Player moves
If Byron Leftwich is willing to come here as a No. 3 quarterback and take the appropriate salary, then it's a great move for the Ravens and Leftwich. There aren't many teams in the NFL that can pull a No. 3 quarterback off the bench with his skill level and experience. Plus, if he doesn't play much this season, it might help him. For one, it allows his battered body to heal. Two, he can learn the game from Steve McNair. Like Kyle Boller, Leftwich was rushed into the starting lineup and had to get on-the-job training. In a league in which it is hard to find a team with one decent quarterback, let alone two, the Ravens could have three.
The Ravens made a great move by keeping kicker Rhys Lloyd. He's like a little secret weapon. I don't know how accurate he is, but he has a strong leg. He could pin teams in the hole with his kickoffs, and with the Ravens' great defense, they could win a lot of field-position battles. He kicked that 55-yarder against Atlanta. He might come in handy this year with those long field goals. The Ravens have been known to struggle offensively, but if they get to the other team's 40, and if the conditions are right, they can call on Lloyd. He'd be even more of a weapon in a dome stadium.
Adam Terry looks so much better at left tackle than on the right side. He is so much smoother, and seems more sure of himself. He also ran well when the Ravens asked him to pull. Rookie Marshal Yanda didn't look bad on the right side against the Falcons, but he still has a ways to go. A little more quickness will help.
Comments
Mike - I know the Ravens are working Jared Gaither out at left tackle, but wouldn't it be wise for them to try him at RT? He played that position last year in college and he has the size to excel in run blocking. Based on last season, when JO missed the 2 final games, Terry looked good at LT, and now he looks a little lost.
Posted by: Greg Winter | September 4, 2007 1:39 PM
Mike,
You're right on the money with your assessment of Leftwich. He probably does need time on the bench to learn.
He would make a great addition to this team and I really believe that Boller is not coming back.
Besides, the Ravens were looking hard at drafting Leftwich in 2003 and what's wrong with coming "home" a few years later?
Posted by: jacool | September 4, 2007 2:21 PM
Do we have any plans on Clarence Moore returning? I know he hasn't been the greatest WR for us, but I always thought he had more upside then Devard Darling.
Posted by: Jerry Pruchniewski | September 4, 2007 4:09 PM
I cannot shake the feeling that if we let Boller walk away we will regret it for a long long time. We have invested a lot of money and time in him.
Posted by: lewesjim | September 4, 2007 7:51 PM
The problem with trying long fields is that the other team gets the ball at the spot of the field goal if you miss.
So if you get to the other team's 40 yd line and want to try a 57 yd FG (40+7 yds at the spot + 10 yds for the end zone) and you miss, the other team gets the ball near mid field (on their own 47 yd line).
Thats a lot of field position to give up when you have the Ravens defense. A punt even in to the end zone puts them back to the 20 and requires 3 first downs to get to mid field.
Unless its late in the half or at the end of the game its not worth the risk.
Posted by: Rich | September 4, 2007 8:32 PM
Great. Leftwich.
Lets just keep muddying up the QB position with another shoulda-coulda scenario.
Boller is inaccurate, has poor pocket awareness, and can't make all his reads, step up in the pocket to alude the rush...he hasn't that "calmness" to make plays under duress...he might be a decent QB on first and second down, but who isn't? The starters around the league need to make big plays on third down to keep their jobs. I think the ravens should have Boller throw deep downfield as much as possible when pressed into service. On third and ten, look for a deep ball to Williams...if its 40 yards downfield, who cares if its intercepted?
Leftwich, wow...Mcnair stays healthier than that guy...his release is too slow...he is too immobile...and he would be one of the worst athletes on the team. Sorry, but a strong work ethic comes from within, and he doesn't have it. Do you really think ex-ravens James Harris and JAck Del Rio would have dumped him like that if he had potential? Oh, well the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree.
I like Troy Smith. He's a winner. He says all the right things to the press. He is probably the best QB on the roster at making plays on the run. And at 6'0 tall he is the same height as Drew Brees - who only went to the Pro Bowl last year.
Posted by: doug | September 4, 2007 8:32 PM
Mike,
Your right about Lloyd as well. That 55 yarder looked like it could easily have gone another 10-15 yards. Daryl Johnson couldn't stop talking about it for 20 minutes...
Posted by: Kevin B | September 5, 2007 1:08 PM