Receivers

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency. The Ravens won their second Lombardi Trophy this winter thanks in large part due to the play of quarterback Joe Flacco, but let's not forget about the speedy guys who were on the receiving end of all those tight spirals.

Harford County was recently awarded nearly $867,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Continuum of Care, or CoC, Program to help homeless people find shelter and other services. The funding increased about 6 percent from the previous year and last year's funding and will account for the increased fair market rents, the county government said in a news release. "We are very pleased with HUD's decision to increase CoC funding in Harford County, allowing us to give more to the nonprofits who serve our most vulnerable citizens," stated Harford County Executive David Craig.

The impact of Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones was obvious every time that one of the speedy outside wide receivers ran past flat-footed defenders and under a long, arching throw from Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. Smith, now entering his third season, has quickly become one of the NFL's premier deep threats. And Jones, who got behind defenses for huge touchdowns twice in the postseason, also has speed to be reckoned with. Part of their hidden impact -- besides forcing safeties to back away from the line of scrimmage to protect against the big play -- came in the penalties they drew downfield when they weren't catching Flacco's deep balls.

TORONTO -- Kevin Gausman arrived in the visiting clubhouse of the Rogers Centre on Thursday to find about $300 worth of powdered mini doughnuts stacked inside and at the base of his locker, another nice welcoming gift from center fielder Adam Jones. The 22-year-old Gausman will make his major league debut tonight against the Blue Jays. Gausman -- who was known for eating doughnuts between innings at LSU -- apparently needed to go back to his apartment near Bowie to get his passport before joining the club.

The addition of wide receivers Lee Evans and Torrey Smith presented quarterback Joe Flacco with two more weapons, and was supposed to make the Ravens more dynamic on offense. But after two weeks and one discouraging loss, the Ravens are already facing familiar questions about their downfield passing attack. In a disappointing 26-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Flacco threw for 197 yards and a touchdown, but he never got much going down the field. Anquan Boldin and Lee Evans combined for five catches and 91 yards and Smith, the former University of Maryland standout, remained without a catch in his rookie season.

We all know the Ravens have struggled to draft and develop wide receivers in their 15-year history. But as my Baltimore Sun colleague Jamison Hensley pointed out this weekend in an article on the subject, it’s not for a lack of trying. The Ravens have drafted 16 wide receivers over the years, from Jermaine Lewis in 1996 to David Reed last year. Here’s a link to Hensley’s story , which is a good read. General manager Ozzie Newsome said at least week’s draft luncheon that the Ravens will take a wide receiver with one of their nine picks, and with T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Donte’ Stallworth set to become free agents, that probably isn’t a smokescreen.

The Cincinnati Bengals will meet the Ravens Sunday without wide receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens . That, however, doesn't make the task any easier for the Ravens defense. On--field antics and chatter could be non-existent without Ochocinco ( bone spur in left ankle) and Owens (torn meniscus in left knee), but the Ravens insist that Andre Caldwell , Jerome Simpson and slot receiver Jordan Shipley are worthy adversaries. "You know, he and Owens are both great wide receivers," defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said Thursday.

Lee Evans did not catch a pass despite being targeted four times by quarterback Joe Flacco in the Ravens' 35-7 thumping of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but that doesn't mean that the wide receiver was ineffective. Coach John Harbaugh said Evans' speed forced the Pittsburgh defense to monitor him closely, which carved out opportunities for his teammates on underneath and intermediate routes. "Lee opened up a couple crossing routes for us where he takes the top off the coverage, and if they don't run with him, Joe's going to throw to him," Harbaugh said during his post-game media session on Monday.

The Ravens have stated that adding another wide receiver to the mix is one of their top offseason priorities. As my colleague Jeff Zrebiec reported this weekend from the 2012 NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh pretty much shot down the notion that the team would pursue one of the top unrestricted free agents on the market next month and general manager Ozzie Newsome said the Ravens aren't going to attempt to...

When it comes to star power in NFL free agency in 2012, there might not be a more stacked position group than wide receiver. But much like the running back class, this year's bumper crop of free agent wide receivers will likely be thinned when some teams exercise their right to place the franchise tag on pending free agents. DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles has already received the franchise tagm and the long list of other free agent wideouts who could get tagged includes Vincent Jackson of the San Diego Chargers, Wes Welker of the New England Patriots, Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs, Marques Colston of the New Orleans Saints, and Steve Johnson of the Buffalo Bills.

A series of articles and editorials written by members of The Aegis staff about the alarming rise in traffic deaths in Harford County last year - and how law enforcement rushed to address the situation - has been named the best public service journalism in the region last year. The Best in Show for Public Service was one of nearly three dozen honors earned by the editorial, photography and sports staffs of The Aegis and The Record at the annual Maryland Delaware D.C. Press Association awards luncheon held near BWI Marshall Airport on Friday.

The Harford Land Trust honored former board member Mildred Krieder with its Conservation Award at its annual meeting held March 16 at the Bel Air Armory. The award cites Kreider's personal support of the land trust's founding, years of serving on the board of directors, generous financial support of projects and administrative costs and efforts to conserve in perpetuity the historical and natural resources of Little Jericho Farm that she and her late husband, Sidney Krieder, have owned since 1975.

Whenever the conversations about the leading candidates for the No. 2 receiver come up, Ravens officials like to mention several names including Deonte Thompson, David Reed, LaQuan Williams and Tandon Doss. But if you listen carefully, the Ravens think Thompson, in his second year, has the inside track. He has good size, soft hands and can fly. Opposite starter Torrey Smith, the Ravens would have two vertical threats on both sides of the field. "[Thompson] could sneak in there, he looks different, is fast and catches everything," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said.

Gov. Martin O'Malley on Thursday signed a gun-control bill that is among the country's most sweeping legislative responses to the December mass shooting in Newtown, Conn. The law bans the sale of assault-style rifles, including the AR-15 used in the Newtown killing of six educators and 20 first- and second-graders. The law limits gun ownership for people with mental illness, outlaws the sale of high-capacity magazines and establishes the nation's first new handgun licensing scheme in two decades.

Colleges Terps ' Schwarzmann, Aust, Cummings receive year-end honors Synapse Sports honored three Maryland women's lacrosse players with annual awards: Katie Schwarzmann (Century) is Midfielder of the Year, Alex Aust is Attacker of the Year and Taylor Cummings (McDonogh) is Rookie of the Year. Other winners were Florida's Mikey Meagher (Goalie of the Year), Syracuse's Becca Block (Defender of the Year), Northwestern's Christy Turner (Unsung Hero of the Year)

The city school board is considering proposals for seven charter schools that include two named for female trailblazers, another attempt at an all-male, college-preparatory program in East Baltimore, and an elementary school for at-risk youths. The new programs were presented to the Baltimore school board Tuesday as part of the district's annual charter application process. The applicants, the majority of which want to open in 2014, had made it through at least one round of interviews with a district charter advisory board.

In the weeks leading up to April's NFL draft, I will highlight four players at each position whom the Ravens could target at different stages in the draft -- from their top pick to their Mr. Irrelevant. In this post, I will focus on wide receivers. Remember, I'm not saying the Ravens will take a wideout with their first-round pick. I'm just giving you a player whom they might consider if they decided to go that route, and it is definitely a possibility with T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Donte’ Stallworth slated to become unrestricted free agents.

Let's jump in the time machine and flash back in time to the early 2000s when Tom Cruise wasn't a known crazy person, "Freedom Fries" were an innovation in redneck culinary circles and men under the age of 40 wearing visors in public was considered to be socially acceptable. Thanks to Al Gore's Internet invention, fantasy football was starting to blow up -- and we were advised to select running backs with our first 13 or so picks. Back to the future, the NFL has become a passing league.

Rutgers reinstated men's lacrosse coach   Brian Brecht on Tuesday, almost a month after having suspended him with pay over allegations of verbal abuse. While the university investigation found that the former Loyola University assistant did use inappropriate language and exhibited unprofessional behavior on occasion, the instances were infrequent and not directed at individual players. Accordingly the university found no criminal or university policy violations. “I regret my behavior and am determined to set a better example in the future,” said Brecht, who missed the last two games of the season.

The impact of Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones was obvious every time that one of the speedy outside wide receivers ran past flat-footed defenders and under a long, arching throw from Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. Smith, now entering his third season, has quickly become one of the NFL's premier deep threats. And Jones, who got behind defenses for huge touchdowns twice in the postseason, also has speed to be reckoned with. Part of their hidden impact -- besides forcing safeties to back away from the line of scrimmage to protect against the big play -- came in the penalties they drew downfield when they weren't catching Flacco's deep balls.