Scouting Report
5 - Baltimore Ravens
Will a new-look backfield—featuring a man who's
ready to throw his considerable weight around—plus
a new offensive philosophy add up to more wins?
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If things go according to plan, Potts will shoulder an
increasingly heavy load in the Ravens' revamped rushing
attack. (Al Tielemans) |
Hanging from
some monkey bars at the Ravens' training camp in Westminster,
Md., is a tremendously large, blue tackling bag. It's
called Big Brutus 01. In one of his first-day drills, coach
Ted Marchibroda had his running backs ram into Brutus as if
it were John Randle
disguised as, well, a big blue
bag.
First, Tony Vinson
went thud!
Then Errict Rhett.
Pop!
Then Jay Graham.
Pow!
Finally, along came Roosevelt Potts, Baltimore's newly
acquired 6-foot, 250-pound monster of a fullback:
ka-BOOOOM! Big Brutus 01 swung high into the air. The monkey bars
wobbled. The ground, onlookers swore,
quaked.
Baltimore, meet
Roosevelt.
"Rosie's a warrior," says Jim Harbaugh, the
Ravens' new quarterback. "He's a dominant type of
player, strong and fast. With that power, you don't want to
mess with
him."
AFC Central rivals will have no choice. After spending the
past two years waiting for
Vinny Testaverde's
extremely strong, extremely erratic right
arm to take
them
somewhere beyond the cellar (it never did), the Ravens have
ripped apart the playbook and started anew. Remember those
50-yard hit-or-miss fly patterns to Jermaine Lewis? Forget
'em. Excited about Harbaugh's throwing the deep post to
Michael Jackson? Don't
hold your
breath.
Marchibroda, tired of last year's flashy-but-ineffective
attack (326 points, 11th in the AFC), brought in some
horses to run behind one of the league's most physical
offensive lines. The Ravens bid farewell to Bam Morris and
Earnest Byner, who combined
for 1,087 yards last year, and dealt a 1999 third-round
draft pick to Tampa Bay for Rhett, a two-time 1,000-yard
rusher who will complement Graham at tailback. The
27-year-old Potts, who signed as a free agent in February,
was Marshall Faulk's road paver
in Indianapolis before joining the Dolphins last season.
And Harbaugh, 34 and a few years removed from the Captain
Comeback tag, arrives by way of trade from the Colts to
replace the released Testaverde. "I wanted to get some
players who know what it's
like to win," says Marchibroda, who as he begins his
third season is already hearing rumors about his job
security. "Rosie Potts was in the playoffs last year
with Miami. Rhett was there with Tampa Bay. And Jim—he
knows every method for pulling out a
football game. That kind of stuff is
contagious."
That sounds good; but now consider this: Last year at this
time, Rhett's number 32 new-style Bucs jersey was selling
for $45 in Foot Lockers nationwide. By last January, after
a 31-carry season, the shirt could be had at Marshall's for
eight bucks. This
was the same player who, just two seasons earlier, had
rumbled for 1,207 yards and 11 touchdowns. "Last year
had nothing to do with talent and nothing to do with
ability," says Rhett, who blames a contract dispute
for his decreased playing time. "Now I'm
ready to show what I've got again. I expect big things.
Everyone goes for 1,000 yards. I want
2,000."
| Schedule |
| Sept. | 6 | PITTSBURGH |
| 13 | at N.Y. Jets |
| 20 | at Jacksonville |
| 27 | CINCINNATI |
| Oct. | 4 | OPEN DATE |
| 11 | TENNESSEE |
| 18 | at Pittsburgh |
| 25 | at Green Bay |
| Nov. | 1 | JACKSONVILLE |
| 8 | OAKLAND |
| 15 | at San Diego |
| 22 | at Cincinnati |
| 29 | INDIANAPOLIS |
| Dec. | 6 | at Tennessee |
| 13 | MINNESOTA |
| 20 | at Chicago |
| 27 | DETROIT |
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Sure, Errict. Although Marchibroda promises Rhett will get
his share of carries, the Ravens will operate with a
backfield by committee. That means Graham, the stocky
second-year pro from Tennessee, will start and Rhett will
come off the bench, with each
getting 10-20 touches a game. The biggest (and not just
girthwise) addition-question mark is Potts. As an
unheralded Colts rookie five years ago, he rushed for 711
punishing yards. The next April the Colts drafted Faulk,
and Potts's yardage dropped to
336. In 1995 he ran for just 309 yards in 15 games. Despite
the drop in workload, he averaged
4.2 yards per carry in his first three seasons. Then the bottom
fell out. Potts failed a drug test and was suspended for
the '96 season. Last year, after holding out until Aug. 11,
he appeared in two games with the Colts before being
released. He was picked
up by the Dolphins and played in six more. He carried once
for each team, for a total of four
yards.
"This is my second chance," says Potts, whom
Marchibroda coached for three years with the Colts.
"The first time I was a second-round pick, and I had
to do it all myself. Now I'm being treated like a
first-rounder. Ted's told me that in Indianapolis,
with Marshall around, he never really gave me a fair
opportunity. Now he's giving it to
me."
Marchibroda loves the way Potts blocks. He loves his soft
hands (73 catches in three full seasons). Most of all, he
loves the idea of taking a "what
ever happened
to...?" and turning him into an All-Pro. Graham and Rhett
will get first shots, but Marchibroda sees Potts as his
eventual go-to guy, a 1,000-yard, 30-40 catch
player.
"I've had most of the last two seasons off," says
Potts. "Some may see that as rust. Me? I think it's
more about being fresh. This is my time." He pauses.
"Again." —Jeff Pearlman
By the Numbers | Inside Slant | Lineup
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