Photo credit: Football Outsiders via r/NFL and r/Ravens through SBNation
So this is a pretty cool study from Football Outsiders. If you’re curious to see how they put this list together, here is an explanation from Scott Kacsmar. The fact that the Ravens were the 3rd healthiest team should come as a shock to many Ravens fans with all of the injuries in the secondary last season. If we were ranking positional units, the Ravens’ defensive backs would probably be all the way at the bottom. But this takes a look at the entire team, which was pretty healthy the past two seasons. Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation explains that acceptance of sports science may play a big role. LINK
Elvis Dumervil: If I get 23 sacks, Ravens will make it to Super Bowl
John Breech of CBS Sports discusses Dumervil’s comments regarding the season sack record (22.5 Michael Strahan 2001), which he made during minicamp. He says that may not be true considering the history of players reaching the 20-sack mark. While having the sack record would be cool, Dumervil, as you would expect, would prefer a Super Bowl. LINK
Ravens’ 5 Best Draft Classes
The Ravens are known as one of the best drafting teams in the league, but which classes have had the most success? Rob Michels of Purple Reign takes a look. His top choice is impossible to argue, but 2008 should be on this list. While the 2003 draft is underrated mainly due to the fact that Kyle Boller was picked in the first round, it shouldn’t be in the top five for the same reason. The 2008 (most notable: Flacco, Rice, and Zbikowski) or 2011 class (most notable: J. Smith, T. Smith, P. McPhee) should be on the list instead. LINK
Vegas oddsmakers remain high on Ravens’ chances
The title may be a bit misleading, as Vegas odds don’t exactly depict the opinion of the oddsmakers; they have more to do with how the public is betting. While 25-to-1 may seem a bit low, Clifton Brown of CSN Baltimore explains that those odds tie for third best in the AFC (along with the Steelers). If you include both the AFC and NFC, the Ravens and Steelers tie with the Cardinals (????) for eighth best. LINK
Ravens 90-Man Roster
The Ravens’ official site put out a photo gallery of all 90 players on the current roster. If you want to have some fun with it, try looking at the picture and guessing who the player is before you scroll down to look at the name. It will help that they are all in alphabetical order. LINK