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Dec 23, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) hands off to running back Ray Rice (27) against the New York Giants at M

The Raven’s offense, while they didnt lose too many starters, still lost players whose departure will greatly impact the dynamic of the offense next season. The two key players of note that everyone is talking about is obviously Anquan Boldin and Matt Birk. With these two key departures there will definitely have to be some players that need to step up on offense in order for the team to be successful. Obviously someone has to step in and fill the roles left by those two men, but there are other positions on the offensive side of the ball that have to rise to the occasion. 

#1: Gino Gradkowski – Center

I mentioned that Matt Birk left and that his role was going to have to be filled. Well as it stands right now the position is Gino Gradkowski’s to lose. The center position is supposed to be the leader of the line and he’s going to have to take the reigns and lead this line that has a ton of potential. Obviously Gino is going to have to build a good relationship with quarterback Joe Flacco. Matt Birk’s shoes are going to be difficult ones to fill, however I think that Gino Gradkowski has the potential to be a very solid anchor in the middle of the offensive line.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) celebrates a kickoff return touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

#2: Jacoby Jones – Wide Receiver

As it stands right now Jacoby Jones is the #2 receiver on the Raven’s offense. He is a receiver who has never broken the 600-yard mark in a season. He has a ton of big play potential on special teams and offense, but the highest total yardage he has ever been able to amass in a single season is 562 yards back in 2010 for the Houston Texans. Anquan Boldin last season had close to 1000-yards last season and had a remarkable postseason as he led the Raven’s receiving game. Jacoby Jones also showed his big playmaking ability on offense in the postseason when he had two of the biggest plays for the Ravens in the postseason. Jacoby Jones is going to have to elevate his game and really help carry this offense and take the pressure off of of the constant barrage of double teams that teams are going to throw at him.

#3 Bryant McKinnie

Most of the guys who are really going to have to step up for the Ravens are guys on the offensive line. The reason for this is because the offensive line is an area on the team with a lot of question marks. One big area is the left tackle position that is going to be protecting the blind side of Joe Flacco. Until recently it looked like Michael Oher was going to have to make the transition back over to the left side and try to reestablish himself as a premier pass-blocker. Well, the Ravens went out and managed to reacquire big left tackle Bryant McKinnie. McKinnie is a guy who has a lot of conditioning issues. He’s a very big man and it takes a lot for him to be out there for a full game. So it is going to be really interesting to see how he holds up at left tackle this season. He didnt start a single game last season for the Ravens until playoff times came. One positive note is that he played extremely well in the playoffs and he has agreed to lose weight before the start of this season. He’s shown a commitment to becoming a regular fixture on the Raven’s line and we’re going to need him to play really well and keep Joe Flacco upright.

#4 Michael Oher – Right Tackle

This is going to be a big year for Michael Oher. He started last season at the left tackle position. That didnt seem to work out too well as it became all to apparent that Michael Oher simply cannot play the left tackle position in the NFL. On the left side he is just average at the position. On the right side however he shows a lot of promise. His talents are more suited for a run-blocking tackle than a pass-blocking one. With Bryant McKinnie signed to a two year deal it is going to fall on the shoulders of the Michael Oher to really shore up the right side of the line with Marshal Yanda and pave the way for Ray Rice and the running game.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

#5 Joe Flacco -Quarterback

He’s the man with a 6-year, $120.6 million contract. He’s the man who came out before last season and said that he was an elite quarterback. He’s the man that led his team to the playoffs, again, and this time finally managed to break through the obstacles in front of him and win the Lombardi Trophy. He’s “Cool” Joe Flacco and he is going to have to be very cool this season coming up. He claims to be elite. People in the media are finally starting to recognize him as elite. For me and elite quarterback is one that has the ability to step up and make the other guys on his team into great players. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers are all quarterbacks that have the ability to make receivers around them better. They have the ability to, no matter who is on their team, still put up ridiculous numbers and, in the process, win games. Joe Flacco still, at least for me, has to work on that. This year is the perfect opportunity to. He has a receiver that is poised to completely break out and become a star. He has a solid, not great, #2 receiver in Jacoby Jones and a bunch of young guys who are chomping at the bit to really show what they have. He has back his go-to-guy Dennis Pitta as well. So Joe Flacco this season is going to have to step up and show that he can make these guys better. He is going to have to own his highest paid contract status and he is going to have to take on all comers and win games. He cant afford to have a mediocre season. With the contract that he just signed he is going to have to have a great, if not MVP type, season.

Dec 11, 2011; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens defense including tackle Haloti Ngata (92) and linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) and defensive end Pernell McPhee (90) do a group cheer during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at M

A question that is frequently asked heading into training camps is: how will the Ravens new defense fare next season? The Ravens, for the first time in a decade, will be putting out a defense without the talents of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Losing two players that are the caliber of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis would be enough to send any team into disarray. The Ravens also lost talented pass-rushing outside linebacker Paul Kruger to AFC North rivals, The Cleveland Browns. They also lost to free agency the man that they expected to replace Ray Lewis when Dannell Ellerbe left for Miami. The Ravens cut ties with strong safety and resident hot head Bernard Pollard. An off season like this on defense would cripple most teams for years. Luckily for the Baltimore Ravens they’re not most teams and their front office is the best in football.

They key to this off season was not to replace the talent of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Those two are irreplaceable assets to the team. You have one of the greatest ball-hawking safeties to ever play the game and, I say this with pride, the greatest inside linebacker to ever play the game.  You cant replace what those two brought to the organization. That being said and as great as those two men were over the years for the Ravens, they were getting old and it was starting to show. As for the other men lost, I had high hopes for them if they resigned with the team. I think both have a lot of talent and they will be missed. But as Ravens fans learned this off season, you have to move on and you have to do it quickly.

The Ravens were not as good on defense last season as they have grown accustomed to being. They were ranked 17th overall on defense. They played better against the pass than they did the run. In the run game they were ranked 20th in the league allowing an average of 4.0 yards per attempt and they gave up over 100-yards rushing 9 times last season. Ravens fans are not used to seeing teams run the ball at all against out defense. I think part of that was due to poor line play, injuries, and the fact that our defense was getting up there in age.

Well, the Ravens addressed the defensive line during this off season. They brought in stout defensive tackles Chris Canty and Marcus Spears to help anchor that defensive line. With the addition of those two, plus Terrance Cody and third-round draft pick Brandon Williams the Ravens should have a lot of options moving forward here. Canty is a big upgrade from Ma’ake Kemoeatu who started most of the season at the defensive tackle position after winning the job from Terrance Cody. Hopefully this influx of new faces on defense can light a fire under Terrance Cody too. His play last year was not up to snub with what the Ravens expected of him after the 2011 season, he’s going to need to up his level of play again if he wants to become a regular fixture on the defensive line. Reports are saying that he has lost a bunch of weight heading into the mini camps. If this is true it is a good sign because it is showing that Cody has the dedication to becoming a better player.

The defensive end position has also gotten a bit of a revamp as well. Most likely we’ll see Haloti Ngata moving around on the defensive line, but I feel that in the past he’s been most effective while he has been on the end position. He’s great at shooting gaps inside, taking on double teams, and sealing the edge against the run, but we all know that. The biggest improvement to the defensive end/outside linebacker position is easily Elvis Dumervil. The Ravens managed to swoop in and grab Dumervil after a fax snafu in Denver resulted in the untimely release of the all-pro pass rusher. Obviously I really like this addition to the team, not just for the talent aspect, but we’re getting a better deal at the position that Kruger would have been playing. The Ravens signed Dumervil for 5 years @ $35 Million. Kruger’s deal with the browns came at a much steeper price when he signed a 5 year contract worth $42 million. So replacing Paul Kruger who, wasnt very productive until later in the season when Terrell Suggs came back. We get a prove all-pro pass-rusher. I’d say that’s a pretty good deal. I’d also like to point out, not that many of you need this pointed out, but the Ravens defense was without two defensive player’s of the year for most of the season. Terrell Suggs was out for the first 6 games of the season, and Ray Lewis missed the last 10 games of the season leading up to the playoffs. Ngata was also playing some of the season with injury as well.

The Ravens are going to be starting the season, barring any major injuries during the pre-season, with three all-pro players who like to get after the quarterback. I think that it is safe to say that any offensive line is going to have their hands full trying to block Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, and Elvis Dumervil. Another great addition to the team, I think, is going to be John Simon. I could very well see him working his way into a starting position as the weak-side defensive end. The Ravens could move Dumervil into the other outside linebacker position opposite Terrell Suggs.

The linebackers, particularly the inside linebacker position, was one that raised a lot of speculation. The Ravens needed someone to replace Ray Lewis. Let’s face it, no one is going to replace what Ray Lewis meant to the team. Replacing his production however might be a bit easier. Ray Lewis was definitely showing signs of age last season, while he could still make tackles in between the tackles, his use in coverage was somewhat lacking and teams with better tight ends often tried to pick on Ray Lewis and the couple of steps that he had lost. That being said he did have 57  tackles in 6 games for the Ravens during the regular season (44 of them were solo tackles). Pretty good numbers overall, but I think that the Ravens can meet those numbers with other players. They signed Rolando McClain, a man 14 years Ray Lewis’ junior. He has a troubled past, and didnt help ease the worries of Ravens fans when just nine days after he was released from the Raiders and signed a contract with the Ravens, he was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. If he does make the team he is still a good line backer and can put up numbers that could rival what Ray Lewis was putting up toward the end of his career. He is young and has a lot of room to grow if he can keep his nose clean. He was a former first round pick for the Raiders and there was a l0t of pressure on him to become a franchise line backer there. I think that he can find a good spot here on the Raven’s roster where there is not as much pressure on him to preform. He can just get back to playing football. That being said the Ravens have also added some insurance through the draft. They do play a 3-4 defense mostly, so the need for two inside linebackers is a must. The Ravens also addressed this need by drafting a phenomenal linebacker in the second round, Arthur Brown. The Ravens also have Jameel McClain coming off of an injury. He knows the system because he’s been in it for years now. If he’s healthy he could also contribute to the Raven’s defense in a positive way. Let us not forget Courtney Upshaw either. Upshaw had a pretty good rookie season with the Ravens and has a lot of versatility. I could definitely see him being moved inside and a good 4-man rotation of Upshaw, McClain, McClain, and Brown producing well. Upshaw is also a good pass-rusher and I could see him filling in and getting some playing time at the outside position. Also not mentioned in the defensive linemen discussion was Pernell McPhee. No, I didnt forget him. The Ravens have expressed interest at moving him to outside linebacker to see if he can play there. McPhee is a very talented player and can play at multiple positions on the field. Its not set in stone, so if he doesnt work out he could very well fight right back into the rotation on the defensive line, but I’m definitely interested to see how McPhee handles the transition.

The Raven’s secondary is also one with a lot of holes. The Ravens went out and replaced Ed Reed with Michael Huff. Huff, like McClain, was also cut from the Raider’s roster this off season to free cap space. Huff is a solid coverage safety that will probably give the same amount of production as Ed Reed would have given anyway. While he doesnt have nearly the career numbers that Reed does, I think that at this point in Ed Reed’s career he and Huff are playing at about the same level defensively. Lets look at the numbers:

Ed Reed last season - started 16 games,  58 tackles, 4 INTs, 16 PDs, 1 TD

Michael Huff last season - started 16 games, 56 tackles, 2 INTs, 13 PDs, 0 TD.

Both guys are putting up similar numbers at this point in their respective careers. If we’re just looking at numbers, then Huff is a good fit for the team. His instincts are nowhere near as sharp as Ed Reed’s. That cant be replaced. Huff is a solid player who is versatile because he can play coverage as a safety, he can play bump and run as a corner (which he likes to do) and he can even line up in the slot and cover some of the bigger tight ends in the league. I think for the money we’re paying Huff, 3 years @ $6 million we’re getting a really good value. Reed is set to make $15 million over the same time frame as Huff. Another stat I would like to point out is that last season Ed Reed missed 21 tackles in the open field. Huff in the last 3 seasons combined has only missed 18 tackles in the open field. I’ve liked Huff ever since he came out of college because he knows how to wrap up and tackle. This will definitely help the Ravens in their run defense if the ball carrier can make it past our very stout, very tough front 7. The Ravens also managed to draft safety Matt Elam in the first round to replace Bernard Pollard. Elam is an All-SEC guy and plays the game much like Pollard. He loves playing man-on-man and delivering big hits to receivers coming over the middle. While covering the draft I actually saw him compared numerous times to former Colts safety Bob Sanders. As most of you may know Bob Sanders was a VERY promising safety in the league who could never quite get over the injury bug that affected his whole career. If Elam can stay healthy and live up to that comparison, I think the Ravens struck gold with pick #32. Also in the secondary we still have Ladarius Webb. He’s coming off quite a gruesome injury, but all signs are pointing to a very smooth recovery. The next starting CB is probably going to be another first round pick from a couple of years ago, Jimmy Smith. I could see Graham starting on the other side. He is a very good player who could continue to develop into something special. But I would really like to see Smith finally rise to the occasion and become the corner back the Ravens expected him to become when they drafted him.

After taking a full look at the Ravens defense, I am very comfortable saying that I expect them to be a top-10 defense again this year. Obviously I could be bold and say that they are going to be a top-5 or even top-3 defense, but there are too many question marks that still need to be answered. Despite the fact that they are without two future hall of fame defensemen on their roster, I actually think that the Ravens are going to be better off. They’re younger and faster on defense. While the experience isnt going to be there, I feel that the Ravens also have more than capable players that will step into the leadership void left by Reed and Lewis.  There is a lot of potential on the defensive side of the ball and with the coaching staff that the Ravens have on defense I’m sure that we could see a lot of talent developed this season and a great Raven’s defense put out there. Something that the fans are used to seeing.