Ravens Release CB Chris McAlister
The Ravens released 31 year old Cornerback Chris McAlister today. McAlister started five games during the 2008 season before being benched and placed on injured reserve in November. McAlister finished the season with three interceptions and just 19 tackles.
Although he might fit a need and there is the connection with the Ravens, he’s a “price is right” guy. For depth, maybe he’s worth signing.
It was likely Ryan and/or Harbaugh who was dissatisfied with McAlister’s play and benched him in the first place during the season. At eight million a year (which is what he was due) he was a likely cap casualty. Yes, he’s a 10 year vet and yes he knows Ryan’s system, but he also hasn’t played a full season since 2006 and he might be another depth player, but to hold out hope for him to start 16 games would be a mistake. He might be a good player if the Jets don’t have to pay him much. Given the choice of signing McAlister as a starter for $2-3 million per year or drafting a player like Vontae Davis or Malcolm Jenkins in the first round, I’d go with the draft.
Thanks for the email from Brian L.
hes definately someone we can use.
i bet ryan knows best about him.
I dont know about signing him. He is getting up there in age and has also been injury prone the last couple seasons. If the jets sign him it will be ty law(of 2008) all over again.
law the sequel
I dont think it will be law the sequel its not like he is coming off the street but i wouldnt want him as one of my corners. I would rather not have him and draft a player in round 2 or 3. We need a corner opposite of Revis lets move lowry to safety and get a guy like captain munnerlynn or a guy like asher allen. Want this team to get younger while getting better
If we can get him for 2-3 mil for a 3 year deal its totally worth it. If he’s feeling healthy I’d go for him. He’s not Ty Law he can be a #1 CB when he’s healthy and we need him for our #2 slot. Davis and Jenkins will not fall down to the 17th pick. Draft a CB in round 2 or 3 and let him learn from two of the best.
Comparing MCalister to Law is not fair or accurate. Law is 4 years older than mcalister and wasnt half the player when the Jets signed him midway through this past season. Mcalister has shown that he can still be an above average starting #1 cornerback, and considering we would only need him as our #2 and/or nickel back he seems more than capable. As opposed to Law who was old, slow, and unable to cover primary receivers.
o.k but lets not forget that law was with us 5 years ago as well and he was average ( his interceptions were high but most of them were in garbage time) that’s why i make the comparison. it just seams that when a player is with the same team for 8+ years the next team he goes to he does not seem to have the same enthusiasm….for whatever reason….i say no to mcalister on those grounds
he should come cheap johnl, and hopefully playing for his former d-coordinator will give him some enthusiasm
mabey but call me crazy i still think we need one more superstar o.lineman to make our line the best in football. the logic behind this is to always control the time of possesion thus making our opponents defense tired and ours fresh. in past years i truly think we lost games because our offense made our defense tired
JohnL I highly doubt its enthusiasm….its scheme. You spend 8 years mastering something you can not expect that level of performance in a new environment.
Since our head coach was his defensive coordinator for those years, I would argue that he would make a better fit for the same grounds you say he wont be…
You are bringing in a player who is used to the scheme to help transition those who arent while filling a need area…it really gets no better. If the price is right we have nothing to lose…remember we hit gold with Baby Lockdown….the draft is still somewhat a shot in the dark so take the depth.
Say what you want about Law but he was starting off the street….can’t go wrong with McAllister here in my opinion.
It would def be interesting to see if the Jets pick him up. I think he would be the type of guy that the “price would be right” on. He is coming off injury and is over 30. I could see a heavy incentive deal getting done.
The real key will be whether or not Rex thinks he can still play. I know that there were issues with him in Baltimore last season. If the Jets don’t even try and persue him, I think its safe to say that Rex thinks hes finished, and I couldnt argue with one of the NFL’s great defensive coaches for the better part of this decade.
I agree that controlling time of possesion is a huge key i winning football games, however, I dont think the problem was the level of talent in our offensive lineman, but actually the play calling. I truly believe the Jets have an elite offensive line, that is only getting better, as well as an elite running back tandem. Now with a defensive minded head coach like Rex, who also puts an emphasis on controlling the clock, I think the Jets will become a run oriented team.
Which position on the o-line would you suggest we upgrade?
i guess it would be between brandon moore’s spot or woody…i believe those are the weakest links….i would say go for the best guard available at 17
I have to disagree about Woody, stats show that the Jets were very successful running the ball behind the RT, and the Jets already have a lot of money invested in him. Moore has been very solid for us and while he may not be a top tier guard, I believe he is above average and therefore there is no need to upgrade that spot. I think the Jets offensive line is pretty much set for next year and your only hope to improve the running game is to re-sign Tony Richardson and add another running back to the mix.
posted this in the VG discussion, but love to get McAlister for a year opposite Revis but also pick up a CB in round 1. Jenkins and Davis are the top two but I’ve seen good things about the kid from Vanderbilt. This would allow us to upgrade starting CB as well as nickel. Drew Coleman is just a guy in my opinion. Also we can then move Lowry to safety…..In a year or two cut McAlister loose and the young kid slides right in.
johnl: the jets were one of the top teams in the nfl running to the right. check out the footballoutsiders’ blocking stats. in fact, the weak link on the jets line is d’bust and has been for the last three seasons. exchange him for a great LT worthy of a top 5 pick and we have the best O-line in the league. time to admit error and move on.
also, in addition to signing mcallister, maybe we can bring in siragusa and rod woodson. they both played for the ravens too. :)
seriously, though, what is the obsession with over the hill free agents who have superbowl rings or appearances?
so then what position do we draft first round that would make a tremendous impact right away because that’s what we need an immediate impact player someone who can help us right away…i said offensive lineman because even if he does not start he will still give our already above average line a little rest when we are controlling the clock and that would make them better immediately…..seriously what do you think is our most pressing need?
Ian –
thanks for reiterating my point regarding the Jets success running to the right side but youre wrong about D’brickshaw (not d’bust). The bust label is inaccurate, and Ferguson has continued to develop into a franchise LT
johnl –
I think the Jets most prssing needs are a play making wide receiver, a pass rusher, and a corner.
Since I believe Maclin and crabtree will be gone by 17 that leaves receiver out of the question. Since we jus drafted gholsten 6th overall it is too early to draft anothr pass rusher, which leaves cornerback,and like ive said earlier I dont believe either of the top 2 corners will be available at 17. this puts the jets in a tough spot so I think they will either draft Josh Freeman, or take the best player available, which will probably be a wr or rb. possible moreno or harvin
i think drafting an rb is not neccesary but the others sound like good options anyway that’s it for me boy’s tommorow is another blogging day……..over and out!
Find some else who can stick around a while to ‘compliment’ Darrelle Revis it will be the best situation for all involved despite Ryan’s previous connections with McAlister.
ian,
You truly don’t know what you are talking about in referring to D’brick as D’bust, he is anything but. He has established himself as one of the best tackles in the league. He only gave up 2 sacks this past season, which is exactaly what you want from a LT. His run blocking is more then adequate, so I don’t know what more you want grom him considering he has only played 3 years. He has gotten better every year he has palyed. It seems to me that you are exactaly whats wrong with this team, calling for someones head umwarranted.
Don’t know if you all heard but another famous bust of ours got cut by the Broncos today…
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3912089
This is about as easy a call as it gets, no one knows his personality, game and what he has left in the tank better than Rexy. I am confident that he will make the right call on this one.
do/did the jets end up getting anything for robertson?
I apologize in advanced if anyone mentioned this but we move around a lot in the draft and as we did for revis I wouldn’t be surprised if we do it for a corner again this year and adress the WR or OL depth or whatever you guys :) want in the 2nd.
D-bust?????
The guy was a pro bowl alternate!!!!! I don’t care if he was a 2or3 alternate but nevertheless thought enough of to be mentioned! Mangold was a alternate and now he’s a probowler so was he a bust last year or course not! Dbrick was a solid and smart pick, you can’t go back and redraft every year and they made the smart choice!
As far as CB mcallister I trust Ryan to make the right call on that one!!
I’d pass on McAlister. If I were the Jets I would wait and see how the market plays for Dunta Robinson. The duo of Revis and Robinson could be lethal.
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ramble914, on February 16th, 2009 at 11:54 pm Said:
ian,
You truly don’t know what you are talking about in referring to D’brick as D’bust, he is anything but. He has established himself as one of the best tackles in the league. He only gave up 2 sacks this past season, which is exactaly what you want from a LT. His run blocking is more then adequate, so I don’t know what more you want grom him considering he has only played 3 years. He has gotten better every year he has palyed. It seems to me that you are exactaly whats wrong with this team, calling for someones head umwarranted.
——————————————————————————
Continuing on that, D’Brick and Matt Leinart were drafted both in 06′, Leinart was expected to be the better of the two and look what happened — D’Brick is no bust by any means.
not only leinart who i compare clemens to (hes not starting and i think clemens will be just as good )but d brick is compared to reggie bush and the saints are looking for another running back. reggie bush is good out of the back field but not between the tackles. never will be an every down back
i’m not calling for d’bust’s head. i’m just saying he’s not worthy of a top 5 pick. other top 5 OT are great LT’s. D’bust is average or maybe slightly above average.
and d’bust definitely allowed more than 2 sacks last year. that is ridiculous. i don’t chart games myself, but i know that i saw several games where he gave up at least 1 sack.
he may be improving, but he will never be as good as the elite LT’s in the league–he’s simply not physically strong enough. i have seen him manhandled by richard seymour one too many times for my taste, including this past season.
again, i’m not calling for his head, because there is no need to replace an average player when you don’t have anything better. but it stinks that we have such a huge cap number for an average player.
as for those of you comparing him to reggie bush or matt leinart. that is ridiculous. first, i only compare him to other top 5 OL picks. (OL picks are supposed to be safer and more predictable than QB or skill position players.) second, if you are using leinart and bush, why not compare him to cutler and mario williams, both of whom are arguably the top young players in the NFL their position and both of whom are far, far better players than d’bust.
and the larger point is that damien woody and brandon moore are every bit as good as d’bust. that was my original point: don’t even talk about changing up that right side when it is stronger than the left.
according to football outsiders, the jets were 32nd in the NFL. DEAD LAST. in running over left tackle . . . that’s some great left tackle. (last year, 31st in running over left tackle, so maybe he’s actually getting worse!)
in contrast, they were 1st in the league running over right tackle…
http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/ol
you could definitely make an argument that d;bust is the single worst run-blocking left tackle in the NFL.
“d’bust definitely allowed more than 2 sacks last year. that is ridiculous. i don’t chart games myself, but i know that i saw several games where he gave up at least 1 sack.”
I watched this area very closely indeed. The figure of two sacks is indeed accurate, although he may have been “credited” with an additional half a sack allowed on one or two occasions. One was against the Chargers when a guy made an inside stunt move and the other was against the Pats and Richard Seymour. There were a few occasions when Faneca messed up pass protection and Brick nearly, but not quite, was able to save him with a chip block (so maybe you saw this as Brick’s fault?) and also there were some occasions where pressure came from the left but Brick had handled his guy and it was actually the TE or RB who missed an assignment.
What was ridiculous was last year’s number where Brick was credited with being beaten for 12 sacks, when in reality it was probably no more than 7 or 8, as more often than not Clarke was at fault.
Sorry, ian, I know by now that you’ll never come around on this issue. All I can say is that I am extremely happy with him and that I think he is being underrated in your assessment of him as slightly above average.
You can’t compare the right and left sides of O-lines. Two completely different jobs. LT is so much more complicated than RT. D-Brick is a solid starting LT and his contract is’nt ridiculously high like some LT out there. Our line is set for the next 3 or 4 years. SO there is no real pressing need to draft anyones replacement.
As for his run blocking, that was clearly better – don’t you watch the games? They only run over left tackle 8% of the time, because Ferguson’s primary job is not as a lead run blocker, but in terms of blocking downfield and doing his job on runs up the middle, he was much improved. Also, Thomas Jones virtually always cuts to the right, so is clearly not confident running to the left.
That the Ravens were able to have a dominant defense without McAlister having even close to a good season shows that in a Rex Ryan defense, you don’t need high-priced, big name CBs. Spend UFA money on real needs and let Lowery progress. CB just isn’t a “need.” MIKE and WILL LBs are needs. The Jets are too extended with VG to get a WILL, so let’s sign Bart Scott.
left tackles get pd to pass block end of story
As for Brick, did anyone else find FO’s stats confusing? The Jets were great running around the Left End, but poor at LT. So, I take it that Left End means that the formation is strong left and to the outside of the TE or is it on the outside shoulder of the LT? Does LT include the LT-LG gap? If it does, then blaming Brick might be too harsh. I guess we’d have to look at those 35 runs to see whose fault it was and what the situation was…the Jets could’ve run behind Faneca in short yardage situations to cross up a defense over-playing strong right. To work, those short runs would have to be in the LT-LG gap because the middle would be clogged. You have to praise Brick for the success of Left End runs if you also kill him for the failure of LT runs. In short, the FO breakdown is meaningless without a lot more info.
gsteigs makes an important point. The LT’s main job is to take on the other team’s best pass rusher. These are extremely quick/ fast players. The skills to take on those players in pass protection usually do not translate well into straight ahead run blocking. If D’brick keeps his sack numbers down, then he’s done his job. As time goes on, he will bulk up more and become a better run blocker.
The FO stats differentiate between plays that run wide (End) and that go off tackle, and you’ll often see a big difference in the numbers simply because the percentage of runs off end is so much smaller (and often more successful, as those are plays designed to get big yardage).
Wow this thread started off good… From a CB we might bring in to our LT. and I have ADD!!!!
seanmac, then for Brick, the fact that an equal number of LT and Left End plays were called and the Left End plays were successful, while the LT plays weren’t, probably means the game situations were very different. In short, I’m not sure that you could draw any conclusions from these stats about Brick’s run-blocking, which still needs work, but has greatly improved IMO.
Chris McAllister was bench for violating the teams bench code. Him and Harbaugh just did not get along with each other.
He was also sidelined most of the year with a knee sprain. McAllister is a great CB and would help our secondary. He is only 31 years old in was in pro-bowl for up until 2 years ago when he got hit with injuries.