A couple of days ago, Ryan Wilson told us a story about how he once wrote that Baltimore Ravens defensive end Trevor Pryce, at the age of 32, was not capable of running a 4.5 40-yard dash. Soon after making the post (seen here) he received an e-mail from Pryce himself, challenging him to a race. Personally, I would have accepted the challenge, knowing full well I'd get crushed like a grape, simply because it would have made for a fantastic story. But, different strokes for different folks.
Anyway, that story was the first thing I thought of when I saw this over at On Frozen Blog, in regards to Dmitri Kugryshev's call-out of a poster at Hockey's Future for questioning his weight training routine. The actual comment was, "less blogging, more weight training."
"I have seen that some Capitals fans - you know who you are - have suggested that I should stay in the gym instead of writing a blog. Are you right? May be. But we all have a right to have our own opinions. So, let me explain. I have been in the gym every single time when I am not playing. I am not the "bang 'em, kill 'em" type of forward. I think I am a scorer. I have said in the past that I do need better conditioning, but I still have a right to talk. Or write. (yes, I am talking to you, BrooklynCapsFan)..."
That is awesome on so many levels. BrooklynCapsFan, you've really done it this time.
Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.
Meet The ... House that Brian Billick built! WOW! Everyone bask in the ambiance of the offensive machine he left behind. What? The almighty offensive guru that built the late 90s Vikings offense couldn't turn around the Ravens putrid O in nine seasons? Billick went through more quarterbacks than successful offensive games, and now John Harbaugh has to start over again, with the introduction of rookie QB Joe Flacco.
The Breakout Most people are going to jump on Flacco as the QB upon whom to gamble late in the draft, and those same people will expect Kyle Boller to get the snaps if Flacco doesn't. Enter Troy Smith. Obviously I'm not saying Smith's gonna be a stud, but I'm calling him to get the most starts of this bunch. That's worth a gamble in the deepest leagues -- the ones where about 45 QBs are drafted -- especially with a new coaching staff not wanting to over-expose Flacco early in the season.
By and large, you won't find any real "breakout" gem on this team, though.
Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.
Meet The ... House that Brian Billick built! WOW! Everyone bask in the ambiance of the offensive machine he left behind. What? The almighty offensive guru that built the late 90s Vikings offense couldn't turn around the Ravens' putrid O in nine seasons? Billick went through more quarterbacks than successful offensive games, and now John Harbaugh has to start over again, with the introduction of rookie QB Joe Flacco.
The Breakout Most people are going to jump on Flacco as the QB upon whom to gamble late in the draft, and those same people will expect Kyle Boller to get the snaps if Flacco doesn't. Enter Troy Smith. Obviously I'm not saying Smith's gonna be a stud, but I'm calling him to get the most starts of this bunch. That's worth a gamble in the deepest leagues -- the ones where about 45 QBs are drafted -- especially with a new coaching staff not wanting to overexpose Flacco early in the season.
By and large, you won't find any real "breakout" gem on this team, though.
A deal with the Ravens seems unlikely because of Taylor's age, salary and his tenuous relationship with Cam Cameron, the Ravens' offensive coordinator who coached the Dolphins last season.
Baltimore hasn't ever shied away from signing older players to big-money deals, and frankly, previous administrations didn't seem all that fazed by the player-coach dynamic, either. But Harbaugh isn't Brian Billick, and he doesn't seem interested in giving the slightest indication that the inmates could run the asylum.
That said, I don't think Taylor and Cam Cameron wouldn't be able to co-exist. It's not like he's T.O., circa 2005. Taylor is, by all accounts, a good guy, and before this whole weird, dancing thing, a team leader.
But the Ravens already have Ray Lewis for that (no way two guys can lead the pregame "Any Dogs in the House?!?"), and Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce to play defensive end. There's no real need for Taylor, particularly since he's expected to make $16.5 million over the next two years.
The days of the fat quarterback appear to be numbered: first Jared Lorenzen is replaced by that dreamboat, Mittens Carr, and now Steve McNair up and retires. The obvious reason for McNair calling it quits is because he's been beaten to a pulp for 13 consecutive seasons, but the decision may have more to do with his weight than his health.
According to the Baltimore Sun's Mike Preston, the oft-injured 35-year-old had every intention of coming back for 2008, but new head coach and resident hard-ass John Harbaugh might've had other ideas. Indirectly, anyway:
Harbaugh scheduled minicamps almost every other week throughout the summer. He wanted regular attendance by players during the offseason weight-lifting program. He wanted McNair to lose weight because he had ballooned to 250 pounds since the season ended.
There is a new work ethic on the Ravens, and McNair basically said yesterday, thanks, but no thanks.
McNair has never been known as a practice guy, but one Titans coach told Preston that "there is not one player in the league I'd rather have on my team on Sundays. That's when he puts on the Superman cape." Which, apparently, needs to be let out a little in the neck.
It's hard to blame Harbaugh for doing exactly the opposite of what ultimately got Brian Billick fired. And if toughening up minicamps and training camps gets the team a little younger in the process, well, that's not all bad either. Derrick Mason, Samari Rolle and Trevor Pryce probably disagree.
NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.
The Baltimore Ravens have already taken their first step toward 2008. John Harbaugh is the new coach and brings with him the expectation of a more disciplined team that takes better advantage of its resources. Some have argued that this team is close to playoff position but, truthfully, change is needed to restore this team to the level of a contender. As it has for years, the major obstacle for the Ravens to overcome is at football's marquee position. 1. Quarterback – Elvis Grbac. Randall Cunningham. Jeff Blake. Chris Redman. Kyle Boller. Anthony Wright. Steve McNair. Those are the men who have started at quarterback for the Ravens since Trent Dilfer won Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. Other than McNair in 2006, not a one of them has done anything to earn a second season on the job, and McNair went down in flames in year two. Boller didn't embarrass himself at the end of this season but he didn't do anything to warm the cockles of your heart either.
Billick was Boller's biggest champion and we don't know who will be running the offense in 2008, so it's anybody's guess as to who will be under center.
Here we are, Week 12, and the Ravens are 4-6. Last year at this time Baltimore was 8-2 and on their way to a 13-3 season. Now, though, head coach Brian Billick is under fire, and the team is suddenly showing its age. So does this mean it's time to blow things up and start over, or just add a few pieces to bolster an already solid core of young players. I'd lean to the former, but Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston thinks it's the latter:
The offensive system, not the team, needs to be overhauled, or history will repeat itself. It would make no sense to pick a quarterback high in the first round of the draft to put him in a position of almost guaranteed failure.
But once the Ravens make a decision on the system, then everything else seems to fall into place. The Ravens need a young quarterback, one who can develop behind a promising offensive line.
The Ravens will have to try and run the table without one of their leading pass rushers. Trevor Pryce, who already missed five games with a broken wrist has a torn pectoral muscle and, according to Brian Billick, will "very likely" miss the duration of the season.
Pryce had 13 sacks for the Ravens in 2006, his first in Baltimore, and has two in his limited playing time this season. The Ravens defense has been besieged with injuries this season which has made them a less aggressive and less threatening unit than in past years.
Dwan Edwards took over the starting role when Pryce went down in Week Two and while he's proven capable of stopping the run he doesn't have Pryce's penchant for the big play. The Ravens will likely give rookie Antwan Barnes more of a look in the next six weeks and if the duo proves adept enough Pryce could potentially find himself a salary cap casualty after the season. He's 32, the Ravens have depth with Kelly Gregg and Haloti Ngata and could be moving in a different direction after this rough campaign winds up.
Kyle Boller couldn't have asked for a better matchup for his return to the starting lineup. The Browns are defensively deficient which plays into both his strengths and weaknesses. His strong arm could find exploitable holes in coverage while his poor decisions might not turn into disasters because of Cleveland's mediocre D.
Unfortunately he won't have a full complement of weapons at his disposal. Todd Heap will miss his fourth game of the season and Demetrius Williams joins him on the inactive list for today's game.
Theoretically, that means a lot of work for Willis McGahee. A commitment to their offseason acquisition has been slow in coming but today would be a good time to start. The Browns are weak on the run and McGahee hasn't been ground down by overuse. Of course, with Brian Billick calling the plays they will probably throw more than ever.
The Ravens defense will also be shorthanded. Samari Rolle's lost season continues as the cornerback is once again inactive because of his lingering, undisclosed illness. Trevor Pryce is also back on the sidelines after playing the last two games. They'll miss his pass rush skills while trying to keep wraps on Derek Anderson.
Every NFL team has now played eight games, meaning the season has reached the halfway point. So this week we're presenting our NFL FanHouse Midseason Midtacular.
Biggest Baby on the Ravens nominees:
Brian Billick, head coach If Billick spent as much time finding a competent offensive coordinator as he did making excuses for why the Ravens have yet to master the forward pass, he'd be a lot less likely to lose his job in, oh, say, eight weeks. Baltimore makes the turn at 4-4, even though they had the league's easiest schedule. Now they'll face the Chargers, Colts and Pats in the second half of the season, before a Week 17 matchup with the team that did this.
Ray Lewis, linebacker Here's what Lewis told the media following the 38-7 shellacking at the hands of the Steelers on Monday night:
"The beautiful thing is that we lost to Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh at their home ... Big deal. You are supposed to win those games at home. Bottom line, now those same teams have to come to Baltimore. For me, football season is just getting started."
Uh, didn't the Ravens win 13 games last season with basically the same personnel? Now losing on the road in the division is acceptable. Way to raise the expecations, Ray-Ray. Sorry, No Photos
A couple of days ago, Ryan Wilson told us a story about how he once wrote that Baltimore Ravens defensive end Trevor Pryce, at the age of 32, was not capable of running a 4.5 40-yard dash. Soon after making the post (seen here) he received an e-mail from Pryce himself, challenging him to a race. Personally, I would have accepted the challenge, knowing full well I'd get crushed like a grape, simply because it would have made for a fantastic story. But, different strokes for different folks. 
Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. 
NFL Offseason Roadmap
The Ravens will have to try and run the table without one of their leading pass rushers. 
Kyle Boller
