Someone In U.S. Congress Made Anonymous Edit To Flacco's Wikipedia Page
Here are your tax dollars hard at work.
Until yesterday, I confess I had no idea that @congressedits existed. It's a Twitter bot that tweets anonymous Wikipedia edits made from IP addresses in the U.S. Congress.
Well, it tweeted Tuesday afternoon this about quarterback Joe Flacco's Wikipedia page.
Guess what the change was?
It comes as no surprise that this anonymous person from the U.S. House of Representatives entered a snarky comment (see tweet below) on Flacco's elite status. People are literally obsessed with the debate, and it has oddly become a regular topic in politics these days.
I suppose it only makes sense to bring it up again on Super Tuesday.
The burning question is … did an actual rep do it? And, if so, who was it?
"As fun as it is to imagine Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco's longtime representative in Congress, killing time in Washington by getting back at Flacco for the Ravens' Super Bowl win over the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, it was most likely a congressional staffer who made the change," wrote The Baltimore Sun's Jonas Shaffer.
"The IP address offers some clues, but little clarity. There are changes to the pages for Rep. Al Green of Texas, Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida, Rep. Mike Hubbard of Alabama, even Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland. Some of the other notable revisions: 'Tootsie Roll,' 'List of people excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church' and 'German nuclear weapon project.'"
The Calm Before The Storm In Baltimore
Getting back to more substantive Ravens news …
The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec expects an extremely busy eight days in Baltimore this week, where it has mostly been quiet since the end of the 2015 season. He said it could be the "busiest of the offseason" outside of draft weekend.
Here's the list of things to be done over the next eight days:
- Officially place the franchise tag on kicker Justin Tucker (check that off the list, see below)
- Finalize a new deal for Flacco
- Make a final call on running back Trent Richardson, who is expected in Baltimore today to take a physical
- Make roster cuts prior to free-agency doors opening on March 9. Zrebiec says defensive end Chris Canty, tight end Dennis Pitta, left tackle Eugene Monroe, linebacker Daryl Smith, cornerback Kyle Arrington and safeties Will Hill, Kendrick Lewis and Matt Elam are all in danger.
- Take one more shot at pending unrestricted free agents before they hit the open market, including Kelechi Osemele and 10 others
- Make salary offers to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. There are 12 ERFAs (all expected to sign) and four restricted players, including wide receivers Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown, tight end Chase Ford and safety Brynden Trawick.
We've written plenty on Tucker, Richardson, Osemele and potential cap casualties, but Aiken has flown a bit under the radar.
"Their biggest call is on wide receiver Kamar Aiken, who was one of the offense's top playmakers last season with a team-high 75 receptions, 944 receiving yards and five touchdown catches," wrote Zrebiec. "The Ravens can either opt to put a second-round tender ($2.55 million) on the 26-year-old wide receiver; or they can use a low-round tender ($1.67 million).
"Aiken would be an attractive option for wide-receiver needy teams. The Ravens surely know this; however, they've been willing to gamble in situations like this in the past. Last season, they used the low tender on starting safety Will Hill, and it ultimately paid off, as no other teams extended an offer sheet despite plenty of speculation that somebody would."
Tucker Should Surpass Crosby Deal
The NFL announced the full list of franchise and transition tags placed on players by teams around the league and, as expected, kicker Justin Tucker was on the list, making the move official. The league also noted that the tag for Tucker will cost $4.12 million in 2016.
He was one of nine players to get the franchise designation.
Franchise Tags
- K Justin Tucker, Baltimore
- OT Cordy Glenn, Buffalo
- CB Josh Norman, Carolina
- WR Alshon Jeffery, Chicago
- LB Von Miller, Denver
- S City Eric Berry, Kansas
- CB Trumaine Johnson, Los Angeles
- DE Muhammad Wilkerson, NY Jets
- QB Kirk Cousins, Washington
Transition Tag:DE Olivier Vernon, Miami
The Ravens have until July 15 to come to a long-term agreement with Tucker, otherwise he will play the season under the tag. As NFL Media's Albert Breer noted, of the five franchise-tagged players last year, four were able to come to an agreement. All four deals were announced on July 15.
The lesson here? Be patient.
One team that did not tag its kicker is the Green Bay Packers, who were able to agree to a four-year deal with Mason Crosby. The contract is reportedly worth $16.1 million.
The deal will be of significance to the Ravens and Tucker as it helps set the market for kickers, and some believe that Tucker should get more than Crosby.
Ranking How 'Active' Ravens Will Be In Free Agency
History has shown that the Ravens usually lay low during the first few days of free agency, allowing other teams to shell out major money to the biggest names available.
But that doesn't mean the Ravens don't dip into the market themselves. It's just usually under-the-radar value signings a few weeks into the process. That is what ESPN's Jamison Hensley expects again this year.
ESPN ranked how active all 32 teams will be in free agency, placing them into categories of "active," "will pick their spots," and "standing pat."
The Ravens were placed in the "pick their spots" tier.
"The Ravens are often methodical in free agency and typically wait until the first wave to get better bargains," wrote Hensley. "Since 2010, Baltimore has given more than $4 million guaranteed to one free agent from another team (linebacker Elvis Dumervil). It wouldn't be surprising if the Ravens add a veteran cornerback and wide receiver in free agency."
Quick Hits
