As Ravens’ fans you would think that we supported the Baltimore Murphy’s this season because whatever could go wrong did go wrong in 2007. Sure we could list the injuries, the inopportune bounces of the ball, the public embarrassments on national television, the inability to remember snap counts, a loss to an otherwise winless team, etc, etc.
But why torture ourselves? What is done is done and it’s time to look ahead and look forward to what has to be a better 2008 season. And to get there for the Ravens it all starts with re-tooling the coaching staff.
So far things are looking pretty good for the Ravens in that department. While it remains to be seen if John Harbaugh can immediately fill the shoes of Brian Billick and then some, you have to be impressed with the assistants he’s lined up thus far, particularly the coordinators.
Rex Ryan is arguably the best defensive coordinator in the business yet time will tell if this was a good hire by Harbaugh. No one questions Ryan’s ability to direct a defense but managing players and disciplining when necessary could be an issue particularly if Harbaugh runs a tight ship as expected. While Mamma (Harbaugh) cracks the whip the children might run to Aunt Suzy (Ryan) for comfort. If Aunt Suzy’s message drifts from Mamma’s watch out!
Word is that recently Ryan and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron have shared a lunch or two together, something rarely if ever seen in the past from Ravens’ coordinators. The team has long professed its belief that self-scouting is one of the most important things to practice along the road to improvement yet communication hasn’t been the best between the offensive and defensive staffs. What better way to promote the overall good of the team than to have the two very capable coordinators seeking out each other for advice?
Early indications suggest that Cam Cameron is quite comfortable with the personnel he’s inherited to put points on the scoreboard. Cameron was instrumental in shaping the Chargers very fine offensive line – a line that struggled a bit just after his departure to Miami. He’ll have some young talent to work with and we’re beginning to hear more and more that if Jared Gaither can hold down the slot at right tackle, it could push Chris Chester out of a starting spot. Marshall Yanda’s toughness and coachability impressed the Ravens in ’07. He could be the team’s starting right guard in ’08 displacing Ben Grubbs who would move back to his collegiate position of left guard. If that happens, look for Jason Brown to become a fixture at center. He has the intelligence to make the line calls and he is a much more formidable anchor at the position than the under-sized Chester, particularly when taking on the behemoth nose tackles in the AFC North.
Among Cameron’s concerns has to be quarterback, a perpetually problematic issue for the Ravens. Rumors swirled during the Super Bowl that Donovan McNabb could be heading south down I-95 and end up as a Raven given John Harbaugh’s and now Wilbert Montgomery’s ties to Philadelphia. If that move is on your Ravens’ wish list, don’t hold your breath on it coming to fruition.
Eagles’ insiders suggest that the team is looking for McNabb to lead the team in ’08 and that they are confident that the former Pro Bowl quarterback will be fully recovered from the knee surgery that ended his 2006 season prematurely. Plus the costs to obtain McNabb would be prohibitive. Some have said that the Ravens at the very least would have to sacrifice their No. 1 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and then some. Mix in the cap implications for a team that has the second worst cap situation in the league according to SI’s Peter King and it makes such a move even more unrealistic.
And that’s a good thing. Haven’t the Ravens already been down that road before with Steve McNair – an injury-prone quarterback nearing the twilight of his career? Granted, McNabb seemingly has more in the tank than the running-on-empty McNair but McNair’s costs weren’t as prohibitive as those expected of a McNabb acquisition.
Many are wondering if McNair is done. Most believe that he is. Cam Cameron isn’t too quick to agree.
“I know there were a lot of predictions going around the last couple of years in Green Bay, and then we all saw what happened. So, I think you just see where guys are, get a consensus, and I’m sure all those things will come to light over the next weeks and months.â€
So Cameron will take a wait and see approach and who can blame him? McNair has been in Owings Mills rehabbing and training. Chances are a proud veteran like McNair who was a borderline Hall of Fame candidate prior to the ’07 season, would not want to be remembered for the way his career seemingly flamed out last year.
That said the normally close to the vest Brian Billick left us all believing that McNair may have played his last down as a Raven and that was before Billick was handed the pink slip. McNair will probably give it a go but at this point both Kyle Boller and Troy Smith seem like better options. Elvis Grbac might be a better option.
Hey, is Trent Dilfer still under contract with the 49ers?
Back to Boller for a moment, could he finally blossom under the tutelage of a new coordinator and a new QB coach that isn’t on a tight leash controlled by Brian Billick? The Ravens hope so but if they want to win consistently in ’08, they should look in another direction. Boller hasn’t started and won a road game since November of ’04 and he’s had plenty of opportunities. Sure, he was thrown to the wolves as a rookie but that was a long time ago. At some point during the course of five years you would expect him to be more consistent and throwing someone to the wolves all those years ago is no excuse for inconsistency today.
The Ravens could turn to another veteran somewhere out there over the rainbow or they could look to No. 10 on their roster, Troy Smith. Smith didn’t prove that he was the Ravens’ quarterback of the future but he also didn’t prove that he was not. Cam Cameron has had experience dealing with undersized quarterbacks in the past (Drew Brees) and he’s done a fine job. As it stands today, Smith is a better option than projected 2008 first round QB’s like Brian Brohm and Andre Woodson.
One quarterback who apparently has captured the Ravens attention is Matt Ryan. Some Ravens’ scouts believe that Ryan has what it takes to be a successful NFL quarterback. Don’t be surprised if the Ravens put the card in for Ryan if he’s still on the board at No. 8.
That said the better option for the Ravens would be to wait until Round 2 or Round 3 to take a shot at a rookie signal caller. The Giants are proof that an impact defensive line can make a huge difference even against an All-World quarterback. Besides, the difference between the top 3 or 4 quarterbacks in the draft and the rest of the top 10 draft eligible quarterbacks is not very compelling.
Should the Ravens make a play on day 1 of the draft for a quarterback, which QB on the current roster will be the one to go?
Might they cut McNair?
Might they end the Troy Smith experiment?
Might they trade Boller? His one year contract is fairly reasonable.
Gee, it’s a shame Brian Billick isn’t coaching elsewhere. Talk about a trade partner made in heaven.
This is all good stuff!
Let the offseason games begin…
Photo by Sabina Moran
