Brian's Journal

Armchair QB 8-20-07

by Brian

Lately I have received many requests via e-mail, phone calls and in person, to regularly comment on the Baltimore Ravens. It seems many of you enjoyed my review of the April draft and anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan. I will strive to write a column after each Ravens game.

You may also know that I am a huge fan of Fantasy Football. Last year I was in three leagues. I have played fantasy football for,I believe, six years now. Participation in Fantasy Football (FF) has helped me to develop an unbiased eye when evaluating NFL players and teams. I must confess that my success in FF has been moderate at best. Statistically I am due this year. Last year I would have won one of my leagues going away until Donavan McNabb went down with a season ending knee injury. I still finished in the money.

Anyway, how 'bout them Ravens. First of all, I place almost no stock in phony, excuse me NFL, pre-season games. I'm not saying I don't watch the games. We grilled some bratwurst last night and settled in on the couch to watch our boys in purple go at the G-Men from my home state of NY. The Giants are my Uncle Mike's favorite team as well as his son Matt, my cousin. Mike's other son, Michael, somehow was led astray and has been a Cowboys fan most of his life. So I don't hate the Giants. I watched the game for what it was worth.

Like many or most of the teams in the NFL, we are in trouble should our starting QB get injured. Kyle Boller still looks hurried and still throws into double coverage too often. I can't stand how he pats the ball and how he has to rear back to throw the long ball. Still, he throws a good long ball and with him in the game we at least have the threat of a vertical game. Neither of the other two QB's looked like they will be able to replace Boller should both McNair and Boller get hurt. The Ravens are not unique in this regard. You might say that we have one of the better back-up QB's in the league really. Boller is 18-16 as the starter, so at least he has plenty of game day experience. You know never know when the light bulb will go on. He could be something special. Then again he could fumble the snap at the goal line. Drives you crazy.

McGahee and Anderson look to be the primary ball carriers. Hard to tell from pre-season games. Timing is not really there yet and these guys are not risking injury in a meaningless game. If we had any running game, we might be talking about the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens right now. McGahee will be an improvement over Jamal, but don't be surprised if it takes a few weeks for the running game to really start to gel. As for McGahee's ability to catch out of the backfield, he does not have a history of receiving success.

Let's compare our recently departed RB Jamal Lewis to McGahee as far as their receiving ability. Jamal has played 91 games and has 168 receptions for 1,365 yds for an average of 8.5 yards per catch. McGahee has played in 46 games and has 68 receptions for 503 yards an average of 7.4 yards per catch. Jamal has caught 2 TD passes and McGahee none. Of Jamal's 91 catches 12 went for 20 or more yards. McGahee has stretched it out over 20 yds a whopping 3 times. Jamal's longest reception was for 77 yds and McGahee had a 56 yard scamper. Let's hope that McGahee has the talent and just needed a change of scenery and that Billick utilizes his talents.

I thought Ngata looked great. Amazing how nimble he is for his size. Looks like he had a very good off season training program. With Ngata and Gregg clogging up the middle and Suggs and Pryce getting after the QB this could be a dominating line. I like there depth at the defensive line positions as well.

We got a slight glimpse at Figurs' speed with his return late in the game. It looks like BJ Sams is the return guy though. Don't forget that the Ravens were one of the best return teams in the NFL before Sams broke his leg. Special teams is an area that I like to see steady progress made all season and peaking at the end of the year and into the playoffs. They can be the difference when two evenly matched teams meet in the playoffs.

Gotta run. I have the eighth pick in the FF Draft Sunday. McGahee could be there and I think I like him enough to take him with the eighth pick. Whether he catches a lot of passes or not, the Ravens will still be a "run first" team with him getting the bulk of the carries. Coming back up with the 17th pick I hope to land another starting RB. Maybe Ronnie Brown of the Dolphins. RB's are the key to success so it kind of stinks that I have such a late pick and I'll miss out on the stud RB's like LT and Steven Jackson. Oh well. I'll have to make due.

Stay tuned to Brian's Journal for all of the latest on FF and the Ravens.

What does Brian think about the Ravens draft?

by Brian
Everyone wants to know what I think of the Ravens draft. Sandy and I are huge Ravens fans. We have had PSL's since the 2000 season and absolutely love going to the games. So this weekend was a big one. I'm more into the draft then she is, but she asked me about all of the picks. For better or for worse, here are my thoughts on the draft and the current state of the team.

1st round- Ben Grubbs G, Auburn. The very first Auburn player that Ravens GM and Crimson Tide alum, Ozzie Newsome, has ever drafted. He was the best player at his position in the draft and an obvious need for the team. I listened as they interviewed him Sat after being picked and he sounds like a real good kid. He says about himself that he has a lot of upside potential.
My prediction: Grubbs will challenge for the starting right guard but will more than likely back-up Vincent until about week 6 when he takes over the starting spot. He starts there for at least 10 years.Ravens running attack will evolve from smash mouth up the middle to more pulling guard plays, attacking the edge with more screens and short passes in the flat to new RB McGahee.

3rd round- Yamon Figurs WR, Kansas State. Listed as WR, make no mistake the Ravens got this guy to return punts and kickoffs. It is likely with sheriff Goodell in the commissioners office that BJ Sams,our current return guy, will miss the first 4 games due to multiple DUI charges. Figurs is seriously fast, rumored to have run the 40 in 4.28 seconds.  You can't teach that kind of speed.
My prediction: Figurs figures to win the starting return job by default due to the Sam's suspension, but will do enough in first four games for the coaches to let him keep the job. If this kid is patient in waiting for the blocks to develop in front of him, he could become a very dangerous return man. Remember, once he gets through the wall nobody is catching him from behind. You could argue that the Ravens have one of the best punters, kickers and now return specialists in all of football.

3rd round- Marshall Yanda G,OT, Iowa. Played for former Ravens assistant Kirk Ferentz at Iowa. Best suited for the guard position, he had to play tackle due to injuries on the team.Not a sexy pick, but if what they say is true, that the game is won in the trenches, the Ravens have quietly built a younger more talented offensive line over the last three years through the draft.
My Prediction: Yanda will immediately become the back-up tackle to Terry and Ogden. Ogden will retire this year or next and Terry will move over to the left spot and the Ravens will draft a right tackle in the draft next year. Yanda will add depth to a young and athletic line giving the team flexibility with his ability to play both the guard and tackle spots.

4th round- Antwan Barnes LB, Florida International. Recruited by Miami, LSU and Michigan State. Gives the Ravens a pass rushing LB and another speedy LB to groom.
My Prediction: Barnes may not even sniff the field this year. Look for Dan Cody to step-up this year and demonstrate why Trevor Pryce says he will be one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.

4th round- Le'Ron McClain FB, Alabama. After going to the mens room and puking over his first round pick of an Auburn Tiger, Ozzie came back in to the war room and told Eric DeCosta to "Find me a Tide player to draft I don't care who he is!"  and that is how McClain ended up getting drafted. Seriously, again the Ravens got the best player at his position. The guy loves knocking the snot of people and also can catch the ball out of the backfield. It's rumored that he goes around and just knocks players down, just loves knocking guys down. Wants to keep his edge, I guess.
My Prediction: Will be the starting FB knocking Justin Green out of the roll. Look for more training camp scuffles as McClain knocks guys down whether there is play going on or not. We are going to love this guy. He will be on Sports Center knocking the helmet off of another teams lineman or linebacker as he opens up gaping holes for McaGahee to run through.

5th round- Troy Smith QB, THE Ohio State University. How can you argue with picking up the Heisman trophy winner in the 5th round. Listed at 6' tall, that will be the knock on the guy. Gets a lot of balls batted down at the line of scrimmage. You know what though, the guy is a winner. Up until the championship game against Florida he was the number two rated QB in the draft. Ravens can't lose on this one.
My Prediction: Will beat out Drew Olsen for the 3rd string job and be in Steve McNair's hip pocket for two years before Billick turns over the reigns to him. Wasn't there another Big Ten QB drafted late in the draft that everyone knocked, but was a winner. Tom Brady something or other. Smith's will to win and rocket arm will endear him to Ravens fans for years to come.

Prescott Burgess from Michigan will be a special teams player and the Ravens will see if they can develop him into an NFL LB.

So there you have it, my draft analysis. Hey, we're stocked and ready to go.

Have we done enough to overtake the Patriots and the Colts? Only time will tell. My hunch is that the Figurs kid becomes another Devin Hester and puts the Ravens over the top in the big games. No team in the NFL is going to be happy playing the Ravens this year. How many points a game do we need to score with the defense we have?  Look for Mark Clayton to become a superstar this year. Kyle Boller will win three games for us. Suggs leads the league in sacks with 18. I'll save some other predictions for football season. Be happy, we consistently have a good football team and this year probably a great team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. Enjoy the ride!