Ozzie made an amazing move

[papasmurfbell]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7778682/baltimore-ravens-reach-six-year-deal-top-cb-lardarius-webb

 

Webb is inked for 5 yrs. he got him cheaper than on the market. This is what he should do far more often.

[Guest BallTMore]

Love it! Love it! Love it!

 

He's not afraid to hit, and has great skills finding the ball in the air. And don't forget he has consistently neutralized Pittsburgh's biggest threat, Mike Wallace.

 

This guy is a true Raven. Reminds me of a young C-Mac without the attitude.

[smokeyjon]

Awesome. Webb's been on my shortlist of favorites since before he got hurt in 2009. So glad to see Ozzie locking him up for the next few years. Totally agree BallT, a young C-Mac but with the right attitude

[oldno82]

Best Ravens' news since free agency started.

[vmax]

I agree with everybody...he's a Raven to the bone. Great news.

I love his attitude. He's quiet but you could tell from last years training camp news that he didn't care who they drafted or brought in and that he was going to start.

He makes those guys play and prepare hard and they couldn't earn a spot over him.

He brings that against any receiver he faces. Doesn't talk smack...doesn't get intimidated...just makes their day miserable.

 

"The end zone is this way."

 

[vmax]

...check out Boldins face...

 

[ravensfanatic77]

This is great news for the Ravens. Locking Webb up to an extension will hold things down in the secondary for years.

 

IMO, this is the Ravens strategy now after locking up Webb:

1) Resign Cary Williams as well.

2) Startring CBs will be Webb and Smith/Williams (whoever wins out); when they go to nickle packages, Webb will slide into cover the slot WR.

3) Let Ed Reed play out this final year of his contract and then head off into the sunset by retiring as a Raven or letting him sign with another team.

4) In 2013, after letting Ed Reed walk and having resigned Cary Williams by then...move Webb to FS to replace Ed Reed with Williams and Smith as the starting CB's and resigining Bernard Pollard (who is only 27 or 28 and will be a FA after 2012) for SS.

 

It will definitely be hard to let Ed Reed walk but he will cost too much money and he will be 34 and contemplates retirement every chance he gets...we should not invest a ton of money into resigning him after next year. He was the definition of a Raven for his entire career but, like with Peyton Manning, sometimes a team needs to realize when they need to move on and go younger and cheaper...that time for Ed Reed is coming soon; enjoy watching him play out the 2012 season because I am sure it will be his last as a Raven.

[Dunno]

Excellent news.

 

Hopefully they will consider doing this more often, resigning guys to longer term deals instead letting them all play a final year on some form of tender and then head off to free agency.

[ForceEight]

Not really sure why folks are so set with Williams as a starter for the future, though. I sincerely doubt he gets resigned, and that's probably for the best anyway.

[cravnravn]

Not really sure why folks are so set with Williams as a starter for the future, though. I sincerely doubt he gets resigned, and that's probably for the best anyway.

 

 

WHAT????

 

Williams is a beast

[RavenMad]

I think we also need to take out hats off to Webb here. He has signed an extension but will play under the rfa tender number this season thus helping out the Ravens cap situation. Webb will be a lifetime Raven with an attitude towards the team like that. He could easily have got $7 or $8mill this year on the market for teams that need secondary help.

[Dunno]

Or maybe he just watched what happened to other Ravens who signed elsewhere as free agents and realized that if the money is close, resign.

 

He is probably one of the most marketable Ravens at the present time so he can always supplement his salary with some endorsements. Income that wouldn't be available to him were he to sign elsewhere.

[RavensDomination]

I'm really happy about this. People who are saying, like goofy Drew from WNST, that he only had "one good year" are delusional. In 2010 he had a very good year. Coming into training camp last year I was shocked some people weren't projecting him as a starter.

[papasmurfbell]

Excellent news.

 

Hopefully they will consider doing this more often, resigning guys to longer term deals instead letting them all play a final year on some form of tender and then head off to free agency.

 

That is just what I have been saying for a few yrs.

[vmax]

Secondary once again a strength...

 

Webb, a former third-round draft pick out of Nicholls State, didn’t allow a touchdown last season and quarterbacks throwing at him had a rating of 55.6, according to an NFL statistics and analysis website Pro Football Focus.

 

“[That’s] why Ravens paid him,” tweeted ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

 

Smith had a rough start to his rookie season, missing five games with an ankle injury. He worked back from the ankle and really started to shine in the playoffs. His most notable play came in the AFC championship game when he notched a Tom Brady interception off a tipped pass in the end zone.

 

Hensley believes Smith has the size and speed to become a shutdown corner.

 

Smith told BaltimoreRavens.com after the Ravens’ playoff run that he had an “OK” rookie season and he planned on having a great offseason so “I can get that [starting] corner spot.”

 

One thing is for sure, with a talented group of young corners on the roster for next season, the future looks bright.

 

“It can be very good with me, Jimmy and Cary starting off,” Webb said in January. “Sky’s the limit for as far as we can go.”

http://blogs.baltimoreravens.com/2012/04/06/late-for-work-46-webb-smith-league%e2%80%99s-best-cb-tandem-by-end-of-2012/

[papasmurfbell]

Yep. Smith with a yr under and a real off season should be very good.

[yagersports]

Webb is a very good CB, perhaps one of the best. I'm not sure that sliding him to FS would be a good idea. A CB in MOST cases is far more valuable than a FS. Guys like Reed and Polamalu are obviously exceptions to that rule. However with Webbs ability to shut WRs down, I would think leaving him at CB would pay far bigger dividends.

[thundercleetz]

No way Webb goes to FS with this type of contract. If we re-sign Cary Williams to a more CAP friendly deal he is the more likely candidate to move to FS once Ed is gone. Like Webb, Cary played safety in college I believe. Williams has the speed and rangy build to cover a lot of ground in the secondary. Who really knows how many more years Ed has though.