Posts tagged DerrickMason at FanHouse

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: The position has been an issue in Baltimore since, well, the club moved from Cleveland. Brian Billick turned out not to be such a smart guy, after all, which explains Tony Banks, Elvis Grbac, Chris Redman, and Kyle Boller. Second-year player Troy Smith showed promise during a brief stints last season, but Joe Flacco is the team's newest franchise quarterback. Now it's just a matter of getting him up to speed on running the offense. Heat Index: 4

Running backs: Letting Jamal Lewis walk after the 2006 season was a no-brainer, even if he had a resurgence of sorts with the Browns. Willis McGahee is more than capable when healthy, and rookie second-rounder Ray Rice should see plenty of action. Heat Index: 7

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.

Even though they dumped an offensive "genius" from the head coaching spot, the Ravens could come out with a much more aggressive offensive style in 2008. Word from this weekend's minicamp is that new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is seriously considering using three wide receivers in the team's base formation.

There's a couple of reasons why that's a curious choice. For one, the presumed trio of Derrick Mason, Demetrius Williams and Mark Clayton combined to score five touchdowns in 2007, all by Mason, and struggled to gain yards after the catch. Mason did catch 103 passes while the other two battled injuries and all three had to deal with some of the worst quarterbacking in the league but it's not a unit that strikes a lot of fear into the hearts of opposing defenses.

That quarterbacking problem is the other reason it's an odd direction. A spread formation would require quick, well chosen passes and I don't think anyone expects that kind of production from Kyle Boller. Troy Smith may have those skills but he's untested as is first-rounder Joe Flacco. Flacco's arm strength is his strong suit but he may not get to show it off in an offense predicated on timing not verticality.

Assuming they work out those issues, though, Willis McGahee would benefit from such an alignment. A spread out defense should offer him space to maneuver and help avoid the grinding that takes a toll on his body.

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.

For the most coveted job in the NFL, the Ravens sure are having a tough time finding a head coach. Jason Garrett turned down the opportunity to succeed Brian Billick and opted to stay in Dallas as an assistant coach, but with a substantial raise.

While the Ravens move on, the the Baltimore Sun's Mike Preston is left to wonder where it all went wrong. And in the process, takes a few shots at Garrett:

Garrett got his money, but he basically looks like a fool around the league. All he had to do was go to Jones in the first place, demand the increase and not fly around the country, putting on this dog-and-pony show. I hope he has good success in Dallas because owners around the league have long memories. They won't forget the charade he just pulled.

Garrett is young, and has been an assistant coach in the league for only three years. His lack of experience showed during this entire process.

Translation: "I wrote that the Ravens job was prestigious and now I look like a clown thanks to Jason Garrett. Damn him."

Because this is the NFL and not, say, the NBA, you fully expect the Ravens to come out against the Steelers this afternoon and play to win.

Sure, Baltimore has lost nine straight, and have just about everybody on injured reserve, but maybe because there are only 16 regular-season games, each one carries more import. Or not, who knows. Whatever, Baltimore is tired of losing;

"You want to get a victory any way you can," wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "I might even go up to the scoreboard and change it."

But here's the thing: as the Baltimore Sun's Jamison Hensley writes, "a victory would be more like a loss for the Ravens (4-11), considering the draft implications.

If the Ravens win today they'll probably fall to the No. 8 pick. If they lose, there's a small chance they could be selecting second behind the Dolphins, although it's more likely that the three three-win teams (Rams, Jets, Falcons) remain in front of them on the draft board.

To get you ready for week 17, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Pittsburgh Steelers/Baltimore Ravens preview.

2007 Records:

Pittsburgh Steelers: 10-5 (AFC North Champions, hosting game Wild Card Weekend)
Baltimore Ravens: 4-11 (Last in AFC North)

Last Week:

Steelers 41, Rams 24
Seahawks 27, Ravens 6

When the Steelers have the ball: The Steelers have nothing to play for this week which is a good thing. They are mighty banged up on offense and will take the free week to rest Ben Roethlisberger and get Najeh Davenport fully integrated as the starting tailback. Marvel Smith won't be at left tackle, Hines Ward probably won't play that much and anyone else of import will likely be shackled to the bench before the game is settled. Even without so many of their stars, the Steelers should be able to score points. The Ravens won't have Chris McAlister or Samari Rolle and will probably not push ailing players like Ray Lewis, Kelly Gregg or Terrell Suggs too hard in a meaningless game. That should mean plenty of opportunities for Davenport and Charlie Batch.

Wednesday night, FanHouse's Michael David Smith shared the news that NFL VP of Officiating Mike Pereira believed that the crew working Monday night's Ravens-Patriots game acted properly. The league backed up that affirmation today by fining four members of the Ravens for violating rules "prohibiting the abuse of game officials."

Bart Scott will take the biggest hit to the wallet, $25,000 for verbal abuse and for throwing a penalty flag into the stands after the Patriots scored the winning touchdown. He spoke with the Ray Anderson, the league's executive VP of football operations, on Thursday, and seemed contrite in comments today.

"We both came to the conclusion that I made a bad decision, but he understood the emotion and took that into consideration the emotion and the moment. It's definitely something for me to learn from and grow from and be an advocate speaker for great conduct."

Derrick Mason, Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle were each slapped with $15,000 fines for "publicly questioning the integrity of the officiating." Mason and McAlister went out of their way to promote the notion that the league and the officials were working to ensure a win for the Patriots. Rolle's fine is more interesting, as his major complaint was that Phil McKinnley called him "boy" several times during the game. Regardless of the merit of his allegations, it would seem the league felt he went too far too publicly in making them.