OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Even after winning their second Super Bowl only days ago, the Ravens wasted no time in beginning preparations for the 2013 season.

A day after celebrating with a downtown parade and a rally at M&T Bank Stadium, general manager Ozzie Newsome, head coach John Harbaugh, and the front office were back at it with a 10-hour personnel meeting on Wednesday in which they evaluated 70 to 75 players. It’s no secret the Ravens face a tight salary cap this offseason, leaving many to wonder if they’d go the same route used in the offseason following Super Bowl XXXV in which the organization put cap ramifications on the back burner in favor of making another run at a championship.

Newsome and owner Steve Bisciotti put that possibility to rest at the Ravens’ season-review press conference on Thursday.

“We will not repeat what we did in 2001 because we’re trying to build where we can win Super Bowls more than just one more time,” Newsome said. “I think our team is structured differently this time also. We do have some veterans that will probably be retiring, but we’ve got a great nucleus of young players and players that are just heading into their prime that we’re going to build this team around. We are not going to be restructuring contracts or doing all of those different things to be able to just maintain this team to make another run. We’re not doing that.

“That doesn’t mean that we don’t want to try to go and repeat.”

That reality means the Ravens will likely say goodbye to a number of their 13 unrestricted free agents, which include safety Ed Reed, linebackers Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe, cornerback Cary Williams, and quarterback Joe Flacco. Of those players, Flacco is the only one certain to return as the Ravens will try to reach a long-term agreement with the Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player prior to the deadline for using the franchise tag on March 4.

Even with a long-term contract completed with the quarterback, the Ravens are unlikely to maintain the services of Kruger or Williams, who will both receive significant offers on the free-agent market in mid-March. According to several reports, the Ravens are expected to have roughly $15 million in cap space including the money saved from Ray Lewis’ retirement, but that doesn’t account for money needed for the tag for Flacco and for tenders offered to restricted and exclusive-rights free agents. Of course, additional money could come via the retirement of veterans such as Matt Birk or Bobbie Williams or by releasing other veterans.

“We’re not going to get caught up in the moment and do things to our salary cap and make decisions in the euphoria of winning that could hurt us in 2014 and 2015 like we did in 2001,” owner Steve Bisciotti said. “Every single veteran was restructured, I think, so that every single veteran could stay and then we ended up losing so many people the next year. We don’t want to do that.”

In order to maintain any real sense of continuity, the Ravens must agree on a long-term contract with Flacco, but agent Joe Linta has said he’s aiming for his client to become the highest-paid quarterback in the league. The 2008 first-round pick is believed to be seeking $20 million per season with a significant portion of the deal including guaranteed money.

Bisciotti said Thursday the organization offered Flacco a “top-5″ contract last summer and believes winning the Super Bowl this season would not hinder negotiations more than if the Ravens had exited in the first round of the playoffs.

“We’re looking to get a fair deal with Joe and, yes, the franchise number does consume a lot of cap room,” Newsome said. “We’re looking for a fair deal; Joe Linta is looking for a fair deal. If we are able to get a deal done, it will allow us to be able to participate more in the market if we so choose. But we understand what the priority is.”

That priority would include being forced to use the franchise tag to keep Flacco in Baltimore, which would cost $14.6 million for the 2013 season. However, that is only the price for a non-exclusive designation, meaning teams could sign Flacco to an offer sheet if they’d be willing to fork over two first-round picks should the Ravens not match the offer.

The exclusive rights tag would cost roughly $20 million, but it would prohibit teams desperate enough for a quarterback to negotiate with Flacco. Last year, the Redskins traded three first-round picks and a second-round pick to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for the second overall pick to draft Robert Griffin III.

“What you have to look at is what the Redskins did this past year to move up to get Robert Griffin,” Newsome said. “If someone thinks that a quarterback is that valuable and I’m sure you can talk to [the Washington front office], they’re very happy with [Griffin] right now and they don’t mind not having those draft picks. I don’t know what 31 other teams are doing, so we have to prepare ourselves for it.”

As the Ravens continue to organize their list of priorities for the 2013 offseason, the fate of Flacco remains at the top of the list as a long-term agreement is a must in order to maintain hope of re-signing or acquiring any impact players.

But time is running out as Newsome joked that the Ravens are “five weeks behind” the rest of the league after winning the Super Bowl. Much has changed with the perception of Flacco, who just completed one of the greatest playoff performances in NFL history.

“I’m coming away today thinking that we can get a deal done,” Newsome said. “We’ve gotten deals done with Haloti [Ngata], [Jonathan Ogden], Ray [Lewis], Ray Rice, Ed Reed, [Terrell] Suggs. I’ve got a very good owner who understands the business [and] understands the importance of certain positions, so I’m optimistic.”

Biggest need up the middle

Asked to assess the biggest area of need for next season, Newsome admitted the middle of the Baltimore defense needed to be improved, in part because of the failure of young players to step up but also due to a number of possible departures.

With Lewis retiring and Ellerbe and Reed potentially hitting the open market, the Ravens could look very different at the linebacker and safety positions next season. Jameel McClain, Josh Bynes, and Brendon Ayanbadejo would be the top returning inside linebackers while 2012 fourth-round pick Christian Thompson would be the next man up on the depth chart at the safety position.

The combination of third-year player Terrence Cody and veteran Ma’ake Kemoeatu was also severely disappointing at the nose tackle position.

“As we talked about it, the middle of the defense [is a priority],” Newsome said. “We think we’ve got to get better at defensive tackle. We know we have one linebacker retiring and another that’s a free agent. We have a safety that’s a free agent and some young guys that have yet to step up. We would say the middle of the defense is the one area that we would concentrate on.

“In saying that, we realized that pass rushers and guys that can cover, we felt pretty good about that.”

The Ravens might not feel as good about their pass rush with the expected departure of Kruger, but Terrell Suggs figures to bounce back from an injury-plagued season and rookie Courtney Upshaw played effectively against the run and should continue to develop in his first full offseason with the team.

Newsome expressed no specific concerns on the offensive side of the football beyond the need to secure Flacco long-term.

“Offensively, we will not turn down a good player if that player is available for us on the offensive side of the ball,” Newsome said. “We just won’t do it, because you can never have enough depth.”

Chance of Reed return?

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Joe Flacco is about to get paid. There’s no question about that, and now that he’s hoisted his first Lombardi trophy, everyone seems to be okay with it. Turn back the clock a couple of weeks and there were few who were willing to consider Flacco as anything more than an average to a slightly above average QB. Turn it back a few days and Flacco was knocking on the door of most people’s top 5’s.  Now after winning the Super Bowl, even the biggest and longest tenured of Flacco supporters have to be surprised to see folks ranking him anywhere between 1^st and 4^th among the NFL’s best signal callers.

This is the way of the fan however, and of the national media as well. You almost have to wonder how much differently the same people would be grading Flacco’s place in the hierarchy if the Ravens defense had failed to keep Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers out of the end zone and Flacco’s Ravens had lost the Super Bowl as a result.

None of that matters now. Flacco has risen to the occasion, not only on the grandest of stages but also at the most opportune time…just ahead of his contract negotiations.

Over the last few weeks for Flacco, everything has changed, and nothing has changed. That’s because the quarterback and his agent have maintained all along that they’re expecting a contract that will set the market and not just one that conforms with the market. Meanwhile, the Ravens have been trying to be fiscally responsible, while also having to acknowledge that allowing the QB to get away was simply not an option. Neither of those things has changed a bit. As leverage goes however, the pendulum has swung mightily in the favor of Flacco’s camp, and the Ravens at least have to feel more confident in the capabilities of the quarterback that they were undeniably beholden to anyway.

Now the question becomes whether it’s in Flacco’s best interest to squeeze every nickel possible out of the club, because he can; or if the QB might be better served in leaving a bit of money on the table in order to allow the Ravens, in a salary cap environment, to continue to put talent around him.

This question would seem to put Flacco in a bit of an awkward position. While Flacco has an agent, Joe Linta, to do his negotiating for him, he also has to decide for himself what’s best. The QB likely has designs on winning more titles; perhaps building a resume that could be considered Hall of Fame worthy at some point, and of course on getting paid too. The agent wants to get him paid not only because he’ll earn his commission off of the contract he negotiates, but perhaps just as importantly because having negotiated the NFL’s biggest QB deal would represent a substantial feather in his cap that would surely be helpful in attracting future clients.

Flacco also has to consider that while his leaving money on the table in order for the Ravens to be better able to acquire and retain talent should benefit him, he’ll still have no real say in how that money is spent. Lets not forget that the Ravens spent approximately 1/3 of their salary cap last year on 4 defensive players in Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata. That’s more than they spent on the entire starting offense, including Flacco himself.

Throughout his time as a Raven, Flacco has seen a virtual revolving door of talent on the offensive line and in the receiving corps, and a steady commitment to retention of defensive players who may now be on the downsides of their careers. While this makes Flacco’s achievements, along with his ability to stay healthy, that much more impressive, it may also strengthen his willingness to take all that he can get financially and continue to take his chances with the talent that General Manager Ozzie Newsome is able to put around him with what’s left.

What hasn’t changed about these negotiations is that both sides will eventually reach an agreement that keeps Flacco around for the long term. What has changed about these negotiations is likely everything else. The answers are coming. Now it’s time to hold your breath and hope that those answers are the right ones. .

GENERAL MANAGER OZZIE NEWSOME

(on being behind in scouting for the draft and free agency) “We had a personnel meeting on Wednesday. So, we’ll get back on Monday. Coaches will have one day to prepare for our personnel meeting and then we’re off and running. Free agency will be here before we know it. We just have to play pickup. Everybody has to do a little bit extra, but I think we’ll find a way and if it means we have to do this one more time, I’ll take that.”

(on Flacco’s contract) “Well, Joe and I have a good understanding of where his contract is. People fail to realize that he was a dropped pass away from getting to the Super Bowl last year. So, what he did was just back up to what he did a year ago. He’s doing a great job. He has great chemistry with Jim Caldwell. Hopefully, as long as I’m the general manager in Baltimore, he’s the quarterback in Baltimore.”

(on his transition from a player to a personnel executive) “I think the biggest thing is when you’re dealing with the players you have to be truthful with them. They’ll start to trust you if you tell them the truth. And sometimes you are telling them some things that they don’t want to hear. But if you’re very truthful with them – and a lot of what I do is that I had to evaluate how to pretend I wanted to block Lawrence Taylor or some of those other guys. As a player, you are evaluating talent while you are playing.”

(on the offensive coordinator switch) “John Harbaugh and I were sounding boards for each other. This is something that was talked about for a number of weeks. I did have the background that I went through with Brian Billick when he let Jim Fassel go. So, I knew what questions to ask and what we needed to do. It’s always the unintended consequences that we try to look after to make sure we’re making a good decision.”

(on Bear Bryant’s influence on him) “You cannot find a player that played for Coach Bryant that wouldn’t say the things he taught us while we were there are what we’re living right now. It was all about the team. He never allowed anyone to become complacent. The man that I am right now, Coach Bryant had probably 80 percent to do with that, along with my parents.”

(on Art Modell’s influence on him) “No. 1, he was a great boss. And then, he gave me the opportunity to stay within the franchise and start to work. If you look at the game, he was a pioneer in just about everything that this game is about right now. It’s unfortunate that he won’t be alive when he gets the chance to go into the Hall of Fame. That’s a shame.”

(on Modell’s Hall of Fame credentials) “What they have to do, like in any decisions you have to make, you have to look at the positives and the negatives. With him, I think the positives outweigh the negatives – the negative of the move. That’s how I go about making decisions and that’s how I hope the voters do it.”

(on quarterbacks making it to the NFL from smaller schools) “I think the scouting is consistent throughout the league. I just think now there are more players that are playing at different levels of football. You have to be able to go and scout those levels. The other thing is that there are a lot of transfers. Joe (Flacco) went to Pittsburgh and then transferred out. I think three of the guys we drafted last year were transfers that went to major colleges, things didn’t work out there, and they ended up going to smaller schools. You just have to do your homework. Football is football, regardless of what level you play at.”

(on what he saw when he was scouting Joe Flacco) “Well, we had made enough mistakes on quarterbacks that we kind of had an idea of what we wanted to look for. The thing we saw about Joe – he had the physical skills, but he had a lot of poise and he was very accurate. The other physical abilities would take care of themselves.”

-more-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Super Bowl XLVII – Tuesday, January 29, 2013

QUOTES FROM BALTIMORE RAVENS MEDIA DAY

MORE GENERAL MANAGER OZZIE NEWSOME

(on the key to maintaining longevity as a general manager ) “I think it’s having the right relationship with the coach, the owner and the president. I try to make myself available. I try to be very honest with any and everything that I try to tell them. They are my partners. Sometimes I have to bite my tongue and say, ‘OK, we need to do this, even though I don’t agree with it.’ There is a lot of give and take. Brian Billick and I were partners for nine years and we’re still friends. You build a partnership just like I guess you do in a marriage.”

(on outlasting many other general managers) “It goes with the quarterback. If Joe Flacco wasn’t a very good quarterback right now, I’d probably be playing golf down in Alabama somewhere. It goes with the quarterback.”

(on having an equal legacy as a player and as an executive) “I think there will be an emptiness as a player because I never played in the Super Bowl. I will never be able to go back and recapture that. But having the ability to have success on the field and off the field is going to match. I just wish I had a chance to play in the Super Bowl as a player.”

(on what questions he asked John Harbaugh about changing offensive coordinators) “I had to ask him No. 1, why he wanted to do it. What was he seeing that was allowing him to have questions. Only he could tell me that. What was happening around the building, on the field, and stuff like that? I had to ask those types of questions.”

(on setting an example for other African Americans) “When I first became a GM, I was on a radio show with John Thompson. He made the statement and it hadn’t dawned on me. He said, ‘Now that you’ve become a general manager, other young African Americans will inspire to do that.’ At that point, you go, ‘Well, yeah. Now that I’ve done it, somebody else can get a chance to do it.’ That’s the only time it’s come about. To me, it’s all about the challenge. And being the first – it just so happened when I was born, America started to change. So, I got a chance to be first because it changed. It’s not that I was any better than anybody else, I just hit the cycle at the right time.”

NEW ORLEANS — Much has been discussed about the pending retirement of Ray Lewis and the uncertain future of veterans such as Ed Reed and Matt Birk, but Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome eliminated himself from that discussion on Tuesday.

Some have speculated that the 56-year-old executive might ponder retirement if the Ravens win their second Super Bowl title in franchise history on Sunday, but Newsome eliminated that possibility when speaking with reporters at media day in New Orleans. The Ravens promoted Newsome’s right-hand man Eric DeCosta to the title of assistant general manager last January, but Newsome isn’t ready to step down just yet despite his confidence that the organization will be in fine shape after he retires.

Owner Steve Bisciotti has already publicly stated that DeCosta is the heir apparent to Newsome in Baltimore.

“I know he’s going to be [the successor],” Newsome said. “Steve has said that. I know the Ravens will be in good hands when that time comes. That’s a long time away though.”

DeCosta has often been linked to other organizations seeking a general manager, but the 41-year-old is being paid as well as many general managers in the league and has strong ties to the area through his wife’s family. He has been with the organization since starting as a player personnel assistant in 1996.

Newsome explained why DeCosta has been coveted by so many teams in recent years.

“Eric can process information very quickly,” Newsome said. “He came up through the program. You have to look at Phil [Savage], you look at George [Kokinis], you look at [James "Shack" Harris] — all of those guys were very good. With Eric and his ability to process information so quick, I don’t think he ever allows himself to put himself above the Ravens. Everything he wants to do, he wants to do for the Ravens.”

Newsome chuckled as he addressed his future and admitted last week how much fun he is having with the role after years of working in isolation from players as he studied film and worked on reports for potential college draft prospects.

The architect of the AFC champions has cultivated relationships with role players such as cornerback Chykie Brown and defensive lineman Bryan Hall while growing closer with the stars of the franchise.

“You get a chance to be around these guys,” Newsome said last week. “I’ve seen [Terrell] Suggs change, and I’ve seen Ray [Lewis] change, and I’ve seen Ed [Reed change]. To watch these guys grow and mature. Evaluating players is one thing, doing contracts is another, going down to the principal’s office and spending time with Steve [Bisciotti], that’s another thing. To be there with those guys and to watch those guys grow up, you can’t separate that. You can’t find anything better than that, so I enjoy it.”

FLACCO UPDATE: Newsome once again addressed quarterback Joe Flacco’s expiring contract, reiterating his intention for the fifth-year product to remain in Baltimore for years to come.

The Ravens will attempt to sign him to a long-term contract to avoid the need to use the franchise tag that is estimated to be $14.6 million for a quarterback in the 2013 season.

“People fail to realize that he was a dropped pass away from getting to the Super Bowl last year,” Newsome said. “So, what he did was just back up to what he did a year ago. He’s doing a great job. He has great chemistry with Jim Caldwell. Hopefully, as long as I’m the general manager in Baltimore, he’s the quarterback in Baltimore.”

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — General manager Ozzie Newsome cannot help but wonder if he’s walking around in a dream state these days as the Ravens prepare to play in the second Super Bowl of the 17-year history of the franchise.

But it’s more than just a chance for a second championship for Newsome when you remember the only owner he knew in his first 26 years in the NFL as both a player and front office executive, the late Art Modell, and the first player he drafted in Baltimore, offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, are both up for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next Saturday. Super Bowl XLVII will also mark the final game in the career of linebacker Ray Lewis, the greatest player in the history of the franchise and the second pick made by Newsome in Baltimore.

The story would be almost too perfect for the architect of one of the finest franchises in the NFL.

“That has been the little dream that the little kids have along the way when they are growing up,” Newsome said. “Wouldn’t that be nice that we’re playing in the Super Bowl, and then we have the ultimate that our ultimate warrior is going to play his last down of football in that game? I don’t think you could write a script — I don’t think any of you guys could have written that script.”

In a rare in-season session with the local media, Newsome expressed pride over the Ravens’ resolve to overcome trials, injuries, and a three-game losing streak in December to make the trip to New Orleans. Newsome labeled the city his favorite destination for a Super Bowl and admitted he began thinking about the possibility of playing in this particular Super Bowl 15 months ago, with Ogden and Modell potentially up for Hall of Fame induction in the same year.

Sentimental story lines aside, Newsome appreciates watching the team he constructed finally get back to the Super Bowl after a 12-year absence following the Ravens’ first championship in Super Boxl XXXV.

“I said this to John [Harbaugh] on the bus ride: You just don’t know how hard it is to get to the Super Bowl,” said Newsome as he reflected on the aftermath of last Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots. “It’s even harder, now you have to go and win it. But 12 years since we did this, and we got knocked out in the AFC Championship twice; it’s hard. You’ve got to manage injuries, so many different things that you have to manage just to get this opportunity, and the other 31 teams don’t care for you. It’s hard to do.”

Asked to state the case for Modell to finally be inducted posthumously after he passed away shortly before the start of the regular season, Newsome presented clear evidence for the longtime owner who relinquished control of the team to Steve Bisciotti in 2004.

Next Saturday would appear to be Modell’s last best chance for enshrinement with his memory fresh in voters’ minds and the Ravens dominating the limelight as one of the two Super Bowl entries in New Orleans.

“He was involved in the collective bargaining agreement, involved in the TV deal, involved in the merger, won a championship in 1964, won a Super Bowl, diversity [in being] the first one to hire an African American,” Newsome said. “When you look at the body of work that Art did, then why shouldn’t he be in [the Hall of Fame]? If this game is as good as it is today – and we all think we have a very good game – then Art was an architect of the game. He helped build the game for what it is.”

Modell’s long-awaited induction would be one thing, but to see Ogden earn enshrinement while Lewis rides off into the sunset with a second Vince Lombardi Trophy would be the icing on the cake after Newsome chose the pair as the newest additions to a brand-new franchise in Baltimore in 1996.

It’s enough to make Newsome not want to wake up before Super Bowl weekend.

“It’s part of the dream, I think,” said Newsome as he laughed. “I don’t know, I’ve got to pinch myself to see if I’m still dreaming.”

Mum on Flacco contract

Newsome made it clear he would not discuss contracts and other offseason topics — saving those conversations for the team’s end-of-the-year press conference following the Super Bowl — but that didn’t stop a national media member from asking about the expiring rookie deal of quarterback Joe Flacco anyway.

“I’m not discussing that,” Newsome said. “You know what? I’ve gone on record -– Joe and I have a very good understanding about his contract and where we are. End of story.”

The Ravens desperately want to reach a long-term agreement with Flacco to avoid using the franchise tag. That designation would award him an estimated salary of $14.6 million and eat up the little cap room the organization is projected to have for the 2013 season. Signing Flacco to a long-term contract would increase the chances of keeping such impending free agents as linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and cornerback Cary Williams.

Newsome will address those issues after Feb. 3, however.

“I worry about winning today, but I’ve got to also worry about winning tomorrow,” Newsome said. “I’ve got to be able to balance those books every year.”

McKinnie move

CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE >>>

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — With the Ravens overcoming their December struggles to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 12 years, much discussion has naturally reflected on the decision to fire offensive coordinator Cam Cameron on Dec. 10.

Needless to say, the move has worked beautifully for the Baltimore offense as Cameron himself even admitted it was a “brilliant” move in an interview with the New York Times, but general manager Ozzie Newsome was asked Friday how involved he and owner Steve Bisciotti were in the decision to part ways with the coordinator. Newsome acknowledged that he and Harbaugh interacted a great deal in discussing the merits and drawbacks of making such a change so late in the season, but the longtime general manager made it clear neither he nor Bisciotti pushed Harbaugh to fire Cameron.

Newsome emphatically denied that notion, repeating the word no multiple times as he shook his head.

“That wouldn’t be fair to John,” Newsome said. “John has to stand before his coaching staff and his players. If at any one point do they ever think that he is overly influenced by Steve and I, then he loses his staff and his players. It has to be him.”

According to Newsome, he and Harbaugh discussed the possibility of making the change on the ride home following the Ravens’ 31-28 overtime loss to the Washington Redskins on Dec. 9.

Harbaugh came to Newsome with the final verdict to fire Cameron on Monday morning.

“When he walked in my office and told me that he was going to make that decision, he had a peace about himself,” Newsome said.

Of course, WNST.net’s Drew Forrester reported a different version of the events leading up to Cameron’s departure HERE.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens have played their cards close to the vest when it comes to their plans for veteran linebacker Ray Lewis and his improbable comeback.

If Monday was any indication, we should expect much of the same this week as they turn their sights toward a wild-card meeting with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Lewis began practicing on Dec. 5 and was moved from injured reserve to the 53-man roster last week but hasn’t played in a game since tearing his right triceps on Oct. 14.

Asked what it would take for Lewis to finally return to game action this Sunday, Harbaugh offered no indication whether he expected the 37-year-old to play against Indianapolis. However, it’s difficult to envision the 17th-year linebacker not giving it a go with Sunday potentially being his last game in Baltimore.

“It will take me not putting his name on a piece of paper for the [inactives], and you will find out an hour-and-a-half before the game whether or not that takes place,” Harbaugh said. “It’s all going to be a game-time decision as far as anybody knows. That’s where we’re at. This is the playoffs.”

The Ravens have been more tight-lipped than usual in recent weeks regarding their slew of injuries, and it will only get worse as Harbaugh tries to keep their plans under wraps.

Sixteen players were listed on last week’s injury report and six starters were ruled inactive for the final regular-season game.

“We’re not talking about injuries, we’re not talking about activations,” Harbaugh said. “We really don’t care what you or anybody else thinks about that — as much as we love you — and we’re getting ready to play a football game.

Critics question whether Harbaugh’s tactics — which are, in fairness, becoming more common across the league — really provide any tangible advantage over opponents, but the Baltimore coach was unconcerned with anyone questioning him on Monday.

“I don’t think it really matters,” said Harbaugh when asked if the team truly benefited from hiding injury information. “I think that’s what we’re doing.”

No more shenanigans

Asked to revisit a pair of frustration penalties committed against Bengals rookie linebacker Vontaze Burfict, Harbaugh offered an understanding tact but a matter-of-fact stance in responding to fouls committed by running back Ray Rice and guard Bobbie Williams.

The Ravens committed 10 for 102 yards in Week 17 and finished 31st in the league with 111 penalties this season.

“We don’t need any of that. We don’t need any penalties,” Harbaugh said. “We certainly don’t need any post-snap shenanigans. I don’t care what they do. I don’t care what they say. We don’t need a flag thrown. [We need to] be smart enough to make sure the flag is thrown on the other guy. It’s just that simple.”

In the first quarter, Rice was flagged for unnecessary roughness after pushing Burfict to the ground following a chop block and said after the game the rookie linebacker talked trash throughout the day.

“Ray was trying to finish a block. I thought it was more of an aggressive foul than anything else,” Harbaugh said. “I would counsel him not to do that in the future, but he felt like the play was still on. He didn’t know the play was over; he thought he was getting up to go rush the passer. Not that we excuse that. We don’t want any personal foul penalties.”

Williams’ infraction occurred in the second quarter when he retaliated after Burfict kicked him, according to the veteran offensive lineman. It was an uncharacteristic moment for the 36-year-old, who is regarded as one of the nicest guys in the Baltimore locker room.

“There wasn’t much there, but there was enough to be called, obviously, because it was called,” Harbaugh said. “We counseled him not to get involved in any of that.”

Black Monday

With seven head coaches receiving their walking papers on what’s become the annual “Black Monday” around the NFL, Harbaugh saw his good friend and mentor Andy Reid join the list of dismissed after 14 seasons as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Harbaugh and Reid spent nine years together as the former served as the Eagles’ special teams coordinator for eight seasons and secondary coach in 2007 before being hired to become the third head coach in the history of the Ravens on Jan. 18, 2008.

Joining Reid on the unemployment line were Chicago’s Lovie Smith, San Diego’s Norv Turner, Arizona’s Ken Whisenhunt, Cleveland’s Pat Shurmur, Kansas City’s Romeo Crennel, and Buffalo’s Chan Gailey.

“The toughest thing is on the families,” Harbaugh said. “As coaches, we all understand the nature of the business. Players, too, understand the nature of it. That’s part of the challenge, but it’s hard on families. It’s hard on kids who have to change schools, pick up and move and start in other cities and things like that. That’s what you feel for the most, and that’s kind of where your prayers go out towards.”

Of the seven coaches fired on the day after the conclusion of the 2012 regular season, three were hired — and have now been dismissed already — after Harbaugh took the Baltimore coaching job.

DeCosta staying put

In what should come as no surprise, teams have already contacted the Ravens with requests to interview assistant general manager Eric DeCosta regarding potential openings.

However, the longtime Ravens executive isn’t going anywhere. DeCosta was awarded a long-term, high-priced contract last year and is the heir apparent to general manager Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore. The Ravens reaffirmed that reality once again on Monday.

“I love being a part of the Ravens and plan to stay here and help them win championships,” DeCosta said in an official statement released by the Ravens. “I have no intentions of leaving this team.”

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ed Reed knows he isn’t 24 anymore.

The longtime Ravens free safety arrived a decade ago, sporting cornrows and that famous swagger held by so many stars from the University of Miami. Now, the patches of gray are evident in his hair and a calm, battle-tested confidence oozes with his words.

Asked if he has the same range in the defensive backfield after 11 seasons of terrorizing opposing quarterbacks to the tune of 61 interceptions — the most among active players and 10th in NFL history — the nine-time Pro Bowl selection smiles as he pauses for a moment.

“Sometimes, if I get a good break,” Reed said. “It’s definitely not what it used to be when I was 24 versus [being] 34. But that’s where the mental part comes into it. You slow down physically, but mentally, you get stronger and understand the game a lot more, which allows me to play the game a certain way and understand how to play the game [and] put myself in different situations.”

It’s a tightrope Reed had walked successfully over the last few seasons as injuries took their toll and Father Time ran its course against the future Hall of Fame safety. This season, however, Reed has more often appeared to be recklessly guessing instead of taking calculated gambles, often leaving teammates in difficult positions as he tries to make the game-changing plays for which he’s been known. His declining ability to tackle with a bad shoulder has become an overwhelming liability in many observers’ eyes as they wonder if he’s capable of being an every-down player anymore.

That declining play coupled with an expiring contract make it quite possible — or even likely — that Reed is playing his final days with the only organization he’s known in his NFL career. He’s made no secret in hinting at his desire for a new contract over the last couple years, and his cryptic tactics have worn thin at times.

The Ravens are unlikely to offer Reed a contract anywhere in the stratosphere of the $7.2 million base salary he’s made in the final season of a six-year contract. The most optimistic scenario for a Reed return would likely resemble how general manager Ozzie Newsome handled Ray Lewis’ free agency following the 2008 season in which the linebacker hit the open market before finally seeing the grass wasn’t greener on the other side in terms of dollars. It’s possible that Baltimore will pass completely on the veteran’s services for 2013 and beyond.

But if Reed is preparing for his final regular-season game with the Ravens, he isn’t expressing too much concern as a division title and a first-round home playoff game are in tow. The one accomplishment eluding Reed, a Super Bowl title, is the only vision on Reed’s radar. Where he plays next season will be sorted out at the appropriate time.

“I’m not thinking about that,” Reed said. “My focus is to finish the season off and prepare for the playoffs, and then go from there as far as my future. It’s all about the near-future now. It’s not about the offseason or anything like that.”

If the Ravens elect to move on without Reed, there’s no guarantee he’ll be playing anywhere in 2013 as the physical price Reed has paid over the last five season has been well documented. The 2002 first-round pick has dealt with a nerve impingement in his neck and shoulder for the last five seasons and also underwent hip surgery a few years ago.

As recently as this past summer, Reed publicly contemplated retirement while also dropping hints about wanting a new deal, but he offered a similar reply to the one about his contract when asked if he’d consider walking away from the game after the season.

“Not even thinking about that right now, not even talking about it,” Reed said. “It’s not my concern. I know, physically, I feel like I can play. But also, physically, I have concerns about my life after football.”

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If you’re one of those who like to play the blame-game, Monday’s dismissal of Cam Cameron offers you a smorgasbord of options on which to feast.

In no specific order, you have the following:

John Harbaugh, the man who employed Cam for the last 4+ seasons, and the person in charge of the on-field product, which includes being in touch with his players and their festering aggravation with one of his coaches.

Steve Bisciotti, who, while rightfully considered in general a “good owner”, has spent a little too much time over the years hob-knobbing with the players to the extent he might be closer with them then he should be.

Joe Flacco, perhaps the main spoke in the Cameron firing-wheel, and the guy who potentially might have suffered the most while working under his now former boss.  But, if Cameron was inconsistent as a play-caller and offensive coordinator, Flacco has to wear the same basic scarlet letter, for he, too, hasn’t exactly been a shining beacon of consistency in the last four months.

The Ravens defense, which has been occasionally superb but more often a liability this season, particularly in the final 5 minutes of the team’s most two recent losses to the Steelers and Redskins.  True, they were very good earlier in the year against the Chiefs and the Browns and the Chargers.  They were also woefully exposed by the Cowboys, Texans, Steelers (with a bum at quarterback) and Redskins.

The Ravens offense, with players in key positions not playing up to par week-in and week-out.  I’m all for Jim Caldwell taking over at this point, but I’d be shocked if he can give back to Anquan Boldin that step he’s lost over the last year or so…or turn Michael Oher into a premier pass blocker as a left tackle…or heal Marshal Yanda’s bad ankle within two weeks…or get Torrey Smith to run his routes to completion the way they’re designed in the playbook.

And then, there’s one other name to add to the mix:  Ozzie Newsome.

Let the continuing story of “how Cam got canned” be examined with Ozzie’s name in mind, for it’s Newsome who wasn’t able to ink a new deal with his team’s franchise quarterback, thus paving the way for Joe Flacco to play the 2012 campaign as a “lame duck”.

Yes, there always remains the option of the franchise tag for Flacco.  But, as any player will tell you, that’s a band-aid – a nice, lucrative one – he’d rather not wear if it’s possible.

The easiest way to start any conversation about Joe Flacco and his contract situation is to simply say this about him and his future in Baltimore:  The Ravens want him back in 2013 and Flacco would like to return for a 6th season.

There’s no debating that at this point.  The two parties are still in love.

But – and here’s where we start the dissection of how things are off kilter – these are very complicated times in Owings Mills, particularly when it comes to assessing Flacco’s value.

And who’s fault is that?

If you ask Flacco and/or his agent, Joe Linta, they’re going to place the blame squarely on the employer — the Ravens, the offense and, naturally, Cam Cameron.

Linta, as a natural reaction to his Flacco’s contract status being in the spotlight, would argue up and down that with each passing game where the Baltimore offense was stagnant or stuck in neutral because of Cameron’s inconsistency, his client was effectively “losing money”.

Honestly — he’s right.

That doesn’t mean, of course, that his client doesn’t bear some of that responsibility.  He, Flacco, that is, might be costing himself money with every incompletion or strip-sack or poor audible.

But the agent would never admit that to the general manager of the team.

Instead – and if you close your eyes and let the movie play out in your head, you’ll hear it for yourself – I’m quite certain with every “new conversation” Linta and Newsome have had over the few months that Joe’s representative has reminded Ozzie in no uncertain terms that Cameron and the on-again, off-again Ravens offense is costing the quarterback big money.

“Ozzie, I respect you and the organization and so does Joe,” Linta is likely saying.  ”But you can’t possibly think you’re doing my client a true service by having Cam Cameron operate that offense in such a manner that it’s clearly hindering his qualities as a high-level NFL player.  You’ve known for a year now that Cam and Joe can’t exist together in the long run.  They’ve tried to make it work and it’s just not going to happen.  All you’re doing by trying to force this Cameron-Flacco relationship on both of them is costing Joe Flacco money.  And, even though I make little in comparison to my client, you’re costing ME money, too.  Get this Cameron thing sorted out and let’s make Joe the $90 million player he deserves to be.”

I imagine a conversation like that has been going on nearly every Monday or so for the last 13 weeks.

(Please see next page)