Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens? general manager who is regarded as one of the league?s best at his job, acknowledged the team may have made a mistake when it decided to play quarterback Kyle Boller early in his career.
“Kyle started from Day One,” he said. “Was that the right thing to do? I don?t know. Right now, I?d probably say no. The other thing that is probably more important is that there was not a veteran in that [player meeting] room.”
Boller was expected to be an integral part of the Ravens? future when he was selected in the first round of the National Football League Draft in 2003. Now, Boller would be content to be part of team?s present.
Boller, 26, entered the Ravens? mini-camp last week competing with Troy Smith for the starting job following the retirement of Steve McNair. But Boller likely will have to ward off another competitor for the starting job if, as expected, the Ravensselect a quarterback in this weekend?s draft.
Still, Boller said he feels revitalized after concluding the three-day mini-camp at the team?s Owings Mills complex, where he competed with Smith, who supplanted him late last season, to make the best first impression on Coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.
“It?s new eyes, new people seeing things,” Boller said. “I think guys are really excited about the change. Last season was tough, it was hard. To be able to get out here, I think it?s the first time we?ve ever had a mini-camp in April, which seems kind of weird. But we want to put last year behind us and move forward.”
Harbaugh said he plans on keeping the competition open at quarterback until a winner is announced during training camp in July. The Ravens have the eighth pick in the first round of the draft, which begins on Saturday and concludes on Sunday.
This year, there appears to be several good quarterbacks, but none with the accolades of previous first-round selections such as Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, Vince Young or Philip Rivers. Among the top quarterbacks available this year are Boston College?s Matt Ryan, Delaware?s Joe Flacco, Louisville?s Brian Brohm and Michigan?s Chad Henne.
“It will be tough for anybody to come in and win a job against those guys,” said Harbaugh of Boller and Smith. “Those two guys are solid quarterbacks. They can both play. But whoever we draft is going to be a really good quarterback, too, so it?s going to be a competition. We?re going to roll the balls out and let them fight for the job.”
Boller has completed 56.9 percent of his passes, thrown for 45 touchdowns, 44 interceptions and 7,846 yardswhile going 18-21 as a starter during his career. Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner, made the most of his rookie year last season by completing 40-of-76 passes for 452 yards and two touchdowns in four games, including two starts.
“At all times, I?m going to be a leader. I?m going to conduct myself in a way that I know how to conduct myself,” said Smith, a fifth-round pick last year. “I?m going to control the things that I know how to control and I don?t worry about. May the best man win.”
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said Boller?s inconsistent play has not impacted how the team evaluates quarterbacks. But it has changed its approach in how the team will prepare signal-callers to play in the NFL.
“Kyle today will tell you that he has learned more from being around Steve McNair, being in the room with Steve McNair, an accomplished quarterback,” Newsome said. “I think we have learned more about the process of developing a quarterback, more so than how to draft one. Remember, we have drafted some quarterbacks. And, to be quite honest, we drafted one [Cleveland?s Derek Anderson] who played in the Pro Bowl.”
