Posted on 03/08/2007 9:36:37 AM PST by Cyclopean Squid
Suckers,ha ha ha......I bet Troy is shaking in his boots now!!
ESPN.com - Jeremy Green's BLOG
Don't cry for the Ravens
Since finishing the 2006 regular season at 13-3 and entering the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the AFC, not much has been going right for the Ravens.
First, there was the 15-6 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round. That was followed by a free agency period that until Thursday had been one to forget. On the surface, it almost appeared the Ravens had gone into this offseason lost and confused, but I don't necessarily buy that theory. If there is one thing GM Ozzie Newsome and head coach Brian Billick have proven since coming to town, it's that they know how to plan their work and work their plan. Thus far, that plan has led to a Super Bowl championship and consistently competitive teams.
The Ravens' offseason losses have been grossly exaggerated. The team opted not to use the franchise tag on star outside linebacker Adalius Thomas, who hit the market and left for the New England Patriots. While Thomas is a great player who I rated as the No. 1 unrestricted free agent on the market, it was defensive coordinator Rex Ryan who put Thomas in a position to succeed. Ryan is the game's best defensive coach, and it was his schemes that moved Thomas all over the field and allowed him to have success in a Ravens uniform. Thomas is a great football player, but the scheme is even better, and the team feels it will be able to replace Thomas with a young, talented player through the draft.
The team also waived long-time starting running back Jamal Lewis, who opted to sign a one-year deal with the division-rival Cleveland Browns. Nobody in Baltimore is going to fret having to face Lewis two times in 2007; he has been average at best since 2003. Lewis averaged 3.4 and 3.6 yards per carry, respectively, during the last two seasons behind an offensive line that was much better than the one the Browns will trot out this season. Lewis can't make defenders miss at this point in his career, so if the Browns don't open up holes for him, that yards-per-carry average will drop once again.
The Ravens reacted quickly to the loss of Lewis by trading for Buffalo RB Willis McGahee, a running back with a lot more versatility than Lewis. McGahee can run inside and outside, is a lot quicker to the hole and can make people miss. It's a huge upgrade for the Ravens, because Lewis was basically a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust runner at this point. He was a sitting duck for tacklers, while McGahee is much more of a moving target.
Baltimore also lost right tackle Tony Pashos to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pashos developed with the Ravens, and it always hurts to lose a guy you have brought a long and turned into a quality starter, but he is not an elite tackle and will be replaced through the draft or with a mid-level free agent like Anthony Clement, Marc Colombo or Jordan Black. While there could be some drop-off, it won't be significant.
The team wanted to bring back starting fullback Ovie Mughelli, but not at the expense of making him the highest-paid fullback to ever play the game. In four NFL seasons, Mughelli has had one productive year, and you can bet the Ravens noticed it came the season before he was set to hit the market. Backup defensive lineman Aubrayo Franklin will be missed some, because of his ability to play every spot along the defensive line, but he has just 40 tackles and one sack in four NFL seasons. Franklin had 17 total tackles last season, and the Ravens have other backup players on the roster who can give them that kind of production.
Last but not least, the decision to cut long-time starting guard Edwin Mulitalo was made a lot easier after Mulitalo finished last season on injured reserve and his replacement, second-year man Jason Brown, stepped in and played solidly.
While it would be very easy to jump on the Ravens-bashing bandwagon for the way their offseason has started, I am not going to go there. It is not unusual for Baltimore to have its roster raided in the offseason, which is what tends to happen to teams that draft good players. The roster has been littered with talent over the last six or seven years, and the Ravens have had success in every round of the draft and with undrafted free agents. Newsome, Billick and their talented staff have been able to find quality football players everywhere. And when you consistently draft as well as the Ravens have, you are eventually going to lose some of those good players simply because you just can't keep and pay everyone.
The Ravens are like the college version of the USC Trojans when it comes to acquiring football players. Some guys might leave a little sooner than you would like, but you can count on them reloading. Watching Baltimore on draft day is like watching USC on national signing day: The overall number of acquisitions might be smaller, but don't be surprised if the Ravens hit on about 95 percent of them.
This team has the best personnel staff in the business, and because of that, you won't see me shedding any tears for the Ravens this offseason. They will reload in the draft and with mid-level free agents once the market settles. Make no mistake about it -- this is still the team to beat in the AFC North
I used to care about Jeremy Green's opinions, until I realized he was wrong on just about everything. I unsubscribed to his ESPN 1st and 15 podcast, and I'm better off for it.
McGahee is not worth three draft picks over two years. He's a running back. RBs are a dime a dozen. The Ravens could have picked up a franchise back with either one of those 3rd round picks.
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