No more a headcase than Jamal!!!!...And without the criminal record.

The Ravens? Dealing with a head case? And turning them in to a productive player?!?!? Unheard of!!!

This is a definite upgrade for the Ravens. What's an even better part of this deal is that we get to face Jamal "Dancing in the Hole" Lewis and his soon-to-be 2.8 yards per carry average at least twice before Cleveland cuts him next offseason.

Based on reports about the contract from other websites, it looks like the Ravens have inserted not one but two potential escape points in the so-called seven-year deal.

The first check point is after the FIRST season. Apparently McGahee gets roughly half of his bonus money upon signing the deal, but most of the other half comes AFTER season #1. So if he turns out to be an immediate disaster (doubtful, but possible) the Ravens could cut him and only be on the hook for the initial $7 million (half-)bonus, though the loss of the two 3rd-round draft picks would hurt.

If McGahee makes it that far then he's likely to stay a Raven for a good while. The second check point is apparently just before season #5 begins. McGahee's salary is roughly the minimum in seasons #1-#3, and "only" $3.6M in season #4 which isn't so high by NFL standards. But in season #5 it (reportedly) rises to $6M so that's where the re-evaluating would almost certainly take place. However, in the world of today's $100M+ NFL salary cap, a $6M salary for (we hope) a talented RB is certainly not excessive.

Given that running backs don't usually last too long in the NFL, it's probably fair to call it a 3-, maybe 4-year deal in practical terms. But if by some miracle McGahee is playing at a high level after 4 seasons, the contract could be continued through up to three more years at a salary that's not out of line for a good player.

It strikes me as a pretty flexible contract, one where both player and team are fairly treated. If McGahee performs reasonably well, then I think the Ravens made a good move. They didn't break the bank.

The more I look at the deal, the less I like it. First of all, I just don't see McGahee as much of an upgrade. He's only two years younger than Lewis and his numbers haven't been significantly better. In fact he's never put up numbers to compare with Jamal's best numbers. They have similar injury/health histories. The seven year contract will make McGahee thirty-two at the end of it. What are the odds that they'll get seven healthy, productive years out of him? Lewis was never completely healthy last year, but he may very well be next year playing for a conference rival. And the biggest gripe I have with the deal is that I think Ozzie, in pretty atypical fashion, gave up way too much in the form of draft picks to get McGahee. The Ravens have always done a great job with those third/fourth round picks, and a lot of times have been able to put them to work and get productivity out of them right away. Ogden can't be too happy with this deal, which means the likelihood of him retiring sooner than later has probably just increased. Having said that, wouldn't it be nice to have those three draft picks to go after offensive linemen? Taking all these things into cosideration, I don't think I could consider this one of Ozzie's/the Ravens' shining moments.

Mcgahee is a much better option that Jamal "Michael Flatley" Lewis. Have fun dancing in Cleveland Jamal!

Half Empty,
You have got to be the only person within the Milky Way that doesn't like this deal!

The Ravens are going to be in full rebuilding mode in 3 years anyway. They have to replace JO, Lewis, Flynn, Rolle, Pryce, Mason, Vincent etc. Good Riddance to Jamal. He was a shell of his former self and complained when he did not get the ball 30 times. last year I though he was the 3rd best back behind Anderson and Musa

No need to hate on Jamal. He served the Ravens admirably and well during his time as a Raven.

McGahee is an upgrade - and his contract extension was really a 3 year, $16.8 M deal. If he can get some good blocking, he has the ability to dance that Jamal lost years ago. And he is a threat to catch a ball coming out of the backfield that Jamal never was.

This was a good deal for the Ravens. Now they have to focus on getting a FB, LB, CB and, if possible, future QB in the draft.

There was/is a rumor going around that the Redskins are willing to deal Ladell Betts (who happens to already have a sweet, 6 year/12 million dollar contract in place). I'm going on record as saying that if it turns out that the rumor is true, and the Ravens didn't try to get him, they made a big mistake.

As far as McGahee is concerned, he wouldn't have been my choice; I think the Ravens overpaid; but I'm glad Lewis is gone.

MIke, I can't understand why you would want Jamal Lewis back. Only 1 team in the NFL had a running game as bad as the Ravens-Arizona. 30 other games got more yards per carry than Baltimore. McGahee is an upgrade at RB.
Ogden says they should have run more, but the Ravens were 11th in carries per game, despite doing nothing with those carries. Lewis was a big part of the problem.
Given the history of 3rd round picks by the Ravens (Devard Darlng, Chris Redman, Jay Graham, David Pittman) the price seems fair.

What i like about Willis is the ability he'll have of running to the outside- something Jamal could never do anymore

Yes upgrade from Lewis- but the Ravens have had a history of "controlling" the heahaches on the team... Now that Ray Ray is getting older and he realizes that this is his last chance at a Super Bowl- there is no crap- no team separation like 2 yrs ago- and I think the players respect Billick a bit more after he took over play calling. I think this offense has the chance of DOMINATING- 2 solid RBs, and McNair's 2nd year should be more productive. McGahee will compliment this team- not be the hero.

While I like the addition of McGahee , I have to ask where this money is coming from? I mean the Ravens couldn't afford to keep AD but they can afford a $7 million a year RB?

Overall though McGahee is a fine upgrade at running back for the Ravens. He's younger, quicker and he can actually catch passes out of the backfield. So long Twinkle Toes. Enjoy spending your money in C-Town while your team goes 5 and 11. Any bets on how long it will be before Kellen WInslow and Twinkle Toes have a conflict?

The reason Jamal was the starter is because he is a "head case". It didn't come out until after the season that he was supposedly playing injured. It was always some excuse. But to keep him happy, he got to stay in there while healthy backs got shafted. I'm glad we won't be dealing with that next season.

why is everyone nuts about these 3rd rd picks? they are basically rd 4 picks... the pick they lose in 08 is on a player that will not bloom until 09 or 10 anyway. By that point we are majorly rebuilding. McGahee has about a 2-4 million cap number over the next three years. No one except Brett Farve ever sees the end of their contract. GREAT DEAL!!!

Mike you are totally off base in your jamal lewis article. Willis Mcgahee is better than Jamal in every phase of the game right now. This is a big upgrade. Have you actually watched Jamal run the past two years? Trust me trading away two 3 round draft picks aren't going to hurt this team. I think it is a good deal for the ravens. Adam Terry and Jason Brown have proved that they are ready to be full time starters on the line. Johanthen Ogden is not the coach, owner, or gm. He is a player. The team can't be concerned what he thinks about the moves. I also gaurantee you that AD leaving won't effect the defense. All the starting line backers made the pro bowl. Jarrett Johson is going to be solid. We will look back to this off season and see that it was pretty good. I know this and the ravens aren't even my favorite team. So I have an unbiased analyst.

Team age is an issue. Maghee is not my choice with attitude and moral issues. BUT...

This team needs to make a few other moves. I would have like to trade Reed with his comments, BUT now..... So that leaves us with the last head case Mason. Get the 3rd round back for him.

Needs for this team- 1. Is Boller near ready? Yes extend for 2 years. No, trade for what you can get. 2. O-Line is in desparate need. JO is not coming back. Need to concentrate on this in draft. Go away from best player and get best O-Line help. QB with no time and Running Back with no O-Line push and we go no where fast. 3. QB has to be next issue.
This team has some serious age issues. They tired out after game 13. It was obvious on McNair and Rolle.

Hey DNO, I don't like this deal either Doc. The Ravens organization is attempting to "hoodwink" and 'bamboozle' it's fan base with fluff. There is no substance here though! Buffalo even gave up on this cat after risking soooo much to get him with his bum knee...so after drafting a cat in the 1st round who won't even play for another year they turn around just 3 seasons later and say See you later???? Why were they so willing to get rid of this guy? Something tells me us Ravens fans will soon find out. Besides, Football games are won in the trenches so I ask what exactly has been done to upgrade that offensive line who will be blocking for Mr. 'Fluff' McGahee?? and Mr. '1good hit from being retired' McNair?? Casey Rabach is still probably scratching his head as to why they kept Flynn over him. Bringing in McGahee does nothing but keep the masses from abandoning ship (buying season tickets, PSLs, etc.). Meanwhile the Ravens have some serious flaws with their team that need to be addressed. Speak on it Mike!

I think willis is a decent back who's numbers have declined because he was unhappy in buffalo. He's been on the simliar slide that Jamal has been on, but we hope giving hiim 7 million upfront will change that?
I agree with Mike in that he's a risk and potentially not much of an upgrade. I hope I"m wrong but I'm thinking he looks a lot more like Eric Rhett than Jamal.

Good luck to Jamal and Thanks for carrying the worst offense in the league for most of his career.

To the people that still think we gave away too many draft picks for a good running back......

ESPN Reports.

Ravens can get four more picks: The Ravens may be down to four draft choices at the moment, but don't panic. They are expected to get four compensatory picks for the nine free agents they lost last year. The Ravens traded a fourth-round pick in this year's draft to acquire Steve McNair. They gave up a No. 3 and a No. 7 for McGahee. It's not out of the question for the Ravens to get a third-round compensatory and a fourth-round compensatory in their package. With no plans to sign any unrestricted free agents, the Ravens figure to get four compensatory picks next season, too.

So after reading that, we really didn't lose anything.

With all of this talk about AD and Jamal / Willis over the past few weeks, i think one of the biggest issues the Ravens have has been overlooked. Cornerback. Last year Samari Rolle was the one glaring weakness on our defense. He also happens to have a pretty hefty contract. Mike, what do you think the Ravens have planned to address that issue? Do you think they are hoping Rolle will bounce back, or are they planning on using him as the nickle and drafting a cornerback that could come in and start right away? If they are planning to move Rolle to the nickle, wouldn't some restructuring of his contract be in order...i mean, there is no way a nickle should be getting the kind of money he is due to receive. What say ye, Mike Preston?

Dang it seems like people are already through with McGahee before he's taken a snap. I love Jamal, but we all know that he wasn't hitting the hole quickly for whatever reason. The third round picks are tough to lose, but the Ravens always seem to find player, either through the draft or through rookie free agents like Holmes, Demps, Landry (5th), or find overachievers with motors like Gregg, Bannan, Scott. Every off-season its seems like the Baltimore sportswriters are so concerned about some move the Ravens make, but Ozzie and the staff seem to rise to the occasion.

McGahee is a good back and if we get the RT and RG situation settled than he could easily be a 1500 yard back. You have to remember he played in buffalo behind a horrible line that was basically a pitchers rotation no continuity in a o line equals no continuity in a run game

Where the hell did all of this love for Ladell Betts come from? McGahee is a big time back, at one point in college he was the MAN. He's put up good numbers in the NFL.

Ladell Betts? Why not bring back Jamel White and make him the feature back?

David Pittman, Devard Darling, Musa Smith, Chris Redman, Casey Rabach, and JayBird Graham...

With the Ravens history picking in the 3rd round... Have fun Buffalo!!!!

They build the team on rounds 4-6, thats why the Ravens have the best front office in Football...

Great deal Ozzie!!!
The draft picks are not a major lost. Name a current player(s) that is a major contributor to the current team that was drafted in the 3rd round? ANSWER: NOBODY!!!!

Willis will be gone before the life of the contract ends. The shelf life for most players is 3 years. Only your ICON players (FAVRE, RAY RAY, etc.) play until the end of their contracts.

As I said on a earlier blog, Jamal was a great fit for this team when the focus was on the run and the defense, but this is not 2000 anymore and the focus of the team is balance. Jamal thrives in the traditional two back setting and needs a powerful blocking fullback (a la Sam Gash, Ovie Mugheli) to get the yards. Willlis allows the team more be more versitale (more variety of runs, not just btwn the tackles) and maybe, just maybe we will see a screen pass or two on obvious run downs.

McGahee may be a head case, but he has 2 of his buddies from "The U" here to keep him straight.

For all of you guys trumpeting McGahee as an upgrade, have you actually looked at his numbers? I'm a numbers guy and 3.9 yards per carry isn't much of an improvement over 3.7 yards per carry. Are three draft picks that they could have used to fill other positions only worth 7.2 inches per carry, or half a yard per 3 downs? I just don't see the numbers adding up. I hear a lot of emotional, knee-jerk, rah-rah, great-deal, good-riddance-Jamal, gum-flapping, but not a lot of rational thought from a lot of the posters here. Show me the value, motor mouths.

So now what position should The Oz pick with the Ravens 1 and 2 this year? Here's a longshot: RUNNING BACK! Since the consensus on Willis is lukewarm at best and Mike and Musa do not seem to be in the longterm plan, Ozzie may very well spend a high pick on a back.

Where's Mel when we need him? How does he rate the projected picks in the late first and second round? The angst!, the anguish! What should we do???

Willis McGahee is definitely an upgrade. But is he worth giving up two 3rd round picks? I am not sure. I doubt if he has the "IT" factor to actually get into the endzone (He has only 24 rushing TDs in 3 years). Moneywise it is not a bad deal. It would work out to be a short marriage if he fails.

Ravens have a good team. But repeating last year's performance would be very difficult.

I agree the numbers do not look good, but McGahee was playing on a non existant offense, 28th in passing vs. Ravens being 11th, with little room to run. Travis Henry averaged 3.5 yds per carry in his last year with the Bills in 2004 and he averaged 4.5 with the Titans last year. What little I've seen of McGahee, he makes his cut and goes with no hesitation, when there is a hole. Jamal kept missing holes last year, either from poor vision or they would close before he would get there. I was not crazy about this move either, but I think he will average close to a yard more per carry than Jamal did last year. There is a big difference between 2nd and 8 and 2nd 5 or 6.

Mark, if you'd like to see the numbers (I'm the biggest numbers guy you'll ever meet) then you won't have to look further than the numbers who were in front of Willis McGahee in Buffalo - his offensive line. Go to google and type in "Buffalo Bills Depth Chart" and click on the first link. Now, I'll ask you to look along the offensive line and tell me if you can recall any more than 1 name along that offensive line. I know nearly every player, his height, weight, years played and position in the NFL but I only knew that one of Buffalo's offensive linemen existed (Gandy).

Ozzie must see something in McGahee's eyes. Remember, fans questioned the Ravens last off-season too, for letting Weaver go and "overpaying" to bring in Trevor Pryce ...

Mcgahee just never did it in buffalo. 3.9 per carry, never ran like travis henry, i like the draft picks we got from baltimore. after a while you just never felt he would hit that hole and take it all thew way, and he didn't

Mark,

Keep in mind that McGahee compiled those stats behing a poor Buffalo offensive line (worse than the Ravens), and beside a weak passing game (worse than the Ravens) where most defenses keyed on the run because they knew J.P. Losman wasn't a threat through the air.

With a worse group of players around him, McGahee put up better numbers than Jamal did. Give McGahee the (modestly) better offensive line and decent passing game that the Ravens have, and he'll do even better. He's got upside. Jamal was great, but his best days are in the past.

Mike- if you won the lottery, the first thing you would do is complain about the taxes. This deal is a no-brainer. Do you have any idea how many yards Jamal left on the table? No body could turn a 6 yd run into a 3 yd run like Jamal.

For Joe's edification -- Stats on Ladell Betts for 2006: Games: 16. Yard Gained: 1154/245 attempts. YPC: 4.7!!!!! Please show me when McGahee ever got anything close to that. Plus, Betts is NOT a head case. And Betts is getting paid almost HALF for 6 years what McGahee would get for 4. Any other questions, Joe?

This is for Big G and anybody else who thinks draft picks from the third round and higher aren't significant. This is a quick list, not even complete, of guys drafted in rounds 3 through 6 since 1999 that you may
recognize:

Musa Smith 3, Casey Rabach 3, Devard
Darling 3, Ed Hartwell 4, Brandon Stokely 4,
Demetrius Williams 4, Jason Brown 4, Jarrett Johnson 4, Ovie Mughelli 4, Dave Zastudil 4,
Edwin Mulitalo 4, Dawan Landry 5, Tony Pashos 5, Quinn Sypniewski 5, Adalius Thomas 6, Chester Taylor 6, Mike Anderson 6,
Kelly Gregg 6, Sam Koch 6, Gerome Sapp 6

Not to mention Bart Scott who was undrafted.

It happens every offseason. Reporters and fans of the Ravens think they can run a program better than the front office can.
Tehn shut their yaps when the moves pan out and move on to the next complaint.

Willis was a good back. Good, that's all. Not great. He was inconsistent and wasn't fast enough off the handoff to find the holes, and took too long in the backfield to make anything happen.

He's going to need a good, solid offensive line to spring him forward, otherwise, don't look for 1,000 from willis again this year. He's not all cracked up to be what his big ego says he is.

Just saw the Ravens press conferrence with Mcgahee. He thru his teammates for 3 yrs. under the Bus !!! That's 1 reason why the Bills "settled" for 3 picks from the B-Rays. And, he had some Hurricane alum on the team, too! He would've been a cancer this yr. Couple that with his frequent dropped passes; insistance on not knowing
'down and distance'; and even some plays and, well,
a sailor's farewell to him.

Oh, as far as Mcgahee being a head-case; we have a saying up here in the B-lo that was inspired by guys like him:
A WASTE IS A TERRIBLE THING TO MIND !

I like McGahee and it's quite possible he is the missing link or he is going to be a stud for the next 7 years. Ozzie has made some solid moves during his tenure so I would not spurn him on the move. However, I feel that the best running back in Buffalo since 2000 has been Travis Henry. Better numbers and better production. He is three years older but he would have been less money, less attitude and no draft picks. This wasn’t just a replacement it was a statement from the organization however I just don’t see the same back they see. Although his numbers don’t really stand out to me…he has the potential and did not have much of an offensive line or passing attack. Also, he was running against tough competition in the AFC East 3 times a year. The McNair trade from last year (Great move by Oz) caused B-more to lose a 2007 4th round pick, the McGahee trade causes them to lose a 3rd and a 7th as well, besides next years lose of another 2008 3rd round pick. The problem w/ the trade to me is it relinquishes younger possible potential successors to the veteran starters in place now. Too many trades like this and you cant stop the bleeding w/out rebuilding. A Henry, Betts, Duckett or Greg Jones (cheaper trade from Jaqs) seems a better way to go. Henry would have made statement and the others maybe the same but acceptable replacements.

I've seen the numbers, Skay... I would not take the best that he'll ever repeat those.

Maybe I'm wrong. I've been wrong on players before... But I feel like McGahee will have a better season than Betts this year.

I guess we'll find out after the season!

I just read an article about Ovie Mughelli in which he was quoted several times. What a genuine, intelligent class act he is! Just reading what he said showed me that he has more class and character than Lewis and McGahee combined. Count Ovie in as another player who, like Priest Holmes, was under-valued by the Ravens, but that didn't cause him to under-value himself.

http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/articles/2007/02/ravens-ovie-mughelli090207.html

Joe -- assuming that Portis is back to play a full season in 2007, I'd imagine that Betts would NOT have a repeat year, at least not in terms of total yards. But I would make a gentleman's bet that his YPC will be similar. He's a very good runner, with a very good attitude. McGahee, on the other hand, is a very average runner, with a very poor attitude. I've been reading way too many accounts from Bills fans across the Internet that all say pretty much the same thing. Getting McGahee was a poor decision as far as I'm concerned, even if the rumors about Betts being available turn out to be false.

EAZYE summed it up perfectly in 38 words. Reporters and readers think they can run the Ravens' offseason better than the Ravens management. Everyone makes a bad deal once in a while , but time after time the Ravens show us that they know what they're doing, and the critics seem almost disappointed.

it was time for a change jamal lewis best is behind him the ravens with that offense needed a running back with breakaway speed with that said the ravens should have continued to run the ball against the colts

If you look at McGahee from a purely "fantasy" aspect, his stats are comparable to Jamal's, maybe even worse. Let's hope someone up at Winning Drive knows what they are doing with this one!!!

Willis played with a crappy line in Buffalo, Ravens have a pretty good line. So wait till the season to judge willis, plus we got Reed and Lewis to keep him focused. :-)

i live in buffalo and i am actually a ravens fan and i can honestly say that i was upset by this trade. The ravens are getting a very average, breat up back, who got his butt kicked behind a terrible offensive line and who i believe who got what he wanted more than anything, just like most of the guys that come from miami...THE MONEY! Willis was right and wrong about buffalo, the night life hear certainly isnt like miami (not many places in the country are) but its still very good. Many felt that he needed to put part of his social life on hold and live up to being the back he was in college, but it just never happend here. I just think its bad for this ball club because i think we are getting a back who certainly cares more about his social life than his playing career. Hopefully that changes and he actually shows up to the voluntary off-season work outs because even though im not a huge fan, its hard to not follow the bills in this town and i know it was a standing joke up hear that "we will see you in july willis" after the end of every season.

Read what the city of his former employer thinks of this jerk:
http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/40822.html