After that agonizing playoff loss to the Colts in January, it was obvious to the Ravens brain trust that they finally had get off their patoots and get some wide outs that could stretch the field and catch tough balls across the middle. No more repeatedly dumping the ball to Ray Rice in the secondary where he runs the risk of getting massacred by linebackers nearly twice his size. No more short-arming passes by the likes of Demetrius Williams. No more disappearing acts by the likes of Mark Clayton. No more limiting the options of rising star quarterback Joe Flacco. Fans were all tired of that. The Ravens saw the obvious, and they finally addressed it.
Ozzie Newsome went out and got some wide receivers.
First, they signed Donte Stallworth, a former 1st round pick who can stretch the field, to a one year contract for the relative bargain price of $900,000. Given his immediate past, injury history, and the immense baggage he will carry for the rest of his life, he’s certainly not the poster-boy wide receiver Ravens fans wanted. But Stallworth is not a serial criminal and he forthrightly owned up to his tragic mistake. He’s looking for a second chance and, given the redemptive nature of American society, he will get it. If his head is on straight, if he comes into camp in shape, and if he sincerely wants to put the past behind him, he can help the Ravens. (I know, I know…that’s a lot “ifs.”)
In Anquan Boldin, they picked up a younger, bigger, faster version of Derrick Mason who is Ravens tough and not afraid to go over the middle. He hasn’t been happy in Arizona for some time and he was looking for a fresh start with a new contract. The Ravens gave him both. Reportedly, he’s a great locker room guy and he should fit right in with the Ravens vets. From what I saw on the NFL Network, he’s already bonding with Joe Flacco at a charity flag football event in Arizona.
What’s the cost? For Stallworth, $900 grand is chump change for a NFL receiver of even modest quality and it didn’t cost us a draft choice. The Ravens obtained Boldin without sacrificing a combination of a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd round draft choices which, at a minimum, is what Brandon Marshall and his houseboat-full of off-field issues would have cost the Ravens. We gave up a 4th rounder to the Cards for a 5th, which is nearly a wash.
So, essentially, we got Boldin for a 3rd round pick, and that’s fine with me.
Bottom line, the Ravens saw the need, and they finally addressed it in the best way by acquiring two receivers that both have something to prove.
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News and Notes from Around the League
· Are the Ravens finished with Pre-Draft player and draft choice acquisitions? Don’t think so. In a very clever move, the Ravens tendered their restricted free agents in such a way that will allow some of them to move to other teams. For instance, now that hard-working Justin Bannan has signed with the Broncos, the Ravens, being one of the “Elite 8” and thus restricted in their free agent search, can now sign another free agent to a similar deal, assuming Bannan’s new contract terms are that of a top tier free agent.
· They have neatly dangled Jared Gaither, Mark Clayton and Troy Smith for lower than expected tenders, and I wouldn’t be surprised if another team bites on one of them. This will allow the Ravens to pick up at least one more second day pick before the April draft.
· On Saturday the Sun’s Mike Preston wrote one of those blogs that’s meant to get Ravens fans tuned up and I admit I took the bait. In his latest nonsensical post, Preston wrote that Anquan Boldin’s signing means the Ravens are “leaking” to the league that Derrick Mason is available. The Ravens aren’t leaking anything to anybody except Derrick Mason and his agent, and they did that in the most direct way possible. Ozzie served notice to Mason, not the league, and the ball is now is in Derrick’s court. Its advantage, Ravens, and Mason has a tough return.
But for me, I hope the most productive receiver in Ravens’ history signs again and gets to retire as a Raven.
· For the second time in eight months, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman. I don’t want to unnecessarily crack on the quarterback of our most hated rival, but Steelers Nation has to be worried about the off-field behavior of their MVP. After nearly killing himself on a motorcycle, Big Ben has again put himself in some serious harm’s way, and he’s done it twice in less than a year.
In this case and my mind, once is a happenstance, twice is not coincidence.
· The Chicago Bears have suddenly morphed into the Washington Redskins. In one day, they signed Julius Peppers, Brandon Manumaleuna and Chester Taylor for deals that totaled $121 million, a stunning, Dan Snyderesque amount. That’s a lot of money for a defensive end who is rumored to take plays off, a blocking tight end, and a thirty-something running back.
· Speaking of our friends down the Parkway, the Redskins have been usually silent on the free agent front. Last week they cut 10 veterans and $17 million in payroll and, to this point, haven’t signed one free agent, not one. Had ‘Lil’ Danny finally taken his hands off the steering wheel?
· Is Cardinals’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt starting to wonder why he signed that extension last year? Maybe he should. Since the end of the season, he’s lost QB Kurt Warner to retirement, WR Anquan Boldin to the Ravens, LB Karlos Dansby to the Dolphins, and CB Antrel Rolle to the Giants. Starters all. The NFC West is suddenly up for grabs.
· Finally, where do the Ravens go in the April draft? I’m not a draftnik and I’m already tired of Mel Kiper, Todd McShay and their ilk, but now that our wide receiver problems have apparently been addressed, Ozzie and Eric DeCosta can look to other positions of need, like tight end, defensive end, and the defensive backfield.
I anxiously await Ozzie to work his draft day magic.
