Joe Flacco

Remember when President Barack Obama stuck a federal takeover of the student loan program into the "Affordable Care Act," AKA "Obamacare"? The dirty deed was accompanied by a promise that federal control would save taxpayer money and cut off all the private sector profiteers anxious to put the screws to student loan applicants. Now comes the Federal Reserve Bank of New York with a daunting report on the grand experiment: A startling 35 percent of student loan-borrowers under 30 years of age were 90 days or more late in their payments as of December 31, up from 26 percent in 2008 and 21 percent in 2004.

The Ravens are interested in free-agent pass rusher Elvis Dumervil, according to my colleague Aaron Wilson. And considering that Dumervil has 63.5 career sacks in six NFL seasons, including a league-high 17 sacks in 2009, why wouldn't any team that is looking to boost its pass rush reach out to Dumervil's new agents? (In case you, too, are still living in the 20th century, a faulty fax machine led to Dumervil's release in Denver .) The Broncos had agreed to terms on a restructured contract with a reduced salary to keep Dumervil in Denver, but when the paperwork didn't arrive before a Friday deadline for a roster bonus, the team was forced to release him. Now he is arguably the most attractive option available a week into NFL free agency.

"All good things have to come to an end" is an old adage that still rings true. The Baltimore Ravens just won the Super Bowl and united this region, but the breakup began when the "business of the sport" became more important than the need to retain the players that made the team's win possible If only the feeling of being on top of the mountain could have lasted until next season. But Joe Flacco gets a new $150 million contract, and we not only ask Anquan Boldin to take a $2 million pay cut but are ordered to be quiet about it because this is how the game works.

Brian Billick was coach of the Ravens the last time the team had a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions, so I was interested to hear his thoughts on what the Ravens are doing the second time around. In 2001, a season after they beat the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, the Ravens made that notorious switch from Trent Dilfer and Elvis Grbac at quarterback. But they kept the rest of their roster mostly intact by restructuring contracts to keep players such as Shannon Sharpe and Rod Woodson around for another run. The Ravens lost in the divisional round the following postseason and soon had to overhaul their roster.

This business about the Ravens' salary cap is way beyond my comprehension ("Raven's tight salary cap could squeeze out playoff star Anquan Boldin if he doesn't accept less pay," March 10). But I know one thing: The more money one player receives, the less there is for the others. So I have a suggestion for Joe Flacco and his agent: Now that their record salary deal assures Mr. Flacco of the "respect I deserve," perhaps he can see fit to donate some of his millions to the team salary pool in order to help retain the many players who were absolutely key to the Ravens' victories in the playoffs and the Super Bowl . To ask players like Anquan Boldin to take a cut in pay after what he and others did for the team defies all logic and fairness.

The Ravens' surprising decision Wednesday to cut Bernard Pollard, the hard-hitting and tough-talking safety who led the Super Bowl champions in tackles last season, opens up just $1 million of salary-cap room. So at least on the surface, the move appears to go beyond simple finances. While team officials have yet to comment on Pollard's release, it continues a trend of offseason activity that has the Ravens' roster - particularly on the defensive side - getting younger, thinner, quieter and in some cases, cheaper.

Here is what national analysts are saying about the Ravens trading Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers. --- Pete Prisco of CBS Sports says that trading Boldin makes sense because he no longer gets separation . “He was old and slow and made too much dough and had to go. … I think Boldin is the best receiver in NFL history at catching passes when he is not open,” Prisco wrote. “His inability to separate because of a lack of speed has forced him to evolve into a receiver who uses his hands and his body to make catches.

After the Ravens celebrated the release of their Super Bowl DVD Monday, not everyone was ready to go home. Ray Lewis and Joe Flacco kept the party rolling, heading over to Chazz: A Bronx Original in Harbor East . Chazz manager Peter Stala tells Insider that the Ravens arrived at the restaurant after 8 p.m., settling into the private dining room. "They were in good spirits," he said. "They'd just been watching their Super Bowl run on the DVD and were having a good time.

The Ravens made a tough business decision Monday, dealing veteran wide receiver and playoff hero Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round pick in April's draft after Boldin wouldn't accept a pay cut. Judging by all of the angry, confused and/or heartbroken Ravens fans that blew up my Twitter immediately after my colleague Aaron Wilson broke the story, the majority of the vocal minority feels that the Ravens did Boldin a dirty, got...

As soon as the Super Bowl ended and quarterback Joe Flacco signed a long term contract, the real business was going to begin as far as reshaping the Ravens. Several of the team's big name free agents were going to ask for more money, and there wasn't going to be a lot to give. The latest is Dannell Ellerbe, the best inside linebacker in free agency. There is no doubt that the Ravens want him back, but at what price? Ellerbe wants a $25 to $30 million contract worth about $6 million per season, and the Ravens want to pay about $5 million a year.