Ray Rice

[FerrariFan87]

I love this pick. Ray is fast, strong, and will be an excellent change-of-pace back to complement Willis this year and for years to come. I think this pick takes SOME of the sting out of reaching for Flacco, which I am still fuming over =/ Your thoughts on our new RB?

[Ravens52]

I like it A LOT. Hopefully Willis and Ray can be like MJD and Fred Taylor.

[neepo13]

I love this pick. I think we have alot of good depth at RB now. I hope we switch to the 2 back system now with Rice and McGahee. And throw Corey Ross out there every now and then.

[die_hard_raven]

Great pickup! I'm not fuming over the 1st pick anymore but I still think they should have waited and got a better value CB but we will see what happens. If we have a great year this year or a year from now I don't think it will matter.

[FerrariFan87]

I love this pick. I think we have alot of good depth at RB now. I hope we switch to the 2 back system now with Rice and McGahee. And throw Corey Ross out there every now and then.

Yeah, this seems to be the new trend in the NFL.. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, Marion Barber and Julius Jones (last year, now it will be Felix Jones this year to complement Barber), Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Now, McGahee and Rice, I can't wait to see what Cam can do with these guys =)

[ragnorok99]

I saw this guy play a few times, and I absolutely love the pickup.

[Ravens52]

I loved this pick more than the first rounder. I hope he gets to become a 1-2 punch with Willis. That would be incredible, I wanted a cornerback with this pick but the trade for Fabian made up for it

[SEERAYRUN]

HELLO ALL !!! Rutgers and Giants fan here people! Naturally I hated you guys for that superbowl beat down until just now when you drafted my favorit player of all time Ray Rice! So now your my 2nd favorit team after my G-men! Anyways let me give you my personal scouting report on Ray.

Pros: Ray as a runner is a VERY shifty side to side. He takes one step and he is at full speed. He will make alot of people miss as he jukes in the hole, and he strong enough to break alot more tackles then you think a man of his sizes could. He is constently falling foward for extra yards and driving defenders backwards. Don't let his size fool you he is a POWER RB. He also has sick balance. There been so many times people have dove at his legs but he stays on his feet. He can not be arm tackled, and must be wraped up. His vision is also second to none. If there is a hole at all Ray will find it. He also is just one of those guy that has a nose for the endzone. If you get him down within the 5 yard line he can punch it in for you.

As a receiver Ray is slightly underrated. He has better hands then people give him credit for and does a nice job selling his block on setting up the screen play. He also follows his blockers well as the play develops. He will be effective taking the dump off pass in the flat, and could even beat a linebacker if they match up with him on the wheel route as he makes good hard cuts on his route breaks.

As a blocker Ray is NFL ready. He keeps his head on a swivel, and when blitzed he will step up and attack the blitzer taking there legs out.

Ray also has alot of great immeasurables. He a fantastic person and locker room guy(I played with him in HS). He is very durable, and can play threw pain. He also LOVES football, and is a smart guy. His work ethic is also second to none.

Cons: Ray as a runner has few things anyone can dislike but the one thing you can question is his straight ahead speed. While Ray is extreamly fast in terms of his stop/go speed he is not a track star. He is not going to break alot 50+ yard TDs. The only other thing to worry about is fumbles. Ray would put the ball on the turf 3-4 times a year at Rutgers. However in his defense I will say. While it may seem like alot in a 12 game season, He was running the rock 330+ times a year.

As a Receiver ray just needs to work on catching the ball in traffic. While he won't drop the easy passes in the flats and on screens. He may drop them if he gets hit at the same time he catching the ball over the middle.

As a blocker I think you just have to worry about some of the more athletic LBs in the NFL jumping over Ray when he goes to take there legs out. Still he always has done a good job making sure he cuts his man down.

Finally the only other thing I can say to be aware of is if he does his dances at mini camp in a cowboy hat and a adult diaper its not a pretty sight.

Final thoughts: You guys drafted a great great player. I see alot of people comparing Ray to MJD, but the comparision I like the most is to Curtis Martin. Ray won't break that long run that makes people go wooooo and haaaaa. However he keeps the chains moving and will break plenty of 10-20 yard runs. At the end of the game people will look up at the stats and he will have 150-200 total yards and people will say "how the hell that happen" game after game. Just like Curtis martin used to do.

[Ravensfanspls]

People dont seem to love the 1st round pick myself i love it i think Flacco is great tall strong arm QB obviously boller is done and a back up and we all liked troy only because we really want a QB to lead this team to be a winner again, But obviously ozzie sees hes not what we all hoped so we got Flacco.

[ragnorok99]

Thanks for the info on Rice. I can't wait to see what he does.

[smashmouth]

Thanks for the Info! I dont think we picked this guy up to be a Home Run hitter, thats why we have McGahee We will probally use him on 3rd downs, short downs and maybe for Goal Line situations. So if He's a guy to keep the chains moving then He's doing His job!

[FerrariFan87]

Thanks for the Info! I dont think we picked this guy up to be a Home Run hitter, thats why we have McGahee We will probally use him on 3rd downs, short downs and maybe for Goal Line situations. So if He's a guy to keep the chains moving then He's doing His job!

I wouldn't be so sure, Rice is a beast and he could easily take over for Willis once he no longer dons the Purple and Black. He was ridiculously productive at Rutgers and he was all they had the past couple years and teams still couldn't stop him!

[neepo13]

I wouldn't be so sure, Rice is a beast and he could easily take over for Willis once he no longer dons the Purple and Black. He was ridiculously productive at Rutgers and he was all they had the past couple years and teams still couldn't stop him!

I am hoping we give defense a nice healthy dose of both of them next year. With our QB situation our games are going to be won on defense and on the ground. Boller is probably going to start next year, I dont trust him enough to ask him to win games for us. I dont think Flacco will be ready to start. So, we really are going to be depending on our run game next year. So, much so that I am expecting big things from Willis, Ray, and Corey.

But agree. Willis is 26. He's got about 4 years before he hits that 30 wall and by that time Rice should be going into his prime.

[BrownsFan]

Great pick for you all IMO.

[rayvenfan_52]

Im hoping they use Rice just like the Jags used MDJones with Taylor in the back. Would be cool to see that formation when the Ravens are on offense.

[Ravnet]

Yeah what I have noticed about Ray is that he will break through the first line of defense and the secondary and then a safety will track him down. That would be fine on most offenses but the Ravens are horrendus in the red zone and every touchdown is valuable. I really like the player, but I think in that situation the Ravens should have drafted for need. I realize that Musa is gone but this seems like more of a win now pick which puzzles me.

[rayvenfan_52]

Its true he gets chased down by safeties and corners. But given time he could be a Power back. He also does a good job getting through the middle though. Hes just got to work on his speed.

[Ravens_Pwn12]

I like it A LOT. Hopefully Willis and Ray can be like MJD and Fred Taylor.

yea that would be good

[Raven07]

yes i also agree with you on this one, i love this move as well..... seeing how Ray is a play maker and the fact that he can be that extra difference maker in a game and is that "hard hitting Line backer" to which we pride ourselves on/over. i feel like he's the type of player whom can step in at anytime and fill the void and immediately produce positive results and positive numbers for our side of the football and team overall.

he has Explosiveness whenever needed and is "a Hard hitting " player to whom is a difference maker in a game and can make those plays necessary. not to mention that with the added mentorship from Ray and Bart, he can only get better as time goes on right? so we can expect him to continue to build and build.

[rayvenfan_52]

yup.. power backs always push for the yards.

[rastaman831226]

Don't quite understand this pick. I thought we already had a mini-back in Cory Ross. Besides, if the Ravens were looking for a powerback, Rice is definitely not that guy. At 5'9" and 195-205, he ain't pushing nobody around in the NFL.

[Raven07]

i think that its Depth thought/issue that came into affect here and the fact that he could very well provide us with a solid return game alongside that of Figurs on special teams.... something that Ross, could never really FULLY accomplish because of his overall size.

[rayvenfan_52]

Well try and compare that to when Maurice-Jones Drew knocked Lights Out Merriman flat. Size doesnt always mean everything. A lot of people thought Ray Lewis was an undersized Line Backer. Also that HOF WR out of Oakland that was said to be too short to do anything great. Brees is like 6"1' and did good in the 06 season. So I guess size isnt everything to those players.

[Raven07]

thats true, and I'm not at all saying that Size has a huge role into a players role on a team (see my Troy Smith Posts)

but i think that the team was thinking of being more so on the "safe side" of things and not have Ross get injured and out, when we really do call on him and need him.

[rayvenfan_52]

yup... mostly because I think Ross is still injury prone. Rice is like a safe back up plan.

[Raven07]

because frankly, Ross, though on the short side, has proven his own worth on this team, thus why we still have him on the team/roster and continually shown that he can come in and get the job done when they need him to do so.

[Jamal]

He can be the 3rd down back, since Willis is rarely there for 3rd downs.

[rayvenfan_52]

Or if not the Third down back he can be in the same time with McGahee. Just like the Jags do it with MJD and Taylor.

[Ravnet]

Its true he gets chased down by safeties and corners. But given time he could be a Power back. He also does a good job getting through the middle though. Hes just got to work on his speed.

Unfortunately, that is not something that is very easy to improve. Strength, routes, plays, and feet are easier to get better at but quickness is usually an innate ability.

[rayvenfan_52]

Well then lets hope he accels at somethin thatll make him a force to be recond with.