Squibs

Bennie Anderson

Bennie Anderson is a classic road grader and interior mauler who paved the way for Jamal Lewis with the Ravens. He's like 6'5" 350. He'll be an awesome upgrade for our O-Line and allow us to focus on skill positions in the draft.

Interesting interview. There is one major glaring hole though - Anderson's name is never mentioned. He says that four starters are returning (all except Teague) and he says that Peters, Vill., and Gandy are pretty set at their positions. But he nevers once mentions Left Guard. It seems obvious that LG and C are the positions with open competition. Too bad Chris Brown didn't ask any more pointed questions along these lines. I'm especially curious where Preston ends up.

I think it is interesting that King is ignoring the one team other than the Ravens that could have drastically altered the landscape for defensive picks between 8 and 15. If Buffalo had traded down to 15 with Denver, St Louis would not have had a chance to trade with Denver and would still be picking at #11. It seems likely that they would have taken either a DB or DT at #11. Many think they were waiting to see if Huff would fall to #11 before dealing with Denver. They may well have taken Whitner, Bunkley, or Ngata with their pick if not Hill (who they did choose at 15.) It could have then altered Baltimore and Philly's strategies, maybe even led to more trades. King is an idiot btw, I only read his article b/c of all the chat here about it.

I think it is all about the O Line. At left guard we should look at Bennie Anderson, a FA from the Ravens. He's described as a classic road grader, an interior mauler, and a huge boost for the smashmouth running game. He was a starter for Baltimore and cleared the way for Jamal Lewis. At 6'5" 345 lbs I have him penciled in as an anchor on the line for several years to come. At center, we might want to make a move for Trey Teague, recently signed by the Jets. He's a versatile veteran with a lot of experience playing for Denver, and you all know how powerful the Broncos' running game is. At right tackle, a hidden gem might be Mike Williams, a former top ten pick who underperformed due to injury in his first few years in the league. Under MacNally he could really blossom into a great FA value pickup and a dominant OL. My biggest concern is Peters. He is unproven and hadn't even played OL before the NFL. CUTS down to 53: Preston (hasn't shown us anything), Fowler and Reyes (too old to be molded by MacNally). June FA signings: LJ Shelton?