Harbaugh & Newsome Content With Receiving Corps

By joeyr  |   Tuesday, September 01, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

Baltimore Ravens
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Head Coach John Harbaugh and General Manager Ozzie Newsome seem content with the list of receivers currently on their roster.

With health and depth atop the list of concerns for the wide out position for as long as we can remember, it appears that the Ravens are content with the guys they have.

Number one receiver Derrick Mason has played at a high level during pre-season but a shoulder injury which he sustained during the end of the 2008 season still lingers. One can only question whether Mason will be healthy for all 16 regular season games.

Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams are currently listed at number two and three respectively on the depth chart. Both have played their entire careers labeled as injury prone and under productive, each having glimpses of stardom potential.

Williams, drafted in the fourth round in 2006 out of Oregon, was supposed to be their deep threat answer and the heir to Derrick Mason. A healthy Clayton and Williams are important, but not imperative for the Ravens to make it to the playoffs.

If Williams and Clayton go down early, second year receiver Justin Harper and newly added Kelly Washington will fill their roles in a highly conservative approach.

There have been plenty of receivers the Ravens could have pursued during the past off season and during training camp. Disgruntled Broncoes Brandon Marshall and Cardinal Anquan Boldin are currently under contract with their respective teams however both have been out spoken about playing elsewhere. To acquire either player would likely require a first or second round draft pick in return, which has always been a highly unlikely scenario for Ozzie Newsome. Ozzie is labeled the "wizard" from building his team from the draft and has never thought highly of trading early round picks.

Ozzie chose to upgrade the offensive line position by selecting RT Michael Oher in the 2009 draft pick, while passing on Hakeem Nicks and Kenny Britt.

Both Harbaugh and Newsome have repeatedly supported their receiving corps during the off-season and have constantly re-iterated that they made it to the AFC championship game with their current receiving roster.

Second year quarterback Joe Flacco, who is listed as a "game manager" will surely try to stretch the field a little more.

Tight End Todd Heap and the addition of pass-catching receiver LJ Smith seem primed to add to the passing attack instead of more pass blocking responsibilities for a rather young offensive line.

Also, the revolution of Ray Rice into a three down back has Harbaugh and Newsome more comfortable going into the 2009 season.

Look for the Ravens to open the season with some early sparks in the passing game. Offensive Coordinator is balsy and is known for developing plays based on his personnel. However, for the duration of the season, the conservative three to five step drops by Flacco will be the norm.
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