Ravens won't risk losing Rice or Flacco

It's official now.

The Ravens are on the clock to either sign running back Ray Rice to a contract extension or designate him the franchise player by March 5th.

Otherwise, they'd have to allow him to become an unrestricted free agent.

But there is no need to panic. Rice will remain in Baltimore, one way or the other.

The Ravens are expected to meet with the agent for Joe Flacco this week to eventually sign their franchise quarterback, who has one year remaining on his current deal, to a long term deal.

There's no need to sweat that one, either.

There probably won't be any deals announced this week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, but Flacco will be around Baltimore for a few more years, too.

There was a sense of panic in town last week after Flacco's agent Joe Linta said that Flacco deserved to be paid as one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL.

It was the perfect talk radio fodder. The head cases called in and went nuts. They worried about Rice's future, and were concerned a frustrated Flacco would leave Baltimore if he didn't get a new deal done before this season. They even started comparing who was more valuable.

It was great entertainment and hard to determine which was funnier, the concern of fans or Linta's comments about Flacco being a top five quarterback.

Flacco and Rice aren't going anywhere because the Ravens designated them cornerstones last season when they cut receivers Derrick Mason and Todd Heap. Every time there was an issue on offense last season, Rice and Flacco became the spokesmen.

When Ray Lewis and Ed Reed eventually retire, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs will join Flacco and Rice as the unquestionable leaders of the Ravens. All three are still fairly young, in their prime and have some great years remaining.

The question is, when will the Ravens pay Rice and Flacco?

Linta was posturing with his praise of Flacco, and that's his job. He is also inexperienced as far as having done top notch deals for quarterbacks which made his statements so early in the negotiations appear silly.

Flacco isn't a top five quarterback because he isn't cerebral or talented enough to run an offense centered around the quarterback like Green Bay does with Aaron Rodgers, New England with Tom Brady and New Orleans with Drew Brees.

In fact, he wouldn't even make my top 10 because he can't improvise like a Ben Roethlisberger or Michael Vick, but I'd pay him like a quarterback in the No. 6 to No. 10 range because he has done exactly what the Ravens have asked, and more.

They've gotten a four-year starter, four straight playoff appearances and two AFC championship games out of a quarterback from the University of Delaware.

That's almost unbelievable.

Of course, Flacco has played with one of the best defenses in the NFL throughout his time and the Ravens also have a good front office as far as the draft and adding free agents. But that's what is also attractive about Flacco.