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Ravens safety Ed Reed said he's "not 100 percent committed right now to playing this year," according to tweets from Sirius Radio's Rich Gannon and Adam Schein.

When asked if the Ravens know he's not committed, Reed said, "I'm sure they will after this interview."

Let's not overreact to this. This isn't news. This is Ed being Ed. This is the same player who has contemplated retirement every year since the end of the 2008 season because of a nerve impingement in his neck -- even saying he was 50-50 to return in January 2010 -- but he always ends up playing. And, in an all-too-familiar update to this story, Reed said hours after the radio interview that he is now planning to play this season and possibly beyond.

There will come a time soon when Reed will call it quits on a likely Hall of Fame career. He turns 34 when the season begins and has played only one full season in the past three. The feeling is that he won't be leaving the game this year.

It gets increasingly more difficult to believe Reed the more he uses the retirement card. It has come to the point when Reed should say the word "retirement" only when he is announcing his retirement.

Trying to read Reed and his clues are often a struggle. After the Ravens’ AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots, Reed didn't speak to reporters but sang "I think I better let it go ..." from the Teddy Pendergrass song “Love TKO” as he walked out of the locker room. A month later, Reed told coach John Harbaugh that he was preparing himself to play in 2012.

Reed often contradicts himself, which makes it so hard to analyze what he really means. In late March, Reed said playing four to five more seasons was "a reality for me." In early April, Reed talked about how he has been trying to get a new contract from the Ravens. Now, he's saying on the radio that he is not committed.

So what is it, Ed? Do you want the Ravens to give you a long-term deal or are you going to retire?

Maybe this is about wanting a new contract. Perhaps this is Reed's way of getting the Ravens' attention. Reed is entering the final year of a six-year, $44.4 million contract, and he could be feeling left out because the Ravens signed cornerback Lardarius Webb to a six-year, $50 million extension this offseason and are in talks with quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice. Maybe he feels like he has leverage considering the Ravens could be without linebacker Terrell Suggs this season.

If this is truly about a contract, Reed is hurting himself by saying he's not committed to this season. It wouldn't be wise for the Ravens to give a big signing bonus to Reed if he's not invested in playing for an extended period.

When asked about Reed's future in March, owner Steve Bisciotti told the Baltimore Sun: “We’ll either have to get him signed to an extension, he has to say that he’s done, or we have to face the possibility of seeing him play in another uniform. That’s the reality of this.”

As I've said before, trying to get in the head of Reed is laborious, frustrating and often pointless. I won't believe he is going to retire until he actually walks away from the game.

When it comes to the current salary-cap situations for the AFC North teams (recent figures were released on the league's official website), it's certainly a case of The Haves and The Have Nots.

The Baltimore Ravens rank third in the smallest amount of cap space remaining. Only the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints have less cap room than the Ravens, who are $1.7 million under.

Baltimore knows what needs to be done in order to free up some cap room -- get new deals completed with quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice. Flacco ($8 million cap number) and Rice ($7.7 million franchise tag) account for 12 percent of the team's salary cap.

It's a win-win situation for both sides. The Ravens sign their two best offensive players for the long term and the players get rewarded with new deals.

The difficult part is trying to agree on each player's worth. Flacco will likely get an average of $13 million per season (perhaps a six-year deal in the $80 million range), and Rice will probably get something similar to Houston's Arian Foster ($43.5 million over five years).

“The quicker we sign them, the quicker we free up salary-cap space,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti told the team's official website last week. “So there’s an urgency there.”

Unlike the Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns are among the teams with the most cap space in the NFL.

The Bengals have the most ($20.5 million under) and the Browns have the fourth-most ($18.5 million). There are four teams in the league with at least $18.5 million in cap room: the Bengals, Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars ($20.2 million) and Seattle Seahawks ($18.9 million).

The Pittsburgh Steelers, who began the offseason in the worst cap situation of any team in the AFC North, sit the middle of the league in cap space. The Steelers are $5.8 million under the cap, which ranks 17th in cap space.

Every morning, grab a cup of coffee and get your AFC North wake-up call here:

The Bengals and coach Marvin Lewis are at a standstill in contract talks, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Lewis is entering the final year of a previous two-year extension. The Enquirer reported that there isn't any movement in negotiations because Lewis and Brown have yet to talk about it.

“The way I would answer that is when we get to the point that we have something to announce we will announce it," Brown said at the NFL owners meetings. "I’m not going into a blow by blow description of how we’re making sausage.”

Hensley's slant: There's two things I don't understand about this: Why isn't Lewis talking to the Bengals yet about a new deal, and when did the Bengals start making sausage? OK, I'm joking on the latter but not the Lewis part. Lewis said last month that Brown had already approached him two or three times about a new deal. At this point, the Bengals are the ones who want to get negotiations started and Lewis does not.

BROWNS: NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said the Browns would be crazy not to draft quarterback Ryan Tannehill. "I think Cleveland has to take him at No. 4," Mayock said after Tannehill's pro day Thursday, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He's not ready to play Day 1, but to me, he's a franchise quarterback, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him go at No. 4 and maybe even 3 [in a trade]." He said Tannehill would give the Browns an upgrade over Colt McCoy in both athletic ability and arm strength. Hensley's slant: It was at this time last year when Mayock said Blaine Gabbert should be taken over Cam Newton. "Bottom line, he's the first quarterback off the board," Mayock said after Gabbert's pro day. From my viewpoint, the Browns' choice at No. 4 should be between running back Trent Richardson and wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

RAVENS: Owner Steve Bisciotti said the team will survive without linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed when they decide to retire. Lewis, 36, is entering his 17th year. Reed, 33, is going into his 11th. “I saw Ed sit out the first six games in 2010 and we went 12-4. Then I saw Ray Lewis go down for four games last year and we went 12-4 and 4-0 in those specific games,” Bisciotti told the team's official website at the NFL owners meetings. “So no, I don’t [have concern].” Hensley's slant: Bisciotti and the Ravens will face a decision about Reed's future next season, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. I addressed this issue in a blog post last night.

STEELERS: The Steelers aren't interested in discussing next year's situation at wide receiver quite yet. Mike Wallace will be an unrestricted free agent next year, and Antonio Brown will be a restricted free agent after this season. "You are looking way into the future there," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I don't know what we will be able to do this week or next. We look at our situation as it stands today." Hensley's slant: The Steelers' track record shows they don't keep their own wide receivers when they become free agents. But Wallace and Brown should be the exceptions. It could take some more creative bookkeeping to get Wallace signed to a long-term deal next year, but the expected spike in the 2014 salary cap should help the Steelers' chances of retaining Brown.

Every morning, grab a cup of coffee and get your AFC North wake-up call here:

Free-agent outside linebacker Manny Lawson officially reached an agreement to return to the Bengals, owner Mike Brown confirmed to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

No details of the agreement were reported. Lawson, 27, started telling teammates Tuesday night that he was coming back to Cincinnati.

In his first season with the Bengals, he finished fifth in tackles with 78. A first-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2006, Lawson signed with the Bengals in 2011 less than a week into training camp and started 15 games for them.

“We’re glad to have him back and keep going along,” head coach Marvin Lewis said.

Hensley's slant: This is a solid signing for the Bengals because Lawson exceeded expectations last season. He missed just two tackles against the run and did not have a penalty called against him all season, according to Pro Football Focus. What also stands out is his play against the top two teams in the division. Lawson averaged 9.5 tackles in games against the Ravens and Steelers.

BROWNS: Rams coach Jeff Fisher considers the Browns "a potential trade partner" in the first round of the draft even after St. Louis turned down Cleveland's offer to move up to the No. 2 pick and selected quarterback Robert Griffin III. The Rams, who are now at No. 6, are interested in moving up to presumably take Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon. "Again, I don't see anything happening until draft day," Fisher said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Hensley's slant: The Browns, who own an NFL-best 13 draft picks already, could acquire more by moving back two spots. The risk, however, is missing out on two offensive playmakers. If the Rams take Blackmon at No. 4, the Buccaneers are expected to select Alabama running back Trent Richardson at No. 5.

RAVENS: How long will the Ravens' AFC championship loss to New England sting? "It will be there forever," owner Steve Bisciotti told the team's official website. When asked what the Ravens need to do to reach the Super Bowl, Bisciotti suggested praying before adding, "We didn’t have a glaring weakness last year. We should have been in the Super Bowl. We believe we would have beaten the Giants, of course." Hensley's slant: Bisciotti knows how tough it is to win a Super Bowl because he followed Art Modell as the team's majority owner. Modell had to deal with "The Drive" and "The Fumble" while he was in Cleveland. Bisciotti has to live with whatever you want to call the crucial mistakes made by Lee Evans and Billy Cundiff.

STEELERS: The Steelers' overtime proposal -- making playoff rules apply to all games -- passed at the NFL owners meetings. But their attempt to make the horse-collar tackle illegal on a quarterback in the pocket was rejected. The Steelers were the only team to vote against a new rule that allows every turnover to be reviewed by replay, the way scoring plays were added last year. "As far as we're concerned, that's why you have the coaches' challenges," team president Art Rooney II said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Now you're going to have coaches challenging [a spot] -- a gain of 5 yards instead of 4 yards, stuff like that." Hensley's slant: While I'm in favor of using technology to make sure the correct calls are being made, I'm strongly against slowing down the game. Not only will there be more stoppage of play to review turnovers but coaches can use their challenges more liberally (as Rooney explained). This is the unfortunate price of accuracy.

Every morning, grab a cup of coffee and get your AFC North wake-up call here:

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was asked if he was "more convinced than ever" about quarterback Joe Flacco's ability to lead the team to the Super Bowl after his performance in the AFC Championship Game.

"Not more. I'm as convinced," Bisciotti told the Baltimore Sun at the NFL owners meetings. "The question has never been raised behind closed doors, 'Are we sure Joe is our guy?' Not once. Not by anybody, not by scouts, coaches, ownership. It just does not come up. What he needs to do to improve always comes up, but that comes up with every player in our personnel meetings. He has to get better, but every one on our team has to get better. He's no different except that he gets a disproportionate amount of attention."

Bisciotti, though, couldn't provide any information on the ongoing contract talks with Flacco and running back Ray Rice.

"They don't give me updates really," he said. "[Vice president of football administration Pat Moriarty] and Ozzie [Newsome] have their numbers. They're deep into, I'm sure, both of them. All I know is they're suiting up for me this year. To me, that makes it easier for me to see. I'll always watch with interest as most of our fans do, and all I can do is go back on our track record of all of our other great players and it always seems to work out."

Hensley's slant: Bisciotti said last year that the Ravens would start negotiations on a long-term deal with Flacco in 2012, and he followed through on that this offseason. But we'll see the level of the team's commitment and confidence in Flacco when the length and details of the eventual new contract are revealed.

BENGALS: Team owner Mike Brown said he doesn't think the Bengals were targeted for bounties by the Saints. The Bengals played the Saints twice in a three-year period when the bounties occurred. In one preseason game, quarterback Carson Palmer suffered a high ankle sprain when he tried to pull the ball down on a busted play and a Saints defender rolled on it. “I never had a sense when we played them that they were playing in an illegal fashion or trying to hurt us,” Brown told the Cincinnati Enquirer. Hensley's slant: I'm still confused how players are motivated by bounties. For the most part, the reward for taking out a player was $15,000. A player under contract for $1 million that season makes four times that amount for that game. Is it really worth it?

BROWNS: General manager Tom Heckert said talk that players don't want to come to Cleveland is "crazy." He told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "We had great talks with a lot of people and people think we are going in the right direction. It's really the exact opposite. The people we've talked to, it has nothing do with Cleveland. They want to play here. There's a reason why D'Qwell Jackson wanted to come back here. We signed Joe Thomas. Joe told us he wouldn't have signed back here if he didn't think we were going in the right direction. So I think there's a lot of positive things.'' Hensley's slant: I don't believe the notion that players are avoiding Cleveland. The reason that free agents haven't come to the Browns is because they're getting outbid by teams like the Redskins. And draft picks will be happier to get picked by the Browns when the franchise can get back to its winning ways.

STEELERS: Steelers chairman emeritus Dan Rooney downplayed his appearance at the NFL owners meetings even though there are strong indications that the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland will step down from his current post after 2012."It's great to be here," Rooney told Pittsburgh reporters, "but my job is in Ireland. I take it very seriously." Rooney hadn't attended the meetings since 2009. Hensley's slant: The Patriots' Robert Kraft summed up the owners' affection for Rooney the best when he said, "He has that special glow, like the elder statesman that you respect, just the classic guy. He always has had the league's best interest at heart."

No one with the Ravens knows whether running back Ray Rice will hold out of training camp to protest the franchise tag. Not even owner Steve Bisciotti.

"It’s realistic in the sense that other players do it. It’s not too realistic in the sense that, the kind of young man that Ray is," Bisciotti told the Baltimore Sun at the owners meetings. "This is all up to his agent’s strategy, but Ray is not the kind of guy that, I think, needs to pursue that angle."

Bisciotti is right that Rice has been a consummate team player. But, as we discussed previously on the AFC North blog, the Ravens made the best decision for the team when they placed the franchise tag on Rice, and he is within his rights to make the best decision for him. As the saying goes, it's not personal, it's business.

Texans running back Arian Foster signed a contract this month that includes $20.7 million guaranteed. Rice is only guaranteed $7.7 million under the tag. If Rice gets hurt in training camp, he hurts his chances of getting the big payday.

Rice has earned a new contract, accounting for 38 percent of the team's offense. He led the team in rushing (1,364 yards) and catches (76, which is 19 more than any other Raven) in 2011.

But, if Rice decides to miss a part -- or all -- of training camp, the Ravens are confident that he will be ready for the season.

"If his agent convinces him that he has to, Ray is not the kind of guy that we fear will come in out of shape," Bisciotti said. "If he does it, he does it. But I don’t think we’re going to see a drop-off in his performance this year."

Every morning, grab a cup of coffee and get your AFC North wake-up call here:

The Steelers released cornerback Bryant McFadden and special teams player Arnaz Battle, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

These moves freed up $3.5 million in salary-cap room. McFadden played six of his seven NFL seasons for the Steelers, and Battle joined Pittsburgh in 2010.

Pittsburgh officially announced the signing of safety Myron Rolle, who was a 2008 Rhodes Scholar. He had been on the Tennessee Titans practice squad in 2010 and in their training camp last summer.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Rams requested permission to speak to Steelers director of administration Omar Khan for their general manager position, sources told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Khan, the team's salary-cap manager and chief contract negotiator, has been with the Steelers since 2000. He was a finalist in the Seattle Seahawks' general manager search two years ago.

BENGALS: The Bengals dropped to 10th in the AFC this season with 22 takeaways. Their 10 interceptions were the fewest in coach Marvin Lewis' nine seasons in Cincinnati. "If there’s one thing we have to get … figure out a way to create more. Teams that create the most turnovers play in this game," Lewis told the team's website while at the Super Bowl. "More recently we have declined [in interceptions] and we have to find out why. We play more man concepts. That is part of it. We started very good and then we hit a lull. You have to look at that but conceptually that’s the difference." Hensley's slant: That was the biggest season-long weakness for a defense that consistently overachieved. How important are turnovers? Like Lewis said, you just need to look at the two teams who played in the Super Bowl. New England led the AFC with 34 takeaways, and the New York Giants were fourth in the NFC with 31.

BROWNS: Quarterback Colt McCoy was medically cleared from a head injury that sidelined him for the final three games last year, team president Mike Holmgren told ESPN 850 WKNR-AM in Cleveland (via the Akron Beacon Journal). "He passed all his tests and he’s feeling fine," Holmgren said. "He has no residual effects from the play. I know no one will work harder this off season than Colt McCoy. So I’m happy we got through all that and he’s fine and he appears to be.” Hensley's slant: Now, the only question that remains at quarterback is who will be competing against McCoy for the starting job. At this point, it would be a letdown if the Browns failed to draft Baylor's Robert Griffin III or sign Matt Flynn in free agency.

RAVENS: The team's website speculated that offensive tackle Jah Reid might shift to left guard if Ben Grubbs leaves in free agency. Reid, a third-round pick from a year ago, was drafted to be the team's future right tackle. "The thing that Steve [Bisciotti, team owner] pushed John [Harbaugh] and I the last couple of years is, ‘Don’t be afraid to play young players,’” general manager Ozzie Newsome said when asked about the potential position change. “We’ve had Jah now for a year, and now we’ve got him for a full offseason ... so John and I are not afraid.” Hensley's slant: The Ravens need to make contingency plans because it appears that the odds are against Grubbs returning. Replacing a Pro Bowl guard with a converted tackle seems like a major step backward to me. Baltimore would be better off adding a stop-gap veteran guard if it can't draft a quality one in the first three rounds.

Every morning, grab a cup of coffee and get your AFC North wake-up call here:

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said he wants to keep improving his team's offense but not at the expense of his traditionally tough defense.

“We want to have a better offense, but if you flip the switch too quick, then you’re giving up 27 points per game,” Bisciotti said, via the team's website. “So, I’m not going to be trading Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb for [Cardinals wide receiver Larry] Fitzgerald because that’s the quickest way to get there.”

Baltimore's defense finished third in fewest points allowed for a third straight season. In the AFC Championship Game loss at New England, the Ravens limited Tom Brady to 239 yards passing and no touchdowns and intercepted him twice.

“What our defense did to Tom Brady is something that I want my defense to do to the Tom Bradys and the [Ben] Roethlisbergers of the world going forward, forever,” Bisciotti said.

Hensley's slant: Bisciotti would have to be disappointed if his offense isn't consistently a top-10 one after the investment that he has made and will make. The Ravens signed two Pro Bowl players last year in guard Marshal Yanda and fullback Vonta Leach. The next step is reaching long-term deals with quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice. Finishing 15th in offense won't cut it for Baltimore next year.

BENGALS: A day after the Patriots lost the Super Bowl in Indianapolis, former Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco was back in Cincinnati to face the charge of driving with a suspended license and a window tint violation, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He pleaded guilty Monday to the reduced charge of failure to display a drivers license and was fined a total of $304. “I guess I would have had to issue a larger fine if you would have won last night,” Municipal Court Judge Russell Mock said. Hensley's slant: Ochocinco's quiet Super Bowl (one catch for 21 yards) ended a disappointing 2011 season for him. He went from catching 67 passes for the Bengals in 2010 to catching 15 in the regular season for New England. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Ochocinco, who is expected to get cut because he's scheduled to make $3 million in 2012.

BROWNS: The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Bud Shaw said the Browns have never been in a better position to find a quarterback. The reason is the Cleveland brain trust of team president Mike Holmgren, general manager Tom Heckert, head coach Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator Brad Childress, who bring years of quarterback evaluation and development. "If this group can't make the right call, then you might as well give up, wait for Tim Tebow to become a free agent and put your hopes in the option offense and a higher power," Shaw wrote. Hensley's slant: We'll find out in the very near future whether this group can work their quarterback magic in Cleveland. This year should be a key decision at that position for the Browns, who can draft one (like Robert Griffin III), sign one (like Matt Flynn) or stick with Colt McCoy. The one who would provide the most immediate success is Flynn.

STEELERS: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ron Cook believes NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is great for the NFL even though the Steelers disagree. "It's fair to say the Steelers didn't celebrate Goodell's extension," Cook wrote. "[James] Harrison and other Steelers long have complained that Goodell is power hungry and has too much say in the discipline for both on- and off-field discretions. They voted against the new CBA, the only one of the 32 teams to do so. Hensley's slant: Goodell rules with a heavy hand (too heavy at times) especially when it comes to fines and discipline. But everything he has done is to protect the name and the image of the NFL. If we continue to see the high quality of play on the field -- like this year's playoffs -- everyone will remain happy.

INDIANAPOLIS -- One of the reasons why the New York Giants retained coach Tom Coughlin during the tough times is because of the success of stable franchises like the Steelers and the Ravens.

“I am proud of that. That’s something that we strive for around here," Giants owner John Mara said at the Super Bowl. "I look at the other successful franchises in this league -- the Patriots, the Steelers, Green Bay, Baltimore -- that’s what they have. They have stability."

The Steelers have had three head coaches since 1969: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. Under Tomlin, Pittsburgh has only had one defensive coordinator in Dick LeBeau and will hire its second offensive coordinator after parting ways with Bruce Arians after this season.

The Ravens have had three head coaches in their 16-year existence: Ted Marchibroda, Brian Billick and John Harbaugh. During Harbaugh's tenure, Baltimore has had one offensive coordinator in Cam Cameron and has never fired a defensive coordinator (Rex Ryan and Chuck Pagano got NFL head-coaching jobs and Greg Mattison left to become the defensive coordinator a Michigan).

"They don’t make big changes every year," Mara said. "You try to get the right people in place and you try to let them do their jobs and then you try to have some sense of stability. There’s enough turnover in this league as it is and if you can keep your key people in place and have some confidence to let them do their jobs and ride out the ups and downs, then I think you have a chance to be successful. If you start making impulsive changes, I think that’s recipe for disaster. We’ve tried to avoid that.”

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti addressed the team's fan base that wanted Cameron to get replaced this offseason.

"This is just a carousel out there," he said. "It's like, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator is let go, and then somebody else wants him. And defensive coordinators are going back and forth and are getting fired and re-hired in different spots all the time. It's not like we have a Triple-A system where those people are batting .400 and everybody knows that it's time to move them up to the big leagues. If he can bat .350 in Triple-A, then it's pretty self-explanatory. But to go out and get a position coach and make him an offensive coordinator and find out that he wasn't better than what you had … That's all I'm saying."

Bisciotti added, "I'm looking at these trends, and a logical businessman would say that we're making progress. So, I don't know if I have a message for that 10 percent of the fans with that vitriol. I just don't have an answer for them. I just don't. I'm sorry."

Every morning, grab a cup of coffee and get your AFC North wake-up call here:

As running backs coach Kirby Wilson begins his road to recovery, the Steelers issued a release (via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) on behalf of his family:

"Mr. Wilson remains in serious condition in the Trauma Burn Center at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh. His status is stable, and he has started his physical rehabilitation. The Wilson family would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support."

Wilson suffered burns on 45 percent of his body after his house caught fire while he was sleeping on January 6.

Hensley's slant: It's unknown whether or not Wilson will return to coaching next season. There had been speculation that he would get the offensive coordinator position if a move was made with Bruce Arians. It made sense to give the job to the running backs coach if the Steelers wanted to go back to their run-first mentality on offense. Now, the Steelers are looking at alternative plans.

BENGALS: Head coach Marvin Lewis will put rookies as well as veterans in a downtown hotel this summer as training camp shifts from Georgetown College to Cincinnati. “I have no vets,” Lewis said, via the team's website. “The reason you stay in a hotel is to protect your players from other people. People that keep them up, or get them sick, or [they] get sick in the middle of the night.” Hensley's slant: This is a very sound decision. With all of the past problems, the Bengals players haven't earned the right to live at home during training camp. Lewis wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't keep a close eye on them.

BROWNS: Season ticket prices for all non-premium seats will either stay the same or be reduced from 2011, according to the team's website. The Browns have reduced 1,500 seats in the Dawg Pound from $45 per game to $32. “Over the past two seasons, I’ve had the opportunity to witness first-hand how all of our fans can create a home field advantage for our players," team president Mike Holmgren said. "Their enthusiasm is truly unmatched." Hensley's slant: The Ohio teams are doing it right. Just like the Bengals, the Browns are willing to work with fans in this economy. This is a good will gesture for fans who've had to endure 22 home losses in the past four seasons.

RAVENS: Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Ozzie Newsome showed support of often-criticized offensive coordinator Cam Cameron in yesterday's State of the Ravens press conference. Baltimore ranked 12th in points per game (23.6) and 15th in yards per game (338.7). “I always look at a body of work,” Newsome said. “Are we headed in the right direction with this offense? And Steve has some unbelievable numbers that he just showed me that prove that we are headed in the right direction. Are we satisfied with where we are right now? No, but we think the best way to get there is to maintain the continuity of having Cam and then to bring in someone like [quarterbacks coach] Jim Caldwell to be another set of eyes with that.” Hensley's slant: The only path the Ravens offense has been going is up and down. Look at the NFL rankings in four seasons with Cameron: 18th, 13th, 22nd and 15th. With Joe Flacco and Ray Rice entering their fifth seasons, there's no reason why the Ravens should rank outside of the top 10 in offense in 2012.

At their annual State of the Team news conference, the Ravens said they would prefer to sign running back Ray Rice to a new deal instead of putting the franchise tag on him. But Baltimore doesn't have a great history when it comes to signing players before free agency begins.

That's why the likely scenario is the Ravens using the tag on Rice to keep him off the free-agent market. Teams have between Feb. 20 and March 5 to apply the tag.

The Ravens have had no problems using the tag, doing so five times in the past nine seasons including three of the past four years. Baltimore tagged defensive tackle Haloti Ngata last year for $12.5 million. So, the Ravens would not blink to put the tag on Rice for an estimated $8 million.

“Ray is an unrestricted free agent, so obviously the franchise mechanism has to come into play,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said via the team's website.

This is a tough spot for the Ravens. Rice is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after he produced an NFL-best 2,068 total yards and set a team record with 15 touchdowns. He can make a strong argument for a contract comparable to the one signed by the Titans' Chris Johnson: a reported four-year, $53.5 million deal.

But the Ravens have two other contract issues: left guard Ben Grubbs is an unrestricted free agent and quarterback Joe Flacco is heading into the final year of his deal. The Ravens could put the tag on Rice to concentrate on these deals.

To Rice's credit, he has never threatened to hold out in training camp. He never made his contract an issue during the season.

And to the Ravens' credit, the team has always used the tag to keep the player and work out a long-term deal. It happened to the last last three players they used the tag on: Ngata, linebacker Terrell Suggs and cornerback Chris McAlister.

The franchise tag could be temporary for Rice.

“Obviously, I don’t feel like I’m going anywhere,” Ray Rice said after the season. “But it’s just one of those processes where you want to wait and see what happens and hopefully me and the Ravens come to a great long-term deal. That’s the goal. I see myself here. I’m a Raven.”

In order for the Ravens to reach the Super Bowl, Joe Flacco has to take them there.

He has to strong-arm Baltimore to victory over New England in Sunday's AFC Championship Game because that's how you beat the Patriots this season. New England has lost three games, and every time, the quarterback has been the deciding factor. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning exploited the AFC's worst defense by throwing for 984 yards (an average of 328 yards passing) and a total of six touchdowns.

So it's time for Flacco to step up in the playoffs. It's time for Flacco to prove he deserves that new contract. It's time for Flacco to quash his critics, as well as a critical teammate.

A feisty Flacco entered the playoffs saying if the Ravens win the Super Bowl, "I'll have nothing to do with why we won, according to you guys."

On Sunday, let's take the chip off the shoulder and put the team on his back -- because that's exactly how this game will play out.

Tom Brady and the Patriots are averaging 32.8 points per game. That means scoring three points in the final three quarters won't cut it in this playoff game.

New England will direct its focus on stopping running back Ray Rice, especially after Bill Belichick plays that 83-yard touchdown run from two years ago about 100 times this week. That means the Patriots are going to force Flacco to beat them.

"We're going to have to make sure we prepare well all week and bring our A-game up there," Flacco said.

There's no question that Flacco is a winner. His 44 victories are the most ever by an NFL starting quarterback in his first four seasons. He's also the only quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first four years.

But there have been very few "A-games" when it comes to the postseason. In eight playoff games, Flacco has completed 53 percent of passes and has averaged 153.3 yards passing. He's thrown six touchdowns and seven interceptions for a quarterback rating of 31.5.

In last Sunday's 20-13 victory over Houston, Flacco completed 14 of 27 passes (51.9 percent) for 176 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It wasn't just the media that criticized Flacco after this performance. Ravens safety Ed Reed said Flacco "was kind of rattled a little bit" Sunday.



“They had a lot of guys in the box on him and they were giving it to him. I think a couple of times he needed to get rid of the ball. It just didn’t look like he had a hold on the offense,” Reed told SiriusXM satellite radio Monday. “I don’t know how much of [that was] the play calling … but it just didn’t look like he had a hold on the offense, you know, of times past."

Reed added, "It was just kind of like they [were] telling him [what] to do -- throw the ball or get it here, you know, get it to certain guys.”

Reed believes Flacco needs to improve his play for the Ravens to win at New England.

“He can’t play like that,” Reed said.

It's never a good sign when a teammate is talking about his quarterback this way. Just ask Mark Sanchez.

The Ravens are entering a crucial time, and this goes beyond the current postseason. Baltimore is going to have to make a decision on its level of commitment to Flacco. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said last March that he expects to sign Flacco to a long-term contract extension sometime in 2012. Flacco later responded that he doesn’t think he should have to wait that long.

The problem is, Flacco's statistics say he regressed this season. He completed a career-worst 57.6 percent of his passes. His touchdowns went down, from 25 in 2010 to 20 this season. His interceptions went up, from 10 to 12.

Asked whether it's difficult to measure Flacco's impact by statistics, coach John Harbaugh said: "I've done that many times, and I don't really feel like running down all those things right now. I can just tell you in this last game, he won, and his quarterback rating was 97. That's a winning performance, and Joe -– I told him [Sunday] night -– I thought he played very, very well. In a lot of situations in this game when he was under duress, he handled himself really well. There were plenty of things he'd like to have back and could have done better, and he'd be the first to tell you that. So, you just try to get better, you try to improve and you try to play winning football, no matter what position you play. And that's what we value around here."

The path to this season's playoffs wasn't an easy one for Flacco, who finished 15th in QBR for a reason. He played 12 games against defenses ranked in the top 10, throwing 14 touchdowns and six interceptions in those games.

There's no such excuse when it comes to taking on the Patriots' defense. New England ranked 31st in yards allowed in the regular season and gave up the most passing yards in the AFC.

"A quarterback has to do what his team needs him to do to win, and Joe has done that," Belichick said. "I don’t know how to improve much on 11-5 and 12-4, and they just keep doing it. He's been a solid guy since his rookie year in terms of managing the game and using the clock and making good decisions and those types of things."

A game manager isn't going to get the Ravens past the Patriots on Sunday. Baltimore needs Flacco to play like Brady, not like Trent Dilfer.

New England gave up the most 20-yard passes in the NFL this season: 79, which was eight more than any other defense. Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty has allowed 1,115 yards and six touchdowns this season (according to Stats LLC), and cornerback Kyle Arrington has given up 827 yards and five touchdowns.

It's clear that Flacco has to attack a vulnerable Patriots secondary and help out a Ravens defense facing Brady, Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski.

The stage is yours, Joe Flacco.

Almost 28 years since his father moved the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis, Jim Irsay is rooting for Baltimore to take something back from Indianapolis -- a Super Bowl championship.

Irsay tweeted this morning: "I'd love 2c Steve B get the Trophy and Baltimore n Indy...got tons of friends there n it's only fitting with my good friend R Berry n tow!"

To clarify, "Steve B" is Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and "R Berry" is Raymond Berry, the former Baltimore Colts wide receiver who will present the Lombardi Trophy to the Super Bowl winner.

The Ravens, who play the Houston Texans in the divisional playoffs Sunday, need two victories in order to reach their first Super Bowl since 2000.

The Ravens might be hard-pressed to keep their heir apparent to general manager Ozzie Newsome.

Four teams -- the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders -- are reportedly interested in Ravens director of player personnel Eric DeCosta for their general manager openings. The Colts, Rams and one other team have already received permission to interview DeCosta and plan to meet with him in the next couple of days, according to The Baltimore Sun.

DeCosta has long been considered the successor-in-waiting to Newsome, the team's only general manager, who turns 56 in March but has never publicly hinted at retirement. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has rewarded DeCosta for his loyalty -- he removed his name from the Seahawks' general manager search in 2009 -- with an increase in pay and responsibility.

"I think Eric knows how highly regarded he is in Baltimore, but when you have a guy as successful as Ozzie Newsome in the job, there's not a ton of promises that you can make," Bisciotti said in March 2010. "I think Eric is smart enough to see what happened with Phil [Savage] and George [Kokinis], and he'll probably limit himself to consideration of just a handful of jobs. His relationship with Ozzie is just as solid as any relationship I've seen in the NFL. He's so happy in his job that I think it will take a perfect job to get his serious consideration. Eric is going to make a great GM someday."

The problem for the Ravens is that the perfect job could be coming DeCosta's way. With four teams in the mix, the competition for DeCosta might result in a deal that he can't refuse.

DeCosta officially became Newsome's right-hand man in the war room in 2005, when Savage left for the Cleveland Browns' general manager job. One team official said DeCosta sets up the draft and Newsome makes the final decisions.

What makes DeCosta attractive to so many teams is his age (40), track record and a thoroughness that highlights his desire for better results.

"We even grade our lunches," DeCosta once said. "If I say it's a 6.2 lunch - all the guys know what that means: pretty good, but not great. A 7.5 is like the Pro Bowl; if I say the soup is a 7.5 today, everybody runs to get the soup."

The Baltimore Ravens made one of their worst decisions since moving to Baltimore, announcing on Friday that they will hold training camp at team headquarters in Owings Mills, Md.. The Ravens had held training camp at McDaniel College, which is a half hour away from their facility, for the first 15 years of their existence.

This is a bad move in regards to tradition. Training camp at McDaniel College (nee Western Maryland College) dates back to the 1950s when the Baltimore Colts trained there.

This is an extremely bad move in regards to the team's connection to its fan base. The Ravens generally drew crowds surpassing 100,000 each year to McDaniel, where fans could get an up-close look at the team. Fans aren't permitted at Ravens headquarters because it wasn't built to handle large crowds.

"From a football and team point of view, it’s an easy decision. Personally, this is difficult," Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a release. "Some of my best memories as a kid are my family’s visits to the Colts’ training camp in Westminster. Part of my devotion to the game and the players who made it great and are heroes to many of us, started on those visits."

Bisciotti added: “We completely understand that this takes away an important part of our connection with our fans. I regret that. Hopefully, we can find other ways to continue this outreach. We’ll have more to say on this as we develop these programs.”

In joining a growing trend of NFL teams staying at their own places for camp, the Ravens announced they are committed to a minimum of three practices away from Owings Mills, including one at M&T Bank Stadium. Still, they will be the only AFC North team that will close nearly all of their practices to the public. The Browns conduct training camp at their facility every year, but they open close to 20 practices to fans each summer.

Team officials explained this wasn't a financial decision, saying they didn't lose money because of camp sponsors and partners. The Ravens believe they can better prepare for the season at team headquarters.

“In 1996, Westminster was the best place for us to have training camp,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement. “How teams conduct training camp today is vastly different. Our football needs and requirements are different. The absence of two-a-days, how much space we need for the players and the meetings, the limited number of practices allowed by the new CBA (collective bargaining agreement), the importance of having an indoor field when the summer storms come – all of that and more football-influenced factors, had me recommend to Steve [Bisciotti] and Dick [Cass, team president] that we hold camp here.”

The Ravens held training camp this year at the team facility because its contract wasn't renewed during the lockout. The team held an open practice to the public at M&T Bank Stadium this summer.

As far as the AFC North, the Ravens and the Browns will be the only teams holding camp at their facility. The Steelers go to St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., and the Bengals train at Georgetown College in Kentucky.