Ed Reed's career-ending injury?

WNST radio in Baltimore today reported that Ed Reed is totally f*cked experiencing some very serious health problems, specifically a nerve impingement in both his shoulder and neck.

The neck is an especially important body part. Trust me. I know what I'm talking about. I watched Doogie Howser, M.D. like every day when I was a kid.

Reed hopes to avoid surgery, because if he goes under the knife, he is kissing his career goodbye.

Reed: “If I had surgery now, you all would not be interviewing me ever again. If I had surgery, I would not be playing anymore.”

He has traveled to at least four states for treatment: North Carolina, Michigan, New Jersey and Florida. Presumably he's also been treated in Maryland. Reed admits that the injury will never go away, but that there are some things he can do to mitigate the problems.

Regardless of how this all shakes out, this is terrible news for Reed and the Ravens, and the good folks here at Blogimore (i.e. me) wish Fast Eddie nothing but the best. Stay healthy, homey. Don't be on the field if it's a risk to your long-term health. Do what you gotta do, and... ah, who the hell am I kidding. Ed Reed doesn't read blogs.

Heisman, Boller, Flacco and DT MD

I've been M.I.A. for a minute while I move into a new apartment. In the meantime, Boller might be out for the season, and Troy Smith is both lethargic and questionable because of an issue with his tonsils, which leaves Jackhammer Joe Flacco in charge. If he's half as good as his Madden '09 character, the Ravens will be OK. Also, today the Ravens traded a late-round 2009 draft selection for defensive tackle Marques Douglas, who returns to Baltimore after stints in two Bays: Frisco and Tampa.

Welcome home, MD.

Best. Headline. Ever.

Cleveland Browns back in true form after giving up 98 penalty yards, allowing a 95-yard fumble return, kicking a punt into their own players for a safety, and losing their starting quarterback to injury

Trade Terrell Suggs; he's overrated and in his prime

Tony Lombardi suggests that the Baltimore Ravens trade Terrell Suggs, and I couldn't agree more. Word is that T-Sizzle's agent won't rest until his client is the highest-paid defender in football. (For those of you keeping score at home, I won't rest until my bed is full of super models, my fridge packed with Dom, and my bank account crushed under the weight of heavily circulated, unmarked bills).

T-Sizzle, the best player in football?
From Lombardi:

Count me among those who don’t see Suggs as a difference maker. He’s not a player that opposing offensive coordinators have to alter their game plan for. Trevor Pryce might be. Ed Reed when he isn’t freelancing and abandoning his defensive backfield mates is a player that coordinators maneuver around. Haloti Ngata is a big nuisance to opponents and has to be accounted for.

Should the highest paid defender require a wingman to be effective?

Rhetorical question, folks. Of course the answer is no, and of course Suggs is not worthy of being the highest-paid defender in the league (or even on his team).

Willis McGahee: Unprofessional and unprepared

Today it was announced that Willis McGahee would have arthroscopic knee surgery on his left knee. The knee has bothered him since the start of training camp, to which he reported overweight and out of shape.

McGahee: "It could get better. That's what training camp is for. I know I’m rusty. I know I'm not going to come to training camp and be on point. That's hard, and I've got to work to that level."

Granted, McGahee was only four pounds overweight, but the dude skipped nearly all of the team's offseason workouts, during which time offensive coordinator Cam Cameron installed the new offense.

If coach Harbaugh is serious about changing this team's attitude, he should start with guys like McGahee. Prepare hard. Be responsible. Don't skip mandatory minicamps. Be a team player, especially when your team has a new quarterback, head coach, offensive coordinator, offensive line, and you're the team's #1 running back.

Maryland rules; your state sucks

More on the McGahee's surgery later today, after I've had coffee and shrouded myself with an aura of respectability and responsibility; until then, read why Maryland is awesome and wherever you live sucks by comparison. Makes me wish I didn't live in California. Just kidding.

Who wants to get a lap dance for breakfast?

Ravens-Patriots preseason game recap

I wasn't able to watch the game, but here's a good Ravens-Patriots preseason game recap, courtesy of Luke Jones (aka Baltimore Luke).

Step aside, Tom; she's Ray's girl now

Ravens/Patriots... preseason football!

Even I have a hard time getting excited about this. Then again, the game isn't being televised on the west coast. If were able to actually watch the game, then certainly I would feel differently.

I'd love to see Boller trip over his feet, fumble, and then be replaced by either Smith or Flacco. Smith isn't getting any love, and it's becoming more clear to me that Flacco is the future. One of these days I'll man-up and get on the bandwagon. Not today, though. I'm busy. I've got things to do. Like search for Gisele photos online.

It'd be nice to see Ray Rice in action tonight, even more so considering Willis won't be playing. And who will be the third-string back? All exciting roster questions. None of which I'll be able to follow tonight.

Instead I'll cry myself a river, and pretend that I actually care about the outcome of the game while I follow the score online. In the meantime, I'll just fantasize about [fill in the blank].

The season can't get here soon enough. I'm tired of not watching football.

Bengals sign Keith Rivers

The Bengals last night signed first-round draft pick Keith Rivers to a rookie contract, and shortly thereafter Rivers blogged about it in the Yard. Rivers started training camp today. A few months back, I met with Keith and his then teammate Thomas Williams, who is now a linebacker in Jacksonville. It was the day after Pro Day at USC, and I told 'em both that I was looking forward to watching them play at the next level, unless one of 'em goes to an AFC North rival. Well, here we are.

I think Keith has all of the tools to be successful in the NFL, but that's really no surprise. He was the first linebacker off the board. Keep an eye on Thomas, though. A fifth-round draft pick, some suggested he wouldn't even make Jacksonville's squad; however, my opinion is that Thomas will have a long career in the NFL. Trust me, the guy has what it takes. I've seen him workout, and I've also had glimpses into the guy's mentality. He may never make the Pro Bowl, but I don't suspect he'll be without work for quite some time. He works hard, takes care of himself, and is a sponge when it comes to studying the game. High-character guy also. Both of 'em.

Anyway, back to Keith: Some gave him a hard time for holding out, but so much goes on behind the scenes, and although I see the POV that there are teammates to consider, first and foremost these guys need to look out for themselves. Nothing is guaranteed beyond the signing bonus of that first contract, and you can't fault guys for doing what is best for them. Am I surprised that DE Derrick Harvey is not yet in camp? Yes. But I give him the benefit of the doubt.

It will be great to see Keith play against the Steelers. Hopefully he can wreak some havoc on Big Ben and Fast Willie Parker. He'll be a positive influence in a shaky locker room, and although I wish him all the best in 87.5% of his games, I hope he's a non-factor week one against Baltimore, and then again when Baltimore and Cincy meet for a rematch.

Congratulations, Keith.

Fbkid's Baltimore Ravens snapshot

Big ups to my man Fbkid from the Yard, who wrote an AFC preview, which of course included a blurb on the Ravens. It's syndicated below in its entirety. To read the rest of his AFC preview, click here.

Fbkid is an aspiring writer and H.S. student in Jacksonville, Florida.

Great job, FB. Thanks for sharing this with the Yard, and for allowing me to post this here on Blogimore. Stay solid.

Baltimore Ravens: Until the quarterback situation is settled, it will be hard for the Ravens to be a successful team. Kyle Boller led the team in passing last year as he had 9 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Boller has had lots of opportunities to prove to the team that he could be a successful quarterback. So far, the Ravens haven't seen any results. Troy Smith was solid as a rookie last year as he had very good game management skills and in two starts threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions. Then you add rookie Joe Flacco into the mix who the Ravens traded up to get in the 1st round. Flacco could be the Ravens quarterback of the future, but as of now is still raw and shouldn't be thrown into the fire right away. Willis McGahee had another solid year as he had 1207 yards and 7 touchdowns. Look for McGahee to have a big season this year as the new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is known to make running backs the focal point of his offense. Ray Rice was picked in the 2nd round and if McGahee gets hurt, Rice is a solid backup option who proved to be very durable in his 3 years at Rutgers. Derrick Mason proved last season that he is one of the most consistent receivers in the game as he had 103 catches for 1087 yards. Cameron also loves using tight ends in his schemes and if Todd Heap is healthy, it will give the Ravens offense another dimension. The defense is still productive, but it is aging.

Boller to start vs. Pats; Dewey cries

This is a cruel joke, right? What does Baltimore have to gain by starting Kyle Boller in the team's first preseason game, which is against the New England Cheatriots?

Kyle Boller is a known entity.

Here are the things we know:

1) He is a quality backup quarterback, maybe not in the NFL but definitely in Baltimore, where he enjoys familiarity, mediocrity and the ire of fans who at one point or another shelled out $90 for one of his jerseys.

2) He is not a quality starter. He probably never will be, and regardless he is not the future of Baltimore.

3) He trips over his feet. A lot.

4) He's inaccurate.

5) He consistently stutter-stutter-stutter-steps his way to low completion percentages.

6) He can't get it done in the red zone.

7) He is a product of Jeff Tedford. (Green Bay fans, take note: Don't be so quick to throw Brett Favre out with the bath water.)

Interestingly, I heard J.O. on the radio this morning saying he thinks Boller will open the season as the team's starting quarterback. I don't get it. I suppose it's time to man-up and have faith in my team. Clearly Troy Smith isn't being shown much love outside of Blogimore, and what the hell do I know? I live in California, watch games half-sauced in a bar with no sound, and haven't played a down of football since I was about 14, and even that was in someone's backyard.

C'est la vie.

The Boller Era continues.

Michael Irvin: Funnyman and Playmaker

Below is a video of me clowning around with Michael Irvin at an event hosted by Ronnie Lott and All Stars Helping Kids. He's a man many love to hate, but he was terribly funny and we were fortunate to have been involved with such a great talent (both on and off the field).

Fabian Washington... d'oh!

The one-game suspension of CB Fabian Washington for off-field domestic issues is going to hurt more than any other one-game suspension in the history of Ravens football. I write that having neither researched suspensions nor even knowing whether or not the Ravens have ever had a player suspended for a single game before. My guess is that they have. Who cares, though. That's not really my point. My point is that this suspension hurts. A lot.

The Ravens open up the Cincy against Carson Palmer and the Bengals, who have a history of tearing apart the Ravens secondary, which itself suffered last year. "Suffered" is putting it mildly. No one in the NFL gave up more deep balls last year than Baltimore. The secondary was weak and the pass rush non-existent.

Trevor Pryce is back and healthy, which will definitely help the pass rush. T-Sizzle, who disappeared last year following Pryce's injury, will be back on the map, and Bart Scott should have a better season. That said, the secondary itself, weak pass rush aside, suffered. C-Mac is still solid, but he's getting old, and Samari Rolle is even older. The backups on the team didn't prove anything. Fabian Washington was brought in to shore up the secondary, and not having him in the season's opener against the Bengals is a big loss. Not many QBs in the league will test our secondary like Carson, and it would have been nice to put Fabian to the test right away. Also, nowhere is confidence more important than the secondary. If Carson tears apart our secondary to open the season, what does that do for the confidence of a team that's working with a new coach, new quarterback (probably), and a fanbase that's hungry for some Ws?