Posts tagged MarkClayton at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

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.

You know, for all the discussions by certain segments of the internetosphere that the NFL is anti-Patriots, the Ravens would like to take this opportunity to strongly object. ESPN.com's Mike Sando had the great pleasure of being in Baltimore's locker room after the game and here's some of what he heard:

[Terrell] Suggs on officiating: "It's kind of the feeling of the 2001 tuck rule. It kind of feels like the tuck rule. That is the NFL for you, man. When they got a guy like that that is selling a lot of tickets, you want to keep him selling tickets."

[Derrick] Mason on officiating: "I'm going to take it back to last game. San Diego. Quinn Sypniewski runs down the field, runs into one of their DBs, we catch the ball and they call offensive pass interference. OK. Great. This game, same things happens. Randy Moss runs right into Samari Rolle. They call defensive pass interference. I don't understand that. One game it's called one way, the next game it's called another way. At the end, you have a phantom call. That's why it's hard to play and win a game when you are playing against more than just the best team in the NFL."

The Baltimore Ravens were so very close tonight but as Tony Kornheiser said just before the Patriots scored the winning touchdown, there was a tragic inevitability about their loss.

No matter how well Willis McGahee ran, no matter how much Kyle Boller defied expectations and no matter how late into the blustery evening they led New England, the Ravens never quite put to rest the sneaking suspicion that they would find a way to have the whole thing blow up in their face.

There was Ed Reed's fumbled interception near the end of the first half and Boller's interception at the Patriot 1 that ended a drive that could have put the game away in the third. There were the 11 penalties and the timeout called from the sideline on fourth and one just before stopping the Patriots short of the first.

There was the Patriot false start on the ensuing snap which negated another stuffing and the holding by Jamaine Winborne on fourth down in the end zone to give the Pats another chance. There were the two unsportsmanlike calls on Bart Scott on the winning touchdown which allowed the Patriots to get a touchback rather than deal with Yamon Figurs, who had broken a couple of swell returns earlier in the proceedings.

And then, finally, the catch by Mark Clayton of a Hail Mary two yards short of the end zone.

Oh yeah, there was Tom Brady with the ball in his hands of a winnable game with less than two minutes to play and driving toward their end zone, too.

Tragic Inevitability could be the title of the NFL Films video of the Baltimore Ravens 2007 season. As for the Patriots video, Undefeated remains the clubhouse favorite.

Just so there's no confusion, I'm referring to the Mark Clayton who plays for the Ravens, not the one who teamed up with Mark Duper for the Dolphins in the 80's. If you want to know what's up with him you'll have to look elsewhere. I'm wondering why a receiver who caught 67 passes for 939 yards and five touchdowns last year has become a forgotten man in the Ravens offense in 2007.

He's grabbed just 33 balls this season for a paltry 296 yards which illustrates how poor the Ravens are offensively. The explanation doesn't end there, however. The Ravens still throw the ball, they just only throw it to Derrick Mason. Mason has 79 catches so far this year and last Sunday he was the target on nine of Kyle Boller's first 12 throws. Mason is a nice possession receiver but if he's your go-to guy then your offense probably looks just as bad as Baltimore's.

The last two weeks give cause for putting Clayton's mug on a milk carton. Even though Todd Heap and Demetrius Williams have missed both games with injury, Boller has found Clayton just four times. The Ravens aren't so rich offensively that they can afford to ignore one of their biggest weapons.

To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is previewing all 32 NFL teams. Here's the outlook for the defending AFC North champion Ravens.

2006 record: 13-3

2006 Offense: After years of trying to groom a quarterback, the Ravens finally went out and acquired an established one. Steve McNair has lost a step (and a few miles off his fastball) since his co-MVP days, but Baltimore doesn't need a hero; they just need someone to -- wait for it -- manage the game. Mark Clayton emerged as the No. 1 receiver, and rookie Demetrius Williams showed enough promise that the team didn't scramble to acquire another wideout this off-season. The running game was a different story, however.

2006 Defense: Historically, the Ravens' defense has carried this team, but in 2006, the two units were well balanced. First-round nose tackle Haloti Ngata drew double-teams all season, which allowed Ray Lewis to make plays closer to the line of scrimmage. Bart Scott, a former undrafted free agent, continued to make a case for the best linebacker on the roster, while Adalius Thomas played his way into an nice payday with the Patriots. And Terrell Suggs, Chris McAlister and Ed Reed played exactly as expected; Samari Rolle, not so much. But rookie safety Dawan Landry was a pleasant late-round surprise, snagging five interceptions.

Huh. And to hear Willis McGahee tell it, the Bills were the problem. In two preseason games the former U star has rushed for 23 yards on 10 carries. Of course, it's hard to draw conclusions from basically two quarters of work, and if it's any consolation for Ravens' fans, the team isn't worried:

"I'm very pleased with what Willis has done," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "A back has to get into a rhythm. To expect 150 yards in a quarter is a little hard to fathom."

Okay, as much as I hate to do this, Billick's right ... at least that last sentence, anyway. But as the Baltimore Sun's Jamison Hensley writes, Baltimore's running game is still an issue, if for no other reason than it was pretty abysmal last year. According to Football Outsiders, it ranked 24th in '06, and, yes, part of the problem -- Jamal Lewis -- is now in Cleveland. Fair enough.

But it's not like McGahee was O.J. Simpson in Buffalo last year either. Ultimately, I think the Ravens' offense will be fine this season. Steve McNair -- as long as he's healthy -- solves a lot of problems, and Mark Clayton and Todd Heap reliable downfield targets that should open things up in the running game.

The biggest question right now is the offensive line. It's young and inexperienced (although Jon Ogden is set to return for the regular season), but has the potential to be the team's strength in the next few seasons. That doesn't do much for McGahee right now, but, hey, you can't have everything.

The Baltimore Ravens' offense has been a joke for most of head coach/offensive mastermind Brian Billick's nine-year tenure. That changed last year, when the team acquired Steve McNair, and things might get even better in 2007. Running back Jamal Lewis is now in Cleveland, replaced by Willis McGahee. One of the league's best fullbacks, Ovie Mughelli, is also gone, which means that Ravens had some decisions to make about their offensive scheme.

In years past, such choices included Jamal Lewis handoffs, and short passes from Kyle Boller to Todd Heap. Now there's Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams, and five young offensive linemen who have a chance to be pretty good in the next few years.

[Lewis] was part of a two-back offense stuck in neutral. So when fullback Ovie Mughelli left for Atlanta, the Ravens started thinking in a different direction. Two tight ends. Three wides. Four wides. One back. "This is a new beginning and a new start," said McGahee, "This is going to be like the old days at (the University of) Miami. Teams can't put nine in the box here..."

A few years ago, nobody would've believed the Ravens could field an offense capable of scoring more than 10 points. It's amazing what a savvy, veteran quarterback will do for a team, I guess.

The press descended on the Baltimore Ravens for two reasons on Thursday: First, to take a harder look at a team that was so quiet in the preseason nobody expected it to start the season 4-0; and to ask questions about return man B.J. Sams, who was arrested on the Baltimore Beltway early on Tuesday morning for DUI -- an arrest that may result in a four game suspension from the league for a second violation of its substance abuse policy.

Despite the arrest, Sams, who is second in the league in kickoff return average, will keep his starting job through Monday night's game in Denver against the Broncos. Then again, head coach Brian Billick didn't let Sams get off easy with the press:

Asked if he had taken Sams into his office and scolded him, Billick said, "I'll go back to the Chris Rock example: 'You never disrespect someone and hit them, but you would sure like to shake the [expletive] out of them.'"

The Ravens actually have a good track record of trying their best to help out players who run into trouble off the field. Over at Ravens Central, Mike Preston hints that Sams' troubles run far deeper than just alcohol, and the team is ready to give him whatever help he needs.

When it comes to the effect on the field, if Sams is suspended, starting wideout Mark Clayton could do double duty on both kicks and punts, but does anybody really want to use a starter in that role after the way we saw Jason Sehorn's career ruined in a preseason game against the Jets? Preston seems to think running back Cory Ross might be a better bet if Sams is no longer an option.

On Sunday morning, I wrote about how Ravens head coach Brian Billick was considering whether to shift gears, and have his players introduced individually before the home opener with the Raiders this week. Why all the fuss? All preseason long the team had been introduced together, Patriots-style, eschewing the treatment the defense used to get starting around the time of the Super Bowl run in 2000.

What was Billick's solution? Instead of bringing out the defense, Billick had the offense introduced, which allowed the hometown fans to deliver a roaring welcome to new starting quarterback Steve McNair. Unfortunately, considering the team's offense sputtered, McNair completed less than 50% of his passes and managed to toss his first interception of the season immediately after a Raiders turnover, it wasn't long before the cheers turned to boos for McNair.

Which leads to the next question: What the heck is wrong with McNair? Sure, the Ravens are 2-0, and McNair doesn't make the same sort of mistakes that former starter Kyle Boller used to make. Still, McNair is overthrowing receivers and throwing balls in the dirt. Here's what Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun had to say in yesterday's weekly Q&A:

[S]o far, here's the differences between McNair and "My Man" Kyle. McNair has better pocket awareness and anyone can see that this team plays with more confidence with McNair in the lineup. As far as accuracy, there isn't much difference. Boller threw balls to the opposition, McNair throws them in the dirt. With that said, you expected McNair to have a slow start. The Ravens signed him late, and he is learning a new offense. Regardless of if he has been around since Moses, it takes time to learn where your receivers are going to be. Basically, McNair gets a free pass up until the midseason.

Fine as far as it goes, but Preston points out another problem: Play calling. In particular, he thinks the Ravens aren't fully utilizing either Derrick Mason or Mark Clayton, and that offensive coordinator Jim Fassel needs to add more screens and slant-ins, as well as more quick hitters over the middle and some hitches to the outside. And for those of you who wonder out loud if McNair can actually throw long, don't worry. The Ravens run a version of the West Coast offense, and those sorts of passes are simply not in the playbook.

As we've noted before, the 2006 edition of the Baltimore Ravens are looking suspiciously like the 2000 edition of the Baltimore Ravens. Not that that's a bad thing if you're a fan. After all, 2-0 is 2-0, is even if it is a soft 2-0 in the NFL. Then again, if you're counting on any Ravens to produce on your fantasy football team, yesterday's game was simply another chapter in what may very well be a season-long tale of frustration.

Let's start with the good news. Admittedly, there isn't much:

The defense is as terrifying as it ought to be, with sacks, fumble recoveries and interceptions piling up everywhere in the first two games. Ray Lewis is back, but Adalius Thomas and Bart Scott have proven that there's more to the linebacking corps besides Ray-Ray. We knew Ed Reed would be OK, but Chris McAlister's resurgence has been a nice bonus. Terrell Suggs got his first sack of the season and so did Trevor Pryce. Here's hoping you picked up these guys early. Sunday even saw them grab two points on a safety. On special teams, B.J. Sams has been ordinary as both a punt and kick returner, though in fantasy football we ought to admit picking up points there is generally considered to be gravy.

Sure, the offense might be sputtering, but Matt Stover hasn't missed a field goal that counted since last season. He'll keep piling up the points, and deliver at least a few more games like yesterday's where he puts more than 10 on the board all by himself.

Now the bad news:

While Steve McNair might not make mistakes, he's not exactly lighting it up either. He's yet to throw for more than 200 yards in a game, and he only has a pair of touchdown passes. And while he's a great leader in the huddle, it makes absolutely no sense to put him in your fantasy lineup unless you have no other choice. And at levels of production like this, he's pulling all of his receivers down to his level too. Derrick Mason might be worth a look as a third WR on a fantasy squad, but Mark Clayton has no business being on anyone's roster. And Todd Heap, even though he may have caught a touchdown in yesterday's game, looks to be dragged down as well.

The running game is equally perplexing. In a way, the situation is much like Denver in that the ball is getting spread around in the backfield between Jamal Lewis, Musa Smith and Mike Anderson. The problem is that while you could count on at least one Broncos back having a decent performance every week, the Ravens backfield can't boast the same. Even worse, Brian Billick looked more than happy to lift Lewis out of the Ravens goal line package on second and third down in favor of Smith. The result: Both Smith and Anderson got into the end zone yesterday (though Smith's touchdown was called back on a penalty), while Lewis just couldn't get his blockers to open up any holes for him near the goal line. The good news: Lewis is still a little dinged up, and if he can heal helped along by Billick using him more gingerly, that might mean bigger games down the road.

As a whole, the offense still looks like it's in training camp, as they committed a number of motion and procedure penalties. You might be able to get away with that in Baltimore against Oakland in September, but you won't be able to get away with it against Pittsburgh or Cincinnati on the road in January. If this team needs to get into a shootout, a real possibility with the Bengals, they'll be seriously behind the eight ball.