Bill, at least there is no hiding from this choice......"Lemon" about says it all.....but Oz has made some BAD decisions lately so this wouldn't surprise me at all......i think Cullen Finnerty,given a fair shot could make this team.....along with Drew Olsen who i think could also be a starter in this league.Both members of the "CUT the quality players from our squad" group.......we have had many potential players that we have let go,signing Cleo would just give us someone else to "CUT"..........

Cleo Lemon....

All I can say is, Oy

With Green's history of concussions, he is only one hit away from being out of football as a career. I dont think the decision to go with Green is very smart.
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Yeah, it surprises me that a smart guy like him even wants to try this.
-- Bill O.

perhaps i'm misunderstanding ur blog, but Beck was a second round pick, i think we all remember their first round pick was Gin. what were they thinking?
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JJ,
Yikes my bad ... thanks for the catch. It's being fixed.
-- Bill O.

Lemon law, Lemonade, the sour taste/ugly face after you bite into a lemon, the device you use to rid yourself of the common cold. No thanks ! Bill, The only one on your current list that may be of any benefit would probably be Rex Grossman. He shows flashes of brilliance and the ability to play top notch football. He makes some bone-headed plays at times, however he would most definitely benefit from a Cam style Offense. Also with the in your face pace that, the coaches, Boller, Smith, Finnerty, contest, should push the best candidates to be the best in preseason. This is hoping that McNair wouldn't be a selfish player and steps aside due to his lack of arm strength and body parts constantly injured. We could us the the Salary Cap space and if Ogden leaves that would also bode well for the QB situation.

Okay, so what's the problem. We need a quarterback. McNair is too beat up, Boller, well what can you say, and Smith still needs at least one more seaon to season up his skills. If Lemon is willing, bring him aboard.

and i though it was a bad idea when steele wroe it the first time. what about volek in san diego.
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To be clear, I'm not casting a vote in favor ... I'm just saying that coaches like players, especially QBs, who already know the system -- even as backups.
-- Bill O.

I don't know about this. Really there is no good solution to any of it. I kinda feel like the team should avoid creating ties between Cameron and is Florida version of the Patriots. And after so many years of bad quaterbacking it might be better just to play with what we have. Troy Smith showed people two things that haven't existed in Baltimore for a long time. Moderate consistency and poise in the pocket, both of which could make a lot of difference with some time. For once let's try developing a franchise quaterback rather than trading around in every way imaginable. I don't see the solution out there on the market. But what do I know.

Lemon definitely has potential, but I think we should also explore the possiblity of getting Culpepper.

Simple solution - let Boller/Smith play next year as we bring along the newly drafted Joe Flacco in round 2 (we pick a CB or DE in round 1). Flacco learns the ropes while our defense carries us one more year with Boller/Smith surprising us with decent play (along with McGahee). 9-10 wins with a 4th place schedule, but more importantly, giving Flacco a year to learn the new system and get acclimated to the NFL.

So are we gonna let Troy Smith go like with did with Derek Anderson? Fine - get Cleo so Smith can go somewhere else and have a Pro Bowl year.

Bill, you're talking crazy. I realize you have to fill up a certain number of column inches but enough is enough. Why don't we give Troy Smith a shot before we dump a Heisman winner for a... Lemon? Cameron had to use him, we don't. If you don't have anything worthwhile to say perhaps you should just run a coupon in your space. Just a suggestion.
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David,
Because I raise Lemon's name doesn't mean I endorse the idea. But a coach, whether the head coach or an OC, bringing in a QB that he's comfortable with, even as a back-up is very commonplace. Andy Reid actually brought in Doug Pederson ... Doug Pederson, you hear that ... to start in front of McNabb for a while in '99 because Pederson knew the West Coast offense from Green Bay. All I'm saying is that Cameron might bring in the guy for the competition and as a security blanket, that's all. This is very much in character for the NFL and I'm giving people a heads-up to not be surprised.
-- Bill O.

we need to draft a qb, cut mcnair and boller and let the drafted guy and smith battle it out in camp for the starting spot. we can sign some vet as an emergency backup. this team needs to move forward, not sign some nobody just because they have experience....in my opinion, no experience is better than experience at being horrible!!!

Wouldn't Volek know the system from being in SD in 2006 when Cam was still OC?
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Dominic,
Yes, he would but he probably didn't get a lot of practice reps in that one season with it so he's probably not as familiar as, say, Lemon. But more to the point is that he's not a free agent as far as I know. However, the last contract I saw him sign was a four-year deal in March '04 back when he was with Tennessee. But if he did sign an extension and after doing as well as he did in the playoff game, I'm not sure you can pry him away from San Diego all that easily in a trade. That would leave them with Charlie Whitehurst as a backup who has zero experience.
-- Bill O.

Bill, this was a bad idea when Steele wrote about it and it's STILL a bad idea. Why should we get him? Because he had a good game against our depleted secondary? Um thanks but no thanks.
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Marcus,
I didn't say it was a good idea. I'm just saying that given his availability as a FA and his familiarity with Cameron's offense, don't be surprised if it happens, that's all.
-- Bill O.

Booker Wallace I couldn't agree more.

People often live the fantasy that we will find another brady or manning in the draft. The winning teams have quarter backs with big arms that PROTECT the ball.

First I'd say that derek anderson is OVERRATED. We should NOT trade your 8th pick and more for him. His receivers make him look good. The big arm = big plays. That's why I agree that we should stick with Troy Smith and Boller and draft another young guy. That way we have a decent vet and two intriguing prospects at QB. There's no doubt that 1st round CB talent is more of a need. If the ravens flip flop and go QB in the frist round that's fine too but they just need a qb who can make throws but PROTECTS the rock (i.e. Garrard, McNabb, Playoff ELI). Another key is wanting to play. the ravens showed that they are talented (Pats game). The players pretty much gave up last season. We were down to 3rd strings every where. New coach will have them playing again and players will make things happen for Boller/Smith. I think Smith will end up being the starter. Whoever it is they just need to throw the ball down field and make things happen outside of the pocket (Which is why I say Smith will start).

I blogged yesterday for another article talking about the McNabb rumor and brought up the idea of using Cullen Finnerty.
I know, he played division two ball, for a pretty much no name team, but has anybody ever youtubed this kid and watched the film on him? If not, click the link and check him out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hFBGrHfKkE

There are four QB's on staff right now, a new scheme about to be put in place ready to breath new life into a stagnant offense. I really don't think that bringing in another team's disappointment is the answer. We need to focus on the talent that we have. Had we done that in 2005 rather than worrying about a washed up cornerback (Corey Fuller) Derek Anderson would still be in a Raven uniform and we probably wouldn't be discussing this right now.
We have four QB's on the roster, let'em compete and lets see where everything shakes out. Save the draft picks for a real need.
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Blane,
Thanks for the contribution and the link to the Finnerty highlights. He was an impressive kid in college. Wow, those Grand Valley helmets are pretty strange ... when you see them real quick, it looks like Super Mario on there.
-- Bill O.

Why do we always feel like we need to bring in a new QB ? Did people in Baltimore learn anyhting from the Superbowl game ?? It dosent matter if your name is Tom Brady or Kyle Boller... It dosent matter how much "Talent" you have as a QB if your laying on your back every other play.... LETS GET AN OFFENSIVE LINE !! Whenever Boller is on his feet or dosen't have 3 or 4 D- linemen drag'n him down... He's pretty effective.

I think we should draft a quarterback in the second round if Chad Henne, Brian Brohm or Joe Flacco are still available (1st round should be a cornerback). If not, then let Smith, Boller and Finnerty battle for the job in training camp. We can draft a defensive lineman or another cornerback instead. Corners are always harder to replace than quarterbacks.

Troy Smith and Cullen Finnerty would be as good a quarterback tandem as any in the leauge...let Mcnair and Boller go it's past time for the experiments and the ailments to stop....stop trying to rehash the past and look to the bright potential of the future.

with the schedule we have next year NFC East, AFC South plus our own division) i don't see many wins coming our way. who are QB free agents after next season?? should we stick with Boller or Smith for this season?? Maybe, just maybe Cam has the ability to design plays around the QB's strenghts and weaknesses.

I'm betting the Ravens are letting the press and the rest of the NFL know that they want a QB, whether a free agent, trade, or in the draft, but behind the scenes, they are more than happy with McNair, Boller, Smith, and Finnerty.

If McNair wants to extend his career one more year, he needs to be in the best shape of his life, and a tough offseason training regimen should be in the works. Maybe he should be hangin with Ray and Ed down in Miami.

Boller and Smith...Cameron has 2 students here to mold into his offense. Both are fairly young. Even though Smith is a rookie, I think he has 3 advantages over Kyle: 1) he has a quicker release motion 2) he can buy time in the pocket 3) he hasn't suffered in Brian Billicks Offense for five years!!!

Don't be surprised if Brian Brohm is thought to be a shoe in on draft day, but with the 8th pick they end up taking either DE available, Vernon Gholston or Calais Campbell...or they trade out of the top 10 and go for CB Mike Jenkins.

If they end up with Campbell, it would be a miracle...the dude is 6'8, 280, and he would be in a 3PT stance all year rotating with Trevor Pryce and Dwan Edwards. A resigned Terrell Suggs would then have a monster year.

I say replenish the defense, and see what Cam can do with the parts already on the shelf in his first year.

If the team stumbles, draft a QB in 2009.

Troy Smith and Kyle Boller are proven winners. Smith as a heisman trophy winner and Boller winning 2 state high school championships. Draft one more healthy winning QB, and if the offensive line protects them, the Ravens will be winners once again.

I agree with many of the comments posted so far. We have ... to try to get some stability at QB and help on the O-line. I may be crazy (and by myself on this) but Troy Smith looked comfortable in the last two games this year. And it appears as if he made adjustments based on the coaching he got from Neuheisel after the Seahawks loss. Let's make him our QB. I don't know, but with his cannon for an arm and ability to run he kind of reminded me of another QB that is unfortunately on a state-sponsored vacation right now.

We had a QB named Olsen who played OK and even won a championship on the other side of the Atlantic, but was cut?
Cut Boller, and Smith ( to small ), draft a QB in the 1st round and another in the 2 and /or 3 rounds. Add a tall WR and TE then two DB's and the team would have a chance in a year or two.

The Ravens..are very similar to the Bears..The will..probably NEVER have an outstanding QB...stick to the running game..thats what got the first superbowl..and will probably be what gets the next.
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Interesting comparison.
-- Bill O.

Finally, I heard someone say it. We need and effective offensive line. We don't really know what Boller can do other than run for his life. Remember Bollers performance against NE? The line gave him some time there and he did ok. Smith did well aginst Indy and Pittsburg. Cut McNair, keep Smith & Boller, get a CB and a lineman and lets go!