<span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%">Baltimore Ravens</span>Looking Back:The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2005 NFL season with high hopes. Running back Jamal Lewis was returning to the starting lineup after missing four games the previous year. Despite spending most of the off-season in jail, he was only two years removed from a 2000 yard season. Also returning to the field was tight end Todd Heap, who had been the team's #1 option in the passing game in years past. However, with the addition of wide receiver Derrick Mason the team hoped that would no longer be the case, as he and first rounder Mark Clayton made the wide receiver corps looked as good as they have in years. Kyle Boller was expected to bloom with all of his offensive pieces in place, along with a defense featuring the new additions of rookie defensive end Dan Cody and cornerback Samari Rolle. However, things took a turn for the worst. Jamal Lewis failed to reach 1000 yards for the first time in his playing career, scoring only four total touchdowns. Quarterback Kyle Boller threw for less than 1800 yards in nine games, throwing 11 TDs and 12 INTs. Derrick Mason caught only 3 TDs and barely cracked 1000 yards and the offensive line didn't help much either. The defense did not produce as expected, and stars like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed missed significant time with injury. While the Ravens finsished the 2005 season 6-10, tied for last in the AFC North, their 2-5 start may have been overshadowed by a 4-3 finish in which Kyle Boller played to his full potential and possibly kept his job as Baltimore's starter going into the off-season.<span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%">Key Off-Season Acquisitions:</span>Mike Anderson, Running Back:After effectively running behind Denver's offensive line for his entire six year career, Anderson finds himself in a slightly tougher situation in a weaker running system and behind a weaker line in Baltimore. However he is more than likely to split carries with Jamal Lewis, and the Ravens hope that he will support their weak running game from last year in order to positively impact the rest of the offense.Trevor Pryce, Defensive End:Another signing from Denver, Pryce will be an immediate starter at defensive end across from Terrell Suggs and helps with both the pass rush and run defense in Baltimore. The Ravens have had a weak defensive line for years making Pryce a key acquisition for them.<span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%">The Draft:</span>Haloti Ngata, Defensive Tackle:The Ravens moved up one spot to get their man, a huge run stuffer out of Oregon who figures to be an immediate fix on the defensive line. Ngata and fellow addition Trevor Pryce are added to Kelly Gregg and Terrell Suggs to create a suddenly intimidating defensive line.David Pittman, Cornerback:Pittman isnt a household name, but was considered one of the draft's top sleepers at his position and with Dale Carter possibly seeing his role reduced (if he's not a June 1st cut) he should play a big role for Baltimore behind starters Chris McAllister and Samari Rolle.Demetrius Williams, Wide Receiver:Williams was a projected second rounder and almost surely a first day pick, however teams continued to pass until he slipped all the way into the fourth round where Baltimore pounced on him. Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton are the penciled in starters for the Ravens, but Williams is almost a sure thing as the team's #3 receiver, although he'll likely face competition. With Mason getting older, Clayton and Williams could be a top young starting duo in the NFL within a few years.<span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%">Looking Ahead:</span>The Ravens' main concern this off-season was keeping Ray Lewis happy, and as he continued to complain about the players around him they went out and seemingly took care of the problems. Lewis now has two huge bodies in Ngata and Pryce playing right in front of him, both who should attract blockers and free up space for him to make even more plays. While much of Baltimore's success hinges on the health of players like Lewis and Ed Reed, they did a solid job reloading for the upcoming season and rumors of bringing in Steve McNair to push Kyle Boller at quarterback continue to swirl, which would most likely be a healthy competition that would help the team as a whole. If Samari Rolle and Derrick Mason return to form, and Pryce and Mike Anderson don't turn into the "same ex-team busts" Rolle and Mason were last season, the Ravens have a good chance at success this season. However, in a tough division featuring the Superbowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the always intimidating Cincinatti Bengals and the up and coming Cleveland Browns, the Ravens may have trouble winning as many games as their talent level indicates they should.
Good article, I think the biggest suprise this year could be Demetrius Williams or Dan Cody. If Clayton or Mason gets injured or has poor performance Williams could step in and be an immediate stud. Not many people know about Cody's talent level yet because he was injured all last year but he is a great player out of Oklahoma and could become a starting OLB + backup DE in a awesome defense. He has good speed for his size and can create havoc in the backfield (QB sacks, RB TFLs).
I'm also excited about this season. We're only a QB(Steve Mcnair) away from being a competive playoff team.
