Post by John on May 18, 2006 11:37:34 GMT -4
McNair's arrival wouldn't mean Ravens are done with Boller
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Sooner or later, the Baltimore Ravens will get their hands on quarterback Steve McNair and make him their starter. I think we all know that. What we don't know is what McNair's arrival means for Kyle Boller.
Once Boller was the Ravens' unchallenged starter, the guy who would anchor the quarterback position for the next decade. Now, he'll be demoted for the first time in his pro career and won't have a chance to fight for his job.
I can only imagine what Boller thinks of the move.
But that's not the issue here. What's important is what Baltimore thinks of it. More to the point: If and when Baltimore acquires Steve McNair, does it mean the club has written off Kyle Boller as its quarterback of the future?
The answer is no. A thousand times no.
I know what it looks like from where you sit. I have the same perspective from here, except I also know how much the Ravens have invested in Boller and that they're not about to drop the curtain on a first-round draft pick.
Their interest in McNair is twofold: a) They believe he can help them win immediately, and b) they believe he can make Kyle Boller a better quarterback for the future.
I don't know that McNair makes them an instant winner. He's 33 and near the end of his career. But I do believe he can make Boller a better quarterback -- depending, of course, on how Boller responds -- which is why McNair going to the Ravens makes sense.
Look at it like this: For at least a season, he provides Baltimore with stability at a position where there was none. Though Boller has been the quarterback the past three years, he missed seven starts in 2003 and seven more in 2005.
That retarded his development. What retarded it more, though, was the Ravens' failure to provide him a veteran quarterback as a mentor. When Boller was a rookie, he didn't have someone like Trent Dilfer to school him. Instead, he had to beat out Anthony Wright and Chris Redman.
Well, those days are over. When the Ravens acquire McNair, they introduce a quarterback who is the polar opposite of Boller. McNair is more than a decorated veteran who's been to the Super Bowl. He is calm, patient and poised. Boller is young and excitable, with the Ravens unable to slow him down in the pocket. But look what happens now. Boller, who turns 25 next month, can sit and learn behind an experienced quarterback who offers some of the qualities Boller is missing. So let him acquire them.
I don't know how long McNair lasts. A year. Maybe two. He's winding down, and Boller is starting up. This is not Kyle Boller being replaced by Eli Manning, for cripe's sake.
Sure, McNair was the league's co-MVP in 2003, but that seems like a decade ago. In the two years that followed, he missed 10 games and had almost as many interceptions (20) as touchdown passes (24). In short, he's not the quarterback he once was, but for Baltimore, he doesn't have to be.
The Ravens think he has enough left to give them a lift now. And that's what the club needs and what Boller needs to understand.
"If a quarterback of a certain stature is available," said coach Brian Billick, who never mentioned McNair by name, "we have an obligation to bring that guy in, and Kyle is going to have to understand that and deal with that. It's no different than what a lot of other quarterbacks in this league go through."
Drew Brees went through the same thing his fourth season in San Diego, but the quarterback the Chargers brought in was a first-round draft pick. Jake Plummer is going through the same thing in Denver now, but quarterback-in-waiting Jay Cutler isn't 33; he's 23 and a first-round draft pick.
And that's the point: Steve McNair is no threat to Boller's long-term future. I know Boller can't see much good in this move, but he should understand this: Baltimore had a chance to sign Kerry Collins, and it did not. It had a chance to sign Drew Brees and Daunte Culpepper, too, and passed there, too. Boller still figures in the Ravens' plans.
"I have a great deal of faith in Kyle Boller's resiliency," said Billick. "Look, he's under contract for another two years, so he's not going anywhere. Let's see where we are with this thing in two years."
And that's the key. There are no guarantees with McNair. He missed two games last year. He missed eight the year before that. He could miss more time this season -- and the next season, if there is a next season for McNair -- which means Kyle Boller will have a chance to prove himself all over again before his contract expires after 2007.
I don't know that Baltimore looks beyond this year with McNair. In fact, I suspect the Ravens do not; that they're looking to improve their quarterback position immediately, and when McNair becomes available, they jump. What I do know is that no matter what happens with Steve McNair, they haven't given up on Kyle Boller.
"Not at all," said Billick. "He's going to have his chances. If we were to bring someone in it's no different than what happened when I was in Minnesota when we had Brad Johnson and brought Warren Moon in. Brad was understandably upset, but when Warren got hurt, Brad stepped in and played. And he played well."
Boller played well, too, at the end of last season. And that was when he wasn't challenged. Now he will sit, and I'm sure he wonders what it means for his future. Hard as it is to believe, it could extend -- rather than shorten -- his stay in Baltimore.
"The way we see it," Billick said of hiring another quarterback, "there's no downside."
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Sooner or later, the Baltimore Ravens will get their hands on quarterback Steve McNair and make him their starter. I think we all know that. What we don't know is what McNair's arrival means for Kyle Boller.
Once Boller was the Ravens' unchallenged starter, the guy who would anchor the quarterback position for the next decade. Now, he'll be demoted for the first time in his pro career and won't have a chance to fight for his job.
I can only imagine what Boller thinks of the move.
But that's not the issue here. What's important is what Baltimore thinks of it. More to the point: If and when Baltimore acquires Steve McNair, does it mean the club has written off Kyle Boller as its quarterback of the future?
The answer is no. A thousand times no.
I know what it looks like from where you sit. I have the same perspective from here, except I also know how much the Ravens have invested in Boller and that they're not about to drop the curtain on a first-round draft pick.
Their interest in McNair is twofold: a) They believe he can help them win immediately, and b) they believe he can make Kyle Boller a better quarterback for the future.
I don't know that McNair makes them an instant winner. He's 33 and near the end of his career. But I do believe he can make Boller a better quarterback -- depending, of course, on how Boller responds -- which is why McNair going to the Ravens makes sense.
Look at it like this: For at least a season, he provides Baltimore with stability at a position where there was none. Though Boller has been the quarterback the past three years, he missed seven starts in 2003 and seven more in 2005.
That retarded his development. What retarded it more, though, was the Ravens' failure to provide him a veteran quarterback as a mentor. When Boller was a rookie, he didn't have someone like Trent Dilfer to school him. Instead, he had to beat out Anthony Wright and Chris Redman.
Well, those days are over. When the Ravens acquire McNair, they introduce a quarterback who is the polar opposite of Boller. McNair is more than a decorated veteran who's been to the Super Bowl. He is calm, patient and poised. Boller is young and excitable, with the Ravens unable to slow him down in the pocket. But look what happens now. Boller, who turns 25 next month, can sit and learn behind an experienced quarterback who offers some of the qualities Boller is missing. So let him acquire them.
I don't know how long McNair lasts. A year. Maybe two. He's winding down, and Boller is starting up. This is not Kyle Boller being replaced by Eli Manning, for cripe's sake.
Sure, McNair was the league's co-MVP in 2003, but that seems like a decade ago. In the two years that followed, he missed 10 games and had almost as many interceptions (20) as touchdown passes (24). In short, he's not the quarterback he once was, but for Baltimore, he doesn't have to be.
The Ravens think he has enough left to give them a lift now. And that's what the club needs and what Boller needs to understand.
"If a quarterback of a certain stature is available," said coach Brian Billick, who never mentioned McNair by name, "we have an obligation to bring that guy in, and Kyle is going to have to understand that and deal with that. It's no different than what a lot of other quarterbacks in this league go through."
Drew Brees went through the same thing his fourth season in San Diego, but the quarterback the Chargers brought in was a first-round draft pick. Jake Plummer is going through the same thing in Denver now, but quarterback-in-waiting Jay Cutler isn't 33; he's 23 and a first-round draft pick.
And that's the point: Steve McNair is no threat to Boller's long-term future. I know Boller can't see much good in this move, but he should understand this: Baltimore had a chance to sign Kerry Collins, and it did not. It had a chance to sign Drew Brees and Daunte Culpepper, too, and passed there, too. Boller still figures in the Ravens' plans.
"I have a great deal of faith in Kyle Boller's resiliency," said Billick. "Look, he's under contract for another two years, so he's not going anywhere. Let's see where we are with this thing in two years."
And that's the key. There are no guarantees with McNair. He missed two games last year. He missed eight the year before that. He could miss more time this season -- and the next season, if there is a next season for McNair -- which means Kyle Boller will have a chance to prove himself all over again before his contract expires after 2007.
I don't know that Baltimore looks beyond this year with McNair. In fact, I suspect the Ravens do not; that they're looking to improve their quarterback position immediately, and when McNair becomes available, they jump. What I do know is that no matter what happens with Steve McNair, they haven't given up on Kyle Boller.
"Not at all," said Billick. "He's going to have his chances. If we were to bring someone in it's no different than what happened when I was in Minnesota when we had Brad Johnson and brought Warren Moon in. Brad was understandably upset, but when Warren got hurt, Brad stepped in and played. And he played well."
Boller played well, too, at the end of last season. And that was when he wasn't challenged. Now he will sit, and I'm sure he wonders what it means for his future. Hard as it is to believe, it could extend -- rather than shorten -- his stay in Baltimore.
"The way we see it," Billick said of hiring another quarterback, "there's no downside."