Casey At The Bat: Good man gets new start in St. Louis
In the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected a wide receiver at No. 22 from the University of Oklahoma. For a franchise that had struggled to find an elite No. 1 wideout, especially through the draft, Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome and his staff were pretty sure that Mark Clayton was the answer to all their needs. During his college career, he was a can't-miss type of player. He had impressive numbers for the Sooners and a ton of highlight-reel catches.
As is the case with a lot of players, Clayton's NFL career hasn't lived up to the hype. Whether it was injuries, personal situations, bad QB play, etc., Mark's career in Baltimore never was what he expected from himself, or what the front office and the fans expected of him.
Even if his on-field play wasn't the greatest, there is no question that he went above and beyond off the field in the community.
Whether it was hosting a Madden tournament for charity, attending a radio show, going to Orioles games, etc., Clayton really cared about giving back to Baltimore and to Ravens fans. Any fan who ever had any interaction with Mark always came away from it impressed by him. He knew that he did not live up to the expectations as a Raven. He heard all the people who called him a bust, injury prone, etc., however he still went out and gave it his best every single game.
You can ask any person who covers the Ravens on a daily basis or anyone in the Ravens organization who was around Clayton daily, and I will almost guarantee you that they will all say what a great guy he was. He never turned down anyone, never big-timed anyone, knew everyone by name and always would say hi when he passed you in the hall. He is easily in my top 10 of most-likeable guys who I have ever covered in sports, and while I know that does not equal touchdowns on the field, there are a lot of people who could learn something from Mark Clayton.
Maybe a change of scenery will do Mark good in St. Louis. The Ravens are clearly a different football team than the one that he came to in 2005. They have a solid answer at the quarterback position, a rising star at running back and three Pro Bowl wide receivers. Unfortunately with the nature of this business, Mark is now the odd man out in Baltimore, but the new man in St. Louis.
The Rams are getting a player who I am sure wants to prove that he can still play on a very high level and contribute to a team. St. Louis is also getting a tremendous human being who will make that franchise a better place the first time he walks through those doors.
