News & Notes: 5/10/10

Let me apologize for the last few weeks. I’ve totally failed at posting daily like I usually do.  I was counting on the Q&A to produce some content while I was very busy, but WordPress has decided to be persistently frustrating in not letting me format the questions and answers correctly.  I’m working on it and hopefully the errors can be fixed this week.

Anyways, let’s get to the task on hand.  Lots of Ravens news in the last few days, most notably the Jared Gaither situation.  Along with Gaither, we have the first minicamp ending and Terrell Suggs making a very ambitious, encouraging promise.

Click “Continue Reading” to see the latest Ravens headlines and Joe’s commentary.

First, we’ll address what I know you really want addressed: Jared Gaither.  Here’s what we know:

• He was moved from the left side to the right side of the line, being replaced on the left by Michael Oher. Oher said he didn’t feel very comfortable, but would adapt if he needed to.
• He was not at practice on Saturday due to a “sore foot” even though he seemed to be fine on Friday.
• The Bills are the #1 suitor if Gaither does get traded.
• Their package could include cornerback Ashton Youbouty and future draft picks. Cornerback Leodis McKelvin was once considered an option, but that turned out not to be the case.
• Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh both say that there has been absolutely no trade talks initiated about Gaither. At least none that warranted any serious consideration.

My reaction to all of this is just confusion.  Why would the Ravens trade Gaither after producing a super-effective draft on both sides of the ball, acquiring two very good wide receivers and spending tons of resources and time this offseason on developing Joe Flacco into an elite quarterback.  The Ravens are as set to make a Super Bowl run as any team this season, so why would they trade away their biggest, best young player?  I understand getting something for him before his contract runs out, but it seems a little forced. I hope that Ozzie and Harbaugh are telling the truth, because in my opinion, it’s the best thing to do.

Other news items:

• On NFL Live this afternoon, Adam Schefter reported that the Ravens were “incredibly impressed” with Anquan Boldin during mini-camp and that Cam Cameron believes the team could be one of the top 5 scoring offenses in the league this season.
• Terrell Suggs is pissed about last season. T-Sizzle only had 4.5 sacks last season, which is hardly a performance that warrants the 6-year, $63 million contract that he signed last July.  He is trying to put the work in to return to old form and that his performance last season “will never happen again.”  Read the link, it’s a post by Mike Duffy.  The things Suggs say really show maturity and growth from his first seasons as a Raven, and shows that he’s truly humbled by his “average” numbers last year. Personally, I believe that he’ll be great again, he just sells it to me.
• And this isn’t necessarily news, but it’s just awesome. The work Jamison Hensley and Co. have done at Ravens Insider (The Sun’s Ravens blog) this weekend and today has just been amazing.  Every post is worth reading.

The preseason schedule had already been released, but today the dates and times were finalized.  Click the “Schedule” tab on the top bar to see the dates and times.  Remember that in the next week or so, there will be a major revamping of those tabs, with several very cool additions.