McKinnie's Signing Pending Passing Ravens' Physical
by Bruce Raffel on Aug 24, 2011 7:00 AM EDT
Email
PrintWhile the reports have been out there about former Minnesota Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie signing a two-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, it is still not official pending his passing his physical with the team scheduled for Wednesday. According to BaltimoreRavens.com, McKinnie is being listed by the Ravens at weighing 345 pounds, but was released by the Vikings after reporting to camp at close to 400 pounds.
Regardless of his actual weight, if McKinnie passes his physical, he will bring size and experience to the Ravens offensive line and reunite with his former linemate in Minnesota, Ravens center Matt Birk. Remember that the Oakland Raiders were excited that they had signed former Ravens tackle Jared Gaither, only to have him fail their physical and thereby never inking him to a deal.
Earlier this month, the Ravens signed former Washington Redskins center Casey Rabach, but he too failed his physical and was never officially brought onto the team's roster. So before anyone gets too excited, let's make sure McKinnie is in good enough shape to pass his physical here and be added to the offensive line that could really use the depth.
After signing former New England Patriots tackle Mark LeVoir, it was thought that the offensive line was set. However, LeVoir only started three games in two seasons with the Patriots, but his experience on that team was enough to put him with the first team and put rookie OT Jah Reid into a reserve role.
Now the possibility of adding a veteran of McKinnie's caliber raises all sorts of possibilities on the Ravens offensive line. McKinnie, when healthy and productive, was an All-Pro left tackle. If the Ravens wanted to play him at left tackle and return Michael Oher to the right side, they might have one of the top offensive lines in the league. However, the odds are that the team will keep Oher on the left side and see how McKinnie performs on the right side before making any further decisions.
Either way, if, and this is a big if, if Bryant McKinnie returns to his pre-fattening up form, the possibilities for what has been thought to be the Ravens weakest link , are endless and the results could be what the team needs to protect QB Joe Flacco and allow him to pick apart opposing defenses, much less open hge holes for Ray Rice and the running game.
Corss your fingers...
79 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
If he really is down to 345 pounds, there will be alot of teams kicking themselves… including the Vikings.
that sounds low to me
I’m guessing he’s 360
"Airborne, do not look at the ground. I promise you, it will be there. Unless the tectonic plates shift, and a chasm opens up on the drop zone, in which case we will surely let you know."
by jackmca on Aug 24, 2011 8:25 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Team listings
Generally seem to subtract a 10-15 pounds for O-linemen, and add a few inches for almost everyone.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 9:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Out of college his stats were
6’9" 360 pounds.
If he’s an inch shorter now and even 10 pounds lighter, I’m good with that.
Ten year veteran Former All-Pro? I say put him on the left side right NOW and over the next two games, watch him to make sure we need to keep him there and return what will be a very unhappy Oher to the right side.
Interesting, if this happens, if Oher says all the right things (“I’m willing to play anywhere the team thinks I can contribute best…”)
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Aug 24, 2011 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Don't be so sure about that
with the huge difference in pay between LT and RT, his agent will get into his head and then watch out…
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Aug 24, 2011 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Who’s his agent? Not Rosen-rat I hope.
"I hate your sig…" -Mr MaLoR
by StuckInUtah on Aug 24, 2011 9:35 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Oher's not worth LT money, though.
He’s much more valuable if he’s playing on the right side. He might not make as much money, but he’s much more valuable.
Considering where he started?
Totally agree, with a guy as big as Bryant the biggest thing is his conditioning IMO. He can be in the 360 range as long as he’s not wearing down by the end of the game.
After all what did JO play at for most of his career? I want to say it was around 360.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions
330-340
maybe as low as 320, but never 360.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Aug 24, 2011 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
360 is still high but it signals progress
"Airborne, do not look at the ground. I promise you, it will be there. Unless the tectonic plates shift, and a chasm opens up on the drop zone, in which case we will surely let you know."
by jackmca on Aug 24, 2011 4:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Considering where he started lol
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
That is a fine starting weight
Since his strong points are pass blocking and lewd behavior on boats. All we have to do is keep him off boats.
Man I hope he passes his physical and is ready to get to work. If he really is close to football shape, and can even come close to his Pro Bowl level, then we’ll have a solid O-line.
"I hate your sig…" -Mr MaLoR
by StuckInUtah on Aug 24, 2011 8:31 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
And he is only 30 so I wouldn’t be surprised if we extended him later.
by Raven_all_day on Aug 24, 2011 8:46 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
He's 31 going on 32
And he’s JO-sized, at the end of the two-year deal we’ve signed him to he’ll be nearly 34, unless he show’s here’s recommitted to being healthy I would doubt if we picked him back up after this contract ended (assuming he passes the physical today).
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 9:16 AM EDT up reply actions
Lineman can play into their 30’s without a huge drop-off.
If McKinnie can play for a season or two, he’ll give Reid a chance to develop into a great RT.
and perhaps
Oher to grown into a great left tackle by then.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Aug 24, 2011 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Gratned
But I’m just saying the 34-35 mark seems to be when a lot of players tail off, I’m just going for the only experience we’ve had with a lineman as big as McKinnie at his age with JO and he was starting to break down physically right around 33-34 years old.
I know McKinnie and JO are different players, but they have similarities in size. Still even if Bryant gives us two great years and then hangs up the cleats I would be more than satisfied with that.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Just long enough to give Ray another ring before he hangs ’em up, I could live with that…
"I hate your sig…" -Mr MaLoR
by StuckInUtah on Aug 24, 2011 9:30 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
"Just long enough to give Ray another ring"
add at the end of that, “or two”
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Aug 24, 2011 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions
I considered it
And them remember him recently that he’d retire if (when) we win it all this year. Maybe we’ll dominate so badly that he’ll feel obligated to come back and get himself a 3rd ring eh?
"I hate your sig…" -Mr MaLoR
by StuckInUtah on Aug 24, 2011 9:37 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
2 years would be huge
if they are 2 good years to allow Oher and even Jah Reid to develop mentally and physically.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Aug 24, 2011 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions
jeez
Oher deserves this year to improve. If he still isn’t the answer, then replace him if possible.
"Airborne, do not look at the ground. I promise you, it will be there. Unless the tectonic plates shift, and a chasm opens up on the drop zone, in which case we will surely let you know."
by jackmca on Aug 24, 2011 9:54 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
McKinnie to play LT!
According to a story over at www.baltimoreravens.com McKinnie is expected to take over Oher’s job on Flacco’s “blind side”. Now this obviously is a big premature, seeing as how he hasn’t even passed his physical yet. But if he does pass his physical, and if he in fact does end up playing LT and we move Oher to RT, we will have dominant O-Line this year (given McKinnie gets his shit together and shows some of his former Pro Bowl talent).
"I hate your sig…" -Mr MaLoR
by StuckInUtah on Aug 24, 2011 10:13 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
McKinnie admitted he came in weighing more than normal, but he said he was always in shape. He said he was really released because of Minnesota’s salary cap issues.
"It was honestly more of a numbers game about having their salary cap at a certain point by this Thursday, which really wasn’t mentioned too much. That’s what it was really about: restructuring my contract and stuff like that and my agent really didn’t agree with it so we chose for me to be released."
He added that he wasn’t cut because of poor conditioning. In fact, he said he never had a chance to show what type of shape he was in because he never participated in conditioning tests and only participated in walkthroughs during the two days he was with the team.
"I feel like I’ve been in shape the whole time," said McKinnie. "I’m pretty much ready to go.
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?-langton Hughes
yeah I agree with Jimmy and Cary shutting down the other teams WR’s, they’ll make anybody rushing the QB look good - Jaz
As are you my Norse-faced troll
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 25, 2011 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions
If Mckinnie weight was really a issue then how did he lose all that weight so fast
it was reported that he was close to 400 pounds if thats the case he must had used some pills or really work out extremely hard because he is 345 pounds right now also he passed his conditioning test with us
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?-langton Hughes
yeah I agree with Jimmy and Cary shutting down the other teams WR’s, they’ll make anybody rushing the QB look good - Jaz
Exactly
I think he showed to camp out of shape and then he was cut for several factors in Min, one may have been his conditioning. But seeing as he was cut two days into camp, before they could have even really seen what kind of shape he was in, my guess is it was mostly a money matter; he was making major money as their LT and the Vikings are slowing starting to reload after the Farve-era with Ponder their eventual QB and McNabb just a short-term solution,
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 25, 2011 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
if he really was a cap casualty like he said then this is great news!6ft 8 LT,thats more like.the thing i like best about this move is Oher will move back to RT.which is in all honesty his natural position.
Mckinnie.Grubbs.Birk.Yanda.Oher with leach at fb.flacco and rice must be over the moon
by purple_reign2011 on Aug 24, 2011 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions
I am not sure if I like the move of putting him at LT or not. Oher is the future at that position in my opinion, and taking away his growth from there may hurt him down the road.
On the other hand, we are now getting a 8 time pro bowler at LT who seems very, very motivated to be here and the weight situation was blown way out of proportion. The Vikings have undergone major remodeling lately, and cutting the old vets is usually a method.
Now we get the best RT in the game back to go with our future pro bowl RG. Grubbs is in between a former Viking sandwich that used to dominate the NFC. Add great depth in LeVoir, Reid, Cousins and Mattison. IF this McKinnie thing works out, we just went from piss poor OL to top…..7 in the league. LOVE OZZIE!
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
Oher is the future at that position in my opinion, and taking away his growth from there may hurt him down the road.
yeah but maybe you should stick to what you been saying which is Ozzie knows best and he knows what he doing.
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?-langton Hughes
yeah I agree with Jimmy and Cary shutting down the other teams WR’s, they’ll make anybody rushing the QB look good - Jaz
Which is exactly why I stated the 2nd part of my comment bud.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
hmmmmmmm I notice that until later but Im sure you still feel like movement of oher back to the right tackle side would hurt him-in dr. phil voice
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?-langton Hughes
yeah I agree with Jimmy and Cary shutting down the other teams WR’s, they’ll make anybody rushing the QB look good - Jaz
I am just unsure if moving a guy back and forth, back and forth each year he has been in this league helps him so much. Now I don’t know much about the OL position, maybe it is easier to do those things there as opposed to Safeties switching from FS to SS or OLB to ILB, etc.
We will see how it works out, but I know this much. Oher is the best RT in the game today.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
It all sound convenient… He says he got released because he wouldn’t take a pay cut
Anyway… We shall see very shortly
Can’t believe week 1 against the mouth breathers is only a few days away
by Evan Skev on Aug 24, 2011 10:29 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I was thinking they could split times
McKinnie/Oher LT and Levior/Reid RT. Especially the first game to keep fresh legs in there against the pass rush. It might still be fairly humid for the first game.
Splitting time on the OL doesn’t happen very often in the NFL. Highly doubt they do that. Oher and McKinnie are good enough athletes to stay in their the whole game. I definitely don’t want to take Oher out just for a water break so that Reid can come in against Woodley and let Joe get his clock rung.
Not gonna happen Shadow, then again you thought Troy Smith was a better option to get us a Superbowl than Joe.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
And don’t forget when he suggested moving Gooden to the safety position. I will say this though, the guy sure thinks outside the box.
"I hate your sig…" -Mr MaLoR
by StuckInUtah on Aug 24, 2011 10:51 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
How did we do in the super bowl with injured Joe leading the troops.
We basically hired a Gooden at safety in Pollard, the only difference is he can’t pass cover as well and is slower.
How can you compare Pollard to Gooden is beyond me. Pollard’s stats speak for themselves, tackles, forced fumbles, etc. I’ve never seen Gooden time a blitz and get after a QB like we’ve seen from Pollard in just his 2 first games as a Raven. Sure Pollard has seen a lot more playing time, but there’s a reason for that. Gooden hasn’t even been able to beat out McClain or Ellerbe for some decent playing time, but I expect we’ll see a lot of Pollard this upcoming season.
"I hate your sig…" -Mr MaLoR
by StuckInUtah on Aug 24, 2011 11:15 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Injuries have hurt Gooden at such a physical position
A strong safety has to be able to cover receivers, which they said is his major weak point. And don’t always count on Reed be back there to back you up, we lost many a game late because DB’s have been beat long with no help.
I think he was mainly making the comparison
Of Pollard to Gooden in terms of size, Pollard is a beast of a safety.
Plus I though I remembered reading somewhere that there was a line of thought to move Gooden to safety because of his speed? I don’t remember when though I might be making it up lol
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I read that also, that's why I brought it up
I think it was in a caption under a picture I saw “Long walks on a beach, candlelit dinners, sense of humor, Gooden at safety”
Lol. Your knowledge of the game and this team is laughable.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
You don’t find it the slightest bit odd that people who coach and monitor football the their entire lives haven’t even sniffed at the idea of putting Gooden at SS? That doesn’t tell you anything such as he is not a god damn SS in this league.
And what proof do you have that makes you think he is a better in coverage than Landry or Pollard? Because he covered a few TE out on the flats? Do you think Gooden could hold up against Brandon Lloyd when Landry was getting beat by him, or shut down Calvin Johnson the way Zbi did?
I would love to see proof rather just stating, “Gooden is fast.” I know he is fucking fast, but that doesn’t mean he has every other quality that trumps our SS.
So, please, show me the facts or are you going to crawl back into your hole once against and talk about shoving tiger beatles up your urethra again or whatever the hell you were talking about.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
This is an opinion site, and proof is in the pudding
Harbaugh sometimes just doesn’t have the recipe for the right pudding.
Nice. So tiger beatles again, like I predicted.
What proof is that? Wouldn’t you feel alot better about yourself schooling us and others here on what you have seen from Gooden that makes him a better fit at SS? I am very curious to see why you think this.
I can bet you that not one other coach in this league would put Gooden at SS on their team, even if it was 3rd string.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
Like I said I think it was just a throw out comment about moving him to Safety
With both FS and SS needing to be able to cover receivers I don’t think that’s possibility any more. In the past it might have worked when the SS was really an extra LB back there.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions
You can still get that extra LB sense from a guy like Landry and Pollard. While both of them are not the best in coverage, they are far better than Gooden is and ever will be. Gooden has trouble getting off the blocks of TE, what makes anyone here think he could handle Mike Wallace flying by him?
QB’s would eat him up.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
Agreed
Still Pollard and Landry are more coverage based than the SS of old that really did next to nothing in coverage other than the slower TEs or RB/FBs
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions
And in reality, most SS aren’t that great in coverage to begin with. The best SS in the game, Troy Polamalu, has been picked apart many times.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
Exactly
If Gooden was playing back in the old days he’d be a solid SS IMO, but now he needs to work on being a solid coverage LB because I feel like that’s what his strength are with his range and speed.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Bryant McKinnie should not unseat Oher at LT.
It isn’t an upgrade. Lets just gloss over last season’s atrocity because he has rededicated himself to being in shape. Yippee. You don’t move around a offensive lineman like Oher who you drafted to be your LT. It screws with his development.
T E A M
whatever is best for the team… when Yanda is needed at RT, he moves… when Oher is called to play a different position to play the team, he moves… no mysterious back injuries… no crying for money… do your job every day and help the team win
cheers!
We had Oher as our right tackle and Gaither our left.
Barring injuries, that would have been possibly a pro bowl tandem.
Agreed
Injuries unseated that possibility and they moved Oher to LT because he was someone they could count on to be healthy and ready to play and because he was our overall best option at LT. With McKinnie now we have a better overall option (in terms of experience, talent, etc.) which allows Oher to be the RT where he is now our best option there.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
....so you're saying that moving Oher from LT to RT for Bryant McKinnie is what's best for the team?
Smh. McKinnie hasn’t done anything to warrant such a move. That Pro Bowl season in 2009 was mostly thanks to Brett Favre’s awesome season. Even then, McKinnie skipped the three practices with the Pro Bowl team and was eventually kicked off the team. This guy has all the wisdom and talent in the world but no heart or work ethic. Lets just make this guy comfortable and let him play LT. This should be fun to watch when Week 1 arrives.
Just a side note
Though it wasn’t as well reported, the reason he left the Pro Bowl practices was due to an able injury that he didn’t want to aggravate. He told his O-line coach but didn’t tell all the right people so when he wasn’t there the media saw trouble brewing and ran with it.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions
I was listening to 1570 yesterday and they had former pro bowl OT Lincoln Kennedy on the show and they asked him if with the McKinnie signing, should they move Oher back to RT. Kennedy said that they should keep him at LT because that is the position where you put your best athlete along the OL. Look at all of the LT in the league, and it is pretty safe to say that they are the best athlete of the group. Oher is definitely that with this O-Line, but we also know how damn good he is at RT.
This could be a nice stop gap for Oher until he gets his mechanics down a bit more and/or we draft another LT in the future with a high pick. Maybe reid could be our future LT also, he is definitely built like one.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
Its the combination of
Athletic ability, raw physical skills (size, weight, etc), and experience that determines who is the best OL and LT.
Personally, all things being equal I would say Yanda is our best O-lineman, but would he be our best option at LT? No, he’s skills are better suited to be a stud at RG.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, Ogden was the best athlete on that O-Line. The guy was a NCAA track and field champion in certain areas. He was an absolutely freak of nature and as Michael Strahan once said, “had the most nimble feet of any O-Lineman he ever went against”.
So yes, Ogden was an absolute freak of nature.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
by Mr MaLoR on Aug 24, 2011 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Totally agree
That was what made him so revolutionary at the LT position because of his combination of size, speed, athletic ability, and skills.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions
let's just bring back JO!
I loved watching that man play with opposing linemen.
Just a note
Reid is built to be a RT, that’s where he should play at.
If anything this will take the pressure off Oher to just settle in and play his game, in a year or two when he is more seasoned he can step in at LT when McKinnie is retired. This way he gets to built confidence in himself again at RT and can learn from McKinnie and LeVoir on how to prepare more as an OT.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
In physical stature, Reid is built very much like Jake Long. Both are 6’7" and about 330. But Reid has been a RT his entire college career, so I am not disagreeing with you.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
Agreed
Though like we are talking about above an LT needs to be a good athlete in addition to having good size. Jake Long can move well in pass protection, while thus far I haven’t seen that in Reid, but he is a beast in run blocking with his size and strength.
Again not disagreeing with the idea, I just haven’t seen enough from Reid to say he has the potential at being a LT.
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Again not disagreeing with the idea, I just haven’t seen enough from Reid to say he has the potential at being a LT.
He was brought here to play RT, just as Ozzie stated when we picked him.
"'If there isn't a bone sticking out of my leg, I'm playing" - Marshall Yanda
Then we are in agreement lol
Here’s hoping he becomes a dominant RT then :)
A Ravens fan on the wrong side of the country!!
by Christopher Atwood on Aug 24, 2011 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Baltimore Beat Down
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
