I’m incredulous…the talk shows and the message boards are lighting up in Crabtown about upgrading the wide receiver position on the Ravens offense. Yeah, that was the problem, the reason why we couldn’t beat Pittsburgh…
You know, Anquan and Housch made a couple of key drops in crunch time in the Divisonal loss to the Steelers, so all of a sudden our wide receiving corps sucks?
I guess we’re a spoiled fan base, because now even veteran All-Pro wideouts are fair game…
Maybe we should be less concerned with the human flaws of mental mistakes made under pressure by two excellent wideouts, and more concerned about building up an offensive line that will give Joe Flacco many more playoff seasons to go back to his current and future wide receivers for vindication.
We should be more concerned about picking up a young man to play All-Pro offensive tackle in the NFL for the Ravens for a very long time…perhaps a draft choice by the name of Anthony Castonzo from Boston College.
I know, Castonzo is so good he will probably fall to the Buffalo Bills at the #3 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. But if he falls to #27 where the Ravens pick first, I think they will grab him.
You see, as Mr. Malor points out in Baltimore BeatDown, by not having Jared Gaither in the OL lineup, we are just not as strong a unit up front…and that changes everything, including the ability of even the greatest wide receiver to get just a little more open and feel a level of comfort and confidence along with Flacco that a route has plenty of time to develop…
Injury and contract concerns Gaither has brought to the Ravens have been a huge distraction to Joe Flacco’s development with his passing game in the clutch, both directly and indirectly. A young QB and his receivers need an offensive line of top quality they can count on. 2010 saw the Ravens playing an offensive line with a lot of guys who had to play out of position. That’s because they counted so much on the supremely talented Gaither to come through…and either he couldn’t…or he wouldn’t.
Gaither will be gone. No more head games will be tolerated by the Ravens and GM Ozzie Newsome in this department.
So you hope you can pick up a Castonzo or someone very much like him in the Draft.
Anthony Castonzo (#74), Boston College OT, at 6-7 and 308 with quickness, intelligence and lean athleticism, is the symbol of the real missing piece in the Ravens offense…
Castonzo has been the starting LT for Boston College since 2007 and has played in all 53 games since that time. A former tight end converted to OT, Castonzo has been one of the most consistent and talented offensive tackles in all of big-time college football the last few seasons. If lucky enought to make this selection in the Draft, Baltimore could then move Marshall Yanda back to his natural position at RG and/or possibly move Michael Oher back over to RT (where many think he is better-suited playing)…
Few offensive line rookies can enter the NFL and immediately make an impact…for most it’s a 2- to-3 year learning curve until greatness can be achieved… But a guy like Castonzo could destroy that curve.
Having a guy like Castonzo is, in my humble opinion, the real answer to the Ravens’ periodic offensive doldrums. A talented young OT to replace the disgruntled Gaither would change everything…including the perceived underachievement of the current cast of wide receivers.
Draft analyst “Sports Fan Sam” from Detroit certainly agrees that an offensive tackle like Castonzo is the one complement to Joe Flacco and the Ravens’ passing game that needs rejuvenation:
“At 6’7, 308 lbs, Anthony Castonzo has a prototypical frame for an offensive tackle. While he could stand to put on a few pounds of muscle, he has long limbs and great length which will allow him to control opposing pass rushers. Castonzo is a four-year starter for Boston College and he has performed very well, being named to the All-ACC team as well as the honorable mention All-American team. He has long arms, extremely quick feet, is very agile for a man his size, and is also very smart (he is majoring in biochemistry). The one knock on Castonzo is his strength. He has not quite filled out his frame like some of the other prospects, and many think he is susceptible to the power rushers of the NFL. However, strength is something that can be improved in the NFL, whereas length, intelligence and quickness cannot. These natural traits and oozing potential are what makes Castonzo my #1 Offensive Tackle Prospect. He has all the tools to become a 10-year cornerstone at left tackle for a team in the NFL, and this will help him get drafted in the top-10 come April. The Ravens would be lucky to get him. “
There’s a little skepticism about Castonzo’s current run-blocking potential. Some scouts say he gets a good initial push, but loses the leverage battle quickly and struggles to sustain…but he gives good effort and has made significant improvement in this area over the past three seasons. Anthony has a tendency to get his hands too far outside the numbers, but with greater strength he would have more control. At his current weight, he relies on positioning and technique and lacks the power to drive defenders off the ball, but flashes some leg drive when he gets under the pads of an opponent.
Of course it is whimsical to think a guy like Castonzo could be an adequate starter from day one. From what I understand, the Ravens running game became predictable in a sense since they tend to run toward one direction (that’s left) on the O-line. It seems we will not be able to address that problem if our left tackle can’t drive people off the ball.
Maybe the problem comes from Yanda playing out of position. Whatever the case, I have no problem with the pick if it comes down to Castonzo’s availability in the Draft. In fact, I am a bit excited about Castonzo’s pass-blocking ability. Sounds like a finesse player which our left side definitely needs, and it would certainly free up Michael Oher eventually to move to the right side of the line where he could benefit Flacco and his team even more…
We can’t completely rule out the return of Jared Gaither just yet. Maybe the young man can come to his senses, dump his agent, get his mind right and come to a reasonable new contract with the Ravens that will free his spirit to assume the role as the best offensive lineman in the AFC North.
Hopefully that happens before the Draft…but I’m not holding my breath.
In the meantime, Ravens, plan ahead… build up the offensive tackle position. The wide receivers you already have will blossom because of it.
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