Baltimore Sports Report » Zach Wilt

Ayanbadejo Says He Won’t Give Ravens A Discount

Zach Wilt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:40:59 +0000

Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He played in more games in 2011 than he did in the previous two years combined and posted a career high 31 tackles.

I was surprised to see just how big of a role he played this season on defense because I’ve always thought of Ayanbadejo as only a special teams player.

Ayanbadejo enters this offseason as a free agent and he tweeted on Wednesday that the Ravens should expect “no discounts.” He added that it wouldn’t take much to keep him in Baltimore and said that he just wants to “be treated fairly.”

When asked directly if he would take less money to stay with the Ravens, Ayanbadejo responded “Nah.”

You’d think a guy that close to going to a Super Bowl would want to stay or at least tell the fans he’d try to remain a Raven.

Both Matt Lund and Dave Gilmore write that the Ravens should hold on to Ayanbadejo in their Keep Or Dump column. I’m not saying I disagree, I’m just surprised by his comments.

Martindale Is Latest Ravens Coach With Harbaugh Family Ties

Zach Wilt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:30:40 +0000

Well the Ravens have their man. The team announced on Thursday afternoon that Don Martindale will be Baltimore’s new linebackers coach. Martindale replaces Dean Pees who was promoted to defensive coordinator after Chuck Pagano left to coach the Colts.

We all should have known that Jack Del Rio wouldn’t reunite with the Ravens. I cited “different eras” as my reasoning when first discussing candidates to replace Pagano. Del Rio came from the Brian Billick era Ravens, a team and method that the front office and ownership have decided to put behind them.

Martindale comes to Baltimore with 18 years of coaching experience in both the NFL and at the college level. Not surprisingly, he was on Jack Harbaugh’s coaching staff at Western Kentucky.

It seems that the Harbaugh family tree is becoming the Ravens index for coaching vacancies.

Here’s a fun little game. Next time the Ravens need to replace a coach, just start looking at people near Jack, Jim or John.

Have these personal relationships held the Ravens back? Look at Baltimore’s most controversial non-fire, Cam Cameron. Despite Joe Flacco’s numbers declining in 2011, Cameron still hangs on as the Ravens offensive coordinator. Did you know that Cameron was hired by John Harbaugh as an assistant 1997 at Indiana University? Did you know that Cameron was the Jim Harbaugh’s quarterbacks coach at the University of Michigan?

Steve Bisciotti and Ozzie Newsome have put all their eggs in the Harbaugh basket. Four straight trips to the postseason and two to the AFC championship are hard to argue against. I just hope that when the Ravens have to make coaching changes, the decision is affected by these long relationships that have been established.

Zach Wilt is the Founding Editor of BaltimoreSportsReport.com and Host of the BSR Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @zamwi or send him an email: zach@baltimoresportsreport.com.

Bisciotti Hints At Ravens Open Practice In Annapolis

Zach Wilt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:25:02 +0000

The Ravens decision to shut down training camp at McDaniel College has been something that irked me from the minute the team snuck the news out late on a Friday afternoon. I still believe that this decision proves the team no longer has a desire to grow their fan base or thank the diehards and shows that this team wants to remain out of the spotlight as much as possible.

But you’ve read my complaints and heard me pile on the franchise on the BSR Podcast – I think you get the point.

When the Ravens quietly released the heartbreaking news of a closed training camp in 2012, they promised to provide free practices at M&T Bank Stadium. Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of the practice experience at the stadium, but at least it’s something.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti added that another public practice in Annapolis is a possibility this offseason. ”I’d like to get one down to Annapolis; it’s my neck of the woods,” Bisciotti said speaking at the State of the Ravens press conference according to Aaron Wilson at Ravens24x7.com. ”So, maybe we can talk with Navy and maybe get it down there in the summertime, which would be good.”

Was the Ravens owner just throwing out ideas or has the team actually looked at a public practice in Annapolis? The organization pointed to inconvenience as a reason to move from Westminster, I can’t imagine the Naval Academy (even for a day) will be much easier.

“It’s our job to create that access,” Bisciotti added.

You’re damn right it is. But, I’m not holding my breath.

Zach Wilt is the Founding Editor of BaltimoreSportsReport.com and Host of the BSR Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @zamwi or send him an email: zach@baltimoresportsreport.com.

Brian Billick Thinks His Coaching Days Are Over

Zach Wilt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:20:30 +0000

I’ve eagerly awaited the day that Brian Billick gets his next head coaching job so that I can add my second favorite NFL team. I love the guy. The demeanor, attitude and confidence of the Ravens during his tenure were a direct translation of his personality and became my favorite attributes of the early Ravens.

Billick hasn’t coached a game since 2007 and all signs point to him remaining in the booth rather than returning to the sideline.

“It’s a general manager’s game. I’m not what they’re looking for,” Billick said according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. ”That’s fine. They want a head coach today that doesn’t have to worry about personnel, the cap or even the media. We’ll lock you in a room and you come out with a genius game plan. They’re looking for X’s and O’s guys. That’s the world we live in right now.”

The game certainly has changed in the five years that Billick has been out of it. Just look at Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick’s interviews this week. Have you seen any sign of life from either head coach? Nope. And that’s the brand of boring football coach that dominates the NFL these days. Not the guy that famously cancelled a preseason game because of bad turf.

“When you go into a lion’s den, you don’t tiptoe in. You carry a spear. You go in screaming like a banshee and say, ‘Where’s the son of a bitch?’” That was the message Brian Billick delievered his team after defeating the defending AFC champion Tennessee Titans during the Super Bowl run in 2000.

You’d never hear anything like that today.

“I’ve always said at the very least that at least I am consistently arrogant, egotistical and eccentric,” Billick said.

A Conversation With Gary Bruzdzinski — A Finalist In The Orioles Voice Competition

Zach Wilt — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:35:59 +0000

Gary Bruzdzinski is a lifelong Orioles fan who has been given the chance to live out every sports fan’s dream.

Bruzdzinski is a finalist in the Orioles Voice competition — the organization’s search for their next Public Address Announcer.

Gary auditioned for the PA Announcer job with hundreds of other fans at Orioles FanFest on January 21 and now he finds himself among the remaining few for the role.

I spoke with him about the process, fulfilling the dream, his PA Announcing experience and heard a sample of what Baltimore fans could expect to hear at Camden Yards this season.

Steve Bisciotti Isn’t Over Ravens Heart Breaking Loss In AFC Championship

Zach Wilt — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:25:12 +0000

The Ravens were one play away from playing this Sunday in Indianapolis. All Lee Evans has to do is fall down with the ball and it’s a Super Bowl 35 not a Super Bowl 42 rematch.

But Evans dropped the ball and Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal that killed the Ravens chances of sending the AFC Championship to overtime. It still stings just typing it.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti met with the media for his annual State of the Ravens press conference and even he acknowledged the painful loss. ”I’m not over it,” he said. ”Hold onto a ball. I mean that’s where it was this year.”

After reading the quotes and watching the press conference I’ve come to the conclusion that Bisciotti and the Ravens front office really believe that this is a championship caliber team. Bisciotti is content with this coaching staff and the talent on the field. He believes in Cam Cameron and thinks Joe Flacco will win multiple rings.

Fans may criticize the Ravens for sticking with Cameron after watching Flacco’s numbers take a dip this season, but Bisciotti has indicated that a change at offensive coordinator would be a transition that a team this close can’t afford.

We can judge that plan this time next season. It’s often hard to replicate a season in the NFL, but that’s what Ozzie Newsome and Ravens ownership have decided to try in 2012.

Steve Bisciotti Doesn’t Understand Why No One Loves Joe Flacco

Zach Wilt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:46:19 +0000

Prior to the AFC championship, Joe Flacco was criticized more than any quarterback who made the postseason during his first four years in the NFL.

To be fair, Flacco did put the bullseye on his back when he told reporters that he didn’t feel he got enough credit or that Tim Tebow was receiving too much national attention.

During his annual State of the Ravens press conference, owner Steve Bisciotti acknowledged Flacco’s critics and took the side of his franchise QB. ”I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy as maligned as him,” Bisciotti said according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. ”We believe in him.”

Bisciotti added that he plans to sit down with Joe Flacco and “start grinding out contract terms.”

VIDEO: Tomas Vokoun’s Ridiculous Save

Zach Wilt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:16:59 +0000

Did Michael Irvin Forget The Colts Used To Play In Baltimore?

Zach Wilt — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:04:10 +0000

Michael Irvin might have completely glossed over thirty years of NFL history in Baltimore. The NFL Network analyst chimed in on this week’s most popular topic — no, not the Super Bowl — Peyton Manning’s future in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has publicly gone back and forth with franchise quarterback Peyton Manning about respecting the organization’s image. ”I don’t think it’s in a good interested to paint the horseshoe in a negative light,” Irsay said.

Irvin chimed in, “The horseshoe is first? The horseshoe is nothing before Peyton got here.”

Perhaps it was nothing in Indianapolis, but that isn’t the case in Baltimore.

“This horseshoe was garbage without Peyton — it was garbage when he got here and garbage when he left here this season,” he said according to Nate Davis of USA Today.

Greatest game ever played? Super Bowl V? Johhny Unitas, Alan Ameche, John Mackey, Don Shula, Art Donovan, Bert Jones, Lydell Mitchell? Help me out. Anything ringing a bell?

It’s unclear whether Irvin was referencing the Colts franchise in Indianapolis or whether he forgot about the franchise’s relocation from Baltimore by Jim Irsay’s dear ol’ dad. Either way, hearing someone say the “horseshoe was garbage” is like a punch in the gut to the Baltimore Colts fans.

Qadry Ismail Is Really Really Excited That The Ravens Hired Jim Caldwell

Zach Wilt — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:35:53 +0000

After spending a season without a quarterbacks coach, the Ravens decided Joe Flacco could use a little love.

The team officially announced on Monday that former Colts head coach Jim Caldwell would be mentoring Flacco. Former Ravens wide receiver and WBAL radio analyst, Qadry Ismail, spent a season with Caldwell in Indianapolis and he thinks that adding Peyton Manning’s former coach will be very beneficial to J-Flaccolicious.

“Jim Caldwell shall enhance your level of play,” Ismail tweeted to Flacco.

He shall, shall he?

Ismail later tweeted that “Caldwell really helped Peyton” during his tenure as the Colts quarterbacks coach from 2002-2008.

The last time the Ravens hired a former head coach to work with Flacco, it didn’t end well. Of course that guy was Jim Zorn.