As preseason in the NFL draws near, Ravens fans are ravenous as the purple-and-black rises again in Baltimore. After a remarkable 11-5 campaign, the Ravens are anxious to prove that their success in 2008 was no fluke.
A look ahead at storylines to watch in preseason:
- Joe Flacco's Development: The second-year QB out of Delaware has a lot to prove after an impressive rookie campaign, marked by two road playoff victories and a trip to the AFC Championship game. As much promise as Flacco showed, the verdict is still out as to whether he is merely a game manager or a playmaker. The retention of QB coach Hue Jackson should help Flacco avoid the sophomore slump, as will the addition of Michael Oher to the offensive line. However, the question marks at WR could be just one of many contributing factors to a disappointing encore by "Joe Cool."
- Changes on Defense: As with any winning team, parity always hits the hardest in the offseason. This was never more evident with the departure of such notable names from the Ravens defese in Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard, and mastermind Rex Ryan. To offset these losses, the Ravens promoted LB coach and former Florida defensive coordinator Greg Mattison as Ryan's replacement. Mattison has promoted continuity all offseason by taking input from the veterans, while putting his own touches on Rex Ryan's masterpiece. At LB, Tavares Gooden and Jameel McClain will battle for spot duty in Bart Scott's stead, while the return of former starter Dawan Landry from injury should fill the void at safety. However, as good as the Ravens have been in promoting their "next man up" philosophy, the effects of the turnover this offseason remains to be seen.
- Offensive Chemistry: Under offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the Ravens finally assembled a decent passing attack to complement their punishing ground game. However, both aspects of the offense are threatened by the spate of minor injuries and the constant rotation of an offensive line already in flux. Additionally, the WR position still has question marks from last season, despite the return of the briefly-retired Derrick Mason. With no WR taken in this past draft, GM Ozzie Newsome has put his faith in this current crop of receivers to improve upon last season. That success will hinge upon whether all 11 starters can work as one this upcoming season.
- Terrell Suggs' Contract: After two years of being designated the franchise player, Terrell Suggs was rewarded with the richest contract of any LB in NFL history. However, with a bigger paycheck often comes a bigger decline immediately thereafter. Many big-money players have struggled to live up to their big extensions in recent years, and it remains to be seen whether the spotlight of Suggs' dollar signs will distract him from his play.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
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