2013 NFL Preview: Baltimore Ravens

Added on Jul 31, 2013 by Scott in

NFL

The Baltimore Ravens roster that takes the field this September won’t resemble the one that won Super Bowl XLVII, especially on defense. Due to retirements and free agent departures, as many as ten new starters will be tasked to defend the franchise’s second championship. Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh recognized a makeover was in order and weren’t afraid to execute a retooling plan sooner rather than later. What does it mean for the 2013 Ravens? Let’s take a look.

Baltimore Ravens – Joe Flacco parlayed his Super Bowl MVP season into a six-year $120.6 million contract. With the mass exodus of talent and experience, the pressure on Flacco to live up to his enormous payday will be immense. “Joe Cool” has the arm and attitude to handle the increased exposure, but stat nerds will still question whether he is worth the money. Say goodbye to Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, and hello to rookies Arthur Brown and Matt Elam. Needless to say, Harbaugh will have his work cut out for him.

Player in the spotlight: Torrey Smith – Anquan Boldin is in San Francisco and Dennis Pitta is done for the year after undergoing hip surgery, leaving Smith as the team’s top target. Smith has excellent deep speed and a penchant for making big plays, but he’s caught only 99 passes in two years and has yet to eclipse 1000 yards. Is he capable of being a true number one receiver, and does he really have to be on an offense built around the run game? Regardless, there is a glaring lack of depth beyond Smith and Jacoby Jones.

Trouble spot: Tight end – The injury to Pitta leaves them thin at the position. Ed Dickson was solid in 2011, but regressed a season ago after Pitta emerged as the more consistent option. Veteran Visanthe Shiancoe was signed to help, but he hasn’t caught a regular season pass since 2011 and isn’t a lock to make the final roster. Unless an unknown player shines in training camp, Dickson will be asked to take on a much larger role.

Fearless forecast – The Ravens were a good not great team prior to their magical postseason run. They enter 2013 with a lot less talent and face a brutal non-division schedule that includes games versus Denver, Houston, Green Bay, Chicago, Minnesota and New England. The defense should be enough to carry them certain weeks, but a suspect offense could result in a 9-7 or 8-8 campaign.