Offensive tackle Sims to work out

Veteran offensive tackle Barry Sims will work out for the Ravens tomorrow. Sims, 33, started 119 games at left tackle during his nine-year career with the Oakland Raiders , including all 16 games last season.

[Rich]

Our offense has been poor at best in all of Ogden years here. So what good has he done? Good ridance. The offense is on the up swing. We are for the first time going to have a offense. Get out of the way Ogden: all your doing is slowing them up, ya big baby. Take your big toe and hit the road.

[Brian]

Rich wrote:

Our offense has been poor at best in all of Ogden years here. So what good has he done? Good ridance. The offense is on the up swing. We are for the first time going to have a offense. Get out of the way Ogden: all your doing is slowing them up, ya big baby. Take your big toe and hit the road.

I agree that JO is drawing out his retirement announcement entirely too long and I can maybe go along with your statement about the offense being bad during Ogden's career here but he may be the best offensive lineman ever to play the game. You should give the guy a little slack.

[My toe hurts]

I agree with Rich, adios amigo. J.O. is a sure first round HOFer but the past few years he's been more of a distraction than necessary. Too lazy to attend camps, if he wasn't born a circus freak (size wise) he'd be nothing more than an average joe. Best of luck to him, I think the Ravens will surprise a lot of people this year.

[Bruce]

It will be interesting to see what he does? Geez....cmon, I mean, JO should have told them a LONG time ago so they could make contingency plans. No way should he keep them guessing this long but on the other hand, everyone has been convinced for a long time now, that he WILL retire. I just want this laid to rest once and for all.

[brandon]

um, why would it be interesting to see what ogden does? he's retiring. we all know that. there's nothing interesting about it. harbaugh loves to speak in nothing but cliche's.

[Jeff in New Freedom]

Rich, Brian & Toe Hurts think that it's Ogden's fault the offense has stunk? I didn't know he was also the Offensive Coordinator/Head Coach all these years. Why don't you guys line up on the other side of the ball against JO & see if you can cut it? When this town turns on a sports star, they forget their history & what they have done(ie, Eddie Murray)& want to run them out of town. If I remember corrrectly, being an old man of 41, we did have an offense in 96, but it made no difference because we didn't have a defense & couldn't stop anyone. Ogden will probably go down as the best or 1 of the top 3 OL in the history of the game. I agree that he has taken too long on the retirement thing & we all know he is retiring. Just get it out & be done with it & move on. He will be the 1st Raven to go into the HOF, on the 1st ballot. Thanks for your 12 years of hard work & being the best JO.

[GHT]

Bruce wrote:

It will be interesting to see what he does? Geez....cmon, I mean, JO should have told them a LONG time ago so they could make contingency plans. No way should he keep them guessing this long but on the other hand, everyone has been convinced for a long time now, that he WILL retire. I just want this laid to rest once and for all.

It's obviously inside information. Why do you think the Ravens are working out a 33 year OT?? JO is gone and the brass know already.

[terps19]

this decision should have come months ago

[Scott G]

Actually, from what they said on the radio tonight, the Ravens have known for the last couple of weeks and just kept it in-house. He will have his press conference tomorrow as he is in town for a charity golf tournament, and wanted to have the conference and be done with it instead of the journalists hounding him at the tournament. The Ravens offense hasn't really stunk as much as it was just flat out conservative. I mean, we only had a 2,000 yd rusher a few years ago, running behind JO's side of the line. The biggest thing that has killed the Ravens has been weak skill players at WR and QB, and a sometimes lack of imagination on offense. However, when Billick did open it up and made the correct calls, the pplayers failed to execute. They dropped passes or over threw wide open receivers. That was vivid last year. Everyone remember, I believe it was open game at Cincy, 3rd and 1 late and Billick called a 17 yd pass? The receiver (Mason I believe) was wide open and McNair sent it in high. Then everyone wanted to crucify BB for calling it in a crucial game situation. The call was a good call, unpredictable, for a 1st down late in the game with 2 veterans on either end. THEY botched it. Too many like to trash the wrong people.

[Ali V]

SCOTT G:

I agree with ya on how our offense has lacked reliable QBs and WRs, but Billick did make some HORRENDOUS calls in 2007. 3rd and 1 with one of the best RBs in your backfield against a CINCY run defense which has never been great, and he called a pass play?? Get outta here home boy, that's just flat out DUMB, and he did that at the end of the game as well and killed us.
There were a few other games in which Billick's play calling ruined our chances of winning more than 5 damn games.
Yes, we've lacked key position players, but an Offensive Coordinator that knows what to call and when to call it, has always been missing around Baltimore.
We got one now so let's see what he will do to make us think otherwise.

[Ravens_Flock]

Ogden is the best man to ever play left tackle. Period. Anyone who argues otherwise, doesn't understand how hard that position is, or just plain doesn't understand football. He was a man's man, a stand up man, he had the respect of coaches, teammates, fans, even the owner. He was allowed all this time to decide if he would retire because of who he is. He is the Bret Favre of LTs. You don't go to 11 straight Pro Bowls in 12 years, and NOT be considered at least ONE of the greatest ever. How many players are lucky enough to even be voted to ONE pro bowl, or back to back pro bowls....let alone 11 of them, consecutively. Hell, it's an arguable point that Kelly Gregg is pound for pound the single best and hardest working Nose Tackle in the entire NFL, yet he has never been voted to a Pro Bowl....so you see the point.

J.O. was a great player. He was one of only three players to have been here since the franchise started....think about that for a moment. Really think about it. Ray Lewis, Matt Stover, and Jonathan Ogden. Two of those men were DRAFTED by the Ravens....it's the only football team they've ever known or played for. And it just so happens that both Lewis and Ogden are the very best at their respective positions, perhaps ever. And it is very likely (God Willing) that both will only ever have played in the Purple and Black, and will retire their numbers as Ravens, as Super Bowl Champs, as the most respected and feared men at their positions, as future Ring of Honor inductees, and future Hall of Famers.

There is no doubt or argument for Odgen's worth to this team. He has constantly been an anchor in an offense that has been less than stellar. He helped Jamal Lewis make history in 2003, and he has been a big reason that our many QBs have enjoyed what little pass protection they've had. Look at his stats. I promise you he has given up less sacks than any other man on our line over the years. Our offense "sucking" has never had anything to do with J.O., he has been the one constant bright spot on an otherwise below average pass protection line.

Honor the man, honor his career, and say a warm, yet bittersweet goodbye to one of the greatest players ever, and a True Raven. Thank you Big Man, for everything.