Now that Jamal Lewis has moved on and he’s left a trail of broken glass and broken hearts behind with his unflattering commentary about the Ravens’ organization and their offensive line, many here in The Land of Pleasant Living are questioning his worthiness for a future consideration in the Ravens Ring of Honor.
Perhaps Lewis didn’t mean it when he said, ‘‘[The Browns] made a good addition (in guard Eric Steinbach), and they’re looking to make more moves. It looks like they’re committed to running the football.
‘‘That’s what I was looking for the last three or four years in Baltimore, but no moves were made there. That was one of my main concerns (about the Ravens).â€
Really?
What about the free agent acquisition of Keydrick Vincent? How about that trade up to draft Adam Terry in the second round? Remember that fourth round pick out of North Carolina in 2005? Or how about that second round pick last year from Oklahoma?
Chances are Lewis got caught up in the emotion of the change in employers. Maybe he’s going to miss hanging out in Canton. Maybe he’s the old girl who’s been traded in for someone new and he’s feeling a bit scorned.
One day reality will set in. It might come in November if the Ravens are atop the AFC North and the Browns are still floundering as a bottom feeder. He’ll then come to his senses and he’ll one day say nice things about his time as a Baltimore Raven. And without a doubt, he’ll be among those honored in the Ring.
One look at Ernest Byner’s name up there and you’ll have no choice but to agree.
After the Ravens trade for Willis McGahee went down, I spoke off the air with Ravens’ Director of College Scouting Eric DeCosta. At the time of the trade, the Ravens had not consummated a long-term deal with McGahee yet they remained confident that one would be completed given the team’s solid relationship with McGahee’s agent Drew Rosenhaus. DeCosta likened the deal to that involving another of Rosenhaus’ clients, Thomas Jones and as it turned out, the terms of the deal where not unlike the Jets’ deal with Jones.
The Ravens believe that McGahee possesses good feet and cutback abilities to go along with his solid field vision and nose for the goal line which should help improve the team’s red zone inefficiencies. They also like the fact that McGahee is equally as comfortable operating out of a single back set or behind a fullback. The single back set enables Brian Billick to use the three receiver sub packages more frequently. McGahee’s presence could give Demetrius Williams’ playing time a significant boost.
Bob DiCesare of The Buffalo News recently opined that “[Willis] McGahee might well thrive with the Ravens, assuming Baltimore is a city that puts him at peace by offering a nightlife compatible with his high cultural standards. He should enjoy the ride on the loose ship captained by Brian Billick, who surely sees no potential pitfalls in having four U draftees on his roster, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Nick Luchey being the others.
“Baltimore fans will embrace him, as fans embrace all new arrivals, so long as he resists any urge to suggest that if the NFL considers a second team for Indianapolis the Ravens would be a fit.â€
Ouch!
While McGahee’s comments about the Bills moving to Toronto may have been taken out of context and ill-advised, can you imagine if Jamal Lewis didn’t have such an affinity for Canton and said something similar about Baltimore?
Certainly the midnight flight of a NFL franchise is not foreign to Baltimore. Those scars for some have yet to heal and they may never do so. And while we can’t restore the Colts’ name and colors to Baltimore (nor should we at this point), we can help to restore Baltimore’s football heritage. Tune in to Coffee With…tomorrow morning at 6:45AM with Don Scott & Marty Bass to find out how you can help secure the legacy of local icons such as John Unitas and Lenny Moore.
And while the city of Baltimore longs for compensation for the loss of the Colts, the Ravens wait on the same for the losses of Chester Taylor, Maake Kemoeatu, Tony Weaver, Will Demps, Dave Zastudil, Darnell Dinkins. Under the terms of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in a year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.
The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four. . Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.
Compensatory picks are positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost as determined by what is a very secretive and seemingly subjective formula. The picks are usually announced during or just following the NFL owners’ meetings about one month prior to the NFL Draft.
The Ravens have done very well with compensatory picks and in a way, they help to cushion the loss of home grown talent to free agency such as Adalius Thomas, Tony Pashos, Ovie Mughelli and Aubrayo Franklin. While fourth through seventh round picks hardly seem fair as compensation for highly paid talent like these men, keep in mind that none of the aforementioned were first day picks. During the past two seasons, only 1 of the ten free agents lost (to date) was a Day 1 draft pick (Weaver).
This is a clear indication of the proficiency of the Ravens on draft day.
In the age of the salary cap, if you don’t draft well, you will fail.
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Photos by Sabina Moran
