The area’s two major football squads, the Terps and Ravens, were the big stories even though they’re not playing. Don’t worry, we’ll see “O’s lose again” headlines soon enough.

[1] Consider me impressed. Despite an awful 2-10 record in 2009, the Terps managed to land the 37th best recruiting class in the country, according to rivals.com. It’s an even crazier accomplishment when you consider how coach Ralph Friedgen’s job status was in limbo for a large chunk of the recruiting season. Credit offensive coordinator, coach-in-waiting and recruiting coordinator James Franklin for the success (but take points away for him having too many job titles). The Terps got much-needed reinforcements in the trenches, including offensive linemen Max Garcia and Nathaniel Clarke and defensive end David Mackall. My favorite of the recruits is wideout Tyrek Cheeseboro. I know nothing about him, but his last name is Cheeseboro. Admit it, you wish your last name was Cheeseboro. Who wouldn’t?

[2] The Ravens on Wednesday held their annual “State of the Ravens” news conference (seriously, who dubbed it that?). As I wrote in Thursday’s column, there were no bombshells, of course. The biggest surprise was Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and coach John Harbaugh putting pressure on Joe Flacco to step it up. “It’s time for him to do the things that we know he’s capable of doing,” Bisciotti said. More than ever, all eyes will be on Flacco this year.

[3] Ravens LB Terrell Suggs, who inked a mega-bucks deal at the start of camp, got called out by team owner Steve Bisciotti on Wednesday for coming in to the season “out of shape.” Harbaugh then reiterated his desire to have Suggs training here in the offseason. Hopefully, Suggs gets the message and complies.

[4] I hate to say it, but Brandon Marshall won’t be a Raven. Read between the lines. Bisciotti pretty much made that clear.

[5] Forget about Jim Zorn the head coach. Sure, his tenure as the head honcho in D.C. was brutal, but Zorn is one of the top quarterbacks coaches in the league. Trust me, he’s a guy you want grooming Flacco.

[6] Sunday’s Pro Bowl went as well as one could expect, with plenty of passes and points. It’s not going to get any more compelling with nothing on the line, so let’s stop trying to find ways to make the game better — outside of making sure the guys nominated to the game actually play.

[7] State Del. Jay Walker wants a law passed that would force Maryland football to play games against Towson and Morgan State instead of out-of-state FCS teams. Hey, if the Terps are going to almost lose to cupcakes, it might as well be against local ones, right?

[8] The Caps are so hot right now, but they should have made a big play for Dion Phaneuf, who was traded from Calgary to Toronto this week. The dude is a linebacker on skates, something the Caps sorely need if they want to sip champagne from Lord Stanley’s Cup.

[9] Here’s my Super Bowl pick: Colts 27, Saints 22. Like his baby bro’s Citizen Eco-Drive watch, Peyton Manning is simply unstoppable.

Matt Vensel is a content creator for b. E-mail him at matt@bthesite.com. Follow him on Twitter — @mattvensel.

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