Whasup Ravens family, it's your favorite red-headed bastard 2nd cousin that you love to hate back again spewing his crap all over the friggin place.

Seriously though, it's unfortunately looking more and more like it's a good idea to think about the future of our favorite franchise instead of dwelling on what is.

So let's take a look at what is as well as what could be, shall we? While some here may still think that Kyle will one day turn some sort of corner after 5 years in the same system on the same team, it's becoming more and more obvious that it'd be a good idea to have a 'plan B' just in case.



The Ravens drafted QB Troy Smith in the 5th round of the NFL draft. And although he won the Heisman which signifies being college football's most impactful player, it seems that the only thing that anyone remembers of Smith's final collegiate season was the meltdown in the championship game.

So here's a little sampling of what it is that everyone saw in him before that game, so that we all can gain a little levity on what this kid is capable of:

Youtube video of Troy Smith’s Heisman Season, Y’all musta 4got!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjAwMpBKQXU

Watching it again makes you realize that he didn't win the Heisman just because he knows how to smile for the camera. He's actually a talented player who's earned everything he has gotten his entire life.

While no one's gonna write this kid a pass for the way he performed both in that game and all the way up to when he was drafted, one thing he can't be accused of is not being a fighter and a winner.

Smith started off as a slash sort of player at OSU playing returner/RB/QB/you get it and did everything that was asked of him. Determined to excel at QB, he beat out a stellar crop of talented QBs (including Justin Zwick, the nation's top recruit) to emerge as OSU's starter midway through his sophomore campaign. Zwick was last seen broadcasting high school football games in Cleveland, Ohio.

We all know of his 54TD/12 INT ratio he was able to post during his following two seasons as a starter, along with an undefeated season (up until Tebow and Co. got in dat arse in the Championship game) and of course the hardware he's got on his shelf and accolades that come with that.


Here's what Ravens Scouting Director Eric DeCosta had to say about him after the Ravens drafted Troy Smith:


“I love his poise. He’s got a leadership to him that is unique at his position in college football. He’s respected. He’s got an absolute cannon for an arm.

We think he’s got a lot of upside to help us and emerge as a backup quarterback at some point and maybe more than that."
And here's what Coach Brian Billick had to add to that:


“Troy’s story should not be about where he ended up in the draft. The story is how he came from being a part-time running back to a part-time quarterback to beating out one of the nation’s most highly-recruited players.

He then guided his team to two Big 10 Titles and a place in the [2007] National Championship game. This young man has a presence. He is going to do well on and off the field.”
As you can tell, he's used to digging his way up from obscurity and making people pay attention to what he can do. His biggest asset is his ability to show he's special once he's given a chance.

The main thing that most experts harp on is his height. Others simply refer to his implosion in the championship game with the nation watching. Mostly it's just opinions of blowhards who just don't think that he can be a good QB without providing anything more than circumstantial evidence to that effect.

We've all seen through history that height isn't the determining factor as to whether a guy is or isn't going to be successful in the NFL. You can't tell me that just because a guy is 2'inches shorter than another guy that this automatically qualifies the taller man as to being the better QB.

Guys and gals, Troy Smith is arguably a short 6'1, which is either as tall as or only 1 inch shorter than these players who at one time or another have had success in the NFL as mobile quarterbacks:

Steve McNair: 6`1- 230pds
Mark Brunell: 6`1- 217pds
Jeff Garcia: 6'1- 205pds
Michael Vick: 6'0- 215pds
Kordell Stewart: 6'1- 212pds
Donavan McNabb: 6'2- 240pds
Steve Young: 6'2- 205pds
Jeff Blake: 6'0- 203pds
Jake Plummer: 6'2- 212pds
Drew Brees: 6'0- 209pds
Troy Smith: 6'1- 225pds

What it boils down to is this. You can't measure the heart of a player by inches or miles, a player either can or can't play at a high level. PERIOD.

Here's what some experts thought about this young man's abilities:

Troy Smith
OSU
6`1- 225pds/ 4.65-40


Smith finished his Buckeyes career 25-3 as a starter, including a 10-2 mark against ranked teams and a 3-0 ledger against rival Michigan. The “x” factor has completed close to 70% of his pass attempts and has only thrown 6 picks while tossing almost 30 TD passes in 2007.

Troy has been gifted with a big arm, arguably the strongest in the draft, as well as very quick feet and great overall athleticism. His field vision and ability to read coverages is also far superior to what you'd normally expect from an athletic-mold QB.

He also possesses a very quick feel for pressure, and can ably use his legs to get away from it and create plays. Smith's arm is also one of his great strengths-literally. It is both strong and very accurate, as he proved both throughout his senior season and at OSU's pro day.

Has a quick release and gets good velocity on short and medium passes even if his feet aren’t totally set. Has the ability to take a couple of quick steps out of trouble, reset and qet a quick pass off, also throws well on the run has good accuracy on the deep ball.

He’s very patient, reads the field well and takes what the defense gives him. Patient in the pocket, stands strong under pressure and displays excellent field vision. Consistently finds the open wideout, looks away from covered receivers and goes to the safe underneath route if nothing else is available.

Noted for his composure, leadership and big-play prowess, his strong and accurate arm, he is also elusive and has a scrambling ability to keep plays alive. Unlike past years though when Smith was most likely to simply take off, last fall he had been keeping his eyes downfield and had been throwing much more off the scramble.

His ability to create when pressure is in his face and make accurate throws on the run gives him the unique ability to consistently turn a busted play into a big gain play.

Considering that the Ravens offensive line is seemingly in a state of flux more oftentimes than not, being able to make plays both from standing in the pocket and on the move when protections break down seem to be an asset the our offense can use right now until the line can gain some stability.


Bottom line, you don't want what's happened to Cleveland to happen to the Ravens when it comes to their QB play. It paid off, but it was a very expensive lesson they learned.

First, they sold the farm to move up in the draft to get Brady Quinn, right in front of the Ravens no less.

Next, they had Charlie Frye-itis. He bombed terribly, Anderson stepped in and played well and the rest in history.

The thing is, in order to keep Anderson they're gonna have to pay him what he's worth and that's not cheap to say the least.

When Anderson's agent squeezes the Browns for every cent they've got, they'll either have to pay him or trade him and if they trade him, especially if he does well in the post-season, the fans just might burn that stadium down to the ground!

This all comes from one simple mis-calculation. They didn't take the time to see what they had instead of thinking that their only solution is either through FA or the draft.

All I'm sayin is that due the 'The Anderson Effect', it would be an unfair injustice to not at least give Smith a chance to prove himself. You just don't know what a player can or can't do until he's under fire, so put him to the test and see what happens.

We all know what happens when you evaluate a guy based on his measurables rather than his output. You wind up trading up to draft a 'you know who'.

A kid who's got the size, athletic ability and the arm to throw a pass 50yds down the field through the uprights on his knees but folds like a lawn chair when he's put under pressure.

I don't know who'd find that impressive, there are very few jobs that you can impress me with that involve to doing something 'specacular' while on your knees.

Anywho, I've griped on enough about this whole thing. All I'm sayin is that considering that this may well be the worst year of football in Ravens history with zero chance of having any success that matters, why not give the kid a shot at either proving to the world that he either has what it takes, or not.

Just my opinion.-Pro-