2007 Record: 5-11
2007 Rankings
Rushing: 23rd (189.7)
Passing: 16th (112.3)
Total Offense: 22nd (302.0)
Run Defense: 2nd (79.3)
Pass Defense: 20th (222.3)
Total Defense: 6th (301.6)
What was the Ravens’ best move during the offseason?
It’s not often a team can say that the signing of a special teams player is it’s best move of the offseason, but that just might be the case for the Ravens, who picked up perhaps the best special teams player in the league who isn’t a return man in former Bear Brendan Ayanbadejo.
With new head coach John Harbaugh coming from a special teams background, he should be capable of getting the most out of Ayanbadejo’s skills, which should significantly improve the unit’s performance in 2008. And with the state of the offense in flux, the Ravens will count on their defense and special teams to keep them in games this year.
What needs to go right for the Ravens to succeed this season?
Steve McNair’s retirement leaves the Ravens without a proven veteran behind center, so the team would like to rely heavily on the ground game. There are, however, questions about Willis McGahee’s health as well as his commitment and work ethic, which means rookie Ray Rice may see significant time in the backfield this year.
Neither will see much success, though, unless a revamped offensive line comes together quickly. Gone is mainstay Jonathan Ogden, a future Hall of Famer, at left tackle, as well as emotional leader Mike Flynn. Ogden will be replaced by second-year player Jared Gaither, who was a fifth-round pick in last summer’s supplemental draft, and duties at center will be turned over to the 25-year-old Jason Brown, who played guard in each of the last three seasons.
All three other positions on the line will feature new starters as well, so there could be some growing pains as these guys learn to play as a cohesive unit. If they do not gel quickly, it’s not likely we will see much improvement from an offensive unit that ranked 24th in the league in scoring in 2007 at just over 17 points per game.
Where will the Ravens finish the 2008 NFL season?
With the Ravens offense not likely to be much better than they were last season and key players on the defense continuing to get older, this year of transition could be rocky in Baltimore. There will be times when the team shows signs of potential, but there will also be stretches in which they are likely to struggle because of the changes in personnel.
If things go right for this club, like they get solid play from their offensive line and quarterback, they could make some noise in the AFC North. Most likely, however, they are a year or two away from truly contending again and their record this year will most likely show it.
Prediction: 6-10 and last in the AFC North.
