Off-season improvements
The Ravens desperately need to fix the receiving corps. Derrick Mason has been a great #1, but he's old and on the verge of retirement. He plays great but he can't beat double coverage and doesn't have the same speed as before. Mark Clayton has a couple of good games a year but other than that he is very inconsistent. I'd move him to the slot to get more productive as he has trouble getting separation when he's one on one. Kelly Washington is primarily a third down receiver and always pulls out a first down, but he isn't exactly a #2 potential receiver, I'd still keep him around since he could possibly get better.
I'd say with the first round pick we should get a receiver, but considering the Ravens' track record with drafting receivers in the first round, I'd be more inclined to get a defense player. I mean Ozzie is superb at drafting players and scouting out talent on the defensive side (Ngata, Suggs, Reed, and of course Lewis), but in terms of offense he doesn't have a keen eye for it (Kyle Boller and Mark Clayton..).
I'm looking at Brandon Marshall though he would cost a lot with a 1st and 3rd rounder, but I'd rather have him as proven talent with 100+ receptions then a young kid who could go up or down. Or possibly a try at Anquain Boldin as he seems unhappy in Arizona and is in the last year of his contract. He's a little older and has quite a few injuries so he would be cheaper than a 1st rounder, but he's twice as good as anything the Ravens already have. Either way, a new #1 WR is the top priority for the Ravens. The defense and running game are both in place, but the passing game needs a major overhaul.
Despite the defense being third overall, the secondary has been very battered up. Losing both Fabian Washington and Ladrius Webb at the #2 corner spot really hurt defending against the pass. Chris Carr is primarily a nickel-back and special-teamer and even though he played pretty decently as the second corner, he just isn't going to cut it. Same with Frank Walker who had so many illegal blocks and pass interference calls it drove me crazy.
Webb was a great pickup in the third round last year and did great as a rookie, but tearing his ACL midway last season means he will probably have lost a step and won't be at 100% before the start of next season. That's why I figure the Ravens should use their first draft pick on a cornerback as Ozzie does great with defensive talent. I want to get back to the Chris McAllister and Samari Rolle in their prime shut down corner type defense we had back in 2006.
Another issue is the pass rush which I'm sure is probably because of Rex Ryan leaving and thus the Ravens weren't as blitz happy (and a depleted secondary adds to this too) and Greg Mattison uses more of a zone-coverage scheme with linebackers falling back into pass coverage. For his first year in the pros as a defensive coordinator he's done an amazing job considering the losses in the secondary. Terrell Suggs hasn't played to what he has been capable of due to an injury and being double teamed often, so bringing in another person to the left side would help accommodate for that.
I know we drafted Paul Kruger in the second round last year, but he hasn't really shown anything to prove he's a top notch pass rusher. I'd more likely move him to to DL which will need new personal as Greg/Pryce are both getting old. I'd actually try and get Shawn Merriman in free agency. Even though he hasn't been as productive after his steroid incident (this would make him cheaper too), he's still a formidable pass rusher and having both him and Suggs would create major havoc for opposing offensive lines as they're great pass rushers. And hey he can come back to his roots here in Maryland! The defense isn't really a major concern, but I want the hard lined defense of the 2000/2006 seasons.
So yeah the three major issues that need to be addressed are:
The Ravens have finally found a franchise QB in Joe Flacco and he has had the best start of any QB here and ten times as better as Boller was. But he needs some offensive weapons if he is going to succeed in the NFL and become an elite QB and make opponents respect the Ravens passing game that's never been great. If they can score 20 points in the game, they aren't going to lose with the defense we have.
I'd say with the first round pick we should get a receiver, but considering the Ravens' track record with drafting receivers in the first round, I'd be more inclined to get a defense player. I mean Ozzie is superb at drafting players and scouting out talent on the defensive side (Ngata, Suggs, Reed, and of course Lewis), but in terms of offense he doesn't have a keen eye for it (Kyle Boller and Mark Clayton..).
I'm looking at Brandon Marshall though he would cost a lot with a 1st and 3rd rounder, but I'd rather have him as proven talent with 100+ receptions then a young kid who could go up or down. Or possibly a try at Anquain Boldin as he seems unhappy in Arizona and is in the last year of his contract. He's a little older and has quite a few injuries so he would be cheaper than a 1st rounder, but he's twice as good as anything the Ravens already have. Either way, a new #1 WR is the top priority for the Ravens. The defense and running game are both in place, but the passing game needs a major overhaul.
Despite the defense being third overall, the secondary has been very battered up. Losing both Fabian Washington and Ladrius Webb at the #2 corner spot really hurt defending against the pass. Chris Carr is primarily a nickel-back and special-teamer and even though he played pretty decently as the second corner, he just isn't going to cut it. Same with Frank Walker who had so many illegal blocks and pass interference calls it drove me crazy.
Webb was a great pickup in the third round last year and did great as a rookie, but tearing his ACL midway last season means he will probably have lost a step and won't be at 100% before the start of next season. That's why I figure the Ravens should use their first draft pick on a cornerback as Ozzie does great with defensive talent. I want to get back to the Chris McAllister and Samari Rolle in their prime shut down corner type defense we had back in 2006.
Another issue is the pass rush which I'm sure is probably because of Rex Ryan leaving and thus the Ravens weren't as blitz happy (and a depleted secondary adds to this too) and Greg Mattison uses more of a zone-coverage scheme with linebackers falling back into pass coverage. For his first year in the pros as a defensive coordinator he's done an amazing job considering the losses in the secondary. Terrell Suggs hasn't played to what he has been capable of due to an injury and being double teamed often, so bringing in another person to the left side would help accommodate for that.
I know we drafted Paul Kruger in the second round last year, but he hasn't really shown anything to prove he's a top notch pass rusher. I'd more likely move him to to DL which will need new personal as Greg/Pryce are both getting old. I'd actually try and get Shawn Merriman in free agency. Even though he hasn't been as productive after his steroid incident (this would make him cheaper too), he's still a formidable pass rusher and having both him and Suggs would create major havoc for opposing offensive lines as they're great pass rushers. And hey he can come back to his roots here in Maryland! The defense isn't really a major concern, but I want the hard lined defense of the 2000/2006 seasons.
So yeah the three major issues that need to be addressed are:
- Getting a WR to pick up the passing game
- A CB to help fix up the secondary
- A DE/DL to improve the pass rush
The Ravens have finally found a franchise QB in Joe Flacco and he has had the best start of any QB here and ten times as better as Boller was. But he needs some offensive weapons if he is going to succeed in the NFL and become an elite QB and make opponents respect the Ravens passing game that's never been great. If they can score 20 points in the game, they aren't going to lose with the defense we have.
