Archive for June, 2009

Please follow the Ebony Bird’s RSS feed by either putting your email address in the mailing list on the right of the main site page, or by signing up at this link. Terrell Suggs, the Ravens’ starting outside linebacker, no matter what side he plays on, was forced to agree to a franchise tag again this offseason, but as of yesterday, the team and Suggs are (finally!) close to a long-term extension.  Suggs said on BaltimoreRavens.com, “I feel like we’re getting close.  Negotiations are going on with the Ravens.  Fans can be optimistic that I’ll be at training camp.”  Mike [...]

So, these next three weeks, I will only be able to get a couple posts up.  Tomorrow and maybe Sunday I can, and then next weekend, also.  This coming week (6/29-7/3), I will be doing some hiking in the White Mountains in New Hampshire.  Then, a day or two back, and I’m off to England to visit some relatives for two weeks.  Obviously, there is no internet I can access n the mountains, and while there is internet at where I’m going in England, it’s terribly slow and WordPress might not work on it.   I will then be home [...]

Two Ravens have recently launched sites/blogs, and seeing them myself, aren’t too shabby.  Some players in the NFL (cough, cough Cowboy’s tight end Martellus Bennett) have blog posts that are boring, make no sense and are just a waste of time.  These two are actually OK.  The two players are tight end Daniel Wilcox, a reliable Raven for years, and offensive tackle Jared Gaither, who should be a big part of the offensive line for years to come with Michael Oher. Wilcox’s blog is on the YardBarker network, and is pretty much updated daily, with everything from his opinion on [...]

In part 2B of this 3-part projection, I will look at how well I expect certain players to perform this season.  I gave their role in this post, and today I will expand on that and give in my opinion, a ballpark guess of the stats they will put up.  Only the skill positions on offense and defense. For defense that means linebacker, cornerback and safety.  So basically no D-Line.  I also didn’t do Special Teams just because it’s so unpredictable what would happen. Offense QB Joe Flacco: Last year’s stats: 2,971 yards, 14 TD, 12 INT, 80.3 QB Rating. 2009 projection: 3,000 [...]

Here are some good links to check out. Footbaltimore, a great new site, has a post about Ray Rice’s sophomore season in college and how it could possibly be repeated in the NFL. You also might want to check out Footbaltimore’s four breakout players for the 2009 season. Ravens Gab has an encouraging post that Kelly Gregg is on schedule to return from his injury. An article/page on MSNBC Sports has an overview of good and bad moves made by teams, in the opinion of Tom Curran. Also, if you scroll down, there’s a good slideshow which is a mini-preview [...]

Hey, you think of a better title. Jason Phillips, the Ravens’ 5th round pick in April’s Draft has signed a contract with the team for 3 years, worth $1.34 million. He does have a torn lateral meniscus, but should be ready for training camp.  Also, the team has signed Cedric Peerman, the running back from Virginia selected in the 6th round.  Peerman’s deal is also three years, but the salary has not been disclosed. All we know about the Virginia tailback’s contract is that he received a $78,000 signing bonus.   With Peerman and Phillips signing, only three draft picks [...]

The “A” part of the second part of this projection is projecting who starts at each position for the ’09 Purple Birds.  Many positions are still in flux, and you’ll see that it is possible for a platoon role on this team, which is rare for this team in most seasons. Offense QB: Joe Flacco. The wunderkind is poised for another big season, but everyone in Baltimore, even Orioles fans who are cheering on his brother Mike, are fearing a sophomore slump.  The success of the team depends on Unibrow Joe’s arm. HB: Willis McGahee. I feel that McGahee is going to break [...]

Chris Carr is a cornerback signed by the Ravens this offseason, who will not only add depth in the secondary, but will probably be the team’s primary kick returner, especially if Yamon Figurs again shows lackluster results after he catches the ball, if he even catches the ball (which was sometimes a bit difficult for him last year).  Special Teams has always been a huge part of the Ravens style, almost as important as defense on the typical Ravens team, and Carr could be the next in a line of very good return specialists. Carr is 26, celebrating his birthday [...]

Before starting, this was going to go up last week, but the login feature on WordPress was being spastic all across the network, and no one could post.  Then I forgot to post it. So, this is very premature, but I’m going to do some predictions, just wins and losses based on the schedule.  The next part of this projection will be the stats, and the third will be the rest of the NFL. Week 1: vs Chiefs: WIN.  The Chiefs might take a while to get comfy with Cassell, and the defense should be able to take advantage of [...]

I broke this news on BirdsWatcher, and will copy the post here. BREAKING:  Mike Flacco, a third basemen from Catonsville Community College (CCBC), was selected by the O’s in the 31st round of the 2009 MLB Draft.  Flacco is the brother of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, and was selected with the fifth pick on the draft’s third day, pick #926 overall.  At CCBC this season, Flacco was named to the NJCAA All-American third team.   Joe’s brother was listed as a third basemen when his name was called through the Orioles’ speakerphone, and the Orioles’ representatives added that he was Joe [...]