So we learned this morning that the NFLRA reached an agreement with puppet Roger Goodell on a new eight year deal and that the authentic zebras will take the field tonight at M&T Bank Stadium.
Never before and never again will NFL officials ever be as welcomed as they are today.
This phenomenon is a bit on par with the dating scene. Think about it…a guy is dating a girl but only during the week because he wants to keep his options open, hang out with his buddies on weekends with the hope that he’ll find an “upgrade.”
Yes the replacement officials weren’t very good, but what made them worse was the promise of something better. The replacements always had the return of the professionals hanging over their heads and that only served to exacerbate the flaws.
Well NFL fans, you got your upgrade but before you know it, the new “girl” will start to pluck your nerves too.
At least that’s how I heard these kinds of things go…
Our Derek Arnold found a nugget (well maybe a dog nugget) about the play of Bryant McKinnie on Sunday Night. You can check it out HERE. It’s pretty obvious that McKinnie wasn’t a willing participant during the Ravens failed attempt to convert a fourth down against the Patriots.
You might think that McKinnie, when given the chance to make a play and perhaps reverse his plummeting status in the eyes of the Ravens’ coaching staff, would go balls-to-the-wall, right?
Well that might apply to a motivated player, something that McKinnie obviously isn’t. Unless there’s an unfortunate injury that occurs, McKinnie will never see the $1M in incentives that was part of his contract do-over earlier this month.
Maybe that “nugget” was his because clearly there’s a dog in McKinnie.
To say Cary Williams is struggling would be an understatement. It’s not like he isn’t in the picture in coverage yet his poor technique prevents him from making a play on the ball. It’s tough to do that when the quarterback can always read the name on the back of your jersey.
Williams turned down a multi-year deal earlier this year that would have paid him in the $4.5M/year range. He wants a starter’s pay but given his poor play that’s unlikely. Moreover Williams should not be starting for the Ravens. That job should go to Jimmy Smith.
It’s unusual for the Ravens not to have a No. 1 pick starting by their second season. Even 1998’s No. 1 pick Duane Starks started as a rookie and the former Hurricane wasn’t nearly as physically gifted as Smith.
Nobody asked me but if I’m Dean Pees, I’m pulling Williams immediately. Let Smith get his feet wet as a starter against the sub-standard Browns receivers and let the emotional Williams use the demotion as fuel to improve and play for his next contract elsewhere. Either way, it benefits the Ravens in 2012.
Dannell Ellerbe is a player who has shown explosiveness in the past. The problem with Ellerbe however is that he can’t be trusted by the coaching staff. He lacks consistency and isn’t dedicated to the game. His preparedness and off-the-field work habits are not consistent with “Play Like a Raven.”
However if the Ravens can somehow get to Ellerbe in a way that accelerates his maturation so that it matches up with his physical skills, Jameel McClain will see less and less of the field.
But that’s a big IF!
On a non-Ravens note, Orioles 3B Manny Machado turned 20 back on July 6, 2012. If the Orioles eventually clinch a playoff spot as expected, the champagne will surely flow. But just to stay on the safe side given the under-aged Machado, maybe Buck Showalter should order a few cases of NA Bubbly?
Lastly, this commercial makes me laugh…perhaps because I often find myself in a similar mode…
