Ravens Last Preseason Game Tonight

The final Ravens preseason game is tonight as Baltimore heads down to Atlanta to take on the Falcons.

For the average fan, there will not be much excitement. It is reported that many of the hands down starters, including Joe Flacco, will not play much in this game. This preseason game will be the final opportunity for players to show themselves for the final cut.

A couple of positions still need some deciding, notably the kicking game. Steven Hauschka has looked like the better kicker than Graham Gano, but he is not blowing away anyone on the coaching staff, missing a chip shot inside 30 yards in the Ravens last preseason game against the Panthers. It is pretty clear that Gano will not win the job, but the question is will the Ravens be happy with Hauschka as the full time kicker? Some fans have been calling for Matt Stover, who lives in Baltimore with his family, to return. According to the Scott and Anita Show on 105.7 The Fan, Stover has been keeping in good shape, but is not actively trying to return to the Ravens, but that he is keeping good shape to be ready to go to a team sometime this season. This last game may determine whether the Ravens feel the need to seek this option.

Obviously another area of concern is the receiver position. Mark Clayton already said he will not play in this game, and Derrick Mason will likely do the same. Demetrius Williams and Kelley Washington appear to be all right for the final cut, but they should play anyway. But other players, like Justin Harper and Jayson Foster, still have something to show before the final cut of the roster. The main player who needs to step up is Yamon Figurs. The Ravens drafted this player high in the third round due to his speed, but so far due to injuries and problems catching may turn out to be a bust. It is possible that this is the last chance for him to be a Raven in this preseason game.

Other positions that still have some questions include cornerback and some of the offensive linemen; possibly the third string tight end as well. But the starters for the Ravens are mainly set in stone, so for the average fan, this preseason game won't bring a lot of interest. But for the hardcore, it is the final chance for some of the players to make the cut.

Game tonight is at 7:30 PM.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

Drew Bennett Signs With Ravens, Problem Solved?

The Ravens once again turn to a former Titan for a need, this one being wide receiver Drew Bennett, who signed a one-year deal with the Ravens on Friday, almost two weeks after Derrick Mason retired.

Bennett was on the Titans for six years, then joined onto the Rams in 2007 and 2008. Before that, he had caught at least 700 yards in his last three years with Tennessee, including over 1200 in 2004. He got hurt with a foot injury in the opening game this past year and had his six-year contract terminated by St. Louis after the season. Now 30, he won the receiver tryouts and will join the Ravens for this season, meaning Baltimore believes his foot is fine and will have him on the field.

Bennett will likely get the #1 or #2 spot with the other going to Mark Clayton. Demetrius Williams and Marcus Smith will probably fight for the slot position. The Ravens may employ their tight ends a lot with Todd Heap and L.J. Smith to balance the air attack for Joe Flacco.

I'm not sure if this is who the Ravens need at wide receiver in place of Derrick Mason, but this might have been the best option. It is concerning that no one wanted Bennett beforehand, but that would have been a problem with anyone they picked up in free agency, including Marvin Harrison. It is also concerning the Ravens are depending on another receiver with injury issues. But, it will mean the Ravens will not do a high risk trade for players like Brandon Marshall or Anquan Boldin, whose respective teams would have likely raised the price for their talented but risky off the field receivers.

But this does bring up the question of Mason's retirement. The buzz had gone around that John Harbaugh was not sure if Mason had retired, that maybe he would want an extension or just didn't want to go to training camp. But signing Bennett may be an important move to this. Obviously the Ravens would love to have Mason back, but Ozzie Newsome can not bank on convincing Mason to change his mind. At the very least the Ravens need another receiver that can play to be ready. The door is not shut on the situation, but the Ravens are ready to move on if nothing changes.

No matter what, the Ravens will be readying their two tight end sets to have their best core of ball-catchers on the field to help Joe Flacco. This is not an easy situation to deal with and the problems are not over, but Bennett was a good pickup considering the situation in Baltimore.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

For Ravens, No Cavalry Coming to Bail Out Wide Receiver Position

Do you know when the last time we had a post (aside from Free Kicks) that wasn’t about the Orioles? A month ago, on May 17th. That is incredible, considering even last year we couldn’t keep up with that much content on the team as it entered their annual free fall. This year it seems as though nothing can stop the news coming out of Camden Yards, even as the team hovers ten games under .500. However, I think we all need a break to talk about that other Baltimore team- the Ravens, who in most recent years have made this city forget about the Orioles by mid-May. While the O’s struggle to find a steady rotation, the Ravens are finding themselves in their own struggle for players, most notably at the wide receiver position. Many names have been thrown out over the past six months- Anquan Boldin, Braylon Edwards, and most recently, Brandon Marshall.

So who has Ozzie gone out and gotten? No one. Not in free agency, not in the draft, and not in any trades. But don’t for a moment confuse this with satisfaction with the Ravens current roster. Derrick Mason is a solid, sure-handed receiver with enough speed to be a productive Number 1 guy for another couple years, but he has had very little help from his supporting group and is not the kind of guy you want going deep anymore. Likewise with Mark Clayton, who was drafted as an ideal slot receiver but has not had the opportunity to play much at that position due to the lack of a consistent Number 2 receiver on the opposite sideline. There was nothing sadder last season than seeing Mark Clayton try to go deep and look overmatched and out of place as he struggled to make the catch. Clayton is a very good player, but only in the right role. He can be electric going over the middle, but given the limited options he is forced out of his natural position.

And then there is the enigmatic Demetrius Williams, who when he was drafted was thought by many as one of the shrewder moves by Ozzie Newsome as he picked up the 6-2 speedster in the 4th round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Since then we have not seen all that much of the supposed deep threat, having played in just 16 games since his rookie season, and in only 7 last season. Consistent, nagging injuries have slowed Williams’ career almost to a halt, and it will take a great (and injury-free) season to assure the Ravens that he can be productive for them. I want him to be successful, but in his fourth year it is time for him to put up numbers or find another less painful line of work.

Behind these guys are a host of also-rans and late round picks who failed to make an impact last season- only one ball was caught last season by a wide receiver that wasn’t caught by either Mason, Clayton, or Williams. So what are the Ravens to do? Certainly they could use a talent like Brandon Marshall, this week’s wide receiver “trade me” flavor of the month. However, his price tag of a 1st and 3rd round pick, in addition to his demands for a salary in the $8-9 million stratosphere, not to mention his laundry list of criminal complaints (and ongoing prosecution) make him an unpalatable choice. As far as other trades go, the Ravens value their draft picks and utilize them incredibly well. As such, I couldn’t see the Ravens giving up any more than 2nd and 3rd round picks, almost as much as they gave up in the Willis McGahee deal. There is a chance this could happen. If Brandon Marshall is traded (and the Broncos GM has indicated he will try to unload the troubled wideout), that could open up another player for the Ravens to acquire, in addition to a trading partner very eager for additional draft choices to take the sting out of their deal. This will depend on where Marshall lands, but if he heads to the Browns then Cleveland would be even more apt to part ways with Braylon Edwards (whose drops might decline with a decent quarterback).

This isn’t altogether likely, but I suppose the lesson to take from all these trade rumors is this: Even when you are in a serious need for a player and there are good players out there, it still doesn’t make sense to make a deal. The Ravens will keep looking but for now they will have to hope that Demetrius or one of the young guys like Ernie Wheelwright or Justin Harper become a legitimate threat for opposing defenses. The price tag is far too high for a known commodity in the NFL. This team might have to just sit with what they have rather than mortgage the future- and with young Joe Flacco under center, the future is what matters.

UPDATE: My mistake- I wrote that Justin Harper was the #4 receiver for the Ravens while I meant to refer to Marcus Smith, the other second-day receiver Baltimore drafted last season. The point remains though, thanks to Windsor for the heads up.

First Look at Ravens Biggest Needs in NFL Draft

Well, as free agency starts to wind down, it is time to turn our eyes to the NFL draft as the way for the Ravens to fill several glaring holes- and not all of them on offense. While the acquisition of Matt Birk may have dulled the impact of losing Jason Brown and Dominique Foxworth could become a solid cover corner in the Ravens scheme, Baltimore is far from a complete team. Let’s take a look at some of the positions Ozzie Newsome will look to fill next month in the draft (in order of this blogger’s sense of priority).

Wide Receiver- Not only do the Ravens lack a consistent deep threat (Demetrius Williams simply hasn’t panned out the way we had hoped), all three starting receivers look to become free agents after this season. It has been a long time since the front office has been this close to the cap, and likely won’t be able to hold onto all of them (and they may not even want to). With a legitimate speedster at #2, the coaching staff would be able to move Mark Clayton to his natural position in the slot and allow Derrick Mason to stay on short routes to compensate for his declining speed. I love the way Hakeem Nicks plays, and his crisp route running would make life much easier for a young quarterback like Joe Flacco, but he doesn’t have true gamebreaking speed. Not to be a homer, but it would feel great to get Mr. 4.30 40-yard dash Darrius Heyward-Bey in a Ravens uniform to line up along the sideline.

Tight End- At the end of the 2007 season, Baltimore fans were surprised by the pass catching ability of mostly blocking tight end Quinn Sypniewski, who reeled in 34 balls for 264 yards in his sophomore campaign. He should return this season from a year on Injured Reserve and give the Ravens some depth at the position. However, with Todd Heap’s recent injury struggles and a lack of true playmakers at the position, Baltimore will almost certainly look to target a pass catching tight end, perhaps as early as the second round. There is a glut of similarly talented tight ends in the draft who should be available late in that round, and any one of them could fit into the Ravens scheme- a quarterback’s best friend is a consistent receiving tight end (just watch the end of the Titans-Ravens playoff game). It is critical that some pressure be taken off of Todd Heap over the middle of the field- a receiving threat on the other side of the line might be just what this offense needs.

Defensive End- I know I am going out on a limb, but I would not at all be surprised if the Ravens went after a tweener end/outside linebacker. With Terrell Suggs held for a year on a franchise tag and Trevor Pryce not getting any younger, it is critical that the Ravens have a legitimate backup plan to develop from within the organization. I thought Dan Cody would be that player a couple years ago, but the Oklahoma standout simply could not stay healthy and missed out on a heap of talent. The only player the Ravens have at right end behind Pryce is 32 year-old Marques Douglas. They will need a better plan than that going forward.

Offensive Line- The Ravens had one of the youngest offensive lines in the NFL at the beginning of last season. This season they should be near the middle of the pack, with the addition last season of Willie Anderson and this year’s acquisition of Matt Birk, both of whom might not be playing football 3 years from now. Anderson himself could save the Ravens $2.9 million in much needed cap space with a release, something that could happen if the front office is able to reel in a right tackle in the second or third rounds. Adam Terry has battled injuries and inconsistency, and it is possible that another competitor in the mix could make everyone better. Having Birk leading the line with accelerate the mental development of a young line; Baltimore may even look to pick up a “project” at center in the 5^th or 6^th rounds to learn from the veteran.

Honorable Mention: Cornerback- I will give a pass here because of Foxworth, but this situation bolts up to #2 if Samari Rolle is released.

Injuries Mounting for the Ravens

The inury bug is starting to hit the Ravens hard, as today it was announced that Demetrius Williams will be placed on injured reserve, ending his season. To add onto that, Chris McAlister's season might end soon due to the worsening of his knee injury. Ouch. (no pun intended)

This is a huge blow to the Ravens and their playoff hopes, as they have already lost several players. The injury list (just for the starters who are currently injured) has now piled up to:
-Marshal Yanda (out for the season)

-Adam Terry (missed several games, still out indefinitely)
-Demetrius Williams (out for the season)
-Samari Rolle (missed several games, may return soon)

-Chris McAlister (missed several games, possibly out for season)
-Dawan Landry (missed several games, still out indefinitely)
-Kelly Gregg (out for the season)
-Yamon Figurs (missed several games, may return soon)

This list does not include the loss of Kyle Boller for the season, Troy Smith's injury which forced Flacco into early duty, McGahee's knee issues, and Ed Reed's nagging neck problem. To the Ravens' credit, they have dealt admirably with the loss of so many of their key players. People talked about how the Raiders were without Darren McFadden and that was a key advantage; what about the injuries the Ravens have sustained? Justin Bannan has stepped up huge for Kelly Gregg, Frank Walker and Fabian Washington for McAlister and Rolle, Willie Anderson for Adam Terry, Chris Chester for Marshal Yanda, and Jim Leonhard for Yamon Figurs and Dawan Landry.

The front office needs to be commended for putting in place this much depth in the Ravens' roster. Their tireless pursuit of offensive and defensive line depth in the draft has payed immense dividends, and their offseason pickups of Fabian Washington, Jim Leonhard, Frank Walker, and Willie Anderson have made this team competitive despite the vast injury problems. The question remains: Can the Ravens continue to find effective replacements for these key players, and will these injuries unravel their promising season?

The current injury which frightens myself the most is Demetrius Williams. Not only had Demetrius finally taken a positive step in the offense, he was finally supposed to be healthy this season after battling earlier problems. Without Williams this receiving corps is nearly empty. The Ravens acquired Terrance Copper today (released earlier by the Saints) in response to the injury, but they are still left with very few options to replace Williams as the third receiver. The choices are now between Yamon Figurs (whose knee is improving according to the Baltimore Sun), Terrance Copper, and rookies Marcus Smith and Ernie Wheelwright. Of these I don't know which would be the best; I would like to say Marcus Smith because I was very high on him in the draft, but I feel like if the organization had confidence in him he would have been activated for a game by now. If Figurs is healthy, then he gets the nod. If not, don't be suprised if Ernie Wheelwright becomes the third wideout -- he is an undrafted rookie who had a good career at Minnesota (a run-dominated school) who has fought his way onto the roster. If a player with such little hype or draft status gets retained by the team and then promoted to the 52-man roster, then the coaching staff must like him and he must be showing alot in practice.

Ravens fans have to be pleased with how their team has battled despite injuries. They can only hope that the backups can continue their impressive performance.

(Photo credit: Elizabeth Malby, Baltimore Sun)