I can catch the ball better than you

We all know ESPN knows everything when it comes to sports. They can predict games with ease, without hesitation tell the viewers who will win the MVP, or rank players as if they're cattle (I kid, I kid). Well now they have an article ranking the top 64 wide receivers in the NFL.

Before I get to the Ravens on the list, let me say this, you cannot have a ranking of the top receivers in the NFL with Marvin Harrison out of the top 10. Yeah that's right, Harrison is ranked 13th by the worldwide leader in sports. I understand that he was injured last year and is getting up there in age, but as long as he can hobble from hashmark to hashmark he will be in the top 3 of NFL receivers.

Okay on to the Ravens. Derrick Mason heads up the list at #41. With 103 catches in 2007, but a lack of other impressive stats I respect his ranking. Mark Clayton is next at #49. He had a rough year because of injury, but proved his potential in 2006. I do have a problem with Clayton being ranked directly behind the Viking's Sidney Rice. Rice is unproven and has minimal experience. Obviously I am biased, but I think you have to give the edge to Clayton. Finally, Demetrius Williams rounds out the Raven's receiving core at #57. I'm just happy that ESPN and the rest of the country have taken notice of Williams athletic ability. He was the Raven's only deep threat in 2007 and earned his spot on this list.

Jonathan Ogden Retires!

Well not yet at least, but it is widely believed that the all-world lineman will hang up the cleats before the 2009 season begins. Obviously the loss of Ogden or a player of his caliber at any position is a blow to a team, but it's not a devastating blow to the Ravens.

The Ravens have planned and plotted for this date. Though the team doesn't have the most dominating o-line in the NFL, they certainly have a better than average one. With the likes of Adam Terry, Jared Gaither, Marshal Yanda, Ben Grubbs and Chris Chester, the Ravens have the personal to produce a quality run attack this season.

Even though I hate that the line has serious trouble pass blocking, it is pretty enjoyable to watch Kyle Boller get knocked down. Its just a little tough love for a eternally frustrating QB.

Todd McShay knows his stuff

I just sat down and chatted with ESPN's draft wonder boy, Todd McShay. Well I didn't sit down and chat with him, I took part in a live chat with about 1,000 other people, but I did get my question in. I asked, "Do you think the Raven's will use their first round pick on a CB or QB?"

Todd's Response:
"If they stay at No. 8 I don't see them drafting a QB. Ryan will be gone and it's too early for Brohm (or any other QB for that matter). In all reality, I think the Ravens are in a tough spot at No. 8. They have to hope one of those six elite prospects (I listed earlier) falls to them, but that's an unlikely scenario at this point. CB is the biggest need otherwise. Problem is no CB in this class jumps out as top-10 worthy in my opinion. There are a lot of good ones (like Troy's McKelvin, Kansas' Talib and S. Fla's Jenkins), but I would try like hell to trade out before I used the eighth overall pick on one of those guys."

Very true, but I actually disagree. I think Troy McKelvin is worth a first round pick considering the personnel the Ravens currently have. I would then draft Chad Henne or another large athletic and experience QB second round. Build for the future my friend.

Billy Volek, whos that?

Picked this one up off the rumor mill:

The Ravens, in particular Cam Cameron, are interested in bring Billy Volek to Baltimore. Now you may be asking yourself, “Self who is Billy Volek?” Well my friends, the answer is “the best backup QB in the NFL.” Volek is currently backing up the always sour-faced Phillip Rivers in San Diego. The Chargers just picked up the option on Rivers so Volek has no chance of starting any time soon. Cameron and Volek are familiar with eachother, and we all know the Raven’s QB situation is not ideal. Picking up Volek would be a good move for insurance purposes. If McNair, Boller, or Smith don’t work out this season plug Volek. It would be virtually impossible for all 4 QB’s to fail. If one of the 4 QB’s or some combination of the whole group can carry the team through one entire season, the drafted QB this year (still hoping its Chad Henne) will have ample time to learn what the NFL is all about. In case you forgot, Billy Volek is the quarterback that marched down the field and scored the winning touchdown to knock the defending champion Indianapolis Colts out of the playoffs this season.

Terrell Suggs, tag em and bag em

Well its official, Terrell Suggs will be the recipient of the franchise tag for the Ravens. This is a brilliant move by Ozzie Newsome and the rest of the front office. It was the logical move, but still brilliant. It's entirely possible that every other team in the league would camp out over night in line to get a chance to sign Suggs because of his versatility had the team not franchised him. Mike Preston from the Baltimore Sun sums it up quite well:

If the Ravens don't put the franchise tag on Suggs, he will become one of the NFL's most sought-after free agents. With the tag, Suggs would earn $8.065 million in 2008, the average salary of the top five players at his position. More importantly, he would stay a Raven. As far as Suggs is concerned, he is still a winner. "I talked to Ozzie [Newsome, Ravens general manager] earlier today, and he said they would put the tag on me [today]," Suggs said. "I'm disappointed because I really wanted a long-term deal, and I think I earned it. But this also keeps me in a Ravens uniform, and this is just another way of eventually getting it done. "I'm a Raven at heart. That's my identity," Suggs said. "I started my career here in Baltimore and want to end it here in Baltimore."

This was an important move if the Ravens want to keep their reputation as one of the premier defenses every year.

Steve McNair coming back is bad for Ravens

Don't get me wrong, Steve McNair is a great quarterback and seems to be a stand-up individual off the field, but his return will ultimately hurt the Ravens. McNair will most likely get the opening day starting spot out of respect if nothing else. I think the Ravens would be better served to have either Kyle Boller or Troy Smith start the first half of the season while the Raven's bring whatever QB they hopefully draft up to NFL speed. With John Harbaugh, a coach with QB experience, there to help out I think a draft pick could be ready to play midway through the season. If either Boller or Smith end up playing well than that is even better, but McNair would slow the entire process down. In my opinion, he just doesn't have the arm strength or foot speed to warrant being a QB in the NFL anymore. If you disagree let me know why.

What do the Ravens need? Chad Johnson?

Over 1800 fans voted on the Raven’s website to decide the team’s greatest needs by position during this off-season. 46.85% side with QB, 25.58% think CB, and 12.27% claim OL.

Obviously there are needs and wants at almost every position, but it is clear that a small sample of active Raven’s fans think quarterback is at the top of this list. I personally side with the group that thinks cornerback is most important. I look at Samari Rolle and just think he is going to cost the team touchdown after touchdown because he can’t keep up anymore. I would like to see us go after a cornerback with the first pick in the draft and a quarterback second.

Either way, I am excited to see what happens on that fated day in April under the new coaching regime. Johnny Hard Balls will be looking to make an offensive impact immediately to prove his doubters wrong. One such way of doing that is to pick up the highly controversial, but talented, Chad Johnson. The Ravens have recently been rumored to be in the Ocho Cinco sweepstakes, and I’m okay with that. Defenses with stuggled a little bit more with Willis McGahee and Chad Johnson on the same team.

Jim Fassel was fired for a reason

I understand that Jim Fassel is hurting because he was passed over by yet another franchise, but he doesn't need to take his frustrations out on the Raven's organization because he isn't wanted as a head coach. Fassel was hired as an offensive consultant in 2004. He was ultimately fired in 2006 because the offense wasn't producing. This means Fassel has two full years to implement his system and make it work. It's believed that a new offensive package has to be implemented for three years before it can be determined if it works or not, but who cares? After Fassel was fired, the Raven's went on to finish the season 13-3 under Czar Billick's play calling, and displayed flashes of offensive brilliance at times.

Get over it, accept the fact that you aren't a quality head coach. Your life will be better when you come to terms with that fact that you aren't you you think you are.

Don't take Dennis Green's word's seriously. Jim Fassel is not who he thinks he is.

John Harbaugh has taken speech classes

John Harbaugh sat down and spoke to The Sun yesterday. He didn’t unveil any significant information about the team or next season, but he did reveal that he is an intelligent human being. He seems to be answering question the right way, and handling personal decisions quite well.

One of the major questions is whether all-world Jonathan Ogden will be returning as the anchor for the offensive line next season. Harbaugh responded to a question about the situation with Ogden’s interests first and the teams second. Ogden has earned such respect, and though it would be difficult to replace him it can be done. Terry can move over or a draft pick will have to learn quickly.

I was most impressed with Harbaugh’s response to the always slippery quarterback situation:

“To me, personnel situations are like playing a round of golf. Sometimes you've got a 60-foot putt, and sometimes you've got a tap-in. That position right now is probably not a tap-in. ... It's going to be competitive, and that [competition] will determine which guy plays. Maybe it's someone in the draft or maybe someone on another team. That has yet to be determined. I think all three of those guys want to compete for that job.”

He left the door open. He said that every QB currently on the roster has a chance, but it could also be a strong arm coming out of college or a veteran currently playing on another team. If his eloquence in a private interview in which he had time to prepare is any indication of how he coaches, Baltimore is looking exponentially better than they were last year under the rule of Czar Billick.

Suggs needs some hugs

Terrell Suggs may be the next linebacking leader of the Raven's defense, but only if he is actually in a Raven's uniform. Ozzie Newsome recently said that Suggs will be labeled with the franchise tag if he can't otherwise workout a long-term deal with the team. This means that Suggs would stand to make $8.065 million in 2008, but would become an unrestricted free agent after completing that contract.

Though Suggs has been known to get a penalty or two, he is invaluable to the Raven's defense both on and off the field. He can stop the run, protect against the pass, fill holes, and rush the QB. He can also be the eventual replacement for Ray Lewis in the linebacking core. Suggs is only in his fifth year, which means he has at least seven years left in the league barring any injuries. If the Ravens were able to lock down both him and Ed Reed in long-term deals, they would be the face of the franchise until their days are done in the NFL. Defense is the cornerstone of the team and Suggs is a cornerstone of the defense. It would be truly disappointing if Newsome isn't able to work out a deal to keep Suggs around for a long time. For more info check out ESPN's take.

Derek Anderson's triumphant return? I think not

Yahoo Sports has a typo riddled article debating whether or not the Ravens would seek the services of their formerly dismissed quarterback, Derek Anderson. They seem to think the Browns would seek both a 1st and 3rd round draft pick for Anderson if they can't otherwise put together a multi-year deal.

Why would the Ravens ever give up 2 quality picks for the likes of Derek Anderson. Sure he had a great season, but it was only one season. He has never shown that type of talent before, and was actually bounced from the Baltimore area like a blacked out Guiness drunk from a martini bar at 3 in the morning. I personally attribute the majority of his success to the plethora of weapons he has at his disposal, most notably the vastly underestimated Braylon Edwards.

I scoff at Derek Anderson. I blow my nose in his general direction. If I had a porcupine I would throw it at his bum bum.