SB Nation - Adalius Thomas

Ravens Cut Ties With Players At Perfect Time

Bruce Raffel — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:00:07 -0000

A lot of so-called experts, be it NFL analysts or know-it-all fans, have already written off the Baltimore Ravens as Super Bowl contenders for the 2013-14 season. The Ravens have lost more than half of their defensive starters as well as key parts of their offense.

To replace the losses, the team has signed free agent veterans at cap-friendly prices, as well as drafted young players with unlimited potential. The question remains of whether these new guys can fill the shoes and roles of the ones that have departed.

For the ones that have gone on to one of the other 31 teams in the NFL, odds are that their new employers will not be getting the type of performance out of them that attracted them to their new team in the first place. Over the years, the Ravens have not re-signed certain players,who have found much greener pastures (defined: Paydays) with other teams.

Unfortunately, those players have rarely replicated the same success that they had here in Baltimore. Is that a matter of team chemistry, lack of performance or perhaps just Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome and his staff knowing the perfect time to leta veteran walk when they see their value significantly less than what the market bears.

How many times have we seen the Ravens lose a player to free agency on to end up seeing that player either not pan out as hoped or even fail miserably with the new team? The list is long and forgive me if I miss anyone and feel free to add them in the comments section below.

Jamal Lewis

The list is probably a lot longer and this writer thinks next year at this time, we can add Paul Kruger, Dannell Ellerbe, Cary Williams, Bernard Pollard, and yes, even Ed Reed.

To be fair, there have been a few players who have continued to play at a high level after leaving the Ravens. The much shorter list that most quickly comes to mind includes Brandon Stokley, Steven Hauschka and Priest Holmes.

Post your opinions on which players that have left the team did not succeed and which did, plus what are your thoughts on who left this off-season and what you expect their future success to be.

Random Ramsdom: Clarity

Brandon Birkhead — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:00:05 -0000

Ten days. Ten more days until my favorite day of the entire NFL calendar. The NFL Draft will finally be held. With less than two weeks until the draft, we are all finding more clarity. For the most part, we know each team's needs that need to be filled, and around where each prospect will be picked, though we'll be surprised by a few picks.

Let's catch you all up on the news.

Reaction to Kiper's Latest Mock (Sando, ESPN NFC West Blog)

Mel Kiper's latest 2 round mock had the Rams selecting Tavon Austin and Kenny Vacarro in the first round, and picking up Wisconsin Running Back Montee Ball in the second round.

I have been as open to my liking of Tavon Austin as anyone, so I have no problem with the first pick. I continue to question why Vacarro is consistently mocked to the Rams. Vacarro is my top safety in the draft, but I do not think his style fits what the Rams defense. Jeff Fisher has always preferred big, fast and tough safeties. Vacarro is not a very physical player, and is more of a pure coverage safety. I don't think the style matches. A player like Matt Elam or Jonathan Cyprien makes more sense.

As for the Montee Ball pick, I could not be more against it. Ball is a very overrated prospect in my eyes. He already at his young age has a ton of miles on his tires, and he's not overly fast or physical. He was adequate enough at both to shine behind the tremendous front provided by the Badgers.

Late Round Options for the Rams (Bleacher Report)

This list deals more with Mid-Round options for the Rams, but it's a good list and fans should familiarize themselves with the players on the list. Kyle Long and Marcus Lattimore both make the list. We have discussed both on the site recently, and both seem to be a good fit for the Rams, especially Lattimore, provided he checked out medically.

What's up with Roger Saffold (NFL.com)

With the signing of Jake Long, Roger Saffold has lost his starting LT spot. No one likes a demotion. It's possible he is looking to be traded, though we have heard nothing of the sort officially. NFL.com brings up the possibility, though incredibly unlikely, that Saffold may hold out. I tend to agree with what Tevin wrote recently. The Rams won't have to worry about Saffold this season, but they may need to look for his replacement in the draft.

NFL Draft Top WRs (Thomas, STLToday)

Jim Thomas revealed his top WR options available for the Rams. TST did our own collaborative WR Big Board. Needless to say, our list are quite similar.

Jaguars down to two players (NFL.com)

The Jags have narrowed down their options at number two overall to two players. I would be willing to bet that those two players are Geno Smith and Dion Jordan. Personally, I would go with Dion Jordan. He reminds me of a young Adalius Thomas. If the Jaguars decide to go with Geno Smith instead, the draft will become very interesting very fast. A trade down isn't out of the question for Jacksonville, especially with prospects like Eric Fisher, Luke Jockel and Dion Jordan available. The number two pick this year may be the first pick to surprise everyone.

Song of the day: One of my favorite bands, Death Cab for Cutie

Ravens Trust The Process

lastcallbmore — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:31:37 -0000

The Baltimore Ravens must have tremendous trust in their own organization to make some of the moves they have made so far this off season. The team has signed several first round draft picks that have not yet lived up to their draft status of yet to help their team deal with the departure of some very good players.

Why are the Ravens so confident? Probably because they have a proven track record of getting the best out of the players they bring in. In the past they have signed castoffs like Jacoby Jones and Bernard Pollard and turned them into Pro Bowl caliber players and have taken undrafted free agents like Bart Scott and Dannell Ellerbe and turned them into rich men only for them to fail to replicate the production they showed here in Baltimore. There is a long list of ex-Ravens that have signed big money contracts other places and never lived up to them. The list of players that the Ravens have brought in for pennies on the dollar only to turn into valuable assets to the team is nearly as long. Ellerbe has yet to show what he will do as an ex-Raven but the track record of Adalius Thomas, Edgerton Hartwell and many other former Raven linebackers is not good.

This season the Ravens are hoping they continue that trend with three once very highly touted players.

Defensive End Marcus Spears was drafted 20th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 2005. He was though to be a DeMarcus Ware type of player but never put up the pass rushing numbers that Dallas hoped he would. In turn he is now a salary cap casualty that the Ravens are hoping can can help solidify their run defense. Spears has had many injury issues over his career. Perhaps , if he can stay healthy, he will help Baltimore return to their run stopping ways.

Safety Michael Huff was the seventh overall pick in 2006 for the Oakland Raiders and has joined a long line of Oakland draft "busts" that stretches back nearly a decade. Although Huff has shown excellent versatility in his professional career for the Raiders, he never quite lived up to his status as the seventh overall pick to their fans. Huff is a very capable safety and corner who can help in the run and passing game. He may be the Ravens most underrated signing this season if he stays healthy.

Lastly, the Ravens most recent signing is middle linebacker Rolando McClain. McClain was labeled as a "can't miss" prospect coming out of Alabama where he was the captain of the best defense in college football. Subsequently he was drafted eighth overall in 2010. McClain has suffered from several off the field issues that translated into on the field issues and lead to him losing playing time and then his job in Oakland as part of their recent purge. Rolando is still only 23 years old, younger than some players that are being drafted this year, and shows tremendous potential. The Ravens are hoping that a scenery and culture change as well as a change back to the 3-4 defense that he played in college will turn his career around. Again only time will tell. One thing is for sure however, the Ravens have shown incredible respect for themselves this off season.

The Next Great Ravens Linebacker

Bruce Raffel — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:00:09 -0000

This has happened over and over through the years and each time the player leaves, the Baltimore Ravens find another guy who steps in and earns that title. In the past we've had Edgerton Hartwell, then Adalius Thomas, then Bart Scott, and most recently, Dannell Ellerbe.

Throw in Jarret Johnson and Paul Kruger, two guys who were drafted but exceeded expectations and then went on to other teams when the Ravens could not or would not be able to afford re-signing them.

Bart Scott and Dannell Ellerbe were unique in that neither was drafted but signed by the Ravens as undrafted free agents. Both did not overly impress from the beginning but quickly proved that the Ravens keep finding the diamonds in the rough of undrafted players, ironically in the linebacker position.

With the loss of Ellerbe to the Miami Dolphins through free agency and the retirement of Ray Lewis, the Ravens have two huge voids to fill in the middle of the second line of their defense. There are questions about the health of Jameel McClain (neck), as well as the abilities of Brendon Ayanbadejo or Josh Bynes to step up and fill that void.

Bringing in a free agent veteran might work, but what else is out there other than an overpriced Karlos Dansby or aging Brian Urlacher? Drafting a rookie and thrusting him into a starting role is a tough task for a first-year player to master, especially with no Ray Lewis to take him under the wings.

However, the Ravens might have the answer on their current roster in the name of Albert McClellan. The third year pro has played both inside and outside, depending where he was needed. In 2012, McClellan covered for Terrell Suggs early in the season and both Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe at inside linebacker later when they were injured.

McClellan' statistics haven't been eye-opening (49 combined tackles, one sack, one forced fumble), but he always seems to be around the ball and knows the Ravens defense as evidenced by his versatility. He is physical and built for the inside position (6'2", 245 pounds).

He is excellent against the run due to that physicality and can rush the passer on the blitz. The jury is still out on his pass coverage skills, as he has not had enough reps in those situations due to the team's depth at switching out players as the play has dictated.

However, even when competing with Paul Kruger, Dannell Ellerbe, Courtney Upshaw and even Sergio Kindle in last summer's Training Camp and through pre-season, McClellan's name always came up and his performance impressed coaches enough to be confident to stick him in at two very different linebacker positions in the regular season and see the team succeed with him in those roles.

A full-time job at the inside position could very well result in finding the next great Ravens linebacker, which would be the first in the new post-Ray Lewis era.

Report: Patriots Showing Interest in Mike Wallace

Greg Knopping — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 15:01:20 -0000

NFL teams can't agree to or sign contracts with pending free agents until 4:00 PM ET on Tuesday, but the league's new "legal tampering" period, which began at midnight last night, allows teams to talk to the agents of those free agents. That being said, Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero reported late last night that the Patriots have "some interest" in free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace. Salguero also wrote that he believed that the interest was "solid."

Wallace, 26, is expected to be one of the league's highest paid free agents this offseason. In order to sign him, the Patriots would likely need to shell out more than they did to sign their last high prized free agent - Adalius Thomas in 2007. Thomas was given a 5 year, $35 million deal with $20 million guaranteed.

If the Patriots did sign Wallace, it would give the Patriots the bonafide deep threat that they've been looking for since the departure of Randy Moss during the 2010 season. Wallace is an elite downfield threat, but struggled for the Steelers in 2012. He recorded a career low 13.1 yards per catch, and caught just 64 of the 119 passes thrown his direction.

Even if the Patriots do not end up signing Wallace, they could help themselves by expressing interest. Their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins, are also expected to pursue Wallace aggressively. If the Patriots enter the fray for his services, it could drive up the price for the Dolphins, who many, including myself, see as the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC East for 2013.

Either way, this will be an intriguing situation to watch over the coming days. Stay tuned!

Poll

Should the Patriots sign wide receiver Mike Wallace?

Yes, he'll provide the deep presence the team needs

309 votes

No, don't want him/too expensive

205 votes

514 votes | Poll has closed

Ravens' Dannell Ellerbe Becoming A Star

Bruce Raffel — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:01:02 -0000

In weeks 13 through 15 of the 2012NFL regular season, the Baltimore Ravens hit rock bottom for a team that pretty much still knew they were headed to the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Three straight losses, two on the game's final play, had the offense under scrutiny and the defense feeling the heat of criticism.

At the same time, there was one common denominator during that streak. Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe missed all three games due to injury but thankfully has returned at the right time. His return coincided with the Ravens 33-14 beatdown of the New York Giants this past Sunday, ending the team's three-game losing streak.

A mere coincidence? I think not. Ellerbe is quickly becoming one of the brightest new young stars of the Ravens defense. For a team known for producing solid linebacking play, Dannell might just be the next great Ravens linebacker, following Bart Scott, Adalius Thomas, and Jarret Johnson over the years.

Ellerbe was an undrafted free agent out of Georgia in 2009 and had a solid rookie season. He dropped off a bit in his sophomore season and seemed to be in head coach John Harbaugh's doghouse last season. However, this year has been a breakout season, as he has virtually doubled up his next best season, starting his last six games after coming off the bench for the first six.

"Ellerbeast," as some fans have come to call him, is third on the team in total tackles (65), and has the most of any linebacker on the team. His five tackles in Sunday's victory led the Ravens as he was an obvious force on the defense. For the season, Dannell also has 4.5 sacks, two passes defensed and one forced fumble.

Only a questionable offsides penalty on Terrell Suggs prevented Ellerbe from getting a sack on a great timing play where he hit the line of scrimmage, timing the snap of the ball perfectly and splitting the Giants offensive line for an easy sack of Eli Manning. That one play showed that his confidence level is as high as it's always been, which happens when you are learning from the game's greatest linebacker, Ray Lewis, who was cheering Ellerbe on from the sidelines.

When Lewis returns, most likely fro the playoffs, expect to see Ellerbe lined up right next to him, which should be a welcome sight for the Ravens and the fans. Having the past and future stars on the field together could be the catalyst to return the Ravens defense to the one we remember for most of the past decade.

Why Aqib Talib Will Work for the Patriots

Alec Shane — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 20:01:20 -0000

I'm not sure if any of you have been following the Boston-area sports media as of late, but there have been a few articles about how New England Patriots just traded a 4th round pick for a 2013 7th rounder and stud cornerback Aqib Talib. I'm also not sure if you've been able to find the few reporters that dug deep into their sports research, but it may shock you to learn that Talib has had a history of off the field issues attached to his superior defensive and athletic abilities. And if you've really been scouring the internet hard, you might have stumbled across an article or two questioning whether Talib will be the next Corey Dillon or whether he will be the next Albert Haynesworth. I'm actually really surprised the media hasn't done more with this storyline yet, especially since the Patriots are on a bye and they usually lap up material like this.

Maybe it's because they are like me and are extremely confident that Talib will work out very, very well in New England, at least from a character standpoint. Maybe they realized that Talib is in a highly different situation than the players who have come in and failed in the past and thus has much more motivation to succeed here. Or maybe they just have more important things to cover right now. I can never tell with them.

While I'm more than willing to admit that the comparisons being made to the troubled players of yore are warranted, I also think that Talib is in a much better place than anyone else that has come before him. Here's why.

He's young. At 26, Talib is one of the youngest malcontent players the team has brought in. His legacy is still very much up in the air, and he doesn't have an incredible amount of content on his resume yet. Because of that, there is much more motivation on his end to prove to both Bill Belichick and the NFL that he is here to stay. Plus, if I was him, I would absolutely want to stay; not only is he now playing for a legit Super Bowl contender, but...

He is primed to be "the guy" in New England. Of course, by "the guy," I don't mean the face of the franchise; that position is filled by a certain dimple-chinned quarterback who may or may not be the best man at my wedding, should I ever decide to get married and should he ever lift that restraining order he filed. But Talib can very much be the guy that came in and turned a struggling secondary around and transformed the unit into a respectable part of what is otherwise a very solid team. That's a great position to be in, and one I think that Talib would want to embrace, especially considering...

His contract is about to expire. There's definitely a chance that the Patriots only have Talib on the squad for half of a season, as he's sent to enter Free Agency in 2013. While his impending departure makes the move very low risk for New England, it also means that once this season is over, there is no guaranteed money coming Talib's way. In most cases, players in a contract year ramp up their game in order to showcase their skills and earn what they hope is a big payday once the new league year starts. If Talib comes into New England, continues to act like a jackass, and doesn't deliver on the field, he's going to find himself without a team and without a contract pretty quickly. And now that he's on the Patriots, you can bet that teams will be paying extra attention to whether or not he can get his act together. Because if history is any indicator...

If he won't work for the Patriots, he won't work anywhere. There's a reason that the rest of the NFL tries to mimic the Patriot Way, and it isn't because of Bill Belichick's keen fashion sense and media savvy. New England is a perennially successful team because they have an excellent balance of talent, coaching, and - most importantly - locker room solidarity. It's very difficult to overstate the importance of good team chemistry, as all the talent in the world won't get you anywhere if your players aren't buying into the system (hello, Philadelphia). The Patriots are more willing than most to take a chance on "malcontent" players because they know that there are enough leaders on this team to get pretty much anyone to fall into line. Plus, New England has shown that they have absolutely no problem cutting bait no matter how high profile the player or how much they gave up to get him. What has resulted from gaining this reputation over the years is that there seems to be a league-wide consensus that if you can't hack it in New England, you likely won't be hacking it anywhere else. Last time I checked, Adalius Thomas, Randy Moss, Chad Ochocinco, and Albert Haynesworth didn't exactly experience career revivals anywhere else after they parted ways with the Patriots; if Talib wants a shot at playing in the NFL again, he would be wise to fall into line and fall into line quick before he finds himself permanently unemployed.

[SIDE NOTE: I feel bad lumping Chad Ochocinco in with Albert Haynesworth. Chad really tried hard. He did what he was asked, he toed the company line, and he bought into the system. He just couldn't get the playbook down. The New England offense is a lot like math; you either get it or you don't. Just ask Joey Galloway. Still, using him here helps to prove my point, and so he's staying in.]

Of course, I could be wrong here, but I think if Talib doesn't make a difference for the Patriots, it won't be because of his antics off the field.

Is Paul Kruger A Liability At Linebacker?

Bruce Raffel — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:00:30 -0000

When former Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker and fan favorite Jarret Johnson was allowed to test the free agent market and subsequently signed with the San Diego Chargers, it opened the door for Paul Kruger to step into that spot on the right side of Ray Lewis and perhaps become the next great Ravens linebacker. Following in the footsteps of Edgerton Hartwell, Bart Scott, Adalius Thomas and most recently JJ, Kruger has the opportunity of a lifetime in the palm of his hand.

But is Kruger up to the task and can he make the transition from a pass rushing specialist to the multi-tasking three-down linebacker? After three preseason games as the "Sam" OLB, Kruger has seven tackles and no sacks, but in relatively limited playing time. In 2011, Paul had 15 tackles along with 5.5 sacks, while not starting a single game, coming in usually in pure passing situations.

The glaring issue in Kruger's game appears to not be whether he can put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but can he set the edge to defend the run and drop back into pass coverage? The issue was obvious last night, as Kruger failed to do just that on an outside run, leaving the entire side of the field open for the Jacksonville Jaguars running back to run unchallenged for a long gain.

Kruger is also responsible for covering the tight ends on his side of the field in pass defense and he has had a tough time keeping up,although he has had limited success at times. The simple assessment seems to be that while Kruger can move forward and has the strength and speed to rush the passer, he has problems moving side-to-side and backwards to defend the rush and pass, respectively.

The Ravens appear committed to letting Paul Kruger learn on the fly, gaining experience with each game and hopefully learning from his mistakes and improving as the season progresses. Other outside linebacker Albert McClellan has been a pleasant surprise and seems ahead of both him and rookie Courtney Upshaw in his all-purpose abilities. As Upshaw gets more experience and completely healthy from his shoulder injury, he is destined to become the starting OLB.

However, once Terrell Suggs comes back from his Achilles Tendon injury, what will the depth chart look at then? Will it be Suggs on one side and Kruger on the other? Will McClellan have a role and where does Upshaw fit in? Perhaps Upshaw will be the starting OLB and Kruger come in on pass rush situations as in the past with McClellan as the swing guy.

While it is great to know that there will be a lot of depth at the outside linebacker position, it would be better to know the specific roles that these guys will assume and Pal Kruger should be able to step up and claim his rightful spot as a full-time starter, but only if he earns it. The big question is, has he earned it yet?

Undrafted Free Agents Define Ravens Braintrust

Bruce Raffel — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 17:00:26 -0000

The Baltimore Ravens have always had an excellent reputation for making the most of their picks in the NFL Draft. So many times, they have found a Ray Lewis (1996: 26th pick), Ed Reed (2002: 24th pick) or Ray Rice (2008: 55th pick). They have also found gold in players drafted later in the draft such as OLB Adalius Thomas (2000: 6th round) or even after the draft has ended, as in the case of LB Bart Scott (2002: Undrafted FA).

It is here that the Ravens have shown they can outshine the rest of the league, finding those players that have been looked at, yet skipped over in the seven rounds and previous 253 players that were selected in 2012 by the 32 NFL teams. This year is proof positive, as there have been a group of players on the Ravens that were signed after the draft ended and have given every indication that they deserve a serious look at making the team's 53-man final roster.

Running back Bobby Rainey, wide receiver Deonte Thompson, safety Omar Brown, linebacker Nigel Carr and placekicker Justin Tucker have all played well enough in various roles to garner attention from the team and earn themselves a spot on the Ravens.

(Read more on the Ravens undrafted players making a name for themselves after the 'Jump')

Rainey has done it all and proved his versatility in rushing, receiving and returning kicks. Thompson has shown that his speed is not the only skill he brings, as his hands have been almost as solid. Brown seems to find the ball in the air and on the ground. Carr plays with the ferocity and confidence of a veteran and Tucker has nailed virtually every kick from any distance.

Normally, there is the one undrafted player each season that surprises coaches and earns himself a roster spot and then occasionally that player rises to stardom and gets that big payday. The Baltimore Ravens might be looking at as many as five undrafted players making the roster and each one has the ability to be the next great undrafted player the team has developed over the years.

Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Monday

Danny Kelly — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 12:00:32 -0000

Brand new week, gang.

Forgotten First Rounders: 2000 " Pick 256
The 2000 draft, like most years, was a bit of a mixed bag but overall a fairly weak class. The two best players, by far, were separated by 100 picks: 9th overall Brian Urlacher and 199th overall Tom Brady. There were a number of high quality players taken in between, including 3 Jets: Shaun Ellis (12th), John Abraham (13th), Julian Peterson (16th), Shaun Alexander (19th), Chad Clifton (44th), Laveraneus Coles (78th) and former All-Pros Adalius Thomas (186th) and Mike Brown (39th). There were also a number of notable (and high profile) flops, especially in the "no-man’s land" of the late 1st round: Sylvester Morris (21st), Chris McIntosh (22nd), Rashard Anderson (23rd) and R.Jay Soward (29th) were all out of the league by the end by the end of 2001 due to injuries or legal problems.

Following up: Tendencies for Kolb, Skelton - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Fast forward to early September. Assume the Arizona Cardinals have just named a starting quarterback. Fans are debating the decision. They know John Skelton had a better won-lost record than Kevin Kolb as a starter last season, but beyond that, there isn't much to go on.

2013 NFL Draft: Wake Forest Preview - CBSSports
In program history, Wake Forest has had four or more picks in a single draft just twice and both have come in the past four years (2009 and 2012).

All-22 replays seem great, but what are we really seeing? | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
For football geeks everywhere, the recent announcement that the NFL was going to release coach's tape on every play of every game through its NFL Game Rewind package was a large slice of heaven. As a football fan, you could compare it to mono vs. stereo, or black-and-white vs. color TV. Or, go back and play one of those 8-bit Madden games, and compare it with the more recent iteration. The differences are that drastic. The overhead and end zone angles we will now see on every play (Game Rewind had previously inserted overhead views in about 15-20 plays per game) give us so much more to view and understand.

An inside look at Jon Gruden's game plan | National Football Post
A look at my notes on the former Bucs head coach.

Nine really random things and whatever else is going on around the NFL… - NFL.com
With minicamps coming to a close, let’s do our weekly thing and break down nine really random things going on around the NFL…

More than 85 percent of NFL draft class signed - NFL.com
Rookies from the 2012 draft are gathering in Ohio this week for the league's annual rookie symposium. Unlike previous classes, however, Brian McIntyre writes this crop arrives with plenty of cash in hand.