Ravens Sign FB Lorenzo Neal

[RavenScallywag]

sounds like Neal's addition will be mainly to add a better blocking FB. McClain is showing tailback like abilities, so Neal should help to 1) mentor McClain, 2) give our offense a power package where Neal is FB, McClain is HB, and 3) Provide some depth to get McClain some rest or injury insurance.

[deuce]

yeah, I didnt really think of it from the perspective that he will help in pass protection with our depleted O-line.

[psuasskicker]

I made fun of it, cause I think we've got bigger needs than FB. But I've always loved this guy. No idea how much he's got left in the tank, but I'm sure glad he's here...

- C -

[purplepoe]

Ozzie is all over a 37 year old FB yet he dilly dally's over a tackle that we desperately need?

Neal's fine and all but where exactly does FB fit on the list of priorities for this team.

Obviously higher than I thought.

PP

[highwater]

Ozzie is all over a 37 year old FB yet he dilly dally's over a tackle that we desperately need?

Neal's fine and all but where exactly does FB fit on the list of priorities for this team.

Well, Neal was available -- I agree that the OL looks dangerous right now, but who is out there for Ozzie to pick up for the OL? Maybe there is someone out there I don't know about, but my impression is that there isn't much to choose from (barring a trade).

I'm worried about the OL too, but Neal seems like a good pickup.

[Tspot-D-Ravenator]

not bad, Neal understands Cameron's system;)

So I think that Neal is a good pick-up! He's a great pass/run blocker and Lord knows we're going to need help on the O-line!
:grbac: The blindside tackle situation skeers the living daylights out of me And it probably skeers the daylights out of coach Harbaugh and coach Cameron too ...So I think that Neal is a good pick-up! Therefore, being a brilliant offensive coach, I believe Cam Cameron will use many different mass-protection schemes with Neal and other pinch blockers, especially in passing plays, until we get our tackle situation rectified...just a hunch ;) I just hope Neal, McGahee, Price, McClain, Heap and Wilcox doen't miss their asignments and I'm sure our QB's hope they don't either :grbac:

[UKRavenStockers]

Ozzie is all over a 37 year old FB yet he dilly dally's over a tackle that we desperately need?

Neal's fine and all but where exactly does FB fit on the list of priorities for this team.

Obviously higher than I thought.

PP

List of available OTs according to NFL.com's Free Agency page:
- Anthony Alabi
- Anthony Clement
- Nat Dorsey
- Wayne Gandy
- Brandon Gorin
- Stockar McDougle
- Tutan Reyes
- Barry Stokes
- Tyson Walter


Basically a whole heap of stuff that's not a lot better than what we've got now. To my mind if Gaither and Terry aren't both ready, I realise the FO and coaching staff clearly don't want to mess with their interior trio who it seems they want entrenched for the long term, but Marshal Yanda is the best right tackle on this team and I think he can contribute more to the stability of this line out there than he can at right guard if the injury problems persist at tackle.


It also says Sean Locklear is unsigned but I'm certain he's re-signed and is in camp with the Seahawks, can't imagine someone who started 16 games to a pretty decent standard last year would be unsigned this deep into camp.

[RavinDonnie]

Well, Neal was available -- I agree that the OL looks dangerous right now, but who is out there for Ozzie to pick up for the OL? Maybe there is someone out there I don't know about, but my impression is that there isn't much to choose from (barring a trade).

I'm worried about the OL too, but Neal seems like a good pickup.

The Redskins managed to find themselves a pro bowl DE when theirs went down...why can't Ozzie find a serviceable tackle? He hasn't been able to find a right tackle for the last decade..always seems to be right player wrong price with Ozzie. The Welborne fiasco sums it up perfectly. Yeah they signed Searcy and that didn't work out, does that mean you never sign a good right tackle again?

Tired of the excuses with Ozzie. There are always two or three positions completely ignored which could easily be that can be filled with cheap veterans. Just like he did with Neal at the least important position on the field, FB.

Like the Neal signing, would have loved Chris Henry, Welborne, or one of the 5 million backup TE's and rb's that are better than what they have.

Ravens say McClain is out of shape, very overweight doesn't work hard and they are going to move him to running back?

[RavenScallywag]

Yes, the Redskins gave up at least one pretty high draft pick to grab an older Pro Bowl DE. So you're saying we should start shopping some picks for next year to get a T from another team? Wouldn't it make more sense to just piecemeal together an OL and use that draft pick to TAKE a T prospect?

Starter worthy OTs are a good commodity in this league, that's why you don't see them being shopped very often. One name that was brought up about a possible trade is Khalif Barnes....not exactly stellar, he'd just be a serviceable stop gap starter. The reason we haven't made the move is that Slaughter appears to be putting it all together to provide us those services.

Even if he wasn't, ok I'll take the hit...I don't want to be like the Redskins and just start throwing our draft picks and the like around to put in a piece we need for 1, maybe 2 years. If we're making a trade, I want a guy who will be in place for at least 3 years. And let's face it, any LT who could be a decent starter for the next 3 years is well liked by their current team and probably would command a pick not worth their value.

As for your Chris Henry comment...."Here's your sign..." (Any Bill Engvall fans out there?). Henry would be a nightmare off the field and would totally negate his worth on the field. How long do you think he'll stay out of trouble here before the NFL imposes a year long suspension? Especially when he's going from Cincinatti to Baltimore, which I would venture to take a wild stab, probably has much more crime, thus more likely for him to get into some stuff he shouldn't be doing. Plus, have you seen how our WRs have played in camp/preseason? Ok, they're not totally on point yet, but Smith and Harper are starting to show some flashes. Figurs even had some good looks at WR. Clayton seems to be going nowhere, but Mason looks to be dependable this year as our possesion WR. We just need one of our other WRs to step up to be a stretch the field type WR. If Figurs refines his WR skills more, he could be that guy. I reference the Boller pass to Figurs where he was one on one with the DB, but slowed down at the end of his route and got no separation. He gets separation, see you later, 6 points.

[Mike B]

He is OLD... But I guess he can step in right away.

I'll consider it a pretty nice pickup.


Tony and 24x7 called this a day or 2 ago

Forget old. He is tough. We need tough. He may help toughen up the offense.

[ravenjoe]

Since we're tapping into the active adult community for fullbacks, anyone know if Sam Gash is available?!?!!?

[awalt]

Well that's a little harsh. First, multiple injuries at a position decimate any team. Show me any team that has two quality backup tackles that could start if the starters go down. There are none. Look especially at our competitors in the AFC North, they are way thinner than us on the OL for backups.

The reason is you can't have deep depth everywhere - you pick your positions based on where the injuries are. This is because there is a thing called the salary cap which prohibits the Ravens from trading for a quality OT which may cause them to cut TWO quality players, one to pay for the cap space for the OT and one to pay for the accelerated bonus that gets charged when the qst player is cut. Salary cap woes can get nasty.

The Ravens stocked up at LB, where we went into the season with a history of injury (3 of our LBs were on IR last year), plus older LBs (Lewis), plus players we would have to sign to lucrative long term contracts by next year so we can't keep them all (Lewis, Scott, Suggs).

The Ravens stocked up at TE, where injuries decimated us last year, and the best two guys were coming of long-term injuries (Heap and Wilcox), plus we lost another TE in mini camps (Sypniewski).

The OL was stocked with young guys with potential. This was a move made to solidify the line for a long time, given the young age of the players. Terry has been serviceable as a LT, a little rougher as RT in the past. The rest of the guys are all young with very good potential, including Gaither - Grubbs, Brown, Yanda, Chester, Cousins, Krause, Kracilik. Not all will make it as quality starters, but that is NINE guys. The Ravens have kept 8 or 9 on their roster every year since 2001, how many guys do you want them to bring in, noting you won't be able to bring in other guys (camp limit of 80 plus cap issues), plus the fact you will have to cut some quality OL guys if you brought in 10 or 12? That's not feasible.

The team also brought in a lot of guys at RB, WR, CB, and DL looking for quality depth. YOu gotta cut them due to camp roster size limits if you bring in more OL.

So it's easy to look back and say Oz is a dummy, but the Ravens have had a plan and it got killed by two key injuries at OT, the same position. Slaughter actually looks like a very nice pickup given the time constraints, so I give Oz credit there. He is serviceable, not a star, but none exist at this point. But if we lost both CBs, both starting WRs, both DEs, or Lewis and Suggs, it would be the same issue or worse. That's the nature of today's NFL, and it's unreasonable to blame Ozzie for that problem.

IMHO, having harder camps and practices will get these guys in better shape down the road. The last 3 years we have had 12, 9, and 14 guys on IR by the end of the year! Of course they are going to get hurt in games if they aren't in good enough shape to last 2 weeks in training camp. None of these injuries are the serious type, they smack of "out of shape". So it's rough now, but down the road this team will be a little tougher and more durable than it used to be.