During the weeks leading into camp, I caught up with a few local media personalities who at least in part cover the Ravens and asked each several questions about the upcoming season. The participants were:
Rob Carlin, ABC 2 News
Gerry Sandusky, WBAL TV/Radio
Jason Cole, Yahoo Sports
Joe Platania, Press Box
Steve Davis, WBAL Radio/TV
Scott Garceau, ABC 2 News
1. Besides the obvious competition at quarterback, which camp battles do you expect to be the most intriguing?
Rob Carlin: For a team coming off a disastrous season, there doesn’t seem to be too many positions up for grabs. The 2 biggest question marks have to be at tackle. Jared Gaither hasn’t played any quality minutes in the NFL and Adam Terry has a lot to prove. The problem though, is that there doesn’t seem to be too much competition coming from the group as currently constituted. Marshall Yanda looks more like a guard or backup tackle. Oneil Cousins has shown flashes, but he’s a rookie. That leaves Mike Kracalik, who seemed to impress the coaches during mini-camp. Things change, though, when they put the pads on.
Scott Garceau: It’s not a camp battle but the development of the offensive line will be key to the Ravens ’08 season. Is Gaither ready to hold his own against the NFL’s top pass rushers, can Jason Brown make a smooth transition to center and handle all the calls that position requires, can Adam Terry handle right tackle? This group has potential [but] do they realize it sooner or later?
Steve Davis: Cornerback should be interesting to watch. The Ravens brought Fabian Washington, a former number 1 pick, here to be a starter at some point. That means Samari Rolle is on the hot seat. I was surprised Samari wasn’t at more of the voluntary workouts during the off-season to prove to the coaches that he could bounce back from last year. The other starting spots are basically locked up, so the rest of the battles will be for spots on the depth chart. SD
Jason Cole: I would think that the backup cornerback jobs will be crucial. The Ravens are getting old at CB, so whoever wins the backup jobs will probably play a lot and they need to be good.
Gerry Sandusky: Backup running back. The third down back in a West Coast offense is critically important. Ray Rice looks like the obvious choice, but can PJ Daniels or Cory Ross give the Ravens something that Rice can’t? [Also] back up linebacker. Ray won’t play forever. Can Tavares Gooden work his way into the rotation in passing situations? Bart Scott struggled with coverage last year.
2. Which Raven is primed for a break out season?
Scott Garceau: Haloti Ngata could be ready for Pro Bowl recognition, if the offense steps it up they’ll need more from the wide receivers it’s time for Demetrius Williams to become a playmaker, he has the tools. I think fans are anxious to see Ray Rice he was a special player at Rutgers.
Steve Davis: I think the Ravens are expecting Antawn Barnes to be a player that can grow into a more significant role this year. They like him to be an everyday starting linebacker at some point, probably sooner rather than later.
Gerry Sandusky: For the sake of offensive production, the Ravens have to hope it’s either Mark Clayton or Demetrius Williams. Neither scored a TD last season. The team can’t afford a repeat of that scoring drought.
Rob Carlin: I think the guy to watch become a real star this year could be Ben Grubbs. I covered him at Auburn when I was working in Birmingham. He was dominant at times. He has the potential to be a perennial pro-bowler. This could be the start of a great career.
3. Which Ravens’ veteran is closest to being on the bubble, i.e. losing his roster spot?
Joe Platania: Losing a roster spot? With the influx of new offensive linemen, I’d say it’s [Adam] Terry. Also, Dan Cody is going to get one last chance to go through a camp healthy and show what he can do.
Scott Garceau: I don’t think he’ll lose his roster spot but Samari Rolle could be at a crossroads. He needs to stay healthy and play well, last year the Ravens paid for it by having no depth at cornerback, now with Fabian Washington and Frank Walker in purple Rex has legit alternatives.
Jason Cole: Trevor Pryce is a tough guy, but his body is really beaten up at this point.
Gerry Sandusky: Gary Stills looks like a guy in a tough spot with the addition of Brendon Ayanbadejo.
Rob Carlin: There’s a few guys who jump out at me, and they are really known for their special teams play. If I were Gary Stills, PJ Daniels or Yamon Figurs, I’d be a little nervous. With the addition of Brendon Ayanbadejo and the drafting of guys like Marcus Smith, Ray Rice and Justin Harper, the Ravens are bringing in quality, young players with a lot to prove. They usually prove that on special teams. And Stills, Figurs & Daniels look to be special teams guys only.
4. Looking back does Jason Garrett’s rejection of the Ravens’ head coaching job appear to be a blessing in disguise?
Joe Platania: Yes, I think so. Garrett would have been a fine addition, but the Ravens’ goal has always been to upgrade what they have. I liked Billick, but Harbaugh is younger, hungrier and more bent on fundamentals, very Trembley-like.
Gerry Sandusky: No disguise needed. I don’t think Garrett ever wanted the Ravens job. He wanted to test the market, and he had the Cowboys blessing to do so. Look at the video of Garrett and his wife leaving Ravens camp after his final interview. They don’t look like people on the verge of calling Baltimore their home. Coaching in the NFL is too demanding of a job and too demanding of families for an entire family not to buy into the move.
Steve Davis: I think so. I’ve been impressed with Harbaugh. He’s done a great job assembling a staff. He was able to keep Rex Ryan, and I don’t think Ryan would have wanted to stay for Garrett. Harbaugh is old school, and I think this team needed that.
Rob Carlin: That’s hard to say in July. Certainly John Harbaugh seems awfully impressive. And he’s put together a fantastic staff. But until we see his game day decisions and how he handles the locker room issues that always creep up, the jury is still out. Having said that, I’m a Harbaugh fan. Garrett seemed a little like he was expecting great things to happen to him. Harbaugh is going to chase after greatness. That kind of attitude will absolutely play well in a blue-collar town like Baltimore.
5. What will the Ravens miss most about Brian Billick?
Gerry Sandusky: Brian did a great job of moving past disappointment. Brian could refocus on the next challenge about as quickly as I’ve ever seen a coach move forward after a tough loss, an key injury, or a bad break. He did an exceptional job of keeping the organization from dipping into self-pity during tough times.
Joe Platania: I thought Brian brought a very big-picture approach to the job. He macro-managed and he did so brilliantly, covering every contingency and every base possible.
Steve Davis: He’s a great leader and motivator. He knew how to be a head coach. For the veterans, they will certainly miss how he "took care" of them. People think Billick’s message got old. No one would have worried about that if he just got good quarterback play. SD
Jason Cole: I think the players will start to realize that Billick deflected a lot more blame from them than they realized. His ability to captivate the media was both a blessing and a curse. I don’t think the players realized how much he stood up for them.
Rob Carlin: I guess his willingness to be the face and voice of the organization. He craved it, to an extent, and he was good at it. He was usually good at deflecting a lot of the negatives that came from the media or the locker room. But I truly don’t think they’ll miss too much. His message got stale. He became bigger than the team.
I thought it was the perfect time for the Ravens to part ways with Billick. It’s no knock on Billick. But these contracts are not lifetime deals. He won a lot of games and [he] won the ultimate game. He’ll go down as the greatest coach in Ravens history, one every other coach will be compared against. But I don’t think the players were sad to see him go.
6. Will Joe Flacco start as some point during the season and if so, at what point during the season will he get the call?
Scott Garceau: I suspect a so-so season by the Ravens might put him in play somewhere around weeks 11-13, at that point turn over the keys to the car and let the Flacco era begin. With a questionable offensive line and 1st round expectations I think less is more for Joe Flacco this season.
Rob Carlin: Let me be perfectly clear – Joe Flacco should NOT start this year. At any point!! He is a rookie without any "big-game" experience. The tackles are, at best, a project. The wideouts haven’t proven to be playmakers. There’s no reason to throw him out there to get his brains beat out. Maybe get him in some games early. Maybe some late. But he should not have the pressure, or expectations, of being the Ravens starting QB in Year 1.
Gerry Sandusky: I think Flacco will start at some point, but I hope that point doesn’t come until the second half of the season. Throwing a rookie into the fray with limited weapons around him and a young line in front of him seems wildly risky at the beginning of a season. By the second half of the year–if the team doesn’t look like a strong playoff contender—the pressure reduces and the opportunity expands for Flacco.
7. What are the Ravens most pressing concerns in your opinion?
Jason Cole: Wide receiver, wide receiver and wide receiver. No matter who the QB is, they need real weapons at that position and they don’t have them. They’re also getting old at some defensive spots, but that concerns me less because there are some young guys there and Ozzie has shown the ability to draft well at most positions.
Joe Platania: As they got bigger at receiver, they got smaller at running back. Musa Smith’s defection will hurt more than most think. Also, defensive line depth — they carried only five out of camp last year — will be an issue.
Steve Davis: Quarterback play and offensive line. It’s a young group up front, with all three interior lineman in completely different positions than last year. The tackles are very unproven. This group will likely struggle early on, but has the chance to develop into a good unit.
Gerry Sandusky: Three areas concern me: 1. The lack of obvious weapons on offense. The Ravens don’t have an obvious deep threat in the passing game. Derrick Mason is a terrific possession receiver, but Ravens need either Clayton or Williams to emerge as a true number one receiver for this offense to have its best chance at success. Otherwise it becomes too easy for defensive coordinators to take away the obvious weapons–Heap and McGahee–with game plan schemes.
2. The young offensive line. This is the most unpredictable aspect of the Ravens offense. Not only do individual players like Gaither, Grubbs, and Yanda still have unpredictable upsides, but there’s no way to predict how the entire unit will gel. Offensive lines thrive and fail as a unit. Getting young players to develop the chemistry and timing to play as a unit is one of the biggest challenges the Ravens face. If they succeed up front, then they have a chance to develop a patient, productive offense. If they fail up front then an old pattern will emerge: struggling offense, dominant defense. Here’s the catch: you can measure the size and speed of all the lineman, but you can’t measure their ability to play as a cohesive unit until the regular season begins.
3. Tight end. With both Todd Heap and Dan Wilcox coming off big injuries, the lack of depth at this position looks like a major area of worry.
8. Predict the team’s number of wins in ’08 and their where they will finish in the AFC North.
Joe Platania: Because the AFC North is taking on the two toughest divisions in football this year — the AFC South and NFC East — the division winner will not have more than ten wins. The Ravens will go 8-8 and fight Pittsburgh for second behind the Browns. Cincy will finally implode and finish last.
Jason Cole: Seven wins, third place.
Scott Garceau: I think this will fall between the 13-3 of 2006 and the 5-11 crash from last year. 8-8 sounds about right, not bad, a 3-game improvement over a year ago. Below 7 wins a bad year, 9 or better great start for John Harbaugh. Probably 3rd in the division.
Steve Davis: I think it’s too early to predict that. Training camp hasn’t even started yet. We haven’t seen Troy Smith in game action. We have no idea what the injury situation will be like come the opener. I think I’ll hold off until the regular season starts.
Rob Carlin: Could be a long season for the Ravens. I see 7-9 or 8-8. I think the Browns and Steelers should be better. The Bengals could be better. The Ravens will likely finish in 3rd place in the division.
Photo by Sabina Moran