No Wilson, Who’s Next?
The main school of thought was that the Ravens were going to bolster the cornerback position by re-signing one of their own unrestricted free agents – i.e. Josh Wilson or Chris Carr.
With the reported three-year, $13.5 contract that Wilson inked for the Washington Redskins yesterday, take his name off the table.
The next logical step?
To cornerback Fabian Washington, another unrestricted free agent who isn’t expected to re-sign with the Ravens, Carr would be it.
"I’m happy for Josh," Washington told the Times. "That’s a pretty good deal. I would think the Ravens would try to get Chris back, but you never know in this business."
That’s essentially what Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun predicted.
In a recent ranking of Baltimore’s UFAs – as far as priority to the Ravens – Carr was listed a step behind Wilson and just above backup quarterback Marc Bulger.
Wrote Hensley: “There are plenty of reasons for the Ravens to keep Carr. He’s smart, dependable and versatile. But it’s assumed that the Ravens won’t be able to bring back both Carr and Wilson. Another snag is Carr wants to remain a starting cornerback if he returns to the Ravens. The Ravens can’t guarantee that.”
True, Carr’s strong 2010 campaign, in which he started all 16 games and posted a career-high 67 tackles, established him as a legitimate starting corner.
But he could be thrown into a crowded situation with Domonique Foxworth, Lardarius Webb and first-round draft pick Jimmy Smith battling for the first-team slots.
If the Ravens don’t go after Carr – and Wilson is reporting that the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets are interested – there are still several options available via free agency, so all hope is not lost.
Sure, every Ravens fan wants the team to pursue Nnamdi Asomugha, but take a look at some of the other free agents out there.
Cincinnati’s Johnathan Joseph, Detroit’s Chris Houston, New York’s Antonio Cromartie and Carolina’s Richard Marshall represent just a few of the highly-rated talents on the open market.
It’s a deep position this year, one that doesn’t end with Nnamdi and Wilson.
Critics Already Fire Back At Flacco
It didn’t take long for the talking heads to fire back at Joe Flacco after the Ravens quarterback made some strong statements on Wednesday.
For those that weren’t following along on BaltimoreRavens.com, Flacco struck back at the numerous haters who criticized him this offseason.
Flacco was measured in his statements, but it was obvious he had something to say.
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“I don’t play this game to be average. I play this game to be the best, and it doesn’t matter what other people say, I think I’m pretty damn good," said Flacco, who, by the way, has led his team to three straight playoff appearances in his first three seasons and is the Ravens’ all-time passing leader already.
Sure, Flacco hasn’t won a Super Bowl yet, but his toughness, leadership, stats and record should speak for themselves.
That didn’t stop NFL Network analysts Jamie Dukes and Warren Sapp from chastising Flacco mere hours after he met with Baltimore reporters.
Sapp went so far as to disparage Flacco for saying what he did when he hasn’t hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
“You can’t stand in front of the world and say that if you no hardware, you have no championship runs, you have no Super Bowl… anything!” Sapp wailed.
So I guess that means Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and Fran Tarkenton can’t say they think they’re good either, right? They never got rings, but they do have Hall of Fame busts.
I liked the Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg’s take on the media session.
“For the most part, he looked the same, albeit maybe a bit thicker in the shoulders,” Van Valkenburg wrote. “And he sounded the same. But it was like talking to a different person. There was a genuine swagger to his answers. This was not a wallflower quarterback, mumbling his answers and perfecting the art of boring. This was a man who had just spent an entire offseason listening to people take little shots at his game, and now it was time to get something off his chest“
Quick Hits
- Former Ravens wideout Donte’ Stallworth had some nice things to say about his old team after signing with the Redskins, according to the Carroll County Times. "I had a great time there with the guys I really appreciate Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh for giving me a shot. I won’t be too far from the guys, so we can grab lunch some time,” he said.
- Wideout Justin Harper is ready for training camp, according to his Twitter handle @8Harp2: “Day 1…."What more can I say" #Starving“
- So is @RayRice27, except he’s correct on the exact day: “Back at it day 2 #trainingcamp“
- Here’s an update on former Ravens practice squadder Chris Pino, who is playing for the Spokane Shock of the Arena Football League.
- @LeRonMcClain33 summed it up pretty well: “Man I think today is gonna be busy for everybody…. #NFL“