http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/...n?coll=bal-sports-football&ctrack=1&cset=true
there's hope Ravens offense will bear Fassel's imprint
As the NFL continues to fill its head coaching vacancies, the Ravens should be breathing a sigh of relief because it appears Jim Fassel will remain the offensive coordinator for a second straight season.
Why should anyone be elated? Didn't the Ravens have one of the league's worst offenses last season? With Fassel's return, there is hope for improvement. During owner Steve Bisciotti's "Who's your Daddy?" speech to coach Brian Billick at the end of the season, he suggested that Billick had to turn more control of his offense over to Fassel.
After two preseason games in 2005, you could tell this was still Billick's offense, not Fassel's. But maybe now we'll see more of the Fassel influence. Fassel is well-received among the coaching staff and has a good knowledge of the game. But like previous coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, he had to compromise with Billick.
Maybe that won't happen as much anymore.
If Fassel had left and Rick Neuheisel become the coordinator, there would be no doubt this would be the same offense again. Neuheisel owes Billick because he gave him a job when no one else would.
Neuheisel wouldn't stand up to Billick. But with the new word coming down from the big boss, there's hope for a change.
Again.
Soon after the season ended, moving and storage trucks were outside the Granite home of Ravens running back Jamal Lewis. He can become an unrestricted free agent next month if the Ravens don't designate him the franchise player.
Lewis, in Atlanta, says he doesn't know what the future holds. He says the Ravens have not had contact with him or his agent since the season ended.
"I sold my house. I had to get out from under it because I'm not sure of my future," Lewis said. "I've had that house for six years, but there is no use keeping it if you aren't going to be there. If I end up back in Baltimore, I'll just rent an apartment for six months or less."
Lewis expects the Ravens to put the franchise tag on him, and he has no problems playing in Baltimore again as long as he is the featured runner.
"The players association thought that designation [franchise player] would be a good thing, that it could be used as leverage," Lewis said. "But I think I am more valuable than that. I don't want to come back to a situation where I carried the ball only 10 to 15 times a game like last year. I'm used to carrying it 20 to 25 times a game. I want that kind of workload. If the Ravens want to give me that, I'll be more than happy to play in Baltimore again, or anywhere else."
According to a league source, the Ravens have been sending out "feelers" to gauge the interest in Pro Bowl middle linebacker Ray Lewis. We're not talking heavy-duty stuff here, but the word was out.
Teams, though, might not want to trade for a player who is on the decline, is injury prone and has three years left on his contract worth $5.5 million next season and $6.5 million in 2007 and 2008.
In 2005, Lewis wasn't happy that the Ravens failed to restructure his contract, a move that would have given him significant upfront and guaranteed money. Because of this, Lewis became isolated and no longer wanted to be the face of the Ravens.
He has remained silent since leaving the Bears game on Oct. 23 with a season-ending groin and hamstring injury, but it's well-known around the Ravens' training complex that Lewis would prefer to play elsewhere next season.
The ideal situation for Lewis would be to play for a team that is close to breaking through but lacks a veteran leader that could put it over the top. It needs to be a good fit, much like tight end Shannon Sharpe was for the Ravens in 2000.
If Lewis remains here, it will be interesting to see how he interacts with his teammates after the Ravens sign safety Ed Reed to a lucrative, multi-year contract this offseason. The Ravens have become believers in Lewis' backup, Bart Scott, who also will become an unrestricted free agent.
Billick recently warned some team officials that cornerback Chris McAlister might not be with the team next season, despite having five years left on his contract worth about $36 million. McAlister received the first part ($10 million) of a signing bonus in October 2004, and another $7.5 million last spring.
He did not play in the last game against Cleveland, reportedly because of injuries, but a recurring problem off the field may have been a factor as well, according to a team source. General manager Ozzie Newsome apparently wants to keep McAlister because he is under contract, and the Ravens might as well get the most out of him.
But Billick is right: It's time McAlister had a change of scenery. He started off strong last season, but then looked slow, unprepared and uninterested. The Ravens have gone out of their way to both help and defend him through the years, and he hasn't played up to potential the past two seasons.
Regardless of how his salary affects the cap, it's time for a change.
The Ravens have basically told free-agent safety Will Demps that he will not be re-signed, but Demps had pretty much made up his mind not to return before an injury sidelined him for the season Nov. 27 against Cincinnati.
Apparently, Demps didn't think he got enough credit for aligning the secondary when Reed was out of the lineup with an ankle injury. He was right. The only members of the secondary who knew the coverages, including the secondary coaches, were Reed, McAlister and Demps. The most clueless of all was Deion "Part-Time" Sanders, the team's nickel back.
Will Demps website he thinks he is a model I guess lol
