Iggy’s Ravens Report – February 22, 2013

Ravens:
Well, with Joe Flacco’s head swelled larger than the Good Year Blimp, things are going to be tough next season. The kind of money Joe is asking (over $20M/year, to make him the highest paid QB in the NFL), will put us further into Salary cap hell. Ravens really can’t negotiate with other free agents until Joe is settled, which is supposed to start taking place this weekend. Options are to use the restricted Franchise tag (worth about $14.6M, but other teams could make him an offer, and we would have to match), use the unrestricted franchise tag (worth just over $20M), or sign him to a long term deal. Obviously, the latter is preferred, and I would recommend giving him a ridiculously long contract (8 or 10 years), with a base of $17M this year, which goes up $1M or $2M per year, and tag on a big signing bonus. That would give us wiggle room in the future. There are other complications that can arise, like Flacco protesting the Franchise tag, and having to cut several key players to make salary cap space, but first things first, we need to make “average” Joe, well above average.

Orioles:
Orioles signed Darren O’Day to a 2 year contract, and successfully avoided arbitration hearings for all 13 eligible players. That was the final case requiring resolution in the MLB who celebrated the first time in the 37 year history of the arbitration process in which NO players actually went to a hearing. Analyst are skeptical that the Orioles can duplicate last years success because they failed to make any upgrades or improvements in the off-season, while everyone else in the division made significant moves. Despite returning the same core pitching staff that posted MLB records with their 16-2 extra inning record, and 28-7 record in 1-run games, most analyst state confidently that they will not be able to do it again. Meanwhile, the hitting, which was our biggest weakness last season, hasn’t changed. The Orioles management will be looking for a mid to late spring training trade to fix that problem, but also seems content on fielding virtually the same team that made the playoffs last season, expecting young players to continue to mature. It’s a gamble, but Showalter and Duquette seem to know more about what they are doing than most analyst know about analyzing. The Ravens have Oz… the Orioles have the team of Showalter and Duqette.

Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes have named Dan Hawkins their new head coach. Hawkins, 52, arrives in Montreal with no previous Canadian football coaching experience. He spent the last two seasons as a college football analyst for ESPN but served as the head coach at Boise State and Colorado. Hawkins was just 19-39 at Colorado but an impressive 53-11 at Boise State and has an overall record of 112-61-1.

Blast:
The Blast (20-5) have won 5 straight, heading into their season finale at home on Saturday night against the Milwaukee Wave (18-3), with whom
the Blast are virtually tied with for first place. The Wave will finish out their season in a grueling stretch with 5 games over 8 days starting with their trip to Baltimore on Saturday, and concluding with homes games next Saturday and Sunday. A Blast win is essential for a shot at the regular season title, as they will hope for the Wave to trip up at least 1 more time during the final week of the season. The Blast have long since clinched at least a #2 playoff seed.

Chesapeake Bayhawks: (Home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium)
Seeking a pulse on Florida’s interest level for lacrosse, the Rochester Rattlers will host the Bayhawks on April 27 at
Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The 2013 schedule has been released.

Charm:
The Charm will open the 2013 season at Jacksonville on May 25.

Capitals (See website for more details):
The Caps have lost 2 in a row to regain the title of worst team in the NHL, 1 point behind Columbus.

Wizards (See website for more details):
The Wizards have lost 2 in a row, but their recent 4 game win streak elevated them to 3rd in the division, ahead of Orlando and Charlotte, who are also the worst 2 teams in the NBA.

Mystics (See website for more details):
Season opens May 27.

D.C.United (See website for more details):
The 2013 Schedule has been released.

What do you want to see in the Ravens report? What should be scrapped? Actually, never mind. No one is reading this anyway so you probably won’t know the difference. Send an email to iggy at tealdragon.net. Thanks!

Schedule

2012 Preseason
Date	Opponent		Time	Result
Thursday, August 9, 2012	@Atlanta Falcons		7:30 PM	W 31-17
Friday, August 17, 2012	Detroit Lions		8:00 PM	L 27-12
Thursday, August 23, 2012	Jacksonville Jaguars		7:30 PM	W 48-17
Thursday, August 30, 2012	@Saint Louis Rams		8:00 PM	L 31-17
2012 Regular Season
Date	Opponent	Record	Time	Result
Monday, September 10, 2012	Cincinnati Bengals	18-14 Overall, 11-6 Home	7:00 PM	W 44-13
Sunday, September 16, 2012	@Philadelphia Eagles	1-1-1 Overall, 1-0-1 Away	1:00 PM	L 24-23
Sunday, September 23, 2012	New England Patriots	1-7 Overall, 0-2 Home	8:20 PM	W 31-30
Thursday, September 27, 2012	Cleveland Browns	19-7 Overall, 10-3 Home	8:20 PM	W 23-16
Sunday, October 7, 2012	@Kansas City Chiefs	3-3 Overall, 2-0 Away	1:00 PM	W 9-6
Sunday, October 14, 2012	Dallas Cowboys	3-0 Overall, 2-0 Home	1:00 PM	W 31-29
Sunday, October 21, 2012	@Houston Texans	6-0 Overall, 3-0 Away	1:00 PM	L 43-13
Sunday, November 4, 2012	@Cleveland Browns	19-7 Overall, 9-4 Away	1:00 PM	W 25-15
Sunday, November 11, 2012	Oakland Raiders	6-1 Overall, 4-0 Home	1:00 PM	W 55-20
Sunday, November 18, 2012	@pittsburgh steelers	14-21 Overall, 6-12 Away	8:20 PM	W 13-10
Sunday, November 25, 2012	@San Diego Chargers	4-4 Overall, 2-4 Away	4:05 PM	W 16-13 OT
Sunday, December 2, 2012	pittsburgh steelers	15-21 Overall, 8-9 Home	4:25 PM	L 23-20
Sunday, December 9, 2012	@Washington Redskins	3-1 Overall, 2-1 Away	1:00 PM	L 31-28 OT
Sunday, December 16, 2012	Denver Broncos	6-3 Overall, 5-0 Home	1:00 PM	L 34-17
Sunday, December 23, 2012	New York Giants	3-1 Overall, 1-0 Home	4:25 PM	W 33-14
Sunday, January 30, 2012	@Cincinnati Bengals	18-14 Overall, 7-9 Away	1:00 PM	L 23-17
2012 Post Season
Date	Opponent	Record	Time	Result
Sunday, January 6	Indianapolis Colts	3-9 Overall, 3-4 Home	1:00 PM	W 24-9
Saturday, January 12	@Denver Broncos	6-4 Overall, 1-3 Away	4:30 PM	W 38-35 (2 OT)
Sunday, January 20	@New England Patriots	2-7 Overall, 1-5 Away	4:30 PM	W 28-13
Sunday, February 3	San Francisco 49^ers at New Orleans	3-1 Overall	6:20 PM	W 34-31