SB Nation - Sam Koch

The Eric DeCosta Scorecard

John Morgan — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:32:25 -0000

Eric DeCosta's living resume, in repose.

(What follows is over seven pages and 2,500 words long. If you're interested in the gist of it, scroll down to the end.)

I did an overview on Eric DeCosta, but think I can do better and think you deserve better. Here's an attempt to hold DeCosta by the same standard I held Steve Keim. First I will look at his work as a Midwest scout for the Ravens from 1998-2002, and then his work as the director of college scouting from 2003-2009.

Baltimore did not draft a talent from the Midwest until 2001.

2001

3) 92 Casey Rabach C Wisconsin

4) 126 Edgerton Hartwell LB Western Illinois

7) 231 Dwayne Missouri DE Northwestern

Casey Rabach might remind some of Seattle's Chris Spencer situation. Rabach was drafted in the third round by the Ravens but struggled to break through early in his career. He then signed with the Redskins and became the most consistent player on their offensive line.

Hartwell was a pretty good value for the round he was taken in. He started his second season and from 2002-2004 before leaving in free agency. His approximate value in those seasons is 9, 8 and 9. Atlanta signed him to a six-year, $26.25 million contract before 2005, but injuries sapped his ability and he was cut in 2007.

Missouri is a seventh round pick that never broke through.

2002

2) 52 Anthony Weaver DE Notre Dame

4) 112 Dave Zastudil P Ohio U.

4) 123 Ron Johnson WR Minnesota

6) 206 Javin Hunter WR Notre Dame

6) 207 Chester Taylor RB Toledo

We see the rising influence of DeCosta in this draft, his last as a regional scout before being promoted. Weaver was a solid pick in the second. He was able to start his rookie season and started 16, 15 and 15 games before a host of injuries sidelined him in 2005. DeCosta scores twice on Weaver: For drafting him in the second and acquiring a Lawrence Jackson like end and for not re-signing him after injuries took their toll. Weaver looked like a stud back then, but fizzled away from Baltimore.

If you draft a punter in the fourth, he better stick and he better be great. Zastudil is not, by all accounts. His rookie season with Baltimore, the Ravens were below average punting the ball, and over his four season, he was twice below average and twice above average - almost in equal degrees. I am starting to think it is very hard to evaluate a punter from an outsider's perspective. I disagree with drafting a punter so early, but it seems Zastudil is, if nothing else, a competent punter that can be good.

Johnson never developed as a receiver or returner and was last a linebacker and receiver for the Cleveland Gladiators.

Hunter's career peak was a 63 yard kickoff return in 2002. He is not the same kind of flat bust as Johnson. Hunter started strong in the preseason and started three regular season games as a rookie. He ruptured his Achilles before the start of 2003 and was never the same player. Push.

Chester Taylor started his career as a third down back, but slowly worked himself into the running back rotation. Taylor was buried behind Jamal Lewis, but still produced, was signed by Minnesota in 2006, rushed for 1,200 yards, and was then buried behind Adrian Peterson. Taylor has been valuable throughout his career and is a huge win on DeCosta's resume.

Starting in 2003, we must assume DeCosta took a leadership position in the Ravens entire draft.

2003

1) 10 Terrell Suggs OLB Arizona State

1) 19 Kyle Boller QB California

3) 77 Musa Smith RB Georgia

4) 109 Jarret Johnson DE Alabama

4) 134 Ovie Mughelli FB Wake Forest

5) 146 Aubrayo Franklin DT Tennessee

5) 173 Tony Pashos T Illinois

6) 182 Gerome Sapp DB Notre Dame

7) 223 Trent Smith TE Oklahoma

7) 250 Mike Mabry C Central Florida

7) 258 Antwoine Sanders - Utah

Suggs has been a baller from snap one. He was a situational pass rusher as a rookie and recorded 12 sacks. He has 56.5 for his career, 5 interceptions, 32 passes defended and 18 forced fumbles. Suggs is an elite player, still only 27, and a young 27, and a grand slam pick for DeCosta.

Boller is everything I said about Suggs, applied to a quarterback, inverted and intensified. A complete bust that looked the part of a bust, my only tempering of this massive misstep by DeCosta is that Brian Billick pushed hard for Boller, and in those days, Billick was a respected coach, and a force slapdicks shouldn't defy.

Musa Smith looked like a talented back on his way up before Roy Williams effectively ended his career with a horse collar tackle. Smith suffered a compound fracture of his tibia. The play directly led to the banning of horse collar tackles, but the damage was done for Smith. He played sparingly the next two seasons and could never reestablish himself. Push.

Jarret Johnson took a slow path to success, but has been a regular starter in four of the last five seasons. A very good pick that is still paying dividends for the Ravens, notably, Johnson's AV in 2008 was 10, better than Bart Scott.

Mughelli didn't break through right away with the Ravens, but is now considered one of the best fullbacks in football. He was good in his final two seasons in Baltimore, but lured away when Atlanta offered him big bucks. A minor success for what they got.

The hits keep coming: Franklin was a valuable rotational player for Baltimore, even starting once, and is now a starter for San Francisco. Mike Nolan targeted Franklin, which says something about his perceived value, and though he never fully broke through with Baltimore, he was playing behind Kelly Gregg. Not a horn-blowing success, but very good value for the pick.

Pashos is what a right tackle should be: cheap and good enough. A good player for Baltimore and eventually Jacksonville, Pashos is a good run blocker that was a great value for the Ravens.

Gerome Sapp couldn't stick with the Ravens, signed with the Colts and then signed again with the Ravens. He played nickelback. Neither a bust nor hit, but a pick spent on a semi-talented player that just didn't fit on the roster.

Smith, Mabry and Sanders had no noteworthy NFL career.

2004

2) 51 Dwan Edwards DT Oregon State

3) 82 Devard Darling WR Washington State

5) 153 Roderick Green LB Central Missouri State

6) 187 Josh Harris QB Bowling Green State

6) 199 Clarence Moore WR Northern Arizona

7) 244 Derek Abney WR Kentucky

7) 246 Brian Rimpf T East Carolina

Edwards is still a sometimes starter, sometimes rotational end for the Ravens. He is neither a bust nor a hit, but a semi-valuable player acquired with a semi-valuable pick.

Darling never produced for Baltimore, and that's quite an achievement, because the 2004 Ravens leading receiver was Travis Taylor. Taylor had 421 yards receiving. Darling was last in Kansas City. His current whereabouts are unknown, but, presumably, not in Kansas anymore.

Green struggled to produce, was stabbed July 2006, subsequently released and is now out of the league.

The rest of the draft barely made an impact and all four are now out of the league. After ruling draft day, DeCosta's second draft produced no starters, and only one regular.

2005

1) 22 Mark Clayton WR Oklahoma

2) 53 Dan Cody LB Oklahoma

2) 64 Adam Terry T Syracuse

4) 124 Jason Brown C North Carolina

5) 158 Justin Green RB Montana

6) 213 Derek Anderson QB Oregon State

7) 234 Mike Smith LB Texas Tech

Clayton had a strong rookie season, an even better sophomore season and has since spun his wheels into the mud. The 22^nd overall pick, Clayton is not a prize, but surely a value, still young, and maybe has better seasons ahead of him.

Cody was a fine prospect whose career has been eaten by injuries. He started 42 games in college. Best to call this a push, as the injury seemed unpredictable and traumatic.

Terry was a second round selection that never fully broke out of spot starter duties. Terry has not played in 2009. This is another pick muddled by injuries and therefore hard to evaluate.

Jason Brown started his second season and is a highly regarded center. St. Louis threw smarts to the wind and signed him to googolplex dollars this past offseason, but, for three seasons, he was a cheap and very good center for Baltimore.

Justin Green was a special teams contributor.

Anderson was waived his first season and claimed by the Cleveland Browns. He then had one of the great fluke quarterback seasons of all time, before retreating into his well furnished mansion of suck.

Smith contributed briefly for the Ravens on special teams.

2006

1) 12 Haloti Ngata DT Oregon

2) 56 Chris Chester C Oklahoma

3) 87 David Pittman DB Northwestern State-Louisiana

4) 111 Demetrius Williams WR Oregon

4) 132 P.J. Daniels RB Georgia Tech

5) 146 Dawan Landry SS Georgia Tech

5) 166 Quinn Sypniewski TE Colorado

6) 203 Sam Koch P Nebraska

6) 208 Derrick Martin CB Wyoming

7) 219 Ryan LaCasse LB Syracuse

Ngata is considered one of the best 3-4 linemen in football. He has played end and tackle, is just entering his prime, and should the conditions be right, could be entering a lengthy run of Pro Bowl appearances.

Chester was recruited as a tight end, drafted as a center, converted to guard, converted again to tight end and then converted back to guard again. He has 32 starts in his NFL career, and if never a stand out on his own, has been a good part of some very good offensive lines.

Pittman had two interception in 2007 and a forced fumble. That about summarizes his NFL career. He now plays in the UFL.

Williams is a field stretcher that has never come into his own as an actual receiver. He is not a bad player, and is valuable for his draft position.

Daniels was put on injured reserve prior to his second season and never recovered.

Dawan Landry has started three of the last four seasons, and, apart from 2008, has been a very solid starter for Baltimore since his rookie season. He used to noogie LaRon Landry.

Sypniewski was primarily a blocking tight end, but received some in 2007 after Todd Heap and Daniel Wilcox suffered injuries. He tore his ACL prior to this season.

Koch is the Ravens current punter. This season the team is slightly above average punting.

Martin is a talented young defensive back that was buried in Baltimore and now plays in Green Bay. Baltimore traded Martin for offensive tackle Tony Moll.

LaCasse never factored.

2007

1) 29 Ben Grubbs G Auburn

3) 74 Yamon Figurs WR Kansas State

3) 86 Marshal Yanda T Iowa

4) 134 Antwan Barnes LB Florida International

4) 137 Le'Ron McClain FB Alabama

5) 174 Troy Smith QB Ohio State

6) 207 Prescott Burgess LB Michigan

Supplemental

5) Jared Gaither T Maryland

Baltimore built their left side with this draft and in impressive fashion. Grubbs is a promising young starter and on the short list for best young offensive guards in football.

Yamon Figurs returned a kick and a punt for a touchdown in his first season, but could never stick as a receiver. Once the Ravens found a better return man, Figurs was cut, and is currently a free agent.

Yanda is a spot starter at guard and tackle that may have outright won the right guard position this season after starting the last four games and playing ably. I'm a big fan of Yanda.

Barnes is a rotational linebacker and special teams player for the Ravens.

McClain is a fullback better known for his rushing than blocking, but so what? He was astonishingly valuable in 2008 and the 11-5 Ravens leading rusher. This season he is buried behind Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. McClain's is a curious story to say the least. I am not sure he will ever repeat his 2008 performance, and certainly some of that performance must be credited the Ravens line, but for that year alone, we must credit DeCosta with another fullback find.

Smith was a member of the jobbers row of quarterbacks Seattle fattened against in 2007. He is now a Wildcat quarterback.

Burgess has split time between the Ravens and Patriots, and is, essentially, depth and a special teams player.

Gaither is the crown jewel of this class. DeCosta got Gaither for a fifth round pick in the supplemental draft, and now he is their starting left tackle, and franchise tackle of the future. Gaither isn't in the class of young Turk left tackles taking over the NFL, but he's close, a rare physical specimen (the tallest man in the NFL), a powerful drive blocker with developing pass pro skills. He was available in the supplemental draft because of bad grades, and available in the fifth round of the supplemental draft because a lot of other GMs didn't do their homework.

That leads us to the last draft we'll look at in detail.

1) 18 Joe Flacco QB Delaware

2) 55 Ray Rice RB Rutgers

3) 71 Tavares Gooden OLB Miami (Fla.)

3) 86 Tom Zbikowski FS Notre Dame

3) 99 Oniel Cousins T Texas-El Paso

4) 106 Marcus Smith WR New Mexico

4) 133 David Hale G Weber State

6) 206 Haruki Nakamura FS Cincinnati

7) 215 Justin Harper WR Virginia Tech

7) 240 Allen Patrick RB Oklahoma

Joe Flacco is a franchise quarterback.

Ray Rice is one of the best young running backs in football.

Bart Scott's replacement doesn't fill a stat sheet, but Tavares Gooden is starting for a top ten defense in his second season. It's premature to pass judgment on T-Good.

Everyone's favorite boxing white safety is mostly a special teams force, but in three starts this season, he has two interceptions and four passes defended. I liked this pick when it was made, but it's, again, a little early to project his future value.

Cousins has started the last two games at right tackle, but through force of attrition rather than eminent skill. Nevertheless, one injury ravaged offensive line to another, Cousins seems more capable than some of Seattle's replacements.

The next three players are special teamers, and Allen Patrick was cut.

2004 was a hot mess, and, tellingly, occurred after DeCosta swept the 2003 draft. So, all GMs and potential GMs have their highs and lows, but DeCosta's highs certainly seem to outnumber and more than compensate for his lows. If we wanted to put a stamp on his career in Baltimore, I would stamp it a success, but let's attempt something a little more nuanced.

He seems to excel at drafting offensive line talent. He has never invested major resources into the offensive line but still acquired Rabach, Pashos, Terry, Brown, Chester, Sypnewski, Grubbs, Yanda, Gaither and Cousins. He also has had several successes drafting defensive linemen, linebackers, running backs, fullbacks and safeties. His run of backs is particularly impressive. He doesn't trend towards a specific region and seems to have no major leanings towards small schools or big schools. His success at drafting quarterbacks is mixed. Kyle Boller was an inexcusable failure, but Anderson and Smith were decent value for their pick position and Flacco is a young stud. Truthfully, I'm not wild about Flacco's profile, and though he's stepping into this own, the big bodied, big armed profile DeCosta seems to favor is notorious for producing busts.

What excites me most about DeCosta is not his drafting record, but the prolific picks he secures. Few teams enter draft day so consistently stocked with picks throughout the draft, and unlike other GMs that will burn those picks to move up and select their guy, DeCosta stands pat and picks many players. He has benefited immensely from trawling the draft and seeing what value shakes out.

His high profile and history of finding offensive line talent should make him a favorite for the Seattle position. I don't know that DeCosta is the "Z" we desire, but on second inspection, he is a young, well connected executive with a diverse portfolio of success.

Game Preview: Baltimore Ravens @ San Diego Chargers

John (obviousman) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:11:25 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

3 months ago: Baltimore Ravens tight end Todd Heap, left, breaks free of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Corey Mays to score during the third quarter of an NFL football game on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

Browse more photos »

It's been an odd week, hasn't it? Chargers fans have run the gamut of emotions during, and since, the comeback win over the Oakland Raiders. Allow me to briefly sum up my feelings on that game. The Raiders looked bruising, Cesaire was greatly missed and the Bolts are 1-0 with a road win against a division opponent. Let's move on.

Can the Chargers escape week 2 still undefeated? The possible, but not as all probable, answers lie after the jump.

When the Ravens Have the Ball

The news of the week for me is not about the lack of health on the offensive line, but rather the stunning health on the defensive line. Considering Luis Castillo and Jacques Cesaire have been missing from this week's practice participation reports, I can only imagine they're ready to go on Sunday. Jamal Williams practiced on Thursday and should also be fine. Those three guys are the best chance the Chargers have of stopped the Ravens running attack.

After the first week, the Ravens rank 2nd in the NFL in total offense, 5th in passing offense and 2nd in rushing offense. Although they are a little banged up on defense, their offense remains quite healthy. Ray Rice, a guy who I think is a future Pro Bowler, had 108 yards on 19 carries against the Chiefs. Although the Ravens have great faith in Joe Flacco to throw the ball, they would prefer to win this game by grinding it out on the ground and winning the time of possession battle.

After their Week 1 battle against the Raiders, the Chargers are 25th in the league in total defense, 16th in passing defense and 25th in rushing defense. Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie should do a decent job against Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton, but the key to stopping the Ravens passing offense will be getting pressure on Flacco and finding a way to cover Todd Heap. The Chargers were able to do neither in their Week 1 game, and they stand no chance of winning without doing it in this one. I think the Bolts need at least one interception that is turned into points to win this game.

Advantage: Ravens. The Ravens will test the Chargers defensive line with their power running game. Joe Flacco is not JaMarcus Russell and he will make the Bolts pay if they cannot get pressure on him.

When the Chargers Have the Ball

In a scene reminiscent of 2008, the Chargers offense was fairly ineffective in Oakland until the fourth quarter. Although the team can occasionally put 2-3 good plays together in the first half, they very rarely have long, successful drives and are left punting it more than they should. Mike Scifres is currently tied for the 4th most punts (5) this season after Week 1. Sam Koch, the punter for the Ravens, is tied for the 2nd least (2).

After Week 1, the Chargers rank 14th in total offense, 13th in passing offense and 20th in rushing offense. With Nick Hardwick and LaDainian Tomlinson possibly missing Sunday's game, the prospect of a balanced offense becomes even more difficult. The Ravens currently rank 3rd in total defense, 2nd in rushing defense and 7th in passing defense. So they're not going to make anything easy for Philip Rivers and Co.

If the Chargers are going to have success against the Ravens, they're going to have to find the mismatches. Their offensive line against possibly the biggest and strongest defensive line in the NFL is not a mismatch they'd want to go after. However, with a trio of 6'5" receivers they may want to attack Baltimore's short secondary (no CBs over 5'11"). These guys don't blow you away with talent either. The reason their CBs come off looking good is because the defense blitzes so much. If Rivers can get the ball in the air to Malcom Floyd, Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson the Chargers should be able to move the chains consistently.

Advantage: Tie. The Chargers have to make a point to abandon the running game early if it's not working. Falling behind against a team that's this good and this aggressive is just asking for a Philip Rivers injury, and nobody wants to see that. Start hot, take what the defense gives you and don't get stubborn because they have the best run-stopping Nose Tackle in the league.

Don't forget to send in your Mailbag Questions to (maybe) be answered on Saturday. Your questions do not necessarily have to be related to the Chargers.

Ravens 53 Man Roster: My Picks

Bruce Raffel — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:00:24 -0000

Here are my picks for what the Ravens will end up doing later today when they announce the 53 man roster that they will be trimming down to when they release 22 guys to get down to the NFL max.

Offense

QB: Joe Flacco, Troy Smith, John Beck

WR: Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams, Kelley Washington, Justin Harper

RB: Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, LeRon McClain, Jalen Parmele

TE: Todd Heap, L.J. Smith, Davon Drew, Edgar Jones

OL: Matt Birk, Ben Grubbs, Jared Gaither, Chris Chester, Marshal Yanda, Michael Oher, David Hale, Oniel Cousins

Defense

DB: Ed Reed, Dawan Landry, Fabian Washington, Domonique Foxworth, Haruki Nakamura, Tom Zbikowski, Chris Carr, Lardarius Webb, Frank Walker, Derrick Martin

LB: Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Jarret Johnson, Tavares Gooden, Jameel McClain, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Paul Kruger, Prescott Burgess, Antwan Barnes

DL: Haloti Ngata, Trevor Pryce, Justin Bannan, Kelly Gregg, Dwan Edwards, Brandon McKinney

Specialists

P: Sam Koch

PK: Steven Hauschka

LS: Matt Katula

That’s only 52 guys and my final spot is a tough one to decide upon. I am looking at one of the following guys:

Yamon Figurs, Jason Cook, Jason Phillips, Joe Reitz, Kelly Talavou

Figurs still has the speed and with Webb looking a bit shaky on returns, Yamon gives us another option behind Chris Carr. Jason Cook gives us another fullback along with LeRon McClain. Jason Phillips was a 4^th round draft pick in 2009 and Ozzie doesn’t like to release draft picks. Perhaps Phillips will be IR’d to keep our hands on him (I expect the Ravens to IR undrafted rookie LB Dannell Ellerbe as well). Joe Reitz gives us more depth on the offensive line as well as Kelly Tavalou does the same for the defensive line.

I don’t want to take the easy way out by only selecting 52 players, so I will have to go out on a limb and make my selection and therefore the 53^rd spot on the Baltimore Ravens roster goes to Yamon Figurs.

The other players I was undecided about go onto our Practice Squad, where we can have up to eight players. Of course, I would expect the team to peruse other teams’ cuts to add a player or two to either our roster or Practice Squad, and vice versa for the rest of the league. However, in advance of that info, my Practice Squad would look like this:

Cook, Reitz, Talavou, Foster, Riley, Peerman, Smolko, Stallings

Additionally, as I stated earlier, the team would place both Dannell Ellerbe and Jason Phillips on Injured Reserve (IR), which would end their 2009 seasons, but ensure the team retains their rights while giving the players their full 2009 salaries, which do count against the team’s salary cap. However, being rookies, that should not be much of an issue.

Your thoughts and comments on those last few slots?

Ravens Training Camp: Monday AM Edition

Bruce Raffel — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:55:12 -0000

Well it's great to be back in sweltering Westminster, Maryland, watching our Baltimore Ravens prepare for their second pre season contest as well as the 2009 regular season, and hopefully beyond! After a week in sunny Negril, Jamaica, the return to the typical dog days of summer here in Baltimore is a huge difference. The players are sweating and probably losing lots of weight out there, and the training staff is all over the place with fluids and towels for them.

It is another "plus-30" day, meaning the players over the age of 30 have the day off again. Of course, as always, there's Matt Birk in shorts, mentoring the "kids" on his offensive line. There are a few new faces to me in camp. In addition to the signing of QB Cleo Lemon, the team has brought back previously released QB Drew Willy, giving the team five QB's in camp. Injured thrid stringer John Beck is here and is dressed and participating, so I wonder why there are so many of them? The is a new wide receiver, Bradon Godfrey (6'3", 197 lbs.), an undrafted rookie out of Utah, who played there with Ravens second round pick, Paul Kruger, albeit on the other side of the ball. Godfrey has a jersey with a number, but no name on the back yet.

In 11-on-11 drils, Troy Smith goes right for the new guy, Godfrey, but Lardarius Webb breaks up the pass. Safety Tom Zbikowski bangs Justin Harper on a crossing pattern. On the very next play, Harper beats the cornerback but drops a ball that hits him right in the hands for waht should have been an easy catch. Justin's drops on easy passes is getting to be a concern, although he seems to make the difficult catches that impress everyone. He'll need to be more consistent though, in order to move up the depth chart.

Joe Flacco throws a sweet long bomb to Kelley Washington for what appears to be a 75 yard TD reception. The offense then puts a little wrinkle into their formation with RT Michael Oher in motion over next to LT Jared Gaither. However, rather than running the ball, Flacco throws a quick hit to J. Harper with Oher rushing over to lead the blocking. Yes, Oher is as fast as they say he is!

Troy Smith his the new guy, Godfrey over the middle. Troy is taking charge out there, yelling at Godfrey for inadvertantly going in motion causing a procedure penalty, but then patiently explains the play to him afterwards.

Smith's 10 yard pass to Eron Riley is completed but then he is pancaked by safety Dawan Landry. Kelley Washington continues to impress, with a short five yard sideline catch, where he is quickly tackled by Frank Walker and Domonique Foxworth. On two successive plays, Flacco hits Washington in the numbers over the middle but Kelley bobbles and drops it and then comes right back for a completion in the same area on the next play. Washington then makes a great diving sideline grab, tiptoe-ing out of bounds for a first down. He plays to the applauding fans by posing and signaling a first down before giving the fans a smile and a "thumbs-up!"

It's field goal time now. Steven Hauschka lines up for a 35 yarder, but the fake is on and holder/punter Sam Koch hits Edgar Jones for a TD pass. Hauschka then proceeds to hit from 35 and 41 yards, but surprisingly misses from 46, 52 and 58 yards, hitting the crossbar on the last attempt. In his turn, Graham Gano splits the uprights from 35, 41, 46, 52 and 58 yards. The final kick hit the left upright and went through, but would have been good from much longer as it hit halfway up on the upright.

Troy throws compete to Bradon Godfrey on the sideline, prompting Frank Walker to yell at the ref, " you gotta call that," referring to Bradon alledgedly pushing off. WR Eron Riley goes up real high to snag a sideline pass before falling out of bounds. John Beck gets in on the action, hitting rookie TE Davon Drew over the middle behind defenders for a nice gain. Drew has a great opportunity on this team and needs to step up and make himself shine during camp, which he just has not done so far. Cleo Lemon hits Godfrey for a short gain and it seems like the QB's are noticing that he holds onto the ball real well and are making the effort to get the ball to him.

Kelley Washington again makes a reception over the middle, beating Lardarius Webb. Webb gets yelled at by the coaches, "Webb, don't let him do that!"

Smith sets up in the pocket, looks right and then calmly throws complete to his left to Ernie Wheelwright. It's comforting to see a confident backup to Flacco, if indeed he is needed to step up.

Back to 11-on-11 drills, where Haloti Ngata rushes Flacco and knocks down a pass, then getting in Joe's grill before Flacco playfully pushes him away.

Good news! T-Sizzle is on rthe sidlines in shorts and a t-shirt, but no boot on his foot and seems to be walking, at least, without any limp. In his absence as well as the other "plus-30" guys, rookie Paul Kruger is running with the first team and looking good.

Wiilis McGahee makes a nice run as the practice comes to a close. He puts his shoulder into LB Prescott Brugess who tackles him but afterwards is laying on the sidelines favoring his wrapped left thigh. He gets up and seems to be be fine, though.

Ravens Training Camp: Friday AM Edition

Bruce Raffel — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:57:07 -0000

It's good to see previously injured Jared Gaither and Demetrius Williams in uniform, although Gaither is only walking through drills without any contact. In his absence, Michael Oher is playing left tackle. Willis McGahee is in front of me, getting prepared for the morning by taking out his diamond earrings. The wide receivers are running through the "gauntlet," complaining how much the tips hurt their arms

As reported yesterday, Mark Clayton's injury to his hamstring is serious enough to keep him out at least the first two pre season games, but Coach Harbaugh expects him to be ready for the regular season. In his absence, Kelly Washington moves up to be the third receiver along with Derrick Mason and Demetrius Williams.

In 11-on-11 drills, Joe Flacco hits D-Will, who fumbles and the defense recovers. The 1st team offense is going against the 2nd team defense and vice versa. Jalen Parmele is stuffed by Ray Lewis and Antwan Barnes, both of whom get up and dance like it was a real game.

On 3rd and one, LeRon McClain bullies for a first down, then walks off the field saying, "no one's stopping me on third and one!"

The defenses are having their way with the offenses. Flacco scrambles for a gain but is run out of bounds. Next play the pocket collapses for a "sack." On the third play, Flacco's long pass to Mason falls incomplete, prompting Ray to yell, "we'll take it!" Another coverage sack of Flacco ends that stretch of plays as Troy Smith and the 2nd team offense comes in. The defenses, be it the 1st or 2nd teams are looking tough! Troy's first pass is batted down at the line but then he hits Justin Harper down the sideline for a 70 yard TD pass that Harper reels in one-handed beating Tom Zbikowski into the end zone as Troy and the other wideouts run down to congratulate him.

Joe throws incomplete to Kelly Washington, covered by Domonique Foxworth, as Ed Reed covers Mason. After the play, Reed yells, "we know you like a book!"

Field goal team comes on and both Graham Gano and Steven Hauschka hit their attempts from 41, 45 and then 53 yards.

A Flacco pass to Heap glances off his fingertips and into the opportunistic hands of Ed Reed, who then weaves his way down field into the end zone. Gee, sound familiar?

Meanwhile, I notice that Willis McGahee's left knee is getting wrapped on the sidelines, although towards the end of practice I don't see it wrapped anymore.

On the other field I see the offensive and defensive lines going at it one-on-one, with some nice matchups between our 2009 1st and 2nd round draft picks, Michael Oher vs. Paul Kruger.

Back to the main field, the QB's are finding the RB's out of the backfield but virtually nothing downfield to the wideouts against both defenses.

Graham Gano wanders by and says to me, "Hey, how's it going?"

Troy Smith throws three straight times to what is looking to be his favorite target, Justin Harper. He overthrows long, then a perfect pass over the middle hits Harper in the hands before he drops it and finally another incompletion along the sideline. Harper is beginning to get the reputation of a wide receiver who makes the tough grabs but not the routine ones.

Uh oh, OL Oniel Cousins just went down on a running play, holding his knee. He finally gets up but limps real badly over to the sideline where he gets on a cart. With the loss of Adam Terry for the year, Cousins was thought to be a valuable backup so this does not bode well for what is looking to be a thin offensive line.

Long snapper Matt Katula is practicing snaps to punter and kickholder Sam Koch right in front of me. Koch is built like a linebacker! Next to them, I see L.J. Smith standing along the sidelines, showing off his tatooed "guns!" Gano hits twice, from 39 then 35 yards.

Here's the highlight of my day: A meaningless long incomplete pass to WR Ernie Wheelwright falls incomplete, with Frank Walker holding him all the way down the field. Derrick Mason is standing on the sideline yelling at Frank, "they'll call that every time, practice good habits, Frank!" The jawing between the two continues until the next snap. Harper then catches a tough over the middle pass closely guarded by Walker and then another completion on the sideline near us. Mason turns to me and another guy standing next to me and says, "fellas, how ya' doing?" I reply, "perfect weather out here," to which he respoinds, "not to us." Mason and Walker continue to go at it, verbally. Mason: "I sat out two weeks and I still got it! You couldn't do it. I can play this game for another 20 years abnd you still don't have a spot!" Frank retorts something hard to hear and Derrick comes back with "Don't get me started. I got more money than you can count!" Walker says, "That don't matter," with Mason repeating over and over, "scrape your pennies, Frank, scrape your pennies." Willis McGahee gets in on it, saying, "Frank, Frank." Walker brushes him off, "stay out of it, McGahee!" Walker to Mason: "I've been on three teams!" Mason finally laughs and relents, "Frank, I'm walking away, I'm done." As Derrick walks away, Walker yells after him, "I stuck that 85 today!" That was one of the best exchanges I heard all of camp! I caught up with Mason as he was walking to the locker room and asked him, "What was upwith Frank Walker back there? He said, "Ah nothing, Frank likes talking every once in a while so you got to oblige him now and then."

When Mason had his first press conference the day he returned to the Ravens, he said he was a little disappointed the team didn't have a marching band and some Girl Scouts out to greet him. So today a Girl Scout Troop came on the field after practice and they all played little flutes for him, and were mobbed by the press. Afterwards, Derrick signed autographs for every one of them and was real friendly.

I had planned to interview Oniel Cousins after practice but his injury settled that. Check back later for my interview with WR Kelly Washington, whose role will definitely expand due to the injury to Mark Clayton.

Ravens Training Camp: Wednesday PM Edition

Bruce Raffel — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:32:55 -0000

Since the day was designated as a "plus-30" day and the older veterans had the day off, the afternoon session was only for Special Teams' practice. As I got on the fields, I saw the teams in groups, doing drills such as blocking punts, picking up loose ballls and diving for the ball, as seen below with Tavares Gooden as the example.

On the stairs leading to the locker room, Ray Lewis was holding court.

He was in uniform, but without pads and was joined by Todd Heap and Ravens' Media Relations Director, Chad Steele. They were surrounded by about five or six othe rmedia, so I went up to see what was going one. Ray was leading the debate on what sports were considered "athletic" and the participants as true athletes. When asked if golf''s Tiger Woods was an athlete, Ray shook his head no. He really didn't think Baltimore's own Michael Phelps was an athlete either, at least not compared to football and even basketball players, who he said were the best athletes in all of sport. So I piped in, sarcastically asking, "are you telling me that NASCAR drivers are not athletes?" to hear his response. He made a face and said, "I don't consider anything that does the work for you to be a sport." The debate then centered on how good of athletes are lacrosse and soccer players and could both football and basketball players make the switch to other sports better than vice versa. Former NFL great Jim Brown was an All-American lacrosse player at Syracuse University and reportedly once said that lacrosse was his favorite sport. However, this debate could have gone on for hours had Ray and Todd not left to go to the locker room.

Meanwhile, back on the field, punter Sam Koch was booming punts, including one from his own end zone that returner Jayson Foster let fall and it bounced all the way to the other end of the field, coming to rest on the three yard line!

As practice ended, Ray Rice was trading verbal jabs with Chad Steele, saying he wasn't afraid of Chad's last name and it should be changed to "Paper" instead.

Frank Walker and Lardarius Webb remained on the field to practice techniques on punt coverage. Evan Olglesby did not practice due to a reported mild concussion. Dawan Landry, Derrrick Martin and Antwan Barnes stayed late to sign autographs for the fans. Biron Ealy, who did not practice, was catching passes off the "pitching" machine to stay sharp.

That's it for today.

Ravens Rookies & Select Veterans Take The Field

Bruce Raffel — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:37:08 -0000

The Baltimore Ravens got off to a great start as their rookies and more than a few veterans took the field this morning at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Veteran QB's Joe Flacco (sounds sort of strange to be calling him a veteran now), Troy Smith and John Beck wore the red jerseys as other veterans such as Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams, Justin Harper, L.J. Smith took part on the offensive side of the ball. They joined rookie draft picks Cedric Peerman (RB), Jason Cook (FB) and Eron Riley (WR). Defensively, veterans Kelly Gregg (DT), Tavares Gooden (LB), Fabian Washington (CB), Frank Walker (CB), Dawan Landry (SS), Chris Carr (CB), Prescott Burgess (LB) were dressed to show rookie defensive players such as 2nd round pick Paul Kruger (LB), Dannell Ellerbe (LB), Lardarius Webb (CB), K.J. Gerard (CB), Robbie Felix (C), and the NFL Bench Press Champion from Michigan,Will Johnson (DE). who put up 47 reps of 225 pounds.

First Looks:

DT Kelly Gregg looks like a fire hydrant and if healthy, will be a welcome addition to last year's ferocious defense.

Rookie CB K.J. Gerard looks taller than the 6'1" that he is listed at. So do WR's Justin Harper and Eron Riley, both listed at 6'3".

QB Joe Flacco (6'6") stands head and shoulders above both Troy Smith (6') and John Beck (6'2") and walks with a swagger not normally seen in a second year player. L.J. Smith seen working hard on the blocking sled and looks bigger than I expected, plus he is catching every high pass on his fingertips every time.

Demetrius Williams is running and catching without any apparent hitch in his step. In a post practice interview, Williams said he's 100% and when I asked him if he was ready for some hitting, he replied, "I feel I am ready for all of that and I think I'm in the best physical shape in a long time. I'm not worried about anything as far as physical right now."

Willis McGahee, as noted earlier is in camp but is not participating in drills. In post-practice interviews, McGahee said, "...nobody wants to sit on the sideline. I just want to make sure I'm completely healthy." When asked about his offseason training regimen, he jokingly refused to give up his secrets, only stating, "I feel more leaner."According to head coach John Harbaugh, a number of players were place on the 'Physically Unable to Perform" (PUP) List, which included McGahee, along with Davon Drew, Ben Grubbs, Yamon Figurs, Marshall Yanda, Adam Terry and Samari Rolle. Although none of these injuries other than Yanda's continuing recovery, Coach Harbaugh says they just want to be careful at the start of camp.

Click on the "Jump" to read more notes from the morning practice session.

Rookie placekicker Graham Gano was at practice, kicking for the first time today since we saw him last at the end of the off season OTA's in June. He actually missed a short 30 yarder in drills, but had a rotating group of holders that included Joe Flacco, Troy Smith, Mark Clayton and even a couple of coaches. His regular holder, punter Sam Koch, was not in camp. His response when I took him aside after practice was that there were a couple of "interesting" snaps, but as a kicker "it's my job to put the ball through whether the ball's flat on the ground or perfect holds."

Once practice was over for the morning session, both Joe Flacco and Coach Harbaugh took the podium. In the bombardment of questions to Flacco, I was able to ask him how the game has "slowed" down for him now compared to last year. Flacco replied, "... by the end of the year, the game was at a good speed for me. I've always said that as I grow with the offense, the defense will get slower." He also said that he tihnks the team will go a long way. "We came close last year and plan on going further this year," stated Flacco. When questioned about his recent Reebok commercial for the NFL.com's Fantasy Files, including how long it took to make and were there any special effects, he replied, "It took about an hour to make it, and do you think I need special effects to do that?"

Coach Harbaugh took the podium next and started off saying that he thought practice was "crisp" but it would be sharper on Friday. He said he thought Demetrius Williams looked good and "his goal is to become a more durable football player." Asked about the constant debate of the team needing a #1 wide receiver, Harbaugh shot back that "whoever is out there catching the ball will be real happy Joe's throwing to them." He went on to acknowledge that they have discussed Michael Vick and Matt Jones among others including Amani Toomer and Justin McCareins to decide "what they can or cannot do for us." However, he said that someone in camp will step up, be it a "Marcus Smith, Justin Harper or someone else."

I was able to ask a question to WR Mark Clayton about knowing he has the confideence t step up, but what about the younger guys at wide receiver? Clayton replied, "We got some guys really hungry, ready to make plays to do what they can to help this team."

More notes and photos will be posted later today after the second pracdtice session this afternoon.

Baltimore Ravens - Greatest Rookie Seasons

Bruce Raffel — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:55:57 -0000

Going into the Baltimore Ravens' 14th season, I did some research on the best rookie seasons since their inception in the 1996 season. For statistical purposes, I based the definition of the rookie season on the first year in the NFL for the player. Obviously, there have been many players whose first year with the Ravens was not their first year in the league, so those players are not part of my statistical profile. I looked at passing, rushing, receiving, sacks, interceptions and punting. I also looked at placekicking, but since the only full time placekicker on the Ravens' roster since their inception was Matt Stover, it wouldn't fit into my story, as Stover;'s rookie season was 1991 when he was a Cleveland Brown, and that takes him and the category out of the equation (FYI - In Stover's rookie season in Cleveland, he was 16-22 in FG attempts with two kicks over 50 yards for a total of 81 points. His first season as a Raven was 1996 and he hit on 19-25 with one over 50 yards for 91 points).

Click to the "Jump" for the rest of the Baltimore Ravens best rookie seasons.

Passing: Joe Flacco (2008) 257-428, 2971 yards, 14-TD/12-INT

NOTE: Kyle Boller's rookie season (2003) looked like this: 116-224, 1260 yards, 7-TD/9-INT. For comparison purposes, Vinny Testeverde's initial Baltimore season was 325-549, 4177 yards, 33-TD/19-INT!

Rushing: Jamal Lewis (2000) 309 attempts for 1364 yards & 6 TD's (no one else was anywhere close to Lewis).

Receiving: Mark Clayton (2005) 44 receptions, 471 yards, 2-TD

NOTE: Travis Taylor (2000) came in second with 28/276/3 and Todd Heap (2001) just behind him with 16/206/1.

Sacks: Terrell Suggs (2003) 12.0

NOTE: Suggs just barely beat out Peter Boulware (1997), who finished with 11.5 sacks.

Interceptions: Thre was a four-way tie for this category, so here are the guys listed in order of return yardage:

Ed Reed (2002) 5 for 167 yards, 0-TD

Dawan Landry (2006) 5 for 101 yards, 1-TD

Chris McAlister (1999) 5 for 28 yards, 0-TD

Duane Starks (1998) 5 for 3 yards, 0-TD

Punting: Sam Koch (2006) 86 punts for a 43.0 average, including 30 inside opponent's 20 yard line.

NOTE: Dave Zastudil (2002) came in a close second with 81 punts for a 41.6 average and 31 inside opponent's 20.

Surprised? What categories would you have thought would have had different leaders?

Ravens GM Newsome Shines on Draft's 2nd Day

Rexx — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:27:45 -0000

While most of us are studying and reviewing on what the Baltimore Ravens will be doing with the 26th pick of the first round of the NFL Draft starting on Saturday, April 25, 2009, Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome has probably already moved on to April 26th.

That's when the final four rounds take place, and although they don't get anywhere near the fanfare from the press or the casual fans, we all know of Newsome's success at finding those future Pro Bowlers in rounds four through seven - and beyond. Let's take a look at some of the second day draft picks of the Ravens throughout the years, and you will see how the "Wizard of Oz' earned his reputation as a master of finding the diamonds-in-the-rough in the latter stages of the NFL Draft.

NOTE: The Ravens have also had a few undrafted free agent signings rise to stardom, such as RB Priest Holmes (1997) and LB Bart Scott (2002). They also have a couple of other current roster players who were undrafted, and while the jury is still out on whether or not they will become future stars, they are LB Jameel McClain and WR Ernie Wheelwright (2008).

7th Round: Surprisingly, for all the great players he's found, the only one worth mentioning is current Practice Squad member, WR Justin Harper, selected in 2008.

6th Round: One of Ozzie's two best rounds for finding great players. Safety Haruki Nakamura (2008), LB Prescott Burgess (2007), Punter Sam Koch and DB Derrick Martin (2006), QB Derek Anderson (2005), RB Chester Taylor (2002), LB Adalius Thomas (2000).

5th Round: Three current Ravens stand out from Newsome's recent drafts. QB Troy Smith (2007), Safety Dawan Landry and TE Quinn Sypniewski (2006).

4th Round: This is where the Wizard really shines best. The list of those 4th rounders alone could be the basis for the nucleus of a very good team by themselves. OT David Hale and WR Marcus Smith (2008), LB Antwan Barnes and RB Le'Ron McClain (2007) Note: McClain was actually a 4th round Compensatory Pick! WR Demetrius Williams (2006), Center Jason Brown (2005), LB Jarret Johnson (2003), FB Ovie Mughelli and Punter Dave Zastudil (2002), LB Edgerton Hartwell (2001), WR Brandon Stokley and OG Edwin Mulitalo (1999).

While most of the future stars will probably come from the first day of the draft, these guys certainly are major contributors to the Ravens success over the years. For some reason, we Ravens fans know and have confidence that Ozzie will find the next great unknown future star soemwhere in the last four rounds of the Draft later this month.

Free Agent Friday

Brandon — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:00:11 -0000

Veteran free agents can sign with other teams beginning on Friday. The Packers have $36 million of cap room to work with, so they could pursue one of the top free agents available. But with 14 potential free agents receiving the franchise tag over the last week, there aren't many names remaining from the top of the free agent list.

I've looked around the web and come up with zero rumors involving the Packers. If they are considering a fast strike at a big name free agent, they've been keeping it pretty quiet. This might be a good thing since the list of remaining free agents isn't very exciting. The list is from ESPN Insider so you can't read the Scouts Inc. grades, but scrolling through the alphabetical list looking for an unsigned or unfranchised player who might fill a need on the roster, and is actually worth big money, is a hard task. I'll point out four names on the list:

DT Albert Haynesworth. Any publication you take a look at probably has him at the top of the free agent wish list. No doubt he's a great player, and he's going to want a $100 million contract. I can't imagine GM Ted Thompson getting involved in that bidding war. DT Ryan Pickett and DT Johnny Jolly will return next season to split time at nose tackle.
DE/OLB Terrell Suggs. He's the guy I wanted the Packers to pursue, but Baltimore placed the franchise tag on him for the 2nd year in a row. It's expected that DE Aaron Kampman will move to left OLB, while Suggs has primarily played on the right side and could have been a good fit. LB Brady Poppinga, with his 3 career sacks in 4 seasons, is penciled in at right OLB, but I hope they find a better player who can provide more outside pass rush than that. Unfortunately, no player of Suggs caliber as a pass rusher is available in free agency. The Packers might have to use their 9th overall selection in the April draft to fill this position.
DE Igor Olshansky. I'm not excited about a free agent who was benched late last season on a bad San Diego defense. But he's 309 lbs. and played in a 3-4 defense his entire NFL career. He could slide right in as the starting left defensive end, while a (hopefully) healthy DE Cullen Jenkins returns to his customary right side. But maybe the left defensive end spot is where Thompson hopes former 1st round pick DT Justin Harrell can play. I don't expect them to sign a free agent defensive end. I think they'll go with the players they've already got and add another end or two in the April draft.
P Sam Koch. In this free agent market the best thing the Packers might do is try and sign a quality free agent punter. I'm totally serious. Anyone who watched the P Derrick Frost disaster last season should know what I'm talking about. They ended last season with P Jeremy Kapinos, who's still on the roster, but wasn't much better than Frost. This position was a black hole of suck last season. They could pick up 40 yards/game in field position by just upgrading to an above average punter. Koch is a restricted free agent, but Baltimore has a number of high profile unrestricted free agents to resign and they might let him get away. Scouts Inc. has him rated as the top unsigned free agent punter and one of the top 40 free agents overall.

Poll

Which free agent should the Packers pursue?

Albert Haynesworth

38 votes

Igor Olshansky

38 votes

Sam Koch

74 votes

None of the above

64 votes

214 votes | Poll has closed