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On Tavares Gooden stepping in for Bart...
I think **Tavares Gooden** would probably excel more than **Jameel McClain**. His body type, speed and versatility means he can do what is expected of him. Only problem might be his injury situation. If he proves he can stay healthy in this league, he'll be a star!
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On Jameel McClain becoming the starter in place of Bart Scott...
This past season Jameel McClain made his presence known everytime he took the field. Having Jameel in as a starter would only let him become a better player. To me there is no question as to who should fill in Bart's position.
Brett Lubertine
Baltimore, MD
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On having a feature back in 2009...
I believe that Willis McGahee should be the Ravens' feature back in 2009. When healthy, McGahee is the Ravens best running back hands down (no disrespect to LeRon McClain and Ray Rice). The Ravens should re-sign Lorenzo Neal and have Willis as the feature back, using McClain on short yardage situations to be the team's #2 back. Have Ray Rice be the 3rd down back to catch passes out of the backfield.
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On playing Rex Ryan and the Jets in the preseason...
I think the upcoming preseason schedule for the 2009 season is a great opportunity for the Ravens. Any game between the avens and Redskins, whether it's exhibition or regular season, is huge for the simple fact that it's a battle of bragging rights for the area. I like the fact that the Ravens dont have to wait to see their former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. I think that game will have a lot of emotions with former Ravens Bart Scott and Jim Leonard on the team.
Greg Synder
Millersville, MD
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On how an extended regular season could work...
I like the idea of the longer season. From a revenue perspective, I can agree. How about this for an angle? Add two extra games, but also add two extra bye weeks. This gives injured or tired players a chance to recuperate, thus reducing impact to the players and at the same assuring that the quality of the game stays high. The Ravens went the entire season last year without a by-week due to Hurricane Ike. The team was tired and pretty busted up by the end of the season. It gives the league four extra weeks of TV revenue, the cities an extra two weeks of football in their areas and the players some extra time to recoup during the season, assuring better competition and a more competitive postseason.
Dennis HortonWestminster, MD
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On why extending the regular season is a good idea...
I like the longer season idea. Why play four preseason games with a chance of your team loosing a player for the season due to some freak injury? If the team is going to loose a guy to I.R. it should be in a meaningful game. As far as scouting the guys to see who you want to keep on your roster during the preseason, the scouts have watched these guys their whole college career, so if they don't know if they're a good player in that amount of time with that much film and two preseason games, I think they seriously need to rethink what their career choice was. I think if the NFL decides to make a longer season, then the 53-man roster should expand for instance all the guys on the developmental squad would be active too. That means no more practice squad all players being paid can and will suit up.
Quinton Mitchell
Anchorage, AK
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On selecting a linebacker in the draft...
The Ravens should be willing to draft a linebacker this year. There are a number of good linebackers this year. One that really stands out and would be a perfect fit for the Ravens is USC's Rey Maualuga. He is an all-around linebacker. I question his tackling skills sometimes but with veterans like **Terrell Suggs** and **Ray Lewis**, he should make progress in a great way. Maybe he can even be the Ravens' new star inside linebacker in a few years. *
Derrick Wilson Jr.
Baltimore, MD*
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On the running back-by-committee...
Due to the fact that we don't possess a bonafide feature back, we need to persist with the backfield-committee. It worked well last season and there is no reason to change. All three backs offer something different, so defenses are forced to constantly re-adjust. It also allows more time for **Joe Flacco** when we are running well. I'd say re-sign **Lorenzo Neal**, utilize **LeRon McClain** as a power back and use **Willis McGahee** and **Ray Rice** for some more finesse.
Jesse James
London, England
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On bringing back Lorenzo Neal and having a versatile offense...
Re-sign Neal, and keep the rest of the backfield the way it currently is. We demonstrated last year that we have a number of different weapons, which made us a much more dangerous team offensively. Our offense performs much higher when the opposing defenses don't know exactly what's coming. That is why our offense suffered so much when we had Jamal Lewis running the ball, everybody knew what we were doing and all Jamal could do was pound the ball up the middle. With a mixed bag of weapons, we can prepare for any opponent.
Michael Sperry
Falston, MD
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On the impact an extended regular season will have on NFL records...
My two cents on extending the season to 18 games: The argument on injury vs. money is sound in both directions, so another angle to take has to do with history and records. With 18 games in a season, will we not see 2000 yard rushing seasons every three years? For the guys who start as rookies in 2010, they will suddenly be at a distinct advantage for breaking all-time records in every category. I guess gone will be the days where these numbers meant something to us...
*Ben AlsopPikesville, MD
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On why extending the regular season is not a good idea...
I hate hearing people say, "More football the better!" Right now, there are four preseason games and 16 regular season games. That is 20 games total. The league would not add two games to the season, they would simply take away two of the preseason games and make it a 19-week season. So in the end, we really do not get "more football," as I consider the preseason to still be "football." The season is fine the way it is. The rookies and unproven guys need those four games to show this team they can play for us.
Brian Malan
College Park, MD
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