Ravens talking with Pace?

[52decleetzu]

From the National Football Post....

AFC NORTH QUESTIONS BEFORE THE DRAFT


1. Who will replace the departed Bart Scott at the Will linebacker position? Will it be Tavares Gooden, the third-round pick in ‘08?

2. Can the Ravens expect another year from Willie Anderson at right tackle?

3. In spite of all the fanfare and solid play of rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, the Ravens’ passing game was lacking. Will adding a playmaker help improve this area? The Ravens ranked 25th in first downs through the air.

4. Can they repair the defensive line and add more youth in the rotation? Kelly Gregg is coming off the injury and Trevor Pryce was not effective at the end of the year.

5. Can Orlando Pace solve the Ravens’ depth problems on their offensive line, and will he sign a reduced deal? They’re talking to Pace with some seriousness.

Haven't heard anywhere else we are talking to him(seriously on top of that)),just random speculation when he got cut to "bring him in" of course.

[UKRaven]

On point 3 - 'First downs through the air'. That stat is only comparable if you look at FD's on the ground. If you can run the ball you run it in the AFCN !!!!

[RavenScallywag]

I view Pace as just an upgrade over Willie Anderson. Right now, my starting OL, given that each player is healthy, would be:

Gaither, Grubbs, Birk, Chester, Yanda

WA/Pace would rotate in and be used in the unbalanced line setup we used sometimes. We have Cousins and Hale as interior depth, though both need to step up big time for me to feel safe about that. We also have Adam Terry, who when healthy, in not necessarily a slouch filling in at tackle.

I guess the key is health issues. We have to worry about Yanda, Adam Terry, and WA, each of who had some major health issues last year. Add in that Birk is certainly not a spring chicken, Gaither missed most of camp due to injury, and Chester hasn't had a lot of starting experience prior to last season...yeah, I could see Pace being a nice addition to the OL. That said, we wouldn't want him for an exorbitant contract, so if he signs for pretty cheap, that definitley boosts our OL. WA is still a great player, but Pace is unquestionably the better OL.

[RavenScallywag]

as to #1, I believe I read an article on the BR website where it referenced Gooden likely being the guy to fill Bart Scott's spot. I think it was an article about the strength and conditioning coach...

[James R(aven)]

I'd like to see what Gooden can do now he's 100% healthy. I presume Ray and Ed have been giving him some mentoring seeing as he's from the U!?

[bmorefan4life]

I view Pace as just an upgrade over Willie Anderson. Right now, my starting OL, given that each player is healthy, would be:

Gaither, Grubbs, Birk, Chester, Yanda

WA/Pace would rotate in and be used in the unbalanced line setup we used sometimes. We have Cousins and Hale as interior depth, though both need to step up big time for me to feel safe about that. We also have Adam Terry, who when healthy, in not necessarily a slouch filling in at tackle.

I guess the key is health issues. We have to worry about Yanda, Adam Terry, and WA, each of who had some major health issues last year. Add in that Birk is certainly not a spring chicken, Gaither missed most of camp due to injury, and Chester hasn't had a lot of starting experience prior to last season...yeah, I could see Pace being a nice addition to the OL. That said, we wouldn't want him for an exorbitant contract, so if he signs for pretty cheap, that definitley boosts our OL. WA is still a great player, but Pace is unquestionably the better OL.


Yanda is not a good option at starting tackle. He is too small and too short of arms. Plus we want him at OG so that he can dominate like he did last year before his injury. Yanda had a major health issue but Terry, Gaither and Anderson didn't. They were just banged up just like every other player on our team from a long grueling season and with an offseason to rest they will be back strong.

Pace is a starting LT and I don't think he will make the move to RT but I could be wrong. I think the OLine should be....

Gaither/Pace , Yanda, Birk, Grubbs, Anderson/Pace.....with Chester and Hale backing up the interior line and Cousins and Terry backing up the tackles.

You don't want to take away from your strengths and last year before Yanda got hurt our interior line was strong and I am looking forward to Yanda getting back in there at OG.

[Jeremiah W]

Yanda is not a good option at starting tackle. He is too small and too short of arms. Plus we want him at OG so that he can dominate like he did last year before his injury. Yanda had a major health issue but Terry, Gaither and Anderson didn't. They were just banged up just like every other player on our team from a long grueling season and with an offseason to rest they will be back strong.

Pace is a starting LT and I don't think he will make the move to RT but I could be wrong. I think the OLine should be....

Gaither/Pace , Yanda, Birk, Grubbs, Anderson/Pace.....with Chester and Hale backing up the interior line and Cousins and Terry backing up the tackles.

You don't want to take away from your strengths and last year before Yanda got hurt our interior line was strong and I am looking forward to Yanda getting back in there at OG.

Last year showed Cam is willing to put his best 6 O linemen out there a lot, and I can see Pace and Gaither playing side by side a lot based on how often Terry was next him. That unbalanced line was a monster force for us in the short yardage run game. It was old school , here we come and you can't stop us stuff. Pace would give us much better back side protection when we chose to pass out of this formation, and with a big deep threat, we could get a lot of big pass plays from it as well as the heart breaking grind it out runs.

[RavenScallywag]

Yanda player RT his rookie year and I believe he was a gem there. I wouldn't be opposed to him moving to RG, but Chester did well there when Yanda went down, and I believe Yanda went down pretty quickly (he only played in 5 games last year)...so to say he domainted at RG is a bit hasty, since we didn't get to see him for most of the season.

In any case, the Baltimore Sun just published a story that addresses Willie Anderson and has quotes from Ozzie saying right now, WA is still in their plans. I don't think that means he turns a blind eye to Pace, but I'd say there's less urgency to get rid of WA now. Apparently there was word in the Ravens FO that Willie was going to retire, which caused them to start looking heavily at FA OTs.

[Rxdoxx]

Apparently there was word in the Ravens FO that Willie was going to retire, which caused them to start looking heavily at FA OTs.

I can understand that. Willie has some years on him, doesn't really need the money, and saw an exodus of starters from the team (7). I'm sure retirement crossed his mind he probably voiced it in passing somewhere.
Then the influx started, Foxworth, Birk, Carr?? and I can hear Willie thinking "Damn, we could make the SB this year, maybe I don't think about retiring for another year."
He doesn't have to prove to the Bungles anymore that he can still play, he took care of that motivation. Just a ring to go out with.

Now with the FO having looked and gathered information, Willie may or may not be kept, but I can't see him leaving on his own at this point.

[RavenScallywag]

Willie apparently was never considering retirement...this fact kind've got to me...The playoff games he played in this year was 3 times the amount of playoff games he'd played in his entire career (Bengals have had only the one trip to the post season in 2005). So I think the fact that we got so close would excite him to try until we really are out of it.

[srobert96]

[QUOTE=bmorefan4life;137099]
Pace is a starting LT and I don't think he will make the move to RT but I could be wrong. I think the OLine should be....

Gaither/Pace , Yanda, Birk, Grubbs, Anderson/Pace.....with Chester and Hale backing up the interior line and Cousins and Terry backing up the tackles.


I like your projected line. I do think everyone has come to the conclusion and even Pace himself that he can no longer play LT. Pace would be a nice pickup so that he could move to LT on spot duty if Gaither were to get banged up.

[Marcel#52]

Wonder if this is true


ORLANDO PACE VISITING BALTIMORE
Posted by Mike Florio on March 17, 2009, 8:44 p.m.

On the same day that Ravens G.M. Ozzie Newsome was quoted in the Baltimore Sun as saying that the team had no plans to bring in any tackles, they Ravens . . . are . . . bringing in . . . another tackle.

According to our friend and (for a day last month) colleague Tom Curran of NBCSports.com, free-agent right tackle Orlando Pace will be visiting the Ravens on Wednesday.

Pace, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 draft, was cut last week by the Rams after 12 seasons in St. Louis.

“Hey, I’m always looking to improve this football team,” Newsome said Monday. “At this point, we have no plans to bring in any tackles.”

Technically, Newsome’s statement was accurate. At that point, they had no plans to bring in any tackles.

At this point, they apparently do.

[52decleetzu]

Wonder if this is true

Either way it makes no sense to pay a 33 year old LEFT tackle who cant stay healthy to play RIGHT tackle, when we have a guy who has played RIGHT tackle his entire career and HAS stayed healthy over the past few years.

This could be Pace trying to gain some leverage in the market,and nothing more by giving the impression that teams are "interested"

Maybe Ozzie owes his agent a favor or something.

[Marcel#52]

Either way it makes no sense to pay a 33 year old LEFT tackle who cant stay healthy to play RIGHT tackle, when we have a guy who has played RIGHT tackle his entire career and HAS stayed healthy over the past few years.

This could be Pace trying to gain some leverage in the market,and nothing more by giving the impression that teams are "interested"

Maybe Ozzie owes his agent a favor or something.

I hope your right...

[Jeremiah W]

Either way it makes no sense to pay a 33 year old LEFT tackle who cant stay healthy to play RIGHT tackle, when we have a guy who has played RIGHT tackle his entire career and HAS stayed healthy over the past few years.

This could be Pace trying to gain some leverage in the market,and nothing more by giving the impression that teams are "interested"

Maybe Ozzie owes his agent a favor or something.

Really? I think like Big Willy and Lorenzo last year, they want to come be part of the over 30 club and get a ring, and are willing to take teh old home town or good team discount to do it. We are an even better sell this year with a promising Qb and 13 wins instead of 11 losses.

[sdeclue]

Not happy about this. The last thing we need is another old, injury-prone player. I thought we were spending the offseason restructuring the roster to get rid of those type of guys.

http://www.examiner.com/x-1089-Baltimore-Sports-Examiner~y2009m3d18-Ravens-eyeing-Pace

[Jeremiah W]

Not happy about this. The last thing we need is another old, injury-prone player. I thought we were spending the offseason restructuring the roster to get rid of those type of guys.

http://www.examiner.com/x-1089-Baltimore-Sports-Examiner~y2009m3d18-Ravens-eyeing-Pace

Football is just an injury prone sport, and you are no more likley to go on IR if you are Dawan Landry or Quinn Sypnewski, than if you are Cmac or Samari, or Pryce.

The question is never is a guy injury prone, it is can he play and how much does he cost. The injury risk is alomst all on the player unless the team has a ton of money tied up in him, they get they roster spot back if they go down.

[RavensDomination]

Yanda player RT his rookie year and I believe he was a gem there.

Yanda played with heart, but he just doesn't have the size to play RT. He is perfect at guard.

I felt like Big Willie had some OK games but a few games he looked pretty bad. Indy comes to mind. As does Dallas. He was a decent signing but I definitely wouldn't be opposed to an upgrade.

[psuasskicker]

Football is just an injury prone sport, and you are no more likley to go on IR if you are Dawan Landry or Quinn Sypnewski, than if you are Cmac or Samari, or Pryce.

:grbac:

[Rxdoxx]

The question is never is a guy injury prone, it is can he play and how much does he cost. The injury risk is alomst all on the player unless the team has a ton of money tied up in him, they get they roster spot back if they go down.

Unless your name is Dan Cody :eyes:
The roster spot comes back, but the cap hit stays with IR. Don't know of any teams that couldn't fill a roster spot because out of cap space, but it is possible.

As to Pace, my take is the FO is just gathering information for the future.
Want to meet him, evaluate his personality up close, get a feel for how much is left in the tank, find out if he would switch positions, and what he is looking for in a contract (like Willie's playing time incentive bonus).
Unless everything lines up just right, I don't see us making a move at this point, but I do see groundwork being laid for a future possibility, somebody Oz can go out and quickly "find" if the need arises.
These days you never know what is going to come up, from a player shot, to a boating accident, to Goodell stepping in with a suspension. If there is one thing we have learned about Oz, it is that he is prepared with multiple back-up plans, and I see Pace coming in as another preparation of his.

[RavenScallywag]

Not happy about this. The last thing we need is another old, injury-prone player. I thought we were spending the offseason restructuring the roster to get rid of those type of guys.

http://www.examiner.com/x-1089-Baltimore-Sports-Examiner~y2009m3d18-Ravens-eyeing-Pace

um, the only people you could be referring to are CMac and Rolle...

CMac wasn't so much a physical liability, but his character didn't mesh well with Harbaugh's program. Rolle had a lot of injuries, but if you look at the contracts we signed them both to, they were both signed during prime of their career times, where only Rolle had some injury concerns (stenosis, narrowing of the spine, he also had a spinal concussion a year or two before we signed him).

With Pace, we're getting him at the back end of his career, ala Matt Birk. He's not playing as well as his prime days, but a fading Orlando Pace is probably better than most OTs in the league still. I doubt we sign him to a big long term deal or anything, it'd probably be a 2-3 year deal, with out clauses to protect ourselves towards the end of it.

Really, the decision on Pace is how comfortable are we with WA and Adam Terry at RT, with Oniel Cousins our "future RT". If we're not comfortable with them, Pace makes sense as a bridge to Cousins. If we are, I don't think it's a great idea to sign him while we could use the money elsewhere.

[ExiledRaven]

For all the talk remember this: maybe after looking at all the draft boards and getting a better view of the tackle prospects this year - there just wasn't a viable player in terms of being available at a certain pick or just generally lacking depth at tackle.

Even if Pace is just depth - he's at the very least a former all pro who will help develop the players on the youngish line. This is also some insurance against any problem that might develop with respect to Anderson or Terry. Further, imagine more imbalanced line with Gaither and Pace next to each other. Scary.

[James R(aven)]

According to a report from Tom Curran of NBCSports.com, the Ravens will host former St. Louis Rams left tackle Orlando Pace Wednesday night. Pace, 33, is a seven-time Pro Bowler, but has been bothered by injuries the past three seasons. The Ravens have not officially released any information regarding Pace or any other visit.

[Sgt CouchPotato]

don't like this move, willie anderson is obviously motivated for this upcoming season and showed last year that he will make every effort to be on the field, unlike pace...

[psuasskicker]

Pace would be a backup and would come cheap. What's the big deal here? You guys don't like adding good players to the rosters for little money? It's not like we're thinking he's the future at LT and paying $10MM a year...

- C -

[B-more Ravor]

Pace would be a backup and would come cheap. What's the big deal here? You guys don't like adding good players to the rosters for little money? It's not like we're thinking he's the future at LT and paying $10MM a year...

- C -


I don't know, it's been widely speculated that Anderson would be cut if Pace is signed. I'm not sure I'd be so into that idea.

Plus, I'm not sure that Pace is going to accept a back-up role, unless no one else is offering more (which would surprise me).

[Jeremiah W]

I don't know, it's been widely speculated that Anderson would be cut if Pace is signed. I'm not sure I'd so into that idea.

Plus, I'm not sure that Pace is going to accept a back-up role, unless no one else is offering more (which would surprise me).

This would most likey affect Terry as much as Willy. I am not sure what Willy's deal really is, but I heard it has a lot to do with PT incentives, and they could restructure possibly.
The way Cam used the 6 O line men look a lot could be even more effective with Pace next to Gaither or maybe Gaither at the TE spot and Pace at LT/ LG.

We can use all the good O linemen we can get, and the way Cam stays commited to the run and using all his players should be enough to keep them all satisfied.

[TheExtraPoint]

Is it possible that Ozzie is trying to create some leverage to get Willie's contract reduced? I'm not totally familiar with the exact cap implications of Willie's contract, though I know they are significant though not severe.

I really like Willie Anderson - I hope he isn't let go if Pace is signed. Frankly, I'd be more inclined to find a trade partner for Adam Terry, who I think would have at least some value as a potential swing tackle for a lot of teams needy at that position.

I'd really hate to see Willy go. He's motivated, a great teammate, and still a pretty damn good player.

[srobert96]

Is it possible that Ozzie is trying to create some leverage to get Willie's contract reduced? I'm not totally familiar with the exact cap implications of Willie's contract, though I know they are significant though not severe.

I really like Willie Anderson - I hope he isn't let go if Pace is signed. Frankly, I'd be more inclined to find a trade partner for Adam Terry, who I think would have at least some value as a potential swing tackle for a lot of teams needy at that position.

I'd really hate to see Willy go. He's motivated, a great teammate, and still a pretty damn good player.

I think Ozzie is not completely comfortable with Adam Terry and Anderson's not great in pass protection.

[flraven]

From what I can recall from the Sun, Willy would count $2.9 mil against the cap. Terry supposedly doesn't make enough to have a big effect on the cap.

I'd hate to see Willy go too. He's got a year of the Ravens offense under his belt now and is a solid player.

Pace, yes he had great years but I don't want a repeat of Searcy here.

[B-more Ravor]

Is it possible that Ozzie is trying to create some leverage to get Willie's contract reduced? I'm not totally familiar with the exact cap implications of Willie's contract, though I know they are significant though not severe..

That's possible. Anderson is set to make $3.5M in base salary this year.

If released, they will save $2.9M in cap space. Perhaps, they would prefer for him to take a paycut instead (which would probably essentially have the same Cap implications as a signing of Pace and release of Anderson would).

[B-more Ravor]

From what I can recall from the Sun, Willy would count $2.9 mil against the cap. Terry supposedly doesn't make enough to have a big effect on the cap.

A trade or release of Terry only saves them $620K against the cap, so there is probably more value to having him on the roster, than not.

[psuasskicker]

I don't know, it's been widely speculated that Anderson would be cut if Pace is signed. I'm not sure I'd be so into that idea.

Plus, I'm not sure that Pace is going to accept a back-up role, unless no one else is offering more (which would surprise me).

Signing Pace and cutting Anderson is meh, I would agree with that. If that's what it comes down to I think I prefer the guy with the year in our system already. How likely is it Anderson goes if Pace comes in?

Honestly though, I'm pretty indifferent about signing Pace. If it happens, great. If it doesn't, great.

- C -