Ravens staff looking forward to 2090 season
By "Dontese Enfurno"

Playoffs 2089 (Baltimore) - Another losing season has come and gone for the Baltimore Ravens, who finished with a record of 4-10 for the second straight year. The city, however, hasn't been this excited over their team in quite a while.

'It really is quite an honor to receive such an award from my peers,' Howard said of the announcement that he would receive the prestigious Garritt Grandberg USA Sports Spirit Award, or 'Granny,' at his usual Tuesday morning press conference.

'I go way back with a number of individuals in this league, and with the rapport we all have.. to be honest, it's quite easy. Couple that with the fact that the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland are hungry for a quality team that can deliver entertaining games and, hopefully, a championship.. it really is just a great honor.'

In fact, Howard made it a point to dedicate the award to Joe Malloy, his former employer with the New York Giants.

'I definitely want to dedicate this to Joe for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this league and for being such an invaluable resource.'

Things moved on to business as usual, of course.

'We won our last three games, two of which were against quality teams,' said Howard of the Ravens, who finished the season with wins over Houston, Miami and Oakland.

'Courtney [Jones] really came into his own over that stretch, and to be honest, he really impressed the hell out of me all season.'

Jones, the starting quarterback for the Ravens, ended the season with games of 288, 292 and 264 yards thrown, respectively, as well as a total of 7 touchdowns over the three-game span.

'We fared pretty well during the season, and if you look at the numbers, we really improved in my opinion. We're not where we want to be, but we're on the right track.'

Howard also sang the praises of two other star players on the Ravens.

'Calvin Jobson really gelled this year. I think there are plans already in motion to open up the offense a bit next year and really make use of the speed we have as a team.'

Jobson finished the year above 1,000 yards, rushing for 7 touchdowns and receiving an additional one.

'I also love Bill Pointdexter's transition to middle linebacker. He was against the idea in the off-season, but he played his heart out and was all over the field all year long. I was really impressed.'

When asked about the situation of one of his former players in New York, Evan Green, Howard had the following to say before wrapping up the interview:

'It's just sad, really. You hate to see politics and emotion come between talent and the desire to win. I know Joe will handle the situation professionally, regardless of the outcome.'