Baltimore
Ravens

He became a stabilizing force for a franchise that had long sought a strong figure at quarterback.

"Steve was always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed it," said Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason, who also played with McNair on the Titans. "I've known him for 13 years and he was the most selfless, happiest and friendliest person I have known. His family and my family are close, and it is a blow to us all. It is a devastating day. Steve will always have a place in my heart. My family and I are hurting for his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them."

Like Mason, cornerback Samari Rolle joined the Ravens a year before McNair.

"I still can't even believe it," Rolle said. "To lose such a good friend and a good man so soon doesn't make sense. If you were going to draw a football player -- the physical part, the mental part, everything about being a professional -- he is your guy. I can't even wrap my arms around it. It is a sad, sad day. The world lost a great man today."

In 2006, a year after they went 6-10, the Ravens went to great lengths to acquire McNair, waiting a month to complete the deal with the Titans.

At the time, the Ravens had Kyle Boller as their quarterback. He was a young, excitable athlete who was erratic in the pocket.

Then, Baltimore got McNair, who was the exact opposite. He was calm and poised under pressure, and those traits rubbed off on his teammates.

But McNair's fortunes changed in the playoffs that season. His costly interception against the Colts in the postseason started a quick decline in his play.

He injured his groin in the 2007 season opener, had back and shoulder problems, and committed 11 turnovers while playing in only six games. In April 2008, before the first minicamp practice of the John Harbaugh coaching era, McNair caught all off guard by announcing his retirement.

Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome valued McNair's contribution to the team as well as his place in history.

"This is so, so sad," Newsome said in a statement. "We immediately think of his family, his (four) boys. They are all in our thoughts and prayers.

"What we admired most about Steve when we played against him was his competitive spirit, and we were lucky enough to have that with us for two years. He is one of the best players in the NFL over the last 20 years. ... He was a great player, one of the toughest of competitors and a tremendous teammate, a leader on the field and in the locker room, especially to young players."

--The Ravens believe quarterback Joe Flacco will be improved this season. The supporting cast around him, though, is still questionable.

Throughout the Ravens' offseason minicamps, their top three receivers (Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams) and top two tight ends (Todd Heap and L.J. Smith) were all limited because of injuries.

While team officials expect all of them to be ready for training camp, there's no guarantee that they will remain healthy. In particular, Williams, Heap and Smith all have labels of being injury prone.

If the Ravens want to take their offense to the next level, their passing game has to improve. The Ravens have tried to address wide receiver, signing second-tier free agent Kelley Washington and entering trade talks for Arizona's Anquan Boldin.

Still, as training camp approaches, their receivers and tight ends seem to be the major weaknesses on the team.

OFFSEASON STANDOUT: ILB Tavares Gooden has become the front-runner to take over Bart Scott's starting job with his offseason performance. The 2008 third-round pick shows no signs of having hip surgery last season. Gooden is running all over the field, showing why he is the team's fastest linebacker. He might not have the same physical presence as Scott, but he is much, much quicker.

LINEUP WATCH: RB Ray Rice took a majority of the snaps with the starting offense and might be the No. 1 running back when training camp opens. Willis McGahee didn't practice during the mandatory minicamp after having offseason knee surgery. He then skipped some voluntary practices, which didn't endear him with the coaching staff. When McGahee returned for the final two minicamps, he primarily ran with the second team. Le'Ron McClain, the team's leading rusher last season, has gone back to being a fullback.

ROOKIE IMPRESSIONS: OT Michael Oher, who slid to the 23rd overall pick, looks more like top-10 selection. He looks strong and athletic. Because of injuries to Adam Terry and Oniel Cousins, Oher has solidified himself as the starting right tackle, taking all of the snaps with the first-team offense. There were concerns that Oher wouldn't be able to pick up the offense quickly enough. But before his first minicamp, he spent time with coaches going over the playbook. He is committed to learning.

INJURY WATCH: RG Marshal Yanda, who has yet to practice this offseason, is the Ravens' biggest injury concern. He tore the anterior cruciate, medial and posterior collateral ligaments in his right knee in Week 6 last season at Indianapolis. He needed separate operations to repair the damage, the second on Jan. 12 for his ACL. There is a chance that he could start the season on the physically unable to perform list, which would force him to miss at least the first six games of the season. Chris Chester has filled in for Yanda at right guard.

CONTRACT TO WATCH: WR Derrick Mason is entering the final year of his contract and publicly asked for an extension. The 35-year-old receiver hasn't threatened holding out of training camp, but Mason said he might not be healthy enough to start camp (he had shoulder surgery this offseason). Owner Steve Bisciotti said the Ravens are open to signing their top receiver to an extension.

Brian Billick, who coached McNair with the Baltimore Ravens in 2006 and 2007, said a footnote "is always going to be attached" to McNair's name because of those circumstances.

"That is unfortunate because Steve was a man who did so many good things in both this community and in Nashville that deserves to be thought of in better terms," Billick told WNST, a local radio station in Baltimore. "It's a life lesson for all of us that all it takes is conduct in a certain way to wipe all that out. It will never remove the good things that he did with his life, but how he's perceived by the fans -- whether that has value or not -- that's irrecoverable."

When Billick first heard about McNair's death, he thought about the effect it would have on the quarterback's family.

McNair, 36, had four sons (ages ranging from 17 to 5). He married his wife, Mechelle, in 1997.

"I think it's a constant reminder to fans that these guys are human," Billick said. "They are vulnerable to make mistakes and this obviously became exacerbated, although this is as extreme a case as you're going to find."

Since McNair's murder, the details of his personal life have drawn more attention than his decorated football career. Friends, teammates and coaches have said the tragic circumstances surrounding his death stand in stark contrast to his public persona.

"It's shocking to hear that it was Steve," Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs told ESPN. "There are some guys that don't make good decisions and are in the wrong place at the wrong time. But Steve wasn't one of those guys. When I first heard about (his death), I thought it was a prank."

Traded from the Tennessee Titans, McNair led the Ravens to a franchise-record 13 wins in 2006 and guided them to the AFC North title. But injuries sidelined him for most of a dismal 2007 season, which ended with the firing of Billick. McNair retired in April 2008.

A three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, McNair was known for his leadership and toughness. He was the NFL's co-Most Valuable Player in 2003 and ranks as one of only five quarterbacks in league history to have thrown for 20,000 yards and rushed for 3,000 yards.

McNair also did extensive charity work through his foundation, helping load donated food, water and clothes onto tractor-trailers for Hurricane Katrina victims and paying for three football camps for children this year.

"I guess when you paint a picture of anybody, you have to paint the dark colors along with the light," Suggs said. "But as long as the positives outweigh the negatives, it shows what kind of person he was."

--The Ravens continue to make quick work of signing their draft picks, agreeing to deals with four of their six selections. The only picks who remain unsigned are offensive tackle Michael Oher (first round) and defensive end-linebacker Paul Kruger (second round).

--The Ravens signed undrafted rookie linebacker Tony Fein, the one player added from a 10-player tryout. Fein, 27, spent 2 1/2 years in the army before recording 136 tackles in 24 games for Mississippi.

The team released three undrafted rookies: quarterback Drew Willy, linebacker-defensive end Luis Vasquez and defensive back David Jones.

--The Ravens wrapped up their offseason minicamps, which veteran defensive end Trevor Pryce calls a "necessary evil."

"They don't make me do much," he said. "If they did make me do much, then I'd say, 'This is optional. I'm going home.' But since they take care of me and get me a play here, six plays there, and get off, then I'm ok."

--Rookies, quarterbacks and selected veterans will report to Ravens training camp July 27, the team announced. The rest of the team will arrive at McDaniel College on July 29.

The Ravens have scheduled 25 days of practice before moving back to team headquarters in Owings Mills. This marks the 14th year that the Ravens have held training camp in Westminster.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We don't consider it a weakness by any stretch. We want to make every position stronger. We're open to any player at any position if it will make us better." -- Ravens coach John Harbaugh on whether the team will add anyone to its thin receiving group.

The Ravens are expected to promote Tavares Gooden, a third-round pick in 2008, into Scott's inside linebacker spot. The team signed six-time Pro Bowl center Matt Birk to replace Brown. And Dawan Landry, who was on injured reserve for most of last season, will take back his starting job at safety.

The Ravens were able to keep two linebackers, re-signing Ray Lewis and using the franchise tag on Terrell Suggs. They also addressed their lack of youth at cornerback by signing Dominique Foxworth, 25, a Baltimore native.

The Ravens have improved their depth with the signings of cornerback Chris Carr and tight end L.J. Smith.

The Ravens announced the signings of several undrafted rookies: kicker Graham Gano (Florida State); linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (Georgia); linebacker-defensive end William VanDeSteeg (Minnesota); fullback Jason Cook (Mississippi); wide receivers Eron Riley (Duke) and Isaiah Williams (Maryland); defensive lineman Will Johnson (Michigan); and defensive back K.J. Gerard (Northern Arizona).

The early favorites to make the team are Ellerbe and VanDeSteeg. Gano will compete against Steve Hauschka at kicker.

FRANCHISE PLAYER: LB Terrell Suggs: tendered at $10.17M.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (not tendered)

--RB P.J. Daniels (not tendered as RFA).

--TE Scott Kuhn (not tendered as ERFA).

--LB Robert McCune (not tendered as RFA).

--OT Chad Slaughter (not tendered as UFA June 1).

--S Daren Stone (ERFA tender withdrawn).

--K Matt Stover (not tendered as UFA June 1).

--TE Daniel Wilcox (not tendered as UFA June 1).

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.

DRAFT CHOICES SIGNED

--CB Ladarius Webb (3/88): $1.714M/3 yrs, $529,500 SB; 2009 cap: $486,500.

--LB Jason Phillips (5/137): $1.341M/3 yrs, $156,050 SB; 2009 cap: $362,017.

--TE Davon Drew (5/149): $1.324M/3 yrs, $139,250 SB; 2009 cap: $356,417.

--RB Cedric Peerman (6/185): $1.263M/3 yrs, $78,000 SB; 2009 cap: $336,000.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

--PK Steven Hauschka: ERFA; terms unknown.

--TE Edgar Jones: ERFA; terms unknown.

--P Sam Koch: RFA; $1.545M/1 yr.

--S Dawan Landry: RFA; $1.01M/1 yr.

--LB Ray Lewis: UFA; $44.5M/7 yrs, $6.25M SB; 2009 cap: $5M.

--CB Derrick Martin: Potential RFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.

--LB Jameel McClain: ERFA; terms unknown.

--DT Brandon McKinney: Potential RFA; terms unknown.

--CB Evan Oglesby (not tendered as RFA); 1 yr, terms unknown.

--RB Jalen Parmele: ERFA; terms unknown.

--CB Samari Rolle: FA, had been released by Ravens; $10M/4 yrs, guarantees unknown.

--TE Quinn Sypniewski: RFA; $1.01M/1 yr.

--NT Kelly Talavou: ERFA; terms unknown.

--WR Demetrius Williams: RFA; $1.01M/1 yr.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED

--QB John Beck: FA Dolphins; 1 yr, terms unknown.

--C Matt Birk: UFA Vikings; $12M/3 yrs, $6M guaranteed.

--CB/KR Chris Carr: UFA Titans; $5M/2 yrs, guarantees unknown.

--CB Domonique Foxworth: UFA Falcons; $27.2M/4 yrs, $4M SB/$3.38M report bonus/$16.5M guaranteed; 2009 cap: $5M.

--TE L.J. Smith: UFA Eagles; $1.5M/1 yrs, guarantees unknown.

--WR Kelley Washington: FA Patriots; terms unknown.

PLAYERS LOST

--OT Willie Anderson (retired).

--QB Kyle Boller: UFA Rams; $1.5M/1 yr.

--QB Todd Bouman (released).

--C Jason Brown: UFA Rams; $37.5M/5 yrs, $11M SB/$20M guaranteed.

--WR Terrance Copper: UFA Chiefs; terms unknown.

--DE Marques Douglas (released).

--LB Nick Greisen (released).

--CB Corey Ivy: UFA Browns; 1 yr, terms unknown.

--SS Jim Leonhard: UFA Jets; $5.9M/3 yrs, guarantees unknown.

--WR Marcus Maxwell (released).

--CB Chris McAlister (failed physical).

--FB Lorenzo Neal: UFA Raiders; terms unknown.

--LB Bart Scott: UFA Jets; $48M/6 yrs, $22M guaranteed.