Tweet
McGahee is talented and at the start of his prime. Two third round picks is a steal. He's rumored to be an attitude kid, not a criminal like PacMan Jones. There are attitudes all over the NFL. So long as you win and pay the kid money, he will be fine. Baltimore just became a Superbowl contender for next year.
-
Life is a puzzle. Every day you get up and pick up the pieces from the day before.
and
You can't keep idiots from being idiots. You can only hope to contain them.
and
Idiots DO exist. I've seen them. -
I was referring to his "old" college injury.Originally posted by ND72
Before the hounds descend on me, I know he recovered from that one.
I just don't think he IS a superstar. He might be in a decline.
He's coming into his prime? Then how come he has declined in rushing yards last year? & why's Buffalo running him off?
I would've have questioned the Pack if they made the 3rd for WM deal. 3 picks for him is too many, IMHOComment
-
I'm there as well.Originally posted by KYPack
The Ravens got hosed in this trade.
They could get really wet over his contract.** Since 2006 3 X Pro Pickem' Champion; 4 X Runner-Up and 3 X 3rd place.
** To download Jesus Loves Me ring tones, you'll need a cell phone mame
** If God doesn't fish, play poker or pull for " the Packers ", exactly what does HE do with his buds?
** Rather than love, money or fame - give me TRUTH: Henry D. ThoreauComment
-
Bills
Originally posted by KYPack
He played for a team that had NO passing game and still avg'd 3.8 running against 7 and 8 in the box on a consistent basis. I don't get how that's a player in decline? I guess in your book stacking the box don't matter.
Comment
-
Well, this will probably take Lynch out of the picture for us.Comment
-
McGahee didn't want to be in Buffalo. Plain and simple. That's all there was to it. He didn't even take part in their off-season workouts because he preferred to work out in Florida (which pissed the team off). He just didn't want to be in Buffalo. He is not in decline. He's a franchise back entering his prime. He reminds me of Javon Walker in that Walker just didn't want to be in G.B. when he found out he wasn't getting his money. Walker wanted money and when he realized the Packers weren't going to pay him he wanted out. McGahee is in the final year of his deal. He wants money. Led by their owner, Buffalo has made it their crusade to show the league the last labor deal doesn't work. They just announced they wont spread their bonus money out anymore. They are NOT going to be paying big money to anyone in the near future. It's only natural that they'd deal McGahee.
How can a guy as young as McGahee with hardly any wear and tear be finished? His ability isn't in question. It was his attitude.Life is a puzzle. Every day you get up and pick up the pieces from the day before.
and
You can't keep idiots from being idiots. You can only hope to contain them.
and
Idiots DO exist. I've seen them.Comment
-
Problem
Originally posted by gureski
McGahee is a solid back. This was a good deal for the Ravens. Some people have no concept of the"need" fact. In a perfect world, yeah two 3rd's are a lot but you have to balance the NEED they had at RB. There was no one else. If a team has a HUGE need, it's hard to say they over-paid.......Comment
-
McGahee isn't bad. I just don't think he's elite, and I don't think he's worth the huge contract, two 3rd round picks and a 7th round pick.
I can't say the fact he had the injury in college wouldn't bother me. That was a terrible injury, and I don't think he's gotten back to that same level since the injury."There's a lot of interest in the draft. It's great. But quite frankly, most of the people that are commenting on it don't know anything about what they are talking about."--Ted ThompsonComment
-
Article
Scouts Inc.
FootballRecruiting
Weblog | RSS
La
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Choose a MonthMarch 2007January 2007December 2006November 2006October 2006September 2006August 2006
Don't cry for the Ravensposted: Thursday, March 8, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry
filed under: Baltimore Ravens
Since finishing the 2006 regular season at 13-3 and entering the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the AFC, not much has been going right for the Ravens.
First, there was the 15-6 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round. That was followed by a free agency period that until Thursday had been one to forget. On the surface, it almost appeared the Ravens had gone into this offseason lost and confused, but I don't necessarily buy that theory. If there is one thing GM Ozzie Newsome and head coach Brian Billick have proven since coming to town, it's that they know how to plan their work and work their plan. Thus far, that plan has led to a Super Bowl championship and consistently competitive teams.
BillickThe Ravens' offseason losses have been grossly exaggerated. The team opted not to use the franchise tag on star outside linebacker Adalius Thomas, who hit the market and left for the New England Patriots. While Thomas is a great player who I rated as the No. 1 unrestricted free agent on the market, it was defensive coordinator Rex Ryan who put Thomas in a position to succeed. Ryan is the game's best defensive coach, and it was his schemes that moved Thomas all over the field and allowed him to have success in a Ravens uniform. Thomas is a great football player, but the scheme is even better, and the team feels it will be able to replace Thomas with a young, talented player through the draft.
The team also waived long-time starting running back Jamal Lewis, who opted to sign a one-year deal with the division-rival Cleveland Browns. Nobody in Baltimore is going to fret having to face Lewis two times in 2007; he has been average at best since 2003. Lewis averaged 3.4 and 3.6 yards per carry, respectively, during the last two seasons behind an offensive line that was much better than the one the Browns will trot out this season. Lewis can't make defenders miss at this point in his career, so if the Browns don't open up holes for him, that yards-per-carry average will drop once again.
The Ravens reacted quickly to the loss of Lewis by trading for Buffalo RB Willis McGahee, a running back with a lot more versatility than Lewis. McGahee can run inside and outside, is a lot quicker to the hole and can make people miss. It's a huge upgrade for the Ravens, because Lewis was basically a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust runner at this point. He was a sitting duck for tacklers, while McGahee is much more of a moving target.
Baltimore also lost right tackle Tony Pashos to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pashos developed with the Ravens, and it always hurts to lose a guy you have brought a long and turned into a quality starter, but he is not an elite tackle and will be replaced through the draft or with a mid-level free agent like Anthony Clement, Marc Colombo or Jordan Black. While there could be some drop-off, it won't be significant.
The team wanted to bring back starting fullback Ovie Mughelli, but not at the expense of making him the highest-paid fullback to ever play the game. In four NFL seasons, Mughelli has had one productive year, and you can bet the Ravens noticed it came the season before he was set to hit the market. Backup defensive lineman Aubryao Franklin will be missed some, because of his ability to play every spot along the defensive line, but he has just 40 tackles and one sack in four NFL seasons. Franklin had 17 total tackles last season, and the Ravens have other backup players on the roster who can give them that kind of production.
Last but not least, the decision to cut long-time starting guard Edwin Mulitalo was made a lot easier after Mulitalo finished last season on injured reserve and his replacement, second-year man Jason Brown, stepped in and played solidly.
While it would be very easy to jump on the Ravens-bashing bandwagon for the way their offseason has started, I am not going to go there. It is not unusual for Baltimore to have its roster raided in the offseason, which is what tends to happen to teams that draft good players. The roster has been littered with talent over the last six or seven years, and the Ravens have had success in every round of the draft and with undrafted free agents. Newsome, Billick and their talented staff have been able to find quality football players everywhere. And when you consistently draft as well as the Ravens have, you are eventually going to lose some of those good players simply because you just can't keep and pay everyone.
The Ravens are like the college version of the USC Trojans when it comes to acquiring football players. Some guys might leave a little sooner than you would like, but you can count on them reloading. Watching Baltimore on draft day is like watching USC on national signing day: The overall number of acquisitions might be smaller, but don't be surprised if the Ravens hit on about 95 percent of them.
This team has the best personnel staff in the business, and because of that, you won't see me shedding any tears for the Ravens this offseason. They will reload in the draft and with mid-level free agents once the market settles. Make no mistake about it -- this is still the team to beat in the AFC North.
7 comments on "Don't cry for the Ravens"
49ers make bold moves
GM Millen finally gets one right
ESPN WebHot ESPN Searches: MLB Spring Training | NBA Draft: Lottery Machine | NCAA Tournament Challenge
Hot Multimedia Searches: College hoops | DCI Championships | NASCAR: UAW-DaimlerChrysler preview
ESPN.com: Help | PR Media Kit | Sales Media Kit | Report a Bug | Contact Us | Site Map | Jobs at ESPN | Supplier Information | Copyright ©2007 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information/Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. All rights reserved.Comment
-
Just to put things into perspective, Baltimore's third rounder this year is late. Their first round pick is 29th overall. That means that they have the 29th pick in the third round (unless there are some compensatory picks that would make it later).
That's 3 picks away from the 4th round. With McGahee on board, the Ravens offense should be better then last year when they won their division and had a first round bye in the playoffs. What I'm saying is that I think it's a safe assumption that their picks next year will be in the later half of the draft also.
Two late 3ds and a 7th for a RB entering his prime with franchise RB talent.Life is a puzzle. Every day you get up and pick up the pieces from the day before.
and
You can't keep idiots from being idiots. You can only hope to contain them.
and
Idiots DO exist. I've seen them.Comment
-
McGahee? Didn't want him, anyway.Who Knows? The Shadow knows!Comment
Comment