Author: scottiggy

Ravens:
First preseason is out of the way, and no key injuries… Running game looks to be by committee, so don’t be banking on a Ravens RB in your fantasy league… Questionable Offensive Line off to a decent start, but only time will tell… NFL is working up a plan for a mandatory suspension of 4 to 6 games for domestic violence cases, after taking significant heat for the perceived light sentence on Ray Rice…

Ravens:
Well, the Ray Rice penalty saga has finally come to a close, or has it. There has been severe backlash from many non-Baltimore outlets claiming that the penalty was too light. Many fans have said that it would have been better to hit him with 4 games, and then cut it back to 2 after an appeal. Personally, this is about what I expected, but I think the Ravens should have preemptively suspended Rice 2 games, and challenge the league to pile on. The nfl would look more favorably upon the situation if it thought the team was on top of the discipline, but the team is also dealing with 4 other incidences as well, which are all drawing attention away from the real topic: Training Camp, which is now in the thick of it with the first preseason game next Thursday at home against the San Francisco 49ers.

Ravens:
Oh well, our streak of consecutive days without an arrest is over, with Jimmy Smith being picked up on disorderly conduct, or more commonly known as operating without a brain. In summary, he was helping a female friend who obviously had too much to drink, and was unconscious. When emergency personnel arrived on the scene, he revised to give way to medical personnel… Ravens to hold auditions for singing the national anthem on Tuesday… Training camp starts on Thursday, with Quarterbacks, rookies and injured veterans reporting to training camp.

Ravens:
WR Steve Smith and CB Lardarius Webb have a flare up at mini-camp, but should be worked out within the team… Of larger note is that the Redskins trademark has been revoked. They are still protected during the appeals process, but it is expected that a name change may be forthcoming to avoid a length court battle. Although they will probably play this season as is, one theory suggests that they will drop the appeal after the season, and unveil plans for a new name, Washington Warriors, using the same logo and colors. Dan Snyder had the name already trademarked for an arena football league team, for a now defunct league. Stay tuned, as we will have to work hard at coming up with new, derogatory names for the team.

Ravens:
Ravens to hold a pair of off-site training camps at M&T Bank, and Navy-Marine Stadiums. The practice at M&T Bank will be July 28 at 7 p.m. and will include a fireworks and laser show. Both off-site sessions will be free.

Maryland women’s lacrosse team wins the NCAA Divisions I Lacrosse Tournament! Go Terps!

Ravens:
Ray Rice issues formal appologies to everyone is a statement… $5.5M is salary cap space still left… Ravens and M&T Bank have reached an agreement to extend their partnership through 2027.

Ravens:
Ray Rice avoids trial by agreeing to complete a diversionary program, but will still probably face suspension by the league… Ravens sign another Houston TE Phillip Supernaw, FB/RB Shaun Chapas, and OG Will Rackley. To make room, they cut TE Matt Furstenburg (Maryland), LB D.J. Bryant (Randallstown) and OL/DL Cody Larsen.

Ravens:
Draft is over, and the Ravens did NOT trade down in the first round to acquire more picks, as I expected. They held their position and turned in another solid performance on the draft room floor, once again focusing on defense in a defense heavy division with 3 straight D-players to start their draft, and 4 out of 9 players total. The first round draft pick, CJ Mosely has great instinct and athleticism, as long as he can stay healthy, which could be a concern. Otherwise, they drafted someone to pencil in for all their needs going in. General consensus is that the Ravens and Steelers did equally well, while
Ohio was sub-par.

Ravens:
Ray Rice seems to have worked out a deal to avoid jail, but we should still expect about a 2 game suspension from the league… Draft starts this week. Expect the Ravens to trade down to get more picks.

Ravens:
NFL Schedule expected to be released Wednesday night. My money is on a prime time game IN Pittsburgh… Some analysts suggest the Ravens may trade down in the draft to get more picks… Rolando McClain tried coming back but retired again… Rice has reported in better condition, apparently beating his weight problem from last year (Bad Iggy). I still expect him to be suspended between 2 and 4 games. Ravens would do well to “steal” a page from Pittsburgh book, and proactively suspend Rice, hoping that the league sees our punishment as just and not impose a potentially stiffer sanction.