Ravens O Line Needs To Step Up? Ed Reed On The Way Out?
Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun may have ruffled some feathers this morning when he joined Ed Norris and Ken Weinman on the Norris & Davis Show. The Sun sports writer touched on the state of the Ravens as they finish up their mandatory one-week minicamp.
Preston first speculated whether or not Bryant McKinnie would be a Raven at the start of training camp. Preston says McKinnie has remained relatively uninvolved with first-team activities; a sign that his roster spot may be up in jeopardy. McKinnie has had his fare share of baggage, ranging from weight problems to money issues, and Preston says its time to start questioning his commitment to football.
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Regarding the offensive line in its entirety, Preston's message to the Ravens' administration was clear; it needs help.
"Ozzie, John Harbaugh, go find some offensive lineman, or hope some of these guys will step up. 'Cause what we've seen so far, its not going to happen."
There's certainly no shortage of talent on the other side of the ball, but Mike Preston says the main issue on defense is the number of unhealthy player-weights. While some Ravens have said Ray Lewis is looking leaner, Preston thinks Lewis might be too skinny. It's great for a player entering his seventeenth season to show up lighter than the previous year, but Preston doesn't think Lewis will last an entire season in the physically tough AFC North at his new weight without getting hurt.
Terrence Cody and Halodi Ngata were also criticized for being oversized, as Preston says that there's "no way" Ngata only weights 345 lbs. Preston, however, is convinced that both will be able to get into better shape as the season approaches.
The most notable comment of the interview came when Ken Weinman asked Preston about the status of Ed Reed. Preston was not shy to say that if he was John Harbaugh, he would have cut Ed Reed two years ago and thinks Ozzie Newsome has only kept Reed because they know he's a "big game performer," and that that's his title.
"One day he says he's retiring, one day he's not. One day, he says he's got five more years left to play, then the next day, "they disrespect me, I don't know if I wanna play here anymore." It's to the point, if he doesn't show up, I don't care. Just play without him. Just move on. You can't hold a football team hostage, and basically, that's what he's done." Click here to listen to the entire interview:
In the end, Preston says Reed will show up to training camp and will be ready to play come August. If Reed isn't playing well halfway through the season, however, Preston thinks Reed's days could be numbered in Baltimore.
Written by Intern Dave Andrews
