quite an eventful off season this year. But should we be worried about their future? In my mind there are a lot of question marks the Ravens face going into 2009. In Ozzie we trust though, right.
Here’s a brief summary of what has gone on:
Looking to the list above I can tell you two losses that I’m not worried about. Both of them went to the Jets. Bart Scott was way over paid in New York and Jim Leonhard was a good fill in for Dawan Landry, but is nothing more than that. Don’t worry about these two Baltimore. Players like this come and go in this town, they get their big deals (and good for them) but you won’t hear their names again.
They are the Jamie Sharpers, the Duane Starks, the Ed Hartwells, and Adalius Thomases. Highly paid, but they’re system guys. You take them out of the Ravens’ system and you’ll see the kind of puzzle piece players that that they really are.
What I am worried about is Domonique Foxworth, a cornerback that Atlanta and Denver seemed to give up on and a guy the Ravens lovingly tossed 27 million dollars to. How is this guy going to do matched up one-on-one with Hines Ward twice a year? Because he certainly doesn’t seem to be the second coming of C-Mac.
The Ravens have also run Samari Rolle out of town. “Honestly, I don’t want to play in Baltimore anymore because I feel I’m not wanted,” Rolle said. The 32 year old cornerback has caught a lot of heat from some fans because he’s been burned a few times. I’ve always challenged that by wondering whether Ed Reed left him high and dry trying to make the play of the week. Though you’d never hear him say that. Last year he thought Fabian Washington came to replace him, now its Foxworth.
And what about Matt Birk? The Ravens obviously couldn’t afford to give a center $37.5 million dollars. But they were able to give a 32 year old 12 million over 3 years. I’m not saying that signing a 6 time Pro Bowler is a bad idea, but I’m just a little skeptical.
Finally, Mr. Baltimore, Ray Lewis, is back. Unfortunately for him, no star on his helmet. The length and terms of the deal have not been released yet, but Ozzie told the press that Ray can “retire as a Raven.” We’ve heard all kinds of rumors about the deal. Despite his history here, I just hope the Ravens didn’t break the bank on a 34 year old tattered linebacker.
So what do you think? Are you still following Ozzie blindly, or are you starting to feel a little uncomfortable like me?
By Zach Wilt, on February 27th, 2009 For years in Baltimore, the purple and black clad faithful have clamored for one thing: a quarterback whose jersey they can feel safe purchasing. After years of amending Zeier, Grbac, Banks and Boller jerseys with duct tape and magic marker, Ravens fans have found their man in Joe Flacco.
“Now get ‘im some weapons!” their cries echo through the talk radio and message boards.
Don’t get me wrong, the Ravens have never had a wideout even worth sniffing the early rounds of any fantasy draft. It would be nice to see a Reggie Wayne or Andre Johnson streaking down the sidelines of M&T Bank Stadium, surely. However, when you take a look at the AFC North in 2008, it seems apparent that sticking to their guns may be what keeps the momentum of the surprising 11-5 2008 season going.
In an interesting case of perception vs. reality, regardless of its reputation of a hard-nosed, mud-faced, cold weather division, the AFC North is pass-happy.
In 2008, despite an injured Carson Palmer and a no-show season from Chad Johnson, the Bengals still threw the ball 55% of the time. The Browns chucked it on 54% of their snaps. The Super Bowl champs? Well, even though their reputation, like the Ravens, speaks to three yards and a cloud of dust, the Steelers actually passed the ball 52% of the time.
The Ravens, in fact, are the only team honoring the North’s reputation as The Other Black and Blue (with the original mantle going to the NFC North, naturally). Baltimore passed the ball just 42% of the time, which is remarkably low not just for the AFC North but for the modern era of the NFL. Granted, this is largely in part to having a rookie quarterback at the helm (by comparison, the Atlanta Falcons’ rookie Matt Ryan and threw the ball 46% of the time, which also can be traced to having one of the best rushers in the game in Michael Turner). Still, the Ravens’ meal ticket was the three-headed monster of McClain, McGahee and Rice. Now, in ’09 the attack may break down differently (I’d like to see more touches for Rice), but philosophically, the Ravens are the lone wolf (or bird) in their division when it comes to old school football.
So what does this all mean? Well, for one, Cam Cameron might as well be using be using Brian Billick’s old stationary, which reads “Former Offensive Pass Guru Turned Woody Hayes Enthusiast.” Secondly, and more importantly, it means that in the AFC North there is a clear rift in the economics of moving the chains.
While this year’s free agent market is a thin one, there are still going to be pass-catchers on the market. The temptation, and the pressure, will be there to ink a commodity name wearing a number in the 80s. If the Ravens are unable to sway a receiver from the open market, the pressure will intensify to grab one in April’s draft. With an especially deep receiver class the temptation will certainly be there to select one in the first two rounds. But we’ve been there before. Taking receivers early means big money, and more importantly big expectations (anyone seen Travis Taylor lately?)
Nobody is claiming that Derrick Mason is a spring chicken, but he is extremely reliable. Like Marvin Harrison before him, the man has made a heck of a career of turning around and catching the football consistently. His ability to stay healthy and limit drops on the safe routes has been and will be crucial in Flacco’s development. For now, the inconsistently explosive Mark Clayton will have to be the Big Play Guy. There may be better number three guys in the league than Demetrius Williams, but there are certainly worse. All in all, it’s not an outstanding corps of receivers, but one you could survive on. Throw a late round pick into the mix, a dollop of Heap and a dash of Yamon Figurs for good measure, and you have a pretty good pass-catching group for a team that never passes. You can’t get A’s in every subject in the NFL. Somewhere, you have to sacrifice resources. With the Browns and Bengals, hopelessly trying to pass their way to the top of the North, they are sacrificing not only their ability to control the clock by running the football, they are exposing themselves defensively.
The other thing that this lopsided offensive mindset in the AFC North means is that there is an absolute premium on the ability to defend the pass. The priority on inking Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, and/or Bart Scott is noble, but it is clear that to win in this division you had better be ready to defend the past. With Chris McAlister unceremoniously shuffled out the back door and Samari Rolle not far behind, the Ravens most pressing rebuilding needs to happen in the secondary. The amount of free agent d-backs worth their salt will not be great, and rookie corners have a hit-and-miss record. This makes the decision to let breakout safety Jim Leonhard slide into the free agent pool a frustrating one. Granted, there won’t be a penny leftover if the Ravens are able to re-sign Lewis, but with everyone else attempting to air it out, wouldn’t it make sense to specialize in stopping the pass?
Warren Buffet once said, “You cannot buy what is popular and do well.” In a division where teams are overpaying due to demand for receiving, I’d heed Mr. Buffet’s advice.
By Zach Wilt, on January 12th, 2009 Let’s start this post with a little list:
- Terrell Suggs (shoulder sprain)
- Samari Rolle (groin)
- Jim Leonhard (head concussion)
- Fabian Washington (shoulder stinger)
17 straight weeks of football is starting to show and even in the interviews after the game you could tell that the Ravens are exhausted from a long season. While they do have a “bye-day” this week, meaning that they have 8 days before the AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh, they still travel to face their well rested divisional rival Steelers who steam rolled over the Chargers last night.
Let’s hope that this game is more about momentum and less about who is more well rested.
By Zach Wilt, on January 11th, 2009 If you’re a Ravens fan who sat on the edge of your seat during their victory over the Titans yesterday evening you have to like the little things that the Ravens did to defeat the top seeded Titans.
The Ravens discipline through rookie Head Coach John Harbaugh has shined through all year long. It really showed up against the Titans yesterday. With only 8 penalties for 40 yards the Ravens out matched the Titans with their 12 penalties for 89 yards. It should be noted that the Ravens had zero personal foul penalties while Tennessee recorded a couple.
John Harbaugh’s challenge of the completed pass to Bo Scaife backed up a Titans field goal chance from Baltimore’s 28 yard line to their 33. While it was simply 5 yards, this made the difference as Rob Bironas missed the 51 yard field goal early in the 3rd quarter. Smart challenge coach.
The controversial delay of game that was not called against the Ravens allowed for a deep pass from Joe Flacco to Todd Heap that would set up Matt Stover’s 43 yard game winning field goal. The call was very close, but went in the Ravens favor.
Finally, the Ravens really won this game because they won (yet again) the turnover battle. Jarrett Johnson forced a fumble on Lendale White on the Ravens 22 yard line which was recovered by Jim Leonhard. Then in the 4th quarter Alge Crumpler fumbled on the Ravens 13 yard line and turned the ball over again. The Titans fumbled 5 times and lost 2 of them. Kerry Collins also threw an inteception to Samari Rolle.
If the Ravens continue to do the little things right a trip to Tampa is in the works.
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