Ravens Lose Brandon McKinney?

[RavensWin09]

[url="http://indiana.sbnation.com/indianapolis-colts/2012/4/5/2927694/indianapolis-colts-free-agents-2012-brandon-mckinney"]http://indiana.sbnat...randon-mckinney[/url]

Apparently we lost DL Brandon McKinney and that we didn't even try to retain him. i know that we are already a little thin on the DL and maybe this foreshadows that the FO already had a plan to get more DL depth through the draft than most people think?

EDIT: just adding that Cam Johnson (DE, Virginia) is meeting with us and the steelers according to Aaron Wilson tweet while we are on the topic of D-Line

[Irish Raven]

We have Bryan Hall


[b]Height[/b]: 6-0 [b]Weight[/b]: 295 [b]Age[/b]: 23
[b]Born[/b]: 9/12/1988 Carbondale , IL
[b]College[/b]: Arkansas State
[b]Experience[/b]: Rookie

He'll get a shot in pre-season

Edit: but shorter and lighter then McKinney was so a different player

Not surprised McKinney left, he'll get more of a role in Indy.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='RavensWin09' timestamp='1333647417' post='1043146']
Apparently we lost DL Brandon McKinney and that we didn't even try to retain him. i know that we are already a little thin on the DL and [b]maybe this foreshadows that the FO already had a plan to get more DL depth through the draft than most people think?[/b]
[/quote]

That wouldn't be surprising. There's a ton of draft-worthy talent along the d-line this year.

[arnie_uk]

they considered cutting him last year sure. i wasnt surprised when i seen it yesterday

[UMDan]

To be honest I found it confusing with Brandon McKinney and Bryant McKinnie, so I'm not that heartbroken about it.

[The Raven]

[quote name='Irish Raven' timestamp='1333648049' post='1043161']
We have Bryan Hall


[b]Height[/b]: 6-0 [b]Weight[/b]: 295 [b]Age[/b]: 23
[b]Born[/b]: 9/12/1988 Carbondale , IL
[b]College[/b]: Arkansas State
[b]Experience[/b]: Rookie

He'll get a shot in pre-season

Not surprised McKinney left, he'll get more of a role in Indy.
[/quote]

He's a little too small to play nose tackle though

[GrimCoconut]

So what. No disrespect to the OP because I liked McKinney to an extent but I figured this would happen. I wasn't surprised when it did. We probably didn't try to retain him because retaining him would mean spending more money on him than he deserves, at least I imagine it would. What was his contract? Anyone know? I probably would have given him the vet minimum to stay but I really don't think we need him. He was very expendable. Hopefully his contract was high enough so it cancels us signing Graham lol.

[H8R]

Kelly Gregg, he's a FA... : ) Depth. : )

[Irish Raven]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1333648435' post='1043169']
He's a little too small to play nose tackle though
[/quote]

Fair point, I thought of that after I posted it up

[The Raven]

[quote name='H8R' timestamp='1333648744' post='1043177']
Kelly Gregg, he's a FA... : ) Depth. : )
[/quote]

Ya know what, for depth, I wouldn't mind it. I'd like for Buddy Lee to be able to retire a Raven too.

[gabefergy]

Losing McKinney means we have 4 proven players along our Dline. We definitely need some depth there. We will probably draft someone and sign at least 1 vet as well.

[The Raven]

[quote name='Irish Raven' timestamp='1333648857' post='1043178']
Fair point, I thought of that after I posted it up
[/quote]

It's still not a bad idea. Jay Ratliff is also undersized for a nose but still does great. If Cody ever does get tired/injured, we could move Ngata inside. We have the depth at DE to make that happen if it needed to.

[Irish Raven]

[quote name='H8R' timestamp='1333648744' post='1043177']
Kelly Gregg, he's a FA... : ) Depth. : )
[/quote]

I like it
And could tutor Cody and help him further along

[gabefergy]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1333648966' post='1043183']


It's still not a bad idea. Jay Ratliff is also undersized for a nose but still does great. If Cody ever does get tired/injured, we could move Ngata inside. We have the depth at DE to make that happen if it needed to.
[/quote]
We really don't have depth right now at all. If Ngata had to play NT we would have to play Jones and McPhee at DE with no one behind them. That's not a bad line, but it certainly isn't deep.

[The Raven]

[quote name='gabefergy' timestamp='1333649971' post='1043202']
We really don't have depth right now at all. If Ngata had to play NT we would have to play Jones and McPhee at DE with no one behind them. That's not a bad line, but it certainly isn't deep.
[/quote]

Agreed. Depth is needed, badly.

[ClintLB8]

I like the idea of bringing Kelly Gregg back to by us some time to find a replacement.

[ClintLB8]

And by replacement I mean back up NG, not replacement for Cody.

[redrum52]

Hasn't he been long gone? We really are a spoiled team, at least defensively. No depth, you know how many teams out there dont have starters as good as some of our depth. We can't have it all and though I don't want a drop off defensively we need to also stay afloat on offense with the rules constantly being changed in their favor. We wonder why we can't get receivers who hold onto ball, that's because most of the money in previous years is going the other side of the ball. As far as I'm concerned McKinney can probably be replaced with a 4-7 round pick as long as he's big enough. Let's not forget people just waiting for a shot on the practice squad. I love replacing depth players through the draft because that's where you find your gems and potential starters because its not necessarily a pressing need but taking a shot on someone you see potential in. I like the fact for the next few years we will finally be forced to give the younger guys some more burn.

[rmw10]

Not a big loss at all. He was almost cut last season. It would be nice to have him as depth, but I'm sure we can find guys to do what he does at much cheaper rates, considering he was making $1 million+ last season.

[Gtown Purple]

I expect us to draft some fresh dl.

[cursona pirate]

We will draft DL no question.

[scrock]

losing him isnt the worst thing in the world, he's a backup who played decent I suppose...

The Ravens must have confidence they can replace him, I don't think the Ravens even tendered him

[ravensfan520]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1333650313' post='1043212']


Agreed. Depth is needed, badly.
[/quote]

Kruger can play de and either Kindle or Mckellen can play olb... oh and don't forget McAdoo.(don't know if I spelled it right)

[The Raven]

[quote name='ravensfan520' timestamp='1333666727' post='1043574']
Kruger can play de and either Kindle or Mckellen can play olb... oh and don't forget McAdoo.(don't know if I spelled it right)
[/quote]

Or, we can let Kruger stay in his natural position and let him develop as a 3-4 OLB instead of forcing him to be a 3-4 DE where he does not belong. Kindle and McClellan have proven nothing to say we should move Kruger to DE. Also, Harbs seems really optimistic about Kruger's potential to start at LOLB.

[GrimCoconut]

Kruger is not fit to be a 3-4 DE. It is not a good position for him. He can be a 4-3 DE but he isn't a 3-4 DE and he won't be. That experiment failed miserably.

As The Raven said, Kindle, McClellan & McAdoo have done nothing to make me feel comfortable putting them on the outside. The only other person on our team I would put at LOLB would be McClain if we drafted a guy like Mychal Kendricks to play ILB.

[The Raven]

[quote name='GrimCoconut' timestamp='1333667211' post='1043584']
Kruger is not fit to be a 3-4 DE. It is not a good position for him. He can be a 4-3 DE but he isn't a 3-4 DE and he won't be. That experiment failed miserably.

As The Raven said, Kindle, McClellan & McAdoo have done nothing to make me feel comfortable putting them on the outside. The only other person on our team I[b] would put at LOLB would be McClain if we drafted a guy like Mychal Kendricks to play ILB.[/b]
[/quote]

Now that is a good idea. But that would also hurt our ILB depth.

[redrum52]

[quote name='GrimCoconut' timestamp='1333667211' post='1043584']
Kruger is not fit to be a 3-4 DE. It is not a good position for him. He can be a 4-3 DE but he isn't a 3-4 DE and he won't be. That experiment failed miserably.

As The Raven said, Kindle, McClellan & McAdoo have done nothing to make me feel comfortable putting them on the outside. The only other person on our team I would put at LOLB would be McClain if we drafted a guy like Mychal Kendricks to play ILB.
[/quote]

I can see Kindle doing well at Krugers role last year. His burst off the line is good. You don't know what people can do til they are on the field. What if Troy Smith never got sick, we wouldn't have know what Flacco was capable of and I do.t want to hear crap about Flacco being a 1st round qb and its a different situation. Sergio was our first pick in the 10 draft. Throw him out there and see what he can do.

[GrimCoconut]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1333667315' post='1043590']
Now that is a good idea. But that would also hurt our ILB depth.
[/quote]
We could always shift McClain back over to the ILB if needed. I mean, we paid McClain good money to stay here. I want him to play. I'd prefer for him to not be a back-up ILB.

Personally, I want Ellerbe gone. I think his tender is too much for him and I would rather use that money to spend on another guy, like a LG FA or a DT FA. I think Ellerbe will stick around until at least the draft, but I feel like he is gone after that, especially if we get Mychal Kendricks.

[CapoRocky]

[quote name='UMDan' timestamp='1333648250' post='1043167']
To be honest I found it confusing with Brandon McKinney and Bryant McKinnie, so I'm not that heartbroken about it.
[/quote]

McKinnie is 6'8" and 360+ lbs. He's hard to miss.

[GrimCoconut]

[quote name='redrum52' timestamp='1333667466' post='1043594']
I can see Kindle doing well at Krugers role last year. His burst off the line is good. You don't know what people can do til they are on the field. What if Troy Smith never got sick, we wouldn't have know what Flacco was capable of and I do.t want to hear crap about Flacco being a 1st round qb and its a different situation. Sergio was our first pick in the 10 draft. Throw him out there and see what he can do.
[/quote]
I like Kindle and I have no problem giving him some snaps in the rotation when it actually matters. I'm not disagreeing with you regarding Kindle being a back-up to Kruger. Problem with Kindle is that he is a question mark. I think the biggest problem for him is just getting back into football and playing the game like he did. He had a serious head injury. Those kind of injuries can take years to heal, if they do. Neurological injuries can take about 10 years to fully heal, and we are talking about football here. If he takes another blow to the head, it could seriously impact his life and at least his healing process.

I'm not saying we should move on from Sergio Kindle, but I do find something interesting about Harbaugh's comments. If I recall correctly when Harbaugh was asked about Kruger he mentioned McClellan but nothing of Kindle. I find it interesting he didn't mention Kindle in there. I don't have that information in front of me right now, but I don't think Kindle is ready. I sure hope he is, though. I would hate to lose him as a player especially because of where we drafted him.