It was a long winter for Mark Andrews. He must be reliving the playoff loss at the Buffalo Bills over and over in his head.
It was not one of Andrews' better games. He had a turnover in Buffalo territory in the fourth quarter and dropped what would have been the game-tying two-point conversion with 93 seconds left on the clock.
The spring has brought Andrews better luck and better fortune. Fans and pundits predicted the Baltimore Ravens would move on from Andrews, in light of the fact he was due a $4 million roster bonus on Sunday. That, coupled with his poor performance in the playoff game, fans thought the writing was on the wall.
Instead of handing Andrews a pink slip, the Ravens gave him the aforementioned $4 million bonus, all but guaranteeing he will be on the team this fall. Had the Ravens elected to cut Andrews before Sunday, they would have saved $11 million, including the $4 million chunk Andrews just received.
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta praised Andrews at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last month. The team has supported Andrews since his snow nightmare.
"Mark is a great player," DeCosta said on Feb. 25. "We're blessed to have three really good tight ends under contract this year. They all contribute in different ways. Their chemistry, their camaraderie, their impact on the offense, their relationship with the other skill guys is great.
"I mean, Mark is going to go down as one of our great players - he'll be in the [Ravens] Ring of Honor someday. I love having Mark on the team - he's an amazing player. I know he's going to have an amazing season."
