salamander

After last year, when I thought the Ravens would be far more successful, I won't make any predictions. Too many unknowns and a lot of injuries can tank a season. Just trying to be cautiously optimistic about this year and hope we can stay relatively healthy.

It's touching to read the outpouring of compassion from different players, teams and people from all walks of life. This horrible tragedy trumps football and it is heartwarming to read messages which unite us in our humanity and decency. RIP Tray.

This is 1 of the saddest days ever for the Ravens community. It was heart warming and heart wrenching to see all of the player, coach and fan messages and prayers for Tray to pull through and the grief is shared by so many with the devastating news of Tray's death. Most of all, I want to send my condolences to Tray's family. So many fans continue to pray, along with the players and the Ravens organization, trying to send some comfort for Tray's family in this time of unimaginable grief. It is clear how well loved Tray was by so many.

It is heartbreaking to hear that Tray has died. I really was praying that he could pull through. I am numb and my heart goes out to his family, friends and fellow players and coaches at the Ravens who cared so deeply about him.

Outstanding letter and message to the team from Harbs. I think the message will resonate on the deepest level with the players as a teammate is fighting for survival. Sure, riding a dirt bike on a public road at night wearing dark clothes without a helmet is a very reckless thing to do. However, although I am decades older than most of these players, I made more than my share of "young and stupid" decisions, as have most people at 1 time or another in 1 way or another. I don't think that this is the time or place to focus on Tray's poor judgment as he fights to stay alive and pull through this. Not only have I made some stupid mistakes in life when I was younger but I now have 2 young adult male children who are doing well but they were also lucky enough to avoid life threatening consequences for some of their own poor decisions. The letter from Harbs to the players was a sincere and heartfelt attempt to share his grief and encourage his players to pause and reflect upon their future choices. I just pray that Tray pulls through this and has a chance to live a full and happy life, regardless of whether he has a future in football.

Best of luck to Daryl Smith. Although I was hoping Daryl would re-sign with the Ravens, I am happy for him.

According to Ravens Nation Live, Tray was not wearing a helmet and has head trauma. RNL also said Tray is or was in surgery.

Bizarre information I found just now in article by YB on the internet. The police are supposedly looking for a New England Patriots player in connection with Tray's accident as a witness or something. The article maintains that the police have not been able to locate this unknown Pats player and that he is "nowhere to be found". The article does not say whether this was a friend out with Tray but the article makes it seem somewhat odd. I am prone to think there may be some sensationalizing happening in the article and that this could have simply been a Pats friend riding with Tray?

I have not been able to find out through all of the internet articles yet whether Tray was wearing a helmet or not. I really hope Tray at least had a helmet on.

Hoping and praying that Tray is going to be OK.

Nothing ruins a game for me more than a super bad, potential game changing call by the officials. Expanding instant replay is essential to preserving the integrity of the game. Too much is at stake to restrict further efforts to make the correct and fair call. Still get mad when I think back on some of the bone headed, head scratching bad calls by refs which swayed the outcomes of games, not only for the Ravens but other other teams in the league as well. Get it right on the field and eliminate the empty, too little, too late apologies which are meaningless and infuriating.

Well, so much for more kisses from the wife? LOL. Welcome to Baltimore Eric. I love the fact that you are now a Raven, with or without the beard.

If my memory is correct, I think Carter is the guy who really intrigued me in the few games he played. If it's the correct guy I am remembering, I was impressed and I thought he did a good job for us..

Will Hill violating drug policy with his career on the line again? Besides being disappointed and sad for his lack of judgment, I simply can't understand anyone thinking the risk of getting caught is worth taking. Hill had some talent and I wrongly thought he had pulled himself together, grew up and got his career on track. It's a shame and I am not sure if any team is going to take a chance on him now after 4 violations.

Agree as well. I hope that the Ravens site can add some of the old features back to the main page again such as the up/down arrows. I hope there is some leeway to take the best features from the old site and improve on this new version. I think it would encourage more comments and interaction.

Well, I guess failing the drug test clarifies my initial confusion over releasing Will Hill. Thought Will had turned the corner and was coming along as a Pro. Apparently not. Damn. Will blew it again. He had a good thing going with the Ravens and his future just went up in smoke, perhaps literally.

As much as Weddle is drawn to the Ravens because of a winning culture, I see Weddle's role as integral to revitalizing the winning culture in a bounce back year. Along with guys like SSS, it sounds like Weddle is just the type of leader, producer and mentor we need to also help maximize every players level of desire to be "pissed off for greatness" a la #52.

I can understand Weddle's bitterness at the way things were handled in San Diego. I think Weddle has a burning desire to prove himself and is quite up front that he has his sights set on helping his team to get to the Super Bowl. Lucky for us that Weddle is now a Raven, with a ton of motivation to heap on top of his excellent skill set.

A bit surprised that Hill was the one cut. Guess the higher money to Hill was a deciding factor. Thought Hill was decent so perhaps there's a chance to bring him back? Seems like he got better and matured a lot here as a Raven so I wish Hill well wherever he ends up.

Just hoping all of the off season moves translate in to being right back in contention this year. My heart and mental health can't take back to back dismal seasons. Keeping the faith.

Sounds like Watson is going to be a great mentor to the TE's, a strong role model presence in the locker room, as well as an asset in the community. Hoping Watson's productivity stays high on the field for the Ravens for this upcoming season.

Bad choice of words from Osemele. Baltimore made him a great offer but knew other teams with mega bucks would likely nab him out from under us. Ravens certainly do value the offensive line but can't and won't over pay.

I don't like the new format much at all. I notice that not only comments are down, but the "like" and "don't like" responses have dwindled to almost nothing. Part of my enjoyment is to "like" comments I agree with or make a good point as I read along. The fact that we have to switch over to use the "like" button is a total waste. From the looks of the decrease in comments and the cumbersome way to use the "like" buttons, the site has become less user friendly and I agree that comments and reactions to them are way down. It's more than just being the off-season. As soon as the new site was put in place I noticed less reader participation and interaction. Hope the Ravens staff has some say or sway to improve the site.

When I first heard Terrell got arrested, my first reaction was, here we go with another PR nightmare. As I learned the details, I am not concerned that it will generate a media storm backlash or have an impact on whether he plays or not. My biggest concern regarding playing next year is the rehab of the Achilles. Don't like what Suggs did but I am glad he was at least respectful when he got arrested.

The fact that Joe is working so hard in rehab is music to my ears. Maybe Joe isn't flashy but his intensive rehab efforts and leading by example speak volumes.