The Ravens did what everyone wanted. They took a quarterback, one whom more than a few experts said would be a good move.
But now that Joe Flacco is a Raven, the move is not universally hailed. It?s not because people don?t think he can play, but they do wonder about how it came about. And if the situation is right for him.
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Draft expert Chris Landry, a former scout who now runs his own scouting consulting business and said last fall that Steve McNair should retire, was against the pick. He likes Flacco, but, because he did not play in Division I, said he would have been better off with a proven starter ahead of him and sitting for a couple seasons.
“I love Ozzie Newsome but this move is a panic move,” Landry told The Examiner?s Jim Williams. “To draft Flacco is a reach because there is no way he is ready to be a starting QBin the NFL. The kid could one day be a QB in this league but it won?t be this season.”
Former Redskins GM, and NFL Network analyst, Charley Casserly said, “Clearly the Ravens wanted Matt Ryan. They made a run at moving up to getting him and they could not pull it off. Then they trade down and back up again to get Joe Flacco, a guy that was a second-round pick. A guy who executives either loved or hated; there was no in between on this kid. Clearly the Ravens 2008 draft class will be judged by how Flacco does.”
And CBS? Pete Prisco said, “Look, I know Kyle Boller isn?t the answer. I just think the Ravens had better options than Joe Flacco. Louisville?s Brian Brohm andMichigan?s Chad Henne will be better NFL players than Flacco. One of those two should have been Baltimore?s choice. The Ravens could have waited until the 26th pick to get one of them. Heck, they could have waited until the second round.”
Even after 12 years, Maeir game still sticks with Johnson
In former Orioles manager Davey Johnson?s mind, the play remains vivid.
It was the eighth inning of Game 1 in the 1996 ALCS vs. New York. Derek Jeter hit a fly ball to the wall; 12-year-old Jeffrey Maeir reached over and caught the ball.
“I can see it plain as day,” Johnson, now managing the U.S. Olympic team, told the NewYork Daily News. “[Umpire] Richie Garcia, he?s underneath it, and he can?t see it, and he calls it a home run, even though to everybody in the world it?s obvious the kid [interfered].
“We were ready to roll. It?s amazing.”
On managing in the big leagues again » “No. [In the end] I didn?t even have a good time in the dugout when we had a lead. Now I?m energized.”
On Brady Anderson and steroids » “I saw him working out, before and after games, and this guy was nuts. Brady would ride a bike to the ballpark from 10 miles away. I had no idea. I still don?t know. Obviously everybody thinks he?s taking steroids, but I don?t know. If you told me Raffy Palmeiro was even working out, I would?ve said you are crazy. He had that Brooks Robinson body, kind of soft, a sweet stroke and a good talent. But I never would?ve guessed he was juicing.”
Ravens take a fighter in Zbikowski
Ballroom boxing promoter Scott Wagner has a potential new client in town. The Examiner?s Ron Snyder has a good suggestion for Wagner: call Ravens draft pick Tom Zbikowski. It might be good for business.
Wagner should try to sign up Zbikowski, a third-round pick, for one of his upcoming cards. The Ravens expect the former Notre Dame standout to provide depth on special teams and in the secondary.
However, if that doesn?t work out Zbikowski might have a future inside the ring. He posted a 60-13 amateur record who competed in the Golden gloves program and was a Silver Gloves national finalist from 1998-00. He made his professional debut on June 10, 2006 when he knocked out Robert Bell in 49 seconds in a fight held at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“I?m going to hire him to be my personal body guard,” joked Ravens coach John Harbaugh in an interview on ESPN.
In case you missed it
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny and catcher Russell Martin had their signals crossed Saturday. And the end result left umpire Kerwin Danley in the hospital. Penny?s 96 mph fastball ? Martin was expecting a curve ? hit Danley in the jaw. He lost consciousness for a few seconds before recovering. As he left on a stretcher, Danley received a rarity for an umpire: an ovation from the crowd. He was treated at a local hospital and later released.
On the record
“I told that fool, ?If I played with Magic and Worthy and Kareem I?d have a ring, too.? So, you know, he?s a sucker in my book, but that?s a whole other story.”
? Dallas forward Jerry Stackhouse talking about New Orleans coach Byron Scott during a radio interview.
“We have to move on, and we?re moving on as if Michael [Vick] is not here. We retain his rights, and at the right time we?ll deal with that.”
? Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank after drafting quarterback Matt Ryan with the third overall pick.
By the numbers
0: Number of receivers drafted in the first round Saturday, the first time that?s happened since 1990 (when only 25 players were taken in the first round).
12: Combined number of points Tracy McGrady has scored in the fourth quarter of Houston?s three playoff games vs. Utah.
