ESPN.com NFL Power Ranking (pre-camp): 5
WESTMINSTER, Md. — Pro Bowl talent? Check.
Plenty of depth? Check.
A budding quarterback and tremendous coaching staff? Check and check.
There are plenty of reasons to buy into the Super Bowl hype surrounding the Baltimore Ravens this year. Most of the key ingredients are in place for Baltimore to make a deep postseason run.
On paper, this is perhaps the best collection of talent in Baltimore since the team’s inception in 1996. It’s certainly the most balanced, as last season’s third-ranked defense joins quarterback Joe Flacco, Pro Bowl tailback Ray Rice and new receiver Anquan Boldin to give Baltimore a potentially high-scoring offense.
But expectations do not always equal results. Can the Ravens live up to the hype? First they must address these key issues.
THREE HOT ISSUES
1. Is Flacco ready to take the next step? There are plenty of weapons on offense, but it’s up to the quarterback to make sure everything runs efficiently.
Flacco has improved every year in the NFL. He is entering his third season, and the Ravens expect him to take the next step to become a legitimate franchise quarterback.
There is no reason to believe Flacco will not make the jump this year from a good to great quarterback. He has the best receiving corps of his career, a top-notch running game and a quality offensive line. Perhaps the biggest challenge for Flacco is keeping everyone happy, as every starting skill player with the exception of the quarterback has been to the Pro Bowl.
2. Will the cornerbacks hold up? Baltimore’s secondary issues are well-documented.
Top corner Domonique Foxworth (knee) is out for the season and starters Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb are both coming off major knee surgeries. Washington will make his 2010 debut Saturday against the Washington Redskins, while Webb is waiting to be cleared for practice. There’s also no guarantee both players will instantly get back to their old form once they return.
Players like Cary Williams, Travis Fisher and Chris Carr have been filling in for the time being. But starting roles are simply too big for this group, and that won’t cut it in the regular season. In this pass-heavy NFL, you need quality depth at cornerback, and it turns out this is Baltimore’s one glaring weakness on an otherwise stacked roster.
3. Can Baltimore survive the AFC North? Here is a fact Ravens fans often ignore: At least two division rivals currently have Baltimore’s number.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers have given Baltimore fits in recent years. Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is 8-3 against the Ravens in 11 career starts, which includes last year’s 2-0 sweep. Pittsburgh also is 3-1 in its last four meetings against the Ravens. The only Baltimore win in that span came against the Dennis Dixon-led Steelers in overtime last November.
A deep postseason run would be a lot easier for Baltimore if it won the AFC North division. With that comes a home playoff game(s) and possibly a bye in the first round. But the Ravens will have to play more consistently against their division rivals this season.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
The Ravens are not panicking over safety Ed Reed‘s offseason hip surgery, because Tom Zbikowski is having the best training camp of his career. The third-year safety is leaner and quicker this year, as Zbikowski continues to earn the confidence of the coaching staff.
Zbikowski has some natural instincts that the Ravens want to take advantage of. He’s versatile enough to play in the box, and has very good timing and angles on blitzes. It’s unknown if Reed will be ready for Week 1 of the regular season. The Ravens probably can’t win a Super Bowl without Reed, but they can win in the short term with an improved Zbikowski.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Jared Gaither‘s offseason has been a disaster. The offensive tackle got off on the wrong foot by making contract demands, and things have gone downhill from there.
Right now Gaither has a back injury that’s kept him out of camp. He also surprised the Ravens by reporting to the team much lighter than his usual playing weight.
Baltimore has already moved forward by making Michael Oher its left tackle, which is the most important position on the offensive line. But if Gaither doesn’t straighten things out, the Ravens also may have to figure out what to do next at right tackle. We will explain their options below.
OBSERVATION DECK
- Remember the name Oniel Cousins. He will be one of the most important Ravens in the next several weeks. With Gaither working to get back on the field, Cousins could do Baltimore a huge favor by playing well at right tackle. Marshal Yanda also is a possibility, but he’s better suited as Baltimore’s starting right guard. If Cousins proves to be the answer, the Ravens can maintain continuity with the other four spots on the offensive line.
- By the end of this season, Haloti Ngata may be mentioned as the top interior defensive lineman in football. It’s impressive watching Ngata routinely blow up offensive linemen in practice. He makes it look easy. In one sequence Wednesday, Ngata pushed rookie offensive tackle Ramon Harewood about 5 yards into the backfield. Ngata then yelled to the offensive coaches “get him out,” because Harewood’s best effort barely offered Ngata any resistance.
- I would be surprised if Baltimore doesn’t improve its pass rush this season. The “pressures” in camp look more crisp and aggressive this year. It also doesn’t hurt that linebacker/defensive end hybrid Terrell Suggs is in great shape and motivated to have a bounce-back season. Last year, the Ravens were ranked 18th in the NFL with 32 sacks in 16 games. The Steelers (47), Cleveland Browns (40) and Bengals (34) all had more sacks in the division.
- From what I saw this week, it’s pretty clear Marc Bulger deserves to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Flacco. Bulger has a quicker release and more accurate arm than Troy Smith. Bulger still shows flashes of the Pro Bowl-ability he had in St. Louis and can make throws that Smith simply cannot. Bulger would be a better short-term fill in if Flacco goes down.
- Webb looked good running and cutting on his surgically repaired knee while doing individual drills this week. He’s yet to practice with the team but is very close to being cleared. Baltimore believes Webb could eventually develop into the team’s best cornerback. But the team has to be careful and make sure he returns at full strength.
- Despite the bad press rookie defensive tackle Terrence Cody received after failing his conditioning test, he is a force once he’s on the field. Cody is hard to move in the trenches and has surprisingly good feet for someone his size. The Ravens are experimenting with Cody in various ways, including pairing him with Ngata and also giving Cody an occasional look at fullback in goal-line situations.
- I thought I would see more from rookie receiver David Reed this week. Not to put unnecessary pressure on the fifth-round pick, but Reed generated a significant buzz in Baltimore during minicamp and organized team activities. My first impressions of Reed in training camp is that he’s still inconsistent. Reed had some drops, but he also had one of this week’s best catches by leaping over a defender in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. Baltimore will need to see more of the latter.
- Switching Paul Kruger to full-time defensive end and adding bulk is already paying dividends. Kruger looks more powerful and explosive this summer. The second-round pick was drafted as a linebacker/defensive end hybrid and couldn’t find a role on the team his rookie year. Now he’s more productive focusing on one position.
