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Recently, PFW’s Senior Editor Mr. Mike Wilkening graciously answered a few Ravens related questions for Baltimore Sports and Life.
Baltimore Sports and Life: “The perception in Baltimore is that the offensive-line of Gaither, Grubbs, Birk, Yanda, Oher (with Terry and Chester as the main reserves) is as talented a group as exists in the league – do you agree?”
Mr. Mike Wilkening: “I don’t know that it’s necessarily classified as the most talented group, but I think you can safely call it an above-average group with the potential to get even better. Grubbs has a bright future, and Gaither played like a long-term solution at left tackle last season. Hard to say what Oher’s ceiling is yet because he’s yet to take a pro snap, but the Ravens were more than happy to see him last until the twenties on Draft Day, and it is hard to argue with Ozzie Newsome’s record with first round picks.”
Baltimore Sports and Life: “The Ravens moved from the 26th selection to the 23rd selection tograb Michael Oher, who they rated as a Top 15 player overall. If the Ravens had chosen to do so, would they have been able to move back in the1st-round? If they had fallen back to the end of the 1st, or the beginning of the 2nd round, and obtained an additional 2nd round selection, would they have been better off coming away with a Tackle like Eben Britten and a WR like Mohamed Massaquoi vs Oher?”
Mr. Mike Wilkening: “I don’t know whether if they could have traded back, but it’s clear they preferred Oher to Britton and moved up to get him, and there is no doubt Oher was the more highly regarded prospect, so it’s hard to have many qualms with the Ravens’ reasoning. Perhaps if Oher was gone they may have proceeded differently; we’ll never know. I like Massaquoi, but I don’t know if he would have been one of the Ravens’ top three WRs this year.”
Baltimore Sports and Life: “Derrick Mason had an extremely impressive 2008, playing with aseparated shoulder. Mark Clayton averaged 17 yards per reception. D.Williams has played a total of 16 games the past two-seasons, but hasan abundance of physical ability. There is hope that if Todd Heap is no longer tied to the offensive-line blocking, that he can again be aweapon in the passing game. Beyond Heap, there is hope that FA LJ Smith can also help the team move the chains.As a whole, what are your impressions on this group?”
Mr. Mike Wilkening: “It comes down to Mason’s health; if he’s fighting the shoulder injury all season, that’s problematic. He’s as tough as they come and will contribute as long as he is out there, but he needs to be performing at his best for the offense to reach its potential. Clayton played better as last season progressed; maybe he builds off that in his fifth season. Williams, as you have mentioned, has struggled to stay on the field.
Overall, the WR depth is a little bit of concern.
Heap’s a player to watch; thought he played better than he was given credit for last season. He can still get open. The TE depth is solid.”
Baltimore Sports and Life: “Trevor Pryce has 6.5 sacks in his last 21 games, does he haveanything left in the tank?”
Mr. Mike Wilkening: “I think he’s still an effective starter, yes.”
Baltimore Sports and Life: “With the return of Kelly Gregg, and Dwan Edwards, the Ravens should be able to rotate-bodies on the D-line. Would the Ravens be well-served to go back to a traditional 4-3 defense?”
Mr. Mike Wilkening: “The various looks the Ravens’ defense showed throughout the Rex Ryan era should be a model for Greg Mattison to follow, and I’m sure we’ll see the Ravens use a four-man defensive line at times, but I’m not sure about going 4-3 full-time at this time.”
Baltimore Sports and Life: “The Ravens are excited about adding the fresh-legs of Tavares Gooden to the LB core to replace Bart Scott. True or False, the Ravens will miss Scott?
Mr. Mike Wilkening: “True, because he’s one of the game’s best inside linebackers, and even if Gooden exceeds expectations, Ray Lewis is 34 and will have to be replaced in the near future.”
Baltimore Sports and Life: “True or False, the Cornerback-unit of Washington, Foxworth, Rolle,Webb, Carr and Walker gives the Ravens the ability to match-up against the spread offenses of the AFC?”
Mr. Mike Wilkening: “True, the Ravens’ CB depth is improved, but the quality of the coverage ultimately comes down to pass-rush pressure. If the Ravens pressure the quarterback, the secondary will look just fine. I thought the Foxworth signing was solid, as was the addition of Carr, who played OK last season when pressed into service for Tennessee at corner.”
Baltimore Sports and Life: “True or False, going with a rookie Kicker (Hauschka or Gano) over Stover, is a mistake in a year you have Super Bowl aspirations, even if it allows you to not carry a Kickoff Specialist?
Mr. Mike Wilkening: “Not trying to duck the question, but we’re not going to know until we see how the Ravens fare in games where the kicking makes a material difference in the outcome. I will say the Ravens are probably confident that if neither of the kickers is doing the job on field goals, they likely can find a veteran free agent to take over. Stover was in the lower half of the league in field-goal accuracy last season, so you could see why the Ravens might want to see if they could get younger while asking his replacement to take care of field goals and kickoffs.“
Baltimore Sports and Life: “ESPN released their all-decade team, and had Walter Jones rated higher than Jonathan Ogden. Is that an opinion that was shared by NFL Front-offices?”
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcwest/0-9-301/Best-of-the-best–Top-25-players-this-decade.html
Mr. Mike Wilkening: “I went back and read the story, and I didn’t get the sense that Jones was being more highly rated than Ogden. Both are Hall of Famers, certainly.”
Baltimore Sports and Life: “I have the Ravens finishing 2009 at 10-6, wins and losses shownbelow. Where do you currently project Baltimore?”
KC – W, Chiefs will be improved.. but Ravens should win at home.
@SD – L, Crowd will not intimidate Baltimore, but West Coast trip against a talented team.
Browns – W
@Pats – L, NE is aging and this will be a winnable game.. but should not expect to win on the road vs the Pats.
Bengals – W, I am sure Cinci will not be as inept as they were in2008.. but at home this is a W.
@Vikings – L, Solid team… dome…
Denver – W, Swing game with conference implications for Ravens.
@Bengals – W, Bengals had a nice draft… could certainly lose here.
@Browns – W, MNF… probably should call for the loss… division gameon the road, on prime-time… just expect the Ravens find a way to win.
Colts – L, Until shown otherwise, I will not believe Baltimore can beat Peyton Manning.
Steelers – W, Sunday Night game… think there will be hype duringthis week?
@GB – L, Monday Night… Lambeau… Prime-time.. not feeling a win.
Lions – W, Detroit can only be improved… but they are not coming to Baltimore and winning.
Bears – W, Another swing game for the Ravens… Chicago will be used to the cold… Cutler will give them a chance.
@Steelers – L
@Raiders – W, West Coast weather will feel good late in the year…facing Oakland at the end of the year, might not.
Mr. Mike Wilkening: “I haven’t finalized my final projections for the AFC North clubs — thankfully, I don’t have to do that until our NFL Kickoff issue goes to press two weeks before the start of the season — but off-hand, the Ravens have a manageable schedule, and I’d be surprised if they didn’t win 9-10 games or so. And they have upside to do more if Joe Flacco takes a big step forward, which is certainly possible. That said, the Steelers will be tough to overtake, and I don’t see that happening.“
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.