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The Patriots have reportedly signed Emmanuel Sanders, a restricted free agent, to an offer sheet. I love this move -- for New England.

New England is short on wide receivers, and getting Sanders for a late third-round pick (Sanders’ draft slot in 2010) would make this contending team better right away. Sanders has battled injuries, but there is no shame being stuck behind Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown during his time in Pittsburgh.

Like Brown, Sanders isn’t the biggest receiver around, but he is extremely quick and very good after the catch -- which is a must in the Patriots’ timing-based offense that Tom Brady runs so very well with great precision and accurate throws.

Sanders also has some deep-ball ability, and can line up outside the numbers or in the slot, although New England is pretty set with slot options Danny Amendola and Aaron Hernandez. But we all know that Bill Belichick craves players -- at any position -- with a wide skill set and capable of contributing in many ways. Sanders fits that, and is a great potential pickup for the price.

Not only would Sanders be a strong addition to the Patriots, but the move would also weaken a fellow AFC contender. With Wallace now in Miami, wide receiver is as great of a need for Pittsburgh as any other position. Sanders appeared to be set up to show what he could do as a starter opposite Brown. New England has far more salary-cap space and overall flexibility than the Steelers.

But worst of all for Pittsburgh, Sanders’ signing of this offer sheet forces the Steelers to make a decision they did not want to make. This is not the type of organization that wants other franchises to negotiate contracts for it -- which is essentially what New England did if Pittsburgh chooses to match, and matching could force the Steelers to further shuffle their roster and salary cap.

Also, I don’t think that the Steelers are excited about dealing a young, promising starting wide receiver for a very late third-round pick. Although they are not the clear contender the Patriots are, the Steelers are not in rebuilding mode, and who knows how much longer Ben Roethlisberger can continue playing at a high level with all the punishment he has withstood.

How will Pittsburgh respond? None of us know, but my hunch is the Steelers are not especially happy about either option presented to them.

As Super Bowl champions, or what's left of that team, the Baltimore Ravens get the honor of kicking off the 2013 season with a home Thursday night prime-time game. The opponent for the season-opening game is typically announced at the NFL owners meetings, which are currently taking place in Phoenix, Ariz.

My prediction is the Ravens will open against the Patriots, which is a rematch of the past two AFC Championship games. The popular choice on the AFC North blog, according to a SportsNation poll last month, is the Steelers (41 percent). Based on the Ravens' home schedule, the top other candidates are: the Bengals, Packers and Texans.

The reason I'm going with New England is based on a couple of trends. In the nine years of the defending champion opening on Thursday night, only twice has the matchup been against a team in its own division, and both times it was the NFC East (which makes Pittsburgh and Cincinnati long shots). Also, there was just one time when the reigning champion played a team in the other conference (which makes Green Bay unlikely).

So, if the choices are New England and Houston, it makes sense to go with the Patriots considering their playoff history with the Ravens. Of course, the Texans would have a stronger storyline if they sign safety Ed Reed.

The AFC North blog will pass along the news as soon as the NFL announces it.

Emmanuel Sanders, the Pittsburgh Steelers' restricted free-agent wide receiver, has yet to receive an offer sheet from the New England Patriots after his visit Friday, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

That doesn't mean Sanders is definitely staying with the Steelers this season. Schefter pointed out that the Patriots are still deciding whether to extend an offer sheet to Sanders, who is expected to replace Mike Wallace for Pittsburgh this season.

While the Patriots could put together an offer that the cap-strapped Steelers couldn't match, New England has problems of its own with a shortage of draft picks. If the Patriots gave up a third-round pick for Sanders, which would be the compensation given to Pittsburgh, New England would be left with four picks in next month's draft and just two in the first six rounds. The Patriots used those other picks in trades for cornerback Aqib Talib (fourth round), defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (fifth round), and wide receiver Chad Johnson (sixth round).

In other news, the Steelers reached an agreement with tight end Matt Spaeth, according to ESPNChicago. Spaeth, 29, spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Steelers before playing for the Bears the past two seasons.

He provides depth for the Steelers, who are uncertain when tight end Heath Miller will come back from ACL surgery late in the season. In four seasons with Pittsburgh, Spaeth had 36 catches for 275 yards and five touchdowns. As those numbers indicate, he's more of a blocking tight end. He visited the Bengals on Friday before reaching a deal with Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Steelers expected to lose wide receiver Mike Wallace this offseason. They hadn't planned on his replacement possibly leaving as well.

Emmanuel Sanders, a restricted free agent, is visiting the Patriots on Friday, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. The Patriots, who entered free agency among the top 10 teams in cap space, could make an offer to Sanders that the cap-strapped Steelers can't match.

The Steelers have the first right of refusal on any offer sheet for Sanders after placing the $1.3 million tender on him. If the Steelers don't match the offer, Pittsburgh would receive a third-round pick -- where Sanders was drafted -- in compensation.

Sanders, who turns 26 on Sunday, is a quick, athletic receiver who caught a career-high 44 passes in 2012, doubling his production from the previous season. Even before this visit, the Steelers might have had plans to sign Sanders to an extension, which would be lower than the one given to Antonio Brown ($43 million over six years) last summer.

Losing Sanders would be a surprising move -- restricted free agents rarely draw interest anymore -- and a significant blow to a Steelers team already in transition. It's uncertain who would replace Sanders on this current roster. The only Steelers wide receivers with any experience right now are Brown, Jerricho Cotchery, Plaxico Burress and David Gilreath.

If the Steelers lost Sanders, it would add another question mark to the offense, which doesn't have a featured running back and faces uncertainty with the status of tight end Heath Miller (torn ACL).

Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs should still be celebrating. It was only 24 days ago that he won his first Super Bowl. Along the way, he even beat the team he despises most in the Patriots. But for some reason, Suggs can't get past his animosity for the Patriots even though he got his revenge on them.

Speaking on WEEI-AM, a Boston radio station, Suggs said he "guarantees the other 31 [NFL] teams hate the New England Patriots."

"The NFL is not very big," Suggs said on WEEI. "You think we don't talk to guys that have played for the New England Patriots, that have been on the New England Patriots that have been like, 'Oh, it's been like this.'

"It ain't just me. Why did Bart Scott say the same thing? You think it's just us? You think it's just got something to do with us? No. This is because we have inside information. We know."

Suggs is both right and wrong on this. Yes, it's an opinionated cop-out, but let me explain.

Here is where Suggs is right: The Patriots are hated. It goes back to Spygate scandal in 2007 and the perception that the Patriots cheated to win their three Super Bowls. It stems from the "Tom Brady rule" (it's a penalty to lunge at a quarterback's knees if you're on the ground), which caused many to think the NFL goes out of its way to protect the Patriots quarterback. It also has something to do with the arrogance of coach Bill Belichick, which explains why he was voted as the second-most overrated coach in a players poll conducted by the Sporting News three months ago.

Here is where Suggs is wrong: It's an overstatement to say the Patriots are hated by the 31 other teams. I find it hard to believe that the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers loathe the Patriots. The Ravens? Yes. The Steelers? Sure. The Jets and the rest of the AFC East? Absolutely. It's funny that Suggs is certain that everyone hates the Patriots when his own teammate admires them. Safety Ed Reed always speaks glowingly of Belichick and Brady and he could sign with New England as a free agent next month (I even joked about his bromance with Belichick).

Suggs was making the radio rounds Wednesday to promote "The Coalition," a movie he co-wrote. It's a romantic comedy about "four women who band together to get revenge on four young, successful players because the guys mistreated them in some way." My guess is the villain in the movie wears Uggs, but I digress.

On his radio tour, Suggs also took a shot at a 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis on a San Francisco station. After saying San Francisco had "one fake tough guy" on the offensive line, he complimented every starter except Davis. On Twitter, Davis fired back, calling Suggs an (expletive) "loser" and (expletive) "puppet."

By my count, Suggs has made enemies of the Patriots and 49ers. So while he thinks the Patriots are the NFL's most hated team, it looks like Suggs is gaining momentum to become the league's most hated player.

The Baltimore Ravens could be getting help from two of their biggest rivals in the AFC, the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.

As ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter points out, the restructured quarterback contracts make it easier for Baltimore to put the exclusive franchise tag on Joe Flacco.

The Super Bowl MVP already lost $800,000 from Tom Brady's new contract and could lose more when Ben Roethlisberger restructures his deal by the end of the week. In fact, Flacco could lose up to $3 million if the contracts of the other highest-paid quarterbacks -- Matthew Stafford, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are restructured.

Teams are restructuring the contracts of quarterbacks, who usually have the highest salary-cap number, to get under the cap by March 12.

The exclusive franchise tag is determined by the average of the five highest-paid players at that position for that season. It prohibits the player from negotiating with other teams.

Before Brady's new deal, it was going to cost the Ravens $20.4 million to put the exclusive franchise tag on Flacco. After Brady's deal, the tag is now $19.6 million. If Roethlisberger and other quarterbacks restructure their deals, the tag will drop more, which benefits a Ravens team that will be tight against the cap.

The Ravens and Flacco's agent are currently negotiating a long-term deal. If an agreement can't be reached by March 4, the Ravens will put the tag on Flacco to keep him from becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Tom Brady signed a three-year, $27 million extension, a team-friendly deal that frees up much-needed salary-cap space for the New England Patriots. If Brady is taking less for the team, shouldn't the Ravens' Joe Flacco do the same? Absolutely not.

The Brady Bargain has no impact on Flacco's ongoing negotiations. Suggesting Flacco make the same sacrifice is a lack of understanding of the situations. Flacco is 28, seven years younger than Brady. Flacco is a free agent while Brady had two years left on his deal. And Flacco has yet to sign his first big-time contract while Brady just raked in a $16 million signing bonus in 2010.

The Ravens can certainly ask Flacco to give them a Brady discount. Flacco's response is simple: Brady's generous deal doesn't magically make the big-money contracts signed by Drew Brees ($20 million per season) and Peyton Manning ($19.2 million) magically disappear. The market value for a Super Bowl-winning quarterback hasn't changed over one contract.

Plus, no one brings up the fact Flacco was actually underpaid last year, making $6.7 million in a season in which he ended up as the Super Bowl MVP. So, no one should begrudge Flacco from earning his payday. Flacco had a sure bet before last season when the Ravens reportedly offered him $16 million per season. Instead, he gambled on himself and won in a big way. Flacco deserves his reward.

It would be ridiculous to make the argument that Flacco is on the same level as Brady. It's equally ridiculous to think Flacco and Brady are on the same footing financially. Brady was the 28th highest-paid athlete last year, according to Forbes. He makes $4 million in endorsements per year from Under Armour and Uggs. Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, has been the highest-paid supermodel for the past five years, earning $45 million last year alone. The Bradys just moved into a $20 million mansion in Los Angeles that has a moat. Compare all of that to Flacco, whose big endorsement deal at the Super Bowl was gummy bears.

There will be some who question Flacco's commitment to winning over this. The Ravens could use the cap room to keep safety Ed Reed, pass rusher Paul Kruger and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe as well as ensure wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Jacoby Jones are back. But if you're going to ask Flacco to take less money for the good of the team, it's only fair that you ask Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata and Ray Rice to do the same. They all got paid, and Flacco has the same right.

Sure, Flacco can be the hero again for the Ravens by signing for less than what he could get elsewhere (and the Browns, Bills, Cardinals and Jaguars would pay). But it would be a foolish move money-wise. If Flacco doesn't set the market this year, Matt Ryan will. And there's very little loyalty when it comes to football this time of year, even for Super Bowl champions. The Ravens, off all teams, know this. Remember it was the Ravens who kicked Trent Dilfer to the curb 12 years ago after hoisting up the Lombardi Trophy.

It's a good story with Brady, a future Hall of Fame quarterback helping out his team to make another Super Bowl run as he nears 40 years old. But this has no bearing on Flacco. They are quarterbacks in different chapters of their careers.

While I don't see Dwight Freeney landing in the AFC North, another recently released big-name defensive player could end up in the division. There's a chance that the Ravens and Bengals will show interest in veteran defensive back Charles Woodson, who was cut by the Packers on Friday.

ESPN's John Clayton predicted the Ravens and Patriots as possible destinations for Woodson. Baltimore would only go after Woodson if it can't re-sign Ed Reed, who is an unrestricted free agent. But Woodson wouldn't be the ideal replacement for Reed, outside of his leadership and cheaper price tag. The Ravens have a thumper in strong safety Bernard Pollard and need someone to fill Reed's role as the center fielder on defense. Woodson's cover skills have declined, which is why he made the move from cornerback to safety in 2012.

A more viable option for Woodson is the Bengals. Cincinnati couldn't find a strong safety to start opposite Reggie Nelson last season and ended up re-signing Chris Crocker. Even though Woodson is 36 years old and isn't the same player who was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009, he would bring a leader from a championship team to a Bengals team that hasn't won a playoff game since the Bush administration (and I'm talking George H.W. Bush).

Unlike other teams, the Bengals have the salary cap room to make this move. Woodson can match up against tight ends, something that the Bengals struggled with last season. The Bengals have become a more attractive landing spot for free agents after reaching the playoffs the past two seasons. And, as everyone knows, the Bengals love to bring in former first-round picks to their defense. Just ask linebacker Aaron Maybin, cornerbacks Terence Newman, Adam Jones and Jason Allen, Nelson, defensive lineman Jamaal Anderson and defensive end Derrick Harvey.

It's fighting words around these parts if you mention that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is "elite." So, Merril Hoge's comments should really stir it up here.

In ranking his top five quarterbacks in the NFL right now -- with the emphasis on right now -- Hoge has Flacco atop his standings. That's right, No. 1. The big numero uno. His other four are: Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan.

Feel free to discuss this in the comments below.

By winning the Super Bowl, the Ravens get to kick off the 2013 season on a Thursday night prime-time game. So, who should they face?

Based on the Ravens' home schedule, the top candidates are: the Bengals, Packers, Patriots, Steelers and Texans.

In looking at the trends, my guess is the Ravens will open at home against the Patriots, which would be a rematch of the past two AFC Championship Games. In the nine years of the defending champion opening on Thursday night, only twice has the matchup been against a team in its own division, and both times it was the NFC East. Also, there was just one time when the reigning champion played a team in the other conference (Indianapolis-New Orleans in 2007).

But this blog post isn't all about history and trends. I want to know which matchup you want to see the most in the 2013 season opener. So, record your vote and send me the reason why you want to see that matchup to the AFC North mailbag. Your comment could be used in the blog later in the week.

NEW ORLEANS -- It appears that Patriots coach Bill Belichick's bromance with Ravens safety Ed Reed is not a one-sided affair.

Reed, who has deflected questions about his future this month, couldn't help himself when a Boston Herald reporter asked if he could see himself playing for Belichick next season.

"Yeah, oh yeah, man, I could definitely play for Coach Belichick," said Reed, who is an unrestricted free agent in March. "He is a great coach. I'm sure he can help me to expand my football knowledge even more as a player and as a coach, so if I'm ever able to be around him, just like I was at the Pro Bowl, it's huge."

I speculated two weeks ago that Reed could find a new home in New England next season. A couple of years ago, Tom Brady joked that Belichick wanted to adopt Ed Reed and change his name to "Ed Belichick."

Now, it appears that Reed is taking fashion tips from Belichick. I couldn't make this next quote up if I tried.

"It's the reason why I wear my sweater cut off a little bit," Reed said. "He's the first guy I saw like, 'That's cool.' You know, that's cool. He cuts those sweater sleeves, and he'll be comfortable. So there's a reason why. Most people will tell you around the facility that's how I look. It's just a blessing to even have met, to know Coach Belichick."

What's next for Reed and Belichick? Secret handshakes? Late-night texting BFFs?

There is a chance that the Super Bowl will be Ed Reed's final game for Baltimore. I guess we'll have to wait a few months before we find out if Reed is swapping a Ravens jersey for a Patriots hoodie.

The NFL surprisingly fined New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady $10,000 for unnecessary roughness in Sunday's AFC Championship Game, a source told The NFL Network. The discipline stems from Brady raising his right leg while sliding, as he hit Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed in his leg.

This was the league's way of showing defensive players that everyone can be disciplined. In most cases, it's defensive players who are fined for making contact with quarterbacks. Ravens safety Bernard Pollard brought up the double standard Monday, and this was the NFL's response to it.

But the amount of the fine essentially makes this more of a symbolic gesture. Brady's wife, Gisele, makes $10,000 for an hour of runway work (I wish I was making this up), so Brady will pay this fine with pocket change. In comparison, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was fined $10,000 last year just for calling his wife on the sideline to let her know he was fine after taking a shot to the head.

Still, this is significant because no one really expected the NFL to fine Brady. I thought the league would say it couldn't prove intent on the play. Plus, he's the quarterback that they make rules to protect. Just look up the Tuck Rule or the Brady Rule (defenders who are on the ground no longer can lunge at the quarterback's knees or lower). This is why Pollard called Brady the "pretty boy" and "the man of the NFL" before last year's AFC Championship Game.

So, this is a win for defensive players, albeit a small victory. The bigger triumph for the Ravens was watching the Patriots kick a field goal after that slide and shutting out Brady and New England the rest of the game.

Ravens safety Bernard Pollard wants Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to be disciplined for his slide in the AFC Championship Game where he made contact with Ed Reed. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter doesn't think Pollard should get his hopes up.

The league is reviewing the play, but Schefter doesn't believe the league is going to take any action against Brady. Click on the video above to hear why.

I wrote about how Terrell Suggs' postgame rant on the Patriots was classless. Well, that is nothing compared to this latest inappropriate emotional outburst.

A number of Patriots fans tweeted some disparaging remarks to Torrey Smith about his late brother following the AFC Championship Game, according to the Ravens wide receiver. Tevin Smith, Torrey's younger brother, was killed in a motorcycle accident in September.

"Played a lot of games since my brothers death and I never received as many rude tweets after a win than Sunday...yet NE fans cry about class," Smith tweeted Tuesday.

I understand how fans can take losses personally. But they can't make it personal. This is the perfect example of social media gone bad. I applaud Smith for handling it the right way because many athletes wouldn't.

The sad part is this isn't the first time Smith has had to deal with this. Shortly after Smith helped the Ravens beat the Patriots in September, only hours after his brother had died, someone taunted him on Twitter, saying, "Hey, Smith, how about you call your bro and tell him about your wi--- ohhhh. Wait. #TooSoon?"

I often wonder why athletes even go on social media during the season. San Francisco kicker David Akers closed his Twitter account after receiving death threats late last month.

And losing control after losses isn't a problem for just fans. The wife of Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, Anna Burns Welker, used Facebook to take a few shots at Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis on Sunday night.

"Proud of my husband and the Pats. By the way, if anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis' Wikipedia page. 6 kids 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay. What a hall of fame player! A true role model!" Burns Welker said in a since-deleted post on her personal Facebook page. She later released a statement apologizing for her remarks.

If you would like to hear more from Smith, you don't have to go on Twitter or Facebook to do so. He went on "Mike & Mike" to talk about the support of his teammates and describes the way the team was able to knock off New England to advance to the Super Bowl.

Click here to hear it all.

Baltimore Ravens safety Bernard Pollard has a history of injuring New England Patriots, from Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski. Now, he could be hurting Brady's wallet.

A day after Pollard publicly complained about Brady's slide in the AFC Championship Game, Brady is being reviewed by the league for possible discipline, league sources told ESPN's Ed Werder. In the final minute of the first half, Brady slid and raised his leg to hit Ravens safety Ed Reed, who was trying to pull up and not make contact with the star quarterback.

"He knew what he was doing," Pollard said Monday. "So, I'm the type of player -- it has to go both ways. It really does. It has to go both ways. Hopefully, the NFL will do something about it."

When asked if the NFL should punish Brady, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday, "I saw the same thing you saw. I saw the same thing everybody saw, so that would be in the league’s hands. It’s pretty straight forward what happened. I’m going to leave it up to you guys to make those evaluations and to the league to make that evaluation.”