Offensive Linemen

The Ravens were several hours into trying to recruit Ben Grubbs' potential replacement when they learned Thursday morning that their Pro Bowl left guard had reached a long-term agreementon with the New Orleans Saints. Team officials knew his departure was the likely outcome when he hit free agency Tuesday at 4 p.m, and their preparations for life after Grubbs began earlier in the morning when they welcomed free agent guard Evan Mathis to their training facility for a visit. Mathis, who blocked for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, spent the day with Ravens officials, and was expected to have dinner and stay the night in the area.

Days after the Ravens added eight players in the NFL draft, director of player personnel Eric DeCosta said there are items left on their wish list - assuming the player and the price are right. "We're very excited about last weekend and the draft we just had," DeCosta said. "Our work is not yet done. … There are still moves left to be made. This team is not yet ready for September. " DeCosta was the featured guest Wednesday night at The Baltimore Sun Newsmaker Forum series at the Jewish Community Center in Owings Mills.

The Ravens would like to improve their offensive line during the offseason, but the best move they could make in free agency would be re-signing Ben Grubbs, who could soon be one of the top guards available. The Ravens recently said that they have already offered big money to Grubbs -- and there's no reason not to believe that claim -- but if Grubbs, who turns 28 this month, hits the open market, he could be gone for good. Grubbs is widely viewed as one of the top two or three offensive guards in the 2012 free agent class, which includes Carl Nicks of the New Orleans Saints and Evan Mathis of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ravens end a run on offensive linemen The Ravens, who have said all offseason that they would like to improve their offensive line, watched as a run on offensive linemen unfolded between their two picks in the second round. Two picks after the Ravens drafted Upshaw at pick No. 37, the Cleveland Browns selected California offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz. Three picks later, the Carolina Panthers took Midwestern State guard Amini Silatolu. In the next two picks, the Buffalo Bills drafted Georgia guard/tackle Cordy Glenn and the Miami Dolphins drafted Stanford tackle Jonathan Martin.

The Ravens have talked about adding some offensive linemen during the draft, but they need to improve their evaluations. Since head coach John Harbaugh joined the Ravens, the team hasn't fared well as far as selecting offensive linemen. In 2008, they selected UTEP offensive tackle Oniel Cousins in the third round. He is no longer with the team. In 2009, they selected Mississippi offensive tackle Michael Oher in the first round. Oher has been solid, but not the dominant type or even the starting left offensive tackle the Ravens expected.

The Ravens announced Monday that they have added two offensive linemen to their practice squad. They are center Cecil Newton and offensive tackle Kenny Wiggins. Newton may be a familiar name to football fans. He is the older brother of Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton. Newton and Wiggins fill vacancies created when the team promoted linebacker Josh Bynes to the active roster on Wednesday and the New York Jets signed offensive tackle Austin Howard on Friday.

Unofficially, the Ravens might as well call it their version of The Marshall Plan. Heading into the 2011 NFL draft, it's no secret Baltimore would like to beef up its offensive line, a unit that struggled at times last year to protect quarterback Joe Flacco and run the ball effectively in short yardage. And ideally, they'd do it by finding another gem like Marshal Yanda, whom the Ravens drafted out of Iowa in the third round of the 2007 draft. Yanda wasn't exactly a highly coveted prospect that year — 11 offensive linemen were selected before the Ravens grabbed him with the 86th pick.

John Hannah, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, is as direct and bruising in speech as he was when he played for the New England Patriots. He loves the game of football, but he hates the way it's being played."It's the greatest game that's ever been and ever will be, as long as people who are trying to sell it as a business don't destroy it," Hannah said. "It's getting close."I enjoyed offense because my definition of offense is attack," he said. "Unfortunately, that's been taken out of offensive line play in the NFL as of late.

As the NFL free-agent market opens today, the Ravens have a new area to concentrate on other than defense after developments this week with offensive linemen Tony Jones, Steve Everitt and Herman Arvie.The Ravens expect to complete a trade of Jones, the team's starting left tackle, to the Denver Broncos possibly by today, and they have cut Arvie, who was the team's top reserve tackle, because of health reasons. Everitt is still in the Ravens' plans, but they removed the fourth-year center's transition-player status Wednesday, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.

Maryland introduced a football recruiting class Wednesday that is heavy on offensive linemen and includes a trio of promising receivers. The 20-member class was assembled even as one head coach was ousted and another hired. Randy Edsall's first class retained the bulk of players recruited by former coach Ralph Friedgen, who departed in December. "The biggest thing we wanted to do is keep that core intact," said Edsall, the former Connecticut coach. The class features five offensive linemen and a handful of recruits from the talent-rich immediate area.

The Ravens have said all along that they would be patient in free agency and not panic to fill any perceived holes. They've been true to their word. When left guard Ben Grubbs opted to sign with the New Orleans Saints about 48 hours into free agency, the expectation was that the Ravens would move immediately to find a replacement for the Pro Bowl performer. It wasn't necessarily immediate but the Ravens didn't wait too long to bring in Evan Mathis , regarded as the third best free agent guard behind Carl Nicks (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

The Ravens have talked about adding some offensive linemen during the draft, but they need to improve their evaluations. Since head coach John Harbaugh joined the Ravens, the team hasn't fared well as far as selecting offensive linemen. In 2008, they selected UTEP offensive tackle Oniel Cousins in the third round. He is no longer with the team. In 2009, they selected Mississippi offensive tackle Michael Oher in the first round. Oher has been solid, but not the dominant type or even the starting left offensive tackle the Ravens expected.

The Ravens were several hours into trying to recruit Ben Grubbs' potential replacement when they learned Thursday morning that their Pro Bowl left guard had reached a long-term agreementon with the New Orleans Saints. Team officials knew his departure was the likely outcome when he hit free agency Tuesday at 4 p.m, and their preparations for life after Grubbs began earlier in the morning when they welcomed free agent guard Evan Mathis to their training facility for a visit. Mathis, who blocked for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, spent the day with Ravens officials, and was expected to have dinner and stay the night in the area.

The Ravens would like to improve their offensive line during the offseason, but the best move they could make in free agency would be re-signing Ben Grubbs, who could soon be one of the top guards available. The Ravens recently said that they have already offered big money to Grubbs -- and there's no reason not to believe that claim -- but if Grubbs, who turns 28 this month, hits the open market, he could be gone for good. Grubbs is widely viewed as one of the top two or three offensive guards in the 2012 free agent class, which includes Carl Nicks of the New Orleans Saints and Evan Mathis of the Philadelphia Eagles.

In the aftermath of the Ravens' 20-13 win against the Houston Texans Sunday, Andre Gurode had a nickname suggestion for Ben Grubbs: “Allstate.” For a company that once ran with the slogan “You're in good hands with Allstate,” the nickname was quite appropriate for Grubbs, whose alertness helped the offense overcome a potential disaster in the AFC divisional playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium. The starting left guard recovered two fumbles by teammates, jumping on a loose ball caused when Texans outside linebacker Brooks Reed sacked and stripped quarterback Joe Flacco in the second quarter.

Ravens center Matt Birk, who injured his shoulder in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, returned to practice Friday after sitting out the previous two and is optimistic that he will make his 93rd straight start. “Yeah, I feel good. We're still 48 hours away, and there's a lot to be done,” Birk said. “But I think it's one of those things where we'll have to see how it feels on Sunday. ... There's so much stress and worry and all those things that you just live in the now and go to the trainer's room and do what they tell me to do.” If for some reason Birk can't go Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, Andre Gurode is waiting in the wings.

There were some unexpected reactions by two state college players selected in yesterday's NFL draft.Navy tight end Kevin Hickman was surprised after being picked by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round, and Maryland offensive tackle Steve Ingram seemed confused after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him in the seventh and final round.As one of the best offensive linemen to play at Maryland, Ingram anticipated going in the first three rounds. He even had a party on Saturday, when the NFL held its first three rounds.

In the aftermath of the Ravens' 20-13 win against the Houston Texans Sunday, Andre Gurode had a nickname suggestion for Ben Grubbs: “Allstate.” For a company that once ran with the slogan “You're in good hands with Allstate,” the nickname was quite appropriate for Grubbs, whose alertness helped the offense overcome a potential disaster in the AFC divisional playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium. The starting left guard recovered two fumbles by teammates, jumping on a loose ball caused when Texans outside linebacker Brooks Reed sacked and stripped quarterback Joe Flacco in the second quarter.

The Ravens announced Monday that they have added two offensive linemen to their practice squad. They are center Cecil Newton and offensive tackle Kenny Wiggins. Newton may be a familiar name to football fans. He is the older brother of Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton. Newton and Wiggins fill vacancies created when the team promoted linebacker Josh Bynes to the active roster on Wednesday and the New York Jets signed offensive tackle Austin Howard on Friday.

Rob Chesson has been running all over his Anne Arundel County opponents this fall, scoring 20 touchdowns in six games. The Old Mill running back rushed for five in last week's 47-10 win over archrival and No. 5 Arundel, carrying the ball 35 times for 216 yards. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior has rushed 139 times this season for 914 yards. He's accumulated 1,261 all-purpose yards to lead the No. 3 Patriots to a 6-0 start. A veteran of the Patriots' 2008 state championship team, Chesson has been clocked at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash and plans to run track in the spring to see if he can lower that time.