SB Nation - Samari Rolle

MCM's Tennessee Titans Team of the Decade

Jimmy — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:06:16 -0000

I made the team!! (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

We are continuing our "of the decade" series today with the Titans team of the decade. This list was compiled by August, Hal, Gramsey, and me. It was a fun exercise. Some of the selections were no brainers that were easily agreed on by all parties, but there were a few that were hotly debated.

The team and some comments on it after the jump.

OFFENSE

QB- Steve McNair
RB- Chris Johnson
FB- Lorenzo Neal
WR- Derrick Mason
WR- Drew Bennett
TE- Frank Wycheck
OT- Brad Hopkins
OT- Michael Roos
OG- Bruce Matthews
OG- Zach Piller
C- Kevin Mawae

DEFENSE

DE- Jevon Kearse
DE- Kyle Vanden Bosch
DT- Kevin Carter
DT- Albert Haynesworth
LB- Keith Bulluck
LB- David Thornton
LB- Randall Godfrey
CB- Samari Rolle
CB- Cortland Finnegan
S- Chris Hope
S- Michael Griffin

SPECIAL TEAMS

K- Rob Bironas
P- Craig Hentrich
RS- Derrick Mason
LS- Ken Amato

A few thoughts:

The first debate we really had was between CJ and Eddie George. It seems somewhat blasphemous to keep Eddie off the team, but you can't include 1999 and without that CJ's numbers in 2 years are more impressive.
We all wanted to come up with a way not to put Drew Bennett on the team because all any of us can think of when we think of Drew is the drop in New England, but when you look at the numbers he had to be there.
Gramsey wants Sarge over Lorenzo, but the thing that gave Lorenzo the nod for the rest of us was the decline in Eddie's career when he left.
Everything else offensively is pretty much a no-brainer.
We cheated a little bit on the defensive line putting Carter in there at tackle. He did play some tackle in his time here, but it really came down to the fact that those four guys are the four that it had to be. Who else would you put at tackle? Tony Brown was close, but Carter's numbers were so good that it was justifiable.
Linebacker was a little bit of a debate between Randall Godfrey and Peter Sirmon, but Godfrey was more dominating so he got the nod.
The safety positions might have taken us the longest. Blaine Bishop was the first thought in everyone's head, but when you look at the numbers from this decade his aren't that good. Griff would have made it a lot easier on us had he not gone in the tank this year, but his season last year was better than any season posted by a safety in the last 10 years- ergo he makes the list.
The returner debate is still going on between the four of us as I am writing this post. The numbers are close enough that I can put Mason on the list and not feel bad about it. Gramsey and Hal are all about he who shall not be named. He was electric, but he only did it for 2 seasons. That is how I am justifying leaving him off. Gramsey says I will close the comments so no one can prove me wrong. He doesn't have that "Hater" title for nothing. Have at it..

Redskins Stripped of Ball, Dignity In Staggering OT Loss

Sugar — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:30:37 -0000

I don't believe in curses, but I am starting to wonder if Mr. Burns and Dan Snyder have more in common than previously thought.

View full size photo »

I am reminded of an all-time great Simpsons episode, "Homer at the Bat." The Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, led by Homer, dominates the regular season and makes the championship. Prior to the big game, Mr. Burns decides to stock his roster full of big league ringers to insure the massive wager he has placed on his team. His confidence is overwhelming, and he gloats about his certain win:

Mr. Burns: "Unless, of course, my nine all-stars fall victim to nine separate misfortunes and are unable to play tomorrow. But that will never happen. Three misfortunes, that's possible. Seven misfortunes, there's an outside chance. But nine misfortunes!??!? I'd like to see that!!"

Then Steve Sax is arrested and jailed since he is from New York City and there is an unsolved murder in New York City. Mike Sciosia develops acute radiation poisoning. Jose Canseco gets wrapped up in helping a woman empty her burning house. Wade Boggs gets the crap beaten out of him by Barney after an argument about who England's greatest Prime Minister was (Pitt the Elder vs. Lord Palmerston.) Ozzie Smith falls into Springfield's "Mystery Spot." Ken Griffey, Jr. overdoses on nerve tonic and his head swells to gargantuan proportions. Don Mattingly is dismissed by Burns due to a disagreement over Mattingly's hairdo. Roger Clemens thinks he's a chicken after a hypnosis-gone-bad.

via 1.bp.blogspot.com

I think you know where I am headed with this one.

I remember last season sitting in my seat at FedEx watching Pete Kendall pick up a fumble and try to run with it, leading to his own fumble and subsequent touchdown by the Rams. As the Rams defender crossed the goal line with no time remaining in the 1st half, I immediately knew that was the kind of play that beats you. We lost 19-17 to a bad Rams team, and you would be hard-pressed to not point your finger to that fluky play.

I even think back to a game in the 2000 Washington Redskins season where we hosted the Tennessee Titans on a Monday Night and Samari Rolle took back an INT at the end of the first half for a touchdown with no time left on the clock. We lost that game 27-21. I can still see Samari Rolle barely having the energy to get all the way to the end zone.

The Kareem Moore interception-strip-touchdown play was as magnificent as it was devastating. Those kinds of plays are so rare, fans of some teams could go a lifetime without enduring the pain of watching it happen to their boys...at their home stadium...3 times in less than a decade.

The series of misfortunes that transpired to effect the result of yesterday's game rivaled the events that knocked out Mr. Burns' team of destiny. The deadly challenge reviews, the shanked Saints punt that hit Kevin Barnes in the back ("The ball just wanted to hit me. It found me," Barnes said after the game), the unbelievably poor-timed, late interception thrown by Jason Campbell, the missed chip shot by Shaun Suisham...SERENITY NOW!!

Team Stat Comparison

1st Downs	25	28
Passing 1st downs	21	19
Rushing 1st downs	4	5
1st downs from Penalties	0	4
3rd down efficiency	6-14	7-12
4th down efficiency	0-1	0-0
Total Plays	74	67
Total Yards	463	455
Passing	408	367
Comp-Att	35-49	30-42
Yards per pass	8.3	8.7
Rushing	55	88
Rushing Attempts	24	25
Yards per rush	2.3	3.5
Red Zone (Made-Att)	0-4	3-7
Penalties	7-102	2-15
Turnovers	1	4
Fumbles lost	0	3
Interceptions thrown	1	1
Defensive / Special Teams TDs	1	0
Possession	35:06	31:23

As always, I include the stat recap, but the story of this game is simply not in the numbers. Instead, the mysticism surrounding this team over the last decade grows. The ongoing series of unexplainable, improbable occurrences that are individually inexplicable are starting to combine forces to form a strangely coherent image. And I am not talking about a "seeing Jesus in your grilled cheese sandwich" kind of image. Ours is a portrait of gloom, despair, and anguish. That which is inconceivable in almost every other stadium is commonplace in ours.

I think our first free agent signing this offseason should be a priest.

Poll

Trying to have one positive aspect of this recap.... What Redskin impressed you the most in the loss to the Saints?

MHR Chalk Talk - Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens 2009

Steve Nichols — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:30:31 -0000

How good are the Ravens? Don't be fooled by the 3-3 record. They've beat the teams they should have (KC and CLE), and won against a tough SD team. Their losses came to teams that are pretty good (NE, CIN, and MIN). Don't sell this team short.

On the other hand, many folks are more likely to sell Denver short. Vegas has them down by 3 points at the time of this writing, despite a 6-0 record. Denver beat two teams that beat BAL (NE and CIN), as well as CLE, SD, OAK, and DAL. How good is Denver?

Special Teams - Sep and Oct players of the month (Kicker Matt Prater and Returner Eddie Royal).

Offense - Kyle Orton, who played the first four games with a protective glove has thrown only one INT (a bomb throw to end a half with no time left) and holds a 100+ QB rating.

Defense - Keeping opponents to an average 11 points a game.

But how do the teams match up? Both teams come off of a bye week, and have had ample time to draw up superior game plans. Who wins in each aspect of the game, and how should they plan the game? Let's look at some possibilities....

Ravens Offense vs Broncos Defense

(Advantage in bold and italics)

Ravens Offense Broncos Defense

Points 28.2 (5th) 11 (1st)

Yards 393.2 (5th) 262.5 (2nd)

Pass 268.3 (8th) 182.8 (8th)

Run 124.8 (10th) 79.7 (3rd)

Two things come to mind when thinking of Denver's pass defense. First, the Denver secondary is legendary. Brian Dawkins at FS and Champ Bailey at CB is unbelievable. But Denver's pass rush is amazing, too. Elvis Dumervil (ROLB/RDE) is a pass-rushing machine and leads the NFL with 10 sacks. Elvis gets moved around the line to create confusion and mismatches, and his exceptionalism allows other players to make plays as well. How does the Baltimore Offense counter?

Well, that's a tricky question. In their last three games, Baltimore has given up seven sacks. Jared Gaither (LT) will play this week, but fans of both teams will hold their breath because Jared suffered a scary neck injury earlier on, and this makes things dicey.

Beyond that, Joe Flacco (QB) is playing very well with a 93.8 QB rating (and is coming off of a hurt ankle). His WRs may be a little suspect, though. Derrick Mason is a good WR, and needs to be accounted for. Todd Heap is also a fine TE. But according to Bruce (our good friend from Baltimore Beatdown) the receiving corps is having issues with passes over the middle, and is depending on sideline curls (too much). Frankly, I don't think this hurts Baltimore against Denver.

Against a great secondary, there are two things to avoid. One is the deep pass, and the other is an "out route". Both are the leading ways to get an interception, and a well-placed pass on a curl route is a safe (if boring) way to move the ball. In fact, Denver isn't averse to short hitches and curls to the edges on offense, and they move the ball just fine without interceptions in that mode. This is also a good, quick way to get rid of the ball against a good pass rush.

Baltimore's offense would be wise to stick with those curls. They have a decent running game behind backs Ray Rice with 6 yds per carry (who is also effective out of screens), and Willis McGahee (4.5 ypc). In fact, a lot of the Baltimore offense reminds me of Denver's.

Baltimore has a good running game, and they do well with short, high-percentage throws. They also make threats with screens.

This is an efficient team that doesn't bowl you over with yards, but they make their yards count and put up a lot of points. Denver is also learning the value of this kind of football. Having jettisoned a QB that put up excellent yards but a lot of INTs, Denver has moved in the direction of "game management", careful passing football and racked up wins as a result.

How does one attack such a team? Baltimore has an offensive issue that Denver's offense doesn't share - pass blocking. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but Denver is winning the defense battles with an amazing pass rush, and they should do that here, too.

A good pass rush from the front 5 (Denver runs a 5-2 look) allows the two ILBs to account for the run, and plugs enough gaps (Denver runs a 1-gap attack) to prevent runs. But in the pass game, that same effective rush harries QBs and can break up plays in the backfield before they get started. If Baltimore can hold the Denver rush (a tall order) they can get the screens out, and make the quick, short passes to move the ball down field steadily. And while nobody is running the Broncos over in the running game (Denver holds teams to under 80 yards rushing), Baltimore needs to try to be the first. A good running game brushes back effective rushes and blitzes, and this would take away Denver's best defensive asset. Still, that's a tough order.

Broncos Offense vs Ravens Defense

Broncos Offense Ravens Defense

Points 22.2 (17th) 21.7 (19th)

Yards 368.7 (9th) 332.7 (19th)

Pass 236 (12th) 241.5 (23rd)

Run 132.7 (7th) 91.2 (7th)

Remember the days when the Ravens were killers on defense, but not so hot on offense? Things have changed quickly. Denver may not light up the scoreboard, but the Ravens aren't exactly shutting down offenses, either. How do offenses beat the Ravens? In the air.

The Ravens have a strong run defense. The DL features former Broncos favorite Trevor Pryce at LDE, but the real power is at LB with LILB Ray Lewis and ROLB Terrell Suggs. Behind them is one of my favorite free safeties in the game, Ed Reed. Ed is one of those "do it all" guys that can cover the pass and slam into a RB like a freight train. But Lewis, Suggs, and Reed are having a rough time this year, and the problem is at corner.

Samari Rolle is a very good corner, but is on the PUP list (injury). He may likely not return this season. This leaves Fabian Washington (who?) at #1 corner and former Bronco nickleback Domonique Foxworth at #2. Neither player has an INT this year.

The Baltimore pass rush faces a difficult prospect, too. Denver's tackles (Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris) are both young, Pro Bowl-caliber players. Pressure will need to come up the middle, if at all. As Orton is a pocket passer, this is where rushes need to come from, anyway.

So the Ravens' best card is their run defense, which ties Denver's run offense. Not a dominating way to face the Broncos.

Denver's path to winning is classic. First, see who has the edge in the running game. If Denver establishes the run, the game is over. I don't see the Ravens stopping the pass in any event. If Denver can run, they can mix up the run and pass, and go from there. The best option may not be the runs up the gut (Denver is awful on short-yardage, 3rd-down scenarios). Denver should test the edges.

Whether the run works or not, expect Denver to play 3 WR (or more) sets. This forces Baltimore to take LBs off the field (their strength) and to replace them with corners (their weakness). Denver has excellence at WR in depth:

Brandon Marshall, who zigzags and plows overs defenders with ease,
Eddie Royal, who ran a kick return and punt return for TDs against the Chargers in the last game,
Jabar Gaffney, who runs routes perfectly in the Denver system (the same routes he ran in NE),
Brandon Stokley, who switches up at slot with Jabar, and has experience, toughness, and great hands.

Between Orton's intelligent ball-handling, Denver's receivers, and the weakness at Baltimore's CBs, this is the matchup Denver fans should look forward to the most - the Denver passing game. If I'm running Baltimore's defense, I put the CBs in zone and play bend-don't-break.

Keys to the Game

Denver

Stop the run. I don't think Baltimore can win as a one-dimensional offense.
Get the early lead. Denver has been starting slow, but an early lead takes away the Baltimore running game.
Avoid turnovers. Baltimore can win this game if they win on field position. They can do this with a key fumble recovery or two. They shouldn't get many chances for INTs against Orton.

Baltimore

Win the time of possession battle. Keep the ball away from Denver's offense.
Win the special teams battle. Don't let Royal get going on punts or kicks. Denver has a new punter this week - make the most of it. Field position!
Baltimore has been able to put up a lot of points this year. Denver is NOT a shootout team.

Conclusion

Both teams are coming off of a bye. The game is in Baltimore, and Baltimore doesn't want to be 3-4 after this week. The weather (at the time of this writing) is expected to be rain. This favors defense and running. For this matchup, this would favor Baltimore.

On the other hand, Denver beats Baltimore in 6 of 8 comparisons I've listed above, and ties in two (based in relative League rankings). In terms of player matchups, I give Denver the advantage in depth. In fact, I give Denver the edge or tie at every player position comparison, including STs (Den) and Coaching (Den).

In my mind, Baltimore is very underrated. While their AFC North rivals PITT and CIN look good this year, BAL is a team that could turn on a dime and improve quickly. The only area that I believe they are stuck without improvement in is cornerbacks.

I don't expect to pick Denver every game this year. The only game I didn't pick Denver was against NE, and I called that one "too close to call". Sure enough, that game went into overtime, so I'll call that a "correct". Tough games still loom on the horizon (Indy and NYGs), but for now, Denver has proven they are for real and I'll stick with them.

Poll

Other than being 6-0, what has been the biggest surprise so far?

Royal returns a kick and a punt for TDs in same game.

186 votes

Doom leads the League in sacks near season half mark.

269 votes

Orton has only 1 INT this year (and that was on a hail mary).

730 votes

1185 votes | Poll has closed

Baltimore’s Struggling Defense: A Warning for the 49ers

raorao — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:28 -0000

by Jim Mone - AP

2 months ago: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) eludes an attempted tackle by Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed (20) in the fourth quarter while racing 58 yards in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009, in Minneapolis. The Vikings won 33-31. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

View full size photo »

Hey NinersNation, I’m Rao: A longtime 49ers fan and Bay Area expat in DC who is forced to suffer through Singletary-less football games every Sunday. As a part of Fooch’s quest to dominate the football blogosphere, I’ll be writing weekly feature stories on important issues around the league and why we, as Niners fans, should care. First up: Why the Baltimore defense is falling apart, and what we can learn from it.

After a three game losing streak, the Baltimore Ravens are going through a bye week identity crisis. For ten years, the Ravens have known exactly who they were: A physical, smash mouth defense, led by Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, that dragged its offense along for the ride – basically what the 49ers aspire to be in coming years, if not later this season. After years of waiting, however, their offense finally came together in 2008, and this season had Ravens’ fans talking dynasties and superbowls. But a funny thing happened in the first six weeks of the season: the heralded Baltimore defense forgot to show up.

Make no mistake, the 2009 Baltimore defense is not the squad that it once was. The Ravens last year ranked in the top 3 in total defense, pass yards allowed, and running yards allowed, but this year they are averaging a mediocre 333 yards allowed per game. Opposing quarterbacks are posting a 63% completion rate and an 89 point passer rating on average against the Ravens, which would have been impossible in 2008. That year, the Ravens only allowed four teams to score more than 24 points against them – a number that has already been matched this season. So what's going on here?

A third-rate secondary. The unit’s clearest problem is their back end: Specifically, their inability to cover anyone. The team has allowed 242 yards per game in the air, ranking them 22nd in the league, and only five teams have allowed more plays of 20+ yards. Sure, Baltimore has played teams with good passing games, but they make questionable receivers look like superstars – no one can excuse allowing Vikings WR Sidney Rice a 176 yard game. With the loss of veteran cornerback Samari Rolle in the offseason, the Ravens have the untested CBs struggling in the position and instead of making big plays, they have a penchant for giving them up. The Ravens have already allowed 6 passes of 40 yards or more, matching their total for the entire 2008 season. This is a unit that is constantly tested by opponents and fails miserably – as Baltimore Beatdown blogger Bruce Raffel colorfully put it, "Our cornerbacks couldn't cover a sleeping homeless guy with a blanket."

It all starts with the front office. To some extent, these problems are a result of poor management decisions: Two big offseason acquisitions, CB Domonique Foxworth and Chris Carr, have so far seemed to be busts. Nickel back Carr, particularly, has been repeatedly beaten in obvious passing situations, like when Cincinnati’s Andre Caldwell torched him for the game winning touchdown in week 5. Some blame can be passed on to the coaching staff as well: New defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, replacing defensive genius Rex Ryan, lacks the former’s knack for creative blitzing schemes and has instituted a more vanilla defense.

"Veteran" sometimes just means old. But secondary play this bad can’t just be caused by suspect play calling or a few bad players. The more likely reason: The Baltimore defense is finally showing signs of its age all around. ILB Ray Lewis is entering his 14th season, and lacks the speed and instinct he once had; FootballOutsiders argued he’s not even in the top 10 LB’s in the league anymore, and his play has unquestionable suffered this season. Fellow linebackers Terrell Suggs and Jarret Johnson have also slowed with time, hurting their ability to cover the middle of the field effectively and putting even more pressure on the strugging secondary. This front seven is still solid – they rank sixth against the running game with 3.5 yards per carry, and 11th in sacks – but its no longer as dominant as it once was, and it can’t make up for the team’s questionable back end play in the way it did in 2008. This is a unit that got its hands on one of every four passes thrown last season, and ranked number 1 on fourth down. Those numbers have returned to Earth in 2008, and the secondary is paying the price for it.

The house always wins. Some would argue that the unit is salvaged by the freakishly effective strong safety Ed Reed. In all fairness, he can always be counted on to come up with a big play at least once a week, like his spectacular forced fumble in week 5. But the reason he is so successful is because he takes risks – playing receivers close and jumping routes to come up with big interceptions – and gamblers always lose in the long run. When this team had an elite pass rush, like it did in 2006, such tactics made sense, since quarterbacks were too busy avoiding Ray Lewis to play chess games with Baltimore’s secondary. Those days are over now, and Ed Reed’s aggressive style of play is as likely to lead to big plays for the other team as quarterbacks have more time in the pocket.

Whether it’s because of their aging stars, poor game planning, or just bad play, the Ravens defense this season seems like it won’t be the juggernaut it once was. Their season could still be salvaged on the shoulders of Joe Flacco, but, as of now, they sit in third place in the NFC North with the Colts, Broncos, and two games against the Steelers still on the schedule. What does this mean to us Niners fans? Outside of one less team to fear in the playoffs, it’s a warning that solid defense doesn’t last forever. The difference between a great defense and a mediocre one isn’t big in the NFL, and as Baltimore’s struggles show, defensive dynasties are quickly destroyed by age and injury. Every year with a struggling offense is another year our defense gets older and closer to mediocrity. So here’s hoping it doesn’t take until Patrick Willis’ 14th season for the 49ers to find their own Joe Flacco.

Ravens' Secondary: Who Stays, Who Goes?

Bruce Raffel — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:54:11 -0000

The Baltimore Ravens will have to make a cut or two today to get down to the NFL maximum of 75 players. On Saturday, they will have to declare their 53 man roster by making a bunch of painful decisions. Today, we will be looking at the team's secondary, and predicting what the team will do with their cornerbacks and safeties.

With the recent announcement that veteran cornerback Samari Rolle will begin the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List, it makes it a bit easier to look at the list and determine who will stay and who will be let go. Rolle's status on the Pup List is not counted against our roster total, so that actually allows the team to keep another player that might have either been on the bubble or cut had Rolle been ready to go from opening day.

Last year's opening day roster included 10 defensive backs, although there are always a player or two that is placed on the Inactive List for that week's games. Looking at the current Ravens roster of defensive backs, the list includes the following no-brainers who should be starting on September 13th against the Kansas City Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium:

Ed Reed, Dawan Landry, Fabian Washington, Domonique Foxworth

Adding in those players who figure to be in the nickel, dime and dollar packages, that should ensure the safety of:

Chris Carr, Lardarius Webb, Frank Walker, Haruki Nakamura, Tom Zbikowski

While many Ravens fans seem to think that the often penalized Walker should be more on the bubble than safe, the Ravens still like his physical play and he figures to get a lot of playing time, espeically during the time that Samari Rolle is unavaillable.

That puts nine players in the secondary on the team's roster of 53. If they decide to keep at least one more player, then the choice is whittled down to one of three remaining defensive backs:

Derrick Martin, Evan Oglesby, K.J. Gerard

Of those three, Martin looks to be the choice, as he is more versatile than the others and has been playing mostly at safety this summer. Oglesby has been burned on a regular basis this pre-season and is probably the first of this list to be cut. However, while Gerard intrigued the coaches with his ability to be around the ball in OTA's earlier this spring, he has not made the impact they were hoping for since Training Camp and exhibition games have begun.

We will see the first round of cuts completed by later today, and while the secondary is a major interest to the team, I still doubt the team will make any cuts today in this area, waiting to see how the guys on the bubble perform in Thursday's final exhibition game before making their final decisions by 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 5th.

Poll

If the Ravens have to cut two of the three following defensive backs, who will be safe?

Derrick Martin

311 votes

Evan Oglesby

139 votes

K.J. Gerard

111 votes

561 votes | Poll has closed

Ravens Training Camp: Wednesday PM Edition

Bruce Raffel — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 01:34:57 -0000

The afternoon session in Westminster was a bit more subdued than the morning one. As the day moved towards the end, some of the veterans began to trickle in to say hello to the coaches and other players. We saw LB Jarret Johnson, safeties Ed Reed and Haruki Nakamura, WR Marcus Smith and DT Justin Bannan on the field in shorts. Veteran CB Samari Rolle made an appearance in uniform, but just seemed to be stretching and not participating.

I overheard one of the defensive line coaches laughing, saying he heard that DT Haloti Ngata has brought his own bed with him to the team hotel!

Believe it or not, OL teammates Robby Felix and Bryan Mattison were STILL going at it, one-on-one!

The offense was practicing a wide variety of sets, including multiple wideout and triple option plays with different players at every position.

In 7-on-7 drills, the offense had a good series of plays. QB John Beck hit newcomer WR Jayson Foster, Troy Smith hit Justin Harper and Joe Flacco completed a good one to Demetrius Williams, who outjumped a shorter Lardarius Webb. Beck then hit Mark Clayton with Fabian Washington hanging all over him. Another fingertip grab by Clayton, once again over Washington, would have been a catch-and-run 50 yard TD in a game situation.

In field goal drills, rookie Graham Gano drilled a bunch with different holders, including successfully with Joe Flacco holding. Fortunately, CB Chris Carr will not be a holder, as when he did put one down for Gano, Graham drilled his offensive linemen in the back, causing them to yell, "Carr, get out of here!"

As I said earlier in this piece, DT Justin Bannan was there in shorts and a sleeveless top, showing off his incredibly huge "guns" which are apparently notorious amongst the players.

CB Derrick Martin, due partly to the absence of enough safeties (although it is runored that due to CB depth, he is moving to the safety position), played with confidence and was very talkative, directing the rookies playing alongside him on defense.

Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb broke up consecutive passes with nice defensive moves.

WR Isaiah Williams (Maryland Terrapins) was cut after yesterday's session to make room on the roster for newly signed WR/KR Jayson Foster.

Photos after the "Jump."

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.

Ravens Comment on McNair's Death

Bruce Raffel — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:52:22 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

Browse more photos »

The aftershock of the reported murder of former Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titan QB Steve McNair continues to resonnate throughout the team as well as the league. So many comments have been posted all over the news, the internet and blogs such as Baltimore Beatdown and Music City Miracles (SB Nation Titans' blog). I decided to post a listing of a bunch of sites that have put comments made by current or former players who stepped on the field alongside of McNair as they went into battle with this consummate NFL warrior.

Click here to read what some of the Ravens players had to say on BaltimoreRavens.com.

Click here to read what Ravens' LT Jared Gaither says on his blog.

Click here to see ESPN talking with Ravens' WR Derrick Mason, who played ten seasons with McNair, eight in Tennessee and two in Baltimore.

Click here to read the LA Times article with comments from some of his former teammates and coaches.

Click here to read the Washington Post's article with comments from Ravens CB Samari Rolle, who also played with McNair in both Tennessee and Baltimore along with Mason, and Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome. As stated therein, Ray Lewis has had such a tough time dealing with the loss of his close friend that he has yet to publicly comment on the situation.

Feel free to post your thoughts and any other links with players comments who have played with McNair during their careers. Thanks.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Saluting Not Just A Quarterback, But A Leader Of Men Edition

August West — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:38:40 -0000

More photos » by PAT SULLIVAN - AP

McNair rocking the high-top fade, and preparing to become a legend once he finally donned the Tennessee Titans uniform.

Browse more photos »

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its hear t may stand in the sun, so must you know pain... It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.

- from The Prophet, by Khalil Gibran

Before we proceed with the links this morning, I have a few quick points to make about the impact of Steve's murder, how the coverage is likely to go and what will be tolerated around here:

• No matter what comes out about how Steve died or what mistakes he'd made in his personal life, nothing he could have done deserves this. Infidelity does not warrant murder, and if you're going to hate on a super star for cheating on his wife then you'd best just give up liking sports, music, movies and just about anything else that brings fame these days. I don't agree with it, but it ain't my life either. Thus, lets keep the discussion above the board and off of the soap-box, shall we? Show some respect for the man's wife and children, please.

• Respect will be shown. Feel like dragging McNair's name through the mud or attacking his memory over things that had noting to do with his impact on the field or in the hearts of Titans fans across the world? Go elsewhere. At MCM, respect will be shown for our QB.

• The one aspect of Steve's legacy in Nashville that will never get the notice it deserves is how much he meant to the African-American community here. Before Steve there had never really been a black superstar in this town. It's a country music haven, and Charlie Pride wasn't exactly oozing street-cred or the demands for social justice of a Jim Brown. When the Titans moved to Nashville though, there was suddenly a true inspiration to tell kids to look up to. Steve went to a historically black college, did intensive work in the community and served as a top-flight role model for countless kids of all races in Nashville. What he meant to the black community though, can't be underestimated. African-American kids in this city hadn't seen someone that looked like them be given the keys to power, respect and influence in Nashville before. He was well aware of his influence here: it's no coincidence that when he opened a restaurant in town it was on Jefferson St. just down the block from historically black TSU. He gave jobs to people from the community because they needed them, and he made sure the food was affordable. It was his final gift to the community he helped inspire, and lift-up through his play on the field, his leadership in the locker room and his efforts to set a good example in every Nashville community. Click here to see the reaction outside of Steve McNair's Gridiorn9.

• You want to know how much Nashville loved Steve McNair? Even leaving to play for the Ravens couldn't turn us against him. He was cheered at LP Field upon his return back in 2006, and I don't mean 'stand up and golf clap, yay' cheered, I mean shake the earth and wake the gods cheer. Derrick Mason and Samari Rolle never got similar ovations... not even close.

Click through the jump for the links:

The Tennessean has loads of details on the woman whose life ended with McNair (and whom it's looking increasingly likely killed him), including how the two probably met.

Who would have ever thought that the toughest man in Nashville would go out like this. Here, ex-teammates weigh in on this tragedy.

You know it's a tragic loss when even KSK is respectful and saddened by the news. that doesn't stop them from churning out the best line I've seen so far about the toughest hombre to ever play QB in the league:

Rest in peace, Air McNair. Had you not already retired, we’re sure you could play through this one, too.

/starts slow clap.

Jeff Fisher found out about the tragedy while on a USO Tour visiting troops with other high-profile NFL coaches. Here's his statement:

"I am deeply saddened and at this point do not have the words to describe this loss,’’ Fisher said. "It is an extremely emotional moment and I don’t have the words to explain how I am feeling. I ask people to please pray for Mechelle and the entire McNair family. This is a tragic moment for his family, and it is a tragic moment for anyone who knew and loved Steve.’’

Tom Curran has a great read about the impact Steve McNair had on the NFL, pointing out that he was really one of the first black franchise QBs. Rarely if ever before did teams build the entire franchise around a black QB before McNair.

Hearing Eddie George choke-up talking about this on the news last night certainly got to me. I can't imagine what it's like to lose someone you're so connected to personally and professionally like that in such a violent way.

At the AOL Fanhouse, MDS recalls just how unstoppable McNair was at Alcorn State. For more on that check-out this now legendary Sport Illustrated piece making the case that McNair should be the first Division I-AA player to win the Heisman.

Keep checking back with MCM for more information and tributes. If you have anything you'd like to share, we encourage you to take advantage of the comments section, or the fanpost/fanshots to share your thoughts with the close-knit Titans community.

And for me, remember to tell the people close to you you love them, because you never know when it's all going to be over.

Position Analysis: Secondary

Brandon — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:00:17 -0000

Mitchell got it going with a look at the offensive line. In no particular order, I'm moving onto the secondary (cornerbacks and safeties). Despite a great 2008 season, this group has made some news of late and are going through a transition to a new defense under Dom Capers.

I've been hestitant to talk about the new scheme in the secondary because I have not been sure what it is. But CB Tramon Williams spelled it out last week:

"It’s not much of a difference. We get to play off man now, get to see the quarterback more and it actually helps us get jumps on routes, read the quarterback’s steps and his progression," said Williams. "In man to man, we never got the chance to see all that, we always had our back to the quarterback -- because we had to follow whoever we had. Now you can actually see everything that’s progressing and you have much more to work with."

In man to man, the cornerbacks were usually within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. They would try and jam the receiver to disrupt the route and timing. They are always looking at the receiver and rarely at the quarterback. They were right at the line to disrupt the quick routes on the QBs 3-step drop. If the receiver went deep, they turned their back to the QB and followed the receiver.

In off-man, they start out several yards from the receiver, so no more jamming at the line. They get to look in the backfield to see if the QB does a 3-step drop. If he does, then the cornerback will have to break to the ball. They'll know where to go because the QB only has a couple options in that situation. If the receiver goes deep, the coverage will look a lot like it did last season.

The new off-man scheme is not a cover-2 (or zone coverage) scheme.

Can the Packers' learn this new scheme? Uh-huh:

When asked if he isn't suited to play zone, [CB Al ]Harris responded: "Why, why wouldn't it suit me? We're not hacks here. We're pros. Man, I'm a corner. There isn't a technique that I haven't played."

Passing defense in 2008. They led the NFL with 6 INTs returned for TDs. No. 3 overall with 22 INTs. No. 3 overall with 110 pass defenses. As Al Harris would say, they were not hacks.

Ranked 7th overall by Football Outsiders. Despite the great season described above, they did allow 3,244 yards passing (No. 12 overall) and 22 TDs (No. 21 overall). There is some room for improvement and they are a step behind the top 5 pass defenses (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Tennessee and Minnesota).

It is interesting to note that a couple of these teams, Baltimore in particular, are not exactly blessed with great players in the secondary. Baltimore's secondary had one cast off from Oakland (CB Fabian Washington), another cast off from Buffalo (S Jim Leonhard), two former Pro Bowl players who were released after the season ended (CB Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle), and another cast off from Green Bay (CB Frank Walker).

Starters:

CB Charles Woodson. 2009 Pro Bowl attendee. He's started 44 games over the last three seasons. He's played through injuries and been great at intercepting the ball. But he is not often asked to cover the receiver deep, so that might not be something he is great at anymore.

CB Al Harris. 2009 Pro Bowl attendee. A lacerated spleen could have ended his season, but he came back after the bye week, and played well enough to make the Pro Bowl. In 2007, Harris had some really bad games, capped off with a bad game against WR Plaxico Burress in the NFC Championship. But he rarely got beat in 2008. He'll always have a low interception total, but a high total of pass defenses.

CB Tramon Williams. A lock to be named as the nickel back, and he'll be in on over 50% of the plays in 2009 even if he isn't officially listed as a starter. It was a surprise when he made the team in 2007. Then he outplayed CB Jarrett Bush in training camp to take the nickel spot away from him. He finished 2008 with 9 starts, 14 pass defenses, and 5 INTs. He gave up the occassional big play, so there still is some room for improvement. But he was so much better in 2008 vs. 2007 that he does have the potential to improve.

S Nick Collins. 2009 Pro Bowl attendee. He showed promise in 2005 and 2006, but right as I expected him to break out in 2007, something held him back. It might have been the injuries that forced him to miss 3 games in 2007, but maybe he just wasn't good enough. Then he blew all my expectations away with an outstanding 2008 season. I've always thought he had the physical talents and now the football IQ seems to match. I expect he'll be a good to great player going forward.

S Atari Bigby. 2008 was a lost season for him as battled a variety of injuries. The Packers tendered him a $1.5 million contract, which is a lot for a restricted free agent. The Packers would have been rewarded a 2nd round pick if another team signed him (which effectively prevented him from signing with anybody). That indicates that he is still the starter. He's not great in pass coverage because he gives the receivers a lot of cushion, but I'm eager to see how he'll play in 2009.

Backups:

CB Pat Lee. The 2nd round pick in 2008 looked lost during the preseason, but when he was forced into action when Harris was injured, he looked good. Not perfect, but good for a rookie. He'll either continue to improve as the 4th CB or maybe battle Williams for the nickel job.

CB/S Jarrett Bush. I was surprised when the Packers matched Tennessee's free agent offer. He rarely played on defense last season, and he mixed in some great special teams plays with some dumb penalties. He can play on defense in a pinch, but he's primarily around as a special teams player.

CB Will Blackmon. He's a great kick returner, but he looked awful when he actually got some playing time at cornerback in 2008. But that was a small sample size; he only played a handful of defensive plays in 2008.

S Aaron Rouse. He looked great as a rookie in 2007, but struggled in 2008. He took some bad angles which led to some big plays, while showing off a lack of speed. Although he did have the big 99 yard INT returned for a TD against MVP QB Peyton Manning. He's still firmly entrenched as the top backup at safety, but he doesn't deserve to start over Collins or Bigby either.

S Anthony Smith. One of the two "big" 2009 free agent signings. Bigby has been held out of the OTAs as he recovers from off-season surgery, and Collins is staying away from the voluntary camps, although I expect he'll show up once the OTA becomes mandatory, so Smith has gotten a lot of time with the first string defense in practice. The 25 year old was a former 3rd round pick in 2006 who started 14 games in Pittsburgh, before becoming a forgotten man in 2008, so he might be someone who can turn his career around with a change of scenary.

There are a few other cornerbacks and safeties on the roster, but they'll all have to battle for a roster spot. I don't expect any of them will beat out any of the 10 players I've listed above, or even force their way on the roster as the 11th man in the secondary.

This is arguably the best unit on the entire team, and I'm expecting another great season from them.