TL,
These next few months will be extremely tenuous, seeing that "His Airness" will incite a renewed "team" commitment just by being present. I am one who is certainly excited to have Steve with the Ravens, however, I don’t and will not be one to jump on the "see ya later Kyle, bus." The two morning "N’er do wells" on WNST [Terry and Drew] have done something I never thought possible. They’ve joined Mike Preston in the "never been cleaned outhouse." What they totally over looked is that Kyle, unlike most other one time rookie QB’s, had NO veteran presence to learn from!
My cautious optimism rides on the fact that even if Kyle carries a clip board for a year, he will grow phenomenally! Once his learning period matures, WOW!!! This guy could very well blossom in to a fantastic QB.
Kevin, Owings Mills
Kevin,
I won’t speak for Terry and Drew but I do think that where Kyle falls will be somewhere between your expectation levels and that which you described for them. While I do believe that he will benefit from the unofficial NFL mentoring program now that McNair is here, I don’t ever see him being great. I hope that he proves me wrong and you right because it’s difficult not to like Kyle Boller. He has great character and deserves success.
I do believe he will be better as a result of sitting back and observing. That coupled with his game experience, should provide the foundation for greater productivity once he has a chance to start again. I hope both happen while he’s a member of the Ravens.
Here’s to perseverance,
TL
WAYNE’S WORLD
Hey TL,
I just wanted to say a couple of things. First, I am thrilled about McNair coming. While I’m trying not to get my hopes up too high, I do hope that we can put points on the board and show other teams that we can be competitive. I just think that he improves this team in so many ways. The first thing I think of is, I can’t imagine the offense dealing with the consistent pass rushing and seeing 8 men in the box as in the past. Regardless of how old or how beat up McNair is, he’s a 3x time Pro Bowl and a former Co- MVP and he will allow defenses to stay honest. The fans have already embraced him, as I went to the O’s game on 6/8 and saw McNair throw out the first pitch. I was SHOCKED, to say the least, yet happy for him to see that the fans want him here.
Also, I wanted to commend you on your bantering with Wayne from Halethorpe. I was confused, was he a Browns fan or a Steelers fan? Although the Steelers are the SB XL champs, the Ravens play them hard every year. I’m sick of people acting as though they are unbeatable. In fact, since Billick has been HC here, the score has been pretty close overall for both the wins and losses for the Ravens/Steelers. I wonder if the same people kissing their butt now were as sure about them when they were 7-5 and needed to run the table. Please save it for someone who actually cares.
Nothing else to say except it should be exciting this season. Hopefully, McNair can take us to the Promised Land. But I don’t wanna jinx it. So I’ll stay conservative…. for now
Syreeta, Baltimore
Syreeta,
During the last three seasons, the Ravens are 19-5 when they score 20 points or more. Last year they scored 20 points or more only 3 times while averaging a little more than 16 ½ points per game.
Do you think Steve McNair can at least change that? Do you think he’s worth 3 ½ points per game to the Ravens? Even on a weak Titans team last year, McNair averaged nearly 20 ½ points when he started and finished a game. I personally think he’s worth 3 ½ points per game. He might be worth 3 points per game to the defense! He could help them play with a lead more than they are accustomed to. He might enable them to render opposing offenses one-dimensional. I’d certainly like to see what Rex Ryan’s defense could do when they know the opponent has to throw.
As for Wayne, I’m having a difficult time myself trying to determine where his loyalties lie. Where I am with him today is that he loves the NFL and I think he likes every team in the AFC North except Cincinnati and that he doesn’t care for Brian Billick.
I admire his passion and following this response, there’s more from Wayne!
Can you feel it in the “Air” tonight?
Hold on,
TL
WW PART II
Mr. Lombardi,
Good evening, it is my pleasure to be able to chat with you again. And I must say that I am quite pleased to hear that Steve McNair will finally be joining the Ravens. (pending physical) I had my doubts the way Tennessee was playing games lately. It will be the first time in a long time that the team has a "Legitimate" quarterback that has a great track record and who I believe still has at least 2 or 3 (maybe more) good years left. (barring injury of course).
It certainly should make the Ravens a bonafide contender at least for a possible
playoff spot if all the pieces come together and the prime players can stay injury free. So, it should be a two team race now for a playoff spot between the Ravens and Steelers. McNair has been there before and had the "presence" it takes to know what to do and when to do it. Now, if the O line can jell and do the job in giving him the time and protection he needs, it will be a work of art to watch unfold.
I am sure that Derrick Mason is happy to be able to hook up again with McNair. They used to be a great combo. At the very least, the team should be far more competitive and have a reasonable chance now when before they did not. I wish them a very good year and I will now be more excited about the outcome of the season.
Thanks for allowing my discussion.
Wayne (Halethorpe)
Wayne,
I’m having a difficult time determining where you loyalties lie so for the time being, I’ll just consider you a fan that enjoys the NFL.
I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the Bengals though. While I do believe their season could tank early if Carson Palmer isn’t ready to go, you can’t count them out just yet although I would admit that besides Palmer, Marvin Lewis has some other issues to deal with that could be divisive if not handled properly.
The AFC North overall certainly provides intrigue. You could make the argument that the Steelers and Bengals have come back to the pack a bit and the Ravens and Browns have stepped up. Ten wins could win this division.
As for D-Mase, I admire his professionalism throughout the Ravens’ courtship of McNair. He’s stood by Boller despite 8 years of experience and friendship with McNair. Given a very inquisitive media, Mason’s support of Boller and subsequently his support of the organization speaks to the character of No. 85.
McNair to Mason…….TOUCHDOWN!
TL
I COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EYES
TL,
Are my eyes deceiving me or did Steve McNair throw out the first pitch for the O’s last night? The SUN has a picture of McNair in an Orioles jersey throwing a baseball but there is astoundingly nothing mentioned of it in print. Is it true? If so, I think the press is underestimating a monumental event that could lead to a fruitful partnership. Has Angelos finally wised up and acknowledged the cities other beloved birds?
JD, York, PA
JD,
You are giving Peter Angelos far too much credit. Let’s just call the first pitch from McNair what it is – an act of desperation. When 7,000 fans show up night after night (except when the Yankees or Red Sox are in town), eventually humility will set in. Maybe it has for the Orioles. I’ll believe it when they put Baltimore on the road jerseys. Then I won’t believe McNair’s first pitch was just some cheap opportunistic publicity stunt and that maybe the act was part of a genuine attempt to foster a harmonious relationship between the franchises.
Peace, love and Prozac for Pete,
TL
BE A PRUDE?
TL,
You mention [in your mini-camp report] that Ronnie Prude was basically the starting nickel back [Thursday] and Winborne is starting at the opposite S position to Ed Reed. Are they just rotating in Ivy, Prude, Martin, and Pittman at NB to get everyone reps against the ones or is Prude leading the race [right now] for NB? Same thing with Cody/Johnson at rush DE? And is Winborne actually looking good out there, or are they trying to make younger guys like Ward and Landry earn that position and take it from him? Thanks.
Sincerely,
John Staniewicz
John,
Prude has played well and he is the early favorite to stick from the group of UDFA’s in my opinion. Whether he’s the starting nickel, well there’s much ground to cover between now and Sept 10. The team is rotating several young DB’s right now to get them use to the play calling and help them to build on these practices for the next mini camp and then training camp.
The situation with Cody is different. They are easing him in. I’ve seen Cody chatting with JJ between plays, picking his brain. JJ is solid and a great team guy. I recall watching AD take time out for JJ last year. Perhaps JJ will do the same for Cody.
Winborne hasn’t done anything noticeably good or bad. Ward has the making of a playmaker but they’ll have to challenge him mentally. I think he has the skills but he is a bit free spirited and I can see where the team might test his commitment and resolve with a little gamesmanship.
Personally, I like Landry a lot. I can’t wait to see what he does when they go at it with pads during full contact drills. When I spoke to Chan Gailey his coach at GT, he compared Landry to John Lynch. Overall, I like the youthfulness and the athleticism of this secondary over that of last year’s squad. Experience is the missing ingredient. We’ll see how they travel the maturation curve.
To getting younger and better,
TL
TOO HARSH ON BOLLER
TL,
In your most recent Lombardi’s Way, you write: “Boller has been a failure and a very good defense has seen three years stripped away from their collective careers in the process.”
A rather harsh statement, don’t you think? Sounds like something Ray Lewis’s agent would say. I say bologna!
- Three years would be 2003, 2004, and 2005. The franchise won its only division championship in 2003.
- The last win on the road came against the New York Jets in overtime, courtesy of a Boller-led field goal winning drive including pinpoint passes to Kevin Johnson and Travis Taylor in that drive.
- The home loss to the Bengals in 2004 that arguably cost the team its play-off berth was courtesy of the “very good defense”. Remember Gary Baxter and Chris McAlister lost total focus in the 4th quarter, but our young QB did lead the team to a potential game winning field goal in the closing minutes that day, only to watch the defense melt down.
You get no argument from me that this team is improved with McNair at QB, but I do not agree that Boller has been a failure. The team does have a winning record in games that he has started. A small part of me hopes that McNair doesn’t come here. I’d love nothing more than to see this kid take the job to the next level.
Eric, Owings Mills
Eric,
I’m with you in your desires for future success for Boller. He’s worked hard, he studies tape for hours, he’s been the consummate teammate and he’s willing to accept responsibility for his failures yet redirect praise and accolades during those rare occasions when they are tossed his way. I’d love to see him be the guy sometime in the future.
But the reality of the situation – the reality of his career thus far in my opinion is that he has been a failure. That 2003 division championship that you mention was courtesy of the defense. You will recall that Boller’s season was cut short after injuring his leg against St. Louis. Anthony Wright “guided” that team to the divisional title. In 2004 and 2005, the Ravens defense was ranked in the Top 5. In 2005 they were the only team in the top 6 ranked defenses not to make the playoffs!
Look a franchise quarterback is supposed to lead fourth quarter comebacks on the road. A franchise quarterback is supposed to win on the road period! His road record is abysmal. A franchise quarterback has to have a QB rating better than 70 over 3 seasons. Where’s the improvement? Where’s the consistency? And you can’t deny that he’s a franchise QB. They spent a No. 1 and a No. 2 on him. Measure that against a No. 4 for McNair. Even for 2 or 3 seasons that looks like a bargain, relatively speaking.
Some will point to Boller’s record as a starter (18-16) and say that isn’t bad. Well when you consistently have a Top 5 defense, that isn’t good either. Those that think Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl are probably the same that say Boller’s record is respectable. We all know that Dilfer’s and Boller’s successes in very large part are due to the team’s defense.
I hope things do change for Kyle, but it remains my opinion that given what the Ravens gave up for Boller and the many chances they’ve given him to succeed, to date his career has been a failure.
By the way, I’ve never like bologna.
To the future,
TL
