Musa Smith is still looking for a place of employment and given the Ravens lack of depth at the position and Smith’s familiarity with the team’s personnel, you have to pause and wonder why the Ravens haven’t re-signed the former Georgia Bulldog. Currently the team has three running backs on the roster: Willis McGahee, Cory Ross and P.J. Daniels. That is dangerously thin.
Some believe that Cory Ross could be a decent change of pace back considering his performance against the Steelers in the ’07 finale. Don’t count me among those sipping the Ross Koolaid. The Steelers had little to play for in that last game and Ross played like a man looking to save his career. Ross also was the beneficiary of being a player with fresh legs going up against tired, beaten and unmotivated ones.
P.J. Daniels’ first two seasons have been marred by injury although one certainly has to wonder if the ’07 hamstring injury was really damaging enough to shelve him for the season or if his stint on IR was simply a roster move much like that of Tony Pashos in ’03 when he sat out with a hand injury the entire season. To say that Daniels is unproven would be an understatement.
So why not bring back Musa Smith particularly in light of Mike Anderson’s release? Word is that Smith hasn’t been the same player after that neck injury against the Titans in ’06 and he didn’t hit the holes the way he did earlier that season. Expect the Ravens to bring in a discarded veteran for a look some time after the draft or pick one up in the draft by Day 2. They might even do both. Clearly they don’t want to be in the position they were in back in 2001 when Jamal Lewis was lost for the season during the first week of training camp and they were forced to turn to the scrap heap that included a washed up Terry Allen and an overweight Jason Brookins.
Fans at times can easily forget that off the field personal matters can become distractions even to the most focused of athletes. Last season Mark Clayton by nearly everyone’s account had a disappointing season. Look for the promising wide receiver to bounce back and put up the numbers in ’08 that most expected last season. That said, with Devard Darling’s departure, Yamon Figurs’ inexperience, Demetrius Williams’ slight frame and Clayton’s history of nagging injuries, many expect the Ravens to take a shot at a wide receiver in the 2008 NFL Draft.
The Ravens more than likely will turn in the Matt Ryan card if the BC signal caller is still on the board at No. 8. Many have suggested that if the Falcons and Chiefs pass on Ryan he could fall into the Ravens’ lap. But don’t rule out the possibility of a team trading up to No. 7 where the Patriots currently sit, courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers. Wouldn’t Bill Belichick love to give the bird to the NFL brain trust that took away the Patriots’ own first round pick and parlay the pick from the Niners into multiple picks? That said, the Patriots are in need of a corner and most expect them to fill that need with the No. 7 pick. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be lured out of that enviable slot by a team like the Panthers who have the 13th overall pick or quarterback hungry Jon Gruden who sits at No. 20 with Tampa.
But then again, don’t be shocked if the Ravens gamble and trade down from No. 8 even if Matt Ryan is on the board particularly if USC’s Sedrick Ellis is still available. Behind the Ravens at Nos. 9-12 are the Bengals, Saints, Bills and Broncos. Each of those teams are set at quarterback and it could be argued that all of them could use Sedrick Ellis. Would Ozzie be that gutsy and risk losing Ryan?
Ryan is no sure bet but some scouts believe he has the frame to put on muscle without it negatively affecting his finely tuned mechanics. That could help to improve upon his above average arm strength, much like Tom Brady has done in the NFL. Brady was very lanky and fairly poorly conditioned while exiting Michigan. As a pro he has improved his velocity with a training regimen that in part was designed to do exactly that.
There’s a tale floating around in Owings Mills about the Ravens’ scouts and coaches while preparing for the 2000 draft. You may recall that the Ravens selected Chris Redman that year in the third round. Phil Savage was a big fan of Redman’s while some of the other scouts were just a little better than lukewarm on Redman.
Then offensive coordinator/quarterback’s coach Matt Cavanaugh was asked about his thoughts on Redman. While he admitted to liking Redman, Cavanaugh preferred a kid from Michigan. That kid was none other than Tom Brady who as you now are well aware, was selected in the sixth round by the Patriots.
The buzz at One Winning Drive…The palace is filled with Ravens’ personnel brimming with enthusiasm over the new coaching staff. Word is that about 85% of the team’s roster has been working out rather diligently and the new conditioning coaches are fostering a more rugged gym atmosphere than in recent years past…We’ve all heard the rumors about a coaching staff split down the middle under Brian Billick. A not so well kept secret during the Billick Administration was the discord between the offensive and defensive coaching staffs. Apparently under John Harbaugh that is no longer the case. Rex Ryan is said to be pretty jazzed about Cam Cameron’s offense and make no mistake about it, this is Cameron’s offense…
Cameron is a big proponent of fielding the best eleven players. If that means more two tight end sets, more three wide receiver sets and very little use of the fullback, Cameron will go with the personnel combo that gives the Ravens the best chance of scoring…Speaking of which, look out for Willis McGahee under Cameron. He could go deep into double digit scores and more than likely Cameron will do away with the borderline insanity of consistently pulling McGahee on third down…Cameron and quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson are said to be pretty impressed with Troy Smith. While that might not be enough to earn Smith the No. 1 job, there has been some talk that the Ravens could develop certain packages to successfully employ Smith’s skills and such packages could be implemented into certain game plans to exploit opponents’ weaknesses and tendencies…Bart Scott is in a contract year; 2008 is Ray Lewis’ last year under his current agreement and it’s possible that Terrell Suggs could be a franchise tag candidate again. That could leave a gaping hole in the Ravens’ defense in 2009. It will be interesting to see how the team handles those three players going forward.
It looks like the center position will be Chris Chester’s to lose. Many feel that Chester lacks the girth to hold his position at the point of attack and pockets are likely to collapse quickly under the weight of an interior blitz. Defenders of Chester point towards his athleticism and relative inexperience at the position. He played sparingly as an offensive lineman at Oklahoma and has bounced back and forth between center and guard as a pro. Commitment to one position could help Chester improve as a technician and that will go a long way towards offsetting his size deficiencies…Jared Gaither is said to be working hard to develop strength and bulk in his trunk and legs. Ravens officials believe that Gaither would be a second round pick if he had remained at Maryland and was in the 2008 pool of draft eligible players…An up and comer on many draft boards is offensive lineman Branden Albert from Virginia. Albert has great size and is an outstanding athlete with tons of upside. At this point he looks like a first round lock yet a reach for the Ravens at No. 8.
Photo by Sabina Moran
