Ravens News From Around The Web

by Bruce Raffel on Jan 4, 2012 4:00 PM EST

Here's your weekly "Link Dumps" of news and notes on the Baltimore Ravens from all around the US of A on the world wide web:

Five Things Ravens Need To Do To Win AFC - iSportsWeb

NFL Playoff Powert Rankings - Fox Sports

Ravens Cut Shayne Graham - Carroll County Times

Ravens Sell Out Divisional Playoff Game In 14 Minutes - Baltimore Business Journal

Ravens Relish AFC North Title - Washington Post

Ravens' Harbaugh Shows Best Hires Not Always Trendy - The Sporting News

Steelers Path To Super Bowl Will Likely Run Through Baltimore - Steelers Depot

Tweet Comment 28 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

2012 Free Agents

I been reading looks like we will have lots of people to replace depending on who leaves and who stays for next season.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENCY (four or more years)

RB Ray Rice (4), TE Kris Wilson (8), C Matt Birk (14), G Ben Grubbs (5), C Andre Gurode (10), DT Brandon McKinney (6), DE Cory Redding (9), LB Jarret Johnson (9), LB Jameel McClain (4), LB Edgar Jones (5), LB Brendan Ayanbadejo (9), S Haruki Nakamura (4), S Tom Zbikowski (4)

RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY (three years)

CB Lardarius Webb (3), CB Cary Williams (3), LB Dannell Ellerbe (3)

EXCLUSIVE-RIGHTS FREE AGENCY (two years)

LB Sergio Kindle, LB Albert McClellan, CB Danny Gorrer, LS Morgan Cox

by Baltimore Bench on Jan 4, 2012 5:15 PM EST reply actions

Let them all walk and sign Peyton Manning.

Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.

State your case, back it up with facts and reasonable opinions ...
Bruce Raffel

by Ampallang on Jan 4, 2012 5:26 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Damn

The potential losses on the O-line to either free agency or retirement (Birk retiring if they win it all wouldn’t surprise me) are harsh realities. I put full trust in the front office of Oz yet I still can’t help but cross my fingers and hope they have cap space and a good draft.

You like Thai? Tie good. You like shirt?

by Dynamo38 on Jan 4, 2012 5:53 PM EST up reply actions

One option would be to resign Grubbs and Gurode, slide Oher back to LT, and try out Reid at RT. Just an idea, but I’m sure Ozzie has a plan, he always does

by StuckInUtah on Jan 4, 2012 5:55 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Mckinnie is still signed through next year, so ideally we would just re-sign Grubbs and Gurode.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Jan 4, 2012 5:57 PM EST up reply actions

Oh good call. I guess I got McKinney and McKinnie mixed up lol.

by StuckInUtah on Jan 4, 2012 5:59 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

lol all good. It will be interesting how it will all work out. The cap is tricky and a lot of sites report different cap numbers, so it will be interesting to see how much room we really have. It’s kind of tough to decide who should stay and go without really knowing where we are at.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Jan 4, 2012 6:03 PM EST up reply actions

If we win it all, there’s also the probability that Ray and Reed retire (say that 10X fast) and free up some cash.

Cam Cameron - the creator of the Prevent Offense™, and best-selling author of "150 Short Runs Into the Line on 3rd and 10"

re: Big Ben - "God can have his soul. His ass is mine." - Terrell Suggs

by GrumpyOldBird on Jan 4, 2012 9:11 PM EST up reply actions

What exactly is Exclusive rights free agency?

by Raven_all_day on Jan 4, 2012 8:29 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Here's what I gathered:

There is one other kind of free agent, which isn’t really very “free” at all. That is the Exclusive Rights Free Agent (ERFA). Such a player has no more than two accrued seasons in the NFL and may only sign with his prior team, provided, of course, that the team extends a minimum qualifying offer to the player.

from http://www.askthecommish.com/freeagency/

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Jan 4, 2012 8:50 PM EST up reply actions

So pretty much we dont have to re-sign him.

by Raven_all_day on Jan 4, 2012 9:03 PM EST up reply actions

Honestly,

I would be surprised if we didn’t resign all of them. That’s a couple of high potential players, a solid long snapper, and special teams player for the veteran minimum each.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Jan 4, 2012 9:57 PM EST up reply actions

Better than the Steelers who will be $22 over the cap going into next season.

by Baltimore Bench on Jan 4, 2012 6:00 PM EST reply actions

That's 22 Million...

My bad.

by Baltimore Bench on Jan 4, 2012 6:00 PM EST up reply actions

lol

by mookie_20 on Jan 4, 2012 6:14 PM EST up reply actions

Was not sure where to post this but here ya go: “@ProFootballTalk Rams request permission to interview Ravens director of college scouting Eric DeCosta, per league sources. Story coming at PFT.”

Also, Boldin is practicing fully it seems.

"Don't throw it, don't throw it, don't throw it. I know y'all going to throw it, they going to throw it anyway. I wouldn't throw it. Don't do it." - Ed Reed

You say tomato, I say tomahto. You say Six, I say Sweep.

by WestminsterRaven on Jan 4, 2012 8:01 PM EST reply actions

I’d be more worried about losing him to Chicago, or maybe even Indy from what I’ve been reading. But already having Sam Bradford, AND the #2 pick, that’s got to be pretty enticing too.

by StuckInUtah on Jan 4, 2012 8:34 PM EST up reply actions

Chicago sounds like the better offer to me. There’s already a lot of good personnel in place, and they sound like they might be willing to make him a Godfather offer.

I love it knowing that there are a handful of Ravens fans in this area who despise the fact that Joe will be our QB for the next 10 years. --Mr. MaLoR

by jackmca on Jan 5, 2012 11:48 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah really hope we can keep him around though. With Decosta as GM I don’t think we miss a beat once Ozzie is done.

On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu

by AV23 on Jan 5, 2012 12:07 PM EST up reply actions

I agree

I would be really upset to see him go.

I love it knowing that there are a handful of Ravens fans in this area who despise the fact that Joe will be our QB for the next 10 years. --Mr. MaLoR

by jackmca on Jan 5, 2012 12:11 PM EST up reply actions

This Is Where

Stevie-B has to walk DeCosta past Ozzie’s office, and then take him out on his yacht and explain how great it is going to be for Eric to slide right into Ozzie’s seat -the one they just walked past. And in the meantime, attach an additional VP title of some sort or another to Eric’s name and back a bank truck up to the Decosta garage…

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
"God's whiskers! Your face is as hideous as the demon's in my storybook!"
"I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do today."
"It's big for a reason."

For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind

by vlad755 on Jan 4, 2012 9:02 PM EST up reply actions

From what I’ve read and seen, lots of teams will pursue him, but I think our chances of retaining him are good. He’s young, he knows he’s the heir to Ozzie’s throne with the opportunity to continue to work with this team he has helped build. His wife also has strong family ties to MD and he also has young children. Someone could lure him with enough money and promise of control, but right now I don’t see it. Maybe I’m wrong. I feel like the rest of the FO will sit down with him and give him a layout of the next few years and when he may take the reigns.

"Don't throw it, don't throw it, don't throw it. I know y'all going to throw it, they going to throw it anyway. I wouldn't throw it. Don't do it." - Ed Reed

You say tomato, I say tomahto. You say Six, I say Sweep.

by WestminsterRaven on Jan 4, 2012 9:11 PM EST up reply actions

Shoveling Very Tightly

Bound bundles of Franklins in his direction by Stevie-B would go a long way also.

Seriously, if ownership at least keeps Eric’s salary in the neighborhood of what other teams would offer him, for the reasons you state, I agree he would probably stay.

For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind

by vlad755 on Jan 4, 2012 9:18 PM EST up reply actions

Do what Jones did for Garrett.

Good idea.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Jan 4, 2012 9:58 PM EST up reply actions

I think Biscotti already gave him a nice raise when this happened last season or the season before. Maybe he’s due another raise.

daytime commentator. night time ninja.

by El.Dude on Jan 5, 2012 10:08 AM EST up reply actions

There’s no salary cap for the Front Office.

I love it knowing that there are a handful of Ravens fans in this area who despise the fact that Joe will be our QB for the next 10 years. --Mr. MaLoR

by jackmca on Jan 5, 2012 11:49 AM EST up reply actions