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Baltimore cools on Boller Ravens seem to think Cal QB isn't good value at No. 10Posted: Friday April 18, 2003 7:42 PM
I'm not sure about much that might transpire in the first round of the NFL Draft, which starts unfolding in New York City in a week and a day. But of this I'm all but convinced: If he's still on the board, Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich won't get past Baltimore at No. 10. But Cal quarterback Kyle Boller will, even if Leftwich has been chosen by the time the Ravens pick. For the past two months, the pre-draft buzz has been that the Ravens and the fast-rising Boller were a top-10 match waiting to happen. No fewer than two or three times, I have linked them together as a draft-day pairing that had a high degree of probability. And they still may be. But probably not in the No. 10 spot. If Boller is to become a Raven, the only way it's going to happen is if Baltimore, with Leftwich gone, trades down into the No. 12 to No. 19 range of the first round to take him, thereby making its draft grade of Boller fit the assigned value of the lower slot. The bottom line on Boller in Baltimore is this: While Ravens head coach Brian Billick and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh were among Boller's biggest boosters as he shot up everyone's draft board this spring, their enthusiasm has not superceded general manager Ozzie Newsome's insistence that the team abide by its system of ensuring a player's grade is equal to his draft slot. The debate has been aired energetically and at length in Baltimore's draft-planning sessions, and a concensus has been reached. Leftwich has support for his No. 10 value on the Ravens' board, and Boller apparently does not. Billick debates that distinction, but others within the organization do not. While the difference of opinion regarding the quarterback question hasn't damaged the smooth and successful relationship between Billick and Newsome, the decision could be a pivotal one for the future of the franchise, in that it means the Ravens are more likely than not to exit this year's first round without having addressed their long-standing need at quarterback. "Our board has been set pretty much, and everybody is in accord," Newsome said Friday. "Brian doesn't mind expressing his opinions, and that's OK, I can deal with that. But Brian will and always has gone with the consensus. "Are there different opinions and views from me to Brian, from Brian to [director of player personnel] Phil Savage, from me to Phil Savage? Yes. But there's always going to be a consensus. And somebody has got to have the authority. Two people can't have the authority or nothing gets done." In Baltimore, the final authority in terms of the draft rests with Newsome, who all along has been less inclined to view Boller as a viable No. 10 pick than any other member of the Ravens brain trust. Not to mention his being consistently more enthusiastic about Leftwich. Yes, with Chris Redman's back situation to worry about, Baltimore is more in need of another starting quarterback option than any NFL team. But the handwriting on the walls in Raven-land is quite clear: That won't be enough to induce them to reach for Boller, who according to their board carries a middle first-round grade. Baltimore's choices, in order of preference, are this:
Baltimore is banking on virtually every team in the middle of the draft having a well-stocked quarterback depth chart and not moving on Boller. But the Ravens would be risking a scenario in which a team at the bottom of the round that seeks a young quarterback prospect -- like Green Bay (No. 29) or Oakland (Nos. 31 and 32) -- could deal its way ahead of them to land Boller.
"It's like I've got an option play," Newsome said. "That's the way I view it. We can break outside or stay inside. We have any number of scenarios." While Billick clearly has been impressed with Boller, and still believes he is a justified No. 10 pick in some scenarios, he is very much on board with the potential selection of Leftwich, who visited the Ravens this week. Team officials lauded his enthusiasm and attitude, which they likened to Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, the team's productive 2002 first-round pick. "We've looked at these quarterbacks more than we've looked at any position since I've been here," Billick said Friday. "And as our board sits now, we're in total agreement as far as ranking the quarterbacks. There was a big debate. But this is Ozzie's call, and the draft always has been. "I'll say this. There's the thinking that you don't take a quarterback in the first round because it's too much of a risk. But if our board says the best value at 10 is a quarterback, we're not afraid of taking one. Likewise, we've never reached for need. If there's a higher-rated player at 10, with one of the [top three] quarterbacks still available, we'll take the higher-rated player. We will stay true to the value of the 10th pick." No one in Baltimore's hierarchy, Newsome included, is down on Boller, whose dramatic rise up teams' draft boards this spring has covered more ground than any quarterback prospect in recent memory. Should the Ravens find him waiting for them in one of the No. 12 to No. 19 spots, after trading back, they would no doubt brag about getting the player they most coveted, plus another draft pick. But given some hesitancy that Baltimore still has about his short, one-year track record of success at Cal, and concerns about his sub-60 percent completion rate in college, the Ravens have not been able to support ranking him as the draft's 10th best player. Newsome believes so strongly in the Ravens' draft grading system that he feels to push Boller into their top 10 -- even to fill a need at quarterback -- would be to lose credibility among many who take part in Baltimore's scouting and drafting process. "Right or wrong on this call, the system in place has worked and he trusts it," said one observer of Newsome. "You can't stretch too much and still stick with your system." If they land Leftwich, Baltimore believes it would have the quarterback in this year's draft who is most prepared to step into the starting lineup -- should Redman's back problem resurface. The Ravens are not as convinced that either Southern Cal's Carson Palmer, who will be Cincinnati's choice at No. 1, or Boller are as prepared to handle such a quick indoctrination. If Baltimore winds up with either Leftwich at 10 or higher, or Boller somewhere at 12 or lower, much of the team's pre-draft debate will be moot. But should the Ravens miss out on both quarterbacks, being shut out of the Leftwich derby and passing on Boller, they'll find themselves addressing their quarterback need in the June market, when their top choice will be Griese. The Broncos are expected to release him after June 1, barring a trade coming together sooner. Should that scenario come to pass, the Ravens would be back in familiar territory, bringing in a newly signed veteran quarterback. It's a road they've traveled in recent years -- Vinny Testaverde, Scott Mitchell, Tony Banks, Trent Dilfer, Elvis Grbac and Jeff Blake -- without any sustained success. Next Saturday's first round will tell the story. We don't know yet whether the Ravens intend to stick to their script, but this much is clear: When it comes to first-round quarterbacks, they seem determined to stick to the order of their draft board. Don Banks covers pro football for SI.com. |
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