COACH HARBAUGH ON NEW OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR; QUOTES ON JIM CALDWELL

John Harbaugh on hiring a new offensive coordinator: “We will be interviewing coaches inside and outside of the building. We’re confident that whether we select someone currently on our staff or from another team, we will have a coach that best fits what we want to be, where we want to go and understands what Ravens football is all about. I have a profile in mind, and we are excited about the coaches who have shown interest in the job. One of the positives with the change is that we’re reminded that this franchise – and team – is attractive to many in the profession. We will have a coaching staff that will get the most out of our players.”

John Harbaugh on Jim Caldwell: “We are all so happy for Jim. He deserves this opportunity, and I congratulate the Lions for selecting him. We’re disappointed that we’ve lost Jim. We were looking forward to making progress on offense with Jim leading the charge as coordinator. Jim is a teacher, he is honorable, he is a respected leader, and every person with the Ravens will miss him. Players and assistants respond to him. You understand why he was named Detroit’s head coach and why all the other teams had him among the finalists.”

Ozzie Newsome on Jim Caldwell: “I believe it would be difficult to find anyone with the Ravens who is more respected than Jim Caldwell. That includes players, coaches and other staff members. He earned that because of the person he is and his extensive knowledge about football, including the keys to winning and his ability to teach all of that. Personally, it is a privilege to know him, and it was an honor to work with him. We put Jim in a difficult position a year ago when we named him offensive coordinator late in the season. All he did was help us turn our offense around, and we won the Super Bowl. He has many strengths, but one that is sometimes overlooked is his ability to bring a coaching staff together. He has already succeeded as a head coach, and he will again in Detroit.”

Joe Flacco on Jim Caldwell: “I enjoyed my time with Jim greatly. He is a man that I will always respect as a football coach, leader and a friend. Through his calming influence and extensive knowledge of the game, he was an integral part of our success over the past few years. He will be missed by me and the Ravens. I wish him the best of luck in Detroit.”

NFL ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR GMC NEVER SAY NEVER MOMENT OF THE YEAR

Fans To Vote For Winner On NFL.com/GMC

The National Football League today announced the five finalists for the 2013 GMC NEVER SAY NEVER MOMENT OF THE YEAR. The “GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year” is the best moment or play of the year that represents determination and perseverance.

2013 GMC NEVER SAY NEVER MOMENT OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Wk 5 Manning, Thomas, Broncos outlast Cowboys in thrilling finish
Wk 10 Newton, Kuechly, Panthers rally to prevail in defensive struggle
Wk 12 Brady, Patriots overcome 24-point deficit, win in OT
Wk 14 Ravens survive frantic final minutes vs. Vikings
Wk 17 Rodgers’ fourth-down TD to Cobb puts Packers in playoffs

Fans can vote for one of these five moments on www.nfl.com/gmc through Thursday, January 23 to determine the 2013 GMC NEVER SAY NEVER MOMENT OF THE YEAR.

The winner will be presented the 2013 GMC NEVER SAY NEVER MOMENT OF THE YEAR award in New York City at the “3rd
Annual NFL Honors” awards show, a two-hour primetime special to air nationally on February 1 on FOX, the night before Super Bowl XLVIII.

The five finalists were selected among 17 of the most memorable GMC Never Say Never Moments during the 2013 NFL season. Each week the NFL selected three nominees for the moments of the week in which the fans voted for the winner on NFL.com/GMC.

“GMC is proud to honor the determination and perseverance demonstrated by these finalists with the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year Award,” said Sandra Moore, Director of GMC Advertising and Sales Promotions.

“These characteristics are demonstrated every day by GMC’s engineers creating the best trucks and SUVs for our customers, and the ‘Never Say Never’ attitude is exactly what we put into every detail of our vehicles.”

In addition to voting for the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year, fans may also visit www.gmc.com/nfl to enter for a chance to win the GMC Never Say Never NFL Fan Experience, which includes: trips to the 2014 Scouting Combine, the 2014 NFL Draft, a 2014 regular season game of choice, Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, a GMC vehicle of choice, and more.

A closer look at the nominees:

Wk 5: Peyton Manning, Julius Thomas, Broncos outlast Cowboys in thrilling finish:
PEYTON MANNING helped the Denver Broncos overcome a 14-0 deficit in the first quarter, and again by a touchdown in the fourth quarter, to earn a thrilling 51-48 win on the road against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. In the game, Manning threw four touchdown passes, two to wide receiver JULIUS THOMAS, and added another on a run. During the record-setting game, the Broncos and Cowboys combined for 1,039 yards of total offense which is tied for the second-highest scoring game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. Linebacker DANNY TREVATHAN’S interception of a TONY ROMO pass set up MATT PRATER’S game-winning field goal and assured that the Broncos would remain unbeaten.

Wk 10: Panthers rally to prevail in defensive struggle:
CAM NEWTON and the Carolina Panthers survived a defensive struggle in San Francisco to collect their fifth consecutive win. The Panthers rallied from nine down to earn a huge 10-9 road win against the San Francisco 49ers. Running back DEANGELO WILLIAMS’ touchdown brought Carolina to within 9-7 of San Francisco, and GRAHAM GANO’S 53-yard field goal in the fourth quarter put the Panthers ahead. However, it was the stingy Panthers defense led by linebacker LUKE KUECHLY, who finished the game with 11 tackles and a sack, that made sure the narrow one-point lead held up. The Panthers twice shut down COLIN KAEPERNICK on last-ditch, late-game drives, including an interception from DRAYTON FLORENCE to seal the win.

Wk 12: Brady, Patriots overcome 24-point deficit, win in OT:
Down 24-0 at halftime, quarterback TOM BRADY guided a second-half comeback that forced overtime, where the New England Patriots eventually won, 34-31. The Patriots lost fumbles on their first three possessions as the Broncos built a 24-0 lead in the first half. However, the Patriots rallied, scoring on their first five possessions of the second half to erase the deficit. After Broncos quarterback PEYTON MANNING threw a touchdown pass to receiver DEMARYIUS THOMAS late in the fourth quarter to tie the score and ultimately force overtime, the Patriots took advantage of a fortunate bounce of a punt that hit a Broncos player and was recovered by NATE EBNER at the Broncos’ 13-yard line. Kicker STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI kicked a 31-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 34-31 overtime win.

Wk 14: Ravens survive frantic final minutes vs. Vikings:
Quarterback JOE FLACCO threw a touchdown pass to rookie receiver MARLON BROWN with four seconds left to cap a frenzied final two minutes and lift the Baltimore Ravens to a thrilling 29-26 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Despite playing in a snowstorm, the Ravens and Vikings combined for five touchdowns in the game’s final 125 seconds. The Flacco-to-Brown score finished a five-play, 80-yard drive that eclipsed all but four of the game’s final 45 seconds. The Ravens’ rally also included a 77-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by JACOBY JONES.

Wk 17: Rodgers’ fourth-down TD puts Packers in playoffs:
Facing a fourth-and-8 at the Chicago Bears’ 48-yard line with 38 seconds remaining, Green Bay Packers quarterback AARON RODGERS hit receiver RANDALL COBB for a 48-yard touchdown play that helped the Packers capture the NFC North crown. Rodgers had missed seven games with a broken collarbone and Cobb had missed the previous 10 games with a knee injury.

For more information on the 2013 GMC NEVER SAY NEVER MOMENT OF THE YEAR, visit www.nfl.com/gmc.

It’s never easy trying to repeat as a sports champion. Ask anyone who has ever won.

For the 2013 Baltimore Ravens it became clear quite early in training camp that last season was a long, long time ago. This year’s version of the defending champions spent 16 mostly-long weeks, like Barry Manilow, trying to get that feeling again. And as the clock ticked down on the final, gruesome minutes in Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon, it wasn’t hard to get inside the brain of general manager Ozzie Newsome because his thoughts probably mirrored ours.

This team just wasn’t very good.

For the 18th consecutive year I walked through the Ravens locker room at the end of a season and this time surveyed the carnage of lost hopes and dreams. There were two times — in Tampa and New Orleans — when I still was wondering about the future even as delicious as the present was at that precious moment in time. Every year I look around that room of mostly battered men and wonder how many will be on the field in Owings Mills when they take the field in late July. This time I had more questions and more confusion because of how under-performing so many players were at so many positions across the roster.

At heart, the Ravens lacked “great” players. All over the place.

Owner Steve Bisciotti will take the podium at some point in the next 10 days and discuss his thoughts on trying to repeat and what he gleaned from an 8-8 finish and four months of woeful offensive theater.

When the years pass and any fan looks back on 2013 and sees that somehow the kicker was voted the team’s MVP, well…that just about says it all. No offense to kickers anywhere, but when Justin Tucker is your team’s MVP – and really, there wasn’t much argument regarding his choice — you probably don’t deserve to make the playoffs.

And yet somehow this pesky group from Baltimore made it all the way into the second half of Week 17 with a chance to play into 2014. They weren’t 4-12 and playing out the string. The season wasn’t over in October. And given the heroics and determination we’ve witnessed over the past six seasons since John Harbaugh arrived, when the game was 17-17 in Cincinnati yesterday it wasn’t hard to envision a 9-7 finish and some unlikely hero finding some way to create a play that extended the season into the New Year.

But, alas, the Ravens probably got what they deserved – an early trip to the golf course with the rest of the 19 other teams who stumbled and bumbled through the fall.

“We’re an 8-8 team,” Flacco said from the podium at Paul Brown Stadium. “We didn’t deserve to go to the playoffs.”

True, that.

I see the mindless posts from football fans who drink too much in the first half of games each week. The unseemly criticism of Flacco and his salary and his play – much of which is predicated on blocking, scheme and route-running from others — is almost comical for anyone who really watches football and understands the value of a world-class quarterback and a well-oiled offensive machine. Flacco’s “eliteness” has become a running civic conversation. The parade, the Super Bowl MVP performance, the five straight years of exciting football in January seems to be vanquished into the gutter of people’s minds in Baltimore anytime the Ravens lose.

It’s really unbelievable to me how unappreciated Flacco is by the mental midgets in the Ravens fan base who clearly don’t remember the 15 guys who played quarterback before him from 1996 through 2007.

There’s even a case to be made that the season ended two weeks ago when Flacco limped off the field in Detroit. Without Joe Flacco, there’s very little doubt that the season would’ve ended before it began especially given the lack of talent and results across the roster.

It was clearly Flacco’s worst season in the NFL but it’s also very clear that virtually every component of the team around him underachieved and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgu9JbbBcns

On Monday night, Joe Flacco joined friends of WNST and The Living Classrooms Foundation at The Prime Rib in Anne Arundel County for conversation and charity.

The videos here feature a wide-ranging Q&A and a lot of laughs. Hope you enjoy “An Evening With Joe Flacco.”