Best Baltimore Sports Bars to Watch the Game

View Best Places to Watch a Ravens Game in a larger map

(Google Maps Assignment for my journalism class)

Can't make it to M&T to catch the game on Sunday, there are lots of great local sports bars where you can meet your friends to enjoy great food, drinks, and a good old Ravens beatdown. The purple markers indicate the locations of the bars so if you aren't familiar with them go ahead and click for the address and directions! Whether you live in Canton, Federal Hill, Towson, Owings Mills or Timonium, there is fun place to watch the game near you! Feel free to send me any reccommendations to add to this list!

Haruki Nakamura Gets the Restricted Free Agent Tender

According to the National Football Post's Aaron Wilson, Nakamura has been given an orginial round unrestricted free agent tender from the Ravens.

It should be worth roughly $1.2 million for the former sixth-round draft pick from the University of Cincinnati.

Nakamura recorded 16 tackles and one pass deflection last season on defense. He finished second on the team behind Prescott Burgess with 13 special teams tackles.

ESPN's James Walker's AFC North Blog: AFC North combine thoughts

In a recent post, James Walker discusses the combine as it relates to the four AFC North teams. As far as the news pertaining to the Ravens goes:

• Both the Steelers and the Ravens have spoken to Florida offensive lineman Mike Pouncey. Mike's twin brother, Maurkice Pouncey, plays center for the Steelers. The competition for him will be tight between the two teams who are not only looking for talented players, but those who have a genuine love for the game.
• The top two receivers in the draft, Georgia's A.J. Green and Alabama's Julio Jones are logical fits for the Browns, Bengals, and the Ravens who could all be looking for recievers in the first or second rounds of the draft.
• The Ravens are still very interested in Oregon inside linebacker Casey Matthews. The Ravens have yet to find a successor to middle linebacker Ray Lewis and they seem to be putting a strong effort into finding that player in this year's draft. Matthews has drawn a lot of media attention because of his brother, Clay Matthews of the Green Bay packers, success. However, Casey is still likely to be a third-round pick.

Later-round prospects drawing interest from Ravens

Ravens Insider reports on a few of the standouts from the later rounds of the NFL Combine!

Union Plans To Decertify Thursday

According to the Baltimore Ravens website, unless there is a last-minute agreement with the leage, ESPN reports that the NFL Players Association plans to decertify by Thursday.

Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter say that an agreement is not expected, which is why the union is taking steps to prevent owners from locking out players starting March 4.

The NFLPA already obtained unanimous approval from players across the league to decertify. The union’s executive committee recently confirmed that NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith is empowered to take this action.

The two parties are scheduled to meet one more time on Tuesday with federal mediator George Cohen. But Cohen explained last week that significant differences still remain between the two sides.

“NFLPA officials and players believe that this could be the only hope to have a full NFL season next year,” wrote Schefter and Mortensen.

McClain's Tender Means He Will Likely Return to Baltimore Next Season

According to National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson, the Baltimore Ravens have given a second-round restricted tender to starting inside linebacker Jameel McClain.

It's a strong statement about how the Ravens feel about the former undrafted free agent from Syracuse.

McClain finished third on the team with 91 tackles last season, recording one sack and one forced fumble.

The 6-foot-1, 250-pounder started 15 games last season.

In an AFC wild-card playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs, McClain led the Ravens with six tackles. That included four solo tackles.

The Purple Chaos: Baltimore Ravens Recap of the Week 02/25/11

Another week goes by as we anxiously await for the looming March 3rd CBA deadline! With so much uncertainty as to what will happen between the NFL and the NFL Player’s Association, there are a lot of things up in the air for the 2011 season! Check out my weekly post over at The Purple Chaos for all the big Ravens headlines from the week!

Mock Draft Monitor 3.0

Before the NFL Scouting Combine begins, the Ravens website takes a peek into who draftniks are projecting to the Ravens.

A round-up of Web mock drafts projecting who the Ravens will select at No. 26.

Leading Questions: AFC North - James Walker ESPN AFC North Blog

In a recent post, Walker posts the question that a lot of Ravens fans have to have asked themselves sometime this offseason: Are concerns about Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco legit?


Flacco is getting drilled this offseason by media and fans for not leading the Ravens past the divisional round. Baltimore entered last season as a Super Bowl favorite and by those standards the team -- and particularly the offense -- underachieved. 

Now people are starting to doubt Flacco. He has struggled in the playoffs, recording just one passer rating above 90.0 in seven career postseason games. It's no secret an organization is tied into the success and development of its quarterback. But are the expectations of Flacco, in his third season, too high too soon? The answer is, yes. 

Check out the rest of his post to see why he thinks that people are being too hard on Flacco!

When It Comes to Holding the Ball, Joe Flacco Tops Ben Roethlisberger

While Ben Roethilisberger has certainly developed a reputation as being the QB who creates his own sacks, Baltimore's very own Joe Flacco was recorded as being the "King of Holding the Ball Too Long" in 2010.

JJ Cooper, a sports blogger at Fanhouse.com logged the time of every sack in the NFL in 2010. Flacco recorded 25 sacks of 3.1 seconds or more which, five more than any other QB in the league.

The median sack time in 2010 among all QB's was 2.7 seconds.

According to Cooper:

The leaderboard of the over-time sacks is filled with names you may expect. Flacco and Roethlisberger lead the way, but Chicago's Jay Cutler isn't far behind. Michael Vick's legs get him out of trouble a lot, but they also mean that he will also rack up some sacks.

At the other end of the spectrum, Peyton Manning has an internal clock that simply doesn't allow him the hold the ball for long. Only one of his 15 sacks last season was when he held the ball for three seconds or more. It runs in the family as Eli Manning also had only one long sack. Tennessee's Kerry Collins was also notable for very few long sacks.


 

McGahee Would Make More Than Almost Every Ravens Starter

According to Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun:

McGahee's $6 million salary would exceed every Ravens starter currently under contract for next season except one -- safety Ed Reed, who is scheduled to receive $6.5 million in 2011. (Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is technically not under contract right now because he hasn't signed his $12.5 million franchise tag tender).


Ed Reed, safety: $6.5 million
Anquan Boldin, wide receiver: $6 million
Todd Heap, tight end: $4.6 million
Ray Lewis, linebacker: $4.5 million
Derrick Mason, wide receiver: $4.5 million
Joe Flacco, quarterback: $4.48 million
Domonique Foxworth, cornerback: $4 million
Jarret Johnson, linebacker: $3.5 million
Kelly Gregg, nose tackle: $3.5 million
Terrell Suggs, linebacker: $3.4 million
Matt Birk, center: $3 million

NFL's Michael Fabiano: McGahee release would add to Rice’s value

In a new blog post from NFL's Michael Fabiano, he addresses Ray Rice's value to the Baltimore Ravens next season! A good read, check it out!

Matt Birk Offers His Alternative to 18-Game Season

In a new post on the Ravens website today, rather than opposing the proposed 18-game schedule he offered an alternative.

"I would say maybe something like a 16-game season and [eliminate two preseason games] and maybe expand the playoffs by two teams and eliminate the first-round bye for the one and two seeds. That would give you two more playoff games on TV that you could televise."

Birk does believe that there will at least be a season this fall.

"Yeah, I would think that there would be a season with $9 billion at stake," Birk said. "As the reality comes near that games might be missed and millions of dollars would be lost forever, I would think that cooler heads would prevail. It’s late February and there’s this big March 3 deadline, which is somewhat comical because I checked the schedule and there’s no games scheduled for March or April or May or June."

McGahee: Will He Stay or Will He Go?

The Ravens website released a statement today in regard to conflicting reports that they were likely to cut Willis McGahee.

They reiterated that they will not make any decisions about players until the collective bargaining agreement is resolved.

General Manager Ozzie Newsome told the Baltimore Sun: “I have said there will be no players released before March 3."

Newsome was then asked if McGahee would be on the roster at the beginning of next season.

"Right now, there are a lot of things that could happen before next season," Newsome replied.

Moeller On How To Fix Run Game

Check out an interview from the Ravens website with the recently promoted new offensive line coach Andy Moeller about what he thinks it will take to improve the run game. He says that the players and staff are all well aware that they weren't up to par in 2010 and he has a solid plan to make changes. Definitely an interesting read!

Ravens likely to cut McGahee, but need to bring him back

The Baltimore Sun's Ravens analyst Mike Preston reported today that the Ravens are likely to cut Willis McGahee. He warns that McGahee is a solid running back behind Ray Rice and that the Ravens need to be careful about how they treat him in the off season.


According to an NFL source, the Ravens decided at their recent evaluation meetings not to bring McGahee and his $6 million in base salary back for the 2011 season.

McGahee is under contract to the Ravens for 2011, but 2012 ($6.5 million base salary) and 2013 ($7.2) are option years, according to the seven-year contract he signed in 2007.


When asked if these rumors were true, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said:


 "I have said there will be no players released before March 3."

Rushing attack could have new look in '11

According to the Baltimore Sun's Ravens Insider, the rushing attack could potentially have a very new look next semester.


Currently, Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain make up the self-proclaimed "three-headed monster" that is the Ravens rushing attack.


News broke today from Mike Preston (Baltimore Sun) that the Ravens were likely to cut Willis McGahee.


McGahee, 29, set career lows last season in carries (100) and rushing yards (380). He tied career lows in yards per carry (3.8) and rushing touchdowns (five).


Fullback Le'Ron McClain will likely become an unrestricted free agent under the new CBA so there is the potential that he will not return to the Ravens either. 


Ravens Insider reported:
Over the past three seasons, the combination of Rice, McGahee and McClain have teamed up for 5,775 yards rushing and 48 rushing touchdowns.

Ravens Stacking Free Agent Board

According to the Baltimore Ravens website, in addition to finalizing NFL draft prospects, the Ravens staff is also working on ranking the nearly 500 free agents accross the 32 teams. Under the leadership of Ravens Director of Pro Personnel Vince Newsome, the staff is working hard to make sure that they are ready for action whenever the collective bargaining agreement is made certain.

Current CBA guidelines initiated in 2010, state that only players with six years of service can be labeled unrestricted and sign with any team.

Newsome has to be prepared for free agency market to open at any moment. Should the NFL and NFL Players' association reach a new labor deal before the current CBA expires on March 4, the market will open then.

“Once free agency comes about – if it does – we have to be ready as a department,” Newsome said.  “If coach [John] Harbaugh or Ozzie {Newsome, General Manager] says, ‘We need a tackle,’ we have to be ready to immediately find who our top left tackles are out there. The same goes for any position. We have to be prepared."

Let's hope that things happen on schedule and that everything falls into place for our Ravens!

  

Le'Ron McClain's Plans for Next Season are Still Up In the Air

McClain was not quiet about the fact that he didn't feel that he was as involved with the Ravens offensive line as would have liked. After blocking for Ray Rice for the past few seasons, he hoped to have a lot more touches than he did this season.

A new post from the National Football Post indicates that not touching the football enough will definitely complicate McClain's ongoing contemplation of whether or not he will return to the Ravens.

"It's a great fit blocking in this offense, if that's all you want to do every week," McClain told the National Football Post in a telephone interview. "When you feel like you can give a lot more and have proven you can do a lot more and all you're doing is blocking, it's a little frustrating at times when they're telling you, 'All you got to do is go block this guy.' But I never let it get to me. I take pride in my game. I gave it my all. With all my heart and might and will, I blocked for Ray Rice. My frustration comes from wanting to do more. When we lost that game against Pittsburgh in the playoffs to not even get one attempt, it was pretty frustrating."

In 2008, McClain rushed for a career-high 902 yards and 10 touchdowns. In comparison, this season McClain rushed for only 85 yards and no touchdowns.

I think it would be a major loss to the Ravens if we see this guy go. It is clear that the Ravens are making an effort to reshape their offensive line and the way it is handled. To lose someone like McClain who has shown us that he does have the potential to do big things is definitely not a good call in my book.

While it seems like his decision is going to come down to the CBA and his status regarding free agency, according to the National Football Post McClain still claims that he hopes to remain in Baltimore.

"I'm wondering where I'm going to land. I really want to know what guys I'm going to be playing with. I hope it's with the Ravens. I understand it's a business. They're going to look out for the team. I've got to look out for what's best for Le'Ron McClain."

For the time being, it looks like we are just going to have to wait and see! I know I have my fingers crossed!

The Purple Chaos: Baltimore Ravens Recap of the Week 02/18/11

With signing of contracts and dealing with labor negotiations, it is a busy time in the offseason for the Baltimore Ravens! Check out my weekly post over at The Purple Chaos for all the big Ravens headlines you may have missed this week!

League, union will negotiate for seven days, allow mediation

According to the NFL website:

The NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed to seven consecutive days of negotiations, a league source told NFL Network insider Albert Breer on Thursday, and the sides also will allow mediation in their labor dispute.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, an independent U.S. government agency, will oversee negotiations in Washington D.C., beginning Friday, two weeks before the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players' union expires.

Want more? Check out this video: 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d81e5c4d0/CBA-talks-to-resume

Torrey Smith fits Ravens' need at WR

According to Ravens Insider:

The Ravens’ long search for a young big-play wide receiver might only take them a short distance.

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock strongly linked former Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith to the Ravens and their 26th overall pick.

“If you're talking about the Baltimore Ravens, they're looking for a vertical guy,” Mayock said in a conference call Thursday. “They're looking for a guy that flies, and Torrey Smith fits that.”

Last season as a junior, Smith averaged 15.7 yards per catch and scored 12 touchdowns. Mayock predicts Smith will run somewhere around 4.35 or 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and said the 6-foot-1, 205-pound wide receiver is “really special” when it comes to running vertical and crossing routes.

Ngata is Given the Franchise Tag

I know I'm a little late with this one but exam week was upon me!

The Ravens have placed a franchise tag on Haloti Ngata with the hopes of a contract to follow. He was placed in the non-exclusive category so he is allowed to negotiate with other teams. However, Baltimore has the right to match any offer or receive two first-round draft picks if he signs with another team.

Ngata joined the Ravens in 2006 and has only missed two games in five seasons with the Ravens.

This year he had 65 tackles and a career-high 5.5 sacks. He also made the Pro Bowl for a second consecutive year!

According to NFL.com, keeping Ngata was the number one priority for Harbaugh and the Ravens in the offseason.


"It's really important," Harbaugh said. "I believe Haloti Ngata will be a Raven for life. That's the goal. I know that Haloti wants that. He's told me that he wants to be here. I don't want to speak for him, again, but I think he wants to be here, and I believe the organization wants him here."

Foxworth compares labor talks to "whack-a-mole"

According to Ravens Insider, Ravens Domonique Foxworth says NFL owners are set for a lockout and put the pressure on the players. 

Asked about the sticking point in the talks, Foxworth told 104.3 The Fan in Denver, "It feels kind of like whack-a-mole. They’ll say this is one issue and we’ll whack that mole and then something else will pop up that this is the major issue. We’re always trying to catch up to what it is. That’s why I feel that’s part of the strategy. … Some people want us to get to a lockout and some people recognize how lucrative this business is … and what to make sure it goes forward.”

Foxworth has been attending the negotiations as a member of the NFL players union executive committee.

“We can’t come to an understanding on how to divvy up the money in a very lucrative business. It’s embarrassing," Foxworth said. "It reminds me a lot of the political discourse in this country where it’s a lot of arguing and nothing getting down. It’s frustrating.”

Where Harbaugh Stacks Up

According to Ravens Insider Harbaugh's three-year contract extension puts him in the middle tier of NFL coaches.

His average salary of $4 million makes him the second-highest paid coach in the AFC North, just behind the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin, and on the fringe of the top 10 in the league (the Chicago Bears' Lovie Smith, who ranked 10th in 2010, receives $4.8 million annually).

Harbaugh still ranks behind the NFL's highest-paid coaches (New England's Bill Belichick, the Washington Redskins' Mike Shanahan and the Seattle Seahawks' Pete Carroll all make more than $6.5 million annually). but he is now ahead of the likes of the Indianapolis Colts' Jim Caldwell ($3.5 million) and the Cincinnati Bengals' Marvin Lewis ($3.25 million).

Franchise Tag on Ngata to Cost Ravens

According to Ravens Gab, the Baltimore Ravens have until the end of this week to place a franchise tag on Haloti Ngata. Due to a substantial signing bonus received by Redskins DT, the franchise tag for defensive tackles has increased from $7 million to $12 million! This means that Ngata would be making roughly $700,000 a week! That is a pretty big price to pay for the Ravens, but he's worth it... right?

           

Ravens Hold On To Harbaugh

Today, the Ravens announced a 3-year, $12 million extension of Harbaugh's contract!

More on the story from the Baltimore Sun.

Ravens Relationships In Need of A Little Love

This post from the Baltimore Ravens website is probably the most creative thing I have ever seen them do! There certainly was a lot of drama on the field this year and I would have to agree that these players could afford to show some love to one another!

Which big arguments made the list?

1. The ongoing tiff between Terrell Suggs and Patriots QB Tom Brady.
2. The longstanding battle between Ed Reed and Steelers WR Hines Ward.
3. The 'spitting incident' between Le'Ron McClain and Dolphins LB Channing Crowder.
4. The nose-breaker delivered by Haloti Ngata to Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.

Author Ryan Mink sums it up pretty well:


There were a few high-drama matches this season alone, and of different varieties. There are long-term pairings that seem to never change, flings that quickly came and went, bonds still growing deeper and even one that required plastic surgery.


Do you agree with these pairings? What else would have been on your list?


Here's to hoping these guys can find it within themselves to embrace the spirit of Valentine's Day and LOVE IT OUT!

Happy Valentine's Day Ravens Fans!

I think ESPN's NFL Insider Adam Schefter pretty much sums it up...

AdamSchefter Adam Schefter 

 by tayloraboyd

For the first Sunday in five months, there's no pre-game show and no football. Got the shakes. Need the patch. #bettergetusedtothis

2 hours ago 

Purple Friday Links: Ravens Recap of the Week 02/11/11

Check out my second post over at The Purple Chaos for a summary of all the big Ravens new this week!

Le'Ron McClain TV "Man"

According to his new video blog, McClain wants to return to Baltimore next year!




Waiting for a meeting with his agent.




"Everything is on the up and up"

RAY LEWIS To Return To The Ravens In 2011 For His 16th Season!

According to Ravens Insider:

Ray Lewis made it clear Wednesday that he will continue to man the middle of the Ravens’ defense next season.

Earlier this month, The Baltimore Sun reported that there were “a lot of rumors swirling” about the Ravens offering the 35-year-old linebacker a financial package to retire.

“I heard that they gave me a front office job. Come on,” Lewis said on The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday.

Lewis finished sixth in the NFL this season with 139 tackles. According to the Ravens, he missed only five snaps on defense.

A day after the Ravens’ playoff loss at Pittsburgh, Lewis scoffed at questions on whether he would consider retiring. He continued that stance on Wednesday, saying he would “absolutely” return.

“No ifs ands or buts about it,” Lewis said. “Unfinished business.”

Michael Oher Makes Media Rounds to Promote "I Beat the Odds"

Ray Rice Offers His Opinion on How to Fix the Ravens Run Game

According to the Baltimore Ravens website, the run game will be a top priority for the team in the offseason. Ray Rice offered his advice on what went wrong in 2010 as well as how to address these issues moving forward.

“I feel the run game probably wasn’t as good as it was the previous two years, but I think it was fairly decent,” Rice said.

“At times, we weren’t all on the same page. In the run game, everybody has to be on the same page at the point of attack.”

Rice said being on the same page includes the offensive line and running backs having the same expectation of running tracks (the exact course and pace of the run), location of the landing point (an opening where a cut is made) and other “little things.”

He also spoke about the loss of Jared Gaither.

“Mike [Oher] handled his business, but when you lose a guy like Jared Gaither, who’s born to play tackle, it’s hard,” Rice said. “It’s hard [for defenders] to circle him.”

Rice has already hit the gym and is hard at work to make sure that he is physically ready for next season.

“I want to be better in pass protection,” Rice said. “I was facing some things this year where I was trying to go low on guys and they were trying to jump over me. I’m going to work on different techniques.”

Media Row Tour with Ray Rice

Baltimore Birds' Nest very own "Goob" was selected as DirecTV's Ultimate Displaced Fan and won a trip to Super Bowl 45. Part of his prize was being hooked up with a "mystery Ravens player" who ended up being RAY RICE! Check out the video below highlighting their tour around Super Bowl Radio Row.

Ravens' Birk Plans on Playing in 2011

It has been about one month since Matt Birk expressed some uncertainty about his future as a Baltimore Raven. According to a Baltimore Sun article, today Birk informed Ravens coach John Harbaugh that he plans to return for the 2011 season!

The six-time Pro Bowl center was non-committal on the 2011 season when he limped out of the locker room last month after another physically challenging year. But Birk was back at Ravens headquarters this week working out and receiving treatment for his knee injury.

"I told them I would be good to go," Birk told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday.

Ravens Open To Pulling Trigger On A QB

The Ravens website posted a new article today that announced they would be open to looking at the QB position in the upcoming draft. 


“It’s probably not going to be in the first round, but if there’s a [quarterback] available that we like, we’ll pull the trigger if we think he’ll make us better,” Ravens Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta said.


“We always look at quarterbacks,” DeCosta said.  “We don’t look at that position really different than any other position.  If there’s a good player when we pick, we’ll take him.  It just depends.  It’s a matter of if the guy is there and who else is there with him."


So, who might they pick? According to the article:


There are several talented quarterbacks likely to be considered in the draft’s later rounds, including Alabama’s Greg McElroy, T.J. Yates of the University of North Carolina and Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi.

Rating Ravens' Major Additions

A recent post from Ravens Insider writer Jamison Hensley rates the additions to the Ravens this season (excluding rookies!) Included in his rankings were:

1. Josh Wilson

2. Anquan Boldin

3. T.J. Houshmandzadeh

4. Cory Redding

5. Donte' Stallworth

6. Marc Bulger

Early Super Bowl favorites for 2011: Ravens in the Mix!

According to ESPN's John Clayton, the Ravens are on his list of top 5 teams with Super Bowl potential next season: 

5. Baltimore Ravens -- I almost went with the San Diego Chargers because of Philip Rivers, but they have major holes to fill in their starting lineup. The Ravens have a complete roster. Quarterback Joe Flacco has won four road playoff games. Ray Rice offers big plays for the running game. The defense has some age, but it remains strong. General manager Ozzie Newsome upgraded the receiving corps last season with theAnquan Boldin trade. His next mission is adding a downfield threat. Defenses with three good man-to-man cornerbacks shut down the slower, older Ravens receivers this season and made it tough for Flacco to follow through on his progressions.