The Ravens lost Dawan Landry, Chris Chester, Josh Wilson and Le’Ron McClain to free agency but signed Vonte Leach, Bernard Pollard and Ricky Williams. They did lose a few others: Donte Stallworth, Fabian Washington, Jared Gaither & Tony Moll but they all signed minimum deals and probably won't factor into the compensatory pick equation. So according to our capologist Brian McFarland, the Ravens will more than likely receive only 1 comp pick, probably a 4th or 5th rounder. That said one Ravens’ source has indicated that the team could receive 2 compensatory picks. A team is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks if it is determined that they lost more or better players than they were able to acquire during the previous year's free agency period. The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents (maximum of four) and that net loss is determined by a complex and unpublished formula developed by the NFL Management Council. Some obs...

Every year when the calendar winds down to its end, reminiscing runs rampant. So why should we be any different, right? Earlier this week I posted a thread on our message board (which by the way if you haven’t seen the new one, check it out – without a doubt the finest Ravens community on the planet and I’m allowed to say it because I had nothing to do with it) polling asking our members their thoughts on the Top 10 Ravens Moments in 2011. And they delivered. Now I took it upon myself to cut and paste all of them which you can see at the link above. I then paired it down to the top 17 moments, gradually grinding it down to 10 – not an easy job. Then after assembling the 10 I ranked them. And here they are – in my opinion of course with a big tip of the hat to my collaborators – the message board members. 10. JUDGEMENT DAY ~ The front office taking the hard line approach to let go of some hometown favorites (Todd Heap, Kelly Gregg, Willis McGahee ...

Ben Roethlisberger is a pretty tough dude. Even his teammates think so. He’s also a very dramatic one. After his heroic return to the game during the second half of the Steelers’ game against the Browns on Thursday Night, Roethlisberger stood at his locker, presumably on a swollen ankle, and addressed the media. He said things like, “[my ankle felt like] it was about to explode.” “I thought my leg was broken.” “I felt like my foot was outside my leg.” Whatever that means… QUESTION: If all those things Ben said are true, why is he standing there entertaining the press when any reasonable member of the media would have understood that he needed to ice down in the trainer’s room? ANSWER: Because he’s a drama queen and he wanted to come off as heroic. Well congrats Ben, the Steelers fans bought in and so did the Pittsburgh infatuated national media. Speaking of the national media and drama, the NFL Network’s...

Many in Owings Mills breathed a sigh of relief during the offseason when Sergio Kindle was medically cleared to play after his unfortunate tumble down a flight of stairs a year earlier left him with a fractured skull. Kindle, a second round pick who is said to have first round measurables, was viewed as a bonus 2011 draft pick and he was expected to be a situational pass rusher. But it hasn’t quite worked out that way. So far during the 2011 season Kindle has been on the active roster just once during the first 8 regular season games and he hasn’t recorded a single statistic. We’ve all heard that Kindle isn’t a productive special teams player and that he hasn’t impressed the coaches enough during practice. Both must be understatements! How else do you explain that the team elevated a lanky undrafted free agent linebacker from Alabama named Chavis Williams from the practice squad and immediately put him on the active roster the first game he was eligi...

For the life of me I don’t get all the hate and bile directed towards Derrick Mason from Baltimore Ravens fans. All Mason did during his 6 seasons in Baltimore was to give all that he had. Sure he yapped when things weren’t going well offensively and ok, I get that the needle leaned towards the selfish side but from his arrival in B’more to his departure, no one was a more consistent or more reliable starter than Derrick Mason. No one! Mason never missed a game as a Raven, playing in 96 consecutive regular season games and 8 playoff games. He is the franchise’s all-time leading receiver in receptions (471) and yards (5,777). He was also a leader on offense, a role normally reserved for the quarterback but given the temperament of the men behind center the Ravens have employed, Mason seemed more like the offensive alpha male than anyone else. He played fearlessly, practiced hard and always respected the game. If the Ravens had 53 Derrick Masons during his 6 s...

Torrey Smith made a huge splash in his first start collecting 5 catches for 152 yards and 3 TD’s plus a 10 yard run to boot.  The Ravens coaching staff was confident that they could exploit a suspect Rams secondary even without Lee Evans. The plan couldn’t have been executed with more precision. Not only did the vertical presence of Smith open up the intermediate routes and the running game, the rookie’s performance is now on tape and that forces opposing defensive coordinators to account for him, possibly with more than one defender. Smith is said to be one of the team’s hardest working players and his plus character is off the charts. While the team still expects the typical highs and lows of a rookie WR in the NFL, coaches are impressed with the way Smith attacks a ball in flight. The emergence of Smith from the embers of a flame set by critical fans and media could parlay into more space for Lee Evans and that could be a difference maker this week aga...

Each year Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti joins us on the Ravens Rap in Ocean City, a momentary lapse from his vow of silence during the season. Bisciotti is always candid and engaging both during and after the show when he mingles with the enthusiastic crowd on hand. Last year during his appearance I asked him about re-signing Haloti Ngata and added that he better be prepared to back up the Brinks Truck. Bisciotti promised that Ngata would be going nowhere because he represents all that the Ravens want in a player on the field, in the locker room, as a leader and in the community. I could almost hear that backup warning signal from the iron-plated vehicle powered by the sincerity in the Ravens owner’s voice. And he delivered! Ngata’s new 5 year deal gives the Ravens some salary cap breathing space and now Ozzie Newsome & Co. have a few extra bargaining chips to help the team now or in the future. On the surface the terms of the deal look to be a perfect example of a ...

The Ravens today agreed to a deal with Cowboys 5-time Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode (pronounced jer-ODD). The 1 year deal has a maximum value of $3 million. Gurode underwent surgery on his right knee and according Shan Shariff from 105.3 The Fan’s New School in Dallas, the Cowboys weren’t thrilled with his conditioning when he reported to camp. Mix in his $5 million plus salary and the belief that backup Phil Costa, an undrafted player out of the University of Maryland, was playing just as effectively, and Gurode’s days in the Big D were numbered. Pending a successful physical Gurode will sign his deal tomorrow. It remains to be seen who will be the Ravens primary starter at center, Gurode or incumbent Matt Birk. Interestingly enough Gurode’s maximum salary matches Birk’s deal. The Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome stated today that the addition of Gurode is a depth move. “To have a successful season, you have to have quality depth across the board”, ...

According to Aaron Wilson Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron recently reached out to retired NFL quarterback and former Raven Marc Bulger to gauge his interest in returning to the team. We’re told that Bulger would consider it if Joe Flacco goes down with an injury. Smart move by the Ravens! They have a battle tested QB familiar with their offense ready to go at a moment’s notice. In essence the team gets to carry a 3rd quarterback without: 1) paying him; and 2) accounting for him on the 53 man squad. PLUS he is better than anyone else currently on the market. That’s like having a good neighbor (State Farm) without paying the premium. David Reed has been suspended for one game due to a substance abuse violation that will actually cost him two game checks totaling $52,941. Back in February it was reported that Reed received a STET for the marijuana offense. But as our capologist and resident lawyer Brian McFarland reminds us, usually a STET does not tr...

Some teams get excited about new players that join their teams after leaving other teams. The Chiefs and their fans are happy with the additions of Kelly Gregg and Le’Ron McClain. And now they’ve added Jared Gaither. Judging from the performances of their offensive tackles during the Thursday night preseason game in Philadelphia, the Ravens could use some reinforcements at offensive tackle. It would seem that they’ve given up on Oniel Cousins as a tackle (and rightly so) and they are now giving him a shot at guard. That leaves Michael Oher, Jah Reid and Ramon Harewood to man the offensive edges. It is unlikely that the team will start the season with those three only. And that makes the Ravens decision to abandon Jared Gaither even more interesting. Terms of his deal with the Chiefs have not been disclosed but it is believed to be a one year deal and generally speaking those don’t often push past the $3M mark. If they could trust Gaither even a little bit, wo...