Another off season has come and gone with many NFL teams making attempts to improve themselves. As we all know, the Ravens needed to make strides to catch division rivals and Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Did they do enough to catch the Super Bowl Champs? Let’s take a look at what each accomplished in the off season and you decide if the Ravens got it done.
The Steelers lost only 2 starters from last year’s Superbowl lineup. One, LB Larry Foote, was released to make room for a younger, faster replacement, Larry Timmens. The other, CB Darren McFadden skipped town to join Arizona as he saw the writing on the wall in being replaced by Gay who he shared time with during the last half of the season. They also lost 3rd wideout Nate Washington, but it seems they ably replaced him with 3rd round draft pick and 4.23 4o yard sprinter Mike Wallace. The Steelers aslo stayed solid with one of the best coaching staffs in the league. So, did the Super Bowl Champs really lose anything? Did I mention that RB Rashad Mendenhall would be back from injury?
So, after losing to the Steelers multiple times last season, what did Baltimore do to make up ground?
The offense lost Derrick Mason to retirement ….. or did they? It still seems to be in question whether Mason is serious or if he is playing a head game in order to fulfill his wishes for a new contract. ( As I suggested …… within the first 24 hours after I posted this article, Mason ended his so-called retirement). Without Mason, and the newly retired Drew Bennett, Joe Flacco’s passing options become pretty pathetic. GM Ozzie Newsome obviously feels the same way as he seems to be considering making a trade for off field problem child and Broncos receiver Brandon Marshal. Newsome may not like the idea of taking on the baggage associated with Marshal, but he may not have a choice. Without Mason and Bennett (and maybe with them, too) Flacco needs Marshal. If they don’t get a more stable performer at wideout, expect more pressure to be put on the oft-injured Todd Heap at tight end.
The run game should still be the focus of this offense. The loss of Jason Brown at center was ably filled by signing six time Pro-Bowler Matt Birk. The solid offense line will lead the way for the three headed moster of Willis McGahee, Ray Rice, and LeRon McClain. Without the stability of the passing game, look for all three to get a lot of carries and maybe more receptions too out of the backfield.
Let’s face it, though, this team lives and dies with the defense ….. always has ….always will? For the first time in a long time, maybe that’s in question. The defense lost 3 major kesy in the off season; ILB Bart Scott, S Jim Leonard and defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. Of the three losses, Ryan may be the biggest. LB coach Greg Mattison took his place. It will be interesting to see early on how the veterans on the defense (Lewis and Reed) respond to their new coordinator. Don’t expect Mattison to make many changes in order to keep his veterans happy. Lewis should still be able to run free and make tackles as he is protected up front by the solid defensive line of Ngata, Pryis, and Bannan/Gregg.
Bart Scott will be replaced by Tavares Gooden. Gooden should have a solid season, but come on, he is no Bart Scott. In terms of the loss at safety, Darren Landry should do well as long as he has fully recovered from last season’s spinal contusion injury.
Maybe the biggest problem on the defense that no one seems to want to talk about is……. wait for it ……..age. Ray Lewis, the heart and soul of this team is a 34 year old inside linebacker. He is no young pup. And I know it sounds craxy, but at 30, Reed is not exactly a youngster at safety. This defese has slipped in its overall team speed in the past 2-3 seasons. You can see this in the stats as they have fallen from 60 sacks in 2006 to in the low 30′s two seasons in a row. This means to me loss of speed. Does this mean getting old? You tell me.
This all brings us back to the original question. Have the Ravens done enough to surpass the Steelers? The Steelers seem solid everywhere with no question marks. The Ravens …..passing game ….question mark …..Defensive pass rush …..question mark …..defensive coaching ….. question mark. Does this all mean that the Ravens stink? Of course not. They are still one of the best teams in the AFC. But, if they can’t beat the Steelers and are still the 2nd best team in their own division, then what’s the point?
