Ravens Offseason

the ravens may just go after the draft to fill other needs but i think paul kruger, antwan barnes, both can become good pash rusher it seem everytime antwan barnes was on the field he gets at the quarter back with a sack or gives the quarterback pressure

With pass rush comes good cornerback play.

I am not saying 1 or the other. We need both. I am just saying that Ozzie should try to find another Webb, cuz we seem to need extra CB’s every year with injuries, and its better not to be left starting Carr cuz of injuries, especially on a Super Bowl contender.

I like the TE in the draft this year. Could be a guy in the 2nd round who would be great for us. CB depth is what we need right now. Marlin Jackson from the Colts is an option.

All in all though, Ozzie is going to fill up everything we need. I am not worried.

as a gap for kruger to take a shot at DE.

I do like the direction we are heading this off-season. I fully trust Ozzie to make all the necessary moves. We are talking to Marlin Jackson and if he is healthy he will be a great addition for some depth. That will leave us with knowing exactly what we need in the draft and if there is a player we really like who falls, we have all seen Ozzie trade up to go after them.

I like our players at LB, i think we need more DE pass rush next to Ngata and Gregg. JJ is a great all around player, and Suggs is Suggs. How would Bulluck help us? Our run D is solid, it’s our pass rush thats lacking. I feel like we would be better pressed to use the money on an end guy like Charles Grant, who should bounce back.

I agree with you AV, I like the Marlin Jackson path. Low risk, high reward. 6"0 196, young at 26. Coming off an injury, but before that he was up and coming. I love these guys who are criticizing this potential move. Last year we had major injuries in the secondary, with Webb and Washington going down. That is why we signed Ivy mid-season. Jackson would be insurance, after Carr, Webb, Foxworth, Washington, and hopefully a draft pick (althought it is possible Webb won’t be ready for the start of the season). How can you knock a low cost move like this. Jackson is not going to command big money, much like we got Stallworth at a bargain price after several season’s of making the big bucks.

If we sign Jackson, bring in a veteran DE/DT like Grant or Little, and bring in a vet at TE like Crumpler, we will be set to load up in the draft BPA in each round and reload our depth.

Is Taylor Price of Ohio. Small school guy, probably available in the 3rd/4th round. Nice speed/size combo.

Here is his blurb:

Price has rare speed for a bigger receiver and has garnered a lot of attention as his senior season progressed. He is explosive off the line and breaks down the cushion on defenders before they know it. He can avoid the press and shows the ability to get in and out of his breaks with the kind of burst that separates from even the best of cover corners. He makes acrobatic catches and looks very comfortable when reaching out to pluck the ball away from his body. He still needs some work on setting defenders up and selling fakes, but there is a lot to work with on this guy, and some team is apt to take him earlier than the public expects.

Strength
Price has good size and possesses a great first step to consistently get early separation. Fights through press coverage and sinks his hips well to get open out of breaks. Has great body control and catches errant passes with ease. Superior lateral agility makes him a threat to gain extra yards after the catch.
Weakness
Raw athlete who does not consistently disguise his routes, which neutralizes his excellent athleticism at times. Does not take the proper angles blocking and struggles to stick with defenders. Production has never matched his talent, even in a non-BCS conference at the college level.

One of the top performers at his position in vertical jump(9th), bench press(11th), and 40-yard dash(2nd). Last year I promoted Johnny Knox, but we let him fall to Chi in the early 5th. Looking good so far. This year I am loving Price. We will see if Ozzie agrees with me lol

on the espn.com draft WR list. not sure who you mean? Benn from Illinois?

Eric decker from Minnesota. Right conference, wrong team.
All Big Ten before injuring himself this season. Great size and stats, and perhaps worth a late round flyer.
See his stats here.

Looks good, although he might not be ready to workout fully til June. He had a great college career, has very good size 6"3 218, but the downside is he is coming of surgery that ended his season. Loving this kid after reading more. Def worth grabbing in the 3rd-4th round range if he is still there….
Here is a blurb:

While others have compared him Jordy Nelson or Kevin Walter (because all white wide receivers are the same), Decker has a loftier expectation. He says his game emulates Larry Fitzgerald, another Minnesota boy. Both receivers are big, catch the ball well, and are high-character guys. Both focus intently on running good routes.

Overview
Decker is one of the select few in each draft class considered a pro prospect in multiple sports, as he has already been selected twice in the Major League Baseball amateur draft (39th round, 2008 by Milwaukee; 27th round, ’09 by Minnesota).

Despite being limited to eight games in 2009 due to surgery on his sprained left Lisfranc ligament, Decker was named first-team All-Big Ten for the second consecutive season with 50 catches for 758 yards and five touchdowns. In his redshirt freshman season, he started three times and caught 26 balls for 378 yards and three scores. When the Gophers moved from a run-first to pass-happy offense in ‘07, he took full advantage by posting 67-909-9 in a breakout campaign as the team’s offensive MVP.

Decker’s junior season put him squarely in the crosshairs of league scouts, as the ’08 Biletnikoff finalist covered 1,077 yards and scored seven times on his 83 receptions. Scouts liked the toughness he showed coming back from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to set Gopher bowl records with eight catches for 149 yards and a score in the Insight Bowl.

In a relatively weak class of senior receivers, Decker could work his way into the second round by again coming back from injury to work out well before the draft and proving his desire to play football – not baseball – in conversations with teams at the Combine.

Analysis
Release: Very good quickness off the line even with his height and strong build. Gets to top speed fast but doesn’t have a breakaway gear. Beats the jam using his hands and a sidestep. Recognizes holes in the defense, and looks for the ball immediately.

Hands: Excellent hands, extending them outside his body. Looks the ball in and doesn’t let go under pressure. Good concentration in traffic; has the size and vertical to win jump balls. Brings in poorly thrown passes anywhere in his vicinity. Tracks the ball over both shoulders.

Route running: Lines up in the slot and on the sideline; runs all of the routes on the tree. Creates separation with his hands and speed down the sideline, providing nice target. Aware of the first down marker. Understands the offense very well. Works to get free if quarterback is in trouble. Inconsistent planting and driving on out routes.

After the catch: Has enough elusiveness and agility to be used on slip screens at 6-3, 215 pounds. Can stop quickly to let oncoming defenders fly by. Tightropes the sideline on deep patterns. Runs through arm tackles, but doesn’t give out hits to smaller defensive backs to get additional yardage.

Blocking: Improved his blocking during his senior year, using his size to negate smaller cornerbacks on the edge. Instead of trying to cut his man or allowing corners to disengage early, as he did in previous seasons, Decker sought out contact and looked willing to sustain so running backs have room to roam when bouncing outside.

Intangibles: Natural athlete with good work habits. Played through high ankle sprain as much as possible last fall, and worked hard to return from knee surgery for bowl game following his junior season. Respected in the locker room.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPIsGBDkHik