Huff Not Waiting On Dallas, Next Stop Ravens
Free agent safety Michael Huff would love to play for his hometown team, but the Irving, Texas native isn't going to wait around for the Cowboys to get their finances straight in order to make that happen.
Now that his visit with Dallas is complete, Huff is already moving on to his next stops with the Ravens and Packers. Huff is expected at the Under Armour Performance Center this week.
Huff told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he hopes a deal will take place this week.
If it does, it won’t be in Dallas, says reporter Clarence Hill.
That's because the Cowboys only have $102,000 in salary cap and can't add any free agents until they clear some room.
"I love Dallas," Huff told Hill. "I grew up down the street from [Texas Stadium]. It would definitely be a dream to play back home. But in this business you never know what is going to happen."
If they decide they want Huff, the Ravens do have salary cap space to sign the All-Pro. After watching nine starters from last season depart, the Ravens have financial flexibility – roughly $4.707 million according to The Sun's Aaron Wilson – even after signing pass rusher Elvis Dumervil.
Huff would sign a one-year deal if it took him to the right place, according to Hill, but he is making no promises to Dallas.
"This is not college and there are no verbal [commitments]," Huff said. "I don't think that is possible. If somebody offered a deal, I would take it."
Huff was cut from the Raiders, who drafted him with the seventh-overall pick in 2006, after giving him a $32 million contract extension in 2011. The Ravens could use the 30-year-old's veteran experience after cutting Bernard Pollard and watching Ed Reed leave via free agency.
Baltimore appears to be an appealing place for Huff.
"I just want to win at this point," he said. "[I] want to win the Super Bowl. I want to play for a successful team."
Bigwigs Debate: Will Ravens Repeat?
The four Super Bowl champions prior to the Ravens all have two things in common.
One: they kept the vast majority of their rosters in place the following year. Two: they didn't repeat.
They didn't come close to repeating either.
The Giants and Steelers didn't even make the playoffs following their Super Bowl victories. The Saints and Packers advanced to the postseason, but lost in the first round.
"Well, we know the Ravens didn't stand pat [with their roster]," said Chris Mortensen.
The Ravens broke the first trend. Could they break the second?
Some of the bigwigs at ESPN – Mortensen, Mel Kiper and Trent Dilfer – debate that question in the video below.
Jacoby's Mom Shares Super Bowl Stories
Jacoby Jones admits he's "100 percent" a mama's boy, and proud of it.
And it's a good thing he had his lovely mom, Emily, on set with him at NFL AM yesterday.
That's because she came to Jacoby's rescue twice, with some insider Super Bowl stories, when analyst Deion Sanders picked on him.
Emily was tattoo free until her son became a World Champion, and now she has a lil somthin' somthin' on her right foot (she didn't reveal what it was).
"How you gonna tat mama up?" asked Sanders to Jacoby, who threw up his hands in defense.
Mama Jones interjected, explaining she made a deal to get a tattoo if the Ravens won.
And when Sanders accused Jacoby of lying when he said Joe Flacco deserved the MVP title over him, Mama Jones stepped in again.
"Let me just say this," Emily interrupted. "When I walked on that field after the Super Bowl, I said, 'Jacoby, are you going to get the MVP?' He says, 'No Ma, Joe deserves it.' Out of his mouth, instantly."
"There must have been a camera near. That's the way to be politically correct," Deion said.
"No, I put my arm around his waist," she said. "It was just he and I in conversation on that field. Nobody heard that but he and I. And I whispered it to him."
Brady Is Dumervil's Favorite QB To Tackle
For those of you that missed the live chat Dumervil had with fans yesterday, check it out.
One tidbit I thought readers would like to know is which current NFL quarterback Dumervil loves to hit most.
"I'd go with Tom Brady," Dumervil wrote. "I've also got Ben [Roethlisberger] a few times in my career."
I'd say Dumervil is going to fit into the Ravens locker room just fine, especially knowing that Terrell Suggs doesn't like Brady much either.
You know you want to watch it again – the video of Dumervil rocking Brady is below.
Stephen A.: Steelers Showing Fear
Steelers safety Ryan Clark said he was happy the Ravens traded Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers.
Clark liked seeing a difference-maker and leader like Boldin out of the division, and he doesn't believe the Ravens can replace what he brought to the table.
Whether Clark is correct is beside the point.
The thing that motivated Clark's comments is what should worry Steelers fans, according to ESPN "First Take" analyst Steven A. Smith.
And that thing is fear.
"I don't want to hear any member of the Pittsburgh Steelers organization lauding and praising a former nemesis in his departure," Smith said. "The Steelers that I know, Steeler Nation, what we want is the best because to beat a man, woooooooo [said in a Rick Flare-style voice], you've got to be THE man."
The mentality football players should have, Smith says, is to want the best opponents. They shouldn't want to see the best get hurt or traded away or waived. That way, at the end of each game, the true champion is undeniable.
"[T]he mystique, it's dissipating, it's not there," Smith said of the Steelers. "The fear factor is out there."
Vote For Jacoby's Super Bowl Play
Ravens fans! Cast your vote for the greatest play in NFL history.
NFL.com picked 64 of the best plays ever, and is asking fans to vote in a March madness tourney-style bracket to declare the best of the best.
Jacoby's Super Bowl XLVII touchdown catch – where he backpedals to connect with the ball, falls down, gets back up, jukes two 49ers defenders and dives into the end zone, has made it to Round 2 but is in big-time jeopardy of getting knocked out.
Lions running back Barry Sanders' touchdown run against the Cowboys in a 1992 playoff game is up by more than 30,000 votes. Ravens Nation has its work cut out if it's going to propel Jones to a win.
Quick Hits
- @EKD92 [Dumervil]: It's official Baltimore! I'm blessed to be a part of Ravens Nation! Let's work! #relentless [Twitter]
- @untouchablejay4 [Terrell Suggs]: @EKD92 "IT'S ON FAM!!!" [Twitter]
- Mike Florio posted the 2013 offseason schedulesfor all 32 teams. Here's the Ravens: Opens April 15; closes June 13; June 11-13 mandatory minicamp. [ProFootballTalk.com]
- @RapSheet [Ian Rapaport]: #NotreDame LB Manti Te'o has turned down 2 invitations to be in New York City's Radio City Music Hall for the 2013 NFL Draft, per sources [Twitter]
- @AlbertBreer: Probably smart for Te'o to avoid NYC for draft, as @RapSheet said he will. Potential of draft fall, added to all the rest, would be a lot. [Twitter]
- Ed Reed didn’t fully understand the business of the NFL until now. [ProFootballTalk.com]
