Training Camp Storylines: Meet the Ravens

Last night it took until all of the 5th inning for me to say to myself “this is going to be a walkoff.” The O’s bats did what they do so often- score big and then let it sit. Perhaps if they’d just allowed the Tigers to score first they would have come roaring back. But then again, I have no idea if the numbers back that up. In the offseason I’ll take a look at how often the Orioles really scored a number of runs and then just stopped scoring for the last 6 innings of the game. Either way, games like these break my heart, because they were so clearly in grasp. And now you see it coming, the rising specter of August… the National Football League. With the O’s starting what seems to be their annual free fall (though it is too soon to say for sure), I wanted to take a look at a couple of training camp storylines for the Baltimore Ravens that aren’t about Derrick Mason.

No Longer Playing it Safe with the Rookie
Let’s remember for a moment that Joe Flacco was not light-out last season. He was very good, but very good for a rookie. The playbook was highly limited for him, giving him one or two reads and letting him ease into the game. This team was playing cautious with him, doing everything they could to avoid him getting rattled or seeing him fail. Within this environment he played exceptionally well, but this year will be entirely different. Flacco will be given the entire playbook, and be given more responsibility at the line and in the passing game. Ravens fans will have to hope that he has not only developed mentally (which is to be expected from a second year in the league), but that he has also increased his accuracy on throws 5-15 yards from the line of scrimmage, which tended to sail on him last season, often to disastrous results.

Mike Preston is much more concerned than I am at Flacco’s apparent lack of precision at the start of this year’s training camp, but it will be something to keep an eye on. Even Kyle Boller was impressive at times in his rookie year. Baltimoreans have had 8 months to build up this young quarterback in their minds, let’s hope that even-keeled Joe Flacco can meet the heightened expectations.

Jim Leonhard Out, Dawan Landry Back In
In one season as a starter with the Ravens, Jim Leonhard became the best free safety this team has had lining up across from Ed Reed. He didn’t sit and wait for Reed to make big plays while he stayed back in his zone, he played all over the field, from fielding punts, blitzing, to making electrifying interceptions (particularly in the playoffs); playing hard and playing hurt on his way to becoming a fan favorite. Not much has been made of his departure to the Jets, as the Ravens have safety Dawan Landry back from his season-ending neck injury as well as promising young backups in Haruki Nakamora and Tom Zbikowski. However, it should be noted that Landry is a very different kind of safety than Leonhard. I have been a big fan of Landry’s due to his exceptional coverage skills, but Leonhard brought a unique kind of fire you can only find in a football player who’s 5’8”. Landry’s performance dropped off somewhat in his sophomore season; and with his third year gone he will have to return to his rookie form to secure his place in this defense. I believe that Landry will have a good year, but if not the loss of Leonhard could be much more harmful than Ravens fans- or the front office- expected.

Who Will Win the Running Back Duel?
I was the first one in line to cheer the Ravens when they brought in Willis McGahee. To me he was a running back with exceptional talent who had languished behind a substandard offensive line, and would explode with Baltimore to become one of the best backs in the league. Yea, I was that guy. So far in two seasons, he has been worth far less than the 2nd and 3rd round picks Ozzie Newsome surrendered to get him. After rushing for an impressive 1200 yards in his first season with the team, his production declined last season as injuries and his general performance put Le’Ron McClain in the spotlight instead. Those 1200 yards were nice, but for a team that is meticulous about running the football it wasn’t exactly eye popping. This offseason, Ray Rice has been given the green light for the starting job, though the coaching staff has yet to make any official word. McClain is moving back to fullback on a full-time basis (though I hope for their sake they keep giving him the ball now and then). The second year back out of Rutgers is much shiftier than McGahee and may even have more top-end speed, though it was difficult to tell with how rarely either back got into the open field. Much of this will depend on McGahee’s questionable health throughout camp, but it is likely that the Ravens 3rd running back in the three headed monster could accede to #1 by opening day.

Ravens Free Agent Picture Begins to Take Shape

Of all the “Big Three” linebackers the Ravens have up for free agency this season, the one I most suspected would be allowed to hit the market- Bart Scott- could be resigned in a Baltimore uniform within the next several days, according to agent Harold Lewis. At the beginning of the offseason, I had several key contentions: the Ravens would be willing to pay competitively for Terrell Suggs or spend the franchise tag on him. Secondly, the Ravens would make a strong play for Ray Lewis, and all accounts are saying that management will probably outbid anyone else for the services of the 33-year-old face of the franchise. Finally, I was certain that deep down inside, Bart Scott wanted to be a starter more than he wanted to be in Baltimore- I could easily see him in a Jets uniform at outside linebacker, for instance. Should Scott resign, it would indicate to me that Baltimore is unsure if they will get back Ray Lewis or that Scott is willing to take a discount to stay a Raven. Either way, it would surprise me.

Harold Lewis also represents center Jason Brown, easily the best offensive lineman on the team this season after moving over from guard after the 2007 season. Lewis intimated that EITHER Brown or Scott could resign, but not both- I estimate that Brown is more likely to hit the market. The fact is that offensive and defensive linemen can command a great deal as a free agent, as they are less likely than skill position players or linebackers or defensive backs to have their performance take a significant dropoff from one season (or team) to another. Additionally, the Steve Hutchinson deal in 2006 worth $49 million set the stage for blockbuster contracts for offensive linemen. He will likely be looking for something on the lower end of Jordan Gross’ 6 year deal which paid out $30.5 million over the first three years. He won’t get that, but that will be his starting negotiating point. With the bloated price for linemen, I would not be shocked if Brown decided to resign with the Ravens after free agency begins, but he would be foolish from a financial standpoint not to see what is out there- even in this economy.

However, don’t expect the feel-good story of this season to be back in a Ravens uniform. At the scouting combine late last week, Ozzie Newsome sent a rather clear message that this team could be parting ways with backup-turned-starter Jim Leonhard. Management has told him he would have to compete for a starting job with returning free safety Dawan Landry, and Leonhard obviously would like to be a starter somewhere. Unlike the other Ravens free agents, Leonhard has no tradition of being part of this organization and no inherent loyalty to the coaching staff outside of former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, whom he has described as having taught him more about the game than anyone in his NFL career. Besides, there are significant reasons for the Ravens to avoid resigning Leonhard. From a financial standpoint, Landry is still under his rookie contract and won’t be up for a new one for another few seasons- it wouldn’t make sense to pay what it would take to keep Leonhard with the team. From a football standpoint, this team also has promising young safeties in Haruki Nakamura and Tom Zbikowski who could possibly fill the void a la Jarrett Johnson when Adalius Thomas left. Look for Leonhard to bolt for the Jets and serve as a top notch starting safety for another 6 years, while Baltimore takes their chances with another playmaker in Landry.

Finally, Newsome also updated the media on the status of negotiations with the only kicker Baltimore fans have ever known, Matt Stover. He implied that both the Ravens and Stover were looking at other opportunities, but that has not been corroborated by the kicker, who will be conducting his own negotiations with the team. It is clear that the 41-year-old wants to sign a new deal to stay with the team, but has not been contacted by anyone from the front office. I have no problem with the Ravens wanting to move on; Stover has lost his range in recent years and is now questionable with anything beyond 40 yards- Steven Hauschka was brought in for 50+ yard kicks and kickoffs- and Stover only converted 81.4% of his field goal attempts, his worst percentage since 1994. I am sure he can still play, but this might be as good a time as any for the franchise to move on to kicker #2.