10) Antwan Barnes: Didn't put up eye-popping numbers last season (only 10 tackles in 14 games played) but he played well, and he did have two sacks, which was nearly half the amount managed by Terrell Suggs (five sacks). The front office should have let T-Sizzle walk. Instead they franchised him. There, I said it. I haven't liked the guy ever since Halloween of his rookie campaign. That year, I went to a Ravens Halloween party, which Suggs attended wearing a Yankees hat. It's one thing to not wear a costume, especially since Halloween is mostly just a glorified excuse for grown women to dress like whores, but at least wear an O's hat. You're in Baltimore, for chrissakes. Anyway, Suggs is overrated, expensive, and basically fell off the map after Trevor Pryce's injury last season. Sorry, got off on a tangent there. Yeah, Antwan Barnes. I'm excited to see that guy lace 'em up.
9) Tavares Gooden: Some have said that Gooden may end up being the best player taken on day two of this year's NFL Draft, which says a lot considering that this was the first year with only two rounds held on day one. They also say Gooden may be the heir apparent to Ray Ray. Some of this comparison is rooted in the fact that Gooden, like Ray, is an alumnus of The U; however, it's also because he's extremely versatile. He can play inside or outside. He closes with explosiveness. Had it not been for hip problems, he would have been a day-one selection. Even with the injury concerns, many thought he would be a second-round guy.
8) Dan Cody: LMFAO. Of course I am not serious. Everyone knows that Dan Cody will get injured about 30 seconds into the first practice on the first day of training camp. A second-round pick (#53 overall) out of Oklahoma, the guy has been in the league three seasons and has only one tackle to show for it. You're dead to me, Dan.
7) Mark Clayton: Like Cody, Clayton is also headed into his fourth season and was drafted out of Oklahoma. The wide receiver, a former first-round pick, battled toe injuries for nearly all of last year. He also battled the fact that his quarterback and coach both sucked. It will be interesting to see if Clayton can bounce back to mediocrity, and also if he'll be able to develop a chemistry with whomever takes the snaps from Jason Brown, who is expected to replace Mike Flynn.
6) Yamon Figurs: This guy is fast. He wears #16. His nickname is F-16. Like the fighter plane. You know, because fighter planes are also really fast. Well, fighter planes don't fumble kicks. Figurs does. He'd better get his act together, though. Chronic DWI-man and former Ravens KR B.J. Sams skipped town to play for the Chiefs. Figurs needs to be the guy who gives our team good field position. Our offense sucks. We need good field position. Are you listening, Figurs? Stop fumbling the damn ball.
5) Ray Lewis: There is still plenty of gas left in Ray Ray's tank, but unfortunately he doesn't get as many miles to the gallon as he used to. He may never with Baltimore get back to the playoffs, but at least he earned a championship for himself, and the city of Baltimore, along the way. That monkey has been off his back for a while now. Yesssir. Regardless of the team's record, I will never take for granted the opportunity to watch this future Hall of Famer and living legend.
4) Fabian Washington: Our secondary looked terrible last year. Chris McAlister isn't getting any younger. Samari Rolle is even older. Ed Reed is still the man, but one man can't do it all in the defensive backfield. Baltimore traded its fourth-round selection in this year's NFL Draft for Raiders CB Fabian Washington, who was drafted in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Washington never enjoyed much success in Oakland; however, he wouldn't be the first guy to benefit from a change of scenery. The shadow of the Bay and Al Davis sometimes brings out the worst in players.
3) Willis McGahee: The cornerstone of Baltimore's offensive line retired; however, the guys who remain are no slouches, and they're all a year older, which unlike with our secondary, is a good thing. If the offensive lineman develop a good chemistry... if offensive coordinator Cam Cameron steps to the plate with a smart playbook... if the QB play in Charm City for once is not a disaster... then expect great things from Willis.
2) Ray Rice: Running backs typically don't have very long careers. So even though Willis is poised for a second strong season in Baltimore, my eyes are already on the next guy in line. Here's a video that I shot with Marshall Faulk at this year's NFL Draft. At the 3:30 mark of the video, Faulk talks about why he likes Ray Rice.
1) Troy Smith: I've already expended plenty of Internet breath in support of Smith's campaign to be the opening day starter in 2008. He played exceptionally well in limited time last year, and had it not been for Ohio State's meltdown against Florida in the national championship, Smith probably would have been a first-round selection. One bad game. That's all it took for people to dismiss this guy's future. All of a sudden his height started to matter more than it had before that brutal loss to the Gators. All of a sudden Smith was a waste of time. Enter Joe Flacco. At the very least, give Smith a chance to play this year. Let Flacco sit on the bench. If you do, I think you'll find that you've got a guy on your roster who will make you regret wasting so much money on a strong-armed QB with a thin track record.
Derrick's day in court will be my first day back from my vacation, which begins Wednesday night. I'm going to Chestertown, Maryland, where I'll be doing things that don't involve the Internet: eating crabs, reading books, kayaking, maybe drinking some cheap domestic beer, perhaps drinking a few more cheap domestic beers, maybe kayaking again.
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