Countdown - 3rd seed in the AFC

Baltimore Ravens – (2006 record = 13-3) – Projected 2007 record = 13-3



Every year their offense hears the same thing. “The Baltimore Ravens will only go as far as their defense takes them,” but the offense hopes to close the gap between the two units. With veteran quarterback Steve McNair in his second year with Baltimore, his rapport with veteran wide out Derrick Mason and emerging star wide receiver Mark Clayton will be much improved. Baltimore has an abundance of weapons including Clayton and Mason – something that up until last year they did not have – and the two people that will benefit from the many weapons, in my opinion, of Baltimore is running back Willis McGahee and Todd Heap.

Newly signed running back McGahee – who has said that he is ecstatic to have gotten out of Buffalo – joins an excellent run blocking offensive line and a team with many University of Miami alums. McGahee, if he can stay healthy, should serve as a significant upgrade over aging running back Jamal Lewis. Lewis – at times last season – looked old and hindered the Baltimore offense a great deal. McGahee should serve as a much more explosive running back – if he can stay healthy – to complement quarterback Steve McNair and the fantastic Baltimore defense.

The other player that I expect to have a strong season in McNair’s second season is Baltimore tight end Todd Heap. One of the best at his position in the league, Heap consistently exploits mismatches against opposing secondaries and linebacking making him one of the few offensive players that Baltimore can count on. Where Heap also excels is blocking in the running game. I believe that Todd Heap will once again make the Pro Bowl this year with an even better year than the one previous, and he will be a big reason why the Baltimore Ravens will have a much improved pass offense.

Star to Watch – By watching the Baltimore Ravens’ starting defense, you can see eleven different stars, but three shine brighter than everyone else. Middle linebacker Ray Lewis is the unquestioned leader and the best linebacker of one of the two best defenses in the league. Lewis covers sideline to sideline better than most every middle linebacker and benefits a great deal from stud defensive tackles Haloti N’gata and Kelly Gregg keeping offensive lineman off Lewis so he can make plays in the middle of the defense. The second player that stands out is ball hawking safety Ed Reed. Reed seems to be around the ball at all times, seems to make 8-10 interceptions every season and makes at least 30 big plays on defense and on special teams each and every year – an astronomical number for a safety. With Reed and Lewis patrolling the middle of the field, both relegate the opposing offenses concentrate only on the outsides of the Ravens defense.

That is where the third star comes in. Chris McAlister is one of the two best cornerbacks in the league, and one of the most underrated players in the NFL. McAlister, like Bailey, has the ability to take an opposing wide receiver completely out of the game with his supreme size, strength, and speed. But because of the strength of the ten other players surrounding him, McAlister faces many more challenges than other cornerbacks equal to McAlister’s caliber. This can be seen with McAlister’s 22 passes defended and six interceptions last season, and while Lewis and Reed garner most of the headlines, McAlister continues to be one of the most important players to the success of the Ravens defense, and he is a big reason why the Ravens defense will once again be one of the leagues best this season.

Player to Watch – Linebacker Bart Scott is one of the brightest young players in the league. Examples of Scott’s brilliance and tenacity last year could be seen with his monster hit on Ben Roethlisberger and Scott’s fifteen tackle performance against San Diego last season. A six year veteran, Scott looks to build on last season’s success and aide Ray Lewis and the rest of the Ravens defense in their attempt to return to the Super Bowl. Also Watch – Mammoth offensive tackle Jonathon Ogden, who will have to play much better this year both run and pass block in order for the Ravens offense to reach their full potential.

What I expect from the Ravens:

- Mark Clayton will pick up the receiving slack for the ever declining Derrick Mason. Clayton will not challenge for a Pro Bowl slot because of the importance that offensive coordinator and head coach Brian Billick puts on pounding the football, but will have many clutch catches for the Ravens late in close games on the few occasions in which the Ravens are trailing.
Steve McNair will be adequate but Willis McGahee will be phenomenal this season for Baltimore.

- Baltimore will be one of – if not the – best defenses in the league. But their defensive excellence will not be enough to catapult the Ravens past New England in the AFC and into the Super Bowl.

- End Terrell Suggs will be great this season teaming up with Trevor Price to reek havoc on opposing tackles and quarterbacks. The defensive ends will team up with N’gata and Gregg to constantly demand double teams and keep opposing offensive linemen off of stud linebackers Bart Scott and Ray Lewis
- Finally, the Baltimore secondary with McAlister, Reed, Samari Rolle, and Dawan Landry will form the best secondary in the league. The safeties are hard hitting players with a great nose for the ball, and by teaming up with Rolle and McAlister – two of the best cover men in the league – they will make it quite difficult trying to pass against the 2007 Ravens.

How the Baltimore Ravens will fare in 2007-08: I see the Ravens replicating their 2006 season and finishing 13-3. And while the Ravens have the talent to make the Super Bowl, I do not think that they will unless the offense performs much better than they did in last year’s playoffs.