Hindsight in the NFL Draft and in the free agent market, like most things in life is 20-20. Look around the league and you will always find a handful of “what-ifs.â€
What if the Ravens had passed on Kyle Boller and kept that year’s second round pick and the following year’s No. 1? The Ravens could have then selected WR Anquan Boldin in ’03 and then in ’04 DT Vince Wolfork, freeing up that second round pick for a player other than DT Dwan Edwards and the third round pick could have been Matt Schaub instead of Devard Darling.
In the free agent market the Ravens may have altered their own history had they opted for Brad Johnson instead of Elvis Grbac. What if they had spent money on a tackle other than Leon Searcy? Could the Ravens have used the money allocated to Mike Anderson in a more productive way?
It’s easy to criticize after the fact but if you’re going to go that route, you better stop to give credit where credit is due.
The ’06 crop of free agents brought in can hardly be questioned. How many of you said “Justin who?†when DT Justin Bannan was acquired to be part of the Ravens’ defensive tackle rotation? How many thought the Ravens severely overpaid for Trevor Pryce? One might argue and with valid reasoning that Pryce was the “X†factor on the Ravens defense in ’06.
What about Gary Stills and Corey Ivy? Those acquisitions were probably met with the same level of enthusiasm as an Orioles’ signing of a middle reliever. By season’s end, you acknowledged their value.
And that was just this season.
Take a look at the free agents who have gone on t0 greener pastures: Duane Starks, Corey Harris, Kim Herring, Lional Dalton, Sam Adams, Gary Baxter, Edgerton Hartwell and Marques Douglas to name a few. Were any as productive or more productive in a uniform other than the Ravens?
Look around the league. How many times do you see teams luring players from Super Bowl winners with big pay days only to find those players never delivering the way they did with their prior team. Does that old cliché, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts†come to mind?
“Other teams value your players more than you do at times,†Eric DeCosta said recently.
It’s difficult to understand how a free agent might fit in with the acquiring team’s roster, locker room or on the field of play. Projecting their productivity with a new team is sometimes as difficult as projecting collegiate players to the pro level. And that is particularly important in the era of the salary cap. It gives credence to Ozzie Newsome’s philosophy, “right player, right price.â€
The philosophy is easy to recite yet difficult to implement while its implications are far reaching.
What exactly does “right player†mean? Is he the right player for the system, team chemistry or short-term or long-term needs? The Ravens are hardly flawless in their implementation of the philosophy but they are better than most.
That philosophy will be put to the test this offseason. Ovie Mughelli is an unrestricted free agent and his second half surge was noticed around the league as he was named a Pro Bowl alternate. Tony Pashos provided consistently solid play on the right side of the Ravens’ line. He can test the market – a market thin in free agent offensive tackles.
Jarret Johnson is free to test the open market. He’s a versatile defender but will he be viewed as a prototypical defensive end or linebacker or will he be viewed as a tweener more suited to the Ravens’ style of play.
And then of course there is the consummate tweener, the player who perhaps more than any other exemplifies the versatility and dynamics of the Ravens’ defense – Adalius Thomas. Can he be as good in another system as he is in the Ravens’ system? Is he worth the ample investment it will take to lure him away? Is there a team with the necessary cap space that can adeptly employ Thomas’ skills?
The vibe in Owings Mills is optimistic when asked if AD will return. Yet the optimism is somewhat guarded. The Ravens’ collective hope is somewhat qualified by that ever present and guiding philosophy – “right player, right price.†If AD does return, it will be under terms with which the Ravens are comfortable. And chances are if the Ravens and AD do reach a long-term agreement, it will be on the eve of the final day that the franchise tag can be applied (February 23).
Will the Ravens go for broke in ’07 with AD or other players, throwing caution to the wind because they are so close to a title shot? Will they look at the Steelers of ’04 who failed in the playoffs despite a 15-1 regular season record and see that they rebounded to win Super Bowl XL with pretty much the same team? Will they look at the ’05 Colts who flirted with perfection, lost Edgerrin James yet find themselves on the doorstep of a Super Bowl XLI championship?
These questions will be answered in the months ahead yet one thing is nearly certain – the Ravens won’t stray far if at all from their philosophy. And despite some exceptions, their track record speaks volumes.
So if the Ravens lose players because other teams are willing to spend more, don’t sweat it. The front office has more at stake than we do and chances are they know just a bit more about the organization and its ability to compete in an industry called the NFL than you and me.
But hey, if they’re wrong there’s always hindsight and as fans we can and will criticize.
It’s the nature of the beast.
