OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Elvis Dumervil has nothing bad to say about his time in Denver. He even considered staying with the Broncos after a fax snafu made him a free agent. OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Elvis Dumervil has nothing
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Elvis Dumervil has nothing bad to say about his time in Denver. He even considered staying with the Broncos after a fax snafu made him a free agent.
When it came time to choose his future in the NFL, however, the three-time Pro Bowl defensive end decided it was best to play for a winner in a different city.
Dumervil passed his physical and signed a five-year contract with the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday. Wearing a checkered shirt and a broad grin, the 6-foot, 260-pounder fondly looked back on his time in Denver and eagerly spoke about the next, maybe final, stage of his NFL career.
“Sometimes you have to make a decision. You pray about it,” Dumervil said. “At the end of the day there was no ill will or hard feelings. I just felt it was a time to change scenery.”
The 29-year-old Dumervil became a free agent after his representative, whom was subsequently fired, was late in delivering the paperwork accepting a reduction in salary. So the Broncos had to release him, and after weighing offers from Denver and Baltimore, Dumervil picked the Ravens.
“It was an unfortunate situation,” Dumervil acknowledged. “Obviously leaving a really good organization like the Denver Broncos, they’re proven winners. I have nothing but good things to say about the organization. But when an opportunity came that I could come to another winner and a first-class organization, it was just leaving one great one to another great one. So I took it.”
The Ravens wasted almost no time pursuing the hard-charging pass rusher, especially after an offseason in which they lost free agents Ed Reed, Paul Kruger, Dannell Ellerbe and Cary Williams, cut safety Bernard Pollard and traded wide receiver Anquan Boldin.
So general manager Ozzie Newsome worked out a salary-cap friendly deal for around $35 million. After receiving a bit of encouragement via text message from Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, Dumervil accepted.
“I’ve known Terrell Suggs for a long time. He’s a great player, man,” Dumervil said. “He plays the run and rushes the passer. A great personality. I’m excited so we can merge, and obviously (linebacker Courtney) Upshaw as well, to try and get after quarterbacks.”
Coach John Harbaugh could barely contain his excitement.
“We just feel like Elvis Dumervil is our kind of guy,” he said. “We like to say things like, ‘He’s a Raven.’ That’s how he’s always played. We loved him coming out of Louisville. In some ways, I don’t want to say we feared him, but we certainly respected him as a football player, trying to game plan all around him.”
Dumervil played in all 16 games with the Broncos last season, serving as team captain and registering 11 sacks for the top-seeded team in the AFC. Over seven seasons he has 63½ sacks, an interception and 17 forced fumbles.
His last game with Denver turned out to be a bitter overtime loss to the Ravens in the playoffs.
“I was in a hole for about a week,” Dumervil said.
Before the fax debacle, he was willing to take a pay cut to stay in Denver.
Packers hang
on to TE Finley
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jermichael Finley is ready for the increased expectations that are sure to come with his increased salary.
The Green Bay Packers opted to pay their mercurial tight end a $3 million roster bonus rather than cut him by 4 p.m. EDT Monday afternoon. Though Finley swears he wasn’t watching the clock, he took to Twitter shortly after the deadline passed, saying, “Ecstatic 2 b back w (at)packers. Best place on earth.”
The Packers have long been enamored with Finley’s size — he’s 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds — speed and strength. Not only is he a big target for Aaron Rodgers, but he draws multiple defenders and can block just about anyone. He set a Packers record for receptions by a tight end last season, finishing with 61 catches for 676 yards and two touchdowns.
Vince Young throws
at Texas pro timing day
AUSTIN, Texas — Vince Young picked some familiar ground as he tries to resurrect his sinking NFL career.
Out of football since being cut by the Buffalo Bills before last season, the former University of Texas star used the Longhorns’ pro timing day workouts Tuesday to throw passes in front on scouts for 30 teams.
Seven years earlier, Young used the same venue to make his case as the top quarterback in the draft. This time, he was just trying to show teams he’s worthy of a roster spot.
Young declined interviews with dozens of reporters, but Young’s agent Jerry Marlatt told The Associated Press that Young chose the Texas workout because he’s comfortable on campus and it got him in front of nearly every team at once.
Young is enrolled in school and finished his degree in May, Marlatt said.
Raiders sign
OL Alex Barron
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Tackle Alex Barron signed a free-agent contract with the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday as he hopes to revive his career after sitting out the past two seasons.
Barron, a former first round pick by St. Louis in 2005, has started just one game since 2009. After playing sparingly in Dallas in 2010, Barron missed the entire 2011 season with New Orleans with a knee injury and was cut in training camp last summer by Seattle.
Barron started 74 games in his first five seasons with the Rams after being drafted 19th overall out of Florida State. He struggled in St. Louis with 43 false starts, 13 holding penalties and 33 sacks allowed in his five seasons, according to STATS LLC.
