Last Year:
Only a year removed from being super bowl champions, the Baltimore Ravens began the 2002 season with many questions to be answered. With the retirement of Elvis Grbac, suspicions swirled around who would take over the pivotal position on the team between Chris Redman, and Jeff Blake. How would the defense perform minus Rod Woodson (Oakland), Jamie Sharper (Houston), Rob Burnett (Miami), and Duane Starks (Arizona)? Can Jamal Lewis recover from a season ending injury and return to his previous form? In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the Baltimore Ravens battled to the bitter end for a playoff spot. Their un-willingness to quit was a characteristic that this team carried throughout every single game. After a 7 ? 9 season Raven fans might not hold their heads so high, but with Brian Billick as the skipper, they can be assured that their team is headed in the right direction.
What we learned from Last Year:
The first thing to note about this team is that they simply do not quit. A couple of times they were overmatched talent wise and they clearly lost games due to a lack of experience, but this team did not give up. After a week 2 blowout at the hands of Tampa Bay, mostly due to quarterback inexperience, the Ravens responded with a gutsy effort, beating the lazy Broncos in week 3. The win in week 3 was an example of how Baltimore played all year. They won games last year on effort alone which is something that teams like Arizona, New Orleans, and Miami can all learn from them.
The second thing we learned is that the days of Trent Dilfer-like QB play is over in Baltimore. Gone are the days where Baltimore?s defense can dominate opponents and shutdown offense after offense. This defense is still good, but it cannot be mentioned in the same sentence as their Super Bowl defense. Baltimore can no longer settle with scoring ?enough? points, and turn things over to the defense. They need solid play from their QB, whoever he?ll be, and they will need to find a way to pay dirt.
Jamal Lewis showed that his injury was no longer a concern as he proved to be a strong weapon for the team. The other weapon that emerged in this offense was tight end Todd Heap. He showed great ability to overpower smaller defenders, and was the only other consistency on this offense besides Jamal Lewis. The biggest problem, again, is who will play quarterback? Last year Chris Redman showed very little, and more so he was unable to play for most of the season due to a back injury. He is still developing, but has only shown average ability. Baltimore had an experienced veteran, Jeff Blake, who stepped in on a young team and was able to help them out. This year they don?t have anyone more experienced than Chris Redman, and that could be the cause of a lot of headaches.
What has changed?:
A year after saying that Chris Redman will be their quarterback of the future, the Ravens are now playing a different tune. They drafted Kyle Boller as one of their two first round picks this year, and considering he is already battling Chris Redman for the starting job, that doesn?t sound like good news for Chris. Even Dallas castaway Anthony Wright has come on to the scene as a potential candidate. Some might think that they brought these guys in to put some pressure on Redman but when a QB is drafted in the first round, it generally means he?ll be taking over at some point. Throwing Boller right into the fire is probably not the best decision, so the best man between Chris Redman and Anthony Wright will most likely start. The key is that one of these guys is going to have to move this team down the field. As mentioned before, adequate offensive production will not be good enough; this team will have to score a decent amount of points to win.
At the wide receiver position it is hard to determine what the Ravens have due the lack of a solid quarterback. Travis Taylor has been off an on, he seems decent at times. Frank Sanders will most likely line up beside him but Arizona, a team desperate for receivers, didn?t even want his services. What does that say about him? Ron Johnson is an up an comer, he could potentially challenge for the starting role as well as Marcus Robinson, who is recovering from injury, might be a factor for this team?s receiving corps. Most teams will key in on Jamal Lewis, which could open things up for these guys.
Besides the QB struggle, the other significant change is that Ray Lewis, one of the best defensive players in the league, will be back healthy. He played only 5 games last year, and the team still went 7 ? 9. Not a bad record considering he is their best defensive player. What is even more important is that all of their young starters on defense, Weaver, Thomas, Baxter, Hartwell and Reed all have a year of playing time under their belts. If they continue to develop, then this defense will be back on its feet in no time.
On a side note, if you have not heard of Ed Reed, it?s time to come out of hibernation. This guy has excellent instincts and is always around the football. Keep an eye on him to continue to impress people, and don?t be dazed and confused if he makes the Pro Bowl team.
O/U 7.5:
This is another tough one right here. The reason that I say that is because I don?t know how reliable any of Baltimore?s QB?s will be. Last year they had Jeff Blake who wasn?t spectacular, but he was definitely capable of moving the ball. Now the burden will likely fall on Chris Redman who has looked as average as a quarterback can be. I don?t know if he will develop into anything better than what he is. If Kyle Boller starts, then what we can expect rookie mistakes from the first year pivot. This team will be very competitive this year, but it can only go as far as their starting QB takes them. I think 3 wins in a tough division, where the teams usually beat the hell out of each other, sounds fair. That means they need to get 5 wins from their remaining out-of-division games. They play @Chargers, Chiefs, @Cardinals, Broncos, Jaguars, @Rams, @Dolphins, Seahawks, 49ers, and @Raiders. This doesn?t look like a cakewalk by any means, and with a volatile situation at QB I think its best to stay away.
Fantasy Sleeper:
I would not recommend drafting any receiver on a team where the QB is questionable. On top of that, this team will run first, then pass. That is not good for fantasy numbers for any of the receivers on Baltimore. Jamal Lewis is a good player to take, but he is no sleeper. Even Todd Heap is no longer a hidden gem on this offense. If you are in a league where you need to draft a defense, take a close look at this one. This defense was decent last year without Ray Lewis. Now that he?s back they could be in line for a productive year. Most people haven?t heard of some of the young guys on this defense, which is the reason why they will pass on them. If they continue to improve on last year?s performances then they can be a nice grab in a later round.
Only a year removed from being super bowl champions, the Baltimore Ravens began the 2002 season with many questions to be answered. With the retirement of Elvis Grbac, suspicions swirled around who would take over the pivotal position on the team between Chris Redman, and Jeff Blake. How would the defense perform minus Rod Woodson (Oakland), Jamie Sharper (Houston), Rob Burnett (Miami), and Duane Starks (Arizona)? Can Jamal Lewis recover from a season ending injury and return to his previous form? In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the Baltimore Ravens battled to the bitter end for a playoff spot. Their un-willingness to quit was a characteristic that this team carried throughout every single game. After a 7 ? 9 season Raven fans might not hold their heads so high, but with Brian Billick as the skipper, they can be assured that their team is headed in the right direction.
What we learned from Last Year:
The first thing to note about this team is that they simply do not quit. A couple of times they were overmatched talent wise and they clearly lost games due to a lack of experience, but this team did not give up. After a week 2 blowout at the hands of Tampa Bay, mostly due to quarterback inexperience, the Ravens responded with a gutsy effort, beating the lazy Broncos in week 3. The win in week 3 was an example of how Baltimore played all year. They won games last year on effort alone which is something that teams like Arizona, New Orleans, and Miami can all learn from them.
The second thing we learned is that the days of Trent Dilfer-like QB play is over in Baltimore. Gone are the days where Baltimore?s defense can dominate opponents and shutdown offense after offense. This defense is still good, but it cannot be mentioned in the same sentence as their Super Bowl defense. Baltimore can no longer settle with scoring ?enough? points, and turn things over to the defense. They need solid play from their QB, whoever he?ll be, and they will need to find a way to pay dirt.
Jamal Lewis showed that his injury was no longer a concern as he proved to be a strong weapon for the team. The other weapon that emerged in this offense was tight end Todd Heap. He showed great ability to overpower smaller defenders, and was the only other consistency on this offense besides Jamal Lewis. The biggest problem, again, is who will play quarterback? Last year Chris Redman showed very little, and more so he was unable to play for most of the season due to a back injury. He is still developing, but has only shown average ability. Baltimore had an experienced veteran, Jeff Blake, who stepped in on a young team and was able to help them out. This year they don?t have anyone more experienced than Chris Redman, and that could be the cause of a lot of headaches.
What has changed?:
A year after saying that Chris Redman will be their quarterback of the future, the Ravens are now playing a different tune. They drafted Kyle Boller as one of their two first round picks this year, and considering he is already battling Chris Redman for the starting job, that doesn?t sound like good news for Chris. Even Dallas castaway Anthony Wright has come on to the scene as a potential candidate. Some might think that they brought these guys in to put some pressure on Redman but when a QB is drafted in the first round, it generally means he?ll be taking over at some point. Throwing Boller right into the fire is probably not the best decision, so the best man between Chris Redman and Anthony Wright will most likely start. The key is that one of these guys is going to have to move this team down the field. As mentioned before, adequate offensive production will not be good enough; this team will have to score a decent amount of points to win.
At the wide receiver position it is hard to determine what the Ravens have due the lack of a solid quarterback. Travis Taylor has been off an on, he seems decent at times. Frank Sanders will most likely line up beside him but Arizona, a team desperate for receivers, didn?t even want his services. What does that say about him? Ron Johnson is an up an comer, he could potentially challenge for the starting role as well as Marcus Robinson, who is recovering from injury, might be a factor for this team?s receiving corps. Most teams will key in on Jamal Lewis, which could open things up for these guys.
Besides the QB struggle, the other significant change is that Ray Lewis, one of the best defensive players in the league, will be back healthy. He played only 5 games last year, and the team still went 7 ? 9. Not a bad record considering he is their best defensive player. What is even more important is that all of their young starters on defense, Weaver, Thomas, Baxter, Hartwell and Reed all have a year of playing time under their belts. If they continue to develop, then this defense will be back on its feet in no time.
On a side note, if you have not heard of Ed Reed, it?s time to come out of hibernation. This guy has excellent instincts and is always around the football. Keep an eye on him to continue to impress people, and don?t be dazed and confused if he makes the Pro Bowl team.
O/U 7.5:
This is another tough one right here. The reason that I say that is because I don?t know how reliable any of Baltimore?s QB?s will be. Last year they had Jeff Blake who wasn?t spectacular, but he was definitely capable of moving the ball. Now the burden will likely fall on Chris Redman who has looked as average as a quarterback can be. I don?t know if he will develop into anything better than what he is. If Kyle Boller starts, then what we can expect rookie mistakes from the first year pivot. This team will be very competitive this year, but it can only go as far as their starting QB takes them. I think 3 wins in a tough division, where the teams usually beat the hell out of each other, sounds fair. That means they need to get 5 wins from their remaining out-of-division games. They play @Chargers, Chiefs, @Cardinals, Broncos, Jaguars, @Rams, @Dolphins, Seahawks, 49ers, and @Raiders. This doesn?t look like a cakewalk by any means, and with a volatile situation at QB I think its best to stay away.
Fantasy Sleeper:
I would not recommend drafting any receiver on a team where the QB is questionable. On top of that, this team will run first, then pass. That is not good for fantasy numbers for any of the receivers on Baltimore. Jamal Lewis is a good player to take, but he is no sleeper. Even Todd Heap is no longer a hidden gem on this offense. If you are in a league where you need to draft a defense, take a close look at this one. This defense was decent last year without Ray Lewis. Now that he?s back they could be in line for a productive year. Most people haven?t heard of some of the young guys on this defense, which is the reason why they will pass on them. If they continue to improve on last year?s performances then they can be a nice grab in a later round.
