DraftAmerica talks Ravens football with beat writer Ken Murray, who has covered the NFL for over 30 years. Murray dishes on the draft, free agency, the CBA, and Joe Flacco. Baltimore finished 12-4 in 2010 and will pick 26th in the 2011 NFL Draft.


OFFENSE

Total Yards:      22nd (322.9)

Rushing Yards:  14th (114.4)

Passing Yards:   20th (208.4)

Points Scored:   17th (22.3)


DEFENSE

Total Yards:     10th (318.9)

Rushing Yards:  5th (93.9)

Passing Yards:  21st (224.9)

Points Allowed:   3rd (16.9)

Interceptions:     T-8th (19)

Sacks:             T-27th (27)


INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Passing Yards:    Joe Flacco (3,622)

Rushing Yards:    Ray Rice (1,220)

Receiving Yards:  Anquan Boldin (837)

Sacks:                Terrell Suggs (11)

Interceptions:       Ed Reed (8)

Tackles:              Ray Lewis (139)


5-YEAR DRAFT HISTORY – FIRST ROUND PICKS

2010 No first-round selection

2009 Michael Oher, OL (2010 stats: Started all 16 games for second straight year)

2008 Joe Flacco, QB (2010 stats: 3,622 passing yards, 25 TD, 10 INT)

2007 Ben Grubbs, OG (2010 stats: Started all 16 games at guard)

2006 Haloti Ngata, DT* (2010 stats: 63 tackles, 6 sacks)


*Pro Bowler.


DA: The Ravens have long been known for their aggressive, best-talent available approach in the draft. Do you expect GM Ozzie Newsome to continue that trend this year? And what is their biggest need?

KM: They go on need, but they go on need in a very different way. Ozzie will take the best players at the positions that he needs to improve at the most, and he'll put them all on this big board and he'll write them and give them all grades... They're biggest need this year is a pass-rusher and or a cornerback I think. But I don't think that's necessarily the first pick. I think if there's a real good pass-rusher that's there in the first round that they have rated as a first-round prospect, then they would take that guy unless there is an overwhelming better player at another position. I don't believe they'll draft a quarterback. There are a number of positions where they need help though. But from what we saw this year from the team is that the defense is getting older, it needs some youth to it, some young blood, they need a pass-rusher in the worst way. Suggs was the only pass-rusher that got close to the quarterback... They need a young cornerback and they have several cornerbacks now but they're all a little older, they need some help in the back end depending on when Ed Reed decides to retire. But those are the two places on defense that they want to go.


DA: Is the Ravens' window closing? And will the offensive line be addressed?

KM: I think they will [address the O-line]. That depends how they emerge from a new CBA and how it protects or doesn't protect Jared Gaither. If he becomes an unrestricted free agent I think they have no chance to keep him. It's not acrimonious it was a bad situation this year he couldn't play because of a back injury that they could never quantify. In an ideal world they would bring him back and he would resume his position and left tackle and they would move Michael Oher back to right tackle and Marshall Yanda to right guard and they'd a very stout, very physical offensive line. I think they need a free agent to come in who can play left tackle, or they can keep Oher at left tackle. The other position on the line they do need to address in center in the sense that Matt Birk has played 13 years. He's still a very competent, good center but he struggled to get through, 16, 18 games this year because of a knee he had to have drained at least once a week. I think he might have trouble coming back under the circumstances they have now. They want to get more physical on the offensive line, they want to get stronger. It would be hard for me to imagine Matt coming back.


DA: Is it far-fetched to think the Ravens should have benched Joe Flacco in the playoff game?

KM: There were several games this year they should've pulled Flacco and put [Marc] Bulger in. Bulger knows this offense like the back of his hand. He would have operated the offense much better in times when Flacco couldn't handle it. Why that didn't happen I'm not sure. There's been some discussion about Jim Zorn who just got fired, he said Flacco couldn't take it mentally. That goes against everything I know about Flacco myself, Joe's a very tough guy and I don't think he would have cracked. I think they made a huge mistake this year in not saying Marc Bulger is gonna have to come in for you Joe when you're not doing well. Bulger never saw the field and that's a mystery to me, because Bulger is a known commodity. He has a much quicker release than Joe does, he reads defenses much faster than Joe does... Joe has pretty much used up his slack as 'this is a rookie guy learning his job'.


DA: Will the Ravens be aggressive in the free agent market as they were last year?

KM: There'll be very active if there's an agreement in the CBA before March 3. They can sign their own players. They pretty much have a deal agreed to with Billy Cundiff. It will all be contingent on how the CBA talks go. Ozzie fills in with the free agents, and he really gets the players that are going to play in free agency and then he gets the guys that are going to fill in on special teams and help out and move into a starting position in the draft. With the exception of some of their great first-round picks they don't really expect to get guys that are going to play [right away]. So it is really going to come down to the CBA. It's going to impact a lot of teams, but the Ravens probably as much as anyone because they like to operate in the free agent market. They like to fill their major holes there and they the best young guy they can get out of the draft.