Ozzie Newsome will likely determine when his run as Ravens general manager ends.

When it does, Newsome is looking to return to Alabama, where he grew up and played college football.

“At some point I’m coming back home," Newsome told the Tuscaloosa News during his ninth annual golf tournament there. "I’m coming home. And what I do when I get here, I don’t know. But I am coming home."

There has been speculation for years that Newsome would go back to become Alabama's athletic director. The Crimson Tide's current athletic director Mal Moore has come under scrutiny lately, which has caused some to wonder about Newsome's return.

"I always allow the information to help me make a decision,” Newsome said when asked about the athletic director job. “There is a lot of information that I would need to get before I could even entertain something like that.

"I probably get asked that question once a day. I always say, ‘I know the NFL. That's what I do.' "

Newsome, 53, is considered one of the top decision-makers in the NFL. He has been in charge of the Ravens' personnel moves since the team relocated to Baltimore in 1996 and was officially named general manager in 2002, becoming the first African-American to receive that title in the NFL.

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Although it has been presumed that Terrell Suggs would play this season under the franchise tag, the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker said Friday that he is nearing a long-term deal with the Ravens.

The deadline to reach a new contract with franchise players is July 15. If no deal is struck, Suggs will play his second straight season under the tag, earning $10.2 million this year.

“I feel like we’re getting close,” Suggs told the team’s Web site. “Negotiations are going on with the Ravens. Fans can be optimistic that I’ll be [at training camp].”

It is believed that the Ravens have offered Suggs a contract that would make him among the highest-paid defensive players in the league. But there have been indications that Suggs is still leaning toward testing the free-agent market in March.

Because he has yet to sign his contract, he missed all of the offseason minicamps without any discipline from the team. He also would likely miss training camp like he did last year.

Suggs, 26, is considered one of the rising defensive stars in the NFL. He led the Ravens with eight sacks and finished third on the team with a career-best 102 tackles.

There has been speculation that Suggs is looking for a contract similar to the one given in 2007 to the Indianapolis Colts’ Dwight Freeney, whose six-year, $72 million deal made him the highest paid defender in league history at the time.

“I just hope we can get it done in time for training camp,” Suggs said.

When the Ravens used the tag on Suggs in February, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said, “You have to look at it as an opportunity for us to enter into a long-term deal.”

Suggs couldn't be reached for comment.

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The Ravens continue to make quick work of signing their draft picks, agreeing to a three-year deal with third-rounder Lardarius Webb.

The cornerback from Nicholls State received a signing bonus around $530,000.

"Lardarius was slowed some in the OTAs with a hamstring problem, but toward the end, when he was feeling better, he showed he belonged," coach John Harbaugh said in a statement. "He’ll help us on special teams, including as a gunner, and he’ll contribute to our defense."

The Ravens' only unsigned draft picks are: offensive tackle Michael Oher (first round) and defensive end-linebacker Paul Kruger (second round).

Historically, the Ravens don't begin contract talks with their draft picks until after the July 4th holiday. But the team has struck deals with Webb, linebacker Jason Phillips (fifth round), tight end Davon Drew (fifth round) and running back Cedric Peerman (sixth round).

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Thirteen years of playing in the NFL – which includes regular-season and playoff games, offseason practices and training camp – may have taken a physical toll on Trevor Pryce, but the defensive end is still one of the more engaging personalities to talk to in the Ravens locker room.

Asked last week if mini-camps are a necessary evil, Pryce replied, “It is evil, but it is necessary. Let’s not say necessary evil. Let’s say evil necessary. But you have to do it. Especially for me personally, when I work out in Denver, no matter how hard you work out, you don’t sweat [because] there’s no humidity. So when I come out here, I put on a lot of clothes and try to run as much as I can to get some sweating in. but you enjoy it. They don’t make me do much. If they did make me do much, then I’d say, ‘This is optional. I’m going home.’ But since they take care of me and get me a play here, six plays there, and get off, then I’m ok.”

Jokes aside, Pryce, who turns 34 on Aug. 3, looks to be in great shape and still has the agility and strength that has helped him collect 79 sacks in his career. The Ravens have drafted young pass rushers like Antwan Barnes, Paul Kruger and Prescott Burgess to book-end the talent they have in Terrell Suggs, but Pryce continues to run with the first defensive unit opposite Suggs.

“Trevor is an elite defensive player in this league,” coach John Harbaugh said. “At one time, I think he was the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL – he’s that kind of a talent guy. Plus, Trevor knows how to stay in great shape. Trevor does a lot of training here, but he does a lot of training on his own. He’s the kind of guy that runs basketball gassers with weight packs on his back. Nobody’s in better shape than Trevor. He’ll come in here for 48 hours, as he says, then he’ll get out of here. But when you see it, you see the work he’s done. We expect Trevor to be an elite defensive lineman.”

After posting a career-best 13 sacks in 2006, Pryce registered just two sacks in five games in 2007 due to a broken wrist and a torn pectoral muscle and 4½ sacks in 16 contests last season. Pryce said he wasn't disappointed with his personal performance last year.

“I didn’t have a lot of sacks, but I had the same amount of pressures,” he said. “I guess I didn’t get lucky enough. … As a pass rusher, I thought I played pretty well. I can’t control sacks. I can control pressuring the quarterback, but a lot of other things have to happen for me to get a sack.”

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At his youth football camp Thursday, disgruntled Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall declined to answer questions about his status with the team or a possible to trade to another one.

The Ravens, who have not engaged in trade talks for Marshall, have been linked to him.

“I think we saw this past year as far as change, as for changes in our front office. Coach (Mike) Shanahan being here 13 years. Gone! I think that’s part of life. You know it’s just change,” Marshall said.

“You can control what you can control and what you can’t control you don’t worry about. So I’m here to show my wisdom, to give wisdom and get a feel for the kids.”

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The Ravens signed undrafted rookie linebacker Tony Fein, the one player added from a 10-player tryout. Fein, 27, spent 2 1/2 years in the army before recording 136 tackles in 24 games for Mississippi.

The team released three undrafted rookies: quarterback Drew Willy, linebacker-defensive end Luis Vasquez and defensive back David Jones.

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Ravens signed their third draft pick, linebacker Jason Phillips, to a three-year contract. No terms were available for the fifth-round pick.

Phillips joins tight end Davon Drew and running back Cedric Peerman as signed draft picks.

The Ravens cut defensive back Anwar Phillips and cornerback David Jones.

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Even though Tuesday’s practice was billed as a rookies-only event, there were a few veterans sprinkled in the mix. Offensive linemen Joe Reitz and Bryan Mattison, cornerback Anwar Phillips and wide receiver Justin Harper took a generous number of reps.

Although Reitz, Mattison and Harper are technically second-year players, their first seasons went unaccredited with all three spending time on either the practice squad or injured reserve. So the opportunity to get extra snaps and tutoring was appealing.

“The whole thought was, ‘Well, do I have to be out here?’ but then I looked at it and thought about it and was like, ‘They didn’t say anything to me about being here, so I’m going to be here,’ ” said Harper, a Virginia Tech product drafted in the seventh round last year. “So I looked at it like, ‘Hey, being a rookie last year and not getting to play, I still feel like a rookie.’ So until I get some games under my belt, I’m still a rookie.”

Reitz said he jumped at the chance to refine his technique under the watchful eyes of offensive line coach John Matsko and assistant offensive line coach Andy Moeller without having to elbow his way past his other linemates.

“It’s a chance to come in and get more individual attention because during full teams and stuff, the coaches are coaching everybody,” Reitz said. “But instead of 15 O-linemen, there are now five. So you really get that individual attention. Our O-line coaches are given a lot of time for us to ask questions and really get everything cleared up before you go to training camp:’

Phillips acknowledged considering staying home rather than attending Tuesday’s practice.

“That’s always an option, but another day you can work is always a good day,” he said. “It’s another chance to get better and work on stuff. I actually learn more details about coverages, and that helps. Some of this may be all new to me, but I’m getting better. It’s another day that maybe guys who are in the same position as me don’t have. It’s another day for me to broadcast my talents.”

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Cedric Peerman, a sixth-round pick, signed a three-year, $1.2 million deal with the Ravens that included a $78,000 signing bonus.

Peerman, a running back out of Virginia, joins tight end Davon Drew as the Ravens' signed draft picks. The Ravens report to training camp in late July.

The unsigned draft picks are: offensive tackle Michael Oher (first round); defensive end Paul Kruger (second round); cornerback Lardarius Webb (third round); and linebacker Jason Phillips (fifth round).

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 12:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

In his first comments since requesting a trade from the Denver Broncos, Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall wrote on his Web site:

"Clearing the Air…"
"To whom it may concern. Life is filled with change, and where I am in my life now change is probably best. It’s hard leaving an organization ran by one of the best owners in all of sports, and someone who’s been there for me through my ups and downs. The hardest thing was hearing Mr. B (owner Pat Bowlen) wish me luck in the future, but we both came to the conclusion that this is probably the best thing for me to grow on and off the field.

"I thank the Denver fans who embraced my emotion and play on the field and showing me love every time I step outside my door."

Ravens officials are looking into Marshall's background before initiating any trade talks with the Broncos.

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (40)