Baltimore Ravens
Ravens May Not Be Able to Afford Both Ray Rice and Ben Grubbs
In one of the most anticipated off-seasons in a very long time due to a record number of free agents in 2012, and many of those being high profile players looking for big money contracts, the anticipation leading up to March 13 is becoming palpable with rumors swirling about players and teams showing their cards by who they decide, or don’t decide, to franchise. One of the sought after free agents in the 2012 off-season is Baltimore’s Ray Rice. Rice is one of the best all-around backs in the league and is a threat every time he touches the ball. Rice finished last year with 1,364 yards (career high), 12 touchdowns (career high), 704 receiving yards (career high), and 3 receiving touchdowns (career high).
Rice had career numbers this past season along with leading his team to the AFC championship and missing out on the Superbowl because of a missed kick by Billy Cundiff. After Rice’s season, as expected by many commentators, Rice wants to get paid. No one could blame…
Free Agent speculation on Ravens… by Ron Benamor
One of the biggest (no pun intended) questions around Baltimore these days is where will all-pro quality guard Ben Grubbs end up in 2012? Word is, probably not with the Ravens…Ben Grubbs, G, 6-3, 310, in his 6th year out of Auburn, is an athletic guard with the ability to plow into the second level, and is largely responsible for much of the Ravens successful running game. He’s due a big Free Agent contract, but salary cap issues may mean the Ravens have to let Grubbs make his fortune with a new team…Here’s our own staff writer Ron Benamor to describe the complete Free Agency scenario for the Ravens:With all the crazy speculation surrounding the Baltimore Ravens this offseason, it has become apparent that Baltimore has many issues to address. Here is how I see each key free agent panning out, as well as other possible offseason acquisitions…RB: Ray Rice: It is becoming more and more likely that Baltimore will use the Franchise Tag on Ray Rice. To reassure all you skept…
Darren Woodson: Dallas Cowboys Don’t Need a Ray Lewis-Type Leader
The Dallas Cowboys have a problem with leadership and that’s no secret among the fan base or inside the organization. From the front office to the bottom of the depth chart, there’s no one who stands out as a leader. Cowboys defensive end Jason Hatcher recently acknowledged that fact and now former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson is offering his take on the matter.
“The rah-rah speech is not going to win games for you,” Woodson said. “And I don’t care who’s giving it to you – you can bring Knute Rockne back. No one is going to motivate you between the lines. It’s about preparation the week of, and it’s about the top guys in that locker room and your role players understanding their role on that football team.”
Woodson said it was “shocking to hear that” Hatcher couldn’t think of one leader on the Cowboys’ team when asked. However, Woodson’s comments about Ray Lewis were the direct opposite of what Hatcher said. The Cowboys’ defensive end mentioned L…
Is Portis a viable possibility?
Even though he signed a two-year contract, this season’s backup running back, Ricky Williams, retired earlier this month. That leaves the Ravens with inexperienced backs behind Ray Rice.
The two running backs behind Rice, who is a free agent, on the roster are Anthony Allen and Damien Berry. Allen was action in five games this season, totaling three carries for eight yards. All of that action came against the St. Louis Rams way back in Week 3. Berry was a practice squad player.
That’s why I bring up the possibility of former Broncos and Redskins running back Clinton Portis. Portis didn’t play this past season, but would like to play again, according to this report from Steve Wyche of NFL.com.
In Portis’ favor, his legs are fresh after being out of the league for a season and he went to the University of Miami. Former Hurricanes have a way of making their way to the Ravens because of the presence of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.
Portis could be a viable backup to Ri…
Rice Wants Peterson Money, Likely Won’t get it
Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice is seeking a contract that would net him somewhere in the neighborhood of seven-years, $100 million, the same contract Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson signed for last year. Rice, 25, will most likely be slapped with the team’s franchise tag this month in order to keep him from [...]
Memorable Moments in Sports: Billy Cundiff Did This in 2009
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyMnQerhbnE
I’m sure all of you know about the Billy Cundiff botched field goal this year right? I mean when you’re in a crucial playoff game and you miss a kick from under 30 yards the chances it makes the news are quite large.
Turns out Cundiff got a lot of support from fans after the miss but little did I know (and probably many of you) that Cundiff pulled this same thing back in 2009. Almost the same kick.
Guess coaches should have known or perhaps that just didn’t want to believe it.
Bold Predictions: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are looking to improve on a disappointing 2011 season, but can it be done? We saw even when the odds fell in their favor they could not get the job done in the post season. They did not have to face their Achilles heal Pittsburgh Steelers nor Peyton Manning. And they got exactly what they wanted, which was to face the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. Well, a poorly orchestrated final field goal attempt led to shock and awe in Baltimore, MD and sent the Ravens home yet again without reaching their goal.
But there were signs that this wasn’t as good as a team everyone thought going in to the playoffs. Yes, they secured the number two seed and finished the regular season with a 12-4 record. But who were those four losses to? Tennessee, Jacksonville, Seattle, and San Diego, who are four teams that didn’t make the playoffs, handled the Ravens with ease in 2011. Baltimore just didn’t lose to these teams, they were embarrassed. Not to mention, Jackso…
Ravens may play tag with Rice
Around Baltimore there has been so much focus on quarterback Joe Flacco’s contract, that we’ve not been putting time in to realize that running back Ray Rice is an unrestricted free agent starting March 13.
Clearly Rice is the most important player on the Ravens’ offense. Rice finished second in the NFL in rushing with 1,364 yards and led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 2,068. That’s not a guy you let leave town. However, he is a running back and running backs reach a certain and their production quickly falls off. Rice, 25, isn’t quite at that age yet.
The problem here is Rice wants a big contract. According to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, Rice wants his contract in the Adrian Peterson range (seven years, $100 million). Within that contract is a $36 million guarantee and $40 million in the first three seasons.
Rice probably won’t get this type of deal from the Ravens. That’s entirely too much money for a running back.
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Baltimore Ravens likely to franchise RB Ray Rice back-to-back
Despite media reports this afternoon which suggest that Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice has suggested he wants an Adrian Peterson type deal, ESPN is reporting that the Ravens running back will likely receive the franchise tag in back-to-back seasons by the club.
SI.com reported this morning that Ray Rice was seeking a Peterson-esque deal, (100 million for seven years and $36 million guaranteed). However, as ESPN reports this afternoon, the Ravens could place the franchise tag on Rice for the next two seasons and the talented running back would only cost the franchise around $17 million dollars.
Something which has to be turning heads in the NFL is that offering running backs huge numbers and long-term deals isn’t a formula which appears to be working out in ownership’s favor. In what is becoming a pass-oriented league with more and more teams utilizing running backs by committee approach, offering up huge amounts of money, especially guaranteed money is simply not wise any …
Ray Rice heading towards the franchise tag
Today is the first day that NFL teams have the ability to apply the franchise tag to players. Each team is only allowed one franchise tag, which locks up a select player in a one year contract.
One of the big name free agents-to-be is Ravens running back Ray Rice. Rice, coming off of his fourth year in the league, would be the hottest running back free agent should he not sign with the Ravens. SI’s Peter King gave us some insight on the Ray Rice contract negotiations in a recent report.
I’m hearing Rice wants an Adrian Peterson-type of contract; Peterson signed a seven-year deal worth up to $100 million last September, with the major provision that he’ll make $40 million in the first three years. I don’t see the Ravens doing that for Rice. I see them, if they can’t do a new deal, using the reasonable franchise tag of $7.7 million for running backs on Rice.
To add even more to the Ray Rice debate, I’d be shocked if anyone paid Ray Rice the kind of money…
Report: Ray Rice may hold out
Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice is looking to get paid as much as Adrian Peterson did last September, when the Vikings signed him to a seven-year $100 million deal. The problem for Rice is that the Ravens don’t want to dish out that much money for one player.
Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network has indicated that the Ravens won’t allow Rice to walk in free agency and will likely place the frnachise tag on him if they’re unable to work out a deal before March 5th.
One of LaCanfora’s sources told him that Rice is prepared to wait a long time before he signs the franchise tender or report to training camp.
Rumor: Rice wants Peterson money
Per the Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQB) column from SI’s Peter King, Ray Rice is seeking Adrian Peterson-type money in his next contract. Peterson signed a 7-year, $96M contract, with $36M in guarantees. The Ravens would like to have Rice back but they may not have that kind of money to spend on him, given the money they have invested in other players, including a $17.9M salary cap hit for defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. Per MMQB, in the event a new deal is not reach, it is reasonable to see the Ravens using the franchise tag on Rice, which would pay him $7.7M for 2012. The franchise salary would be a substantial raise for Rice, who made $555K last year on the final year of a rookie contract that paid him a total of $2.8M over four years. Rice has led the Ravens in rushing every year since 2009, in which he rushed for over 4,300 yards and amassed 24 touchdowns. For comparison, Peterson rushed for over 6,300 yards and 52 touchdowns. It is highly unlikely that Rice will be able to command the contract he is seeking from the Ravens. A 4-year contract paying Rice $8M a year, with $15-20M in guarantees would be a more reasonable number for a running back of his caliber.
Rice, Ravens unlikely to reach agreement soon on new contract
It’s a foregone conclusion that Ravens running back Ray Rice will be playing in Baltimore again next fall, but all signs seem to be pointing towards a protracted and elongated negotiation between the two sides, with the franchise tag likely to be used in the process.
According to Jeff Zrebiec and Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens are expected to place the tag on Rice sometime next week, buying themselves time to work out a long term contract while they address other needs in the free agency period.
Being the franchise tag designee will guarantee Rice a salary of approximately $7.7 million, ranking him third among active running backs in base salary behind Adrian Peterson ($8 million) and Chris Johnson ($8 million).
There is something to be said, however, for having long term stability, and Rice is like most every other player in wanting to put together a lengthy contract sooner rather than later. The shorter longevity of the average running back in the NFL definitel…
Wanted: FA receiver for Joe Flacco…apply with Ozzie…
There’s a nice Free Agent crop of affordable receivers with great credentials this season, and I’m hoping at least one of them lands with the Ravens—for Joe Flacco’s sake.Brandon Lloyd’s name is being tossed around on NFLN as a possible new target for Joe Flacco…Lloyd, WR, 6-0, 194 out of Illinois, is now in his 10th year in the league, but is coming off a great split season for the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams.Jason La Canfora highlights a number of what he calls “mid-price range wideouts” among current Free Agent receivers which could be financially workable for Ozzie Newsome and his salary cap…I give Jason La Canfora credit for not pulling any punches on his recent statement that Joe Flacco deserves much more quality receiving help from the Ravens if Flacco is to be held to comparison standards with the “elite” QB’s of the NFL…La Canfora is correct on that point. He is also correct when he states The Ravens aren’t a team that j…
What’s the Market like for Jarret Johnson?
After playing his first nine career seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Jarret Johnson is set to hit the open market and become a free agent when the new league year begins next month. Johnson, 30, has played in a franchise record 129 games, and the day after the AFC Championship Game loss in New England, [...]
