Greg Mattison has decided to leave Baltimore, to be the defensive coordinator for Michigan. Mattison has coached the Ravens' defense for the past two seasons, but his background is in the collegiate ranks at the University of Florida, Notre Dame and Western Michigan. As a Mattison fan myself, I wish him him the best of luck with Michigan.

Ozzie Newsome didn't have to look far for Mattison's replacement, promoting Chuck Pagano, the Raven's secondary coach, to defensive coordinator.

"We’re excited for our defense and for Chuck, and we’re happy for Greg Mattison," coach John Harbaugh said. "I will talk more about it tomorrow when we formally announced Chuck as our new coordinator in a press conference."

Congratulations to Chuck Pagano for getting the job, I can't wait to see what he can bring to our defense!

Bad news to report; Sergio Kindle's "Head-Injury" turns out to be a fractured skull. He is going to miss all of training camp. Kindle, yet to have signed his contract, will be lucky if he can even play in the pre-season.

From NFL.com

Sergio Kindle, the Baltimore Ravens' first pick in the 2010 draft, will miss all of training camp, coach John Harbaugh said Monday, after fracturing his skull in an accident at a house he was visiting in Austin, Texas.

It's believed that Kindle, a 23-year-old defensive end/linebacker, fell down two flights of stairs Thursday night, according to the team's official Web site. Kindle is listed in stable condition at University Medical Center Brackenridge.

Unlock HQ Video The Carroll County Times reported that Kindle was admitted to the hospital with swelling inside his skull, but his condition has "gotten much better" over the last few days and he is expected to make a full recovery.

"Members of our medical staff, including Bill Tessendorf and Dr. Andy Tucker, have spoken with doctors in Texas," Ravens general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome said in a statement released by the team on Sunday. "We understand Sergio is stable at this time and that he is being tested and observed."

This is going to greatly affect his impact this year, for he won't be able to learn the playbook until pre-season. In any case, let's all hope he can make a speedy recovery, and come back to Baltimore healthy.

The Baltimore Ravens rookie linebacker Sergio Kindle was injured in a fall in Austin, Texas, where he reportedly fell down two flights of stairs. This is bad news as rookies are reporting to Training Camp tomorrow morning (Monday), although now Kindle will not be there, which will be the big news of the day at the team's 3pm press conference.

Our thoughts and prayers for this being a minor issue go out to Sergio, his family and the team. Below is the team's official Press Release:

July 25, 2010
 
For Immediate Release
 
SERGIO KINDLE
 
Sergio Kindle, the Ravens’ first pick in the second round last April, suffered a head injury in a house he was visiting Thursday night in Austin, Texas. It is believed that Kindle fell down two flights of stairs.
 
Kindle is stable, being treated and observed. Members of the Ravens’ medical staff are in communication with doctors at University Medical Center Brackenridge.
 
Kindle will not report to McDaniel College with other rookies this Monday when the team’s training camp starts.
 
"Members of our medical staff, including Bill Tessendorf and Dr. Andy Tucker, have spoken with doctors in Texas. We understand Sergio is stable at this time and that he is being tested and observed," said Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens’ executive vice president and general manager.

Just a few short years ago, the Baltimore Ravens were the only team to put a NFL Supplemental Draft bid in for a relatively unknown offensive tackle named Jared Gaither from the University of Maryland who had barely played one season in college. In doing so, the Ravens forfeited a 5th round draft pick the following year, a cheap price to pay for a guy who would en up playing a lot quicker than anyone, including himself, planned, as the team had future Hall of Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden firmly entrenched at the spot. However, Ogden suffered a nagging and painful toe injury, forcing Gaither to learn on the fly and he made a huge leap for such a young man.

Many thought Gaither would become the next great Ravens left tackle, but an injury-marred 2009 season gave the team the chance to see rookie offensive tackle Michael Oher in action protecting QB Joe Flacco's "blind side" and now the players have switched positions.

Today is the 2010 version of the NFL's Supplemental Draft, and while there are no "Jared Gaither's" that stand out as prospects, there are some intriguing options out there for teams looking for a cheap upgrade.

Click here to see the SB Nation story on today's NFL Supplemental Draft.

For those of you fans of the Baltimore Ravens who head out to Westminster this summer for Training Camp, don't expect to score any player autographs unless you bring a kid with you. The Ravens are instituting a new policy only allowing kids under the age of 15 to get onto the field after practice for player signatures. Furthermore, they have to sign up and get special wristbands and only then will they be allowed one autograph per person. In addition, autograph sessions will only take place after the morning practices, not the afternoon ones, as players have other obligations in their training camp regimen.

Sounds like a bit of a complicated way to go about this, but if you have been out there and seen the mass of humanity that literally engulfs the players you might understand the team's dilemma. Kids who are just interested in the thrill of the player giving them the attention to sign for them are pushed out of the way by the big "kids" who sometimes have ulterior motives when requesting signatures on their items.

Personally, I just don't get the "selling autographs" thing, as the greatest thrill for me had always been having the item personally addressed to me, thereby making it pretty worthless on the open market, which was never an issue with me. However, there are truly innocent adults that just want the signatures on items that now will have to find another way to get them.

Click on the 'Jump' to see the team's official press release.

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Throughout my year-plus with media credentials for the Baltimore Ravens, many questions for Head Coach John Harbaugh focused on the rules of the game and how they were interpreted. Now, Coach Harbaugh will have a hand in determining the future of the rules in the NFL, as he was just named to the NFL's Competition Sub-Committee.

Going into his third year as head coach of the Ravens, this is a great honor and just an example of the way the owners and other coaches feel about Harbaugh's influence on the game. GM Ozzie Newsome has been a long-time member of the Competition Committee, which accepts recommendations from the sub-committee. Now the Ravens have input and representation on both levels of the committee.

Apparently, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, Harbaugh was invited to join the group by former NFL Head Coach and video game namesake John Madden, who heads the NFL Competition Sub-Committee.

Apparently fed up with the continued poor decision-making off of the field by backup QB Michael Vick, the Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly interested in the Baltimore Ravens backup QB, Troy Smith. Smith is disgruntled that the Ravens were not able to trade him in the off season, at one point allegedly stating that he he would "crawl back to Cleveland on his hands and knees" according to his former agent.

The Ravens have also recently signed former St. Louis Rams QB Marc Bulger and also have John Beck on the depth chart. Smith has been rumored as the odd man out, but will plan on reporting to camp with the rest of the team in late-July, ignoring the rumors and trying his best to be a more visible part of this offense.

The Eagles traded starter Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins and promoted backup Kevin Kolb to the starting position, with Vick as the backup. However, after the recent shooting at Vick's birthday party, questionable circumstances remain unsolved surrounding the case, such that the team may decide to cut bait rather than continue to fish with Vick.

Check out the full story over at ProFootballTalk.com.

Not only is Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed's surgically-repaired hip hurting, it appears his wallet is feeling the pain as well. Reportedly, Reed told a local radio station that he would like a new deal in place before returning to the field. However, he is being reasonable in that if he thinks he won't be coming back to play anytime soon, he wouldn't push the issue.

Reed still has three years, including the 2010 season on his six-year deal that also paid him a $15 million signing bonus.

Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, did a short write-up in his "Wilson Wire" section, so click on the link to see the story,...and cross your fingers that Reed is well enough to step out on the field and continue his Hall of Fame career enough to be worthy of a new contract.