With Chuck Pagano leaving the Baltimore Ravens to take over the head coaching position with the Indianapolis Colts the Ravens have promoted linebackers coach Dean Pees into the defensive coordinator position that was left open by Pagano.

Pees has been the Ravens’ linebackers coach for the last two years and prior to his time with the Ravens he served as the defensive coordinator for the 2006 to 2009 New England Patriots.

During his time with the Patriots the team never finished less then the top 10 in fewest points allowed on defense.

Speaking of his promotion Pees noted:

“It’s an incredible opportunity to be a defensive coordinator for anybody in this league, but it’s especially humbling to be one for the Ravens,” Pees said. “I’m not going to be the same as Chuck Pagano. You got to be who you are.”

In the meantime Cam Cameron will stay at his offensive coordinator position for the 2012-2013 season after speculation began over the last several weeks that the team wouldn’t retain his services. The Ravens finished in 15th place offensively during this past season.

Speaking about his decision to keep Cam Cameron coach John Harbaugh noted:

“It was a foregone conclusion to me,” adding, “It was a good year (on offense).”

Do you think Pees, Cameron and Harbaugh together can put up a good offensive and defense that allows the Ravens to compete next season?

Baltimore Ravens Promotes Dean Pees To Defensive Coordinator is a post from: The Inquisitr

If Billy Cundiff would have made his team’s final field goal attempt the Baltimore Raven’s could have potentially made it to this year’s Super Bowl, instead his teammates are now saying that he was “distracted” leading up to the teams biggest play of the year.

Speaking about the final moments of playoffs several players have revealed that Cundiff was called towards the field at least 6 times by team coaches who grew furious when their field goal kicker didn’t appear to be paying attention.

Before the kick that ruined his teams chances at a Super Bowl ring Billy Cundiff was doing exactly what he was suppose to be doing, practicing field goal kicks on the sideline. However as the Raven’s marched down the field he should have been inching towards the sideline, preparing to be put in the game at a moments notice.

Cundiff’s fellow players say he didn’t appear to be paying attention and wasn’t immediately ready to execute a kick which may have in turn thrown off his rhythm and caused the missed field goal.

One player says his teammates didn’t give him trouble after the game:

“We didn’t give him a hard time because he looked like he was ready to kill himself.”

It’s still unclear what caused Billy Cundiff to become so distracted but if I had to guess I would say it was the impeding thought that he would have to kick the most important field goal of his life in front of millions of people on national television.

Baltimore Ravens Kicker Billy Cundiff Was “Distracted” Before Botched Field Goal is a post from: The Inquisitr

There is an informant in our midst, said Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.  One of his neighbors saw Flacco on a skateboard and didn’t hesitate to call the Baltimore Ravens and let them know.

The Ravens star quarterback had this to say to NFL Total Access,

“I’d never been on a skateboard in my life, so I was literally riding it about 10 feet down my driveway just to see if I could stand on it and stay upright. One of my neighbors must have called in looking for [general manager] Ozzie Newsome and left a voicemail on his secretary’s phone saying, ‘Hey, man, you got to let Joe Flacco know we’re trying to win the Super Bowl around here! He’s at home riding a skateboard. Somebody’s got to let him know what the deal is.’”

Joe Flacco has the game of his professional life coming up as he attempts to take on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots for the AFC Championship game and a trip to the Super Bowl.

The Baltimore Ravens have one of the best ranked Defenses in the NFL and the New England Patriots is one of the best ranked offenses. Joe Flacco led the Ravens to the AFC Championship game even though he was basically a rookie when it comes to playoff football.

An interesting question to ask is since when does a 27 year old try to ride a skateboard even when he doesn’t have the biggest game of his life to worry about?

Joe Flacco Ratted Out To Ravens For Riding Skateboard is a post from: The Inquisitr

The team, currently sitting at 10 -4 and tied with Pittsburgh for first place in the division, announced today that Boldin will undergo knee surgery today, a move that will force him to miss the last two games of the regular season at minimum.

“He’s got a slight tear in his meniscus. It flapped up on him, I think it was Tuesday night after the walkthrough,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters. “He’s going to have to get it repaired. It’s two weeks and he’ll be back for the playoffs, whatever round we happen to play in. It will be a little bit tighter if we have to play in the first round.”

Harbaugh added that Lee Evans, a longtime Bills WR acquired by Baltimore in 2010, is slated to start in Anquan’s absence.

The two games Boldin likely will miss represent the first time he has missed action since joining the Ravens at the start of the 2010 season.

For the season, Anquan Boldin has 57 receptions for a team-leading 887 yards with three touchdowns.

The Baltimore Ravens host the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, Dec. 24. For a preview of that matchup, check out the following clip:

via ESPN

Anquan Boldin to Undergo Knee Surgery, Miss Two Games is a post from: The Inquisitr

After coming up catchless in his first two games as a Raven, Smith, a second round draft pick, got his opportunity to shine in the absence of veteran wide-out Lee Evans – and shine he did.

In the first quarter alone, Torrey Smith’s first three catches were for touchdowns totaling 133 yards that ignited the Baltimore Ravens’ franchise record-setting day on offense in a 37-7 rout Sunday.

With 12:20 left in the first quarter, Ravens QB Joe Flacco found Smith bolting down the sideline and hit him with a 74-yard touchdown pass. With 3:38 left, Flacco again looked to Smith, who easily blew by the Rams’ secondary for a 41-yard touchdown catch. Less than two minutes later, Smith showed his athleticism once more, leaping over Rams cornerback Justin King and coming down with the ball in the end zone for this third score.

Smith’s contribution to the team – he finished with five catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns – allowed the Ravens set two franchise records: One for most offensive yards in the first half with 406 and another for most offensive yards in a game with 533 – breaking a record that had previously been held since 1996.

“I never doubted myself for a minute,” said Smith, the first rookie in NFL history and just the 12th player to score three touchdowns in a quarter. “I’ve been playing football forever. I’ve been making plays forever.”

To see all the highlights of Sunday’s Ravens vs. Rams game, including Torrey Smith’s three touchdown catches, go here.

Torrey Smith Has Breakout 3 TD Game for Ravens is a post from: The Inquisitr

On Friday, former Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown was found in his Maryland home, dead at the age of 40.

Brown’s family notified authorities that day that Brown had been unreachable for several days, leading to the discovery. Police say it is not thought foul play was involved, and cause of death was not immediately apparent. An autopsy is scheduled.

One of the most notable incidents of Brown’s career came when he was accidentally struck in the eye by a weighted penalty flag during a 1999 game. Brown attacked the referee who caused the injury, and was suspended. The suspension was lifted when the severity of the injury became apparent, and Brown later sued the NFL for $200 million, alleging that the incident hampered his career. The case was settled for $25 million, and while Brown returned to play for another three seasons, many say he was never “the same” after the injury.

Some of Brown’s former teammates took to Twitter to mourn after they were notified of the former Raven’s death Friday morning. Linebacker Terrell Suggs commented:

“He was a beast on the field and a great friend off it. It’s a shame he had to leave us so young.”

Former teammate and fellow tackle Harry Swayne said:

“We just found out before the end of practice. We were close friends. It’s tough, it’s tough. I talked to him a month ago and told him, ‘Zeus, you didn’t have to block half the people you played against because they were scared of you.’ “He was a puppy dog, a big old puppy dog with a little bit of a bark. He had a lot of friends around the league. He was one of the best guys. It’s a tough loss.”

After retiring from football, Brown opened a Fatburger franchise in Maryland. No information about funeral or memorial services for the former Raven has yet been announced.

Orlando Brown, Former Ravens Offensive Tackle, Dead at 40 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Chris McCalister is claiming that he’s broke only one year after leaving the NFL where he played for a decade and earned in the vicinity of $55 million.

The three-time pro bowler revealed in court documents during a child support battle with ex-wife Marlene McAlister that he can no longer afford to pay her $11,000 per month because he’s completely broke and living in his parents home. Chris even complains that his parents have to give him money for basic living expenses.

McCalister was drafted in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft and played for 10 years before retiring in 2008.

Chris signed a seven-year $55 million contract in 2004 and was released after five years of his contract. McCalister’s actual salary included a $10 million signing bonus, a $7.5 million roster bonus in 2005 and $6 million the year before he signed the contract extension. The last two years of his contract were worth $8 million each, money he apparently needed given his spending habits.

The Baltimore Sun points out that McCalister being “broke as a joke” shouldn’t surprise anyone since all he seemed to do during his career was party hard and blow cash at every turn.

Marlene McCalister claimed last year that after finding out she was pregnant Chris told her she had to get an abortion, when she refused he kicked her out of their home.

What to you think about the McCalister situation? I personally can’t have sympathy for a guy who parties away more than most people will make in 25 lifetimes.

Former Ravens CB Chris McCalister Claims He’s Broke In Child Support Lawsuit With Marlene McCalister is a post from: The Inquisitr

Many of us NFL pundits have criticized what the Baltimore Ravens have done so far this off season. Yesterday they went out and redeemed themselves a bit. The Ravens traded a fourth round draft pick for WR Lee Evans. Evans will join Anquan Boldin, and rookie Torrey Smith in the Ravens WR corps, and QB Joe Flacco should be very happy about that. On the flip side Buffalo Bills fans should be pretty upset with this move, as their team gave up a pretty good receiver for essentially nothing. For the Bills this move reeks of a salary dump.

The Ravens, after a somewhat shaky preseason debut by Smith, needed a guy who could help stretch the field. Boldin is great over the middle but this team really needed a guy to help open up the offense. They tried several options last year that didn’t really pan out. Evans is their guy, but Smith has got to get a lot better or this team may need to make another move. Adding Evans for a fourth round pick is a great move by General Manger Ozzie Newsome.

The Bills on the other hand got rid of a guy who has produced pretty well, even with a very unstable QB situation in Buffalo. Evans was due to make 5 million dollars in each of the next two seasons. If this is a move to free up cash and launch a massive rebuild effort I like it, but if they are just looking to save money I really hate this move. Frankly I do not think they got enough for their former first round pick.

Baltimore Ravens add Lee Evans is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Baltimore Ravens were among the first teams to break big news when the NFL got back to business. Of course that news was the cutting of several veteran players, and in all honesty a few of them, the teams more popular players. We could argue their actual productivity till we were blue in the face, and in the end it would be all semantics and personal prejudice. The simple fact is Willis McGahee, Todd Heap, Derrick Mason, and Kelly Gregg were all shown the door, and all four have signed on with other teams.

I think the Ravens tried to employ a strategy of getting rid of guys one year early instead of one year too late, and General Manger Ozzie Newsome has done a terrific job running this team so he gets some benefit of the doubt here. However, I really think he expected there to be no market for these guys and that they would return to his team at a discounted rate.

Granted some of these players may already be past their prime, but QB Joe Flacco and WR Anquan Boldin both wanted Mason back. I also suspect that Heap was a player this team still wanted. His 10 years in Baltimore saw were very successful, and I think the offense will miss him. Now this team needs to find adequate replacements for four veteran players, which is fine. However, I have not seen this team being really active on the free agent market. We shall see how this one plays out.

Related Links:

•Baltimore Ravens news and notes
•Joshua Lobdell.com

The Baltimore Ravens free agency gamble fails is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Baltimore Ravens did an excellent job addressing their needs via the NFL draft. Even though they are known to draft talent over value or need the 2011 NFL draft fell in a way where they could add a corner, wide out, and offensive tackle via the draft. All of which were primary needs. They may have decided to go that route because of the lockout and the lack of a free agent market so far, or they may have just gotten very lucky. Either way they have little work left to do on their 2011 roster.

I would like to see them add some pass rush to this team. OLB Terrell Suggs was the only consistent perimeter rusher last season and it would be nice to see them add a veteran OLB rusher to pair with him. Of course they did draft Sergio Kindle last year, and that has been a bust so far. Depending on whether or not Kindle can return this team may need to add a free agent to address this need.

They also needed to improve their running game and even though they took Anthony Allen out of Georgia Tech I wonder if they could not use another full back to help open up some holes. Allen may have a big upside and may be the thing that improves the Ravens rushing game, but they got caught with only Le’Ron McClain at the FB spot last year and they should work to add another whenever the NFL gets back to business.

Related Links:

• Baltimore Ravens news and notes
• Joshua Lobdell.com

Baltimore Ravens to do list is a post from: The Inquisitr

With the world of football caught up in a lot of controversy, very little controversy trickled out during the opening night of the 2011 NFL draft. The one thing that left most NFL fans, and draft day viewers puzzled was the way in which the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears single handedly brought the NFL Draft to a complete stop. It all happened when the 10 minute clock started on the Baltimore Ravens who had the 26th overall pick in the first round.

The Ravens wanted to trade down, and the Bears wanted to trade up. The Bears were looking to leap frog the Kansas City Chiefs and select OT Gabe Carimi. Apparently the deal involved the Bears giving the Raves their 2011 fourth round pick. When trades are made at the draft (or elsewhere) both teams must inform a league executive. The Ravens did so, but the Bears did not. Given that scenario the Ravens ran out of clock, the Chiefs made the 26th pick and Baltimore turned in a pick at #27.

The Ravens then cried foul and asked NFL Commissioner to force the Bears to give them the fourth round pick for apparently willfully misleading the Ravens. Goodell was unwilling to force the Bears to give them the pick, but apparently strongly urged them to do so. The Bears, even though they have taken the blame for the incident, declined.

While this may not mean much to the casual NFL fan, it is yet another example of the poor job Bears General manger Jerry Angelo has done. While he has not lost anything yet, other NFL teams may be unwilling to work with the Bears in the future. That would put this team at a distinct disadvantage.

Related Links:

• Joshua Lobdell.com

Baltimore Ravens cry foul on draft day flub is a post from: The Inquisitr

So one of the most respected current football executives will once again run the Baltimore Ravens War Room on draft day. Ozzie Newsome has been working in the front office of this team since they still wore the Brown and Orange in a different city. He started off as the Director of Pro Personnel but since 2002 he has been the Ravens GM, and over the last five years has helped the Ravens be one of the better drafting teams in the NFL.

That is saying a lot since his 2010 first pick has yet to play a down of football, and his second second round pick is due to see a big increase in his playing time. The fact here is Newsome has a knack for finding guys who produce for his team. Not only first rounders like QB Joe Flacco or OG Ben Grubbs, but also in the second round like RB Ray Rice. We know that he likes to draft guys from the SEC, and that he likes to stockpile draft picks, so he could move down.

Over the last five years he has made 40 draft picks for the Ravens and 28 of them are still wearing the purple and black of his team. Not a great number but the ones that have stayed have made big impacts. Three of them have been to the pro bowl, 11 are starters, and 19 more are backups. Only three of these men are currently out of the NFL. Overall those are pretty good numbers.

Related Links:

• Baltimore Ravens news and notes
• Joshua Lobdell.com

Draft day decision makers: Baltimore Ravens is a post from: The Inquisitr

In the past two years I have gone back and forth of the 2009 Baltimore Ravens draft class. Sure they landed one starter and two backups. On one hand it looks to be about average, but on the other way make six picks for one starter and two backups. I personally feel that NFL teams need to make a bigger splash in the draft than that.
 
Here is a quick look at the 2009 Ravens draft class:

•Round One (23)- Michael Oher OT
•Round Two (57)- Paul Kruger DE
•Round Three (88)- Lardarius Webb DB
•Round Five (137)- Jason Phillips LB
•Round Five (149)- Davon Drew TE
•Round Six (185)- Cedric Peerman RB

So Oher looks to be a home run, but should that excuse the lack of production for the rest of this class? Kruger has played in 20 games and done little to nothing. Lardarius Webb on the other hand has been pretty good. He has played in 29 games and been effective in the Ravens secondary. Jason Phillips missed most of year one with a knee injury and has yet to crack the starting rotation as a linebacker. The rest of the Ravens picks were cut during training camp.

I guess in the end this still looks like a pretty good class. At the very least they are getting something from most of their picks. However I never like to see a team cutting more than one player from that years draft class in training camp that always seems like a few picks were wasted. In my mind wasting draft picks is not the way to build a championship organization.

2009 NFL draft two years out: Baltimore Ravens is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Baltimore Ravens finished the 2010 NFL regular season with a 12-4 record, and they won the AFC North. In the playoffs they won a road game at Kansas City then went down to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They did end up firing their QB’s coach and their starting QB took that pretty personally. This is a very good football team, and yes the offense could be better but I think Joe Flacco was out of line taking the firing of a position coach so personally. Hopefully that will not have a ripple effect when this team gets back to playing football.

The offense scored 357 points or 22.3 points per game on average. Joe Flacco was their starting QB and he completed 62.6% of his passes for 3,622 yards, and 25 TD’s, with just 10 INT’s. The running game behind him averaged 114.2 yards per game, but the O line did give up 40 sacks. All in all pretty good numbers but the sacks allowed stat could sure stand to come down a lot.

Of course the defense is very good, if not getting a little bit old. They gave up just 270 points or 16.9 points per game on average. Their take away differential was +7 and that means they get after the ball on defense because the offense doesn’t cough up the ball all that much. In all they forced 15 fumbles and intercepted 19 passes. The only real concern is the 27 sacks this defense racked up. That seems a little low for how good a defense this really was.

This is another one of those teams that was highly thought of and even though the defense is aging I don’t see their window of opportunity for a championship closing. If they keep adding good pieces they could be good for quite some time. I think they need to add some youth to the defense in the draft this year and all should be well.

Related Links:

• Baltimore Ravens news and notes
• The Business of the NFL
• Joshua Lobdell.com

2010 Baltimore Ravens season in review is a post from: The Inquisitr

So the Baltimore Ravens fired their QB coach, Jim Zorn, and their starting QB is pretty upset about the whole thing. There are not a lot of concrete reasons for this firing coming out yet, but either the Ravens didn’t like the job Zorn was doing or they though he was a malcontent. They have given the QB coaching responsibilities to their Offense Coordinator which is actually a good move, as it will mean more continuity with the offense, still Flacco has taken all of this very personally.

“I also feel like a little bit like I’m being attacked,” Flacco said.  “You fire the quarterback coach.  Usually when your fire a position coach, it’s because you’re not really happy with how that position did.  And when I look back on my season and our season as a team, I mean, we won 13 games.  I felt like I had a pretty good year and you’re firing the quarterback coach?  It’s kind of an attack on me, I feel like. You know, it is what it is.  It’s not that big of a deal for me to feel like it.  I’m not happy about it.  They know that I’m not happy about it.  It’s not news to them.  They know I’m not happy about it, and my feelings aren’t going to change.”

Those are pretty strong words, and the real problem here is that Flacco decided to make them public. Flacco is right he had an ok year, completed over 60% of his passes for 3,622 yards, with 22 TD’s and just 10 INT’s. Not bad numbers but I think the perception was the Ravens offense was a lot better than that,  especially given the acquisition of WR Anquan Boldin.

In the end Zorn probably just wasn’t a good fit on this staff, and that was why he was let go. Flacco should not be taken this s personally and really shouldn’t be saying these kinds of things in public.

Related Links:

• Baltimore Ravens news and notes
• The Business of the NFL
• Joshua Lobdell.com

Joe Flacco is a little upset is a post from: The Inquisitr

Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed’s status is uncertain, after his brother leapt into a river to evade police and hasn’t been seen since.

It is unclear whether Reed will travel to Kansas City with the Ravens today at 2 pm, ahead of a scheduled game against the Chiefs. Brian Reed, the safety’s younger brother, reportedly slipped from the grasp of police as they attempted to cuff him at the junction of Kenner, Louisiana and St. Charles Parish. Police say he was last seen in the river, and there is reason to believe he may have had difficulty swimming:

“The suspect jumped into the river, went about 15 feet according to the deputy,” said Sgt. Dwayne LaGrange, a spokesman for the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office. “At some particular point they said he did witness hands and head come up and go under the water and never resurface again.”

Reed’s mother commented on her younger son’s disappearance:

“He was a good person,” said his mother, Karen Reed. “He kind of had a little run in with drugs and stuff. He had kind of got off it. Other than that he was all right.”

According to the Washington Post, the search for Reed has currently been called off but no reason was cited.

Ravens safety Ed Reed’s brother missing, cops searching river is a post from: The Inquisitr

Along with the New York Jets, we have to consider teh Baltimore Ravens among the favorites to win the AFC and reach the Super Bowl. This team is extremely well built, and they added Anquan Boldin to the mix, that might be a little payback for the failed trade for Terrell Owens all those years ago. Boldin comes to the Ravens to be the legit number one receiver, and for QB Joe Flacco he is an extremely good weapon to have. General Manger Ozzie Newsome is arguably one of the best GM’s in the NFL today, and this team may just be his master piece.

Of course Flacco leads the offense, and beyond Boldin he has Derrick Mason, Donte’ Stallworth, Mark Clayton, and TE Todd Heap to throw too. It is one of the deepest WR corps in the NFL. Ray Rice will be the get the job done RB, with Willis McGahee being a change of pace back (if McGahee stays with the team). The offensive line is set, and is an above average unit. This is an offense that should score a lot of points.

The Ravens are all about defense, and the run a base 3-4. They are led on the field by ILB Ray Lewis and the only really question about this unit is the status of FS Ed Reed. He is recovering from off season hip surgery, and should be able to make a return to the defense. If he doesn’t it leaves a little hole in the secondary, but this defense is very good. Their are pro bowlers all over the place, and they should do their usual stingy job of not allowing Ravens opponents to score often.

On Special Teams Shayne Graham will have to win a position battle to be the kicker, while Sam Koch is firmly in place as the punter. Lardarius Webb should be the kick returner, and Chris Carr is the most likely the punt returner.

Related Links:

•Baltimore Ravens news and notes
•The Business of the NFL
•MTR Football

2010 Baltimore Ravens preview is a post from: The Inquisitr

It would appear that things worked out quite well for the Baltimore Ravens, they trade out of the first round, pick up three additional picks, and land a top ten talent because the other NFL teams were afraid of his injury history. Scoring Sergio Kindle with the 43rd overall pick is a genius move. He not only fits in well with what this team is about, he gets to learn to play defense from a group that will feature at least one sure fire hall of famer. If he plays to his ability and stays healthy this was one of the best picks in the 2010 NFL Draft.

With their second pick in the second round they took another chance on DT Terrence Cody. Mount Cody, if he can stay motivated and lose a touch of weight gives this tem a potentially dominate NT to play alongside Haloti Ngata. A nasty defense might just have gotten a touch bit nastier.

In the third and fourth rounds the Ravens added a pair of TE prospects, and added another WR in the fifth. The finished up their draft with a pair of depth picks taking another DT and an OT. With all that said, let us take a look at the initial grades for the 2010 Ravens draft class:

•Round Two (43)- B, it would be an a but Kindle does have an injury concern
•Round Two (57)- C, Mount Cody may not have a good work ethic and that will kill him at his position in the NFL
•Talent- A, They landed two potential stars
•Need- C, They still have holes at CB, backup FB, and backup Center. I would have liked to see them take a corner with one of their 8 draft picks
•Average- B-

Related Links:

•Baltimore Ravens news and notes
•2010 NFL Draft initial team grades
•The Business of the NFL
•MTR Football.com

2010 NFL Draft in review: Baltimore Ravens is a post from: The Inquisitr

The NFL Draft for the Baltimore Ravens is the Ozzie Newsome show, and why shouldn’t it be. The first two draft picks this cat made went on to be future Hall of Fame players. This is a guy who has turned picking in the first round, especially the second half of the first round, into an art form. He has the final say all personnel issues, but is joined in the Ravens war room by VP of Football Administration Pat Moriarty, Director of Player Development OJ Brigance, Director of Player Personnel Eric Decosta, and Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz.

This is yet another team that invokes a best player available strategy on draft day, but their scouts are so good at what they do it rarely comes back to bite them. Newsome likes to trade down and stockpile picks, and he may do so in the 2010 NFL draft. He also tends to favor SEC players, especially players from Alabama, LSU, and Tennessee.

Over the past five years the Ravens success in the draft has been well above average. In that time frame they have made 41 draft picks, and have produced 3 pro bowlers. Thirteen of those picks are starters, and fifteen more are backups. Only thirteen of those picks are either out of the league or playing for different teams. That is truly impressive.

Related Links:

•Draft Day Decision makers
•Baltimore Ravens news and notes
•2010 Ravens team needs
•2010 Ravens first round draft plan
•2009 Ravens draft, one year later

Draft Day decision makers: Baltimore Ravens is a post from: The Inquisitr

We can look at the 2009 Baltimore Ravens draft class in tow very different ways. Sure they scored with their picks in the top rounds, but their picks in later rounds made no impact at all, in fact most of them did not make the team. So we have to weigh three potential starters against the failure to land quality prospects in the later rounds. Of course that is pretty simply landing three starters in any one draft class is the standard and that is what the Ravens accomplished. One year ago I gave the Ravens pretty high marks for their draft, even though they did not address their need for a number one receiver. That is an issue they have filled vi trade and free agency now, but could have helped during the 2009 season.

A quick look at the 2009 Ravens draft class:

•Round One (23)- Michael Oher OT
•Round Two (57)- Paul Kruger DE
•Round Three (88)- Lardarius Webb DB
•Round Five (137)- Jason Phillips LB
•Round Five (149)- Davon Drew TE
•Round Six (185)- Cedric Peerman RB

Oher started every game 11 at RT, and 5 at LT, proving his versatility and value to the club. Kruger played in 9 games and racked up 11 tackles and an interception. Webb made an apperance in 14 games and made 35 tackles before his knee injury. Phillips was injured in pre-season and missed the entire season. Drew was cut in training camp and was added to the practice squad. Peerman was cut in training camp.

So Oher figures to be a long time starter on the O line, Webb is a legitimate starter, and Kruger figure to be a starter in the future. That is three starters in this draft class, and while they missed on the rest of their picks, landing three starters earns a team a lot of leeway. I graded this draft as a B+ one year ago, and I think that is the grade I will stick with for now.

Related Links:

•2009 NFL Draft, one year later
•Baltimore Ravens news and notes
•2010 NFL Mock Drafts
•2010 NFL Team Needs
•MTR Football.com

2009 NFL Draft one year later: Baltimore Ravens is a post from: The Inquisitr