Tuesday's Mailbag: May 7th

This week's mailbag is very limited. Due to the lack of questions, it isn't as full and exciting as last week's segment. I still hope that everyone enjoys it, and loves the answers given!

Q1: Why didn't the Ravens re-sign Anquan Boldin?

The Ravens were in deep trouble with the cap space this off-season, and they needed to cut down on the amount of money they were spending on guys like Boldin. The Ravens offered Boldin a paycut, but he wouldn't take it. Since Boldin rejected the offer, the Ravens decided to send Boldin elsewhere, to get rid of his contract. Unfortunately, the Ravens gave him to the Super Bowl losing 49ers, whom in return, only handed the Ravens a 6th-round draft pick.

In many Ravens fans minds, Boldin was worth much more. The truth is, if the Ravens hadn't gotten rid of Boldin, half of the free agents may not have been signed. The loss of guys like Boldin, Pollard, Reed, Ellerbe, Kruger, etc. all helped sign free agents like Elvis Dumervil, Chris Canty, Michael Huff, and Marcus Spears.

At the end of the day, losing Boldin may be a great thing for the Baltimore Ravens.

Q2: What is Joe Flacco's favorite movie?

You know, it must be something like: Remember the Titans, Coach Carter, Django Unchained, or Finding Nemo; since all of these are in the "elite" movie category. You see what I did there?

No, but all elite talk aside, that could be a fun question to ask him at an autograph signing if you ever see him at one!

Q3: Who will replace Boldin?

There seems to be a lot of Boldin talk in this week's mailbag. It seems like Torrey Smith will become the #1 receiver, as he should be. Jacoby Jones should be our #2 receiver; the biggest question is who will be our #3? A lot of fans are looking towards Tandon Doss, a guy that got a few looks last season. He seems like a guy that could develop into a good quality receiver.

Another option could be rookie Aaron Mellette, a 7th-round pick out of Elon. Most likely a more experienced guy like Doss will get the starting spot, to see what he is all about.

Expect a large wide receiver competition this off-season between the many talented receivers on the Ravens roster.

Q4: Will the Ravens be able to repeat as Super Bowl Champions?

This is strictly an opinionated question. Most people will say no, since they can't seem to handle the losses of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, in particular. I, on the other hand, think they have a chance. The defense seems faster and better; the rookies seem like they could do damage; we still have guys like Suggs, Ngata, Smith, Flacco, and Rice; and the coaching staff is almost the exact same. The schedule for the Ravens is also very great, having 5 playoff teams playing in Baltimore against them.

I am optimistic that this season could hold just as much glory as last season for the Baltimore Ravens.

Q5: Will the Ravens make the playoffs next year?

There is no doubt in my mind that they will make the playoffs next season. Like I said in the question above, there are a lot of perks to this Ravens team. In my mind, the Ravens still have the best chance to win the AFC North. The only team I see competing with them is the Cincinnati Bengals. If the Ravens win the AFC North, they are automatically in the playoffs. Although I don't see them as a top seed, I still see the Ravens making it for a sixth time in-a-row.

Q6: If the Ravens and the 49ers played again, would it be the same game as Super Bowl XLVII?

I don't think so at all. The Ravens now would probably never take that big of a lead on the 49ers, especially with how complete the 49ers look. I definitely could see the same outcome as Super Bowl XLVII; I just see the game being a lot closer. I also don't think the lights would go out again, unless we're playing in Candlestick Park.

I hate that the Ravens and Niners don't play this season, but it would definitely be a fun Super Bowl XLVIII match-up? Is it possible? I say yes.

Q7: Why do the Ravens suck?

My good sir, I do not see how you can say that the Ravens suck. I am one-thousand percent sure that the Ravens just won the Super Bowl, and they have made it to the AFC Championship 3 of the last 5 years. If you are indeed a Steelers fan, all I have to say is compare the Ravens season to the Steelers season last year, and tell me who had the better one. Remember: The Steelers missed the playoffs, while the Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII. My shirt is right; we really are the Kings of the AFC (and the NFL.)

Q8: What are they going to do now that they don't have a defense?

You are probably referring to the losses of Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Dannell Ellerbe, Paul Kruger, Cary Williams, and Bernard Pollard. Well, sir, I take it you haven't been watching much SportsCenter lately. The Ravens have signed guys like OLB Elvis Dumervil, DL Chris Canty, S Michael Huff, and DT Marcus Spears. Also, the Ravens drafted guys like S Matt Elam, LB Arthur Brown, and DT Brandon Williams.

John Harbaugh is praising S Matt Elam after rookie mini-camp. Elam could definitely be the next Ed Reed, while LB Arthur Brown could be the next Ray Lewis. Overall, it looks like they have a defense, and a very good one at that.

Q9: Why did they get rid of all their good players?

You are probably referring to all of the losses listed above. They got rid of most of these players because they demanded too much money. For example, Dannell Ellerbe, a LB that only started 14 games, got $35 million from the Dolphins, and it seems as if that is what he asked for from the Ravens. The Ravens were not into paying a 14 game starter that kind of money, so they let him go to the market. All of the losses were mainly business decisions, and Ozzie Newsome had to do what was right for the organization, money wise.

Q10: Why do their uniforms suck?

According to this blog, the Ravens uniform is the 9th-best among the 32 NFL teams.

In my own opinion, I am a big fan of the Ravens uniforms. I love the purple ones, because purple is a very fun color. The unique number font is cool, and the color scheme of all the uniforms is magnificent. My personal favorites are the Ravens black-on-black jerseys, attire in which they have never lost while wearing.

Q11: Are the Ravens thinking about adding another wide receiver?

As far as I know, the Ravens are good on wide receivers. They drafted WR Aaron Mellette, while picking up UDFA's like: WR Gerrard Sheppard (Towson) and QB/WR Trent Steelman (Army).

The Ravens also plan on having a competition between these few rookies, LaQuan Williams, Tandon Doss, and a few other guys on the roster. It seems as if the Ravens are good on picking up wide receivers, for now.

Q12: What is the latest on LB Karlos Dansby?

As far as I know, Karlos Dansby is not in talks with anyone. He visited the Bills a week or two ago, but they never made a deal. There are many people saying the Ravens should continue to pursue Dansby, due to the lack of help at the LB position. I am one of those people who are hoping the Ravens make an offer to him and bring him along for the ride to a possible repeat.

Q13: Why are the Ravens so inferior to the Patriots?

This was my favorite, so I saved it for last.

To start, let's give the definition of inferior to the readers, in case some don't know what it means:

Inferior (adj.) - Lower in rank, status, or quality.

(n.) - A person lower than another in status or ability

There we go. Now, let's get to the actual question.

You say that the Ravens are inferior to the Patriots? Let me paint a quick picture for you. Since the Ravens starting QB came into the league, here are some stats about each team:

• Record between the two: 3-3 (including playoffs)
• Super Bowl wins: Ravens- 1 , Patriots- 0
• Super Bowl appearances: Ravens- 1, Patriots- 2
• AFC Championship appearances: Ravens- 3, Patriots- 3