Offense

QB- Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor

FB- Vonta Leach

RB- Ray Rice, Bernard Pierce

WR- Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith. Jacoby Jones,

T- Michael Oher, Bryant McKinnie

G- Marshal Yanda, Kelechi Osemele, Jah Reid

C- Matt Birk, Gino Gradkowski

TE- Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta

Defense

NT- Terrence Cody,

DE- Haloti Ngata, Arthur Jones, Pernell McPhee

OLB- Terrell Suggs, Paul Kruger, Courtney Upshaw, Michael McAdoo

ILB- Ray Lewis, Jameel McClain, Albert McClellan, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Dannell Ellerbe

CB- Lardarius Webb, Jimmy Smith, Cary Williams, Danny Gorrer, Corey Graham

S- Ed Reed, Bernard Pollard, Sean Considine

Special Teams

K- Billy Cundiff

P- Sam Koch

LS- Morgan Cox

Total- 17 Offense , 21 Defense-, Special Teams-3 = 41 Locks

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Obviously, there are many unsigned veterans who still have something left in the tank. Many of them are at positions of need for the Ravens, so the fact that they haven't made a run at any of them tells me that they will wait to see how the draft goes down before they fill their holes via free agency. Obviously we don't have much money to spend, but hopefully we can work out a long term deal for Ray Rice that will bring down his cap number this year, or sign Ray Rice to an extension which will lower his number. Otherwise, our worst case scenario would be to borrow cap money from future years if need be, although that is not ideal at all. I thought I would break down some of the options at each position, and my preference or preferences to fill those holes if we are unable to do it through the draft.

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This offseason we had alot of turnover. Whether it was cuts for money reasons, letting people walk because they weren't good fits, or the team looking to upgrade, we have an abnormal amount of new faces. I feel that every change was for the better, and many of them were very necessary. Ozzie drafted many of the replacements a year ahead so those players are somewhat seasoned and familiar with the playbook. After being the 5th oldest team last year, we had a major influx of youth and now are the 13th youngest team in the league, despite oldies but goodies in Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Matt Birk.

Now for a look at our outgoing players vs. their replacements:

Offense:

Fullback: In- Vonta Leach, Out- Leron McClain

We decided to spend some money on a real run blocker, and since McClain was looking for a RB job, we let him walk and signed the best FB on the market. FYI, no one wanted McClain as a RB, so it was the right move.

Backup Running Back: In-Ricky Williams, Out-Willis McGahee

On talent alone, this would be a push. McGahee is a bit younger, but Williams took a few years off mid-career so he is still fresher than most 34 year olds. If the money were equal, this would be a slight edge to the outgoing Willis, But since we saved a few million in cap space, Ricky is definitely a better move.

Wide Receiver #2-#5: In- Lee Evans, Torrey Smith, Tandon Doss, Laquan Williams, Out- Derrick Mason, T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Donte Stalllworth

While we will all miss Mason, we upgraded at WR2. Evans is younger, under contract at a reasonable price for 2 years, and most importantly, a better complement to Boldin as a deep threat.Also, his release will force Flacco to start spreading the ball around instead of turning to his safety blanket all the time. In the other WR spots, we traded some old, ineffective players for young intriguing players with upside. It might take them a few games to get acclimated, but overall there is alot of excitement about the youngsters.

Left Tackle: In- Bryant McKinnie, Out- Jared Gaither

This is really a tough one to call, but I think anything is better than Gaither. We couldn't keep him around, fool me once etc... Gaither has not shown a good attitude, durability, nor the work ethic to be a star, although he has the build and has shown flashes. He is young, which was the downside of letting him walk. However, we have a short window with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, and McKinnie was the best guy out there. He is a recent pro-bowler, and while he has had some disciplinary issues in the past, they were a while ago and he will likely be on his best behavior since it is a short deal. It is not a big risk, with only 1 million guaranteed, but it is definitely worthwhile

Backup Guard/Center: In- Andre Gurode, Out- Chris Chester

Nothing to talk about here. Gurode is a 4 time pro-bowler who can start for us if need be. Chester is a scrub unworthy of a starting job. Gurode is making up to 3 million. Chester? 4 million! Thank you god for failing Rabach on his physical.

Backup Guard/Tackle: In- Mark LeVoir, Out- Oniel Cousins

Cousins was a bust. LeVoir can start and play at a high level if he is needed.

Starting Tight End: In- Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta, Out- Todd Heap

This is the one major downgrade, but I think we will really not miss Heap this year. He is getting older, and statistically his blocking was not that good. I think the young guys will be very involved in the passing game and after a few games we will be used to yelling DIIIIIICKSON! instead of HEAP!

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Offense

QB- Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor

FB- Vonta Leach

RB- Ray Rice, Ricky Williams

WR- Anquan Boldin, Lee Evans, David Reed, Tandon Doss, Torrey Smith. 

T- Michael Oher, Jah Reid, Bryant McKinnie

G- Ben Grubbs, Marshal Yanda, Oniel Cousins

C- Matt Birk

TE- Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta

Defense

NT- Terrence Cody, Brandon McKinney

DE- Haloti Ngata, Cory Redding, Arthur Jones, Pernell McPhee

OLB- Jarret Johnson, Terrell Suggs, Sergio Kindle, Paul Kruger

ILB- Ray Lewis, Jameel McClain

CB- Jimmy Smith, Chris Carr, Domonique Foxworth, Cary Williams, Lardarius Webb

S- Ed Reed, Bernard Pollard, Haruki Nakamura, Tom Zbikowski

Special Teams

K- Billy Cundiff

P- Sam Koch

LS- Morgan Cox

Total- Offense 18, Defense-21, Special Teams-3 = 42 Locks

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So far, although our secondary has looked shaky sometimes, we are very deep. As we know from last year, 5th corners do not make it on the field very much, ala Cary Williams 2010. We also spent a draft pick on Chykie Brown, and have in camp Talmadge Jackson, who was 1st team all Pac-Ten and a few other undrafted Free Agents. So with our 5th Cb being a #2 or #3 CB on many other teams that are weak in the secondary, maybe we should look into moving a guy like Foxworth. Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb are cheap, young players who aren't going anywhere. We just resigned Chris Carr to a deal roughly half of Foxworth's current deal, and Cary Williams has looked very solid and is also young and cheap. This all leads me to think that Domonique Foxworth could be had via trade. We have several holes to fill, primarily starting RT, backup QB, and backup C/G, and could use the cap space. Trading him would clear even more space than cutting him, and we wouldn't have to lose him for nothing.

Who would seem to be a good trade partner for us on this front?

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We all know that Ozzie is going to do what has to be done. First he locked up Yanda. He released the vets, which he obviously felt was necessary, and at 2 of the positions, he had already drafted the replacements. At TE, we have Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta, & Davon Drew. On the D-line we have Terrance Cody and  young up-and-comers Arthur Jones and Brandon McKinney. A questionable move in many minds was the signing of Chris Carr over Josh Wilson; I think most of us will probably assume that Ozzie had a reason for this move. He preempted the departures of Wilson, Fabian Washington, Houshmanzadeh and Derrick Mason with the drafting of Jimmy Smith, Chykie Brown, Torrey Smith, and Tandon Doss. Then he replaced Leron Mclain, a FB who wants to be a RB, with the best fullback in the league, Vonta Leach. So far so good. Although we still have holes in the lineup potentially, due to the injury to Matt Birk at Center,the youth at WR behind Anquan Boldin, and the uncertainty at RT, most of us have faith in Ozzie.

The RT situation is hard for us as outsiders to know for sure; we are unsure because the uncertainty of the position. We have 3 possibilities right now: Oniel Cousins, Jah Reid, and Ramon Harewood. Cousins and Harewood both worked out this off-season with our former stud RT, Orlando 'Zeus' Brown, and he said they are looking good. And Reid is said to have looked pretty good so far. So I am going to give him a pass on this one for now. 

The C situation is new, and Birk may be back before the first game. The only decent C out there was Olin Kreutz, and he has gone to the Saints for 2 million with incentives that top out at 4 million. I assume Ozzie didn't want him for that price, or he would probably be here. Hopefully we will be okay with Birk, our undrafted rookies, and Bryan Mattison.

The WR situation has not fully played its way out. Q is our unquestioned #1 WR. After him, we have a collection of rookies and other unproven players. Tandon Doss and Torrey Smith are locks for the roster. Ideally though, they should only be counted on as the 3rd and 4th receivers for us. The other guys are LaQuan Willaims, Brandon Jones, James Hardy, David Reed, and Marcus Smith. No more than 1 or 2 of these guys will llikely make the roster if we sign a vet. The team is looking into the options, which include Lee Evans via trade, or Jerricho Cotchery via free agency. If we don't sign anyone, we will probably keep at least 2 maybe 3 of them.

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Now that free agent wide receivers Derrick Mason and Malcom Floyd have shunned us and signed with other teams, where do the Baltimore Ravens go from here? Some are discussing recently released New York Jets WR Jerricho Cotchery. While I don't dislike him, and don't think he is a bad option, I don't think he is the BEST option out there. Most of the options out there are nothing to talk about: Randy Moss(retired), TO (Diva), Steve Smith NYG (coming off big inury). The guy I want to discuss is a guy very familiar to us Ravens fans....

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On my other post regarding the veteran free agent running backs on the market, many of our regular readers have said they would rather go into the season with players like Jalen Parmale, Anthony Allen, Damien Berry, and Matt Lawrence. I do not think that a team with legitimate playoff aspirations should go into the season with a barely drafted rookie as their primary backup RB. For those who are saying, well it is just a backup; a backup RB in the NFL generally carries the ball 10-15 times a game, and is the starter should there be an injury to the starter.

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The price tag on a solid backup running back is not very high. Willis McGahee signed for around $7.5 million over 3 years. Obviously we are looking for a bigger back, as Ray Rice is only 5'8" and 212 pounds. Therefore, I assume that this "change-of-pace" back should be at least 230.

Some options (there were not many options over 230 lbs):

1) Michael Bush (RFA)- 6'1", 245 lbs./ 2010: 55 yds, 8 TDs

2) Ronnie Brown- 6'0", 230 lbs. / 2010: 734 yds, 5 TDs

3) LeRon McClain- 6'0", 255 lbs. / 2010: 85 yds, 0 TDs

4) Ricky Williams- 5'10", 230 lbs. / 2010: 673 yds, 2 TDs

5) Mike Tolbert (RFA)- 5'9", 243 lbs. / 2010: 735 yds, 11 TDs

Obviously we would love to have LeRon back if his contract demands lessen. But if not, Bush and Tolbert are nice options if we can pry them away from Oakland and San Diego, respectively. For Bush we would need to give a 1st rounder and  Tolbert a 2nd rounder, neither which are worth it. So then, I would love to see Ronnie or Ricky as our #2 back, with a slight edge to Ronnie.

What do you think?

And I'm back!

So, we all know the typical laundry list of who Ozzie has to resign.

1) Marshal Yanda

2) Leron McClain (if we cut Willis for sure, if we don't it might be up in the air)

3) Either Josh Wilson or Chris Carr. I know most fans will want Wilson, but he will likely get at least what Dominique Foxworth got, which we won't want to pay with Ladarius Webb and Jimmy Smith growing into starting roles, unless we plan on cutting Foxworth next year.

4) Long term deal for Haloti Ngata, because it will clear cap space this year and obviously we want to keep him here long term.

After that, who to cut is a big deal. I don't expect Willis McGahee back, not worth the money. I expect Kelly Gregg will probably be cut, although we might bring him back for less money. Other options are Todd Heap (no!), Derrick Mason (maybe?), and Matt Birk(no replacement).

Most of us do not expect Dawan Landry back; he will continue the trend of safety's who played next to Ed Reed getting bigger contracts than they are worth. I think Chris Chester and Jared Gaither are both gone, both are going to want big money as starters at their positions. As I stated before, it is either Carr or Wilson, not both. I would like to see Bulger back, but we know thats not in Ozzies control. He will have to decide if he is done as a starter, and wants to try for a ring with us. Fabian Washington, Donte Stallworth, and T.J. Houshmanzadeh are probably all gone, and I expect all or most of our RFA to be back with the team.

Which free agents would you like to see us make a push for this year (within reason, ie. no Nmadi Asomugha?

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Locks: Offense 17, Defense 19, ST 3, Injured to start year: 5

QB: Joe Flacco, Marc Bulger

RB/ FB: Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, LerRon McClain

OL: Michael Oher, Ben Grubbs, Matt Birk, Marshal Yanda, Jared Gaither, Chris Chester

WR/TE: Derrick Mason, Anquan Boldin, Mark Clayton, Todd Heap, Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta

DL: Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata, Terrence Cody, Trevor Pryce, Paul Kruger, Cory Redding

LB: Ray Lewis, Jarret Johnson, Terrell Suggs, Antwan Barnes, Jameel McClain, Tavares Gooden, Danell Ellerbe

CB/S: Fabian Washington, Chris Carr, Lardarius Webb, Tom Zbikowski, Dawan Landry, Haruki Nakamura

ST: P Sam Koch, K (Cundiff or Graham), LS Morgan Cox

Injured Reserve: Domonique Foxworth, Ed Reed, Donte Stallworth, Sergio Kindle, Cary Williams (suspended)

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When looking for a trade partner, there are 2 factors you need to look for: depth at the position you need on the other team, and a need on the other team at a position of strength on you own team.  In my fantasy leagues, they call me trader jack, because I do many trades.  I succeed in finding willing trade partners by looking at their roster and seeing what they need, and then offering them what they need for what I need.  With that in mind, here are some teams that might make willing trade partners for Ozzie and the ravens, if, as Adam Schefter reports, there is another move in our future.

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• So I compiled some pre-draft information on Phillips from a few sources, and put it all here for your reading pleasure.  I personally think he is a better prospect than Gooden, and hope we move Gooden for a mid-round pick if we can get one.
  An anchor of one of college football’s premier defenses while at TCU, Phillips is the only player in league history to earn All-Mountain West Conference honors in four consecutive seasons
• In three of those seasons, he led the team in tackles (and was second the year he didn’t lead the team)
• Phillips started all 50 games he played, recording 315 tackles (194 solo), 7.5 sacks (-63 yards) and 38 TFL (-131 yards)
• Also posted 1 FF, 2 INTs and 11 PD during his career
• Graduated in Dec. 2008 with a degree in criminal justice
• Appeared on the watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award and Rotary Lombardi Award
• Started 12 games at MLB, leading the team for the third time in his collegiate career with 84 tackles (57 solo), including a career-high 3.5 sacks (-29 yards) and 13 TFL (-44 yards)
• Phillips guided a unit that led the nation in total defense (217.8 ypg) and rush defense (47.1 ypg), while also ranking 2nd in scoring defense (11.3 ppg)
• Recorded double-digit tackles in four games on the season
• As a junior, he lined up as the starting MLB in all 13 games, leading the team with a career-high 87 tackles (58 solo)
• Also registered 2 sacks (-20 yards) and 10.5 TFL (-47 yards) en route to earning second-team All-Mountain West Conference accolades
• A first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection his sophomore season, he started all 13 games at MLB, ranking second on the squad with 73 tackles (38 solo)
• Added a 9-yard sack and 6 TFL (-22 yards), also posting a FF
• Spurred the Horned Frogs’ defense, which finished second in the nation in total defense (234.9 ypg) and rush defense (60.9 ypg)
• Earned second-team Freshmen All-American honors by The Sporting News in 2005, becoming the first freshman defensive player in Mountain West Conference history to earn any All-Mountain West Conference honors (second-team selection)
• Started 12 games at MLB and led the Horned Frogs with 71 tackles (41 solo), including a 5-yard sack and 8.5 TFL
  (http://www.baltimoreravens.com/People/Players/Under_Contract-Own_Rights/Jason_Phillips.aspx)

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This is all barring trades:

Bold Italics means the Starter, Bold means a lock, Parentheses means not a lock, Just Italics means Rookie Free Agent.

Offense:

QB- Joe Flacco, John Beck, Troy Smith, Marc Bulger

RB- Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, (Jalen Parmale, Matt Lawrence, Curtis Steele)

FB- Le'Ron McClain, (Mike McLaughlin)

WR- Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, Donte Stallworth, (Mark Clayton, David Reed, Marcus Smith, Eron Riley, Demetrius Williams, Justin Harper)

TE- Todd Heap, Dennis Pitta, Ed Dickson, (Davon Drew)

OT- Michael Oher, Jared Gaither, Oniel Cousins, (Tony Moll, Stefan Rodgers, Ramon Harewood, Joe Reitz)

OG- Ben Grubbs, Marshal Yanda, Chris Chester

C- Matt Birk, David Hale

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We fared well. Here are the blurbs on the division.  Clearly ESPN agrees with us that we have alot more young talent than the Steelers.

19. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers do a better job of developing their young talent than most any team in the game, but there's just not a lot here to work with right now. Their 2008 draft was a huge disappointment by anyone's standards, yielding only Rashard Mendenhall and Dennis Dixon. Wide receiver Mike Wallace is number one on our Top 25 Prospects list, but the team will need to also get a contribution out of the two guys they chose before Wallace during the 2009 draft: defensive end Ziggy Hood and tackle Kraig Urbik. Hood may need to take over for Aaron Smith if the veteran end suffers another injury this year and, while Urbik could be in line to start at guard, there's a possibility he'd start in the stead of injured tackle Willie Colon, but it seems more likely he'd switch over on the line.

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This is all barring trades:

Bold Italics means the Starter, Bold means a lock, Parentheses means not a lock, Just Italics means Rookie Free Agent

Offense:

QB- Joe Flacco, John Beck, Troy Smith, Marc Bulger

RB- Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, (Jalen Parmale, Matt Lawrence, Curtis Steele)

FB- Le'Ron McClain, (Mike McLaughlin)

WR- Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, Donte Stallworth, (Mark Clayton, David Reed, Marcus Smith, Eron Riley, Demetrius Williams, Justin Harper)

TE- Todd Heap, Dennis Pitta, Ed Dickson, (Davon Drew)

OT- Michael Oher, Jared Gaither, Oniel Cousins, (Tony Moll, Stefan Rodgers, Ramon Harewood, Joe Reitz)

OG- Ben Grubbs, Marshal Yanda, Chris Chester

C- Matt Birk, David Hale

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In a discussion about predictions for the upcoming season, I stumbled upon something that I had thought was true, but now is validated: under John Harbaugh, we do not lose easy games.  As Ravens fans, it used to drive us crazy when under previous head coach, Brian Billick, we lost to teams which we were supposed to beat.  Under current head coach John Harbaugh over the past 2 years, we have only lost to playoff teams or teams fighting for spots.  The only team over the past 2 years we lost to which did not make the playoffs was the Steelers last year, and they  were fighting for a playoff spot.  I think this is a very telling stat.  We also generally put away the bad teams early in the game so that if something goes wrong late in the game, it will be too late to blow the game.  We beat bottom-dwellers like Cle x2, Det, Chi, KC, Den last year by a combined score of 197-44, unlike Pittsburgh, who lost to many of those bottom dwellers such as KC, Chi, Cle and Oak, all who should have been blown out.

For the record:

2009 Losses- .500 and under: None

Over .500: NE, Ind (x2), Min, Cin (x2), Pit, GB (All playoff teams except Pit)

(For more comparisons in prior seasons, click on the 'Jump.') 

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Aside from the option known as "doing nothing" I looked around to try to ascertain what the teams options are via trade, cuts, and free agency, and who our potential targets could be.  Outside of the ludicrous Gaither for Nnamdi Asomugha, and Pacman Jones (risky), the options in free agency are an array of supposedly over-the-hill veteran cornerbacks.  I assume if any of them are in shape to help us, that would be the easiest option, and Ozzie will just sign one, especially since we really only need help for less than half a season (hopefully no more than 4 games).  These veterans include Dre Bly, Mike McKenzie, Ken Lucas, Ty Law, Deshea Townsend, Nick Harper, Anthony Henry, William James, Walt Harris, and RFA Tramon Williams.  The rest of the FA are no better than the CB we all love to hate, Frank Walker, who is also still available.  Out of those options I would think McKenzie or Lucas are the best of the bunch, but I have truthfully not seen most of them play in a while.

Another option would be via trade.  One player who I think would be a good target for us is Ronde Barber.  As a veteran still playing at a high level, we would probably have to give up an asset for him, but TB is rebuilding and might be willing to move him if the right offer came along.  I do not know what the asking price would be, but if it was a 3rd rounder I think we would have to jump at the opportunity.  He would shore up greatly our one weakness, and make us the AFC favorites (or maybe 2nd after Indy).

A team that has a wealth of cornerbacks is Green Bay, a team that would match up well with us in a trade.  They have Al Harris coming off an injury, along with Charles Woodson, who is still playing at a high level, Tramon Williams, who filled in well for Harris, and Jarrett Bush, who we were very interested in 2 years ago before we ended up signing Chris Carr, and Will Blackmon, who had a great 2008 but was injured last year.  They have guys with question marks, but they could possibly be had for a reasonable price.  The other reason they could be a good match is that their biggest need is LOLB.   We have plenty of those (LB), and with the addition of Kindle, we can afford to trade a guy like Antwan Barnes, who has showed solid flashes, but never been on the field enough to do serious damage.  Or a guy like Jameel McClain, who has also shown flashes.  Both are going to lose serious playing time to Kindle, making an already crowded situation more crowded.  These are the best assets we have to move, and I am sure they will not both be with us by week 1.  All GB has at the position are their 7th round pick from last year, who played solidly over most of last season, and an undrafted FA.  They could use a boost in their pass rush.

Cuts is hard to predict, and I trolled the internet looking for articles predicting some of the cuts, but to no avail.  You would have to look through the teams and see who seems overpaid, and I don't feel like expending the effort right now, but feel free to look and add your 2 cents.

Article: http://www.baltimoreravens.com/News/Articles/2010/04/Top_FA_Cornerbacks_on_the_Market.aspx

I would have thought they would realize the juggernaut we have here in Baltimore and have us in the top 5 Super Bowl favorites, but apparently they have no idea what our Ravens are capable of.  They have us around 10th or so, tied with the Steelers and Eagles.  Not sure what makes the Patriots, Chargers or Cowboys likely winners, as they all have much more questions than we do, and with the exception of NE, none of them has had post season success in the past.

Here are the odds from highest to lowest:

Indianapolis Colts, 8/1

New Orleans Saints, 9/1

New England Patriots, 10/1

San Diego Chargers, 10/1

Dallas Cowboys, 11/1

New York Jets, 12/1

Minnesota Vikings, 14/1

Green Bay Packers, 14/1

Philadelphia Eagles, 18/1

Pittsburgh Steelers, 18/1

Baltimore Ravens, 18/1

Atlanta Falcons, 25/1

Houston Texans, 25/1

New York Giants, 25/1

Washington Redskins, 25/1

Tennessee Titans, 28/1

Miami Dolphins, 30/1

San Francisco 49ers, 30/1

Carolina Panthers, 30/1

Cincinnati Bengals, 30/1

Chicago Bears, 35/1

Arizona Cardinals, 40/1

Seattle Seahawks, 40/1

Denver Broncos, 50/1

Jacksonville Jaguars, 70/1

Cleveland Browns, 80/1

Oakland Raiders, 80/1

Detroit Lions, 80/1

Kansas City Chiefs, 90/1

St.Louis Rams, 100/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 100/1

Buffalo Bills, 100/1

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=tsn-onlineoddsmakerlists

And I could choose any team to trade with (fairly), I would choose: TB

Our 1st (25), 2nd (57) = 1050 points

for 

TB's 2 2nds (35 and 42) and their 5th (153) = 1061.2 points

Assuming there is a player left at 25 they want.....Maybe then trade down 10 spots from one of the 2nd rounders (15

picks from either 2nd rounder picks up a  late 3rd rounder).  We can then package 2 of our 5th rounders (approx 60

points) for a mid or late 4th rounder....and viola, we have basically a full draft, except with the 5th pick of the 2nd 

round instead of the 25th in the first.

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I was listening to ESPN radio today, and heard the host mention that 2 players had failed their drug tests, RB Jonathan Dwyer and TE Anthony McCoy.  As many of you know, I am a big fan of McCoy's, as he is the best combination of receiving and blocking in the draft after Gresham.  He played in a pro-style offense at USC, has great hands, elusive running, and great ups.  The report stated that he failed the drug test because he tested positive for Marijuana.  As someone who has never smoked weed (or cigarettes), I found that this did not bother me in the slightest, as I feel like almost everyone smokes it at some time or other.  His timing is awful, and that does bother me, but not enough that I would not want him on my football team.  I question why he couldn't lay off the hashish for a little while since he is basically in the middle of a long, multi-million dollar job interview.

It has been reported that the Browns have been interested in trading into the first spot of the draft.  The assumption is that they want Sam Bradford.  While on the draft value chart that would seem impossible, due to the fact that the #1 pick is worth double the #7 pick, (3000 to 1500), if Cleveland were to throw in a 2nd rounder, it might be worth it for the Rams to consider, kind of like the Vick(#1) for LT(#5) trade that SD pulled off years ago. (They would also save money)

However, the Browns currently play in a very tough, physical division, which includes the Ravens, Steelers and newly improved (on D) Bengals.  Their offensive line is solid, anchored by a Pro Bowl caliber LT, Joe Thomas, taken with the third pick in the 2007 draft, but there offense lacks play makers at the skill positions like RB, TE, and WR.  Being taken by a team like the Browns could seriously hinder Bradford's growth as a QB.  Without play makers, he would likely find himself on his back alot, and could see his career trajectory be somewhat like David Carr or Joey Harrington.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-browns-toppick

We have done this once, but it has been a few weeks since then.  Let us see what has happened since then.

Ravens

Gained- Anquan Boldin (4yrs 28 million), Donte Stallworth (1 yr 1 million), Cory Redding (2yr 6 million)

Re-signed: Derrick Mason (2yr)

Lost: Justin Bannan (4yr 20 million), Dwan Edwards (4 yr 18 million)

Bengals

Gained- Antonio Bryant, (4 yr 28 million)

Resigned- Roy Williams, Tank Williams, Daniel Coats

Lost- Larry Johnson, Shaun Smith

Steelers

Gained-  Will Allen (3yr 5 mil), Randle-El (3yr 7mil), Arnaz Battle, Bryan Scott, Jonathan Scott, , Larry Foote (3yr 9.3 million)

Re-signed- Ryan Clark

Lost- None yet

Browns

Gained- Seneca Wallace, Scott Fujita (3 yr 14 million), Tony Pashos  (3yr 10million), Ben Watson (3yr 12 million), Jake Delhomme.

Re-signed- A bunch of nonames.

Lost- Derek Anderson, Rex Hadnot

Has the division as a whole grown alot?  Who has improved the most?  Has anyone taken a step back?

The division has still not taken major hits talentwise, losing only LJ, Edwards, Bannan and DA of note.  So I guess technically everyone has improved at this point. 

My rankings:

1) Ravens- solidified WR corp, added 1 subtracted 2 on the d-line.  Still need help in the secondary and at TE.

2) Steelers- Added major depth on defense, and a bunch of special teams contributors.  Still need help on the o-line and in the secondary

3) Bengals- 1 big move, 1 big loss.  So far the moves have been lateral

4)  Browns- a bunch of small moves that should improve them a few wins. They look to be priming themselves to grab a QB early.  Maybe the Colt McCoy to the Browns in the 2nd round rumors hold some weight?

Just when I started this article, the Ravens signed Cory Redding to a 2 year deal.  Great pickup of a guy who was franchised 2 years ago, and then traded along with a 5th rounder for Julian Peterson.  He is only 28, so he is young with upside.  I can't help but think we probably paid less per year for an upgrade over Bannan or Edwards.  I don't know the terms yet though.

Anyways, the point of this article was to look over the "leftovers" of the free agent market and see how it influences the Ravens.  It seems that now that most of the big name players are gone, most of the rest will either have to adjust their salary demands or wait until after the draft is over to find teams.  It makes you wonder whether some teams may have jumped the gun and/or overpaid on some of the players so far.  Could a team that signed a good player have gotten a similar player for cheaper?  Look at the Ravens; they didn't overpay for either Bannan or Edwards, instead waited out the market and got a guy on their terms who definitely has more upside than either of the two above mentioned players, on a shorter deal.

So without further ado: The Market as it stands:

OFFENSE

QB: Already a weak market, as evidenced by DA and Delhomme getting fairly large deals, this market is basically stripped.  The best QB left according to ESPN is Troy Smith, a RFA,  followed by John Beck (ironic), Kyle Boller, and Charlie Batch.  If someone does not get a QB in the draft that they think can start now, Smith will be a nice pickup.  Good chance he might get dealt after the first few rounds by a team who needs one.  

RB: A position most teams like to go with youth and a cheap proven veteran.  Teams snatched up Thomas Jones, LT and LJ on the cheap to backup and complement their young starters.  Most teams with holes will fill them in the draft, but otherwise, all thats left is the injuryprone Brian Westbrook, RFA Pierre Thomas,  Willie Parker, and Justin Fargas

WR:  Always a tough position to fill with a stud, the only great options here are RFA with high price tags, like VJax, Brandon Marshall, Steve Breaston, and Miles Austin.  Otherwise, you are stuck with the over the hill TO, or one of the many castaways.  Some say that Anthony Gonzalez of the Colts can be had for a 2nd or 3rd round pick, but other than that the trade market doesn't have much to offer either.

TE: This market is shallow and mainly consists of older veterans who have been bouncing around the league.  On the other hand, the draft is loaded at this position, so no reason to jump on the old men.

OL: Offensive line is a position of emphasis in this day and age, where QB's win you Super Bowl's with their arms.  Therefore, the price tags have gone up, and tackles are drafted in the upper half of the 1st round all the time.  The good lineman get snatched up early in Free Agency.  So what is left is essentially RFA and old men.  At Center, all that is left to sift through is a bunch of veterans, in Kevin Mawae, Ben Coleman and Seth McKinney.  At Tackle, the big names have been grabbed except for a trio of young studs who are RFA, Jared Gaither, Jermon Bushrod, and Jeromay Clary.  Other than that, there are some solid veterans and career backups.  Noteable names include Mike Gandy, Damion McIntosh and Langston Walker.  At Guard there are some solid players left, but nothing to write home about.

DEFENSE

DE:  This market is made up mainly of veterans who should have a few years left in them.  No team is going to break the bank on one of these guys, but many will probably be signed after the draft to help bridge the gap between now and the future.  The 4-3 guys are Derrick Burgess, Jevon Kearse, Greg Ellis, Jason Taylor, and Leonard Little. Two guys who should be able to play in both the 3-4 and 4-3 are Charles Grant and  Paul Spicer.

DT: Not much to work with here.  There are a couple of RFA who are solid, but nothing to sneeze at.  There are much better options in the draft.  The only unrestricted guy who is decent is Jimmy Kennedy, who didn't even start in Minn, albeit behind 2 Pro Bowl caliber players.

LB: Keith Bulluck is the only LB left who is starting caliber.  The rest of the list is career backups.  The draft is the place to find LB's if you don't have them on the roster.

CB: This market, never strong to begin with, basically consists of solid veterans who are looking to rebound and get their careers back on track.  Most of them are on the market because of declining performances and high contracts.  The best of the leftovers fall under 2 catgories: risk guys and old guys.  Risk guys include Nathan Vasher, Anthony Henry, Phillip Buchanan, Ken Lucas and Nick Harper.  The old guys include Ty Law, Deshea Townsend, Walt Harris and Dre Bly.  And then there are the RFA, none of which are worth giving up a draft pick and money for, William Gay, Tramon Williams and Melvin Bullitt.  Another deep are of the draft, so most of these guys will be around until after the draft.

S:  There are still some highly rated veterans left out there who can help a Super Bowl contender.  The question is, why haven't they been snatched up.  The answer is probably that their contract demands are not in line with their value.  This group includes Darren Sharper, Jermaine Phillips, and  Mike Brown.  There are also some other, younger, solid options out there, but most of them are borderline starting material.

And Last but not least, Special Teams:

K:  Neil Rackers. Jay Feely. Shayne Graham.  All solid Kickers who are veterans, but not too old.  Makes you wonder if the Ravens might be interested in one of them.  Ozzie might wait until after the draft to address this position.

P: Hunter Smith, Chris Hanson, Mitch Berger.  All old, all solid.