Matt Birk Re-Signs with Ravens (3-year Deal)

[BabydollFlacco5]

Matt Birk is going to continue his career, agent Joe Linta told me this afternoon. "Matt feels great. The Ravens seem to want him back.'

Joe Linta on Matt Birk: 'Matt feels great. We're going to try to work something out with the Ravens before free agency.'

[The Raven]

Good news to hear. He will probably resigned to a cheap 1-2 year deal. He would be a solid starter until a young center is ready, and he would be a great mentor for that center.

[Ravens Lover]

nice!! now gives a little more leeway this draft

[JO_75]

This off-season started off bad, but now it's getting better. Ray is coming back, Ed is coming back and now Birk is coming back. The only thing that would make things better is if we can Franchise Rice and get Grubbs under a long term contract.

[berad]

I'd welcome him [b]or[/b] Gurode back but I also want a center drafted early - we've ignored the position for too long.

[K-Dog]

Glad to have Matt for a little wile longer.

[GrimCoconut]

I'm reluctant to be excited here. I love Birk, but he has been overpowered late in the season and seems to be showing his age. To a certain extent, I would rather have Gurode because he is a little younger and seems stronger than Birk. I'll be happy if we get him back really cheap and draft a strong center like Vlachos or Blake. I don't want Konz or Jones since they will be high picks and would rather use those elsewhere.

[Ravens4Real]

This doesn't make me happy. Birk is on a serious decline and his performance will only get worse next year. Gurode or a rookie would probably be an upgrade to what we saw late in the season. Birk looked like a rag doll against Wilfork in the AFCC game. All he is going to do is take up another miill or two in cap that we desperately need because we basically won't have any for other free agents.

[raybaby]

I don't know how I feel about this either tbh.

[Grapple Raven]

I think Ozzie is still going to draft a center, so if the Ravens agree to bring Birk back, that will give our new center time to be mentored by Birk.

Although, in watching the videos posted on BR.com, it appears Harbs seemed excited to have Birk return, but Ozzie's reaction to the question seemed a little odd. If anyone else watched those videos, what did you think?

[Gordo52]

I agree he was horrible in the AFCG, maybe it was just Wilfork lol. Does anyone know if he was injured at all last year?

But I'm happy about him coming back. Hopefully we draft a center to groom under Birk. I think that could really help us in the long run.

Considering over the last decade Birk has been one of the top centers. Plus he's super smart, a rookie center could learn a lot under him for a year.

[Grapple Raven]

[quote name='Ravens<3' timestamp='1330209103' post='1002818']
I agree he was horrible in the AFCG, maybe it was just Wilfork lol. Does anyone know if he was injured at all last year?

But I'm happy about him coming back. Hopefully we draft a center to groom under Birk. I think that could really help us in the long run.

Considering over the last decade Birk has been one of the top centers. Plus he's super smart, a rookie center could learn a lot under him for a year.
[/quote]

I know that Birk did injury his shoulder sometime after Thanksgiving, but on the video of Harbs I saw yesterday, he said that Birk may have surgery on his varicose veins in his legs.

[BloodRaven]

Great news, hopefully he made his decision based on being healthy.

[GrimCoconut]

[quote name='Grapple Raven' timestamp='1330209388' post='1002821']


I know that Birk did injury his shoulder sometime after Thanksgiving, but on the video of Harbs I saw yesterday, he said that Birk may have surgery on his varicose veins in his legs.
[/quote]
He has varicose veins? Wow. That's surprising but I guess with all the standing he does it makes sense. That surgery is very minor. He will be fine and have no after effects from that surgery by the time OTAs begin. I'd imagine the healing period would be 4 weeks max, and that's a radical guess.

[Bltravens]

[quote name='GrimCoconut' timestamp='1330212122' post='1002872']
He has varicose veins? Wow. That's surprising but I guess with all the standing he does it makes sense. That surgery is very minor. He will be fine and have no after effects from that surgery by the time OTAs begin. I'd imagine the healing period would be 4 weeks max, and that's a radical guess.
[/quote]
Ya it's even less than that. I had a family member get it done as well, its a hereditary defect with the veins in your body, generally seen in women but can happen in men too. Unfortunately for Birk, there's a good chance he will have minimal feeling in that area of his legs if he decides to get the surgery done. The person I know had it done on both legs and the feeling they have in their calf region is very limited.

[Guest RBates]

Oh come on are you kidding me? Not happy with this at all. Wilfork owned him. Get me some lineman that can at least hold their position.

[EnVy_CaLiBeR]

Besides when he went up against Wilfork, he held up pretty well this year. I wouldn't mind having him back but we still probably need to take a young center early/mid rounds.

[Jillester]

WoW! I thought for sure that he was going to retire while he was still able to walk away on his own two feet. Birk has a great mind for the position but his body has seen better days. Hopefully The Wiz will draft a good, solid center this Spring so that there will be three players vying for the position.

[PWNEDbyDEANO]

Good. I want him to return, hopefully Grubbs does too, then we draft his replacement and if he starts to wear down then put the rookie in. Birk played well for the majority of last year but he cant do the whole season any longer.

[GrimCoconut]

Just in case anyone doesn't want Birk back, if he returns cheap & we draft a good center then don't worry. I see us drafting a good center and then easing him in where Birk can take a back-up role by the season's (Super Bowl's) end.

[T3hRaven]

This is terrible news, Birk is too old and it was time to go. After watching him getting destroyed by Wilfork in that playoff game there's no way I would want him back. He's a liability on the line at this point.

[ravensfan520]

I would prefer Gurode and draft a center.

[K-Dog]

Ya know its not like Wilfork is a girl scout and Birk couldnt hold him back. Wilfork is a beast. You would have a tough time finding a center who could contain him every play.

Birk held his own just fine every other game. Better than any young blood we could bring in that is for sure.
I am glad to have him back.

[The Raven]

[quote name='K-Dog' timestamp='1330230278' post='1003186']
Ya know its not like Wilfork is a girl scout and Birk couldnt hold him back. Wilfork is a beast. You would have a tough time finding a center who could contain him every play.

Birk held his own just fine every other game. Better than any young blood we could bring in that is for sure.
I am glad to have him back.
[/quote]

Yeah, people seem to have selective memory. Birk was solid all year. Hampton didn't do squat against us. Wilfork is the best nose tackle in the game, and people expect Birk to play perfectly against him. That's just unrealistic.

[Ravens4Real]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1330235687' post='1003229']

Yeah, people seem to have selective memory. Birk was solid all year. Hampton didn't do squat against us. Wilfork is the best nose tackle in the game, and people expect Birk to play perfectly against him. That's just unrealistic.
[/quote]

I will cut in on this post. Hampton didn't do anything against us because we dedicated an extra blocker to cutting his [profanity deleted] on every running play. I mean if you want to look at the positive to everything I can see your point. But I think it is just selective reasoning to come out and say that the nose tackle on the 31st ranked defense is better than the nose tackle on the 1st ranked defense. I mean how do you even come up with that kind of statement? Just because Wilfork dominated Birk in one game doesn't make him the best in the game. I would rather have the nose tackle on a D that has been the #1 running D the past like 5 years and this year they were like 5th. I am sorry to admit this but Hampton is better at eating up blockers and causing a disruption in the running game than any past Raven and is currently the best in the NFL.


I will edit this because I want to commit more discussion to the original topic. Let's face it, Birk vs. Hampton was two FORMER stars going against each other in their dying years. Wilfork is def. not the best in the game. But he def. did show what a good NT can do to Birk. He disrupted the game and made him look like a high school trumpet player trying to block. If you think Birk will get better next year, you are out of your mind.

[Ravenseconbeast]

Good news.

Grubbs, RR, Webb, Cary. They all need to come back. Unfinished business!

[arnie_uk]

Ozzie said in the first off season press conference no matter what happens with gurode and birk, there will be a new center on the team next year. To me it sounded like the would be drafting one, I just hope its Blake in the third. No better person to learn under than Matt.

[The Raven]

[quote name='Ravens4Real' timestamp='1330242146' post='1003267']

I will cut in on this post. [b]Hampton didn't do anything against us because we dedicated an extra blocker to cutting his [profanity deleted] on every running play.[/b] I mean if you want to look at the positive to everything I can see your point. [b]But I think it is just selective reasoning to come out and say that the nose tackle on the 31st ranked defense is better than the nose tackle on the 1st ranked defense[/b]. I mean how do you even come up with that kind of statement? Just because Wilfork dominated Birk in one game doesn't make him the best in the game. I would rather have the nose tackle on a D that has been the #1 running D the past like 5 years and this year they were like 5th. I am sorry to admit this but Hampton is better at eating up blockers and causing a disruption in the running game than any past Raven and is currently the best in the NFL.


I will edit this because I want to commit more discussion to the original topic. Let's face it, Birk vs. Hampton was two FORMER stars going against each other in their dying years. Wilfork is def. not the best in the game. But he def. did show what a good NT can do to Birk. He disrupted the game and made him look like a high school trumpet player trying to block. If you think Birk will get better next year, you are out of your mind.
[/quote]

We did that to Wilfork too. Come on. Do you honestly think we wouldn't double him? For example, on the failed 3rd down draw play, we doubled him with Grubbs and Birk, who both failed.

By that very logic, Jake Long wouldn't be the best left tackle in the game. The dolphins offense blows, so I guess Jake Long can't be the best LT in the game de facto.

Who is the best NT in the game RIGHT NOW? Terrence Cody? Haha. Not Hampton. Not Cody on the Texans. Since your so adamant about it, why don't you tell me?

[GrimCoconut]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1330255119' post='1003290']
Ozzie said in the first off season press conference no matter what happens with gurode and birk, there will be a new center on the team next year. To me it sounded like the would be drafting one, I just hope its Blake in the third. No better person to learn under than Matt.
[/quote]
Vlachos & Blake are my two favorite centers in this draft. I would be very happy if we drafted either of them. I'd rather have one of them than spending a high pick on Konz, who has a history of injuries.

[berad]

[quote name='Ravens4Real' timestamp='1330242146' post='1003267']

I will cut in on this post. Hampton didn't do anything against us because we dedicated an extra blocker to cutting his [profanity deleted] on every running play. I mean if you want to look at the positive to everything I can see your point. But I think it is just selective reasoning to come out and say that the nose tackle on the 31st ranked defense is better than the nose tackle on the 1st ranked defense. I mean how do you even come up with that kind of statement? Just because Wilfork dominated Birk in one game doesn't make him the best in the game. I would rather have the nose tackle on a D that has been the #1 running D the past like 5 years and this year they were like 5th. I am sorry to admit this but Hampton is better at eating up blockers and causing a disruption in the running game than any past Raven and is currently the best in the NFL.


I will edit this because I want to commit more discussion to the original topic. Let's face it, Birk vs. Hampton was two FORMER stars going against each other in their dying years. Wilfork is def. not the best in the game. But he def. did show what a good NT can do to Birk. He disrupted the game and made him look like a high school trumpet player trying to block. If you think Birk will get better next year, you are out of your mind.
[/quote]

Wilfork has been one of the best in the game for a while, but you're right - he's not the best. Haloti Ngata is. Casey Hampton? He used to be good but the guy is slipping fast.