A Philly Newspaper is reporting that the reason the Eagles didn't get a shot at Jason Brown is because the Rams contacted Jason Brown's agent Harold Lewis before the free agency period began. If the Rams talked with Brown's agent about Brown before free agency period began than we could get draft picks from them. Lets hope this is true. Too bad we won't get their first round pick haha but I would take their 2nd round pick because it would be one of the first few in the 2nd round

Especially since the Ravens offered him less money than the Falcons.

All of us are thinking the same thing. Why pay so much? He's one guy that would have taken a hometown discount.

Don't be a downer Mike. Geeze, day 2 and you're already finding something negative to write about our newest Raven?

Go mike, Say something that's positive for a change. " with a defense like the ravens Foxworth can cover or even be able to bump the reciever " Not like Rolle playing off 10 yards!!! Be Positive, it's a better story

This guy is better than C-mac and his bad knee and better than rolle only healthy 50% of the season... he 's younger, quicker and a true baltimore player... Cant' wait to see him flying around near ed reed...

Supply and Demand, right?

yeah, even then it might have been a bit too much... You gotta believe that this free agency period has destroyed most of that selfless attitude that was oozing out of the locker room last season.

But I find solace in thinking that, if we have two solid cover corners, and neither present a liability in man coverage, then that just gives Ed an second to hawk before he needs to commit to providing help, or frees up Landry to blitz more.

But then again, there's a reason that I'm not D-Coordinator.

Samari was getting beat some, and we need another good, young DB (remember, besides Ed Reed last season, we had to play 2nd stringers most of the season) since Dawan, Samari, and Chris were down hurt alot. Forgive Ray, Mr. Preston & Baltimore, because salary negotiations get heated up at times. Get his agent for BS-ing Ray, Ray.

Ray, you're Baltimore's icon: think about a better annual contract this time .. you were "only" getting $7 million+ per season average; not the $8 million average salary you are offered for 3 more years ain't bad. ($8 million > $7 million) Futuristic: could be a Ravens' future coach. Keep the peace ..

Face it: the Ravens love you, as well as the fans ...

Me too.......hopefully our young draft picks from last year learned something also......

I feel the same way.

I also agree they paid too much for a guy that hasn't proven or established himself in the NFL. This deal may come back and bite the Ravens in their butts,
Why didn't they try to trade for a Litto Shepard or an establish corner back with more of an upside. Have they really improved their secondary, I don't think so, I just think they have gotten younger and added less experience, If this is an indication of what to expect this off season I will start planning my gardening events for Sunday afternoon's now.

Yeah Preston I actually agree with you here, it was outrageous money to give Foxworth and I'm iffy on the signing as well. Yes, he will help them but is he really a starter? I hope it works out but the Ravens should take a CB in like the 2nd round.

Ravens expect him to live up to the contract. That is why there is so much money involved.

If it wasn't the right thing to cut McAlister why did they do it? I feel they knew going into the offseason what to expect with the cornerback situation.

Couldn't agree more.... never heard of him until yesterday and now he is one of the highest paid db's in the league... he must really be smiling...

Totally agree Mike, we overpaid.

I think what we are seeing is the turnover of the team to Harbaugh. Many of the veterans are at their peak or begining the downsides of their careers, and Harbaugh doesn't really have much allegiance to them. He got one great season out of them, but they all knew it was time to move on. Expect more players to leave in the next few years.

Foxworth looks like a CB that is on the verge of developing into a premier corner. While I agree that we may have been able to get him a little cheaper a year from now we wouldn't be able to touch him at that salary. The same was said about Fabian Washington when we traded for him and he developed into an excellent CB. For us to move so quickly on him, Ozzie obviously studied lots of film of him and knew what he was buying. I think it was a great move!

In Ozzie I trust. Ravens are banking on Foxworth blossoming in Bmore.

If you haven't heard of Foxworth then you probably don't follow the NFL outside of Baltimore. He is young and has the physical abilities to be a strong CB.

Every season we go through this. People second guessing our front office. Even though, they are regarded as one of the best in the league.

Preston, the armchair GM.

This is a great signing. The Ravens needed a corner, and they locked up a 26yo speed guy for $7mil a year. When this year's other "established" corners have lost a step, this guy will be 28 and at the top of his game. Fine price for a good starting corner.

I do think they could have signed him for less but he could turn into another Jim Leonard with the Ravens . They have to do what they can to sign Leonard , he's too valuable and if Landry has any after effects to his injury we wished we still had him . As for Lewis , offer him the same money that he made with his previous contract and I'm sure he'll accept it after being shunned by the rest of the league.

The people in Atlanta don't feel the same way. Foxworth was a pleasant suprise who started after week 10 and played real well. He was considered a priority signing because he was the only standout on a weak secondary.

Preston pessimistic? Since when? Mike, who else is going to play that spot? No answer. Pay the dude.

Mike is right - overpaid for sure. There are about 5 mid tier CB's on the marktet that could be gotten next week, next month for much less and about the same production. Really surprised me - OZZIE reached here

I never agree with you Mike but for once we are on the same page. I saw him play at UMD and never thought he could be a shutdown corner. He may be fast but his cover skills are weak. I usually believe in the "trust ozzie" mantra but I think he finally made a bad deal. Its too late to go back but I wish we could erase this deal

Mike, still don't understand why you haven't taken Ozzie's job. Even Antia liked the deal, what's happening Mr. Cheer.

M Maske of the Was Post blames this signing on D Hall. Says his deal inflated the CB market and that Atl and Mia offered Foxworth more.

I agree they overpaid. I'm not suggesting that he's not going to play and live up to the level of his contract, but what has he done so far to say he's worth $7MM a year? I think that's far above his market value.

I rarely question Ozzie's decisions and rarely agree with Mike, but I too think that price was too steep. I think we'd have been better off trying to hold on to Brown or Scott with that money. Even if they see a talented CB in this guy, is he really worth that much being pretty much unproven?

I guess that means we're drafting a receiver.

It's $3 million per year after guaranteed money.

Not a bad deal, and with the way FA's are paid these days you can't expect to find productive players for cheap.

Not a bad deal at all and it's good to have a physical corner on board.

The Raven's front office only overpaid if Foxworth doesn't perform on the field. You may not be that impressed with his body of work thus far, but he's going to be playing for the Ravens. Baltimore's defense has a way of making players look REALLY good. This signing could indeed turn out to be a waste of money, but I think you need to give it some more time before declaring it so.

Obviously the scheme the Ravens D will employ requires speedy cover corners. If you wanted to find an available counterpart to Washington, this guy would be your first choice. You have to pay for your first choice in NFL free agency.

I remember this young man from middle school and he is a hard worker, smart, and has incredible desire. He comes from a family that instilled the best in him and we will see this in 2009. Kudo's for the ravens in bringing a great story to Baltimore!

Mike -
Did Ozzie not nail every single free agent signing in 08?

You were the one who brought the house down on Bisciotti for stating the Ravens wouldn't franchise Lewis. And now?

You've covered Ozzie long enough to put some faith in his decision making process, haven't you?

Or do positive comments from a non-players perspective sell less newspapers?

I trust Ozzie and while Foxworth did not start that many games, he should have been starting. Maybe a little too much money but with CB options slim, maybe they felt they had to.

I really don't care how much they pay him as long as he can cover Hines Ward.

We did overpay for the guy who was a 3rd round pick and traded for a 7th rounder.

At least we didn't pay over a $156 mil for 2 players with attitudes like the clown Snyder. The other owners better start hauling him in because he is killing the league. Since I can't stand the Redskins I love it because it hurts them in the long run but it will hurt the Ravens when they try to sign Ngata

I'm just surprised b/c there are a lot of good cb's we could've gotten in the first round of the draft, that would have been cheaper and maybe better. But maybe they have other plans for that draft pick. At least on picking defensive players, I trust Ozzie.

Hey "Debbie Downer" lighten up. I was shocked that Atlanta got foxworth for a 7th round pick, but worst case scenario... foxworth will replace the versatility of Leonard.

It's amazing how many people on here know more than Ozzie. No thanks, I'll stick with Ozzie.

While I really think Foxworth will do fine here, I was surprised at the amount we had to pay to get him. Even more so, was the fact that the Dallas Cowboys traded CB Anthony Henry to Detroit for their old QB Jon Kitna. I liked Henry. Furthermore, the Eagles traded Lito Sheppard to the Jets for a fourth and another conditional draft pick. Both those guys would have done just as well as Foxworth. Oh well, if it fits into our cap, then it's not my money.

I went to school with Foxworth. Great guy. Natural-born leader. He'll be active in the community. And before we dismiss him as being a lousy player, remember, he spent the first couple years of his career playing behind some darn good cornerbacks in Denver. I think he's good enough to be a No. 2 corner, and I would venture he's an upgrade over Rolle.

This will turn out to be a bargain, he is going to be a big time impact player. I have watched him since college and he has improved every year. Sit back and relax.

FOXWORTH WILL HELP RAVENS MORE THEN MAC&ROLLE PUT TOGETHER. BOTH WERE PART TIMERS ANYWAY. FOXW HAD MORE MINS. THEN BOTH TOGETHER LST YR.

Lito and Henry are on the downturn.

I went to Western with Foxworth and the guy is a class act with the smarts and physical talent to excel in our D. What pass rush did Denver and the falcons have? Awesome pickup by Ozzie and the front office and I'll get at training camp with my foxworth jersey to catch up on 8 years of our lives. Welcome back to Bmore fox!

It must be tough in pro sports to get old when you see young, inexperienced players being offered nearly twice as much as you make as a veteran. I don't see Foxworth teach much to other players at this point in his career. Kinda feel bad for Rolle... he's a standup guy that propably teaches a lot to the youngsters.

TYPICAL ARTICLE NEGATIVE ALTHOUGH YOUWERE RIGHT IN ABOUT LEWIS MOST RECENTLY

WHO IS GOING TO BE YOUR MOLE IN THE CLUBHOUSE THIS YEAR?

Foxworth will be a great complement to Washington. Teams with more than one go to receiver like the Colts had will no linger have it so easy.

And to the idiot that said Foxworth's cover skills are weak and wasn't that good at U of MD go back and watch the tapes. The guy was one of the best corners to ever play at MD and is a solid tackler.

i went to high school and college with that dude!!! Besides that, bad signing.

There was no overpaying Foxworth. Top cornerbacks are hard to come by, and the Ravens are a team looking to consistently go the the playoffs. After M. Jenkins and V. Davis, the corners in the draft have question marks. The receiver position is deeper with more talented players. I believe will go after TE B. Pettigrew this year, since Heap was a "no show" in crunch time.....

Keep in mind, Foxworth did take a hometown discount (as he was offered more elsewhere, i.e. we aren't the only ones who thought he was worth $$$$).

Remember, this is the same Preston who wanted to trade for Marvin Lewis last year, which is dumber than a Al Davis - Dan Snyder convention.

In Oz We Trust.

Foxworth seems expensive but with the Ravens system he will do just fine. Remember a good pass rush makes CB's look better than they are. And I include Hall, Cromarti et al in this opionion. Look at Washington. After leaving that disaster of a team Oakland, he was arguably the best CB we had. The Ravens CB's are young and will be solid for years to come. The Ravens are strong at the Safty position and have some impressive young linebackers. We heed to get youger at the d-line. Maybe next year.

Hey Ozzie,
Get off your backside and sign Suggs to a long term deal!! He deserves this. 2 Years in a row and you cant get something done? Good thing you pulled Joe Flacco out of your hat last year or I would think we should have went after Pioli!
You want to spend a fortune on Ray and you can't get a deal done for Tsizzle??? Give Ray a year to year with a production incentive that would trigger a second!

Ozzie says he is on the "upswing", so, assuming twizOoz is a better talent evaluator then we are, let's trust him - for now.
As for Ray Lewis, did a Raven's insider really say "he couldn't cover a dead man with a blanket"? Whether or not that is true, they should take Ray's money and trade up to pick Aaron Curry - the next RayLew. This season will be a transitional one on D anyway re new coach, no Bart or LJL, soooo ... now is the time to have a "thanksforthememories" dinner for Ray and cut the cord!!! His hurt feelings will be detrimental to his desire - and maybe even his health.

Mike, when are you up for free agency. I m looking forward to it. Lets see. Who do I trust more Mike P or the OZ. I ll go with Ozzie. Lets sign Ray now and I ll feel much better about this off season. GO RAVENS!!!

You obviously have not seen film on him in Atlanta, Mike.

I'm normally a big supporter of yours, but I couldn't disagree more here. Combine Foxworth's speed with his off the field contributions around the community and this is an excellent sign! We finally have the speed at the corner position to compliment our pass rush and Mr. Reed. I can't wait to see this team player light it up for years. Way to go Ozzie!!!

Mike,
I have to diasagree with you. Foxworth is a top cover corner. He has had injury problems, but when healthy,there are not ten better in the league. Besides that, I believe in Ozzie. He has not made too many defensive personnel mistakes.