If still alive, Johnny U. would have celebrated his 75th birthday on Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Here is a photo of the greatest QB who ever lived, standing on a patch of turf at old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, where he made so many wonderful memories for the fans of the Baltimore Colts. Damn you to hell, Bob Irsay, may you never rest in peace (let it go, Rexx, let it go). Sorry.

It appears that coach John Harbaugh will just let the three QB's fight it out during training camp and the last man standing will be the starter on Opening Day 2008. Kyle Boller, Troy Smith and Joe Flacco all have good reasons why they should be lined up under center on September 7th, when the Ravens open the 2008 season hosting the Cincinnati Bengals.

Boller's argument is that he's certainly the most experienced of the group. Smith's resume is pretty short but shows potential. Flacco, of course, is the newest member of the group and obviously the future face of this franchise. So what's a rookie head coach to do?

I realize that Flacco will probably be taking snaps with the first team before the season is over. But to start him on Day One might be like throwing him to the lions. Sure, Peyton Manning did the same and paid his dues, but we're talking about Peyton "friggin" Manning! Without someone like Jon Ogden protecting his blind side, Flacco could spend most of his rookie season flat on his back, suffering from whiplash and waking up at night ducking and flinching. Why subject him to this sort of punishment, when he can look pretty on the sidelines in his baseball cap, carrying a clipboard, watching Boller take the abuse and learn by just doing the opposite of whatever Kyle does? Of course, it seems that none of the national media, when discussing the Ravens' dilemma, ever seem to even mention Troy Smith as part of the equation. At the end of last season, Smith seemed to have the players confidence, and certainly the support of the local fans. He at the very least, deserves an honest and fair shot at the job.

If by some chance, Flacco spends most, if not all of the season on the sidelines, it's only because the other guy(s) are getting the job done and quite frankly, all anyone should want is this team to win, be it with Boller, Smith or Flacco. Every team needs three QB's, with one main starter, a respectable backup and the young, third stringer who is there in the event of a catastrophe. My feeling is that either Boller or Smith should win the starting job outright, with Flacco taking over as the backup. If Boller loses the job to Smith, then he should be released, as it would be the final statement that he is just not an NFL quarterback after five unproductive and disappointing years in the league. Smith is young, was only a fifth round draft pick and will not cost the Ravens much to keep him on, be it as the temporary starter or long term as the backup. Flacco will learn as much on the sidelines as he would running for his life, confused from the incredible skills and team speed that he has never experienced in Division 1-AA (or I'm sorry, I meant College Football Sub-Division!).

This looks like a plan to me. I've emailed the Ravens, requesting an interview with new coach John Harbaugh and although I realize how little respect us bloggers receive, I'm hoping that my resume as a fan and season ticket holder convince them to give me some face time with him, perhaps a few other players and at least a tour of the Castle. Keep tuned...

Most of the experts have long been in awe of the success that the Baltimore Ravens have had on draft day. They always seem to find the needle in the haystack, especially in the first round. Their #1 picks have regularly made the Pro Bowl in their careers, earning GM Ozzie Newsome and his staff the title of "Draft Gurus."

However, I beg to differ, as the recent drafts have not panned out other than the first round picks. It's pretty easy to know who the first or even second rounders are, but to find the diamond in the rough in the later rounds is the real key to success. Everyone knew Peyton Manning would be a star when he was drafted, but what about Tom Brady.

As far as the Ravens, I really like Joe Flacco, even if the pick at 18 might have been a reach. However, when I see this team's needs, I look at two positions, QB and CB. These should have been the first two picks last weekend. Sure, RB Ray Rice will fill a nice spot in Cam Cameron's two back offense, but there were other RB's that we could have gotten with the later picks rather than spending the second rounder on one. As much as I like Flacco, Michigan's Chad Henne will also be a good pro, as he was the starter at Michigan for four years, playing with success against some of the tougher teams in the country on a weekly basis. After the Ravens selection of Flacco in the first round, the next QB wasn't selected until the third round. This leaves me wondering that if the Ravens used their first round pick on a top cornerback, such as South Florida's Mike Jenkins, would Flacco have been available with their 2nd round pick, or could they have traded back up into the late first round and grabbed him? If not, Henne would have certainly been there, and either way, we'd have our QB of the future, as well as a top corner, which was much more of a dire need than a backup running back.

Who knows what goes on in the Draft War Room. At what point was the trade of a fourth round pick to Oakland for CB Fabian Washington discussed or completed? Was it before the draft even started? Did they view, as Ozzie said, Washington as better than anything they could have drafted anyway? If so, then his philosophy played out and that is why he did what he did. What he did other than the above, was complete the entire draft without selecting even one cornerback. I cannot believe that the potential of at least one draft pick can't be better than what we saw on the field in 2007 from the backups that played in the absence of injured Samari Rolle and Chris McAlister. Therein lies my point. Sure, Washington is a good pickup. However, this secondary is much more than one CB away from being respectable. Drafting Mike Jenkins and trading for Fabian Washington would have solidified a glaring weakness that every team exploited last season, be it the Colts and Steelers or the lowly Jets and Cardinals. Before this team even thinks of contending, the secondary is the biggest need other than QB. Even the Ravens 7th round draft pick, Allen Patrick (Oklahoma) could arguably fill in as a option for Willis McGahee. However, none of the draft picks nor anyone else on our current roster can do the same at corner.

Of course, the draft grade won't truly be determined this upcoming season. It will take years to gauge the success of the full draft. Flacco and Rice should make an immediate impact, even though I'm for putting Kyle Boller or Troy Smith behind center for most if not all of 2007 to absorb the abuse and punishment that he might otherwise be subjected to. Having Flacco start his NFL career spending most of his time running for his life or flat on his back would leave us with a shell shocked ill-prepared rookie. Even though Boller did the same and look where he is after five years, I still expect Flacco to be a much better NFL QB, but am not having delusions of grandeur for his first season.

The rest of the draft picks will ultimately fit in or move on over the next few years. I especially like the Notre Dame safety/pro boxer Tom Zbikowski, who is a hitter and should ultimately take over Dawan Landry's position, as Landry looked lost at times last season, especially without Reed when he was injured. Some of the others will end up being stars, and Miami LB Tavares Gooden could end up contributing early and being groomed under the wings of Ray Lewis to be his replacement at some point in the future. Others will contribute on special teams and as reserves, be it on the Ravens if they stick or with other teams.

Overall, the first couple of picks will end up being pretty good contributors. However, the critical need of this team just was not addressed to my satisfaction, regardless of the contributions from the other players who were drafted on day one. Therefore, that is why I am going against the grain of the so-called experts who gave the Ravens either a "B" or "B+" in the draft. I have always been a big fan with a ton of confidence in Ozzie Newsome. Perhaps now we are seeing how important former Raven Assistant GM and current Browns GM Phil Savage was to this team, as his absence may be a major part of the reason that I am giving the Ravens a grade of "C+" for the 2008 NFL Draft.

Yes, what you are seeing is the NEW Baltimore Beatdown! A new, better and sharper platform to make it easier to navigate and post your opinions on a variety of subjects, mostly on our beloved Baltimore Ravens.

But first, you must sign up for your account all over again. Sorry, but this should only be a minor inconvenience and you should be able to claim your previous User Name and Password.

As always, I value your opinions and comments, so get started and jump on board. Enjoy the ride!

Hey Baltimore Beatdown,

Today is the big day. We've switched your community over to the new SB Nation sports blog platform. My name is Trei, and I'm here to help you get adjusted to the new home we've built for you. If you have questions or trouble with the new system, post a comment in this thread and myself or one of the team (lovitt, sixfoot6 or odacrem) will try to point you in the right direction.

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Here are the finals picks for the Baltimore Ravens (Note: The Ravens traded away their 5th round pick):
Round 6: Haruki Nakamura, S (Cincinnati)
See his YouTube video here.
Round 7: Justin Harper, WR (VA Tech)
See his YouTube video here.
Round 7: Allen Patrick, RB (Oklahoma)
See his YouTube video here.

Notes: Don't know anything about any of these players, but do know that none of them are cornerbacks! I actually thought Nakamura played "Hiro" in the TV hit series, "Heros!" At least Harper went to a major program.

With someone like the local product, Erin Henderson from Maryland still available, I'm not too sure why they didn't make the popular pick and take a flyer on him. But then again, I haven't understood much of what they did all weekend. Of course, as former Ravens coach Brian Billick said, "that's why the players play, the coaches coach and the writers write!"

As far as other teams' strange picks, the Packers just made a strange one, when they took QB Matt Flynn of LSU, after they took Brian Brohm and still have Aaron Rodgers on their roster!

Well, perhaps the Ravens do know more than they're letting on. It appears that they have just traded a late fourth round pick to the Oakland Raiders for CB Fabian Washington, a former first round selection of the Raiders in 2005. Washington had four interceptions in 2006 but only one last year, in addition to 40 tackles. He'll probably step in immediately as nickle back and perhaps even take over for Samari Rolle in the event of injury or lack of performance.

The Ravens first fourth round selection was Marcus Smith, WR from New Mexico. According to the ESPN experts, he is a former running back with blazing speed and should be on special teams and have a shot at the slot receiver sets that the Ravens run.

With their final pick in the fourth round, the Ravens took OT David Hale from Weber State. Hale is a huge man, standing over 6'5" and weighing in at 314 pounds. If he's teach-able, he could be a good addition to the line as a reserve or who knows?

The Ravens must have something about the cornerback position in their minds, as it appears that they certainly don't seem to like anyone that has been left on the board when their turn comes up. So far in round three thy've selected a ILB (Tavares Gooden - Miami) and a safety (Tom Zbikowski - Notre Dame). Meanwhile, the remaining CB's on the board that are rated as decent by ESPN's Scouts, Inc. (Penn State's Justin King is the top rated player available as of the 96th overall pick) remain and seem to be off the radar of the Ravens.

Perhaps they know something that we all don't, such as Samari Rolle is going to return to top form, or that Chris McAlister is going to remain healthy all year. No matter what, the reserves we currently have in the secondary were horrible last year, which is probably a little too complimentary of a word to use that describes their performances in 2007.

The Ravens just mad etheir final pick in the third round and of course, it just couldn't be a CB, could it? No, they selected Oniel Cousins, OG from UTEP. I'm not too happy about the draft this year at all. Sure, Joe Flacco might be the leader of this team as early as this season, but there are still so many holes left to fill that he may not want to be under center right away. Let Boller take the abuse and physical punishment for the first year and then perhaps we'll surround flacco with better talent on both sides of the ball to give him the year to watch and learn and then hopefully be ready. Troy Smith is either settled in a a career backup, or will be let go at some point. However, as I said Friday in my post, I would have been a happy camper if the Ravens dropped back in the first round and taken a solid corner, and then either Flacco, Henne or Brohm in the early second round. this was absolutely possible, if Ozzie and his War Room had not paniced and chosen Flacco too early. That scenerio easily beats out what they accomplished on Day One. In addition, Day Two has been a total mess in my opinion as needed reserve positions have been repeatedly ignored. Only because of Flacco and the possible help that Rutger's RB Ray Rice will provide to McGahee, do I even give this draft a grade of a "C."

Note: See Notre Dame Safety (and boxer) Tom Zbikowski's YouTube video here.

Not too sure what the thought was behind this pick, or the entire second round philosophy. While Joe Flacco probably wouldn't have made it to the Ravens at pick #38, they certainly could have came away from the first day with CB Mike Jenkins with the 18th pick and either one of Chad Henne or Brian Brohm with the 38th pick. Even if they targeted Flacco from the beginning, they still could have taken Indiana CB Tracy Porter in the second round but for whatever reason, decided to trade down again and garner more second day picks.

This draft will end up being judged on what the Ravens do on Sunday, to determine if what they did on Saturday was successful. Sure, Ray Rice will be a great complement to Willis McGahee, but they needed a decent corner much more than a backup running back. There are still a couple other CB on the board and the Ravens have something like nine picks in the final four rounds, so we'll have to wait and see before we judge their draft just now.

More to come tomorrow morning, starting at 10am.

Not too sure why, but they traded their 2nd rounder to Seattle, although don't know for what. I thought they should have taken Indiana CB Tracy Porter, who was the best DB left. At the same time, they could have taken a great CB with the 18th pick and then selected either Joe Flacco or Chad Henne with the 2nd rounder. Hmmm, a lot of discussion to follow.