Along with misidentifying himself as an offensive genius, one of the biggest complaints about Brian Billick in Baltimore was that he ran easy camps and practices. Perhaps he was more concerned with how he came off on HBO documentaries than preparing his team for battle but, whatever the reason, the Ravens never had a reputation for intensity in the offseason.

Today's practice session, then, was a sign that there's a new sheriff in town. John Harbaugh's boys spent a good chunk of Saturday fighting with each other during the team's minicamp. Defensive tackle Amon Gordon and rookie offensive lineman Oniel Cousins exchanged punches, touching off a brawl that included all 85 players and took two minutes to work itself out. Then defensive backs Corey Ivy and Frank Walker came to blows during a blocking drill.

In neither case did the coaches appear to be too interested in breaking things up, reports the Associated Press. Rex Ryan, the defensive coordinator, was seen laughing, in fact, and Harbaugh didn't sound like he saw anything upsetting out on the field.

"We had a good practice. Our guys are competitive, they like football, it's going to happen. I think as they realize the tempo of the practice is going to stay the same, it will probably happen less and less. They're a feisty bunch."

Feisty's good but undisciplined attempts to show toughness aren't. The latter's been a problem for the Ravens, so maybe it's good they're getting it out of their system now.

The Ravens started minicamp yesterday with a handful of questions. Will Joe Flacco be the starter next season? Will Jonathan Ogden be back at left tackle? And would Ray Lewis's expiring contract create any issues between team and linebacker?

It's too soon to know about Flacco and Ogden didn't show up but we got our first hints about Lewis's mindset.

"That [contract] stuff is irrelevant from what we're trying to do now. Whatever we're trying to do as a team, that's the focus. If we keep that team concept there, then that team concept stays there. If you start talking about individual, that means nothing. Everybody knows this is a business and everything will take care of itself. I'm just excited to be back playing football again."

While contracts have never been a real problem with Lewis in the past, the whole team-first concept is a new hat for him to wear. He's never shied away from slamming his coaches or offense when he felt it warranted. Often, it was warranted, but Lewis has always made it clear that he did what he thought was best for him, not the team.

It wouldn't be surprising, then, if Lewis's contract did become an issue at some point before the end of the season. Baltimore has promised to outspend other suitors for Lewis's services but he might want them to prove it.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is heading into the final year of his contract, and Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting that he and the team are far apart in negotiating a new deal.

And that makes me wonder if Lewis is heading into his final year with the Ravens. Lewis turns 33 next week, and although he's still a decent player, he's nowhere near the kind of dominant linebacker he was five or 10 years ago. And although Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has said he expects Lewis to be a Raven for life, he isn't likely to want to pay Lewis like a star.

So if Lewis can find a team that will pay him like a star, he could leave in February or March of 2009. Mike Florio wonders at Pro Football Talk whether the Cowboys -- who currently have Lewis's little brother under contract -- might be interested. If it comes down to a bidding war between Bisciotti and Jerry Jones, I'd bet on Jones to fork over more cash.

Our worst fears have been realized: Brian Billick, easily the smartest person he knows, will share his gift for hollow analysis with the nation; he'll be a game analyst for FOX next season (the in-studio gig is so beneath him, right Steely McBeam's illegitimate father?).

I'm praying for a Joe Buck pairing because there's nothing I enjoy more with my football than unabashed pomposity. Billick got his feet wet last weekend, working the draft for the NFL Network and boring thousands into comas, but, as ProFootballTalk points out, the former Ravens coach has been preparing for this moment for most of his adult life. Some 30 years later and still sexy as ever. Rodney Harrison knows what I'm talkin' about.

Baltimore Ravens 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (18): Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware
Round 2 (55): Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers
Round 3 (71): Tavares Gooden, LB, Miami
Round 3 (86): Tom Zbikowski, S, Notre Dame
Round 3 (99): Oniel Cousins, G, UTEP
Round 4 (106): Marcus Smith, WR, New Mexico
Round 4 (133): David Hale, T, Weber State
Round 6 (206): Haruki Nakamura, S, Cincinnati
Round 7 (215): Justin Harper, WR, Virginia Tech
Round 7 (240): Allen Patrick, RB, Oklahoma

The Good: Ozzie Newsome pulled off the best deal of the entire draft when he got two threes and a four to move down to Jacksonville's spot in the first round. It gave him the ability to go and get whoever he wanted as evidenced by the deal back up for Flacco in the first round. I'm not sold on him but it was a bold move to get the guy you wanted. Gooden and Zbikowski will help a defense that's getting old and both should make Rex Ryan a happy man when he sees them in action. While neither Cousins nor Hale figure to start, they'll both add depth to a young, intriguing line.

The Bad: The Rice pick got rave reviews but I'm not a fan of it. Rice is tough as hell but he'll need to show a lot more as a receiver and pass blocker to make up for subpar physical tools. Neither receiver will offer much help to Flacco or whoever precedes him as the team's quarterback, though Smith gets high marks for special teams work.

The Ravens starting cornerbacks last season, Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle, are both in their 30s and on the downsides of solid careers. And behind them, well, there isn't much. Both players were injured last season and Baltimore was forced to go with Derrick Martin and Corey Ivy with predictable results.

And with 2006 third-rounder David Pittman not progressing as hoped, it makes perfect sense that the Ravens would pull the trigger on a chance to not only add depth, but find McAlister's or Rolle's eventual replacement: they traded a fourth-round pick to Oakland for 2005 first-rounder Fabian Washington.

Washington does come to the Ravens with some baggage. He learned last week that he would avoid prosecution for his February arrest on a domestic battery charge as long as he completes a program for first-time offenders.

At least he didn't murder anybody, I guess. Baltimore still used the draft to address the defense, taking University of Miami linebacker Tavares Gooden with their first third-round pick, and added Notre Dame safety/boxer Tom Zbikowski 15 selections later.

Gooden could be the next Ray Lewis assuming Lewis ever retires, and while there doesn't seem to be an obvious place for Zbikowski on Baltimore's defense with Dawan Landry and Ed Reed firmly entrenched, he immediately upgrades the coverage teams and could be valuable in nickel or dime packages.

One of the storylines heading into Day 2 of the NFL Draft is that the Ravens, after trading out of the eighth pick, moved back up to No. 18 to grab their latest franchise quarterback, Joe Flacco. FanHouse's Josh Alper, like most of us, is skeptical of the selection, but NFL Network's Mike Mayock is here to assuage your concerns, Ravens fans accustomed to mediocre quarterback play.

Here's what he had to offer during this morning's Total Access recap/preview show:

"I had some people make comments to me last night, 'Why did they go back to [the] 18[th-overall pick]? Did they really need to get [Flacco] like that? Come on, how good a football player is this guy?'

Let me put it in perspective: Brady Quinn -- everybody thought was a top-10 pick last year -- Brady Quinn, as far as physical skill set, can't carry his jock."

Um, yeah, Brady Quinn disagrees.

Mayock, apparently not actually referring to junk-grabbing abilities, adds: "[Flacco] throws the ball naturally, he's got Pro Bowl potential all over him. Now, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron: it's on you, pal." And if it doesn't work out, just blame Brian Billick.

For years, Brian Billick has shouldered the blame for the lackluster quarterbacking situation in Baltimore. From Elvis Grbac to Kyle Boller, every misstep was put on his well-coiffed head and, ultimately, all the blundering led to his firing. But, in the wake of the team's selection of Joe Flacco with the 18th pick of the first round, I wonder if Ozzie Newsome doesn't deserve to share some of the blame.

I'm not saying Flacco won't develop into a good quarterback, although I do think it will be quite a while before we have a chance to make that determination, but it's a really curious choice for a team with such a big need under center. He's got a huge arm and he's got prototypical size but he's also coming from a shotgun offense that played against inferior competition.

It's hard to figure out what made the Ravens so jumpy to trade up to get him. Chad Henne's got a huge arm as well and has four years starting against guys who will be in the NFL and one or the other was going to be there at 26, so I'm curious to hear what tipped the scales so heavily in Flacco's direction.

A good athlete with a cannon for an arm, Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco is viewed by some as the quarterback with the best long-term potential of any in this draft. The Ravens evidently like his potential, as they first traded down, and then traded back up, to get into position to draft him.

Flacco won't be ready to start as a rookie -- he's a project -- but the words I kept hearing about Flacco from scouts and coaches at the combine were, "He can make every throw." That's a good thing for Ravens fans to hear, as he's their quarterback of the future.

Previously on FanHouse:
Peter King: Ravens Have Their Eye on Chad Henne to Fill Quarterback Spot
Chad Pennington to the Ravens? Draft Week Rumor Mill Churns Out a Doozy
FanHouse Mock Draft: Baltimore Ravens Select QB Matt Ryan No. 8
Are The Ravens Going to Take a Quarterback in the First Round?

There's an old saying that goes when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. That's what the Ravens did with their trade down in the first round this afternoon. They didn't have enough to go up and get Matt Ryan, but that doesn't mean that quarterback stopped being their biggest need. And it doesn't mean that quarterback was their only need.

They have to address a replacement for Jonathan Ogden, regardless of his return for this season, they need to get deeper in the secondary and they need to start preparing for the overhaul of a team that's not getting any younger. Now, thanks to getting two third-rounders and a fourth from the Jags for the eighth pick, they're in position to do whatever they'd like for the rest of the process.

I'd guess that that will still begin with a quarterback. Brian Brohm, Chad Henne and Joe Flacco are a tightly bunched second tier of QB's and the Ravens should be able to pluck whichever one they like, either by staying put or using their gains to jump back up a bit and nab their guy. Give credit to Ozzie Newsome for recognizing the value of the eighth pick whether it's used on a player or to create the chance to add several players.