"Beast Mode" grill... classic

I took this photo of Marshawn Lynch at the Yardbarker/Hooters party in Tempe, AZ. Marshawn has the most amazing grill I've ever seen. So what if I've only ever seen about one other grill. There's no denying the overwhelming awesomeness of this classic Beast Mode affair.

Ravens fumble Rex Ryan hiring

Today the Ravens re-hired Rex Ryan as the team's defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. The move is a mistake. In case you missed it the first time: HIRING REX RYAN IS A MISTAKE. More on why below. In the meantime, how much you wanna bet that the latter title is nothing more than a bone thrown Ryan's way? After the Ravens front office strung him along for weeks, Ryan needed something to save face.

Then again, it's not like the guy had many options other than putting his tail between his legs, sucking it up, and sticking with Baltimore. Besides, because he was technically under contract, the Ravens didn't have to grant him permission to accept any job other than a head coaching position. They reserved the right to handcuff any and all lateral moves.

No one else was going to hire Ryan, certainly not as a head coach and probably not as a defensive coordinator, either. This is somewhat remarkable considering Ryan's track record for success. His defenses the last three years have been near the top of the league, and statistically no team was better than Baltimore two seasons ago (both in yards and points allowed).

So why won't anyone else hire Rex Ryan?

The reason Ryan didn't have offers from other teams this off-season, and the reason he didn't get the top job in Baltimore, is because he is a player's coach. The players love him, and no, that's not necessarily a great thing. It's one of the reasons why Ryan is not upwardly mobile. Well, that's not the only reason why he's not mobile (zing).

In an era where egos grow daily, hiring a player's coach is the easy way out, particularly with a locker room prone to being disgruntled. Most of the time, though, it's not the right call. You need discipline to succeed, and despite Baltimore's shaky offense, with discipline the team would have fared much better than this past season's dismal 5-12 record. Atlanta needs discipline. Baltimore desperately needs it. Miami needed more than just discipline; it needed Big Tuna. On the record, Baltimore's front office gave Ryan a chance to interview for the head coaching gig, but he was never seriously being considered. Not from what I can tell.

I'm disappointed that Ryan is returning to Baltimore in any capacity. Not only do the Ravens need more discipline, but after Ryan's disappointing off-season, it's hard to believe that he'll approach next year with both eyes on the ball. I suspect he is already daydreaming about new opportunities beyond this year. I'd have preferred a clean slate entirely. Part of me thinks the front office would have preferred that, too, but after passing up Ryan for the top job, the front office had to think long and hard about throwing another bone to save face, this one to the players, who are no doubt disappointed that 'their guy' didn't get the job.

Join me at the Super Bowl!

Maybe not in person, but at least virtually. Aww, yeah. Actually, if you happen to be in Arizona for the game, drop me a line and maybe I'll be able to hook you up with passes to our party.

From the Nest: Cam Cameron

I'm going to be exceptionally busy until after the Super Bowl. Sorry. In the meantime, head on over to B-More Bird's Nest for its thoughts on Cam Cameron.

Perhaps Cam is a guy who is just better suited as a coordinator than as a head coach, but it doesn’t seem quite fair to us that he was fired by the Dolphins after only 1 season. If you are going to play the “he benefited from his players” card as far as his tenure in whale’s vagina San Diego, then you have to give him the benefit of the doubt for tanking in Miami. The Dolphins’ front office made stellar moves in recent years such as trading away Wes Welker and Chris Chambers for 2nd round draft picks, and choosing Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington over Drew Brees.

Side note that is totally unimportant and petty but I have to mention it because I have O.C.D. when it comes to writing and because it's been bothering me for months: I love the Nest; I really do. But since your site is dedicated to both the O's and the Ravens, the apostrophe in your site's title should be after the "s" (B-more Birds' Nest) or another option would be to get rid of it entirely. But "B-More Bird's Nest" is grammatically incorrect given the context. There, I said it. I won't ever say it again. I feel better now. Sorry.

Cam Cam and the Yard!

36 hours, no broken bones
Sorry I've been M.I.A. for the whole Cam Cameron hiring. I'm fresh off a 36-hour stint at the office, working hard except during that brief nap on the couch near my desk at about three in the morning.

I may have mentioned it briefly here back in October, but late last year I took a job as managing editor at Yardbarker. I probably never mentioned it, actually, because shortly after I took the job I broke my hand and elbow, which forced me to take a hiatus from blogging (no fun). Another thing I never mentioned here but is worth mentioning because it's super hardcore: I broke those bones and waited more than 12 hours to go to the E.R. That's because I didn't want to miss the Ravens/Bills game. So I went to the bar, drowned my literal and figurative pain with whiskey and beer, and then got myself some X-rays and a cast.

Anyway, I digress. My bad. The reason I slept at the office last night was because we launched an exciting new homepage design over in the Yard. Check it out. It's awesome.

Cam Cameron's running the show!
Honestly, I don't know too much about the guy except that he derailed this year's Miami Dolphins, and that my buddy Finnegan is excited about the hire. He and I go way back, all the way back to the days when our ages rocked single digits. It was before my first birthday, and shortly after his second birthday.

Finn likes to pretend it doesn't exist, but I have a picture of him when he was about five years old and wearing a New York Yankees hat (traitor). Technically, it was a batting helmet (dork). He and I were also in a dirt-bike gang together. Pinehurst, represent. Now we're a combined 60 years old. We're old, too old for dirt-bike gangs. Fortunately I'm still young enough to pull an all-nighter, though. Anyway, if he likes the hire -- "top 5 O.C." -- I'm fine with it, too.

Tom Brady's gamesmanship?

Does anyone else think Tom Brady's foot injury is gamesmanship?

This is the same guy who hasn't missed a game in years, but has been listed as having a bum throwing shoulder on every injury report dating back nearly to the days when the Patriots logo looked like this.

Charm City wish list

OC: Pat Shurmur (QB coach, Eagles)
I want this guy partly because of his rapport with John Harbaugh, but also because of his track record in the City of Brotherly Blood. Shurmur coached Donovan McNabb, who despite what the naysayers in Philadelphia would have you believe, is an elite quarterback.

The only reason they're calling for D-Mac's head in Philly is because of the quality play of the four backup QBs who have filled in for Donovan over the years. (Well, that's not the only reason; another reason is that Eagles fans are by nature mostly haters.) My guess is that Shurmur had something to do with it.

Quarterbacks have always played well in Philadelphia, and when Donovan hasn't, it's been because of injuries. Quarterbacks have never played well in Baltimore. Why not give this guy a shot to turn around our offense?

DC: Anybody but Rex Ryan
I don't care if his defenses have ranked first, fifth and sixth (not in that order) over the last three years; the fact is, he's part of the old guard, which makes him part of the problem. Our defense gets flagged for too many penalties, and on the whole it's undisciplined. It's time for a clean break, across the board. If it's not Rex, I have no idea who it would be. Not a clue. But I don't care. Anyone but Rex, please.

Green Bay bikini girls!

Third-coldest game in NFL history. Negative-one degrees at kickoff, and it was an evening game so it only got colder. These women will probably never have to buy another beer in Green Bay. Ever.

Giants and Patriots and Ravens... oh my!

You already know who is facing off in Super Bowl XLII, but I'll tell you again so I can hear myself type: The New York Football Giants vs. Bill Belicheat and the New England Patriots!

The CHEATERS! label will follow this Patriots team forever, but all of us Pats haters need to face the truth: Belicheat's cheating didn't have any impact outside of week one. The Patriots have undeniably been the league's best team this year. I haven't double-checked the stats, but I think Tom Brady threw 111 TDs and only about a pair of INTs.

That doesn't mean there isn't an 800-pound gorilla in New England's past, though (and, no, I'm not talking about Rodney HGHarrison, who weighs in only at a cool 220 lbs). I'm talking about the past three Super Bowl victories for New England, each of which was won by a lone field goal. Three points. Considering how quickly NFL douchebag commissioner Roger Goodell destroyed evidence related to Belicheat's cheating, you can't help but think there's a conspiracy there with legs. If there was evidence that the Pats cheated in the Super Bowl(s), it may have been in the league's financial interest to cover it up.

Cheating easily can make a three-point difference in a game, and without the Patriots history of cheating, would they have been able to beat the teams that played them fairly in those three games, the same games in which they were (maybe, probably) cheating? Three Super Bowl victories by a total of nine points.

Side note: With that margin-of-victory pace, it would take them nine Super Bowl wins to reach +27, which is exactly how many points the Ravens beat the Giants by the last time the G-Men reached the big game: Ravens 34, Giants 7. And to think, Baltimore did it without cheating.

Keeping score at home?
"Cheat" appears in this post 10 times. Hopefully the Football Gods aren't a figment of my imagination, and hopefully they give the Cheatriots (11) exactly what they deserve in Super Bowl XLII.

Go Giants!

PS: For those of you who think this post is sour grapes, you're right. But after a 5-11 season, can you really blame me? Plus, my argument about the Goodell conspiracy makes sense. If you think it doesn't, you're crazy.

Last night's bad dream

Last night I had a dream that I slept until 10:15 a.m. and then woke up in a panic. I didn't really wake up in a panic; in my dream I panicked. Considering I wake up at 5:00 a.m. because my job entails caring about all you fools on the east coast, sleeping that late would have been quite a blunder.

But then when I really woke up, I realized things were worse than my dream had suggested: The Giants and Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl. Ugh.

Packers, Mexico or bust!

A week from now I'll be in a Winnebago en route to Arizona for Super Bowl XLII. Hopefully it'll be the Packers representing the NFC. Not that I'll actually be at the game itself. Tickets will cost about $40 billion now that the Patriots have cemented their chance at history. Even so, if my choices are cheering for the Giants or cheering for the Patriots, I'd rather skip Arizona and drive all the way to Mexico.

Hating on the Cowboys (just because)

Longer playoff-win droughts than the 'Boys: Browns, Bengals, Lions, Chiefs, Texans and Bills.

Fared better than the 'Boys: Ravens, Redskins, Eagles, Steelers, Giants, Colts, Patriots, Jets, Rams, Raiders, Dolphins, Jaguars, Titans, Vikings, Packers, Chargers, Broncos, Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, Cardinals, 49ers, Seahawks, Saints, Bears.

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this list. I found it online at a message board. I can only assume that it's true because, well, I found it online. The Internet never lies.

Why Harbaugh (not Marty) was the safe pick

Before John Harbaugh signed the dotted line, everyone (including myself) said that Marty Schottenheimer would be the safe choice, a sure thing to win some ballgames. Here is why all of us were wrong.

With Marty Ball, everyone would have expected us to win. Immediately. He's been successful everywhere he's been. (Except the playoffs. Zing.) But Marty might have had a hard time winning in Baltimore. Not because of his ability or even because of the personnel, but because of chemistry. Not a good match, him and those vets.

If Marty Ball had failed in Baltimore, the next search would have been even tougher. Because with Marty Ball and Ray Lewis, a team should win some games. And if it doesn't, it must be management. Bisciotti would be painted with the Angelos brush, and the franchise would run the risk of being tainted, being untouchable from two perspectives: free agency and coaching. Who wants to work for a guy who can't even make a sure thing work?

The fact is, except for short-term personnel issues, the top job in Charm City is a great one. The facilities are amazing. I know because I've seen them. I've been in the locker room after practice. I've seen the Lombardi Trophy. I've walked the halls of the castle in Owings Mills, and you'd be crazy to not want to coach there.

How does all of this make Harbaugh the safe choice?
If Harbaugh wins, this discussion is pointless. He goes from being a safe choice to the right choice. But if he loses, everyone will chalk it up to the fact that he had too little prior experience. The aging vets will be gone by then, assuming Harbaugh makes it at least a few seasons, and the facilities will still be great. At that point, Baltimore shouldn't have any trouble hiring a great coach. The blame will have been pinned on Harbaugh, not Bisciotti.

OK, maybe he's a safe choice, but is he a good one?
I hope so. Ultimately, only time will tell, but I'm excited about the prospects in Baltimore. I like the fact that Harbaugh was a special-teams coach. He cares about details and pays attention to more aspects of the game than one might think. I don't care so much about past coordinator or head coaching experience. Andy Reid had neither, and he turned out OK.

Hopefully the players will forget about their allegiances to Rex Ryan, and support the new guy in town. That is my biggest concern. Has Harbaugh lost the locker room before even day one?

Did Jake Plummer kidnap a child?

(CNN) -- The family of missing British child Madeleine McCann released two sketches Sunday of a man who may be linked to her disappearance last May from a holiday resort in Portugal.

"We want to know who he is and we want to know where he is," said family spokesman Clarence Mitchell, speaking to reporters.

Name: Jake Plummer
Location: Denver?

Introducing Ravens coach John Harbaugh

Reports from AM-1570 in Baltimore indicate that the Ravens have hired Eagles DB coach John Harbaugh as the team's head coach. More later after I have time to absorb this. Initial impression: I'm OK with it. He's hungry and wanted the job. That's not to say he is qualified, or that he'll do a good job, but you know the guy's heart is in it. I'm interested to see who he will bring in as his two coordinators.

Coaching updates: Marty Ball and Harbaugh

Little birdies have told me that the Ravens are now speaking with Trace Armstrong, Marty Ball's agent. Also, John Harbaugh remains a possibility. Neither of these two updates are very surprising. What is somewhat surprising is how short the list is right now. At this point, it's slim pickings for the Ravens.

Josh McDaniel and Kirk Ferentz bowed out before the process began, and Rex Ryan was probably never really considered with that much sincerity. Garrett's interest in the Ravens also may have been marginal, and the interviews could have been nothing more than bargaining chips for the man who seems poised to take over whenever Wade Phillips decides to step down gets fired.

Random fact: John Harbaugh's sister is married to Tom Crean, men's basketball coach at Marquette (and of course his brother coaches Stanford, which earlier this year upset USC). Not a bad family tree when it comes to coaching. Daddy Harbaugh was a coach, too.

Is Rex Ryan too fat for the NFL?

HOW CAN THE RAVENS NOT GIVE THE JOB TO REX RYAN!?

That's what Rex's supporters have been screaming from the jump. To answer the question, one need look no further than Rex himself, who recently told Ravens beat reporter Aaron Wilson that he thinks his weight is a contributing factor to him having not received an offer to become the next head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.

From yesterday at 6:04 p.m. EST: "Rex even implied that he thought he didn't have the right look for the job, meaning his size. He is hurt."

Here is the link. It was posted on a subscription-only thread on a Scout.com message board, so unless you have a subscription, you won't be able to read it. And I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually gets deleted.

Maybe you should hit a treadmill, Rex? Not because I agree with weight discrimination, but because obesity kills. I'm not hating. It's a fact. Obesity kills. You know what else kills? At least when it comes to NFL teams and success? Lack of discipline in the locker room.

That's what I think may be killing Rex's chances to become the Ravens head coach. I don't think it has anything to do with weight. The team's successes, shortcomings and failures over the past few years aside, one thing is undeniable: The Ravens have too many penalties, and plenty of egos. Rex is part of the old guard, and in my opinion, he is therefore part of the problem.

The team needs discipline and a clean slate. Sorry, Rex. I don't think you're the right guy for the job. At this point, my choice is John Harbaugh, defensive backs coach in Philly. According to the same source mentioned above, Ryan also believes that Harbaugh would be a great fit in Baltimore. Harbaugh and Ryan have ties dating back to the late '80s or early '90s. So there is no reason for Ravens fans to panic just because we're in the post-Garrett-coaching-search era.

Side note: Word around the Ravens complex today is that Marty Ball is back in play. I'd rather not see Schottenheimer as the next coach of the Ravens, but at this point I'm tempted to not jump to any conclusions until the entire staff is set: head coach, defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator.

Picking on Preston

Mike Preston at the Baltimore Sun is every Ravens fan's favorite punching bag. Lord knows I've railed on him before, maybe not here on Blogimore Ravens (though probably I have) but definitely in private. That said, I like the guy. Not always what he says. But I like how he does his job.

Some of what Preston wrote today, though, was ridiculous.

Garrett spent most of the day interviewing with top Ravens officials about their vacant head coaching position and walked away from their offer, one of the most coveted jobs in professional sports.

What makes the job so coveted? Because the owner wants to win? With the exception of a small handful of owners, exactly which owners don't want to win? Bisciotti is a rookie owner who for all we know could turn out to be a meddling disaster like Angelos. It's too soon to tell.

The team has been mostly competitive since its existence, largely because of Ray Lewis and his defense. Ozzie drafted that talent, but what about on the offensive side of the ball? Ozzie also drafted those guys. He ostensibly thought it was a good idea to sacrifice a first-round draft pick and trade up for Boller.

The job is a good job, maybe even a great one, but to say it's "one of the most coveted jobs in all of professional sports" is wrong. Few are drooling over the opportunity to come to Baltimore and take over a franchise with an aging defense and a stagnant offense, the latter of which the new head coach will be expected to turn around completely. If he doesn't, he will be considered a failure. The most challenging job in all of professional sports, maybe; one of the most coveted, probably not.

The Ravens have older players on defense, no long-term solution at quarterback and a grumpy set of veterans with big egos. Their best player, linebacker Terrell Suggs, is unsigned.

God help us if Sizzle is our best player. Dude all but disappeared as soon as Trevor Pryce broke his hand or wrist or whatever it was. He's a great player, but the Ravens should let Suggs walk.

Bueller, Bueller, Anyone, Bueller?

WNST.net is reporting that "Jason Garrett has left Baltimore without accepting the Ravens' offer to be head coach."

Yikes. That's not good. I'm not really sure what to write. I clicked on "create" with the intention of writing a post about defensive and offensive coordinators, with the hopeful assumption that Garrett, whose wife only hours ago was reportedly house hunting in Baltimore, would take the job. Then my mobile phone buzzed with a text-message from the Baltimore radio station, reporting the aforementioned.

For the most part WNST.net has been reliable with its updates. They did screw up once by jumping the gun on charges being dropped against Steve McNair for that bogus DWI charge, but that was an isolated incident.

If Garrett turns down the public offer, this process could get ugly. You can't go back to Rex Ryan, who frankly I wouldn't want anyway, not even as defensive coordinator (yeah, I said it). Who would get the job? John Harbaugh, who as defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles is not even the best coach in his family? Marty Ball? His son Brian? Jim Caldwell? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Bueller?

Is Jason Garrett Baltimore's Steven Spielberg?

Word on the street is that the Ravens have extended a contract offer to Jason Garrett, the current offensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys and hopefully the future head coach of the Baltimore Ravens (ESPN article).

A source puts Garrett's odds at accepting the job at 60/40. That's a pretty good percentage, 60 percent. It's certainly better than Boller's completion percentage for his career (56.9%).

As I wrote yesterday, I'd be happy if Garrett agrees to coach the Ravens. Ideally you hope your coach gets an offer and is 100 percent sure he wants the job, but I understand his hesitation: What he's being asked to do with Baltimore's offense is work miracles. It's a bit like asking Steven Spielberg to direct a reality TV show. No matter what he does, there is a good chance it's still going to be a piece of sh1t.

Hopefully we'll know before the end of today. Then we can move on from this speculation and start speculating about more important things, like the price of oil, universal health care, the '08 race for the White House, terrorism, poverty, and the NFL Draft.

Ed (can't) Reed

Fast Eddie Reed recently attended a roast for ESPN's Mike & Mike.

Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed had jokes written for him, but didn't read any. Admitting he was drunk, Reed was pulled off the stage by Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis and former Jets star Joe Klecko. "I didn't realize his middle name was ‘Can't,'" Ross joked.

Charm City's search for a football coach

I've been noticeably quiet regarding the search for a new Ravens coach, but now that the Cowboys and Colts are out of the playoffs, it's worth throwing in my three pence. The odds-on favorite to get the job is Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, a choice that I'd be OK with. Why? Because his name is not Brian Billick. Why do I think he's the odds-on favorite? I read it on the Internet; therefore, it must be true.

Other names mentioned seriously include Colts assistant coach/quarterbacks coach, Jim Caldwell, and Marty Schottenheimer, currently unemployed and better known as Marty Ball. Oh, and there's Rex Ryan, the recently fired defensive coordinator of the Ravens.

Rex Ryan: Sorry, Rex. I don't want you coaching this team. Don't take it personally. It has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with the players, who want you as their coach. Most people would see that as a good thing. Not me. The #1 problem with the Ravens, even more so than its poor play on offense, is the team's overall lack of discipline. As part of the old guard, you are part of the problem. Sorry.

Marty Ball: The safe choice. Before Norv Turner led the Chargers to their second-consecutive win, I was more in favor of Marty Ball than I am now. I'm pretty sure Marty Ball was 0-2 with the Chargers in the playoffs, despite not having to play on the road in Indy last year. Marty Ball has 200 career regular-season wins, but in 18 post-season games he has 13 losses compared to only five wins. One post-season win per 40 regular-season victories is unacceptable.

Jason Garret: The leader of the Cowboys' scary offense, the one that couldn't get it done yesterday against the Giants. I'm not going to pin that on Jason, though; personally, I think Tony Romo is overrated. The youngish (41) coach is a former quarterback himself, and as recently as 2004 he was on the Miami Dolphins roster. But Garrett has been studying to be a coach since the early 1990s, back when Beverly Hills, 90210 was still in its infancy. That's a long time.



Jim Caldwell: Prior to his gig in the NFL, Caldwell was the head coach at Wake Forest, where he compiled an abysmal 26-63 record. Records don't tell the whole story, but even still, that record is terrible. That said, Peyton Manning swears by the guy, and Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game. Maybe Caldwell didn't teach Manning very much that wasn't already built into Peyton's DNA, but in seven-plus years coaching the guy, you've got to think he's learned something from Peyton.

My preference: Garrett or Caldwell

Tony Romo, Malibu, faith, steroids and Jessica

Tony Romo has played two career playoff games, losing both of them. During each of those games he turned the ball over on his team's final offensive play, and had those plays been executed successfully, he'd be 2-0.

Overrated? I think so, but maybe I'm being reactionary.

During the post-game press conference yesterday, Tony reiterated that he had faith that he was doing everything possible to prepare for games in the best way, like going to Mexico with Jessica Simpson instead of watching game film in preparation for the Giants

If Tony has faith, that's good enough for me. There is no better preparation than faith. Just look at Malibu from the original American Gladiators. It's been said that Malibu achieved his big muscles "by abstaining from steroids and using a combination of prayer and faith."

Funny, I would have guessed steroids. Shows what I know.

Watch Malibu get kicked in the face.

Steelers complain about officiating

At least three Steelers (Larry Foote, Clark Haggans and James Harrison) whined about what they saw as poor officiating during Pittsburgh's 31-29 loss to Jacksonville.

Harrison: "I have nothing to say about that. I ain't got no fine money to give away for talking about them blind refs, so I got nothing to say."

Sounds like sour grapes to me.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Jags win! Steelers go home!

The final score was actually 31-29 (not 31-28) but it doesn't matter. The only thing that's important is that the Steelers lost and the Jags move on. If the Titans lose on the road tomorrow against the Chargers, David Garrard will have a chance to face off against the 16-0 Patriots D.

If first-year Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin doesn't go for the two-point conversion about halfway through the fourth quarter, he wouldn't have had to go for it a second time shortly thereafter, and we would be in OT right now.

Thanks, Coach!

Update on Bill Cowher's coaching status

Will Sgt. Slaughter coach in 2008?

Ravens beat reporter Aaron Wilson "just spoke to his agent and here's his comment: Bill Cowher still has no intentions of coaching in 2008."

Via Scout.com premium message board.

Rex Ryan, Miami Dolphins interview

Ravens defense coordinator Rex Ryan has been granted permission to interview for the head coaching job in Miami.

That is all. Get back to work.

Baltimore's coaching search, first-round draft pick

The Big Lead wonders who will get the Ravens job. Many of the usual suspects are there.

TBL also throws in its two cents about Baltimore's first-round draft pick in April.

With the 7th pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Baltimore Ravens select: a) Brian Brohm, Louisville, b) Matt Ryan, Boston College, c) Colt Brennan, Hawaii, d) Andre Woodson, Kentucky, e) Chad Henne, Michigan, f) John David Booty, USC, g) Erik Ainge, Tennessee. Our guess is Ryan or Brohm will be off to Atlanta, so pencil in Woodson.

The Ravens have the #8 overall selection, not #7. Either way, I don't see them taking Woodson, Brohm or even Ryan in the first round. None of those guys are rated that highly, and frankly Woodson looked pretty bad from what I saw of him in Kentucky's bowl game. As for Henne, Ainge and Josh David Booty being first-round talent, let's just say I hope TBL is joking. Otherwise Mel Kiper, Jr. might hunt those guys down and teach 'em a lesson about the NFL Draft.

My guess is that Baltimore will select a CB or DE with in the first round.

Gerome Sapp arrest update

Two days ago I posted about Gerome Sapp's arrest for allegedly assaulting Joe Maese.

Yesterday the Ravens safety countered with charges of his own against Maese, who, though it has not yet been confirmed, is probably the former Ravens center and long snapper of the same name.

Do a full-name search for Gerome Sapp with "exact match on last name," and then click on case# 5B01924718.

Seven guys you might see in Baltimore

Bill Cowher: Sergeant Slaughter has what it takes to bring to Baltimore what is needed most. Not a quarterback. Discipline.

Jason Garrett: Baltimore also needs an offense, and Tony Romo's offensive coordinator and a former QB himself can't possibly be a worse choice than Billick.

Marty Schottenheimer: You can't argue with 200 regular-season wins; however, you can argue with only five post-season wins.

Rex Ryan: The players love him, but that is exactly what makes me nervous. Can he bring discipline back to Baltimore?

Josh McDaniels: On one hand, he's only 31 years old. On the other hand, he's the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for a team that just went undefeated.

Kirk Ferentz: He has experience as an NFL O-line coach in both Cleveland and Baltimore, but he's also the head coach at Iowa. College coaches = risky business.

Mike Singletary: Rooney Rule.

Gerome Sapp arrested for assault

Ravens safety Gerome Sapp was arrested three days ago and charged with second-degree assault. The police case information is available [do a full-name search for Gerome Sapp with "exact match on last name," and then click on case# 0B01924853] but as far as I can tell, no published media reports have been made.

The complainant is Joe Maese, which happens to be the name of a guy who used to play center and long snapper for the Ravens. I don't know if it is the same person, but it could be.

Joe Maese was cut by the Detroit Lions in 2005. He has not played in the NFL since then, but last January Maese was signed by the Blackbirds, an American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) team in Baltimore, so it makes sense that he would be in town.

Sapp played in nine games this year, with 16 tackles, two sacks and zero interceptions. The Ravens placed him on injured reserve on the same day as his arrest. His trial date is set for February 8, 2008, which is Sapp's 27th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Gerome!

Update: Thursday, January 3: Yesterday Gerome Sapp countered with charges of his own against Joe Maese [do a full-name search for Gerome Sapp with "exact match on last name," and then click on case# 5B01924718]