Surprisingly, someone cares about my opinion

SportProjections.com is conducting an NFL mock draft with selections made by bloggers from each team. For the Ravens, I selected South Florida CB Michael Jenkins. The biggest surprise thus far is that QB Matt Ryan is still on the board. Do you think his feelings are hurt?

Matt Ryan is sloppy under pressure, and regardless QB is not Baltimore's most pressing need. If you disagree, I hope you enjoyed those Ravens highlights on SportsCenter because clearly you haven't watched full games. Billick's genius was more to blame than suspect play under center.

Michael Jenkins was recruited by the big boys but chose to play at South Florida because he wanted to be part of a program on the rise. He's hungry. He's also nasty at a position where the Ravens are falling apart at the seams. C-Mac still has it but Samari Rolle does not, and currently the backups are better suited for special teams than the spotlight.

NFL ain't down with nepotism

The NFL Combine starts tomorrow. Most guys shy away from saying they look forward to watching dudes lift weights on TV. Not me. Fortunately NFL Network has nothing else to show between now and April's Draft, which means eventually I'll be able to watch all 20-whatever hours of Combine coverage in order to satiate my embarrassing addiction to the NFL Draft.

The Combine is invite-only. That means there are snubs. Everyone loves an event that includes snubs. Approximately 10 percent of draft picks each year were not invited to the Combine. I know this because I read it on an ESPN Insider article by Mel Kiper wannabe, Todd McShay. That's right, b1tches; I'm inside! I have no idea how many of those guys end up getting cut. Probably most of 'em.

Wannabe Kiper's article includes a list of this year's top 15 Combine snubs.

1. Brandon McAnderson
2. Lamar Myles
3. Darrell Blackman
4. Shannon Tevaga
5. Corey Lynch
6. Danny Lansanah
7. Keon Lattimore (Maryland RB; 5-10 5/8; 228; 4.59)
8. Steven Tate
9. Andre Callender
10. Xavier Lee
11. Cornelius Brown
12. Tim Hightower
13. Alex Boston
14. Tony Temple
15. Lance Leggett

Who the hell is Keon Lattimore?

Keon is Ray Ray's brother.

Daaaaaaaamn, NFL! You'd never make it in politics. Nepotism is what greases the wheels of the American machine. It's only fair, though. If Keon gets an invite, maybe the world never gets a chance to see Mississippi's Benjarvus Green-Ellis, who received an invite to the Combine along with his 32/100 overall rating.

Bring on the men in tights.

Bad move: Ravens franchise Terrell Suggs

Why the unnecessary necessary lingerie pic? It's currently the top Google Images search result for "sad Ravens fans." And today is a sad day for Ravens fans.

Today Baltimore franchised T-Sizzle to the tune of about $8M. His role with the team remains unclear. His role used to be to play defense and sack quarterbacks, but last year he gave up on that about five seconds after Trevor Pryce was lost due to injury.

Pryce should be getting the payday instead of Sizzle. But instead they've franchised Suggs, paying $8M to a guy who is already bitter about the situation. Partly because he wants a better guaranteed payday -- long-term contract! -- but also because Baltimore franchised him at linebacker and not defensive end, a designation that costs Suggs $814,000 in pay this year.

If there's a reason Baltimore's secondary got chewed up last year -- besides the fact that the secondary was just not that good and epilepsy made it worse -- it's that Suggs couldn't generate a pass rush. Pressure wins football games. Seriously. It does. Ask Tom Brady.

I called for Billick's head starting at the 4-2 mark of last season. Months before it was chic to say that Billick sucked pigskin, and immediately prior to the team's franchise-worst nine-game losing streak. So there. In your face. I told you so. Billick was and is terrible. I'm glad he was fired. But many of the team's other offseason moves have left me shaking my head. Terrell Suggs. Cam Cameron. Retaining Rex Ryan. For what it's worth, John Harbaugh was a good hire, and I also agree with the team's decision to not jack up the cost of my season tickets another $200 for the second-straight season.

Cam Cameron
Why give Cam Cameron the OC position? Why not offer it to McNabb's QB coach, Pat Shurmur? Not only is he familiar with Harbaugh from their work in Philly, but he has also worked wonders with D-Mac's backups? If you ask me -- go ahead, do it -- that's one of the main reasons Philadelphians keep calling for McNabb's head. That and the fact that people from Philadelphia largely are moronic.

Rex Ryan
A lot of things plagued Baltimore last season -- bloated egos, withering withered offense, blah blah blah -- but what hurt them arguably more than anything else was a lack of discipline. On both sides of the ball. You can't pin the O on Rex but you damn sure can pin the D on him. The players love him, and that's part of the problem. It is not part of the solution.

Suggs
Let's just say Baltimore should have let Suggs and his five sacks walk. Eight million is a lot to pay for five sacks. I suppose it could be worse, though. At least Baltimore doesn't have to pay him with Canadian dollars. Zing. Way to go, America. Your currency sucks.

Byron Leftwich is an embarrassment to himself, others

Remember when Ozzie Newsome tried to engineer a draft-day trade so that Baltimore could sneak up in the first round and select Marshall QB Byron Leftwich? The league's phone lines were busy so the Ravens were unable to complete the trade in time. You know what happened next: The Ravens ended up with Terrell Suggs and Kyle Boller instead.

Side note: How the F does the NFL not have call waiting?

Somehow Kyle Boller still has a job. Today Leftwich was cut. Again. This time by the Atlanta Falcons, only a year after getting cut by the Jags in favor of David Garrard, who whaddyaknow actually turned out to be pretty damn good. If it weren't for the Cheatriots Patriots, Garrard and the Jags may have battled it out with Plaxico Fantastico and Escape-artist Eli for a chance to wear gaudy jewelery.

Anyway, back to my man Byron Leftwich. Here is what Atlanta's GM had to say after today's cuts, which included seven players: “This is a difficult day for the entire organization. A number of these players have contributed to this organization on and off the field at a high level."

Clearly he wasn't talking about Leftwich, who during his one year in the Dirty Dirty couldn't stay healthy, throw touchdowns or even complete very many passes (32 in three games total). What's this dude's problem? Too many cheeseburgers? Too many late nights at the strip club? Competition too tough? That last one has gotta be it. Joey Harrington and Chris Redman. Also known as The Intimidators. Redman, by the way, wasn't even good enough to play QB in Baltimore, where they'll give anyone a shot.

Stoney Case!

In all fairness, Redman did make it a few seasons in Baltimore, but I'm convinced that was only because he went to same college as Johnny Unitas (Louisville) and because he also won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Baltimore loves it some Johnny U. I hope that Redman's Golden Arm is proudly displayed on the mantle of a rented apartment in some crappy suburb somewhere. That right there is the highlight of your career, buddy.

It's time to write the epilogue on Byron Leftwich's football career.

Byron Leftwich: This guy was a pretty good football player in college because he was really tall and strong and played against weak competition and one time his teammates carried him down the field after he broke his leg and it was really dramatic but I'm pretty sure they still lost that game anyway and then he went to the NFL and was a complete bust and even Baltimore wouldn't take him these days and that's saying a lot because Baltimore's quarterbacks have always sucked except Steve McNair for about five minutes and Vinny Testaverde for one season way back in the 19-motherfuckin'-90s.

John Mackey... still alive!

The best tight end in the history of football -- or so says the Internet -- Syracuse Orange and Baltimore Colts legend, John Mackey! Anyone who reps upstate New York and Charm City is all good with me. I took this picture during Super Bowl week in Arizona. Mackey was getting hounded for autograph requests, but I'm not sure anyone really knew who he was.

But loooook at the size of those rings!

Fortunately, Mackey remained calm despite the mini-frenzy.

Tommy Carcetti and Ray Lewis

I'm not one for spoilers so I'll leave out the details, but I feel comfortable saying that it was pretty cool that Mayor Carcetti gave a shout-out to Ray's legacy on a recent episode of The Wire. I can't remember if it was last weekend's episode or the week's before; I watched them both only tonight. But whatever. That's not the point. The point is, don't even think about putting Ray Ray out to pasture!

Ray Lewis is playing at a level unseen in recent years, and imagine how well he'd be playing if Baltimore had, oh, I don't know, maybe a pass rush? Or a secondary? Or an offense that could stay on the field for more than 45 seconds?

My hope is that Baltimore goes D in the first round of the NFL Draft, but I'm afraid Harbaugh is going to want to make a splash and put 'his guy' behind center. I hope that's not the case. Baltimore should not pick a QB in the first round. It may be a moot point if Ozzie pulls the trigger on D-Mac, but if that doesn't happen there is a decent chance Baltimore will fumble the #8 overall selection and draft a QB.

Yardbarker, Beast Mode and B'more

Last week I met Marshawn Lynch. When he found out that my name is Dewey and that I'm from Baltimore, he got pretty excited. Turns out he's a huge fan of The Wire and his cousin's name is Dewey. Then again, everything seems to excite Marshawn. He's a happy dude.

Here are a few videos that Marshawn and I recorded for the Yard. One of these days I'll get back to blogging about the Ravens, but right now there's not really much to blog about and I'm sick as a dog. I'd rather be lazy and post embed code.

1) Does Tom Brady get hyphy? Honestly, when I asked Marshawn whether or not Tom Brady gets hyphy, his "What!!?" response and fierce stare made me a little nervous. I had absolutely no idea what to expect next. None whatsoever.

2) Sticks, stones and Beast Mode: Marshawn gets picked on because of he doesn't care about proper grammar. He also doesn't care about getting picked on. He's ice cold like that.

3) Yardbarker rap? Go Hard in the Yard: Marshawn's friend Shaadie decided he wanted to record a Yardbarker rap, and when Beast Mode heard about it, he said he'd only do it if I wrote the hook. I might have already had one too many sips of sauce, which is probably why I promised to not only write the hook but also contribute 16 bars. Shaadie emailed me last night and he's already working on the beat. I've got 16 bars already in the bank, but who knows if they're any good. I think I'm in over my head.

Yardbarker: Dontrelle Willis and the Raiders

Kicking it at Hooters (Tempe, AZ) last week with D-Train from the Tigers. We talked Niners, Raiders, Dolphins, Lions, and of course Super Bowl XLII. His game prediction was pretty close to straight money: 24-17, Giants. Dontrelle Willis is die-hard for the silver and black, and for what it's worth, he thinks JaMarcus Russell is the answer. I'll tell you what's not the answer: Al Davis and Lane Kiffin spatting like children. Al Davis needs to chill out, IMO. Dontrelle disagrees. C'est la vie.

Speaking of Dontrelle and the Tigers, about the only bad thing that happened to me last week in AZ was that someone stole my Detroit Tigers fitted, which I'd had for, gosh golly gee, about six years now. That thing fit so damn well. I'm sad to see it go. Damn thieves.

Anyway, after you watch this video, go visit Dontrelle in the Yard. He's great about responding to fan comments and questions. He'll even answer questions about the O's.

Putting Warren Moon on Mac Blast!

Shortly before Super Bowl XLII -- you know the one; that epic adventure where 80% of the country whooped it up in joy only to shortly thereafter realize that New Yorkers are now the new Bostonians, who themselves were once the new New Yorkers -- I had a chance to speak with Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon.

Growing up a Bills fan, I wanted badly to ask him about "The Comeback," the 1993 Oilers game during which the Bills came from 32 points behind in the second half to win the playoff game. But I figured first I should ask him about the Super Bowl, which was kicking off in about 90 minutes. You know, warm things up a bit before I started clowning on him for a game that happened 15 years ago.

I asked him whether or not the Pats deserved an asterisk if they were to win the game. He said no; I disagreed. Fortunately the football gods were on my side. In your face, Cheaters.

Anyway, I also asked Moon what makes Tom Brady such a great QB. Moon said that Brady never gets shaky. He never makes bad decisions. He always keeps a cool head. No matter how much pressure you put on him, no matter how many times you hit him, he is always going to perform well when the lights are bright.

Unfortunately Warren forgot to add, "Unless it's Super Bowl XLII."

Yardbarker: Donovan McNabb interview (SB XLII)

I interviewed Eagles QB Donovan McNabb a few days before Super Bowl XLII. His analysis ended up being mostly on the mark, but we both underestimated Eli Manning. For the record, though, one of us did predict a Giants victory. Hint: It wasn't D-Mac.

Good morning from AZ!

Sorry I haven't shown Blogimore much love lately, but I'll be back next week after the game. Things have been crazy down here in Arizona. I don't have tickets to the game, but after a week of going to bed drunk at 4:30 a.m. and then waking up at 7:30 a.m. -- and then working until nine or ten at night -- I don't have any interest in being inside the stadium. Actually, that has nothing to do with being exhausted. I just know that being inside is a lose-lose proposition. When the clock reads all zeros in the fourth, you're guaranteed to get a thick dose of either arrogant Pats fans or obnoxious New Yorkers.

It's my first Super Bowl experience, and I didn't know what to expect. Plenty of ridiculousness happened. Next week keep an eye out for the stories that aren't off the record. Sorry, I'm a man of my word; some of this stuff I gotta take to my grave. Who am I kidding? After the amount of Hennessey ingested here in the desert, I've already forgotten half of what happened. Probably more like 75 percent. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure I remember my own name right now.

I will give you one tidbit now since it's related to the Ravens: I ran into Kansas CB Aqib Talib last night at the club. Oh, before I get into that, Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis thinks the Orioles are really talented. I didn't believe him so I asked him about nine times. He insisted that he was being honest. I guess I believe him. Also, a couple of guys on the A's told me that Bedard is a legitimate top-5 lefty, and they questioned why the O's would want to trade a guy like that. One of the guys was a lefty himself. The other was a righty.

Anyway, the Talib conversation went a bit like this:

Me: Hey, aren't you that cornerback from Kansas?
Talib: Yeah.
Me: I have no idea how to pronounce your name. I probably could tomorrow but right now I'm too drunk. You're really good.
Talib: Thanks, man.
Me: I'm a Ravens fan. I'd be psyched if they drafted you. The secondary there is terrible. Everyone is injured. Plus Samari Rolle has epilepsy.

Talib looks at me like I'm crazy.

Me: Would you want to play in Baltimore?
Talib: Yeah, man. That defense is good.

So there you have it. Our defense is good, apparently.


Fact: Aqib Talib is not Talib Kweli.