It’s Pittsburgh week in Owings Mills and Terrell Suggs always has some thoughts on his mind about Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward. Here’s his thoughts when pressed by Nestor Aparicio:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZklLkeTJlk[/youtube]

The Ravens are getting old in many positions on offense and defense. The linebackers are young on one side but old on the other. Terrell Suggs is young and so is the inside linebacker they put next to Ray, but they don’t have a person who is playing next to Ray from week to week. Sometimes it is Jameel McClain and other times it’s Ellerbe. These two guys have been fighting for the job for a year or so and neither has secured it. Obviously, Ray Lewis is old and is going to have to retire sometime. This hurts me to say, because I can’t imagine a Ravens defense without Ray Lewis. I can’t imagine him not coming out of the tunnel on gameday and doing his dance to pump up his team and the crowd. Jarrett Johnson is also getting old and he has been an underrated outside linebacker since coming into the league. The Ravens attempted to address his position last year by drafting Sergio Kindle, but he fell down two flights of stairs and now has a head injury. He wants to come back, but doctors are not so sure. He would have also been a good pass rusher which the Ravens need. The Ravens can get a good linebacker in later rounds; it doesn’t have to be their first rounder. The linebackers will still be playing for a couple of years, but it is something that Ozzie and company must be thinking about.

The wide receivers on the Ravens are pretty old as a group. Boldin, Housh, and Mason all have 600 or more receptions in their career, but Housh and Mason are past their prime. Mason still runs great routes but doesn’t have the same explosiveness he had when he played on the Titans. Housh is not the best role model for the young players that the Ravens have. He gets called for stupid penalties, same with Mason, and he is a possession receiver. Boldin is a physical receiver but isn’t a deep ball threat, he is still in his prime and is someone who will be a Raven in years to come. The Ravens picked up Donte Stallworth in free agency after being suspended for one year. During training camp, he was the deep ball threat that the Ravens had been waiting for. However, when he went in, it was usually a reverse or a fake reverse to him. He wasn’t used as the deep ball threat that he was thought to be. The Ravens drafted David Reed and he was also supposed to have explosiveness. He was rarely used, and has been in some legal trouble as of late. There are many good receivers in this draft such as, Torrey Smith. He attended the University of Maryland, but he is an undersized receiver. He reminds me of Mark Clayton who never panned out as the Ravens planned.

The defensive line has a premier player in Haloti Ngata. He is an all pro and a tremendous player, he is very versatile and can plug up the hole with his sheer size. Cory Redding had injuries for parts of the year, and Terrance Cody is out of shape. He is young but he is overweight and needs to get into shape, because if he doesn’t then the Ravens should get a new nose tackle. The defensive line has had trouble getting to the quarterback for the last couple of years. They had 27 sacks in the 2010-2011 season and were led by outside linebacker Terrell Suggs. Suggs had 11 sacks and played his best games against a hated rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens tried to get good pass rushers in the draft, Paul Kruger and Kindle were supposed to be good at rushing the quarterback. Kindle is injured and Kruger is no longer a Raven. In the draft there are many young pass rushers, however, Ozzie doesn’t mind trading his first round pick for more picks.

The Ravens secondary is supposed to be their weakest spot, but they are not as bad as fans and analyst’s think. Ed Reed is old but the Ravens have players who have showed they could play safety such as, Zibikowski. He filled in for Reed for the first six games and did a great job, but he is not the playmaker that Ed Reed is. Reed is one of the best playmakers in the NFL and he is contemplating retirement. I don’t think Reed will leave for a year or two but if he does the Ravens have a replacement. The Ravens corners are young; they will get better with years to come. Webb has shown improvement since coming into the league two years ago. Washington is a good corner with great speed. He needs to develop the other aspects of an elite cornerback. Foxworth is the oldest corner but he is the best the Ravens have. He missed all of the 2010-2011 season, but will play next year, if there is a season. The Ravens secondary could use an upgrade at corner, but it is not going to come out of the draft. They can get somebody in free agency, because there are very good corners in the market.

I think that Ozzie is going to end up trading our first round pick and get a second and something else. He will probably draft a wide receiver with good explosiveness and hands. In later rounds he may look into a corner, but he will look for a player that can take over when Lewis is gone. Ozzie is one of the best people in the league at scouting players for the draft. The Ravens usually have good drafts, and that should continue this year.

Here it is two days after the Baltimore Ravens traveled north to Foxboro and crushed the New England Patriots in their first round playoff game and people are complaining about the team’s performance.

Why isn’t everyone happy?

The Ravens were there in week 4 and put up a valiant effort but fell 6 points shy of tying the game. A day after that loss, people wanted Mark Clayton’s head on a purple platter. Since that loss, the Ravens went 6-6 and struggled mightily to make the playoffs as a number 6 seed, meaning no home playoff games for the faithful in Baltimore.

Some say they backed into the playoffs. Some say they limped into the playoffs. Some even said they didn’t belong in the playoffs and would easily get bounced out by the Patriots. The 2009 Ravens fought long and hard and overcame injuries to key players to once again prove they belonged in the NFL ‘s version of March Madness.

Then the talk started. Joe Flacco was hurting and couldn’t move very well. Ed Reed missed games down the stretch with groin troubles. When you looked across the line at the Patriots, you see no Wes Welker, the NFL’s leading pass catcher, out with a torn ACL and MCL. Julian Edelman was taking his place. Wow… the Ravens may have a chance to actually win, even though the odds and mystique of the New England Patriots come playoff time were stacked against them.

In case you were out of the country and didn’t hear the news, the Baltimore Ravens beat the New England Patriots in Foxboro 33-14 and will advance to the divisional playoff round, with the winner playing for the AFC Championship. Yawnnn….been there, done that.

The Ravens set the tone with Ray Rice’s 83 yard scamper for the game’s first score not even 45 seconds into the game. On the Patriots first possession, Terrell Suggs strip-sacked Tom Brady (no flags THIS time) and the Ravens found the end zone again for a 14-0 lead 2 minutes into the game. That lead vaulted to 24-0 afer the first quarter and although the Patriots mounted a little bit of a charge, the game was clearly in hand.

Only problem was, Joe Flacco completed only 40% of his passes for 34 yards. That is a problem? No.That means the team was controlling the ground game and used Rice, McGahee, and McClain to pound the Patriots stunned defense for over 200 yards. Flacco’s 4 completions were huge though, with I believe all coming on 3rd down conversions. Yes, the Ravens offense looked eerily like the Dilfer-led Ravens in the 2000 playoffs, throwing for less than 125 yards while pounding the opposing defenses on the ground with the combination of Priest Holmes and Jamal Lewis.

This week the Ravens will travel to see an old nemesis in the Indianapolis Colts. You remember the Colts, right? Yeah, those guys who wear uniforms similar to what we used to cheer for here in Baltimore some 26 plus years ago. It’s hard to believe the Colts have been in Indianapolis just a few years less than they were in Baltimore. The Colts came into the 2006 playoffs as the lower seed facing the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium for the divisional. The Ravens came off the bye week and in the late Steve McNair’s worst game as a Raven, held Peyton Manning to 5 field goals but could only muster 2 Matt Stover field goals in a 15-6 loss that devastated this town and made us hate the Colt franchise even more than on March 24, 1984.

The talk is that there is no way the Ravens are going to march into Indianapolis and do to the Colts what they did against the Patriots. They beat a banged up New England team and  Tom Brady made un-Brady-like mistakes and pretty much handed the game over to the Ravens.  Last I looked, New England won the AFC East title and was 8-0 in the Brady era at home. Were the Ravens afraid? Hell no. “They went into the lions den screaming like a banshee and kicked the hell out of the lions.” If they do the same thing Saturday night they will find themselves, for the second straight year, playing for the AFC Championship. What a ride!!!  But waiting in the wings is the great Peyton Manning and the Colts. This one is hard to swallow.

I actually heard people expressing the opinions that they Ravens better play Troy Smith if Flacco is still  hurting. “Troy is our only hope because he can avoid Freeney and Mathis, plus he gives the offense a different look that maybe the Colts haven’t seen” Are you freaking kidding me? Troy Smith?  Look at his records. As a starter he is 1-1. That’s it. Although he has seen action in quite a few games the last 2 seasons, he only started 2 NFL games. Basically he is a rookie when it comes to taking snaps from center. Flacco has started 36 games in his first two seasons, 18 times as many as Smith. And people have the balls to say Troy Smith should be playing in Flacco’s place?  These people need to take the saliva test, as Charley Eckman used to say. 

So why isn’t everyone happy and enjoying yet another post-season run by the guys in purple? Because we’re playing the Colts? So what!! They weren’t afraid of the Patriots and they aren’t afraid of the Colts. We’ll see on Saturday night. I think this team will come to play and hopefully catch the Colts off guard and punch their ticket to the AFC Championship game in either San Diego or New York. Many are saying the Jets don’t stand a chance against the NFL’s hottest team, but do you think the Jets are afraid  of the Chargers?  Maybe about as afraid as they were against the Bengals. How’d that work out for them?

Hey Baltimore, the Ravens are one of 8 teams remaining in the quest for the Lombardi trophy and guess what else?  The hated Pittsburgh Steelers are nowhere to be found this time. Life is good here in Baltimore, unless you are the soon to be former Mayor, so get out and hug a fellow Ravens fan this week. Spread the love of the purple!!

Goooooooooo Raven!!!

As we all now know, the Steelers will play tonight’s game here in Baltimore without their two best players, with the late subtraction of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger joining safety Troy Polamalu in the black and gold infirmary.

It is not lost on any Ravens fan that tonight it’s clearly: advantage Baltimore.

Big Ben, as ‘yins from ‘donton affectionately call him, has been poison for anything in purple since he entered the league. He is the Ravens kryptonite. Polamalu’s interception of Joe Flacco in Pittsburgh last January must be considered the most heartbreaking play in the history of the franchise.

I don’t think I need to remind you that the Ravens are on a three-game losing streak to our friendly neighbors from the northwest.

Or that this is their first appearance on Baltimore turf since hoisting a second Lombardi Trophy to the Tampa skies last Febuary.

Or that, at 5-5, a loss to the Steelers tonight will effectively end the Ravens season.

I hate the Steelers. You hate the Steelers.

Let’s hope that attitude — and a few first downs and quarterback pressures along with some goofy white towels we’ll all be waving — are enough to keep the Ravens season alive tonight.

I get the feeling we’ll be feeling the loss of Fabian Washington more than we realize — just like when Chris McAlister went away two years ago — but there are no excuses for a Ravens loss tonight.

We can’t cry about Terrell Suggs not suiting up (of course, John Harbaugh has played the cat and mouse injury report game all week with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.)

Flacco needs to be crisp and sharp. Billy Cundiff can’t miss field goals. Matt Katula needs to snap straight. The offensive line can’t create pre-snap penalties. The defensive front seven must make Dennis Dixon run for his life like the rookie quarterback he is tonight.

The game is on national television. It can’t be a coming out party for some guy from Oregon we’ve never heard of.

The only thing worse than losing to the Steelers at home to effectively end our season with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving would be the thought that it happened at the hands of some guy named Dennis Dixon putting on a black and gold cape.

A disturbing thought.

Let’s hope we don’t go there…

The Ravens must win tonight.

My updated prediction: Ravens 34, Steelers 9

I’m not one for cartoons, jokes, chain letters or general web stuff that I refer to as “spam.” (And for the 1000th time, NO, I don’t want to play Mafia Wars with you on Facebook! Stop sending me that manure!)

However, I got this link forwarded to me on Facebook (thanks, Tom!) and, well, it’s pretty freaking good.

It’s PG-13, don’t worry…thank me later!

Just click here…

Be ready to laugh…

Today is the day. Either Terrell Suggs agrees to the deal the Ravens have put forth and becomes a long-term signee or he’ll be franchised at 4 p.m. and will have to suffer with a second year of detainment and a $10.2 million payday in 2009.

After telling The Los Angeles Times that training camp is “overrated” two weeks ago, Suggs told Jamison Hensley this in this morning’s fishwrap: “The fans want to see me in training camp on time, and I want to be there on time.”

A change of heart? Perhaps…but who can blame him about training camp? Not many are fond of the necessary evil.

But here’s the key fact for the day: there’s a contract for about $30 million in guaranteed money sitting on the table awaiting his wet signature. Of course by signing the current multi-year deal the Ravens are offering, it would indeed mean that he’d need to be in Westminster in 12 days.

Suggs told the world two weeks ago that the deal was “close” to a long-term agreement.

One thing is for sure: the deadline is now close and we’ll know more by the end of the day.

Either way, Suggs will be in uniform on Sept. 13 when the Chiefs come to town to start the Festivus season. So I’m not sweating it. Apparently, neither is Suggs.

If you want to be the first to know if Suggs inks a long-term deal, you can join our WNST Text Service here.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ghns37TLUY[/youtube]The Ravens should not trade for Anquan Boldin. Yes he is a dynamic receiver who can score touchdowns, I know because he helped me win my fantasy league last year.  Boldin suffered a broken jaw and came back to play last season, so we know he is tough, and he accumulated 89 grabs for 1,038 yards and 11 TD’s despite missing time due to the gruesome injury.  He hasn’t proven to be a malcontent like other big name receivers, but he is very envious of his teammate Larry Fitzgerald’s contract and thinks he should be similarly compensated.  Boldin is a strong guy with a lot of YAC potential and I am sure that Cam Cameron could use him in very creative ways.

The crux of the situation is the Cardinal’s price tag for acquiring him.  Somehow they have decided that every general manager in the league is as foolhardy as Jerry Jones and they are seeking a 1^st and 3^rd round pick similar to what the Cowboys gave up last year in their trade for Roy Williams.  That move may pay dividends for the ‘Boys this year but the returns are not in as of yet, and I think that a similar move by the Ravens may be unpredictable as well.  The Ravens made it to the AFC Championship game last year with the core group of guys currently on the roster, and Ozzie Newsom has actually hit on more first round picks than he has missed during his tenure with the Ravens.  Which is something very few, if any executives can say during that same time.  Personally I would rather take the chance that Ozzie will find a gem, regardless of position, at 26 who will play for the team for ten years, than trade for Boldin who has about five high level years left.  Boldin is approaching 30 which is generally the start of decline in many players.

There are other potential hurdles in the Ravens’ quest for Boldin, including their current salary cap situation.  If the Ravens do trade for him they will have to cut some other players in order to sign him to the extension worth the type of money he desires.  This will reduce the depth that Ozzie has worked hard to build in the off-season through free agency.  If the Ravens could somehow sweet-talk the Cardinals into accepting a second round pick and either Willis McGahee or Todd Heap (or even better both and a lower pick) then they could clear enough cap space to sign Boldin.  Trading these players however also has potentially negative salary cap implications.

If the Ravens were to sign Boldin for the money he expects than it will surely create problems in the locker room.  Terrell Suggs has wanted a contract extension for what he perceives as his market value for two years now.  During that time he has never complained or whined openly to the media, asked to be traded, or become a distraction in any way to his team, the same cannot be said for Boldin.  In my estimation if the Ravens trade for Boldin and give him what he is asking for then Suggs will have a legitimate beef with the organization.  He has done everything asked of him but if he is slapped in the face like that I feel a divided contentious looker room may result.

Suggs will not be the only Raven veteran who will be dismayed by this course of events.  Derrick Mason will also assuredly be upset because he too would like a contract extension, and like Suggs he has been a consummate professional in his time here.  Mason also played through a significant injury last year having suffered a torn labrum and scapula in week 10; however he was sill able to total 80 receptions for 1037 yards and 5 TD’s.  Mason’s age (35) and his injury may soon catch up with him but he has seemed to improve each year of his career with the Ravens. 

The Ravens need to upgrade their receiving corps, preferably with a go-to-guy who can stretch the field, but Anquan Boldin is not the answer.  The problems I have enumerated weigh heavily in the favor of his acquisition as a negative prospect going forward and unless things change in the very near future it is simply a bad idea.  The Ravens should continue to build through the draft and see how things transpire before they go all willy-nilly and trade away their future for a bunch of potential problems.  Last but certainly not least remember that Haloti Ngata is going to also need a new contract soon and he will surely command top dollar.

Hang in there gang, we’re almost to Friday.

That’s when the fireworks REALLY begin.

Beginning this Friday, if Ray Lewis really does reach 12:01am without a signed contract in Baltimore, he’ll hit free agency for the first time in his career.

I assume, by the time I make it to the air at 6:07 for a Friday morning edition of the wildly popular “Comcast Morning Show”, Ray will already be in the news somehow, someway.  Even if no team makes him a bonafide offer in the wee hours of the morning, I’m quite certain someone from his camp will float one out there.

Yesterday, reports circulated that Ray was offered a significant amount of money from the Ravens on Tuesday.  

The only issue with that?  The Ravens might not have “significant money” available to them at this point. 

Why let that important fact get in the way, though, right?

Last August when the Ravens rebuffed Ray’s counter-offer of $20 million, they might have known then that they’d be tight-against-the-cap in February/March of 2009.  

They’re not able to be free spenders this off-season.  They’ve already shelled out $10,170,000 to Terrell Suggs.  They’ve handed over a little more than $1.5 million to defensive lineman Brandon McKinney and a million bucks to Dwan Edwards for 2009.

The Ravens have roughly $123 million to play with (cap-wise) in 2009.  Right now, they’re closing in on $113 million, by my estimation, give a million or so either way.  

If, in fact, they’re $10 million to the good under the cap, what do they do with it?

I know what they CAN’T do with $10 million.  Sign Ray, Bart, Jason and Jim.  In fact, with $10 million, it’s likely they can’t even sign TWO of those guys, unless it’s Leonhard and Brown, the most likely combination that could be pulled for $10 million in cap expense for 2009.

OK, then, who goes in order to make more room under the cap, if that’s even necessary?

And, remember, you can’t be over the salary cap after this Friday at 12:00 am.  In other words, by Thursday at 11:59pm, you need to be under the cap and STAY under the cap throughout 2009.  

So, between now and Friday, the Ravens would have to part company with some significant players – and salaries – in order to fit a few of the “most-wanted” into the 2009 scheme.

Who goes, then?

Trevor Pryce ($1.75 million saved if released before 6/1)?  Samari Rolle ($4.1 million)?  Is it right to release Kelly Gregg after he spent ’08 on the injured list ($1.1 million)?  Frank Walker ($1.6 million) could be expendable but with CMac’s departure, every veteran defensive back could be valuable in ’09.

That eight million sure would help.

Where’s the defensive end pass rush going to come from in ’09?  There’s no Trevor Pryce waiting in the wings, with all due respect to Marques Douglas.

And, with the departure of Chris McAlister, the Ravens are already somewhat hamstrung experience-wise in the defensive backfield.  Losing Rolle wouldn’t HELP the situation back there, that’s for sure.

But, that $8 million would sure help.  

Or, do the Ravens just go ahead and sign Jason Brown, and Jim Leonhard and squeeze the two signings into the roughly-$10 million they have to left to play with?  They could probably get Brown for a $7 million signing bonus over four years and another $2.5 million per-year…and Leonhard would cost them roughly $1.5 million a year for three years.  In other words, they could sneak those two in for ’09 and fit them under the $10 million they have left.  Keep in mind, too, my numbers are more rounded off than they probably should be…the Ravens might be working with $8,882,019 dollars for all I know. In other words, every dollar counts.  

By the way, the Ravens need $5 million or so to sign their draft picks.  Anyone know how they’re going to do that?  Yeah, me neither.

Keep in mind, the Ravens haven’t even perused the free agent list yet to see who might be available on Friday morning.  And they have their own contributors hanging out there as well:  Matt Stover is wondering if he’s coming back – and getting paid.  Same for Dan Wilcox.  And Kyle Boller.  Let’s take a truth-pill here.  As hard as it is to swallow, if there’s no money for Jason Brown and Bart Scott (not to mention Ray Lewis), there’s certainly no money for Stover, Wilcox and Boller.    

It’s all coming clear now:  Unless Ozzie and DeCosta make some dramatic moves over the next 72 hours, they aren’t going to have enough money for their own players, let alone guys parading around the league for a new deal.  

I’m glad I’m not making the decision(s).

And, it’s not Fantasy Football either.

Most fans just say, “Give Ray and Bart the money and get it over with already, would ya?”

It’s just not that easy.

Sports is weird.  

The Orioles have gobs of money to spend and don’t want to spend it.

The Ravens would love to have an unlimited amount to spend, but they can’t.

It sure is fun to talk about, though.

The first public volley in the “Ray Lewis Battle” was fired by the Ravens this afternoon.

But, it didn’t involve #52.

The initial blow to Ray’s hopes of landing one more mega-millions lottery ticket from the Ravens comes in the form of an announcement that the club will place the franchise tag on Terrell Suggs for the 2009 season if he doesn’t sign a new contract by February 19 (Thursday).

The tag will cost the Ravens $10,170,000 for another season of Suggs’ services.

Look at it like this:  That’s $10 million-plus that Ray WON’T be getting.

It’s not a huge shock that the Ravens are franchising Suggs again.

I remarked on today’s edition of The Comcast Morning Show that the secret-blackboard in Ozzie’s office has Suggs as the team’s #1 off-season priority, followed by Ray Lewis at #2.

It’s not such a secret anymore, is it?

The Ravens decided today that the player they can least afford to lose is NOT the franchise player, Ray Lewis, but the franchise-tag-designee, Terrell Suggs.

I can’t argue with them on this one, either.

Suggs is a beast.  He’s 26.  He has a lot of good football left in his shoes.  ”Sizzle” is in the June of his career calendar.  Ray’s career calendar says, “Thanksgiving is next week, here are some tips on how to cook a great turkey.”

There is a chance, of course, that Newsome could construct and sign-off on a new contract with Suggs in the next 48 hours and avoid the $10,170,000 price tag that goes with the franchise designation.

Perhaps Suggs won’t cost the Ravens over $10 million in ’09.  Maybe he’ll cost a million or two less.

There’s certainly a chance they can still sign Ray Lewis.  I’m sure from the beginning the Ravens were hoping to have both #55 and #52 on the sidelines in purple for ’09 and beyond.

Today, they made it clear they’re going to get one of them.

Today, they also made it clear that Ray’s value to the team might not be as high as Ray thinks it is.

After all, they were NOT willing to let Suggs test the free agent market.

The first shot has been fired.

Stick around, there’s plenty more where that came from.

I spent the afternoon yesterday at Sylvia’s house in Parkville watching the Pro Bowl, eating chicken wings and pizza and drinking Miller Lite. Honestly, I’m glad we did make a date to watch the game with her many Ravens buddies and waiting for a random big play from a guy in a purple helmet or to get a look at the many Ravens staffers donning Don Ho-style red Hawaiian flowered print shirts. The entire coaching staff from John Harbaugh and Cam Cameron right on down looked like Peter Schmuck at Camden Yards on a summer night.

But the Pro Bowl sucks even when you’re with people you like in a really cool basement (Sylvia won our “Miller Lite Purple Palace” contest last month). We all know that. Vanilla defenses. Lots of “no shows,” including our own Ed Reed. Even the quarterbacks stunk yesterday, with everyone from Peyton Manning to Kerry Collins to Drew Brees to Kurt Warner throwing these wobbling dying duck passes all over the Honolulu turf. Brendon Ayanbejdo played more base defense in the Pro Bowl yesterday than he did during the entire NFL season. LeRon McClain missed at one shot at the endzone and got in on his second chance. Terrell Suggs and Ray Ray looked regal in their red jerseys making a few random tackles and missing others.

And there’s no doubt about it: NO ONE wants to get hurt. Everytime Ray Lewis went toward the ball we were all holding our breath and he STILL might wind up on the Steelers in six weeks for all we know? Or, this might’ve been the final time he strapped on a purple chinstrap. That thought definitely crossed my mind.

Next year, the Pro Bowl will move back to the mainland for the first time in more than a generation, and will be played the week before the Super Bowl in Miami, which will probably allow me to attend. But what’s to see when you actually watch the game?

Guys kinda going through the motions. The NFL marketing its various “Pro Bowl official game jerseys.” And all of the stars in one place at one time in a game that should probably be changed to a flag football game. Even the announcers kinda make fun of how the game is an “exhibition” that borders on a joke as far as a competition goes.

It was a great chance to honor our “Miller Lite Purple Palace” winner and talk football. All of Sylvia’s friends were buzzed up about all the same stuff all of the WNST listeners have on their minds.

What’s going to happen with Ray Lewis?

Are the Terps going to make the tournament?

The Orioles are going to suck again.

But there’s something poignant and “final” about seeing the last snap of the football season and knowing we have to wait until August for the next round of crappy football that doesn’t matter and until after Labor Day for the first meaningful games again.

Today, the offseason begins in the NFL. The combine is next weekend in Indianapolis. The owners meetings happen in late March. The 2009 schedule will be released in early April. And then cometh the draft, which is one of my favorite weekends and events of the year.

Hang in there. We’ll try to make sense of the offseason and the Terps and Gary Williams and of course, we’ll be following the Orioles with the only objective coverage in the marketplace.

I’ll chat with you more at 2 p.m. today with a major announcement.