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D&L Window Tinting Morning Reaction predicts Orioles’ 25-man roster

Luke Jones

With the Orioles only a week away from the start of the 2013 season, The D&L Window Tinting Morning Reaction puts together its 25-man roster in a collaborative effort. You can hear the full explanation from Drew Forrester and Luke Jones HERE. CATCHERS Matt Wieters Taylor Teagarden INFIELD Chris Davis Brian Roberts J.J. Hardy Manny Machado Alexi Casilla Ryan Flaherty OUTFIELD Nick Markakis Adam Jones Nate McLouth Nolan Reimold Steve Pearce STARTING ROTATION RHP Jason Hammel LHP Wei-Yin Chen RHP Miguel Gonzalez RHP Chris Tillman RHP Jake Arrieta BULLPEN RHP Jim Johnson RHP Darren O’Day RHP Pedro Strop RHP Tommy Hunter LHP Brian Matusz LHP Troy Patton LHP T.J. McFarland NOTES: Jones and Forrester predict Luis Ayala will be traded and Wilson Betemit will be placed on the disabled list to begin the season.

Ravens keeping tabs on McKinnie as New Orleans shows interest

Luke Jones

Just a couple days after saying the Ravens were “very open” to bringing back Bryant McKinnie, head coach John Harbaugh reached out to the 33-year-old on Thursday to say he’d like him to return to Baltimore this season. Whether it happens remains to be seen as the tackle said in a text message that the New Orleans Saints are showing the most interest in his services with their left tackle position currently unsettled following the free-agent departure of Jermon Bushrod, who signed with the Chicago Bears on the first day of free agency last week. Former Ravens guard Ben Grubbs signed a five-year, $36 million contract with the Saints last offseason after playing his final season in Baltimore next to McKinnie on the left side of the offensive line in 2011. McKinnie said that Harbaugh was simply checking in with the 6-foot-8 offensive lineman but wanted him to know he wants him back with the Ravens, who have already lost center Matt Birk from their offensive line due to retirement. The Ravens haven’t had any contact with McKinnie’s agent Michael George. “They have other things they are working on, so it’s no rush,” said McKinnie, who joked with Harbaugh to

Former Ravens safety Pollard joining Titans

Luke Jones

The morning after it was learned that longtime Ravens safety Ed Reed would be joining the Houston Texans, it appears his former partner in the defensive backfield will be moving into the AFC South as well. Former Baltimore strong safety Bernard Pollard will join the Tennessee Titans on a one-year deal, as first reported by ESPN’s Josina Anderson. The reporter tweeted that Pollard informed her of the move Thursday morning, and Pollard’s agent Tory Dandy confirmed the news via Twitter. The 28-year-old was released and designated as a post-June 1st release last week, meaning his $2 million base salary remains on the salary cap until that date. This allows general manager Ozzie Newsome to push $1.5 million in dead money to next year’s cap that otherwise would have been applied to the 2013 cap. Only this year’s prorated signing bonus amount of $750,000 will count against the cap. In other words, the Ravens will receive an additional $2 million in cap space in June, which could provide flexibility in signing a veteran to address a need such as how they added guard Bobbie Williams last summer. Pollard will join his fourth team in eight NFL seasons, leaving some to believe

Goodell staying optimistic over Ravens-Orioles compromise

Luke Jones

As WNST.net’s Glenn Clark and Drew Forrester have offered their insight into the scheduling conflict jeopardizing the site of the Ravens’ season-opening game on Sept. 5, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell remained optimistic on Thursday that they would be able to work out a compromise with the Orioles. Goodell said on the final day of the league meetings in Arizona that he hasn’t spoken to Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig this week, but the sides continue to work toward a solution. The commissioner went out of his way to take a soft approach in discussing the Orioles’ position after many have accused the league of bullying Baltimore’s baseball team. “People are working toward trying to find a solution that will work for everybody,” Goodell said. “We recognize that this wasn’t something that baseball or the Orioles asked for. They’ve been very cooperative in trying to work out a solution.” The commissioner once again mentioned the idea of the Orioles playing an afternoon game — shifting their scheduled start time of 7:05 p.m. — that would leave enough time for the Ravens to kick off at M&T Bank Stadium later that evening, but many have suggested the only realistic possibility would

Ravens awarded four compensatory picks for April's draft

Luke Jones

The Ravens were reminded of the silver lining of suffering free-agent losses on Monday with the NFL awarding them four compensatory picks for April’s draft. After seeing a plethora of players depart last offseason, the Ravens were awarded with a compensatory selection in each of the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds. This brings their total number of draft choices to 12, which already included their seven original picks as well as the sixth-round selection acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in the Anquan Boldin trade last week. Last year, Baltimore lost Pro Bowl left guard Ben Grubbs, outside linebacker Jarret Johnson, defensive tackle Brandon McKinney, safety Haruki Nakamura, defensive end Cory Redding, and safety Tom Zbikowski in free agency before signing unrestricted free agents Corey Graham and Sean Considine. This difference meant the league would award the maximum of four to the Ravens. Compensatory picks may not be traded, but the high overall volume of picks gives the Ravens plenty of flexibility to move up the draft board if they so choose. Here is the breakdown of the Ravens’ four compensatory picks: 4th (130th overall) 5th (168th overall) 6th (203rd overall) 7th (247th overall) The Atlanta Falcons were the

Baltimore sends Flacco (not that one) packing

Luke Jones

After the Ravens triumphed over the Patriots in January’s AFC Championship, perhaps it was only fair to send a Flacco to the New England area. On Friday, the Orioles traded first baseman Mike Flacco — younger brother of the Super Bowl XLVII MVP — to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations or a player to be named later. In a feel-good story, Baltimore’s baseball team drafted Flacco in the 31st round of the 2009 amateur draft out of CCBC-Catonsville. Spending most of his season at Single-A Frederick last year, Flacco hit .214 with eight home runs and 35 runs batted in in 107 games played with the Keys and Double-A Bowie. The 26-year-old played at first base primarily but also spent time at third base and the corner outfield spots. He has a .253 career average in four minor league seasons. Though it was a fun connection between Baltimore’s two major professional franchises, the younger Flacco clearly wasn’t progressing at a rate necessary to consider him more than organizational depth in the lower levels of the system. The dream of a Flacco on each team simply wasn’t going to come true and the Red Sox had an organizational need

Ravens add depth to secondary

Luke Jones

Bracing for the potential departure of nine-time Pro Bowl safety and future Hall of Famer Ed Reed as he visited the Houston Texans on Thursday, the Ravens continued to build depth in their secondary. In addition to officially announcing the re-signing of safety James Ihedigbo, the Ravens have re-signed veteran cornerback Chris Johnson to a one-year contract. The 33-year-old Johnson was signed the week leading up to the Ravens’ Nov. 18 game at Pittsburgh, which coincided with second-year cornerback Jimmy Smith undergoing sports hernia surgery. Johnson was active in that game against the Steelers but sustained a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the next games. He made one start when the Ravens opened in their nickel defense against the Denver Broncos and saw action in four regular-season games. posting seven solo tackles and one forced fumble. In his nine-year career, he’s accumulated 164 tackles, eight interceptions, and four forced fumbles while making stops in Green Bay, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Oakland. With free-agent cornerback Cary Williams signing a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday — a departure that wasn’t unexpected — Johnson will be in competition to make the 53-man roster behind Lardarius Webb, Smith, Corey

Ravens, Ihedigbo agree to one-year deal

Luke Jones

With plenty of doubt surrounding the future of safety Ed Reed in Baltimore, the Ravens have re-signed his understudy as an insurance policy at the start of free agency. Reserve safety James Ihedigbo has agreed to a one-year contract to remain with the Ravens. Signed just before the start of the 2012 regular season, Ihedigbo played in all 16 games and made three starts while also serving on special teams for the Super Bowl champion Ravens. The former New England Patriot and New York Jet collected 25 tackles and a sack as a reserve for the Baltimore defense. He started three games in place of an injured Bernard Pollard at strong safety last December. Liked by teammates, the 29-year-old Ihedigbo is a quality depth signing on a one-year contract as the Ravens deal with the uncertain future of Reed.

Ed Reed hires agent in preparation to test open market

Luke Jones

One of the biggest pitfalls for Ravens safety Ed Reed to secure a new contract has been solved as he prepares to hit the free-agent market on Tuesday. The 34-year-old has hired agent David Dunn of Athletes First to represent him in free agency after spending the last couple years without one. Dunn represents several of Reed’s closest friends around the NFL, including retired linebacker Ray Lewis and Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne. Reed reportedly met with the Ravens recently, but he is expected to explore the open market to determine his value. The 11-year veteran has expressed his preference to remain in Baltimore several times, but many have doubted whether the Ravens will offer money that would be suitable in Reed’s eyes. Several teams are expected to be interested in the nine-time Pro Bowl selection and 2004 Defensive Player of the Year, including New England, Indianapolis, and San Francisco. A Pro Football Talk report even suggested the 49ers could be the frontrunner to land the longtime Ravens safety, which would be an interesting development after Baltimore dealt wide receiver Anquan Boldin to San Francisco for a sixth-round choice in April’s draft.

Ravens give back to New Orleans police department

Luke Jones

After triumphing in Super Bowl XLVII last month, the Ravens are giving back to the city of New Orleans. Owner Steve Bisciotti purchased and donated two 2013 Harley Davidson FLHP motorcycles for the New Orleans Police Department traffic division. The gifts were presented to mayor Mitch Landrieu and police superintendent Ronal Serpas during a Wednesday morning press conference in New Orleans. The gift was a show of gratitude for the services provided by the city during the Ravens’ stay in New Orleans the week leading up to Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 3. Throughout the duration of their stay, the Ravens received police escorts, 24-hour security, and outstanding community support, according to a team release. “We wanted to do something to show our appreciation for how well our team, our families, and our fans were treated by everyone representing New Orleans,” Bisciotti said in a team statement. “Every place we went, the good people of New Orleans treated us with kindness and tremendous service — across the board. It started in our team hotel, continued with the police, and included many in the hospitality industry. The people of New Orleans were great.” Pro Bowl return specialist and New Orleans native

Flacco set to take home $52 million in guaranteed money

Luke Jones

As is the case with any NFL contract, the devil is in the details as we begin to see how the six-year, $120.6 million contract signed by Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is structured. The deal will officially be signed Monday and pays the 28-year-old $62 million over the first three years of the deal and $52 million in guaranteed money. The Ravens will benefit in the short term from a $6.8 million cap number for the 2013 season, which is less than half of the $14.9 million he would have received if designated with the non-exclusive franchise tag. According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, the 2008 first-round pick receives a $29 million signing bonus and option bonuses of $15 million and $7 million built into the contract. This brings Flacco’s take-home amount to $30 million in the first season, $51 million in the first two years, and $62 million by the conclusion of the 2015 season. His 2016 number is where the deal becomes interesting — and perilous — for the Ravens as Flacco would count for $29 million against the salary cap. The NFL’s new television deal set to kick in next season is expected to increase

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