National Writers Discuss The Baltimore Ravens

With the 2010 season now officially over, Baltimore Sports and Life thanks the following National Writers for taking the time to give some of their thoughts on the Baltimore Ravens.

Joe Posnanski, Sports Illustrated
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/writers/joe_posnanski/archive/
http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/JPosnanski

Peter Schrager, Fox Sports
http://msn.foxsports.com/writer/Peter_Schrager
http://twitter.com/#!/PSchrags

Pete Prisco, CBSSports
http://www.cbssports.com/columns/writers/prisco
http://twitter.com/#!/PriscoCBS

Mike Wilkening, Pro Football Weekly
http://www.profootballweekly.com/staff/mike-wilkening/
http://twitter.com/#!/mikewilkening

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The three primary issues of criticism for Flacco’s play are his limitations over the middle of the field, his propensity for checking down, and that he does not get rid of the ball quick enough. All of those critiques might be fair, and I myself have regularly spoken about the need for Flacco to improve against the Cover 2 zones over the middle. That said, I think there is often not enough focus on all of the positives Flacco brings to the table. For the 2nd consecutive year, he threw for 3,600+ yards. He had a QB Rating of 93.6%, and had 25 TD’s against just 10 picks. He has also now won 4 playoff games (all on the road). If he is not in that elite group of P. Manning, Brady, Brees, Rivers, Rodgers and Roethlisberger; I would argue he is at the top of that next tier. Do you agree?”

Posnanski: “Yes, I would put him at the bottom of that group with Roethisberger and Rivers or at the top of the next group with young guys like Josh Freeman and Matt Ryan. I think the thing that is striking about the NFL is that there are not many great NFL quarterbacks. Brady and Manning are a given, Brees has moved into that group, Rodgers entered the elite this year, Roethlisberger just perfectly fits Pittsburgh’s style and Rivers is extremely accurate and puts up absurdly good numbers. That’s only six guys. I think any top 10 would comfortably include Flacco as he stands right now, and people will forget he’s almost exactly the same age as Matt Ryan.”

Schrager: “I absolutely agree with that assesment. He certainly has all the tools to be considered in that first tier, but the one thing he lacks is that fiery intensity and the ability to take a game over on his own. I can’t recall many instances when watching Flacco in which I’ve said “Okay, he’s got this…” You feel that with the others.”

Prisco: “I think he is down some from that. But I think a lot of that has to do with the way the Ravens play. They don’t have a weapon outside to stretch the field, which limits his big-play ability. They need to open things up. It’s time they put more on his plate. Let him become a passer. I would also like to see more fire in his belly.”

Wilkening: “I’d agree that those six passers you mention make up the top six in some form or fashion. However, I’m not sure I’d install Flacco as the seventh-best passer in the NFL just yet.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Flacco internalized the firing of QB Coach Jim Zorn as a critique of his development from the Front Office. My thought is that if the Ravens want him to take further steps towards being the leader of the locker-room, than they should give him the responsibility of running his own offense. He is entering his 4th season in Cameron’s offense. Is there any reason why he should not be able to call his own plays?”

Posnanski: “Well, I’m ALWAYS for quarterbacks calling more of their own plays. I tend to think this is more about the guy coaching than it is about the quarterback himself. Flacco certainly seems to me to have the sense of game to take more responsibility, and I would agree with you that the more he takes on the field then more likely he can be more of a force off the field.”

Schrager: “It seems to me that the people of Baltimore have been calling for Cameron’s head all year. While I have questioned many of his play calls (especially this season), it is clear that Joe needs to take more charge of the offense. As an outsider, I believe that Joe calling his own plays will be the key to his success. The ability to call your own plays only leads to one thing- Confidence.”

Prisco: “Calling plays is a lot for a quarterback. But I think he needs to get more freedom at the line of scrimmage. Maybe the Ravens can use more no-huddle stuff to let him get into a groove.”

Wilkening: “In the vast majority of offenses, a coordinator or head coach is calling the plays, and I’d expect the Ravens to stick to that, though obviously Flacco like most quarter- backs, probably has the freedom to change plays given a particular look, and he definitely has the freedom and standing as the starter to suggest changes to the offense leading up to or during a game.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “If Flacco were to call his own plays, I expect he would often spread the field and run the 2 minute offense out of the shotgun which he prefers. Do you think the Ravens have the personnel to run an offense similar to the Bills K-Gun (no-huddle / hurry-up) offense of the early 90’s?”

Posnanski: “Well Ray Rice, and his versatility as a pass catcher should give the Ravens the opportunity to run a bit more spread. I’m not sure they could go quite K-Gun with the older receivers they have right now, plus the team has had such great success for 10 years as a power team on offense and defense I don’t think that such a drastic change would be the best move. But I wouldn’t mind seeing them open up things a little bit and giving Flacco a chance to open things up a bit.”

Schrager: “The talent’s probably there, but Joe Flacco’s no Jim Kelly. Not yet, at least.”

Prisco: “They need speed. When I watched their playoff game against the Chiefs live, it was easy to see that the KC corners took away their receivers with man coverage. They don’t have a receiver who scares down the field. To run that up-tempo better, they need to find it.”

Wilkening: “I see this as two different issues. I think the no-huddle comes down to the quarterback and coaching staff’s collective comfort in implementing it. I think a spread / shotgun attack is more of an example of a personnel-driven decision. Could the Ravens employ the spread attack more with their personnel? Sure, but I believe Ray Rice is their best offensive player, so a concerted effort to get him the ball is prudent.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Marshall Yanda surpassed my expectations at RT, by being serviceable and not completely over-matched by rushers off the edge. That said, I was shocked that Sports Illustrated’s Peter King named Yanda to his All-Pro team. Coach Harbaugh obviously disagrees as well, saying he would prefer Yanda back at RG. Do you agree with King’s assessment?”

Posnanski: “I certainly trust Peter’s judgment much more than my own. I focused in on Yanda quite a bit in the Chiefs playoff game, and thought he was pretty overpowering that day. That said, I can’t blame Harbaugh for wanting someone with Yanda’s power and maneuverability back at guard.”

Schrager: “Marshall Yanda had a great year and certainly was able to make a little name for himself. I’m not sure where Jared Gaither will be next year, but he certainly plays a major part in where Yanda is positioned. I’m going to side with the coach on this one and agree that he would probably be better served back at RG.”

Prisco: “He’s a good tackle, but a better guard. I think they would be better served playing him inside.”

Wilkening: “Judging line play is subjective, and King’s work is outstanding, so I respect his vote. From my own conversations with people who observe line play around the league, there was a variety of opinion as to whom the top players were at the tackle position this season.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “I have a lot of respect for Green Bay overcoming the multiple injuries and adversity they faced to win the title. I think the Ravens were greatly impacted by the loss of Jared Gaither. To me, Baltimore is greatly improved if Gaither returns. He is only a few months older than Oher, and I think he is clearly the better LT. Oher would get to shift back to RT where he thrived, and of course Yanda could move back to Guard.

So a couple of questions here. Do you agree Gaither is a better LT than Oher? If Gaither becomes an Unrestricted FA, can the Ravens afford to retain him?”

Posnanski: “I’m actually about to do an event with Michael Oher with his new book. I didn’t think Oher responded especially well to left tackle when I saw him play, and I suspect he would be better at right tackle, and Yanda would be terrific at right guard. I’m not sure how free agency is going to work during or after a lockout so that’s a wait and see proposition.”

Schrager: “I do not think that Gaither is better than Oher or that Oher is necessarily “better” than Gaither. To have each of them on the end of any teams’ line is a major plus.If the Ravens are able to keep Gaither, that will certainly make Ray Rice a very happy man.”

Prisco: “Oher was a disappointment last year at left tackle. I think he was very good at right tackle. But Gaither has to be more committed to the job. He can be a really good left tackle. But does he want it?”

Wilkening: “It’s tough to say if Gaither is the better left tackle right now, especially after he just missed a year with an injury. His health also clouds the issue of the cost to re-sign him. It will be interesting to see what the Ravens do. Gaither seems like a player with potential, and he is still rather young.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The two other most significant injuries the Ravens suffered were with the Rookie OLB/DE Sergio Kindle, and with the CB Domonique Foxworth. More important than football for Kindle is that he first gets back (and his able to retain) his full-quality of life. If he is able to return to the field, I think he provides a real Wild Card to the Ravens defense as a pass-rusher opposite of Suggs. Foxworth is not an elite CB, but he does have good cover skills and excellent speed. If he has no setbacks, I like the idea of a Ravens Secondary headed by himself, Wilson (if he returns), and Webb.

Your thoughts on Kindle, and if you believe the Ravens will need to spend an early draft pick (1st or 2nd round) to further address the Secondary?”

Posnanski: “I probably couldn’t add anything on Kindle; he obviously needs to get his life back together. As for the draft, I’m no expert but it seems to me that corner would certainly be a good guess. I would think wide receiver would be another position of some need, especially if there’s thought of opening up the offense.”

Schrager: “No one was higher on Kindle last April than me. Now? I’m unsure about the kid as this was clearly a very tough year for him. I don’t know if he’ll ever be the pro he was expected to be. In my mind, there is no better GM than Ozzie the Wizard, himself. That guy knows talent when he sees it. If I were the Ravens I would go after one person… Nmandi Asumogha. That guy is a shut down as you can get and I can promise you that Roethlisberger won’t be completeing any passes on 3rd and 18 of an Asumogha-led secondary.”

Prisco: “Kindle has a long road ahead to come back, and then there are the off-the-field concerns. How much does he want it? As for the secondary, they need help there. A corner early in the draft makes sense. Foxworth is decent, but he’s not worth what they paid to get him.”

Wilkening: “It’s hard to know what Kindle will be able to contribute considering the injury. I would not be surprised if the Ravens drafted a defensive back early, but we know that Ozzie Newsome will stick to his draft board. Of the cornerbacks you mentioned on the roster, I am intrigued by Webb, who will be two seasons removed from the knee injury and played pretty well last year.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Matt Birk announced his plans to return next year. One of the early names being associated with the Ravens in the 2011 draft is Mike Pouncey. ESPN’s Mel Kiper stated he believes Pouncey is not as talented as his brother, and projects as more of a Guard than as a Center. Will the Ravens have to believe he can eventually replace Birk for him to be a viable selection?”

Posnanski: “Not necessarily. I think it really depends on how they feel about Pouncey’s ability; the best teams in the draft seem to worry less about position and more about the talent to help the team.”

Schrager: “Matt Birk is one of the best (and smartest) centers of all time. But, he, like Derrick Mason is getting older and The Ravens have to start looking towards the future. Pouncey could be a great replacement and would certainly lead for good AFC North matchups against his brother in the future. I don’t agree with Mel, though. Mike Pouncey is nowhere near the pro prospect Maurkice Pouncey was last year.”

Prisco: “Pouncey struggled badly with shotgun snaps at Florida. I think he projects better to guard as well.”

Wilkening: “Yes, and even with Birk in an advanced stage of his career, I don’t know if center is a Round One-type need for the Ravens. Obviously Baltimore is in good shape at guard, so that position is not a first-round need, either.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “When Greg Mattison left the Ravens to become the Defensive Coordinator for the University of Michigan, Baltimore promoted Chuck Pagano from within to replace Mattison. I was fairly ambivalent on the hire. I like that the players believe Pagano will be more aggressive, and that Pagano got to work with both Ryan and Mattison. On the other-hand, this team is built to win now. The move might prove to be great, but I do question if going to another 1st time Coordinator makes sense with the current roster. Your thoughts on the hire?”

Posnanski: “I could see some concern for a first-time DC, but I think that the Ravens are going to keep being the Ravens. From what I can tell about Pagano — and it’s limited — he seems like a tough and fiery guy who will probably do well.”

Schrager: “To be honest, no matter who gets hired as the Baltimore DC, there is only one person that commands this defense: RAY LEWIS. You hire within b/c it offers stability. In this case, with a potential lockout dragging the off-season longer, this was a no-brainer.”

Prisco: “I know a lot of coaches around the league who think highly of Chuck Pagano. If he brings a more aggressive approach to the defense, I like the move. And I think he will.”

Wilkening: “Pagano is an experienced NFL assistant who knows the personnel and the scheme, and he has the players necessary to be successful. I believe he’ll do just fine. Pagano mentioned the “continuity” on defense from a scheme perspective as something that would be a positive if indeed there’s a prolonged work stoppage, and I agree with that idea, too.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The Ravens have Franchised Ngata, but have stated they also intend to sign him long-term. How many zeros will it take to get Ngata signed to an extension? How does Suh’s contract (5yrs $68M, with $40M guaranteed) impact Ngata?”

Posnanski: “I don’t really have much insight to offer on this … again, I think everyone is waiting to see what happens next with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. No question, Suh has changed the landscape a bit for dominant defensive tackles and Ngata is pretty special.”

Schrager: “Ngata deserves all the credit he has received this season. No matter what, that man is going to get PAID and the Ravens will bend over backwards to make him happy. While everyone else is appreciating Ray Lewis… Ray Lewis is appreciating Ngata just as much, if not more.”

Prisco: “He will need to get close or better than the Suh money. Ngata is in the same class — probably a little better right now.”

Wilkening: “It’s really tough to know until a new labor agreement is in place, but I think it’s safe to say he’ll be one of the the highest-paid interior linemen in the game. He can play multiple positions and he’s in his prime. He’s an essential part of the defense, and the Ravens know it.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Flacco has two years left on his rookie deal, and Ray Rice is a FA in ’12. With the CBA issues looming, is this off-season the right time to work on extensions for both?”

Posnanski: “Now’s probably not the time to work out anything.”

Schrager: “It would be nice for the Ravens fans, but it is not going to happen in this off-season. No reason to jump the gun with either of them right now. They both, obviously, are the future.”

Prisco: “Wait until the CBA stuff can be worked out. Then move forward. Be careful with Rice. Paying backs is a risk. You can always find those guys.”

Wilkening: “Again, this comes down to when a labor agreement is reached and the specifics of agreement, but yes, that would be logical. If both progress the way they have, both figure to get lucrative extensions. Rice is so important to the offense. Flacco, considering his age, potential and the value of his position, is likely to sign a pretty healthy second contract, too.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “2010 Rookies Terrence Cody, and Ed Dickson both impressed me with their athleticism. After going through their initial seasons, and going through off-season training, do you like them to really emerge next-year?”

Posnanski: “Probably not the best to answer this, I didn’t really get much of a look at either.”

Schrager: “Cody had his moments in 2010, but had some low points too.  He’s on his way. As for Dickson, Todd Heap had one of his best years in a very long time last season. Obviously, this is due to the Ravens’ tremendous improvements in their wide receivers. The luxury of being a Ravens fan is that neither of these players NEED to dominate right away. They can mature into their roles, and when the time comes–they’ll both be ready.”

Prisco: “I like both players a lot. Cody, if he stays in shape, should be a force in the middle. Dickson is a nice tight end who will one day take over for Todd Heap. I think you’ll see more from both next season.”

Wilkening: “Both showed potential this season. Cody moves really well for his size. Dickson has good speed. I wouldn’t be surprised if both got a little more playing time next season, with Cody more likely to have a bigger role.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Le’Ron McClain has said he would like to return. He is a 2x Pro Bowl player who had 900 rushing yards and 10 TD’s in 2008, and has served as a blocking-back ever since. He is excellent in blitz pick-up, and also has 70 receptions over the past 3 years. Do you think the Ravens will be able to retain him?”

Posnanski: “Not sure what the salary cap situation is, but I’m a big fan of fullbacks who make things go.”

Schrager: “The guy is an absolute bulldozer. The Ravens will try their best to retain him. He is a rare talent and whenever you have rare talents, you have people willing to pay them.”

Prisco: “I think you can find fullbacks, rather than pay them. He’s replaceable.”

Wilkening: “Ideally for them, they would, because he has two good skill sets, but it’s hard to say whether he’ll be back. I would say that if he got a chance to carry the ball more elsewhere it would be tough for him to turn down, considering that tailbacks generally earn more than fullbacks.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The Ravens fielded calls last August for Willis McGahee, but the assumption was that with $3.6M owed to him in 2010, nobody was going to offer more than a lower round draft pick. No matter what the Ravens were offered, the organization clearly decided his depth was more important in a year with post-season aspirations. You need at-least two capable backs, but with 3 years left on his contract and $6M owed to him in ’11; some believe McGahee will be cut. What do you see happening with him?”

Posnanski: “Well, it certainly depends on whether or not the league goes to an 18-game schedule. If that happens, I’m guessing many teams — maybe even every team — will want two feature backs. In this, the Ravens are ahead of the curve.”

Schrager: “McGahee is a key part of the Ravens offense. He’s matured a lot as a person in recent years, too, swallowing his pride and playing a complementary role. I know Ozzie would have a difficult time saying goodbye after the past two seasons.”

Prisco: “He’ll probably be asked to take a pay cut and if he refuses they will let him go. He can be replaced.”

Wilkening: “I would think it would be unlikely he would return at that salary. If he returns, it would have to be at a lower salary.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “My sense is that the Ravens will only attempt to retain Houshmandzadeh if Mason decides to not return for the 2nd year of the $8M contract he signed last March. Any chance Houshmandzadeh comes back as the 3rd?”

Posnanski: “I don’t know what his mindset is at the moment, but I didn’t think he was much of a factor for the Ravens. Seems to me they could get a lot younger with a third receiver.”

Schrager: “We’ll see. I wasn’t blown away by Houshmandzadeh last year, but he also didn’t join the offense until very late in the off-season.”

Prisco: “He can’t run. The Ravens need speed. I’d let him go.”

Wilkening: “I wouldn’t rule it out, but he didn’t get a lot of looks in this offense, and he would probably be no better than the No. 3 receiver if both starting wideouts return. To me, it would make sense for him to see what other opportunities are out there, and I would expect him to do just that.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “After the Week 8 Bye, Boldin had just 26 catches, for 319 yards over the last 9 games. Why did he become the ultimate decoy in the Ravens offense?”

Posnanski: “I don’t know the answer to that. I watched Boldin quite a lot in the playoffs and thought he was terrific against Kansas City and an utter non-factor against Pittsburgh. I don’t know if that’s because he could not handle Pittsburgh’s physical coverage of what … I’m a Boldin fan and think he still has some time as an NFL featured receiver.”

Schrager: “Contrary to what the average fantasy owner believed of his year… Boldin did everything he needed to help the Ravens this season. His stats went down, but the wins were there. He’s a gamer.”

Prisco: “He doesn’t have speed. That showed up late in the season.”

Wilkening: “Opponents definitely focused on him at times; that’s one factor. The Ravens also threw the ball quite a bit less in the final three games. And he was targeted less often in the second half of the year. That’s three reasons his catches and yards were down.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The Ravens gave up a lead in the 4th Quarter 8 different times this past year. Is that an issue with Coaching or do you believe that falls on the players?”

Posnanski: “My first thought is that would be a players thing, though it could come down to a million guesses — conditioning, adjustments, who the heck knows? What it tells you more than anything is that the Ravens played in a lot of close games, and I think that falls on an offense that needs to put more points on the board.”

Schrager: “A little of both. A lot of mistakes were made in all of those games, but ironically it was the defense that couldn’t stop the other teams from scoring.”

Prisco: “Both. Sometimes it’s the players, sometimes it’s the coaches. But ultimately the players make the plays — or don’t.”

Wilkening: “Tough one. Such lead changes can be the result of many factors – a mistake here, an excellent play by the opposition there. Sometimes, the ball just doesn’t bounce your way, either. I’ll be interested to see how the Ravens fare in this regard next season.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Compare and contrast what you see as the strengths and weaknesses of Coach Harbaugh and Coach Tomlin?”

Posnanski: “ I think they’re both excellent coaches. Harbaugh — and I thought my friend Michael Rosenberg did a terrific story on the Harbaugh brothers in SI — is to me is really smart, extremely confident in what he does, and I love his path to Head Coach — he was born in Ohio, he went to High School in Ann Arbor when his Dad coached for Bo at Michigan, he played at Miami, the cradle of coaches, he worked his way up through the college coaching ranks (mostly as a special teams coach), he coached 10 years in Philadelphia, and he was named a head coach even though he was never a coordinator. I just think that unique set of experiences makes him see things a bit differently from others, and I  think he has a good sense of who he is, what he wants to do, what kind of team he wants to build. I don’t see many similarities with Tomlin other than the obvious ones. I think the more interesting comparisons will be with his brother in San Francisco.”

Schrager: “They’re different men, but both fine coaches.”

Prisco: “I think Tomlin has a better rapport with his players. That’s the No. 1 difference. You hear all sorts of stuff about how the Ravens players don’t like Harbaugh, while the Steelers players rave about Tomlin. That, to me, is the biggest difference. I also think the Ravens are stubborn at times about their style.”

Wilkening: “One of Tomlin’s greatest strengths is his ability to motivate and develop young players. For example, look at how quickly Mike Wallace and Ziggy Hood have developed. That is a credit to the Steelers’ assistants, too, certainly. Another example: the Steelers had Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown competing for one roster spot early in the season with an eye on the competition making both better players. By season’s end, both were important parts of the WR rotation.

What impresses me about Harbaugh is that the Ravens have been one of the NFL’s most consistent teams in his tenure as far as results go. Sure, they have had moments where they haven’t looked great in victory, but not all that often, and they have won, and won a lot. The other thing that stands out, after looking back at the numbers, is that the Ravens had three-game losing streaks in ’08 and ’09 but got it together and finished strongly. By contrast, the Steelers had that five-game losing streak in ’09 that basically kept them out of the playoffs, and they lost to some teams they had not business losing to. That was the low point of Tomlin’s tenure in Pittsburgh, but to his credit, the Steelers finished very well this season.

With Harbaugh, no particularly glaring weakness jumps out. I believe he’s surrounded himself with good assistants like Tomlin has in Pittsburgh, and that has helped him. Obviously, though, more is expected out of the offense this season, and if the Ravens don’t improve in this area, Harbaugh figures to draw criticism.”