Last night when I heard the news about the signing of cornerback Chris McAlister, I immediately shot an email to SB Nation's Ravens blogger, Bruce Raffel from Baltimore Beatdown, to try and get the inside scoop on the situation. Bruce has legitimate connections with the team, so I expect him to know his stuff. This is what he had to tell me:
Based on the problems the Ravens had a CB this year, a ton of fans around here were clamoring for his return. However the Ravens didn't want him, which should say a lot to other teams. He never bought into Coach John Harbaugh's leadership and was pretty much a distraction in the locker room, always late for practices, not following assignments and getting burned by the better WR's in the league going for the pump fake, always trying for the great pick rather than playing tight defense.
More importantly, was that he had a severe knee injury and was not thought to be healed enough to make the cuts necessary to cover. If he is healthy and in a better state of mind than he was at the end here in Baltimore, then you've got a big corner who can play real well. If not, well then you will see why no one else wanted him.
Plus I also heard he only wants to play safety and was holding out for the right money and team. Perhaps the Saints have both to offer. Good luck, we'll be watching closely.
Safety, eh? Vewy intewesting.