By Zach Wilt, on May 3rd, 2012 
UPDATE: Yaffe’s tweet has since been deleted, but the post is still active on Facebook. We reached out to him on Twitter for an explanation, but have yet to hear a response. No other media members have reported that Dunn was let go.
According to a WNST’s Damon “The Bulldog” Yaffe, the Baltimore Ravens have fired their assistant strength and conditioning coach John Dunn.
Dunn was brought to Baltimore in 2008 by John Harbaugh and has 28 years of coaching experience in the NFL.
A commenter on Yaffe’s Facebook page linked Dunn to Terrell Suggs’ Achilles injury, but Yaffe responded, “the dots might not connect the way you think.”
We’re standing by for more info Bulldog.
By Zach Wilt, on May 3rd, 2012 
UPDATE: It was initially reported by Adam Schefter that Suggs suffered the injury while playing basketball. Schefter later reported that it was “unclear” if it was basketball or a conditioning test. Teammate Vonta Leach indicated that this was a basketball induced injury. You figure it out.
If the reports are true and Terrell Suggs will indeed miss the entire season because he tore his Achilles tendon playing basketball, not only is that bad news for the Ravens, but it’s a foolish way for the former Defensive Player of the Year to go down.
I remember when Zach Greinke broke a rib playing pickup basketball in March of last season. He had just requested a trade from Kansas City and been moved to Milwaukee in a five player deal. Greinke’s injury only costed him the first month of 2011, but he was still labeled as ‘careless’ and ‘stupid.’
The same should be true of Suggs’.
The Ravens invested $63 million over six years on Suggs in 2009 and he just threw one of them away on an injury he suffered away from the field.
Couldn’t tearing your Achilles while playing basketball be considered as reckless as crashing a motorcycle? That’s what Ben Roethlisberger did in 2006. Remember how much we criticized him?
When Dan Marino tore his Achilles, on the field, in the 1993 season, he returned in 1994 and threw for 4,453 yards and 30 touchdowns. It’s reasonable to think that Suggs could return to form in 2013, but you have to imagine that the road to 100 percent will be a long one.
By Matt Lund, on May 3rd, 2012 
Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs may be lost for the 2012 season after tearing his Achilles while reportedly doing conditioning drills in his home state of Arizona.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times, Suggs has been in contact via text about the injury, telling Wilson, “I went to stop and turn and I thought I sprained it. Went to doc and said it’s a partial tear.”
There is a glimmer of hope for Ravens fans and Suggs as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year will see a specialist next week to determine the extent of the injury. A partial tear of the Achilles could allow Suggs enough time to return at some point this season.
A full tear would require surgery and Suggs would miss the entire 2012 season, a huge blow to a Ravens team looking to make another run to a Super Bowl title. READ MORE >>>
By BSR Staff, on May 3rd, 2012   Dana and Chris Hoiles join the podcast to discuss Orioles baseball, their roll in the community, the work Chris is doing with the O’s and Dana’s sports themed jewelry line.
Join Zach, Patrick and Matt for this week’s edition of the best sports podcast in Baltimore, the BSR Podcast.
Here are some of the topics discussed on this week’s show:
Interview With Dana And Chris Hoiles
- Dana and Chris discuss Opening Day 2012 and being back at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the celebration of the ballpark’s 20th Anniversary.
- Chris discusses his new role with the Orioles and talks about the possibility of one day managing at the big league level.
- The guys ask Chris if has held a grudge (like Orioles fans have) against Cito Gaston for selecting Terry Steinbach over him for the All-Star game at Oriole Park in 1993.
- Chris discusses the World Series determining home field advantage in the World Series.
- Chris gives his opinion of Matt Wieters development.
- Dana tells the guys that she didn’t know who Cal Ripken was when she first came to Baltimore and discusses a growing love for sports while watching Chris and her three boys.
- Dana discusses her sports themed jewelry line and talks about her upcoming meet and greet with Chris at the Greetings & Readings in Hunt Valley on May 12 at 1 PM.
READ MORE >>>
Podcast: Play in new window
By Zach Wilt, on May 1st, 2012  GAHH!!! HARBAUGH IS JERK FOR SPEAKING TRUTH!!! I’ve been extremely critical of John Harbaugh during his four year tenure as the Ravens head coach. I’ve criticized his clock management, leadership, in-game decisions and his approach with the media numerous times here on BSR.
It’s not because I don’t like the guy, it’s because I think he took over a Super Bowl caliber team that has lost in two AFC Championships and two AFC Divisional playoff match ups.
While there are plenty of actual football related criticisms of Harbs, I can’t disagree or bash him for his comments about the Patriots and Saints.
Harbaugh told 98 Rock, “What happens, even the thing in New England, no matter whether those things had any impact on whether they won their championships or not, they got asterisks now.” ”It’s been stained,” he said.
And he is 100 percent correct. It’s not an opinion from Harbaugh, it’s fact.
This isn’t some looney conspiracy that he’s chasing, the NFL punishment’s of both New Orleans and New England support Harbaugh’s statement.
READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on May 1st, 2012  John Harbaugh won’t stand for stinking cheaters.
When asked this morning about the Saints bounty controversy, Harbaugh compared it to Spygate in New England. ”In the end, everything is brought before the light of day, when it’s all said and done,” he told 98 Rock.
“What happens, even the thing in New England, no matter whether those things had any impact on whether they won their championships or not, they got asterisks now. It’s been stained.”
I’ve been saying this for years. Take away cheating and Tom Brady and how smart is the genius Bill Belichick?
“You have to find a way to do things better than somebody else,” Harbaugh added. ”But if you’re cheating, in the end, you’re going to get discredited. It’s not worth it.”
Expect these comments to get the full ESPN treatment. Side by side arguments between Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, Rachel Nichols live at Owings Mills and Toss Up on PTI. Get ready.
UPDATE: Harbaugh issued a statement this afternoon in response to the coverage of his comments.
“While on the 98 Rock show this morning to talk about the run to honor O.J. Brigance and raise funds for ALS research, I answered a question about playing within the rules and referred to the perception that the Super Bowl championships won by the Patriots and Saints have a stain. My reference was to the perception out there that came as the result of the league’s actions. I could have been more clear that I was referring to those viewpoints.”
I liked it better when he meant it.
By Patrick Guthrie, on May 1st, 2012  I keep telling her "stop calling me at work". A west coast trip for the Nationals, and a car accident: What are the reasons this article is up a day late. Now that I have a rental car (almost) and my brain is slowly starting to re-fire after a good night’s sleep, let’s stare at the Scarlett Johansson picture for a few seconds and then dig in.
Preorder your World Series tickets:
My benchmark for the home stand was 4-2, and the O’s went ahead and upped it to 5-1. Now the real test starts with the brutal schedule I alluded to last week. For the next 6 games, the Orioles will be sampling the various chowders of the Northeast. They then return home to face Texas (currently at their Chuck Norris best), and the Rays (currently atop the division unbeknownst to the people of Tampa).
In numbers you already knew without me telling you, those are the top 4 teams in RBI’s in the American League. I’m not saying temper your expectations, because the Orioles are playing well and you should ride the wave until it flattens out. What I AM saying is, be realistic. There are going to nights that starting pitchers get lambasted because the margin for error will be miniscule and the degree of difficulty will be gigantic. Texas and Boston don’t DO pitching duels just like Earnie Shavers didn’t DO decisions.
READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on April 28th, 2012  The Ravens added Iowa State offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele with the 60th overall pick on Friday night. Upon hearing the news, Osemele tweeted that he was excited to be a Raven in a tweet that included six eye-closed, tongue out smiley faces and five football emoticons.
Gotta fill those 140 characters somehow I guess.
The 6′ 6″, 333 pound lineman is expected to step up and compete with Jah Reid for the starting spot at left guard. He has an 85.5 inch wingspan, which seems like a lot.
Jason Butt at CBSSports.com reports that Osemele also has some brains behind that brawn. Osemele made the academic honor roll three times at Iowa state.
With him and Matt Birk busting heads up front, the Ravens have to have the smartest o-line in football now, yeah?
Draft analysts were surprised to see Osemele fall as late as he did.
By Zach Wilt, on April 27th, 2012  From what I hear, the NFL Draft continued tonight.
The above statement is based on what I’ve read on Twitter though. After three rounds and two days of coverage, I’m seen a grand total of 00:00 seconds of the draft.
But fear not, I have been catching up on what I missed while I was in freezing out at Camden Yards and I noticed that Ozzie Newsome and company traded up to snag Temple running back Bernard Pierce. After hearing for the last 24 hours how much the Ravens value each and every pick, I found it interesting that they would give up their 91st and 164th picks to the Falcons for the 84th to select Pierce.
They must really think he’s a righteous dude.
The Ravens tweeted that Newsome “wanted to ensure they got him” and he called Pierce “a one-cut runner with some size.”
Through some more research, I learned tonight that Pierce was the centerpiece of Temple’s offense and he ran for a total of 3,570 yards and 53 touchdown in his three years in college. He appears to be a back that, at least for the time being, will help the Ravens in the red zone and in short yardage situations.
But what about as a replacement for Ray Rice?
READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on April 27th, 2012  On Thursday, Ozzie Newsome traded the Baltimore Ravens first round pick for the third time in franchise history. Baltimore traded back in 2004 and in 2010 and selected Oregon State defensive tackle Dwan Edwards and Texas linebacker Sergio Kindle with their second round picks.
Edwards now plays in Buffalo and Kindle is slowly working his way back after an NFL career defined by off the field setbacks.
But the local media is optimistic about the Ravens options with some strong targets still available. Wisconsin center Peter Konz, Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw and Georgia guard Cordy Glenn are still on the board when the second round begins tonight.
After the Ravens announced their trade with the Vikings, wide receiver Torrey Smith tweeted that he had a hunch Newsome would hold out until the second round. ”I knew we were gonna trade out of the second round….I thought we were gonna get that backer from bama..as soon as he got picked trade haha,” Smith posted on Twitter.
I think he meant “trade back to” not “trade out of,” but you get it.
READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on April 27th, 2012  I didn’t watch a second of the NFL Draft and it turns out I didn’t miss a thing. When the 29th pick rolled around and it was the Ravens turn to draft, they traded down and the Vikings rook first round pick for a second and fourth rounder.
Hopefully you got the watch both Community and the Orioles sweeping the Blue Jays tonight.
Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome called the move “good business” in his post-non-draft-pick press conference. ”There were a couple players where we thought we could trade up, but it can get expensive,” Newsome said. ”We felt better about going back.
As Jason Butt at CBS Sports points out, with the 35th overall pick the Ravens could still select Wisconsin C Peter Konz, Alabama OLB Courtney Upshaw, Georgia OG Cordy Glenn, Georgia Tech WR Stephen Hill or Stanford OT Jonathan Martin.
The best news of all?
If you haven’t listened to this week’s BSR Podcast with our NFL Draft preview, it’s still relevant.
By Zach Wilt, on April 26th, 2012  You could watch Alison Brie tonight instead of Mel Kiper. Just sayin' Earlier this week Dave Gilmore wrote a compelling piece about why the NFL Draft is so darn good. As a vocal anti-NFL Draft activist, I thought about immediately writing a counter piece to his column, but figured it would be better to wait a few days out of the fear that my argument would turn into this epic 50,000 word Bill Simmons style saga.
And while every sports fan lies to their friends and says, “Oh yeah, I totally read every word the sports guy writes.” I know that’s not true and that they skim through them like I do.
So without further ado, here are five reasons why the NFL Draft sucks and you shouldn’t pay attention to it tonight.
Mock Drafts
Back in the day there used to be one mock draft maker. That was his official title too. Mock Draft Maker. His name was Mel Kiper. With the dawn of the internet era (it’ll never last) came a whole slew of other experts pitching their own predictions about which teams would take which athletes.
We may have even posted a mock draft or two here on BSR in years past.
Suckers scoop up these mock drafts and worshipp them. Starving football fans read pages of the same recycled material from different sources on a subject that is as easy to predict as the weather was in 1200 B.C.
READ MORE >>>
By BSR Staff, on April 26th, 2012  MASNSports.com’s Steve Melewski joins the show to discuss Dylan Bundy’s dominance and the latest Orioles news both at the big league and minor league levels. The guys also preview the Ravens top five targets in Thursday’s NFL Draft and discuss the latest headlines in Major League Baseball.
Join Zach, Patrick and Matt for this week’s edition of the best sports podcast in Baltimore, the BSR Podcast.
Here are some of the topics discussed on this week’s show:
Interview With Steve Melewski
- The guys ask Steve about the Orioles hot start and what they can do to continue it past April.
- Steve discusses what he saw in Dylan Bundy’s start at Delmarva on Tuesday night and weighs in on the Orioles decision to start him at the Low-A level.
- He discusses the health of Nolan Reimold and a timetable for Zach Britton’s return to the Orioles rotation.
- Steve breaks down Mark Reynolds defense at third base in comparison to that of Chris Davis, Dan Duquette’s influence in the upcoming MLB Draft, some under the radar players in the farm system and what went down between the Orioles and Dontrelle Willis in Norfolk.
READ MORE >>>
Podcast: Play in new window
By Zach Wilt, on April 25th, 2012  Sure Buck Showalter is a brilliant baseball mind, but the guy also loves him some football.
Before giving any answers in his pre-game interview on Tuesday, Showalter asked the local media two questions:
- When is the NFL Draft?
- Who are the Ravens picking?
I guess a big football fan would know that the draft is Thursday-Sunday, but cut Buck some slack, he is a little busy managing a first place team.
If he’s interested in finding out who the Ravens will draft, I recommend that he listens to tomorrow’s episode of the BSR Podcast.
By Zach Wilt, on April 24th, 2012  Matt Stover is a legend in Baltimore. In my 16 years as a Ravens fan, he is still the only guy that I really felt comfortable watching trot out there for a game winning field goal.
Despite being run out of town by the current coaching regime, Stover never turned his back on the Ravens. He was inducted into the Ring of Honor last season and will announce the team’s second and third-round draft picks during the NFL Draft on Friday.
“I’m very, very grateful to do it,” Stover told Ryan Mink at BaltimoreRavens.com. ”It’s such a neat opportunity to represent my team and my city.”
The Ravens should feel very fortunate that Stover holds no harsh feelings towards the franchise. A lesser man probably could have turned their back on a team that gave up on one of its most consistent players. John Harbaugh and the Ravens parted ways with the then 18-year veteran after the 2008 season and brought in Steve Hauschka and Graham Gano to compete for Stover’s position. There was never an option for the veteran to prove he still had enough in the tank to keep his job.
READ MORE >>>
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