For the past couple of years I have really disliked the Ravens. I loved seeing them fall in 2005, and I hated seeing them win in 2006 (but loved seeing them lose to Indy in the playoffs). The more I read about their team (and organization), the more I come to realize two things:
- This is a really well-run organization with a lot of great players and likable personalities on it.
- Having Ray Lewis on this team completely taints my opinion of them.
Banks raves about supplemental draft pick-up Jared Gaither as a potential replacement for future hall-of-famer Jonathan Ogden. The guys on NFL Live had similar opinions on tonight's show. Sounds like Gaither will be a project, but Odgen has at least a few years left in him, and that should be plenty to develop Gaither. The Ravens score again.
Ironically, the one position the Ravens haven't been able to develop is quarterback. Kyle Boller sounds like a complete bust (as does Aaron Rodgers - I'd be plenty skeptical of the next Cal QB to come out). In this past draft, the Ravens selected Troy Smith. Huh? I don't buy that move. As much as you want to root for the small guy, you have to be either big (JaMarcus Russell) or a short, amazing passer (6' Drew Brees) to make it in the NFL. (When you're big and an amazing passer, you're Peyton Manning). Troy Smith is 6'1", and wasn't exactly a pure passer at Ohio State. I guess the Ravens are hoping to mold another Steve McNair before the real McNair retires. The difference between the two: The real McNair set all kinds of passing records in college, while the imitation McNair was more 'athlete' than 'quarterback' until the end of his junior season. The Ravens have a lot of development to do with their quarterbacks.
2 comments:
The "imitation McNair" only started at quarterback regularly his junior year. So, yeah, he wasn't a pure passer. I also like how you skip over his great passing stats his junior and senior seasons (particularly his senior season when he was encouraged to stay in the pocket).
I think it's fair to put Troy Smith into the category of Heisman QBs that aren't projected to have instant, if any, success in the NFL. Jason White, Chris Weinke, Danny Wuerffel, Charlie Ward, Gino Torretta, etc. Troy Smith was a fifth round pick for a reason - he's a project. His 35.29 passer rating and -29 yards rushing in the national championship game didn't help much either. Still, he had nice games against Notre Dame, Texas, and Michigan. It's wait and see with him. I'd be more comfortable with the pick if Boller wasn't the #2 QB.
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