Flacco Turning Heads During First Ravens Camp

It’s been a whirlwind few days for Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco, but the first-round draft pick is learing fast, and looking good at his first Ravens rookie camp.  “It’s pretty cool,” Flacco said on Sunday.  “It’s a lot of fun to learn something new every day.  There was a lot thrown at us, and I did the best job I could to absorb as much as I could.  It was a good experience. I don’t think it’s intimidating.  You’re just anxious to get out there and see what it’s like.  I’ve grown a lot over the past three days.  I got to know everybody, and I think it worked out well.”

Flacco has been the talk of camp so far, as players on the team have been impressed with his arm, as well as how he places the ball.  While it’s too early to say Flacco is anywhere near being the starter, one can imagine him being under center at some point in the 2008 season.  “He can throw the ball, he’s smart,” coach John Harbaugh said.  “The thing I saw when we were moving the ball is he’s got to get the ball out quicker.  Those guys can cover some ground when they’re blitzing and he’s got the red jersey on now so he didn’t feel the ramifications of that.  I think he understands the speed of the game a little bit at this level.”

Forget About a New Deal; Lewis’ Focus is on Ravens

Ravens all-world linebacker Ray Lewis is looking for a new deal that would replace the one that he currently has that is set to expire after the 2008 season.  So far he and the Ravens are not close on that deal, but that is not going to stop the LB from being ready to go and on the field for the 2008 season.  “That stuff is irrelevant for what we’re trying to do right now,” Lewis said, according to the Carroll County Times.  “The bottom line is whatever we’re trying to do as a team, that’s the focus.  If we keep that team concept there, then that team concept stays there.

“If you start talking about individual, that means nothing.  Everybody knows this is a business and everything will take care of itself.  I’m just excited to be back playing football again,” Lewis said.  “I see myself getting ready for the next practice, and I see myself getting ready for the season.  Like I said, once you start to get on that side of things, you lose your passion about why you play this game.”

Lewis is in a mandatory minicamp, showing that he means business when it comes to being on the field.  The Ravens are looking to bounce back after a down 2007, and if they are going to keep Lewis happy, they would be best to get him a deal before the season to put any distractions to bed.

Flacco Ready To Prove Himself In The NFL

Ravens Select QB Joe Flacco With The 18th Pick

Flacco Gets the Call; Ravens Nab QB with 18th Pick

The Ravens have a new QB in town, as the team moved back up in the first round and grabbed Joe Flacco from Delaware with the 18th pick in the first round.  A guy with “basketball” size at 6-6, Flacco can make plays with a simple flick of the wrist. While not the most mobile QB in the world, Flacco showed last season what he could do, throwing for 4,263 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just five picks.  Things at the QB spot just got a lot more interesting for the Ravens.

Here is a scouting report on Flacco from NFLdraftcountdown.com

Strengths:
Has excellent size and a big frame…Has an outstanding arm and can make all the throws…Quick delivery…Pretty accurate…Nice touch and timing…Throws a terrific deep ball…Really smart and a hard worker….Tough and durable…Had a fantastic senior campaign…Solid leadership ability…Very productive…Still has some upside.

Weaknesses:
Is not very mobile…Will have some throws sail on him…He needs to clean up and refine his mechanics and footwork…Instincts in the pocket are questionable…Too confident in his arm and will force things…Does not have a lot of experience…Will have to adjust to a pro style offense..Hasn’t played much against top competition.

Notes:
Name is pronounced ““flack-oh””…Father Stephen played football and baseball at the University of Pennsylvania….Began his college career at Pittsburgh where he redshirted and then served as Tyler Palko’s backup…He transferred down a level in search of more playing time in 2005…Worked predominantly out of the shotgun with the Blue Hens…Not a finished product but an intriguing developmental signal caller with all the physical tools you look for…Has starting potential down the line.

And here is ESPN’s take on Flacco:

Baltimore fills its greatest need here. Flacco certainly has the makings of a franchise quarterback. He’s tall enough to scan the field from the pocket, flashes good pocket presence and has the strongest arm of any quarterback in this year’s class. However, he isn’t nearly as polished as Matt Ryan and he played against a lower level of competition at Delaware. Keeping that in mind, he’s going to have a steeper learning curve, so it’s going to take time for him to realize his potential.

Ravens Want Ryan; Looking to Move to #2 to Get Him

Let the posturing begin.  Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting at this hour that the Baltimore Ravens are looking to make a deal with the St.Louis Rams to move up to the number two spot so they can pick QB Matt Ryan.  The reason why they have to move to the two spot is to make sure the Falcons in the three-hole don’t steal Ryan away from them.

Schefter has the first four picks going this way as of this moment:

1. Jake Long - Miami
2. Chris Long - St.Louis
3. Matt Ryan - Atlanta
4. Darren McFadden - Oakland

Where Do the Ravens Go From Here Without McNair?

Up In The Air: “Air” McNair leaves the NFL,  also leaving behind the Baltimore Ravens quarterback situation, once again - Up In The “Air”.  The “Ironman” QB announced his decision to teammates at a packed meeting prior to the Ravens’ workouts Thursday morning.  When he was traded from the Titans to the Ravens in the Summer of ‘06, McNair was expected to fix Baltimore’s QB woes, but instead of leading the Ravens, he now leaves the team and it’s QB problems the same way, putting the situation back to where it was before he arrived on scene.

Lewis Contract Extension In The Works?

It has been several seasons since the Baltimore Ravens have discussed a revision to middle linebacker Ray Lewis’ current contract; perhaps that may change as there have, according to Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times, been recent conversations between the team and Lewis about the possibility of a contract extension. And it apppears that they’re prepared to bid with other teams for Lewis’ services if he were to become an unrestricted free agent.

At the moment, no decision has been made, but the idea has the approval of team owner Steve Bisciotti, who has in the past said that Lewis has several years of football left in him. Like all matters of this nature, the final decision rests on contract talks between Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and Lewis’ agents. Lewis originally signed a 7-year, $50 million contract - which includes $19 million in guaranteed money - when he had 2 years remaining on his contract; he is due a $6.5 million base salary this season and holds a $9.428 million salary cap figure.

Lewis will turn 33 on May 15. While he is still among the better middle linebackers in the league, he isn’t nearly as durable or as dominant as in seasons past; as a matter of fact, it has been 4 seasons since he went an entire year without missing a game. That doesn’t mean his skills have regressed dramatically, it just means that he probably if anything else will be used more judiciously on the field next season.

Taking a Look at at Where the Ravens are Headed in the Draft

With the 8th selection in the 1st round of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Ravens will probably pick a CB or an OT, depending on whether current left OT Jonathan Ogden retires or not. With the 38th pick in the 2nd round of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Ravens will most likely select a QB from among Louisville’s Brian Brohm, Delaware’s Joe Flacco and Michigan’s Chad Henne.

Alternatively, the Ozzie Newsome, the GM of the Ravens could trade for a CB named Lito Sheppard of the Philadelphia Eagles just like he did in recent years for QB Steve McNair and RB Willis McGahee from the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills respectively.

When the Eagles signed free agent CB Asante Samuel formerly a New England Patriot, they immediately handed him the left CB position previously occupied by Sheppard. It was quite surprising since the Eagles also have a good right CB in Sheldon Brown and unless they plan on trading Sheppard the signing of Samuel makes no sense.

Assuming the Eagles will not be spending millions of dollars to keep three front-line CBs, a trade of either Sheppard or Brown could happen on draft day since the Eagles have other major concerns, such as defensive end and wide receiver. A patient Qzzie Newsome could very well then make a significant trade for the third year in a row to remove CB from the list of primary needs for the Ravens.

Ravens Re-Sign DT Amon Gordon

The Ravens have made a signing, as they have re-signed defensive tackle Amon Gordon.  The 26-year-old started 2007 with the Broncos, but got cut and then joined the Ravens.  The Baltimore Sun reports that Gordon will fight for a roster spot as a end/tackle.