Headlines April - June

Wilcox looking to rebound after injury-plagued season

Last season was a frustrating one for Ravens TE Daniel Wilcox. He missed 11 games with a variety of injuries, the most serious being a left toe that required offseason surgery. With a new coaching staff in place, and a new offense being installed, the 31-year-old Wilcox is working to get back onto the field. “I’m looking to get into the best shape of my life,” Wilcox told PFW this week. Wilcox hasn’t resumed running, but he has been cleared to start some physical activity, and he is expected to be back at full strength about a month before training camp. When healthy, Wilcox gives the Baltimore offense another pass-catching threat to a cast that already includes former Pro Bowler Todd Heap. Wilcox has met with new head coach John Harbaugh on several occasions and has come away impressed with the former Eagles assistant. “He seems like the type of guy who is about business,” Wilcox said. “And business equals winning.”


Ravens have an eye on running back in the draft

Word from Baltimore is to expect the Ravens to use at least one of their nine draft picks on a running back. The team’s depth at this position is shaky, and new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will make RB Willis McGahee the centerpiece of the offense. Hence, a stable of backs capable of spelling McGahee isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. The top backup, Musa Smith, played all 16 games in 2007 for only the first time in five NFL seasons and has only one career start to his credit. The next most likely option off the bench, P.J. Daniels, has never played a regular-season down in two NFL seasons. He was a healthy scratch for all 16 games in ’06 and missed all of last season with a hamstring injury. Third-year RB Cory Ross racked up six yards a carry in limited action last season, but he is only 5-foot-6. The Ravens released veteran backup Mike Anderson earlier in the offseason. McGahee has been relatively healthy since missing the entire ’03 season recovering from a serious knee injury suffered in his final collegiate game. He had 337 touches (294 carries, 43 receptions) last season, the second-highest total of his career. McGahee missed most of Week 16 and all of the season finale in ’07 after suffering a rib injury at Seattle.


McNair's retirement leaves Ravens with limited options at quarterback

In February, general manager Ozzie Newsome said Steve McNair would be the starting quarterback. “We have no one else,” Newsome said, pointedly. Now, a little more than a week before the draft, McNair has elected to retire, leaving backups Kyle Boller and Troy Smith to compete for the job. On the surface, Boller would appear to have the edge on winning the job; he has 42 career starts compared to Smith’s two. However, head coach John Harbaugh said Thursday that the plans for the position have yet to be finalized. “We’ve talked about that many times — it’s competitive,” Harbaugh said Thursday. “We lost our incumbent, and now it’s wide open.” Newsome indicated McNair’s retirement would not alter the team’s draft plans. The Ravens select eighth overall and have nine draft picks. However, only five of those picks — Nos. 8, 38, 106, 173 and 215 — are tradable; the others are compensatory selections. That is worth noting as speculation about the Ravens’ interest in Boston College QB Matt Ryan grows. Ryan is expected to be selected before the Ravens are on the clock at No. 8. Newsome also hinted that the Ravens might not direct their attention to adding a veteran quarterback until after the draft. That said, the Ravens have pulled off a Draft Day trade for a passer before, trading two second-day picks for the Rams’ Tony Banks in 1999. Newsome was then the Ravens’ director of player personnel.


Loss of Sypniewski impacts offense, puts stress on TE depth

The potential season-ending knee injury suffered by TE Quinn Sypniewski hurts the team’s depth at a position riddled by injuries a season ago, and it could have a material effect on the offense. Sypniewski, an above-average blocker, developed into an effective target on short passes a season ago, catching 34 passes for 246 yards and starting nine games. With Sypniewski out, the Ravens may be forced to rely more heavily on veteran Daniel Wilcox, whose ’07 season was cut short by a variety of injuries. Wilcox is recovering from offseason toe surgery but is expected to be ready for training camp. Wilcox is a better receiver than blocker. The same can be said for starter Todd Heap, who is back at full strength after missing 10 games with a hamstring injury last season. Sypniewski tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee after colliding with LB Antwan Barnes in a minicamp practice on April 18.


Is Ravens' O-line in for a shuffle?

The most interesting development coming out of the Ravens' last minicamp was the sight of OLG Jason Brown, ORG Ben Grubbs and ORT Marshal Yanda all getting work at new positions. Brown, regarded as one of the league's better left guards, got work at right guard and center. Grubbs got a look at left guard. And Yanda got some practice time at right guard and center. What does this all mean? Head coach John Harbaugh said the moves were for offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's benefit. "If Cam can see this guy pulls better on the left side than the right side, or if a guy has a better reach block on the left side, then that can help his play-calling down the road," Harbaugh told Baltimore reporters. That Brown and Yanda got snaps at center underscores that C Chris Chester will be under pressure to play well in his third NFL season, the way we hear it.


CB Washington has made a positive early impression on Ravens

Don’t be surprised if ex-Raiders CB Fabian Washington makes a run at a starting job, a source close to the club tells PFW. Washington would step into the lineup if CB Samari Rolle, who missed much of last season because of complications due to epilepsy, is unable to handle a full-time role. Washington fell out of favor in Oakland, prompting his trade to Baltimore on draft weekend, but there is no doubting his elite speed for the position, and there are some who believe a new beginning may be just what he needs to spark his career. “The thing about Fabian is, first of all, he's very competitive,” head coach John Harbaugh told Baltimore reporters early in May. “He gets out there during one-on-one drills and he wants to win everything, even individual and the fundamental [drills] he wants to win. He's got tremendously quick feet, he's very fast and he's probably stronger and a little more physical than we anticipated. It's been real positive.” Washington injured a hamstring during the Ravens’ latest minicamp, but Harbaugh said the cornerback is expected to be healthy for the team’s OTAs.


Rice: Ravens' minicamp fight not a big deal

Don’t read too much into the Ravens’ team-wide brawl at a May 10 minicamp practice, rookie RB Ray Rice recently told PFW while in Los Angeles for the NFL Players Rookie Premiere weekend. “What you saw in camp last week was something it really wasn’t,” said Rice “Everybody was in the locker room (afterward), shaking hands.” The fight began when rookie OT Oniel Cousins and veteran DL Amon Gordon reportedly threw punches at each other. Rice, who is likely to be the primary backup to starter Willis McGahee in his first NFL season, gets the sense the Ravens will be playing with an edge this season.“We’re going to be an aggressive team,” Rice said. “As a team, whoever plays against us is going to feel that. We’re going to play the game hard and fast.”


Ravens' passing game a work in progress

With about two months left before training camp, much must be sorted out with the Ravens' passing game. There is no clear-cut starting quarterback; rookie Joe Flacco, young Troy Smith and veteran Kyle Boller all have fighting shots at the job, the way we hear it. Injuries have already taken a toll at tight end. TEs Todd Heap and Daniel Wilcox are coming off injury-plagued seasons, and capable backup Quinn Sypniewski is out for the 2008 season with a knee injury. There are questions about the WR corps beyond steady Derrick Mason. Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams, both of whom struggled to stay healthy last season, will see significant playing time, especially if the Ravens, as expected, employ plenty of three-WR sets. And there is the issue of whoever plays quarterback getting on the same page with his receivers while everyone gets comfortable in Cam Cameron's offense. Flacco, the team's first-round pick, recently told PFW that building chemistry with the receivers will come once he starts to master the offense.


With Ogden stepping aside, spotlight lands on Gaither

With OLT Jonathan Ogden officially announcing his retirement on Thursday, the Ravens will give young Jared Gaither the first run at Ogden's job. Gaither, a 2007 supplemental draft pick, has jaw-dropping size (6-9, 350) and flashed impressive talent at times as a rookie. The Ravens are banking that ability will make up for a lack of his experience; Gaither is only 22, and he has appeared in only six NFL games, starting twice. "He's been working very hard," Ravens ORG Marshal Yanda, himself a second-year player, told PFW. "I think he's been doing a pretty good job." The installation of Gaither at left tackle is only one of many moves the Ravens have made along the offensive line; there are likely to be new starters at all five positions. Ben Grubbs, the right guard from a season ago, will step in at left guard, replacing Jason Brown, who moves to center. After starting at right tackle as a rookie, Yanda moves inside, with Adam Terry slated to start next to him at right tackle.


Consistency on Yanda's mind as he moves to guard

Marshal Yanda is no stranger to the position of guard, having played the position in his junior season at Iowa before moving to tackle. So the second-year pro was not surprised that the Ravens’ coaching staff moved him from right tackle to right guard. Nor does he think the position switch is something he can’t overcome. “There are a lot of similarities,” Yanda told PFW of the two positions. “The main difference (at guard) is that you’re blocking a three-technique — a (much) bigger guy.” Yanda, who started 12 games as a rookie, learned first-hand how mental and physical fatigue can set in as a game progresses. “As the game went on, it was tough for me to keep my fundamentals,” Yanda said, mentioning his footwork in pass protection as an area he struggled with on occasion. On the other hand, he received plenty of valuable experience in his first NFL season — something he plans to use to his advantage in 2008. “Nothing is going to be surprising to me,” Yanda said.


Could Rice be Ravens' Jones-Drew?

Rookie RB Ray Rice has made a positive impression in his first few months with the Ravens, and the way we hear it, he could carve out a Maurice Jones-Drew-like role in the offense. Veteran Willis McGahee will get the majority of the workload, but the team made a concerted effort to keep him fresh last season and figures to do so in 2008. This creates an opportunity for Rice, who had a very productive collegiate career at Rutgers. His progress in the passing game will go a long way in how much he can contribute in his first NFL season. Rice caught only 37 passes in college, and he’ll have to consistently pick up the blitz — an area in which the short-but-stout Jones-Drew thrives.